Participants: Cheri Peters (Host), Siki Plang, Edwin M Cotto
Series Code: CLR
Program Code: CLR00062B
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00:14 Welcome back!
00:15 What is amazing to me about God as I'm listening to Edwin, 00:18 and his testimony, and how God stood him up in Ministry. 00:21 I am just amazed! 00:23 I go to Jeremiah 29:11 which is my favorite text. 00:25 It was my favorite when God did this same thing 00:28 in my life, but when I watch Him over and over and 00:31 over and over again stand someone else up it reminds 00:33 me of this text again because it says, "for I know the 00:36 thoughts that I think towards you says the Lord, 00:39 thoughts of peace and not of evil, and thoughts to 00:42 give you future and a hope. " 00:44 For a lot of kids coming from the streets, 00:46 for a lot of kids coming from gangs and drugs 00:48 and all that stuff, they don't have a future and a hope. 00:51 We don't even think about tomorrow, yet God says I have 00:54 always thought about tomorrow for you. 00:55 I just trust that. 00:57 And Siki I know that you work with Edwin. 01:00 Your story is not like his. 01:03 Yeah in a way! 01:05 Yeah it is so tell us a little bit about where you 01:08 came from and then how you guys joined up. 01:13 I grew up in an Adventist family. 01:16 I thought I knew God. 01:19 I thought I was living what He wants me to do. 01:25 Doing the right thing? 01:26 Doing the right thing! 01:27 Yet I wanted to do my own thing. 01:32 So it wasn't hard for me to choose between those two, 01:38 I chose my way. 01:39 God is so good because after all these years of choosing 01:46 my way, He still gave me another chance to 01:50 realize that my way is not the right way. 01:55 It didn't work! 01:56 When you say you grew up in an Adventist home, 01:59 your foundation was good, you're very bright? 02:01 I don't know about the very bright thing. 02:04 Well I talked with you so I know you are very bright. 02:10 You know I will agree with you in a way because 02:15 I believed that I was number one. 02:20 I did everything just like that. 02:22 Everything was easy for you? 02:25 I was smoking pot when I was 12 and yet the top people 02:33 in my class was just ahead of me by two points. 02:41 An average grade I'm so I thought I was okay. 02:44 So even you using drugs, your folks don't know it 02:47 and you are doing great in school still? 02:49 Oh yeah, I was, even on the last day I stop doing drugs, 02:55 which was like six years ago, I always believed that I 03:00 live the biggest lie ever. 03:03 I was showing something to somebody, like me being a 03:08 physical therapist, I showed everybody that I was the 03:13 best physical therapist and yet I would sneak into the 03:18 bathroom to do my drugs and nobody knew about it. 03:24 For me to lead that kind of life. 03:26 So you had this double life? 03:28 Did you feel like a fraud? 03:30 Did you feel like somehow... 03:31 now looking back yes. 03:33 During those days I thought I was okay, because I didn't 03:38 steal, I didn't kill for my drugs, I was working hard. 03:44 I was getting paid. 03:45 I was using my money. 03:46 I thought I was just doing good. 03:50 What is really interesting and a lot of people don't 03:54 understand is most of the drugs trafficked in the world 03:57 our trafficked by recreational drug users 04:00 that are working full-time. 04:02 And they are looking great. 04:03 So we think it is the gangster that is moving the drugs 04:06 around, more than that, and it is actually the guy 04:08 that is working or a woman that is working. 04:09 I used to believe that it was just a weekend addict, 04:16 I would binge me and my friends would binge on the weekend. 04:19 He grew up to like I said, bringing my stuff to work 04:24 and doing it there every half an hour. 04:26 That I would see another patient and 04:29 do a professional thing. 04:31 I would get away with it. 04:33 When you're habit gets to be like that, no one can 04:37 really tell, I mean you are still looking and not 04:41 shaking, you are not acting crazy, you are pretty much 04:45 doing the amount of drugs you need in order to be 04:49 normal for that day? 04:50 It made my conviction that I am doing good because 04:53 nobody is knowing it. 04:57 I'm working I'm still pulling this off. 05:00 I can still pull it off and I am okay. 05:02 Let's go on. 05:04 I want more. 05:05 So if you are so okay what changed? 05:07 Well there comes a time when you are so high strung 05:14 and then you hear a small voice telling you that you are 05:20 killing yourself and then you do another drug and the 05:26 voice is still there. 05:28 Then you have to somehow... 05:30 it's just God saying Siki you are killing yourself. 05:35 You are destroying every single thing about you. 05:39 Of course, God is so good that He will send people, 05:43 people, people that you hate, people you don't believe 05:48 is in your league, people who you believe are dumb, 05:53 to make you realize that you are wasting yourself. 06:01 For example, I met this guy and I had been doing drugs 06:07 with him and he is so hung up, so drugged out, 06:12 and I was taking my board exam for the physical therapy. 06:18 When I take my boards, I drop off all my drugs 06:22 and pray to God. 06:23 That's right God help me with this test. 06:26 If you make the pass this I'm going to be a pastor, 06:29 I'm going to do whatever You want. 06:31 How can we play God? 06:33 Isn't that a crazy thing that we play Him? 06:36 What is really interesting to me and always has been 06:38 about God, and I think I want to kiss Him on the face 06:41 when I see Him for this. 06:42 Is that He knows we are playing Him and says if you have 06:45 to go through that, go through that. 06:47 I am not leaving you. 06:51 I can even understand that kind of love. 06:52 Because if you played me as often as you played God, 06:56 I would have walked away and said, 06:57 you know what I'm done with you. 07:00 Now that I am a father, I now understand what kind of love 07:06 that is and yet I am man, I'm human. 07:10 I was telling my friends earlier, while we were driving 07:13 here, what more God can do to us, 07:16 how much He really loves me. 07:17 To be long-suffering and patient to me. 07:21 To play Him every day, every minute promising Him if I 07:26 Pass this, if You make me get out of this trouble, 07:31 I'm going to do everything that You want. 07:33 Everything, everything. 07:35 I like it that you said if I pass the state board, 07:37 you get me through this one I'll even be a pastor. 07:39 That is a funny thing that you said to Him. 07:41 The most funniest thing is that after I pass the board exams 07:44 I ended up in the hospital, do you know why? 07:47 No, why? 07:48 Ten days of doing drugs, I was celebrating. 07:51 I was celebrating because for three months I was clean. 07:56 Studying and kneeling down everywhere I can saying 08:00 Lord please I know you will make this happen for me. 08:07 After I passed the test, the first thing I did was 08:10 hooked up again with all my friends and do the same thing. 08:13 Did you hear that voice during that time? 08:15 Oh yeah, oh yeah! 08:19 I thought you told Me you were going to give Me your life? 08:22 Well I'm a physical therapist now, I'll talk to You later. 08:26 I have money now, I have a job, I'm going to be successful, 08:32 I don't need You right now. 08:35 I grew up, like I said, having that kind of mentality that 08:40 I create things around me. 08:42 You set them up so you can break them down 08:47 or put that back again. 08:49 There is no picture of me submitting to God or to be 08:57 more realistic with my mom. 08:59 She was the only one there for us. 09:03 I didn't have a father figure. 09:06 So your mom was a single mom? 09:08 Yes, but she prayed all those years. 09:11 Now she has passed away, but now I believe that her 09:17 prayers, in fact if she was alive right now and she would 09:21 see this segment with you and the things I was doing, 09:26 I'm sure she would drop dead. 09:29 She would weep. 09:31 So don't you want to say to somebody listening, 09:35 if they are mother praying for somebody out partying? 09:39 Keep on praying! 09:40 Never give up, never give up. 09:47 Because even in your drugging you heard that voice. 09:49 It had to be your mom's prayers. 09:51 That voice never let go. 09:53 The thing that drives me now 09:57 is the fact that nobody besides 10:00 my mom really told me to stop. 10:03 There is a better life and I want to be that person right 10:08 now, I want to be that person that would serve God, 10:11 to tell the next person beside me that what you are doing 10:15 is really not good for you. 10:17 It's taking everything, it's destroying you. 10:21 Maybe just maybe it will make an effect on them. 10:25 It may change them I don't know how, just to put a seed. 10:30 Let me say this and you can hit me if I am out of line. 10:35 I can see that you probably were a little arrogant? 10:39 Very, very! 10:41 Very arrogant, and I can do what I want to do. 10:44 I am not getting into anybody's way and I have the money. 10:48 I'm successful and things are happening.. 10:52 So how did you let that go? 10:55 So you hear the voice of God and hearing all that stuff 10:57 but arrogance is a tough one. 10:59 God can get through almost everything else but that is a 11:02 tough one, that pride stuff. 11:03 It was very hard for me, in fact it is my everyday battle. 11:07 It's a thorn in your flesh? 11:09 Yes it's growing up and having everything my way and then 11:14 suddenly giving it up to some body, God who is in the Bible, 11:20 who you cannot see but you know He is doing 11:24 something for you. 11:25 It is very hard and every day is a challenge, giving it up, 11:30 giving it up, giving it up for my friends. 11:33 Okay you speak first, you do it first. 11:35 I watched you do that. 11:36 I watch you and I watched the battle that happened first. 11:41 Then you say, why don't you speak. 11:46 Did you see it this morning? Yes! 11:50 Yes because I want to. 11:51 Exactly I want to praise God. 11:53 I believe I had the best story. 11:57 Me too! 12:00 It is humbling to be a people that has a better story, 12:07 maybe not a better story, but God has time for everything. 12:14 Time for everything so to me to submit to that, 12:19 to really humble myself to do that is exciting. 12:27 I wish we had so much more time. 12:29 When you talk about that, coming to God and not only, 12:33 it sounds like giving up the drugs and binges and that 12:36 kind of thing might have been a little easier then giving 12:40 up it's about me. 12:42 So God is just saying, let's give up some of that stuff and 12:47 let Me teach you how to submit, so what was that like with Him? 12:52 Is there any, when you are talking to somebody that 12:55 says why would I want to do that? 12:58 Anything cool about that? 12:59 Well that is so hard for me to understand first. 13:08 I set myself to understand that God is teaching me right 13:12 now a lesson, an important lesson that unless I will be 13:16 the last, I will not make there. 13:20 Exactly! 13:22 It was the example that He gave me and He is the only One 13:26 that I am looking up to now. 13:28 I love when He says, so weird, but He says humble yourself 13:32 and let Me lift you up because it is different. 13:35 You don't even know what part of you is so cool. 13:38 You think it is cool that you can out smoke someone. 13:41 You know when I was doing it, I always prided myself with 13:45 everybody being knocked out already and I am still the 13:49 voice of the group, I can still drink. 13:53 If everybody is strung out with weed, I would still be 13:58 the last one smoking. 14:00 I would be the last one doing everything. 14:02 If everybody was drunk I would be driving because I 14:05 am not drunk, you guys are drunk, I'm not. 14:08 So unless you had a Breathalyzer, 14:11 with a Breathalyzer you may have been drunk. 14:15 You are just saying that with God He is saying that you 14:21 think that that's cool and I cannot teach you what is 14:27 good about you, what is cool about you, what is cool about 14:29 life until you submit that, because that is twisted. 14:33 I mean you actually were twisted, and I want to untwist 14:38 you and bring healing into your life. 14:39 When you allow God to untwist you, like I am allowing Him 14:45 to untwist me now, you will see wonderful changes. 14:48 It's not, some will be instantaneous, some of them take 14:55 time, and I asked God when is it going to happen? 14:58 I wanted to happen now. 15:00 Like always we want it now. 15:03 With my friends, with my family, with anybody I talk to, 15:10 or make a relationship with. 15:12 Sometimes or most times my being, I'm Siki, I'm going to do 15:19 it my way, sometimes it shows and then I realize that 15:27 to what, you want God in you, 15:30 you want Christ in your life. 15:33 Then submit yourself. 15:34 What is really funny Siki is that it is cool sitting next 15:41 to you and hanging out with you. 15:42 You have such a neat spirit about you. 15:45 I know that is the Spirit of the Lord. 15:47 You know I know that is the God and so what God is saying 15:51 to you and to me or to anybody is that I want to put 15:55 that Spirit in you. 15:57 I want to develop that part of you so when you laugh, 16:00 when you share with people, when you hang out that 16:02 you are really affirming and lifting each other up. 16:05 You are not using each other or playing each other. 16:07 So He is trying to teach us, and we are like these addicts, 16:10 and He is trying to teach us. 16:11 He is trying to teach us that He does have a better way. 16:14 Yes, He has a better way. 16:17 This makes me look back, there were times even when you 16:21 are talking with a group of people and out of drunkenness 16:25 you just talk about God. 16:27 I would always make them, this is God, this is God. 16:36 Because coming from an Adventist family, 16:39 growing up in the Adventist school, 16:41 so I know something but not really the right thing. 16:46 I always thought I could still teach them. 16:49 Now that I'm really trying to know God, how cool is it 16:55 to be here with you, talking with you about these things, 17:01 and with my friends here with the same background. 17:03 Exactly, we are going to open it up to Edwin. 17:07 I want to bring you back in because we are talking about 17:11 what God has done in your life in Siki's life. 17:14 The people that you influence as a group. 17:19 It is funny because you are from different places yet 17:23 God is working with you on the same issue of arrogance 17:26 and pride and those things. 17:28 You guys are both standing up together, 17:30 is that getting in the way ever? 17:33 Well that is so hopeful, that I have somebody next to me 17:36 who I could share my problems with. 17:38 I can talk to him and he can talk to me and we can grow 17:41 in Christ together. 17:42 I am thankful for that. 17:43 It's like you both in the struggle that I saw in his eyes, 17:47 I see that your eyes too. 17:49 What is really funny is that you can be setting next to 17:51 each other and who is going to go first, and they both 17:54 want to, they both looked at each other like you go first. 17:58 Normally I want to go first, and he wants to go first, 18:00 but have to humble ourselves. 18:03 Which is way cool. 18:05 Yeah it is. 18:06 So do you have anything you would like 18:09 to add to Siki's testimony? 18:13 Sometimes I have to thank God because although we make 18:16 many mistakes in our lives, and we do bring about our 18:20 own problems, a lot of people blame it on God but it is 18:22 really our fault, the things that we have done too. 18:27 But I'm thankful that God takes those and twists it and 18:31 He teaches us that through that. 18:33 What I lack in my wisdom He did for him while 18:38 he grew up and taught him so when He puts us together 18:41 what I lack he can supply, what he lacks I can supply 18:44 and that is how we grew together as a church. 18:47 Isn't that incredible? 18:49 I thank God for the problems because He gets me out 18:52 of them and teaches me as He gets me out. 18:54 The next time you stand in that very same spot 18:57 you are stronger. Yeah! 19:01 Well Damien, we have had you on another program, 19:03 but you are a part of this group. 19:05 As you are hearing Edwin and Siki speak what do you 19:10 want to add to that? 19:11 Well it is a wonderful thing to see everybody here 19:15 together. 19:16 What I can add is just this was calling I believe God 19:21 calls me for. 19:22 There is nothing about me but... 19:24 you are the baby of the group? 19:27 Oh really. 19:29 Aren't you, you are like 22. 19:31 Yeah I guess in a sense, but being I guess with 19:35 the youngest age, even though my wife is younger than me, 19:37 I keep them together. 19:42 That is not a high though, I keep them together, 19:45 I'm pretty influential in that, I calling them up. 19:47 I call him and make sure everything is going down right. 19:50 We worked together on that. 19:53 Something I can add about Siki is that he taught me 19:57 practical Christian living. 19:58 Not just sounding good when you speak, it's necessary, 20:02 but actually going out there and doing what you say. 20:06 One time we were at a church and he just said come on 20:09 let's go out there and go to the Journal Square in 20:12 Jersey City and let's bring this bread to some people 20:15 that needed it and we went out there and 20:18 did it without hesitating. 20:19 He was the one that came up and just lead out. 20:22 So you're saying is not just about teaching? 20:24 If you are not daily living what you teach. 20:27 Never, you are an actor, you are reading a script 20:32 that sounds good, but you are not actually living it 20:37 out in your real life and that is a problem. 20:40 That is what he has shown me because some of us 20:44 tend to do that straight off. 20:45 We sound good and we want to go first to speak, 20:49 but at the same time are we really exhibiting those 20:52 characteristics we uplift so high. 20:54 That is so very important. 20:56 The same thing with Edwin to he has taught me a lot of 20:59 things, he brings a lot to the table about his computer 21:02 graphics skills where he designed the website 21:05 and everything. 21:08 So God really knew who he was getting together to just 21:12 keep a tight knit between us and how we use each other's 21:16 talents that He has given us to just become 21:19 this Ministry, Our Higher Calling. 21:20 That is incredible! 21:22 You know what is incredible, thank you Damien, what's 21:25 incredible Siki is as he was saying that you guys are all 21:28 coming from different places but working on the same 21:33 issues and keeping each other accountable as you learn 21:38 to stand up and minister. 21:40 I'm thinking that is so God. 21:42 In fact our most, if I can say this, our most beloved 21:49 topic is Jesus Christ by faith. 21:53 Explain what you mean by that? 21:55 We cannot do anything without Him. 21:57 Everything that we do now is to glorify God. 22:02 Everything that we say, think. 22:04 Let me just say, I am going to come from a kid that, 22:08 I came from 10 years on the street, 22:11 drugs and all that stuff. 22:12 If I would have heard you say that I would have said 22:14 that sounds so lame, what are you talking about? 22:16 So saying in a way that I will not say that. 22:18 Do you know what I mean? 22:19 Because any Christian knows exactly what you just said. 22:22 A non-Christian doesn't. 22:23 A non-Christian person who just like me, because I never 22:28 called myself Christian when I was doing those things. 22:35 The biggest thing that kept me back from it is that it's 22:42 not, you don't see it in most people. 22:45 You hear it but you don't see them doing that. 22:50 So the biggest thing for them is to see it in me. 22:54 So when you hear what they believe about their spirituality 22:58 or what they believe about the Bible, but if you watch 23:00 their life you wouldn't think that they actually. 23:03 My life right now is my biggest testimony. 23:06 Like my brother Damien here said, we can talk the talk 23:09 but do you walk the walk? 23:12 So somebody here is recovering, I am still in recovery. 23:18 Every day of my life I am in recovery from what 23:20 I have done to myself. 23:22 So you are taking care of yourself, you are resting, 23:24 you're eating well and doing all those things that 23:26 you need to do in order to be in recovery? 23:28 You are connecting with God because you believe Him. 23:31 Not because it is the right thing to do, I believe Him. 23:34 I believe He is my life. 23:35 What I am doing right now doesn't earn me anything. 23:39 God doesn't look at me like okay Siki you are much 23:43 better and I'm going to give you this gift. 23:45 Siki you are not doing drugs now, I'll be nicer to you. 23:51 I'll give you a car because, it is not that way! 23:54 And I wish it was I need a car. 23:57 The reason why I'm doing this now, I saw how sinful I was. 24:02 When you realize that these things, which I first taught 24:07 were okay things, normal things, but when you realize 24:13 that it is not that you asked for forgiveness. 24:17 Then realizing, knowing that He has forgiven you, 24:21 then that makes a change. 24:23 That makes you want to do things 24:27 He wants you to do. 24:28 It was a burden to me to go to church before. 24:32 But now I love it. 24:34 It was a burden for me to do good things before. 24:40 But God made it happen to me. 24:43 So when you look at Christ, when you say it is all about 24:49 Christ, what you are saying is that I so saw His character, 24:53 who He was and I know it is good. 24:57 I know that it is right. 24:58 So it is not that I'd just surrendering because it is God, 25:02 I'm surrendering because I saw His character. 25:03 I saw who God is and I believe my life is wrong, it is 25:08 hurtful, is dark, is twisted, and the only way I am 25:12 going to untwist is if I hold on to You. 25:14 Once you realize how much of a lie your life is, then you 25:21 will wonder if they are on another life, is there a flip 25:27 side to this? 25:28 Then if you taste it, you'll never thirst, you will just want 25:34 that, that kind of life. 25:37 I have got to say that I just have been blessed watching 25:40 you work, I've watched you guys work with at-risk youth. 25:43 I watched you stand up and minister to them. 25:47 I've watched you stand up and minister with me when we 25:50 first met, with who you are, and then I watched you keep 25:53 each other accountable in Ministry to each other. 25:55 I want to say don't let anybody get in the way of that 26:00 hold on to God no matter what. 26:01 And thank you for sharing with us. 26:03 It has been amazing. 26:05 We are going to take a break and come back. 26:08 I pray that you have seen the difference in these two 26:14 testimonies and how God individually stepped in. 26:18 He didn't look at them as two separate, 26:20 it didn't look at them as the same person, 26:22 or that I'm going to come in with all the same stuff. 26:25 God came to Edwin in a certain way. 26:27 God came to Siki in a certain way and every single 26:30 day when their needs come up, He specifically, 26:33 individually meets those needs. 26:35 I love that about Him because I feel like that is the 26:37 same in my life and I know it's good to be 26:39 the same in your life. 26:40 We will be right back! 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Revised 2014-12-17