Bringing "The Prodigal Son" to Life

Hi, my name is Jessica, and I am the wife of the man you see in the above picture. This man I call husband is Marshall Jones, a walking storybook waiting to come to life. I am starting this fundraiser because we need help raising the necessary funding to publish Marshall’s life story, "The Prodigal Son: A Prisoner’s Story of Redemption”. This is a story that starts when he was four years old, growing up in the ‘hood of Milwaukee. He takes you into the street life and shows you how people get sucked in; then, he pulls you into prison with him while he’s living out his sentence. The story doesn’t just stop there; Marshall takes you through his redemption, into his reconciliation with God, and reveals the hard work of rehabilitating himself in the coldest of circumstances. The learning process of letting go of what was, and accepting what is and what’s to come, is a vulnerable truth displayed throughout “The Prodigal Son”. Through Marshall’s story, you see how not all crime is black and white but how crime often happens because of the Hard Knox of life. How the brokenness of family and not having the proper leadership in the home can contribute to lawlessness, and how the choices we make when we’re young and seeking acceptance have severe consequences that are too hard to understand when you’re experiencing the life of it. “The Prodigal Son” takes you to an open ending, not only for Marshall, but for him and me, as we were recently married on November 1st, 2022. "The Prodigal Son" is a story that will have a sequel to follow because freedom is the next place God is taking us. Freedom from prison, freedom from the past, freedom from who we used to be and into the promised land God has waiting for us. There is a novel waiting to be written since much has happened with the pen ending on “The Prodigal Son”, too much to stay silent about. “The Prodigal Son” is only the beginning, and this is a story that will help many more than Marshall and me.

Trilogy Christian Publishing has accepted our story, a publishing company owned by TBN. TBN is Trinity Broadcasting Network, an international Christian-based broadcast televison network and "America's most watched faith channel". This is quite significant because throughout the story of “The Prodigal Son” you get to see how TBN and the preachers on their television channel played a role in Marshall’s rehabilitation. In prison, the brothers don’t always have spiritual leadership available, so having preachers accessible on TV is a God send. Trilogy Publishing is waiting on us and our initial down payment to begin production of “The Prodigal Son”. Trilogy offers professional editing, original book cover design, distribution of the published work, and promotional packages to publicize the work of the author. Publicity is necessary for this story to be heard, and “The Prodigal Son” is a story that can save lives, decelerate crime in urban areas, and bring a heart of compassion to a world that is greatly misconstrued and ignored because it’s not understood.

The journey of “The Prodigal Son” has been exciting, getting to where we are right now. The process of this redemptive story has been filled with hard work, many sacrifices, and the reopening of trauma scars that were thought to be healed. Healing hurts, and there are many layers to healing, but healing is essential to overcome the past. Today, we stand in front of the door that has been opened for us, and it’s time to walk through, but we can’t do it alone; we need your help to bring “The Prodigal Son” to life. Marshall and I want to thank everyone that chooses to invest in us. Thank you for believing in our story and God's redemptive power! You aren’t only investing in bringing “The Prodigal Son” to life, but your contribution will save many others from the edge of suffering. In thanks, we would like to leave you with the poem “Edge of Suffering” and a 21-day daily devotional, "The Fearlessness of Faith", written by Marshall. This devotional is posted on Red Thread Poets, a worldwide poetry and writing platform launched by Peter Williams Stevens in 2020. Peter invited Marshall to be one of the core poets of Red Thread Poets, which grew into a daily devotional writing commitment. Thank you, Peter, for your work in your ministry, the vision you have brought to life, and the friendship you have built with Marshall and me.

If you, my friend, have taken the time to read this far, thank you. We thank you for seeing the worth in our campaign, and we hope you enjoy the written gifts attached to bless you in your giving.

With hearts filled with gratitude,

Marshall and Jessica

https://www.redthreadpoets.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Fearlessness-Of-Faith-eBook.pdf

Edge of Suffering

He stands at the edge of suffering embedded in thought...

Friends don't understand him,

almost like they speak different languages,

sitting amid struggle trying to make ends meet,

broken, depleted of energy to keep fighting,

stands at the edge of suffering tempted.....

What makes him think he was qualified

to tackle pinnacles of progress,

have a tireless drive for success,

to join the ones that have stretched the confines

of their space for a little taste of heaven?

''Don't...do...it!''

A fear induced voice shakes out a plea for him to rethink his stance,

too afraid to join him on the edge of suffering,

so they beg for him to come down from a distance.

''Think about your family!''

A plea for him to regain perspective met with a cold glance,

'cause that's exactly what is guiding his thoughts....

best if he leaped because if he didn't,

he wouldn't have any self-respect left,

And he' rather die than to live in cowardice.

The brisk wind sends a shiver down his spine,

a tear strikes his shoe,

conflicted about the course of his life,

bites his lip to defy the army of moisture,

to subdue his stress.

A crowd forms under his eyes,

flashing lights transform into a runway for his flight,

no choice but to swan dive off the edge of suffering,

to live abundantly, or die trying.

Gone are days fighting for relevance,

depending upon people for a position of importance,

gone is the laying on his bed waiting to be fed,

his measure based upon someone else's assistance.

He's better than this...

Yet he stands on the edge of suffering,

reluctant to jump,

like who he was is something worth protecting.

''What do you have to lose?''

A gentle voice asks, and he knows it's the Lord,

now discovering the discomfort was God disrupting the nest,

to make him want this more than anything in the world.

He smiles, then soars, off the edge of suffering,

diving into his destiny: true success!