News

Pardoned Bank Robber: ‘It Was 100% Jesus’ Who Turned My Life Around

1 Mins read
stairs in sky

Jon Ponder, a former bank robber pardoned recently by President Donald Trump, said that it “was 100% Jesus” who turned his life around while he was behind bars. Trump called Ponder’s life journey “a beautiful testament to the power of redemption.”

“I want to thank God for turning my life around,” Ponder told Fox News’ Dana Perino. “It was 100% Jesus that turned my life in a 180-degree turn in another direction and I cannot stop thanking Him enough.”

“While Jon was in prison, he began reading the Bible and listening to Christian radio,” the president said Tuesday. “One day, he heard the Rev. Billy Graham on the radio proclaim Jesus wants to be Lord of your life. On that day, Jon dedicated his life to Christ. He spent the rest of his time in prison studying the Bible.”

Since leaving prison, Ponder has also formed a friendship with retired FBI Special Agent Richard Beasley, who arrested Ponder. The agent told Ponder he had been praying for him. In the time since he was freed, Ponder founded Hope for Prisoners, Inc., a nonprofit that assists those leaving incarceration and transitioning back into the workforce.

“I can’t even find the words to describe how grateful I was in that moment when the president had given me a pardon,” Ponder told Perino. “I had no idea that it was gonna happen, so it was just an incredible, incredible surprise.”

November 2020 will mark the first time Ponder has ever been allowed to cast his ballot in a presidential election — a privilege he says “means the world” to him.

“I am just so grateful to be able to participate in one of the greatest privileges that we have as Americans, to participate in that electoral process,” he said. “So it’s something I’m looking very, very forward to, something I’ve waited a long time for.”

Related posts
News

Miss America says she's following the Lord

2 Mins read
In early January, the nursing student representing Alabama was crowned Miss America in Orlando, Florida. The 22-year-old is the fourth Miss Alabama…
News

College Students Skip Spring Break Trips 'to Express God's Love' by Rebuilding Asheville

2 Mins read
As rebuilding efforts continue across western North Carolina in communities devastated by Hurricane Helene, college students are ditching their traditional spring break…
News

USAID corruption violates America's founding principles

3 Mins read
Today, we as a nation are monstrously in debt and borrowing more and more off the backs of our children and grandchildren….
Join our mailing list

NEVER MISS A STORY FROM THE GOOD NEWS JOURNAL