Light After Life

10/16/2026

What if the evidence that could change everything was never shown to the jury?

The Florida Supreme Court has granted death-row prisoner Henry Jones a new trial after finding that prosecutors unconstitutionally withheld crime-scene DNA evidence that was inconsistent with their version of the case.

What happens when the truth is hidden, a jury never gets the full picture, and the punishment is irreversible?

Because once a life is taken, there is no second chance to make it right.

A just system should never fear the truth. And a society that values justice must have the courage to question a system when it fails.

🕊️ Light After Life — Change begins when we believe redemption is possible.

10/11/2026

Today is World Day Against the Death Penalty.
An eye for an eye does not create justice. State-sanctioned killing is still killing.

There are people who have caused unimaginable harm. There are victims whose lives cannot be restored and families who will carry that loss forever. Abolishing the death penalty does not require us to minimize any of that.

It requires us to decide what we believe justice is supposed to do.

Some people may need to remain separated from society because they continue to pose a danger to others. But protecting society does not require taking another life.

Accountability and humanity can exist at the same time.

A justice system can hold someone accountable while still recognizing the possibility of change. It can invest in rehabilitation, education, mental health treatment, and the conditions that prevent harm before it happens.

Because if we believe people can be more than the worst thing they have ever done, that belief cannot disappear when the crime becomes difficult to forgive.

Around the world, 113 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Here in the United States, 23 states and Washington, D.C. have abolished it, while it remains legal in 27 states and at the federal level.

The question is not whether every person deserves our sympathy.

The question is whether we believe the government should have the power to decide when a human being is beyond redemption.

Abolish the death penalty.

10/05/2026

WHAT IF WE STOPPED ASKING WHETHER SOMEONE DESERVES TO DIE—AND STARTED ASKING WHETHER THEY WERE EVER GIVEN A REAL CHANCE TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY?

Christa Pike committed a horrific crime.

There is no need to soften that truth.

A young woman lost her life, and her loved ones have carried a pain that no sentence can ever completely repair.

But there is another part of this story that deserves to be remembered.

Christa’s childhood was marked by profound abuse and trauma. She was sexually abused from an extremely young age.

That does not excuse what she eventually did.

But perhaps it should make us stop and ask a different question.

What happens to a child who is repeatedly harmed, failed by the adults and systems around her, and does not receive the intervention, protection, or treatment she desperately needs?

And what does it say about us when, years later, we look at the person that child became and say:

“She is beyond redemption.”

As Christians, can we really believe that?

Jesus didn’t tell us to love only the innocent.

He didn’t tell us to pray only for people who deserve our prayers.

And He certainly didn’t teach us to celebrate when another human being dies.

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls.”
— Proverbs 24:17

We can believe that Christa must be held accountable and believe that her life still has value.

We can mourn the victim and refuse to celebrate another death.

We can believe in justice without believing that death is the only form justice can take.

And we can acknowledge the unimaginable harm Christa caused while still asking whether a society that believes in redemption should ever declare a human being completely beyond it.

Because if God can redeem the worst parts of us, who are we to declare someone unreachable by His grace?

Light After Life believes accountability matters.

We believe victims matter.

We believe public safety matters.

But we also believe something else:

People are more than the worst thing they have ever done.

And sometimes the most powerful statement we can make about the value of human life is refusing to take another life—even when the person who committed the crime took one.

Change begins when we believe redemption is possible.

09/17/2026

09/12/2026

Some conversations matter because they remind us why we do this work.

Honored to see Bill Kissinger bringing his voice, experience, and commitment to the conversation at the Rehumanize International Conference.

This is about more than the justice system. It’s about people, dignity, redemption, and the power of humanity.

Saturday, October 17 | 3:45–4:45 PM Central
Main Stage • Casa Iskali • Des Plaines, Illinois

Proud to stand behind this conversation. ❤️

09/11/2026

Today, we remember. 🇺🇸

We honor the lives lost, the heroes who ran toward danger, and the families whose lives were forever changed.

May we never forget the courage, sacrifice, and unity that followed—and may we continue to choose hope, humanity, and light.

Never Forget. 🕊️

09/07/2026

🇺🇸 LABOR DAY

Today, we honor those who work, serve, provide, and contribute to our communities; including those who are serving time behind bars.

Light After Life honors every individual striving, contributing, and rehabilitating inside our correctional facilities.

Hard work isn't just a daily duty; for many, it's the foundation of a second chance.

From Light After Life, Happy Labor Day!

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we remember the men and women who gave everything in service to this country — including those whose battles did not end when they came home.

For some veterans, the scars of war became struggles with trauma, addiction, homelessness, or the justice system. Behind every uniform is a human being who once raised their hand to serve. Their sacrifice still matters. Their lives still matter.

Today, we honor the fallen, support the forgotten, and fight for compassion, dignity, and second chances for those who served. 🇺🇸

“No soldier left behind” should mean here at home, too.

05/17/2026

Reentry is often treated like coming home is the finish line. But let’s be real — it’s not.

It is training, work, housing, confidence, accountability, support, and people willing to make room for someone to begin again.

Tara attended REfire Culinary’s Annual Gala and Graduation on behalf of Light After Life, and the night was a reminder that second chances have to be built in real ways — through opportunity, structure, community, and people who keep showing up.

Congratulations to the REfire Culinary graduates. Completing this program means you showed up, did the work, and took another step toward building a life not defined by where you have been.

Grateful for REfire Culinary and every person in the room helping make reentry more than a word.

05/10/2026

Today, we honor mothers in every circumstance. 💐

The mothers raising children.
The mothers missing children.
The mothers loving someone through incarceration.
The mothers rebuilding their lives after hardship.
The mothers carrying grief, hope, strength, and love all at once.

Motherhood is not erased by struggle.
It is often revealed in the way women keep showing up, keep healing, keep praying, keep fighting, and keep loving.

This Mother's Day, we celebrate every resilient, loving mother — especially the ones whose strength is rarely seen but deeply felt.

Happy Mother's Day.