Something
happened on May 31, 2011,
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that would change the
life of today's guest forever.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis and
you're watching Urban Report.
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Hello! And
welcome to Urban Report.
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My guest today is Jason Bulgin,
author of 25 and Counting
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and musical evangelist.
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Welcome to Urban Report Jason.
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Hello, hello. How are you?
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Great, praise the
Lord! How are you?
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I'm doing well,
thank you... very well.
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Praise the Lord! It's so
good to have you with us.
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I'm excited to talk to
you today about your story
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'cause you have a
very interesting story.
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Let's hear a little bit about
your background first of all.
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Tell us where you grew up.
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Well, I grew up in Toronto
Canada. I was born in Toronto.
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I spend most of my elementary
years - younger years - there.
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It wasn't until it was
time to go to college that
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I kind of moved away from
Toronto. I went to Windsor for
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two years of college and then
I transferred down to Oakwood...
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Oakwood College,
Oakwood University.
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Yeah Oakwood! I'm
an Oakwoodite too.
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I won't say when but yeah.
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You mean OC,
sorry. That's right.
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OU now, right?
Yes. OU yeah, for sure.
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So you grew up in Toronto,
and you're a PK, aren't you?
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I am, I am. I'm
the only boy. I'm a PK.
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I have 2 wonderful sisters, and
growing up in a pastor's home
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I mean we went to church
every day and I mean we had to
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do everything. So I
played the piano, I sang.
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My sister sang;
she played the piano.
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We all had to
participate in every service,
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and I mean a very active
part. And it was good for us
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growing up. Yeah,
that's great. You know
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some PK's say that it's really
kind of hard because their
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dad is gone a lot and they
don't get to really interact
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with him as much as
they would have liked to.
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Was that your experience?
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There was a time when I
was really I guess resentful
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of my father
simply because I felt that
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I guess the church
came before me some times
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and I felt that I was put
second to a lot of things that
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happened at the church. But
it took me a while to get...
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get over that. It took I
guess me talking to him and just
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sitting down and expressing
myself about how I felt
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and letting him know.
Because I mean a lot of times
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they're unaware because this
is what they're called to do.
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So when they feel they
have this calling they pour
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everything into it.
Which is rightfully so, but
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at the same time the
family's still there.
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Your wife, your children...
and you can't forget or neglect
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them. But it was only through
me speaking up and communicating
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that he was able to
understand and make a change.
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You know, and that's
such an important point
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because a lot of times
there might be this hesitation
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to talk to the parent
that's not there as much...
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especially a pastor... because
there are so many demands
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on a pastor's attention.
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And so a lot of times the
family just kind of gets kind of
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set aside a little bit - brushed
aside - because of the calling
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as you were talking about.
So it's great that you had
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the wherewithal to go to
him and say: "Dad, I need to
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talk to you about what's going
on here and what I'm needing
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from you. " And it's great
that your dad was responsive.
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Yes, that's the key.
It made me appreciate him
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even more... the fact that
he was responsive and he...
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he took it with open arms.
Because I mean he wanted to be
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the best dad, he
wants to be the best dad.
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He still wants to be
the best father for me
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and he wants that great
father-son relationship.
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So even now we're
still growing and developing
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the relationship. And
it's good to see how...
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how we come together,
especially now that I've chosen
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the same path as him somewhat.
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We're both in the ministry so
it's good going back and forth
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with him and just throwing
things off his brain and him
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giving me that experience that
he has. I mean, just the sitting
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down and just talking.
Really getting to know him
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and know about his life
and what he came through.
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Yeah, and everybody has a
journey, right? Definitely.
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Everybody has a
journey, and your journey
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you've set forth in this
book 25 and Counting. Yes ma'am.
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You have set forth part
of your journey in this book.
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Tell us a bit about
what happened to you
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on that fateful
day in May of 2011.
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Even leading up to that
day I was in a place in my life
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where I was kind of questioning
where I fit into the body of
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Christ, trying for find
my place, my purpose, my use.
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I mean, I just didn't feel like
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I fit in and I didn't feel like
I was doing anything meaningful.
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And I was actually just wonder-
ing if I even believed in God.
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And that was just a
dangerous place for me to be.
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But I had an opportunity
to sit down with my pastor:
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Pastor Damian Chandler
down at Madison Mission
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at the time, and he just
walked me through like just...
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just everything that I
had come through to that point
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and just reminded me like
God had to remind the Israelites
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of everything He
had brought them through
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and just to show me that
it wasn't by happenstance,
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it wasn't by chance,
that I had come this far.
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So leading up to that
point that's where I was then.
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And I had made a decision
that I was going to go all in
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and just try...
try and push forward,
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try... try and I guess
build my devotional life,
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build my prayer life,
and just try and just give it
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an all-in chance. Because some-
times we say we're all about it
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but we're really not.
We're still on the fence
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and we kind of give it half
and we're not really sold on it.
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So it was I guess May
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the end of my schooling,
was my last year at Oakwood.
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And I graduated.
Graduation got pushed back
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because we had tornadoes.
So it was the end of the month.
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So I decided to go home
instead of making everyone
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change their
graduation plans to come to me.
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Jason, let's stop for a
second and go back and unpack
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where you were
when you went to talk to
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your pastor. Because so
many of our young people get
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disillusioned. And I'm sure
it's easy, too, for a PK to get
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disillusioned because again
you're kind of left out there
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sometimes, and so
where were you when you went
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to your pastor
and had that talk?
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And what had led
you to that point?
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Well this is the crazy
thing: I was really involved.
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Like I sang every
week; I played every week.
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I was really involved in
church but I just didn't feel
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like I fit in. I was just
going through the motions.
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And I guess at some
point we have to separate
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I guess our parents' experience
with our own experience.
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And it has to become real to us.
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So I had to find that
place where it became real to me
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and I wasn't just
doing it out of routine
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or out of
something I already knew.
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So I was basically
asking God for an experience
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that would make Him real to me,
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and that's a
dangerous thing to ask for.
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Because I mean He has the power
to I guess go beyond anything
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we've ever seen. So in
actuality I was asking God to...
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I was challenging God. Mmmm.
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Challenging
Him... and He showed out.
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He put me through some
things but at the same time
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He cradled me
throughout the whole time
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and He held me close...
knowing that I was still His.
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And He brought me back
through this healing process...
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amazing healing process... that
broke down so many other walls
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that I had pent
up. Yes. Amazing thing.
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God is so amazing. You
know we can often fall into that
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vicarious relationship
thing where our parents had the
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relationship but we don't really
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and we're going through
the motions as you mentioned.
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I think it's a very
important place to be
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where you say to God: "I
want to know You for myself.
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I want an
experience with You myself
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that will make
You more real to me
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so that I'm not just
going through the motions.
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I'm not just singing all
the time or doing or being,
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I want to know You for myself. "
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And that's where you were when
you went to see your pastor.
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Yes, yes. So
you saw your pastor.
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You talked to him, and
he then kind of opened up
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some things for you.
Tell us again what he did
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and how He did that to make your
experience a bit more vibrant.
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I mean, we sat down... I
can still remember the day.
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It was a nice sunny
day in Huntsville, Alabama.
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We sat down
outside of Panera Bread.
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It's one of his favorite spots.
We sat and we talked for hours.
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Just sat in the afternoon
just talking for hours.
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And he really just started
asking me questions about
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all the other experiences
I had. So like in high school
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I had a child out of wedlock
and I got kicked out of school.
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And I got back in school
and I eventually graduated.
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So things that he
allowed me to come over.
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I was... just a
number of things.
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But we just walked through
each of these experiences
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and he asked me to
explain it logically.
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And I couldn't. There
was no way for me to explain
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me getting to
where I am logically.
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And I'm a logical
thinker so I was really upset
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that I couldn't explain it.
And it was only the grace of God
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that had brought me thus far.
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So it was just...
he was challenging me.
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Just challenging me to think
that I could do it on my own.
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"You think you could
really do it on your own?
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You think you have
the power to do this?
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There's something beyond you;
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there's
something bigger than you.
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And there's someone
who loves you and has
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a purpose for your life. "
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That's an important
point too, Jason, because
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so many of our young
people and older people, too,
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are not having a sense of
purpose. Not really knowing
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that God's got a
plan. On Urban Report
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all the time and on
Dare to Dream we talk about
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God's plan for everybody.
Everybody has a unique place
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in the plan of
God. And so, you know,
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what God has for you to do
is different from what He has
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for me to do and
from the next person.
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It's all part
of this huge mosaic
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and so we talk about
purpose. And so that day
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it seems as though when
you were talking to your pastor
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you were getting to
know more about the purpose
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that God had for you or
that there was a purpose
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for your life, correct?
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Correct definitely. He was
just knocking at the door -
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just tapping at the
door of purpose in my life -
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and I didn't want to open
it. I was reluctant to open it
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but as time went on
and I got more confident
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and I got more... I saw
the love of God in my life
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through just the daily living,
it was easier for me to open
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the door. It was easier
for me to walk in my calling
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and walk into
everything God had for me.
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That's awesome. So what happened
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on that day in May?
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So May 31, 2011, I was
driving back from Toronto
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to Huntsville just
to get myself together,
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find out what the next
move was since I graduated.
00:11:40.37\00:11:42.85
And I left out late at night.
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I like driving at night
because there's no traffic.
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It's just real calming
and it's just real easy.
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It's an easier
drive. So I left at night
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and my parents were
kind of reluctant about that.
00:11:53.42\00:11:55.52
But I left anyway. And
one thing that was different
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about this trip is that
we didn't pray as a family
00:11:59.99\00:12:02.48
before I left. I can't remember
what had happened, but we didn't
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say our prayer as a
family holding hands at the door
00:12:05.56\00:12:08.86
before I left. So I was
on my way; got on the road.
00:12:08.96\00:12:11.86
It was about 11:30 at night
and I'm listening to my music.
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I'm just in the
zone... in that driving zone.
00:12:15.48\00:12:18.53
Any of you who drive long
distance you know you have to
00:12:18.63\00:12:21.23
get into a special
zone when you're driving.
00:12:21.33\00:12:23.25
So I was in that zone. I
was relaxed... cruise control.
00:12:23.45\00:12:26.45
Listening to the music.
Had actually switched over
00:12:26.78\00:12:29.40
to listen to an audio
book called The Shack that...
00:12:29.50\00:12:31.41
that Pastor Chandler... he
had told me to read this book.
00:12:31.61\00:12:34.18
And the book is
basically about a man who has a
00:12:34.38\00:12:37.84
weekend getaway with God.
00:12:38.04\00:12:39.77
And they have a conver...
He goes to God asking Him
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about a situation that
had happened in his life.
00:12:43.14\00:12:45.66
His daughter had died. And
she was kidnapped and murdered.
00:12:45.76\00:12:49.15
And he basically gets a
weekend getaway with God
00:12:49.25\00:12:52.27
to ask God all the
questions that are on his heart.
00:12:52.37\00:12:54.92
So I was listening to that book
and I mean just going through...
00:12:55.12\00:12:58.54
having a mental
picture of the book
00:12:58.57\00:13:01.72
and just in a nice
zone. And then all of a sudden
00:13:01.92\00:13:05.40
out of nowhere a
deer comes in the road.
00:13:05.50\00:13:07.45
And my instinct was to swerve
whatever I see in the road.
00:13:07.75\00:13:13.03
But as most of you know
you're supposed to hang on tight
00:13:13.23\00:13:16.60
and just drive through
that deer... which I didn't do.
00:13:16.70\00:13:19.41
So I ended up swerving, and
since I was on cruise control
00:13:19.64\00:13:22.90
and so relaxed, I swerved
and I really couldn't get back
00:13:23.10\00:13:25.71
into it, so I
went into the ditch.
00:13:25.81\00:13:27.24
And from there I went down
into the ditch. Went back up
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and started
torpedoing through the sky.
00:13:30.18\00:13:33.76
And I remember spinning...
flipping about twice...
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and then blackout.
00:13:37.92\00:13:39.77
So you're in a
zone... you're driving.
00:13:40.78\00:13:44.55
Everything is fine
and then from nowhere
00:13:44.75\00:13:47.63
this deer comes in front of
you. And you are trying to avoid
00:13:47.73\00:13:52.55
the deer and you swerve and
you lose control of the car.
00:13:52.75\00:13:56.74
Um-hmm. Lose
control, end up in a ditch
00:13:57.04\00:13:59.85
and just thrown
from the vehicle.
00:13:59.95\00:14:02.28
How long were you
unconscious? Do you know?
00:14:02.68\00:14:05.16
I have no idea.
So my car is black...
00:14:05.56\00:14:08.52
So when my car went into
the air and hit the ground,
00:14:08.82\00:14:12.59
all my lights go
out. So it's a black car
00:14:12.79\00:14:15.02
in the middle of the
country. Country road.
00:14:15.22\00:14:18.09
This is a truck route
where like trucks drive
00:14:18.29\00:14:20.99
all night, all
day... truck, truck, truck.
00:14:21.19\00:14:23.69
So 18-wheelers are passing by.
00:14:23.89\00:14:25.89
Apparently I was... A
cop happened to be passing by
00:14:27.13\00:14:31.17
and found me laid out on
the concrete... laid out on the
00:14:31.27\00:14:33.31
highway on the
opposite side of the highway.
00:14:33.41\00:14:35.37
So... when I... I guess...
00:14:35.77\00:14:38.09
The only time I woke up
I woke up in the ambulance
00:14:38.49\00:14:41.04
and I was able to
give my family's number -
00:14:41.24\00:14:44.28
my parents' number -
and I went back to sleep.
00:14:44.48\00:14:46.77
And the amazing thing about
that: God will give you the
00:14:46.97\00:14:48.84
strength to do what you
need to do in the moment.
00:14:48.94\00:14:51.42
I mean, sometimes you
see people... I remember
00:14:51.62\00:14:53.51
one time at church someone
had gotten run over by a car
00:14:53.61\00:14:57.08
in the parking lot at church.
00:14:57.18\00:14:58.56
And I saw a man... like an
older man... he lifted a car
00:14:58.77\00:15:02.03
off this man in the moment
00:15:02.13\00:15:04.21
because they needed that
strength to save his life.
00:15:04.41\00:15:06.27
And in order to save my
life God had to wake me up
00:15:06.47\00:15:08.61
in the midst of all this pain,
in the midst of all this...
00:15:08.81\00:15:11.27
this craziness going
on... He had to wake me up
00:15:11.37\00:15:13.36
so I could give my parents'
number and He put me back
00:15:13.46\00:15:15.75
to rest so I
wouldn't feel the pain.
00:15:15.85\00:15:17.59
Wow! God is awesome.
00:15:17.99\00:15:20.52
How far away from home were you
00:15:20.92\00:15:24.50
when you had this accident?
00:15:24.70\00:15:26.53
I was probably about
3 hours away from home.
00:15:26.73\00:15:29.49
About three hours away from
home, about 1/2 hour away from
00:15:29.99\00:15:32.57
the Canadian/American border.
00:15:32.67\00:15:34.44
Wow... and so...
Another blessing in itself
00:15:34.64\00:15:37.67
that I was on the Canadian
side of the border rather than
00:15:37.87\00:15:39.78
the American side. Really? Why?
00:15:39.89\00:15:42.81
Why is that?
Healthcare! I mean, if I was
00:15:43.01\00:15:45.17
across the border and
I got in this accident
00:15:45.37\00:15:48.68
the hospital bills
would have been astronomical.
00:15:48.88\00:15:52.62
But it was a blessing that I
had the accident on the Canadian
00:15:52.65\00:15:55.97
side where my healthcare
is covered and things of that
00:15:56.07\00:15:59.27
nature. Now we're just on
the American side coming over
00:15:59.47\00:16:01.65
into that, but at that point
in time it would have been...
00:16:01.75\00:16:04.42
it would have been another head-
ache had I been on the American
00:16:04.62\00:16:08.42
side. Wow! Wow!
So God in His mercy
00:16:08.52\00:16:11.57
allowed you to be
on the Canadian side
00:16:11.77\00:16:14.41
where your
healthcare could be offered
00:16:14.61\00:16:17.35
and it was affordable for you.
00:16:17.46\00:16:19.10
It's free there,
isn't it? It is. Free.
00:16:19.30\00:16:21.92
So you went through all of this.
00:16:21.95\00:16:25.65
You're in the
ambulance. You wake up
00:16:25.85\00:16:29.81
just for a minute to give
the number of your parents' home
00:16:30.01\00:16:34.46
and then you go
back unconscious again.
00:16:34.66\00:16:37.26
What is your next
memory after that?
00:16:37.56\00:16:39.61
My next memory is
waking up in the hospital room.
00:16:40.01\00:16:43.73
And I could just
hear my family's voices.
00:16:44.03\00:16:48.21
I hear them talking. I heard
the voice of the police officer
00:16:48.41\00:16:52.03
telling my parents
that he didn't even know
00:16:52.13\00:16:54.93
really why he was in the area.
00:16:55.13\00:16:57.18
He said he wasn't even supposed
to be in that area at the time
00:16:57.38\00:16:59.88
but he just
happened to be passing by.
00:16:59.99\00:17:01.69
And I heard them say that
and he said "It's only God. "
00:17:01.99\00:17:05.70
And I went back to sleep again.
00:17:05.90\00:17:07.82
Wow! So what was
your recuperation like?
00:17:08.32\00:17:12.70
Well, first of all, tell us
the extent of your injuries.
00:17:13.00\00:17:15.92
So let's start
from the head to toe.
00:17:16.13\00:17:17.96
I fractured this side of
my face. I fractured bones
00:17:19.78\00:17:24.23
under my eye. I fractured my jaw
00:17:24.36\00:17:27.95
and some bones over here.
So I have plates and screws
00:17:28.05\00:17:30.64
lying under my eye,
over here, in my chin.
00:17:30.74\00:17:33.36
I lost a tooth. I
punctured my lung.
00:17:33.56\00:17:37.51
I fractured two ribs.
00:17:37.71\00:17:39.27
I had a big
hematoma on my left leg.
00:17:40.94\00:17:44.31
And then I had glass and
just road rash all over my body.
00:17:44.51\00:17:50.10
I remember I had a
big gash under my arm,
00:17:50.20\00:17:53.60
on my shoulder, my hands. I
remember like a couple weeks
00:17:53.80\00:17:57.50
after my hand was hurting.
I didn't know why my hand was
00:17:57.61\00:18:00.82
hurting. Every time I put
it in my pocket it was hurting.
00:18:00.92\00:18:02.98
And I went and picked at the
spot and there was glass healing
00:18:03.28\00:18:06.09
in my hand. So there was glass
everywhere, just shards of glass
00:18:06.19\00:18:10.17
everywhere. Oh my!
00:18:10.27\00:18:12.99
That had to be... To wake up
00:18:13.19\00:18:17.14
and to know that you've
been in an accident like that
00:18:17.34\00:18:20.32
and to have those injuries, that
has got to be so frightening.
00:18:20.52\00:18:24.50
What was your recuperation like?
00:18:24.71\00:18:27.21
That first day when
I actually saw myself
00:18:28.20\00:18:31.69
it was scary at
first. It was like: "Oh, my!
00:18:31.89\00:18:34.65
Am I going to be
like this forever? "
00:18:35.25\00:18:37.53
'Cause my face what swollen.
Like... My face would probably
00:18:37.73\00:18:40.64
fill this Skype screen
right now, so it was huge!
00:18:40.74\00:18:43.88
It was huge... so it was nerve-
wracking just to look at myself
00:18:43.98\00:18:48.07
and wonder how... if I'm
ever going to be the same again.
00:18:48.17\00:18:52.82
If I'm ever
going to look the same.
00:18:53.02\00:18:54.22
Am I going to walk with a
limp for the rest of my life?
00:18:54.33\00:18:56.55
Am I going to be
able to play basketball?
00:18:56.65\00:18:58.49
The things I love:
run and just joke around.
00:18:58.59\00:19:01.72
Am I going to
be the same person?
00:19:01.92\00:19:03.29
But I took comfort in
knowing I was on the right path.
00:19:03.49\00:19:07.45
So a matter of me being on
the right path, this was...
00:19:07.65\00:19:10.23
I took it as a confirmation
for me, knowing that God...
00:19:10.43\00:19:14.22
that the devil was
out to get me. Mmmm.
00:19:14.42\00:19:17.10
The fact that I was going
the wrong way and I needed to
00:19:17.24\00:19:19.66
turn from my ways and
go back the other way.
00:19:19.76\00:19:21.63
It was confirmation,
because a lot of us get mistaken
00:19:21.83\00:19:24.34
that when we make a decision
for Christ it gets hard,
00:19:24.44\00:19:27.76
it gets rough, it gets tough...
00:19:27.96\00:19:29.26
and you'll get
thrown into the fire.
00:19:29.46\00:19:31.24
So I was getting thrown
into the fire, and it was just
00:19:31.64\00:19:35.29
the development of my
testimony of how I went through.
00:19:35.39\00:19:38.59
And I took it as a way for
me to smile through my storm
00:19:38.79\00:19:43.04
and be a testimony to
others and everyone around me
00:19:43.14\00:19:46.81
just to know that you
can smile through your storm
00:19:46.91\00:19:48.77
no matter what you're going
through. So from day one I was
00:19:48.87\00:19:52.77
smiling, taking pictures,
posting them and sending them
00:19:52.97\00:19:55.61
to my friends. Just laughing
about the whole situation
00:19:55.71\00:19:58.23
because I had comfort knowing
that God was taking care of me
00:19:58.43\00:20:01.39
and I was doing the right thing.
00:20:01.59\00:20:02.94
So you sensed God's presence
00:20:03.34\00:20:07.56
as you were
recuperating? Definitely.
00:20:07.76\00:20:10.50
Even the process of it. Like
I've never... I've never seen
00:20:10.70\00:20:16.09
someone heal so fast. So like
a week after you wouldn't have
00:20:16.19\00:20:20.50
known that I was in such a
bad accident the week before.
00:20:20.60\00:20:24.12
Because it would almost
look like I was in a schoolyard
00:20:24.36\00:20:27.82
fight. I had a black eye,
you know. Just a little swollen
00:20:27.92\00:20:30.82
but it didn't look like
all this side of my face
00:20:30.93\00:20:33.52
had been torn off.
And it didn't look like...
00:20:33.62\00:20:35.94
I didn't look like
what I'd been through.
00:20:36.14\00:20:37.91
So it was just really a blessing
for everyone even around me
00:20:38.11\00:20:40.93
to see me healing so
fast... healing so quickly.
00:20:41.03\00:20:44.25
So the Lord used this experience
00:20:45.05\00:20:47.83
to not only kind of solidify
your relationship with Him
00:20:48.03\00:20:53.56
but also as a testimony
for others. To bless others
00:20:53.76\00:20:58.15
in a sense to let them know
that God is with you and that
00:20:58.25\00:21:01.69
God will bring you
through the darkest times.
00:21:01.80\00:21:06.03
Yes definitely. He'll bring
you through the darkest times.
00:21:06.33\00:21:09.16
And the key point
that really stood out to me
00:21:09.36\00:21:11.58
was that it was a process. It
wasn't that I snapped my fingers
00:21:11.78\00:21:15.52
and I was magically
healed. There was a process.
00:21:15.62\00:21:18.03
And I think a lot of
times we forget that even in our
00:21:18.24\00:21:21.57
relationship with
God it's a process.
00:21:21.67\00:21:23.53
It's a process
throughout our whole life.
00:21:23.73\00:21:25.56
We never reach that...
we never reach perfection
00:21:25.76\00:21:28.40
but we're always
working towards it. We're always
00:21:28.60\00:21:30.73
working towards it.
And we sometimes forget
00:21:30.93\00:21:32.86
and we feel that we have
to be perfect, we have to be
00:21:32.96\00:21:36.04
just on our P's and Q's
all the time. But we fail.
00:21:36.24\00:21:39.55
We fall and it's OK.
We just have to know that
00:21:39.75\00:21:42.12
we're continuing to move
forward and He's going to
00:21:42.22\00:21:44.16
continue to work with us.
00:21:44.26\00:21:45.38
He's going to continue
to chip some things away
00:21:45.58\00:21:47.42
and He's going to continue
to just mold us into what He has
00:21:47.45\00:21:50.22
for us. Amen!
That is so, so true
00:21:50.32\00:21:53.39
that... the Bible says there
is none righteous, not one.
00:21:53.79\00:21:58.31
So it's not... sanctification
is a lifetime process.
00:21:58.71\00:22:04.02
All of this journey is a process
00:22:04.22\00:22:07.74
and we are developing
our relationship with God
00:22:07.94\00:22:11.17
and learning Him every day.
00:22:11.37\00:22:15.07
You learn something
about God and His nature
00:22:15.27\00:22:17.97
and how He deals with people
and all of that through how He
00:22:18.18\00:22:21.40
deals with you. And
so this is wonderful.
00:22:21.50\00:22:25.17
Now let's talk about
what you're doing now.
00:22:25.37\00:22:29.09
Where are you now?
What are you doing?
00:22:29.29\00:22:31.21
Well now I am
in Cleveland, Ohio.
00:22:31.51\00:22:33.92
I am teaching. I am
working as a young adult pastor
00:22:34.12\00:22:38.88
at the SDA church here. I
also play at a Pentecostal
00:22:38.98\00:22:42.58
church here. And I'm just diving
wholeheartedly into ministry.
00:22:42.68\00:22:48.42
I have my book. I'm
working on another book
00:22:48.62\00:22:51.52
as well for young men.
It's going to be entitled
00:22:51.72\00:22:54.76
What I Learned From Her.
00:22:54.96\00:22:56.02
And it's going to be
basically lessons that young men
00:22:56.22\00:22:59.61
can learn from the
women in their lives.
00:22:59.81\00:23:01.09
So all... there's been many
women that I've come in contact
00:23:01.29\00:23:04.07
with in my life: my mom,
sisters, girlfriends, friends
00:23:04.17\00:23:07.49
that I've come in
contact with in my life.
00:23:07.62\00:23:09.85
And there's life lessons
about being a man that I learned
00:23:10.05\00:23:13.47
from these women, so I
want to make a book about that.
00:23:13.57\00:23:16.01
And help just develop
young men and know that...
00:23:16.11\00:23:18.44
that there's a
process in your development
00:23:18.64\00:23:21.98
and just know that women play
a key role in your development
00:23:22.08\00:23:25.08
and there's things you can learn
from each of these situations.
00:23:25.29\00:23:27.83
So I'm working... go ahead.
00:23:28.03\00:23:29.88
No... absolutely. I mean
there's so much to be learned
00:23:30.13\00:23:33.69
from the people in your life
00:23:33.89\00:23:36.73
and from your... and you
have a sphere of influence
00:23:37.03\00:23:40.44
that you radiate to
other people as well.
00:23:40.64\00:23:44.26
So there's something to be gain-
ed from everyone in your life.
00:23:44.46\00:23:48.21
Definitely. So our
viewers might not know this
00:23:48.41\00:23:52.74
but you are a wonderful
singer. You have appeared on
00:23:52.94\00:23:56.46
Magnify Him, and it hasn't
aired yet but it's airing soon.
00:23:56.56\00:24:01.37
So you're going to be on
our Dare to Dream music program
00:24:01.77\00:24:04.87
Magnify Him. You are an
author; you are a speaker.
00:24:04.97\00:24:09.22
How do you fuse all of these
gifts into a ministry for God?
00:24:09.42\00:24:14.78
The first thing
is just obedience.
00:24:15.76\00:24:17.92
Obedience and just listening
to what God asks me to do.
00:24:18.22\00:24:21.95
He's put me in a position
where if I... if I trust Him
00:24:22.16\00:24:26.59
He will make everything
plain. So it's come to a point
00:24:26.79\00:24:30.60
where I can put it all
together because He's put me in
00:24:30.70\00:24:34.56
a position where they
all just come together.
00:24:34.66\00:24:37.71
So music, preaching, books,
blogs, inspirational coach.
00:24:37.91\00:24:42.02
Everything about communication.
I want to be an awesome
00:24:42.22\00:24:44.94
communicator. I just want
to be able to share a message
00:24:45.04\00:24:47.47
of love and make it
simple, make it plain
00:24:47.57\00:24:49.94
so like a
6-year-old can understand.
00:24:49.97\00:24:52.69
And I believe that if a
6-year-old can't understand
00:24:52.89\00:24:55.47
I'm not doing my job.
Because I think everyone
00:24:55.57\00:24:58.38
needs to be able to understand
and be able to feed on the
00:24:58.58\00:25:01.29
Word of God and be able to
feed on what God has for us
00:25:01.39\00:25:03.87
in human experience and
find that purpose in their life.
00:25:03.97\00:25:06.89
And live out that
purpose in their life as well.
00:25:07.19\00:25:09.43
And there's nothing better
than walking in... we call it
00:25:09.74\00:25:13.20
walking in your divine
destiny, finding that purpose.
00:25:13.41\00:25:16.26
There's nothing
better than that.
00:25:16.56\00:25:18.29
We have a website for you.
We want to put up your website
00:25:18.49\00:25:21.17
so that our viewers
can go to the website
00:25:21.47\00:25:23.98
and they can see
what you're doing;
00:25:24.08\00:25:25.84
they can hear your
music; they can order your book.
00:25:26.04\00:25:29.28
Whatever. But they can kind
of take a look at this ministry
00:25:29.48\00:25:33.14
that God has given
you that is incredible.
00:25:33.34\00:25:36.38
What do you think? Briefly
tell us what do you think is
00:25:36.58\00:25:39.03
going on with your
generation now in terms of
00:25:39.23\00:25:43.91
spirituality and
where they are spiritually.
00:25:44.11\00:25:47.22
What do you
think is going on now?
00:25:47.46\00:25:48.92
Right now I feel that my
generation, they lack 3 things.
00:25:49.32\00:25:53.99
And I've been battling
with this but it's three things.
00:25:54.19\00:25:56.91
It's a passion, it's persis-
tence and its their perspective.
00:25:57.11\00:26:01.55
So the passion is that desire,
that fight to do whatever it
00:26:01.75\00:26:06.54
takes to make something happen.
00:26:06.64\00:26:08.72
And there's not many
who have that passion.
00:26:08.92\00:26:11.74
You just want it that
instant; you want it right now.
00:26:11.94\00:26:14.72
We're not ready
to put in the work.
00:26:14.82\00:26:16.21
We're not ready
to put in the time.
00:26:16.31\00:26:17.81
We're not ready to just really
hone our gifts and develop it
00:26:17.91\00:26:20.77
so when the time is
right we can stand before kings
00:26:20.97\00:26:23.57
and queens and
just show out for God.
00:26:23.78\00:26:26.86
So that passion and
then the persistence.
00:26:27.06\00:26:29.89
That time... just
putting in the work.
00:26:29.99\00:26:31.84
A lot of us are just laca-
daisical about anything we do.
00:26:32.04\00:26:36.85
We settle for the mediocre.
00:26:37.05\00:26:38.75
We settle for just good and
better when God wants the best
00:26:38.95\00:26:42.34
for us. Like I've gotten
to the point where I'm not
00:26:42.44\00:26:45.11
settling any more.
I'm pushing the limit;
00:26:45.21\00:26:47.20
I'm pushing beyond my fears.
00:26:47.30\00:26:48.80
So fear is me saying
I'm scared of something
00:26:49.10\00:26:52.08
is not good enough
reason for me not to do it.
00:26:52.28\00:26:55.46
There's going to be
times when I'm afraid.
00:26:55.66\00:26:57.38
There's going to be
times when I'm scared
00:26:57.48\00:26:59.21
and I feel apprehensive
about doing something.
00:26:59.31\00:27:02.05
But because I'm
persistent and I'm pushing...
00:27:02.25\00:27:05.36
I'm pushing my passion,
I'm pushing towards the mark
00:27:05.56\00:27:07.50
I'm going to do it simply
because God hasn't given me
00:27:07.70\00:27:10.46
that spirit of fear.
And if He's put it in me,
00:27:10.56\00:27:12.73
if He's placed it in me
and I'm walking in His will,
00:27:12.83\00:27:16.17
there's something that I need
to do that's going to prepare me
00:27:16.37\00:27:18.45
for something else. So if I
back down on what He's giving me
00:27:18.56\00:27:21.61
today, I'm not going to get the
blessing He has for me tomorrow.
00:27:21.71\00:27:24.54
Wow! So we have passion and
persistence. What's the last P?
00:27:24.94\00:27:28.89
The last P is perspective,
00:27:28.92\00:27:30.71
and that's just
changing your viewpoint.
00:27:30.81\00:27:32.33
We often think so negatively
of so many things that...
00:27:32.63\00:27:35.00
that we have in the
church. But God has given us
00:27:35.20\00:27:38.61
permission to do so many things.
I just want to get out there
00:27:38.71\00:27:42.25
and share that
with the whole world.
00:27:42.35\00:27:44.03
So they can invite
me whenever they want
00:27:44.23\00:27:46.38
and I'll come out and
share the whole message.
00:27:46.59\00:27:48.43
Awesome. Well thank you so much
for sharing your message with us
00:27:48.73\00:27:52.17
and your inspiration with us.
00:27:52.28\00:27:54.11
Thank you for
joining us as well.
00:27:54.31\00:27:56.82
Make sure that you join us
next time 'cause you know what?
00:27:57.02\00:27:59.57
It just wouldn't be
the same without you.
00:27:59.87\00:28:03.06