God Behind Bars

Latest Episodes:

“I’m Better Than the Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done.” | God Behind Bars Podcast Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

From a prison cell, Kevin “Big Country” Gilhouse used to look out at a lake and dream about fishing with his son. Years later, he found himself on that very lake, looking at his son on one side and the prison unit where he spent some of his darkest years on the other. ❤️

Inside Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola Prison, Kevin shares his incredible journey from a childhood spent in foster care to years of addiction, violence and hopelessness behind bars. At his lowest point, Kevin reached out for help and entered the New Men program, where he found a community of men who encouraged him to pursue Jesus.

On May 23, 2024, Kevin gave his life to Christ. Today, he shares how his faith has transformed the way he sees himself, his family and his purpose inside prison.

In this episode of the God Behind Bars Podcast, Kevin sits down to share the emotional story of fishing with his son for the first time, the unexpected moment his daughter received his prison identification number at a GBB event, and the important role his wife has played in keeping their family connected. He also opens up about the moments he wishes he could get back as a father and the message he wants his children to hear.

“I’m better than the worst thing I’ve ever done.”

Kevin’s story is a reminder that our past does not have to define our future and that God can bring hope, healing and purpose even inside prison walls.

At God Behind Bars, our mission is to introduce inmates to Jesus and connect them to the local church. Subscribe for more prison testimonies, stories of transformation, family reunifications and powerful conversations about faith and redemption.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Meet Kevin “Big Country” Gilhouse

01:35 Growing Up in Foster Care

04:00 Fishing With His Son for the First Time

05:20 Kevin’s Darkest Years in Camp J

06:49 Dreaming of the Lake From His Prison Cell

07:17 Looking at His Past and His Son on the Same Lake

10:12 Addiction and Hitting Rock Bottom

12:47 Asking for Help Inside Prison

14:28 Surviving His Darkest Moment

15:18 Entering the New Men Program

16:18 Giving His Life to Jesus

17:10 An Unexpected Moment With His Daughter

19:18 Staying Connected to His Children From Prison

21:10 Kevin’s Emotional Message to His Family

22:45 His Advice to Every Parent

23:44 Finding Hope in God’s Plan

24:26 “I’m Better Than the Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done”

25:00 Finding His Identity in Christ

This episode includes discussion of addiction and a suicide attempt.

#GodBehindBars #PrisonMinistry #PrisonPodcast

“I Was Sentenced to LIFE at 18.” | God Behind Bars Podcast Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

AT 18 YEARS OLD, JAMIE JACKSON WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE.

During a carjacking, Jamie shot and killed an innocent person.

In an instant, another life was taken and Jamie’s future changed forever.

On this episode of the God Behind Bars Podcast, Jake Bodine sits down with Jamie inside Jefferson City Correctional Center in Missouri for an incredibly honest conversation about murder, guilt, addiction, fatherhood, forgiveness, purpose, and what Jesus can do with a life that seems beyond redemption.

After receiving a life sentence, Jamie says the guilt and shame became overwhelming. He went from being a teenager to being known as a convicted murderer, and eventually began believing he had nothing left to lose.

For the first 10 years of his incarceration, Jamie says his daily mission was simple: find a way to get high.

Anything to escape the reality of what he had done.

Then, inside prison, something began to change.

Jamie turned back to the God he had learned about as a child and began discovering an identity that was no longer defined only by the worst thing he had ever done.

Today, after decades behind bars, Jamie says:

“Who I am now is not June 5, 1996.”

Jamie does not deny the damage his choices caused or minimize the life that was taken. Instead, he wrestles with a difficult question:

How do you acknowledge the damage you have done while still believing God can give your life purpose?

Jamie also opens up about receiving a leukemia diagnosis while incarcerated, his relationship with his daughter, and the pain of knowing his choices separated him from watching her grow up.

When Jake asks what he would tell his daughter today, Jamie becomes emotional.

“I may not have made the right choices, but I loved her. I prayed for her, and I trusted that God would take care of her.”

This conversation is a powerful reminder that redemption does not erase the past.

But your past does not have to be the end of your story.

Jamie describes himself today as “a testimony” of what God can do when someone fully surrenders their life to Him.

And for anyone who feels like they have destroyed their life, lost their purpose, or gone too far for God, Jamie has a message:

If you are lacking love, hope, or purpose, Jesus still has a place for you. ❤️

🎙️ EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00 Meet Jamie Jackson

00:20 Growing Up and Learning About God

01:31 Sentenced to Life Without Parole at 18

01:58 Becoming a Father as a Teenager

02:46 Hearing He Would Spend His Life in Prison

03:18 Overwhelmed by Guilt and Shame

03:32 Ten Years of Addiction Inside Prison

04:13 The Moment Everything Began to Change

05:47 Finding Jesus and Getting Sober

06:09 Finding Purpose While Serving Life

07:32 Helping Others Find Hope Inside Prison

08:48 Ministry and Purpose Behind Bars

09:27 Looking Back at the Man He Used to Be

09:49 What Jamie Would Tell His Younger Self

10:11 Hope for a Future Beyond Prison

11:01 Battling Leukemia Behind Bars

11:33 “I Am a Testimony”

12:00 “Who I Am Now Is Not June 5, 1996”

12:47 Why Jesus?

13:30 How Leukemia Tested His Faith

14:19 Trusting God Through the Storm

15:14 Jamie Opens Up About His Daughter

15:23 What He Would Tell His Daughter Today

16:08 Praying for Reconciliation

16:36 Final Thoughts

🎙️ THE GOD BEHIND BARS PODCAST

Join Jake Bodine for honest conversations about Jesus, redemption, prison, family, forgiveness, incarceration, and the life changing power of God.

Subscribe to God Behind Bars for more Christian testimonies, prison stories, inmate testimonies, family restoration, prison worship, baptisms, and incredible stories of what God is doing behind prison walls.

#GodBehindBars #GodBehindBarsPodcast #ChristianTestimony

Amanda Lynn From Selling Sunset: “I Gave Up on My Dad… But God Never Did.” | God Behind Bars Podcast Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

“SURVIVAL MODE SAVES YOU FROM A LOT OF THINGS, BUT SURVIVAL MODE IS NOT HOW YOU LIVE.”

Amanda Lynn is known today as a luxury real estate agent, entrepreneur, and television personality seen on Netflix’s Selling Sunset.

But behind the success is a story very few people know.

Amanda spent much of her childhood with both of her parents battling addiction and experiencing incarceration.

On this episode of the God Behind Bars Podcast, Jake Bodine sits down with Amanda for an incredibly vulnerable conversation about growing up with incarcerated parents, addiction, abandonment, losing her father, breaking generational cycles, finding success, and ultimately discovering healing through Jesus.

Amanda was only five years old when incarceration became part of her family’s story. Prison visits, phone calls, addiction, and the absence of her parents left wounds she would carry for years.

When her father received a five year prison sentence, Amanda eventually stopped opening his letters. She had begun giving up on their relationship.

But God hadn’t.

While incarcerated, her father found Jesus. When he came home, Amanda says the transformation was undeniable. Their relationship was restored, and she finally began getting her father back.

Then, at 23 years old, Amanda received a devastating call. Her father had been shot and killed by his own father.

Years later, Amanda can look back at her father’s life and see something greater than the tragedy. His testimony became part of hers. ❤️

Amanda went on to build a successful career in luxury real estate, but success couldn’t heal everything she had carried since childhood.

“I’ve succeeded in business. I’ve helped myself heal in therapy, but nothing does what God does.”

Amanda says her relationship with her Heavenly Father finally began healing the abandonment she had carried for most of her life. Today, she calls herself the CYCLE BREAKER in a family where addiction and destructive patterns had continued generation after generation.

Amanda also shares a powerful message for incarcerated mothers and fathers who believe their relationship with their children may be too broken to restore:

“The prisoner story is not over. And your relationship with your kids is not over.”

In this episode, Amanda and Jake talk about children of incarcerated parents, addiction, childhood trauma, survival mode, forgiveness, family restoration, breaking generational cycles, finding Jesus, and learning that success alone cannot heal the deepest wounds of our past.

Her father’s story wasn’t over when he entered prison.

Amanda’s story wasn’t over because of what happened to her family.

And yours isn’t either. ❤️

🎙️ THE GOD BEHIND BARS PODCAST

Join Jake Bodine for honest conversations about Jesus, redemption, prison, family, forgiveness, incarceration, and the life changing power of God.

“I Tried Everything… Nothing Worked.” | God Behind Bars Podcast Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

“I TRIED EVERYTHING… EVERYTHING. IT’S NOT GONNA WORK.”

Inside Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola Prison, Jake Bodine sits down with Charles Chandler for an honest conversation about prison, fatherhood, forgiveness, identity, and finding Jesus while serving a life sentence.

Charles didn’t grow up believing his life would end up here. His parents served in the military, his family provided for him, and Charles openly admits that he made his life much harder than it needed to be.

Growing up, Charles struggled with the absence of his father, who was working to provide for their family. As a kid, Charles didn’t understand the sacrifice. He only understood that everyone else’s dad seemed to be there and his wasn’t.

That created a void.

Charles says he tried money, drugs, women, acceptance, and eventually life in the streets to fill it. Nothing worked. His choices ultimately led him to Louisiana State Penitentiary with a life sentence.

Inside Angola, Charles began discovering something that completely changed how he saw himself. Instead of allowing his sentence, circumstances, or the opinions of other people to determine his identity, he began asking a different question:

“WHO DOES GOD SAY I AM?”

Charles says experiencing the love of God changed everything. The void he had spent his entire life trying to fill finally made sense.

But one of the most powerful parts of Charles’s story is what happened with his family. ❤️

For years, Charles carried resentment toward his father for not being there when he was young. Then Charles became a father himself.

During a recent God Behind Bars Father Son event inside Angola Prison, Charles had an honest conversation with his son about the years his incarceration had taken from their relationship. Charles told his son that if he was angry with him, he would understand.

Instead, his son responded with grace.

They cried. They prayed. They talked about Jesus.

Through that conversation, Charles began seeing his own father differently. The father he once resented had actually been sacrificing to provide for him.

In this episode of the God Behind Bars Podcast, Jake and Charles talk about receiving a life sentence, prison culture, people pleasing, finding your identity in Christ, experiencing the love of God, fatherhood, resentment, forgiveness, and discovering purpose while incarcerated.

Charles calls Angola the “home of a million masks.” After years of changing himself to fit the people around him, he says he finally discovered who he really is through Jesus.

Charles is still serving his sentence, but his sentence no longer gets to define his identity.

His past doesn’t define him.

Other people don’t define him.

Jesus does. ❤️

🎙️ THE GOD BEHIND BARS PODCAST

Join Jake Bodine for honest conversations from inside prisons about Jesus, redemption, family, incarceration, forgiveness, and the life changing power of God.

“I’m In Prison… But I Refuse to Stop Being a Dad.” | God Behind Bars Podcast Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

“I JUST WANT MY KIDS TO KNOW… EVERYTHING THAT I DO TODAY IS BECAUSE OF Y’ALL.” ❤️Inside Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola Prison, Jake Bodine sits down with incarcerated father Leslie Harris for an honest conversation about FAITH, FATHERHOOD, PRISON, and the man God is transforming him into.Leslie grew up in Louisiana without his father.After losing his dad at just six years old, he began looking for the love and guidance he was missing in the streets. That path eventually led to crime, incarceration, and years separated from his own children.But Leslie is determined for his story — and his children’s story — to be different.Since giving his life to Jesus, Leslie says his purpose has completely changed.Today, he is studying in Bible college, mentoring men in a drug abuse program, training dogs for veterans, sharing his faith with his children, and doing everything he can to become an example they can be proud of.And despite being incarcerated, Leslie refuses to stop being a DAD.God Behind Bars has had the privilege of watching that relationship firsthand.Leslie participated in Angola Prison’s first-ever Father Daughter Dance, where his daughter ran into his arms and the two finally shared a dance he had missed for years. 😭❤️He also spent an unforgettable Father’s Day with his sons during our Father Son event — fishing, playing football, competing, laughing, and simply getting the opportunity to be together.In this episode of the God Behind Bars Podcast, Leslie opens up to Jake Bodine about growing up without a father, what led him to prison, raising children while incarcerated, finding Jesus behind bars, losing his best friend to suicide, studying the Bible, mentoring other incarcerated men, breaking generational cycles, and the man he hopes to be when he returns home.One of the most powerful things Leslie has learned is simple:BE PRESENT.He can’t go back and recover every moment he missed with his children.But he can decide what kind of father and man he will be TODAY.Leslie’s past is part of his story, but it doesn’t get the final word.“Don’t judge a book by its cover because of my past… God changed me. He changed me inside out.”This is what redemption can look like behind prison walls. ❤️🎙️ EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00 Meet Leslie Harris Inside Angola Prison00:28 Growing Up Without a Father01:50 What Led Leslie to Prison?03:28 Being a Father While Incarcerated03:55 Angola Prison Father Daughter Dance04:30 Seeing His Daughter Walk Into the Dance06:55 Father Son Reunion Inside Angola Prison08:42 Raising Children From Behind Prison Walls10:10 How Leslie Stays Present as a Father11:00 Bible College Inside Angola Prison11:53 Mentoring Inmates & Serving Veterans12:17 “It’s Not About Me. It’s About Them.”12:30 The Biggest Lesson He Learned as a Father14:15 How God Transformed Leslie’s Life15:16 Losing His Best Friend to Suicide16:25 Finding Jesus Inside Prison17:15 Leslie’s Message to Inmates Feeling Hopeless18:12 Why Jesus Is the Foundation18:35 What Leslie Wants His Children to Know20:25 “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover”21:10 His Dream to Help At-Risk Youth22:00 Can Jesus Really Transform Someone?23:20 Leslie Shares His Favorite Bible Verse25:10 A Final Message of Hope🎙️ THE GOD BEHIND BARS PODCAST IS BACK.Join Jake Bodine for honest conversations from inside prisons about faith, redemption, family, incarceration, and the life-changing power of Jesus.These are real conversations with incarcerated men and women, returning citizens, ministry leaders, and people whose lives have been transformed by God.Subscribe to God Behind Bars for more prison testimonies, Christian podcasts, inmate stories, family reunifications, prison worship, baptisms, and incredible stories of hope and redemption from prisons across America.

How I sh*t my BROTHER | Curtis Lambert Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

From Mount Vernon, New York, Curtis Lambert’s life was marked by violence, pain, and survival. Kicked out of schools, trapped in gang life, and hardened by the streets, Curtis’ story spirals from a childhood of abuse to a life of crime, leading to the unthinkable—shooting his own brother.

But that wasn’t the end.
Locked in a jail cell, broken and desperate, Curtis encountered the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. What began as a life of chaos turned into a testimony of transformation. From guns and gangs to grace and purpose, this is the powerful story of how God rewrote Curtis’ destiny.

God Behind Bars Music Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

In this powerful episode of the God Behind Bars Podcast, founder Jake Bodine and worship leader Matt New dive deep into the heart behind God Behind Bars Music — a movement born inside prison walls.They share how leading worship behind bars inspired a brand-new sound of freedom — songs written with and for incarcerated men and women whose voices deserve to be heard. From unforgettable moments inside prison yards to the creation of the upcoming “God Behind Bars Music: Live from Angola” EP, Jake and Matt reveal how God is using music to transform hearts and rewrite stories of redemption.🎧 Listen now to hear how worship behind bars is changing lives — and how you can be part of the movement.👉 Pre-save the “Live from Angola” EP today at godbehindbars.com and help make the voices of those in prison echo far beyond the walls.

I THOUGHT MY LIFE WAS OVER | Peter "Chappy" Meyerhoff Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Peter “Chappy” Meyerhoff’s life is the definition of redemption. At 15, he was addicted to meth. At 18, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Inside, he became a “shot caller,” running with power and pride—until it all came crashing down.

After over a decade behind bars and nearly a year in solitary confinement, Peter walked out of prison with nothing but a decision: to never go back. With no high school diploma, no connections, and no plan, he rebuilt from the ground up—turning his pain into purpose.

Today, Peter is a motivational speaker, author, and host of the Roll Call with Chappy podcast. He uses his platform to speak truth about addiction, incarceration, mindset, and faith—helping others find freedom long before the gates ever open.

This is the story of a man who lost everything, found himself, and built a new life from the ashes.

My Dad Missed My Birth for a Kidnapping | Ceasar Isaac Fernandez Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Caesar Isaac was born the day after his dad kidnapped someone over drugs. His father wasn’t in the delivery room, and soon after, prison became part of the family story. What began in chaos and brokenness turned into a journey of forgiveness, faith, and redemption.

I Was De*ling Dr*gs at 13 Years Old | EI THE King's Story Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

From chasing the streets to finding salvation, this is the powerful story of E.I. the King.

Growing up with big dreams but caught up in the wrong influences, E.I. found himself in and out of prison from the age of 18. For over a decade, the cycle of incarceration defined his life—until God stepped in. In the darkest places, behind bars, he encountered grace that would transform everything.

Now free, E.I. the King is on a mission: using music, testimony, and street outreach to bring hope to the hopeless and light to the places he once lived in. His story is raw, unfiltered, and proof that no life is too far gone for redemption.

In this solo testimony, he shares it all—from his broken beginnings to his encounter with God, his transformation, and his vision for the future.

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