The following program
discusses sensitive issues.
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Parents are
cautioned that some material
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may be too candid
for younger children.
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Welcome to The New Journey,
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where you meet real life people
with real life testimonies
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and real life working ministries
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for Jesus Christ.
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I'm your host, Aaron Chancy.
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Come join us on The New Journey.
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Welcome to The New Journey.
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We have exciting
program for you today,
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an interview of a
guy named Mr. Vaughn
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who has a very
powerful testimony.
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Mr. Vaughn, we want to thank you
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for being on the program.
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Thanks for having me,
Chancy. All right. Yes, sir.
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For the record,
where're you from?
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Actually I was born and
raised in Birmingham, Alabama.
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Fairfield, but little city
right outside of Birmingham.
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Can you explain for us
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what your early
childhood life was like?
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Wasn't turbulent, you know,
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I don't have a
whole lot to brag about
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when it comes to
serious testimony
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but my family life was,
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both parents
there, working family.
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Okay.
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We went to a Catholic school.
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My sisters and I,
I had three sisters.
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Pretty disciplined,
you know, orderly house.
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My dad and mother both
were working class people.
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My dad worked in factories,
my mother as a cashier.
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Okay.
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And just a regular, you
know, family in the South.
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You know, during the
'60s, '70s is when I grew up.
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Now you mentioned as you
went to a Catholic school.
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What was the religious
atmosphere in the household?
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Well, we were Baptist. Okay.
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And my sister
and I were baptized
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and up about 12, 13 years old,
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you know, we were
baptized in the Baptist Church.
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Okay.
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Even though we went
to a Catholic school,
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my parents were both,
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you know, raised
Baptist and they made sure
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that we held true to
those Baptists roots.
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All right, all right. Yes.
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Now you got heavy
in the basketball.
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Talk about your
experience with basketball
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and what goals you
had in playing basketball?
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I thought I was
pretty good. Okay.
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Now you thought
you were pretty good
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or were you pretty good?
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I thought I was.
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I played with some
guys that were all American,
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I played with some guys
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that went on to
division one basketball.
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I wasn't as good as they were,
but I held my own on the court.
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And I thought I
had a good opportunity
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to go to
probably college to play
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so that would help me
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through to pay for an education.
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But it didn't work out that way.
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Now did you have a
desire, you said college,
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did you have a
desire to play in the NBA
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or you just wanted to
make it to college if possible?
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I thought I had a
good shot to go to college.
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And NBA, it was a long
shot 'cause I just wasn't tall,
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I was a short guy, you know.
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But when I saw guys like
Spud Webb, Muggsy Bogues,
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those guys, I
said, maybe, you know,
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I could have done
this had I stuck with it.
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But like I said it
didn't work out that way.
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Now you eventually
walked away from basketball,
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and you got into
some different things,
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what made you decide to
walk away from basketball?
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And I ask that
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because for myself I
love basketball growing up.
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I always saw myself
as either playing in NBA
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or playing in FA.
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I was going to one
of those two things.
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But because I ended up
staying in so much trouble,
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being kicked out of school,
different things like that.
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I weren't able to
pursue that career.
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But for you what
made you come to the point
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and say you know what,
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I'm gonna walk
away from basketball
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and get into some other things?
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In one word, resentment. Okay.
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But let me unpack that.
Okay, yeah, unpack that.
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Let me unpack that. Okay.
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My father made a,
had a big impact on me.
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And he encouraged me to work.
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He encouraged me
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that basketball
was going to play out.
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Okay.
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These are some of the
messages that he sent.
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And you know he pretty
much made it pretty tough on me
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to go to school,
play ball and work.
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You know, so I was trying
to juggle all of those things.
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Authority figures continue to,
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you know, give me
advice about what I should do,
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what type of careers
that I should pursue.
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And I didn't hear any, I
didn't have a sounding board
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to voice what my goals were.
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Okay. What I wanted to do.
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And it seemed as
though I wasn't being heard.
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Okay.
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Now why do you think
that you were not being heard?
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Because no one
was listening. Okay.
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You know, it was you
need to do in that day...
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Would have just lined up for you
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just like the stuff
what you need to do.
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You need to do
what we tell you to do.
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And if you don't,
you're gonna have a,
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you're gonna, it's
going to be difficult for you.
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So but I do believe my
father gave me what he had.
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He had to work, you
know, his whole life.
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So that's what he gave me.
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And I don't think he
saw the skills that I had.
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I don't think he saw
the potential that was there
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and how far I could use
this medium or this mold,
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this game to take me.
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He couldn't afford to
take me, send me to school.
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But I didn't get the support
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in order to pursue
those goals to that end
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even though I saw
my sister do that.
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Yeah. Wow.
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She got a
scholarship to college,
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full ride scholarship
and pretty athletic family.
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So I say, hey, if she
can do it, I can do it.
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Yeah, you can do it. Okay.
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Now you developed a
resentment towards authority.
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What was the basis of that
resentment towards authority?
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Again it goes back to resenting,
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you know my father
being an authority figure.
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It affected my relationship
with all other authority.
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And I took it upon
myself to say if I have to work,
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if I have to
take care of myself,
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if I need to do
everything for me
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outside of food and shelter
then I'm gonna do exactly
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what I want to
do in the process.
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So you can tell
me, you can ask me
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but the final
decision lies with me,
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and I want to do
what I want to do.
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Okay, okay.
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So you walked away from,
walked away from basketball,
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your father wanted you to work,
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you developed the
resentment towards authority,
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you eventually got involved
with selling and using drugs.
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How old were you when
you started using drugs
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and then selling drugs
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and what prompted you
to that type of lifestyle?
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Well, I was about 16
years old when I started,
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when I made my
first buy of marijuana.
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And I was on...
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It was at a state
playoff game in Alabama.
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And I thought I would
be the starting guard.
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This is one of the
things that my coach told me.
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Yeah, you're
going to be starting
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when we get to state.
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So I said, okay,
this is my time to shine.
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Yeah, yeah.
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And I sat on the
bench the whole first game.
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And a large part of my
play that year wasn't that good.
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But towards the playoffs
I was the real main reason
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why we, I think we got there.
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Okay.
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So he has given
me the green light,
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pulled the plug on me.
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We won that first game
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and I was able
to play a next game
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but I was so amped up
that I made a lot of mistakes.
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And towards the end of
that game as we were losing,
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I told myself, I
made a pact with Satan.
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Wow. Now you've
said a pact with Satan.
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What do you mean
by a pact with Satan?
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I made a decision to do
exactly what I needed to do.
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Okay.
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And I asked
Satan to help me do it.
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Okay, got it.
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And he had me, you know,
you know I'm leaving Jesus,
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I made that
conscious decision then.
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Really didn't
know what I was doing,
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but I remember
making that decision,
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it was a pivotal
moment in my life.
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Now was it like a
verbal communication like,
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the pact with Satan
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or was it like
something conscious like,
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I'm going to do
whatever Satan wants me to do?
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It was mental. Mental, okay.
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It was in my mind. Okay.
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And Satan wants
your mind, you know.
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And also the
Lord wants your mind.
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He says, "Let
this mind be in you
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that is also in Christ Jesus."
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When you don't allow yourself
to allow Jesus in your mind
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and in your
heart, what else is left?
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You left with your own devices
and pride had rose up in me.
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Okay.
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Bible says humble yourself,
you know, before the Lord
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and He will raise you up.
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But I felt a depression
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because I could
not gain confidence
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in those authority
figures that was around me
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to support me in
reaching my goals.
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So I say, "Let me
go and do it my way."
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Yeah, okay.
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So 16 years old, you
make a pact with Satan
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that you'll do
what he wants you to do.
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And so that led to drugs, a
different type of lifestyle,
00:10:03.23\00:10:07.74
what all did you
get involved with?
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Mainly at that time in my life
it was selling drugs, you know.
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Okay. What
particular were you selling?
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I was selling marijuana. Okay.
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Yeah, and sold pills. Okay.
00:10:17.61\00:10:21.18
Speckled birds, black
beauty, those types of things.
00:10:21.22\00:10:24.39
Now, what's speckled birds,
you got to break that down.
00:10:24.42\00:10:26.12
It's amphetamines. Okay.
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You know, amphetamines.
You know, and sold those.
00:10:27.66\00:10:33.50
This was like a two edged sword.
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A lot of people didn't
know and only a few people
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knew that I was doing
it as strong as I was.
00:10:42.60\00:10:46.57
I actually ended up
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being the
president of my senior class.
00:10:47.98\00:10:50.48
While I'm living
this double life.
00:10:50.51\00:10:52.91
Yeah.
00:10:52.95\00:10:54.82
Friends that knew me
knew that I had changed,
00:10:54.85\00:10:58.92
I got real serious.
00:10:58.95\00:11:01.69
Got AH on me because you
have to have a little swagger
00:11:01.72\00:11:04.56
when you're in the streets.
00:11:04.59\00:11:06.29
So, but I bought a
quarter pound of marijuana.
00:11:06.33\00:11:11.07
Okay. For hundred dollars.
00:11:11.10\00:11:12.83
Wow. You can't get that today.
00:11:12.87\00:11:15.40
I'll say, well, how can I
know drug prices in as well.
00:11:15.44\00:11:17.74
You know, and it
led to you know me
00:11:17.77\00:11:21.28
having shoe boxes of marijuana
that I could distribute to,
00:11:21.31\00:11:26.45
you know, people
that I had selling for me.
00:11:26.48\00:11:29.08
Okay, okay.
00:11:29.12\00:11:30.45
So you have
people selling for you,
00:11:30.49\00:11:32.45
you were selling drugs yourself,
00:11:32.49\00:11:34.49
you were using
marijuana, selling pills.
00:11:34.52\00:11:36.56
How long did this last?
00:11:36.59\00:11:39.13
Lasted up until I
went into the military.
00:11:39.16\00:11:41.06
Okay, okay.
00:11:41.10\00:11:42.43
We're gonna talk about
the military in a second.
00:11:42.46\00:11:44.73
So how was the, how was,
00:11:44.77\00:11:46.33
how lucrative was the business
of selling marijuana for you?
00:11:46.37\00:11:49.64
Well, I would say I
could walk around with $250,
00:11:49.67\00:11:55.74
you know, $300 in my
pocket at a time, you know.
00:11:55.78\00:11:59.11
So I wasn't killing
it as far as, you know,
00:11:59.15\00:12:02.12
thousands of dollars.
00:12:02.15\00:12:03.49
But I really did
it for the applause,
00:12:03.52\00:12:07.42
I did it for the, you
know, I could purchase things
00:12:07.46\00:12:11.39
that I wanted, clothes
and those types of things.
00:12:11.43\00:12:14.16
And I also was working as
a cover, you know, for this.
00:12:14.20\00:12:17.93
Okay. Now let me ask you.
00:12:17.97\00:12:19.30
Do you think if sports really
would have worked out for you,
00:12:19.33\00:12:23.20
if you had the backing as
you wanted from your father,
00:12:23.24\00:12:27.01
you played in the
championship games
00:12:27.04\00:12:28.84
like you wanted to?
00:12:28.88\00:12:30.21
If sports would
have worked out for you,
00:12:30.25\00:12:32.31
do you think you would have
went down that path of drugs?
00:12:32.35\00:12:34.68
And the reason I ask that
00:12:34.72\00:12:36.12
'cause that's
similar to my story.
00:12:36.15\00:12:38.29
Basketball,
football was the main thing
00:12:38.32\00:12:39.95
that I wanted to do
00:12:39.99\00:12:41.32
and aside from that
I had no other goal.
00:12:41.36\00:12:43.06
My only other goal was
just to get a car ride around
00:12:43.09\00:12:45.33
and get high, that's it.
00:12:45.36\00:12:46.80
And so when that fell through,
00:12:46.83\00:12:48.60
everything fell through for me.
00:12:48.63\00:12:50.30
But for you in your instance,
00:12:50.33\00:12:51.80
do you think if you
would have made it somewhere
00:12:51.83\00:12:55.17
with the basketball
or had that backing,
00:12:55.20\00:12:57.44
would you have
gotten into those things?
00:12:57.47\00:13:00.01
I don't think so. Okay.
00:13:00.04\00:13:01.68
You know, when I
saw people using drugs,
00:13:01.71\00:13:04.25
the first thing I thought was,
00:13:04.28\00:13:06.82
man, I can make
some money off of this.
00:13:06.85\00:13:09.08
You know, I
wouldn't go and do it.
00:13:09.12\00:13:11.02
Yeah, just sit around using it.
00:13:11.05\00:13:12.42
You know, I drank, you know,
and but when it came to drugs,
00:13:12.45\00:13:18.63
I really didn't
have a longing to do it.
00:13:18.66\00:13:22.00
I had friends that did it
and they just acted strange
00:13:22.03\00:13:25.30
and they didn't
seem to have it together.
00:13:25.33\00:13:29.50
Okay.
00:13:29.54\00:13:30.87
And it cost money, you know,
00:13:30.91\00:13:33.14
something that I
didn't you know want to,
00:13:33.17\00:13:35.74
you know, spend on something
00:13:35.78\00:13:37.68
that was going
to blow up in smoke,
00:13:37.71\00:13:39.15
but I'll sell it to you.
00:13:39.18\00:13:40.52
Yeah, all day
long. All day long.
00:13:40.55\00:13:42.02
Yeah. Okay, okay.
00:13:42.05\00:13:43.62
Now you eventually got into
the military to the Air Force,
00:13:43.65\00:13:46.19
talk about that
experience, how long were you in
00:13:46.22\00:13:49.29
and why did you end
up back in the streets?
00:13:49.32\00:13:53.83
I think the choice
going to the military was
00:13:53.86\00:13:57.53
my way of getting out
of Birmingham, Alabama.
00:13:57.57\00:14:01.77
I didn't have a
whole lot of choices.
00:14:01.80\00:14:04.04
I wasn't going to work
in a steel mill or plant
00:14:04.07\00:14:06.61
like my dad.
00:14:06.64\00:14:08.11
And, you know, there wasn't
anybody knocking on my door
00:14:08.14\00:14:12.55
to do much of anything else
and I wasn't going to school.
00:14:12.58\00:14:15.75
Okay.
00:14:15.78\00:14:17.12
So I said, "Well,
let's... What are my options?"
00:14:17.15\00:14:21.36
The house that I grew
up in, my parents were,
00:14:21.39\00:14:23.89
when you're 18
you're on your own.
00:14:23.93\00:14:26.59
Yeah. Okay.
00:14:26.63\00:14:28.06
So I had to develop a plan,
00:14:28.10\00:14:32.13
you know, what
are you going to do.
00:14:32.17\00:14:33.94
Are you going to
sell drugs and live
00:14:33.97\00:14:36.97
or are you gonna pimp or...
00:14:37.01\00:14:38.54
What are you going to do? Yeah.
00:14:38.57\00:14:41.78
I didn't want to
stay in the game,
00:14:41.81\00:14:44.08
you know, like
that because of people
00:14:44.11\00:14:46.15
that I was around were
some scary people, you know.
00:14:46.18\00:14:51.29
I didn't like carrying weapons.
00:14:51.32\00:14:52.89
I didn't like being
around people that did.
00:14:52.92\00:14:55.19
But that's all
part of the lifestyle.
00:14:55.22\00:14:57.09
Yeah, definitely.
00:14:57.13\00:14:58.46
So you adapt to it and
you get caught up in it.
00:14:58.49\00:15:01.46
I ended up joining the military
00:15:01.50\00:15:05.47
and that was a
wonderful experience
00:15:05.50\00:15:07.17
because I did
have some discipline.
00:15:07.20\00:15:09.90
I wasn't afraid
of physical activity.
00:15:09.94\00:15:14.08
I sort of
thrive when it came to,
00:15:14.11\00:15:16.04
you know, being in a group
00:15:16.08\00:15:18.48
and doing things as
a group and leading.
00:15:18.51\00:15:23.99
I always had
leadership positions growing up.
00:15:24.02\00:15:27.82
So the military
seemed a good option for me,
00:15:27.86\00:15:31.13
it was gonna pay me
00:15:31.16\00:15:32.49
and it was gonna
help me go to school...
00:15:32.53\00:15:34.80
Which was one of the
goals that I had for myself.
00:15:34.83\00:15:37.87
Yeah, definitely.
00:15:37.90\00:15:39.23
And gain some type of
skills for employment.
00:15:39.27\00:15:43.37
Now how long did you
stay in the military?
00:15:43.41\00:15:44.91
Stayed in almost
eight years actually.
00:15:44.94\00:15:47.84
Now you stayed in eight years,
00:15:47.88\00:15:49.21
after the eight years you end up
00:15:49.24\00:15:50.58
back in the
streets hustling again.
00:15:50.61\00:15:52.48
How did that happen?
00:15:52.51\00:15:53.85
Because in military,
of course, they paid you,
00:15:53.88\00:15:55.32
you want to pay for education.
00:15:55.35\00:15:56.85
You have all of these
things, you've toured the world.
00:15:56.89\00:16:00.06
How do you end up
from that after eight years
00:16:00.09\00:16:02.32
back into the streets?
00:16:02.36\00:16:05.89
I think I need to go
back to when I first went in.
00:16:05.93\00:16:10.87
Okay.
00:16:10.90\00:16:13.47
I developed a habit of
00:16:13.50\00:16:19.87
dismissing authority
00:16:19.91\00:16:21.24
and looking at
authority as an order,
00:16:21.28\00:16:24.75
as a means of, how can I say it?
00:16:24.78\00:16:31.59
Dismissing what
you're asked to do
00:16:31.62\00:16:35.06
and doing what you want to do.
00:16:35.09\00:16:36.73
So I overruled and
thought the military was
00:16:36.76\00:16:39.73
like the boy scouts,
something that I could use.
00:16:39.76\00:16:43.43
You know, and I had
a child out of wedlock
00:16:43.47\00:16:50.14
who was born with down syndrome.
00:16:50.17\00:16:53.41
You know that was a
depressing point in my life.
00:16:53.44\00:16:58.01
But once I got to...
00:16:58.05\00:17:01.18
We actually
were, her mother and I,
00:17:01.22\00:17:04.65
my first marriage we got married
00:17:04.69\00:17:06.25
and ended in
divorce that led to,
00:17:06.29\00:17:08.72
you know, some depression,
00:17:08.76\00:17:10.09
I can see look back now
and see that depression.
00:17:10.13\00:17:12.59
Okay.
00:17:12.63\00:17:13.96
But I had opportunities to
work in the National Guard,
00:17:14.00\00:17:20.24
and probably do
a promising career
00:17:20.27\00:17:23.10
because the chief there
was getting ready to retire
00:17:23.14\00:17:25.77
and he was gonna turn
the reigns over to me.
00:17:25.81\00:17:28.48
Okay. But desert storm came up.
00:17:28.51\00:17:30.95
We had messages
about desert storm
00:17:30.98\00:17:34.12
and looking for volunteers.
00:17:34.15\00:17:35.58
And I know being in the military
00:17:35.62\00:17:38.45
once you get these messages
across about volunteering,
00:17:38.49\00:17:42.62
when it's time to go, you go.
00:17:42.66\00:17:44.03
Yeah, okay.
00:17:44.06\00:17:45.39
So I decided to
get out of the military
00:17:45.43\00:17:48.63
based on those circumstances.
00:17:48.66\00:17:52.60
And I had to do something.
00:17:52.63\00:17:55.44
Okay. Yeah. I
knew how to sell drugs.
00:17:55.47\00:17:57.47
So you go back to selling drugs,
00:17:57.51\00:17:59.44
you end up
incarcerated, end up homeless,
00:17:59.47\00:18:01.61
talk about that situation?
00:18:01.64\00:18:03.31
Incarceration, been
incarcerated three times
00:18:03.35\00:18:06.61
but let me clarify, I
never been to a prison.
00:18:06.65\00:18:08.88
Okay, got you.
Never been to prison.
00:18:08.92\00:18:11.05
Had the handcuffs on, you know,
00:18:11.09\00:18:12.99
stayed in jail a few
days, matter of fact,
00:18:13.02\00:18:15.66
probably week in the
whole time of those three times
00:18:15.69\00:18:19.59
that I've been incarcerated.
00:18:19.63\00:18:20.96
Praise the
Lord. Praise the Lord.
00:18:21.00\00:18:23.67
Too bad that wasn't my instance.
00:18:23.70\00:18:25.03
Absolutely, absolutely.
00:18:25.07\00:18:26.87
God did not choose
to allow me to go there
00:18:26.90\00:18:30.24
because I didn't
need that experience.
00:18:30.27\00:18:34.68
The last time I went to,
I was locked up in Maryland
00:18:34.71\00:18:39.08
where I had bought some
drugs from an undercover cop.
00:18:39.11\00:18:44.55
And the only reason
why I didn't go down
00:18:44.59\00:18:48.56
and face that case
and get charged or,
00:18:48.59\00:18:54.96
well, convicted is
because he used a placebo.
00:18:55.00\00:18:58.83
He used, didn't use a real drug.
00:18:58.87\00:19:01.04
And that was the technicality
that got me off of that case.
00:19:01.07\00:19:04.87
Okay. All right. So
you ended up homeless.
00:19:04.91\00:19:07.44
How did you end up
homeless? Homeless.
00:19:07.48\00:19:12.51
A monkey can't sell
banana, let me say that.
00:19:12.55\00:19:16.28
Yeah.
00:19:16.32\00:19:18.99
The Lord taught
me a lesson. Okay.
00:19:19.02\00:19:21.66
When I'm looking at
people who I call my friends
00:19:21.69\00:19:24.63
and they're using drugs.
00:19:24.66\00:19:26.73
And I see this as an opportunity
00:19:26.76\00:19:30.97
to make money on them,
00:19:31.00\00:19:32.83
on their distress,
00:19:32.87\00:19:34.74
on their weaknesses.
00:19:34.77\00:19:40.38
I ended up smoking.
00:19:40.41\00:19:42.24
And by the time I
got out of the military,
00:19:42.28\00:19:46.38
marijuana wasn't really
the drug of choice, boy,
00:19:46.41\00:19:49.18
it was crack,
cocaine and freebase.
00:19:49.22\00:19:52.45
So you know I figured
if I could sell marijuana,
00:19:52.49\00:19:57.79
I can sell this.
00:19:57.83\00:20:00.90
Same methods apply.
00:20:00.93\00:20:02.43
Yeah.
00:20:02.46\00:20:03.80
And little did I know
once you started to deal
00:20:03.83\00:20:07.80
with these types of things,
00:20:07.84\00:20:11.07
you ultimately start to use
00:20:11.11\00:20:13.94
and when you use,
00:20:13.98\00:20:17.75
it uses you.
00:20:17.78\00:20:19.11
Yeah, definitely.
00:20:19.15\00:20:20.48
And I ended up
in a homeless state,
00:20:20.52\00:20:24.02
homeless position.
00:20:24.05\00:20:25.39
Now how long did you
end up in a homeless,
00:20:25.42\00:20:27.56
in a homeless position?
00:20:27.59\00:20:28.92
About a year.
00:20:28.96\00:20:30.89
So I was
actually homeless. Okay.
00:20:30.93\00:20:33.43
Yeah. All right.
00:20:33.46\00:20:34.80
So now you've gone
from playing basketball
00:20:34.83\00:20:36.16
while growing up in
a Baptist household,
00:20:36.20\00:20:37.87
going to a Catholic
school, playing basketball
00:20:37.90\00:20:40.87
that didn't work out for you,
00:20:40.90\00:20:42.70
ended up selling
drugs, using drugs,
00:20:42.74\00:20:45.24
going to the
military, getting out,
00:20:45.27\00:20:47.48
going to jail, being homeless.
00:20:47.51\00:20:51.01
In 1993 you find out about a
Seventh-day Adventist church.
00:20:51.05\00:20:55.58
How did you find out
00:20:55.62\00:20:56.95
about the
Seventh-day Adventist church?
00:20:56.99\00:20:58.32
And what brought
you to the point,
00:20:58.35\00:20:59.82
the realization in your life
00:20:59.85\00:21:01.62
to say that I
need to make a change?
00:21:01.66\00:21:05.83
One word, pain.
00:21:05.86\00:21:07.60
Okay. Now let me unpack that.
00:21:07.63\00:21:13.00
Depressed about you know
how my daughter was, you know,
00:21:13.03\00:21:17.11
and not really being
eternal part of her life.
00:21:17.14\00:21:24.05
Concerns there.
00:21:24.08\00:21:25.41
Being in the whole drug life,
I had to support that habit
00:21:28.52\00:21:32.42
'cause I wasn't
actually selling,
00:21:32.45\00:21:35.19
I might flip up
eight ball here and there.
00:21:35.22\00:21:38.96
But, you know,
00:21:38.99\00:21:41.63
I really was smoking
more than I was selling.
00:21:41.66\00:21:44.83
And when it runs out,
you do what you have to do,
00:21:44.87\00:21:48.00
you burglarize.
00:21:48.04\00:21:50.91
Whatever you got to do...
00:21:50.94\00:21:52.27
Whatever you
got to do to get it.
00:21:52.31\00:21:53.64
But at one point
when I was homeless,
00:21:53.68\00:21:57.61
I went to an
abandoned house that I knew,
00:21:57.65\00:22:00.42
you know in town
and I fell asleep.
00:22:00.45\00:22:02.75
Okay.
00:22:02.78\00:22:04.12
When I woke up it
was animal, a dead animal
00:22:04.15\00:22:08.29
that had came in the house
00:22:08.32\00:22:09.86
and was on the
other side of the room.
00:22:09.89\00:22:11.49
Okay.
00:22:11.53\00:22:12.86
I had seen the
dog, knew the dog.
00:22:12.89\00:22:16.60
And the Lord spoke to me,
He said, "If you don't stop,
00:22:16.63\00:22:20.94
you're gonna die like this dog."
00:22:20.97\00:22:22.50
Like animal. Wow.
00:22:22.54\00:22:23.87
I didn't stop. Yeah.
00:22:23.91\00:22:25.37
Wow.
00:22:25.41\00:22:26.74
But I did start
to read my Bible,
00:22:26.78\00:22:30.01
actually started to
read the Book of Revelation.
00:22:30.05\00:22:31.81
Okay.
00:22:31.85\00:22:33.18
I didn't understand anything,
I was reading, you know,
00:22:33.21\00:22:36.32
we're Baptists
growing up, you know.
00:22:36.35\00:22:39.15
None of it making
sense. None of it making sense.
00:22:39.19\00:22:41.22
And plus I had weed,
cocaine in my system,
00:22:41.26\00:22:47.13
drinking whiskey and wine.
00:22:47.16\00:22:48.56
Yeah.
00:22:48.60\00:22:49.93
Can't make sense of this stuff.
00:22:49.96\00:22:51.57
But I came to a point
00:22:51.60\00:22:55.14
where I saw
Revelation 21:7, it said,
00:22:55.17\00:23:00.31
"He that overcometh
00:23:00.34\00:23:02.41
shall have all things
or inherit all things,
00:23:02.44\00:23:05.85
I will be his God
and he shall be My son."
00:23:05.88\00:23:09.95
And then I looked down at me.
00:23:09.98\00:23:13.32
You know, I was so skinny,
00:23:13.36\00:23:14.69
they were calling me one pocket.
00:23:14.72\00:23:17.26
You know, it went from,
00:23:17.29\00:23:18.86
dashing 230, 240 pounds to that.
00:23:18.89\00:23:23.37
Okay.
00:23:23.40\00:23:24.73
And one pocket. One pocket.
00:23:24.77\00:23:28.00
I said, "Lord, look at me."
00:23:28.04\00:23:30.04
The devil don't
need any more of me.
00:23:30.07\00:23:31.74
I can't even slaying,
you know, dope no more.
00:23:31.77\00:23:36.58
He only want to use me.
00:23:36.61\00:23:38.21
I was like a used
piece of tissue paper.
00:23:38.25\00:23:40.72
And I said, "Lord,
if you want me then,
00:23:40.75\00:23:43.42
this is all I got."
00:23:43.45\00:23:44.79
Yeah. Wow.
00:23:44.82\00:23:46.15
And that's how the devil does,
exactly how the devil does,
00:23:46.19\00:23:48.26
use you up and throw you away.
00:23:48.29\00:23:49.92
Exactly. Use you
and throw you away.
00:23:49.96\00:23:51.29
Yeah. Okay.
00:23:51.33\00:23:52.66
So you learned about the
Seventh-day Adventist church,
00:23:52.69\00:23:54.03
how did that come about?
00:23:54.06\00:23:55.70
I went to a program
called narcotics synonymous.
00:23:55.73\00:24:01.34
Okay.
00:24:01.37\00:24:03.00
And the Lord has
some soldiers there.
00:24:03.04\00:24:04.97
He had some soldiers
00:24:05.01\00:24:06.34
in the Seventh-day
Adventist church there,
00:24:06.37\00:24:07.74
one man in particular by
the name of Anthony Shaw.
00:24:07.78\00:24:10.51
Okay.
00:24:10.55\00:24:11.88
Didn't know he was a
Seventh-day Adventist
00:24:11.91\00:24:13.62
but I heard his story.
00:24:13.65\00:24:15.68
And he was one brother
who I could identify with.
00:24:15.72\00:24:20.26
And I asked him to
if I could, you know,
00:24:20.29\00:24:23.93
hang out with
him, be my sponsor.
00:24:23.96\00:24:25.83
Yeah.
00:24:25.86\00:24:27.20
He interviewed me,
00:24:27.23\00:24:30.10
told me what he would expect.
00:24:30.13\00:24:32.60
And we developed a relationship,
00:24:32.63\00:24:35.20
you know, during
that relationship,
00:24:35.24\00:24:36.64
I told him, I was
going back to church.
00:24:36.67\00:24:40.41
I invited him to my church.
00:24:40.44\00:24:43.31
He said, "Well, you
go to my church first."
00:24:43.35\00:24:46.72
I said, "How are
we going to do that."
00:24:46.75\00:24:48.28
He said, "I go to
day before, you go..."
00:24:48.32\00:24:51.42
And then I go to
your church. Okay.
00:24:51.45\00:24:53.56
We never made it to my church.
00:24:53.59\00:24:55.59
Yeah. Wow. Wow.
00:24:55.62\00:24:57.33
So from that point on
you accepted the Sabbath,
00:24:57.36\00:25:00.83
became a member of the
Seventh-day Adventist church.
00:25:00.86\00:25:03.30
Talk about what
you're involved in now,
00:25:03.33\00:25:05.60
working as a dean at Oakwood?
00:25:05.63\00:25:08.97
Actually right now
00:25:09.00\00:25:10.34
I'm the
residential life coordinator
00:25:10.37\00:25:11.74
at Edwards Hall at
Oakwood University.
00:25:11.77\00:25:15.44
Okay.
00:25:15.48\00:25:17.58
It's probably one of
the most fascinating jobs
00:25:17.61\00:25:19.98
I think anybody can have.
00:25:20.02\00:25:21.68
You know, you're working
with young minds, young men.
00:25:21.72\00:25:25.52
You know, in the
prime of their life.
00:25:25.55\00:25:30.13
Okay.
00:25:30.16\00:25:31.49
You know with
all this potential.
00:25:31.53\00:25:32.86
And it's like a pot of
kid getting ready to explode
00:25:32.89\00:25:35.76
and you can just channel
that energy and motivating,
00:25:35.80\00:25:39.17
encouraging in
the right direction,
00:25:39.20\00:25:40.94
you can affect the world.
00:25:40.97\00:25:42.30
Yeah, yeah.
00:25:42.34\00:25:43.67
That world changed right from
where my seniors and I just,
00:25:43.71\00:25:47.54
you know, just
love the opportunities
00:25:47.58\00:25:50.18
that God has
given me to come back
00:25:50.21\00:25:52.41
and make an impact on young men.
00:25:52.45\00:25:54.72
Definitely.
00:25:54.75\00:25:56.08
In about a
minute or so talk about
00:25:56.12\00:25:57.45
how much of a blessing it is
00:25:57.49\00:25:58.99
to be able to
pour into young people,
00:25:59.02\00:26:02.12
who are just like you,
00:26:02.16\00:26:03.56
who see themselves
being able to play sports
00:26:03.59\00:26:06.33
or wanting to play sports,
00:26:06.36\00:26:07.70
whatever they
want to do in life.
00:26:07.73\00:26:09.23
But just talk about the
impact that you're able to have
00:26:09.26\00:26:12.33
on these young people.
00:26:12.37\00:26:14.17
Well, Aaron, I tell you,
the impact is tremendous.
00:26:14.20\00:26:19.51
When you look at the young
men that are coming to school,
00:26:19.54\00:26:25.65
most of them are going to jail
especially in our community.
00:26:25.68\00:26:29.22
Yeah, definitely.
00:26:29.25\00:26:30.59
One of the things
that I wanted to do
00:26:30.62\00:26:32.35
was be a prison chaplain.
00:26:32.39\00:26:33.92
Okay.
00:26:33.96\00:26:35.29
And the Lord told me, He said,
"No, I'm gonna sent you here,
00:26:35.32\00:26:38.46
so you can keep them
from the penitentiary."
00:26:38.49\00:26:41.90
Yeah. Wow.
00:26:41.93\00:26:43.26
And I've seen young men
00:26:43.30\00:26:45.63
who were cursing
their parents, their mother.
00:26:45.67\00:26:52.01
And I was able to intervene,
00:26:52.04\00:26:55.84
these same young men
would come back and thank me.
00:26:55.88\00:26:59.78
Yeah.
00:26:59.81\00:27:01.15
I've been able to
intervene with young men
00:27:01.18\00:27:03.49
who were blazed out on drugs.
00:27:03.52\00:27:05.72
I know they were on drugs.
00:27:05.75\00:27:07.42
And I'm having
conversations with them.
00:27:07.46\00:27:10.16
And they'll come back
and say, "Thank you, Dean."
00:27:10.19\00:27:13.70
I've had guys who
stood over my desk
00:27:13.73\00:27:17.57
with their fist ball
up, wanted to hit me.
00:27:17.60\00:27:20.74
And we've had a
conversation about that
00:27:20.77\00:27:23.91
and later on that year
00:27:23.94\00:27:28.14
we would be holding
each other praying and crying
00:27:28.18\00:27:31.18
and thanking each
other for that relationship.
00:27:31.21\00:27:33.52
You know, you can't get
those types of relationships
00:27:33.55\00:27:37.09
by not touching, you
know, the lives of people.
00:27:37.12\00:27:39.89
What I want you to do,
take about 10 to 15 seconds,
00:27:39.92\00:27:42.59
look into the camera
00:27:42.62\00:27:43.96
and talk to that young person
00:27:43.99\00:27:45.33
that's struggling
with different things
00:27:45.36\00:27:46.70
he's involved in.
00:27:46.73\00:27:49.96
I would say believe the
Bible literally, you know,
00:27:50.00\00:27:54.30
when the Bible says
00:27:54.34\00:27:56.07
that God would keep
you in perfect peace,
00:27:56.10\00:27:58.97
if His mind stayed upon thee,
00:27:59.01\00:28:00.94
you need that peace of God.
00:28:00.98\00:28:02.98
All right, all right.
00:28:03.01\00:28:04.35
Well, thank you, Mr. Woodrow,
00:28:04.38\00:28:05.71
for coming on and
sharing your testimony.
00:28:05.75\00:28:07.48
Viewers, thank
you for tuning in.
00:28:07.52\00:28:09.38
Be sure to tune in next
time for The New Journey.
00:28:09.42\00:28:12.09
God bless.
00:28:12.12\00:28:13.46