Vision in the Wilderness: How One Houma Man Overcame the Impossible & Published a Book About It

Monroe native Carlton Bethley is the definition of perseverance and God’s grace. He was a young adult who got into an altercation that resulted in a death. He was incarcerated with murder charges, but that’s just the beginning of his story, and he has published the first book of a three-part series of his journey serving God.

His heart changed and God revealed Himself to Bethley when he was serving time in prison. Not giving too much of the story away, he ended up getting a culinary certificate while in prison and was given a chance by local company Danos where he said they hired him on the spot with no questions asked. The Danos family has been there through thick and thin for Bethley ever since. “They gave me a shot,” he said,” I know it was a one-time opportunity and I had to make good from it..they will always be a phenomenal blessing in my life.”

Bethley ministers in prisons to individuals that are in the same situation he once was in. He visits local prisons and larger ones such as Angola to spread hope. He said every time he goes into prisons, it’s a reflection of himself,  and he knows he is a symbol of hope to them, “Doing what it takes to live a life of destiny, a life of purpose, and I make it intentional to dress well when I go in there to make sure I’m a good representation to show them I was once there and how I’m living now…Someone did it when I was on the inside,” he said. He said every time the minister would come in, he was dressed sharp, and communicated the message in ways that encouraged the inmates that were present,” That stuck with me,” he said,” now I’m able to do the same thing to bring hope and encouragement to those that are on the inside. That’s really pivotal. That’s why it’s called Vision in the Wilderness, they need to see and visualize it to pursue it.”

He also takes his mobile grill to areas that need it most so he can feed the masses. He has served food to those recovering from Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Ida, and the most recent was just yesterday when he went to Arabi to serve hamburgers to those who suffered from the recent tornado that ripped through neighborhoods. “God put it on my heart to go do something, so I just brought my grill down there and was able to partner with a church,” he said, “they gave me the food to cook and we’ve been serving there.” 

His first book, Vision in the Wilderness: The Redemption, explains the beginnings of his journey

The second book is Vision in the Wilderness: The Transition where he tells the story of a motorcycle accident that he said should have ended up a lot worst than it did. The third book will be titled Vision in the Wilderness: The Journey will cover the journey of Hurricane Ida. “All of it will mention the lessons I learned from prison, but it all ties in with current circumstances,” he said. The beauty of Bethley’s journey is although he went through trials and tribulations, he moves forward growing and serving God in ways he says he is being led to do so. 

He described the name of his ministry in a way that caused goosebumps, “There’s a lot of things that can be considered a wilderness, people going through tough times. The prison was my tough time and so there were needs that needed to be met. God sent me to meet those needs, so I know that with hurricanes and catastrophes that happen, that’s tough times for people, there are needs that need to be met. I can be the hands and the feet that God uses to get those needs met. Everybody wants to be used by God and there are circumstances all around us where we can be used by God and you just have to take initiative,” he said.

The first book is written as short stories where Bethley shares his testimony through his transition both through and after prison. He describes how he found God when most would have given up. It also takes the reader on a journey of different events that happened from the foundation of his testimony and how the Danos family helped give him a second chance to work in the area. He said he also shares the different opportunities he has been given for outreach through ministries speaking in prisons. 

Writing as therapy does a certain thing to his soul and said it brings certain liberty for him. “It’s a freedom experience once it is written down. The speaking part is just ad-libbing from that freedom, it’s walking in that freedom and hoping you can communicate that freedom in the most effective way,” he explained.

He has done a book signing and has another one scheduled for tomorrow, March 26, at The Living Room Cafe in Gretna. He plans to continue spreading his story and reaching out wherever God leads him. When life gets tough, it seems like a mountain is hard to climb, but Bethley said it’s all about who you surround yourself with, “Be careful of surrounding yourself with negative people, surround yourself with a positive group of people that speaks faith and not doubt, that speaks courage and not fear, and rely on the knowledge that you have about God. A lot of people try to rely on stuff that they don’t know, so just rely on the knowledge that we have about God. Trust in that. That has always been key to me,” he said.

Join Vision in the Wilderness on Facebook to follow his journey. You can purchase Vision in the Wilderness on Amazon here.