by Doug Draper
“Frankly, it is likely to create friction with your parents and awkwardness with other family members and friends who are Mormons,” the pastor said. “Jesus said that his message would create division in relationships because some would accept it and others would not. I’m challenging you to let go of the traditions that keep you from following the commandment to love God with all your heart, soul and mind—and to put God first in your life.”
The pastor waited for Ben to acknowledge his challenge and then continued, “What I’ve also learned about the LDS faith is that you can’t outchurch a Mormon—through the church’s programs, the members receive a lot of support from each other and they live good lifestyles. I admire those results, but I believe you need to focus on the ultimate purpose of the gospel and that’s to bring people to salvation through faith in Jesus, not by good works or religious ordinances. If you embrace that focus on faith and not on honorable actions that could be performed by Christians or nonbelievers alike, you’ll discover that the clear message of the Bible is all you need to find the way into the kingdom of heaven.”
For several more weeks, Ben continued to talk to the pastor about the saving grace he had experienced through Bible study and prayer compared to the complicated LDS Church plan of salvation. At the end of those discussions, Ben decided to be baptized by Pastor Jonathan and join the Cedar City Community Church. After his baptism, he received hugs and words of encouragement from many church members, including Cindy who he had started dating shortly before Christmas.
A year later, Ben asked the pastor to go with him to the Utah State Prison in Draper to visit a prisoner. When asked about his motive, Ben replied, “Didn’t Jesus say that we should visit people in prison?”
“That’s true,” the pastor said and agreed to go.
Ben held back on providing details about the visit because he thought the pastor might discourage him from going when he learned more about the prisoner’s history and the potential for a hostile confrontation. Despite that possibility, Ben felt compelled to go and wanted the pastor to accompany him in case he needed help talking to the prisoner about God.
Ben and Pastor Jonathan arrived at the beginning of visiting hours and followed a small crowd through the sign-in process. The first step was having a guard inspect the Bible that Ben planned to leave behind.
“Who are you here to see?” asked the guard checking them in.
“Derek Dean,” Ben said. “He’s a friend of mine.”
“Did you go through the proper procedure to schedule this visit?”
“Yes, sir.”
The guard found Derek’s name on the roster of prisoners to receive visitors that day. “It looks like your visit is approved.”
“That’s good,” Ben said. “I hope Derek still has time to meet with us.”
The guard laughed. “Oh, he has plenty of time. We’ll let him know you’re here.”
Ben and Mike sat in an area where prisoners mingled with visitors. Because Derek was in the minimum-security section of the prison, the setting was much more informal than what Ben had expected. Based on what he had seen in prison movies, he thought they would talk with Derek through a small hole in a thick window and bars would keep them apart.
“Are you nervous?” Pastor Jonathan asked.
“No doubt,” Ben said. “I didn’t think that we’d actually get this close to Derek and he frightens me.”
“Oh, really, you told the guard that he’s a friend.”
“That’s sort of true. We were friends until I sent Derek to prison for five years. And after he got out, we had another minor problem. I haven’t seen him since then.”
Derek soon strode through the door with the same swagger he had when working at Al Baker’s Service Station, but he looked older and not as menacing. Ben took a deep breath and walked toward Derek to greet him with a handshake.
“Little Benny Baker is all grown up now,” Derek said, grinning while crushing Ben’s hand.
“Yes, and I’m here with a friend, Pastor Jonathan Carson,” Ben said, gesturing toward the pastor. “He leads a church in Cedar City where I’m attending Southern Utah State College.”
“A college kid and a churchman coming to see a vicious criminal. Why? Are you making me part of an experiment for a psychology class or here to redeem my lost soul?”
“No, I’ve come to apologize for lying to the police about you and for vandalizing your friends’ motorcycles. I’m sorry that I did both of those things. Please accept my apology.”
Derek dropped his usual grin and stared at Ben, appearing to be perplexed by his comments. “Honestly, that’s why you’re here?” he asked, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen on the conversation.
Ben paused before replying to think of something more profound to say, but nothing came to mind, so he repeated his apology. Then, he suggested that they sit at one of the empty tables in the visiting area. Derek and the pastor followed his lead and took seats where they had a small amount of privacy.
“I should have apologized years ago, but my pride got in the way and, to be frank, you scared me.”
Derek laughed and slapped both of his hands on the table, which drew a stern look from one of the guards.
“And I brought you a Bible to read,” Ben said. “When we first met, you told me to go home and read the last book in the Bible—Revelation—because it talked about the beast. I thought you might want to read it again.”
Ben turned to Pastor Jonathan and said, “The beast is Derek’s nickname and that’s why he has six, six, six tattooed on his hands.”
Derek grinned, clenched his fists, and held them up for the pastor to see. “When Benny took one of these babies to the chest, it dropped him to the ground,” Derek said. “I could have killed him that day if I really wanted to, but I didn’t. I liked the little guy, especially after he took out those two punks with a steel pipe exactly the way I taught him.”
Pastor Jonathan looked at Ben for confirmation and Ben nodded to admit his guilt. They now had new things to talk about on the drive back to Cedar City.
Ben handed the Bible to Derek and, to Ben’s surprise, he accepted it with a mumbled “Thanks.” Then, Derek asked, “Did you bring me any cigarettes?”
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t smoke and didn’t think about bringing you any.”
“That’s OK. I won’t be here much longer. Like always, I’ll be getting out early because of my good behavior. How did you know I was here?”
“Derek, you’re a celebrity in Alma,” Ben said with a chuckle. “Everyone in town has been talking about your latest prison stay. It didn’t take long for the news to reach me even though I live in Cedar City. When I heard about you being sentenced to prison, God promoted me to apologize to you. So, here I am.”
“Well, I’ll have to say that this is a first,” Derek said with a loud laugh. “I’ve never had someone visit me in prison to apologize. But, oh man, I’ve had other visitors. Do you remember my girlfriend Susan?”
“Sure, did she visit you in prison?”
“Not Susan! But her parents did and gave me a lecture about how I ruined their daughter’s life. So this visit is much nicer, unless you’re going to demand that I apologize to you in return.”
“No, I came to let you know that I’m sorry and to give you a new Bible, so you can read the story about the beast. As you might recall, the beast ends up on the losing team. So, after reading about his defeat, I hope you’ll want to read the rest of the Bible to see how you can join the winning team. That’s what I did, and it changed my life.”
“I guess that means you’re Mister Righteous now and won’t be stealing any more money from your old man or putting sand in people’s gas tanks,” Derek said, drawing another surprised look from the pastor.
Derek picked up the Bible and waved it in the air while imitating an old-time preacher, saying, “Brother Baker, the Bible declares that you shall not do such wicked and detestable things.”
Ben smiled and s
aid, “That’s right. And I brought Pastor Jonathan with me to tell you what else the Bible teaches. Would you like to hear what he has to say?”
The pastor appeared surprised by the question, which Derek noticed and laughed in response. Derek opened his Bible and said, “Sure, I have nothing else to do today. Fire away!”
Pastor Jonathan accepted the challenge and asked Derek to turn to Romans, which led to a spirited debate about who should decide what’s right and wrong. Derek attempted to rattle the pastor, but he also seemed to enjoy the discussion and never indicated that he wanted it to end.
When the guards announced that visiting hours would soon be over, the pastor asked, “Derek, would it be all right if we prayed for you now?”
“OK. Give it a try, but I doubt God is interested in having anything to do with me.”
Pastor Jonathan prayed until one of the guards shouted that it was time to leave. When Ben raised his head from praying, he noticed that Derek had also bowed his head. Derek didn’t say anything, but Ben thought that Pastor Jonathan had connected with him in some way.
“Derek, thanks for your time,” Ben said, offering to shake hands despite the previous crushing. This time Derek gave Ben a firm but not hostile handshake and smiled.
“Ben, I always thought you were a good kid and now you’ve become a good man,” Derek said. “Your parents should be proud of you. I’m glad you didn’t turn out like me.”
Ben let Derek know that he appreciated the compliment and would continue to pray for him. “I’ve had people pray for me and amazing things happened in my life as a result. I hope the same happens for you.”
After starting toward the exit, Ben turned to wave goodbye to Derek. His old friend and foe nodded in return and then joined the other prisoners leaving the visiting area. Derek’s usual swagger seemed to have been set aside for the moment.
“Wow, that was incredible,” the pastor said. “You’re full of surprises today. What’s next?”
“This one was easy,” Ben said. “Now, we need to go see my father.”
