I'm sitting in Atlantic City in a large ballroom at the NJ Wardens Conference and I had this thought. 'Less than 2 months ago I was sitting in prison governed by a parole panel and now I'm sitting on a panel next to a former governor.'To be one of four— with Governor McGreevey, Warden Aviles of Hudson County Correctional Facility, and Coordinator Mr. Mazza of Hudson County—sitting on this panel for a re-entry initiative was truly surreal. You see, I may have felt out of place because I am an ex-felon, but God had me in this exact place because of that very reason. I was able to shed some light from the dark place of re-entry, where the system fails to facilitate effective transitional services.In their systematic eye, re-entry from a correctional facility begins when the inmate is exiting. However, the effectiveness behind re-entry must begin when the inmate enters the facility. And it's only as penetrating as the culture created in such an incubator.Sadly, the culture carved out by the custody side is usually done with a rusty blade. It infects as opposed to corrects. And they call it "corrections." But I'm not going to go into extreme details about these initiatives or lack thereof. I’d rather talk about how awesome God is to have me in that setting and so soon from my actual “re-entry.”I’m not even sure if what I shared was parallel with what Governor McGreevey and company wanted to convey today, but I know one thing for certain, and that is how my thought that I had while sitting in the midst of this event was the most compelling part of my involvement. In other words, God gives platforms to those willing to make much of Him through their stance. I said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t have a voice, the voice has me.Onward we go....Upward we look!