The Mentor

A couple of days later I was out walking the track. There were some bleachers just inside the concrete curbing. There was a black guy sitting there reading. He greeted me so I stopped and talked to him. Pretty soon he said “God wants me to mentor you” I thought “yea right” and began to walk away. I walked about thirty feet I distinctly heard the still small voice say “If you don’t get over your racism right now you will miss what I have for you”


This surrender to Jesus stuff was continuing to turn my world upside down. Thank God that I had the grace to hear and obey. I spent about 35 days with Anthony Chapman, a powerful relational man of God. I consider what he put into me as some of the most important teaching that I have experienced.

I was on my way into the system; he was on the way out. He had served many years and had gotten a miraculous parole. Anthony was very involved in a transformational revival that had shaken San Quinton to the very core. There used to be a plague on the entrance of San Quinton that said “you are now entering the Gates of Hell” Some inmates began to pray and many miracles ushered in a true revival era into the prison.

When I went back, he was laughing. What a teacher I had for my first six weeks of Christianity! There were many benefits to the relationship, one of which I could not see at the time. The prison system in California especially in the south section was very racist. I was persecuted severely for my association with Anthony. He had been a leader in the Black Gorilla Family in San Quinton. There were several prominent gangs in the system and the BGF were, along with the Aryan Brotherhood were the most feared.

Where persecution abounds, so does grace abound much more. I saw many miracles as God’s hand was upon me in a mighty way. The choice was easy for me. I knew God was disciplining me through this man. He was teaching me incredible mountain moving concepts from the bible. There was no way I would turn my back on it, I would die first! This period of persecution engrained into me an incredible boldness that I have carried with me all my Christian life.