27 years and 8 months later.

Issue 02 · September 2026

4 min read

Hello {{First Name | Friend}},

Thanks for joining me as we take a moment to pause and reflect on what’s happening within the stories of our lives. We all need reminders from time to time that God is near, that He is present, and that He is always pursuing us.

A moment to remember

Anthony steps out of the facility door waving, captioned Anthony walks out - 27 years and 8 months

Last week, I had the privilege of watching a man named Anthony walk out of prison a free man after 27 years and 8 months of incarceration.

Anthony was in my very first prison class eight years ago, and I’ve had the opportunity to get to know him over these last eight years. I still remember that very first class I facilitated. He had a way about him—a calm maturity paired with an uncommon intellect. What struck me most was that I couldn’t detect an ounce of bitterness, anger, or disappointment in him. He had spent nearly half his life behind bars, with little hope of release, yet he never viewed his life as an accident or as somehow outside the reach of God’s mercy.

Instead, he seemed to live out a quote from Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love, which we were studying:

“

“My existence was not random, nor was it an accident. God knew who he was creating, and he designed me for specific work.”

Francis Chan · Crazy Love

Mitch and Anthony outside the facility afterward, captioned Mitch and Anthony

I’ve learned a lot from men like Anthony—men who have chosen to live above their circumstances and remain hopeful even when their circumstances seemed dire.

Freedom is one of our greatest privileges, and one we can easily take for granted. I’m grateful I was able to witness Anthony’s release and be reminded again of just how precious freedom is. And perhaps even more importantly, I was reminded of the freedom we have in Christ—a freedom that is not dependent on our circumstances. Some people live behind prison walls and are free. Sadly, others live outside them and are not.

a thought to ponder

Lately, I’ve been pondering prayer—why some prayers are answered and others seemingly are not. And yet, we are still called to pray.

I’m sure there were days during Anthony’s 27 years of incarceration when he had nearly given up on the possibility of freedom, and yet he continued to pray for it.

Prayer is the constant, while results are not. We are called to pray faithfully without any guarantee that the outcome will look the way we hoped. It’s a little like athletics: a win is never guaranteed, but refusing to play guarantees you’ll never experience one.

We also have to accept that not every godly-appearing possibility will come to be. I believe God welcomes our prayers much like a loving parent welcomes the requests of a child. Some requests are granted, while others are not—and sometimes for reasons the child cannot yet understand.

After all, giving car keys to a 12-year-old is never a good idea.

a challenge

Would you take a few moments today to breathe in the air of freedom? Consider how wonderful freedom really is.

Or perhaps you’re in a season where you feel trapped—constrained in ways that seem to choke out freedom. Might you pray, like Anthony did, imagining freedom in your current state and what freedom could look like down the road?

And while you wait, might you trust that God is still present, still listening, and still at work?

currently

Brynnly held up and smiling, captioned Brynnly

Chris and I are planning a trip south to visit our granddaughter, Brynnly. We are so excited to see her we can hardly contain ourselves… and of course, we’re excited to see her parents too!

There is just something amazing about children—something that is hard to capture in words. The joy, innocence, curiosity, and life they bring with them is such a gift.

I pray this letter finds you in a good place, enjoying life in all its facets.

With gratitude,

Mitch Bakker

Faith. Life. The stories in between.