Meet Jeremy Johnson
- Peyton Silvius
- 2d
- 3 min read
Living in the In-Between: The Most Dangerous Place Isn’t Behind Bars
Some people grow up in church. Others grow up around it. Jeremy Johnson was one of those kids. From VBS programs to Sunday mornings with his family, he was always near the things of God. He learned the songs. He knew the stories. He showed up to all the activities. But like he says today, “I was aware of God because I was close to Him. But I didn’t yet know what a true relationship with Him really meant.”
That distinction would shape the next several decades of his life.
// The Most Dangerous Place
Jeremy served in the military, built a career, raised a family, and moved through life believing he was doing everything right. But without realizing it, he often put himself in the position only God should hold. He stepped into people’s lives to help, but sometimes without boundaries. He meant well, but he says now that he was “taking God’s glory” and making people dependent on him instead of directing them toward Christ. Jeremy was always the man with answers.
I think of Paul.
From a Jewish perspective, he believed he was doing the right thing. He was shutting down blasphemy. He was upholding the law. He was protecting the faith of a nation. And it didn’t matter who was hurt or how brutal the path became, because in his mind, he was doing it for God.
That’s what proximity without a relationship can do. It convinces us we’re close to the truth when we’re miles away from God’s heart. It lets us hold the language of faith without the love of Christ.
The most dangerous place is not a prison cell. It’s living in the in-between.
Opinions that look like the truth.
Pride that masks as glory.
Zeal that feels holy but is rooted in the flesh.
Activities that resemble obedience but lack surrender.
Confidence that drowns out conviction.
Paul wasn’t lost because he hated God.
He was lost because he thought he already knew Him.
And yet, God chased him down anyway.
And he chased down Jeremy through a prison sentence.
“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” – Philippians 3:12
// Proximity ≠ Relationship
It took prison to hold a mirror up to all of it.
“When I first got to prison, I thought, this isn’t real… this isn’t supposed to happen to me.” Jeremy remembers crying out to God over and over, asking what purpose this season could possibly serve. Slowly, the Holy Spirit answered.
Proximity to God wasn’t the same as a relationship with God.
Jeremy began noticing the men around him. Their questions. Their pain. Their hunger for truth. And he found himself asking deeper questions as well.
He started praying differently. Listening more. Learning from the chaplain. It was during this time that he connected with JUMPSTART SC's Inside Program. “I kept asking if there were classes, programs… something to help me grow,” he recalls. When he found JUMPSTART, he found not only discipleship but a community that challenged him to live differently.
Through Bible studies, mentoring, and honest conversations, Jeremy discovered that faith was not something you perform for God. It is something God cultivates in you as you surrender.
“It made me dig deeper,” he says. “Not just into the words on the page, but into how to apply them to my life and to my relationships with others.”
// Living With Purpose, Not Performance
Today, Jeremy is 56 years old. He speaks with the humility of a man who has lived much life and finally sees his calling clearly. He’s part of JUMPSTART SC's Outside Program now, learning budgeting, life skills, and the disciplines that help a person rebuild from the inside out.
Jeremy’s life is a testimony of what happens when someone moves from knowing about God to walking with God.
“I never thought I’d see a place like JUMPSTART in my lifetime. But God provides what you need. JUMPSTART helped me see my value again… and gave me the chance to become the man God always meant for me to be.”
“At JUMPSTART, I’ve learned to live out my God-given gifts in community, at work, and in the world around me. I’ve gained practical skills and spiritual disciplines that help me make life-giving choices and build meaningful connections.”
There are people looking for answers in prison. Will you join us in God's mission to chase rebels down? 👉 Learn more sharing the Gospel through JUMPSTART SC: https://www.jumpstartvision.org/get-involved-south-carolina
Comments