Hi, I'm Dr. Kim and
welcome to Live to be Well.
00:00:35.50\00:00:39.13
I am so excited because
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we're going to be
talking about "No looking back"
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and what that means
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but I have a very special guest
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he's the Assistant to
the General Manager...
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our very own Dr. Yvonne Lewis
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but... her son... her
youngest son, Jason Bradley,
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he's agreed to be here
today and I'm just excited
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so, let's talk
with Jason Bradley.
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Welcome Jason.
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Thank you, thank you,
it's a pleasure to be here.
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How are you doing?
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I'm doing well... I guess
it depends on what you ask.
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Laughter.
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Listen, I am
excited that you're here
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we're doing Live to be Well...
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a new program for Dare to Dream.
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Yes.
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But I want to talk about you,
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I had an
opportunity to really be blessed
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by your
testimony on Dare to Dream
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and on Urban Report
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and then I was
able to read about it
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in the 3ABN Magazine
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and it was just... I
couldn't put it down...
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and you see people
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but you never know
what they're going through
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so, let's talk about
your humble beginnings,
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you're born and
raised Seventh-day Adventist.
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Jason: Yes.
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Kim: Where were you
born? Jason: New York...
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Kim: No way. Jason: I
was born in Manhattan,
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yes, yes.
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Kim: See you look like
you fit Manhattan, you know.
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Do, you like New York?
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Jason: I do, I love New York,
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there are so many great
places to eat in New York...
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so many great places.
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Kim: Now, you didn't
say, museums and all that,
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you said, "Eat" okay.
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So, you enjoy good food.
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I love good food.
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Okay, great, all
right, so, from New York...
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how long did you
live in New York?
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So, I lived in New
York for my first ten years,
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we moved... my mom was
married to my dad, George,
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and we moved to Upstate New York
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which is like,
Poughkeepsie, Pleasant Valley
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when I was, I
think, three years old.
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Okay.
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And then we lived there... and
they ended up getting a divorce
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probably when I was
around six or seven,
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somewhere...
somewhere around there...
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Hmmm...
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And I remember not
really understanding
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the whole "divorce" thing
and at first, I didn't like it
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but my school had... what
they called, "Banana Splits"
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and so it was a
coping type of therapy
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that they provided at the school
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and it was during lunch
time... there was food involved
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so, it kept me engaged...
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Hmmm... of course it did because
they had food, all right.
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And then also... I mean they...
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they really just
dealt with the students
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and talked
about different issues
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and tried to help
the transitional period.
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That's wonderful,
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did they include
the parents in there
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or was it just for the children?
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It was just for the children.
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Kim: At school
time... Jason: Yes.
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Kim: Okay, all right then...
on to your journey after that.
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So, then, they were, of course,
divorced and in separate places
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and we ended up moving from
the house that we were living in
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to a townhouse...
still in New York...
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and I enjoyed the separation...
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the divorce... after a
while for selfish reasons
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because I didn't have
gifts coming from just...
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collective... as one parent...
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one parent as a whole
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and then, I had
two places to go...
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with that... my
dad wasn't Adventist...
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he's not Adventist now either
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but there was... and
my mom was Adventist...
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Okay.
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So, when... when
she married my dad,
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she was out of the
church at the moment...
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Okay.
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And then, shortly
after they had been married,
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she came back into the church.
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And so, my dad was
probably kind of wondering like,
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"Whoa, what happened?"
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You know, what I mean? "Where?"
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Because his lifestyle
was a little bit different...
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Sure.
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And now, hers was different too,
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she was living with the Lord,
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and so, now, you
have a situation where
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you have a mother that
is following the Lord...
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Kim: Yes. Jason:
And serving the Lord...
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and then you had my
dad... who's a great guy
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but he's not following the Lord,
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so, his way of
doing things is different
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than someone who's
walking with the Lord.
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Hmmm...
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So, that kind of
creates a confusing environment
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because there are some
things that I can get away with
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with my dad
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that I can't get away
with... at home with mom
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or, you know, and
stuff like that, so...
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I understand,
now, you have siblings?
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I do, I have two older brothers.
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All right... and your
relationship with them...
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are you close to your brothers?
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Yes, we're close, we're close,
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we don't talk,
like, every single day
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but when we talk,
it's just like yesterday,
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we're just
picking right back up.
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So, all right, so now,
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how old are you
now, during this time?
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30... oh at that time?
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Okay, at that time...
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I was probably,
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at that time, seven or eight...
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about eight years
old... something like that...
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So you're still in New
York, so, are you in school?
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Are your grades... were you
doing pretty good in school?
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Yes, I was doing
pretty well in school,
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I don't think that my grades
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suffered as a result of
the divorce or anything,
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I didn't have, like
a traumatic experience
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like some kids go through.
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Oh yes.
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But, it was just... I didn't
really understand everything
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but then I grew to... I guess
enjoy some of the differences.
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The Grand-kids... Yes.
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Yeah, and I think that maybe
that could be a potential area
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where my life started to
slip in the other direction
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because I could do
some things at my dad's
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that I couldn't
do at my mom's...
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then... so, I had to be one
way kind of... around my mom,
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then I could be a little
bit different around my dad
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so it's like, the Bible says,
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"A double minded man is
unstable in all his ways"
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well, I was double
minded in the sense like,
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I might go eat certain
things at my dad's house...
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Okay.
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That I definitely
wasn't going to be able to eat
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at my mom's house. Kim: Yes.
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And maybe watch some movies
that might have some profanity
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or something like that,
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whereas, I couldn't do
it at my mom's house...
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she was not going for that.
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That's right... that's right.
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So, I mean, there was...
there were those differences
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and then we ended
up moving to Texas...
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Hmmm... that's a
long way from New York.
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Yes, a long way and
that's something that
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I really commend my dad on is...
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we moved to Texas,
my mom got remarried
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when I was about ten
years old, we moved to Texas
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and a few months later my
dad actually just picked up,
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uprooted himself
and moved out there
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to finish raising me.
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What?
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I was the only reason,
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he had a good job and
everything in New York
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but he moved to
Texas to finish raising me.
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In being in your life.
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Yes, and so I was very
appreciative of that...
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that... that meant a lot of me.
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Like my dad's not
really like, I- love-you type
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but you know... he shows in
his actions that he loves you.
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Is your father still living?
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Jason: Yes, he is. Kim: Okay.
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So now you're in Texas,
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so you finished junior
high and high school in Texas?
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I did...
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Okay, were you in a
Seventh-day Adventist school
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or a Public School?
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I was in
Seventh-day Adventist School.
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Hmmm...
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And then, during my
freshman year though, I was...
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I tried to go to public school
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and my mom let me
go to public school,
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but she said,
"If you do one thing
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that is like, outside of
the Adventist belief system,
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you're going back
to private school.
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Okay.
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Yes she did, so, two
weeks later I was yanked...
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Laughter...
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Because I wanted to the dance...
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I wanted to go to the dance...
and she was not going for it.
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And you had the nerve to ask...
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did you sneak and
go or did you ask?
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No, I... I asked...
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And she said, "Now why would
you even bring that to me?"
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Yeah, she wasn't
going for that one.
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And it was on a Friday night.
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No, I think it was...
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I think it was
actually not on the Sabbath
00:08:32.34\00:08:34.74
but it was just a
dance and she wasn't...
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she was not
down for the dance...
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So, back to the
Adventist School... you went.
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And I went right back
to the Adventist school.
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So, how was the transition,
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because you've been
in an Adventist School...
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So you finished your...
00:08:47.79\00:08:49.56
you matriculated all the
way through your senior year.
00:08:49.59\00:08:51.19
Jason: I did. Kim: Okay.
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Jason: And, really, I
remember being at the school
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till... like in 8th grade
00:08:56.70\00:08:58.40
and I was approached
by some guys that I knew
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and they were in High School...
maybe freshman... sophomore...
00:09:01.90\00:09:05.31
or somewhere around there...
00:09:05.34\00:09:07.34
to try Marijuana...
00:09:07.38\00:09:09.64
and I told them, "No, I'm
good, I'm not... I don't... "
00:09:09.68\00:09:14.05
And this was in
the Adventist School?
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This was in the
Adventist School.
00:09:15.45\00:09:16.79
Kim: Really. Jason: Oh yeah...
00:09:16.82\00:09:18.15
the devil can
find his way anywhere.
00:09:18.19\00:09:19.85
Kim: Come on now... can't he?
00:09:19.89\00:09:21.22
Jason: So, I was in
the Adventist School
00:09:21.26\00:09:23.12
and they
approached me and I was like,
00:09:23.16\00:09:25.16
"You know what? That's not for
me... because I'm an athlete"
00:09:25.19\00:09:27.73
I played basketball
through... throughout school.
00:09:27.76\00:09:30.97
Oh really, were you good?
00:09:31.00\00:09:32.37
I had a little skills...
I have a little skills...
00:09:32.43\00:09:34.57
but I wasn't like
NBA... going to NBA...
00:09:34.60\00:09:40.24
but... so they approached me
for that and I turned them down.
00:09:40.28\00:09:44.98
It wasn't until
my freshman year...
00:09:45.01\00:09:47.55
is when I
started smoking Marijuana
00:09:47.58\00:09:50.09
and I decided that I
want... up high school...
00:09:50.12\00:09:52.55
and I decided that
I wanted to try it.
00:09:52.59\00:09:54.72
I had been listening to...
00:09:54.76\00:09:56.96
the Bible says, "By
beholding you become changed. "
00:09:57.03\00:09:59.49
Kim: That's the
Scripture I had right here...
00:09:59.53\00:10:01.03
Jason: Really?
00:10:01.06\00:10:02.40
Kim: Right here, I
wrote it down here...
00:10:02.43\00:10:03.80
You know, 2nd Corinthians 3:18.
00:10:03.83\00:10:06.07
Hmmm... hmmm...
00:10:06.10\00:10:07.44
So, it's true, by
beholding we become changed
00:10:07.47\00:10:10.64
and that works both
in spiritual... with God,
00:10:10.67\00:10:13.91
if we focus on His Word,
00:10:13.94\00:10:16.01
we're going to
become more like Christ,
00:10:16.04\00:10:18.31
if we're following His example,
we'll become more like Christ
00:10:18.35\00:10:21.08
but if we're filling our heads
with the Hip Hop... with the Rap
00:10:21.12\00:10:23.69
with the...
00:10:23.72\00:10:25.05
with the R and B of today's time
00:10:25.09\00:10:29.12
with the movies that are
promoting the use of drugs
00:10:29.16\00:10:33.80
and the sale of
narcotics and all that stuff
00:10:33.86\00:10:36.43
if we're filling
our heads with garbage,
00:10:36.46\00:10:39.00
garbage in equals garbage out.
00:10:39.03\00:10:40.84
So, and I was filling
my head with this, so...
00:10:40.87\00:10:44.04
so I was watching movies
00:10:44.11\00:10:45.44
where people
might be selling drugs
00:10:45.47\00:10:48.14
or trying drugs
00:10:48.18\00:10:49.51
and I was listening to music
00:10:49.54\00:10:51.01
where they were promoting
selling drugs and using drugs
00:10:51.05\00:10:54.02
and... and the
exploitation of women
00:10:54.08\00:10:58.09
and just the whole nine...
and listening to all that...
00:10:58.12\00:11:02.02
taking all that in...
00:11:02.06\00:11:03.39
I started to copy that
lifestyle a little bit.
00:11:03.43\00:11:08.53
I started smoking weed
and I loved it... to be honest
00:11:08.56\00:11:13.64
which is why I kept doing it.
00:11:13.67\00:11:15.07
Did your mother ever know...
00:11:15.10\00:11:16.57
your step-father...
or even your father?
00:11:16.60\00:11:20.34
At this point, my
mom had received...
00:11:20.38\00:11:24.15
she got a divorce
from the guy in Texas.
00:11:24.21\00:11:27.55
Hmmm... hmmm...
00:11:27.58\00:11:28.92
And so, we were living in
some apartments in Arlington
00:11:28.95\00:11:33.05
and my mom
didn't know at first...
00:11:33.09\00:11:36.42
she had thought prior to
the time when I was smoking weed
00:11:36.46\00:11:40.86
she thought that
I had smoked weed
00:11:40.90\00:11:43.63
but I wasn't even
smoking it at that point.
00:11:43.67\00:11:47.37
And then I decided
to try it after that
00:11:47.44\00:11:49.84
and it wasn't for a while
until she ended up finding out.
00:11:49.87\00:11:53.94
How did she find out?
00:11:53.98\00:11:55.31
Honestly, I don't
remember how she found out,
00:11:55.34\00:11:58.18
I think that... I
think it was because
00:11:58.21\00:12:02.35
I ended up becoming
a little sloppy too.
00:12:02.38\00:12:05.52
Ahhh...
00:12:05.55\00:12:06.89
And she's very...
she is perceptive...
00:12:06.92\00:12:09.06
she... she knows...
she is very perceptive
00:12:09.09\00:12:11.29
if anybody knows my
mom... she's very perceptive.
00:12:11.33\00:12:13.60
But I guess,
throughout the years
00:12:13.63\00:12:16.53
doing the double life thing
00:12:16.56\00:12:18.93
where I can do this here,
like, I can do certain things
00:12:19.00\00:12:22.20
eat certain things or whatever
00:12:22.24\00:12:25.31
over the course of those years,
00:12:25.34\00:12:28.24
maybe that contributed to my
00:12:28.28\00:12:31.11
being able to
hide certain things
00:12:31.15\00:12:34.12
or be a certain
way around my mother...
00:12:34.15\00:12:37.55
so, like, when... when I
was hiding... doing drugs
00:12:37.59\00:12:42.42
I'd come home and
00:12:42.46\00:12:44.69
I might say, "Hello"
00:12:44.73\00:12:46.90
but I'd be going
straight to my room...
00:12:46.93\00:12:48.33
Kim: Isolation...
00:12:48.36\00:12:49.70
Jason: And going
to take a shower.
00:12:49.73\00:12:51.07
Hmmm...
00:12:51.10\00:12:52.43
Yeah, so that I could wash
the smell of Marijuana off.
00:12:52.47\00:12:53.80
Hmmm... hmmm...
00:12:53.84\00:12:55.17
And then, brushing my teeth
or something along those lines.
00:12:55.20\00:12:59.17
Hmmm... hmmm...
00:12:59.21\00:13:00.54
And I kept a change
of clothes or cologne
00:13:00.58\00:13:04.48
and all kinds of stuff
to try and beat the system
00:13:04.51\00:13:08.32
and she ended up finding
out that I was smoking Marijuana
00:13:08.35\00:13:12.82
and had a home drug test
and all that stuff too, so...
00:13:12.85\00:13:17.26
During High
School, were you dating...
00:13:17.29\00:13:20.83
were you seeing
different young ladies?
00:13:20.86\00:13:23.40
I was, I was
dating during High School.
00:13:23.47\00:13:25.30
Kim: Hmmm...
Jason: Hmmm... hmmm...
00:13:25.33\00:13:27.10
So, how long did this continue
with your using Marijuana
00:13:27.14\00:13:31.41
and did you use other drugs?
00:13:31.44\00:13:32.91
I did... I say,
"Marijuana is a gateway drug"
00:13:32.94\00:13:36.71
and that's very true
00:13:36.75\00:13:38.08
pause...
00:13:38.11\00:13:39.68
you come across a
lot of people that say,
00:13:39.71\00:13:43.18
"Marijuana is not addicting"
00:13:43.22\00:13:44.55
or addictive... addicting...
00:13:44.59\00:13:46.62
and if that's the case,
then, why don't you stop?
00:13:46.65\00:13:49.99
Hmmm...
00:13:50.03\00:13:51.36
Why can't you stop and...
and quit for... indefinitely?
00:13:51.39\00:13:56.77
I had been doing
it for a while...
00:13:56.83\00:14:01.14
I started with smoking the
Marijuana... then I was drinking
00:14:01.17\00:14:04.37
then I would take some
pain pills here and there
00:14:04.44\00:14:08.11
or anxiety like, Xanax.
00:14:08.14\00:14:12.05
Kim: Hmmm... you had
cross addictions going on.
00:14:12.08\00:14:14.82
Jason: I did... one
thing led to another...
00:14:14.85\00:14:17.45
going to some different
parties and stuff like that
00:14:17.49\00:14:19.95
and trying different things,
00:14:19.99\00:14:21.32
then, I started doing
Ecstasy, I tried Ecstasy...
00:14:21.36\00:14:26.59
and I ended up
liking that too...
00:14:26.63\00:14:29.63
and it just... it was
just a downward spiral,
00:14:29.66\00:14:32.53
you know, I kept
moving in that direction.
00:14:32.57\00:14:35.40
Really?
00:14:35.44\00:14:36.77
And that stuff's not cheap.
00:14:36.81\00:14:38.14
Oh no...
00:14:38.17\00:14:39.51
You have to pay for
it somehow. Kim: Okay.
00:14:39.54\00:14:40.88
So now, I'm at the point where,
00:14:40.91\00:14:42.24
"Okay, I'm making a
little bit of money... "
00:14:42.28\00:14:44.95
at whatever job I
was working at the time
00:14:44.98\00:14:47.62
but I also needed to
sell a little bit of drugs...
00:14:47.65\00:14:51.12
so I can make some more
money... afford my habit...
00:14:51.15\00:14:54.49
and be able to do
things that I might want to do
00:14:54.52\00:14:57.79
or buy things that I wanted
to buy... and all that stuff
00:14:57.83\00:15:00.26
and it wasn't...
it wasn't worth it
00:15:00.30\00:15:04.53
and I was a horrible
drug dealer to be honest,
00:15:04.57\00:15:07.44
I wasn't good at it.
00:15:07.47\00:15:08.80
You weren't good at it at all.
00:15:08.84\00:15:10.17
I thank God I wasn't good.
00:15:10.21\00:15:11.54
All right, so then,
were you ever arrested or...
00:15:11.57\00:15:14.88
any issues there?
00:15:14.91\00:15:16.24
I was... and... but
prior to being arrested...
00:15:16.28\00:15:19.88
you know how...
00:15:19.91\00:15:21.25
now I'm a part of Prison
Ministry and stuff like that
00:15:21.28\00:15:24.49
so I go into prisons, yeah.
00:15:24.52\00:15:25.85
Kim: Are you... all
right and tell your story.
00:15:25.89\00:15:27.32
So, this is...
prior to being arrested...
00:15:27.36\00:15:32.03
God allows certain
things to happen in our lives
00:15:32.09\00:15:35.06
to get our attention.
00:15:35.10\00:15:36.53
He doesn't create the
issues or cause the issues
00:15:36.56\00:15:39.77
but He helped place a
little roadblock in the way...
00:15:39.80\00:15:42.94
saying, "My child, you are
headed in the wrong direction. "
00:15:42.97\00:15:46.54
Just think about your
life, evaluate your life,
00:15:46.57\00:15:49.44
I'm giving you an opportunity
00:15:49.48\00:15:51.81
to move in the right
direction and follow me... "
00:15:51.85\00:15:55.35
Well, I was misdiagnosed...
00:15:55.38\00:15:57.95
I went to the doctor three times
00:15:57.99\00:16:01.42
but on the first two
times, they sent me home,
00:16:01.46\00:16:03.76
my stomach had been
getting bigger and bigger
00:16:03.79\00:16:06.06
and I was in a lot of pain,
00:16:06.09\00:16:07.43
and I went back
on the third time...
00:16:07.46\00:16:10.63
my doctor was
supposed to be on vacation
00:16:10.67\00:16:12.97
but he happened
to be in that office
00:16:13.00\00:16:15.27
and he ran one more test on me
00:16:15.30\00:16:17.57
and he told my dad to
take me to the ER right away.
00:16:17.61\00:16:20.88
Really?
00:16:20.91\00:16:22.24
And so, I went to the ER
00:16:22.28\00:16:23.61
and they had to perform
an emergency surgery on me,
00:16:23.65\00:16:28.55
my appendix had
ruptured inside of me...
00:16:28.58\00:16:30.02
Oh...
00:16:30.09\00:16:31.42
And it was
sealing off my intestine,
00:16:31.45\00:16:33.62
I think it was
my large intestine
00:16:33.66\00:16:35.99
that it was sealing off.
00:16:36.02\00:16:37.36
So, now, to this day I
am scarred from up here
00:16:37.39\00:16:40.86
till a little bit below my
belt and I almost died from that
00:16:40.90\00:16:46.40
in fact, my mom was very,
00:16:46.43\00:16:48.54
very worried about this,
00:16:48.57\00:16:50.61
she was in the hospital,
she flew out the next day
00:16:50.64\00:16:52.41
and was in the hospital
and you know, Carlton Bryd...
00:16:52.47\00:16:55.31
Dr. Bryd... any time I see
him to this day, I thank him
00:16:55.34\00:16:58.18
because I was out of
church, I wasn't in church,
00:16:58.21\00:17:00.95
I didn't want
anything to do with God
00:17:00.98\00:17:03.62
and He came to the
hospital in Atlanta...
00:17:03.65\00:17:05.75
I was living in
Atlanta at this point
00:17:05.79\00:17:07.82
and he prayed with me.
00:17:07.89\00:17:10.53
Wow!
00:17:10.56\00:17:11.89
And he prayed with my mom.
00:17:11.93\00:17:13.26
That's when he was
the pastor at Berean?
00:17:13.29\00:17:14.63
Yes, at Berean.
00:17:14.66\00:17:16.00
And he came and found out
that you were in the hospital...
00:17:16.03\00:17:17.37
came and prayed with you.
00:17:17.40\00:17:18.73
And I didn't know
him, I'd never met him
00:17:18.77\00:17:20.74
but he... he came
and prayed with us
00:17:20.77\00:17:22.84
and so, to this day,
I thank him every time
00:17:22.87\00:17:25.34
so I hope that he watches this
00:17:25.37\00:17:26.71
and he can see that
I'm thanking him again
00:17:26.74\00:17:28.61
as this has been an ongoing
thing... I'm grateful for that
00:17:28.64\00:17:31.51
and the devil tries to
take us out in our sins
00:17:31.55\00:17:33.88
so the doctors
did what they call...
00:17:33.92\00:17:37.22
leaving-it-open-to-close
00:17:37.25\00:17:38.69
which means, my
wound was still open
00:17:38.75\00:17:40.82
and they covered
it with gauze pads...
00:17:40.86\00:17:42.82
and so, I went home... had
a visiting nurse and all that
00:17:42.89\00:17:47.66
and I remember thinking,
00:17:47.70\00:17:49.06
"Well, God if you
get me out of this,
00:17:49.10\00:17:50.47
if you heal me... bring me... "
00:17:50.50\00:17:52.33
Kim: Bargaining.
00:17:52.37\00:17:53.70
Jason: Yeah, "I'll... you know.
I'll do something different,
00:17:53.74\00:17:56.44
and I'll
change... I'll be better"
00:17:56.47\00:17:58.87
and so, my stomach was healing
00:17:58.91\00:18:02.18
and it took... it
basically got to where
00:18:02.21\00:18:06.65
it was like, that
wide of an incision...
00:18:06.68\00:18:09.68
it was still
long but that wide...
00:18:09.72\00:18:12.35
Kim: What?
00:18:12.39\00:18:13.72
Jason: And it was on
this one particular day
00:18:13.76\00:18:17.59
I remember being at the
mall with my ex-girlfriend
00:18:17.63\00:18:21.10
from Georgia... one of my
ex-girlfriends from Georgia
00:18:21.13\00:18:24.57
and her friend
00:18:24.63\00:18:25.97
and just thinking,
00:18:26.00\00:18:27.34
"I'm going to go and
make some money today...
00:18:27.37\00:18:28.77
I'm going to go hit the block
00:18:28.80\00:18:30.14
I'll see you
guys a little later"
00:18:30.17\00:18:31.54
and I went down the street
00:18:31.57\00:18:34.08
to what happened to
be a known-drug area
00:18:34.11\00:18:36.95
and I was out on...
00:18:36.98\00:18:38.88
you know... on the block
00:18:38.91\00:18:40.45
trying to make a
little bit of money
00:18:40.52\00:18:41.98
and knew somebody
that lived over there too
00:18:42.05\00:18:43.95
and all of a sudden these cops
walk up from behind the building
00:18:43.99\00:18:48.26
and I saw them coming
00:18:48.32\00:18:51.06
and so I started walking inside
00:18:51.09\00:18:52.69
and acting like
I'm on my cell phone
00:18:52.73\00:18:54.50
"Oh yeah, da... da...
da... I'll talk to you...
00:18:54.53\00:18:56.73
whatever... whatever... "
and nobody is on the phone...
00:18:56.77\00:18:58.60
I just see them walking up
00:18:58.63\00:18:59.97
and there's other guys
outside and they tell them,
00:19:00.00\00:19:02.67
"Why don't you guys
stay right here... "
00:19:02.70\00:19:05.37
and then they're
looking at me and say,
00:19:05.44\00:19:07.71
"Hey, why don't you
come on back outside?"
00:19:07.74\00:19:10.15
So I come back
outside and have a seat
00:19:10.18\00:19:12.45
and they're saying, "If
anybody has drugs on them
00:19:12.48\00:19:14.58
let's get this out
the way right now. "
00:19:14.62\00:19:17.42
And I, of course,
wasn't volunteering that
00:19:17.45\00:19:20.22
that I had drugs on me
00:19:20.26\00:19:22.12
but they ended up ID'ing
people and searching people
00:19:22.16\00:19:25.66
and while they were
searching somebody...
00:19:25.69\00:19:28.36
I tossed... I had
14 bags of Marijuana
00:19:28.40\00:19:31.03
and two Ecstasy pills
00:19:31.07\00:19:32.83
and I tossed it
behind my back...
00:19:32.87\00:19:35.27
it was like a stoop-type
of deal so... on the side...
00:19:35.30\00:19:39.07
and then they ended up
finding my drugs... my Marijuana
00:19:39.11\00:19:42.61
and eventually they kept saying,
"Is that yours... is that yours,
00:19:42.64\00:19:49.32
is this yours...
is this yours...?"
00:19:49.35\00:19:51.25
And I finally just said,
00:19:51.29\00:19:53.29
"Yeah, it's mine,
take me... let's go"
00:19:53.32\00:19:55.22
and I told them that
my stomach was still open
00:19:55.26\00:19:58.09
do not slam me against the
door, I'm going willfully...
00:19:58.16\00:20:02.10
take me... let's go...
00:20:02.13\00:20:04.07
and so, as we're going to
the jail... I get to the jail...
00:20:04.10\00:20:08.24
they find my other
drugs... my two Ecstasy pills...
00:20:08.27\00:20:11.67
I was facing... this is...
this is by the grace of God...
00:20:11.71\00:20:17.15
Yes... yes.
00:20:17.18\00:20:18.51
I was facing... I could face
00:20:18.55\00:20:20.55
or could have faced
15 years in prison...
00:20:20.58\00:20:23.89
Hmmm...
00:20:23.92\00:20:25.25
the maximum sentence in prison
00:20:25.29\00:20:27.12
now, I did not want to
be in anybody's prison.
00:20:27.16\00:20:30.26
Kim: Nobody's prison...
Jason: I don't even want to...
00:20:30.29\00:20:31.89
I don't want to be
in anybody's jail...
00:20:31.93\00:20:33.26
I spent one night in jail...
I got bailed out the next day
00:20:33.29\00:20:36.73
but I slept on iron that night.
00:20:36.77\00:20:38.47
Hmmm...
00:20:38.50\00:20:39.83
Iron... no mattress pad...
nothing... iron... that night,
00:20:39.87\00:20:42.20
stomach still open...
00:20:42.24\00:20:43.57
it was crazy on my part to
do the things that I was doing
00:20:43.61\00:20:46.57
but that's what happens when
you're living in a live of sin
00:20:46.61\00:20:49.68
and you're following your
own will instead of God's.
00:20:49.71\00:20:51.91
Yes...
00:20:51.95\00:20:53.28
And so, I got
out... I got bailed out...
00:20:53.31\00:20:55.68
I was embarrassed...
I had to call my dad...
00:20:55.72\00:20:58.09
he came and got me...
00:20:58.12\00:21:00.26
the biggest thing too
00:21:00.29\00:21:02.32
was that I had a
family that loved me...
00:21:02.36\00:21:04.83
that rallied behind me
00:21:04.86\00:21:06.19
that supported me...
00:21:06.23\00:21:07.56
my mom didn't abandon me...
my dad didn't abandon me...
00:21:07.60\00:21:09.93
they contributed
to my... my rehab...
00:21:09.96\00:21:14.54
like, helping me go to rehab
before I had to go to court...
00:21:14.57\00:21:17.51
just all kinds of...
00:21:17.54\00:21:20.51
my lawyer fees...
everything like that
00:21:20.54\00:21:22.94
my family members that
supported me and surrounded me,
00:21:22.98\00:21:26.08
now, if I would have
done the same stuff again,
00:21:26.11\00:21:27.92
it would have been...
well, you got to figure it out.
00:21:27.95\00:21:30.22
Kim: For yourself.
00:21:30.25\00:21:31.65
Jason: Yeah, I mean, you
got to... you got to learn
00:21:31.69\00:21:33.69
but they rallied behind me...
00:21:33.76\00:21:35.82
they loved me...
they supported me...
00:21:35.86\00:21:37.19
and I still did not give my
heart to God at that very moment
00:21:37.23\00:21:41.13
but that was the
last time I touched drugs
00:21:41.16\00:21:45.23
and that was over...
about 10 years ago...
00:21:45.27\00:21:46.70
Kim: Praise God.
00:21:46.74\00:21:48.14
Now, did mom bail you
out of jail in Atlanta?
00:21:48.17\00:21:50.74
Jason: No, my dad did.
00:21:50.77\00:21:52.11
My dad was living in Atlanta.
00:21:52.14\00:21:53.54
Kim: And mom was in Texas.
00:21:53.58\00:21:55.04
Jason: Mom was in
Texas at the time.
00:21:55.08\00:21:56.61
Kim: So, you called your father.
00:21:56.64\00:21:58.35
Jason: I did.
00:21:58.38\00:21:59.71
Kim: And he came and got you.
00:21:59.75\00:22:01.08
Jason: Yes, the very next day
so, I spent the night in there,
00:22:01.12\00:22:04.69
I ended up getting bailed out
00:22:04.72\00:22:07.19
and the first thing
I did when I went home
00:22:07.26\00:22:11.33
you would have thought I
would have been in jail forever
00:22:11.36\00:22:13.56
because I was just
opening and closing doors...
00:22:13.60\00:22:15.33
opening and closing doors...
and going in the refrigerator...
00:22:15.36\00:22:18.37
Kim: To have that freedom.
00:22:18.40\00:22:19.73
Jason: Yes, going in the
refrigerator and all that stuff
00:22:19.77\00:22:21.87
but it wasn't...
nothing scary happened,
00:22:21.90\00:22:26.27
nothing... it just...
00:22:26.31\00:22:27.64
your freedom is
taken away from you,
00:22:27.68\00:22:29.58
your choices are
taken away from you,
00:22:29.61\00:22:31.68
your... your... your food
selection is taken away from you
00:22:31.71\00:22:35.85
you got to eat
whatever they're giving you.
00:22:35.88\00:22:37.29
Kim: Yes.
00:22:37.32\00:22:38.65
Jason: And I
wasn't raised that way.
00:22:38.69\00:22:41.52
My parents didn't
raise me to sell drugs...
00:22:41.56\00:22:43.73
my parents didn't
raise me to do drugs...
00:22:43.76\00:22:45.86
my parents didn't raise me
to go out and do those things
00:22:45.89\00:22:50.60
I ended up
choosing that lifestyle
00:22:50.67\00:22:53.97
after what I was
beholding, you know,
00:22:54.00\00:22:57.27
I beheld... and I had all
different walks of friends
00:22:57.31\00:23:01.38
but I had friends that...
00:23:01.41\00:23:03.04
some friends that
were in that lifestyle
00:23:03.08\00:23:05.78
I was listening to the
music, I was watching the movies
00:23:05.81\00:23:09.25
and I was filling my
head with poison, basically,
00:23:09.28\00:23:12.35
and then, I was also filling
my body with that poison as well
00:23:12.39\00:23:17.06
and so, I ended up
not touching drugs,
00:23:17.09\00:23:19.46
I got sentenced to
two years' probation
00:23:19.49\00:23:21.80
and deferred you... deferred...
00:23:21.83\00:23:24.00
first offenders
deferred adjudication
00:23:24.03\00:23:26.00
which... that's a mouthful
but basically what it is
00:23:26.03\00:23:29.60
is that... it
was my first offense
00:23:29.64\00:23:31.77
and if I completed my
probation successfully,
00:23:31.81\00:23:34.24
then it wouldn't...
00:23:34.28\00:23:36.51
I wouldn't be
convicted of anything...
00:23:36.54\00:23:38.05
So, was your record expunged?
00:23:38.11\00:23:39.45
Just recently, my
record actually got expunged
00:23:39.48\00:23:43.52
so there's nothing that shows
up on Arrest History which is...
00:23:43.55\00:23:46.59
Kim: It's all God's doing.
Jason: Oh yeah, and that's what
00:23:46.62\00:23:47.96
and that's the
beautiful thing is...
00:23:47.99\00:23:49.86
that's what God wants to do for
each and every one of us sinners
00:23:49.89\00:23:53.56
is expunge our record,
00:23:53.60\00:23:56.70
He wants to seal
our record for us.
00:23:56.73\00:23:59.13
Kim: Hmmm...
00:23:59.17\00:24:00.50
Jason: So, after those...
00:24:00.54\00:24:01.87
that whole little time, I
ended up managing a restaurant
00:24:01.90\00:24:04.64
it was a Sports Bar...
00:24:04.67\00:24:06.01
because I still wasn't...
and I doing club promotions
00:24:06.04\00:24:09.68
but I wasn't touching drugs.
00:24:09.71\00:24:11.05
Kim: Wasn't
touching the drugs... okay.
00:24:11.08\00:24:12.51
Jason: I smoked cigars back
then but I didn't smoke weed.
00:24:12.55\00:24:16.69
Kim: Did you use
alcohol? Jason: I did...
00:24:16.72\00:24:18.12
Kim: Okay. Jason: I
was... I was drinking,
00:24:18.15\00:24:19.49
I kind of altered my drug of
choice a little bit, to alcohol.
00:24:19.52\00:24:22.62
Kim: Okay.
00:24:22.66\00:24:23.99
Jason: But I didn't... I
wasn't touching the other stuff,
00:24:24.03\00:24:26.66
all of it is bad,
00:24:26.70\00:24:28.03
so I don't want
anybody thinking...
00:24:28.06\00:24:30.83
and it's against
God's will for us.
00:24:30.87\00:24:33.77
So, none of that
is okay but I switched
00:24:33.80\00:24:38.17
and I was
managing the sports bar
00:24:38.21\00:24:39.77
and I was doing this the first
few years... I had a house,
00:24:39.81\00:24:43.18
I had a girlfriend that
was living with me at the time
00:24:43.21\00:24:46.55
and we had a nice
house and everything,
00:24:46.58\00:24:49.45
like, I was making
decent money and I had stuff
00:24:49.48\00:24:54.56
and I was still empty
00:24:54.62\00:24:57.19
and being raised
Adventist I knew that...
00:24:57.23\00:25:03.00
what that emptiness was
00:25:03.03\00:25:04.57
and so, I remember going
out to 3ABN on a day of prayer
00:25:04.60\00:25:09.17
and I remember the President
and Founder, Danny Shelton,
00:25:09.20\00:25:13.74
saying that, "If
you leave this place
00:25:13.78\00:25:15.84
and you can't get
it out of your mind,
00:25:15.88\00:25:17.85
then, this is where
God would have you to be. "
00:25:17.88\00:25:19.51
Kim: What?
00:25:19.55\00:25:20.88
Jason: And I was
like... "Ooooh... okay... "
00:25:20.92\00:25:23.45
you know, I'm from New York,
00:25:23.49\00:25:24.99
I lived in Dallas,
I lived in Atlanta...
00:25:25.02\00:25:26.45
Kim: Big cities...
00:25:26.49\00:25:27.82
Jason: You've been to
3ABN... it's not like...
00:25:27.86\00:25:30.46
there's no
skyscrapers out there.
00:25:30.49\00:25:32.73
Kim: There's a General
Store... that was exciting.
00:25:32.76\00:25:34.43
Jason: Yes, yes,
so, I leave there...
00:25:34.46\00:25:38.03
I was working 70 hours
a week at this restaurant
00:25:38.10\00:25:40.47
and I go back... and I just kept
thinking, 3ABN, 3ABN, 3ABN...
00:25:40.50\00:25:46.44
I could not shake it, I
couldn't get it out of my mind
00:25:46.47\00:25:49.21
and I had already
broken up with that girlfriend
00:25:49.24\00:25:52.35
that I was living with
00:25:52.38\00:25:53.72
our lease had
been up on the house...
00:25:53.75\00:25:55.08
we were renting the house...
00:25:55.12\00:25:56.85
the... the lease had been up,
00:25:56.89\00:25:58.65
I had moved back to my
dad's house for a little while
00:25:58.72\00:26:01.62
before I was going to move out
00:26:01.66\00:26:04.19
and I decided,
instead of just going on
00:26:04.23\00:26:09.80
and doing my own thing,
00:26:09.83\00:26:11.17
I was going to stop fighting God
as I had for the 14 other years
00:26:11.20\00:26:15.80
and surrender my
life fully to Him
00:26:15.84\00:26:18.21
and that was the best decision
that I could have ever made
00:26:18.24\00:26:22.28
and now I'm
walking in my purpose.
00:26:22.31\00:26:24.45
Kim: Praise the Lord,
00:26:24.51\00:26:25.85
because now, you've
moved from Atlanta to 3ABN.
00:26:25.88\00:26:29.82
Jason: Yes. Kim: Oh my goodness.
00:26:29.85\00:26:31.72
Jason: It was a huge
culture shock but it was...
00:26:31.75\00:26:34.72
but it was well worth it,
we get to do Prison Ministry,
00:26:34.76\00:26:38.19
we get to do all kinds
of stuff, fun programs,
00:26:38.23\00:26:41.26
I get to be out here with you.
00:26:41.33\00:26:43.13
Kim: Yes, I love it, I love it.
00:26:43.16\00:26:44.93
Jason: And then
there's... there's so...
00:26:44.97\00:26:46.50
it's so much
better on this side.
00:26:46.53\00:26:48.70
Kim: Oh yes.
00:26:48.74\00:26:50.07
Jason: You know, Jeremiah 29:11,
00:26:50.11\00:26:51.44
I always read this
00:26:51.47\00:26:52.81
eventually I'm
going to memorized it...
00:26:52.84\00:26:55.04
it's just like, I
don't want to butcher it,
00:26:55.11\00:26:57.28
"For I know the plans I have
for you," declares the Lord,
00:26:57.31\00:26:59.68
"plans to prosper
you and not to harm you,
00:26:59.71\00:27:02.12
plans to give you
hope and a future. "
00:27:02.15\00:27:04.49
And that's the truth,
00:27:04.55\00:27:07.46
like, we don't see the end
from the beginning but God does
00:27:07.52\00:27:10.73
and He knows what He has
for each of his children,
00:27:10.76\00:27:13.13
He knows what He
wants to give us,
00:27:13.16\00:27:14.66
and it's way better
than anything that any of us
00:27:14.70\00:27:18.93
could ever want or...
or expect for ourselves.
00:27:18.97\00:27:22.80
I know your mother and
your father... your family
00:27:22.84\00:27:26.61
they're just ecstatic...
00:27:26.64\00:27:28.38
and you get to work
side by side with your mom...
00:27:28.41\00:27:30.68
Jason: Yes. Kim:
In your ministry,
00:27:30.75\00:27:32.51
so, when are you
going to become vegan?
00:27:32.55\00:27:35.85
Jason: Um, well,
Jesus is coming back soon
00:27:35.88\00:27:39.19
and I don't... right now... I
really don't have any plans to
00:27:39.22\00:27:45.09
yeah, well, when I can't...
00:27:45.16\00:27:47.96
I know I won't be
able to eat meat in heaven.
00:27:48.00\00:27:49.93
Kim: You're right, but
you got to get used to it.
00:27:49.96\00:27:51.30
Jason: Yeah.
00:27:51.33\00:27:52.67
Kim: Well Jason,
I want to thank you
00:27:52.70\00:27:54.04
for coming on Live to be Well
00:27:54.07\00:27:55.40
what a testimony,
00:27:55.44\00:27:56.77
I ask that the Lord
continue to bless you...
00:27:56.81\00:27:58.97
keep you... and
continue to live to be well,
00:27:59.01\00:28:01.54
and to you,
00:28:01.58\00:28:02.91
it is important
that you don't look back
00:28:02.94\00:28:05.51
but go forward as
Jason Bradley has done.
00:28:05.55\00:28:08.28
I'm Dr. Kim... live to be well.
00:28:08.32\00:28:11.42
God bless.
00:28:11.45\00:28:12.79