West End Stories 011 | David Lane

I was in jail cell in Garvin county, Oklahoma when I received a letter from my lawyer. I had already been out of federal prison, and I had been on parole, but I caught another charge. I was stealing cars. I was a thief.

It was an extremely small cell with four bunks and a toilet. There was no sunlight in that jail, the only way we had any indication that it was day time was through a small crack on a steel door around the corner at the end of the hall.

I’ll never forget how I felt when I opened that letter, I assumed I would get 5 years in prison, since I had 3 different charges. But the letter read that the judge and district attorney had agreed for me to do 3 seperate 20 year sentences. There is a difference between simultaneous sentence and separate sentences, the judge had ordered for me to serve 3 separate sentence adding to a total of 60 years.

I sat there in my bunk and just cried. I didn’t know God back then, well I knew about him, but I didn’t know Him. In my limited understanding, I cried out to him and said “God please help me. I can't do this.” It was there, in prison, that I surrendered my life fully to Jesus.

I've been out of prison now for 3 years this week. By God’s grace, I only served a total of 9 years out of 60. I never thought I would see my family again. It hasn't always been easy but God has blessed me abundantly above all I can imagine. Most of all I'm able say that He is the center of my life without that I'm not sure what condition is would be in. I know now what it means to love.

West End Stories - David Lane