Brad Layland, Chief Executive Officer & Senior Consultant
Recently, I had the incredible gift of being with two of our clients who, on the surface, couldn’t be serving more dissimilar groups of people. One serves male prisoners in Houston’s Carol Vance Unit (a correctional facility), and the other, college students at Arizona State University. But as I observed in both places—first in a prison with men who have lost their freedom, then in a room filled with young adults just beginning to explore theirs—I saw the same truth at work: we are all prisoners, and we all need Jesus to set us free.
At Carol Vance, I was there with Prison Fellowship, a ministry dedicated to walking alongside incarcerated men and women as they encounter the love of Christ. I listened as they shared their stories of regret, brokenness, and past mistakes. But what struck me most was the hope in their voices. They spoke of a freedom that had nothing to do with the bars around them and everything to do with the power of Jesus to transform lives. These men, once defined by their past, now lived in the grace of a new identity in Christ.
The very next day, I found myself in a completely different setting—at Arizona State University in Phoenix, where nearly 200 college students gathered for an InterVarsity large group meeting. Here, too, I heard testimonies of transformation. Young men and women, some who had grown up in the church and others who had never set foot in one, spoke of encountering Jesus in ways that changed everything. Their struggles looked different from those of the men in prison—they often wrestled with questions about purpose, identity, relationships—but at the core, their need was the same. Jesus was meeting them there, just as He met the men in Houston.
In both places, I found myself singing many of the same songs, proclaiming the same truths, worshiping the same God. Through these two back-to-back experiences, it became so clear: we are all in need of the same grace. Whether behind bars or walking across a college campus, we all wrestle with chains—chains of sin, fear, doubt, and brokenness. And the only one who can set us truly free is Jesus.
I am so thankful for the chance that God has given me to serve these amazing ministries through our work at The FOCUS Group because these experiences remind me of the powerful words from John 8:36: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” True freedom isn’t about where we are, what we’ve done, or even what lies ahead—it’s about who holds our hearts.
I walked away from both places, deeply encouraged and reminded that Jesus is in the business of transformation. Whether in a prison or a university, His love is breaking chains, restoring lives, and calling people into the fullness of freedom found only in Him.
Where have you seen Jesus bring freedom in unexpected places in your life?
We’ve been privileged to help many organizations be more effective in their fundraising by learning and implementing relational fundraising principles in their work with donors. Want to talk?