Two New Mexico men are proving that America will always be a place of second chances. Lawrence Jaramillo, 40, and Joshua Melendrez, 34, were both inmates at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility just three years ago, according to ABC News. Today, they’re business owners. All Around Forestry LLC. Couldn't ask for a better group… View more
America is a nation of second chances. Redemption is strong and powerful, and you can find it aplenty in the upcoming motion picture, “Burden” – opening in select theaters on Feb. 28. Starring Forest Whitaker and Garrett Hedlund, this powerful true story of love overcoming hate is set in the mid-1990s in rural South Carolina… View more
The families of both players involved in a viral hair-pulling basketball incident have reconciled. Bellevue High School (Ohio) senior Casey Santoro pulled Norwalk High School opponent Olivia Ward to the ground by her ponytail, causing Ward to hit her head on the floor. The incident was caught on video and quickly went viral. The story… View more
Amid the intense drama at last night’s State of the Union address were several noteworthy guests of President Donald Trump. One of them could hardly believe he was there. Tony Rankins, 55, offers the perfect definition of American redemption. Once incarcerated, homeless and battling drug addiction, the former U.S. Army soldier built himself back up… View more
Since Roe v. Wade was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973, most fact centers point to over 50 million Americans having died by abortion. That’s a lot of suffering and lives lost. That’s a lot of families who were never formed. Couples who never married. Doctors who never found new cures. Leaders who… View more
“I Have a Dream” is by far the most famous and quoted of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches. However, as a lifelong preacher and teacher, it certainly wasn’t King’s only one. And although it’s hard to name his next greatest, “Love Your Enemies” might be a close second. It was delivered in November 1957 as… View more
Brenton Winn is proof that good can come out of evil anywhere in America. Just eight months ago, Winn, 23, was caught by police in Conway, Ark., after breaking into and vandalizing Central Baptist Church. At the time, Winn was high on methamphetamines, angry at God and feeling desperate when we went on a rampage… View more
Tim Tebow brought a message of redemption and compassion when he made a surprise visit to a maximum-security prison. The unannounced stop with 250 prisoners in Texas happened when an inmate’s father sent a letter to the Tim Tebow Foundation, asking if he’d visit. Tebow offered a message of redemption. “I told them about their… View more
A Las Vegas man wanted to join the Army so bad, he lost over 100 pounds to make it happen. Dropping from 317 to 204 on the scale, Luis Enrique Pinto Jr., shaved 113 pounds over seven months so that he could meet the U.S. Army’s weight requirement. Nevada teen drops more than 100 pounds… View more
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game; it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once… View more
When you consider the road he took, it’s hard to imagine him as a Catholic priest. Or even alive. Fr. Donald Calloway, 47, didn’t take the typical path to the priesthood – if there is such a thing. While some have the seed of a religious vocation planted by parents, that wasn’t the case with… View more
Over 2,000 federal inmates will return to their families this month under a clause in the First Step Act signed by President Donald Trump late last year. The bipartisan bill aims to reform the U.S. federal prison system and reduce recidivism. Those freed due to “earned good time” hope to receive employment opportunities that were… View more
George Schaefer proves it’s never too late for redemption. The New Jersey native was a senior in high school in 1969 when he dropped out to join the Army and serve in the Vietnam War. “I just felt obligated to serve my country,” Schaefer told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I always wanted to be a soldier.”… View more
Want a daily dose of inspiration? Look no further than Tupac Mosley. He’s a once homeless Memphis teenager who became valedictorian at his high school with a 4.3 GPA – earning $3 million in college scholarships. Not only did his family battle through being evicted from his home, his father died during his sophomore year…. View more
Redemption is the action of being saved from sin, error, or evil – something all of us need. For those who are incarcerated, redemption is every bit valuable and useful, but may be harder to attain. Prisons can be make or break places, and not all of them offer avenues for rising from the ashes…. View more
Want to be inspired by the resilient, ever-positive attitude of Tim Tebow? Now in his third season of professional baseball, Tebow has been climbing steadily through the New York Mets farm system. He’s now playing for the Syracuse Mets, the top level of minor league baseball. His stats suggest he’s struggling, but you’d never know… View more
By Tom Konecny On the brink of another Masters, it seems the venue often makes headlines as much as the event. This year, however, change is in the air. Fresh off the heels of last week’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, the famous Georgia club is slowly finding a pathway to redemption. Anyone who’s taken… View more
By Tom Konecny Forty-five years ago, Hank Aaron did more than beat a home run record. He overcame hate. With one mighty swing in front of a watchful nation, Hank Aaron became baseball’s all-time home run leader on April 8, 1974. The feat was one of the game’s most prized milestones, long held by the… View more
By Tom Konecny Doug Bopst never thought he would see age 25. As a drug addict who didn’t care about anything but his next high, long-term wasn’t his mentality. “Back then it’s like, if I’m going to die,” Bopst said, “at least I’d do it doing something I enjoyed.” As a 20-year-old in 2008, Bopst… View more
By Tom Konecny Jermaine Wilson doesn’t let past mistakes define him. As the new mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas – he can’t. His history is paved with such an unorthodox path to the top that he must forge ahead, looking to the future. But Wilson also has a keen eye on his past and will share… View more
By Tom Konecny There may be no other person more suited to take on the role of Abby Johnson for the upcoming motion picture, “Unplanned.” Ashley Bratcher – a young, rising star of several faith-focused films – plays Johnson, who once served as a Planned Parenthood clinic director. Johnson was involved in 22,000 abortions and… View more
By Tom Konecny America is a land of second chances. It’s where the hopeless can find hope, and good can come from evil. Redemption might be easier to come by in Iowa, especially among felons who want to exercise their right to vote. Iowa is one of only two states (Kentucky is the other) that… View more
By Tom Konecny When Fr. Greg Boyle was appointed pastor of Dolores Mission Church in East Los Angeles in 1986, he witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence in his community. At that time, his parish was the poorest in the city, situated between two large public housing projects with the highest concentration of gang… View more
By Tom Konecny Tyler Trent, a Purdue University student whose rare, terminal bone cancer inspired sports fans far beyond his school, died on Tuesday at age 20. Trent gained local attention when he and a friend camped outside the football stadium before a 2017 game to get good seats. It was the only tent in… View more
By Tom Konecny Running backs come and go in the NFL. Warrick Dunn was one of them, though he was anything but average. Dunn enjoyed 12 stellar seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons while becoming a three-time Pro Bowler, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1997) and finishing in 2009 as one… View more
By Tom Konecny Four days had passed, yet time stood solemnly still. It began with the senseless assassination of John F. Kennedy on Friday, November 22, 1963, and concluded with the state funeral on Monday, November 25. Kennedy’s body would lay in repose in the White House’s East Room on Saturday and at the U.S…. View more
By Tom Konecny Angela Forker served 15 years as a missionary in Italy and Germany. Originally from Maine, she’s back in America working in the quiet of her home on a new mission – and it might be her greatest. After dabbling in photography upon the birth of her first grandchild, Forker discovered a gift…. View more
By Tom Konecny This past July, Jeremiah Derks, 12, was diagnosed with Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma – a rare form of bone cartilage cancer. While it instantly flipped his parents’ world upside-down, leaving them to deal with the swift, harsh reality of chemotherapy for a sixth grader, their local Kokomo, Indiana police department wanted to help. Captain… View more
By Tom Konecny About this time every year, many of us like to donate our services to a local soup kitchen. It’s a commendable activity, rich in reward for the volunteer and for those on the receiving end. As such, soup kitchens tend to get busy at Thanksgiving and through the holidays — not just… View more
By Tom Konecny It isn’t often that the President of the United States throws out the first pitch at the World Series. But then again, there was nothing normal about life after 9/11. When President George W. Bush took to the mound before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, it marked only the third… View more
