Publisher's Synopsis
In 2007, Paul Vincent Cortez was wrongfully convicted for a crime he did not commit, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Struggling to navigate through the harsh confines of New York's maximum-security prison system, Paul met prison chaplain Allen Douglas Ferry. It was Rev. Ferry who helped Paul up from a life of despair and led him to a new life with Jesus.After his retirement in 2012, Rev. Ferry kept in touch with Paul, as well as other faithful men in prison, through mail correspondence - he encouraged them to stay on Jesus' path. With his mentor gone, Paul leaned into faith and began leading other prisoners to Christ. Over the last decade, Paul has touched the lives of hundreds of incarcerated men with the Gospel message, using his talents in music, visual arts, and writing to draw souls to God.Then in March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown the U.S. economy in a prolonged quarantine. The whole world now shared in a measure of the imprisonment and isolation which 2.3 million incarcerated people in the U.S. like Paul face every day. During this time, Paul reflected over the last 15 years of his confinement. His journey led him to realize, "every person is a prisoner to something or someone. We must all reach down to bring those suffering out of bondage into the faith of Jesus Christ." Through his faith-based book, "God's Hand Reaches Down: Evangelism in the American Maximum-Security Prison System," Paul chronicles not only his spiritual journey, but the lives of many of the unknown saints that live behind the wall working to save lost souls from the prison of sin. Authentic and spiritually touching, "God's Hand Reaches Down" offers insight into the little-known world of the incarcerated Church, while providing an effective approach on how to evangelize to prisoners in the often dark and dangerous confines of captivity.This is a must read for any faith based person looking to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. 2020's must read.
