Barry Minkow has quite a story to tell. He spent time in prison, but that wasn’t the end. God had other plans for him. Today, he is a pastor, has a wife and children and assists the FBI with fraud cases. He has a lesson plan of steps for working on a come back when you’ve been knocked down.
At the age of fifteen, Barry started his own carpet cleaning business in his parents garage. As an entrepreneur, he had skills. Somehow, as a young man, he got caught up with mafia type characters and before he knew it, he was in prison for fraud in an FBI case. He spent a good amount of time there.
Barry’s breakthrough came one day on Thanksgiving. He thought to himself, “maybe when they go to the trouble of locking you up, there’s a reason for it. Maybe it is about me.” A prison mate introduced Barry to Christ. He began obtaining education while in prison. After leaving prison, he went on to become a pastor.
The lesson plan Barry came up with has some very good points to it. I found this book at an outlet book store on the clearance rack and bought the few books on the shelf. I read it and was impressed. I gave copies to some of the offenders who were on my case load. I don’t know if they read it or not, but I felt that they could relate to someone who had been in their position.
I’ve seen similar situations in which former inmates have become pastors. The pastor of my own church was saved while in prison. The importance of prison ministry can have a profound effect on someone’s life. God even uses inmates to minister to one another. We don’t often think about it.
The title, “Down But Not Out” can apply to anyone. At one time or another, each of us has been knocked down in life. We don’t stay down. We brush ourselves off and get back up again. Sometimes, some of us need a helping hand. God sends people in our path who will offer that hand to pull us up. If we will take that hand, we will see that we are not alone.
If you have a loved one in your life who is or has been incarcerated, this is a good book to give them. It may be the jump start they need.
Book Review of Down But Not Out
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