Jessa and Jay Dan discuss everything from sports, to the ranch, to comedian Michael Jr, and North Dakota.

Then we dive into a devotional about our vacuum cleaner. You gotta hear this.

Oh yeah, we finally respond to Real Vida's last video about the Corn Hole tournament.

Then we get to sit down with Shannon Marshall and Ashleen Gaddy, from HeartCheck Prison Strategies Group and Texas Prison Transparency Project.

We get to hear both Shannon's and Ashleen's story of addiction and what brought them together. We talk about drug addiction, overdoses, and the fact that they are an official distributor of Narcan.

Please visit our sponsor’s website:

The Way Back RETURNING TO THE DALLAS AREA WHEN RELEASED? THE WAY BACK IS HERE WITH THE SUPPORT AND SERVICES YOU NEED FOR A SUCCESSFUL REENTRY JOURNEY.

https://thewaybackhouse.org/  

To partner with us please click here:

https://www.forgivenfelons.org/support  

Forgiven Felons and Background Check Merchandise:   

https://www.forgivenfelons.org/shop

Are you in the market, or are wondering if you’re in a good position to buy a home, first time buyer, or refinance your current home? Jessamy Gumm, with Cross Country Mortgage can help. 972-897-5476 to get your journey started. Or email her at [email protected]

Your background shouldn't HOLD you back, it should PAY you back.

EP 211 “Driven”

This episode is jammed packed with fun. We start off with announcements and we talk football and baseball. And yes, it’s fun because I’m a Steeler fan. I fixed some things Jessa messed up in the studio.

We show the recap video from the Arts of Oppression art show, put on by Miles of Freedom. Some great art.

Then show the shout out video zoom call. There’s some special guests on there too.

I share a quick devotional on staying close enough to God to hear His reminders .

Then, Scott and Tabitha from Driven Re-Entry. Their story is crazy good and Jesus was all up in their story from the addiction chapter, to the prison ministry chapter, to the re-entry house chapter.

You need to hear their story and probably send to several people you know. There’s resources mentioned in this episode that will help people in addiction.

https://www.drivenreentry.org/

https://www.amazingfinishwindows.com/

https://www.amazingfinishroofing.com/

Tell them you heard it on Background Check Podcast

Please visit our sponsor’s website: The Way Back

RETURNING TO THE DALLAS AREA WHEN RELEASED? THE WAY BACK IS HERE WITH THE SUPPORT AND SERVICES YOU NEED FOR A SUCCESSFUL REENTRY JOURNEY.

https://thewaybackhouse.org/  

To partner with us please click here: https://www.forgivenfelons.org/support  

Forgiven Felons and Background Check Merchandise   https://www.forgivenfelons.org/shop

Are you in the market, or are wondering if you’re in a good position to buy a home, first time buyer, or refinance your current home? Jessamy Gumm, with Cross Country Mortgage can help. To start your journey, email her at [email protected] or message her.

"Your background shouldn't HOLD you back, it should PAY you back"

SPECIAL EPISODE

We start with a long version of announcements and fun with Jay Dan and Jessa, including some questionable jokes from Jessa. We do some shout outs from men who have gotten out recently that watched the show from the inside.

We share about our back to school drive and shout out to a married couple. Then, we end the announcement segment with a devotional on Kleenex, Toilet Paper, and Paper Towels,

Now, to the good stuff. We traveled to North Dakota from August 18-22 and visited all the prisons in the state. Recap video coming soon. NDSP, a men's maximum security prison, has an audio podcast that is recorded from inside a converted prison cell. It's hosted by Zach Schmidkunz and Antonio "Dread" Stridiron.

They invited us on their show first. We had Erick Wilson and Travis Henderson join us. Then we pulled out the video cameras and had Zach and Dread on our show. We had very little time so we didn't get into their stories much, but we will have a round two with these men for sure.

We had fun talking about all the good they are doing on that unit. They had the Governor, the first lady, and the Lt Governor on the show, inside the cell with them. Crazy.

Enjoy the show.

Please visit our sponsor’s website: The Way Back

RETURNING TO THE DALLAS AREA WHEN RELEASED? THE WAY BACK IS HERE WITH THE SUPPORT AND SERVICES YOU NEED FOR A SUCCESSFUL REENTRY JOURNEY.

https://thewaybackhouse.org/  

To partner with us please click here: https://www.forgivenfelons.org/support  

Forgiven Felons and Background Check Merchandise   https://www.forgivenfelons.org/shop

Are you in the market, or are wondering if you’re in a good position to buy a home, first time buyer, or refinance your current home? Jessamy Gumm, with Cross Country Mortgage can help. To start your journey, email her at [email protected] or message her.

"Your background shouldn't HOLD you back, it should PAY you back"

In this episode, we respond, light-heartedly, to Real Vida’s corn hole challenge and subsequent no show. Jay Dan appears on a fake podcast called Tell the Truth Shame the Devil in episode one titled, “Cornhole Cut-n-run” talking with host Emcy from Hog Mob. We relive the call outs from Real Vida and share our response and call out of our own.

Then we share Forgiven Felons July 4th celebration as well as some of the fireworks from our own family celebration.

After that, we share some preaching clips, worship, and panel discussion from the Fountain, Annex, and Holman units. We can’t show it all so we apologize in advance. The panel discussion is where Travis, Erick, John, and Jay Dan answer questions from each other as well as some great questions from the inmates.

And we do some more Breakfast Bible Study Shout Outs. 

Please visit our sponsor’s website:

The Way Back

RETURNING TO THE DALLAS AREA WHEN RELEASED?

THE WAY BACK IS HERE WITH THE SUPPORT AND SERVICES YOU NEED FOR A SUCCESSFUL REENTRY JOURNEY.

https://thewaybackhouse.org/  

To partner with us please click here:

https://www.forgivenfelons.org/support  

Forgiven Felons and Background Check Merchandise   https://www.forgivenfelons.org/shop

Are you in the market, or are wondering if you’re in a good position to buy a home, first time buyer, or refinance your current home? Jessamy Gumm, with Cross Country Mortgage can help. 972-897-5476 to get your journey started. Or email her at [email protected]

"Forgiven Me"

Emcy x KD Hog

Used with permission

In this episode, Jessa and Jay Dan talk about the Guadalupe River crisis and pray for everyone involved. 

We shout out all the books that have been sent to us by inmates as well as books authored by our guests on the show. We talk about our upcoming trips to Florida and North Dakota. 

We air some shout outs from Breakfast Fellowship and share an important update on our current house in Dallas. 

We practice some no look corn hole shots in preparation for the tournament at the Real Vida Memorial event.

There's a quick devotional, then we dive in with our interview of Michael King. Michael is a long time drummer and has played in bands and church. Michael discusses his battle with alcohol and his recovery journey. 

Michael shares about the woman he married and the tragic loss of losing her way too soon in life. 

He shares some habit stacking tips and he introduces us to his "Kindness Project" 

Visit kingofhabits.com to learn more. https://www.kingofhabits.com/

Please visit our sponsor’s website:

The Way Back

RETURNING TO THE DALLAS AREA WHEN RELEASED?

THE WAY BACK IS HERE WITH THE SUPPORT AND SERVICES YOU NEED FOR A SUCCESSFUL

REENTRY JOURNEY.

https://thewaybackhouse.org/

To partner with us please click here: https://www.forgivenfelons.org/support

Forgiven Felons and Background Check Merchandise

https://www.forgivenfelons.org/shop

Are you in the market, or are wondering if you’re in a good position to buy a home, first time buyer, or refinance your current home?

Jessamy Gumm, with Cross Country Mortgage can help. 972-897-5476 to get your journey started. Or email her at [email protected]

PRODUCTION NOTE:

This is a re-airing of this episode, but with video this time. Jimmy and Beth have informed us that they are opening three more houses so they have more room. 

In this episode we do announcements with Jessa including talking about the weekend we had at Breakfast Bible Study and church. We had two ladies drive from a Weatherford transitional house to go to ‪@SocialDallas‬ with us. Two men from another transitional house in Dallas came.

David was celebrating his 44th birthday for the first time he could remember, that he wasn't drunk, high, or in jail. Robert shows off his juggling skills and man, is he good.

We read chapter three in Proverbs for the Wisdom Challenge.

Then we sit down with Jimmy and Beth Humphus from No Turning Back Ministries. They are a prison ministry and transitional house ministry. Follow them on Facebook.

Jimmy and Beth take us back to when they first met, at a bar. She wasn't a Christian and he backsliding at the time. But God had plans for both. Jimmy talks a little about what landed him in prison twice, but loves talking about being redeemed by Christ, and marrying a virtuous more.

They love their family of six, four daughters, and they love their family of choice, all the men in the houses, just as much. They also have had a prison ministry at the Estes unit in Venus, TX for a very long time. Longer than I've been out of prison, which is almost 18 years.

Jimmy is a prime example of someone who doesn't let his background hold him back, but he definitely makes it pay him back. Tell your loved ones in prison and jails to listen on their tablets, through the podcast app. We are also on the Edovo app. 

If your loved one needs a transitional house, please reach out to Jimmy and Beth at 817-266-5499

To partner with us please click here: https://www.forgivenfelons.org/support

https://www.forgivenfelons.org/shop

In this episode, Jay Dan and Jessa take their time with announcements and have some fun. They do shout outs, show baptisms pictures, talk about breakfast Bible study, the ranch, the new truck, the new grill, and we show a video of Shannon Marshall, who was released in November of 2024, skydiving.

We address the recent “call out” from Real Vida podcast and their challenge in the corn hole tournament coming up.

Jessa tells some dad jokes and Jay Dan share a small devotion “The Screw in the Shoe”

Then we sit down with the current Chaplain of Babe’s Chicken Dinner House.

In 1977, at only 17 years old, Gene McGuire’s time living in freedom came to an end. He was one of three people that took part in a late-night bar robbery. His cousin, one of the men, fatally stabbed the bar owner. On the basis of a second-degree murder charge, Gene received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Nearly ten years later, Gene had a Christ-transformation after becoming influential in the prison culture.

Then after serving almost 35 years, a shocking miracle happened. On April, 3, 2012, at Wyoming County Courtroom in Pennsylvania, Judge Russell D. Shurtleff had made the decision that Gene was wrongfully convicted. With his life sentence reversed, he was released a free man – no parole.

His inspiring journey from being imprisoned for life to being set free by the power of God’s love, forgiveness, and freedom gives everyone hope. He is an advocate for the community, a speaker, and the author of Unshackled: From Ruins to Redemption.

Gene serves as Chaplain for Babe’s Chicken and other restaurants owned by Paul Vinyard. He shares with his testimony and the gospel of Jesus, with all the staff for the Vinyard family, as well as the other two restaurants they own, Bubba’s Cook Country, and Sweetie Pie’s Ribeyes.

Check out Gene on Facebook for all his latest speaking engagements.

Visit his website:

https://genemcguire.org/

Order his book:

https://a.co/d/golLUUk

Order Forgiven Felons or Background Check Merch:

https://www.forgivenfelons.org/shop

To learn more FORGIVEN RANCH we are developing now:

https://youtu.be/za53kDdhQlY?si=8UelY6l3_ykLwf0I

In this episode we sit down with the Erick Wilsons, One and Two.

We talk about fatherhood, sports, and so many other things.

Sponsors: Mention Forgiven Felons, Background Check, Jay Dan or Jessa when you contact them. They all donate to Forgiven Felons when you do.  

First Option Mortgage Jessamy Gumm

From On High Roofing and Construction

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On this episode, Jay Dan and Jessa tell some jokes, do a small devotion, play a shout out from Angelo, talk about sports, and Forgiven Ranch. 

Ben's story intertwines with the previous week's guest, Kimberli Lemon. So many people's stories intersect in our broader Forgiven Felons family. 

We talk yoga pants, peanut butter, satanic tattoos, and Jesus. We laugh so much and we get serious too. Watch the whole episode to hear how we navigate all these topics.

Sponsors: Mention Forgiven Felons, Background Check, Jay Dan or Jessa when you contact them. They all donate to Forgiven Felons when you do.

First Option Mortgage

From On High Roofing and Construction

To partner with us please click here: