When you look at police reports of Edward “Doc” Amey, you will find several pages listing his crimes from everything from felony convictions to misdemeanors, including several drug related charges.

He has been in prison three times.

In an interview with KHOU TV, Amey said:

“I haven’t always been a friend of police. Know what I am saying.”

But a recent photo of Amey in action has been circulating on Facebook, it is an image of him praying with a police officer. Not just any policeman but Officer Salvador Chapa from the Texas City, Texas police department.

Chapa had actually arrested Amey years back on gun charges and he actually did time for that crime

But something happened to Amey several years back — he found God and the encounter transformed his life.

With all the news in recent months of unprovoked attacks on police throughout the US, God began speaking to Amey about praying for police.

Amey said:

“The last week-and-a-half God has really been giving me the urge to pray for police officers.”

When Amey approached Chapa about praying for him, a friend of Officer Chapa saw what was happening and took a photo of the two praying.

It was posted on the website of the Texas City Police Department and has been shared thousands of times.

When told of the response to the photo, Amey said people are used to seeing cops and black men killing each other but they aren’t used to seeing an ex-con praying for a police officer.

That photo is moving, because it speaks of the reality of Amey’s conversion.

Fruits of Repentance

When John the Baptist showed up early in the Gospels, he was preaching a gospel of repentance. Getting baptized by John became the “in” thing to do, like being “born-again” was fashionable many years back and politicians routinely claimed they were.

Hundreds of people poured out of Jerusalem to get baptized in the Jordan River at the hands of the Baptist.

Trying to keep up with the crowd and to keep up their charade of spirituality, several pharisees and Sadducees also approached John for baptism.

John was immediately suspicious of their motives referring to them as a “brood of vipers.”

But it seems that John went ahead and baptized them based on their confession, but told these religious leaders:

“Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8 NASV)

He said if the repentance was genuine there would be fruit.

It wouldn’t be forced. It would be a natural and normal out flowing from their decision to repent — like a vine bearing grapes —  like Amey praying for Salvador Chapa.

As one commenter posted, “Wow!!! Now ‘Doc’ is God’s Outlaw.”

Source:

• Ex-Con walks up to the cop who arrested him and does something no one expected: Faithit