Welcome to the New Journey, a
program about real life people,
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with real life testimonies,
doing real life ministry for
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Jesus Christ. I'm your host
Pastor Marquis Johns. Join us
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on The New Journey.
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¤ ¤
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The Apostle Paul tells us that
in Christ, we are new creatures.
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But what exactly does a new
creature look like? You'd only
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be able to tell that someone
is new if you know a little bit
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about who they were when
they were the old creature.
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On today's program, we have
William who's going to tell us
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about the old creature but
emphasize more the new creature
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in Christ. William
how you doing today?
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Doing real well, real well.
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Fantastic, fantastic. So why
don't you tell us your name and
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where you're from.
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My name is William Bumphus.
I'm from Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Come on now. Yeah. OK,
so William, we want to start
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off with just a little bit
of your background. I mean, we
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understand the city and the
state that you're from. Now tell
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us where you're coming from.
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I was raised in the inner city
of Indianapolis. My mother was
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an alcoholic. My father, I
didn't know him until I met him
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in prison when I
was 12 years old.
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Whoa, whoa, whoa. You met your
father for the first time when
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you were in prison.
When he was in prison.
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OK, when he was in
prison. I had that wrong.
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When he was in prison. I vaguely
remember them taking me to see
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him, but I didn't really know
who he was until around 12 years
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old when he came out. Then the
neighborhood I was in, so I just
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got involved in
crime at a very early age.
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OK, now crime is general.
We want to get specific today.
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Right. So 12 years
of age, you just met
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your dad for the first time and
he was just coming out of doing
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a prison stint. How long
was he in jail, do you remember?
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Well he did some like eight
years for robbery. He was a
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criminal. And when I met him
he took me around to his friends
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and introduced me as his son.
All right? I seen the way that
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they were living, found out
that they were doing criminal
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activities and so I got involved
with crime, stealing was my
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major crime at first.
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OK, so 12 years old, I
mean, you're introduced to your
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father's friends. You're
basically following in your
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dad's footsteps. Let me ask a
question? Because this is what
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he was used to, did he ever
discipline or reprimand you for
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your behavior? Sure.
I mean his attitude was
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that I don't want you to be like
me. I want you to go to school,
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get your education and all that,
but I'm seeing the life style
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that he's living and I'm seeing
the life style that everybody
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else is living and he got some
stuff and everybody else ain't
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got nothing. So I wanted the
stuff. So he didn't know I was
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doing what I was doing. He
didn't know that I was doing
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what I was doing until I began
to get arrested like at 17 years
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old. OK so he
didn't condone your
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behavior. No, he
didn't condone it at all.
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He was go to school, don't be
like me but like most kids we do
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what we see not what
we hear. That's correct.
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So now you have your
first run in with the law at 17?
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Yes. I mean I was doing
some crime in through there but
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didn't really get caught for
anything. I went to jail once
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at an early age. But when they
found I was a minor they called
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my parents. But my first
arrest was 17 years old and they
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arrested me for car theft. I had
been stealing cars since the age
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of around 15 years old. So they
finally caught me at 17 years
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old and sent me to prison, not
as a juvenile, but to an adult
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facility at 17. How
long was that prison stay?
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That was only six months.
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Six months. Because that was
obviously before the days of my
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time because when I was a kid
we used to get up every morning.
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We'd go steal a car and by this
time early 1990s grand theft
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auto is carries a hefty penalty.
Because now people are shooting
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people, so now you
wasn't hit with a joy-riding
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misdemeanor. No,
this was in the 1960s.
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Yeah that's kind of joy ride.
So when did you get your first
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felony? Well my
first felony after I
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came out of prison there. Once I
got there I just learned how to
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do crime better 'cause that's
the only thing I wanted to do.
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and I came out and got more
heavily involved in the street
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life and I picked up my first
robbery charge a year later.
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Went back to
prison. Only did a year.
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Got smarter, got better at crime
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Got better at crime, came back
out and picked up my second.
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My third time I went to a
federal prison for having a
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check ring, forging checks and
all that. I did two years there.
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By then I was a career criminal.
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OK, how old are you now?
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Sixty-five. Just
coming out of the fed.
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Oh you mean then. I was 23
years old in the fed. I was the
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youngest guy there in
the whole federal prison.
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OK, so now you
come out of the feds.
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Twenty-five years
old when I got out.
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Now listen. This is what a lot
of people don't know. A lot of
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guys don't know that you meet
better criminals the higher you
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climb. Without a doubt.
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So when you go to the county
jail you meet some guys who
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really don't know what they're
doing but you get some better
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connect. You come out, you
go to state, little bit better
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connect. By the time you hit the
feds you come out, you know the
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big boys. Right.
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So at 23 you hit the streets,
you know the big boys so is this
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the transition
into the drug game?
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Well, no. The drug game came
prior to that. It was my second
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time in prison at 19. I was
introduced to shooting drugs
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in my arm by inmates and I
became a drug addict in the
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prison and didn't know it
because I could readily get it
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because of the crowd that I hung
around with. And when I came
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outside I began to use heroin
and cocaine and I shot them
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in my veins. Started
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at 19 years old and
I did it for 13 years.
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So 19 years old, strung
out on heroin and cocaine.
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Yeah, right. Tell me
about the life style of
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a 19-year-old heroin addict what
is this, 40 years ago. Tell me
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about the life style of a
19- year-old heroin addict with
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three priors, some serious jail
time on his jacket at this point
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You've got a serious jacket at
this point. Tell us about that
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life style, 19 years, heroin
addict, I mean a serious jacket.
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man. Tell us about that.
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Well it's all according to the
individual. Myself, I enjoyed
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it. 'Cause I wanted to be
a hustler. I enjoyed shooting
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drugs. I didn't have no problem
getting it, so there wasn't no
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crime off limits. You know what
I mean. So I did all kinds of
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crimes. I pimped girls, you know
what I mean, robbed people and
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stole stuff. I mean,
that's just what I did.
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OK so you're living the life.
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I'm living the life that I
thought... the only thing that
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I didn't like about
it was getting locked up.
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Right, right. So you're getting
in the other neighborhood,
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everybody likes
you, looks up to you.
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Right, except for
the police. (laughs)
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The police don't look up
to you, they look out for you.
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Right, right. So
you're the envy of the
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neighborhood, the talk of the
town. Everybody knows you, your
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name is ringing. Girls are
attracted to you because you've
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got probably a nice
stable at this time. Sure, sure.
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So the sky seems to
be the limit Correct.
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When do you hit bottom?
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Well I hit bottom when I go to
the federal prison 'cause that
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was after that, 23 years old
when I get in there. That's my
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third time now. So I begin to
think. I got introduced to Islam
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at 19 years old in jail so I
professed Islam as my official
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religion. I became a
Muslim under Mohammad and so I
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professed Islam as my religion.
Now of course drug abuse and all
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that is taboo but when I got on
the street I just backslid. But
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every time I'd go back to prison
I'd get back into their movement
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so when I wound up going to the
federal system at 23 years old,
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I said I'm 23, this is my third
time in prison, I ain't got a
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whole lot of time yet so my
thoughts were let me get myself
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together so I won't do no more
time. So I decided to take a
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little education and not use
no drugs while I'm locked up.
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My plan was to get
out, get me a good job.
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Wait, wait, wait, hold on. You
kind of don't make a decision
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and I want you to walk our
viewers through this because
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when you're dealing with heroin
you don't just make a decision
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to kick the monkey.
Right. I mean this is tough.
00:09:09.11\00:09:10.45
Well it's done for you. Heroin's
different than crack. I mean,
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the physical addiction of heroin
is gone after seven days. It's
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called cold turkey. So any time
you go to jail and you ain't
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got no drugs for those seven
days you're going cold turkey.
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It's really painful,
you're going to throw up, your
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stomach's hurting,
you know after seven days
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the physical desire for the
drug is gone. Then it becomes a
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mental thing. And you know while
you're locked up you put your
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mind in different stuff,
you don't even think about it.
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Just once you get outside even
though the physical thing is
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gone you get to thinking about
it, smelling sulfur from matches
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and stuff like that makes you
think of shooting dope again.
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OK, let's paint the picture
here Young man, broken home,
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dysfunctional family, mother's
an alcoholic, daddy's in jail
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on a 8-year prison stay. You
don't meet him until you're 12.
00:10:02.20\00:10:05.17
He comes out of jail,
begins to show you around the
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neighborhood to his friends, you
adopt and are attracted to and
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enticed by a life of crime. You
start in with the crime. By the
00:10:12.17\00:10:15.94
time you're 17 you have a stable
You have a string of prostitutes
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Sure. You're dealing with heroin
you're dealing with cocaine.
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Boom one prison stay, next
prison stay, then you go and
00:10:26.39\00:10:29.36
when you're 23 you hit the feds
and you make a decision, hey
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this is it. Right. I'm done.
Right. Walk us through what
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happens when you get out.
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But it don't work right
because I didn't have Christ.
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Some on now. And so
when I get out, of course
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I get me a job for the first
time in my life and I worked
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that job the man bus. I met me
a nice girl who wasn't involved
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with that life style. But then
one day I get a knock on my door
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some old friends wanting me to
take them to get some dope after
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nine months. They wound up
robbing the dope man and then
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they give me my cut which
is a whole bunch of heroin and
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cocaine. So now I got all this
dope. So next things I know I'm
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I'm back using the
00:11:07.06\00:11:08.40
drugs again. So then I just hit
the street and finally I wind
00:11:08.43\00:11:12.60
up... I was on the run for four
years after that and finally I
00:11:12.63\00:11:15.70
wind up in jail on the
last charge of burglary and they
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charged me with 33
burglaries and felonies.
00:11:21.08\00:11:23.58
My lord. Now you had accepted
of embraced Islam as a young
00:11:23.61\00:11:29.75
man. I mean, this is an honest
question. I remember in my day
00:11:29.78\00:11:35.36
and age, when I was about eighth
grade, there was a resurgence
00:11:35.39\00:11:40.90
under Farrakhan of the nation
of Islam, young black men,
00:11:40.93\00:11:43.90
disenchanted, disenfranchised,
in droves joined the nation of
00:11:43.97\00:11:48.97
Islam, but I saw just as many
go back to it because of the
00:11:49.00\00:11:53.14
nature of it. I don't want to
get into details. It's organized
00:11:53.17\00:11:57.31
it's kind of like what you're
used to when you're on the
00:11:57.35\00:11:59.21
street, a gang almost. Right.
Where is Islam at in this period
00:11:59.25\00:12:02.95
of your life. I mean, you've
embraced Islam. Where's Muslim?
00:12:02.98\00:12:07.76
Well when I got to the federal
prison at 23 years I had this
00:12:07.79\00:12:12.39
thought when I first went
in. This thought was that there
00:12:12.46\00:12:17.03
ain't no God. Allah ain't
God. You know, you see what I'm
00:12:17.07\00:12:21.60
saying. Because my thoughts were
here I am 23 years old and I say
00:12:21.64\00:12:25.77
now if God was who he say he
is then he would know I'm not as
00:12:25.81\00:12:30.15
bad as everybody say I am and
I would have got a break. So I
00:12:30.18\00:12:33.85
I made my mind up when I
got there that I wasn't serving
00:12:33.88\00:12:37.09
Islam or nothing like that.
Now you see what I'm saying?
00:12:37.12\00:12:39.35
That's still my religion, I
still ain't going to eat no pork
00:12:39.39\00:12:41.59
OK, but then I joined the
Panthers then. So my mind got
00:12:41.62\00:12:50.03
even more messed up.
00:12:50.07\00:12:51.40
Yeah, yeah, so you go from
being a Muslim to being part
00:12:51.43\00:12:54.07
of a Black Panther communist
movement. So now boom you get a
00:12:54.10\00:13:02.74
cut. Your cut is heroin, cocaine
you're back in the streets again
00:13:02.81\00:13:07.08
looking at 33 burglaries.
00:13:07.12\00:13:09.02
Right, they catch me and my
partner backing out of a man's
00:13:09.05\00:13:12.89
driveway with all this
merchandise in the car.
00:13:12.92\00:13:14.39
And then when we get down to
the jail he tells about all the
00:13:14.42\00:13:19.19
other crimes we
did. Your codefendant?
00:13:19.23\00:13:21.60
My codefendant did. My,
my. So they charged us with 33
00:13:21.63\00:13:24.90
burglaries and larceny and
put it on the front page of the
00:13:24.93\00:13:28.44
Indianapolis news. Wow. And
I wasn't ready then so I went
00:13:28.47\00:13:32.87
on the run for four years.
Ended up in Indiana I was trying
00:13:32.91\00:13:37.25
to get out of town but couldn't
make it. So at the end of four
00:13:37.31\00:13:41.35
years, the girl that I was with
I married her. We was over to
00:13:41.38\00:13:45.52
her sister's house and I was
talking about her sister so her
00:13:45.55\00:13:50.43
sister shot me. I couldn't go
to the hospital 'cause they were
00:13:50.49\00:13:55.23
looking for gunshot wound, she
shot me in the knee. So then I
00:13:55.26\00:13:59.63
was thinking about because of
my criminal activity and who I
00:13:59.67\00:14:03.61
was, my thoughts were I had to
kill the girl. So I was plotting
00:14:03.64\00:14:08.14
on how could I kill her and get
away with it. My ex-wife which
00:14:08.18\00:14:12.65
was her sister knew who I
was so she wound up, her and the
00:14:12.71\00:14:17.12
other girl calling the police on
me and they arrested me for the
00:14:17.19\00:14:20.32
four-year-old burglary charge
and I wind up in jail facing the
00:14:20.36\00:14:23.46
33 burglaries. So walk
us through what happened
00:14:23.49\00:14:25.99
And while there you understand
on Friday night they got me and
00:14:26.03\00:14:29.23
my alias name. I'm laying up
there. I know it's over. I know
00:14:29.26\00:14:32.77
I'm going to prison and staying
for a long time. And I wake up
00:14:32.80\00:14:36.30
and here's a preacher outside
the cell bars talking about
00:14:36.34\00:14:41.34
Jesus. Since I'm in prison,
everybody know me as a militant.
00:14:41.38\00:14:45.85
And this guy is a white guy. And
he's talking about come on down
00:14:45.88\00:14:50.32
here, let me pray for you so
you can meet Jesus. I want the
00:14:50.35\00:14:54.06
prayer 'cause I'm looking
for anything that will help.
00:14:54.09\00:14:55.62
But I've got this reputation.
00:14:55.66\00:14:57.03
Yeah, and we don't
want to white Jesus. Yeah.
00:14:57.06\00:14:59.69
So two black guys went down and
this gave me courage to go down.
00:14:59.76\00:15:04.20
And the preacher didn't tell us
how to get saved. He just simply
00:15:04.23\00:15:08.67
said Lord Jesus help these
men find you, which I wasn't
00:15:08.70\00:15:12.24
interested in that, and then he
said, help these men with their
00:15:12.27\00:15:16.11
case. Now your case is your
charge. That made sense. So I
00:15:16.14\00:15:20.25
went and I laid down in my bunk
and I said, OK, Jesus if you're
00:15:20.28\00:15:23.59
real when I go to court in the
morning don't let them find out
00:15:23.65\00:15:27.26
my real name. Well of course
I go to court the next morning
00:15:27.29\00:15:32.16
and they found out my real
name so then I prayed again, OK,
00:15:32.19\00:15:36.63
Jesus, if you're real put me
in a good cell block. But they
00:15:36.67\00:15:41.04
wound up putting me in the worst
cell block of the jail. So now I
00:15:41.07\00:15:44.67
don't want to hear nothing else
about Jesus. And I'm in this
00:15:44.71\00:15:48.48
cell block and I didn't
know that this cell block had a
00:15:48.51\00:15:51.98
Bible study going on with four
inmates and one of those inmates
00:15:52.01\00:15:56.65
came down and asked me did I
know Jesus. I told him what I
00:15:56.69\00:16:01.39
thought about Jesus and
that Bible. No, it was not nice.
00:16:01.42\00:16:06.06
But the thing was he was my peer
One of the guys that was going
00:16:06.09\00:16:09.56
to the Bible study had more dope
than I did on the street, he had
00:16:09.60\00:16:13.00
more girls and I know he had
killed several folks and he had
00:16:13.03\00:16:15.77
Bibles all over his cell so I
went in there to challenge him.
00:16:15.80\00:16:19.41
How do you know this is real?
And he shared his testimony how
00:16:19.44\00:16:23.08
God had worked miracles in
his life and after I guess maybe
00:16:23.11\00:16:26.68
about a week listening to them I
decided I wanted what they had.
00:16:26.72\00:16:30.92
So I asked the men, how do I
get to be like y'all. And I'm
00:16:30.99\00:16:33.62
thinking they're going to tell
me something real deep. And they
00:16:33.66\00:16:35.42
said man all you got to do
is ask Jesus Christ to come into
00:16:35.46\00:16:37.23
your heart. My question was,
how do you know Jesus is real?
00:16:38.53\00:16:42.80
So they gave me the scripture,
Romans 10:9, that if you will
00:16:42.83\00:16:45.97
confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus, believe in your heart
00:16:46.00\00:16:48.90
that God has raised him from
the dead, you shall be saved.
00:16:48.94\00:16:51.81
I couldn't pray that prayer.
I didn't believe that 'cause I
00:16:51.87\00:16:54.78
still was a Muslim and Muslims
don't believe God raised Jesus
00:16:54.81\00:16:58.51
from the dead. So I said, OK,
break that down for me. So they
00:16:58.55\00:17:01.55
broke it down like this. OK man
here's what that means. If you
00:17:01.58\00:17:04.45
ask Jesus Christ to come in your
heart and you're serious about
00:17:04.49\00:17:07.32
it and he don't come, then
it means he's not alive and the
00:17:07.36\00:17:10.36
Bible's a lie. They said, but if
you ask Jesus Christ to come in
00:17:10.39\00:17:13.26
your heart and you're serious
about it and he does come then
00:17:13.29\00:17:16.20
it means Jesus is alive and the
Bible's the only word of God.
00:17:16.23\00:17:19.83
So I prayed that prayer in that
jail cell floor and instantly I
00:17:19.87\00:17:23.20
knew that Jesus was alive and
I knew that the Bible was true.
00:17:23.24\00:17:27.84
My lord, my lord, and so
you actually met Christ in jail.
00:17:27.91\00:17:32.51
Yeah. Jesus
stepped into your jail
00:17:32.55\00:17:37.09
cell and saved you.
And saved me in the jail.
00:17:37.15\00:17:41.12
My lord, my lord. So was this
in the beginning, the middle or
00:17:41.16\00:17:44.16
the end of this
last prison sentence?
00:17:44.19\00:17:45.69
This was the last prison
sentence. I went and told my
00:17:45.76\00:17:54.07
lawyer that I'd got born again
and that I'm willing to accept
00:17:54.10\00:17:57.77
whatever they offer 'cause I'm
guilty. He said, well they ain't
00:17:57.81\00:18:01.44
offering anything. He said
they're going to prosecute you
00:18:01.48\00:18:04.11
to the full extent of the
law which means they're going to
00:18:04.15\00:18:07.12
give you 60 years which means
I would have to do 30 straight
00:18:07.15\00:18:10.09
years in order to get out
in Indiana. So I told him to
00:18:10.12\00:18:14.29
continue the case. I went back
upstairs, told the brothers, we
00:18:14.32\00:18:17.46
prayed. This happened three
times. The third time we go down
00:18:17.49\00:18:20.76
yeah, the third time we go down
my lawyer said man maybe there
00:18:20.80\00:18:24.57
is a God. He said they called
and said drop that 60 and give
00:18:24.60\00:18:28.34
you five years. Come on.
00:18:28.37\00:18:29.70
So I told him don't stand here,
hurry up and go get the papers
00:18:29.74\00:18:31.34
before they change their
mind. I wind up with four years
00:18:31.37\00:18:35.54
instead of five in Indiana
State Prison in Michigan City.
00:18:35.58\00:18:40.35
Got there, serving God, reading
the Bible, studying. Wrote my
00:18:40.38\00:18:45.19
judge a letter the first month
after I was there. Ten months
00:18:45.22\00:18:49.22
later I was supernaturally set
free. They gave me probation on
00:18:49.26\00:18:52.89
the street, four years'
probation That was 34 years ago
00:18:52.93\00:18:56.56
and I ain't been back since.
00:18:56.60\00:18:59.63
So praise the Lord,
can we say praise the Lord.
00:18:59.67\00:19:01.34
Amen, praise the Lord Amen.
No drugs or alcohol or anything
00:19:01.40\00:19:03.20
like that for 34 years.
00:19:03.24\00:19:05.61
My lord. So now you're out on
the streets. You know he's real.
00:19:05.67\00:19:09.54
Correct. He's in your heart.
00:19:09.58\00:19:10.91
Right. What are
the steps you take when
00:19:10.95\00:19:12.28
you hit the streets?
00:19:12.31\00:19:13.65
Well when I hit the streets it
was rough the first week because
00:19:13.68\00:19:17.32
you know Mama said I could stay
at home for a week. Even though
00:19:17.35\00:19:21.69
I was born again, she didn't
believe me. Didn't believe I had
00:19:21.72\00:19:25.99
really changed. But that
one scripture was Matthew 16:33
00:19:26.03\00:19:30.50
which I learned which I learned.
Seek first the kingdom of God
00:19:30.53\00:19:32.87
and other things will be added.
Well on the fifth day, this was
00:19:32.93\00:19:36.10
a Friday, my mother put me out.
And I was walking the streets of
00:19:36.14\00:19:39.77
Indianapolis with nothing. And I
ran across one of the guys that
00:19:39.81\00:19:43.51
was in jail with me and he went
to his uncle's church. He took
00:19:43.55\00:19:47.25
me to his church that Saturday,
Baptized me in water, I joined
00:19:47.32\00:19:50.99
that church and
the rest is history.
00:19:51.02\00:19:53.56
So now I got it, I got the story
That's who you were, that's
00:19:53.59\00:19:58.19
where you been, that's how you
got here. What are you doing now
00:19:58.26\00:20:02.86
Now, you understand, I'm in
prison ministry. I travel all
00:20:02.90\00:20:05.97
over the country, been doing it
now for like 25 years. Preaching
00:20:06.03\00:20:09.90
in over 450 prisons so far. Also
got a ministry in Lagos, Nigeria
00:20:09.94\00:20:13.78
been there six time where we
have prison ministries there.
00:20:13.81\00:20:16.78
Also run a reentry program
called Jesus House where men
00:20:16.81\00:20:19.71
who give their life to Christ
can be paroled to. Right now we
00:20:19.75\00:20:22.78
can house 46 men. Are
you at capacity right now?
00:20:22.82\00:20:26.29
No. Yeah, we usually run around
30-35 men but we've got two
00:20:26.32\00:20:31.03
other facilities.
What's the address for that?
00:20:31.06\00:20:32.79
It's at 34th and Schofield.
It's called the Miracle on 34th
00:20:32.86\00:20:38.37
Street. Come on
now. So you go from
00:20:38.40\00:20:42.57
again, broken home, crime
heroin, cocaine, in and out of
00:20:42.60\00:20:51.55
prison. Muslim. Meet Jesus in
prison. Get out. Fifth day out
00:20:51.58\00:20:58.02
of prison mom puts you out.
You run into a guy. Next thing
00:20:58.05\00:21:04.39
you know you're baptized. So now
you're taking prison ministries
00:21:04.43\00:21:10.27
all over the world.
00:21:10.30\00:21:11.63
Without a doubt.
Pastor a church and all that.
00:21:11.67\00:21:13.74
Pastor a church?
That's impossible.
00:21:13.77\00:21:20.58
Well, the Bible says with
God nothing is impossible.
00:21:20.61\00:21:22.74
That's what I wanted to hear.
This is not realistic, this just
00:21:22.78\00:21:27.62
doesn't happen, or does it?
00:21:27.65\00:21:28.98
It happens every day.
00:21:29.02\00:21:30.35
And you're living
proof that it does.
00:21:30.39\00:21:31.99
I'm a living proof that it does.
00:21:32.02\00:21:33.36
Did you mother ever see...
I'm assuming she's now asleep in
00:21:33.39\00:21:39.23
Christ... did your mother
ever get a chance to see you?
00:21:39.26\00:21:44.17
Right, she became a Christian
because of me. So did my 11
00:21:44.20\00:21:49.10
brothers and
sisters. All of them saved.
00:21:49.14\00:21:51.64
Come on now. So this is not only
Christ's ability to convince,
00:21:51.67\00:21:55.64
not only to convict
but also to convert.
00:21:55.68\00:21:59.25
Without a doubt.
00:21:59.28\00:22:00.72
Convert you, convert mom,
convert 11 brothers and sisters.
00:22:00.75\00:22:04.15
My lord, my lord. Here's what
I want you to do. About a minute
00:22:04.19\00:22:08.16
or so here I want you to take
a couple moments and you're a
00:22:08.19\00:22:11.73
preacher, over my shoulder,
I want you to look into this
00:22:11.76\00:22:15.16
camera and I want you to talk
to... And here's the beauty,
00:22:15.23\00:22:19.23
here's the beauty William of
your story. You're in your 60s.
00:22:19.27\00:22:23.17
But believe it or not there
are some people still needing a
00:22:23.20\00:22:27.08
fresh start in their 60s
who don't realize that their
00:22:27.11\00:22:31.88
yesterdays don't matter because
Christ has promised us a bright
00:22:31.91\00:22:37.22
tomorrow. So I want you to speak
to people who are experiencing
00:22:37.25\00:22:42.56
any of the number of things
you've experienced over the
00:22:42.59\00:22:45.83
course or your 60
some-odd years. Go ahead.
00:22:45.86\00:22:48.76
Well if you've heard testimony
what I'd like to say to you is
00:22:48.80\00:22:53.30
don't wait. It took me a long
time. I was almost 31 years old
00:22:53.34\00:22:56.97
when I asked Jesus Christ to
come into my heart. I believe
00:22:57.01\00:23:00.01
that was because that was the
first time I heard it. The first
00:23:00.08\00:23:03.04
time I heard it and really
understood it. So maybe this
00:23:03.08\00:23:05.25
right here is your time hearing
the gospel and it's making sense
00:23:05.31\00:23:09.12
to you. So it don't make no
difference what station of life
00:23:09.15\00:23:11.15
you're in; maybe you're
incarcerated, maybe you're not.
00:23:11.19\00:23:13.56
Maybe you're homeless you
understand. Maybe you're just
00:23:13.59\00:23:15.89
right there in your kitchen you
understand, going through some
00:23:15.92\00:23:18.83
problems, you understand,
financially or whatever it is.
00:23:18.86\00:23:20.36
Jesus is still the answer. So I
would just want to encourage you
00:23:20.40\00:23:23.90
you understand. Don't wait. Just
ask Jesus Christ to come in your
00:23:23.93\00:23:27.14
heart. Turn your whole life over
on him. The Bible says cast all
00:23:27.17\00:23:30.34
your care upon him because
he cares for you. I guarantee if
00:23:30.37\00:23:33.48
you do that, ask Jesus Christ
to come into your heart, he'll
00:23:33.54\00:23:36.61
change you right now and life
will begin to look a whole lot
00:23:36.64\00:23:39.71
better. Now
pastor that sounded good.
00:23:39.75\00:23:44.75
To someone that may have
sounded just like a bunch of
00:23:44.82\00:23:47.82
theory. Sure. Can you walk us
through a practical experience
00:23:47.86\00:23:50.63
that you had. Have you had
an opportunity on a one-on-one
00:23:50.66\00:23:53.73
basis to see someone who you
have ministered to in prisons
00:23:53.76\00:23:56.83
come out and become a
productive member of society?
00:23:56.87\00:24:00.34
Well, there's hundreds of
them. I'm thinking of one, A.J.,
00:24:00.37\00:24:05.14
Anthony Jackson, came to our
Jesus House. He was supposed to
00:24:05.17\00:24:09.91
be from Christians. He was there
you understand, he was a violent
00:24:09.94\00:24:12.61
criminal, robbery and all that
kind of stuff, hurting people.
00:24:12.65\00:24:15.72
He was violent inside of prison.
He came to the Jesus House and
00:24:15.75\00:24:18.82
after about three months
we knows that he really wasn't
00:24:18.85\00:24:21.19
born again, didn't even
care nothing about the gospel.
00:24:21.22\00:24:23.49
I overheard him. So I brought
him over and told him man you're
00:24:23.53\00:24:27.96
going to have to leave because
this place ain't for you. And at
00:24:28.00\00:24:31.07
that moment a tear came out his
eyes and he says where can I go?
00:24:31.10\00:24:33.77
I ain't got no place to go. I
said, well OK you can stay here
00:24:33.80\00:24:36.20
but you're going to act like
a Christian. And what I meant by
00:24:36.24\00:24:38.51
that you're going to have
to read your Bible and pray and
00:24:38.54\00:24:41.34
participate. Well he began to
participate. Long story short,
00:24:41.38\00:24:44.11
he wound up getting the arrested
for something that he didn't do.
00:24:44.15\00:24:47.15
Go back to jail. And while he
was in there he prayed. He said
00:24:47.18\00:24:51.72
Lord you worked miracles in
Pastor Bumphus life. I need a
00:24:51.75\00:24:54.82
miracle. This is the first
time I ever been locked up for
00:24:54.86\00:24:58.09
something I didn't do. If you're
really real, work this out.
00:24:58.13\00:25:01.36
So, I'm sorry. So A.J.
got locked up for something he
00:25:01.40\00:25:04.43
didn't do. That he didn't do.
00:25:04.47\00:25:06.17
Yeah, but he had to
hear the gospel first.
00:25:06.23\00:25:08.90
Right, come on. So he
asked Jesus Christ to come
00:25:08.94\00:25:10.64
into his heart in that jail
cell God worked a miracle in his
00:25:10.67\00:25:13.07
life. Released him. The people
dropped the charges 'cause he
00:25:13.14\00:25:15.78
was innocent. He came back
to the Jesus House, stayed there
00:25:15.84\00:25:19.11
a year, became my resident
director. Now he works for a
00:25:19.15\00:25:22.32
large mission in Indiana, called
Willow Mission. He's the head
00:25:22.38\00:25:26.05
supervisor of the kitchen, Amen,
and the hired several guys from
00:25:26.09\00:25:29.16
the Jesus House. He's married,
just bought his own home and now
00:25:29.19\00:25:32.93
he goes inside prison for us.
So that's just of the success
00:25:32.96\00:25:36.67
stories. Amen,
Amen, Amen. So this isn't
00:25:36.70\00:25:38.33
theory and this is
not just it worked for me.
00:25:38.40\00:25:41.17
No, no. It works
for whosoever will.
00:25:41.20\00:25:43.71
You've seen it work. This is not
a story you heard. This is not
00:25:43.74\00:25:46.74
something you overheard, it's
not something you read. This is
00:25:46.78\00:25:49.74
something that you have
experienced countless times.
00:25:49.78\00:25:52.15
Over and over again, yes.
00:25:52.18\00:25:53.52
And so what does that do
to your walk, I mean, for you?
00:25:53.55\00:25:57.62
Because the beauty of that
is that God rewards those who
00:25:57.65\00:26:01.82
diligently seek him. Is this the
reward? I mean are we looking
00:26:01.86\00:26:05.16
for bright mansions alone or
are you experiencing Jesus right
00:26:05.19\00:26:09.76
now. Is this joy. Living for
Jesus and seeing results like
00:26:09.80\00:26:13.54
that is joy nonstop. I would
have joy anyway even if I didn't
00:26:13.57\00:26:17.77
see no results. But just to see
the results on top of it, ah you
00:26:17.81\00:26:22.01
can't get past that.
00:26:22.04\00:26:23.38
That's what I'm talking about.
This is incredible, this is
00:26:23.41\00:26:26.38
incredible. And the reason
why is what I'm hearing is God
00:26:26.41\00:26:31.59
taking people who were once
offenders and taking them to
00:26:31.65\00:26:36.76
people who are offenders now
and using them and their stories
00:26:36.79\00:26:42.16
and their testimonies
to set captives free.
00:26:42.20\00:26:44.87
Without a doubt.
Bringing truth to Revelation 12
00:26:44.93\00:26:48.00
and they overcame by the blood
of the lamb and by the word of
00:26:48.04\00:26:51.54
their testimony. The testimony
is powerful. And I think about
00:26:51.57\00:26:55.04
Paul, I think about
Paul. Whenever Paul got into a
00:26:55.08\00:26:57.85
straight. Periodically
throughout the book of
00:26:57.88\00:27:00.02
Acts we find Paul getting into
situations. Situations sometimes
00:27:00.05\00:27:04.22
of his own doing but because
he's spreading the gospel and
00:27:04.25\00:27:08.16
every single time Paul would
just start telling his testimony
00:27:08.22\00:27:12.53
He came before Festus; he'd tell
his testimony, he'd get before
00:27:12.56\00:27:16.26
Agrippa, he'd give his testimony
He's on the chopping block, he's
00:27:16.30\00:27:19.93
giving his testimony. They
put him before Sadducees and
00:27:19.97\00:27:23.41
Pharisees and he gives his
testimony. And his testimony
00:27:23.47\00:27:26.84
boils down almost to one thing
and it's the same thing that we
00:27:26.88\00:27:31.08
heard from you, it's what you
said about A.J. and we hear it
00:27:31.11\00:27:34.68
countless times on this show
New Journey. We hear this on the
00:27:34.72\00:27:38.72
New Journey and that story is
basically, no matter what I was
00:27:38.75\00:27:43.79
it's about what I am now. I am
indeed a new creature in Christ.
00:27:43.83\00:27:48.66
Brothers and sisters, if you're
not encouraged then I don't know
00:27:48.70\00:27:53.54
what to do or what to say.
God is taking lives like Pastor
00:27:53.57\00:27:58.17
William Bumphus and he is
turning them around to reach the
00:27:58.21\00:28:02.58
A.J.'s of the world and
take them, and even you possibly
00:28:02.61\00:28:06.92
on a New Journey. Dare to Dream.
00:28:06.95\00:28:12.05