We All Wear Orange: Locked up, but free to follow Jesus (Timothy Vagus)

A Christian chaplain shares his years of frank discussions with thousands of prison inmates. 52 chapters, each animated by God’s great compassion, wisdom, and challenges to us, range over life’s landscape of beauty and pain.

• We’re all felons before God. We all wear orange.
• Time on earth is a life sentence. No one gets out alive.
• Only Jesus Christ grants forgiveness, meaning, and life after this.
• Regardless of our past, our life has value. How will we respond to Jesus?

You also wear orange. Join us and experience pardon in prison.

Author’s Preface

Talking about oneself is way overrated, but a little might help.

After a year of college, I became an atheist. But I found that atheism is an intellectual and psychological prison. Awakened to its many flaws, I wanted out. To my great surprise, the door of my cell was unlocked, and I happily left. Since then, after completing a BA, MA, and PhD, the historical Jesus remains the best and most profound instructor I’ve ever had.

Life and work in six often politically unstable countries enriched and tempered my outlook. Though I’ve never been imprisoned, bands of armed men twice took me captive. A third time, the leader tried to shoot me. Amazingly, in all three instances I was set free and unharmed. Disease and other dangers have also come and gone. Experience alone doesn’t deserve a podium, but it can inform our perspective.

Later, I volunteered as a chaplain in a county jail. I also served in two high-security state prisons. After almost eight years, I had met hundreds of times with groups of male inmates. The content of this book grew out of presentations to and discussions with them.

From March 2020 to June 2021, when policies restricted direct access to prisoners, I wrote down and expanded those presentations. A non-profit organization included them-what you now see as 52 chapters-in weekly letters which they mailed to male and female inmates in several states and types of penal institutions.

More important, a bit about the incarcerated. When with prisoners, usually small groups for an hour at a time, we talk about life and hope. Those who attend are dear people who want to change. Some are the most amazing individuals I’ve ever met.

Note: The author receives no remuneration from this book or his work with inmates.

Chapter Titles:

“Come to Me” / A Killer Disciple / Drug Dealers, Murderers, and Sexual Offenders / “When You Pray …” / Home / Our Past / “The devil took him …” (parts 1-3) / A Lonely Woman (parts 1-3) / The Presence of God / “I Never Knew You” / Problems in Paradise / “Follow Me!” / The One Thing / Gang Members / Predestined? Called? Chosen? / Pain and Injustice / Addictions and Substance Abuse / Atheism / Who is Jesus? / War and Peace / Who Wins in Life? / Men and Women / Wealth / Christmas! / A New Year or a New Life? / Time / Loneliness / Patriotism / Disillusioned with Jesus? / Born to Love / Family and Friends / Fear / Godly Leadership / Born To Die / The World’s Worst Prison / Up and Down to Victory / Our Dreams / The Good Life / Balance / Power / The End of the World / A Road Rarely Taken / The Sorrow of God / Crazy / The Way, Truth, and Life / The Great Divide / Idols / Word Games