Participants: Pr. Marquis Johns (Host), Bernard Thompson
Series Code: TNJ
Program Code: TNJ000034
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00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:03 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:05 may be too candid for younger children. 00:08 Welcome to the New Journey, 00:09 a program about real life people 00:12 with real life testimonies 00:13 doing real life ministry for Jesus Christ. 00:15 I'm your host, Pastor Marquis Johns. 00:18 Join us on the New Journey. 00:54 Jesus admonished us to look to a better country. 00:57 But there are sometimes things that we do 00:59 while in this country that may prevent us 01:02 from acquiring citizenship in the land, 01:05 in the country, in the home to come. 01:08 However, when we accept Christ, 01:10 He takes care of all naturalization issues. 01:13 On today's show, we have Brother Bernard Thompson. 01:16 How are you doing? I'm doing fine, thanks. 01:17 Now, Brother Bernard Thompson, you grew up in Trinidad? 01:20 And when you were in Trinidad, you were probably 01:23 not the best person to keep company with. 01:27 No, I wouldn't say the best to keep company with, 01:30 but I had some ups and downs. 01:33 Okay, okay. 01:34 And one of the things that had me... 01:40 I thought to myself that had me to ending is, 01:43 I told I was very good at school, elementary school. 01:47 And then, for some reason, I feel coming interest 01:51 with this is to go into high school. 01:53 So basically, what you're saying, 01:54 and I'm glad you jumped right in 01:56 and started kind of directing the flow of the interview. 01:59 So you were good in elementary 02:01 but when it was time to progress 02:03 from elementary to secondary school, 02:05 you didn't do so well. 02:06 Because of the places, the places we had, 02:11 and because, well, at that time, 02:14 they were using like surname. 02:17 And my name is Steve, we don't. 02:19 So unfortunately, 02:22 I didn't get into that place in. 02:25 Wow, so basically, just based on your name, 02:28 you're not able to... 02:29 This is how I thought it to be. 02:33 After that time, well, in those days, 02:38 steel band was way out, it was violence and all, 02:44 you know, different gangs 02:45 and things with these steel bands. 02:47 And fortunately, it had a steel band 02:51 right next door to me 02:53 which was actually the baddest group 02:57 in Tobago at the time. 02:59 So after school, after you're unable 03:02 to progress into secondary school, 03:04 the way you thought you should, 03:05 you started getting into steel band. 03:07 And at that time, steel band wasn't... 03:09 The music everybody hears when they come to the island. 03:12 It was associated with the underbelly of society. 03:15 If you were involved in this steel band movement, 03:18 so to speak, then you were basically 03:20 a little bit more than a common criminal. 03:21 Yes. 03:23 And so next door to you, what you have 03:24 is the best steel band on the island. 03:27 And the baddest, yes. Yeah. 03:29 And so, you take a liking to this music 03:32 and take us from there. 03:33 So you join up, do you join up with the steel band? 03:35 And at that time too, 03:40 my owner just started to flew in Tobago, right. 03:44 And one of the guys that I really looked up to, 03:51 I remember, he's having a plant. 03:55 I didn't even know if he knew that the plant was there 03:57 but I knew it. 03:58 And well, I started to sample it. 04:00 How old were you when you were introduced to this plant? 04:04 I'm about 14. About 14. 04:07 And so take us just quickly. 04:09 Take us through from about 14 until you make the decision in, 04:14 I think, the earlier mid 80s to leave Trinidad. 04:17 What's life like Trinidad, Tobago? 04:19 What's life like 04:20 for Bernard Thompson from that time 04:22 that you're introduced to that plant, 04:23 you're dealing with the steel band, up until... 04:26 Just walk us through what life is like 04:28 from that point until just before you get ready 04:30 to leave for the States? 04:33 At 16, I got into a youth camp, 04:40 a school, more or less indeed. 04:41 Actually, it's school. 04:43 And well, my mother and father separated. 04:49 My mother took... It was eight children. 04:51 She took the eight of us. And times was very hard. 04:55 I remember in youth camp, 04:57 many times I won't eat because I don't know 05:01 if my brothers and sisters at home eating. 05:04 I know that I'm going to get my meals 05:06 because government sponsored. 05:08 I will get my meals but I don't know 05:10 if they're eating. 05:11 So most times and things, 05:13 they used to give us a little stipend. 05:15 And I will send my stipend home 05:17 so that my brothers and sisters... 05:20 And then came 05:21 the Black Power Movement in 1970. 05:24 So tell us about your involvement 05:25 in Black Power in Trinidad Tobago? 05:27 Yes, I got heavily involved. 05:29 I left youth camp and came home 05:32 because the demonstrations started in Trinidad. 05:35 So I left Trinidad and came up Tobago. 05:38 And in the height of it when I got... 05:42 The day after state of emergency, 05:44 the same day after state of emergency, 05:45 I got arrested with, about 37 of us got arrested. 05:49 So why were you arrested? 05:51 Tell us and so you go from steel band, 05:54 sampling this plant to now you leave youth camp 05:57 to get involved with the Black Power movement. 06:00 And on this particular day, 37 of you and your friends, 06:03 37 of you and your friends get arrested for what? 06:06 What do you get arrested for? Inciting the public to riot. 06:09 Inciting the public to riot, 06:10 on behalf of the Black Power movement. 06:12 Yes. 06:13 And so we have here, we have a picture. 06:15 Let me paint this picture. 06:16 We have a young man from a broken home, 06:19 if you will, eight siblings, 06:21 who realizes the importance of taking care 06:24 of those siblings to the extent that 06:26 sometimes you're going without meals, 06:27 you're sending home your stipend 06:29 but then comes the Black Power movement. 06:31 And you join in with the Black Power movement. 06:33 And here begins your brushes with the law, if you will. 06:36 Yes, more or less, yes. 06:37 Because I got arrested, we were inside, no bail. 06:41 And they told us no bail. 06:43 So we got to stay inside until our case... 06:46 And they gave us 12 months. 06:48 So you spent 12 months. No. Well, I didn't. 06:50 We appeal, so I only end up spending six months in jail. 06:53 Six months in jail. 06:55 From April to October. Okay. 06:57 And so now you get out of the Black Power Movement. 06:59 I want to progress a little bit, 07:01 Brother Bernard, to the point when you start experimenting, 07:05 if you will, with drug paraphernalia 07:09 and a listed materials like that. 07:11 Tell us a little bit about 07:12 your introduction into that lifestyle? 07:14 I started to come to America. 07:18 Well, even before that ending, 07:20 when I started to sell my own home indeed, 07:24 I was selling it because I need. 07:28 My mother, I had three sisters after me and a little brother. 07:32 I'm the fourth out of eighth. 07:34 But coming after me and then was three sisters. 07:38 And I couldn't dare see my sisters 07:40 or anybody exploiting my sisters. 07:43 So from just pleasure with the weed, 07:49 I started to sell now. 07:51 I got graduated. 07:53 And the impetus behind your dealing drugs 07:59 was not just to become, wasn't to become a kingpin. 08:01 No, I wanted my sisters 08:03 and then I didn't want anybody to exploit my sisters. 08:06 Okay, so you started using the moneys 08:09 to help your sisters go to school, 08:13 have nice clothes, and different things like that. 08:15 But this began a lifestyle for you now. 08:17 You're now, by default, I assume, 08:21 because you're able to put three sisters 08:23 into school and such. 08:24 Now, you're doing all right. 08:25 But then you realize in order to do better, 08:27 you got to broaden your horizons. 08:29 Of course. So tell us about that? 08:31 Well, I started to come to America 08:38 like liberty weekend, all that vacation... 08:42 I will come and buy clothes 08:45 and go back home and selling there. 08:47 So at one time, 08:51 children mother had a cousin 08:55 and he was dealing up here. 08:57 And he gave me a sample. 08:59 But I could remember that he's telling me, 09:02 "Don't stay on this thing. This thing is trouble." 09:05 That was cocaine. 09:08 But I sampled it. I start to like it. 09:13 I started to like it then. 09:16 Then, go back home, I carried on paraphernalia 09:20 and these things, 09:21 and I started to hustle home now. 09:23 I just want to ask a quick question. 09:24 So you're using cocaine as well as dealing it? 09:27 Dealing. Okay. 09:28 And that was the worst thing. 09:30 After that time, I became a best customer. 09:33 I was my best customer at that time. 09:35 So when things started to go well, real bad, 09:40 I decided to leave home and come to America. 09:43 Okay, so now... Leaving home. 09:46 Yeah, you've transitioned from selling marijuana 09:49 to selling cocaine, 09:50 and whereas the trafficking of marijuana 09:55 was facilitating the better lifestyle 09:56 for your sisters. 09:58 When you started dealing with the cocaine, 10:01 everything begins to go down drain. 10:04 Tell me the difference between, 10:06 Brother Thompson, Brother Bernard Thompson, 10:07 when he's selling marijuana, emotionally inside of you 10:10 and you're taking care of your sisters 10:12 to where now, you're smoking, you're doing cocaine, 10:15 and you're not able to do the things 10:16 that you initially wanted to do? 10:17 Marijuana, selling marijuana at that time, I had friends. 10:22 I had all the young guys on the block, 10:27 young girls who is smoking, who is not smoking 10:31 but I was the man, more or less in things. 10:35 Clothes, drinks, we go party, and this, I mean, 10:39 we floated with drinks and these things, 10:42 and everybody have a good time. 10:44 And I gain respect at that time. 10:47 But when the cocaine comes into the picture, 10:49 tell us about that? 10:51 Well, when cocaine came into the picture, 10:54 well, the cocaine was much more expensive than marijuana. 11:01 And cocaine is a thing, you get hook on cocaine. 11:08 How did the people who once looked up to you, 11:09 who once respected you, who once were attracted to you, 11:14 how did they began to treat you? 11:15 Well, the persons started over to pull away. 11:16 I noticed that persons started to pull away 11:18 because at home, in Tobago and there, 11:24 Tobago is so small 11:26 that everybody knows your business. 11:29 And cocaine was a thing that nobody wanted 11:35 to align this so forth and this. 11:37 So persons, you find persons started to pull away, 11:41 even some of my good friends 11:42 and they didn't want to see me go to like that, 11:47 and they pull away for me. 11:48 So what I did, I see the best thing for me 11:52 I think is to hit it to America. 11:54 Yeah, get a new start. Yeah. 11:56 Get a new start. So this is about, what, 1980... 11:58 '87. '87. 12:00 You decided to come up 12:01 to the United States of America. 12:03 And you're hoping to leave that lifestyle behind. 12:07 You're hoping to transition into something new, 12:10 you're hoping that the land of the free, 12:12 the home of the brave is going to present Bernard Thompson 12:15 with a complete fresh start, but is that what happened? 12:20 No. 12:22 I started well until I got to realize 12:28 where the pusherman is. 12:30 Because remember, I'm now coming to America, 12:32 I don't know much in there but when I got to realize 12:35 where the pusherman is and whole, 12:38 among they're selling for the money, 12:40 I got into it. 12:42 So what you realize when you get to the States, 12:44 you realized that people are, 12:45 you see, people are making money. 12:47 You said the pusherman, the dope dealer, 12:48 the drug dealer. 12:50 And you see how much money they are making, 12:51 you decided, "Hey, listen. I need to get in on this." 12:54 Yes. 12:55 And I wasn't working because of satisfaction 13:01 and things like that. 13:02 So I want to back up, I'm sorry. 13:05 So you come to the States, 13:07 and you want a new life but unfortunately, 13:09 because you're not a citizen, 13:12 you can't get a job, you can't get... 13:14 Permanent residence. A permanent residence. 13:17 But you still got to take care of yourself. 13:18 Yes. 13:20 And when you see what the drug dealers are doing, you figure, 13:21 "Well, I could make some money. I could take care of myself." 13:26 And so you started getting into drugs here in the States. 13:30 Yeah. 13:31 After that, I brought my children up here. 13:36 I have two daughters at the time with me. 13:39 They will appear with me. 13:41 But the children mother, my children mother, 13:45 we couldn't make it. 13:47 We have to send them back home 13:49 because I remember telling I bought a pistol 13:55 and left it in the house 13:58 where I knew my children could and I told them, 14:02 "Anybody come to the door, do not open the door." 14:05 If anybody try to blitz, I showed them how to use it. 14:08 And these are only ten and seven years old. 14:11 So you got your kids with you in the States, 14:13 your wife with you in the States, 14:15 and you think things are so bad 14:17 that you teach your ten and seven -year-old 14:19 how to use a firearm. 14:22 Yes. Okay, okay. 14:23 Because that was the life. That was the life. 14:26 But anyway, I started to selling 14:29 now for these people in there. 14:33 And I was doing well because in the sense of, 14:40 I was tapping every vial. 14:43 Every vial you give me to sell, I tap it. 14:46 Now let's explain what tapping it means. 14:48 So what you're doing is every time you get a vial, 14:51 I take out a little piece, 14:52 and you're massing some for yourself. 14:54 Of course. Yeah, yeah. I know. 14:58 So this is what I was doing, and plus with this, 15:01 you have your salary. 15:03 So I was getting paid and I still have my blue eye 15:08 for my personal from what I take home. 15:12 But it happened this time that the policemen raid, 15:17 they didn't hold me with anything 15:20 and they came in there. 15:22 Well, I had already changed my attire and thing, 15:25 they made me put on back the same dirty clothes 15:28 that I was in the spot we'd sell in and took me up. 15:32 Now something funny happened there. 15:35 They asked my name, I told them my name. 15:39 They asked me my street name 15:42 but at time I didn't have street name. 15:46 So they keep pressing, "Man, tell us your street name 15:49 and you must have a street name 15:51 and you're dealing outside here and there. 15:53 So I, out of the blue, I just jump up 15:54 and said Keith Jackson. 15:58 And they put that thing as my name 16:00 and Bernard Thompson as my alias. 16:03 Okay. And so what does that mean? 16:05 So Keith Jackson... 16:07 Is the one that standing the charge. 16:10 So then you avoid the charges 16:12 because you're not Keith Jackson. 16:14 I couldn't avoid the charges because fingerprint. 16:17 Fingerprints have me as Keith Jackson 16:20 but remember the same fingerprint 16:22 will have me as Bernard Thompson. 16:25 Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. 16:26 And this is where I got to stick up 25 years after. 16:31 So I want to stop. 16:32 I want to stop right there because here's the point. 16:35 Here's where it really gets interesting 16:36 because you can't afford, it's a really stand trial here 16:40 because you're not a citizen. 16:42 And if you get found out, 16:44 what will happen is, you'll get deported. 16:46 And you don't want to go back to the old life 16:48 because there, even though you're now doing 16:51 some of the same things... 16:52 Man, that shame alone will kill me. 16:54 Yeah, the shame alone of having been deported. 16:57 And so now, I want to digress 17:00 just a little bit here, Brother Thompson, 17:01 and we'll come back to that point. 17:03 Where is God in all of this? 17:06 I'm going to tell you something. 17:09 My mother was a God fearing person. 17:14 My mother taught us to pray. 17:17 She taught us God's way out but we just went our own way. 17:23 We just adopted our own style as I tell you, 17:25 the steel band, those ideas and that influence 17:27 and all these things. 17:29 But my mother, she taught us God's way out. 17:31 As a matter of fact, when I was leaving home, 17:34 my mother gave me affirmation. 17:37 When you were leaving to come to the States? 17:39 To the States, she gave me affirmation. 17:41 God is my help in every need. 17:44 God does my ever, every hunger feed. 17:47 God walks beside me, guides my way 17:49 through every moment of the day. 17:52 I know I'm wise, I know I'm true. 17:55 Patient, kind, and loving too. 17:58 All things I am, can do and be through Christ 18:01 the truth that lives in me. 18:04 God is my health, I can't be sick. 18:07 God is my strength on feeling quick. 18:10 God is my all, I know no fear. 18:13 Since God I love and truth I hear. 18:17 My mother gave me that. Mercy. 18:19 She gave me another one, the spirit of the Lord 18:21 goes before me and makes easy and successful my way. 18:25 So when you get into this situation with the law, 18:27 how does that admonition come into play? 18:29 I've been singing that. I've been singing these things. 18:35 So now we go back to the Keith Jackson, 18:38 Bernard Thompson conundrum, 18:40 and the admonition that your mother had placed 18:43 in your spirit is becoming real for you. 18:46 And so walk us through because you desire 18:49 to be a citizen here but as you start to process, 18:54 or tell me about divorcing yourself from that lifestyle? 18:56 Do you divorce yourself from that lifestyle? 18:58 Yes. Okay. 19:00 And so you divorce yourself from that lifestyle, 19:01 and you want to get on the road to become a citizen. 19:04 And tell us about trying to become a citizen 19:07 in the United Sates of America with fingerprints that say, 19:10 when you were in the previous lifestyle, 19:14 that's going to present some challenges? 19:15 Well, after being released 19:21 on probation, one morning, 19:25 I went to the probation officer and realize that 19:30 he's asking for name 19:31 and green card and these things. 19:33 I knew that I did not have these things. 19:35 But my goal is a great goal, and I couldn't see at the time. 19:40 The Lord made it happen so that the officer got a call 19:46 right before I go into him. 19:48 And he came out and he told me, "Mr. Thompson." 19:51 No, he called me Mr. Jackson because this is what he knew. 19:54 He said, "Jackson, I'll have to suspend you here 19:57 into D&D till another time." 19:59 Well, that was what I wanted 20:01 because I knew he's not seeing me again. 20:05 I know that. 20:06 I can't face him because of the deportation. 20:10 So I left. 20:12 I left the area that I was living in New York, 20:14 I've been to another area and live. 20:15 And it happen true, nothing never really 20:18 came up concerning that. 20:22 Until 25 years, after two years ago, 20:26 I went home for vacation. 20:31 You went to Tobago? Went to Tobago. 20:34 And to tell you how the Lord's so good, 20:39 that my mother was alive at the time. 20:45 I went home at one time. And she told me... 20:49 No, I went to visit her. 20:51 And what I used to wear, plenty of jewelry 20:54 and I had six and seven gold chain. 20:55 I wouldn't wear them to church but that's... 20:58 Some church members will tell you one thing 21:00 that I will go and cruise, 21:01 I think they've seen me with all these. 21:04 So I went this morning 21:06 and sat with my mother, talking. 21:08 And she said, "Look at you!" 21:10 My mother is 90, 91 at the time, 21:13 "Look at you, with all them regalias, 21:17 gold on your wrist, gold on the eye, 21:19 at that time, I had gold rings here, 21:21 gold around your neck. 21:23 I know she's looking down because I had on short pants. 21:25 She's looking down if I have gold on the ankle. 21:27 I said, "No, my dear. 21:29 No, I don't have any gold on my ankles." 21:33 Anyway, I took that as joke and fun. 21:36 But next morning, I came back. 21:38 I have on all these jewelry and thing. 21:39 She look at me, and she told me, 21:41 "Boy, nobody would know you. 21:44 Nobody would know what kind of heart you have. 21:47 All that gold as you have on there 21:49 and you're just blocking out people from you. 21:52 And I just started to do so. 21:55 And I never put them on back. 21:58 You know, before that thing, 22:00 I got married and all these kind of things, 22:02 pastors talk about jewelry and all these things. 22:06 I never take it to heed 22:07 but when my mother told me that, 22:09 that nobody would know me, 22:11 nobody would know what kind of heart I have, 22:13 I just took them off and I never worn them. 22:16 So you're visiting with your mom, 22:18 and you try to get, 22:20 you're coming back to the States. 22:21 As Keith Jackson, or Bernard Thompson, 22:26 did you serve some time in jail? 22:29 No, just the weekend. 22:31 I got held in Friday, and the Monday, 22:34 the Monday was the day they put me on probation. 22:36 Okay, so now, when the problems arises, 22:40 when the problem arises, if you will, 22:42 you're coming back to the States. 22:43 Tell us what happens? 22:45 Well... 25 years since that charge? 22:48 Yes. Go ahead. 22:49 Coming in Miami airport, they stopped me. 22:55 But I find they're taking so long. 22:57 What this man checking on and... 22:59 Anyway, they told me to go into the back. 23:01 When I go into the back, they told me, 23:03 "Man, I'm seeing one fingerprint, 23:05 but I'm seeing two names." 23:07 I said, "Oh, God." 23:11 They asked me if I ever got arrested. 23:14 I said no because this is Bernard Thompson, I go. 23:16 And I'm going on Keith Jackson. 23:19 They said, "Something wrong here, boy. 23:21 This is two different names but one fingerprint." 23:28 And then they realize, they pull up and see the 1987 23:32 and I had this charge in New York and thing. 23:34 So bup! Cuffs! 23:36 Spent eight days in Miami jail. 23:38 But now immigration took up the matter now too 23:42 because immigration seen that I lied on the application 23:44 for my green card. 23:46 So they took up... 23:48 Because at this point, you'd already put in 23:51 for your green card to become a citizen. 23:53 I had green card at the time. 23:54 Okay. So you had a green card. 23:56 I had my green card. Okay, so tell us about that? 23:57 So they took away the green card from me 23:59 when they arrested me. When they arrested you. 24:00 Because you had two different names, 24:02 they took away. 24:03 They took the green card. Okay, so what happens? 24:05 Locked me up, I spent eight days in jail in Miami. 24:09 But they released me. 24:12 No one knew why they released me. 24:15 But I got to realize after that 24:18 the sentence 24:22 or the charge was a New York jurisdiction. 24:26 And Florida don't want to spend 24:28 that money to transport, yeah, to New York. 24:32 So they just released me, and anything could have gone... 24:36 Anybody could have just picked me up. 24:38 So at this time, tell me about what you're doing in Maryland 24:41 because you are serving at a local church as the deacon? 24:46 Yeah, well, before all this time 24:49 with the lockup and thing, after I got... 24:53 I spent some years 24:55 in North Carolina and South Carolina. 24:58 But somehow, I thought, 25:02 "Either I'm going to be making a big deal 25:04 because I still used to indulge in these places." 25:07 I go to it because I was riding partners know 25:10 and they've been doing thing. 25:13 So I called my sister. 25:15 I said, Fibi, I was staying in New York. 25:18 Girl, either I'm making a big deal 25:20 or your brother is going to get killed. 25:22 She's telling me, "Look how long..." 25:23 I have a brother living here. 25:25 You call along your brother Kelly to come 25:27 but when I'm on my business, 25:29 I don't want to communicate with nobody. 25:30 I want nobody to know that. 25:33 So I decided to come up here. 25:36 To Maryland? To Maryland. 25:39 I came here in June, came to Maryland in June, 25:45 got baptized in September, I got married in December. 25:50 Mercy, and so after that, 25:51 you're now involved in your local church. 25:54 And you let your pastors know about the situation. 25:57 And so all this time you're waiting 25:59 to get your green card back, 26:00 but it seems like it's not going to happen until... 26:05 Until that finally, well, it happened too. 26:10 I went to New York to face this charge 26:12 because the charge is going back 26:13 the distribution of cocaine. 26:16 The first morning, I went to court, 26:18 I was so scared because the judge 26:23 talked to me in such a harsh manner. 26:24 "You're trying to interfere 26:26 with the United States government. 26:28 You figured, you could just come in and do anything?" 26:31 Two bailees come and stood behind me. 26:34 I said, "Lord, I'm going back to jail." 26:36 Well, it happened too. They retire for lunch. 26:42 I see them, and I go and buy the best street dinner. 26:47 I go and buy this dinner and couldn't eat that thing, 26:50 couldn't eat that thing, scared, my stomach. 26:54 But it happened so, when I went back to court 26:56 in the afternoon, was a different judge. 26:59 It's the same judge but his mentality was different 27:02 because I had some affidavit from here. 27:05 And he read them. 27:08 And he realized, "This guy, I think isn't so bad." 27:11 I mean, he gotten one thing but since that time, 27:15 he never gotten any trouble since after that. 27:18 So that was a plus for me. 27:20 And while going to court time and time again, at one time, 27:26 we had a concert here with CUC, had a concert. 27:30 And I had a bayo. 27:35 And I took it up to the judge. 27:36 Up till now the judge still have that bayo. 27:39 That judge dismissed the case, 27:42 and the man talked well, he spoke well of me. 27:46 Tell me, he said, "Thompson, I hope you try to talk 27:50 to young people 27:51 and thing concerning these drugs and all these." 27:53 The man talked to me very, very well. 27:56 Well, now I have to face immigration. 27:59 And that was the dicey, the terrible thing 28:01 because they tell me, I lie on my application 28:05 and you can see because I got arrested, 28:07 I didn't put down the arrest on my application. 28:11 But I don't know, by the grace of God, 28:15 I made it through. 28:17 Pastor Billings, he was with me, Brother Marquis. 28:19 Well, you wanted to come but I tell you one thing. 28:21 I just know you. 28:23 So I didn't want you to come, you know, 28:26 because I just knew you, but happened soon then. 28:29 Everything went... 28:31 So what we see is, a man with a past... 28:35 The Lord moves in mysteriously. 28:37 The Lord moves and begins to push things away 28:41 so that you could actually begin the new life 28:46 that He had intended for you. 28:49 You know, Brother Bernard, it's interesting listening 28:50 to your story that God also wants us 28:53 to be citizens of another kingdom. 28:55 And not only you, Brother Bernard, 28:57 but our viewers at home, 28:59 God wants you to be citizens of heaven. 29:02 He tells us to look to a better country. 29:04 But sometimes the things of our past prevent us 29:08 from starting the journey that God has for us. 29:11 Nonetheless because He is long suffering, 29:13 because He is patient, like we see 29:15 with Brother Bernard today, 29:17 God moves things out of the way if you would allow Him 29:20 so that you could begin 29:22 your new journey to the better country. 29:25 Thank you for joining in. And we really appreciate it. 29:28 God bless you. |
Revised 2017-10-09