As you're well aware,
00:00:01.53\00:00:02.86
we're living in
unprecedented times.
00:00:02.90\00:00:05.50
Join us now for
Today special program.
00:00:05.53\00:00:07.77
I want to spend my life
00:00:12.64\00:00:18.18
Mending broken people
00:00:18.21\00:00:23.25
I want to spend my life
00:00:23.28\00:00:29.16
Removing pain
00:00:29.19\00:00:34.10
Lord, let my words
00:00:34.13\00:00:39.53
Heal a heart that hurts
00:00:39.57\00:00:44.44
I want to spend my life
00:00:44.47\00:00:50.15
Mending broken people
00:00:50.18\00:00:55.18
I want to spend my life
00:00:55.22\00:01:00.86
Mending broken people
00:01:00.89\00:01:05.36
Hello, friends, and
welcome to 3ABN Today.
00:01:14.64\00:01:17.91
My name is Ryan Day,
00:01:17.94\00:01:19.84
and we are happy that
you are joining us today.
00:01:19.87\00:01:22.88
That's a lot of
todays in there in days.
00:01:22.91\00:01:24.88
Praise the Lord,
it's good to have you.
00:01:24.91\00:01:26.68
And we're excited
00:01:26.72\00:01:28.05
because today we have a
special, special interview
00:01:28.08\00:01:30.42
with Pastor Matthew Haire
00:01:30.45\00:01:32.52
from the
Mountain View Conference
00:01:32.55\00:01:34.92
of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:01:34.96\00:01:36.29
Brother, how are
you doing? I'm good.
00:01:36.32\00:01:37.66
How're you doing, Brother? Amen.
00:01:37.69\00:01:39.03
I am blessed, excited.
00:01:39.06\00:01:40.40
This brother's got
a powerful testimony
00:01:40.43\00:01:42.06
and a story
that you're not going
00:01:42.10\00:01:43.47
to want to miss.
00:01:43.50\00:01:44.93
Some of you may be able to
relate to some of the things
00:01:44.97\00:01:46.67
he's going to be talking about.
00:01:46.70\00:01:48.04
But I promise you
at the end of the day,
00:01:48.07\00:01:49.70
this is a powerful
story of redemption,
00:01:49.74\00:01:51.87
and how the
gospel of Jesus Christ
00:01:51.91\00:01:54.01
can transform
and change a person.
00:01:54.04\00:01:55.38
So, that being said, though,
00:01:55.41\00:01:57.25
we're going to
have a special number,
00:01:57.28\00:01:59.01
a musical number brought
to us by Pastor John Lomacang
00:01:59.05\00:02:02.12
and Stephanie
Dawn at this point,
00:02:02.15\00:02:04.19
and they're going
to be singing for us
00:02:04.22\00:02:05.62
a special song entitled,
00:02:05.65\00:02:07.16
Gentle Healer.
00:02:07.19\00:02:08.52
The gentle Healer came
00:02:16.50\00:02:19.10
Into our town today
00:02:19.13\00:02:23.54
He touched blind eyes
00:02:23.57\00:02:25.71
And the darkness left to stay
00:02:25.74\00:02:29.84
But more than the blindness
00:02:29.88\00:02:33.35
He took their sins away
00:02:33.38\00:02:36.28
The gentle Healer came
00:02:36.32\00:02:38.99
Into our town today
00:02:39.02\00:02:42.46
The gentle Healer came
00:02:47.20\00:02:49.73
Into our town today
00:02:49.76\00:02:54.24
He spoke one word
00:02:54.27\00:02:56.14
That was all He had to say
00:02:56.17\00:03:00.31
And the one who had died
00:03:00.34\00:03:03.35
Just rose up straight away
00:03:03.38\00:03:08.52
The gentle Healer came
00:03:08.55\00:03:11.29
Into our town today
00:03:11.32\00:03:15.52
Oh, He seems like just
00:03:26.50\00:03:29.14
An ordinary man
00:03:29.17\00:03:34.54
With dirty feet
00:03:34.58\00:03:36.21
And rough but gentle hands
00:03:36.24\00:03:41.68
But the words He says
00:03:41.72\00:03:43.62
Are hard to understand
00:03:43.65\00:03:47.82
And yet, He seems like just
00:03:47.86\00:03:50.63
An ordinary man
00:03:50.66\00:03:54.86
The Gentle Healer
00:03:54.90\00:03:57.70
He left our town today
00:03:57.73\00:04:02.30
I just looked around
00:04:02.34\00:04:04.61
And found He'd gone away
00:04:04.64\00:04:08.11
Some folks from town
00:04:08.14\00:04:10.25
Who followed Him, they say
00:04:10.28\00:04:16.22
The gentle Healer is
00:04:16.25\00:04:19.15
The Truth, the Light, the Way
00:04:19.19\00:04:23.83
The gentle Healer is
00:04:23.86\00:04:27.23
The Truth, the Light, the Way
00:04:27.26\00:04:33.23
Amen.
00:04:41.24\00:04:42.58
Praise the Lord.
00:04:42.61\00:04:43.95
I love, always loved
to hear those two sing.
00:04:43.98\00:04:45.31
They sound very good together
and two of my favorite people.
00:04:45.35\00:04:48.12
Thank you guys so much
for that beautiful song.
00:04:48.15\00:04:50.69
All right, Pastor Matthew Haire.
00:04:50.72\00:04:52.62
Yes, Sir.
00:04:52.65\00:04:53.99
It's a blessing as
your first time here
00:04:54.02\00:04:55.36
at 3ABN.
00:04:55.39\00:04:56.73
First time at 3ABN.
00:04:56.76\00:04:58.09
It's a blessing to
have you here, man.
00:04:58.13\00:04:59.46
Thank you, Sir.
00:04:59.49\00:05:00.83
And just had a little
bit of time just to sit here
00:05:00.86\00:05:02.20
and chat with you
today before this program,
00:05:02.23\00:05:04.07
and I got to
know you a little bit
00:05:04.10\00:05:05.57
and hear a little
bit about your story.
00:05:05.60\00:05:06.94
And now we're going to
take what you shared with me,
00:05:06.97\00:05:08.60
which was a juiced version,
00:05:08.64\00:05:10.04
and you're going to
amplify this for us.
00:05:10.07\00:05:12.67
Because you know
what the Bible teaches us
00:05:12.71\00:05:14.28
that we, every single one of us,
00:05:14.31\00:05:16.01
we have a message,
we have a testimony,
00:05:16.04\00:05:17.95
we may not be theologians,
we may not be able to,
00:05:17.98\00:05:20.75
you know, break down
the Scripture theologically
00:05:20.78\00:05:23.18
and hermeneutically,
deep, deep, deep
00:05:23.22\00:05:25.22
like some
teachers and preachers do,
00:05:25.25\00:05:26.65
but each and every
one of us have a story
00:05:26.69\00:05:28.69
to tell a testimony.
00:05:28.72\00:05:30.06
And in this case, I'm
sure you could give us
00:05:30.09\00:05:32.83
a deep theological breakdown
of some biblical passage.
00:05:32.86\00:05:35.70
But today,
you're here to tell us
00:05:35.73\00:05:37.10
what the Lord
has done in your life
00:05:37.13\00:05:38.50
and why you are here today.
00:05:38.53\00:05:40.44
And so, tell us a
little bit about yourself?
00:05:40.47\00:05:42.14
There's somebody at
home that don't know
00:05:42.17\00:05:43.51
who Pastor Matthew Haire.
00:05:43.54\00:05:44.87
By the way, he told me
to call him Pastor Matt.
00:05:44.91\00:05:46.78
So I guess we'll
call you Pastor Matt.
00:05:46.81\00:05:48.44
That's fine. Yeah.
00:05:48.48\00:05:49.81
Tell us a little bit
about who Pastor Matt is,
00:05:49.84\00:05:51.18
where you're from?
00:05:51.21\00:05:52.55
So originally,
I'm from South Georgia
00:05:52.58\00:05:54.85
and I kind of bounced
around everywhere after that,
00:05:54.88\00:05:58.25
but South Georgia is
the place I call home.
00:05:58.29\00:06:01.49
It's where I had my
roots, probably the longest,
00:06:01.52\00:06:04.43
put some concrete on my feet
00:06:04.46\00:06:05.83
and stayed there
for a little while
00:06:05.86\00:06:07.53
and then have been
everywhere else since then.
00:06:07.56\00:06:10.20
And right now I'm up
in the Maryland area,
00:06:10.23\00:06:14.40
but the western
part of Maryland,
00:06:14.44\00:06:15.94
right on the
West Virginia border
00:06:15.97\00:06:17.61
and part of the
Mountain View Conference
00:06:17.64\00:06:20.11
and it's awesome up there.
00:06:20.14\00:06:21.88
Where we're at in
Oakland, Maryland,
00:06:21.91\00:06:23.58
we get about, I think it's about
00:06:23.61\00:06:24.95
150 inches of snow yearly.
00:06:24.98\00:06:27.22
That's about the average.
00:06:27.25\00:06:28.58
So, we're sitting on about
13 inches right now at home.
00:06:28.62\00:06:31.49
So, yes. Wow, that's amazing.
00:06:31.52\00:06:33.29
That's a lot of fun
there. Praise the Lord.
00:06:33.32\00:06:34.96
Sounds
exciting. Sounds exciting.
00:06:34.99\00:06:36.39
So, you were telling me a
little bit about your story.
00:06:36.42\00:06:39.36
I'm excited to
hear this, my friend.
00:06:39.39\00:06:40.73
By the way, I just
want to let you know
00:06:40.76\00:06:42.10
if you have friends, family,
00:06:42.13\00:06:43.87
anyone always like to
say this is the moment,
00:06:43.90\00:06:45.50
this is the prime
moment to go get them
00:06:45.53\00:06:47.14
and gather them
around the television,
00:06:47.17\00:06:49.00
the computer screen,
00:06:49.04\00:06:50.37
whatever you're
watching this from,
00:06:50.41\00:06:51.87
because you're not going
to want to miss this story.
00:06:51.91\00:06:53.68
I've been able to,
00:06:53.71\00:06:55.04
you know, just hear
a little bit from you.
00:06:55.08\00:06:56.61
And it's just amazing, powerful,
00:06:56.64\00:06:58.01
what God is doing in your life.
00:06:58.05\00:06:59.38
So let's start at the beginning.
00:06:59.41\00:07:00.82
I'm a beginning kind of guy.
00:07:00.85\00:07:02.18
Let's go back
to the grass roots,
00:07:02.22\00:07:04.12
the beginning and let's kind
of bring this thing forward.
00:07:04.15\00:07:06.55
So, childhood,
00:07:06.59\00:07:08.52
tell us a little
bit about your childhood
00:07:08.56\00:07:09.89
and what it was
like being brought up?
00:07:09.92\00:07:11.26
Yeah, so again, South Georgia,
00:07:11.29\00:07:13.50
it was a lot of fun
from what I remember.
00:07:13.53\00:07:16.97
And I think at
about the age of seven,
00:07:17.00\00:07:21.44
so times got a little bit rough.
00:07:21.47\00:07:23.30
My dad got
arrested for armed robbery
00:07:23.34\00:07:26.01
when I was seven.
00:07:26.04\00:07:27.38
And so it was just my mom and I,
00:07:27.41\00:07:28.74
but my mom was
a complete lioness
00:07:28.78\00:07:31.18
and you just
didn't mess with her,
00:07:31.21\00:07:33.35
and you didn't
mess with her cubs.
00:07:33.38\00:07:36.15
So, it was her and I
for a little bit and,
00:07:36.18\00:07:39.29
and then we moved up
to Louisville, Kentucky
00:07:39.32\00:07:41.86
and that's where
my grandparents were.
00:07:41.89\00:07:43.59
So we moved there
just to get close to them.
00:07:43.63\00:07:46.29
And then a couple years
later, so I was 10 years old,
00:07:46.33\00:07:49.50
she got cancer and ended
up passing away from cancer.
00:07:49.53\00:07:52.93
But at that point,
00:07:52.97\00:07:54.30
my grandparents
really stepped in
00:07:54.34\00:07:56.14
and they took custody of me
00:07:56.17\00:07:58.34
and that was
really my introduction
00:07:58.37\00:08:00.68
to the
Seventh-day Adventist World
00:08:00.71\00:08:02.44
which is a very strange world.
00:08:02.48\00:08:04.55
Even as a young boy, it's just,
00:08:04.58\00:08:06.61
there's some
distinct differences
00:08:06.65\00:08:09.55
inside the Adventist Church,
00:08:09.58\00:08:10.92
but it was very exciting.
00:08:10.95\00:08:12.29
So I got introduced
00:08:12.32\00:08:13.66
to the Adventist
educational system
00:08:13.69\00:08:15.26
in Louisville,
Kentucky, went to Peewee Valley,
00:08:15.29\00:08:18.49
a junior academy
and had a lot of a fun,
00:08:18.53\00:08:21.36
met a lot of great people.
00:08:21.40\00:08:22.73
In fact, my best
friend even to today,
00:08:22.76\00:08:24.40
he's pastor down in San Antonio,
00:08:24.43\00:08:26.43
Austin Sharp.
00:08:26.47\00:08:27.94
He and I connected
00:08:27.97\00:08:29.30
and we've been
pretty much inseparable
00:08:29.34\00:08:31.34
since then.
00:08:31.37\00:08:33.01
But from there went to
Louisville Junior Academy
00:08:33.04\00:08:36.04
and had a lot of fun there
00:08:36.08\00:08:38.21
and then went
to Highland Academy
00:08:38.25\00:08:39.98
in Portland, Tennessee.
00:08:40.02\00:08:41.48
And so, it was, yeah,
Highland was a great school.
00:08:41.52\00:08:45.32
For some reason, just Adventist,
00:08:45.35\00:08:47.19
I loved the people
00:08:47.22\00:08:48.56
but the Adventist message,
00:08:48.59\00:08:50.06
I didn't really
know anything about,
00:08:50.09\00:08:51.63
and didn't really
jive with it too well
00:08:51.66\00:08:54.36
even in high school
00:08:54.40\00:08:55.83
and but I ended up
00:08:55.86\00:08:57.83
going to Southern
Adventist University,
00:08:57.87\00:09:00.27
my very first
semester of college
00:09:00.30\00:09:02.50
and got into quite
a bit of trouble there
00:09:02.54\00:09:06.31
and kind of made an
escape up to Rutland, Vermont,
00:09:06.34\00:09:11.41
and came back to Southern
00:09:11.45\00:09:13.92
and got in a lot of
trouble again there.
00:09:13.95\00:09:15.92
So that was pretty much
00:09:15.95\00:09:17.29
the end of my Adventist
education at that point,
00:09:17.32\00:09:19.49
I kind of got wings
and just spread them
00:09:19.52\00:09:21.56
and in flew away
as far as I could.
00:09:21.59\00:09:24.63
From that point, I
moved out to California
00:09:24.66\00:09:29.10
and there I entered
into a new chapter of my life
00:09:29.13\00:09:33.13
in which I
joined the United States
00:09:33.17\00:09:34.90
Marine Corps.
00:09:34.94\00:09:36.27
Okay, so I got to just
rewind this back a little bit
00:09:36.30\00:09:38.24
because I can imagine,
00:09:38.27\00:09:39.97
you know, before your,
you know, your grandparents,
00:09:40.01\00:09:42.31
your Adventist education,
00:09:42.34\00:09:43.68
you were obviously
probably going to school
00:09:43.71\00:09:45.18
but public school,
00:09:45.21\00:09:46.55
I suppose, it
was a public school.
00:09:46.58\00:09:47.98
And then going
from public school
00:09:48.02\00:09:49.48
into an
Adventist education system,
00:09:49.52\00:09:51.85
a Christian education system,
00:09:51.89\00:09:54.26
it had to been a
little bit of a shock
00:09:54.29\00:09:56.02
or had been
some adjustment there
00:09:56.06\00:09:57.83
that was difficult.
00:09:57.86\00:09:59.19
Tell us a little bit about that?
00:09:59.23\00:10:00.56
Yeah, it was much different
going from a public school
00:10:00.60\00:10:02.80
even though I
was young and it was,
00:10:02.83\00:10:04.27
you know, early
on in grade school
00:10:04.30\00:10:06.94
that I was exposed
with public school.
00:10:06.97\00:10:08.70
It was still going from
a school down in Georgia
00:10:08.74\00:10:11.44
that had thousands of people
00:10:11.47\00:10:13.11
to just a small
school in Louisville.
00:10:13.14\00:10:16.88
It was a big change. Right.
00:10:16.91\00:10:18.81
But the aspect of
people welcoming you in,
00:10:18.85\00:10:22.55
a lot of people knew kind of
00:10:22.58\00:10:23.92
what I had been
through up until that point.
00:10:23.95\00:10:25.85
And so that was the one
thing that did stick with me
00:10:25.89\00:10:28.32
is just the open
arms of Adventist
00:10:28.36\00:10:30.66
and just accepting you
00:10:30.69\00:10:32.03
and bringing
you in as family so.
00:10:32.06\00:10:34.10
So I'm sure
00:10:34.13\00:10:35.46
there were some challenges there
00:10:35.50\00:10:36.83
with you adjusting
also to the way of life
00:10:36.87\00:10:38.63
of your grandparents.
00:10:38.67\00:10:40.00
I'm sure your grandparents
had challenges with you
00:10:40.04\00:10:41.64
as well as a kid.
00:10:41.67\00:10:43.61
Yeah, I tell you what,
00:10:43.64\00:10:45.37
I have respect for grandparents.
00:10:45.41\00:10:47.84
My grandmother is just
a straight prayer warrior.
00:10:47.88\00:10:52.01
She was the rock or
the glue of the family.
00:10:52.05\00:10:54.58
Wow. Praise the Lord.
00:10:54.62\00:10:55.95
And, yeah,
through all my rebellion,
00:10:55.98\00:10:57.99
she prayed my way
00:10:58.02\00:10:59.55
pretty much
back into the church,
00:10:59.59\00:11:00.99
which we'll get into well.
00:11:01.02\00:11:02.36
Yeah, absolutely.
00:11:02.39\00:11:03.73
So before we get right
into your time in the Marines,
00:11:03.76\00:11:05.19
I got to ask
about your experience
00:11:05.23\00:11:06.73
in Adventist education,
00:11:06.76\00:11:08.23
that maybe even as
you got older there,
00:11:08.26\00:11:12.53
you know, what were
some challenges there?
00:11:12.57\00:11:13.97
Did you, as a
somebody who at this point,
00:11:14.00\00:11:16.04
I guess wasn't
really converted to Christ,
00:11:16.07\00:11:18.61
was it a struggle for you?
00:11:18.64\00:11:20.11
Is there a challenge of, "Man,
00:11:20.14\00:11:21.48
I wish I could just
go to a normal school,
00:11:21.51\00:11:23.24
I wish I could just
have a normal experience."
00:11:23.28\00:11:25.01
Because when you're
in those type of schools,
00:11:25.05\00:11:26.58
obviously, a Christian school,
00:11:26.61\00:11:28.62
you're being
exposed to Bible curriculum,
00:11:28.65\00:11:31.05
you're being exposed to
a different way of life,
00:11:31.09\00:11:34.06
people encouraging
you to live for Christ,
00:11:34.09\00:11:36.02
give your heart to the Lord
00:11:36.06\00:11:37.39
but maybe you weren't there yet.
00:11:37.43\00:11:38.76
Was that a challenge
or difficult for you?
00:11:38.79\00:11:40.80
So, it was but I
blocked out so much.
00:11:40.83\00:11:43.13
I didn't really see
this, you know, till later,
00:11:43.16\00:11:44.97
but I blocked out so much
00:11:45.00\00:11:46.50
through the
Adventist education system
00:11:46.53\00:11:48.70
as far as teaching the Bible.
00:11:48.74\00:11:50.14
Okay.
00:11:50.17\00:11:51.51
I even after going to Southern,
00:11:51.54\00:11:53.88
I don't think I could tell you
00:11:53.91\00:11:55.24
the difference
between Noah or Moses.
00:11:55.28\00:11:56.98
Right.
00:11:57.01\00:11:58.35
So like, kind of
embarrassing on my half,
00:11:58.38\00:12:01.25
but it just
showed I was completely
00:12:01.28\00:12:03.18
defiant against
the Adventist system
00:12:03.22\00:12:05.19
when it came to
theological things.
00:12:05.22\00:12:06.62
Okay.
00:12:06.65\00:12:07.99
So then godly, at this point,
00:12:08.02\00:12:10.09
we almost say God led you
00:12:10.13\00:12:11.46
because God
probably did lead you, right?
00:12:11.49\00:12:12.83
We believe that sometimes
God changes His plan for you
00:12:12.86\00:12:16.60
because sometimes
we change the plan.
00:12:16.63\00:12:18.23
God has a plan B, a
Plan C, in this case,
00:12:18.27\00:12:20.57
now you're out in California,
you're joining the Marine.
00:12:20.60\00:12:23.87
So how did that come about?
00:12:23.91\00:12:25.24
Yeah, so, I had
mentioned my friend Austin.
00:12:25.27\00:12:29.28
He and I through high
school, we just, we read Sniper,
00:12:29.31\00:12:33.31
a Carlos Hathcock book
about Marine Corps sniper,
00:12:33.35\00:12:36.38
that, yeah, one shot one kill.
00:12:36.42\00:12:39.22
And it was
just, it planted seeds
00:12:39.25\00:12:41.29
that we were for sure
00:12:41.32\00:12:42.89
we were joining the Marine Corps
00:12:42.92\00:12:44.39
as soon as we got
out of high school.
00:12:44.43\00:12:46.53
And, or we joined the
Navy and become Navy SEALs.
00:12:46.56\00:12:49.66
We were just
military minded at that point.
00:12:49.70\00:12:52.13
And after I
graduated high school,
00:12:52.17\00:12:54.24
went to Southern,
00:12:54.27\00:12:55.60
we didn't join the military.
00:12:55.64\00:12:58.07
But as I got out to California,
00:12:58.11\00:12:59.87
got into a lot of
trouble out there,
00:12:59.91\00:13:01.81
and it just the hamster wheel
started turning in my head.
00:13:01.84\00:13:04.51
And it was just like, you
know what, this was a dream
00:13:04.55\00:13:06.31
that I wanted to
make happen at one point,
00:13:06.35\00:13:08.22
so let's make it happen now.
00:13:08.25\00:13:10.19
So, at that
point, in April of 2001,
00:13:10.22\00:13:13.36
I joined the Marine Corps.
00:13:13.39\00:13:15.06
Wow. Wow.
00:13:15.09\00:13:16.56
That was, and I'm so...
00:13:16.59\00:13:18.23
Wow, that's around the
time when the war on terrorism
00:13:18.26\00:13:20.33
and all that was starting.
00:13:20.36\00:13:21.70
So I'm sure you weren't
here very long, probably.
00:13:21.73\00:13:24.10
Yes.
00:13:24.13\00:13:25.47
So that was very
interesting as well.
00:13:25.50\00:13:26.90
So, I joined before
everything kicked off.
00:13:26.94\00:13:29.37
So I joined in April.
00:13:29.40\00:13:30.74
But after going
through boot camp,
00:13:30.77\00:13:32.64
and after going
through my job training,
00:13:32.67\00:13:35.74
right in the middle
of the job training,
00:13:35.78\00:13:37.55
that's when
September 11 happened.
00:13:37.58\00:13:39.85
So they stopped all
training for the day,
00:13:39.88\00:13:41.92
they brought in TVs
00:13:41.95\00:13:43.39
and we saw the second
tower getting hit on TV.
00:13:43.42\00:13:47.06
And at that point,
they just told us like,
00:13:47.09\00:13:48.99
"Look, boys, we're
ramping up your training.
00:13:49.02\00:13:51.29
And we'll double it up
00:13:51.33\00:13:52.86
and we'll get you out to
your unit so you can deploy."
00:13:52.89\00:13:55.30
And so, I was
super amped at that point
00:13:55.33\00:13:57.90
thinking this is
what we signed up for man,
00:13:57.93\00:13:59.63
let's do this.
00:13:59.67\00:14:01.00
Finally some
action. Yeah, finally.
00:14:01.04\00:14:02.54
Military mindset, right... Yeah.
00:14:02.57\00:14:03.91
And, but that didn't happen.
00:14:03.94\00:14:06.78
That wasn't the case.
00:14:06.81\00:14:08.14
So we sat waiting and waiting,
and for the rest of 2001,
00:14:08.18\00:14:12.88
all of 2002, and
then finally in 2003,
00:14:12.91\00:14:17.02
they amped us up and we
deployed over to Kuwait,
00:14:17.05\00:14:20.36
and then pushed
north for the invasion.
00:14:20.39\00:14:22.39
So... Wow, that's amazing.
00:14:22.42\00:14:24.63
So how was that
experience over there for you?
00:14:24.66\00:14:26.86
You don't have to go
into too many details,
00:14:26.90\00:14:28.50
but just your mindset
of while you're over there,
00:14:28.53\00:14:31.13
was there anything that kind of,
00:14:31.17\00:14:32.53
you know, maybe prepared you
00:14:32.57\00:14:33.94
for what was coming next?
00:14:33.97\00:14:35.30
Yes.
00:14:35.34\00:14:36.67
So, it was very interesting
when you train for something
00:14:36.71\00:14:40.64
and now you can finally go do
what you've been training for.
00:14:40.68\00:14:43.68
It's very exciting.
00:14:43.71\00:14:45.05
So, my head was way outside
of Christianity at that point
00:14:45.08\00:14:49.15
and completely entrenched
in Marine Corps thinking.
00:14:49.18\00:14:51.62
Right.
00:14:51.65\00:14:52.99
And so I was very excited
00:14:53.02\00:14:54.36
for the
deployment and for the war,
00:14:54.39\00:14:56.69
and it was just, you know,
you bleed red, white and blue.
00:14:56.73\00:15:00.33
And for Marines,
00:15:00.36\00:15:01.70
you bleed green and it was just,
00:15:01.73\00:15:03.16
this, again, this
is what we trained for.
00:15:03.20\00:15:04.80
Let's do it. Yeah.
00:15:04.83\00:15:06.17
So it was very exciting,
00:15:06.20\00:15:07.54
it was very fun
for me to be doing
00:15:07.57\00:15:10.84
what I dreamed of doing.
00:15:10.87\00:15:13.01
But there's also elements
that you see the other side
00:15:13.04\00:15:15.78
of the story
sometimes, you know...
00:15:15.81\00:15:17.28
Absolutely.
00:15:17.31\00:15:18.65
We are, why I
think we sometimes like
00:15:18.68\00:15:20.02
to think that we're superman,
00:15:20.05\00:15:21.38
and we'll just rip open
that cape and the whole world
00:15:21.42\00:15:23.35
will see us as
this big superhero,
00:15:23.39\00:15:26.15
but, you know, when
you see behind the scenes
00:15:26.19\00:15:27.52
a little bit...
00:15:27.56\00:15:28.89
Yeah, I got you.
00:15:28.92\00:15:30.26
And you realize
00:15:30.29\00:15:31.63
what some of the other
people are going through
00:15:31.66\00:15:32.99
on the other end,
00:15:33.03\00:15:34.36
and that could be
you and your family,
00:15:34.40\00:15:35.73
then it changes
your perspective.
00:15:35.76\00:15:37.10
And it planted a
few seeds, just like,
00:15:37.13\00:15:38.97
"Okay, open up your
eyes to the bigger picture
00:15:39.00\00:15:41.10
of kind of the war machine."
00:15:41.14\00:15:42.47
And, it didn't
slow me down too much.
00:15:42.50\00:15:45.37
I was still excited and
spent the rest of the time
00:15:45.41\00:15:49.31
there through the deployment
00:15:49.34\00:15:50.71
and then finally
got sent back home.
00:15:50.75\00:15:52.78
And we got a little
bit of a break and then,
00:15:52.81\00:15:56.65
then we ramped up
the training again.
00:15:56.69\00:15:58.25
Sure. Sure.
00:15:58.29\00:15:59.62
And in 2006, we
deployed back over to Iraq,
00:15:59.65\00:16:03.69
we deployed to
Fallujah and Ramadi,
00:16:03.73\00:16:06.46
and so that was a
whole another world
00:16:06.49\00:16:08.73
of excitement.
00:16:08.76\00:16:10.10
And at this
point, though, it was,
00:16:10.13\00:16:13.67
you know, you
start reading some books,
00:16:13.70\00:16:15.54
you start doing
your history checks,
00:16:15.57\00:16:17.57
you start questioning,
00:16:17.61\00:16:18.94
"You know, what,
what are we here for?
00:16:18.97\00:16:20.41
What's our purpose?"
00:16:20.44\00:16:22.28
And so at this point,
00:16:22.31\00:16:23.78
I was in more of a
leadership position.
00:16:23.81\00:16:25.35
Sure.
00:16:25.38\00:16:26.72
So I had people under me
and you're really vulnerable
00:16:26.75\00:16:29.08
at that point not
to wear your emotions
00:16:29.12\00:16:30.85
on your sleeves,
00:16:30.89\00:16:32.22
not for them to
see any type of doubt
00:16:32.25\00:16:34.06
that you have in your mind.
00:16:34.09\00:16:35.42
So, yeah, I just
put my nose to the grind
00:16:35.46\00:16:39.13
and went
through that deployment.
00:16:39.16\00:16:40.53
It was a lot of fun.
00:16:40.56\00:16:41.90
There was a lot more action
00:16:41.93\00:16:43.26
during that deployment
00:16:43.30\00:16:44.63
than there was even
during the invasion part.
00:16:44.67\00:16:46.84
Wow.
00:16:46.87\00:16:48.20
So, that was an
interesting experience.
00:16:48.24\00:16:50.81
For the first
deployment, I was a tank driver.
00:16:50.84\00:16:54.28
And then for the
second deployment,
00:16:54.31\00:16:55.94
though, I was a machine gunner.
00:16:55.98\00:16:57.48
So, it was that other element,
00:16:57.51\00:17:01.02
though, is like this
is what we've trained for.
00:17:01.05\00:17:03.35
So, it was a lot of fun
at that point in my life.
00:17:03.39\00:17:06.96
Yeah. That's amazing.
00:17:06.99\00:17:08.32
Well, first, I just
want to take this moment
00:17:08.36\00:17:09.69
just to say thank you
for your service, Brother.
00:17:09.72\00:17:13.60
That's a big sacrifice
00:17:13.63\00:17:15.36
that you gave for your
country, for our country.
00:17:15.40\00:17:17.63
And, man, I just come
with somewhat speechless,
00:17:17.67\00:17:21.50
because I can't
imagine what you've seen,
00:17:21.54\00:17:22.90
what you've been through,
00:17:22.94\00:17:24.27
but we just thank
you for your service
00:17:24.31\00:17:26.81
and what
happened during that time
00:17:26.84\00:17:28.48
of you given your time,
00:17:28.51\00:17:29.84
your effort and
putting your life
00:17:29.88\00:17:31.21
on the line for the country.
00:17:31.25\00:17:32.58
So thank you so
much. Well, thank you.
00:17:32.61\00:17:33.95
And, you know,
so, you were deployed
00:17:33.98\00:17:35.32
how many times?
00:17:35.35\00:17:36.69
Twice to Iraq.
00:17:36.72\00:17:38.05
Twice to Iraq. Okay.
00:17:38.09\00:17:39.42
So then, now after
that last deployment,
00:17:39.45\00:17:42.52
something happens or change,
00:17:42.56\00:17:44.06
something occurs as you've now
just come back to the States.
00:17:44.09\00:17:47.36
So now take us from there
00:17:47.40\00:17:48.86
what happens in
your life from there?
00:17:48.90\00:17:50.70
So there was actually,
right before we get to that,
00:17:50.73\00:17:53.20
there was actually
one incident that was a,
00:17:53.23\00:17:56.00
you know, it was
a reality check that
00:17:56.04\00:17:58.01
that you know this
type of stuff will happen,
00:17:58.04\00:17:59.71
but we were on a
middle of the night operation
00:17:59.74\00:18:03.75
with a Navy SEAL group
00:18:03.78\00:18:05.65
and we got lit
up by friendly fire.
00:18:05.68\00:18:08.35
Oh, wow.
00:18:08.38\00:18:09.72
And I caught a
bullet right to the chest.
00:18:09.75\00:18:11.72
But I had my, you know, I
had my protective plate on.
00:18:11.75\00:18:13.82
Okay.
00:18:13.86\00:18:15.19
And it gave me a
nice little bruise
00:18:15.22\00:18:16.56
but you don't get any award
for getting shot by friendlies.
00:18:16.59\00:18:20.53
And, but that was, you
know, we had a lot, that night,
00:18:20.56\00:18:23.63
we had just a
lot of close calls.
00:18:23.67\00:18:25.43
You know, bullets that literally
00:18:25.47\00:18:26.94
just skimmed right next
to people's heads and bodies.
00:18:26.97\00:18:30.11
And it was just,
yeah, it was incredible.
00:18:30.14\00:18:32.51
We at the very end of it,
we were just like, "All right.
00:18:32.54\00:18:35.94
Everything
good? All right, cool.
00:18:35.98\00:18:37.85
We're still here,
let's keep going."
00:18:37.88\00:18:40.62
So that was the
first encounter really,
00:18:40.65\00:18:44.49
you know you're in the presence
00:18:44.52\00:18:46.32
of walking a thin line
between life and death.
00:18:46.35\00:18:48.89
But when you have those moments,
00:18:48.92\00:18:50.26
you're just like, "All right.
00:18:50.29\00:18:51.63
Well, this is as real
as it gets, you know."
00:18:51.66\00:18:53.60
So that was the first case.
00:18:53.63\00:18:55.00
And then what
you were getting at
00:18:55.03\00:18:57.83
is after getting back.
00:18:57.87\00:18:59.67
So the high intensity
00:18:59.70\00:19:01.67
of just being in
combat environments,
00:19:01.70\00:19:03.91
your adrenaline
is piqued non-stop.
00:19:03.94\00:19:05.67
Right.
00:19:05.71\00:19:07.04
What do you do to
be able to satisfy
00:19:07.08\00:19:08.91
that itch when you come home?
00:19:08.94\00:19:10.58
The transition back home
is a very interesting one.
00:19:10.61\00:19:14.25
It's pretty hard.
00:19:14.28\00:19:15.78
They try their
best in the Marines.
00:19:15.82\00:19:17.92
So right before we came
home, they sent us to Kuwait,
00:19:17.95\00:19:22.22
they put us in this
air-conditioned tent,
00:19:22.26\00:19:24.43
and they made us
watch The Notebook.
00:19:24.46\00:19:26.93
And, you know, you
turn all your ammo in,
00:19:26.96\00:19:30.50
you can't do anything.
00:19:30.53\00:19:32.10
The movie, The Notebook.
00:19:32.13\00:19:33.47
The Notebook. Okay. All right.
00:19:33.50\00:19:34.84
And I'm sorry that
we're caught off guard
00:19:34.87\00:19:36.20
and it's not expected.
00:19:36.24\00:19:37.57
It was hilarious to all of us
as well that it was just like,
00:19:37.61\00:19:39.54
"What are we doing?"
00:19:39.57\00:19:40.91
But they're trying, you
know, realizing how desensitized
00:19:40.94\00:19:44.11
we are to everything to
add an element of sensitivity
00:19:44.15\00:19:48.15
into your life again.
00:19:48.18\00:19:49.52
Okay.
00:19:49.55\00:19:50.89
And so for like two weeks,
we just didn't do anything.
00:19:50.92\00:19:53.02
We just watched movies,
00:19:53.05\00:19:54.42
we chilled, we
worked out, we ran.
00:19:54.46\00:19:56.19
It was just, you
don't do anything
00:19:56.22\00:19:58.09
but you try to decompress
00:19:58.13\00:19:59.46
out of that war
mentality and back
00:19:59.49\00:20:01.70
into maybe I can blend
back into civilization.
00:20:01.73\00:20:05.23
And even when we got
back home, you can't.
00:20:05.27\00:20:07.57
Because in your head,
00:20:07.60\00:20:09.10
you're going a
thousand miles an hour
00:20:09.14\00:20:10.74
in your head all the time
00:20:10.77\00:20:12.11
and you need
that adrenaline fixed.
00:20:12.14\00:20:13.48
Right.
00:20:13.51\00:20:14.84
So that was, you know, that
was what I was in search of.
00:20:14.88\00:20:17.28
So I had a
motorcycle at the time
00:20:17.31\00:20:19.15
and I was on
leave, taking vacation,
00:20:19.18\00:20:24.59
and right when we got
back from the deployment,
00:20:24.62\00:20:27.52
and yeah, had a little
fun with the motorcycle,
00:20:27.56\00:20:30.59
maybe too much fun.
00:20:30.63\00:20:32.69
And was riding a
wheelie and smashed into a car.
00:20:32.73\00:20:38.53
And I was out
cold for a little bit
00:20:38.57\00:20:41.34
and then was able to
crawl to the living room
00:20:41.37\00:20:45.57
and I had a friend call me
00:20:45.61\00:20:48.08
just out of the
blue, Brittany Davis.
00:20:48.11\00:20:49.94
She had called me
and was just like,
00:20:49.98\00:20:51.31
"Hey, what are you doing?"
00:20:51.35\00:20:52.68
And I was like, "Right now
I'm, I think I'm on the floor,
00:20:52.71\00:20:54.75
and I'm not doing so well."
00:20:54.78\00:20:56.12
Oh, wow.
00:20:56.15\00:20:57.49
She was like,
"Well, what happened?"
00:20:57.52\00:20:58.85
I was like, "I just
wrecked my motorcycle."
00:20:58.89\00:21:00.22
And she was like, "Well,
00:21:00.26\00:21:02.06
do you want me to call the
ambulance or are you okay?"
00:21:02.09\00:21:05.43
And I was like, "You
know, I have to go right now."
00:21:05.46\00:21:07.10
And I hung up.
00:21:07.13\00:21:08.46
She called 911, I
called 911, and then I just,
00:21:08.50\00:21:11.83
I crawled to the couch
and then just passed out.
00:21:11.87\00:21:13.57
Wow.
00:21:13.60\00:21:14.94
And the next thing I know,
00:21:14.97\00:21:16.30
the firefighters
had come into the house,
00:21:16.34\00:21:19.31
they had put me on a gurney,
00:21:19.34\00:21:20.68
they were ripping my clothes off
00:21:20.71\00:21:22.04
and taking me to the hospital.
00:21:22.08\00:21:25.01
So, I ended up,
through that accident,
00:21:25.05\00:21:28.98
I ended up
breaking L2, 3, 4 and 5
00:21:29.02\00:21:31.99
of the lower vertebrae.
00:21:32.02\00:21:33.79
And I had a
lacerated spleen and my,
00:21:33.82\00:21:38.79
like a third of
my kidney was left
00:21:38.83\00:21:40.83
but the other two
thirds basically like exploded.
00:21:40.86\00:21:44.83
And yeah, I was in rough shape.
00:21:44.87\00:21:48.14
I was in a drug induced coma
for about two and a half days,
00:21:48.17\00:21:52.17
and then spent
about four and a half,
00:21:52.21\00:21:54.21
five weeks in ICU after that.
00:21:54.24\00:21:57.41
And then for the
next nine months,
00:21:57.45\00:21:58.85
basically was
relearning how to walk
00:21:58.88\00:22:01.52
and adjust back to
normal to get back up to health.
00:22:01.55\00:22:04.69
So it was a way, I
didn't know at the time,
00:22:04.72\00:22:07.76
but it was a way of the Lord
00:22:07.79\00:22:09.22
really stopping my
flow of momentum and saying,
00:22:09.26\00:22:13.36
"Look, if you can't
chill, then I'll make you chill.
00:22:13.40\00:22:15.63
You need to slow down."
00:22:15.66\00:22:17.00
And...
00:22:17.03\00:22:18.37
So it was a big
wake-up call for you, I guess.
00:22:18.40\00:22:19.97
It was a huge wake-up call.
00:22:20.00\00:22:21.77
Now something
happened while I was in coma.
00:22:21.80\00:22:24.84
I didn't know it.
00:22:24.87\00:22:27.74
But the elders and the
pastor of the Berkeley Springs
00:22:27.78\00:22:31.85
Seventh-day Adventist
Church out in West Virginia,
00:22:31.88\00:22:34.72
which is where my
grandparents were,
00:22:34.75\00:22:36.69
they came out,
00:22:36.72\00:22:38.25
my grandparents
had let everybody know
00:22:38.29\00:22:39.95
what had happened.
00:22:39.99\00:22:41.32
And a crew came out
of elders and the pastor
00:22:41.36\00:22:46.29
and they came out
and while I was in coma,
00:22:46.33\00:22:48.20
they anointed me.
00:22:48.23\00:22:49.56
Wow.
00:22:49.60\00:22:50.93
You know, they
were at the bedside
00:22:50.97\00:22:52.30
and they anointed me.
00:22:52.33\00:22:53.67
Praise the Lord. I
had no clue about this.
00:22:53.70\00:22:55.04
And at this point, no
interest in the church
00:22:55.07\00:22:56.40
or God or anything.
00:22:56.44\00:22:57.77
So, that came into factor later,
00:22:57.81\00:23:00.81
realizing that
that had happened.
00:23:00.84\00:23:02.31
But yeah, came out of coma
00:23:02.34\00:23:05.55
and started
getting a little bit better
00:23:05.58\00:23:07.62
and then was the road to
recovery and rehabilitation,
00:23:07.65\00:23:11.42
learning how to walk again
and readjust to life and...
00:23:11.45\00:23:14.36
Sure.
00:23:14.39\00:23:15.72
After about a
year of recovering,
00:23:15.76\00:23:18.56
I finally got to the point
00:23:18.59\00:23:19.93
where I got a
clean bill of health
00:23:19.96\00:23:21.30
and got out of the Marines.
00:23:21.33\00:23:23.03
Wow. So...
00:23:23.06\00:23:24.40
So while you're,
00:23:24.43\00:23:25.77
you know, in this I
can't imagine the pain,
00:23:25.80\00:23:28.00
the discomfort and
all of the rehabilitation,
00:23:28.04\00:23:30.54
you've got to do,
00:23:30.57\00:23:31.91
what's going through your mind
00:23:31.94\00:23:33.34
through all of
this very difficult
00:23:33.38\00:23:34.94
because you can't
just get up and walk out,
00:23:34.98\00:23:36.54
go do what you want to
do or go here, go there?
00:23:36.58\00:23:39.21
Yeah, I mean,
it's got to be tough
00:23:39.25\00:23:41.12
on the mind during that time.
00:23:41.15\00:23:42.48
So what was
going through your mind
00:23:42.52\00:23:43.85
during this rehab process?
00:23:43.89\00:23:45.99
Yeah, so there
was another element,
00:23:46.02\00:23:47.99
humbling element there
00:23:48.02\00:23:49.52
because I was at a hospital
00:23:49.56\00:23:51.69
where, I was at the
National Naval Medical Center
00:23:51.73\00:23:53.70
in Bethesda, Maryland.
00:23:53.73\00:23:55.06
And I was in an
area that had people
00:23:55.10\00:23:58.30
that had their legs
blown off and had gotten shot.
00:23:58.33\00:24:02.47
And so here I am, an idiot
00:24:02.50\00:24:04.44
that had gotten into
a motorcycle accident,
00:24:04.47\00:24:06.41
a self-inflicted
wound, pretty much.
00:24:06.44\00:24:08.91
I have no way to be
able to moan and groan
00:24:08.94\00:24:11.81
about my situation
00:24:11.85\00:24:13.18
because in the
next room beside me,
00:24:13.21\00:24:15.05
there's people that you know,
00:24:15.08\00:24:16.69
that were going
through something a lot worse,
00:24:16.72\00:24:18.35
you know, than I was.
00:24:18.39\00:24:19.72
So, that helped.
00:24:19.75\00:24:21.09
I also had, I
wish I knew her name,
00:24:21.12\00:24:22.46
I should have tried
to get a hold of her.
00:24:22.49\00:24:23.99
I had a Jamaican nurse
00:24:24.03\00:24:25.96
that just
wouldn't let me be a wuss.
00:24:25.99\00:24:28.20
Like she just, you
know, "You should toughen up.
00:24:28.23\00:24:30.77
Boy, you're Marine, right?"
00:24:30.80\00:24:32.47
Yeah, so every day it
was like, "Get out of bed."
00:24:32.50\00:24:34.94
And I'm like, "Yo,
I got a broke back.
00:24:34.97\00:24:36.44
I'm not getting out of bed."
00:24:36.47\00:24:37.81
And she's like,
"Son, get out of bed.
00:24:37.84\00:24:39.17
Let's go. You got to move."
00:24:39.21\00:24:40.54
And I'm like, "All right,
all right, let's do this."
00:24:40.58\00:24:42.11
Oh, man. That's cool.
00:24:42.14\00:24:43.48
That's cool. Praise the Lord.
00:24:43.51\00:24:45.01
So now you're out of
rehab, you're walking again.
00:24:45.05\00:24:48.85
So now what happens?
00:24:48.88\00:24:50.29
Because all of this big
wake-up call in your life,
00:24:50.32\00:24:53.76
this is now a new,
00:24:53.79\00:24:55.16
it's a new you to a
certain extent, right?
00:24:55.19\00:24:57.03
Now, you're seeing
things maybe a little clearer.
00:24:57.06\00:24:59.29
What happens next?
00:24:59.33\00:25:00.66
So, I had an encounter.
00:25:00.70\00:25:02.60
I decided to go out to
West Virginia at this point,
00:25:02.63\00:25:04.87
when I got out of the Marines,
00:25:04.90\00:25:06.23
I started working
construction in Baltimore.
00:25:06.27\00:25:08.57
And I went out
to Berkeley Springs
00:25:08.60\00:25:12.24
and I went to go
visit my grandparents.
00:25:12.27\00:25:15.11
And, you know, my
grandma being a prayer warrior,
00:25:15.14\00:25:18.51
but she slipped too.
00:25:18.55\00:25:20.05
She, when my
mom had passed away,
00:25:20.08\00:25:22.45
some friends of
the family had given me
00:25:22.48\00:25:24.92
a copy of Early Writings.
00:25:24.95\00:25:27.19
And at the bottom,
they had just said,
00:25:27.22\00:25:28.56
you know, there
was a little engraved
00:25:28.59\00:25:30.96
writing in there
that was dedicated to me
00:25:30.99\00:25:33.56
and a handwritten portion
00:25:33.60\00:25:36.53
that was included into the book.
00:25:36.56\00:25:38.40
And my
grandmother, I knew the book,
00:25:38.43\00:25:40.64
like I knew that
someone had given it to me,
00:25:40.67\00:25:42.50
but it was early on and
I hadn't seen it for years.
00:25:42.54\00:25:44.41
Sure.
00:25:44.44\00:25:45.77
So in the room
that I was staying,
00:25:45.81\00:25:47.14
in the guest room
00:25:47.18\00:25:48.51
that I was staying
in at my grandparents,
00:25:48.54\00:25:49.88
my grandma,
00:25:49.91\00:25:51.25
she didn't put it
right on top of everything,
00:25:51.28\00:25:52.61
but the
nightstand right by the bed,
00:25:52.65\00:25:54.45
she kind of put
it underneath a book,
00:25:54.48\00:25:57.12
but where I could see
the gold encrypt letterings.
00:25:57.15\00:26:00.92
And so she was slick
and I picked up the book,
00:26:00.96\00:26:04.49
and I was like,
"Oh, that's right.
00:26:04.53\00:26:05.86
I do remember being given this."
00:26:05.89\00:26:07.93
And I read
started reading the book.
00:26:07.96\00:26:12.23
And you know,
I, there's probably
00:26:12.27\00:26:13.90
maybe a little
over a handful of times
00:26:13.94\00:26:16.81
in my life where I've,
00:26:16.84\00:26:18.84
my eyes have leaked.
00:26:18.87\00:26:20.38
Sure. And, but that's about it.
00:26:20.41\00:26:22.61
And it was just this
mastery over your emotions
00:26:22.64\00:26:25.21
and being able to
control and compose yourself,
00:26:25.25\00:26:28.68
I was very proud of.
00:26:28.72\00:26:30.05
But I started reading this book,
00:26:30.09\00:26:31.42
and it did just my
eyes started tearing up,
00:26:31.45\00:26:34.56
you know, I started leaking.
00:26:34.59\00:26:36.52
And then all of a sudden,
it was just buckets of tears.
00:26:36.56\00:26:38.66
And I chucked the
book across the room,
00:26:38.69\00:26:40.26
I was so mad
that this little book
00:26:40.30\00:26:42.73
had the power to over me.
00:26:42.76\00:26:44.67
Yeah, I'm a man, I'm a man.
00:26:44.70\00:26:46.43
I ain't going to cry.
00:26:46.47\00:26:47.80
I couldn't control my emotions.
00:26:47.84\00:26:49.17
For like the
first time in my life
00:26:49.20\00:26:50.54
I just really
couldn't control my emotions.
00:26:50.57\00:26:52.84
And, so I
didn't finish the book.
00:26:52.87\00:26:56.75
I read most of it
00:26:56.78\00:26:58.11
and then I just
thought was like,
00:26:58.15\00:26:59.48
"Yeah, this isn't,
00:26:59.51\00:27:00.85
you know, I don't
want to be part of this."
00:27:00.88\00:27:02.82
So, fast forward,
just like about a year,
00:27:02.85\00:27:05.95
I joined, I got on
with one of my good friends
00:27:05.99\00:27:08.36
in the Marines,
00:27:08.39\00:27:09.72
his dad started this company
called On Target Challenge.
00:27:09.76\00:27:12.29
And they ran a
firefighter competition
00:27:12.33\00:27:14.23
and a SWAT competition.
00:27:14.26\00:27:15.90
And I got to be a
referee for a year
00:27:15.93\00:27:18.67
and travel on tour with
him doing these competitions.
00:27:18.70\00:27:22.50
And after that year
had passed, you know, I...
00:27:22.54\00:27:26.04
It was a
transition into construction.
00:27:26.07\00:27:27.44
Sure.
00:27:27.48\00:27:28.81
And I joined a company, a
drywall and painting company
00:27:28.84\00:27:31.15
that was doing well
00:27:31.18\00:27:33.38
but was starting to slowly,
00:27:33.42\00:27:35.22
you know, go under.
00:27:35.25\00:27:36.69
And so it was like, "Okay,
00:27:36.72\00:27:38.05
I can be a part of trying
to build this thing back up."
00:27:38.09\00:27:39.79
Well, that didn't really happen.
00:27:39.82\00:27:41.32
I stayed there
but just financially,
00:27:41.36\00:27:44.09
emotionally a lot of the
PTSD was really kicking in.
00:27:44.13\00:27:47.80
I was just getting bombarded.
00:27:47.83\00:27:49.23
I don't know why,
but just, I know why now,
00:27:49.26\00:27:51.80
but then I didn't know why.
00:27:51.83\00:27:53.17
And, you know, just
got heavy into drinking
00:27:53.20\00:27:56.04
and a whole lot of
things that I won't glorify,
00:27:56.07\00:27:58.01
but it was just, you
know, hitting rock bottom.
00:27:58.04\00:28:00.28
Right. Right.
00:28:00.31\00:28:01.64
And with that, I started
00:28:01.68\00:28:03.01
also hitting rock
bottom financially,
00:28:03.04\00:28:04.78
and ended up getting
kicked out of the place
00:28:04.81\00:28:08.62
that I was living.
00:28:08.65\00:28:09.98
I started sleeping in my car
00:28:10.02\00:28:12.12
and that ended up getting repoed
00:28:12.15\00:28:14.86
and I finally asked
my boss, I was like,
00:28:14.89\00:28:16.59
"Hey, you know,
can I just stay here
00:28:16.62\00:28:17.96
at the shop?"
00:28:17.99\00:28:19.33
So I just got my
Marine sleeping bag
00:28:19.36\00:28:20.70
and laid it, he had a pool table
00:28:20.73\00:28:22.06
at the drywall shop.
00:28:22.10\00:28:23.67
That became my home,
00:28:23.70\00:28:25.03
was just, was a pool table
and there was a little sink
00:28:25.07\00:28:30.31
and a little
bathroom in the shop,
00:28:30.34\00:28:32.21
took bird baths in the
morning, you know and that,
00:28:32.24\00:28:34.51
nobody knew that
I was living there
00:28:34.54\00:28:35.88
except for my boss.
00:28:35.91\00:28:37.25
And so, yeah, it was a...
00:28:37.28\00:28:39.01
That began a process
of hitting rock bottom.
00:28:39.05\00:28:42.88
Sure, sure.
00:28:42.92\00:28:44.25
So I decided at that point
00:28:44.29\00:28:45.62
I was going to
make another trip out
00:28:45.65\00:28:47.42
to see my grandparents.
00:28:47.46\00:28:48.79
Right.
00:28:48.82\00:28:50.16
And so I did and my grandma
she's on the slick again.
00:28:50.19\00:28:51.83
She made sure. She's persistent.
00:28:51.86\00:28:54.73
I think she picked
that book up off the ground
00:28:54.76\00:28:56.80
and knew something had happened.
00:28:56.83\00:28:58.17
Okay.
00:28:58.20\00:28:59.53
So she slipped it
underneath another book again
00:28:59.57\00:29:01.17
and had it by the
bedside and I did,
00:29:01.20\00:29:04.01
I read it again and this
time all the way through.
00:29:04.04\00:29:06.88
And it crushed me.
00:29:06.91\00:29:08.28
I mean it just
completely crushed me
00:29:08.31\00:29:09.88
but it filled me with a
hope that I hadn't had before.
00:29:09.91\00:29:11.81
Sure.
00:29:11.85\00:29:13.18
And that was the
necessary seed that was planted.
00:29:13.21\00:29:16.15
That's amazing.
00:29:16.18\00:29:17.52
Of all the books,
00:29:17.55\00:29:18.92
I'm just thinking to myself,
00:29:18.95\00:29:20.29
Early Writings,
'cause that's really not,
00:29:20.32\00:29:22.06
I mean, it's a powerful book
00:29:22.09\00:29:23.43
and I've read
much of Early Writings
00:29:23.46\00:29:24.79
but it's not one
of those books that's,
00:29:24.83\00:29:27.40
you know, you're like,
"Hey, you know, go share."
00:29:27.43\00:29:29.26
It's usually, you
know, Steps to Christ
00:29:29.30\00:29:31.03
or Great
Controversy or Desire of Ages
00:29:31.07\00:29:33.40
or, you know, one of those
00:29:33.44\00:29:34.77
you know, Conflict
of the Ages type things.
00:29:34.80\00:29:37.04
But Early Writings,
Bro, let me say something.
00:29:37.07\00:29:40.18
That's, it's a powerful book
00:29:40.21\00:29:41.54
and so that was the one
the Lord used to get you, Bro.
00:29:41.58\00:29:45.05
That's amazing.
00:29:45.08\00:29:46.41
After the second
time of just like,
00:29:46.45\00:29:47.88
you know, of
losing buckets of tears,
00:29:47.92\00:29:50.49
I was like, "All
right, this is it,
00:29:50.52\00:29:52.49
like I think my
heart is ready to just,
00:29:52.52\00:29:55.36
to surrender completely."
00:29:55.39\00:29:56.73
I was broken,
you know completely
00:29:56.76\00:29:58.93
in every aspect,
spiritually, physically,
00:29:58.96\00:30:01.20
mentally,
financially, emotionally,
00:30:01.23\00:30:03.33
just everything was broken.
00:30:03.37\00:30:05.50
And it was like the
Lord was like, "Finally,
00:30:05.53\00:30:07.60
you know, you
knucklehead, finally,
00:30:07.64\00:30:09.14
I've got you,
00:30:09.17\00:30:10.51
where I needed
you the whole time.
00:30:10.54\00:30:11.87
And that was just,
you know, at a place
00:30:11.91\00:30:13.24
where you'll acknowledge me."
00:30:13.27\00:30:14.84
And, He was right.
00:30:14.88\00:30:16.91
He was right. That's amazing.
00:30:16.95\00:30:18.91
So, you read this book,
now you're hooked, you're...
00:30:18.95\00:30:24.55
So now what happens now?
00:30:24.59\00:30:25.92
So now you got, there's
got to be a response, right?
00:30:25.95\00:30:28.62
Because now you know
God's got your heart, right?
00:30:28.66\00:30:30.83
You know, He's been
knocking on the door,
00:30:30.86\00:30:32.76
you're finally ready to open it.
00:30:32.79\00:30:34.20
And so now where does
He take you from here?
00:30:34.23\00:30:36.23
On fire, He lit me on
fire. Praise the Lord.
00:30:36.26\00:30:39.00
So I started
attending the Berkeley Springs
00:30:39.03\00:30:42.54
Seventh-day
Adventist Church and that was
00:30:42.57\00:30:44.64
while I was still
living out in Baltimore,
00:30:44.67\00:30:47.04
that was an hour and
a half commute one way.
00:30:47.08\00:30:49.48
So I was driving out to
Berkeley Springs on Sabbath
00:30:49.51\00:30:53.05
and just being
as active as I could
00:30:53.08\00:30:55.42
and the church just embraced me.
00:30:55.45\00:30:57.72
They saw, you know, the fire
00:30:57.75\00:30:59.39
and they
embraced me, accepted me.
00:30:59.42\00:31:01.92
What I didn't
know, what I learned
00:31:01.96\00:31:03.53
was they had embraced me long
00:31:03.56\00:31:04.89
before when I was
on the hospital bed,
00:31:04.93\00:31:06.33
they embraced me.
00:31:06.36\00:31:07.70
That's amazing.
00:31:07.73\00:31:09.06
They've been shooting prayers,
00:31:09.10\00:31:10.43
you know, eras of prayer
up to the throne for years,
00:31:10.47\00:31:12.27
without me knowing.
00:31:12.30\00:31:13.64
And it was
finally like paying off.
00:31:13.67\00:31:15.10
And so, I came in to the...
00:31:15.14\00:31:16.81
I just got a pause
here just to make this point
00:31:16.84\00:31:18.51
because this is powerful.
00:31:18.54\00:31:19.87
Don't stop
praying. Okay, that's it.
00:31:19.91\00:31:22.04
That's the most
important point here.
00:31:22.08\00:31:23.51
I just want to make here.
00:31:23.55\00:31:24.88
You never know,
if you think of the,
00:31:24.91\00:31:26.98
that family member
that you're thinking
00:31:27.02\00:31:28.48
of right now, that child,
00:31:28.52\00:31:30.12
you maybe it's a
father, a mother,
00:31:30.15\00:31:31.85
a child, a sister, a
brother, an aunt, an uncle,
00:31:31.89\00:31:34.39
a friend, a coworker,
this is proof, my friends,
00:31:34.42\00:31:37.79
I just want to
just take this moment.
00:31:37.83\00:31:39.36
Never stop praying,
be persistent in prayer.
00:31:39.39\00:31:42.46
I'm thinking of
Matthew 7, where Jesus says,
00:31:42.50\00:31:44.50
you know, "Ask and it
shall be given to you,
00:31:44.53\00:31:46.40
knock and it shall be open,
00:31:46.43\00:31:47.77
seek and you shall find."
00:31:47.80\00:31:49.14
In the original
language there it says,
00:31:49.17\00:31:50.74
"Keep asking, keep knocking,
00:31:50.77\00:31:52.37
keep praying, keep seeking Him."
00:31:52.41\00:31:54.51
Because in this case,
00:31:54.54\00:31:55.88
you know, they had been
praying for you for years.
00:31:55.91\00:31:57.61
And a lot of times
I hear people say that
00:31:57.65\00:31:59.58
parents, family, well,
00:31:59.61\00:32:00.95
"You know, I'm praying
and I'm praying and praying,
00:32:00.98\00:32:02.32
and they're just not,
00:32:02.35\00:32:03.69
you know, God just
isn't able to reach them."
00:32:03.72\00:32:05.05
But you don't know,
you don't know what event
00:32:05.09\00:32:07.96
or what occurrence may happen,
00:32:07.99\00:32:09.69
that God is able to
finally penetrate that heart
00:32:09.72\00:32:13.23
because of your prayers.
00:32:13.26\00:32:14.90
So, I just want to
just take that moment
00:32:14.93\00:32:16.56
just to say that to
our viewers at home,
00:32:16.60\00:32:18.60
that you're sitting here today
00:32:18.63\00:32:20.64
because of a bunch of
people, your grandparents,
00:32:20.67\00:32:23.17
a church full of people
00:32:23.20\00:32:24.54
who are
persistently praying for him.
00:32:24.57\00:32:26.84
And this hardcore military man,
00:32:26.88\00:32:29.34
gentleman, God
was able to break you
00:32:29.38\00:32:31.01
and take that heart of stone
00:32:31.05\00:32:32.45
and turn it into a soft
heart receptive of the gospel.
00:32:32.48\00:32:35.22
And so praise the Lord for that.
00:32:35.25\00:32:36.58
Keep praying, never stop praying
00:32:36.62\00:32:38.12
because God can work miracles.
00:32:38.15\00:32:39.49
Yeah. Okay, let's continue on.
00:32:39.52\00:32:40.86
I'm sorry.
00:32:40.89\00:32:42.22
So, the church is now,
you're involved in the church,
00:32:42.26\00:32:44.19
now what happens from here?
00:32:44.23\00:32:45.56
They allowed me to
start teaching Sabbath School
00:32:45.59\00:32:47.83
and to preach and yeah,
00:32:47.86\00:32:51.87
it was just, they
just said, "Have at it."
00:32:51.90\00:32:54.70
Now I had a lot of
questions, obviously,
00:32:54.74\00:32:56.87
as most people coming in do is,
00:32:56.91\00:32:59.17
I had a lot of
questions, so many questions.
00:32:59.21\00:33:01.24
Some people just
were like, "Dude,
00:33:01.28\00:33:04.11
there's somebody you
need to see to answer
00:33:04.15\00:33:05.85
some of these questions."
00:33:05.88\00:33:07.22
A lot of the
questions had to revolve around
00:33:07.25\00:33:09.32
Ellen White and her writings.
00:33:09.35\00:33:10.69
Yeah.
00:33:10.72\00:33:12.05
And so they were like,
"You need to go see Roger."
00:33:12.09\00:33:14.96
And I was like,
"Okay, well, who's Roger?
00:33:14.99\00:33:16.56
And how can I
get a hold of him?"
00:33:16.59\00:33:18.03
And they gave me his address.
00:33:18.06\00:33:19.93
And one Sabbath, I
went to go visit Roger.
00:33:19.96\00:33:23.43
Roger, his name is Roger Kuhn.
00:33:23.47\00:33:26.43
And he was the, I
didn't know it at the time,
00:33:26.47\00:33:29.07
but he was, you know, he
was responsible for starting
00:33:29.10\00:33:32.31
that what's now
Babcock University
00:33:32.34\00:33:34.28
out in Africa.
00:33:34.31\00:33:35.88
He worked as a
pastor, as a missionary,
00:33:35.91\00:33:37.91
but also as the
Associate Director
00:33:37.95\00:33:39.98
of the whitest
states for 12 years.
00:33:40.02\00:33:41.35
Okay.
00:33:41.38\00:33:42.72
And so they were
like, "Yeah, go see Roger."
00:33:42.75\00:33:44.22
So I went and
visited him at his home
00:33:44.25\00:33:47.22
and we just, we hit it off.
00:33:47.26\00:33:48.99
He had lost, his
hearing had just,
00:33:49.02\00:33:51.59
he had been losing his
hearing for years and years
00:33:51.63\00:33:53.53
and finally got to a point
00:33:53.56\00:33:54.90
where he'd go to church
00:33:54.93\00:33:56.26
and people would
ask them questions,
00:33:56.30\00:33:57.63
and he would start answering
00:33:57.67\00:33:59.00
but he'd be answering a question
00:33:59.03\00:34:00.47
they didn't ask.
00:34:00.50\00:34:01.84
And it was just
the embarrassment
00:34:01.87\00:34:03.34
kind of got a hold of him
00:34:03.37\00:34:05.01
and he slowly
stopped going to church
00:34:05.04\00:34:06.51
and started kind of
becoming more of a recluse.
00:34:06.54\00:34:09.84
And so I come
knocking on his door,
00:34:09.88\00:34:11.31
and I'm like, "Hey,
I heard you're the guy
00:34:11.35\00:34:12.68
with the answers, and I
got a lot of questions."
00:34:12.71\00:34:15.02
So for the next nine months,
00:34:15.05\00:34:17.75
he and I, every
Sabbath, studied on his couch,
00:34:17.79\00:34:21.72
just he went through his life
00:34:21.76\00:34:23.09
and teachings of
Ellen White class
00:34:23.12\00:34:24.53
that he taught up at seminary.
00:34:24.56\00:34:25.89
Sure.
00:34:25.93\00:34:27.26
He went through just
his whole life experience.
00:34:27.30\00:34:28.63
He answered every question.
00:34:28.66\00:34:30.00
If I asked a
question he'd be like,
00:34:30.03\00:34:31.37
"I'll give you
the cliff note version
00:34:31.40\00:34:32.73
right now but next Sabbath,
00:34:32.77\00:34:34.17
I'll have something for you."
00:34:34.20\00:34:35.54
And I'd show up next Sabbath
00:34:35.57\00:34:36.91
and he had a folder
with like 20 pieces of paper,
00:34:36.94\00:34:38.91
just of everything
to answer the question.
00:34:38.94\00:34:41.44
And just it was awesome.
00:34:41.48\00:34:43.31
The dynamics were awesome
00:34:43.35\00:34:44.68
because I was someone
hungering for knowledge...
00:34:44.71\00:34:47.05
Yes.
00:34:47.08\00:34:48.42
And he was a lifelong teacher
00:34:48.45\00:34:50.89
that no longer had a student
and wasn't going to church.
00:34:50.92\00:34:53.86
And the Lord
just crossed our paths
00:34:53.89\00:34:55.86
at the right time.
00:34:55.89\00:34:57.23
And, yeah, for nine
months, we studied together
00:34:57.26\00:34:59.59
before he finally
took his last breath.
00:34:59.63\00:35:01.50
So basically, God put
this guy in your life at a time
00:35:01.53\00:35:05.07
when you've got
all these questions
00:35:05.10\00:35:07.34
and to make sense of
this whole Christianity
00:35:07.37\00:35:09.50
Christian
experience that the Lord
00:35:09.54\00:35:10.97
is bringing you through.
00:35:11.01\00:35:12.34
This guy had the answers
00:35:12.37\00:35:13.71
that you needed to
make all this make sense.
00:35:13.74\00:35:15.31
He had all the answers.
00:35:15.34\00:35:16.68
Everything that I
could ever ask for,
00:35:16.71\00:35:18.05
he was there to provide.
00:35:18.08\00:35:19.41
And I was a
student eager for a teacher
00:35:19.45\00:35:22.22
and God provided
and a teacher eager
00:35:22.25\00:35:23.75
for a student.
00:35:23.79\00:35:25.12
And, yeah, nine
months, I get to spend with him
00:35:25.15\00:35:28.52
until he finally
took his last breath.
00:35:28.56\00:35:30.03
And it was just,
it was beautiful.
00:35:30.06\00:35:31.53
That connection was beautiful.
00:35:31.56\00:35:32.89
I got you, man.
That's so powerful.
00:35:32.93\00:35:34.36
That's a beautiful thing.
00:35:34.40\00:35:36.16
And sometimes
that has to happen.
00:35:36.20\00:35:37.53
You know, we're going
through this experience,
00:35:37.57\00:35:40.47
trying to just
make sense of the Bible,
00:35:40.50\00:35:42.70
trying to make sense of things
00:35:42.74\00:35:44.21
that doesn't
quite make sense to us.
00:35:44.24\00:35:45.61
But, you know, God will
send the right person along.
00:35:45.64\00:35:47.64
And in this case, you know,
Roger was that guy for you.
00:35:47.68\00:35:49.84
So, praise the Lord for that.
00:35:49.88\00:35:52.31
So now, take us into the next.
00:35:52.35\00:35:54.28
So now, you know,
Rogers kind of no longer there,
00:35:54.32\00:35:57.89
but now you've been equipped
with enough to know that,
00:35:57.92\00:36:00.09
"Okay, something's
happening in my life.
00:36:00.12\00:36:01.86
God's doing something
mighty in my heart and mind."
00:36:01.89\00:36:04.29
So what happens next,
00:36:04.33\00:36:05.66
that really
launches you forward?
00:36:05.69\00:36:07.06
Yeah. So it wasn't just Roger.
00:36:07.10\00:36:08.86
So there was a couple
others, Don and Wayne Robinson,
00:36:08.90\00:36:12.33
descendant of Mrs. White
00:36:12.37\00:36:14.37
that was in the church.
00:36:14.40\00:36:15.74
Okay. And Ken and Ruth Wright.
00:36:15.77\00:36:17.57
And they were just
masters of teaching
00:36:17.61\00:36:19.61
how to be good stewards.
00:36:19.64\00:36:20.98
And it was just all
these valuable assets
00:36:21.01\00:36:22.94
bundled up in this church
00:36:22.98\00:36:24.31
that I was just coming into.
00:36:24.35\00:36:25.68
There was also
another key individual
00:36:25.71\00:36:27.45
that was at that church.
00:36:27.48\00:36:29.05
His name's Luther Robertson.
00:36:29.08\00:36:30.62
And he's very determined
00:36:34.19\00:36:36.99
when he has
something in his mind.
00:36:37.03\00:36:38.36
Amen.
00:36:38.39\00:36:39.73
And he has a granddaughter,
00:36:39.76\00:36:41.10
and he was very determined
that her and I should meet.
00:36:41.13\00:36:43.83
And... Okay.
00:36:43.87\00:36:45.27
He was determined.
00:36:45.30\00:36:46.63
So, at potluck, he go, hey,
00:36:46.67\00:36:48.00
I want to introduce
you to my granddaughter
00:36:48.04\00:36:50.57
when she gets here.
00:36:50.61\00:36:51.94
And I'm like, "You
know, no, thank you.
00:36:51.97\00:36:53.44
Like, I'm on a path right now.
00:36:53.48\00:36:55.18
No Delilahs in my life, please.
00:36:55.21\00:36:57.01
I'm just like,
I'm going forward,
00:36:57.05\00:36:58.95
you know, and
I've got a mission,
00:36:58.98\00:37:00.52
and I'm not
going to be detoured."
00:37:00.55\00:37:02.82
And so I was at work one day,
00:37:02.85\00:37:05.22
I was like 25
feet up on a ladder,
00:37:05.25\00:37:07.12
and I get this phone call,
00:37:07.16\00:37:08.99
and I pick it up,
and it was Luther.
00:37:09.02\00:37:11.36
And he was like, "Hey,
you got a piece of paper
00:37:11.39\00:37:14.33
and a pencil or a pen?
00:37:14.36\00:37:15.70
I'm like, "Well,
no, I'm on the ladder."
00:37:15.73\00:37:17.07
And he's like, "Well
get down and get it."
00:37:17.10\00:37:18.43
And so I did.
00:37:18.47\00:37:19.87
And I'm like, "All right,
what do you need, Luther?"
00:37:19.90\00:37:21.80
And he said,
"Write down this number."
00:37:21.84\00:37:23.81
And he gave me his
granddaughter's number.
00:37:23.84\00:37:25.31
And I'm like,
"Are you kidding me?
00:37:25.34\00:37:26.68
I'm at work right now.
00:37:26.71\00:37:28.34
I just climbed
down a ladder for this?"
00:37:28.38\00:37:30.88
And I didn't
call her, and so he,
00:37:30.91\00:37:34.02
next time I saw
him, he actually,
00:37:34.05\00:37:36.25
she showed up at
church to come visit,
00:37:36.28\00:37:38.19
and so we
formally got introduced
00:37:38.22\00:37:40.46
then and things
really kicked off.
00:37:40.49\00:37:43.99
I had never really had a...
00:37:44.03\00:37:46.76
I had never really been dumped
00:37:46.80\00:37:49.00
or experienced hardship
00:37:49.03\00:37:51.07
in a
relationship before like that.
00:37:51.10\00:37:52.47
Right.
00:37:52.50\00:37:53.84
So, our first
date, she stood me up.
00:37:53.87\00:37:55.97
Oh, okay.
00:37:56.00\00:37:57.34
Yeah, we were supposed to
go to a Braves game and she...
00:37:57.37\00:37:59.51
Braves and Orioles game
00:37:59.54\00:38:00.88
and she stood me up
and I was like, "Oh..."
00:38:00.91\00:38:02.38
She's not having
any interviews call.
00:38:02.41\00:38:03.75
Yeah.
00:38:03.78\00:38:05.11
I was like, "Okay, well,
00:38:05.15\00:38:06.48
this is why I
shouldn't have any,
00:38:06.51\00:38:07.85
you know, Delilahs in my life."
00:38:07.88\00:38:09.22
So... All right.
00:38:09.25\00:38:10.59
Get on the path
and keep going forward.
00:38:10.62\00:38:11.95
And we ended up kind
of hashing things out
00:38:11.99\00:38:16.12
and then and we
were complete opposites
00:38:16.16\00:38:18.43
of each other.
00:38:18.46\00:38:19.79
And, but I put her
through a couple of tests.
00:38:19.83\00:38:22.00
I, you know, I
took her skydiving,
00:38:22.03\00:38:24.10
not just once, I took
her twice and like a champ...
00:38:24.13\00:38:27.90
Wow.
00:38:27.94\00:38:29.74
She went and I've
taken her paragliding.
00:38:29.77\00:38:32.77
And just like we've
had all types of fun,
00:38:32.81\00:38:34.48
but she met all the
tests that it's like, "Okay,
00:38:34.51\00:38:36.41
I need to know..."
00:38:36.44\00:38:37.85
You can jump out of a
plane then you could be my wife.
00:38:37.88\00:38:39.61
That's right. I
got you. All right.
00:38:39.65\00:38:40.98
You have to
understand the element of crazy
00:38:41.02\00:38:42.75
that exists within my,
00:38:42.78\00:38:44.12
you know, in between my ears.
00:38:44.15\00:38:45.82
And if you're cool
with that, then awesome.
00:38:45.85\00:38:49.09
So, yeah and... It's amazing.
00:38:49.12\00:38:51.43
So at that point,
you know, it's been fun
00:38:51.46\00:38:54.56
since then just
she's been with me
00:38:54.60\00:38:56.90
and we've been
supporting each other.
00:38:56.93\00:38:58.83
And at this point
now we got married
00:38:58.87\00:39:01.34
and we've now got
two beautiful children.
00:39:01.37\00:39:03.04
I think actually,
00:39:03.07\00:39:04.41
you guys have a
couple pictures...
00:39:04.44\00:39:05.77
Yeah, let's pulls
those pictures up.
00:39:05.81\00:39:07.14
On that. So this
is my little man.
00:39:07.18\00:39:08.71
This is Silas.
00:39:08.74\00:39:10.08
He's three and a half years old.
00:39:10.11\00:39:11.45
We've got a just a...
00:39:11.48\00:39:14.08
We do a lot of
composting and worm vermicasting
00:39:14.12\00:39:18.09
and so that's a little
man with all the worms.
00:39:18.12\00:39:20.59
That's him just taking the mic
00:39:20.62\00:39:22.62
and doing this thing
up on up near the pulpit.
00:39:22.66\00:39:26.26
And this is my wife,
Keri, and my son, Silas,
00:39:26.29\00:39:29.60
my daughter, Gabriela.
00:39:29.63\00:39:30.97
Oh, that's
cool. Praise the Lord.
00:39:31.00\00:39:32.73
This little
Gabriela, she's a handful.
00:39:32.77\00:39:34.54
She's a spitfire,
00:39:34.57\00:39:35.94
strawberry blonde and
every bit of attitude.
00:39:35.97\00:39:38.11
Wow.
00:39:38.14\00:39:39.94
You got a
beautiful family brother.
00:39:39.97\00:39:41.58
The Lord has blessed you.
00:39:41.61\00:39:42.94
They're
awesome. They're awesome.
00:39:42.98\00:39:44.31
Amen.
00:39:44.35\00:39:45.68
Little man helps
me with raised beds.
00:39:45.71\00:39:47.05
Yep, he can operate drills.
00:39:47.08\00:39:48.48
He loves
everything that has a motor.
00:39:48.52\00:39:50.99
He loves it. All
right. All right.
00:39:51.02\00:39:52.65
Praise the
Lord. Praise the Lord.
00:39:52.69\00:39:54.29
So you marry your wife,
00:39:54.32\00:39:56.29
okay, you start, I
guess, start a family.
00:39:56.32\00:39:59.43
But what happens
post marriage now?
00:39:59.46\00:40:01.73
Yeah.
00:40:01.76\00:40:03.10
'Cause you was
telling me a little bit about
00:40:03.13\00:40:04.50
where God led you from there.
00:40:04.53\00:40:05.87
So tell us a
little bit about that?
00:40:05.90\00:40:07.24
So I didn't want to
do drywall obviously
00:40:07.27\00:40:08.80
for the rest of my life,
00:40:08.84\00:40:10.74
and so I was
going to take advantage
00:40:10.77\00:40:12.74
of the GI Bill
00:40:12.77\00:40:14.11
and let the
government pay for my schooling.
00:40:14.14\00:40:16.34
And I qualified
for another program,
00:40:16.38\00:40:18.88
the VocRehab Program,
00:40:18.91\00:40:20.35
which within if
you choose the job,
00:40:20.38\00:40:22.88
they will get the education
you need to have that job.
00:40:22.92\00:40:25.89
So I, you know, said well,
00:40:25.92\00:40:27.52
I want to be a
university professor.
00:40:27.56\00:40:29.26
Right.
00:40:29.29\00:40:30.63
And you need a PhD for that.
00:40:30.66\00:40:32.63
So it was like, "You
know, this is what I want to do.
00:40:32.66\00:40:34.60
So, you guys
going to pay for it?"
00:40:34.63\00:40:36.97
And it was sure thing.
00:40:37.00\00:40:38.33
So I went down back down
00:40:38.37\00:40:39.70
to Southern
Adventist University,
00:40:39.73\00:40:41.17
coming full circle
after so many years.
00:40:41.20\00:40:43.67
Right.
00:40:43.71\00:40:45.37
And starting with a handicap
00:40:45.41\00:40:48.31
'cause I think my GPA
was like 1.6 coming in.
00:40:48.34\00:40:51.75
So I was on academic probation
coming back in this school.
00:40:51.78\00:40:55.68
And, yeah, but
coming back to school...
00:40:55.72\00:40:57.65
You can imagine
someone was like,
00:40:57.69\00:40:59.02
"Oh, this guy,
right, oh, I remember you."
00:40:59.05\00:41:01.36
Luckily, nobody remembered me.
00:41:01.39\00:41:02.82
But... Oh, they didn't, okay.
00:41:02.86\00:41:04.19
Luckily.
00:41:04.23\00:41:05.73
But there, I
started school there,
00:41:05.76\00:41:09.93
I was doing religious education,
00:41:09.96\00:41:11.47
because that was
what I was going to,
00:41:11.50\00:41:12.83
you know, pursue.
00:41:12.87\00:41:14.20
Right.
00:41:14.24\00:41:15.57
But I really wanted
the whole experience
00:41:15.60\00:41:16.94
when it came to
religion classes.
00:41:16.97\00:41:18.31
I wanted all of the theology,
all of the religion classes,
00:41:18.34\00:41:19.81
I wanted to know the Greek
and Hebrew at least enough to,
00:41:19.84\00:41:22.71
to kind of trudge my way through
00:41:22.74\00:41:24.75
those two languages,
00:41:24.78\00:41:26.65
and the only degree that
00:41:26.68\00:41:28.72
that you could get all
the classes is theology.
00:41:28.75\00:41:30.79
So, I switched my
degree over to theology
00:41:30.82\00:41:33.22
to try to work the
system a little bit.
00:41:33.25\00:41:34.82
Sure.
00:41:34.86\00:41:36.19
And what I didn't know,
though, was your senior year,
00:41:36.22\00:41:39.39
you have to do
pastoral interviews.
00:41:39.43\00:41:41.56
My wife did not,
00:41:41.60\00:41:43.06
you know, did not
date and marry a pastor,
00:41:43.10\00:41:46.33
I did not go to
school to be a pastor,
00:41:46.37\00:41:48.24
never had a
desire to whatsoever.
00:41:48.27\00:41:50.01
Right.
00:41:50.04\00:41:51.57
I was not about
that pastor life.
00:41:51.61\00:41:54.21
And so, so but I tried to
work the system a little bit.
00:41:54.24\00:41:58.51
And then my
senior year, they do,
00:41:58.55\00:42:01.02
you know, I was, I had to
do the pastoral interviews
00:42:01.05\00:42:03.49
with the Southern Union.
00:42:03.52\00:42:04.85
So I did, you know,
00:42:04.89\00:42:06.22
and I wasn't
trying to sabotage things,
00:42:06.25\00:42:07.69
but I went
there on my motorcycle
00:42:07.72\00:42:10.29
and had steel
toed boots and jeans
00:42:10.33\00:42:12.19
and a polo shirt on,
00:42:12.23\00:42:14.50
and just took my helmet off
00:42:14.53\00:42:15.86
and went straight
into the interview.
00:42:15.90\00:42:17.67
And none of the Southern Union
00:42:17.70\00:42:19.37
wanted to have
anything to do with me.
00:42:19.40\00:42:20.87
So it was, to me it
was like, "Thank You, Lord.
00:42:20.90\00:42:22.84
Like, that's confirmation..."
00:42:22.87\00:42:24.21
Got that of way now.
00:42:24.24\00:42:25.57
"That's not my calling,
I've got a path and I'm on it.
00:42:25.61\00:42:28.01
So let's do it."
00:42:28.04\00:42:29.68
But my wife went
into the hospital
00:42:29.71\00:42:31.98
and to deliver our son,
00:42:32.01\00:42:35.12
and so we were in the hospital
00:42:35.15\00:42:36.58
and during that
time, bless her heart,
00:42:36.62\00:42:39.05
the most wonderful
woman in the world,
00:42:39.09\00:42:40.82
Star Stevens, she was like,
00:42:40.86\00:42:43.83
"Well, Matt," she texts
me and she's like, "Matt,
00:42:43.86\00:42:46.23
you know, I signed
you up for the interviews
00:42:46.26\00:42:48.10
for Wisconsin
00:42:48.13\00:42:49.46
and for Mountain View Conference
00:42:49.50\00:42:50.83
because, you know, I
know you couldn't sign up
00:42:50.87\00:42:52.20
'cause you're
there in the hospital."
00:42:52.23\00:42:53.57
And in my head I was just like,
00:42:53.60\00:42:55.64
"Star, no, I've
got my calling..."
00:42:55.67\00:42:57.77
What did you do? "Yeah. Why?
00:42:57.81\00:42:59.37
Why did you do that?"
00:42:59.41\00:43:00.74
But you can't, like if
you know, Star Stevens,
00:43:00.78\00:43:03.14
you can't do anything to
break that woman's heart.
00:43:03.18\00:43:04.58
That's right.
00:43:04.61\00:43:05.95
She's so sincere and genuine.
00:43:05.98\00:43:07.32
She's awesome.
00:43:07.35\00:43:08.68
So I went to the interview,
00:43:08.72\00:43:10.05
same way, I went to
the other interviews.
00:43:10.09\00:43:11.42
Got off my
motorcycle went right in,
00:43:11.45\00:43:12.95
and Elder Mike Hewitt,
00:43:12.99\00:43:16.29
and Pastor Walter Cardinia said,
00:43:16.32\00:43:18.79
they were both interviewing me
00:43:18.83\00:43:20.16
and they were just, you
know, they asked the questions,
00:43:20.20\00:43:22.66
and they're like,
"All right, sounds good.
00:43:22.70\00:43:25.70
I think we're done."
00:43:25.73\00:43:27.07
And I'm like, "All
right, you gentlemen, like,
00:43:27.10\00:43:28.44
have a good day."
00:43:28.47\00:43:29.80
And later they called
me back and they're like,
00:43:29.84\00:43:31.17
"Yeah, we want you to
come to the conference
00:43:31.21\00:43:32.74
and be a pastor."
00:43:32.77\00:43:34.51
And at that point,
like the bricks really just,
00:43:34.54\00:43:37.18
you know, we came
to a screeching halt.
00:43:37.21\00:43:39.85
My wife and I spent the night
00:43:39.88\00:43:41.38
you know, praying and
literally shedding a few tears
00:43:41.42\00:43:44.85
because it's like, well,
00:43:44.89\00:43:46.22
we can't deny a
calling like this is,
00:43:46.25\00:43:48.79
there's no way
to deny this calling
00:43:48.82\00:43:51.59
that it is from God.
00:43:51.63\00:43:52.96
And so we, you know,
tightened up our boots
00:43:52.99\00:43:55.33
and went forward
and accepted that call.
00:43:55.36\00:43:57.77
That's amazing.
00:43:57.80\00:43:59.13
So how long have
you been there now
00:43:59.17\00:44:00.50
with the Mountain View?
00:44:00.54\00:44:01.87
So we've been in the
Mountain View Conference
00:44:01.90\00:44:03.24
now for two and a half years,
00:44:03.27\00:44:04.74
and it's been awesome.
00:44:04.77\00:44:06.61
It's been
awesome. Praise the Lord.
00:44:06.64\00:44:08.58
The pastoral life is everything
that we feared it would be.
00:44:08.61\00:44:12.65
But at the same time, it
is so much of a blessing.
00:44:12.68\00:44:16.35
And the people, our
district is just great.
00:44:16.38\00:44:19.42
In my district,
I've got the Kingwood
00:44:19.45\00:44:21.89
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:44:21.92\00:44:23.26
the Morgantown
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:44:23.29\00:44:24.86
both in West Virginia,
00:44:24.89\00:44:26.23
and then the Mountaintop
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:44:26.26\00:44:28.06
in Oakland, Maryland.
00:44:28.10\00:44:29.43
And it's just
all three churches,
00:44:29.46\00:44:30.90
they got such good crew,
00:44:30.93\00:44:32.27
so I'm just constantly
inspired by their faith,
00:44:32.30\00:44:35.14
their determination
and their support is,
00:44:35.17\00:44:38.44
they'll fight
tooth and nail for me
00:44:38.47\00:44:39.97
and I'll do it for them.
00:44:40.01\00:44:41.48
And it's just, we're
doing the best we can
00:44:41.51\00:44:43.38
and that's all that we can do.
00:44:43.41\00:44:44.75
So... That's amazing.
00:44:44.78\00:44:46.11
It's been very, very exciting.
00:44:46.15\00:44:47.85
So... Praise the Lord.
00:44:47.88\00:44:49.22
You know, I don't know
00:44:49.25\00:44:50.59
why this question
came into my mind,
00:44:50.62\00:44:51.95
but I was just
curious more than anything,
00:44:51.99\00:44:54.22
you know, being having
the military background,
00:44:54.26\00:44:56.39
that kind of hardcore
mentality and lifestyle
00:44:56.42\00:44:59.09
and now into pastoral work.
00:44:59.13\00:45:02.00
How did, how has that in any way
00:45:02.03\00:45:04.03
maybe prepared you?
00:45:04.07\00:45:05.40
Or maybe it's
posted some challenges
00:45:05.43\00:45:07.24
and now the
transition to pastoral work?
00:45:07.27\00:45:09.37
What does that
like having that past
00:45:09.40\00:45:11.47
and now you're serving,
00:45:11.51\00:45:13.17
you go from one army now
you're in a different army,
00:45:13.21\00:45:15.24
you're serving in
the army of the Lord.
00:45:15.28\00:45:17.18
Tell us a little bit about that?
00:45:17.21\00:45:18.55
What's been the challenges
00:45:18.58\00:45:19.95
or maybe there's not
been any challenges for you?
00:45:19.98\00:45:22.72
Yeah, definitely some benefits.
00:45:22.75\00:45:24.52
Okay.
00:45:24.55\00:45:25.89
'Cause there are similarities
00:45:25.92\00:45:27.42
between physical
and spiritual combat.
00:45:27.46\00:45:30.86
First thing I did when
I came into the church,
00:45:30.89\00:45:32.93
though, I sold all of
my guns and that was like,
00:45:32.96\00:45:36.03
that was a weird experience
00:45:36.06\00:45:37.40
to get rid of all of my weapons.
00:45:37.43\00:45:38.77
Sure.
00:45:38.80\00:45:40.14
And it was just like,
"All right, Lord, I know,
00:45:40.17\00:45:41.50
I only know one way to use these
00:45:41.54\00:45:42.94
and according to Your Word
00:45:42.97\00:45:45.87
that's not how I
should be using these,
00:45:45.91\00:45:48.08
I can't shoot for fun."
00:45:48.11\00:45:49.44
It's just.
00:45:49.48\00:45:50.81
So I gave up those weapons,
and He gave me the sword.
00:45:50.85\00:45:53.25
And it was like, "Okay,
00:45:53.28\00:45:54.65
that's the only
weapon I'll need,
00:45:54.68\00:45:57.22
offensive
weapon that I'll need."
00:45:57.25\00:45:58.59
Wow.
00:45:58.62\00:45:59.95
And then we have
defensive armor as well.
00:45:59.99\00:46:01.69
And it's just... That's right.
00:46:01.72\00:46:03.96
It's...
00:46:03.99\00:46:05.33
There's a one up on my end
00:46:05.36\00:46:07.30
as far as we talk
a lot as Adventists
00:46:07.33\00:46:10.10
that Jesus
Christ is coming soon.
00:46:10.13\00:46:12.20
But sometimes it's
just language, I think.
00:46:12.23\00:46:14.47
Right.
00:46:14.50\00:46:15.84
And it's like,
"Do you really believe
00:46:15.87\00:46:17.21
that He's coming soon?"
00:46:17.24\00:46:18.57
Right.
00:46:18.61\00:46:19.94
There was, we used to
do missions in Ramadi,
00:46:19.97\00:46:21.44
and there was an area
00:46:21.48\00:46:22.98
that we call the
shark's fin in which,
00:46:23.01\00:46:25.28
you know, the route
of travel channelizes.
00:46:25.31\00:46:28.92
And then there's
a big curve. Right.
00:46:28.95\00:46:30.82
And almost every time
we would go that route,
00:46:30.85\00:46:32.72
we would get ambushed.
00:46:32.75\00:46:34.09
Wow.
00:46:34.12\00:46:35.46
And so you knew,
going that direction
00:46:35.49\00:46:36.83
you knew like,
00:46:36.86\00:46:38.19
"Let's get ready, get ready,
00:46:38.23\00:46:40.10
because it's going to
be hot when we get there."
00:46:40.13\00:46:41.53
Right.
00:46:41.56\00:46:42.90
And we'd have people
jump on our missions with us.
00:46:42.93\00:46:44.27
And we tell them, "Hey,
when we get to this point,
00:46:44.30\00:46:46.50
like, get ready,
because it's on."
00:46:46.53\00:46:48.30
"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah."
00:46:48.34\00:46:49.67
And it was,
they would say, yeah,
00:46:49.70\00:46:51.24
but they wouldn't prepare.
00:46:51.27\00:46:52.67
Yeah, And when we
get to that point,
00:46:52.71\00:46:54.54
and bullets started flying,
00:46:54.58\00:46:55.91
then you'd see how
unprepared they were.
00:46:55.94\00:46:57.68
And there's an element,
you know, just in the church,
00:46:57.71\00:46:59.81
that it's like we say
Jesus Christ is coming,
00:46:59.85\00:47:02.05
we believe that we're
in The Great Controversy,
00:47:02.08\00:47:04.42
but do we really believe it?
00:47:04.45\00:47:05.95
And are we suiting
up for this battle?
00:47:05.99\00:47:08.19
And so there are
similarities to it
00:47:08.22\00:47:10.79
that are both advantageous,
00:47:10.83\00:47:13.26
and also, yeah,
00:47:13.29\00:47:16.43
it's, the
similarities are pretty crazy.
00:47:16.46\00:47:19.57
That's amazing, man.
00:47:19.60\00:47:20.94
Praise the Lord.
00:47:20.97\00:47:22.67
It's just, this has been
an awesome time together.
00:47:22.70\00:47:24.31
We have about four minutes here.
00:47:24.34\00:47:25.77
And I have to just kind
of make a transition now
00:47:25.81\00:47:28.48
into giving you an opportunity,
00:47:28.51\00:47:30.51
as a minister, as a pastor,
00:47:30.55\00:47:32.98
there's someone
watching right now at home
00:47:33.01\00:47:34.98
who might have a
similar experience to you.
00:47:35.02\00:47:38.09
Maybe they military
background, maybe they don't,
00:47:38.12\00:47:41.02
maybe they're just dealing
with some stuff in their life,
00:47:41.06\00:47:43.99
but they're struggling
with coming to grips with
00:47:44.03\00:47:46.49
who God is, what
their purpose is,
00:47:46.53\00:47:48.60
why they're here,
why they're going through
00:47:48.63\00:47:50.50
the things that
they're going through.
00:47:50.53\00:47:52.00
I just want to
ask you personally,
00:47:52.03\00:47:53.94
and you can, you
know, just kind of expand on
00:47:53.97\00:47:57.27
what the gospel means to you,
00:47:57.31\00:47:59.14
personally, as a pastor,
00:47:59.17\00:48:00.64
as a new transformed individual,
00:48:00.68\00:48:02.91
having been through all
the what you've been through,
00:48:02.94\00:48:05.15
but now we're seeing
where God has brought you.
00:48:05.18\00:48:08.22
What is the gospel to you?
00:48:08.25\00:48:09.58
What does it mean to you?
00:48:09.62\00:48:11.15
And maybe just encouraging words
00:48:11.19\00:48:14.46
for somebody at home.
00:48:14.49\00:48:15.82
Yeah, yeah.
00:48:15.86\00:48:17.19
So one of my favorite
texts, Romans 1:16, and 7,
00:48:17.23\00:48:19.86
"For I'm not ashamed of
the gospel of Jesus Christ,
00:48:19.89\00:48:23.60
for it is the power
of God unto salvation
00:48:23.63\00:48:25.40
to everyone that believes,
00:48:25.43\00:48:26.77
you know, to the Jew
first and then to the Greek.
00:48:26.80\00:48:29.00
For therein is the
righteousness of God
00:48:29.04\00:48:30.87
revealed from faith to faith."
00:48:30.91\00:48:32.54
That aspect right
there from faith to faith,
00:48:32.57\00:48:34.98
that every step that we take,
the gospel can be revealed.
00:48:35.01\00:48:39.41
And the power
that word it's dunamis,
00:48:39.45\00:48:42.75
that's always
described as like dynamite.
00:48:42.78\00:48:45.09
Look, I've worked
with C4 and dynamite.
00:48:45.12\00:48:47.39
Dynamite explodes
and then it goes away.
00:48:47.42\00:48:49.36
Right.
00:48:49.39\00:48:50.73
This is, the gospel is
not that type of power.
00:48:50.76\00:48:52.66
It's dynamic.
00:48:52.69\00:48:54.03
It's just as powerful at the end
00:48:54.06\00:48:55.40
as it was in the beginning.
00:48:55.43\00:48:56.77
One of my favorite Bible stories
00:48:56.80\00:48:58.33
is the story of the paralytic
00:48:58.37\00:49:00.47
lowered through the roof.
00:49:00.50\00:49:02.94
And Christ not only saying,
00:49:02.97\00:49:04.57
"You know, your
sins are forgiven,"
00:49:04.61\00:49:06.27
but also, "Take up your
bedding and get to walk."
00:49:06.31\00:49:08.51
And it's just
like, "But I can't walk.
00:49:08.54\00:49:10.85
And it was like, "No,
no, no, you don't understand
00:49:10.88\00:49:13.18
the impossible is
possible with Jesus Christ."
00:49:13.21\00:49:15.82
It's not just,
00:49:15.85\00:49:17.19
the gospel is not just
the forgiveness of sin.
00:49:17.22\00:49:19.02
Sure.
00:49:19.05\00:49:20.39
It's also to do the impossible.
00:49:20.42\00:49:22.02
So everything that
always tripped us up,
00:49:22.06\00:49:24.09
the shackles of sin
that have always bound us,
00:49:24.13\00:49:26.80
Christ is like,
"Yeah, I can break those.
00:49:26.83\00:49:28.40
That's what the gospel,
that's the power of the gospel
00:49:28.43\00:49:30.50
is all the things that
have had control over you
00:49:30.53\00:49:32.63
can no longer
have control over you
00:49:32.67\00:49:34.57
if you just let
me lead your life.
00:49:34.60\00:49:36.81
And that is the gospel to
me, is that don't one sided,
00:49:36.84\00:49:41.21
show both elements,
00:49:41.24\00:49:42.68
that it gives us the power
to live from faith to faith
00:49:42.71\00:49:46.05
and every step
and every decision
00:49:46.08\00:49:47.55
that we make in life,
00:49:47.58\00:49:48.92
we can honor and glorify God.
00:49:48.95\00:49:50.52
Roger Kuhn told me one
thing, he was like, "Matt,
00:49:50.55\00:49:55.06
picture this, one day,
00:49:55.09\00:49:57.56
you'll be sitting
underneath the tree of life
00:49:57.59\00:49:59.06
right next to the river of life.
00:49:59.09\00:50:01.10
And you're going to
see like Noah or Moses,
00:50:01.13\00:50:03.63
and you'll be like,
"Dude, I cannot believe this."
00:50:03.67\00:50:06.10
Like, "Oh, tell me
the story, tell my story."
00:50:06.13\00:50:08.54
And he goes, "You
know what's incredible,
00:50:08.57\00:50:10.34
is they'll stop you
short of what you're saying.
00:50:10.37\00:50:12.81
And they'll say,
"Look, you lived in a time
00:50:12.84\00:50:15.04
where we desired
to live to do the work
00:50:15.08\00:50:17.81
that we desired to do.
00:50:17.85\00:50:19.18
I want to hear your story." Wow.
00:50:19.21\00:50:20.55
Which means each one
of us has a powerful story
00:50:20.58\00:50:23.39
just waiting to be told.
00:50:23.42\00:50:24.75
And the Bible tells us,
00:50:24.79\00:50:26.12
Revelation tells us
00:50:26.15\00:50:27.49
that we overcome by
the blood of the Lamb,
00:50:27.52\00:50:29.02
and by the word
of our testimony,
00:50:29.06\00:50:30.59
and it's just,
00:50:30.63\00:50:31.96
that's what
we're doing here today.
00:50:31.99\00:50:33.33
Each one of us has a
story and it's powerful.
00:50:33.36\00:50:35.20
Everybody at home has a story
00:50:35.23\00:50:36.87
and you have a sphere
of influence that's like,
00:50:36.90\00:50:38.57
"Look, you got friends,
00:50:38.60\00:50:39.93
you got people
to tell about Jesus,
00:50:39.97\00:50:41.60
you got neighbors,
00:50:41.64\00:50:42.97
you have to go
knock on some doors
00:50:43.00\00:50:44.34
and introduce them to Jesus.
00:50:44.37\00:50:45.71
You got coworkers, you know,
are you in class with people?
00:50:45.74\00:50:48.38
We have an area of
influence in our lives
00:50:48.41\00:50:50.98
that God has placed us.
00:50:51.01\00:50:52.38
Not more, surely
are the plans made for,
00:50:52.41\00:50:55.32
is the mansion
made for us in heaven
00:50:55.35\00:50:56.95
than the work here that
God has for us on earth."
00:50:56.99\00:50:58.69
Absolutely. It's beautiful.
00:50:58.72\00:51:00.16
And I love the
Mountain View Conference
00:51:00.19\00:51:02.02
like tell somebody about Jesus.
00:51:02.06\00:51:03.73
That's the big
initiative. That's right.
00:51:03.76\00:51:05.09
It's like, "Look, we need to
be telling people about Jesus.
00:51:05.13\00:51:07.26
Right. Fulfilling our mission.
00:51:07.30\00:51:09.06
That's right.
Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:51:09.10\00:51:10.67
Brother, this has been such a...
00:51:10.70\00:51:12.83
Such an awesome time
just to hear your story
00:51:12.87\00:51:14.70
and to hear what God
has done in your life.
00:51:14.74\00:51:16.71
And I can honestly say
00:51:16.74\00:51:18.07
after spending
the time with you,
00:51:18.11\00:51:19.84
the Mountain View Conference
has a powerful man of God
00:51:19.87\00:51:23.18
as a pastor in their conference.
00:51:23.21\00:51:24.81
Well, my friends,
we're not quite finished yet,
00:51:24.85\00:51:27.35
because you may have,
you live near the area
00:51:27.38\00:51:29.92
where he's pastoring
in one of the churches,
00:51:29.95\00:51:31.59
you may live near
00:51:31.62\00:51:33.12
the Mountain
View Conference area,
00:51:33.15\00:51:34.76
or maybe you just want to
know some more information
00:51:34.79\00:51:36.96
about this wonderful
conference and the work
00:51:36.99\00:51:39.03
that pastor has been doing,
00:51:39.06\00:51:40.40
this initiative to tell
people more about Jesus.
00:51:40.43\00:51:43.13
We want to show you how
you can do that right now.
00:51:43.16\00:51:45.30
So at this moment,
there's some information
00:51:45.33\00:51:47.17
that will come up on
your screen pertaining
00:51:47.20\00:51:48.57
to the Mountain View Conference.
00:51:48.60\00:51:51.11
If you would like to
contact or know more about
00:51:51.14\00:51:53.31
Mountain View Conference of SDA,
00:51:53.34\00:51:55.71
you can do so in
the following ways.
00:51:55.74\00:51:57.58
You can write to them
at 1400, Liberty Street,
00:51:57.61\00:52:01.62
Parkersburg,
00:52:01.65\00:52:02.98
West Virginia 26101-4121.
00:52:03.02\00:52:07.99
You can call
them at 403-422-4581.
00:52:08.02\00:52:13.06
That's 403-422-4581.
00:52:13.09\00:52:18.17
You can visit their website
at mountainviewconference.org
00:52:18.20\00:52:22.40
That's
mountainviewconference.org
00:52:22.44\00:52:25.91
You can also send them an email
00:52:25.94\00:52:27.38
at matthewh@mvcsda.org
00:52:27.41\00:52:33.31