Week 3

Week 3

Week in Review

Monday January 14, 2019

Today marked the first day for all of us in Spring ’19 to give a speech in our Toastmasters class. Many people were nervous prior to giving their speeches. Being nervous is part of what we are seeking to overcome. Many of us have not been in a scenario like that in a long time. In fact, some of us have never have done any public speaking, especially giving a speech about our own life stories.

Speaking is such a powerful tool; it can captivate an audience once it is mastered. I can already imagine the brothers in my group getting better and better as they practice their public speaking every week. Toastmasters has a system in place to evaluate one’s public speaking skills, so the public speaker can get feedback. Common things that are mentioned include eye contact, speech organization, body movement, body language and volume. This feedback will help the participant get progressively better at public speaking.

It is easy to see how a system like this can be used to one’s benefit. Hearing everyone’s story was fun and interesting. Saying our business pitches in front of the executives will be less nerve-racking now. I have already seen major changes in some people, and we are still far from graduation. I am totally excited to be a part of the PEP revolution!

Joshua B. (a.k.a. “McLovin”)

Tuesday January 15, 2019

We spent the morning in the computer lab learning critical skills in Microsoft Office.  During this time, we were also provided the opportunity to conduct some market research for our business plans. There is no time for fun and games on these computers—it’s all about business and empowering ourselves to become better employee candidates with marketable skills and experience.  Our distant horizons are beginning to brighten as we prepare to join the workforce.

We spent the afternoon in the PEP classroom praying out our brothers who are going home.  This is a very special and sacred time for us as we encourage those who will soon be going home, covering them in prayer for the road ahead.  After the pray-outs, we discussed our product/service offering(s) assignment which will be added to our business plans. Additionally, we prepared for our Venture Capital Panel (VCP) presentations. Phase Two is in full swing for our Spring ’19 class, and it looks like it’s going to be an exciting journey.

Timothy B. (a.k.a. “Water Boy”)

Wednesday January 16, 2019

Wow! Another great day in PEP! It gets more and more exciting as we dive deeper into this course. Absolutely amazing! We are blessed to be a part of such a productive, rewarding evolution. We have been given a shot at redemption, reconciliation and overall recognition as better men. We are also being provided the opportunity, tools and resources to be the best men we can be, which is to become true servant-leaders.

As we do every day, immediately upon entering the classroom, we began to turn up the brotherly love, embracing one another with hugs, handshakes and small talk. This is a very meaningful moment for each of us. Allowing enough time for all the brothers to assemble, we then followed up with our daily pray-in (mandatory), which is an even more meaningful moment. Pray-in consists of us linking arms until we are all connected like a chain, and letting the praise and prayer flow to the one who makes it all possible: God Almighty.

After prayer and a brief moment of silence, we turned it up to some groovy music and got jiggy with it. That’s right – in this PEP family, you have to dance. It is very fun, and it often gets crazy, but we love it! Then came the serious part of the session: the lesson. Following a brief review of last week’s lesson, our excellent and fun-loving teacher/instructor introduced us to our next lesson: Business Mission and Strategy. As he taught, we all sat attentively in our seats. His wealth of knowledge gives us goose bumps every time.

We know that PEP is a tremendous blessing. We eagerly and earnestly look forward to all that it has to offer, putting forth all that is necessary or required on our parts. We will see success in our lives and the lives of all with whom we come in contact. This is more than a national revolution – it is a worldly solution. We are on a mission. We are PEP, standing to make a significant difference by humbly serving and leading courageously for the greater good. Let’s go, PEP! Whoop! Whoop!

Donald B. (a.k.a. “Don Cornelius”)

Thursday January 17, 2019

Waking up, we breathe in God’s grace and breathe out thanks and praise for Him blessing us here at PEP.

At 6:30 am, we started the wake-up routine of prayer, Bible reading and coffee before heading out the door to the PEP classroom. We participated in pray-outs for our fellow PEP brothers who will soon be going home. This brought great joy to our hearts, knowing we have paid this debt for our wrongs to the State of Texas. The rainbow after this storm in our lives has most definitely been this PEP experience! We are now authentic men, equipped and ready, with due diligence, to right the wrongs we have caused to our families for not being there for them. So yes, praying out our brothers for encouragement is a must. This is our point of contact, where the rubber meets the road, as we take off back into the lives of our families.

We will make an impact on the lives of our family members with the Driving Values PEP has instilled in each of us. Yes, I am talking about fresh-start outlook, accountability, integrity, love and servant-leader mentality; and with wise stewardship, we will proceed to execute with excellence. From the ashes we rise as Conquerors of Spring ’19! God Bless PEP!

Gregg C. (a.k.a. “Mantana”)

Friday January 18, 2019

Today was our first day of Living in the Village, a financial literacy class. We expected to become CPAs with perfect credit scores overnight, but we’re quickly learning that everything has its own little process. Success will soon be ours. With the knowledge we acquire from this course, we’ll be able to not only build a future for ourselves but our families, friends and respective “Villages” at large.

The style and format of the presentation is a breath of fresh air that keeps us all locked on the facilitators – these are not your everyday lecturers. They are our servant-leader peers. They bring the topic to us in a real-world, relatable matter that we can retain and apply to a form of life that the average college-level professors never experienced. We are looking forward to doing great things with these skills and tools upon release.        

Lance C. (a.k.a. “Fire Marshall Bell”)

Expressions

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.

It has been found difficult; and left untried.”

~ G.K. Chesterton

Being incarcerated and separated from my wife and children has forced me to trust Jesus Christ more than ever before. I was the main breadwinner in our family and paid most of the bills. Now that I am gone, my wife has had to meet the needs of our kids. She works so hard! Unfortunately, there are just more bills than money. All I can do is pray and have faith that God will meet their needs every month. It has not been easy for my wife and kids, but Jesus has met their needs. He has taught me that He is the one who has all the resources. He is the one who blesses us with the talent to make a living. We have to be the ones who trust Him and believe. It first starts in the Christian ideal, or the belief that Jesus Christ paid for our sins on the cross at Calvary, and that he rose again and lives in the hearts of His believers. I am learning day by day to trust Him and live by faith. Faith in Jesus Christ works, of this I am certain. 

Dale R. (a.k.a. “Sweet Breeches”)