After leaving recovery too early, falling back into addiction, and eventually ending up on the run again, Lyon reached a point he describes simply: sick and tired of being sick and tired.

In this episode of The Redemption Project, he explains how fentanyl, cocaine, repeated arrests, and years of instability kept pulling him backward until he finally returned to Men of Valor, this time ready to stay.

He talks openly about losing multiple family members within weeks of each other, resisting the urge to run back to old habits, leaning on faith instead of addiction, and finding strength through structure, brotherhood, and accountability.

Now preparing for graduation, writing Christian hip-hop, and hoping to stay involved helping others, Lyon explains what changed between the first time he entered recovery and the second.

The Redemption Project shares real stories of accountability, faith, recovery, and the difficult path back.

Years after being robbed at gunpoint, Susan Stoner found herself drawn toward a place many people would never choose to enter voluntarily: a county jail.

In this episode of The Redemption Project, she explains why that traumatic experience did not harden her, but instead deepened her desire to serve women behind bars through Jesus Is the Way Ministries, where she now helps lead weekly Bible teaching, prayer, worship, and encouragement inside the jail.

Susan talks about what she has witnessed over the past year: women helping each other through Scripture, tears during testimony, first-time decisions for Christ, and the quiet reality that many incarcerated women are carrying deep wounds long before they ever enter a cell.

The conversation also explores why ministry inside correctional settings matters, what volunteers see that many outside never do, and why second chances often begin with someone simply showing up consistently.

The Redemption Project shares real stories of accountability, faith, recovery, and the difficult path back.

A special political interview edition of The Redemption Project.

In this episode of Candidate Conversations, Lauren Pinkston joins me for a long-form discussion on Tennessee’s future through the lens of energy, infrastructure, education, and independent politics.

We discuss her proposal for underground data centers, grid modernization, TVA policy, nuclear energy, water use, farmland preservation, rural development, school vouchers, public education reform, ranked-choice voting, gun policy, and what she believes an independent path to statewide victory looks like in Tennessee.

The conversation also explores how an independent candidate builds a coalition in a state often described as deeply partisan, why she argues Tennessee’s political middle is larger than many assume, and why she believes governance should focus more on practical solutions than party identity.

This episode also includes rapid-fire voter questions, short-answer policy responses, and a closing discussion on faith, leadership, and political culture in Tennessee.

More candidate conversations are coming.

A special political interview edition of The Redemption Project.

In this episode of Candidate Conversations, Jerri Green joins me for a long-form discussion on Tennessee policy, statewide strategy, and the issues shaping the governor’s race from a Democratic perspective.

We discuss energy policy, data centers, water infrastructure, solar expansion, nuclear energy, land use, landfill regulation, grocery taxes, cannabis legalization, rural hospitals, public transportation, gun laws, voting strategy, and what she believes a realistic path to statewide victory looks like in Tennessee.

The conversation also covers her work on the Memphis City Council, her role as chief public defender in Memphis, and why she argues that local governing experience should shape statewide leadership.

As with every episode in this series, the interview moves from open policy discussion into rapid-fire voter questions and short-form answers so listeners can hear not only policy positions, but how candidates think in real time.

More candidate conversations are coming.

A different kind of conversation for The Redemption Project.

In this special interview series, Tennessee governor candidates are given space to answer direct policy questions in long form, followed by rapid-fire voter questions submitted in real time.

In this first episode, Monty Fritts discusses nuclear energy, Tennessee’s electrical grid, TVA oversight, constitutional spending limits, gun rights, education policy, AI infrastructure, data centers, private property rights, taxes, medical marijuana, law enforcement concerns, and why he believes Tennessee voters are looking for something different in 2026.

The conversation also explores his background at Y-12 National Security Complex, military service, uranium operations, and his argument that Tennessee should return to what he calls liberty-first governing.

This episode is part of an ongoing special political series featuring candidates from across Tennessee, each answering the same core questions so listeners can compare not just positions, but how each person thinks under pressure.

More interviews in this series are coming.

#TennesseePolitics #GovernorRace #MontyFritts #TheRedemptionProject #Tennessee #PublicPolicy

When Steve Smith walked out of prison in August 2025, he didn’t walk into a celebration.

He walked out alone.

No family waiting. No friends. No car. No money. Nothing except the clothes he was wearing and a box of books he carried with him. From the prison gate, Steve came straight to Men of Valor Knoxville — unsure of what came next, but knowing he couldn’t go back to the life he had been living.

Before prison, Steve’s life unraveled slowly, then all at once.

A divorce hit hard. What started as emotional pain turned into drug use. That drug use turned into selling meth and heroin. And before long, the consequences caught up with him. Steve found himself in prison — exactly where the road he was on always leads.

But prison is where Steve says everything finally stopped long enough for him to see clearly.

Behind the walls, Steve found God. Not in a moment of desperation, but through a steady process of reflection, accountability, and truth. He began working on himself — not for early release, not for appearances — but because he knew something had to change if his life was ever going to be different.

Now at Men of Valor, Steve is starting over from the ground up.

He’s learning structure. Responsibility. Patience. He’s grateful for the opportunities in front of him — not because they’re easy, but because they’re real. For the first time in a long time, Steve isn’t running from his past or numbing it. He’s facing it honestly.

Steve doesn’t pretend his story is finished. He knows redemption isn’t instant and trust isn’t automatic. But for the first time, his life is moving in the right direction — anchored by faith, accountability, and people willing to walk with him instead of giving up on him.

He came out of prison with nothing.

And somehow, that turned out to be enough to start again.

Steve Smith was released from prison in August 2025 and came directly to Men of Valor Knoxville.He left prison with no family support, no close friends, and nothing but the clothes on his back and a box of books.Steve knew the life he had been living before incarceration was destructive. After a divorce, he turned to drugs, which eventually led to selling meth and heroin—and ultimately, prison.While incarcerated, Steve found God and began the difficult work of changing who he was, not just what he did.Today, he is focused on the Men of Valor program and the opportunities it is giving him to rebuild his life with structure, accountability, and purpose.Redemption does not mean pretending the past didn’t happen.It means choosing a different future.This story is shared as part of The Redemption Project.

Many people know they vote for both city and county officials, but fewer people understand what each level of local government actually controls.

In Season 3, Episode 3 of Systems Explained, Brandon Burley explains the practical difference between a city council and a county commission: who they govern, what services they oversee, and why both can affect your daily life at the same time.

This episode breaks down how city government usually handles things like city police, local roads, and utilities, while county government often oversees schools, sheriff’s offices, jails, libraries, health departments, and rural services.

It also explains why taxes differ inside and outside city limits, how one road can change jurisdiction multiple times, and why where you live determines which government is responsible when something goes wrong.

Systems Explained is part of The Redemption Project and focuses on systems people encounter often but rarely see clearly.