By Pastor Naomi Mitchell
For the Carter County Times
Here’s the rest of the story about Valentine Burke, a notorious criminal.
Following his release, Valentine left behind his life of crime and began applying for jobs. But, every time he asked for work, people took one look at his face and turned him away. When he came to realize that his rough appearance was working against him, Valentine prayed: “Lord, could you make me look gentler, so I can find an honest job?” And God answered. However, even with his gentler appearance, honest work was hard to find.
Then, one day, a message came from the sheriff, he was wanted at the courthouse. Valentine’s heart sank. “It must be some old charge they’ve dug up about me,” he thought. “Well, if I’m guilty, I’ll tell them. I’m done lying.”
When he arrived, the sheriff greeted him kindly. “What have you been doing, Burke?”
“Trying to find honest work,” Burke answered.
“Have you held on to the faith you told me about?” the sheriff asked.
“Yes sheriff,” answered Burke. “It’s been tough, but I haven’t let go.”
“I’ve had you followed every single day since we let you go,” replied the sheriff. “I thought this ‘faith’ of yours was just an act. But I was wrong, you’ve been living straight and honest. So now, I want to offer you a job as my deputy.”
That was the turning point. From that day forward, Valentine worked tirelessly for the good of the community. Over time, he earned the respect and trust of the city’s people.
One day, D. L. Moody came through town and went looking for Valentine Burke. He found him at the courthouse, upstairs, locked in a room. He was sitting with a sack of diamonds worth $60,000 in his lap and a loaded gun on the table. Valentine looked up.
“Moody,” he said, holding up the bag. “Look at this. Look at what the grace of God can do for a burglar! The sheriff trusted me, a former thief, to guard this.”
Tears ran down his face as he spoke.
Sometime later, St. Louis was preparing for a revival meeting. But at the last minute, the evangelist they had invited couldn’t make it. Disappointment spread until someone said, “Let’s ask Valentine Burke to preach.”
Night after night, Valentine stood before crowds of people. He preached the love and grace of God that had saved him. As he spoke, many sinners, just like he once was, found new life in Christ Jesus. His years of faithful service left a mark on the city where he had once been infamous for his crimes.
JOYFUL House of Prayer, 2519 Quicksand Road, (P.O. Box 856), Jackson, Kentucky 41339. Send Comments/Prayer Requests: Pastornaomi4god@gmail.com. FB: JoyfulHoprayer. Services: 10am Sunday and 6:30pm Thursdays. Radio Broadcast: WJSN 97.3 FM & WEKG 81.0 AM Sundays 1-2pm.
