Welcome to
Celebrating Life in Recovery.
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I'm Cheri your host.
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It doesn't matter
what your addictions are.
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Where you are from,
what you are strung out on.
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You can step away from that.
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Come in and find out how.
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Okay the entire series is about
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what happens when you finally
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surrender, when you finally give
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it to God, and you
finally say, you know what?
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I can't figure this out.
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I can't figure any of that out.
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I'm going to trust
You and hang on to You.
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That is the entire series.
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What the Christian word for
that is righteousness by faith.
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Or justification by faith and so
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I'm going to give it to God.
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What I think is the coolest
thing is that once we do that,
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there is something that
happens every single day.
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Every single day God
says, I'm going to pour into you
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every single day, My
righteousness so that you will
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know what it feels like not
to lie, not to steal, not to be
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pulled away with the same
kind of temptations that you
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are always pulled away with.
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That just gets us standing up.
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Once we start standing
up, when we start changing our
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desires, it is so
fun to see what opens up.
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I am going to introduce
you to a couple of people that
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their whole life
is different now.
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What they are doing
will just bless you.
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So I'm going to
introduce you right now,
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so come up and join us.
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Join me and we
will meet with Edwin.
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Edwin thanks for
coming on the show.
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You have an incredible
ministry, but you also have come
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from a pretty
intense background.
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So let us know first of all
a little bit about the Ministry
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and where you have come from.
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Well we are a Ministry of a
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couple of young people that have
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a zeal to work.
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We found out because
of the places we grew up,
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all the young people,
nowadays, are involved in drugs,
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getting in gangs
and things like that.
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We came out of that.
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So we decided that now
that we have come to Christ,
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we wanted to reach out to
a lot of those same people.
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We felt that because we
came from there we can be
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successful in that.
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Also I have heard you say,
before, that there wasn't a lot
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of people talking, you do
not have a lot of people talking
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to you and you had no knowledge.
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It was like I did not
know that I could step into
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a different life.
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Well the only little bit of
knowledge I could say I had,
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was my father.
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The way I grew up, I grew
up in a very confused home.
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My dad did not live with us,
he visited us on the weekends.
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He would take me
to church sometimes.
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I really grew up with my mom,
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and I grew up with my other mom.
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Two women in my life.
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Because of that it contributed
to a lot of confusion in my life
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So your mom was gay?
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She was a lesbian
yeah, she was gay.
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She was gay and I had a
very hard time dealing with that
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because you have your friends
telling you, speaking to you
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about your dad,
playing ball with your dad.
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I did that sometimes with
my father on the weekends,
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but most of the time
it was my mom and my mom.
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That contributed a lot
to the decisions I made
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when I got older.
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Where do I go now?
What decisions do I make?
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I didn't know because I
grew up confused all my life.
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Was there a point where
you said, this is not like,
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there is something
different about our home?
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It is not like what I am seeing
from everybody else's house?
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Was there a point
where you were aware of that?
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No, I couldn't get it
because my mom and my aunt,
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I called her my aunt because
they slept in the same room.
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I figured that was just my aunt.
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She probably just need a place
to stay and I really didn't
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understand it.
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They were great though,
they raised me and gave me
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everything I needed.
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They spoiled me.
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Do you love them?
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Oh I love them and I cannot
blame anything on them but
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unfortunately to decisions
they made and the life they lead
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had a big effect on me.
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It made me make those decisions
I did when I got older.
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So as you got older,
what kind of decisions
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are you talking about?
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Well after my mom had cancer,
and just before she passed
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away I decided that, because
I was so confused, I tried to
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alieve my own pain dealing
with a situation in my home
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by trying things, I tried
drugs, I tried gangs, and I
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wanted to be the
leader in my high school.
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I loved it, I wanted people
to follow me, people to do
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what I did.
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So whatever that
was going to take
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that was what I was going to do?
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If it was going to fix my
problem, which was what I felt,
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I'm going to get that
done, I'm going to do it.
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I ended up joining
one of the biggest gangs
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in New York right now.
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To the point where I did
not have to fight my way in.
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They called it blessed, they
bless you in because I decided
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before I had joined the gang
that I didn't need a gang to be
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tough in the streets.
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I wanted my own way, people
needed to follow me and that
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was the way I was going
to be what I thought I could
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be when I was younger.
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So you walked in with respect,
so I walked in, you walked
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in and they knew who you were?
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It's not that they knew who
I was, they knew what I did.
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I did things I also robbed
people and when they saw that,
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they decided this is the
man we need to hang out with
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this man to be like him.
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Which is what I wanted,
I want them to be like me.
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I liked that, I don't
like that that happened
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but I use that today,
because I say well they wanted
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to be like me when
I was reflecting the
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character of the Devil
back then, but now that I have
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Christ, I want them to not
only see me, but see Christ
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in me, and follow
me now, the way am now.
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But when you say that, what
cracks me up, is I've seen you
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work with young adults, at
risk kids, and they do have
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that sense that they
do want to be like him.
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You are not telling them
anything anymore that is going
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to hurt them, you are telling
them to step into recovery.
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Figure out who
you are spiritually.
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Figure out who God is.
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I watch the effect that
you had on the kids around you
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so God is blessing
your desire of wanting that.
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Yeah, those kids were
great, they are great.
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They come from a lot of
backgrounds that I came from.
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They had a very confused home.
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I love your talking,
and they are like this.
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You know it is not
like a church group.
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Do you know I mean?
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Right! Right.
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I love that, I wanted to
get a camera out and just say
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all of heaven must have
tears in their eyes right now
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watching these
kids relate to you.
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Watching them
look at you and say,
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do you really believe that?
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It was so obvious
that you believe that.
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God was working in your life
but you're not saying that yet.
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You are in high school, you
are being blessed into a gang,
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and so how did you
get from that to where
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God is even in the picture?
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Well my mom had to die.
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You say that really easy,
but her death was not easy?
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I guess that is how
far you can go sometimes,
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when somebody has to
literally pass away in your life
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for you to actually wake
up and look at the situation
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you are in, the mess you are in.
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Do you know what I mean?
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Once she had gotten sick,
I remember that day when I
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stepped into my aunt's house.
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She was crying and I
didn't know why she was crying.
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She told me she had just
came from the doctors office
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and she sat me down
next to her and told me,
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I have some bad news.
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I said alright,
what is the bad news?
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As she kept trying to
tell me, you know how you get
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when you have bad news?
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She couldn't say it.
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She had told my cousin before
she told me, my baby cousin.
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As I tried to listen to
her and she couldn't say it,
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my cousin just jumped up
and said, your mom has cancer.
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That was the point in my
life where I thought I was a bad
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person and now
it's going to be worse.
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Because now I
really had nothing left.
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The only person in my life
that made sense, despite her
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decisions, despite the things
that she did and went through,
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it was all that
made sense in my life.
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That was the
stability in your life?
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That's all I
had, that's all I had.
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My mom, she had never been
in the military or anything,
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but she was strict, she
made me the man I am today.
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I believe that!
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Now she is going
and I have nothing left.
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So now I decide to solve
my, this new problem that
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I have with more things.
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So now I start doing more drugs.
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I start getting involved
with more the wrong people,
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the wrong crowd.
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I decided that instead of
continuing in the gang that I
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am in, I might as
well start my own.
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I tried to do that gained
a lot of followers, which was
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what I always wanted because
I wanted to be the leader.
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I want to be the leader and
didn't want anybody leading me
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except for my mother
and she was passing away.
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So it's my turn to step up
and be the leader in my life.
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But it was the wrong way.
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But in your very heart it
was a desperate thing that this
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is the time to stand up?
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This is the time to stand
up but to stand up the way I
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thought would be the
best way to stand up.
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Which was
completely the wrong way.
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So how does God jump into that?
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It took a verse,
it took one verse.
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I do not know really how
it came across but it was
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Psalms 116:15 in that verse
says, "precious in the sight
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of the Lord is the
death of his saints. "
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I read that and I was like what?
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What does this mean?
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His saints precious, I
didn't understand that?
00:10:08.82\00:10:11.35
Today I apply that in two ways.
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My mom is not sinning any
more, and she was the person
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who just before she
died with one tear going down
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her cheek, but she
gave her heart to Christ.
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I'm thankful for that.
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She doesn't sin anymore and
is ready for the resurrection.
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That is precious in
the sight of the Lord.
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I look at it a second
way, to die spiritually.
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That is what I had to
do, I had to die spiritually.
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I had to release everything
that I had and say God
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I cannot fix my
problem with these drugs.
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I can't fix my
problems with these gangs.
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What do I have left but You?
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He had to take over in my
life and I just knelt down
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in the bathroom that day.
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Somebody thinks it
has to be this huge thing,
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but kneel down
where ever you get it.
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Just kneel down, I was in
the bathroom, looking at myself.
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My face was red
because I was just crying.
00:11:01.02\00:11:02.99
My mom is dying in the
next room and the doctor said
00:11:03.03\00:11:05.59
it was too late for her.
00:11:05.63\00:11:06.78
She was dying in the next
room and my family was trying
00:11:06.82\00:11:10.13
to visit her.
00:11:10.16\00:11:11.18
I have nothing left in I
had that one verse stuck in my
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head and I looked at
myself in the mirror and said,
00:11:13.53\00:11:15.78
what do I do now?
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I just knelt down, I
knelt down and let it all out.
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I let Him take
over, I let Him take over.
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Instead of me trying
to take over my own life,
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I let Him do it.
00:11:28.39\00:11:29.69
Even when you say that,
because what you are saying
00:11:29.72\00:11:32.08
is that all my life I
knew I had to be the leader.
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I had to be the one in charge.
00:11:34.46\00:11:35.93
What you are saying is
right then you knew that you had
00:11:35.97\00:11:39.58
to learn not to lead?
00:11:39.62\00:11:40.97
Yeah, because if I continued
leading, I was going to
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put myself more in a hole.
00:11:44.41\00:11:46.08
The hole I was
in was big enough.
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I was at a point where I
have police taking pictures
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of me in the corner, they
thought I didn't see them.
00:11:51.30\00:11:54.37
But they were
taking pictures of me.
00:11:54.41\00:11:56.07
I had a cop tell my
wife, my wife now and
00:11:56.11\00:11:59.90
warn her about me.
00:11:59.93\00:12:01.66
I had people trying,
00:12:01.69\00:12:03.35
my high school at one time,
00:12:03.38\00:12:04.79
going after me to try and
00:12:04.82\00:12:06.19
beat me up.
00:12:06.23\00:12:07.32
I had to call people, it
was terrible the hole I was in.
00:12:07.36\00:12:09.94
This was because I
decided to leave my own life,
00:12:09.97\00:12:12.47
and try to fix my own problems.
00:12:12.51\00:12:14.60
Look at what I did!
00:12:14.64\00:12:15.78
I get so proud of God
with the way He does us in our
00:12:18.84\00:12:22.57
recovery, is that as you
are kneeling down as you're
00:12:22.61\00:12:26.30
surrendering to Him,
basically is a surrender.
00:12:26.34\00:12:29.56
I am giving everything to You.
00:12:29.59\00:12:30.72
I do not know the next step.
00:12:30.76\00:12:31.82
I don't even
know the next breath.
00:12:31.85\00:12:33.55
I don't even know what I'm
going to do when my mom finally
00:12:33.58\00:12:36.70
takes her last breath,
so You have to take control.
00:12:36.74\00:12:40.89
So what does that look like?
00:12:40.92\00:12:43.37
That part where God took
control and stood you up?
00:12:43.41\00:12:47.52
Well that is when I
decided I needed to start making
00:12:47.55\00:12:50.99
better decisions, now that
my mom is that the last few
00:12:51.03\00:12:54.44
hours, days maybe
hours of her life.
00:12:54.47\00:12:57.05
I needed to be with her
in those last hours as an
00:12:57.08\00:12:59.45
example of a changed son.
00:12:59.49\00:13:01.42
I decided to that although
she was, you know how the
00:13:01.46\00:13:05.25
chemo did you
sometimes where you can't
00:13:05.29\00:13:06.81
even think straight?
00:13:06.85\00:13:07.82
Right!
00:13:07.83\00:13:08.80
Although she was like
that I know she understood.
00:13:08.81\00:13:11.61
As I confessed a lot of
the things, the mistreatment
00:13:11.64\00:13:14.87
I did to her, and
the things I did to her.
00:13:14.90\00:13:17.48
You are able to
talk directly to her?
00:13:17.51\00:13:19.52
Yeah, and she couldn't respond,
but I knew because I was
00:13:19.55\00:13:22.69
holding her hands, which
were cold, and when she would
00:13:22.73\00:13:25.84
squeeze I knew she was
telling me I forgive you.
00:13:25.87\00:13:28.69
Exactly!
00:13:28.72\00:13:29.98
I forgive you, and that
was such a burden that I know
00:13:30.01\00:13:33.16
came off of her, because I
know she felt so bad for what
00:13:33.20\00:13:36.32
she did in her life.
00:13:36.35\00:13:37.33
She was a woman who, her
mother used to physically abuse
00:13:37.36\00:13:41.52
her, not sexually but
physically beat on her.
00:13:41.56\00:13:43.97
She expressed a lot of that
toughness on me as I grew up.
00:13:44.00\00:13:48.03
She was raped
when she was younger.
00:13:48.07\00:13:50.00
She went through so much
which led to the decisions
00:13:50.04\00:13:53.24
then she made and she thought
that was going to make me
00:13:53.27\00:13:56.44
continue to be the
way I was for ever.
00:13:56.47\00:13:58.91
But when she saw that change
I know she rested in peace.
00:13:58.95\00:14:02.49
God gifted both of you
with the ability to set there
00:14:02.53\00:14:06.04
with each other and do that.
00:14:06.07\00:14:08.13
When she died
what happened then?
00:14:08.16\00:14:11.08
Well that one moment was
two o'clock in the morning.
00:14:11.11\00:14:16.58
I didn't want to sleep
all the way in her room,
00:14:16.62\00:14:20.16
I didn't want to disturb
her, she had machines on her
00:14:20.19\00:14:22.36
in her room so I was
half way in her room and
00:14:22.39\00:14:25.52
half way in my room.
00:14:25.55\00:14:26.92
I couldn't sleep because
I was hearing her breathing,
00:14:26.96\00:14:30.15
as I heard her breathing
it's got deeper and deeper.
00:14:30.18\00:14:33.80
To the point where I described
as marbles in her lungs.
00:14:33.84\00:14:37.27
I knew that that was the
moment and I made a couple
00:14:37.31\00:14:40.71
phone calls to my
cousins then it was time.
00:14:40.75\00:14:43.19
I knew she was going
to pass away right then.
00:14:43.22\00:14:46.35
I woke my dad up and he
started speaking to her.
00:14:46.38\00:14:49.27
He tried to reconcile
with her because they were
00:14:49.30\00:14:52.15
divorced when I
was a couple of months.
00:14:52.18\00:14:53.70
I just remembered that one
tear just come down her face
00:14:53.74\00:15:01.16
as she took her last breath.
00:15:01.20\00:15:02.57
I couldn't look at her,
I looked away and heard her
00:15:02.61\00:15:05.61
take that last breath.
00:15:05.65\00:15:06.93
I knew they had a least we
reconciled and that she knows
00:15:06.96\00:15:11.66
then I forgive
her for what she did.
00:15:11.69\00:15:14.21
I will see her again
in that resurrection.
00:15:14.25\00:15:16.47
Because "precious in
the sight of the Lord,
00:15:16.50\00:15:18.69
is the death of his saints. "
00:15:18.72\00:15:20.29
For a lot of people that
do not know, as a Christian we
00:15:20.32\00:15:24.38
believe that God will come
back and raise up those who
00:15:24.41\00:15:28.58
have died and whoever is
still hanging out and alive will
00:15:28.61\00:15:32.74
actually be transformed
and meet up with them.
00:15:32.78\00:15:36.08
So you had that hope and
even Christ is comforting
00:15:36.12\00:15:39.39
each other with that.
00:15:39.42\00:15:40.48
That hope that I got
was what keeps me alive now.
00:15:40.51\00:15:44.99
It is that hope that one
day the I will not only see her
00:15:45.03\00:15:48.30
again, but I will see Jesus
Christ, because He is the One
00:15:48.33\00:15:51.56
who did this for me.
00:15:51.60\00:15:52.65
If it wasn't for Him I
would have kept making those bad
00:15:52.69\00:15:55.07
decisions and I would
have been in a worse place.
00:15:55.10\00:15:57.09
You know what is really
funny, because I know that you
00:15:57.12\00:16:00.03
are going to be up there
saying thank you so much.
00:16:00.06\00:16:02.90
The Bible says that He is
actually going to try and get
00:16:02.93\00:16:06.81
you down as good job well done.
00:16:06.85\00:16:09.04
Do you know what I mean?
00:16:09.07\00:16:10.24
So He said He wants to
say the same thing to you.
00:16:10.27\00:16:12.44
I think that reunion
is going to be amazing.
00:16:12.48\00:16:15.47
I look forward to
taking that crown off and
00:16:15.50\00:16:18.46
laying it at His feet.
00:16:18.49\00:16:19.79
So from that point on,
because now you're standing up
00:16:20.94\00:16:25.10
totally new, and how to
you than know what to do?
00:16:25.13\00:16:29.26
How do you know what
that transform is like?
00:16:29.29\00:16:32.02
What did you do, who
did you gather around you?
00:16:32.05\00:16:34.35
In the beginning I did
not know what to do next.
00:16:34.39\00:16:37.41
Somebody had told me
that God was going to take
00:16:37.45\00:16:40.44
control and change
me little by little.
00:16:40.47\00:16:42.40
I didn't know what that meant.
00:16:42.43\00:16:44.64
So I just - do I just sit here?
00:16:44.67\00:16:46.81
I didn't know what
to do in the wind blows.
00:16:46.84\00:16:49.64
Somebody told me a
story about Nicodemus,
00:16:49.67\00:16:52.44
do you remember that story? Yes!
00:16:52.47\00:16:54.36
Jesus says the wind
blows and you do not see it
00:16:54.40\00:16:57.12
coming, you don't
see where it is going.
00:16:57.15\00:16:58.33
In the word is
interchangeable with the Spirit.
00:16:58.36\00:17:00.44
The Spirit was
changing me and I didn't see it.
00:17:00.48\00:17:02.49
I didn't see it happening
and He just brought people
00:17:02.52\00:17:04.91
into my life, brought friends
I thought I've never had.
00:17:04.94\00:17:07.48
I had to leave all my
friends, I was very popular in
00:17:07.51\00:17:10.63
my high school, I was very
popular and had to leave them
00:17:10.66\00:17:13.56
all behind, I had to move
to another city because of the
00:17:13.60\00:17:16.46
gangs that I was in.
00:17:16.50\00:17:17.48
Because people around
you aren't changing just
00:17:17.52\00:17:20.60
because you're changing?
00:17:20.64\00:17:21.61
Even if I tried to
help them to change they
00:17:21.62\00:17:24.99
did not want to hear that.
00:17:25.02\00:17:26.16
I tried to speak to them
and I started to be looked at
00:17:26.19\00:17:30.44
as weak now, and that was
a real prideful issue I had.
00:17:30.48\00:17:34.24
I was this man who wanted
people to be like me, I wanted
00:17:34.28\00:17:37.43
them to follow me and now I
am this man and to them I am
00:17:37.46\00:17:40.58
weak so that did not work out.
00:17:40.61\00:17:44.00
I was on my own.
00:17:44.04\00:17:45.51
Can you say that in that
time come because what is really
00:17:45.54\00:17:50.23
intense in recovery is
when I have to learn something,
00:17:50.27\00:17:54.12
I have to learn how to let
go of that pride, to learn to
00:17:54.15\00:17:58.23
let go of that part of me
that needed people to lift me
00:17:58.27\00:18:03.02
up in that way and you are
getting it 100% thrown at you
00:18:03.06\00:18:07.78
that you are losing that image.
00:18:07.81\00:18:10.07
So how did, what was
God doing as far as trying
00:18:10.11\00:18:13.06
to teach you to let
go, just released that?
00:18:13.09\00:18:16.01
Trust me on this one!
00:18:16.04\00:18:17.23
I just kept waiting on Him
and started reading the Bible.
00:18:17.26\00:18:20.93
I had read where it said
let this mind be in you which
00:18:20.96\00:18:24.45
was also in Christ Jesus
and the image I had before I
00:18:24.48\00:18:27.93
learned had to be replaced.
00:18:27.97\00:18:29.66
Not with a new image
that I had to come up with,
00:18:29.70\00:18:32.94
but with His image and I
started to let that happen.
00:18:32.98\00:18:36.05
I was fighting it off,
although I had given my heart
00:18:36.09\00:18:38.92
to Christ, I still wanted
to be that guy in the streets.
00:18:38.95\00:18:42.82
I still wanted followers,
I loved it to be so popular.
00:18:42.86\00:18:46.69
It was great, I
had a lot of girls but
00:18:46.73\00:18:48.74
I had to let Him do it.
00:18:48.77\00:18:52.59
It's like a drug?
00:18:52.62\00:18:53.80
It's like a drug, you are
addicted to it and I believe
00:18:53.83\00:18:56.98
addiction is not
only something physical
00:18:57.02\00:18:59.25
but mental as well.
00:18:59.29\00:19:00.39
That is why I like to say
how did that look as far as
00:19:00.42\00:19:03.49
the healing, because God
doesn't just come in and say
00:19:03.53\00:19:06.56
I'm going to work
with your cigarettes,
00:19:06.60\00:19:07.96
I'm just going to
work with your alcohol,
00:19:07.99\00:19:09.58
or for the fact that
you are smoking weed.
00:19:09.62\00:19:11.13
He says I'm not going to
work with one single thing.
00:19:11.17\00:19:13.89
You don't even
know how to think yet,
00:19:13.93\00:19:15.76
you don't even know that yet.
00:19:15.80\00:19:17.19
But because I love you I'm
going to slowly and as easy
00:19:17.23\00:19:20.04
as I can and we are
going to hit all these issues.
00:19:20.07\00:19:22.85
You'll fight him off - - I know.
00:19:22.88\00:19:24.38
You know you will fight
Him off, but He does it and
00:19:24.42\00:19:27.85
and you let go and wait on Him.
00:19:27.88\00:19:29.45
With changing you
eventually had to move?
00:19:34.78\00:19:36.42
I had to almost disappear.
00:19:36.46\00:19:38.50
My O G, the guy that
put me in a gang, he had to
00:19:38.53\00:19:44.64
disappear as well
and praise the Lord,
00:19:44.68\00:19:46.46
he came to Christ too.
00:19:46.50\00:19:47.47
What is OG?
00:19:47.51\00:19:48.72
Original gangster, he's
guy who puts you in a gang and
00:19:48.76\00:19:52.85
now you are in charge
of gathering followers.
00:19:52.88\00:19:57.35
So he starts it off, he
moves and starts it off and
00:19:57.38\00:20:00.25
elsewhere, but me
and him were like this.
00:20:00.28\00:20:01.90
We were best friends.
00:20:01.93\00:20:02.91
He had to move, I had to move,
I had to get away from that
00:20:02.94\00:20:07.12
environment if I
wanted to grow in Christ.
00:20:07.15\00:20:09.01
I had to, there was no choice.
00:20:09.04\00:20:10.97
You didn't have to get jumped
out, you didn't have to do
00:20:11.01\00:20:14.58
any of that stuff because
a lot of times, I watched one
00:20:14.62\00:20:17.59
of the kids I worked with,
they jumped her out and beat
00:20:17.63\00:20:21.46
her with irons, I mean it
was amazing to see her actually
00:20:21.50\00:20:25.30
be able to walk way.
00:20:25.34\00:20:26.96
You know the type of game
that I joined, it's not the type
00:20:26.99\00:20:29.65
a gang you can get out.
00:20:29.69\00:20:30.99
So you just moved?
00:20:31.02\00:20:32.79
I had to
disappear, I had to disappear.
00:20:32.83\00:20:35.26
That is where my life
started building, my character
00:20:35.30\00:20:39.75
started changing when I
was away for those people.
00:20:39.78\00:20:44.20
Away from that environment.
00:20:44.23\00:20:46.25
See if this makes sense to you.
00:20:46.28\00:20:48.23
Because at first
when I switched my life,
00:20:48.27\00:20:50.19
even just tell the
truth was difficult.
00:20:50.22\00:20:52.08
I would be in the middle
of something and would think,
00:20:52.11\00:20:54.90
wait a minute that is not true.
00:20:54.93\00:20:56.28
I'm just thinking
was it hard for you?
00:20:56.31\00:21:00.25
Did the Holy
Spirit just have to say,
00:21:00.29\00:21:04.19
check you out once you while?
00:21:04.23\00:21:05.82
Yeah, all lot.
00:21:05.86\00:21:07.95
I love the way He
does it, because you never
00:21:07.99\00:21:10.27
feel shamed by it.
00:21:10.30\00:21:11.48
I never felt ashamed, I
just felt like I so could trust
00:21:11.52\00:21:14.11
Him that He would check me out.
00:21:14.14\00:21:15.70
I started studying a lot
about righteousness by faith.
00:21:18.68\00:21:21.90
I started applying that in
00:21:21.93\00:21:24.76
my life and realize
that Jesus is righteousness.
00:21:24.79\00:21:27.29
How can I be
righteous when I was somebody
00:21:27.33\00:21:28.87
who was so unrighteous?
00:21:28.91\00:21:30.76
So I am going to ask you
because one of the things that
00:21:30.79\00:21:33.18
I'm having, it scares me to
take a concept that is this huge
00:21:33.21\00:21:37.81
and try to teach it in a
way that an addict sitting there
00:21:37.85\00:21:41.17
smoking weed and watching
the television can understand.
00:21:41.21\00:21:44.32
So when you start to look
at righteousness by faith,
00:21:44.35\00:21:47.43
how did it make sense to you?
00:21:47.47\00:21:48.89
How did you receive that?
00:21:48.92\00:21:50.28
Well I replaced the word
righteousness with Jesus Christ.
00:21:50.31\00:21:52.78
Because it's in 1
Corinthians 1:30, it says that
00:21:52.81\00:21:56.56
He was made unto us
wisdom and righteousness.
00:21:56.59\00:22:00.30
So what is righteousness?
00:22:00.34\00:22:01.76
It is to the point where
I can't do it but He can.
00:22:01.79\00:22:05.15
And since He is righteousness,
He can live His life
00:22:05.19\00:22:08.48
through me, He can do for me
what I could never do for Him.
00:22:08.51\00:22:11.80
It is never me, if it
was I would be, you know.
00:22:11.83\00:22:17.05
I know we keep replaying
it because we are players.
00:22:17.09\00:22:22.28
So it's all Him,
it's all about Him.
00:22:22.31\00:22:25.18
He did it for me.
00:22:25.22\00:22:26.19
So He says let Me lived in
you, let Me give you everything,
00:22:26.20\00:22:30.07
the right behavior that He
lived, let Me give that to you,
00:22:30.11\00:22:33.95
and let Me teach you.
00:22:33.98\00:22:35.27
I will be your Father,
your counselor, I will be your
00:22:35.31\00:22:38.38
friend, I'll hang out with
you and everything you need to
00:22:38.41\00:22:41.45
learn we'll do it together.
00:22:41.48\00:22:43.14
Yeah that is right.
00:22:43.18\00:22:44.64
So what cracks me up is that
He stood you up to where you
00:22:44.67\00:22:49.94
had a heart to go
tell someone else.
00:22:49.98\00:22:52.40
Well what happened now was I
always wanted to be a leader,
00:22:52.44\00:22:56.14
but now I decided that what
an opportunity where I could
00:22:56.18\00:22:59.85
be a leader and lead
people the right way.
00:22:59.89\00:23:02.80
I decided that instead
of leading people towards
00:23:02.83\00:23:05.74
destruction, I can lead
them to that same righteousness
00:23:05.78\00:23:07.85
that I am studying,
which is Jesus Christ.
00:23:07.88\00:23:10.01
So now my friends back in
the streets didn't want to hear
00:23:10.04\00:23:14.33
that I started going to
other people who did want to
00:23:14.36\00:23:16.13
hear it, you know?
00:23:16.17\00:23:17.33
I went on the outside on
my own, I tried to hand out
00:23:17.37\00:23:19.87
pamphlets, and just invited
people for Bible studies.
00:23:19.91\00:23:22.31
I just started teaching
them as best that I can what
00:23:22.35\00:23:24.72
righteousness really is.
00:23:24.76\00:23:25.73
God just started maneuvering
situations and through the
00:23:25.74\00:23:28.94
Internet I just got in
contact with other people and we
00:23:28.98\00:23:32.40
started this Ministry that
God is using a special way.
00:23:32.44\00:23:35.89
Can you tell me because I
love, even when you start to say
00:23:35.93\00:23:39.34
how God open that up for you,
and one thing led to another.
00:23:39.37\00:23:42.74
Even pamphlets, even just
walking out, even I know you
00:23:42.78\00:23:46.13
guys have put
Bible studies on, cooking
00:23:46.16\00:23:48.04
classes on, and
all that kind of stuff.
00:23:48.07\00:23:50.20
It just cracks me
up, I can't even imagine
00:23:50.23\00:23:52.33
you in a cooking class.
00:23:52.36\00:23:53.69
Will I do not do the
cooking because if I did do the
00:23:53.72\00:23:57.24
cooking but I do to the Bible
study in regards to health,
00:23:57.27\00:24:01.04
I can teach a good
health message from the Bible.
00:24:01.07\00:24:03.44
Because it is important
what we put in our bodies?
00:24:03.48\00:24:05.82
Well it is
connected to your mind.
00:24:05.85\00:24:07.77
What ever you eat is
going to affect your thinking.
00:24:07.80\00:24:10.24
I truly believe that if
you can cleanse your system,
00:24:10.28\00:24:12.69
and you eat the right
way you are going to make
00:24:12.72\00:24:14.55
better decisions in your life.
00:24:14.58\00:24:15.64
It's really funny when you
say that because see a lot of
00:24:15.67\00:24:18.17
addicts will be having
their fourth cup of coffee and
00:24:18.20\00:24:20.91
dingdong or something
and trying to figure out how
00:24:20.95\00:24:23.62
to change their life.
00:24:23.66\00:24:24.63
They have nothing, no
fuel and so it is cool to me
00:24:24.64\00:24:27.95
that God stood you up
and you know that it is all
00:24:27.98\00:24:31.31
important in your recovery.
00:24:31.35\00:24:32.73
What's the name
of your Ministry?
00:24:32.77\00:24:35.03
Our Higher Calling Ministry.
00:24:35.07\00:24:37.10
That is way cool.
00:24:37.14\00:24:38.11
Cause it is a higher calling.
00:24:38.12\00:24:39.70
On our next segment we
are going to meet somebody
00:24:42.09\00:24:45.30
that works in your Ministry.
00:24:45.34\00:24:46.31
Tell me who it is that
we are going to meet and
00:24:46.34\00:24:49.13
then we are going to
take a break and come back
00:24:49.16\00:24:51.92
and if you have him up here.
00:24:51.96\00:24:53.05
His name is Siki Plang
and he is an incredible
00:24:53.08\00:24:57.46
example in my life.
00:24:57.49\00:24:58.55
He is a person that you
can just sit down with and get
00:24:58.59\00:25:02.58
the greatest advice anything
where did this come from,
00:25:02.62\00:25:06.58
why did I think
about this is so simple.
00:25:06.62\00:25:07.98
He would give you that
advice and I know it is the Holy
00:25:08.01\00:25:11.14
Spirit moving that person.
00:25:11.18\00:25:12.40
I'm glad for that person
to be involved with this.
00:25:12.43\00:25:15.10
I want to say Edwin is
that it is incredibility cool
00:25:15.14\00:25:18.76
to me to watch God stand
up, stand you up and work
00:25:18.79\00:25:22.38
in your life in the way He has.
00:25:22.41\00:25:23.65
I think it is amazing and I
want to wish you all the luck,
00:25:23.68\00:25:28.60
but there is not luck involved.
00:25:28.64\00:25:29.86
I want to wish you God's
blessings on your Ministry
00:25:29.90\00:25:32.95
in one anybody that you
guys bring on board to help you.
00:25:32.98\00:25:36.67
Definitely on any of the
studies that you guys are doing.
00:25:36.70\00:25:40.35
It's incredible!
00:25:40.38\00:25:41.35
We are going to go ahead
and take a break and when
00:25:41.38\00:25:43.25
we come back I would like
you to meet Siki Plang and
00:25:43.28\00:25:45.11
you are going to be blessed.
00:25:45.15\00:25:46.14
In this one Ministry
there are a number of men and
00:25:46.18\00:25:50.64
women standing up
that God is working with,
00:25:50.68\00:25:52.89
that you just want to
say how did that happen,
00:25:52.93\00:25:55.11
and they will tell you.
00:25:55.14\00:25:56.31
So we will be
right back, stay with us!
00:25:56.35\00:25:58.44