Most parents cringe when the school principal calls you for a meeting about your child. However, the school principal pales in comparison to being called by a prison inmate . . . who is also your child. The last place we expect or desire our child or loved one to live out his or her days is in prison.
Jason Kent, son of Carol and Gene Kent, was a parent’s dream to raise. Everything Jason did, he did with excellence. From graduating at the top of his class from the U.S. Naval Academy to marrying a beautiful woman, life for the Kent family was ideal. Until . . . something snapped and Jason was arrested, then sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Their lives as they had known them were irreversibly changed. In this interview, Carol openly shares how they have not only rebuilt their lives but have reframed what it means to live fully amid unchanging, hard circumstances.
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Let’s remember that one of the most terrifying criminals in history became one of the greatest advocates for Jesus Christ. His name was Paul, the apostle who wrote most of the New Testament. Like Paul, Jason Kent has a “captive” audience. Jason teaches hundreds of inmates God’s Word and classes on life and skill development.
There is no valley too deep for God’s light to shine bright. Are you willing to open your hands, release what you value most, and allow God to replace your wants with His will? The story for Jason is not over; neither is yours. I hope to hear from you today. Finally, I pray you will take a moment to send Jason a note for all he is doing in spite of the darkness surrounding his life.
Join the conversation on our blog at www.reframingministries.com.
About Carol Kent
Carol is founder and director of the Speak Up Conference, a ministry that equips speakers and writers to take the next step. With her husband, Gene, she founded the nonprofit organization Speak Up for Hope, which benefits inmates and their families. Carol is also the president of Speak Up Speaker Services, a Christian speakers’ bureau.
Carol is a popular international public speaker best known for being dynamic, humorous, encouraging, and biblical. She is a former radio show co-host and has often been a guest on Focus on the Family. She regularly appears on a wide variety of nationally syndicated radio and television broadcasts.
She holds a master’s degree in communication arts and a bachelor’s degree in speech education. Some of her more than 20 books include: Becoming a Woman of Influence, When I Lay My Isaac Down, and her newest release, Unquenchable. She has been featured on the cover of Today’s Christian Woman, and her articles have been published in a wide variety of magazines.
Carol Kent Resources
Ministry to inmates through churches and organizations:
Speak Up for Hope
PO Box 6262
Lakeland, FL 33807
www.SpeakUpforHope.org
Connecting with Jason:
Speakupforhope.org
Greeting cards your church or community can send:
American Rehabilitative Ministries:
American Rehabilitative Ministries has developed a line of name-brand greeting cards to send to inmates around the world. They offer a variety of categories (anniversary, birthday (adult and child), friendship, get well, sympathy, thank you, wedding, Christmas, Easter, Father’s Day, graduation, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day). There is a $4.00 charge for each 100 cards, covering the cost of packaging and postage.
Boxes of Hope: individually packaged and wrapped gift boxes for inmates through Carol’s ministry