"God Behind Bars" - Reaching the Unreachable w/ Anthony Consiglio

In this podcast, Omar Calvillo from Chicago hosts Anthony Consiglio, Senior Director of Operations for 'God Behind Bars,' an organization dedicated to introducing inmates to Jesus and connecting them to the local church. Anthony shares his personal journey from a promising baseball career that was derailed due to injury, leading to a period of substance abuse and reckless behavior, to finding redemption and purpose through faith in Christ. They discuss 'God Behind Bars,' which operates in 22 states through 68 in-person campuses and a revolutionary app, Pando, reaching millions of inmates annually. The conversation highlights powerful testimonies, family reunification events, and the impact of the ministry on incarcerated individuals and their families. They conclude with a prayer for inmates and a call for support through donations and volunteering.

https://www.godbehindbars.com/

https://www.godbehindbars.com/pando-app

Transcript

0:15

From the city of Chicago, a city most recently known for its crime and violence. On this podcast, we will be sharing stories of redemption from individuals raised in the tough streets of Chicago and from around the country. Some of them were gang members, drug dealers, incarcerated victims, and perpetrators of violence. Listen to my guests as they share their experiences, struggles, trauma, but also the strength, Hope, faith and perseverance. These have developed in them to keep pushing and moving forward in life. Tune in to hear how their lives have gone from darkness to light and from wrong to strong.

Omar: 0:57

I'm your host. My name is Omar Calvillo. And tonight I have my guests. His name is Anthony Consiglio. Uh, he's joining us all the way from Las Vegas, Nevada. Uh, Anthony is the senior director of operations for God behind bars. Uh, their mission statement is that, they exist. To introduce inmates to Jesus and connect them to the local church. And it says on their website, the most unchurched population in the U. S. is 2. 3 million people in the U. S. are affected by incarceration each year. The most unchurched population. In the country and they're on the mission to change that. So welcome to, the, Podcast brother.

Anthony: 1:38

Thank you, man. Appreciate you having me Omar. And, uh, yeah, excited to talk about all that God is, is doing, uh, through us, through the ministry. Um, so thanks for having us, man.

Omar: 1:49

Amen for, for sure. I was telling my brother earlier, I just send them a, I've been watching, uh, their, their ministry work on YouTube. Facebook, their videos, uh, testimonials, and man, I just love what they're doing. And one day I just felt like, man, let me send them a email. Uh, so I sent them an email and I believe they respond to me the same day. The. I send it to one, one individual and I believe he forwarded the email to you and you responded, I think within one day. So I just want to thank you for that.

Anthony: 2:18

Yeah, absolutely, man. Like I said, I mean, it's, it's a privilege to be able to work for an organization that gets to do what we do. And, uh, We're fortunate enough to have staff now to, uh, be able to supply, um, you know, quick emails, quick responses, everyone kind of stay in their lane and, and do their job. And so, uh, through God and through our faithful givers, uh, we're able to supply good staff that can get back to you. So that's why we're here, man. So.

Omar: 2:45

Amen. I appreciate that. And I want to get into that. That's one of the reasons I reached out to them because I want to highlight the ministry work they're doing. But before we get there, I want to get like a little bit of his story, you know, how, how he ended up serving at this ministry, God Behind Bars. Also, so if you could tell us, uh, what, what part of the country did you grew up and then maybe you could describe it and maybe if you could tell us a little bit about your, your, your, uh, childhood, you know, growing up,

Anthony: 3:11

yeah, absolutely, man. Uh, I'm a third generation Vegas kid. And so I was as Vegas as it gets, man, local, local, native, native men. Um, I grew up and, uh, you know, I, I was. Honestly, pretty fortunate to have a father that made some good money. Um, so I was fortunate enough to play in good sports and, um, you know, grew up in a, a pretty decent neighborhood and, um, you know, was able to, to do things that a lot of other kids probably couldn't have done just because of, uh, the, you know, the amount of. Blessings that my father brought our way, which was great, you know, but, um, what had happened with that is, uh, the higher you climb, the farther you fall type of thing. And so, uh, what had happened with this is we were, um, you know, going through baseball and stuff like that. I got pretty good at it and, uh, um, found myself in college and. Got hurt, uh, and, uh, there was no more baseball. And so I started, I gave my life to this sport. And, uh, that's all I knew. My whole identity was wrapped in it. And so, um, you know, it, it became everything that I did. And, and so one day when that got taken away, I didn't really know who I was. Um, and, you know, I hurt my elbow, whatever it was and, um, started going the other direction because I was so abstinent to all of the, Things that all my friends were doing, um, for so long. I said, heck with this, you know, if I'm going to get hurt and I can't play, I'm just going to go the other route. And so that's what I did. So I started drinking, partying, hanging around the wrong crowd, smoking, you know, doing things I probably shouldn't have been doing, driving home when I shouldn't have been driving home. And, uh, Yeah, it, uh, you know, taking advantage of women, um, you name it. I mean, those types of things, just hanging around the wrong crowd. And, um,

Omar: 5:01

it got

Anthony: 5:02

pretty,

Omar: 5:03

Can I ask you something? Uh, like, I know you mentioned like, you know, you were in sports and that like kept you You know, like from the party scene, the drinking and all that. I don't know what about like, like in the family, like, like, uh, in the household where they like, like, did they push you as well, like to stay away from those things, like as far as, you

Anthony: 5:18

know, it was actually the opposite. It was right in front of me. Um, my, uh, parents would have us over, uh, if we wanted to drink, we would do it at home. Because they wanted us to be, uh, in their supervision if we were going to do it. And so my parents actually took the opposite approach than most parents would do. Uh, so I always felt like I could trust my parents, um, to come with them. The things that maybe, you know, I shouldn't have been doing, and I would still go behind their back and do stuff that was, you know, normal 18 year old would do, but, um, It was, I had a level of trust there. And so, yeah, great question, man. Yeah, I grew up in the home being able to do those things. Yeah, I mean, from there it, it, it kind of snowballed down hill, uh, really quick. I ended up getting into D one college and that's when it really all fell apart. I was partying, drinking, still trying to, um, do baseball and. That didn't go over well, ended up getting really bad results and I ended up getting kicked off the team one day for drinking too much the night before. And, uh, we're told I wasn't needed. And that's when, that was my low. Um, that's when I was like, shoot, I don't even know who I am. I got kicked off the team that I had a full ride scholarship to, uh, Yeah, full ride scholarship. And so then from there, it, uh, drove home and, uh, you know, finish out the semester, drove home and was like, man, where do I go? What I, what do I do with my life? All I ever thought was I'm going to be a pro baseball player. And so I ended up, uh, getting invited to a house one day. Here this guy preach who was a cop. I found that really interesting. I'm like, man, he's a cop and he's preaching. And I had always grown up in the, in going in and out of the church. We were CNE Christians though. Like we weren't in the church, in the church, but I was like, uh, if you don't know who CNE Christian is, it's a Christmas and Easter, uh,

Omar: 7:13

for those that may not, I think I've heard it say like Christers or something.

Anthony: 7:17

Yeah, that was me, man. Yeah. And so, uh, we, uh, From there, I mean, we just went to this house and this guy was literally guitar and preaching the gospel and it was like he was just talking straight to me. And, uh, you know, I think a lot of people can relate with that as the Holy Spirit, just knocking at the door, man, Jesus knocking at the door. And I raised my hand that day and I was never the same. Um, you know, I knew I had a different. Person in my life that could lead me. Uh, and it was like, the weight was just lifted in the craziest way. And it was like, the anxiety was gone. I didn't feel like I had to be this person that, you know, I used to be. It was just like, I could just be me and I'm loved the way that I am. Um, and that was the first time I had ever felt that. Um, and so for me, that was the day that I accepted Christ. It was like July, I think it was July 22nd, 2013. Um, and so from there, finished up school and started going to, uh, you know, be finished out my college degree, uh, kinesiology and, and hadn't really no idea where I was going to go and ended up meeting, um, the founder of God behind bars. And he asked me one day, Hey man, you ever thought about going into ministry? And, uh, I never thought you could make a career out of that, to be honest. And I'm like, heck yeah, man. Um, that sounds awesome. You know, God saved me. I'd love to be able to one day, uh, you know, return the favor. And, uh, here we are, you know,

Omar: 8:49

that was in

Anthony: 8:49

20.

Omar: 8:50

Okay. Could I ask you something like, uh, like growing up, uh, did you have any like family or friends, you know, that ended up behind bars? Like, I guess, I guess, what was your experience before this moment? Like, I guess where people being like behind bars, I guess, like on a personal level,

Anthony: 9:04

yeah, I had friends, uh, go to jail. Uh, I myself went to jail a few times, um, from getting caught with the cops, drinking and driving. Uh, and so, yeah, I've been there and, uh, you know, I have experience with that and some friends ended up in the wrong places. Some ended up dead. Um, I had two friends that died from the exact crowd I was hanging out with, uh, overdosed on. A lot of kids back then would do smoke pills and stuff like that and, uh, and get addicted. And, um, yeah, those kids never made it out. Um, and that was the crowd I was hanging out with.

Omar: 9:37

Okay. So this is a guy offers you this opportunity. Uh, did you jump at it right away? Or did you have any like reservations that man, I don't know if I want to go. Behind bars, you know,

Anthony: 9:48

I jumped at it right away. Um, because I was doing ballet at the time, putting myself through college. And, um, I didn't really know what I was going to do. I was heading towards maybe firemen or PA at best, uh, you know, something like that, but to be able to work for a ministry, that's reaching some of the darkest areas, uh, some of the most lost people in the world, uh, that sounded to me like a God idea and it. To me, it was like Jesus saying, yeah, you know, he want you here. Like, don't get me wrong. Jake was, uh, one of my. Became one of my best friends, uh, but it was, it was God saying, Hey, look, like this is where we need you. Um, and it was an easy decision for me. It was just like a no brainer, like to have an impact. Um, so great by doing something with your life that, uh, you know, glorifies the kingdom and glorifies heaven. Like it was an easy yes for me in that, in that aspect.

Omar: 10:43

Okay. Now, how were those first, I guess? Few, uh, weeks, months, you know, like for you, I guess the personal experience as, as, as you started to do this ministry.

Anthony: 10:52

Yeah. Uh, I got sent to Denver, um, inside of a women's prison, actually. Um, and that was my first experience. And I walked in and the room was nothing like I expected. Nothing like I expected. I expected, uh, what Hollywood paints them out to be. You know what I mean? Um, you know, monsters and, you know, what Hollywood says, they're really bad people. What I found is just women that wanted to experience God. Um, that day and, you know, I had so many women come shake my hand and thank me, um, you know, for just being part of a ministry that brought them Jesus essentially. And, uh, you know, they see us as like the gateway for that. And so they're so grateful, um, that we were able to create a platform inside for them. That's so unique and so dynamic and reaches so many inmates that are further from Jesus, because a lot of times we'll set up in a gym. That's You know, um, and most church services behind bars or in a chapel or classroom or, you know, somewhere like that. So to see a church service in a gym, you might get and that's what usually happens is we get a good flood of people that are like, man, I'll go to a church service in a gym. If I go to the chapel, I might light on fire, but if I go to the gym, you know,

Omar: 12:14

I guess religious in a sense, right? A little, yeah,

Anthony: 12:18

right, right. For sure.

Omar: 12:20

Okay. No, that's good. So, so you started, you know, serving and, I know you started it. Were you already like convinced you're going to be doing this for a while? Or was there like a moment in there that, that maybe a testimony that you're like, man, I have to continue to, to do this.

Anthony: 12:35

Yeah, there is a testimony in there. I actually, uh, had gone away once I got married from God Behind Bars and went into training, personal training, uh, for a bit. And I was with God Behind Bars, I think three years before I did that. Um, and it just came down to providing for my family and the ministry was really new. And so my salary wasn't what it needed to be in order to start a family. Um, and so I ended up going away for about two years, um, and COVID hit. And, uh, this is kind of a second testimony here. So this is good. Um, but COVID hit and then, um, started doing training in the garage, ended up hurting my back really bad. And wouldn't you know it four days before that. Literally four days before that, uh, Michael Todd put out a series on you version called dangerous prayers. And I started praying, praying a dangerous prayer and I said, God, I don't feel used. And me and my wife were kind of bickering, bickering at each other. And, uh, she had said something to the tune of, uh, if you've ever seen the chosen, one of the first episodes, Peter's wife looks at him and says, man, I just missed the guy that was after God. And that's what my wife told me. I missed the guy that was after God. And uh, that's when I started Michael Todd's dangerous prayers. And I prayed a really dangerous prayer. You wanna pray this prayer, ask God to use you. And that's what I did. I said, God, use me. And, uh, I hurt my back four days later to the point where I had to have surgery, couldn't walk for 11 days. Oh, no way that

Omar: 14:06

bad, huh?

Anthony: 14:07

Bad. Bad. Bad. Yeah. And now was that like,

Omar: 14:10

because you, you were like, like working out or?

Anthony: 14:15

So I had herniations in my back all from pitching and baseball, um, and lifting for a long time. Well, wouldn't you know it, I took zinc on an empty stomach and when I got covid, uh, this is like September, 2021 and it made me vomit. Really bad and I vomited with one knee up and one knee down and it ruptured the disc because I vomited so hard

Omar: 14:37

Just from that.

Anthony: 14:37

So just from puking. Yeah Side note if you're listening if you're ever puking putting two knees down But put one knee down and boom it ruptured bro, and I was I was down and out for 11 days straight Like no sleeping on my back, sit up position, pushing my hips away, uh, to try to relieve pain. And they wouldn't do the surgery because it was considered elective and not an emergency. So when I went to the surgeon, um, he actually made a way for me to go. He said, Hey, just go to the emergency room. They're going to call me and I'll come do your surgery. Uh, and it took that 11 days. And I heard God on the fourth or fifth day through that. I said, God, why are you doing this to me? And I got no answer. It's like four in the morning and I'm on like, No sleep, delirious. And I'm not joking. I asked a different question. I said, God, what do you want me to do? In clear as day, I heard, learn the word and teach the word. And so what I've been doing since then is, is studying the crap out of the Bible and getting to the point where I'm preaching the word, uh, it's one of my goals. And so, um, yeah, man, that, that completely turned me around. First person I call is Jake. And he said, dude, you got a job tomorrow if you want to come back. Um, and so. I think I started the next, like two weeks later back at God behind bars. That was October, 2021. And, uh, haven't looked back, man. And, you know, this is now what I want to do with the rest of my life. I actually just up and moved my family away from Vegas, who be with the new headquarters in, uh, Dallas, Fort Worth area. Uh, we moved our, our headquarters down here. I moved my family about seven weeks ago, um, down here away from all of my roots, uh, in order to help take, lead this ministry.

Omar: 16:28

Man, that's, that's a big, uh, commitment to the ministry, you know, like to actually move to a different state and move the whole family. That that's definitely got to be, you, you, you, you have to know that it's God like leading you to, to, to do that, you know?

Anthony: 16:40

Yeah. Yeah. And through that, there was a lot of prayer, a lot of fasting. Um, and, uh, there was a verse, I don't know where it is, but, um, during that time, it said, those that leave homes, those that leave hometowns, those that leave families for my name's sake will be blessed in the kingdom of God. That was the biggest verse that gave me confirmation to follow him. Um, And that's what I did. And, you know, just praying and obeying and, uh, it's taken off, man. The, the ministry is doing so well and it's totally a God thing. And, you know, we're just not in trying not to mess it up, uh, is how, uh, you know, I kind of put it, just let God lead and never say no for God and just, you know, keep, uh, keep the momentum moving. Cause it's, it's an amazing ministry, man.

Omar: 17:32

Hey man, you, you know what, can you tell us more about the ministry? Like, uh, where exactly do you guys minister? Like, uh, what states, you know,

Anthony: 17:39

yeah, absolutely. Uh, so God Bind Bars, man, we exist to introduce inmates and their families to Jesus and then get them connected, uh, to the local church. And we do that through in person campuses. And then we also do that through an app called the Pando app. And so I'll talk about the in person campuses first. Right now we have 68 campuses around the nation, all the way from Alaska to Florida, we're in 22 States. Um, and we are reaching anywhere from gosh, I got the numbers right here. A year to date, we have reached 87, 000 inmates, um, and 4, 400 of them have given their lives to Christ this year. Um, so. Pretty amazing stuff. Um, all time stats, we have reached 302, 000 inmates and 12, 000 salvations, um, that we know of. So that's in person statistics. We have 33 church partners, uh, that we actually partner with in local. Communities that bring content inside and those partners then supply a church for them to get out to, uh, and go to and call home. That's the whole foundation is their faith. Um, and so that is the idea behind that. Um, And, uh, we, we tapped the whole strategy behind that. Um, and really we take a three phase approach. Really. We get them connected to Jesus first through the church service. Uh, then we help them plug in and grow deeper by helping them get connected to their family, whether that be through the Panda app or whether that be through, um, doing family reunification events, like you see on social media, um, and help getting the father back instilled into the home and help getting mom. Uh, back on track with her family, uh, so that we can kind of break that ice. That's why we do those events. Uh, you know, those red carpet reunification events. And then, um, the third phase is everything reentry. Um, and we are really advancing and taking a techno technology approach to reentry. Uh, it is a beast, but we're doing a really decent job at getting these guys jobs and getting these girls jobs on the backend, because that's the number one thing that they're looking for is obviously a church. But. They need money. Uh, otherwise they're going to end up, uh, back where they started. And that's what we don't want. And so helping them get out, stay clean, et cetera, so that they never enter back again. And, um, that's the guy behind bars, uh, the actual technological side is the Pando app. And so if you're wondering why it's called Pando app, Jake was actually driving down the street with Levi Lesko in Montana and, uh, Levi looks at Jake. He says, Hey man, how many trees you think are on that street or on that mountain? He goes, I don't know, a million trees. And he says, uh, no, it's actually one tree. It's called a pando. It's one living organism sprouted up millions of different times. And so that is the word of God in the prisons on our tablets. And so, um, we, uh, we have. Now, as of like two weeks ago, 80, 814, 000 tablets, uh, all around the nation reaching, uh, well over 2 million inmates per year with the gospel. Uh, the numbers on that are absolutely astronomical. In fact, let me pull those up here real quick for you. Cause it's worth looking at.

Omar: 20:53

Uh, how, how, how long has that, uh, app been around, uh, Pando?

Anthony: 20:58

That came out of COVID. And so, um, we, uh, We launched it and it would always been an idea in the back of our mind. And, um, as soon as COVID hit and everything shut down, we kicked it into overdrive, um, and we launched it. I think it was 2021 was the first, uh, Launching of that. So now we're 2024 and listen to this. We have 2. 1 million accounts. We have 45, 000 Apple downloads, 12, 000 Google downloads. Those are outside, so not inside. Um, those are on. You can download it on your phone. Okay. We have, are you ready for this one? We have 557, 000 salvations, 260 million views, and 199, 000 active users weekly.

Omar: 21:56

121,

Anthony: 21:57

000 active users daily. So it is a total God thing. Um, this is insane, uh, what God has done with this. And, uh, I mean, it's got everything on there, everything from church content, uh, sermons all around the nation. I think we have over 90 churches that are on there to podcast to, um, as well as, uh, the chosen is on there, the Bible projects on there, you know, different things like that for them to watch that is just, uh, them allowing them to binge Jesus. Uh, is, uh, the best way that we put it,

Omar: 22:31

man, awesome. All that, like in their hands, you know, and I know that's one thing that they need, they need to find a way to, to, to spend time, you know, what better way than to have like God content, right, right in their hands. I was going to ask you, what, one of the things you mentioned, I know you said there's a way for them to connect, uh, to family through the app as well. Whoa. How does that work? Or, uh,

Anthony: 22:55

yeah, great question. Um, so they actually on the tablets will have in certain states that we'll have FaceTime and stuff like that, that they can do, uh, that is done through a different app that the tablet provider provides, but what they can do through the Pando app, which is really cool, uh, is they can watch the same sermons. And so when they go to have phone calls or they go to have visitation, they're able to talk to each other, like, Hey, did you listen to pastor so and so and what he said here, and they're now talking about their relationship with God. And the relationship with Jesus, as opposed to, Hey, uh, little Johnny didn't make it to school or he's getting in fights or whatever the bills are due. Right. They're now having a conversation about. Their future, uh, in Christ. And so that is how they do that,

Omar: 23:39

man. Amazing. You know, I was gonna ask you now, what about the in person connections? Cause I've seen some videos, uh, but maybe if you could describe it for those that they've never seen some of these videos, what do you guys do exactly? Like with the, with the families, like connecting, like you mentioned some of the fathers and the women, you know, with, with their children, do you want to make a testimony or something that they've used? It seemed like

Anthony: 24:02

Yeah, absolutely. Um, so gosh, I could probably share Rob's would probably be, uh, the best one. This is, uh, Our Christmas event that we call all is bright and so all is bright, uh, comes from that the gospel is for all. Uh, I think it's Luke 2 and, um, all is bright is centered around the Christmas holiday. We basically, what we do is we create a big winter wonderland inside the prison facility. And then we have a bunch of our church partners donate gifts to the facility. Then we have the residents shop and pick out gifts. And you want to see the funniest thing is watching a dad that hasn't seen his kid shop and watching how nervous he is to pick the right gift and just sitting there, just like helping him like, Hey man, like I got you, bro. Like, let's pick this. How old's your daughter? Let's pick this. And he's like, ah, I don't know if she's going to like it and this and that. And, uh, it's amazing to watch them light up. When they see these gifts, and I'm talking like five, six gifts per child, uh, with a Santa gift, like we go all out. Uh, and then we, we allow them to shop. We create a big, you know, elf type of boy store, right. Uh, we'll help them wrap them. Okay. And then we'll bring in their families who some have seen them, you know, in months, but haven't, you know, maybe seen them ever. A lot of times we'll, we'll have reintroductions of family members where we've they've never met. And, uh, There's a kid, um, down in Florida who's 12 years old meeting his dad for the first time. He's only had phone calls with him. He's actually from, uh, Chicago living with his, um, his mom's mom. And so the, the father, Had once had relations, relations with this woman, they had a baby 12 years ago. Well, the son was calling his dad in Florida while he's in Chicago and they're building relationship on the phone. And it was at an all is bright event that they got to reunite for the first time. And all he kept saying the whole time is I just can't wait to put my arms around them. I just can't wait to put my arms around them because all he'd ever done is talk to him on the phone. Um, you know, he needed, all you had was little baby photos of him. He never really had photos of, of what he looked like present day. Um, and part of that's reason, uh, of interrelations between the ex and, you know, stuff like that. But the kid wanted to see his dad and, um, God made a way, uh, you know, uh, all his bride event made a way and he came down and got to wrap his hands around his, his son. And, um, I'm pretty sure he had his arm around him the whole night.

Omar: 26:51

That's beautiful. Beautiful. Yeah. Uh, man, there's something about that, that contact. I know you mentioned they were on the phone or maybe even maybe some video calls, I don't know, but that physical contact, man, that, that, that they need, you know, I'm sure the, the father needed that was the son there, you know?

Anthony: 27:09

A hundred percent. Um, it's huge. And, uh, there's another guy, Rob, um, who's. Close friend of mine now. And he, uh, he was at all his bright event back in gosh, I want to say 2019. And it was one of our first ones that we had done. Um, maybe it was 2017. Yeah, it was one of the first ones we'd done. So it was probably 2017 and, uh, he shows up to this event and he hadn't seen his kids in a long time. And he was going down the wrong route, got saved behind bars. Um, and he's just like thinking like, why would you, these people put on this event for us? You know, like. What are they doing? You know, these regular people coming in doing all this big, crazy event. I'm talking like 50 tables, uh, over 60 families, over 100 kids, over 500 gifts, like Big ginormous event in Vegas that we did. And, uh, he went to that event and he's just like, I just don't get it, man. Like, why would you guys do this for me and my family? Um, you know, I'm a nobody, I'm a boy from so and so and, uh, to hear him talk about it and say, you know, this is, this is special to have somebody do this. And he goes, I didn't understand it. He goes, but I got to get to know who you all believe in. Because of what you're doing. And so that's, uh, that's actually how he ended up getting saved. And we ended up baptizing him a little bit later.

Omar: 28:34

Wow. Amazing. Man, statement that he made, I got to get to know, you know, who the, who behind the, the, the, what the work that you guys are doing, you know, which is Jesus, you know, the love I was hearing, uh, John Maxwell, and he was saying three things that his father taught him. Uh, value people, believe in people and unconditionally love people. And that sounds like something that you guys are doing. You're giving value to somebody who probably doesn't feel any value. And a lot of times, as I talked to a lot of these men, like, unfortunately there were, there was no, no, nobody there usually in their childhood to validate them, to encourage them, you know, and they started somewhere else. And usually it was in bad places, but they need to know that they're valued, especially in the eyes of the father. Right.

Anthony: 29:15

Yep. Yeah, man. 85 percent of kids that have a parent that is or has been incarcerated will end up in prison. 85%. That's almost nine out of 10. And so, uh, that was another reason All is Bright is Founded because what we know is if the father was instilled back in the home as the leader in Christ, in submission to Christ, what we knew is that the kids had a 90 percent more chance of Better chance of getting saved by Jesus with the mom. I think it's less than 20%, but with the father, for some reason, if the father gets saved, we know statistically that 90 percent of that family will get saved. It's pretty special. Yeah. And so there, there is something there that God designed, uh, and it's nothing against women. Um, it's just the, the father's role in a sense. Um, you know, in Ephesians five, it says that you love your wife as Christ loved the church. Well, how did Christ love the church? He served the church and he made the husband, the head of the home. And so if the husband's the head of the home, he needs to be the one that is stepping in and saying, no, we're going to go to church on Sunday. And we're going to pray before we and we're going to read the Bible in the morning. And we're going to pray and we're going to fast and we're going to, we're going to follow God. And we're going to do things this way. We're going to treat people right. You know what I mean? Like it just sits different. Um, and you know, it's nothing against women. Uh, and women have their role. Uh, and Leadership and, and helping the home and, and, you know, making disciples of their kids and, and, um, you know, being great value driven women as well. I mean, it's, you know, it's the same thing, but just statistically speaking, that's, that's been the history.

Omar: 31:06

Right. Okay. I was going to ask you, I know you guys do, uh, like all those gifts and everything. Who, who funds the work that you guys are doing? And for those that are going to be listening to this, maybe how, how could they to the work that you guys are doing?

Anthony: 31:18

Yeah, well, um, some of it's done through our church partners. Uh, we're very grateful for our church partners. They provide a great, um, support resourcefully, um, through the giving of the gifts and stuff like that. But the other part is all private donors, um, private donor base, just like listeners that are listening here. Um, you know, that, that tends to be building, um, and, uh, you know, people that even give 10 a month, um, goes a long way. And that provides numerous things to the organization, whether it be tablets that we're trying to get on and provide and, uh, you know, pay for the data that the tablets go on, or maybe that that funds we could put towards an all is bright event and, uh, you know, supply that to a kid getting to meet his dad, uh, for the first time or the first time in a long time, or, um, you know, even as much as a hundred bucks a month goes, uh, Huge. Um, and if you've got the ability to, to donate more than that, shoot, man, like, um, what better way to, to help people where the odds are stacked against them? Um, and here's what I'll say. Statistically speaking, inmates have a 60 percent chance of going back to prison within the first three years, two out of three, three. Out of five, we'll go back within the first five years. So over 70, over almost 75 percent we'll go back in the first five years. And to me, that is more than a reason to, to not just keep them out, but keep them out for good and put them back into the home with, with Christ as the center. That's the only person that's going to be able to fix them at the end of the day. You know, it's what fixed me. It's the only thing that you can, you can genuinely change. Somebody is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Um, and that conviction is not going to come from me. It's not going to come from you. It's not going to come from any one of their family members. They have to have a revelation with God. Um, and that is what will turn their hearts to Jesus. And turn their hearts to their family. And just, you just look at life so differently when it happens, you know? So, yeah. Hey man, if you want to get, yeah, if you, if you guys want to give, um, man, we're blessed and honored to have, you know, anything that anybody gives, but you can just go to God behind bars. com. Uh, you'll see a donate button right at the bottom there, and you can set up a recurring. You could set up monthly. Um, you could set up, uh, you know, a large gift or even just a one time gift. It's totally up to you. You could donate anonymously, um, or if you wanted to, um, you know, donate for your name. That's cool, too. Uh, we obviously accept and are grateful for anything that, uh, our givers give.

Omar: 34:13

Hey, man. No, tha tha thanks for sharing that. Definitely. When I release this, podcast, I'm gonna put links, you know, to, to the website and to where maybe, uh, YouTube, uh, Facebook, wherever you guys are at. But, uh, a a anything that you want share, maybe we didn't get a chance to talk about before we get ready to, um, wrap up.

Anthony: 34:31

Yeah, I mean, shoot, uh, organization is growing very rapidly and, uh, we are going at the speed that this allows us to, um, and that is completely, you know, resources and time and energy. And so, uh, the faster that we get resources and time and energy, the faster that we can move and the more people that we can reach. Uh, but I would just say to anybody that may be listening is just, if you could, man, just say a prayer for those that are behind bars. And specifically to, to give them peace right where they're at, to turn their, their eyes to the Lord. Um, because at the end of the day, that is what the starting point is for them. And that is what is going to ultimately turn them in the right direction. And, uh, you know, maybe they'll end up in a God behind bars for some day, maybe they'll end up as pastors or teachers. Um, we actually have a seminary program that we do as well, uh, where we raise up full blown pastors through a organization called to me, and it's a full blown. Eight to, uh, 15 month curriculum that they go through, uh, to learn how to be pastors and preachers. And then they can disciple on their own, um, and, uh, start to lead churches from the inside. If they're not getting out, if they're getting out, they can obviously start their own church on the outside. So, uh, very powerful thing that, um, a lot of States are using. A lot of the department of corrections are using that program specifically once they graduate to send lifer. Inmates to other facilities so that they can, uh, begin starting churches in prisons behind walls, uh, in other, uh, parts of the state. And so, um, really powerful thing as well. That's happening.

Omar: 36:12

And that's, that's great because you're, giving these guys are like a purpose, you know, even they mentioned those that might not ever get out, you know, at least they have a purpose now and they could be used to, to lead others to Christ. That's, that's a amazing work that they're.

Anthony: 36:27

Yeah, you know, a lot of times they don't have anything to live for, they, uh, you know, can turn down the wrong rabbit hole. And so this gives them something to live for, you know, when a new father, a new husband or a new mom or a new wife comes onto the yard, uh, you have a Christ centered woman or a Christ centered man take them under their wing and say, Hey, this is how things run here. Here's how, you know, you can set your life up, right? If you want to go this route, um, and, uh, you know, let me help you. Get back with your family. Let me help you walk through this. I've been there. You know what I mean? And they're, they're leading them through all the stuff that they had just walked through. And so it's a pretty powerful, powerful stuff.

Omar: 37:08

Yeah. Amen. Continue doing that work. I know it's, this is a blessing just from the, the few stories that you shared and the ones that I've seen online and you guys are doing amazing work. So man. May God, continue to bless the work of your hands. Uh, you know what, brother, can you close out in a prayer before we really, uh, Yeah.

Anthony: 37:24

Yeah, absolutely. Heavenly Father of God, we, uh, we just love you so much, Lord. And we're just so grateful for this time, uh, that we get to be on the Wrong Strong Podcast with Omar. And we just ask that you bless him, bless all that he is doing through his ministry, Lord. Give him the voice of Uh, the voice of, uh, you know, the ability to, to see your vision for his life and share that with every listener, um, and share that with every person that he brings on this podcast for it, that you would just give him a divine people to, to share with his listeners so that we can get your message out, Lord, your gospel. And we, uh, right now we pray for those that are behind bars, uh, that you would bring them a sense of peace, bring them a sense of. Uh, comfort, um, that you would visit them right where they're at and that you would use organizations like God behind bars and those that are all out there. And anybody that may ever go inside of a prison wall, that you would use that individual to, to preach light, to preach hope, to preach, uh, uh, forgiveness. And, and, you know, some of the darkest places, Lord, we pray for the staff of the prisons that you would, um, provide supernatural protection for them. And, uh, allow them to be more generous and giving towards these residents as they go to learn about Jesus, Lord, we pray for, um, access and approvals for organizations like a blunt bars to, to do more ministry, Lord, we pray for. Um, you know, if any of those listeners out there are struggling, Lord, we pray for, we pray for them, that you would just, uh, Be there. Be by their side. Give them hope. Give them peace. Give them a vision for their life. Whoever it is, maybe listening. Uh, we pray for them, Lord. We, uh, Bless you and bless this ministry. We love you so very much in Jesus name. We pray. Amen.

Omar: 39:10

Amen. Amen in Jesus name We pray hey brother But once again, if we sign off be sure that the site the website where people could could go.

Anthony: 39:16

Yeah Yeah, absolutely. godbehindbars.com and you'll you will see a donate tab right on there And if even if you want to get involved with the volunteer, whatever it might be, please go there and you will see You Um, everything that you need from that website. You can also go to our Instagram, uh, at God behind bars, uh, or Facebook at God behind bars. Um, even our Tik TOK at God behind bars. So, uh, you can find us. We're we're on every platform, even YouTube and, uh, watch the amazing stories, watch the things that God is doing. Um, you know, and we'd love to get to know you. So, uh, thank you so much for having me, man. Appreciate you so much. Omar.

Omar: 39:55

This was a blessing. Thank you for your time. Hey, you know, a quick question. Are you guys, uh, here,

Anthony: 40:01

We are. We're in the northeast part of the state. We're working on something down in the south part of Chicago right now. So stay tuned. Need to be praying for that. Um, we hopefully going to be able to launch their hair soon.

Omar: 40:12

Okay. Awesome, man. Can't can't can't wait to see that. And with that, we're going to get ready to sign off of Matthew 416 reads the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned alongside my brother, Anthony consiglio. I'm Omar Calvillo, and we are wrong too strong.