Issue 2 | 2023

PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The Power of Yes
Would you like to partner with
our magazine to deliver God’s
hope and to impact the lives of
incarcerated men and women?
Your gift enables us to send
this magazine into prisons
around the nation. Each
magazine impacts many lives
for years to come. To help, visit
victoriouslivingmagazine.com.
The letter began, “Kristi, I’m sorry
for any harm I caused your ministry.”
It was from Bill, a friend
I hadn’t seen or even thought about for
several years. And he was writing to me
from prison.
Bill had been a professional boat driver
on the water-ski and wakeboard tour, and
I was a competitor. We’d met at a lakeside
church service where Bill shared how God
had saved his life. I even included his faith
testimony in our ministry’s materials.
Then Bill was arrested and sent to prison.
I, like many in our sport, dissociated
from him. I stopped using those materials
that contained his testimony and looked
for better ways to protect the ministry.
I got busy doing God’s business and soon
completely forgot about Bill. He was out of
sight and out of mind.
Ironically, in my quest for damage control,
I never considered God’s heart concerning
Bill or what being busy with God’s
business might look like to Him. If I had, I
would have seen alternatives, like drawing
closer to Bill instead of running from him.
Jesus always went after the ones who’d lost
their way (Luke 15:3–7).
I would have remembered Bill during
his incarceration, reached out to him, and
visited him like Hebrews 13:3 and Matthew
25:34–36 command. I would have
encouraged my brother in Christ instead
of abandoning him.
But I didn’t. My only concerns were protecting
the ministry...and myself.
When I received his letter, Bill was halfway
through his sentence. He told me
about prison life and how God was helping
him survive. And he invited me to visit.
The idea intrigued me, and I prayed
about Bill’s invitation. I also talked to my
husband, Tim. It was an interesting conversation.
“Hey, honey. Can I go visit another
man in prison?”
Thank God for a godly husband who
could see the bigger picture.
It’s been almost a decade since I walked
into that Miami Federal Prison reception
room. On August 17, 2013, God downloaded
His love for the incarcerated into my
heart and showed me a place where He
wanted me to minister.
The God of another chance gave me another
opportunity to remember the prisoner.
I’m grateful for His grace. I’m glad
I didn’t miss the opportunity that time.
Saying yes to God changed my life, and it
brought you and me together!
That simple visit led to Victorious Living’s
prison outreach, which includes this bilingual
magazine. Since 2013, over a million
inmates have heard the Gospel of Jesus
through these pages, tens of thousands
of inmates have been discipled through
correspondence and digital broadcasts,
and our team has provided inmates and
their family members pastoral care and
reentry support. To God be the glory.
Have you considered the power of saying
yes? One yes leads to another, and that leads
to another, and so on. (Of course, that also
means one no stops the chain effect.)
Because Bill said yes to the Holy Spirit’s
prompting to write to me, I was given
a unique opportunity to say yes myself,
and then others were allowed to say yes.
Some became ministry partners while others
shared their stories publicly here. And
many have accepted Jesus as their Savior.
Is God inviting you to say yes today?
Whether to a deeper relationship or a new
ministry, please don’t refuse His invitation.
That can feel scary, risky, unfamiliar,
and uncomfortable. I know. Maybe you
feel unqualified, unable, unequipped, or
unprepared. It’s okay. All God needs is your
willingness—your yes. He’ll take care of the
rest. There are a million copies of Victorious
Living circulating in prisons nationwide
to prove it.
May God put His blessing on your yes
today!
Kristi Overton Johnson
Publisher & Executive Director
PHOTO BY GERI SIMPKINS PHOTOGRAPHY
6 Issue 02 / 2023 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM