Stay tuned to meet the latest
foundation of our faith team.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis
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and you're
watching Urban Report.
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Hello and
welcome to Urban Report.
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My guests today are
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Pastor Cory
Jackson and Louis Cleare.
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Welcome to Urban Report, yeah...
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Thank you.
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You know,
"Foundation of our Faith"
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is one of my favorite
programs because it incorporates
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preaching, from
powerful speakers
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and presenters, men of God
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and powerful musical
evangelists so it's kind of like
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you get so much
from that Program
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and you guys are here and
we're going to be doing some
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I know, by the grace of
God, amazing programming.
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So Pastor, let's start with you,
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let's talk to you a bit because
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you are the
Pastor of Detroit Burns,
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and how long
have you been there?
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I've been there for
four years and a few months.
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Okay, and was that one
of your first assignments
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because you look kind of young.
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Actually that's
my third assignment,
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I've been
pastoring for 14 years.
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Oh, wow, see, the baby
face, you have the baby face,
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All right, all right...
It's the diet, it's the diet.
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Is it... all right, I love it,
it's that Adventist way of life
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that lifestyle,
right? That's right.
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So you've been there and
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what kind of
challenges do you find
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in the inner city as a pastor?
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Well, being in the
inner city, of course
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the first
challenge is the violence,
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we have a lot of
blight in Detroit,
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we have a lot
of economic issues,
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and so it has quite a bit
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of challenges that you
don't see on an everyday basis.
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Hmmm... hmmm... and
so, do you feel that
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when you're at a
church, do you have to tailor
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your messages to meet the needs
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of that particular
segment or do you just kind of
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just kind of go
from the Word and...
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how do you do it?
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I think all of it has
to be practical in itself
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but I think,
you have to be aware
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of the
environment that you're in
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because the environment of
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where the church is located
and the people that come,
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all the messages are tailored
towards those individuals,
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and families and
things of that nature.
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Have you always
been an Adventist?
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I have not, it was in
1997 when I came to the church.
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How did you, how
did you find the Lord?
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Well, He found me, so...
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actually a mentor of mine
named Richard Magsme and I
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were working
together at a Youth Home,
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and during this
time I was studying
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to become a Black
Panther and a Black Muslim,
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and so we were
having these debates,
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going back and forth about Jesus
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and the things
that I was learning
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and he just became a
mentor to me, father-figure,
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and eventually he asked
if I wanted Bible Studies
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so the Bible Studies initially
were to combat his religion
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but instead, it converted me.
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Come on now...
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so that's what happened.
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So you were studying to be
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a Black Panther and a Muslim
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Well, I wanted to be a part
of the New Black Panther Party
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but also studying
to be a Black Muslim.
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Wow! and so, you
took these studies
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actually to...
kind of counteract him
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and you began to
find Jesus. Correct,
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yes, right, right, exactly.
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And had you ever been exposed
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to Christianity prior to that?
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Well, I don't know what
you may mean by exposure.
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In your home.
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No, not really, my
mother... I love her to death
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but we really
didn't go to church,
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there was a church
in our neighborhood,
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and for the poor
families, of course,
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they had some programs
and free lunch programs
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that we would attend but
it wasn't anything regular
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there wasn't any
prayer in the house
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or any religion, there
was a Bible in the drawer
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but that was its
place, but other than that
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no Christian experience.
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Were you raised in a
single-parent household?
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Yes, my father left my mother
when I was three months old
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and so my mother raised me
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in the heart of
Chicago in the inner city
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along with my
older brother, James.
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In the heart of Chicago...
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In the heart of
Chicago, correct.
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Wow! wow! so, you
were surrounded by gangs?
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Gangs, drug dealers,
hustlers, pimps, prostitutes,
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single mothers... everybody
on my block was a single mother
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so, and single
fathers at home, growing up.
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So how did that
affect your determination
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as... because
you're a father, correct?
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I am. How did that shape
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the father that you are?
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Well, I knew how I
felt when my father left so,
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when I had kids I was
determined not to be as he was,
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to make my children feel
the way I felt growing up
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because there
was a piece missing
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and so it really motivated me
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to be a better dad
than my father was to me.
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So you studied the
Bible, you came to Jesus
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Correct. did you
decide from there,
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how did you get
into ministry from there?
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That's... you don't have
enough tape to go into that.
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We got time, we got some time.
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I was a Probation Officer
after I came to the Church
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and a gentleman by the
name of Dr. Andre Trubear
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was part of ASI, and
there was a school called
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Black Hills
School of Evangelism,
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Mission College of Evangelism,
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so he just said,
"Cory, why don't you go... "
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because I love talking to people
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to make the long story short,
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I went out
there for three months
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came back home and just
wanted to do some Bible work
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I wanted to keep my
jobs, I had a nice paying job
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and so things
just went up from there
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so in a little church named
Maranatha had about six members
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and Michigan
Conference asked me to come in
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and to be the Bible
Worker, they gave me four months
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and after four months,
we baptized eight people
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and then the
church grew from there
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and a year or two later
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they called me
into full-time ministry
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so it's not something I
woke up saying I want to do,
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it was truly a calling,
the Lord opened every door
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in every church I've
been, the Lord has blessed it
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in terms of the
population growth of members
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so, I guess the
brethren felt I was called.
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Yes, yes, one of
the things we talk about
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on this Program a lot is
"walking in your divine destiny"
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knowing that where you
are is where God has you
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the path that you're on is
the path that God has you on
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and to me, there's
nothing greater than that.
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There's no greater
satisfaction, you know,
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when you're doing what
you've been called to do,
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it comes with its
challenges, yeah, right, but,
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but when you're doing
what you've been called to do,
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what you know... you've
been put on the planet to do,
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to me...
finding out your purpose
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walking in your divine destiny,
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there's nothing
greater than that.
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Well, I totally
agree and I believe
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that's how I came to be a...
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I believe this is
what I was supposed to do
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I believe wholeheartedly
every job I've had
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kind of prepared me for this job
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for the ministry, I
don't even call it "work"
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it's ministry for me,
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when I was a Probation Officer,
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it really helped
me to be a pastor
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because of the type of
people I had to deal with
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and things of that
nature and the discipline
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and so, I don't see
myself doing anything else
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but this... this for me
is the greatest experience
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I love what I do, so,
it's really... I love it
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I'm at church six to
seven days a week anyway
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so doing
programs for the Community
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and things of that nature so,
I'm a very active pastor, so...
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See that's critical too because
the church isn't just there
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to be there just for
Sabbath. That's right.
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You're reaching
out into the Community
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putting tentacles out
there to draw people in
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to get them
involved in church work
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that's wonderful
and when... again...
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when you're doing what you've
been placed on the planet to do
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it's not work That's right.
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it's just what you love to do.
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Louis, I want to
introduce our Viewers to you,
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and we're going to
come back to Pastor but
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I want to talk to
you a bit about...
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because, we're talking about
walking in our divine destiny
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and you are still in school
but let's talk about your music
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because you are
such a wonderful singer,
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how did you,
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when did you
know you could sing?
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Well, I've been singing
since I was pretty young
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but I didn't really know that
I could actually sing a solo
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or sing as I sing now,
surprisingly I've never had any
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training at all but basically
what is the common thread
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throughout my tenure
from ten years' old to now,
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is that I've been
in a lot of choirs
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and getting the
exposure through that
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so basically from let's
say ten is when I found out
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that I could actually
sing but recently like
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15 or so, I found out
that I can actually sing a solo
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or sing as a solo artiste.
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So, you started
kind of branching out
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into being a
soloist, when you were 15
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but you were doing
choirs and chorale stuff
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so, you had to kind of go
through all the voice changing
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and all of that stuff and then
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what kind of songs did
you sing when you were ten,
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what kind of songs did you sing?
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Well, basically, we
were in the kids' choir,
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the children's
choir at my local church,
00:10:02.50\00:10:04.60
Hillview Seventh-day
Adventist church in Bahamas
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and so we sang with tracks
and sang at Christmas concerts
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and during Divine Service
and Adventist Youth Service
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those types of
songs like kids' songs
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similar to the ones that you
would find in a normal church
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during children's service,
00:10:21.32\00:10:24.15
so, during that time,
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we were singing
those types of songs
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and one day I realized
that my voice was getting deeper
00:10:28.29\00:10:31.63
and I went to my
Director and I told her, I said,
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"Ma'am, I can't sing
with the choir anymore
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since my voice is now deeper and
I'm sorry, but I have to leave"
00:10:39.27\00:10:43.34
she was disappointed
but we have to move on
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and I had to now figure out
a way to continue on singing
00:10:46.71\00:10:49.98
with a lower register.
00:10:50.01\00:10:51.41
And so, who has
kind of mentored you
00:10:51.45\00:10:56.92
through the process of
doing all this "solo" work
00:10:57.02\00:11:01.49
what mentors have you had?
00:11:01.52\00:11:03.09
Surprisingly
none, I must say that
00:11:03.12\00:11:07.20
where I am today,
00:11:07.23\00:11:09.40
I can give
glory and honor to God
00:11:09.43\00:11:11.47
for he brought me here, yes,
00:11:11.50\00:11:13.44
but at the same time it
actually takes a lot of practice
00:11:13.50\00:11:16.67
that I've been doing
over the years, after school,
00:11:16.71\00:11:20.24
when I got home, I
would spend an hour or two
00:11:20.28\00:11:22.91
in the bathroom and
just rehearse a song
00:11:22.98\00:11:25.78
or do some notes so
that I could work on my range
00:11:25.81\00:11:29.05
there are some teachers like,
00:11:29.12\00:11:31.19
that I had at
the Bahamas Academy
00:11:31.22\00:11:33.72
in my high school
years, Mr. Forbes and Mr. Bain
00:11:33.76\00:11:38.76
but basically those
teachers were there to
00:11:38.83\00:11:41.93
help me with the chapel because
00:11:41.96\00:11:46.07
during my 12th senior year,
as a senior at Bahamas Academy
00:11:46.10\00:11:49.27
I was one of the main persons
00:11:49.30\00:11:51.84
who would
actually give a Special
00:11:51.87\00:11:53.24
during the chapel
sessions, during Week of Prayer
00:11:53.31\00:11:56.04
and they had helped me
there during that space
00:11:56.08\00:11:58.85
and during that time,
but basically, it's more so
00:11:58.91\00:12:01.68
practice and a lot of prayer.
00:12:01.75\00:12:03.99
Hmmm... so, you
would come home every day
00:12:04.02\00:12:07.76
and practice for an hour or so?
00:12:07.79\00:12:09.42
Yeah. Now, see
that's great discipline
00:12:09.49\00:12:11.69
Hmmm... hmmm...
that's great discipline
00:12:11.76\00:12:13.90
just as some kids come
home and practice piano
00:12:13.93\00:12:17.33
for an hour, you
would come in and practice
00:12:17.37\00:12:20.74
with your voice,
would you do scales,
00:12:20.80\00:12:23.07
would you...
like... how did you...
00:12:23.10\00:12:25.01
what kind of system did you use?
00:12:25.04\00:12:26.84
All I had was a
little Cassio Keyboard,
00:12:26.88\00:12:29.41
that's all I had to work
with, I did my scales and
00:12:29.44\00:12:33.38
and going into other
choirs like, for instance now,
00:12:33.42\00:12:37.25
now, at The
College of Bahamas Choir,
00:12:37.35\00:12:39.49
we actually used sheet music
00:12:39.55\00:12:41.06
so I'd used that sheet
music and sing along with that.
00:12:41.09\00:12:44.86
All right, is music
00:12:44.89\00:12:47.96
what you want to do in life,
00:12:48.00\00:12:50.33
I know you're in
College and you're studying
00:12:50.40\00:12:53.47
but what do you want
to do in life as a career?
00:12:53.50\00:12:56.44
I'm looking at Marine
Biology as a career path for me.
00:12:56.50\00:12:59.47
All right. Hmmm... hmmm...
00:12:59.54\00:13:01.14
basically,
right now I'm studying
00:13:01.18\00:13:02.91
at the College of The Bahamas
00:13:02.94\00:13:04.91
and Small Island Sustainability,
that's going to be
00:13:04.95\00:13:09.05
a degree that focuses
on how best we can develop
00:13:09.08\00:13:13.12
a small island nation
using more... not acceptable but
00:13:13.15\00:13:18.86
more beneficial
resources and what's there
00:13:18.89\00:13:21.56
and at the same time
preserving our resources
00:13:21.60\00:13:23.63
and our natural flora and fauna,
00:13:23.67\00:13:26.03
yes, that's where I am right now
00:13:26.07\00:13:28.34
and the next step is to
continue on in Marine Biology.
00:13:28.37\00:13:32.31
So, that's
going to be your focus
00:13:32.34\00:13:34.44
and what's your intention
with your music ministry?
00:13:34.48\00:13:37.88
Oh, my intention
with the music industry
00:13:37.95\00:13:40.38
I intend to continue with it,
00:13:40.48\00:13:42.72
I intend to go as
far as possible as I can
00:13:42.75\00:13:46.12
right now, I'm looking at
how we can best work on a CD
00:13:46.15\00:13:51.09
and basically work on
different programs within the
00:13:51.13\00:13:56.03
Bahamas Conference,
00:13:56.06\00:13:57.40
I haven't really
looked into that yet
00:13:57.43\00:14:00.17
but I intend to
continue on with my music.
00:14:00.24\00:14:03.00
Well, that's wonderful because
00:14:03.04\00:14:04.47
God has
certainly given you a gift
00:14:04.51\00:14:06.98
and I'm looking
forward to having our
00:14:07.01\00:14:09.08
"Foundation of
our Faith" Viewers
00:14:09.11\00:14:11.18
watch and just kind of
participate in ministry
00:14:11.21\00:14:15.78
you know, there's one
thing, it's one thing to perform
00:14:15.82\00:14:20.96
it's another... to minister
00:14:20.99\00:14:23.63
and when we came
over to the Bahamas
00:14:23.66\00:14:26.19
3ABN went over to the Bahamas,
00:14:26.23\00:14:28.90
and that's when I first
heard Louis sing and I thought,
00:14:28.93\00:14:33.00
"Wow! we need to
have him on 3ABN"
00:14:33.03\00:14:36.04
so, we are so glad
that you are with us
00:14:36.07\00:14:38.57
and Pastor, I want
to come back to you
00:14:38.61\00:14:40.44
because you have
an amazing testimony
00:14:40.48\00:14:44.65
I first watched
you on "Making it Work"
00:14:44.68\00:14:48.85
Correct. and I thought,
00:14:48.88\00:14:50.75
"Wow his testimony is so strong"
and you were so transparent
00:14:50.79\00:14:55.29
and I think that people that
watch... Viewers and Listeners,
00:14:55.32\00:14:59.83
need to understand that
the pastor also has a journey
00:14:59.86\00:15:04.97
you're not going
through life unscathed,
00:15:05.00\00:15:08.90
you have a journey too,
00:15:08.94\00:15:11.31
would you share a bit
of your journey with us?
00:15:11.34\00:15:13.24
Well, you know,
since you say that,
00:15:13.27\00:15:15.71
because a lot of people e-
mail me, text me after that
00:15:15.74\00:15:18.71
that Show...
00:15:18.78\00:15:20.12
I think
sometimes people think that
00:15:20.15\00:15:22.38
a pastor's life is
perfect, all he gets up...
00:15:22.42\00:15:24.32
and does his
preaching here and there
00:15:24.35\00:15:26.22
but you mentioned
earlier in the segment
00:15:26.25\00:15:28.39
that we have challenges too,
00:15:28.46\00:15:29.79
about four years ago,
my wife... my ex-wife,
00:15:29.82\00:15:32.63
decided that she
was done with this life
00:15:32.66\00:15:35.36
and she walked away
from the church, the family,
00:15:35.40\00:15:38.63
and things of that nature,
and so, it took me by surprise
00:15:38.67\00:15:43.67
because, she passed me a note
and then proceeded to leave,
00:15:43.71\00:15:48.61
and... Passed
you a note at church?
00:15:48.64\00:15:50.61
at home, I came
home from the church
00:15:50.65\00:15:52.45
we went for a
meeting, gave me a letter,
00:15:52.48\00:15:54.28
came upstairs, bags were packed
00:15:54.32\00:15:56.89
and she left the
boys and I at the house
00:15:56.95\00:15:59.92
and for a while I
thought I was dreaming
00:15:59.95\00:16:03.22
because we didn't
fight, we didn't argue.
00:16:03.26\00:16:06.39
So you really
didn't see it coming?
00:16:06.43\00:16:08.63
I didn't see it... and you know,
00:16:08.66\00:16:10.37
a lot of people
asked me about it,
00:16:10.40\00:16:11.93
I wasn't looking
for it, I mean...
00:16:11.97\00:16:14.77
to me we had a good relationship
00:16:14.80\00:16:17.54
the kids, and so,
that took me by surprise
00:16:17.61\00:16:23.11
I had to really
wake up from that
00:16:23.14\00:16:25.35
and it took me about two years
00:16:25.38\00:16:27.55
it was a dark
time, it was a hard time,
00:16:27.62\00:16:30.22
being the pastor
of the church I had,
00:16:30.29\00:16:32.85
the size of the church,
you know, it was just rough,
00:16:32.89\00:16:36.52
and I was five
months into Burns,
00:16:36.56\00:16:37.89
it wasn't that as
though I was there for years
00:16:37.93\00:16:40.33
but I had just started
00:16:40.40\00:16:41.70
and continued... the
church was on a momentum
00:16:41.73\00:16:44.03
and the church was growing
00:16:44.13\00:16:45.47
and all of a sudden
in September of 2011
00:16:45.50\00:16:48.67
it happened, and so,
00:16:48.70\00:16:50.31
I didn't really
know how to react to it,
00:16:50.37\00:16:51.97
because it came unexpectedly.
00:16:52.01\00:16:55.71
How did that affect your
relationship with the Lord?
00:16:55.74\00:16:58.75
Initially, I had
a lot of questions
00:16:58.78\00:17:04.39
and a whole lot of questions
00:17:04.42\00:17:07.09
and trying to figure out,
00:17:07.12\00:17:09.59
"Well, why did you
allow this to happen?"
00:17:09.62\00:17:12.49
and I gave Him the resume
00:17:12.53\00:17:14.96
like Hezekiah did
00:17:15.03\00:17:16.43
when he was told
that he was going to die,
00:17:16.46\00:17:17.80
and...
00:17:17.83\00:17:19.67
and so it
00:17:19.70\00:17:21.47
it fractured a little bit,
00:17:21.50\00:17:23.41
you know, you
don't pray as much,
00:17:23.44\00:17:25.17
you don't study as much,
I went through a depression
00:17:25.21\00:17:27.91
and yet, I still had to preach,
I had to come to Prayer Meeting
00:17:27.94\00:17:31.11
and do all the things,
and smile before the people
00:17:31.15\00:17:34.25
and I cried a lot after
every appeal, I was crying
00:17:34.32\00:17:37.32
my sons were...
00:17:37.39\00:17:38.72
How old were your children?
00:17:38.75\00:17:40.89
At the time, Seir was a
Senior at Oakwood University,
00:17:40.96\00:17:45.46
Cory Junior was 18,
and a Senior at High School
00:17:45.49\00:17:49.60
and Isaiah, at the time, was 11
00:17:49.63\00:17:53.00
and so it was a tough period.
00:17:53.07\00:17:56.27
And she left the children too?
00:17:56.30\00:17:59.44
Yeah, and eventually
we shared custody but
00:17:59.47\00:18:02.88
when she initially left,
00:18:02.91\00:18:04.51
the boys were with me,
the children were with me,
00:18:04.55\00:18:06.58
and so, that was a rough
part of it, and so, it's just...
00:18:06.61\00:18:12.52
it's dark and
sometimes as a church
00:18:12.55\00:18:15.82
people don't know
how to respond to you,
00:18:15.86\00:18:18.19
they don't know
what to say to you,
00:18:18.23\00:18:20.16
and so, you're in this
journey seemingly by yourself
00:18:20.23\00:18:25.23
I didn't have a father to go
to, as my father left my mother
00:18:25.30\00:18:28.24
so, I had some spiritual
dads but they weren't local
00:18:28.27\00:18:31.71
and so you go through this pain
00:18:31.74\00:18:35.61
and I thought about
leaving the ministry
00:18:35.64\00:18:37.45
even though I knew
this was my calling,
00:18:37.48\00:18:39.21
I tried to enroll in Law School,
00:18:39.28\00:18:41.95
that was my "dream"
that I've always had
00:18:41.98\00:18:45.85
and I went to the Orientation
00:18:45.89\00:18:48.36
and was going to
take the LSAT Test
00:18:48.39\00:18:52.26
and all this stuff.
00:18:52.29\00:18:53.73
You really gave it some thought.
00:18:53.80\00:18:55.80
I gave it a lot of thought,
because I didn't see myself
00:18:55.86\00:18:59.20
credible anymore,
00:18:59.23\00:19:01.20
I mean, what can I
tell people, you know,
00:19:01.24\00:19:03.10
what can I say to couples
who are going through it,
00:19:03.14\00:19:05.41
and how can I give
marriage counseling,
00:19:05.47\00:19:07.81
and so, you know,
a lot of things just
00:19:07.84\00:19:11.05
didn't pan out,
so, I remember I had
00:19:11.08\00:19:13.98
the LSAT Book on my couch,
00:19:14.05\00:19:17.22
and every time I go
towards it to study for it,
00:19:17.25\00:19:19.99
something would take
place, or a phone call
00:19:20.02\00:19:22.66
but I could never get to
that, I always did a U-Turn.
00:19:22.69\00:19:25.59
Some kind of distraction?
00:19:25.63\00:19:26.96
It was always a
distraction every time and...
00:19:27.03\00:19:28.96
and even though I had
rented it out from the library
00:19:29.00\00:19:31.60
I always miss the
due date and take it back
00:19:31.63\00:19:34.60
I didn't look at it one time.
00:19:34.64\00:19:37.21
You never got into it the book.
00:19:37.24\00:19:39.34
Six months it was
sitting on my couch.
00:19:39.41\00:19:40.78
And so, finally, after the Lord
and I were wrestling like Jacob,
00:19:40.81\00:19:46.18
I said, "Okay Lord, I'm going
to have to trust you even more"
00:19:46.21\00:19:51.59
and I did, and so,
it's a "Job experience,"
00:19:51.62\00:19:56.62
it's an "Abraham experience,"
00:19:56.66\00:19:58.06
it's all the
experiences you can think of
00:19:58.09\00:19:59.89
and so... but the Lord has
blessed abundantly even more
00:20:00.00\00:20:03.93
since then, and
it's only been four years
00:20:03.97\00:20:07.10
and so, it's a rough road
so now when I hear pastors
00:20:07.14\00:20:10.57
and families who
are going through it
00:20:10.61\00:20:11.97
and I'm kind of the
"staying guard" for them
00:20:12.01\00:20:14.78
because I didn't have anybody,
00:20:14.81\00:20:16.21
maybe the Lord
allowed it to be that way
00:20:16.24\00:20:18.15
so I can depend on Him even more
00:20:18.21\00:20:20.28
but it was rough on
the kids, with the church,
00:20:20.32\00:20:23.65
our family, so...
00:20:23.69\00:20:26.05
Yes, what can someone say to...
00:20:26.09\00:20:29.66
if someone that you
know is going through
00:20:29.69\00:20:33.40
that kind of situation,
00:20:33.46\00:20:35.36
what would you have
wanted someone to say to you?
00:20:35.40\00:20:37.57
You know, I don't know if there
is so much... people can say,
00:20:37.63\00:20:40.87
people can offer
prayer, Hmmm... hmmm...
00:20:40.90\00:20:42.67
they can pray for
the kids, Hmmm... hmmm...
00:20:42.70\00:20:44.47
you can just keep them company
00:20:44.51\00:20:46.21
you know, I mean,
there are a lot of nights
00:20:46.24\00:20:48.61
that I just was alone,
depressed, discouraged, crying
00:20:48.64\00:20:53.25
trying to hide it from my kids,
00:20:53.35\00:20:54.88
they're in the
same boat and sometimes,
00:20:54.92\00:20:57.45
just take me out to eat,
it's just company, you know,
00:20:57.52\00:21:00.46
you don't want to
leave too many thoughts
00:21:00.49\00:21:01.99
to a person alone
when they're going through
00:21:02.06\00:21:04.26
a rough patch. Hmmm... hmmm...
00:21:04.33\00:21:06.09
and I think sometimes we think
00:21:06.13\00:21:07.86
that we need to say
something to people,
00:21:07.86\00:21:09.70
sometimes, people just
need somebody to sit...
00:21:09.73\00:21:12.03
I just needed somebody
to sit and watch TV with me.
00:21:12.07\00:21:14.10
Hmmm... hmmm... we
would say, "kick it with me"
00:21:14.14\00:21:16.04
there's nothing that
anyone can really say
00:21:16.07\00:21:18.14
but at least I
know you are right there
00:21:18.17\00:21:20.18
and so, for me, I
can't speak for anybody else
00:21:20.24\00:21:23.24
but for me, that's what I needed
and eventually some people
00:21:23.31\00:21:27.18
eventually started doing that,
00:21:27.22\00:21:28.72
and that is what
helped get me out of it,
00:21:28.75\00:21:31.02
there was a day when I
never answered the phone,
00:21:31.05\00:21:33.22
I would just show up at church
00:21:33.25\00:21:34.86
not really prepared,
the Lord still blessed but
00:21:34.89\00:21:38.03
you just... you start
taking on, "I don't care"
00:21:38.06\00:21:41.10
because your
whole life is fractured
00:21:41.13\00:21:43.30
and the picture frame is
broken, the glass is everywhere,
00:21:43.33\00:21:46.77
and there's really
nobody to sweep it up, and so...
00:21:46.80\00:21:49.94
so that was the challenge
but when people started
00:21:49.97\00:21:52.97
coming around, and
just sticking in with me
00:21:53.01\00:21:57.51
and so the Lord shined and so,
00:21:57.58\00:22:00.05
I'm in a different place now.
00:22:00.12\00:22:02.48
Amen, amen, and do you find that
00:22:02.52\00:22:04.85
after having gone through that
00:22:04.89\00:22:07.19
even though you wouldn't
00:22:07.26\00:22:08.59
ever want anybody to go
through anything like that,
00:22:08.62\00:22:10.33
I wouldn't wish it on my enemy.
00:22:10.36\00:22:11.69
right, right,
right, that you're stronger
00:22:11.73\00:22:14.46
as a result of it
because it forced you
00:22:14.46\00:22:17.43
to depend more on the Lord.
00:22:17.47\00:22:19.67
Yeah, I don't know...
people have asked me...
00:22:19.70\00:22:22.00
but I don't know if
I'm necessarily stronger
00:22:22.04\00:22:24.31
I think I'm
more dependent on Him
00:22:24.34\00:22:28.44
and I'm more cautious, and so...
00:22:28.48\00:22:32.51
Cautious about what?
00:22:32.55\00:22:33.88
Just watching different
things, paying attention,
00:22:33.92\00:22:37.55
being more alert,
because I don't know
00:22:37.59\00:22:42.16
if you can get stronger
the next time it should happen,
00:22:42.19\00:22:44.96
I mean, I hope it won't
ever happen again, but...
00:22:44.99\00:22:46.90
I don't know how
I can be so strong
00:22:46.96\00:22:48.93
because it's just
such a human emotion
00:22:48.96\00:22:50.97
it's like, you can be strong,
00:22:51.00\00:22:53.20
and you know
someone's going to die
00:22:53.27\00:22:55.04
but it still
breaks you down, Right.
00:22:55.07\00:22:57.97
so I think, I
gained a dependency on God
00:22:58.01\00:23:00.98
and not take things for granted
00:23:01.01\00:23:02.34
that's the cautiousness,
00:23:02.38\00:23:03.75
sometimes, we
take life for granted
00:23:03.78\00:23:05.68
I never did think that
in 2011 I would be divorced
00:23:05.71\00:23:08.48
after so many
years married and...
00:23:08.52\00:23:11.42
How long were you married?
00:23:11.45\00:23:12.79
Eighteen years, and so,
you take things in perspective
00:23:12.82\00:23:18.93
you appreciate
the smaller things
00:23:18.96\00:23:21.06
that maybe you didn't before,
00:23:21.10\00:23:23.20
you take a certain
special look at your life
00:23:23.23\00:23:25.97
and things of that nature,
it made me look at "Cory"
00:23:26.00\00:23:29.04
not "Pastor Cory" but
it made me look at "Cory"
00:23:29.07\00:23:31.71
and some things
that I had to change
00:23:31.74\00:23:34.38
differently about
myself, and it humbled me,
00:23:34.44\00:23:37.41
to be honest with you,
it humbled me a great deal.
00:23:37.45\00:23:40.38
So, that's
understandable because
00:23:40.42\00:23:42.95
it's such a horrible
experience to go through
00:23:42.98\00:23:46.76
and even what you're telling
us, it came from left field
00:23:46.82\00:23:51.56
and you were
totally unprepared for it,
00:23:51.59\00:23:53.56
so, it's like, bam! and
your world is shattered,
00:23:53.60\00:23:56.60
Yes. just shattered,
00:23:56.70\00:23:58.23
we had just celebrated
our anniversary a month before
00:23:58.27\00:24:01.87
and then, a month to the
day almost... it was over.
00:24:01.90\00:24:05.44
Man! So I can smile about it now
00:24:05.47\00:24:08.51
before, I just,
I couldn't... but,
00:24:08.58\00:24:11.78
you know, this
older preacher taught me
00:24:11.81\00:24:14.48
the first two
words in divorce is "die"
00:24:14.55\00:24:17.19
and everything
around you is a living death
00:24:17.22\00:24:19.29
even though it
sounds like an oxymoron but
00:24:19.32\00:24:21.39
God shows you things
and He didn't give up on me
00:24:21.42\00:24:26.06
even though I
was ready to give up
00:24:26.09\00:24:27.40
or my purpose... my calling...
00:24:27.50\00:24:28.86
and He just didn't
let me go to be the lawyer
00:24:28.90\00:24:31.87
I thought I was going
to be, so He kept me in
00:24:31.93\00:24:34.87
in this part of the vineyard
00:24:34.90\00:24:36.24
and so He's taken
me places from there
00:24:36.27\00:24:38.91
as a result of this thing.
00:24:38.94\00:24:40.68
Praise the Lord,
00:24:40.74\00:24:42.08
so where do you
see your ministry going
00:24:42.11\00:24:44.91
what are you... I
know you're at Burns and
00:24:44.95\00:24:48.12
and you seem to love your church
00:24:48.15\00:24:50.35
I do. the church loves you,
00:24:50.45\00:24:51.85
are you expanding
your ministry there
00:24:51.89\00:24:56.62
to do a lot of
00:24:56.69\00:24:58.59
divorce and marriage and
re-marriage kind of counseling,
00:24:58.63\00:25:02.06
where has this
brought your ministry?
00:25:02.10\00:25:05.20
Well, I think what
it has done for me is
00:25:05.23\00:25:08.27
try to make Christianity
00:25:08.30\00:25:10.31
practical I think
sometimes it's so lofty,
00:25:10.34\00:25:13.48
people don't think they
can reach the standard of it
00:25:13.51\00:25:15.54
Hmmm... hmmm... and so,
I make it very practical
00:25:15.58\00:25:17.65
in real-life experiences
and that's one of the reasons
00:25:17.68\00:25:20.95
why the church is
open as much as it is,
00:25:20.98\00:25:22.55
so that people who have
real issues and real problems,
00:25:22.58\00:25:26.39
come to church, for example,
00:25:26.42\00:25:28.56
an alcoholic... he
needs Alcoholic Anonymous
00:25:28.59\00:25:30.93
and it's open seven days a week
00:25:30.96\00:25:32.73
because we're so addicted
to sin I keep the church open
00:25:32.76\00:25:36.40
so that, you know,
people can come and learn
00:25:36.43\00:25:40.00
how to continue to overcome
00:25:40.04\00:25:41.37
and so we do a lot
of Community things
00:25:41.40\00:25:43.10
in the neighborhood,
that's not just locally
00:25:43.14\00:25:45.81
to just one issue
but it's very broad-based
00:25:45.84\00:25:48.48
and so we hit every area
whether it's at-risk youth
00:25:48.51\00:25:53.11
whether it's family,
whether it's economics
00:25:53.15\00:25:56.15
you name it, you
know we try to hit it
00:25:56.18\00:25:58.62
so that it's a buffet
type of practical experience
00:25:58.65\00:26:04.56
I love it, so it's
wherever the need is
00:26:04.59\00:26:07.13
That's right.
00:26:07.13\00:26:08.46
you meet the need
just like Jesus did.
00:26:08.50\00:26:10.57
That's right, that's
what we're called to do so
00:26:10.60\00:26:12.63
we don't specialize in one area,
00:26:12.67\00:26:15.07
we hit everything.
00:26:15.10\00:26:16.44
That's awesome
00:26:16.47\00:26:17.81
and now, we just
have about a minute left
00:26:17.84\00:26:19.91
tell us, and I want
to hear from Louis too,
00:26:19.94\00:26:22.44
what are the sermons going
to be in your series on FOOF,
00:26:22.48\00:26:27.05
"Foundation of Our Faith?"
00:26:27.12\00:26:28.45
Well, I'm
dealing with character,
00:26:28.48\00:26:29.82
I'm dealing with
character transformation
00:26:29.85\00:26:31.92
and the power of it,
00:26:31.95\00:26:34.29
I think we don't
talk enough about
00:26:34.32\00:26:36.66
our characters being transformed
00:26:36.73\00:26:38.89
Ellen White says,
"When the character of Christ
00:26:38.96\00:26:41.36
has been perfectly
reproduced in His people,
00:26:41.40\00:26:43.73
then He will come to
reclaim them as His own"
00:26:43.77\00:26:45.93
so that's what I focused on,
so... you go from rags to riches
00:26:45.97\00:26:49.24
giving it one more shot,
you didn't know that was in you,
00:26:49.27\00:26:52.47
and going toe-to-toe with God.
00:26:52.51\00:26:54.14
I love it, four
powerful sermons I love it.
00:26:54.18\00:26:57.25
What are the songs
you're going to do, Louis?
00:26:57.31\00:27:00.45
Well, the songs I'm
going to do, I'm going to do:
00:27:00.48\00:27:02.88
"What a Friend
we have in Jesus,"
00:27:02.92\00:27:04.79
"If He carried the weight of
the world, He will carry you. "
00:27:04.82\00:27:08.59
And then, "He Hideth My
Soul in the Cleft of the Rock"
00:27:08.62\00:27:11.73
and then, "Come Thou
Fount of Every Blessing. "
00:27:11.76\00:27:14.10
Oh, praise the Lord,
00:27:14.13\00:27:15.86
this is so
exciting to me because
00:27:15.90\00:27:18.53
whenever we have
Foundation of our Faith,
00:27:18.57\00:27:20.97
I love to talk to our
Speaker, our Musical Evangelist,
00:27:21.00\00:27:24.81
and just kind of find
out a bit about their journey
00:27:24.84\00:27:28.61
and I thank you
so much for sharing
00:27:28.64\00:27:30.48
your journey with us today.
00:27:30.55\00:27:32.98
Thanks for having me. Thank you.
00:27:33.01\00:27:34.82
Do you have, quickly,
have one thought for someone
00:27:34.85\00:27:40.09
that's going
through a really bad time,
00:27:40.16\00:27:42.89
take ten seconds
and give them a thought.
00:27:42.92\00:27:45.66
In the book,
"Ministry of Healing"
00:27:45.69\00:27:47.03
we're told that,
"God has a thousand ways
00:27:47.10\00:27:49.36
to work with my one problem. "
00:27:49.40\00:27:51.90
See, he's there just like that,
00:27:51.93\00:27:54.37
praise the Lord,
in season and out.
00:27:54.40\00:27:56.77
Thank you so
much for joining us.
00:27:56.81\00:27:59.07
Join us next time
because, you know what?
00:27:59.11\00:28:01.41
It just wouldn't be
the same without you.
00:28:01.44\00:28:03.68