Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Jason Bradley (Host), Cheri Peters
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000175A
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00:01 Stay tuned to meet one of the coolest mentors on the Planet.
00:04 My name is Yvonne Lewis 00:05 and you're watching Urban Report. 00:30 Hello and Welcome to Urban Report. 00:32 One of my favorite people is Cheri Peters. 00:36 Jason and I were debating 00:37 which one of us was going to interview her 00:39 so we decided to do it together, we had a blast! 00:43 Take a look. 00:46 We are so thrilled to be on the Set 00:49 with my dear friend, Cheri Peters, 00:52 Jason, is this not of the bomb right here? 00:55 Wonderful, wonderful. 00:56 And we've never done this on this Set. 00:59 Yvonne: I know. Cheri: I am excited. 01:01 I am too, I am too, because 01:03 I was thinking, "Man! I can't wait to interview Cheri... 01:06 Jason was going to do it because I had another interview to do 01:09 and I thought, "Ah ha, I've got to be here 01:12 with Jason to talk to my girl. " 01:14 And what I've to say, Jason, with you... and... 01:17 is... I've seen you kind of stand up over the years 01:20 and I... I just think you are... 01:22 you are amazing, 01:23 I think the way you have passion for God 01:26 and the way you've kind of stood in that place 01:28 and kind of... sat right in this seat, 01:31 good job! 01:33 Oh! praise the Lord and we had to come to a compromise 01:35 because we were trying to figure out 01:37 who was going to interview you 01:38 and I was determined to interview you 01:41 so, we decided that we'd do it together 01:43 but thank you so much for that. 01:44 God is amazing and He's been working in my life 01:47 as well as... He's worked in yours 01:49 and several other people that you've mentored... 01:51 several of the thousands of people that you've mentored. 01:54 And our passion... this year... 01:56 we have really stepped out... we've done a lot 01:59 like going into prisons and going into rehabs 02:01 and working in people's lives and families 02:03 and addicts trying to stand up, crazy hours... 02:06 I remember how crazy we can be and so... 02:08 we've done that forever and all of a sudden... 02:11 and you know... I've gotten cancer 02:13 and all that kind of stuff and things are slowing down a bit 02:15 and I'm like, "God, what do we do 02:17 and I don't know how to slow down" 02:19 and I started having the most brilliant people 02:23 in front of me, like you, 02:25 that were just starting out and they have such passion 02:28 and such a... something to say 02:30 and I thought, "What if I could help them 02:32 to say what they need to say? 02:33 Not what I need to say in a different voice 02:35 but what they need to say" and all of a sudden, 02:38 I just got goosebumps, I just thought, "No way!" 02:41 So, this is like a shift in your ministry. 02:44 A huge shift. 02:45 Tell us what you were doing before 02:47 and now... what you're doing... 02:48 what was the focus before? 02:50 The focus before was going out 02:52 and really kind of convincing people, 02:55 for one... to look at addictions differently, 02:56 because we're all struggling with something 02:58 and to be easier on ourselves, to do our own recovery, 03:01 to step in and find out what does the blood of Christ mean, 03:04 what does it mean for healing, 03:06 what does it mean that the joy of the Lord is your strength, 03:08 what does it mean that "God is going to get us home?" 03:11 So it was really focused on our own recovery. 03:13 Now, as you were coming up and as you were struggling 03:17 with your own addiction, 03:18 did you have somebody that mentored you? 03:20 Did you have somebody that reached out and helped you 03:22 when you were going through it? 03:24 You know what I want to say 03:25 for anybody that walked alongside of me 03:27 or knew me at that time, this is not a slam, but no... 03:31 one time, I could remember 03:32 standing in front of a church, it was pathetic 03:35 because I was a wreck, strung out on heroin, 03:37 I could barely read... I'm trying to figure out who I am 03:39 I feel like God called me, 03:41 I'm calling everybody on the planet 03:42 to try to get to hire me and stuff like that 03:44 and I stood in front of a church with about 300 people, 03:47 and I said, "I need a mentor" 03:49 and people looked at me like I was from another planet, 03:53 it was like, "What?" 03:54 and I thought, "I need an Accountability Partner" 03:57 and I need a mentor, I need someone to spiritually... 04:00 "Man, if I'm screaming and not sure where to put my next steps" 04:04 somebody that says, "Step here, right?" 04:06 And at first, I saw the reaction that... I didn't get a response, 04:12 then I asked the Pastor's wife about a week later 04:15 and she said, "I'll have to pray about it" 04:17 and about a month later, 04:18 I called her and said, "Have you prayed, 04:20 are you on your knees right now?" 04:23 And she said, "No" to me, 04:24 about a year after that, what she said to me 04:28 is, "I was afraid to say, 'Yes,' 04:30 because I was struggling and I though you would see it. " 04:32 Hmmm... 04:34 So, even when I found out along the way 04:36 that we are afraid to let people close to us 04:38 because we're trying to be perfect, 04:40 we're trying to be all that 04:41 and we don't want someone to know that we're not all that. 04:44 So, what if we just loved each other 04:46 and we didn't have to worry about... 04:48 my next growth or am I perfect enough? 04:51 Or am I okay to be in this position? 04:53 I'll just give you what I have 04:55 and if it's not enough, get something from someone else 04:58 and something from somewhere else, 04:59 but I cannot... not say... "What do you need?" 05:02 Yeah, and I think it's important 05:04 for anybody who's going to mentor someone, 05:08 to consider that, "I can only give what I have" 05:11 but, we can give what we have, 05:14 like, so often, I think about all of these kids 05:18 that need someone to "pour" into them, 05:21 someone to pour into their lives 05:23 and nobody is doing it. 05:27 Yeah, and hold up, Yvonne, on the "kids' thing" 05:29 when I showed up today and you have always loved me, 05:33 I mean, every time I turn around, 05:35 when you say something to me, I know that you've stopped... 05:37 you've seen me and you've said it. 05:39 But today, you even got me something 05:41 because you thought, "Oh, she's going to love this" 05:42 it's a little Blaney shirt that I love 05:44 so even when we're speaking to each other's lives 05:48 on a friendship level, I walk away stronger 05:50 because I see you... see me 05:53 and so it's not... 05:54 it's not just that we're talking to kids, 05:56 we're talking to each other, 05:58 we're talking to somebody that's 75 06:00 and they think they have nothing to give, 06:01 the other day, I ended up at someone's house 06:03 who was teaching me a little bit of crocheting, 06:05 because I knew that that's what she could give me 06:08 and we were doing healing just with that. 06:10 So, we've got to reach out and God told me that 06:13 we have in our Denomination alone, 06:15 and we are in a Denomination 06:17 and so we work in a lot of different places, 06:19 but in my Denomination, I'm Seventh-day Adventist 06:21 there are 78,000 churches, 06:23 18-point-something million people, 06:25 and He said, "What if, two or three people 06:28 in every church just stood up, in their own talents 06:31 and what if you got to be a little part of that?" 06:35 And I'm like, "Shut up," 06:36 and all of a sudden, somebody speaks into your life 06:42 and you literally get to speak 06:44 into the lives of all these folks 06:46 when that person walks away, that church is different 06:49 and so, I think that "mentoring thing" for me is... 06:52 I'm very serious, what kinds of tools can we do? 06:55 Even on our website, we're dropping content in, 06:58 we're doing online seminars, we're saying, 07:00 "If you need anything, send me an email, 07:02 I'll do a video blog on it, 07:04 if you want to do a Q and A with people 07:06 from all over the world that are doing 07:07 what you're doing and we can talk to each other 07:10 I'll set that up" and so we really are 07:12 intentionally saying, "What can we do?" 07:15 So you're kind of brokering then, 07:18 kind of a resource liaison for other mentors 07:22 to come in and do that as well? Is that what you're doing? 07:25 Absolutely, other mentors... 07:26 or if you click on this button over here 07:28 it's somebody in recovery 07:30 that just needs to know about anger 07:31 or sexual addiction or how to parent 07:33 and if I need to grab someone 07:34 like, if I said, "You know what? 07:36 Can you talk to these guys?" 07:37 I'll grab him and do a little interview 07:40 or have him send me a little clip 07:41 and so it's a "digital mall" kind of thing. 07:44 Yvonne: Ooooh, I love it. 07:45 That I'm literally going to send them to this mall 07:47 and I can click through whatever I need to click through 07:49 and if it is somebody that's doing ministry, 07:52 man! let's equip you, 07:54 but if it's somebody that's new in their walk, let's equip you, 07:57 if it's a parent saying, 07:58 "My kids are out of control," let's equip them, 08:01 if it's a kid out of control, let's talk to them 08:05 and so it's just... just allowing the content 08:08 and what do you need from us? 08:09 That's brilliant and I think 08:11 what I love so much about your program 08:13 and the fact that you're mentoring 08:15 is that you're open and transparent 08:17 and I think that's something that's been missing 08:19 for so long, because, I mean, how can people 08:22 truly get help if everybody is trying to put on that facade 08:26 and everybody is trying to put on that front 08:28 like they're perfect and nothing's wrong with them 08:30 and they put on that holy face when they go to church 08:32 but people are struggling 08:34 and people are struggling with addiction 08:36 and all kinds of issues so, in your program, 08:39 and you're reaching out and mentoring others 08:41 is wonderful. 08:43 To me, what I love about it, even men and women 08:46 that are being raised up like your age, 08:49 you're just saying, 08:50 "You know, don't play me right now, 08:52 I don't want what you've read... 08:54 I want what you've lived through, 08:56 I want to know that I have something that I can hold on to" 09:00 and so if we are truly at the end of the great controversy, 09:03 this is not a time to put a mask on, 09:05 this is the time to take every mask off. 09:07 You know, how did God get you to surrender that? 09:10 When you say, "God search my heart," 09:13 don't you shake a bit? 09:14 "Search my heart but do it easy... " 09:18 you know what I mean? 09:19 Jason: Be gentle. 09:21 And so, when you talk to somebody, 09:24 you want to say, "I have a God that... that... 09:27 that jokes with me, that tells me jokes," 09:30 It was really crazy the other day, 09:32 I'm struggling more than I have struggled, 09:35 things are falling apart, 09:36 I was in the hospital with a subdural hemorrhage 09:39 with... being introduced to a neurosurgeon 09:42 after being balked off a horse and I'm like... 09:44 I can't even hardly remember my name, 09:46 it was that kind of an injury 09:47 and so, I'm thinking, "God, I'm afraid," right? 09:51 And somebody in that time... 09:53 because I think the enemy is very strategic 09:55 in what he offers you, 09:57 but somebody in that time, offered me... almost the moon... 10:00 you know, "I'm here, I'll give you this... 10:02 we love you, 10:03 you'll never have to worry about a dime again" 10:06 and we worry about gas money half the time 10:09 so, that... I mean... everything about it was good, 10:11 but he's a player, 10:12 and I realized that I am being played 10:14 and that it's not real and so I had to turn that down 10:17 and I just thought... and I cried... 10:19 I'm sitting there and I'm just crying 10:21 and I'm not a crier... and I said, "God... " 10:23 and I heard this song in the background, 10:25 you're going to die... 10:27 if you know the song, just sing it with me... 10:30 I heard this song, "Save the last dance for me... 10:33 don't forget who's taking you home, 10:36 and in whose arms you're gonna be... " 10:39 and I heard, God Himself say, 10:42 "I know that's a secular song but I'm singing that to you, 10:45 don't be seduced into all kinds of crazy stuff, 10:49 don't even be seduced by your own life, 10:51 save the last dance for me, I'm going to get you home, 10:54 and I love you, don't you know I love you?" 10:57 and I just smiled because I thought, 11:00 "I want someone to know that that's who God is, 11:03 He's very real, 11:04 He'll talk to us in whatever way you need to be talked to 11:07 that He needs to talk to us, He will heal us 11:09 from whatever lies that we are even telling ourselves 11:13 He said, 'I'll get you through all that' 11:14 but you got to know, 11:16 'I don't want you to put a mask on, 11:18 I don't want you to pretend you're something else, 11:21 I want you to be yourself and when you stand up, 11:23 I want you to stand up... smiling... 11:26 and tell someone about it. '" 11:27 Yeah, He's a personal God, 11:29 He didn't just set it and forget it, 11:31 "Here, I created it, you go live your lives, 11:33 He cares about every aspect of our lives... 11:36 that's so important. " 11:37 You know, when you were saying 11:39 about how God speaks to you, 11:42 God is... that personal God, 11:44 he doesn't say that we won't go through things, 11:48 what He said... the Bible says, 11:50 "When you pass through the fire, 11:51 when you pass through the rivers, 11:54 you're going to pass through things, 11:56 but when you do, I'm there with you, 11:58 I've got your back, I'm never leaving you," 12:01 and so, our God is faithful and He's there 12:03 and what you're doing with the mentoring 12:06 is so critical because 12:09 you are showing what Jesus did. 12:12 You meet people at their point of need, 12:14 that lady... crocheted... that's what she did... 12:18 and you sat down and did that with her, 12:20 and see... that's what I think Jesus would do. 12:22 She had tears in her eyes as she was showing me a stitch 12:25 and I just wanted to thank God that He gave us this moment, 12:29 we don't even know how... 12:30 we don't even know each other's language, 12:32 right, but if she has tears in her eyes, 12:34 then I'm saying, "God, how cool are you?" 12:36 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 12:37 You've preached a sermon on restoration 12:39 and you've shared a powerful, powerful story and testimony 12:44 of when you went to someone's house, 12:47 those two brothers, touch on that a little bit. 12:51 You know, it's really interesting 12:52 because I believe that God can restore any of us 12:54 so this girl I meet six years earlier 12:56 gets saved, she's a heroin addict... 12:58 and heroin... and if you're a heroin addict, 13:00 man! it's going to be tough but you'll make it 13:02 but she's strung out 13:03 and she detoxes and she's clean 13:05 and she just says, "You know what? 13:07 One day, I pray that Cheri will meet my brothers, 13:10 both of them are strung out, one just got out of prison 13:12 they have kids and one of their partners is pregnant 13:15 and they're slamming heroin through the pregnancy 13:17 I mean... it's just crazy... " 13:18 and so she says... while I'm in town, 13:20 and she says, "You know, I'd prayed this one time 13:22 that you'd meet my brothers," 13:24 and I said, "Today's my day off 13:26 so, how about today? 13:27 Tell them that I want to come to lunch. " 13:29 So, we're talking about a druggie's house 13:31 I'm the Evangelist in town and she's going to come to lunch 13:35 I mean, they don't set china, let me just say that, right? 13:39 And so, she calls them and for whatever reason 13:42 they say, "Yes, but she has one hour, 13:44 at the end of the hour, I want her out of here. " 13:46 So, I go in there, I know I have one hour, 13:49 we start to eat a little bit, I don't have a lot of time, 13:51 so I look at the brother and say, 13:52 "You know, I'm a heroin addict in recovery, 13:55 I've been clean for 35 years, right... " 13:57 And he's like, "Man! yeah, I know... " 14:00 and na... na... na... na... 14:01 and we start talking and he says, 14:03 "I'd love to say that... 14:04 but I'm still using" 14:07 I said, "So, these are your two kids out here?" 14:09 And they said, "Yeah... " 14:10 and they're beautiful... like, little kids... 14:12 and I said, "Pick one of these two kids 14:15 that you'd like to bury, which one would you bury?" 14:17 Wow! Wow... 14:19 And he's looked at me like... 14:21 "No, I'm not picking one," 14:22 I said, you get lost in your addiction, 14:24 you don't have a choice, it may not be you that gets hit, 14:28 but you may bury one of these kids 14:30 and you will bury them in their addiction 14:32 and I've just lived that 14:34 through people that I've worked with... over and over and over," 14:36 and he says, "I'm not picking one" 14:38 and we started talking and he seriously said 14:40 "I just want to be clean, 14:42 I just want to be well," 14:44 and by the end of that... the first 40 minutes... 14:48 It's like we said, you know... 14:50 "Can I pray for you, can I anoint you? 14:52 Because it's going to be really tough, 14:54 you're going to need God, Himself, 14:55 as an Accountability Partner. " 14:57 We walk in the Living Room 14:58 and he's like, "I don't even know what to do" 15:00 and I said, "We're going to pray 15:02 that God, Himself will just step into your life 15:05 and help you with this journey," 15:06 and I said, "Should we stand up or kneel down?" 15:09 And he's like, "What?" 15:10 I said, "Should we stand or kneel? 15:12 We're going to the God 15:14 that spoke the universe into existence, 15:15 and you're going to ask Him to be your Accountability Partner 15:19 we're going to ask Him to detox you, 15:21 we're going to ask Him to save your kids. 15:23 Should we stand or kneel?" 15:25 And the guy is like... "Well, I think we should kneel" 15:29 I think we should too and pretty soon we are on the ground 15:34 anointing this beautiful guy 15:37 with his kids there 15:39 and his partner there and everybody's looking 15:41 in this drug house where everybody is slamming heroin 15:44 and I am thinking, 15:45 "God, there is no place you won't go to reach us. " 15:48 Yes, yes. 15:50 And to me restoration in his life, 15:51 he went to every single one of our meetings, 15:53 he is clean to this day, 15:54 he is really turning his life around 15:56 and his brother just got out of prison 15:58 he said, "What about me? What about praying for me?" 16:00 But it was... to me, what I'm thinking is, 16:02 all this silliness that we have about how to teach the Bible 16:06 or how to teach about God or how to equip people, 16:08 I think we have to throw that away, 16:09 spend time, mentor people, speak into their lives 16:13 and I'm in a jail a few weeks ago, right? 16:16 so I'm in a jail... Yvonne: Visiting... 16:20 Visiting... thanks for clarifying that... 16:23 they invite me in as a Speaker, 16:26 they give me two full days to do seminars... in jail, 16:30 they never do that, it's ridiculous, 16:32 Two full days? 16:34 Two full days, so now, I'm going in 16:36 I'm in a... I'm in a... they've used, 16:39 "Miracles From the Streets" the book I wrote 16:41 as part of their book club 16:42 then they invited me in as a Speaker 16:43 and now I'm doing the Seminars and I'm thinking, 16:45 "Okay... Am I mentoring right now? 16:48 one of these women... which one? 16:50 Because when I leave, she can stay and teach. " 16:52 Hmmm... Hmmm... 16:54 "So, I'm not going in just to say, 16:55 'this is what forgiveness is' or 'this is what recovery is' 16:59 'this is who God is,' even though I say all of that, 17:01 I'm going in to say, 'which one?' 17:04 'Which one?'" 17:05 Wow! and expecting that God will let you know 17:08 which one you're to pour into in particular. 17:11 Absolutely, you know which one it was? 17:12 The Guard came in and said, 17:14 "See this girl right here? If she says one word to you, 17:18 one word... she's out of here. " 17:20 And I thought, "Oh! so it's that one. " 17:22 She is a troublemaker, she divides everybody, 17:27 she is horrible and so I went up to her 17:30 in the story... I grabbed her by the throat, 17:32 picked her up off the chair, threw her on the chair 17:34 and said, "I just couldn't take it," 17:37 It was horrible... na, na, na, na, na, 17:39 and she's like, "Did you put your hand on me?" 17:41 She's looking at me like trying to figure out... 17:44 whether she's going to come at me, 17:46 but instead, she said, "You know, I like you. " 17:49 Now all the other girls can listen 17:52 and I spoke to her until she was... 17:54 the next day she started sobbing, 17:56 saying, "I don't know how to forgive people, I am so angry, 18:00 my life has been so trash, 18:02 I have been in and out of jail my whole life 18:04 and you're saying for me to forgive and give it to God... 18:08 surrender it, I cannot," 18:10 and I got on my knees and cried with her 18:13 and I said, "If you don't, 18:14 you will be in bondage your whole life, 18:18 I beg you... give God a chance, give Him this... 18:20 you're not saying that it was right or wrong, 18:23 you're just saying, 'I'm done carrying it. '" 18:24 And she sobbed, "I'm done. " 18:28 We did an anointing, 18:29 I was just going to really do an anointing 18:31 for her sake but when I brought the Chaplain in, 18:34 we anointed 25 women 18:35 but the one that we spoke into their life as a "Mentor," 18:40 was this woman... Jason: Wow! 18:41 Cheri: This woman, she'll teach when we leave. 18:43 She's the one that is going to kind of carry the ball 18:47 after you've gone. 18:49 What's interesting to me is, you're not just going there 18:53 just to speak a word and then leave, 18:55 no, you wanted replication. 18:57 Cheri: Rise... raise them up... Yvonne: Yes. 18:59 Change their lives, let them be... 19:01 right now, like... even for her, she goes back in her room, 19:05 she's talking to God Himself, the Holy Spirit Himself, 19:08 God is going to tell her everything that she says next. 19:10 She can speak words that I will never say, 19:13 you know, there are people that even... 19:14 even in my life, there are... 19:16 you're like... Jason, you can't be in my skin, 19:18 I can't be in your skin but when the Holy Spirit says, 19:21 "Jason, say this," right... 19:23 and she'll say stuff that I just don't know, 19:25 she'll changes lives that I don't... that I can't do, 19:28 she's behind bars 24... 7... 19:31 for the next, probably 20 to 30 years, 19:35 her ministry is going to be speaking 19:38 into the lives of these woman 19:40 and so, it's like, you know... 19:41 as a Christian, we're not here just to teach, 19:44 we're here to love, mentor 19:46 and equip other people, disciple them. 19:49 That's the word, that's exactly what... yeah... 19:52 And that's so important because even in the secular world 19:55 and in the work place, 19:56 great leaders create other great leaders, 19:58 you don't want to just be a Leader 20:01 and have a bunch of people... 20:02 you want people to come take your job so you can move up. 20:04 and I think that is... that's very, very important. 20:08 And even as a Christian, I love when you say, "move up" 20:10 you know what God said to me, 20:12 I'm trying to... I'm whining about... 20:14 "I don't have this and I don't have this 20:16 and I'm afraid and do I just go and get a job" 20:19 and God just tolerates me when I whine, 20:21 but, He says, 20:24 "Cheri, do you remember what I promised you 20:26 when I saved you?" 20:27 "Did you remember when we first met, 20:29 what did I promise you?" 20:31 And I thought... I thought, "What did He promise me?" 20:33 And He said, 20:35 "I promised that I'd get you home. " 20:36 Hmmm... Hmmm. 20:38 "I didn't promise you gas money" you know what I mean? 20:41 "I promised to get... " and all of a sudden I thought, 20:44 "All this silliness that I was doing 20:46 like... you know, the ministry needs to grow, 20:48 I need to feed the horses, I need gas money, 20:50 I need all that kind of stuff, 20:51 I need to wear clothes 20:53 when I'm on these Sets with you guys, you know, 20:54 and, and, and, and... " but He said, 20:56 "I didn't promise you any of that, 20:58 I promised to get you home," 20:59 and I thought, "You know what? That is enough, 21:01 I follow you because you're God 21:03 and we're going home, everything else, 21:05 I'm just going to ask you daily, 21:07 what do you want me to do today?" 21:09 And I don't even want to step up, 21:11 you know, when you step in your rightful place, 21:13 I'm going to step aside, this is your turn. 21:16 Hmmm... you are doing what Jesus did 21:20 which is to meet people at their point of need, 21:22 to pour into their lives 21:24 and then to give them the tools that they need 21:26 to continue in that path, 21:28 that's what Jesus wants us to do. 21:30 Jason: Practical Christianity. 21:32 It's practical Christianity, exactly, exactly, 21:35 how many people are involved in your ministry, 21:37 and we need to put your website up 21:38 so that people can know how to reach you. 21:41 What's your... give us your website. 21:43 Truestep. org and on the website, 21:46 if you need anything that's not there, 21:48 just text me or e-mail me because we'll put it there 21:53 and it depends on... when somebody says, 21:55 "How many people are involved?" 21:56 I don't get paid half the time and so I don't pay anyone 21:59 so it just depends on who is going to stick it out. 22:01 So if you are a Graphic Designer, 22:05 Videographer or if you want to volunteer anything, 22:07 we are always looking for someone with gifts 22:10 because the only thing I know is that, 22:12 "It is time to be real. " 22:14 I came into my Christianity 22:16 and I know that you guys can relate to this 22:20 but I came into my Christianity and looked around 22:23 and I thought, "Oh man, I can't just be myself, 22:26 because it's not enough," right? 22:28 So I tried to be everything 22:29 that I thought a good Christian would be, 22:32 I had a picture of what that was and all that kind of stuff 22:34 and I realized that ten years down the road, 22:38 "I can't do this" I'm screaming at God, 22:40 "I can't do this, I feel like I'm dying, 22:41 I'm just going to be myself and I'm really angry about it," 22:44 and He said, "Good, because I so missed you" 22:47 so, He doesn't want us to be anything but who we are. 22:52 That's right, there is nobody else, 22:54 nobody on the planet that can do it like you can. 22:58 We're all... we're like snowflakes, 23:00 everything is... fingerprints... 23:02 everyone is individual and we're in this big mosaic 23:05 are we are so... 23:07 it's this big tapestry... and a big puzzle 23:10 and each of us has a place in that puzzle 23:13 and nobody can take your place. 23:14 And it also goes back to like... 23:16 what you were saying about mentoring... earlier... 23:18 there are all kinds of different people, 23:21 one lady could help you with the crocheting and all that stuff 23:25 and someone who's been through heroin addiction 23:28 or marijuana addiction or pornography 23:31 or religious addiction or any type of addiction... 23:34 can help somebody else 23:35 and a pastor can help other people 23:37 so just like how there's always individuals... 23:40 each one has their own purpose. Hmmm... hmmm... 23:43 The person that taught me how to cook, 23:45 you know, I don't know how to cook... 23:47 brown rice all of that healthy stuff 23:49 and she said, "Let me speak into your life," 23:52 she was an incredible mentor for me. 23:54 Yvonne: Hmmm... hmmm... 23:55 At what point did you decide that mentoring 23:58 was what you wanted to do, like, what made that happen? 24:00 You know, to me, I thought when somebody said, 24:03 "I had cancer and I have this much time to live," 24:06 and I thought, "Wait... " 24:08 and then I started to look around, "Who's standing up?" 24:11 and there are incredible folks standing up all over the world, 24:15 I mean, we would be so proud 24:17 if we could actually see the face of Christ 24:18 in the face of the people that are passionate about Him 24:21 and I thought, "What do they need from me? 24:24 If I go out tomorrow, or ten years from now, 24:26 what do they need in that time?" 24:28 and I felt like God Himself said, "Are you kidding me? 24:31 Are you kidding me? You absolutely love me, 24:34 they need to know that 24:36 and they need to step out in that strength" 24:38 and we started mentoring 24:40 and I watched... with a little bit of information 24:42 this person would be a 100 times more effective 24:45 and I thought, with a little bit of information 24:47 and then... they are stronger, 24:48 they're standing up stronger, their voice is solid, 24:51 they're not saying, "I'm not good enough," 24:53 they know that none of us are good enough 24:55 just stand up anyway. 24:56 And so I think that it just changed my life, 24:59 and I realized that 25:00 what we give to each other is so huge. 25:03 That's amazing, so where are you trying to take this, 25:06 what's the goal for it or do you have a goal... 25:09 specific goal that you have in mind 25:11 for this whole mentoring piece? 25:13 You know, we do, we're going to do a Digital Mall 25:18 to literally step into people's lives on different levels 25:21 and to be whatever we can add at any given time 25:24 we've built a Studio at my home, 25:26 I don't have to travel, I can walk downstairs, 25:28 we've got video, audio 25:30 and a place even... for people to stay as we interview them, 25:33 and so it's like being able to say 25:35 that we are really going to start 25:37 just concentrating on content, 25:39 what does somebody need... to be more effective? 25:42 That is so great, that is so great, 25:44 what is your burden for the church at this point? 25:49 Where... where's your heart for the church? 25:52 Every mask needs to come off right now. 25:54 We're at the end of the great controversy, 25:57 do your own recovery, do your own healing, 26:00 ask God what your gifts are and share them 26:02 because we have amazing people in the church 26:05 and even for the last few seconds here is... 26:08 if anybody has any funds to help us... send money... 26:11 if you say, "I really... all I can do is this," 26:15 do that, pray for someone, whatever it is 26:17 but it's like, we've got to... every mask is off. 26:20 We can't tap out now, we're on the way home. 26:23 That's right, that's right, yes we are, 26:25 that's right, that's right, 26:26 I can't believe our time is just about up, was this fun? 26:30 Jason: Yes it was, yes it was, Yvonne: All right see... 26:32 Jason: There was no way you were going to be able to 26:34 interview her without me 26:35 and I couldn't interview her without you, so... 26:37 There you go... there you go... 26:38 we're so glad that you took the time out 26:41 on your Celebrating Life in Recovery Set 26:43 which is awesome, and you're on Dare to Dream 26:46 so we love having you there and we love you so much, Cheri, 26:50 God bless you as you continue... Cheri: Thank you. 26:53 And we're going to encourage our Viewers to support 26:56 True Step Ministries 26:58 it's Truestep. org right? 26:59 Support Cheri in what she's doing 27:02 you know that it's vital, 27:03 you know that this is something that has to be done 27:06 we're not playing... God is not playing now, 27:09 it's time for us to be serious, pour into each other's lives 27:13 and give... set forth God's agenda. 27:17 God bless you, thanks for joining us. 27:19 Wow! that was so much fun you know, Hebrews 13:7 says, 27:28 "Remember those who led you, who spoke the Word of God to you 27:32 and considering the result of their conduct, 27:35 imitate their faith. " 27:36 Contact Cheri's mentoring program 27:39 and mentor someone today, 27:41 there are so many people who need you, 27:43 so many people who could benefit 27:46 from the wisdom that God has given you 27:48 so many young people who really, really need 27:51 someone to take some time with them, 27:54 and to show them the love of Jesus. 27:56 You can do it, we thank you. 27:58 Well, I can't believe it 28:00 we've reached the end of another program. 28:02 Join us next time because you know what? 28:04 It just wouldn't be the same without you. |
Revised 2016-05-03