Lowell Ivey was just a teenager when he joined a gang and committed crimes from Los Angeles to Texas. He was eventually sent to jail where he encountered God’s deliverance.
Childhood days
At just 19 years old, Lowell went on a crime spree as a gangster. Their group would rob hotels and restaurants and each time they got away, he would feel invincible and even relish in the feeling of having a sense of control over people.
A lot of Lowell’s rebellion was rooted from his childhood. At 3 years old, he was abandoned by his single mother in a motel room. He was being passed around family members for a few years before being adopted by his grandfather’s niece and her husband. Due to his abandonment issues growing up, Lowell built walls around himself. He wouldn’t receive any love given to him because there was so much anger in his heart, as well as insecurity and mistrust. He would often question whether the love being shown to him was real.
As a result, Lowell’s teenage years were defined by violence, drugs and alcohol. After high school, he joined the army in 1992 to get out of their home and get out from under the authority of his parents, but things just got worse for him.
Life in jail
Two years later, he was arrested for stealing and using another soldier’s ID. Facing military prison, Lowell went AWOL, which is when he associated with the LA gang that led him on a crime spree and a 17-year prison sentence for multiple armed robberies.
His imprisonment did not stop him from being part of another gang. Inside, he joined a white supremacist gang for protection but eventually, it became more. It filled up his need for power, control, and it became his outlet for his rage. Sooner or later, he embraced the ideology of hatred and dominance. He began reading up on those things, and it wasn’t long after when it became his whole identity.
The turning point
Lowell’s turning point began a few years later when he attacked another inmate. He was instantly put in solitary confinement which would last the remaining 14 years of his sentence. Some people tried to talk to him about God’s love through Jesus, but he just pushed them away. He was still doubting whether the love being shown to him was real or not. Having plenty of time to think in solitary, Lowell sorted out his beliefs and hatred toward others, himself, and God.
Then after 3 years in isolation he got to listen to a Christian radio program. The message really moved him, and it was during this time that he started to get to know who God is–that He is real, He is love, and He is forgiving and merciful. Lowell then began renouncing the spirit of racism, hate, and anger in his heart. He fell down on his knees and he just cried out to God to change him.
Since that day of deliverance, Lowell started reading the bible every chance he got. And even though he was in prison, he knew that he was free from the bondage of his past sins. By 2009, he was paroled after 10 years in solitary. He then enrolled in a bible college with a desire to help and share God’s love to others. Today, Lowell is married with five beautiful children.
“Jesus is the one who sets people free. He powerfully changes hearts that are raging and rebelling against Him. He is able to turn those hearts to himself.”
