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Alright. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people. If we got clear facts, maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting.
Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News, reporting for America. Uh This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories. This next story is It's about a friend of mine.
We're close in age. but have little else in common. Mitchell Rutledge, aka Big Mitch, was born black and poor in Georgia. I was born kind of brown and middle class in New Jersey. He never met his father.
I still talk to my 94-year-old father every week. He dropped out of high school in his early teens and was illiterate into his early 20s. I was surrounded by books growing up. and finished graduate school in my early thirties. Big Mitch spent the last 44 years of his life in Alabama prisons for killing a man.
But this is not a story about an innocent man sentenced to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Big Mitch never denied the crime. or made excuses for it. This is the story of my friend's spiritual transformation while serving his life sentence. It's also about a friendship only God could have engineered.
A friendship that began with a single Sunday morning call. Through these weekly conversations, I hope you come to know and love him as much as I do. Welcome to Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch. Here's episode 4, my conversation on February 4th, 2020. 2024, where Mitch has his first encounter with true love.
This is a free call from Mitchell Rutnet. An incarcerated individual at Alabama Department of Corrections. To accept this free call, press. 1. To refuse this free call, press.
2. Thank you for using Securus. You may start the conversation now. Here is Slummel. She'll come down and visit me.
and stay a couple of months, down here and go back to California. And hey, this this right here was like I couldn't believe it. you know, I'm going on the vision yard. I I'm calling people so God can really just change my life.
Now I'm learning uh how to read a little better.
Now I can spell a cat, 'cause before before that I could even spell a cat, I'll be honest with you. And to be honest with you, I I couldn't even spell my last name is O-U-T-L-E-D-G-E. but before I learned how to read and write. Uh I was spelling my last name wrong.
So it was just because it changed my whole life and she stayed in my life. It's just ten years for thirty three years, thirty four years. By the grace of God.
So now I got somebody saying that they love me. Can see. I know my mom would love me. I I just I just know that. I knew that my grandmama loved me.
I knew this. I know my great-aunt Duval loved me. I knew that, but. They didn't really just tear me.
So I thought love was nothing but just a joke. It's not real.
So when she said she said, Well, God sent me into life, I love you And I'll be there to help you well. It sound good. But, okay, we don't really know.
So for six months now we've talking on the telephone and uh I got somebody to call Yeah, somebody's appealed again by me. Big Mitch and I talked a lot about a lot of things, and one of them we love to talk about. Were stories from the Bible, so important in the story of Big Mitch. and so many millions of people here in America. Here's Big Mitch on the story of Peter.
and lessons on the devil's deception? From Sister Lillian. I ran across a situation. read one day and uh man it was um Matthew chapter 16. Versus.
Twenty-one to twenty-three. And that's when uh Jesus called his disciples around him and tell them, said, Hey, uh, I'm going to go to Jerusalem and this is what they're about to do to me and so on and so on. And Peter pulled him aside and told him, said, uh, Master, This is not going to happen. What you say is not going to happen. In other words, and Jesus said that I rebuke you.
get people out and me say Master, you said you were going to Jerusalem. And in Jerusalem they would kill you. If that's true, then it's our duty to keep you from going. You must not allow it to happen. He was thinking as men think.
Not as God thinks. The devil is speaking through you. Yeah. Yeah, Get behind me, Satan.
Now he wasn't talking. To people. The Persian Beetle. because prior to that verse Chapter 16. Perfect.
Seventeen and eighteen, and Jesus said that he was going to build his church. upon this rock, which is Peter.
So And Jesus don't make no mistake, God. Don't make no mistake. but he recognized the spirit. that that enemy spirit that is trying to deceive God. And so when I realized and began to investigate and study that first particular out of my God, the enemy.
Trying God. And he came through. The individual is that. God said that he was gonna build this church on.
So then I began to think. I said, okay. Because I'm around I'm in prison. There's so much deceitfulness and conning and manipulation and all kind of stuff going on.
So I said, okay. And I began to Cheer guys. what I received from that is this. And we had to be mindful what we hear at times from the individuals that is closest to us. In other words, I give you an example.
Let's see, uh you have an addiction problem. you had an alcohol problem. and you and your friend, you're at a party. and this is your best friend and he know that you have a alcohol problem. But This particular time He killed you say, Hey, it ain't gonna hurt you to take one drink.
Just try. You it's not like you're gonna do it every day. And you know and you look at your friend, you say, Well, why would he say that? Or why would she say that? Knowing what I just came through, knowing what I just almost lost, or what have you, knowing I almost lost my job, my family, and what have you, you gonna tell me to take a drink?
Well, That's not your friend talking to you at that time. That's the enemy. That's Satan. But what it does. He'll come through at that moment with a whisper and a word to deceive you.
And if you are not spiritually inclined, if you don't have a connection with Jesus Christ, if you don't have that relationship with Christ. where the Holy Spirit in you and you'll be able to recognize Because you'll know. Because you don't read the Bible and you'll know that, hey, this is not my friend talking to me. Because my friend wouldn't tell me this.
So you you know, in other words you said well You won't get mad with your friend. You don't feel your friend trying to deceive you. You don't feel your friend is trying to hurt you. You you understand what King Solomon said. Understanding the best thing in the world.
So you understand through the Holy Spirit in you, that this is the devil talking to me. This is the enemy trying to deceive me to get me to drinking again. And he's using my best friend. To do it. You guys investigate their spirit.
Because you don't, you'll be deceived and mislead. And you've been listening to Big Mitch, and that's Mitchell Rutledge. And he has spent almost his entire grown life in various Alabama penitentiaries. And I got to know him over this year through these series of conversations. I felt the deep pull on my heart for you to get to know him too.
His story of redemption, of forgiveness. It's a remarkable thing. When we come back, More with our Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch series. Episode 4. here on Our American Stories.
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It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people. If we got clear facts, maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the facts.
Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America. And we return to Our American Stories in episode four. of Sunday mornings with Big Mitch. Let's pick up.
where we last left off. I have the reading about Job. And Job cursed the day that he was born. At one point. because of all the trials and tribulation that came upon him.
And at one time when I was on death row and I was going through so much and I look back over my life and how I had came up as a child and and and I came from an abusive environment. you know, not necessary physically, but I shouldn't have went through what I went through as a child. And so I'm sitting on death row and I'm I'm reflecting back on all of that. And uh I said, Wow.
So I cursed the day that I was born. I said, Well, I shouldn't I shouldn't have. You know, I was in my mother's womb, you know, and I felt that way at that at that time because uh. Would my life had yielded? Looking back on it.
A lot of people talk about Joe Say dry, Joe. because God was uh bragging on Job. And Satan told God your will, Lord He's serving you and doing everything that you want him to do. He's just because you gave him everything you want. Said, well, take everything you got.
And uh he'll he'll curse you for your face.
So God told Satan, say, Well, go forth And Do everything that you choose to do to 'em, but don't get it. And that's what Satan did. And so That situation right there, I learned something about Joe. The Joe. felt entitled.
Pete Cole's. it it took the other youngster. He's not you. to tell Job that God didn't owe him no explanation. Joe.
want to know why God was doing him like that, that he didn't deserve that, that I don't deserve to be treated like this, or I shouldn't go through this. A lot of people say, well, you know, you had a faith of Job.
Well, yeah, Joe had faith, but at the same time, when you reclose them, Joe felt like, hey, I don't deserve this. And Elijah told me God don't owe him no exponential.
So, in other words, uh, a lot of people's will be like, Joe, you know, I haven't did anything wrong. I go to church, I pay my tithes. I don't do anybody wrong or what I have you. What I learned from that situation right there is that people are like that in life.
Well, I don't deserve this uh Why God don't help me? Oh, why God? I haven't hurt anyone. See, God don't owe nobody no explanation. For whatever happened to you, if you're a child of God, in Job.
Speak is awesome. Not to complain, but Joe complained. But he wouldn't curse God. His wife told him to curse him and go here on and die.
So Joe shows you talking like a fool. We get a lot of listens. From the Bible. And uh Joe did. complain about what was going on in his life.
And being a man of God. You don't suppose to complain.
Now, is that beyond being a human? Please. I don't know. because, you know, people will complain about things, but I thanked it. We need to understand one thing: that if you believe in Jesus Christ and you trust Jesus Christ, If something going on in your life, Well, something bad happened to you, your child is sick, your wife is sick, your mother is sick, your Oh, is it seek?
or what have you, whatever the trial and tribulation that can come upon you. then you just pray. and don't blame guys. Job felt that God wasn't treating him fair.
Well, ain't that something? where a human being can say God ain't treating them fair. The judge and the district attorney denied. My hearing. said that I didn't even deserve a hearing.
And once I heard that Yeah. That was in in my car. Press. What I heard that I was disappointed. I was so disappointed.
Good. I immediately began to pray. I mean Didn't blame God. The only thing I see is We got something else for me.
So Job had the faith. But Joe, and a lot of people don't like to talk about it. But Joe complained. He feel lights. He was entitled.
not to go through nothing in life. And that's what he felt. He felt like he shouldn't. Should help and Had to go through nothing because of who he was, that he was blameless. Why am I going through this?
I haven't did anything, I shouldn't be punished. And a lot of people feel that way. But hey, God, you never know what God's doing. Just deal with it. And so at the eating, God blessed them seven times more.
because he didn't curse him. That's the main thing he didn't do. He still believes in God, but he felt that he was entitled not to be treated that way. And and people to this day. Yeah.
But you have no control over what may come your way. There's a lot of guys here with me. They throw me in the towel. Guys tell me, so with Mitch man, you're a strong you know guys give me a lot of accolades now. Big Mitch, man, you're a strong dude, man.
You still got your right man. You're hanging in here. You ain't You ain't dismantling. I said, Where's Jesus Christ? It really is a cheesy question.
We cannot. Survive nowhere. in society, especially in Europe. to that crazy We need help. To make it from one day to the next day.
We need him to overcome. Same. We need him. As we wound down our conversation, Big Mitch talked about a turning point in his life. and it had everything to do with the word forgiveness.
Here's Big Mitch. Um Forgiveness is It's a cornerstone. A war. Maybe the next transition. From one point to a niche point.
And and and because, um, If you can't forgive Whether it's forgiven yourself of a given others. then you were stagnated, you were stationary right there. And you can't be healed and you can't heal. without forgiveness, so That's one of the reasons God asked us to forgive. And then God, the main thing God said, if you don't forgive others, Then how can you?
Be forgiven. You know, I I I I think a lot of people uh overlooked that You know, is that Uh uh they are so unwilling to forgive. But at the same time, They won't forgive. And and forgiveness is is is is like I said. just the essence and cornerstone to be able to move from that position to the next position.
and to not forgive. It's like a council. Because it is you up i i it's it it it it has you angry and and upset and and and and bitter. then it's destroying you. Like when I lay down at night in my bed and I'm in here, And uh when I understood, you know, what I had needed, uh, this person had a mother, father, brother, sister, kids, you know.
And and and when I realized what I did, It's yes. it were hard to go to sleep at night. They were hard to function.
So I had to get that out of me. I had to forgive myself.
So you used to tell me all the time, she would mitch, God that forgave you.
So now you gotta forgive yourself. I had to forgive myself for a lot of things and uh The only way I made it to where I am now is able to forgive myself for what I did. And and once I was able to forgive myself, then I was able to be able to function better. I was able to grow in a more positive and productive manner. because I didn't have that third.
Upon the irremovable. I'm I'm free of this. Goda forgave me. I done forgave me.
Now I can move forward in life and now I can be a positive influence in other people's lives. And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling. by our own Greg Hengler. and our own Reagan Habib. And my goodness, the degree to which Mitch's life intersected time and again.
with stories from the Bible and how those stories informed him. And improved him and made him see things clearly. And the biggest lesson of them all had to do with one big word in all of our lives: forgiveness. Everybody wants forgiveness, but my goodness, to be able to forgive, and sometimes just to be able to forgive yourself. My goodness, Mitch had killed a man.
Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch, Episode 4. Here on Our American Stories. We use sunscreen paper la piel, perdad.
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