He killed a little girl when he was 12. Convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, Lionel Tate caught a break when an appeals court threw out the conviction. He got a new trial, plead guilty to second-degree murder, and received 10 years probation. A blessing, all things considered.
Instead of doing something positive with his life, Tate screwed up again. Around this time last year at age 18, he was arrested for holding a pizza delivery man at gunpoint. Dumber than that, if possible, was sticking around and eating the pizza, apparently failing to realize the cops would turn up.
That probation violation (gun possession) has netted Tate 30 years in prison. And he still has to face a robbery trial. He’s now just another statistic: a black man in prison, a life wasted, and a second chance squandered on dumb &%#*!
And it’s nobody’s fault but his own.
As far as God’s kingdom is concerned, Tate’s life is still valuable. If it’s his will, God can save Tate, who would became a witness to the healing power of a life redeemed. He can share the Gospel with other prisoners and change lives inside and outside of prison. God can and does use our own stupidity to carry out his divine plan for the world. In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I pray that Tate becomes a witness to the glory of the living God.
Addendum: Where, oh where are the fathers? Don’t they love their children? 
