My Friend Sammie

Sammie got up at The Love Corner recently and quietly read his story.

Here it is:

My name is Sammie Lotts and in 1977, when I was twenty-two years young, I was arrested, tried and convicted for a murder and attempted murder I did not commit. As a result of those convictions, I received 75 to 150 years for the attempted murder, and for the murder, I was sentenced to 175-500 years. For the first ten years, I was very bitter and plotting revenge on everyone who played a part in sending me to prison. After being locked up for about 3 years, I got into the Word of God and after about 10 years, I realized that I no longer felt the bitterness. God gave me a peace of mind, heart, and above all, a peace of spirit.

I started going to the parole board in 1987. And for the next 22 years of going to the parole board, I never once received a “yes” vote.

My blessings from God, in this particular matter, came in 6 stages, which I refer to as days, like in Genesis when God was creating the world.

It started in ’02, when then Governor George Ryan, on his last day in office, commuted all death row sentences to life in prison. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

In ’05, I was transferred from Statesville C.C. to Galesburg C.C. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

In ’08, I met Darryl Simms, a former death row inmate, who was and is, as I am, an artist. Darryl admired my art work so much that he said he wanted me to meet this female attorney who worked for the John Howard Association, She sponsored art exhibits every year, for inmates in Springfield, Illinois. And the evening and the morning were the third day.

The lawyer came to Galesburg to visit Darryl and pick up his artwork for the exhibit, which was about two weeks away. He told her about my art, and she called me up for a visit also. I only had one piece of art, but was working on another piece, and didn’t expect much. The first question she asked me was not about my art, but whether anyone had ever represented me at my parole hearings. When I said, “No,” she said she would…for free. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

When the art exhibit was over, she went to work on my case as if her life depended on it. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

My parole hearing was held in Springfield. At that time, I was a “C-number” inmate, because I was sentenced under the old law, before 1978. This meant I needed the majority of the votes to make parole. There were 13 board members, so I needed 7 of the 13. When the layer was done presenting my case, I received all thirteen votes… a unanimous decision. A week later, on March 20, 2009, I was released from prison, a free man. And God saw everything that He made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

And on the seventh day, God, ended His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all his work He had made.

I Am An Athlete- 5K prep

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	CT or Rest	3 x 400 IW	2 m run	30 min tempo	Rest	5 m run	30 min EZ
2	CT or Rest	4 x 400 IW	2 m run	30 min tempo	Rest	5 m run	35 min EZ
3	CT or Rest	4 x 400 IW	3 m run	30 min tempo	Rest	6 m run	35 min EZ
4	CT or Rest	5 x 400 IW	3 m run	35 min tempo	Rest	6 m run	40 min EZ
5	CT or Rest	5 x 400 IW	3 m run	35 min tempo	Rest	7 m run	35 min EZ
6	CT or Rest	6 x 400 IW	3 m run	40 min tempo	Rest	6 m run	40 min EZ
7	CT or Rest	6 x 400 IW	3 m run	40 min tempo	Rest	7 m run	45 min EZ
8	CT or Rest	3 m run	30 min tempo run	2 m run	Rest	Rest	5K Race!

Recently I told Bishop Gwin (BG) at The Love Corner that I was an athlete. I was trying to encourage him to keep talking about how important it is for us to eat well and care for ourselves. He observes as I do that evangelicals are just as fat and out of it physically- or even more- than the average person in our corpulent society.

Anyway when I said it, BG looked at me like I was in total self delusion and denial of reality. I explained that lately I have been repeating to myself that I am an athlete- and it really helps me.

Now reality is that I am and have always been far from a natural athlete. How I interact with water, balls of any kind, sticks or rackets you hit balls with, and placing one foot in front of the other quickly is as far from athletic as one could imagine.

But this past 20 years or so I have been slogging along running and this past summer I lost 20 pounds and ran a few 5K runs.

You see I discovered in the Bible years ago this pervasive metaphor for the Christian life. This is a run, we are in training, and I am to run is such a way as to win.

So it hit me this summer that I have thought this, studied it, taught it to others…and now it is time to live it. It is time to actually function as if the clock is ticking, the race is on, I am not a spectator, and that I will either just run or run to win.

I prefer to win.

So the above chart is what I used to get ready for those 5K runs in the CU area.

I ran well and actually won one.

I am still in the race.

Leaving

One of the clearest of teachings all through the Bible is this leaving thing. Abram was told to leave time and again and when he did, stuff happened. When he stayed and waited, he stayed the same.

 

Jesus taught people to leave it all.

 

Paul harped on not looking back but forward.

 

So I used to tell kids who were getting married that their marriage and there ceremony should be about two things: leaving and promising. Leave your Mom and Dad. Leave your home of origin. Leave those ways. Leave , leave, leave.

 

I even encouraged them to have a spot in the ceremony , perhaps when they give the rose to the parents, when they actually say goodbye. Not many did. And to their detriment, not many actually left.

 

I didn’t and it was when we were married 13 years that I began to. We were at my parents old farm on their 50^th wedding celebration weekend (we had the same anniversary) when I just came to the leaving point. It was over. I suppose it was more a victory of attrition than of my willingness, but it was real. I made a huge step away from that past, their ways. expectations, attitudes. I gave never looked back.

 

Our relationship is so much better since then- I guess it was a turning point.

 

Since those days we and I have left at several important points. Leaving The Woods to focus and simplify. Leaving Grace Community. Leaving Pennsylvania. All good moves. Not easy but good.

 

I am convinced that had we not left we would be stuck in a number of situations.

Out Of Ministry and In Again

Sitting in the bar car of CHEPE as it rolls into Sinaloa out of Chihuahua in Copper Canyon, Mexico. There is a chatter of Mexicans- my observation as I walk from car to car that I am the only gringo on this train of 1500 people or so. So I am happy, challenged, purposeful, not really knowing what tomorrow holds.

 

Some things never change.

 

How did we go from 30 some years of direct “ministry” to this day by day ministry? I am not really sure. It was not planned. It was not expected. It was like a push from God and we had no idea.

 

So now I am this guy that the train stewards introduce as the Americano who promotes Chihuahua with all his heart. As they guy with passion for the Sierras.  As the “relationship machine” who knows everyone. As the “gringo alegre”.All of those are exaggerations but I and WE (Debbie and I) have made a huge commitment to this place—to these people.

 

“Dead end” is the best way to describe where we were and I am deeply thankful to Seth Godin and my good wife for helping to clarify that “stuck”reality back there in late 2007. There was just no going on and it was obvious.

 

I think many get to this point but they just go on to the detriment of the kingdom. And to the detriment of those around them. Had I not jumped- quit- left for another planet, I would be deeply stuck right now as would little Grace Community and that little corner in the work of God.

 

But we left. Leaving was always one of those Jesus principles that I taught about- naively- I guess (Actually most of what I preached on I had no idea of what it really meant and only now am I “getting it” just a bit)

 

Just now the owner of one of the major tour companies in northern Mexico came over to introduce himself to the “guy who promotes us in the United States”. Not sure how all this happened but I am glad to be a part of it.

 

And here is what is top of mind right now as I roll through majesty in the Sierra Madres:

• I think actually I am more “into” ministry than ever before.

 

• We can never predict transitions but we can resist them and delay them until we die.

 

• So what transition is knocking at the door right now?

 

Relaxing after a long day on the Copper Canyon train.

Names for our new blog

Here we are after all these years…how did we make it?

Our New Blog

Debbie and I are working on this idea of writing a blog about all of our experiences over these years – like how we made it and are thriving through marriage, church, family etc situations that were backwards and difficult. So we have been brain storming areas to write about and have agreed to start writing on different topics and comment on each others writing and see what comes out.

Like here we sit in Merry Ann’s Diner in Champaign Illinois a few hundred feet from the old Robeson Department Store where I had an office years ago. Had you tapped me on the shoulder back then- like 1987 or so and told me I would be who I am today- that we would be optimistically plowing forward today as we are, I would have called you crazy.

It Was Mostly Hard

It seems we either made choices or got left with situations that were difficult. Suicides, dysfunctions, poor health, you name it and it happened to us. Yet today we are so happy and looking forward. And what we invested in is going forward as well- family, church, and each other as well as our businesses. Amazing.

So would we choose to  have it hard if we were doing it over? No way of course. But we can see how God worked in spite of us and how we were  responding.

So help us understand

Read these scrawlings with us and tell us what you think. Give us some feed back. Maybe your experience is different. Perhaps you were there and you recall it another way. Maybe you think we are idiots and should cease writing. Or possibly it rings true to experience you have had and helps you along the way. Tell us.

Debbie’s blog is also being filled with our story.