By Kohl Jackson
Robert Grass, a 44-year-old prisoner incarcerated in the Lexington Assessment & Reception
Center, is enthusiastic to share the life-changing work Christ has done in his life while in prison.
Nearing the end of his freshman year of classes, he spoke about his change in attitude, newfound
hope in Jesus and the humanity of the prisoners in OBU’s Prison Divinity Program (PDP).
Prior to prison, Grass found little exposure to Christianity. He lived in foster care during his early
teenage years and was led down a path of poor choices.
“I used to have an idea of God and believe in God. My family wasn’t really religious or go to
church, and I was actually driven away from that growing up in an adopted family. So, coming in
here, you know, I seen the jailhouse religions and the different churches, and I just never felt like
I belonged there, or I was good enough to go there. And then I started doing programs, and grew
in my faith and grew in my confidence in God. That led me to a place where I wanted to learn
more about Christ,” said Grass.
Over 20 years later, Grass now works for an office inside the prison while enrolled as a full-time
student in the PDP. He appreciates the artistic side of his life with a passion for spoken word and
poetry. Music plays a big role in his life and you may even find him listening to 1980’s
synthwave while he’s studying.
Alongside his work and hobbies, Christianity has become increasingly apparent to Grass since
incarceration, and he has committed his life to growing in his faith.
“Somebody evangelized to me in another yard and asked me if I thought I was a good person. I
said, ‘Yeah, I’m a good person’, you know. And I started thinking about the more I thought about
it, the more convicted I got,” said Grass.
“And I’m like, I’m not a good person. So, I started attending those churches more. I kind of
reached out, kind of stepped out in faith. And fast forward to today, you know, I’m a 44-year-old
freshman in college, and that’s awesome,” said Grass. Despite his past mistakes, Grass wants to turn his life around for the better and he doesn’t take his opportunity at redemption for granted
“I am very remorseful for what I did, but a part of me wanted to do this time, not for pride, but to
let the victim’s family know that I messed up and I need to do this time. At the very end, I
decided to try to better myself with OBU,” said Grass.
Despite serving a 100-year prison sentence, Grass claims to have found an inner freedom that
can only be discovered through faith, a relatively rare sight among prison yards.
“I already feel in my heart right now that I’m free. I’m free as I’m going to get right now, and I’m
completely content with that, completely happy about that and that freedom is only found in
Jesus Christ,” said Grass.
He went on to explain that this personal freedom may be met with opposition, but that his
mindset can be best understood from the perspective of a Christian.
“A believer will understand where I’m coming from. A believer will say ‘he’s feeling something
from God’. That’s freedom, but that’s something we fight every day- staff, and we get it from
inmates as well. They see that happiness and that joy, and they want to try to take it away or question, and it’s our job to present that to them. To give them a hand up. Lead by example and
to show them that, this is a horrible place, but that don’t have to define us. God defines what we
are and what’s inside of us. And when people recognize that, man, I’ve seen it. It’s a beautiful
thing, and I think more college experiences like this need to be in prison,” said Grass.
Since becoming a Christian, Grass lives his life under the guidance of what he explained to be
his favorite verse of the Bible: Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
“Whether it’s violence, racism, or hate. That’s how we fight it, with good. I tell myself that verse
every morning no matter what I face, no matter what I come to. I have to leave that place better,”
said Grass.
This peace-filled perspective has changed the way that Grass approaches the world and provides
a path for humility in his life.
“I think my arrogance and pride is turning into confidence in who I am in God’s eyes. I’m
starting to see maybe what he sees in me a little bit. Growing up in here, I’ve never had that
parental figure or that authority. That pride, I’m trying to navigate that still. That’s the
underlying emotional issue that a lot of us in prison have, but I’m learning that confidence is fine
as long as it’s in Christ in me,” said Grass.
He went on to explain that many of the prisoners in the PDP have turned their lives around for
the better and that there is a human element to the prisoners that should not be overlooked.
“You could walk in here and, except for our clothes, someone might not notice a difference,” said
Grass. “There’s a lot of guys that don’t get the recognition they need for trying to better themselves. I’m sure on campus, there’s got to be someone out there that’s waiting to be lifted up.”
Throughout his testimony, he repeatedly shared his gratefulness for the opportunities he has been
given through the PDP and how much of a blessing it has been for his life.
“The people that believe in us and give us this opportunity, I don’t want to fail them. I’ll do
everything I can to make sure some of the people behind me know that. I would never have an
opportunity to go to college had it not been for the prison divinity program, Dr. Perkins, and all
the donors that give us that chance and believe in us,” said Grass.
His statements reflect the mission of the PDP and are shared among many of the prisoners within
the program. Grass remains appreciative for the second chance he has been given and is hard at
work to make sure it is not wasted.
“It’s a blessing and I will do everything I can to succeed and try to carry on that light to others,”
said Grass.
