Hello, and welcome to
Urban Report. Today, we have
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a two-part interview
with Aaron Chancy, the host of
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"The New Journey"
Dare to Dream's program for
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ex-offenders. I first
saw Aaron about a year ago on
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Cheri Peters' program
"Celebrating life in Recovery"
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and while watching him, I just
felt impressed that Aaron would
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make a great host for
"The New Journey" so listen up
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as Aaron shares HIS journey.
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Today, our guest is Aaron
Chancy and we are on the set of
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Aaron Chancy's program,
"The New Journey. " Hi Aaron,
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I am so excited about
"The New Journey" because it
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really gives us an opportunity
to see how God transforms a life
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He can take you through
all these different phases and
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stages, and then once you
are ready to come back, He just
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brings you to Him.
Yes. That's right...
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Tell me about your life.. tell
me about your early childhood.
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Okay. My early
childhood, Dr. Lewis, was pretty
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interesting. You know...
It's not the typical childhood,
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I guess you would say.. for
most young people that gravitate
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to the crime lifestyle that
I gravitated to. I had a mother
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and a father in the home. When
I was younger, my mother and
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father realized that, you know,
we were poor and we needed a
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way to make the finances. So
both my mother and father went
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into the military. My father
as enlisted and my mother as
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an officer and that gave us
another... the whole new lease
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on life where, you know-with the
military, they take you around
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the world, and show you all
these nice things... different
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countries and things like that.
So when I was young, I had the
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opportunity to live in Germany
for 3 years, I lived in Hawaii
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for 3 years. Now was your Dad a
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disciplinarian because a lot
of times, guys in the military
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are very disciplined and
organized, was he like that?
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Well no, he wasn't necessarily
so much of a disciplinarian
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but, he was, I would say
stricter than my mother was.
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My mother, she wasn't as
strict, for instance, when...
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I have a brother, my brother
is Adam Chancy... when me and my
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brother would want something
we knew not to go to Dad
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because Dad would say "no"
or "you need to work for it" or
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something like that. But my
mother... she was the sensitive
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one... so we knew we could get
it from my mother. So we would
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go ask mother for a few dollars
or something like that. She
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would say, "Okay, here you go.
" Moms, you need to listen to
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this. Aaron: Yes, indeed,
yes, indeed, but father he would
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always say, "You need to
go work for it" or put us to
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some kind of work to make
the money, things like that
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trying to instill the
values in us while we were young
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and you know, so we had
opportunities as young people
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to live in different
countries, we lived in Germany,
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like I said, I lived in Hawaii
for 3 years and to most people,
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this is enjoyable-moving
around, you see, one thing
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about the military is...
you know... they will have you
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somewhere for a couple of
years, and then somebody in the
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family gets a change of
duty somewhere else and then you
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are uprooted and you are
taken to a whole 'nother place
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across planet earth... somewhere
else. You know, for me,
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it wasn't as fun as it may seem
like for my brother, it was kind
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kind of like a fairy-tale life..
military life is always so
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much of fun... you get to go
see all these places, but for me
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it became an issue of
losing my identity... Who am I?
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Who do I associate with?
Because in the military you meet
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people from so many different
backgrounds and it's kind of
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like you are in a place
for maybe a couple of years...
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and make real good friends,
you know, get real close to
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people, and then, automatically,
3 years later or whatever it
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may be, you are uprooted,
taken somewhere else, and these
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friendships that you established
when you were younger, you no
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longer see them anymore, you
no longer hear from them, things
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like that, so you end up going
somewhere else, you have to
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adjust to a whole new different
country, different state,
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whatever it may be, yeah, and
make whole brand new friends,
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so I can name friends probably
from several different places
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all over the world, because
for me, I never really stayed
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in one place long enough,
like most people that are raised
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in one place, they stay
there for 20 years, 30 years,
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pretty much their whole life.
But for me it was more so...
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here 3 years... here 3 years,
here 2 years, here's 1 year,
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so it's kind of
bouncing around, and in that
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because you meet so
many different nationalities,
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you kind of lose your
own identity. Like, who am I?
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Who can I best associate with?
You know, it becomes like that..
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So when you got into your
adolescent years, where was
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your head during
the adolescence?...
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Okay, well, my adolescent years
you know, first of all, I grew
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up in the church, grew up in
the Seventh-day Adventist Church
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my mother and father tried
to instill in us-read the Bible,
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go to Sabbath School, go to
Wednesday night prayer meeting,
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involved in the Pathfinders...
I think, just about every
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Adventist young person growing
up was involved in Pathfinders..
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So, we were involved in
all these things... the Church
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activities, trying to give
the foundation with the Lord...
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but as I started reaching about
13 years old, I kind of started
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getting tired of the Church.
I hadn't really developed my own
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personal relationship with
God and you can spend years and
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years in church, but you know,
just because you are in church
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doesn't mean you are going to
be saved because there are many
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people that are in church
that have no one-on-one personal
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relationship with God..
Even adults, that are going to
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church are just kind of going
through the motions.. they don't
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have that relationship...
Yeah, that's exactly what it was
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for me and then at 13 years old,
you know, you are starting to
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get a little older, and starting
to look around at different
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things, you see different
friends doing this and doing
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that... they make the
life outside of church look
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so glorious... so much of
fun... and then coming up in the
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church I went to a
mixture of Church Schools and
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Public Schools... can't go to
any of the Friday night dances,
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can't play any of the sports
games, because they are always
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on Friday nights or
Sabbaths.. things like that...
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So it's kind of like what
you want to do, your passion,
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what you want to do,
like my passion was sports...
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basketball and football but I
never really had the push to it
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nobody in the family was pushing
it because most of my dad's side
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of the family are...
Seventh-day Adventist.
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No push for it,... I wouldn't
go, I guess, to the right
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schools for it and things
like that because I would be in
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Church School and when I
was in Public School, I just
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couldn't play in any of
the games, couldn't do anything
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like that. So I started to
drift away from the church...
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Did you resent the church?
did you resent the rules?
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You know, so often for
us, especially as young people
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when we don't understand God,
when we don't understand the
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Word of God... a lot of times,
it does become like that...
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I resented, why is it that
my friends that are Baptists and
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Methodists and all these other
denominations, they can have fun
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and still go to church on Sunday
or whatever it may be, but here
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we are, with a bunch of strict
rules that seem like... and it
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just becomes like a big old
rule book... the whole Bible...
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all 66 books become like
a rule book with a bunch of
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YOU CANNOT DOs.
Especially, when you don't have
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a relationship because rules
without relationship are so
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cumbersome. You know,
when you have a relationship,
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you kind of understand
the rules and if you don't...
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That's what John 14:15
says, If you love me, keep my
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commandments... If you love
me.. because the whole basis of
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serving God is love... You
see, as a young person, a lot of
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times, we don't develop our own
love relationship with God...
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we just want along with
it because mommy or daddy or
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whoever it may be said.. we need
to go to church, you can't do
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this, you can't do that.. and
it becomes that... it becomes
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a set of rules instead a love
foundation for God... as it is
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with many young people...
even today. So, you know, about
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13 years old, I started mentally
basically to kind of explore
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other things, look at other
things, TV, stuff like that...
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Ah... about 15 years old,
physically, I was kind of just
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through with the church...
just completely through with it.
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Had you begun to to experiment
with drugs and alcohol?
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Well, actually, I was 15 when
I experimented with drugs...
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actually, me and my brother,
we had snuck out of our house
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one night while my mother and
father were asleep and went to a
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house party around the
corner... from us and, you know,
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I was just itching to try...
to try some of these narcotics
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I hear it, I see it on the music
videos... and things like that.
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So this was like prime
opportunity to get involved
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with it and you know, that
was my first time, when I was
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15 years old... got involved
with the drinking, got involved
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with the smoking, one of my
cousins found out the next day..
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and he was a big marijuana
smoker... he smoked some weed
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with me and after that... it
was pretty much... just straight
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downhill. Yvonne: This is so
important, because so many of
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our young people are caught
up in marijuana! and marijuana..
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is to me... it is just such
a gateway to everything else...
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talk about the effects
of marijuana on the body and
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on the spirit...
Okay, well, you know, some
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things about marijuana...
you know, one main thing about
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it is, for a lot of people,
you may smoke it and get this
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paranoid feeling
within, for some, it leads to...
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leads to.. for instance...
my brother... he tried some of
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these different drugs...
but it never had that pull...
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it never had that effect to
him like that. But for others...
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Yvonne: it doesn't effect
everybody in the same way...
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Because some may try the
drinking, the smoking, these
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things like that... but it just
doesn't... the body kind rejects
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it... it doesn't really like
it. Because there is a foreign
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substance entering the human
body... It's not supposed to be
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there... but for me, it was..
I took it... I was drinking the
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first night, I had a hangover
from the alcohol... but I knew
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immediately, even though I
had the hangover, even though
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you know, I had the high...
and the high wore off a couple
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of hours later. Even after all
of that, I knew, that this is
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the life that I want... this is
what I want to be involved in.
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I liked the feeling of
smoking, and it's kind of like
00:09:35.32\00:09:40.21
you get this whole
careless attitude... like you
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really don't care about a lot of
things. Ah, you wake up any time
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of day, and any time of the
night you do whatever, basically
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and that type of lifestyle...
you know, I just kind of started
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gravitating to... and
those gateways were the smoking,
00:09:50.82\00:09:55.21
the drinking, smoking the
marijuana, drinking the alcohol,
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smoking cigarettes which just
led to, you know, other things.
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When... and I want to kind
of stay a little bit on the
00:10:01.77\00:10:05.22
marijuana, just for a
minute because this is such an
00:10:05.26\00:10:08.68
important thing... I found
so many of the young people
00:10:08.71\00:10:11.43
that listened to hip hop,
and I want to talk a little bit
00:10:11.46\00:10:14.37
about hip hop too... that
listened to hip hop.. are into
00:10:14.40\00:10:17.32
marijuana too... it's kind
of like it all goes together.
00:10:17.36\00:10:20.21
So, you know, you are looking
at a situation where the enemy-
00:10:20.24\00:10:24.70
the devil is giving
kids, feeding them this music
00:10:24.74\00:10:29.14
feeding them these drugs...
and they are just getting off
00:10:29.17\00:10:33.85
the beaten path... How did
marijuana and hip hop impact..
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how did they work
together to impact you?
00:10:38.56\00:10:40.29
Well, these things kind of
pretty much go hand in hand.
00:10:40.32\00:10:42.36
You know... you do have some
people that can listen to the
00:10:42.39\00:10:45.80
music and they say... well they
are not really affected by it.
00:10:45.83\00:10:48.58
But if you noticed people
that listened to the hip hop...
00:10:48.61\00:10:53.19
The Bible says, "By beholding,
we become changed. " Bottom line
00:10:53.22\00:10:55.70
So if we are constantly
listening to rap music, if we
00:10:55.73\00:10:59.16
are constantly looking at
different things... we are going
00:10:59.20\00:11:01.64
to become like that... and see,
music has the power to enter
00:11:01.68\00:11:04.28
into your sub-conscious without
you even knowing it. So what
00:11:04.32\00:11:07.30
happens is, you begin... your
style of dress begins to change
00:11:07.33\00:11:10.27
and you don't even realize it...
you start talking in a different
00:11:10.31\00:11:12.75
way... using a lot of profanity
you don't even realize it...
00:11:12.79\00:11:15.19
you start smoking, drinking,
it all kind of just goes
00:11:15.22\00:11:18.26
hand in hand with this
lifestyle. The music... because
00:11:18.30\00:11:21.27
you look at the music videos
of a lot of the hip hop artists,
00:11:21.30\00:11:23.96
and you know... the pants are
sagging, the hair is in any old
00:11:23.99\00:11:26.45
type of way... the shirt is
just way too big and you know...
00:11:26.48\00:11:28.62
there's always something hanging
out of the mouth or they are
00:11:28.65\00:11:30.88
holding some kind of bottle in
their hand, something like that.
00:11:30.92\00:11:33.11
So it is almost like all these
things go together in the life
00:11:33.14\00:11:36.78
and tattoos... is another
thing.. you know... I meet so
00:11:36.82\00:11:39.97
many young people today that
are, you know, so interested in
00:11:40.00\00:11:43.12
getting tattoos on them because
their favorite music artist has
00:11:43.15\00:11:46.22
gotten these tattoos and you
know, we see what we see on TV
00:11:46.26\00:11:49.83
and we are so drawn into it
because of what they are doing,
00:11:49.87\00:11:52.83
they are glorifying it... making
it look good... you know... I
00:11:52.86\00:11:55.67
remember one music video where
they just had money... like
00:11:55.70\00:11:58.60
raining down from the sky.. it
was money just falling... and a
00:11:58.64\00:12:02.11
young person, looking at this is
saying... wow I want that... I
00:12:02.15\00:12:05.59
want that money I want that
car, I want that alcohol, I want
00:12:05.62\00:12:07.78
that... because it is like a
carefree lifestyle where you are
00:12:07.81\00:12:10.40
just doing whatever...
It is, again, a deception...
00:12:10.44\00:12:13.17
because it all looks so
good it's an illusion, it's a
00:12:13.20\00:12:17.52
delusion and an illusion.
Because, you know, you see
00:12:17.55\00:12:21.83
all of this bling.. look at all
the values that are put forth in
00:12:21.86\00:12:27.01
hip hop... you've got the
bling, you've got sex, you know
00:12:27.04\00:12:30.44
you've got violence, and these
are some of the main issues
00:12:30.48\00:12:33.84
that are confronting
people in the inner cities...
00:12:33.87\00:12:36.09
So Satan is using hip hop which
has, you know, rhythm and rhyme
00:12:36.13\00:12:40.38
to get into the sub-conscious
mind... just as God, when you
00:12:40.42\00:12:44.60
listen to some beautiful music,
you know, music from the Lord..
00:12:44.63\00:12:48.78
it gets into your spirit-so does
music that is from the enemy.
00:12:48.81\00:12:53.87
So, you know, he uses it as
a tool, obviously, you got into
00:12:53.91\00:12:59.08
that and it kind of propelled
you deeper and deeper into that.
00:12:59.12\00:13:03.16
Yeah, it's like a tumbleweed
effect. You get involved in
00:13:03.20\00:13:07.21
one thing and then the enemy
unbeknownst to you almost is
00:13:07.24\00:13:09.97
introducing something else,
and introducing something else
00:13:10.00\00:13:12.93
and things that you said
you weren't going to do, now you
00:13:12.96\00:13:14.51
find yourself doing. It's like
a tumbleweed effect... you can't
00:13:14.54\00:13:17.71
play with the devil, bottom
line. We know from the Bible,
00:13:17.75\00:13:21.20
from Genesis chapter 1, I am
sorry, Genesis chapter 3, that
00:13:21.23\00:13:24.59
when Satan went into that
serpent and tricked Eve, it was
00:13:24.63\00:13:27.95
through the senses. Bottom line.
Through the senses. You see,
00:13:27.99\00:13:29.72
Satan works upon the senses,
the emotions, the feelings,
00:13:29.76\00:13:33.30
things like that and he did
it in the beginning and he's
00:13:33.33\00:13:35.86
still doing it now. Deception.
And the next thing you know,
00:13:35.90\00:13:39.72
you are involved in all types
of things that you had no clue
00:13:39.75\00:13:42.23
you were actually going to get
involved in. You hear so many
00:13:42.26\00:13:44.59
people that say, "Well, when
I am going out there, I am not
00:13:44.63\00:13:47.99
going to do this, I am not
going to do that, but you know,
00:13:48.02\00:13:49.36
if you are going to play
on the Devil's playground,
00:13:49.39\00:13:50.98
the Devil is going to make
sure that you do and try a whole
00:13:51.02\00:13:53.35
lot of things that you said
you were planning on not doing.
00:13:53.39\00:13:56.32
Things that you thought you'd
never do. But you end up just
00:13:56.35\00:14:01.07
sliding down. It's incredible.
Okay, so we just have about
00:14:01.11\00:14:05.80
a minute or so left. Just give
us a basic synopsis of when you
00:14:05.83\00:14:10.58
hit rock bottom. We're
going to tease our folks now.
00:14:10.62\00:14:13.51
When did you hit rock bottom.
Well, when I hit rock bottom was
00:14:13.54\00:14:16.33
in 2008. It was
actually April the 9th, 2008.
00:14:16.37\00:14:19.22
For a while, I was just running
from the Lord... He was trying
00:14:19.26\00:14:22.83
to get me, and you know,
this particular night, it was a
00:14:22.87\00:14:25.63
Wednesday, April the 9th, 2008,
and you know, I was involved in
00:14:25.67\00:14:29.06
several drugs throughout
these last couple of days...
00:14:29.09\00:14:32.43
from Sunday to Wednesday, I
was on several different types
00:14:32.47\00:14:34.83
of narcotics... Cocaine,
Marijuana, Ecstasy, drinking
00:14:34.86\00:14:38.18
alcohol... several different
things were in my system,
00:14:38.21\00:14:41.50
at that time, and what happened
was that night, I came into my
00:14:41.53\00:14:44.67
room and at about 11:30
that night, and as I walked in
00:14:44.71\00:14:48.03
the room, I opened up the door-
a fear came upon me, like never
00:14:48.06\00:14:51.40
before, like something is in
this room that does not belong
00:14:51.43\00:14:54.28
in this room... either I don't
belong there or something is
00:14:54.31\00:14:57.12
in there that does
not belong there...
00:14:57.15\00:14:59.00
Ooooh, spooky, something was
in the room. Okay, so, you know
00:15:00.15\00:15:06.99
I am not going to leave
you hanging. Here's part 2
00:15:07.02\00:15:09.47
of my interview
with Aaron Chancy...
00:15:09.51\00:15:12.46
Where I left off at is
at- I had actually moved to
00:15:12.49\00:15:15.30
Louisiana, a few months
prior to me changing my life...
00:15:15.33\00:15:18.15
about 6 months prior to that,
this was... around the time when
00:15:18.19\00:15:21.88
I started changing was April
of 2008 and, you know, for about
00:15:21.92\00:15:25.58
the last 6 months, well, for
years, I had been running from
00:15:25.62\00:15:30.37
the Lord, and for about the
last 6 months, I was on a...
00:15:30.41\00:15:34.22
just an extreme run from the
Lord, really trying to fry the
00:15:34.26\00:15:38.04
Holy Spirit out of
my mind... you know...
00:15:38.08\00:15:39.89
Were you incarcerated
at this time at all?...
00:15:39.93\00:15:42.04
Well, yeah, at this point,
I wasn't incarcerated at this
00:15:42.07\00:15:45.13
time but I had spent time
incarcerated before, ah, my
00:15:45.16\00:15:48.03
first time being incarcerated
was when I was 16 years old
00:15:48.06\00:15:51.19
as a juvenile, I spent a
week incarcerated in a facility,
00:15:51.23\00:15:54.68
I was taken out-this was at
East Texas, I was released from
00:15:54.72\00:15:58.14
there, I was sent to see a
psychiatrist. They were trying
00:15:58.18\00:16:02.09
to figure out... why did
the transition go to me being a
00:16:02.13\00:16:05.53
coming from a good family,
and things like that into why
00:16:05.56\00:16:08.73
am I getting involved in
criminal activities. So I had
00:16:08.76\00:16:12.01
to go see this psychologist,
they, you know, finally said
00:16:12.04\00:16:14.54
"Nothing's wrong with
him," I kept trying to tell them
00:16:14.58\00:16:17.05
that nothing was wrong
with me, they kept trying not to
00:16:17.08\00:16:20.01
believe me... anyhow, I went
through that. I was placed on
00:16:20.05\00:16:22.95
one year's probation... and,
you know, the thing about it is,
00:16:22.99\00:16:26.12
you know, being incarcerated
can make a person come to their
00:16:26.16\00:16:29.25
senses. You know, you
read about the prodigal son in
00:16:29.28\00:16:31.52
Luke chapter 15 and verse 13
says: and when he came to his
00:16:31.55\00:16:34.44
senses, he went back home.
Well, I wasn't at the point of
00:16:34.48\00:16:37.56
coming to my senses. You know,
when I was released... I still
00:16:37.59\00:16:40.62
had that passion for fast money,
I still wanted to try to get it
00:16:40.65\00:16:43.64
and it and it was years from
then, when I would change my
00:16:43.67\00:16:46.58
life and a year later or so, I
found myself back incarcerated.
00:16:46.62\00:16:51.71
Ah... back in jail, ended
up being sentenced to 3 months
00:16:51.75\00:16:54.91
prison boot camp, I was 17
years old, from there I went
00:16:54.95\00:16:58.05
to a halfway house for 30 days,
and from there, I did 3 months
00:16:58.08\00:17:01.75
on house arrest-which house
arrest can seem worse than jail-
00:17:01.78\00:17:05.41
because you are so close
to freedom but you are stuck
00:17:05.45\00:17:07.76
in the house with a
little thing on your ankle.
00:17:07.79\00:17:10.04
Yvonne: I would have thought
that house arrest wouldn't
00:17:10.07\00:17:12.06
have been that bad
because you are in your home
00:17:12.10\00:17:13.38
environment...
Aaron: No, it's worse...
00:17:13.41\00:17:14.45
Yvonne surprised: Is
it?... Aaron: it's worse...
00:17:14.48\00:17:15.62
and actually, you find out
really even more so who your
00:17:15.66\00:17:18.78
real friends are...
because what happens and..
00:17:18.82\00:17:20.47
I didn't even see that
at that time, because what
00:17:20.50\00:17:22.50
happens is you are so much
closer to being free, because
00:17:22.53\00:17:25.25
you are back at home, but even
still, because you are stuck
00:17:25.29\00:17:27.73
in the house and you can't
hang out with your friends.
00:17:27.76\00:17:30.35
You know, a lot of them
stay away... things like that...
00:17:30.39\00:17:32.37
because you are confined to
the house pretty much 24 hours
00:17:32.41\00:17:34.35
a day... Yvonne:
because you can't do at
00:17:34.39\00:17:36.66
home, what you would have done..
Aaron: Yeah, up can't do it...
00:17:36.70\00:17:39.37
so, I did have a few of
them come over periodically and
00:17:39.40\00:17:41.76
play dominoes with me,
and things like that...
00:17:41.79\00:17:43.61
But, you know, for the most
part, at 3 months, it's pretty
00:17:43.68\00:17:46.59
much me by myself, you know, it
could be worse than doing time.
00:17:46.62\00:17:50.27
Ah... so I was released from all
of that, and went back to Texas
00:17:50.30\00:17:53.55
I was at Michigan at this
time, I went back to Texas,
00:17:53.59\00:17:56.35
and it would be a few years
later, a couple of years later,
00:17:56.39\00:17:59.26
actually, at 19 years old
when I ended up catching another
00:17:59.29\00:18:01.60
charge, you see, I still wasn't
done with the criminal lifestyle
00:18:01.64\00:18:04.48
and this time, I caught
a charge, which you know,
00:18:04.51\00:18:07.82
I already had an adult
felony, I had a juvenile felony,
00:18:07.86\00:18:10.31
this is my second adult felony,
at 19 years old, and they sent
00:18:10.35\00:18:14.29
me to prison... sentenced me
to prison, actually I was going
00:18:14.32\00:18:18.23
to be sentenced for 10
years, and my lawyer said, well,
00:18:18.27\00:18:21.04
we got it down to 5 years...
so I said, "OK, I can do 5 years
00:18:21.07\00:18:23.56
I'll take 5 years, so I sat
there and started calculating
00:18:23.60\00:18:26.71
So I am 19 OK, 20, 21, 23, 24
OK I'll be out when I am 24...
00:18:26.74\00:18:29.58
that's fine... you know, if
I have to max out on the whole
00:18:29.61\00:18:32.41
sentence...
Yvonne: You weren't afraid?
00:18:32.45\00:18:33.54
Aaron: Yeah, I was
afraid, I was afraid, you know,
00:18:33.58\00:18:36.93
but one thing about being
incarcerated is, you can't show
00:18:36.97\00:18:39.99
any emotion, any feeling,
you know, the sadness, the hurt,
00:18:40.02\00:18:42.96
and the pain, you really can't
show these types of emotions,
00:18:43.00\00:18:45.90
because you got so many
people that have done time for
00:18:45.93\00:18:48.91
years and years and are
almost like predators, and if
00:18:48.94\00:18:51.88
you show fear, you become
like prey. So it's kind of like,
00:18:51.92\00:18:55.13
you have to Quote, unquote
"man up" and just take it,
00:18:55.16\00:18:57.85
if you are going to cry,
you'd best do it when nobody is
00:18:57.88\00:19:00.17
looking things like that... I
remember, one time a gentleman
00:19:00.21\00:19:02.42
came back after being sentenced,
and he got sentenced to 99 years
00:19:02.46\00:19:05.78
he didn't cry, but I went into
my little bunk area and shed a
00:19:05.81\00:19:08.80
tear for him.. oh wow! 99
years! that's a lot of time...
00:19:08.84\00:19:11.76
So I was sentenced to 5 years,
and I was taken to prison in
00:19:11.79\00:19:15.72
Texas... I was taken to
Huntsville, Huntsville in Texas,
00:19:15.75\00:19:18.62
you have about 6 to 7
prisons there... I went to a
00:19:18.65\00:19:21.41
Diagnostics Unit there.
There they do different tests
00:19:21.45\00:19:24.13
on you to see where you are at.
Your IQ, things like that-before
00:19:24.17\00:19:26.82
they send you to your permanent
prison. So I was there for
00:19:26.86\00:19:29.52
about a week-got processed,
sent out to Beaumont, Texas,
00:19:29.56\00:19:32.15
I was there for a few months,
it was a prison of State inmates
00:19:32.19\00:19:35.47
and Fed inmates
combined together...
00:19:35.50\00:19:37.68
Yvonne: Texas doesn't play...
Aaron: Yeah, that's why as you
00:19:37.71\00:19:39.41
drive down the
highway, there are signs,
00:19:39.45\00:19:40.69
Don't mess with
Texas... They are not playing...
00:19:40.73\00:19:42.53
They are serious, they are
serious.. Don't mess with Texas.
00:19:42.57\00:19:45.51
So, you know from there,
the State side of the prison was
00:19:45.55\00:19:48.46
closing down and they were
just keeping the Feds, so I got
00:19:48.49\00:19:50.82
shipped out to another prison in
East Texas. So I finished up..
00:19:50.86\00:19:53.89
I didn't do my whole 5 years of
the sentence. The Lord blessed.
00:19:53.93\00:19:57.29
I did a year and one month...
I did a total of 13 months on
00:19:57.33\00:20:00.24
that five-year sentence.
Made my first parole for good
00:20:00.27\00:20:03.15
behavior.. things like that and
when I went into prison, I went
00:20:03.37\00:20:07.17
in mainly for stealing things,
jacking things and stuff like
00:20:07.21\00:20:10.98
that... but you are in there
with so many people, so many
00:20:11.01\00:20:13.78
different crimes, and you know,
I went in there, not really
00:20:13.81\00:20:17.27
knowing the drug game much. I
didn't use drugs, but I didn't
00:20:17.30\00:20:20.72
know how to sell, the weights
of it and things like that...
00:20:20.75\00:20:23.70
But when I came out, learned
all that stuff, and I know
00:20:23.74\00:20:26.65
Texas is very strict on parolees
so I said, well, my mother and
00:20:26.69\00:20:29.80
father had moved to
North Carolina, and you know,
00:20:29.84\00:20:32.24
I had made some connections with
people, I said well I am going
00:20:32.27\00:20:34.84
back to North Carolina also,
one because Texas is very strict
00:20:34.87\00:20:37.51
on parolees, and I wasn't done
living that kind of life style..
00:20:37.54\00:20:40.14
And you know, I saw a
prime opportunity, I know in
00:20:40.18\00:20:43.03
North Carolina, the prices
on drugs were a lot higher than
00:20:43.06\00:20:46.28
in Texas...
Yvonne: So you went in,
00:20:46.31\00:20:48.04
not knowing really about drugs..
and you went to the university..
00:20:48.08\00:20:52.05
Aaron: Yeah, basically, it's
like a university... Juvenile is
00:20:52.08\00:20:54.97
like elementary school,
then you hit Jail... that's like
00:20:55.00\00:20:57.52
Middle School and...
Prison is like college.
00:20:57.56\00:20:59.36
You know, that's how it kind
of progresses... High School,
00:20:59.39\00:21:02.49
College, whatever you want
to call it. It's just like a
00:21:02.52\00:21:04.96
progressing step... and see
I had been through the system..
00:21:04.99\00:21:07.36
I had been in the system already
since I was 15, 16 years old...
00:21:07.39\00:21:10.90
so I kind of already knew
what the system was like...
00:21:10.94\00:21:13.32
been on probation a couple
of times, been on house arrest,
00:21:13.36\00:21:17.04
been in jail, been, you know,
I kind of already knew how the
00:21:17.08\00:21:20.73
system went... so I got
out, went to North Carolina,
00:21:20.77\00:21:24.11
a few months after I got there
I started transporting drugs,
00:21:24.14\00:21:27.18
pounds of marijuana
from Texas to North Carolina.
00:21:27.22\00:21:30.18
You know, still running from
the Lord... I had an incident
00:21:30.21\00:21:33.01
where I was robbed for
71/2 ounces of marijuana
00:21:33.04\00:21:36.22
and even at that point, I
still didn't wake up, you know,
00:21:36.26\00:21:39.41
I still didn't get my attention,
first thought in my head was
00:21:39.45\00:21:42.69
go retaliate, then, I talked to
some people later on that night
00:21:42.72\00:21:45.93
and, you know, they said
look I talked to not some street
00:21:45.96\00:21:49.33
folks, I had to talk to like my
brother, he's not really in the
00:21:49.37\00:21:52.32
streets, he gave me some good
advice. I also talked to one
00:21:52.35\00:21:54.41
of my friends that's on
death row, and he told me,
00:21:54.44\00:21:58.01
you know, you don't want to be
where I am at. Either two things
00:21:58.05\00:22:00.48
are going to happen.
Either he is going to kill you,
00:22:00.52\00:22:01.88
or you are going to kill him.
My brother was like, this isn't
00:22:01.92\00:22:05.27
a movie, this is real life here,
that what happens, if you get
00:22:05.31\00:22:08.31
killed down here, you don't
have a starring role in the next
00:22:08.35\00:22:11.28
movie, that's it. So I took that
advice, and you know, within the
00:22:11.32\00:22:15.44
next couple of days, I moved
off the block, I left, and an
00:22:15.48\00:22:18.73
interesting thing about it
was the supposed to be "friends"
00:22:18.77\00:22:21.40
on the block, you know, they
weren't telling me, you need to
00:22:21.44\00:22:24.04
stay away... don't do it, they
were coming knocking on my door
00:22:24.07\00:22:26.65
saying, "Look I got an AK-47,
I got a bullet proof vest, I got
00:22:26.68\00:22:29.23
I got this, I know
where he hangs out, you know,
00:22:29.26\00:22:30.54
go get him," and things like
that... you know... all this
00:22:30.57\00:22:32.57
bad advice is just hitting you..
and you are trying to keep a
00:22:32.61\00:22:35.85
reputation...
Yvonne: I was going to say...
00:22:35.89\00:22:37.94
It's all about the manhood
and respect and all about that
00:22:37.98\00:22:40.71
Aaron: Yeah, you are trying to
keep that reputation, but at the
00:22:40.74\00:22:42.45
same time, you know, you
are trying to think and say...
00:22:42.48\00:22:44.98
"You know, I am really not a
murderer, I am not a killer,"
00:22:45.02\00:22:47.48
but you have many
people I hear who would say
00:22:47.52\00:22:49.41
when I go out in the world, I
am not going to do this, this,
00:22:49.45\00:22:52.48
and this, so many situations
present themselves, where you
00:22:52.51\00:22:55.50
almost have to make split second
decisions, and before you know
00:22:55.54\00:22:57.73
it, you are doing something you
said to yourself, 10 years ago,
00:22:57.76\00:22:59.92
I wasn't going to do it,
so it very well can happen...
00:22:59.95\00:23:02.84
Yes, and don't you find that the
street value.. the whole idea of
00:23:02.88\00:23:05.73
respect, if somebody steps
on your foot, you have to shoot
00:23:05.76\00:23:10.08
somebody... Aaron:
Yeah, you have to do
00:23:10.12\00:23:11.54
something about it...
Yvonne: It's so bizarre...
00:23:11.57\00:23:15.22
Aaron: Yeah...
Yvonne: and I think its just
00:23:15.25\00:23:17.30
that people get so sidetracked
with the street values,
00:23:17.33\00:23:20.77
that's why the Bible, and
the value set forth by the Bible
00:23:20.81\00:23:24.84
and the Word, are just so
much richer, because you find
00:23:24.87\00:23:28.87
yourself being forced into this
situation, where you could lose
00:23:28.90\00:23:32.87
your life over foolishness...
Aaron: Over foolishness...
00:23:32.91\00:23:35.13
Over foolishness. You
know, one interesting thing,
00:23:35.16\00:23:37.25
is that I had got robbed
one night... that night before,
00:23:37.28\00:23:40.35
and I was actually set up
for 71/2 ounces of marijuana,
00:23:40.38\00:23:44.21
and not even a month later,
a young person gets killed
00:23:44.25\00:23:47.23
in the same project area I
was hustling over 5 dollars
00:23:47.26\00:23:49.97
of marijuana. So I sat
there and scratched my head
00:23:50.00\00:23:52.47
for a while... and I said,
"How is it Lord that you let me
00:23:52.50\00:23:55.70
live and this other gentleman...
his mother was Seventh-day
00:23:55.74\00:23:58.90
Adventist, how is it that
he didn't make it?" you know...
00:23:58.93\00:24:01.97
and you sit there and
that boggles your mind almost,
00:24:02.00\00:24:04.97
and even after all
that, I still didn't change...
00:24:05.00\00:24:08.12
I still didn't my life...
all I did was just revamp things
00:24:08.16\00:24:10.72
you know, I tried to
do it a different way...
00:24:10.76\00:24:12.11
You know, I can stay here
with for hours, your story is so
00:24:12.14\00:24:15.53
important and it is so
interesting. Let's kind of fast
00:24:15.57\00:24:18.89
forward now to what happened in
Louisiana and when you hit rock
00:24:18.92\00:24:22.56
bottom and you found the Lord.
Okay, all right so, you know
00:24:22.60\00:24:25.17
I was in Louisiana running
from the Lord, once again,
00:24:25.20\00:24:28.09
staying with one of my
good friends and this particular
00:24:28.12\00:24:31.81
night, it was April the 9th,2008
I was involved in several
00:24:31.85\00:24:35.50
different types of drugs
and this particular night,
00:24:35.53\00:24:37.71
I had walked into my room
high on several drugs already,
00:24:37.75\00:24:41.41
I walked into the room and
it was like a fear came upon me,
00:24:41.44\00:24:45.14
that had never come upon
me before... now I was used to
00:24:45.17\00:24:48.12
snorting cocaine, so you
get these cocaine spooks,
00:24:48.16\00:24:50.87
but this was not like a cocaine
spook, this was like something
00:24:50.91\00:24:54.44
is in this room that
doesn't belong in this room...
00:24:54.47\00:24:56.00
Yvonne: a presence...
Aaron: A presence is in here,
00:24:56.03\00:24:57.97
something is in here...
Either I don't belong here or
00:24:58.00\00:24:59.87
it doesn't belong here... So
I go in the room, I close the
00:24:59.91\00:25:02.89
blinds, 11:30 at night and I
lay down on my mattress on the
00:25:02.92\00:25:05.87
floor... and when I lay down
I look up towards the ceiling
00:25:05.90\00:25:08.91
and as I look up on the ceiling
I see demons literally just
00:25:08.95\00:25:12.01
floating around, like things
are just floating around on the
00:25:12.04\00:25:14.69
ceiling, it's kind of like
something off a movie where you
00:25:14.73\00:25:16.88
you just see things moving
about... and they were moving
00:25:16.92\00:25:19.00
on the ceiling... so me I got
scared, didn't know what else to
00:25:19.04\00:25:22.71
to do, so I took the
cover you know, cover my head,
00:25:22.75\00:25:24.60
I am thinking, this cover
is going to protect me from
00:25:24.63\00:25:26.41
whatever presence is in here,
and at that point, I heard the
00:25:26.45\00:25:29.88
Holy Spirit tell me something
at that very moment, I heard the
00:25:29.91\00:25:33.41
Holy spirit say my name clear as
day. Now He had been calling me
00:25:33.45\00:25:36.17
for a while, but I was trying
to fry Him out of my mind...
00:25:36.20\00:25:39.59
At this point, I head Him say
something very clear and very
00:25:39.63\00:25:42.13
distinct... He said,
"Aaron, either you get your life
00:25:42.17\00:25:44.82
together now or that's
it... either you get your life
00:25:44.85\00:25:47.43
together now, or that's it...
I knew that I was on the brink
00:25:47.47\00:25:50.90
of making a big, big mistake
in my life, a very big mistake..
00:25:50.93\00:25:54.55
in my life, so I, at that point,
grabbed my cell phone and I was
00:25:54.58\00:25:57.59
looking at it and I needed to
throw out a lifeline to somebody
00:25:57.62\00:26:00.59
somebody... somebody needs
to hear this, that you know,
00:26:00.62\00:26:03.34
I am sinking here, I am
falling throwing out a lifeline,
00:26:03.38\00:26:06.03
the only person I could think of
was my dad... interesting thing,
00:26:06.06\00:26:08.46
mother and father had always
been there even when I was doing
00:26:08.50\00:26:10.59
time, they would come and visit
me, so many times, we bumped
00:26:10.62\00:26:13.49
heads, got into it, I sent him
out a lifeline, 12:30 where he
00:26:13.53\00:26:16.36
was, 11:30 where I was and the
only thing I could think of in
00:26:16.40\00:26:19.74
this message was, I feel lost
and friendless, I am lost and
00:26:19.77\00:26:22.49
friendless, the only thing I
could send out, press send on it
00:26:22.52\00:26:25.07
the interesting thing about it
is my father normally does not
00:26:25.11\00:26:27.62
have text messaging on his
phone, this particular time,
00:26:27.65\00:26:30.62
he happened to have
text messaging on his phone,
00:26:30.65\00:26:34.05
so that's a blessing in itself,
so I send out this message,
00:26:34.08\00:26:36.69
just throwing out a lifeline,
hoping that somebody grabs
00:26:36.73\00:26:38.93
this thing, I know my dad is
asleep, he doesn't stay up late
00:26:38.96\00:26:41.80
like that, so anyhow, I throw
it out and his side of the story
00:26:41.84\00:26:44.47
to tell you is, he saw the
phone light up, got up, went to
00:26:44.50\00:26:47.10
the bathroom got on his
knees and prayed, and said,
00:26:47.13\00:26:49.33
"Lord, what do I say to
him, what do I say to him?"
00:26:49.36\00:26:51.49
see the interesting about it is
many mothers and fathers would
00:26:51.52\00:26:54.39
call immediately when
they see that text and say,
00:26:54.42\00:26:56.29
"Boy, where are you at?
Boy, what are you doing?
00:26:56.32\00:26:58.11
Boy, why this, boy, why that.. "
now, if my father wouldn't have
00:26:58.15\00:27:00.92
had that connection with
the Lord, he probably would have
00:27:00.96\00:27:03.29
did something like that too...
and at that point, I probably
00:27:03.32\00:27:05.56
would have said, "You know what,
forget it," and just hung up the
00:27:05.59\00:27:08.14
phone.. But he got on his
knees, he prayed, he had that
00:27:08.18\00:27:10.58
connection with God, he is
singing back there these very
00:27:10.62\00:27:13.66
words, "What a friend we
have in Jesus!" after the song
00:27:13.70\00:27:15.66
"What a friend we have in Jesus"
my world just lit up at that
00:27:15.69\00:27:18.81
point... lit up at that point...
and I called him on the phone,
00:27:18.84\00:27:21.52
we talked and I was just pouring
out my heart to him for about
00:27:21.55\00:27:24.20
15 minutes, we prayed,
but I tell you, Dr. Lewis,
00:27:24.23\00:27:26.91
it's nothing like praying for
yourself... you see, I had to
00:27:26.95\00:27:29.80
get on my knees, I had to pray
for myself. I got on my knees,
00:27:29.83\00:27:32.65
I prayed for myself, and
as I was praying for myself,
00:27:32.69\00:27:35.03
I could feel like the weight of
world just rising off of my back
00:27:35.06\00:27:37.94
it was like, Satan was
like- in the name of Jesus-
00:27:37.98\00:27:40.14
you are getting up off my back
and that's what was happening..
00:27:40.18\00:27:43.22
and you know, at that point,
I made a decision, to start
00:27:43.25\00:27:45.82
changing my life, now it wasn't
easy, but I tell you the thing
00:27:45.85\00:27:48.49
about it is, as I began to
come to the cross, I saw the
00:27:48.53\00:27:51.10
cocaine stop, the
ecstasy stop, the marijuana stop
00:27:51.13\00:27:54.77
everything just started
stopping as I came to Jesus,
00:27:54.80\00:27:57.20
as I came to the
cross... Come to the cross...
00:27:57.23\00:27:58.48
Come to the
cross, Come to the cross,
00:27:58.51\00:28:00.73
Yvonne: Amen, Amen,
That is beautiful...
00:28:00.77\00:28:02.92
So now, here we are, on
this set of "The New Journey"
00:28:02.95\00:28:06.44
which is the program that you
are hosting for "Dare to Dream"
00:28:06.47\00:28:09.25
Aaron: Yes indeed
Yvonne: and we have a quick
00:28:09.28\00:28:11.65
roll-in for you.. behind-the-
scenes.. This is really a behind
00:28:11.69\00:28:18.63
the-scenes roll-in of, no.. some
footage on what we did to make
00:28:18.67\00:28:24.54
the opening... and it is
so funny, because we used some
00:28:24.57\00:28:27.51
folks that true don't
have any criminal background
00:28:27.54\00:28:30.99
don't have any school back yet
it's so interesting... watch it.
00:28:31.03\00:28:37.15
There's Ben coming in with
the gun, and Bo that came in...
00:28:37.18\00:28:44.51
When they said, "Shut down,"
when they said, "Get down,
00:28:44.54\00:28:49.46
Get down, get down... Bo
couldn't think of what to say
00:28:49.49\00:28:54.38
He had the gun, he
said, "Stay in school... "
00:28:54.42\00:28:57.39
Aaron: For the youth out there,
stay in school.. stay in school.
00:28:57.43\00:29:01.23
Yvonne: That's right,
that's right... so what do you
00:29:01.27\00:29:02.37
say to parents, as we close
what would you say to parents,
00:29:02.40\00:29:05.57
that have a son or
daughter incarcerated?...
00:29:05.61\00:29:08.71
Look into the camera and
just give them a few seconds of
00:29:08.74\00:29:12.55
encouragement...
Aaron: Real quick, I would say
00:29:12.58\00:29:14.19
to the mothers and the fathers
out there... I would say,
00:29:14.22\00:29:15.99
"As long as there is breath,
there is hope. " People used to
00:29:16.03\00:29:17.77
tell my parents that...
"As long as there is breath,
00:29:17.80\00:29:19.45
there is hope. You see, the
son, the daughter may be going
00:29:19.49\00:29:23.02
through so many things but
make it very important in the
00:29:23.05\00:29:26.01
child's life to give them
that foundation. Just like the
00:29:26.05\00:29:28.94
prodigal son... and see,
that prodigal son, when he came
00:29:28.97\00:29:31.68
to his senses, where did
he go? he came back home...
00:29:31.71\00:29:34.35
because he had that foundation
in his life. So it is very key,
00:29:34.38\00:29:36.98
parents, to have that foundation
Young people, stay away from
00:29:37.02\00:29:39.59
the streets...
Yvonne: Wow, Aaron Chancy's
00:29:39.62\00:29:44.07
story is so profound to
me because, it just shows the
00:29:44.10\00:29:48.15
transforming power
of the Holy Spirit...
00:29:48.18\00:29:50.81
that God can take a life that is
headed down one road, and put us
00:29:50.84\00:29:56.38
on a different path, and
that's what is so amazing
00:29:56.41\00:29:59.77
about God that He can take our
lives when we are headed in the
00:29:59.81\00:30:04.39
on a path of self-destruction
and take us to a whole new life
00:30:04.42\00:30:08.97
an abundant life... I
guess you can see from that
00:30:09.01\00:30:11.73
interview, why the Lord had me
to invite Aaron to be the host
00:30:11.77\00:30:16.92
of "The New Journey. "
Well, two things really
00:30:16.96\00:30:21.45
impacted me about what Aaron
said, one was that you have to
00:30:21.49\00:30:27.30
make a decision, you
have to choose the cross...
00:30:27.33\00:30:30.95
and that's one of the
things that we need to know...
00:30:30.98\00:30:34.89
that we can decide to
make Jesus Christ our savior...
00:30:34.92\00:30:38.75
We can decide that we want a
better life, we don't have to be
00:30:38.79\00:30:42.60
in the same position that
we have been in. You know, the
00:30:42.64\00:30:47.01
Bible says,... "Today,
when you hear His voice,
00:30:47.04\00:30:49.56
harden not your
heart. Don't turn away...
00:30:49.59\00:30:52.72
If you feel that you want a new
life, if you feel that you know,
00:30:52.76\00:30:57.19
you just can't continue to
go on the way you've been going,
00:30:57.22\00:31:01.45
then make a decision, make
a choice, Aaron Chancy did it,
00:31:01.49\00:31:05.23
believers who know and love the
Lord made a choice and made a
00:31:05.26\00:31:09.97
decision for the abundant life..
you can have a better life and
00:31:10.01\00:31:14.28
your current circumstances do
not have to dictate your future
00:31:14.31\00:31:18.55
"The New Journey" hosted
by Aaron Chancy can be seen
00:31:18.58\00:31:21.94
regularly on "Dare to
Dream. " Check our website
00:31:21.97\00:31:25.25
d2dnetwork. TV for your local
listing. Well that's all for
00:31:25.29\00:31:29.80
this episode of "Urban
Report. " Join us next time.
00:31:29.83\00:31:33.76