Can God repair a super-broken life and restore it 00:00:00.96\00:00:03.53 to a place of purpose? Stay tuned... to meet a man 00:00:03.57\00:00:06.80 whose life was broken and the dedicated woman 00:00:06.84\00:00:09.47 that God placed in his life. My name is Yvonne Lewis 00:00:09.50\00:00:12.71 and you're watching Urban Report... 00:00:12.74\00:00:14.78 Hello and welcome to Urban Report... 00:00:36.03\00:00:38.33 Today our guests are Cliff and Freddie Harris 00:00:38.37\00:00:41.07 Co-Directors of the Drug Alternative Program 00:00:41.10\00:00:43.61 and hosts of Dare to Dream's program 00:00:43.64\00:00:46.17 "Drugs Close to Home" welcome to Urban Report 00:00:46.21\00:00:49.74 Cliff and Freddie... Yeah... Thank you... thank you... 00:00:49.78\00:00:51.81 I am so glad you guys are here. Yes, it's been quite a few years 00:00:51.85\00:00:55.75 since we've been here... Now when did you come to 3abn 00:00:55.78\00:00:58.25 first?... We first came to 3abn in the 00:00:58.29\00:01:00.36 early 90s... Wow!... 00:01:00.39\00:01:02.06 Yes, we came and Danny put us right on the program saying... 00:01:02.09\00:01:05.59 "We want you to do a TV program and we were on TV for about 00:01:05.63\00:01:09.03 eight years... That's tremendous... 00:01:09.06\00:01:11.10 That's tremendous... and now... you're doing 00:01:11.13\00:01:13.47 Drugs Close to Home... tell us a little bit 00:01:13.50\00:01:15.77 about that program. You know, Drugs Close to Home is 00:01:15.80\00:01:19.71 right in our backyard... Literally... 00:01:19.74\00:01:22.31 Literally in our backyard, right honey? 00:01:22.34\00:01:24.85 Yes... we do the programs right in our backyard... 00:01:24.88\00:01:28.68 Right... we just wanted to start this program again 00:01:28.72\00:01:32.22 because we had so many guys in our program with such great 00:01:32.25\00:01:35.26 testimonies... you know, and people crossing our paths... 00:01:35.29\00:01:38.23 and we just decided... Hey we're going to start a 00:01:38.26\00:01:40.36 Drugs Close to Home again... so this is our... what? 00:01:40.40\00:01:42.43 third year? Yeah.. third year... Third year... 00:01:42.46\00:01:44.67 That's tremendous and I know our viewers are blessed by 00:01:44.70\00:01:47.17 watching it... for those who don't know about 00:01:47.20\00:01:50.01 the program that you co-direct, tell us a little bit about that, 00:01:50.04\00:01:54.24 what is it? Well, it's an in-patient drug 00:01:54.28\00:01:57.35 program for men who have drug problems... because... 00:01:57.38\00:02:01.28 see... I'm an ex-drug addict... and I always wanted to help 00:02:01.32\00:02:05.85 somebody not go through what I went through in life, 00:02:05.89\00:02:08.49 you know, on drugs and in penitentiary... and 00:02:08.52\00:02:12.16 in and out of jails all my life lost the family home... 00:02:12.19\00:02:15.26 all those things behind drugs, so... my thing was... 00:02:15.30\00:02:20.40 I told Freddie... after we were married... 00:02:20.44\00:02:23.17 that I wanted to help 00:02:23.20\00:02:25.67 somebody not go through what I went through... 00:02:25.71\00:02:27.74 and so... then we moved from Denver to California... 00:02:27.78\00:02:32.78 and started the program and that was it... 00:02:32.81\00:02:36.32 And speaking of marriage... We have a love story.. you know, 00:02:36.35\00:02:39.75 I met Cliff on Sabbath at Church... 00:02:39.79\00:02:42.62 he proposed to me... Sunday... and 3 months later... 00:02:42.66\00:02:45.23 we were married... Wait a minute... wait a minute 00:02:45.26\00:02:47.76 wait... wait... wait... wait... 00:02:47.76\00:02:48.86 So you guys met on a Sabbath, he proposed on Sunday, 00:02:48.90\00:02:56.94 and three months later we were married... 00:02:56.97\00:02:59.51 my son introduced us in the lobby of the 00:02:59.54\00:03:02.04 Denver Park Hill Church... Right... 00:03:02.08\00:03:03.75 OK... let's go through this story... because this is 00:03:03.78\00:03:06.31 too good... this is too juicy... 00:03:06.35\00:03:07.48 I had been friends with his son for like two years... 00:03:07.52\00:03:10.72 I was like his second mother Okay... 00:03:10.75\00:03:12.62 and I had also spent a year with the Lord... 00:03:12.65\00:03:14.99 I decided that I wasn't going to date or do anything... 00:03:15.02\00:03:17.53 I wanted to spend a year with the Lord and really get to 00:03:17.56\00:03:20.03 know Him... I wasn't thinking about 00:03:20.06\00:03:21.63 a husband, I just wanted to get to know 00:03:21.66\00:03:23.20 Jesus and at the same time, Cliff was in prison... 00:03:23.23\00:03:26.94 and he was getting to know the Lord through the 00:03:26.97\00:03:30.64 book... "Desire of Ages" and reading... 00:03:30.67\00:03:32.57 and so when he got out of prison and came to Church... 00:03:32.61\00:03:35.81 I walked in the Church and there stood Cliff and Jeffrey 00:03:35.84\00:03:38.98 and I just normally hug Jeffrey and kiss him... 00:03:39.01\00:03:41.92 "Hi Son, how're you doing?" and I looked and I saw Cliff... 00:03:41.95\00:03:44.29 and you tell the rest of the story... 00:03:44.32\00:03:46.32 Well, I was like... you know... when I got out of 00:03:46.35\00:03:48.92 penitentiary... my whole thing was... 00:03:48.96\00:03:51.53 you know... because... previously in my life... 00:03:51.56\00:03:55.10 you know... I was a pimp, I had a woman on the streets, 00:03:55.13\00:03:58.20 I did all that... you know... dealt drugs and 00:03:58.23\00:04:01.24 was in and out of jail... So my thing was... 00:04:01.27\00:04:04.17 when I was in prison... I was like.. I've got to go back 00:04:04.21\00:04:09.28 to Church... You had spiritual roots? 00:04:09.31\00:04:13.01 Oh yeah... Because I want you to talk about 00:04:13.05\00:04:14.52 the whole experience, but you had spiritual roots? 00:04:14.55\00:04:17.32 Yes, yes... So you decided... while there 00:04:17.35\00:04:19.29 you were going to go back to Church... 00:04:19.32\00:04:21.19 Yeah... let me go back to Church let me go to Church... 00:04:21.22\00:04:24.33 And to make a long story short, when he saw me... 00:04:24.36\00:04:27.56 the Holy Spirit impressed him "She's the one... " 00:04:27.60\00:04:30.43 and we met and had a date that Saturday night... 00:04:30.47\00:04:33.27 and he brought me one red rose, and the Holy Spirit impressed 00:04:33.30\00:04:37.67 me... not knowing that it impressed him... 00:04:37.71\00:04:40.61 that he is the one... So we both knew... 00:04:40.64\00:04:42.51 we were for each other... My!... 00:04:42.54\00:04:44.38 And you know... the Church went wild... 00:04:44.41\00:04:46.75 Oh Freddie... this was my feeling 00:04:46.78\00:04:50.29 of when I saw her... you know... I looked in her face... 00:04:50.32\00:04:55.69 and all I saw was her face... 00:04:55.72\00:04:57.59 because, I was the kind of man.. you know... if I see a woman... 00:04:57.63\00:05:01.10 it's like "Hi... how are you?" you know, 00:05:01.13\00:05:03.43 and I am looking you up and down and all of that, 00:05:03.47\00:05:05.70 and my whole thing was... I didn't look at her in a 00:05:05.73\00:05:09.90 sexual manner... I just saw the face... 00:05:09.94\00:05:12.67 and in that face... I saw all this peace and joy 00:05:12.71\00:05:16.51 and happiness... and I said... something within me... 00:05:16.54\00:05:20.92 because when I got out of prison I wasn't going to get 00:05:20.95\00:05:24.29 involved with any female... in any kind of way... 00:05:24.32\00:05:27.62 Let me go to Church, sit down on the pew, 00:05:27.66\00:05:30.63 just go to Church... and sit down... 00:05:30.66\00:05:33.46 Look at this, look at this... because both of you decided 00:05:33.50\00:05:37.27 to seek God first... Right... 00:05:37.30\00:05:40.97 So seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and His righteousness 00:05:41.00\00:05:44.07 and all these things shall be added unto you... 00:05:44.11\00:05:46.34 So you weren't even thinking about it... 00:05:46.37\00:05:48.28 neither of you was thinking about, 00:05:48.31\00:05:49.61 "Let me go and find... the one" and yet when you saw each other 00:05:49.64\00:05:54.88 when you saw her... the Holy Spirit said, 00:05:54.92\00:05:57.69 "She's the one," and when he brought you that rose 00:05:57.72\00:05:59.82 the Holy Spirit said, "He's the one. " 00:05:59.85\00:06:02.22 Right... right... So, Sabbath... you meet... 00:06:02.26\00:06:06.53 Sunday... OK, wait... let's go to 00:06:06.56\00:06:09.63 Saturday night... OK, OK, so how did you 00:06:09.66\00:06:11.80 ask her out... when you saw her... 00:06:11.83\00:06:13.60 you thought she was the one... how did you... 00:06:13.64\00:06:15.34 where did you go from there? Well, see... the first time 00:06:15.37\00:06:19.14 that I saw her at Church, I had been going for about 00:06:19.17\00:06:22.88 maybe three months... but I never saw her... 00:06:22.91\00:06:25.78 so when I saw her... one time at Church... 00:06:25.81\00:06:29.18 I asked my son about her... and he said, 00:06:29.22\00:06:32.52 I don't know her... daddy, I don't know the phone number 00:06:32.55\00:06:34.99 I asked my sister... "Oh, you don't want to... 00:06:35.02\00:06:37.53 Were they trying to block... So I'm like, 00:06:37.56\00:06:39.69 OK, when I see her at Church I'll handle it myself... 00:06:39.73\00:06:43.40 but when she went to Church... she didn't come 00:06:43.43\00:06:46.50 that next Sabbath and I was more like... 00:06:46.53\00:06:52.51 "Hey... she's not here... " but she came that evening... 00:06:52.54\00:06:56.75 at that time, they called it AY, Right... 00:06:56.78\00:07:01.05 And when I saw her... she was standing there 00:07:01.08\00:07:05.29 talking to another guy... and she had her back to me, 00:07:05.32\00:07:08.86 and I was leaning up against the wall, 00:07:08.89\00:07:10.33 and I said to myself, said it kind of under my breath, 00:07:10.36\00:07:14.46 Yeah, you know... I know... I'm watching you 00:07:14.46\00:07:16.70 I'm going to keep on watching you. 00:07:16.73\00:07:18.30 And Yvonne, I really felt him watching me... 00:07:18.33\00:07:20.40 I got... I felt these eyes at the back 00:07:20.44\00:07:22.27 I mean, I turned around, I went up to him, 00:07:22.30\00:07:23.81 and I said, "Hi" and I said, "Hi" 00:07:23.84\00:07:24.97 and I said to her... I said... you know, "I'm looking for 00:07:25.97\00:07:28.71 a Christian friend... how would you like to be that friend?" 00:07:28.74\00:07:31.45 and I said, "I think I would like that" 00:07:31.48\00:07:32.88 I said, "But in order for us to be friends... " 00:07:32.91\00:07:35.02 I said, "We got to get to know each other" 00:07:35.05\00:07:37.99 I said, "What is your phone number?" 00:07:38.02\00:07:39.65 "Where do you live?" And we made a date 00:07:39.69\00:07:41.19 to see each other that Saturday night. 00:07:41.22\00:07:42.66 And so, I made a date, to see her that Saturday night, 00:07:42.69\00:07:45.89 I called her on the phone, because she gave me 00:07:45.93\00:07:48.70 her number in the Lobby, and I called her that night, 00:07:48.73\00:07:51.97 and I told her that I had something for her, 00:07:52.00\00:07:54.34 and she says, "You don't even me... 00:07:54.37\00:07:55.97 how do you have something for me?" 00:07:56.00\00:07:57.51 I said, "Oh yeah, I know you" And when he came that 00:07:57.54\00:07:59.87 Saturday night, he brought me one red rose... 00:07:59.91\00:08:02.51 And it was so beautiful... and the fragrance... like... 00:08:02.54\00:08:05.31 overwhelmed me... and at that time, 00:08:05.35\00:08:07.18 the Holy Spirit impressed me, "He is the one" 00:08:07.22\00:08:09.42 And we talked that night and he said, 00:08:09.45\00:08:12.52 "Well, I want you to come to my house... you know... Sunday 00:08:12.55\00:08:15.42 and I came to his house... and he sat down in 00:08:15.46\00:08:18.23 one end of couch, and I sat down in the other end 00:08:18.26\00:08:20.23 of the couch... and he told me... 00:08:20.26\00:08:21.50 Wait a minute Freddie, now wait a minute... 00:08:21.53\00:08:22.80 I got to tell you this though... See... she was the Bible Worker 00:08:22.83\00:08:27.47 at the Church... she worked for the Conference 00:08:27.50\00:08:30.27 All right... And here I was... 00:08:30.31\00:08:32.11 they all knew who I was... you know, Cliff Harris, 00:08:32.14\00:08:35.58 this drug addict, penitentiary boy, you know, 00:08:35.61\00:08:39.38 he ain't worth a dime... and so, here he is, 00:08:39.41\00:08:42.85 talking to our sweet Sister Freddie... 00:08:42.88\00:08:46.29 Oh... they felt like they needed to protect her from you.. 00:08:46.32\00:08:49.59 That's it... OK, and they did try to do that, 00:08:49.62\00:08:54.03 But I had to let her know about me before she 00:08:54.10\00:08:58.43 would hear it from them... So, when I asked her to 00:08:58.47\00:09:02.60 come to my place, the next day, she sat on the couch, 00:09:02.64\00:09:06.04 and I told her that I'd been a drug addict all my life, 00:09:06.07\00:09:09.44 I'd stole, I'd lied, I'd cheated I'd done all these things, 00:09:09.48\00:09:12.98 And she looked at me and she said, "Is that all?" 00:09:13.01\00:09:15.88 And I said, "Is that all?" because the Holy Spirit 00:09:15.92\00:09:17.99 had already impressed... "He's the one... " 00:09:18.02\00:09:19.89 because being an Adventist all my life 00:09:19.92\00:09:21.72 never smoked or drank... I would have run out the door 00:09:21.76\00:09:24.19 but I knew... this was the guy that God had chosen for me 00:09:24.23\00:09:27.03 and God brought us together... not just for marriage, 00:09:27.03\00:09:29.76 but as you see now... the birth of Drug Alternative Program 00:09:29.80\00:09:32.90 Absolutely... God has, you know, we talk about this 00:09:32.93\00:09:35.94 on Urban Report all the time, 00:09:35.97\00:09:38.14 the Divine Plan... that God has for each of us... 00:09:38.17\00:09:42.14 Now, you would not have known, when you went to Church that day 00:09:42.18\00:09:45.68 that you were going to meet the love of your life... 00:09:45.71\00:09:49.42 That's just... But God knew... 00:09:49.45\00:09:51.69 He had the plan... and not only that... 00:09:51.72\00:09:54.09 When God does things... He doesn't just do things in one 00:09:54.12\00:09:57.59 He doesn't just accomplish one thing with one move, 00:09:57.63\00:10:00.66 He accomplishes several things with one move, 00:10:00.70\00:10:03.53 Right... right... So, He brought you together 00:10:03.57\00:10:05.83 He gave you... your partner for heaven... 00:10:05.87\00:10:08.30 because Ellen White lets us know too that... 00:10:08.34\00:10:11.61 that the person that we're with, our spouse, 00:10:11.64\00:10:14.84 can either help us go to Heaven or lead us away from Heaven, 00:10:14.88\00:10:18.95 Amen... And so, you were placed, 00:10:18.98\00:10:21.98 in his life as that rock... He was placed in your life 00:10:22.02\00:10:27.29 as that house band... and you guys... I mean... 00:10:27.32\00:10:30.36 And how many years has it been? Twenty eight years... 00:10:30.39\00:10:33.90 Wow... yes, yes... and nobody said it would last... 00:10:33.93\00:10:37.37 twenty eight years! Now, would you advise 00:10:37.40\00:10:42.64 other young people who.. let's say... 00:10:42.80\00:10:45.64 somebody just met this guy... a guy just met this girl... 00:10:45.67\00:10:49.24 would you advise them to do the same thing that you did? 00:10:49.28\00:10:52.85 No! because our was definitely providential... you know 00:10:52.88\00:10:56.35 because we had prepared ourselves... 00:10:56.38\00:10:57.95 not like... we just met each other... 00:10:57.99\00:10:59.49 but he had prepared himself for a year... 00:10:59.52\00:11:01.39 I had prepared myself for a year... 00:11:01.42\00:11:02.79 And I'd received this poem... because I'd joined the 00:11:02.82\00:11:05.29 Adventist Singles Club... and I'd received this poem 00:11:05.33\00:11:07.76 called, "Most Wonderful Love" and it said... 00:11:07.83\00:11:10.00 Freddie... I want you to stop looking around 00:11:10.03\00:11:12.23 for that perfect person, and I want you to 00:11:12.27\00:11:14.37 fall in love with me... Jesus Christ... 00:11:14.40\00:11:16.47 and that's when I decided... you know, I'm going to spend 00:11:16.50\00:11:18.64 one year with the Lord... I'm not going to look for anyone 00:11:18.67\00:11:20.78 I am just going to get to know Jesus... 00:11:20.81\00:11:22.38 then after that... then... that's when He brought 00:11:22.41\00:11:24.91 Cliff into my life... So we have an exception 00:11:24.95\00:11:26.72 to the rule... OK... All right... 00:11:26.75\00:11:28.65 You know what she said to me one time? 00:11:28.68\00:11:30.09 She said to me, "You're Number Two... 00:11:30.12\00:11:34.12 in our marriage" What do you mean... 00:11:34.16\00:11:38.06 I'm Number Two, I'm your husband you're husband... 00:11:38.09\00:11:42.46 I'm supposed to be Number One but one thing she said to me... 00:11:42.50\00:11:46.84 "Oh no, you might wake up one morning and tell me, 00:11:46.87\00:11:51.94 'I don't love you anymore... ' but if Jesus is Number One 00:11:51.97\00:11:56.95 in my life.. "... this is her... "He's not going to die on me, 00:11:56.98\00:12:01.58 He's not going to divorce me... He's not going to leave me... 00:12:01.62\00:12:06.15 He's going to always be there for you... " 00:12:06.19\00:12:09.09 and so... that made sense to me, and I'm like, 00:12:09.12\00:12:12.29 "Yeah OK, I can understand that" and so... 00:12:12.33\00:12:15.33 You'll take Number Two... Yeah... I'll take Number Two... 00:12:15.36\00:12:17.50 Yeah... and even in that process I got to learn... 00:12:17.53\00:12:24.64 and she told me... "I'm going to teach you 00:12:24.67\00:12:26.31 how to fall in love with Jesus" I'm like, "What do you mean? 00:12:26.34\00:12:30.81 I love Jesus... " "No, I'm going to teach you 00:12:30.85\00:12:32.78 how to fall in love with Him.. " OK, whip it on me... 00:12:32.81\00:12:35.72 because that's what I wanted... OK, so what are the steps? 00:12:35.75\00:12:37.52 I want to hear, what are the steps... 00:12:37.55\00:12:39.42 let's tell our viewers... what are the steps 00:12:39.45\00:12:42.06 to falling in with Jesus? Those steps, Yvonne, 00:12:42.09\00:12:44.66 is spending more time with Jesus you know, every day, 00:12:44.69\00:12:48.06 Cliff and I spend time... worship individually 00:12:48.10\00:12:51.17 and together... because we know that... 00:12:51.20\00:12:53.13 Hey, prayer is the answer, studying the Word of God, 00:12:53.17\00:12:56.50 because, you know, we work in this ministry, 00:12:56.54\00:12:58.21 24/7 and if we are not spending time with the Lord, 00:12:58.24\00:13:01.51 if we're not going to Church, if we're not going to 00:13:01.54\00:13:03.71 Prayer Meetings, we're not having that fellowship 00:13:03.75\00:13:06.18 with Him... what do we have 00:13:06.21\00:13:07.38 to give these guys? And you know, I read... 00:13:07.42\00:13:09.82 What is his name? ... Chambers 00:13:09.85\00:13:17.89 Oswald Chambers says "Activity is the unrecognized 00:13:17.93\00:13:23.60 symptom of spiritual weakness. " Activity? 00:13:23.63\00:13:27.57 ...is the unrecognized symptom... 00:13:27.60\00:13:29.70 we don't even recognize the symptom of spiritual weakness, 00:13:29.74\00:13:32.97 When I read that... it just like... hit me... 00:13:33.01\00:13:35.38 I said, "Lord, we have got to spend more time with you. " 00:13:35.41\00:13:39.31 That's the key... to having that relationship 00:13:39.35\00:13:41.95 with Him... You know Freddie, 00:13:41.98\00:13:43.18 that's so true because when you're in ministry... 00:13:43.22\00:13:46.49 your focus... all day... is ministry... 00:13:46.52\00:13:49.86 and if you don't have that private time... 00:13:49.89\00:13:53.50 with the Lord... it just will become a job... 00:13:53.53\00:13:57.07 because it's not going to be, you know, that purposeful, 00:13:57.10\00:14:02.50 passionate, ministry... it's going to be, 00:14:02.54\00:14:06.04 "Well, you know, I'm going to do this, this, this... 00:14:06.07\00:14:08.71 but without the underlying passion... for Jesus... 00:14:08.74\00:14:11.38 That's right... What are you smiling about? 00:14:11.41\00:14:12.61 I asked you the other day... you remember I asked you this? 00:14:12.65\00:14:17.39 What?... I asked you, I said, 00:14:17.42\00:14:19.45 Are you tired? You were at a booth, 00:14:19.49\00:14:21.22 you were at the booth, and I know what it's like 00:14:21.26\00:14:24.46 working at a booth... you're there on your feet... 00:14:24.49\00:14:27.60 all day... talking to people, and I asked you, 00:14:27.60\00:14:30.67 I said, "It's hard, isn't it, working at the booth?" 00:14:30.70\00:14:33.60 and you said, "No, it's not... I'm enjoying it. " 00:14:33.64\00:14:36.54 and that's what I saw in you, 00:14:36.57\00:14:39.54 I'll never forget you said that to me... 00:14:39.57\00:14:41.51 That told me a lot about you... and what your ministry 00:14:41.54\00:14:45.91 and what you're doing right here... 00:14:45.95\00:14:47.82 Praise the Lord... You enjoy it... 00:14:47.85\00:14:50.32 you get a satisfaction from it, and it's a challenge to you 00:14:50.35\00:14:56.12 every day because, yes... it might be hard... 00:14:56.16\00:14:59.09 we run through challenges and difficulties, 00:14:59.13\00:15:02.23 but for Jesus... all that wipes it out... 00:15:02.26\00:15:05.37 Yes... And that's what makes you so 00:15:05.40\00:15:07.87 special... Well, praise the Lord Brother... 00:15:07.90\00:15:11.11 Where's my check book? Just don't cash it... 00:15:11.14\00:15:14.31 I am in ministry so don't cash it... 00:15:14.34\00:15:16.41 But you know... and that's the same 00:15:16.44\00:15:17.81 with you guys... you love what you're doing... 00:15:17.85\00:15:20.35 it is... it is... again... part of the Divine Plan... 00:15:20.38\00:15:24.29 Right... And you know, Cliff, 00:15:24.32\00:15:26.82 your story is so compelling, many of our viewers know it, 00:15:26.86\00:15:30.99 many don't... share some of your testimony 00:15:31.03\00:15:33.70 with us... because God has just brought you... 00:15:33.73\00:15:36.30 Well, you know, I've been raised a Christian... 00:15:36.33\00:15:41.27 went to Pine Forge Academy, went to all Church Schools, 00:15:41.30\00:15:46.21 my father always took us to Prayer Meeting, 00:15:46.24\00:15:49.34 always took us to Sabbath School 00:15:49.38\00:15:51.31 we had prayer... every morning 00:15:51.35\00:15:54.08 before he went to work 00:15:54.12\00:15:55.35 We had worship as a family, we would have worship 00:15:55.38\00:15:57.82 together... as a family, in the evening... 00:15:57.85\00:16:00.82 you know, not that it was a boring... 00:16:00.86\00:16:03.79 I had a good childhood, so, I was raised that way, 00:16:03.83\00:16:09.13 but it got to be... at a point in my life... 00:16:09.16\00:16:12.00 After I was married... and I had three children... 00:16:12.03\00:16:14.70 and I started to run with this group of guys 00:16:14.74\00:16:18.11 and they started doing drugs and I was upset with them 00:16:18.14\00:16:21.94 when they first started smoking weed and 00:16:21.98\00:16:24.31 I was... but I wanted to be part 00:16:24.35\00:16:26.45 of what they were doing... How old were you 00:16:26.48\00:16:28.48 when you started moving away? Twenty one... 00:16:28.52\00:16:30.45 Oh.. so you weren't a teenager? Hmm, hmmm, because I used to get 00:16:30.49\00:16:35.06 upset with them... I wouldn't let you smoke 00:16:35.09\00:16:37.13 in my car... I wouldn't let you drink 00:16:37.16\00:16:39.16 in my car... But I ran with the wrong 00:16:39.19\00:16:41.10 group of guys... so if you're in that environment 00:16:41.13\00:16:44.77 you become... part of that... Come on, come on... that's right 00:16:44.80\00:16:49.10 And so, it took over and the next thing you know 00:16:49.14\00:16:52.94 Hey... I'm shooting up... next thing... you know... 00:16:52.97\00:16:56.51 first it was... whoosh, whoosh, 00:16:56.54\00:16:57.78 then... the weed.. then shhhh, shhhhhh 00:16:57.81\00:17:00.15 then shhhh, shhhh Is that something that you 00:17:00.18\00:17:03.82 thought... you'd never do? I thought I'd never do that 00:17:03.85\00:17:06.62 in my life... Things that I have done 00:17:06.65\00:17:10.23 in my life... I never thought that I would do, 00:17:10.26\00:17:12.36 you know, I buried my momma ten times... 00:17:12.39\00:17:15.23 What do you mean? 00:17:15.26\00:17:16.63 you know, when I say that line... 00:17:16.67\00:17:18.43 I got to go to my mother's funeral... 00:17:18.47\00:17:20.20 to get off work... you know... 00:17:20.24\00:17:21.54 my mother's passed away... and I got to go away... 00:17:21.57\00:17:24.27 and I'm gone from work for three or four days... 00:17:24.31\00:17:28.44 Selling my children's bicycle, my daughter's bicycle... 00:17:28.48\00:17:33.38 another thing that I know I did... 00:17:33.42\00:17:37.15 you know... I tried to sell the dog... 00:17:37.19\00:17:41.39 Oh... man... Can you imagine that? 00:17:41.42\00:17:45.56 It's like a family member right? yes... you're trying... 00:17:45.59\00:17:47.96 I put him in the car... trying to sell a little dog 00:17:48.00\00:17:52.77 to get the money so that I can get high... 00:17:52.80\00:17:54.90 and when I couldn't sell him... I threw him out the car 00:17:54.94\00:17:59.94 and when the kids came home... Where's the dog? 00:18:00.04\00:18:03.65 I don't know... Maybe he's run away... 00:18:03.68\00:18:08.08 you know.. these kinds of things you know... 00:18:08.12\00:18:10.39 that I did to my children... You know, Cliff, 00:18:10.42\00:18:14.02 one thing that I realize and I feel for, right now, 00:18:14.06\00:18:17.46 because... one thing that I realize 00:18:17.49\00:18:20.10 that the devil does... is... he starts us here... 00:18:20.13\00:18:24.37 he's patient... He starts us here... 00:18:24.40\00:18:26.33 and then... little by little... 00:18:26.37\00:18:27.90 he just spirals us downward... until he destroys 00:18:27.94\00:18:32.07 our characters... he destroys our integrity 00:18:32.11\00:18:35.61 he just... that's his goal... 00:18:35.64\00:18:37.81 and there's so many people who think... 00:18:37.85\00:18:39.95 "Man... if I'd just had money... or if I'd just had the bling... 00:18:39.98\00:18:44.05 or if I had just had... " It's such a big deception... 00:18:44.09\00:18:47.19 because once you start down that path, 00:18:47.22\00:18:50.39 it's like you're on a train... that you can't get off of... 00:18:50.43\00:18:54.40 Am I right? Right... 00:18:54.46\00:18:55.76 Did you feel... just compelled... like... 00:18:55.80\00:18:58.07 I just have to have that money... 00:18:58.10\00:19:00.27 I have to get these drugs... I have to... 00:19:00.30\00:19:03.34 Yes... and you do whatever... you will sell your momma... 00:19:03.37\00:19:07.74 you will sell your children... Do you understand what I mean? 00:19:07.78\00:19:11.85 I've heard stories about that... and I've done so many things... 00:19:11.88\00:19:15.92 There are some things I have done... 00:19:15.95\00:19:17.69 I can't even talk about on this program... 00:19:17.72\00:19:20.26 I am serious... that I've done to my ex-wife, 00:19:20.29\00:19:22.79 to my children... and, you know, 00:19:22.82\00:19:27.30 those are the kinds of things that you will carry with you 00:19:27.30\00:19:29.53 for the rest of your life... Yes... yes... 00:19:29.56\00:19:31.70 For the rest of your life... But Jesus is so good, 00:19:31.73\00:19:36.40 Yes, He is... You hear me... 00:19:36.44\00:19:38.07 Yes.. That he takes all this 00:19:38.11\00:19:39.67 stuff away... He says, "Bring them to me... " 00:19:39.71\00:19:42.24 "Put them on my shoulder" "I'll handle it" 00:19:42.28\00:19:44.78 Yes... And we take it to Him... 00:19:44.81\00:19:46.68 and put it on His shoulder... So you know what? 00:19:46.72\00:19:49.92 I don't have a lot of guilt for what I've done... 00:19:49.95\00:19:52.92 'cause God has taken all that away from me... 00:19:52.95\00:19:55.92 Because you are a new creature Cliff... 00:19:55.96\00:19:58.13 Yes... yes... He has forgiven me... 00:19:58.16\00:20:00.23 I don't care if you haven't... if you don't forgive me... 00:20:00.26\00:20:02.86 then that's your problem... but I know... 00:20:02.90\00:20:04.97 Jesus has forgiven me... you know, 00:20:05.00\00:20:08.60 I wouldn't get all these blessings that I have now 00:20:08.64\00:20:11.04 in my life... I know Satan is not doing it... 00:20:11.07\00:20:14.61 So, I know that it is the Lord. Absolutely... 00:20:14.64\00:20:18.11 Once you take all of these 00:20:18.15\00:20:22.02 burdens and lay them at the feet of Jesus, 00:20:22.05\00:20:25.22 it frees you... Because otherwise.. you would be 00:20:25.25\00:20:28.82 walking around under that load of guilt but Jesus said, 00:20:28.86\00:20:32.96 You know, that, "Come unto me all ye that are 00:20:32.99\00:20:36.67 that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest... 00:20:36.70\00:20:40.54 And you know what... let me tell you this... 00:20:40.57\00:20:42.04 Come on... tell me... I used to sit and think 00:20:42.07\00:20:44.47 my whole thing was... when I was in prison... 00:20:44.51\00:20:46.91 I want some peace of mind... PEACE... 00:20:46.94\00:20:49.91 because I remember... you know... 00:20:49.94\00:20:52.85 in the early days of my life, I'll put it like this... 00:20:52.88\00:20:56.25 Jesus would say, "Come unto me and I'll give you peace... 00:20:56.28\00:20:59.62 you'll have peace... " and I wanted peace 00:20:59.65\00:21:02.56 and I said, "You know what? I can get it... over here... 00:21:02.59\00:21:06.73 in Church... Let me go there... " 00:21:06.76\00:21:08.73 You see the seeds had been planted... 00:21:08.76\00:21:11.43 I want to tell all of you mothers, 00:21:11.47\00:21:13.90 because I have children too that have strayed from the Lord, 00:21:13.94\00:21:17.27 and I just want you to know that Jesus has a plan 00:21:17.31\00:21:21.74 for those children.. and that... all we have to do is 00:21:21.78\00:21:25.38 continue to be faithful to God and pray for those children, 00:21:25.41\00:21:29.88 pray for our children... plant those seeds 00:21:29.92\00:21:33.05 in the children when they are young 00:21:33.09\00:21:34.59 Right... Because... look at what happened 00:21:34.62\00:21:37.86 with you Cliff... you went away.. and came back... 00:21:37.89\00:21:41.30 His mother never knew that he got his life together... 00:21:41.33\00:21:44.73 Oh, she passed away before... Yes, she passed away before that 00:21:44.77\00:21:46.84 Let me just say this... what you said... 00:21:46.87\00:21:49.64 and I want to say the same thing 00:21:49.67\00:21:51.87 because I'm telling you, this is what happened to me, 00:21:51.91\00:21:54.58 My daddy... after my mother passed away... 00:21:54.61\00:21:59.78 My daddy... I kept him for 20... No, for six years of his life... 00:21:59.81\00:22:07.09 he came and stayed with me, I kept him, 00:22:07.12\00:22:11.46 and he said to me... one morning... 00:22:11.49\00:22:14.03 sitting at the breakfast table, my daddy said to me, 00:22:14.10\00:22:17.13 "Clifford, you're mother would be proud of you now... 00:22:17.17\00:22:20.77 to see... you have changed... and who would have thought 00:22:20.80\00:22:24.37 you... me... out of all my brothers and sisters 00:22:24.41\00:22:28.48 you'd be the one to take care of me... 00:22:28.51\00:22:31.85 and through her prayers... the Lord answered her prayer... 00:22:31.88\00:22:36.92 even though she was gone. That's another thing... 00:22:36.95\00:22:41.19 God honors the prayers of the saints... 00:22:41.22\00:22:43.99 even when they go to sleep... those prayers... 00:22:44.03\00:22:46.90 because my grandmothers... I know, both of them, 00:22:46.93\00:22:49.70 prayed me back into the Church, prayed me back into Jesus, 00:22:49.73\00:22:53.37 and my grandmother was... my maternal grandmother 00:22:53.40\00:22:56.24 was still living... when I came back to the Lord... 00:22:56.27\00:22:59.04 But my paternal... my father's mother, 00:22:59.07\00:23:03.01 had passed away... but... I know she prayed for me 00:23:03.04\00:23:07.08 and God honors those prayers, even though they've gone 00:23:07.12\00:23:10.42 to sleep... He still honors those prayers. 00:23:10.45\00:23:13.09 And when we go to Heaven, your mom is just overjoyed... 00:23:13.12\00:23:18.09 Hallelujah, Amen... Yes, yes... 00:23:18.13\00:23:19.86 She sees your face... she's going to rejoice... 00:23:19.89\00:23:21.93 Not only him... but all the others 00:23:21.96\00:23:23.50 that he has helped, you know. Yes... yes... 00:23:23.53\00:23:26.20 You know, my mother said to me, and I will never forget this, 00:23:26.23\00:23:32.17 on her deathbed... my mother had cancer... 00:23:32.21\00:23:35.58 she was dying from cancer... and I went to see her 00:23:35.61\00:23:40.75 I drove from California... I mean from Denver... 00:23:40.78\00:23:45.92 to Florida... to see my mother... 00:23:45.95\00:23:47.89 OK... Hmmmm... 00:23:47.92\00:23:50.63 I was still on drugs... I went there to see her 00:23:50.66\00:23:55.60 and I went to jail there... Wow... 00:23:55.63\00:24:00.47 OK? You gave yourself up? 00:24:00.50\00:24:02.30 No, I walked into a liquor store with a marijuana joint 00:24:02.34\00:24:07.78 in my mouth... ... and got arrested... 00:24:07.81\00:24:10.25 and the police was in the store, and he's like 00:24:10.28\00:24:15.58 "Are you nuts?" you know... and I was arrested 00:24:15.62\00:24:20.89 in Florida... so I took this problem 00:24:20.92\00:24:23.93 to my mom and dad... 00:24:23.96\00:24:25.63 I had my three children with me 00:24:25.66\00:24:28.63 to see my mother... and you know when I got back 00:24:28.66\00:24:31.30 my dad came and got me out of jail... 00:24:31.33\00:24:33.34 my mother said to me... I was sitting on her bed... 00:24:33.37\00:24:38.27 my mother... said to me... 00:24:38.31\00:24:41.81 Clifford... I wish you had never come to see me... 00:24:41.84\00:24:46.48 because you brought all the stuff and pain to me... 00:24:46.51\00:24:50.85 I don't want to see you... 00:24:50.89\00:24:53.09 Here's your momma... telling you... 00:24:53.12\00:24:54.76 "I don't want to see you" I had a good momma... 00:24:54.79\00:24:59.63 you know, she wasn't an evil person or 00:24:59.66\00:25:03.37 hard person... you know, I think you knew 00:25:03.40\00:25:06.33 my mother... I don't know if you did or not, 00:25:06.37\00:25:09.24 from family but... it was the pain that I brought 00:25:09.27\00:25:16.34 to them both, you know, and I had to go back 00:25:16.38\00:25:20.18 to Colorado... after that... I went to prison again... 00:25:20.22\00:25:23.18 the second time... but... that's OK... 00:25:23.22\00:25:27.19 I know, I am going to see my mother in Heaven... 00:25:27.22\00:25:29.82 you know what I mean? It's a great Getting-up-morning 00:25:29.86\00:25:32.93 it's a great Getting-up-morning... coming... 00:25:32.96\00:25:35.36 and the pain that she had... it will be like... 00:25:35.40\00:25:39.03 childbirth... you forget about it... 00:25:39.07\00:25:40.67 because when she sees your face there Cliff... 00:25:40.70\00:25:44.21 that's going to erase all the former pain... 00:25:44.24\00:25:47.74 all the former pain... What would you say, 00:25:47.78\00:25:50.48 in the last couple of minutes that we have, 00:25:50.51\00:25:53.62 from both of you... Freddie, what advice would 00:25:53.65\00:25:57.85 you give to a mother that has a wayward child, 00:25:57.89\00:26:02.06 that wants that child to know Jesus... 00:26:02.09\00:26:04.73 what would you say? You know I had a wayward son too 00:26:04.76\00:26:07.50 we have this ministry... and our son... 00:26:07.50\00:26:09.36 my son was on drugs... and I was Ms. Co-dependent 00:26:09.40\00:26:12.40 but I had to just... let go... 00:26:12.43\00:26:14.60 and let him feel the consequences of these 00:26:14.64\00:26:17.37 decisions that he made... and I kept praying... 00:26:17.41\00:26:19.77 I kept praying... and the Lord just impressed me 00:26:19.81\00:26:22.11 one day... Lennon is on drugs 00:26:22.14\00:26:24.61 go to Atlanta to see him... I went to see him... 00:26:24.65\00:26:27.42 we talked... I told him he was on drugs 00:26:27.45\00:26:29.55 he had been on drugs for five years, 00:26:29.58\00:26:31.45 and I didn't even know it, but he gave his heart 00:26:31.49\00:26:34.06 to the Lord... and I... 00:26:34.09\00:26:35.89 today, I can say, he's a Minister... 00:26:35.92\00:26:37.69 married with two children... but my advice would be 00:26:37.73\00:26:40.40 "Let go... and let God... 00:26:40.43\00:26:42.50 and don't be a co-dependent to them... just let them 00:26:42.53\00:26:45.60 feel the consequences... but be there, 00:26:45.63\00:26:47.24 let them know, you love them, 00:26:47.27\00:26:49.24 but don't be a co-dependent... 00:26:49.27\00:26:51.14 That's so true Freddie... you want to support 00:26:51.17\00:26:54.51 your children... but not enable them... 00:26:54.54\00:26:57.38 Right... So you don't want them to 00:26:57.41\00:26:59.51 you don't want it to foster the bad choices 00:26:59.55\00:27:04.42 that they've been making... because... once you do that... 00:27:04.45\00:27:07.09 you're in it with them... That's right... 00:27:07.12\00:27:09.02 and you just make it worse, 00:27:09.06\00:27:10.73 so... that's a major thing... plant the seeds, 00:27:10.76\00:27:14.86 when the children are young, just like what happened 00:27:14.93\00:27:18.50 with you Cliff... and God brought you back... 00:27:18.53\00:27:20.87 and He brought you back... with a sense of urgency... 00:27:20.90\00:27:25.77 for Him... Yes, yes... 00:27:25.81\00:27:27.08 What else... I mean... what else is there to say? 00:27:27.11\00:27:31.38 I can't believe our time is up... 00:27:31.41\00:27:32.78 Thank you guys... thank you so much for coming... 00:27:32.81\00:27:36.48 I'm so blessed... whenever I hear your testimony 00:27:36.52\00:27:40.12 Cliff... and you have a book... tell us the name of your book, 00:27:40.16\00:27:43.16 "Death Dance" Death Dance by Patti Conwell 00:27:43.19\00:27:47.60 Yes... As told to Patti Conwell... 00:27:47.60\00:27:49.76 I should say... well thank you so much 00:27:49.80\00:27:51.63 for being with us... and you're going to come again, 00:27:51.67\00:27:53.97 We... are... all right... promise... 00:27:54.00\00:27:55.54 Promise... you hear this... 00:27:55.57\00:27:57.27 Our time has slipped away... thanks so much 00:27:57.31\00:27:59.67 for tuning in... join us next time... 00:27:59.71\00:28:01.64 It just wouldn't be the same... without you... 00:28:01.68\00:28:04.15