Our God is a God of Restoration

Guest Blog Post by my Friend and Brother-in-Christ, Dennis – A First Hand Believer in Miracles

1 Peter 5:10 – And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

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I have made some bad choices in the past. Back in 2016 my choices resulted in possible incarceration for 5 years or more. But, the judge allowed me to hold off sentencing for 1 year if I did everything that was asked of me with no new arrests. This required staying sober with weekly alcohol screenings. I also had to attend various recovery groups, undergo mental health evaluations and continue with intensive weekly therapy. I had to stay employed and self-sufficient. In addition, I had to attend a spiritual based group where I would have to volunteer for a minimum of 10 hours a week. All this was among a number of other requirements. I not only did everything that was required, but I did even more.

So, because of my complying with all of Judge Dennis’s requirements (Yes, her last name is actually Dennis) I was given a suspended sentence of 10 years and put on probation. I was very grateful.

Fast forward 9 months later and I was helping a homeless person move into a shelter. A\pparently, everything we moved was not his including an old bicycle. I did not know this until 5 months later when I was pulled over for a cell phone violation and taken into custody because I had a warrant out for my arrest. What?

I didn’t even know what it was for until I went to the court. From that point on everyone from the prosecutor to the judge assumed I was guilty even though the evidence suggested otherwise. Now, when you’re on Probation and you get arrested you also get arrested again for violating your probation. So now I have two different cases in two different courthouses because of helping someone in need whom either intentionally or unintentionally, took a bicycle that was not his. (What’s the old adage? No good deed goes unpunished)

At this point it seemed that the deck was stacked against me but I determined to trust in God’s Grace and infinite power over ALL circumstances. Knowing that if I can’t, He can.

The prosecutor didn’t bother to review the facts and the police failed to do some basic follow-up. So, because of some bad decisions from my past resulting in justifiable convictions, everyone bypassed due process and wrote me off as being guilty. Everyone except for God.

Over the next 9 months I was in and out of courthouses and lawyer’s offices trying to convince the prosecutors in 2 court houses just how insane these allegations were. All along I gathered numerous letters from personal and professional references. I accumulated 2 years of weekly negative alcohol screens and documented the numerous ministries that I had and continue to be a part of.

But the judicial system was determined to waste theirs and my time and money relentlessly pursuing the matter. The prosecutor was also determined to see me go to jail for no less than one year and possibly up to 5. It all seemed pretty hopeless.

My God Intervenes

I’ve been a Christian now for about 2.5 years. But, for the first 6 months, with all this, it was rough. Yet, I have had so many miracles happen in my life since coming to Christ that I could write a book about them all.

I have to admit that my behavior through all this whole unjust ordeal amazed even me. The peace and composure I had was extraordinary. Not because of me, but rather because of my faith in God.

One thing I knew was that if Judge Dennis was my Judge she would know of my compliance history and would see what was going on and dismiss all charges. Unfortunately, with her moving to part-time due to health issues and with how the system works, the chances of getting her were slim to none. I rarely petition the Lord with Prayer for myself because I don’t seem to have to as He has and continues to bless me daily.

But, at this point I was exhausted and had given up all hope in our criminal justice system. Many people agree that the system is overwhelmed and broken. I was experiencing it in all its glory. Then when it seemed it couldn’t get any worse, the firm I was using wanted to drop me as a client. The prosecutor was not backing down and the circumstance in my life were, and still, are to a certain degree rather precarious; Yet my Faith in Him never diminished.

The day of my court case before going into the courtroom, I walked outside the courthouse and looked up to the sky and cried out, “Jesus I know that You are All that I need but Please make this ALL go away!”

Low and behold, it turned out that Judge Dennis was presiding. The cry of my heart was answered. I felt as though I had won the Lottery!

Though court proceedings are always very strictly formatted and routine, what the Judge did then was anything but conventional. While my lawyer was trying to be excused from my case and while the prosecutor was still mumbling words like, “He’s guilty” and “Just take him to jail” Judge Dennis took charge.

It was divine intervention and it was surreal! I couldn’t even take in what was happening until after it was all over. The Judge basically told the Prosecutor to “Shut up” and told my Attorney that he should be ashamed of himself for taking all of my money and then wanting to back out when I needed him most.

She then proceeded to take out the letters I had brought to court and read almost all of them out loud to the courtroom. When she was done, she held up the copies of more than 100 clean alcohol screens and said directly to the prosecutor, “Does this look like a man who would help steal a $50 bicycle?”

She then went on to say, “You mean to tell me Ms. Prosecutor that you have wasted all of this courtroom’s time and resources over the past 9 months along with the defendant’s time and resources because you were too lazy to review the facts as well as put your own self in check about the fact that a defendant is Innocent until proven Guilty – not the other way around?” She then demanded to see the prosecutor in her chambers after court for a lengthy “discussion”.

The Judge spoke to me directly saying, “On behalf of the State of Connecticut Judicial system and Department of Corrections, I apologizing for the improper way that the entire case had been handled from the beginning and you are free to go.” Whew!

Graciously, she asked me if I had anything to say. I was happy for the chance to speak and I said 3 things. The first was to ask if I still had to go to court in Bridgeport? She said no that she would make a phone call and have it all go away. Another big Whew!

The second thing I said was that I was glad all of this happened despite how horrible of an experience it was because the judge now got to see that I was still doing everything she had asked and more from when she set me free 18 months earlier. And the third thing I did was address the prosecutor. I told her that I forgave her for the way she mishandled this case from the beginning and that I didn’t take it personally but rather recognized that her judgement has been tainted by spending so many years in the courtroom.

I then added, “Thankfully, we ALL have a Father in Heaven that Loves us unconditionally and every day is a new day to be reconciled with him through his Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ who sacrificed his life so that we could be forgiven. So that we may become the person God originally created us to be before we became tainted by the World and how we react to it.”

Judge Dennis replied, “Well put!” She then banged her gavel and ordered, “Court is dismissed for recess.”

Out the door I went feeling fully restored. Not really just “walking” down the street but “dancing” like Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain. At least in my own mind.

I stopped for a moment, looked up and said to God, “You showoff!”

I swear I could hear Him laughing.