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This next story is about a friend of mine. were 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 ninety four 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 30s. 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 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. The 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. Here's episode 5, my conversation on February 11th. 2024, where Mitch begins describing how it is impossible to survive prison as long as he has. without God. This is a free call from Mitchell Rutnet.
An incarcerated individual at Alabama Department of Corrections to accept this free call press. One, to refuse this free call press, two, thank you for using Securus. You may start the conversation now. I tell guys hate me. It's the same way out there, but especially in here, you cannot survive.
Yes. goblin here with our G Scrape. is impossible. They see everything. They see the trees, they see the stars, the s the sky, the rain, the sun.
Mm you know, they they see everything, but They are never. gave it inner soul to a who created that. Why didn't that exist? Why don't the sun rise every morning? They they don't understand, you know, they they I do.
Because I hear ten of them. to sit down and uh and evacuate everything because My life. And everything was and disarray.
So God Got my attention. You know, I thank God for this. I then asked Mitch if he had a favorite story from the Bible. And this is what he told me. I guess One of them in particular would be Pan year of Mishak Shagrak and Vedico.
When uh they were talking before the king and the king wanted them to uh Yeah. before their gods. And You'll see it did by now. that they would be thrown in the fire response. And they were cheating.
to power down to the gauze. They said that they know that God can save them. But even if he don't save them, Here's Steel. Yeah, I go by now. Don't know that Jesus is going to save them.
But they know that he can.
So My situation is the same. I know Jesus. can brag about my release from tourism. I don't know he will. But I know he can.
Put it at the end of the day. I'm still going to serve Jesus Christ regardless. A lot of time, individuals in my position in here They're asking God to do things for them, mostly their freedom. But over a period of time when They continue to pray and continue to try to get things done, and it don't materialize then there. won't fogo.
And fogger away from God because they feel that God is an answer in their prayers or what have you. And I haven't witnessed this. But me, I'm the opposite. God, don't bring me out of here. I know he's able.
I'm not going to turn away from him. I'm not going to stop believing in him. I'm not going to stop testifying about him. I use that as one of the Mm-hmm. Fuse to light my fire continue to motivate me and drive me.
I use this story. Uh Mitch continues to see himself in so many of the old Bible stories. Stories like that of Joseph. Show something. In In prison.
For many, many years, and how God had used him while he was in there. gave him favor. He was able to help individuals out. He he had favor with the guards, he had favor with the chief. and the head or the garage and gave him that.
And uh she gave him favoring all his life. And that's the way I look at my situation, even though I'm incarcerated, even though I've been incarcerated before Going on forty four years. I look at the plus side of my life. And I see the favor that God has bestowed on me and continued to bestow on me. I look at the many lives that are saved in here.
by being a a good disciple of God. The Bible is is full of so many interesting stories and and events. It is just like a a guide. Just, you know, how God, even though I'm in here, but God didn't continue, and He still gives me favor. You know, I I I believe that, you know, I'm still alive and and wonder and and the most dangerous prison system in the United States And forty-some years, you know, I can.
I just got three. Thank God for that. Mitch has made many friends over the years of his sentence, but none quite like Bert and Anita Folsom. And here's the craziest thing. I've known Bert Fulsom for 20 years plus.
He teaches at Hillsdale College. He's retired. One of the great history professors of all time. And until this meeting with Big Mitch, I had not known he'd known Big Mitch. for decades.
Here's Big Mitch talking about his friends, Bert and Anita Folsom. But you know, h uh him and Anita, you know, they are They're one and the same.
So he he had He written me probably about two weeks after Social Civilian had written me. And they pretty much He said the same thing, that's what we can say. Good off. And I was the only one in the Time magazine article out of all the other individuals that was on death row. that show that said that they were sorry or show remorse.
is and he just wanted to let me know that That God is a gay man. that he'll willing to be my friend i if if if I wanted that. I got to meet Bertie and Anito. In January 1983, they have been in my life over 41 years. And uh you know this guy.
Much like the rest of America around this time, the Super Bowl had the prison walls buzzing with excitement. Mitch shared with me a few of his predictions for the big game. Kansas City, catch my home. Will win. I mean, I think he will win.
I think, I believe, at the end of the day. that he will outplay. Yeah. As he do. all the other quarterbacks that he go up against.
And he's uh he's just 20, what, twenty-seven, twenty-eight? Yeah, he's just a baby. He's just getting started. Yeah. So if he don't if he wins this one, gotta give him three.
I don't know if he's even six, but Who knows, you know. Six is hard, but if anybody could do it, Mahomes is set to do it. Yeah. But yeah, that's who I feel to win. We had so much faith in, you know, like the Alabama football fans here in Alabama.
and the faith that they have in their team to win like Kansas City or whatever, but uh Alabama fans in particular, you know, they got so much faith. In Alabama football, that they will win their game, that they will be willing to bet anything, because they have so much faith in that. But Minnow in prison with me. They confess that they believe in Jesus Christ. But at the end of the day, They really have more faith in Alabama football and Nick Savage than they have in Christ.
And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler and Reagan Habib. And you've been listening to Big Mitch. Talk about everything, from the Bible to Bama football. And of course he being a Georgia Bulldog. and I having lived in SCC country for almost 18 years.
A fan of all myths, we agree to disagree about this most profound part of our life. Episode five of Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch. Here on Our American Stories. This message comes from the International Rescue Committee. The IRC has been providing humanitarian aid for more than 90 years.
The International Rescue Committee helps refugees whose lives are disrupted by conflict and disaster, supporting recovery efforts in places like Gaza and Ukraine, and responding within 72 hours of crisis. Donate today by visiting rescue.org/slash rebuild. That's rescue.org slash rebuild to learn more and donate today. Is it this one? Shh!
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It's Miko Mini Plus, the AI-powered companion that turns curiosity into endless learning. Hear the future of playtime. Meet the extraordinary Miko Mini Plus. Only at Costco. With their moustache, a taco in one hand, and ordering a rod in the other.
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