Michael Vander Horst still recalls the sound of rain on the roof of his Chevy Cavalier, the night of his crime years ago. The night of the burglary that changed everything. The car was stuck in the mud, and the passenger’s seat was empty. Will, his partner in crime, stood across the driveway, pointing a pistol at the young couple who had just returned home.

No one was physically hurt that night, but life as Michael knew it was over. After a brief time on the run, Michael spent months in county jail and finally ratted out Will in a plea deal. To Michael, it was all a blur. At the drop of the judge's gavel, he received a sentence of 13 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections.

AN UNEXPECTED MEETING

It was a snowy night on the Muskegon prison yard, when, under halogen floodlights, Michael saw Will approaching and braced himself. Because Michael had agreed to the plea deal 10 years before, Will was serving even more prison time.

TAKING STEPS TO SERVE

Not long after their honeymoon, Michael and Alisha stopped by Biggby Coffee in Owosso, Mich.. They sat and talked about next steps for Michael's career and God's will for their family. Michael felt prompted to ask the barista, who was steaming milk for drinks, if Biggby was hiring. Before long, Michael stood behind the counter wearing a Biggby apron and taking orders.

A coffee shop. A former prisoner. Michael realized ministry doesn't always look like a pastor speaking at a pulpit.

There were amazing opportunities each day to interact with my community and to love people. I wasn't trying to get anyone to do anything. I was just able to love people. Love them for who they were, wherever they were at in their life. This felt like purpose, and I was able to just be me.

Michael excelled as a barista, not only serving coffee, but also serving customers with the love and joy of Christ. But the reality of life hit hard. He had bills to pay and a future to plan for, especially if he and Alisha were going to have children. The couple had been preparing to move to a new home. Soon, Michael accepted an HVAC job and put in his two weeks' notice at Biggby. On one of his final shifts, Michael shared his life story with Kyle, the franchise owner.

During his first week at the new job, Michael sat in a packed moving truck and went to turn the key in the ignition, when his cell phone rang. It was Kyle, offering Michael a position as general manager at a new Biggby location. Michael accepted.

THE POWER OF A SECOND CHANCE

Even with the job at Biggby, Michael kept seeking next steps in his career.

I went into temp agencies, and they found out I was a felon. They told me, 'Oh, you can only come in on Wednesdays from 10 to 11 to apply.' And I'd say, 'I'm here right now.' They're like, 'No, people like you come on Wednesdays from 10 to 11.'

There's a lot of movement towards equality in different areas, but when it comes to people that are returned citizens, we're still the lowest echelon in society. You check 'boxes,' and you can get denied employment, and [it] doesn’t matter how long ago [your crime] was. It didn't matter that [my crime] was 14 years earlier.

The challenges Michael faced were taxing. In time, his position led to another opportunity at Biggby's corporate headquarters in Lansing. He had proved his worth and excelled in a management training program. Still, when he applied to work in Biggby's sales department, he didn't hold his breath.

I didn't have sales experience. I didn't have a whole lot going for me, other than I knew the system, I knew our stores, I knew about the brand, I was passionate about coffee. [Still] when it was all done, they took the chance. It's been a hard year of training and learning in sales … You're always learning.

Last year, at a franchise meeting, Michael shared his story for an audience of hundreds—a full room of franchise owners, managers, baristas. He imagined the questions that arose in their minds as they listened. What does a second chance mean? Do "convicted criminals" deserve a second chance?

But they didn't just see Michael as a "convicted criminal." They embraced the man who stood before them, proof of the power of second chances.

LIVING BY GRACE

Michael treasured his colleagues' responses to his testimony:

This is part of your story. It's part of our story. It's not something that anybody has to be ashamed of. We believe in second chances.

To Michael, a second chance is freedom. It's hope. He admits that it hasn't been a smooth ride. Michael struggled with things many people don't think twice about, from big cultural shifts to using an iPhone. He just learned what Instagram is. "Social media wasn't a thing before," he mused.

But Michael takes it all in stride. He still remembers that snowy night on a prison yard, the moment he was surprised by grace from someone who had every reason to hate him. But that's how he tries to live today: by grace, one step at a time.

As a prisoner, you think you’re living a good life. Like you're [living] 'right' at the Academy. You're doing everything you can, following the Lord. You think you're pretty well adjusted, but you don't realize all of the work God has to do in you and how little you know. I mean, that's the humbling part of the last few years. … You're still just catching up.