2.4-The day I was booked into a Louisiana jail.

2.4-

The day I was booked into a Louisiana jail.

Today I saw something on video that made fun of someone doing something mischief and laughing about going to jail.  Jail is no laughing matter to me.

Tuesday, I was with some men age 40 to 75 who were discussing the idea of young people thinking that going to jail was a rite of passage for those in the “rap” culture.  One of the men shook his head like he knew that was a very bad idea.

Some thoughts from my life on going to jail.

One summer I had an interesting experience of trying to “get rich quick”.  Here is how it was supposed to happen.  I had been working at a minimum wage job in a grocery store during high school and two years of college.  I was driving a 1940 Plymouth in 1965.  One guy from California I envied drove a Red 1965 Corvette.  He was tall and handsome with a good personality. 

There was a company that offered a summer job selling Bibles and medical books for the Southwestern Company.  Some of the students made $10,000 during the summer.  What a job.  I thought it was time to leave the minimum wage job, get out there selling books and make the big money.

About May 20, 1966 I left for Nashville Tennessee for a week of “sales training”.   Day and night we learned about the products and sales methods.  They told us that were to go door to door in cities and towns where we were assigned and there was no need to register to sell in any town.  Their advice was, “There are towns that have laws about door to door salesmen, but these laws are not constitutional so do not waste time and money registering to sell.  If they arrest you do not put up bail.  They will take your bail money as your fine.”  They will not take you to jail.

I did what they said.  I did not register in Natchitoches, LA.   The beautiful town were Steel Magnolias was filmed.  I was selling a Medical book to a lady about 80 years old.  She had a knock on the door.  She answered and came back saying it’s a man who wants to speak to you.  It was the deputy sheriff.  He said you are violating the law.  Get in your car and follow me to the jail.  I followed him.  He took me to the jail.  He said do you have any money for bail.  “No.”

He booked me into the jail.  There were two guys in the jail with me.   They told me what they were in for.  One was for not paying child custody and the other for failure to appear in court.  They asked what I was in for. “Selling Bibles.”  That got quite a laugh, but I wasn’t laughing.  We had coffee and bologna sandwiches for lunch.

I had my one call using it to call my brother in law who had been a minister in Louisiana many years ago.  He had a friend who was the manager of a large company in town.  He came down and I was in at 11am and out by 5pm.   

I worked about 60 hours per week that summer.  I was away from all my family and friends.  I had 9 of 10 doors slammed in my face.  I was attacked by many dogs.  I got strong in my spirit and got accustomed to being rejected.  But I did not make enough money to buy me a Red Corvette.  I didn’t come home with as much as I could have made with a minimum wage job.  

 I learned a lot that summer.  I learned that I don’t believe in get rich quick schemes.  I don’t want to go to jail.

I think I know now why Jesus gave this advice.

Matthew 5.

²³ Therefore if you are presenting your ^[s]offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your ^[t]offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your ^[u]offering. ²⁵ Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last ^[v]cent.

Larry Wishard

1.31.18