The final segment of our eleven part interview with David Pendleton. Thanks David for your time, generosity and being such an incredible guest!
Video Transcript:
People often ask me who some of my favorite audiences are, and I think some might be surprised when I say this—even to this day, some of my favorite audiences are inmates in prison.
Of course, I can joke and say, “Well, it is a captive audience.” That’s kind of a given. But recently I was in Huntsville, Texas, working with a ministry called The Bill Glass Weekend of Champions. Bill Glass is a former NFL player who, years ago, became a motivational speaker and evangelist. Because of his platform, he was encouraged to reach out to folks in prison. That ministry blossomed, and for over 40 years now, Bill Glass has spoken to more inmates than anyone in history.
He brings in guys willing to join him and provide entertaining shows for the inmates. Then volunteers get the chance to sit down and have spiritual conversations with them. For us performers, we’re really just there to “grease the skids,” if you will—to open the door for those conversations.
When I was in Huntsville, I remember looking out at the audience. This was a maximum-security prison. Many of the men were there for life. Yet they were laughing, some nearly in tears, just having such a good time. I thought, this is so much fun. To see them laugh, relax, and riff with me was incredible.
My main figure, Mac, when I perform in prisons, is dressed in black-and-white stripes as a jailbird. He talks about how he got locked up, being incarcerated, jokes about the “accommodations”—“they gave me a suitcase”—things like that. It tickles me how much the inmates enjoy interacting with Mac. He kind of becomes one of them.
About a week later, I got a voicemail from a woman who didn’t even leave her name. She said, “I’m calling for David Pendleton. I found you on the internet, and I just wanted to say thank you. You were in Huntsville, Texas, and my son is incarcerated there. He enjoyed your show so much that he said he forgot where he was while he was watching you.”
That was it. No name. Nothing else. But it was enough to move me deeply. I used caller ID to reach her back and learned more of her story. Her son is going to be there probably another 45 years. I don’t know his crime. But talking to her—hearing a mother with a son who will spend his life in prison—was heartbreaking.
And yet, her son thought enough of the experience to tell her, “Look up this guy, David Pendleton. I’m sure you can find him on the internet. If you get a chance, just tell him thank you.” And that’s what she did.
There’s no amount of money I could ever earn that compares to how gratifying that is. That kind of moment keeps me going. It makes me think, This is so worth doing. What a privilege to be able to do this.
And trust me, when I do those shows in prisons, they’re not financially lucrative. In fact, I raise money just to be able to do them. Friends, churches, and people who care about the ministry will donate to make it possible for me to get on a plane and go.
But those moments—like seeing those men laugh in Huntsville—those are pure gold for me.
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