Watch part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uSHQ...
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson was invited to speak in Madera, CA as part of the “Rebuilding the Man Tour.” Madera County Supervisor Rick Farinelli, in conjunction with community leaders, sponsored this tour.
Thursday, March 17: Jesse spoke at a juvenile detention center to young men ages 14-17 graduating from a correctional academy, on the topic of personal responsibility. All the teenagers had problems with their parents. Most were raised without their fathers. Some of their mothers were on drugs.
That evening, Jesse spoke at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, CA to 150-200 male inmates. Most were doing long prison sentences for murder, armed robbery and other serious crimes, but based on their reaction to the talk, they were open and hungry for the truth.
An inmate who was serving time for killing a woman during a botched robbery said he has a lot of anger and tremendous guilt associated with the crime he committed. Jesse spoke to the man and to others through him about how guilt works on the mind. Jesse told the man that when human beings feel guilt they’ve allowed Satan to cause them to judge themselves for what they’ve done. He explained that evil clouds our judgment and convinces us to do things that we wouldn’t ordinarily do.
The men all talked about the difficult relationships they had with their parents—especially their mothers. One young black man admitted that he hates his mother and wanted to know how to deal with his anger. Jesse told him he should start by letting his mother know that he resents her for whatever she’s done, and tell her that he’s sorry for hating her because he realizes what the anger has done to him. She was wrong, but he has been wrong too for hating her because the anger separated him from God and drove him to do things that he wouldn’t have done in his right mind. The young man was concerned about how his mother would react. Jesse told him not to worry about her reaction.
This man did exactly as Rev. Peterson suggested, and sent a LETTER to our offices detailing the result of his talk with his mother. It is a must read!" http://rebuildingtheman.com/letter-fr...
Friday, March 18: Jesse spoke at a “Break the Chains” graduation ceremony for male and female inmates at the Madera County Jail. The inmates were graduating from various classes including trade courses. Their children, parents and other family members were present. Jesse spoke about forgiveness, anger and admonished the parents for setting up their children to fail.
In the evening Jesse spoke at Valley West Christian Center. The church helps people with addictions and many who attended are struggling with this as well as with anger. Jesse asked the audience who else among them had anger, and a pregnant young woman with a young daughter said she was angry with her boyfriend because he wouldn’t move in with her. The boyfriend said he doesn’t have a job and can’t afford to get a place. The young woman had a troubled background: Her mother was on drugs, her father was not around, and she was raised by a grandmother who failed her. She’s currently living in a shelter. The boyfriend told her he wasn’t going to get a place with her until she got over her anger. The woman blamed the boyfriend for her anger. The man apologized and said he didn’t want to be the cause of her anger.
Jesse was able to counsel them. He let the man know that he’s not responsible for his girlfriend’s anger because she was like that when he met her. He told the boyfriend that he should become a man and get a job, forgive, and do the right thing. He pointed out that his weakness is bringing out the anger in his girlfriend. The woman had a hard time hearing the truth.
Then, an older well-spoken Hispanic woman told the young woman that she had better listen because she too was the product of an angry household where her mother hated her father. As a result of her own anger, she said her kids are both addicts. The woman admitted that she was bitter and angry—she was very honest. She said that she even came to church that evening mad, but added that after hearing Jesse’s talk and the testimonies of others in the church, she’s going to go and apologize to her daughter.