Shonda Savage Whitworth

Shonda Savage Whitworth is the founder and president of Fortress of Hope Ministries, Inc., offering hope to those whose lives have been impacted by incarceration. Shonda is passionate about seeing those who have incarcerated loved ones to be set free through Jesus our Lord from shame, guilt, and condemnation. And to be filled with the hope and joy we have in Christ Jesus to heal and restore broken lives.

Give Thanks Because God is Able

Biblical Living, hope

Do you believe God is able? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced the option of being thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to the golden statue. While staring death in the face, they declared, “God is able.” “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power,…

Always Pray and Never Give Up

Shonda Savage Whitworth

Prayer

“… always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1 NLT). That phrase from the NLT version in the first verse of Luke 18 became seared in my mind after my son’s arrest. While my oldest son sat in a county jail awaiting trial, I cried out, “Lord our life is not supposed to look like this!” I prayed for my son to love the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, and mind. Now we faced a tragic situation…

Freedom from Despair

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

As a mother who has an incarcerated son, I’ve had the opportunity to met other family members who also have loved ones imprisoned. In my conversations with others, I’ve heard heartbreaking stories how these loved ones did not receive a fair trial. They may be guilty of the crime, but received a sentence that does not fit the offense. Or they may be innocent, but convicted and sentenced to prison. The common thread in my conversations with others is that…

Death Penalty Commuted to Life

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

Thomas “Bart” Whitaker’s death sentence was commuted to life without parole by Texas Governor Greg Abbott just minutes prior to his scheduled execution on February 22, 2018. Bart Whitaker received the death penalty after being convicted of plotting the murders of his family in 2003 in Houston, Texas. Bart hired two accomplices to carry out the murders in the family home. After returning home from a family dinner at a local restaurant, Bart’s mother and brother were fatally shot upon…

Billy Graham’s Last Crusade

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

How many of you attended a Billy Graham Crusade? Or watched him on TV? Billy Graham was a household name for most people in the U.S. and perhaps even around the world. This past week as I watched the tributes and memorials, I have prayed that all the television tributes, all the news articles, and all the social media links that have shared about Billy Graham’s life draw in another harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God. I agree…

Resuscitate Your Life

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

In a place of heartbreak and confusion after my son’s trial, conviction, and sentencing, I was confused by the actuality that not all the facts and evidence were allowed to be presented in the trial for the jury to consider. Combined with the agony I felt because my son allowed himself to be placed in a situation that led to his conviction and the heartache I felt for the victims families, I ended up in a state of anguish. Though…

Walking through the Fire

Shonda Savage Whitworth

Biblical Living, hope

The day we received the phone call that our son had been arrested, my initial reaction was to write out Romans 8:28– “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). Then I turned that Scripture into a prayer. Honestly, when I prayed that Scripture back to God, my desire was for Him to keep my son out of prison. To me, that would be…

Hold Onto Hope

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

We must hold onto hope! Without hope, we risk falling into despair. As families and friends of the incarcerated, we must hold onto hope no matter what challenges we face. Yes, the court may hand down a lengthy sentence. In the forefront of our thoughts we may think that we will never see our loved one in the free world on this side of eternity. But with God nothing is impossible! I met Joe who had two life sentences and…

An Eternal Perspective

Shonda Savage Whitworth

hope

In life, we become accustomed to our ways. Habits and routines set in. We adapt and become comfortable with our lives even if we don’t necessarily like everything about our lives. Any change will disrupt the pattern we’ve adapted to as we tend to focus on our present circumstances. The disciples were a lot like us in that regard. They had traveled the country side with Jesus. In Mark 9, as they traveled, Jesus’ mind was on the eternal as…

The Blood of Jesus

Shonda Savage Whitworth

Prayer

Each year, my husband, Eldon and I follow a read the Bible through in a year reading plan. This week, we read in Exodus 12 about the first Passover. This was the tenth and final plague known as the death of the firstborn. The Lord had Moses instruct the people to take the blood of a lamb without blemish and put it on the two side posts of the door and above the door. When the Lord saw the blood…