From Talking About SOAP to Using It: A Testimony of Brokenness, Bible Study, and Becoming Real

From Talking About SOAP to Using It: A Testimony of Brokenness, Bible Study, and Becoming Real

(This Bible Study Tips was written by one of our incarcerated students, sharing their faith and study of God’s Word.)

It seems like a lifetime ago when I graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Evangelism and Discipleship through the World Missions Department. With a title so grand, maybe I thought I had arrived. But this life of faith is a pilgrimage, not a destination.

Soon after, I got married, we moved to the suburbs, had a daughter, and I became a House Group & Small Group Leader. I was passionate about helping “green and growing” high schoolers grow in their knowledge of God’s Word. I taught them how to transition from being “spoon-fed” to becoming “self-led.” Each student received a S.O.A.P. journal and learned the acronym:
Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer.
It was simple, repeatable, and powerful. And let me tell you—the Lord moved in mighty ways among those hungry, seeking teens.

But me? I was a different story.

I had a head full of theology,
A heart full of hidden sin,
And a life full of duplicity.

I knew the principles, could quote the precepts, and was fluent in the language of faith. But my walk and my talk were miles apart. The cracks between them widened into a cavern—and eventually, I fell in.

And fall I did.

In February 2015, while intoxicated on drugs and alcohol, I committed a violent crime. That night changed everything. I was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 24 years in prison. The man who once taught S.O.A.P. journals became inmate #_________.

Let me give you a picture:
Imagine a man carrying around a bright-green bar of Irish Spring soap. He talks about it nonstop. He can recite its ingredients, praise its scent, explain its cleansing properties—but he stinks. His face is ashen, his eyes crusted, and his body odor unbearable.
Why?
Because he never uses the soap he’s always talking about.
Insanity.

That man… was me.
I was that spiritual teacher who preached cleansing but never applied the truth to himself. I knew about the S.O.A.P.
But I never used it.

Now, entering my 11th year incarcerated, I can say the years of loss, confinement, and correction have become sacred ground. They’ve forced me to reflect, repent, and return to the Word—not as a theory, but as a lifeline.

Through the ICCS Lifetime Ordination Program, I’ve been given another opportunity—not just to earn a degree, but to live what I learn. I don’t study so I can be called “minister.” I study so I can become a man of integrity, humility, and dependability, transformed by the grace, love, and justice of God.

Over these 10+ years, I’ve learned that God’s will is the safest, purest, and most powerful place a person can be. His Word truly is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

I used to be the guy who talked about the SOAP.
Now I’m the man who uses it—daily, sincerely, and with reverence.

Bible Study, Simplified: S.O.A.P.

• S – Scripture
  Read the passage carefully. Write it down.

• O – Observation
  What stands out? What’s unusual? What do you see?

• A – Application
  How does this apply to your life? What’s the takeaway?

• P – Prayer
  Ask God for help living out what you’ve learned.

Let’s not just talk about cleansing.
Let’s open the Word and be washed in it.
Let’s not just preach the SOAP—
Let’s use the SOAP.

-Tommy T.