Joshua Graham Quotes

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.

I survived because the fire inside me burned hotter than the fire surrounding me

IN ALL THE YEARS I’ve spent here at Salton Sea State Penitentiary, I swear I never met a scarier man than Big Pete. 

simple. 

Big Pete didn’t like being distracted by those Bible verses, minutes before he took out a preacher in cold blood. He shook it off like a mosquito sucking blood from his neck.  The red carpeted aisle to the front of the auditorium seemed to go on forever.  Where

Accepted.

through his scalp.  What was with these people at In-N-Out?  And why, after all these years, was he suddenly noticing these verses—the night before…? Pete pulled out his iPhone and googled the verse.  Like a heavy blanket, dread fell over him.  It read: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. “Gimme a break!”  He slid his iPhone back into his pocket and didn’t give it another thought.  He had a job to do, a reputation to protect. 

see you!” Pete forced a smile.  See, it’d been forever since he’d even set foot inside a church, so he had no clue how he should act.  “Uh---Hallelujah!  Jesus saves!” The greeter’s smile looked like it wanted to fade, but stayed frozen there for the sake of being polite.  Then he reached up patted Pete on the shoulder.  “Right on, bro.  Right on.  Welcome!” “Amen.”  Pete’s

I’m good.

believe that he'd just accept Christ after a lifetime of murderous cruelty.  How I doubted his sincerity.  "Guess I'm

save her!" Doctor Yang nodded and returned to the team.  Seconds later an alarm from the EKG blared again.  Bethie's

lion. “He only

Turkey has something in it called tryptophan, which makes you feel relaxed, even sleepy.  I hadn’t experienced much of either recently, but this combined with a glass of red wine and good company, was just what the doctor ordered.

to

worship

When Big Pete first arrived here at Salton’s death row, everyone said to me, “Yo, B! (my name’s Brian, but that ain’t so cool, so all my brothers calls me “B” instead) What’s it like being Big Pete’s cellie?  You scared he gonna kill you in your sleep?”  I just smiled and let them guess.  It gave me some respect with the other inmates that I was a brother sharing a cell with the big, white, killing machine—and was still alive every morning.  But they didn’t know Big Pete like I do.  And I’m sure gonna miss him when he’s gone.

They were businessmen who were worse than any of the Bloods or Crips I ever met—and believe me, I met more than a few of them in my life.

how about that search warrant?"  She waited for him to answer, though she knew what he would say next. "What have you—" "A buttload of evidence.

euthanizing his faith years ago, he just didn't realize

reputation,

more

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire inside me

Malice toward none” was hardly a popular slogan. Consider the words of Henry Ward Beecher, as popular and influential in his day as Billy Graham has been in his. “I charge the whole guilt of this war,” Beecher said in 1864, “upon the ambitious, educated, plotting political leaders of the South . . . A day will come when God will reveal judgment, and arraign at his bar these mighty miscreants.” Beecher looked forward to the day when “these most accursed and detested of all criminals” would be “caught up in black clouds full of voices of vengeance and lurid with punishment” and “plunged downward forever in an endless retribution.” “Endless retribution”—now there was a phrase that people would rally behind. What Lincoln sought to forestall would in fact come to pass. A vengeful reconstruction policy, the backlash it provoked, and the failure to provide adequately for the well-being of four million freed slaves had ramifications that would last to the present day. The pain of the Civil War sank into many fields.

Joshua Poldark died in March 1783. In February of that year, feeling that his tenure was becoming short, he sent for his brother from Trenwith.

I survive because the fire inside me burns brighter than the fire around me

turned away.  I couldn’t tell if it was intentional, his sunglasses obscured any hint.  O'Brien was talking to one of the investigators at my door.  Good to see a familiar face.  When he saw me get out of the taxi, he came over and removed his hat. O’Brien and I first met under tense circumstances—with his rifle pointed into my chest.  It was during a shooting and hostage crisis at Coyote Creek Middle School, where Bethie attended.  Along with all the other parents, I stood for hours in the parking lot not knowing what was happening inside. I grew tired of waiting around not getting any answers.  So I marched right up to the police line.  My cell phone started buzzing and I reached for it. He thought I was reaching

not believing.  Not always,

they're doing." "You'd better.  There gon' be

why. I have found it difficult at times to forgive myself for what happened.  But a significant part of the answer involves forgiveness, something I never truly understood

The yellow tape had been removed.  A squad car idled on the sidewalk in front of my house as the neighborhood awoke to a new day.  At the wheel sat Chris, the young partner of Lieutenant Jim O’Brien.  Chris glanced my way then turned away.  I couldn’t tell if it was intentional, his sunglasses obscured any hint.  O'Brien was talking to one of the investigators

sheets soaked with cold

He didn’t like whining women, but he really, really hated whining men. 

Though grateful, she was not quite as astounded as her physicians.

You trying to renegotiate terms, boys?”  Big Pete stood slowly.  His shadow covered both of them as he straightened out. 

Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder … to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, … these stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. JOSHUA 4:5

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