The following program discusses sensitive issues. 00:00:01.06\00:00:03.44 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:00:03.47\00:00:05.34 may be too candid for younger children. 00:00:05.37\00:00:07.41 Welcome to "The New Journey." 00:00:11.05\00:00:12.64 The program where we meet real life people, 00:00:12.67\00:00:14.81 with real life testimonies, 00:00:14.84\00:00:16.45 with real life working ministries for Jesus. 00:00:16.48\00:00:18.55 Today we're gonna talk to a modern day version 00:00:18.58\00:00:20.86 of a Prodigal Son. 00:00:20.89\00:00:22.14 Luke 15:11-32 in the Bible, tell us about a parable 00:00:22.17\00:00:26.35 dealing with the son represents as many of us, 00:00:26.38\00:00:28.87 who straight from the Father's home, 00:00:28.90\00:00:30.79 represent as our Heavenly Father, 00:00:30.82\00:00:33.08 went out into the world to see what it had to offer, 00:00:33.11\00:00:35.60 came to their senses, then return home to God. 00:00:35.63\00:00:38.13 And you know the beauty of it all was 00:00:38.16\00:00:40.01 that God accepted the child back 00:00:40.04\00:00:41.83 even as if had never left at all. 00:00:41.86\00:00:44.10 You won't want to miss this powerful testimony 00:00:44.13\00:00:46.39 of God saving grace. 00:00:46.42\00:00:48.15 I'm your host Aaron Chancy 00:00:48.18\00:00:49.51 come join us on "The New Journey." 00:00:49.54\00:00:51.10 Welcome back, viewers, welcome back. 00:01:21.75\00:01:23.39 We have and exciting, exciting testimony for us today. 00:01:23.42\00:01:26.26 We have Brother Jeremy Anderson. 00:01:26.29\00:01:28.20 Thank you for being on the program, Jeremy. 00:01:28.23\00:01:29.77 Thanks for having me. Amen. Amen. 00:01:29.80\00:01:31.44 Now let's jump right into things. 00:01:31.47\00:01:33.10 You are the author of a book 00:01:33.13\00:01:34.19 entitled "From Prodigal to Prodigy." 00:01:34.22\00:01:36.48 What motivated you to write this book? 00:01:36.51\00:01:38.15 Well, Aaron, you know, my life has been an amazing journey. 00:01:38.18\00:01:42.18 Amen. 00:01:42.21\00:01:43.24 I really had no plans on writing this book. 00:01:43.27\00:01:45.36 Okay. Okay. 00:01:45.39\00:01:46.42 January 22nd, 2011, I woke up one Sabbath morning 00:01:46.45\00:01:50.86 and God was giving me chapter titles and the book title. 00:01:50.89\00:01:54.19 I'm entitled for "From Prodigal to Prodigy" 00:01:54.22\00:01:56.79 and I began to just start writing and typing. 00:01:56.82\00:02:01.56 And after about a few weeks 00:02:01.59\00:02:05.01 the body of the book was written. 00:02:05.04\00:02:06.18 Wow. Yes. And-- 00:02:06.21\00:02:08.34 So you really zoned out 00:02:08.37\00:02:09.41 and you were really just getting it done, right? 00:02:09.44\00:02:10.83 I zoned out man, for weeks at a time 00:02:10.86\00:02:13.44 I was putting hours and hours with the work in typing 00:02:13.47\00:02:15.98 and the Holy Spirit just impressed me 00:02:16.01\00:02:17.98 to share my testimony on a larger scale 00:02:18.01\00:02:20.77 than just traveling and speaking. 00:02:20.80\00:02:22.07 He said to put it in the book for me 00:02:22.10\00:02:23.76 then we can go across the world. 00:02:23.79\00:02:25.41 You know, that's interesting 00:02:25.44\00:02:26.47 that your title is "From Prodigal to Prodigy." 00:02:26.50\00:02:29.23 Now in Luke 15, there's three parables. 00:02:29.26\00:02:31.36 You have the parable of the lost sheep, 00:02:31.39\00:02:32.90 you have the parable of the lost coin 00:02:32.93\00:02:34.39 and you have the parable of the prodigal son. 00:02:34.42\00:02:36.13 Why did you choose to call it 00:02:36.16\00:02:38.25 "From Prodigal to Prodigy" versus using the lost coin 00:02:38.28\00:02:41.53 or the lost sheep as a reference? 00:02:41.56\00:02:42.99 Well, when I look at my life and the experiences 00:02:43.02\00:02:45.09 that I went through I was that prodigal son. 00:02:45.12\00:02:47.83 Amen. Amen. 00:02:47.86\00:02:48.95 I was the one that was home, that had the good, 00:02:48.98\00:02:50.59 that had the truth and wanted to leave. 00:02:50.62\00:02:52.23 I wanted to experience things on my own. 00:02:52.26\00:02:53.83 Okay. 00:02:53.86\00:02:54.89 And I was the one that found myself living there 00:02:54.92\00:02:57.34 that feverous, lustful lifestyle 00:02:57.37\00:02:59.87 just really extravagant, flamboyant 00:02:59.90\00:03:02.31 and then lost everything. 00:03:02.34\00:03:03.76 I found myself literally in that pigsty, 00:03:03.79\00:03:06.59 and I found my way back home. 00:03:06.62\00:03:08.06 But you came to your senses and we'll get to that later on 00:03:08.09\00:03:10.59 how you came to your senses. 00:03:10.62\00:03:12.05 But you know, you story is so similar to mine, 00:03:12.08\00:03:14.61 we grew up in a two parent home 00:03:14.64\00:03:16.35 having worship, things like that. 00:03:16.38\00:03:18.08 Can you talk a little bit about your background 00:03:18.11\00:03:19.92 because it's not that typical background that most, 00:03:19.95\00:03:23.27 I guess, you would say "thugs" 00:03:23.30\00:03:25.31 or outlaws out there grow up with. 00:03:25.34\00:03:27.45 They normally have a single parent home 00:03:27.48\00:03:29.08 and things like that 00:03:29.11\00:03:30.14 but not so with you and not so with me. 00:03:30.17\00:03:31.51 Talk a little bit about your early upbringing. 00:03:31.54\00:03:33.31 Well, my father is an Adventist minister 00:03:33.34\00:03:35.86 as well as my grandfather. 00:03:35.89\00:03:36.92 So you are preacher's kid? 00:03:36.95\00:03:37.98 Preacher's kid, man, I-- 00:03:38.01\00:03:39.04 Now hold on, I got to stop you there. 00:03:39.07\00:03:40.10 Why does that always seem 00:03:40.13\00:03:41.16 that preacher's kids are the worst? 00:03:41.19\00:03:42.63 You know, I don't know. 00:03:42.66\00:03:44.63 I heard it a lot when I was younger, 00:03:44.66\00:03:46.18 I really didn't paid it any mind 00:03:46.21\00:03:47.45 but slowly but surely I looked up 00:03:47.48\00:03:49.29 and I saw what I was and I was in disgust, man. 00:03:49.32\00:03:52.18 I'll say one thing, I believe that the enemy 00:03:52.21\00:03:54.48 attacks ministers and preacher's children 00:03:54.51\00:03:57.86 just to derail them and because it throws off their ministry. 00:03:57.89\00:04:01.45 Okay. 00:04:01.48\00:04:02.59 So I thought myself being in the home, 00:04:02.62\00:04:04.81 went to a church school, grandfather, 00:04:04.84\00:04:07.03 church father, great grandfather-- 00:04:07.06\00:04:08.56 Did you spend a lot of years in church school 00:04:08.59\00:04:10.36 or it was a balance between 00:04:10.39\00:04:11.92 church school and public school? 00:04:11.95\00:04:13.19 I will say about half, after middle school, 00:04:13.22\00:04:15.33 from middle school all the way up to high school 00:04:15.36\00:04:17.23 I was in a church school. 00:04:17.26\00:04:18.30 In church school? Yes. 00:04:18.33\00:04:19.46 You know, now it's interesting to read in your book, 00:04:19.49\00:04:21.28 actually the opening chapter's entitled "Church Boy." 00:04:21.31\00:04:23.11 Yeah. 00:04:23.14\00:04:24.18 And what's interesting is, is that you state that, 00:04:24.21\00:04:27.78 you know, you have family 00:04:27.81\00:04:29.01 worship growing up and things like that. 00:04:29.04\00:04:30.73 Most families don't have that. 00:04:30.76\00:04:33.12 You know, even in my instance it was, 00:04:33.15\00:04:34.91 you know, family worship, yeah, 00:04:34.94\00:04:36.19 Friday night worship to usher in the Sabbath. 00:04:36.22\00:04:38.41 You go to church Sabbath, you go to AY, 00:04:38.44\00:04:40.67 you got to Wednesday night prayer meeting, 00:04:40.70\00:04:42.05 you got pathfinders on Sunday 00:04:42.08\00:04:43.75 and you were going through the same things? 00:04:43.78\00:04:44.81 Right. 00:04:44.84\00:04:45.87 You know, that's very interesting 00:04:45.90\00:04:47.01 that we have the same kind of background, 00:04:47.04\00:04:49.39 both prodigal sons but came to our senses 00:04:49.42\00:04:51.72 and came back home. 00:04:51.75\00:04:53.19 Now another interesting aspect of your story 00:04:53.22\00:04:55.52 is that you graduated high school 00:04:55.55\00:04:57.25 and you graduated college as well. 00:04:57.28\00:04:59.38 You know, I know for myself that, 00:04:59.41\00:05:01.09 you know, I didn't graduate high school, 00:05:01.12\00:05:03.01 I didn't graduate college 00:05:03.04\00:05:04.38 and most people that are out there, 00:05:04.41\00:05:06.77 they tend to go, you know, when they are young, 00:05:06.80\00:05:08.61 at a young age but you didn't. 00:05:08.64\00:05:09.87 What kind of motivated you to keep you in school 00:05:09.90\00:05:12.74 instead of already being out 00:05:12.77\00:05:14.17 in the world at 14, 15 years old? 00:05:14.20\00:05:16.19 Ministry. Ministry. 00:05:16.22\00:05:17.28 I was involved in ministry at a young age. 00:05:17.31\00:05:18.97 Okay. 00:05:19.00\00:05:20.03 I was a part of a Christian acting drama group, 00:05:20.06\00:05:22.98 we traveled around. 00:05:23.01\00:05:24.10 I was chaplain in my senior class, 00:05:24.13\00:05:25.98 religious vice president, I was on fire. 00:05:26.01\00:05:28.07 You were interested in all of things. 00:05:28.10\00:05:29.21 I was in choirs, I was on fire for the Lord. 00:05:29.24\00:05:32.54 When I got to college there was a lack of ministry. 00:05:32.57\00:05:35.63 So when I travel around to speak 00:05:35.66\00:05:37.17 I get strong emphasis to the power of ministry. 00:05:37.20\00:05:40.95 Through the lack of ministries, 00:05:40.98\00:05:42.11 through the lack of void in my life, 00:05:42.14\00:05:44.11 the enemy came in and took up that space. 00:05:44.14\00:05:46.96 And so I found myself caught up 00:05:46.99\00:05:49.31 in a whole lot of foolishness at a late age. 00:05:49.34\00:05:51.75 You know, that's interesting 00:05:51.78\00:05:52.88 that you just say a lack of ministry. 00:05:52.91\00:05:54.60 You know, in most young people's minds 00:05:54.63\00:05:56.48 they're trying to get away from ministry, 00:05:56.51\00:05:57.94 but you at a young age, 00:05:57.97\00:05:59.52 it was because of lack of ministry 00:05:59.55\00:06:01.12 you wanted to be involved in ministry. 00:06:01.15\00:06:03.45 And when things started to change you went to college, 00:06:03.48\00:06:05.60 lack of ministry, you started to stray. 00:06:05.63\00:06:08.64 That's very interesting. 00:06:08.67\00:06:09.76 You know, I find for myself even being an adult now 00:06:09.79\00:06:12.27 that I have that same thing. 00:06:12.30\00:06:13.67 If there's nothing going and no ministry, 00:06:13.70\00:06:15.39 it's easy to stray. 00:06:15.42\00:06:17.04 It's very easy to stray. 00:06:17.07\00:06:18.88 You know, what I want to do now is talk about some main, 00:06:18.91\00:06:22.29 underlying factors, aside from the lack of ministry, 00:06:22.32\00:06:24.87 what was some other things 00:06:24.90\00:06:25.94 that kind of led you to that lifestyle? 00:06:25.97\00:06:28.71 Well, you know the things 00:06:28.74\00:06:29.86 I was caught up in were pretty heavy. 00:06:29.89\00:06:32.51 They were a lot of things I say that I would never do. 00:06:32.54\00:06:35.54 What are some of the things you said you would never do? 00:06:35.57\00:06:38.39 Smoking. Okay. 00:06:38.42\00:06:39.93 Never smoke cigarettes. 00:06:39.96\00:06:41.17 Then I said, I would never do drugs, 00:06:41.20\00:06:42.81 let alone sell drugs. 00:06:42.84\00:06:43.87 Okay. 00:06:43.90\00:06:44.93 I said I would never have sex before marriage. 00:06:44.96\00:06:46.74 I said I would never go to any nightclubs. 00:06:46.77\00:06:49.03 These are all things I said I would never do. 00:06:49.06\00:06:50.71 You would never do. 00:06:50.74\00:06:51.77 Now around what age were you when you were saying, 00:06:51.80\00:06:54.64 you know, I'm not gonna get involved in those things? 00:06:54.67\00:06:56.47 How old were you? 00:06:56.50\00:06:57.53 All throughout junior high and high school. 00:06:57.56\00:06:58.82 For real? 00:06:58.85\00:06:59.89 Yeah, and then when I got into college 00:06:59.92\00:07:01.31 things drastically changed. 00:07:01.34\00:07:02.38 Wow. 00:07:02.41\00:07:03.44 You know, that's so interesting 00:07:03.47\00:07:04.58 because most people that get involved with alcohol 00:07:04.61\00:07:07.96 and drugs and cigarettes things like that, 00:07:07.99\00:07:10.21 they start smoking at 12-years-old, 00:07:10.24\00:07:12.35 13-years-old, even before its legal. 00:07:12.38\00:07:14.85 And for you it wasn't that case though. 00:07:14.88\00:07:17.26 It wasn't that case, that's very interesting. 00:07:17.29\00:07:19.63 Now, you also talk about in your book 00:07:19.66\00:07:21.85 that one thing that you said, 00:07:21.88\00:07:23.43 you weren't gonna get involved in 00:07:23.46\00:07:24.66 but you did was premarital sex. 00:07:24.69\00:07:26.70 Can you talk a little bit about, 00:07:26.73\00:07:27.95 you know, how that came about 00:07:27.98\00:07:29.34 that you starting going towards that road? 00:07:29.37\00:07:31.39 Well, everything I said that I would never do 00:07:31.42\00:07:33.59 I ended up doing. 00:07:33.62\00:07:34.65 But the enemy Satan, he's pretty sharp, 00:07:34.68\00:07:37.84 you know, what happened is 00:07:37.87\00:07:39.50 as he starts off with something small, 00:07:39.53\00:07:41.70 you know, and the next thing 00:07:41.73\00:07:43.16 you know, you're into it really, really heavy. 00:07:43.19\00:07:46.20 And so even with premarital sex, 00:07:46.23\00:07:48.57 I got caught up into that. 00:07:48.60\00:07:49.96 Well, it was extremely promiscuous. 00:07:49.99\00:07:51.17 Okay. 00:07:51.20\00:07:52.23 I said, I'll never smoke cigarettes 00:07:52.26\00:07:53.59 and I was up to a pack a day. 00:07:53.62\00:07:55.04 I said, I'll never do drugs, not only was I doing them 00:07:55.07\00:07:58.29 but I was selling them. 00:07:58.32\00:07:59.53 I said I never go to a clubs, 00:07:59.56\00:08:00.94 not only was I going to clubs and partying 00:08:00.97\00:08:02.82 but I owned and operated it. 00:08:02.85\00:08:03.94 Okay, and we are gonna talk about that information. 00:08:03.97\00:08:06.54 You know, actually I want to get into that now. 00:08:06.57\00:08:08.15 What were some other things 00:08:08.18\00:08:09.41 that you were involved with while you were out there? 00:08:09.44\00:08:11.61 Because you read in your book 00:08:11.64\00:08:12.75 very, very good book of God saving grace 00:08:12.78\00:08:15.75 and what He did in your life. 00:08:15.78\00:08:17.13 But for a while, for some years, you were out there. 00:08:17.16\00:08:19.29 You were involved in a club, club life and things like that. 00:08:19.32\00:08:21.91 Talk about that experience, 00:08:21.94\00:08:23.16 all those things you involved in. 00:08:23.19\00:08:24.68 That's a whole another world there, 00:08:24.71\00:08:26.28 you know, I was so blinded by what the enemy was doing 00:08:26.31\00:08:30.21 and the whole time God had His hands on me. 00:08:30.24\00:08:32.01 Okay. 00:08:32.04\00:08:33.08 I got caught up into a lot of heavy drugs. 00:08:33.11\00:08:35.96 I began the brag about the amounts 00:08:35.99\00:08:37.60 that I would sell to my friends. 00:08:37.63\00:08:39.87 Me being a church boy was-- 00:08:39.90\00:08:41.45 every Friday and Saturday nights 00:08:41.48\00:08:43.02 throwing parties at clubs, champagne, women, 00:08:43.05\00:08:46.93 you know, that was just the lifestyle 00:08:46.96\00:08:48.53 for me for a while. 00:08:48.56\00:08:49.67 For a few years I made my money solely illegally like that 00:08:49.70\00:08:54.00 and I just got so taken away from the way 00:08:54.03\00:08:55.92 that I was brought up. 00:08:55.95\00:08:56.98 Okay. 00:08:57.01\00:08:58.04 But God, in order to save my soul, 00:08:58.07\00:09:00.09 He helped me lose everything. 00:09:00.12\00:09:01.49 Okay, now while you were involved with all these things, 00:09:01.52\00:09:05.50 did you still kind of feel like a void in your life? 00:09:05.53\00:09:08.01 You hear many people say, you know, 00:09:08.04\00:09:10.00 there is like-- there was still this emptiness, 00:09:10.03\00:09:12.04 I've got the cars, I've got the drugs, 00:09:12.07\00:09:14.31 I've got the money, I've got all these different things 00:09:14.34\00:09:16.75 but there's still something lacking 00:09:16.78\00:09:19.18 and even when you look at society today 00:09:19.21\00:09:21.40 and look at a lot of entertainment stars, 00:09:21.43\00:09:23.63 many of them are overdosing on drugs. 00:09:23.66\00:09:25.79 Many of them are hooked on hard drugs. 00:09:25.82\00:09:27.93 Not just you know, cigarette things like, some hard things. 00:09:27.96\00:09:30.81 You know, there is a emptiness inside, 00:09:30.84\00:09:32.85 talk about that feeling. 00:09:32.88\00:09:34.23 You know, I partied first hand with a lot of these rappers 00:09:34.26\00:09:37.75 that you see on a lot of different TV shows. 00:09:37.78\00:09:40.02 Okay. And videos. 00:09:40.05\00:09:41.97 And these guys are empty inside. 00:09:42.00\00:09:43.67 Yeah. They're depressed. 00:09:43.70\00:09:44.98 I was living that same lifestyle. 00:09:45.01\00:09:46.62 When the music stopped playing 00:09:46.65\00:09:48.17 and the champagne stopped flowing 00:09:48.20\00:09:49.45 and the woman weren't around, I was empty and I was trying 00:09:49.48\00:09:52.51 so hard to fill that void in my life, 00:09:52.54\00:09:54.68 a void that only Christ could fill. 00:09:54.71\00:09:56.27 Yeah, okay. 00:09:56.30\00:09:57.34 How do you-- let me ask your opinion, 00:09:57.37\00:09:59.43 how do you help to keep the youth 00:09:59.46\00:10:02.23 from going down that road 00:10:02.26\00:10:04.08 because you said that, you know, 00:10:04.11\00:10:05.72 there was a emptiness out there 00:10:05.75\00:10:07.07 and I stated there is an emptiness out there 00:10:07.10\00:10:08.75 because I've been out there. 00:10:08.78\00:10:10.05 But how can we get that across to the young people that-- 00:10:10.08\00:10:13.27 though the Bible says in Hebrews 11:25, 00:10:13.30\00:10:15.31 that there are pleasures of sin "for a season" 00:10:15.34\00:10:19.11 how do we relate that message to them that, 00:10:19.14\00:10:22.05 you know, you're still gonna feel this emptiness inside? 00:10:22.08\00:10:24.29 What's in your opinion? 00:10:24.32\00:10:25.36 You know, it's one of these things to where, 00:10:25.39\00:10:27.39 you know, they have to really seek, 00:10:27.42\00:10:29.18 they have to really know, they have to really get 00:10:29.21\00:10:31.08 to know the Lord for themselves. 00:10:31.11\00:10:32.44 Yeah. Yeah. Because they try the devil. 00:10:32.47\00:10:34.75 You know, for a while, I said I just went little bit of it. 00:10:34.78\00:10:37.16 Let me just have a little bit of the world. 00:10:37.19\00:10:38.22 Satan's not going for that? Satan's not going for that? 00:10:38.25\00:10:39.54 You think you're gonna love it and next you know 00:10:39.57\00:10:41.34 you have a plate full and you'll get so far 00:10:41.37\00:10:43.58 from where God had wanted you to be. 00:10:43.61\00:10:45.58 And so He has a special calling 00:10:45.61\00:10:47.27 on all of our young people in this world. 00:10:47.30\00:10:49.96 Especially those that have been brought up the right way, 00:10:49.99\00:10:52.49 but the enemy has the way of enticing us 00:10:52.52\00:10:54.97 and making the TV and the videos and the fashion 00:10:55.00\00:10:57.83 and the jewelry and the fame seem real appealing 00:10:57.86\00:11:00.68 when God has something so much sweeter for us. 00:11:00.71\00:11:02.38 Yeah. 00:11:02.41\00:11:03.45 You know, I remember when you say that 00:11:03.48\00:11:04.92 I remember being young 00:11:04.95\00:11:06.53 and watching a lot of these music videos 00:11:06.56\00:11:08.81 and listening to the music and I remember 00:11:08.84\00:11:10.51 when I was young there was a song 00:11:10.54\00:11:11.57 that came out "Bling Bling" 00:11:11.60\00:11:13.12 and you know, everybody's flashing things, 00:11:13.15\00:11:14.61 everybody's shining. 00:11:14.64\00:11:15.67 Now this is actually a word incorporated in the dictionary. 00:11:15.70\00:11:18.45 Wow. Wow. 00:11:18.48\00:11:19.62 And you know, what's interesting is, 00:11:19.65\00:11:20.89 you see all of this and it starts, 00:11:20.92\00:11:23.42 you know, Satan works through the senses. 00:11:23.45\00:11:25.19 He works through the five senses, 00:11:25.22\00:11:26.61 the seeing, the touch, the feel 00:11:26.64\00:11:27.77 all of those things he works through 00:11:27.80\00:11:29.38 and the same way he got Eve in the very beginning of time, 00:11:29.41\00:11:32.83 he's getting us in that same exact way. 00:11:32.86\00:11:34.92 We see these things, we get caught up in it. 00:11:34.95\00:11:37.36 Did that has an affect on you looking 00:11:37.39\00:11:39.65 at the music videos, things like that? 00:11:39.68\00:11:41.18 Yeah, I began to have a thirst and a hunger for more. 00:11:41.21\00:11:43.97 Yeah. I wanted more money. 00:11:44.00\00:11:45.22 I wanted as much money as I can make. 00:11:45.25\00:11:46.96 I wanted as many women in my bed as I could get, 00:11:46.99\00:11:49.59 I wanted to drive the new and nicest cars 00:11:49.62\00:11:51.77 and I did all of this but I was still empty inside. 00:11:51.80\00:11:54.94 And a lot of times television tends to mold us 00:11:54.97\00:11:58.01 just as a people in a society 00:11:58.04\00:12:00.03 and we get caught up into that 00:12:00.06\00:12:01.67 and we end up searching for it 00:12:01.70\00:12:03.25 when God has a whole other calling for our lives. 00:12:03.28\00:12:05.20 Okay. 00:12:05.23\00:12:06.26 You know, we live in such an entertainment society now. 00:12:06.29\00:12:08.96 You know, such an entertainment society. 00:12:08.99\00:12:10.97 In your opinion, how do we even get the young people 00:12:11.00\00:12:13.63 to even pick up a book these days and read? 00:12:13.66\00:12:16.08 I mean, that maybe a deep question 00:12:16.11\00:12:17.67 but if you can provide an answer, 00:12:17.70\00:12:19.77 how do we even get them to start 00:12:19.80\00:12:21.35 being able to read a book? 00:12:21.38\00:12:22.42 I would say put that passion in them early. 00:12:22.45\00:12:24.60 One thing my father did for me-- 00:12:24.63\00:12:25.66 So developing a foundation point? 00:12:25.69\00:12:26.91 Foundation point. 00:12:26.94\00:12:27.97 What my father did for me when I was around 00:12:28.00\00:12:30.04 the elementary middle school area, 00:12:30.07\00:12:31.45 when it was a summer time I got to play 00:12:31.48\00:12:33.41 with my friends out in the neighborhood 00:12:33.44\00:12:34.89 but there were times he had me at home 00:12:34.92\00:12:36.74 reading books and giving book reports. 00:12:36.77\00:12:39.35 And I thought then that he was just being mean 00:12:39.38\00:12:41.40 or he was just-- to punish me 00:12:41.43\00:12:43.36 but he was actually instilling a principle in me 00:12:43.39\00:12:45.64 that was really important. 00:12:45.67\00:12:47.01 And I think what God has done with me 00:12:47.04\00:12:49.26 through this book "From Prodigal to Prodigy" 00:12:49.29\00:12:51.38 is He's allowed me to write it in a way 00:12:51.41\00:12:53.43 where you won't even feel like you're reading. 00:12:53.46\00:12:54.74 Yeah, it does. 00:12:54.77\00:12:55.80 You feel like part of my life and part of my story 00:12:55.83\00:12:57.86 and you're part of the journey 00:12:57.89\00:12:59.05 and next thing to know, you get the word. 00:12:59.08\00:13:00.67 Yes, it's exciting. 00:13:00.70\00:13:02.12 You know, in reading your book there's a instance in there, 00:13:02.15\00:13:05.40 I want you to talk a little bit about it, 00:13:05.43\00:13:06.89 because it happened to you, it happened to me 00:13:06.92\00:13:09.20 where you were standing down the barrel of a gun, 00:13:09.23\00:13:11.47 somebody was pointing a gun 00:13:11.50\00:13:12.85 and your life could have been taken. 00:13:12.88\00:13:14.89 Talk about that feeling that goes 00:13:14.92\00:13:16.81 through the mind at that point. 00:13:16.84\00:13:18.50 It was at the moment I'm just gonna share with you 00:13:18.53\00:13:20.91 how cloudy my judgment was. 00:13:20.94\00:13:22.02 Okay. 00:13:22.05\00:13:23.10 At that moment I had an altercation 00:13:23.13\00:13:24.89 with one of the biggest dope dealers in the city 00:13:24.92\00:13:27.06 that I was living with. 00:13:27.09\00:13:28.15 He had a Uzi put to my head, that's like a baby machine, 00:13:28.18\00:13:32.02 that's not a pistol and so I see here 00:13:32.05\00:13:34.32 and I'm seeing my life flash before my eyes. 00:13:34.35\00:13:36.51 And I should have registered and said, you know, 00:13:36.54\00:13:39.36 what, I need to tone it down 00:13:39.39\00:13:40.87 but actually that built up a passion inside me 00:13:40.90\00:13:44.88 to start wanting to carry guns and knives 00:13:44.91\00:13:46.86 to protect myself and I was just so far out there. 00:13:46.89\00:13:49.55 Okay. 00:13:49.58\00:13:50.61 So I was even thinking in my normal mind 00:13:50.64\00:13:52.11 like I should have been. 00:13:52.14\00:13:53.17 Okay. 00:13:53.20\00:13:54.23 So your life could have been taken 00:13:54.26\00:13:55.79 and instead of changing your life you say, okay, 00:13:55.82\00:13:58.72 well, now I need to go and get some guns. 00:13:58.75\00:14:00.56 You know, did you ever think before that you know, 00:14:00.59\00:14:03.85 I would never really get involved in, 00:14:03.88\00:14:05.77 you know, carrying guns. 00:14:05.80\00:14:07.12 You know, I'm not a violent person. 00:14:07.15\00:14:08.46 I don't, you know, want to harm anybody 00:14:08.49\00:14:09.96 and I just want to make money. 00:14:09.99\00:14:11.24 Did you ever, you know, have that thought growing up? 00:14:11.27\00:14:13.39 Yeah, I was never the type to feel like 00:14:13.42\00:14:15.62 I had to carry a gun 00:14:15.65\00:14:16.81 but after I got out there in the world 00:14:16.84\00:14:19.00 and I saw how real the world was getting-- 00:14:19.03\00:14:20.47 Yeah, it is. 00:14:20.50\00:14:21.54 Instead of just scaring me back home, 00:14:21.57\00:14:22.80 I said, okay, I've got to now adapt. 00:14:22.83\00:14:25.35 And that's the corruption 00:14:25.38\00:14:26.45 that the enemy will have on your mind. 00:14:26.48\00:14:27.51 Oh, yeah. 00:14:27.54\00:14:28.57 You know, it's interesting 00:14:28.60\00:14:29.63 because a lot of young people may say, you know, 00:14:29.66\00:14:31.23 I just want to go out there for few years. 00:14:31.26\00:14:33.16 You know, I don't plan on killing anybody, 00:14:33.19\00:14:35.77 I don't plan on, you know, smoking. 00:14:35.80\00:14:38.04 I don't plan on doing all these things. 00:14:38.07\00:14:39.27 I just want to go out there and have some fun. 00:14:39.30\00:14:41.58 But in reality, once you step foot on a devils playground, 00:14:41.61\00:14:45.24 he's gonna take you on that merry-go-round, 00:14:45.27\00:14:47.10 that slide, the swings 00:14:47.13\00:14:48.80 and he is gonna have his pleasures. 00:14:48.83\00:14:50.18 That's right. And he's had with me and you. 00:14:50.21\00:14:51.51 You know, I know my experience 00:14:51.54\00:14:53.02 when the-- I was standing on the side-- 00:14:53.05\00:14:55.29 other side of the gun, gentleman pulled 00:14:55.32\00:14:57.25 a 25 caliber pistol in my face over, over some marijuana. 00:14:57.28\00:15:01.53 And you know, it was interesting 00:15:01.56\00:15:03.26 that a few weeks later 00:15:03.29\00:15:05.14 it was a same kind of occurrence in these projects 00:15:05.17\00:15:07.62 and a young person was killed over $5 of marijuana 00:15:07.65\00:15:11.47 where here I was, staring down the face of a gun, 00:15:11.50\00:15:14.70 over seven and half ounces of marijuana 00:15:14.73\00:15:17.15 and my life wasn't taken. 00:15:17.18\00:15:18.58 And you know, what's interesting 00:15:18.61\00:15:19.95 out of that whole thing, 00:15:19.98\00:15:21.03 there's a lot of interesting points 00:15:21.06\00:15:22.21 but one thing is, you know, I hadn't prayed for a while. 00:15:22.24\00:15:24.88 But when I'm on the side 00:15:24.91\00:15:25.95 of that gun sticking to my face, 00:15:25.98\00:15:27.34 we always seem to find a prayer, 00:15:27.37\00:15:29.02 is it somewhere in our back pocket or somewhere 00:15:29.05\00:15:31.21 we seem to be able to sending up 00:15:31.24\00:15:32.50 a prayer to the Lord. 00:15:32.53\00:15:33.56 Had you ever had instances out there, 00:15:33.59\00:15:36.59 where you hadn't prayed in years 00:15:36.62\00:15:38.25 but you were in trouble situations 00:15:38.28\00:15:39.80 and you try to, you know, pray to the Lord? 00:15:39.83\00:15:41.93 Yeah, you know, and that's funny 00:15:41.96\00:15:43.52 because that's what happens. 00:15:43.55\00:15:44.58 Yeah. 00:15:44.61\00:15:45.64 Sometimes we find ourselves in sticky situation-- 00:15:45.67\00:15:47.69 And then we want to call on God. 00:15:47.72\00:15:48.97 We will say hey Lord, you know, 00:15:49.00\00:15:50.23 long time no hear, I need You. 00:15:50.26\00:15:52.68 But the good thing about prayer is that God is always there. 00:15:52.71\00:15:56.16 When I sit back and look at those different things 00:15:56.19\00:15:58.14 in the situations I was in, 00:15:58.17\00:15:59.69 He was with me the whole time. 00:15:59.72\00:16:01.17 Amen. 00:16:01.20\00:16:02.24 So I just praise God that we serve a God 00:16:02.27\00:16:04.30 that cares enough that when we do all 00:16:04.33\00:16:06.04 He's still there to pick us up. 00:16:06.07\00:16:07.26 Okay. 00:16:07.29\00:16:08.33 Now in your book you talk about people being abstinent, 00:16:08.36\00:16:11.76 even yourself and you know, others out there. 00:16:11.79\00:16:14.24 There are some that maybe watching 00:16:14.27\00:16:16.02 that are going through, you know, sexual changes, 00:16:16.05\00:16:18.76 wanting to do things out there 00:16:18.79\00:16:20.66 with males or females whatever it maybe, 00:16:20.69\00:16:23.24 how can a person overcome that? 00:16:23.27\00:16:25.28 What can a person do to fight that urge, 00:16:25.31\00:16:27.36 to fight that, almost addiction? 00:16:27.39\00:16:28.85 Well, with the lot of different addictions 00:16:28.88\00:16:30.77 I was going through I had to pray two prayers. 00:16:30.80\00:16:32.89 For two long hours saying, Lord, help overcome this 00:16:32.92\00:16:35.68 but I had the strong asking for the will. 00:16:35.71\00:16:38.28 I had to start saying Lord, 00:16:38.31\00:16:39.37 give me the desire to serve You. 00:16:39.40\00:16:41.29 Give me will to want to do right. 00:16:41.32\00:16:42.48 Yeah, to want to do it, 00:16:42.51\00:16:43.55 because we have a natural inclination towards evil. 00:16:43.58\00:16:44.69 Exactly. Exactly. 00:16:44.72\00:16:45.93 Now that, Lord, that you've put His will inside of me, 00:16:45.96\00:16:48.33 give me the power to overcome, 00:16:48.36\00:16:50.22 but there is a lot of power in music and television. 00:16:50.25\00:16:53.81 If I can just talk about for a sec? 00:16:53.84\00:16:54.97 Yeah, I want you to talk on that, really talk on that. 00:16:55.00\00:16:56.91 A lot of times we tend to watch 00:16:56.94\00:16:58.68 these different television shows 00:16:58.71\00:17:00.01 and we listen to this different music 00:17:00.04\00:17:01.59 and these sitcoms and it does something to our brain, 00:17:01.62\00:17:04.36 it rends to program us, it puts us in certain moods 00:17:04.39\00:17:07.19 and in certain positions that we really shouldn't be in. 00:17:07.22\00:17:09.61 And I think a lot of time we don't realize the power 00:17:09.64\00:17:12.65 that comes from music and television. 00:17:12.68\00:17:14.22 So with me overcoming it, I learnt early on 00:17:14.25\00:17:16.84 there were certain things I couldn't watch on TV. 00:17:16.87\00:17:19.14 Not a certain time of night, 00:17:19.17\00:17:20.71 certain things I could not watch 00:17:20.74\00:17:22.84 because that was putting certain spirits inside of me 00:17:22.87\00:17:25.70 which had me want to do certain things 00:17:25.73\00:17:27.72 that I knew was not pleasing to God. 00:17:27.75\00:17:29.14 Okay. 00:17:29.17\00:17:30.20 So the power of the media, 00:17:30.23\00:17:31.48 television, radio, stuff like that, 00:17:31.51\00:17:33.76 you have to really guard the avenues of your soul. 00:17:33.79\00:17:36.15 We put alcohol within our bodies 00:17:36.18\00:17:37.74 that can deter us, we plain be putting marijuana, 00:17:37.77\00:17:39.85 cigarettes and drugs within our bodies 00:17:39.88\00:17:41.46 but the things that we see, 00:17:41.49\00:17:43.30 the things that we hear can also have an impact 00:17:43.33\00:17:46.13 on our spiritual connection with God. 00:17:46.16\00:17:47.81 Okay, you know what interesting about music is, 00:17:47.84\00:17:50.65 it has the ability to enter into the subconscious 00:17:50.68\00:17:53.74 without you even knowing it. 00:17:53.77\00:17:54.98 I remember when I was younger there was a movie out 00:17:55.01\00:17:58.01 and there was a subliminal message in it 00:17:58.04\00:18:00.63 but you couldn't hear, you couldn't pick it up 00:18:00.66\00:18:02.47 only your subconscious could pick it up. 00:18:02.50\00:18:04.43 And it stated that all good 00:18:04.46\00:18:06.84 little boys and girls take their clothes off. 00:18:06.87\00:18:08.98 And the next thing you know, 00:18:09.01\00:18:10.49 you know, people are doing 00:18:10.52\00:18:11.80 so many different strange things 00:18:11.83\00:18:13.13 not knowing it came from watching 00:18:13.16\00:18:15.84 whatever you were watching or listening 00:18:15.87\00:18:17.56 to whatever you were listening. 00:18:17.59\00:18:19.10 Also you said some key things about hip-hop music. 00:18:19.13\00:18:22.15 It's interesting there was a song 00:18:22.18\00:18:23.48 that came out some years ago and it was called "Hypnotized" 00:18:23.51\00:18:25.70 I'm sure you're familiar with that song and in it, 00:18:25.73\00:18:28.18 it was saying I command you to get money, 00:18:28.21\00:18:30.43 I command you to get money. 00:18:30.46\00:18:32.04 It was like he was almost telling you 00:18:32.07\00:18:33.68 what to do and you know, 00:18:33.71\00:18:35.01 its getting in the body and you find yourself, 00:18:35.04\00:18:37.46 you find yourself doing this. 00:18:37.49\00:18:38.53 Right. 00:18:38.56\00:18:39.59 You know, music is powerful. It is very powerful. 00:18:39.62\00:18:41.51 And in that song, that song was from a rapper 00:18:41.54\00:18:44.11 who was proclaiming to be a big drug dealer, which he was. 00:18:44.14\00:18:47.18 Yeah, that's true. 00:18:47.21\00:18:48.25 And he was telling everyone listening, 00:18:48.28\00:18:49.65 I command you to give money. 00:18:49.68\00:18:51.05 Give money. 00:18:51.08\00:18:52.11 And I remember listening to this, 00:18:52.14\00:18:53.67 caught up in the world myself, 00:18:53.70\00:18:55.62 but still having the spirit in me 00:18:55.65\00:18:57.42 saying something about this doesn't sound right. 00:18:57.45\00:18:59.70 And even when I was sitting in my house 00:18:59.73\00:19:01.13 smoking weed and everything else 00:19:01.16\00:19:02.52 I still felt uneasy playing that song. 00:19:02.55\00:19:04.60 Yeah, wow. Wow. 00:19:04.63\00:19:06.40 You know, I remember listening to a certain rap group 00:19:06.43\00:19:09.29 and they had songs on there like Mr. Ouija, 00:19:09.32\00:19:11.78 Mo Murder, Die, Die, Die, Me Killer, things like this. 00:19:11.81\00:19:15.66 And I knew those things weren't right. 00:19:15.69\00:19:17.91 I grew up in a church, I had that foundation, 00:19:17.94\00:19:19.80 I knew they weren't right 00:19:19.83\00:19:21.10 but as like it's to hypnotizing, 00:19:21.13\00:19:23.05 it has this effect upon you that you know, 00:19:23.08\00:19:26.17 you can almost not break loose of it, 00:19:26.20\00:19:28.03 only by the power of God. 00:19:28.06\00:19:29.21 Well, you know, music, 00:19:29.24\00:19:30.38 you know, if you're in a bad mood 00:19:30.41\00:19:32.23 you can play certain music to get your excited. 00:19:32.26\00:19:34.25 Yeah. Yeah. 00:19:34.28\00:19:35.31 Certain music can get your heart pumping, 00:19:35.34\00:19:36.78 and gets your adrenaline rushing. 00:19:36.81\00:19:38.74 Certain music can put you in a mood for romance. 00:19:38.77\00:19:41.49 Some classical music can kind tend to sooth you. 00:19:41.52\00:19:43.37 Yeah. 00:19:43.40\00:19:44.43 And we can't forget, you know, who Lucifer was in heaven. 00:19:44.46\00:19:46.44 Yeah. 00:19:46.47\00:19:47.50 You know, he was in charge of the music. 00:19:47.53\00:19:49.05 You know, we all know this 00:19:49.08\00:19:50.43 so do we not think that he will use this 00:19:50.46\00:19:52.27 as one of the many ways to separate us from God? 00:19:52.30\00:19:55.10 Yeah. Wow, that's powerful. 00:19:55.13\00:19:56.54 He made music in heaven, now we know 00:19:56.57\00:19:58.69 he's got to be making music down here 00:19:58.72\00:20:00.45 because he didn't lose that power 00:20:00.48\00:20:02.41 when he got kicked out of heaven. 00:20:02.44\00:20:03.57 When he came down here, he didn't lose that power. 00:20:03.60\00:20:05.65 And you know, he's out to destroy the youth, 00:20:05.68\00:20:08.15 he is out to destroy the young people. 00:20:08.18\00:20:10.04 Talk about how, you know, as going around the churches, 00:20:10.07\00:20:12.67 actually before we want to-- before we get there, 00:20:12.70\00:20:14.89 I want to talk to you about 00:20:14.92\00:20:16.47 how you began to change your life? 00:20:16.50\00:20:18.20 Talk about that road trip, 00:20:18.23\00:20:19.56 talk about what started leading to you, 00:20:19.59\00:20:21.55 your connect with-- things just started 00:20:21.58\00:20:23.64 falling out from under you 00:20:23.67\00:20:24.78 and you started to wake up and come to your senses. 00:20:24.81\00:20:26.44 Talk about that. 00:20:26.47\00:20:27.51 Well, I got to a point in my life where I even, 00:20:27.54\00:20:30.17 you know, I just wasn't working. 00:20:30.20\00:20:31.62 You know, everything was drug money 00:20:31.65\00:20:33.18 that I was making from the club. 00:20:33.21\00:20:34.97 And the Lord in order to save my soul, 00:20:35.00\00:20:38.74 allowed me to lose everything. 00:20:38.77\00:20:39.80 Wow. 00:20:39.83\00:20:40.86 And it's funny because I'm glad for it, 00:20:40.89\00:20:43.19 because had I still had all the fancy cars 00:20:43.22\00:20:45.66 and all of the money 00:20:45.69\00:20:46.99 and everything else going for me 00:20:47.02\00:20:49.13 that for some reason was working so good 00:20:49.16\00:20:50.98 because the devil can bless you too now. 00:20:51.01\00:20:52.52 Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. 00:20:52.55\00:20:53.94 So since He'd removed that stuff for me 00:20:53.97\00:20:56.21 I kind of find myself at this stagnant point 00:20:56.24\00:20:58.13 and I took a road trip with my grandfather 00:20:58.16\00:21:00.45 and this year we'll kind of share with you 00:21:00.48\00:21:01.99 the power of influences 00:21:02.02\00:21:04.07 and things that we put inside of our body. 00:21:04.10\00:21:05.86 Here I am with my grandfather, 00:21:05.89\00:21:07.18 who's a pastor, we're taking this road trip. 00:21:07.21\00:21:09.27 For two whole days I didn't have 00:21:09.30\00:21:11.21 any nicotine in my system, I didn't have any alcohol, 00:21:11.24\00:21:13.61 no liquor, no beers, I didn't have any marijuana, 00:21:13.64\00:21:16.66 I wasn't listening to any bad music. 00:21:16.69\00:21:18.12 So you just as sober as a judge. 00:21:18.15\00:21:19.18 Let me tell you something, 00:21:19.21\00:21:21.31 my spiritual receptors were open. 00:21:21.34\00:21:24.10 Now we all have spiritual receptors 00:21:24.13\00:21:26.25 within our bodies that connects us with God. 00:21:26.28\00:21:28.46 We were made in God's image, 00:21:28.49\00:21:29.53 we were made to commune with Him. 00:21:29.56\00:21:31.28 So since my spiritual receptors were open 00:21:31.31\00:21:33.78 and they were all running on all cylinders 00:21:33.81\00:21:35.85 I didn't have anything to put in my body. 00:21:35.88\00:21:37.60 I was able to hear clearly what God had in store for me 00:21:37.63\00:21:40.79 and I had the conversation with my grandmother 00:21:40.82\00:21:42.76 and during that time I talk about in the book 00:21:42.79\00:21:45.20 I call it the "Ride of My Life." 00:21:45.23\00:21:46.45 Yeah. Yeah, the "Ride of My Life." 00:21:46.48\00:21:47.51 Because during that road trip 00:21:47.54\00:21:48.66 was I went through my conversion process 00:21:48.69\00:21:50.58 and at that time through my grandmother, 00:21:50.61\00:21:52.33 the Holy Spirit fell down on me 00:21:52.36\00:21:54.34 and I was able to hear Him clearly, 00:21:54.37\00:21:56.23 I was able to really truly accept Him 00:21:56.26\00:21:58.71 as my personal Savior. 00:21:58.74\00:21:59.77 Amen. 00:21:59.80\00:22:00.83 Talk about that experience after you came back 00:22:00.86\00:22:02.38 from that road trip a little bit after that, 00:22:02.41\00:22:04.79 you tried smoking a little marijuana 00:22:04.82\00:22:07.02 but your body was just rejecting it. 00:22:07.05\00:22:08.32 Talk about it. 00:22:08.35\00:22:09.38 Let me tell you about the power of God. 00:22:09.41\00:22:10.44 When I came back, when I came back to the city 00:22:10.47\00:22:13.20 I was living with in Huntsville, Alabama, 00:22:13.23\00:22:15.42 I came home and I told my then girlfriend 00:22:15.45\00:22:17.81 I said, honey, I'm gonna stop smoking. 00:22:17.84\00:22:19.85 I'm gonna turn my life around. 00:22:19.88\00:22:21.33 Did she believe you? And she was like, okay, yes. 00:22:21.36\00:22:24.04 She wanted to, she's like but I've heard this before. 00:22:24.07\00:22:26.49 So she goes to sleep and now here I am 00:22:26.52\00:22:29.49 with the monkey in the room, the gorilla in the room. 00:22:29.52\00:22:31.37 I've got this weed and I couldn't sleep, 00:22:31.40\00:22:34.55 I couldn't eat, I couldn't wake up in the morning 00:22:34.58\00:22:36.89 without having this in my body and it had been two days. 00:22:36.92\00:22:39.65 So needless to say I was urging for this. 00:22:39.68\00:22:42.21 You were already? Right. 00:22:42.24\00:22:43.59 And so when I told the Lord, I say Lord, 00:22:43.62\00:22:45.52 I'm gonna smoke this one last time 00:22:45.55\00:22:47.62 and after this here, I'm gonna be done for good. 00:22:47.65\00:22:50.06 But you see, the devil was saying, 00:22:50.09\00:22:51.47 hey, okay, you're gonna serve God now 00:22:51.50\00:22:53.26 but just smoke one last blunt. 00:22:53.29\00:22:54.70 And God allowed me to smoke this blunt 00:22:54.73\00:22:56.98 so that He can show me His power. 00:22:57.01\00:22:58.06 Wow. 00:22:58.09\00:22:59.12 Now this is after I said Lord, I' m gonna give You my all 00:22:59.15\00:23:00.86 and I'm gonna turn things around. 00:23:00.89\00:23:02.08 I went in my garage, I poured me some liquor, 00:23:02.11\00:23:04.59 I had my cigarettes and I'm smoking 00:23:04.62\00:23:06.47 and I'm drinking and this is the same room. 00:23:06.50\00:23:08.24 So I say, you know what, 00:23:08.27\00:23:09.31 maybe I need this weed inside of me. 00:23:09.34\00:23:11.35 So I began to smoke and I began to smoke 00:23:11.38\00:23:13.23 and my body begins to reject it 00:23:13.26\00:23:15.58 and at that moment God says, 00:23:15.61\00:23:17.30 son, I have already set you free. 00:23:17.33\00:23:19.71 Wow. And I'm just like, wow. 00:23:19.74\00:23:21.71 I mean, I felt so cloudy within my mind 00:23:21.74\00:23:24.47 which we are connected to God. 00:23:24.50\00:23:26.27 I just felt so cloudy. 00:23:26.30\00:23:28.11 You know the mind is where sin begins. 00:23:28.14\00:23:30.13 You know this is our head of our body, 00:23:30.16\00:23:31.76 this is our communion and I just felt so cloudy 00:23:31.79\00:23:34.11 putting that stuff in me. 00:23:34.14\00:23:35.26 And God says, son, you don't that to sleep anymore. 00:23:35.29\00:23:37.29 I will set you free. You don't need anyone. 00:23:37.32\00:23:38.44 You had been set free and I hadn't picked up 00:23:38.47\00:23:40.80 a pack of cigarettes or weed or any alcohol since them. 00:23:40.83\00:23:43.56 Amen. Amen. 00:23:43.59\00:23:44.64 And so when people say, 00:23:44.67\00:23:45.70 oh, you can't just stop cold turkey-- 00:23:45.73\00:23:48.55 you need the power of God. Yeah. Amen. 00:23:48.58\00:23:50.36 Because He has done this for me 00:23:50.39\00:23:52.12 and I think that He allowed this to be 00:23:52.15\00:23:53.61 so drastic in my life 00:23:53.64\00:23:55.22 so that I could be a testament to people around the world. 00:23:55.25\00:23:56.87 Wow. 00:23:56.90\00:23:57.93 You know, that's interesting, in my experience, 00:23:57.96\00:24:00.54 you know, it was a couple of months 00:24:00.57\00:24:01.79 before I got off the cocaine, the ecstasy, 00:24:01.82\00:24:04.45 the marijuana, things like that. 00:24:04.48\00:24:05.86 But I remember I was-- I challenged myself. 00:24:05.89\00:24:08.24 I said, let me go a day without cigarettes, 00:24:08.27\00:24:09.89 two days without cigarettes. 00:24:09.92\00:24:11.14 And I finally made it to a full week, 00:24:11.17\00:24:12.88 a full seven days and no cigarettes 00:24:12.91\00:24:14.51 and I believe it was the Sunday 00:24:14.54\00:24:16.03 I said, well, you know what, 00:24:16.06\00:24:17.40 let me just try one cigarette just to see, 00:24:17.43\00:24:19.81 to see if I'm over it as yet. 00:24:19.84\00:24:21.50 So I grabbed the cigarette, lit it up and you know, 00:24:21.53\00:24:24.24 I tried it I just couldn't take it. 00:24:24.27\00:24:25.76 You know, I had, I had already got free of it 00:24:25.79\00:24:27.82 for a week and you know, my body just was not taking it 00:24:27.85\00:24:30.83 and now it's been over three years 00:24:30.86\00:24:32.66 and you know, I can't even stand 00:24:32.69\00:24:33.93 the smell of cigarette smoke. 00:24:33.96\00:24:35.47 I know that's the same for you 00:24:35.50\00:24:36.53 because, you know, 00:24:36.56\00:24:37.59 when you are in that environment of a room 00:24:37.62\00:24:39.80 full of people smoking nicotine or weed, 00:24:39.83\00:24:41.93 you don't even realize that it's really going on. 00:24:41.96\00:24:44.63 But then when you stopped 00:24:44.66\00:24:45.87 and you're done for a couple of years 00:24:45.90\00:24:47.85 and you come in a room immediately 00:24:47.88\00:24:49.37 oh, man, it give me a headache. 00:24:49.40\00:24:50.49 Oh, man, I can't stand the smell. 00:24:50.52\00:24:51.58 That's right. 00:24:51.61\00:24:52.65 I want to ask you about October 17th, 2009 00:24:52.68\00:24:54.96 what happen, you know that date. 00:24:54.99\00:24:56.44 Yeah, man, that's the day I got re-baptized. 00:24:56.47\00:24:59.36 Wow. Talk about that a little. 00:24:59.39\00:25:00.58 I remember being at my dad's church 00:25:00.61\00:25:03.09 in South Carolina. 00:25:03.12\00:25:04.25 I remember being with some other guys, 00:25:04.28\00:25:06.18 he met in the community, some ex-convicts, 00:25:06.21\00:25:08.18 some ex-drug dealers 00:25:08.21\00:25:09.62 and we were all in our white robes 00:25:09.65\00:25:11.23 and we went before the church and we proclaimed our faith 00:25:11.26\00:25:14.23 and we went back and I was waiting for him to call me up. 00:25:14.26\00:25:17.02 And I remember just being there crying, 00:25:17.05\00:25:19.47 just thanking God that He saved me 00:25:19.50\00:25:21.64 and here I am with my father. 00:25:21.67\00:25:24.89 My earthly father, 00:25:24.92\00:25:26.42 in the presence of my Heavenly Father, 00:25:26.45\00:25:28.54 as he dips me down in that water, man, 00:25:28.57\00:25:30.78 and I came above the water, man, 00:25:30.81\00:25:32.60 and I just felt refreshed, I felt renewed. 00:25:32.63\00:25:35.93 I could feel the spirit of God around me 00:25:35.96\00:25:38.10 and ever since then Ira 00:25:38.13\00:25:39.80 and I have had peace like none other, man. 00:25:39.83\00:25:42.20 Like no other. A peace like none other. 00:25:42.23\00:25:44.05 Wow. 00:25:44.08\00:25:45.12 The Bible says, you know, 00:25:45.15\00:25:46.76 no peace like what you can get from God. 00:25:46.79\00:25:49.36 You know, not peace that the world gives you 00:25:49.39\00:25:52.16 but peace from God is like nothing else before. 00:25:52.19\00:25:54.72 So I want you to talk into the camera right now, 00:25:54.75\00:25:57.47 real quick because there are some mother's out there, 00:25:57.50\00:25:59.93 there are some father's out there 00:25:59.96\00:26:01.21 that want to experience that same feeling that you had 00:26:01.24\00:26:04.30 but with their son and with their daughter. 00:26:04.33\00:26:06.37 I want you to talk to that mother, 00:26:06.40\00:26:07.76 that father that wants to see 00:26:07.79\00:26:09.61 their son and daughter come home. 00:26:09.64\00:26:10.95 Speak some words of encouragement to them. 00:26:10.98\00:26:12.52 Don't stop praying. Don't give up. 00:26:12.55\00:26:15.48 I'll never forget, when I made my conversion 00:26:15.51\00:26:17.77 I called my dad and said dad, I've got to confess. 00:26:17.80\00:26:19.66 This is what I've been doing. 00:26:19.69\00:26:20.74 I told him all the wicked things I was doing. 00:26:20.77\00:26:23.13 You know, what his response was? 00:26:23.16\00:26:24.61 His response was son, I know. 00:26:24.64\00:26:26.97 I said, dad, what you mean? 00:26:27.00\00:26:28.40 He says, son, I know everything that you are caught with. 00:26:28.43\00:26:30.38 I know about the drugs dealing in the club. 00:26:30.41\00:26:32.26 He was like and I love you, welcome back home. 00:26:32.29\00:26:34.88 And I say, wow, at that time I saw Christ in my father. 00:26:34.91\00:26:37.99 So my advice to you is don't stop praying. 00:26:38.02\00:26:39.91 Yeah. 00:26:39.94\00:26:40.97 You keep on praying, God answers prayers. 00:26:41.00\00:26:43.20 Amen. You keep on praying. 00:26:43.23\00:26:44.50 Amen. 00:26:44.53\00:26:45.56 And God will deliver your children. 00:26:45.59\00:26:47.71 God will deliver your daughter, you son from cocaine, 00:26:47.74\00:26:50.67 from premarital sex, whatever it is they're dealing with, 00:26:50.70\00:26:53.09 God restores. 00:26:53.12\00:26:54.57 He did it for me, 00:26:54.60\00:26:55.63 He would do it for you and your children. 00:26:55.66\00:26:56.98 Amen. 00:26:57.01\00:26:58.04 Now what I want you to do is talk back into the camera, 00:26:58.07\00:27:00.38 talk to the youth, talk to the young people. 00:27:00.41\00:27:02.56 They are leaving the church in droves, 00:27:02.59\00:27:04.81 they don't want a relationship with Jesus. 00:27:04.84\00:27:06.87 Talk to the youth out there, give them some words. 00:27:06.90\00:27:09.03 You know, I believe that God has spared my life 00:27:09.06\00:27:12.06 as well as Aaron's life for such a time as this. 00:27:12.09\00:27:14.13 We are reaching out to you, we are pleading to you. 00:27:14.16\00:27:17.24 The lifestyle that you see on TV and these videos, 00:27:17.27\00:27:20.06 the lifestyle that you may see maybe in the communities 00:27:20.09\00:27:22.89 where you live, this is not the life that God has for you. 00:27:22.92\00:27:26.40 God has called you to do 00:27:26.43\00:27:27.64 something great and something special. 00:27:27.67\00:27:29.70 I can't help but think about 2 Chronicles 7:14, 00:27:29.73\00:27:35.95 it says, "If my people, who are called by my name, 00:27:35.98\00:27:38.40 will humble themselves and pray and seek my face 00:27:38.43\00:27:41.28 and turn from their wicked ways, 00:27:41.31\00:27:42.47 then I will hear from heaven, 00:27:42.50\00:27:43.77 and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 00:27:43.80\00:27:45.74 God will do that for you 00:27:45.77\00:27:46.98 but you have to first humble yourself. 00:27:47.01\00:27:48.75 Realize that you've got caught up into a mess. 00:27:48.78\00:27:51.46 Ask God to forgive you and restore you 00:27:51.49\00:27:53.77 and start every single day with the Lord. 00:27:53.80\00:27:57.23 Amen. Amen. 00:27:57.26\00:27:58.60 If you want to get in contact with Jeremy Anderson 00:27:58.63\00:28:01.42 I encourage you to get online, 00:28:01.45\00:28:03.20 Google Spirit Reign Communications. 00:28:03.23\00:28:06.07 Spirit Reign Communications. 00:28:06.10\00:28:08.13 You've been watching this interview 00:28:08.16\00:28:09.38 with Jeremy Anderson. 00:28:09.41\00:28:11.77 God has really changed his life. 00:28:11.80\00:28:13.41 He's put him in active ministry, 00:28:13.44\00:28:15.01 saved to serve. 00:28:15.04\00:28:16.16 Thank you for watching "The New Journey." 00:28:16.19\00:28:17.61 We encourage you to join us next time. 00:28:17.64\00:28:19.52 Be blessed. 00:28:19.55\00:28:20.58