Participants: Michael Carducci (Host), Wayne Johnson
Series Code: PC
Program Code: PC000109A
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00:02 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:05 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:07 may be too candid for younger children. 00:41 Welcome to Pure Choices. 00:43 My name is Michael Carducci, 00:44 and I'm with Coming Out Ministries. 00:46 Today, it's my delight to interview Wayne Johnson. 00:48 Welcome, Wayne. Thank you. 00:50 Listen, I just want to give a little bit of our history. 00:54 Thirty five years ago, 00:55 when we were very young and with lots of hair. 00:58 I remember, I had like big hair, 01:00 and you had a Jheri curl, 01:02 and we were working in the same hospital together. 01:05 Wayne, you were working on the rehab side, 01:06 and I was working on the psyche side, 01:10 and our dining rooms would meet. 01:11 And so we would see each other every day, 01:13 would say hi. 01:14 And I remember that 01:16 when I finally came out into the gay bars, 01:18 and I remember seeing you there. 01:19 We gave each other this look like 01:21 you don't tell my secret, I won't tell your secret. 01:23 And so for the next 20 years 01:24 we had somewhat of a superficial relationship 01:27 through the bar scene, through friends and parties. 01:29 What was so amazing to me, Wayne, is that at 40 years old, 01:33 when I came out of the gay club, 01:35 and all of a sudden one day I was in church, 01:37 I looked into the pew and there's Wayne Johnson. 01:40 And we gave each other that same look like, 01:41 you don't tell my story, I won't tell yours. 01:44 But what God did is he brought you into my life 01:46 at a time when I needed somebody 01:48 who understood the journey that I'd been on. 01:50 And we had kind of gone through similar paths 01:54 and that God had brought us out of the lifestyle 01:57 just about the same time that he brought us in. 01:59 And so, Wayne, I want to hear your story 02:01 as well as many do our listeners. 02:04 So I just want to start off a little bit. 02:06 Tell me about your early days? 02:08 Well, I-- 02:11 a kid growing up, people, 02:14 you know always when they see me, they go, 02:17 "Oh, you look just like your father, 02:18 you know," looking like my father. 02:20 "Oh, you're gonna grow up and be like him, you know." 02:23 But my father was very abusive toward my mother, you know. 02:28 And when people would say that to me 02:32 that I look like my father. 02:33 I have all those thoughts, you know, come to my mind, 02:37 but, you know-- 02:38 So what happened like, 02:40 how was that you know that your dad was abusive, 02:43 was it just what people said or-- 02:46 No, I actually witnessed, 02:48 you know, him beating on my mom, 02:50 and not only that, 02:52 there was one thing that I witnessed 02:54 that he took a gallon trash can in the room with water 03:00 and then brought it back out that was bloody water. 03:03 You know and I was about five or six years old, you know, 03:07 seeing this, you know. 03:09 And I heard my mother in the room crying, you know, 03:12 and to me that led, you know, 03:15 I don't want to be like my father, 03:17 you know, not in that way, you know. 03:19 So it was in our family, it was a trying time for me 03:25 and then as like, you know, as the years went on, you know, 03:31 as a child I was molested, you know. 03:37 Let's go back just a little bit, Wayne. 03:38 Talk about the truck, I like that story. 03:40 Well, the truck, I remember as the years went on, 03:44 my father we moved into a new neighborhood 03:47 and to a new place. 03:49 And I remember him moving us in. 03:53 And he stayed that night, you know, the truck was-- 03:57 I remember the truck so well, it was like a Ford truck, 04:01 mint green you know. 04:03 And so he moved us in, you know, stayed 04:06 and then the next day I thought, you know, 04:09 like Mom, Dad take off, go to work. 04:12 But he left and never came back. 04:15 So as a kid, that night 04:16 I was like standing there looking out of the window, 04:21 waiting for him to come home. 04:24 You know, looking for my dad to come home, you know. 04:27 So he never showed up, so. Yeah. 04:30 So here's a little boy 04:31 who is waiting for his dad to come home. 04:33 And then, something else happened in the neighborhood. 04:35 Can you share? 04:36 Well, during that time, you know, life, you know, 04:39 my life, you know, got out, 04:42 start playing around in the neighborhood, 04:43 made friends, and, you know, stuff like that. 04:47 And so there was a gentleman in the neighborhood, 04:51 you know, he was right there, 04:53 and he was well known in the neighborhood. 04:56 But somehow we were playing ball 04:58 and I remember so well, we lived in a project, 05:02 and he lived in a subdivision, you know. 05:04 So he did his hair in a way 05:07 like lured me away from my friends, you know. 05:12 And I followed him to his house, that's-- 05:15 I was eight years old at this time. 05:19 And I don't know for the life of me, 05:22 why I made a choice like that, you know. 05:26 Seem like he was someone in the neighborhood 05:28 that we saw, and I followed him. 05:31 And I was molested there in his home, you know. 05:37 And I... 05:39 it just left me stunned, you know, 05:41 that something like that just happened to me. 05:43 So I... 05:44 It made an impression, right? 05:46 Yes, it made impression on me, that... 05:48 One of the things that I think is important to notice 05:50 that you don't understand 05:52 how you made a choice like that. 05:53 But I think that many times children that are victimized, 05:56 you know by perpetrators and older people, they don't, 05:59 they take a lot of responsibility 06:01 for what happened. 06:02 When you were molested, Wayne, he took something from you. 06:05 And so it wasn't necessarily a choice 06:07 that you consciously made. 06:09 And like you said before you knew it, 06:10 this had happened, right? 06:12 Right. Was that the only time? 06:14 No, it seemed like, it was like a dance bar, 06:21 then it was a babysitter. 06:23 This night, this guy wasn't, my mom normally will ask him, 06:27 you know, my mom was a single mother now 06:29 at this time. 06:31 So she would ask him to watch, you know, 06:33 to watch us while she go to work 06:36 and, but this particular night my mom wasn't at home. 06:40 And I was sitting out on the porch. 06:42 So here come the babysitter, you know. 06:44 He sat there, you know, talking to me, you know. 06:48 And then again it happened again. 06:52 And so, it's just was. 06:56 And I began and ask-- 06:57 you know I begin to wonder, you know, 07:00 I wasn't gay or anything, you know, 07:03 before I even knew what the word gay meant. 07:07 So I kept having these encounters, you know. 07:10 And once again I-- 07:13 you know, I just had to keep it to myself because, I-- 07:17 if I tell Mom, I'm going to get a beating 07:19 like I brought it on myself. 07:22 And then 07:25 it happened with the next door neighbor son. 07:29 You know him also, you know, it's just like and-- 07:36 You know something, Wayne, 07:37 I hear you saying a lot of things 07:39 of the voice of the victim. 07:41 You know this wasn't what I chose 07:43 and it just kept happening. 07:45 One of our previous programs 07:46 we talked about the down low culture. 07:48 And it's interesting that you were victimized 07:50 by other males in the neighborhood, 07:52 adult males, kids of your age, kids little bit older than you 07:56 that were sexually taking advantage of you. 07:59 And it was causing you to spiral in this understanding 08:02 or like why is this happening to me. 08:04 I've heard you saying, right? Right, right. True. 08:07 Okay, and so tell me the story about, 08:10 you know, things with your sisters. 08:12 I remember there's a story about the roof, 08:14 would you share that? 08:15 Well, as we, you know, my sisters 08:19 they were two little girls and so they were in school. 08:24 So my mom, she disappeared, you know, then show up. 08:28 Where did she go? 08:31 Like she will stay gone from the house 08:33 for days, weeks, you know. 08:36 So we were left there 08:37 and at this time I was in school, 08:39 you know, about 15 years old. 08:42 So we had electric disconnected, you know. 08:46 And so and I was working at the out to the dog track, 08:52 that's what they called the Seminole County dog track. 08:56 And so and I was a lead out person. 08:58 And so, but I also had doing this time, 09:02 our electric was disconnected, you know. 09:05 So I had to climb up on the roof of the house 09:09 once they cut it, 09:11 because normally they would turn it off from the box. 09:15 But if they know that you're using it. 09:18 They go up on the roof to disconnect the wire. 09:20 Okay. 09:21 So we had no electric, 09:23 so I've made the choice to go on the roof, 09:26 and put the wire back together. 09:28 Who told you how to do that? Nobody. 09:30 You just figured that out on your own. 09:31 I just figured out, I just got up there 09:33 and looked at it, got some black tape, 09:35 went up there to connect it back. 09:38 And so my sisters can take a shower, 09:42 bath in the morning before they take off to school. 09:44 Then I would say, "All right, you got so much time, 09:47 because I need to get back up there to disconnect it 09:50 before I go to school. 09:51 So twice a day, you're on the roof 09:53 to connect the wires and to disconnect them 09:56 so that your sisters can take a shower 09:57 and have electricity to get ready for school 10:00 at 15 years old. 10:01 Yes. Powerful story, Wayne. 10:03 So tell me a little bit more now, now you're an adult, 10:07 and you're 19 years old, 10:08 and somebody special came into your life. 10:11 Yeah, 19 years old, I was working out 10:16 at the Florida Hospital at this time, 10:17 graduated from school, been out for a couple of years. 10:20 And this gentleman 10:26 who became my best friend. 10:29 You were his best man in his wedding, right? 10:31 I was his best man in his wedding. 10:32 Right. 10:34 And so, he came into the cafeteria, 10:36 and I was sitting there in the cafeteria, 10:40 kind of depressed day for me. 10:42 I wasn't feeling good that day, 10:44 and so I say that he saw walking over toward my table. 10:48 You know, Charles Walker Brook 10:50 and so start walking toward the table 10:53 and I went, "Oh boy, here come a Bible worker. 10:58 He come-- 11:00 so he sat down just open up everything 11:04 just start opening up the Bible. 11:07 And we started talking and I was asking him questions. 11:11 You know I say, maybe he'll go away 11:13 if he see how much knowledge 11:15 I have about the Bible, you know. 11:18 Were you are raised with God? 11:19 No. Not at all? 11:21 No Christian background in my family. 11:22 Okay. 11:24 And what happened, you know, 11:25 and then I was the one out there 11:28 you know asking the questions, 11:29 and he was answering them just right, 11:32 answering questions, you know. 11:33 Each question that I asked and it was simple, 11:38 you know, understanding. 11:40 And so I says to him, I say, 11:42 "Well, can we start having Bible study tomorrow?" 11:45 I was the one and I went out 11:46 and brought me a little kid Bible. 11:48 They have Bible study with him. Okay. 11:51 So you gave your heart to the Lord. 11:52 Yes. 11:53 And then, tell me what happened after you got baptized? 11:56 After I got baptized, 11:58 I still had this dark secret dealing, 12:02 actually homosexuality, you know, 12:06 and the urge came on so strong till I couldn't control it. 12:13 I just fell right out there into it, you know. 12:16 It was something I was hiding from my friends, you know. 12:19 And I thought by getting baptized, 12:22 it would help the problem. 12:24 Right. You know. 12:26 And I said, good, you know, it's over, 12:27 you know and, but it wasn't over. 12:31 I had to face it head on, you know. 12:34 And as the years went on, you know, 12:39 I fell away from the church 12:43 and about 20 years, 12:47 1999 again the Lord sent Charles back. 12:52 Oh, hang on. 12:54 So there's a lot of years in between, 12:55 we want to kind of address just to make sure 12:57 that people know that that this has been an issue for you. 13:00 And that you know what you're talking about. 13:02 But what was it like being in gay culture, 13:05 that's when we knew each other 13:06 and you know what was that like, Wayne? 13:08 Successful relationships, you know, was it a good time? 13:12 No, it wasn't a good time. Okay. 13:15 I was in bad relationships that got physical and fighting. 13:20 And not only that, you know, my relationship, 13:26 boyfriend running around, you know, he ignored me, 13:30 so I did the same thing, you know. 13:33 I thought this was a life, you know. 13:34 Yeah. 13:36 But it wasn't the life that I wanted. 13:38 Right. You know and so. 13:39 So, Wayne, what happened on your 35th birthday? 13:42 And on my 35th birthday, 13:47 I went to have to be check tested for HIV. 13:52 Okay. 13:54 So I had a test, came back 13:58 and my results that I was HIV positive. 14:02 And you got those results 14:03 actually on your birthday, isn't that right? 14:05 Yeah. Yeah. 14:06 Wow, what a terrible birthday present. 14:09 Yeah. So. Yeah. 14:10 You know, Wayne, we lost a friend, 14:11 a lot of friends to AIDS, didn't we? 14:13 Yeah. 14:14 You know beginning, I came out in 1981 when AIDS was, 14:17 you know, first on the scene. 14:18 And we watched men drop like flies. 14:20 Right. Right. Right. Yeah, during that time. 14:22 And so, Wayne, at 35, you know, you find out this news, 14:25 now you're living with HIV. 14:27 And you work in and, you know, going through the motions, 14:31 and tell me now 14:33 about how things were pretty dark for you, right? 14:37 Yeah, things got pretty dark, 14:39 because during that time when I find-- 14:42 when I found out about it, I just got-- 14:46 I say, you know, I'm not going to make it anyway. 14:49 So I start spending money, you know. 14:53 Going, traveling, you know, going, partying. 14:57 And, but I still, 15:00 I was getting more and more depressed. 15:02 Okay. Till I just watch you know. 15:06 And I became so depressed that I wanted out so bad, 15:11 you know, and I say, 15:13 this is not helping me, you know, so. 15:16 I'm HIV positive, so but-- 15:19 There was a gun in your home, right? 15:21 There was a gun, I had a 357 magnum. 15:24 And I thought about killing myself, 15:27 and so but. 15:30 Also I had-- 15:32 because I'm dealing with, 15:33 you know, I got to tell my family. 15:35 Let them know, you know, and that, 15:38 you know, that I'm in this lifestyle. 15:40 So living a gay lifestyle and so I'm HIV, you know. 15:45 Yeah. It really came close to home. 15:47 So Charles called you. Yeah. 15:49 So I was on the way out to work, 15:52 going to work. 15:53 I was sitting at my desk in my house. 15:56 And I was doing, by the phone, so I was actually at this time 16:01 I started keeping a little dairy 16:02 asking God to help me. 16:04 Lord, take me to a safer harbor. 16:07 If I hear a song or something come to my ear, 16:10 anything that was dealing with God to bring me back, 16:13 you know, to help me. 16:14 I believe God was hearing that prayer, don't you think? 16:17 I believe He was. Yeah. 16:18 I truly, because and during this time, 16:20 I was getting ready for work that day, 16:23 and so, I walked out of house, locking it, 16:28 getting ready to put my key in a lock. 16:30 And all of a sudden, I stop, you know, 16:32 I heard the phone ringing. 16:34 And I said, well, I'm just gonna go to work. 16:36 But I'm standing there, something said, 16:39 go back in the house and answer the phone. 16:41 A voice, and a voice-- 16:43 go back and answer the phone. 16:44 Who was on the phone, Wayne? It was Charles. 16:47 And what did you confess to him? 16:49 After I was-- 16:52 I confessed to him, that I said, 16:54 "Charles, I have something to tell you," you know. 16:57 He went, "You know, I haven't heard from you, 16:58 you know, in a while, Wayne," you know and so. 17:02 And I told him, you know, I say, 17:04 "I'm gay and I'm HIV positive." 17:07 And so, the most beautiful thing he could say to me 17:12 was that he says, "Wayne, you know something," 17:18 he says "Jesus can take care of that." 17:19 That's right. 17:21 He said come and go to church with me 17:22 and my family this Sabbath. 17:24 And I just cried when I got off the phone, and-- 17:28 Because you thought, he would reject you. 17:29 I was expecting for rejection from him. 17:33 You know, that he didn't want anything to do with me, 17:36 you know. 17:37 So but, God sent him back, 17:40 and I was able to release the depression 17:44 what I was depressed about, to get it off my chest. 17:48 And it just, and I can see 17:50 the light of Jesus coming back in my life 17:53 from that day on, you know. 17:56 And it gave me hope again. Yes. 17:59 Because, and I thought, I say, and I don't know how, 18:02 remember how he got my number, 18:05 but, you know, it's just like 20 years later 18:08 Charles called me, you know. 18:09 I haven't seen him in years, 18:10 because I avoided him and his wife, 18:14 you know, because I was in their life, you know. 18:18 I had went out, you know, and I-- 18:23 that brought me back. 18:25 So, Wayne, was it an easy transition 18:27 like after that phone call, it's all no more problem, 18:30 I'm not gay anymore, you know, it's all said and done. 18:33 Where there's still struggles going on in your life? 18:36 Yes, yes. Okay. 18:37 Yes, yes. All right. 18:38 It was still struggles going on in my life so. 18:41 It was like trying to get out of the life, 18:45 get away from it, you know. 18:46 Yeah. 18:48 And so it was-- 18:50 I made a decision to be baptized again so. 18:55 And I still was-- 18:56 I had, you know, it wasn't as easy as I thought. 18:59 No. 19:01 So I would call Charles and talk to him, you know, 19:03 Charles, I'm still fighting it, you know. 19:06 And, you know, I just went out, 19:09 and so, there were times I would fall and go back 19:15 and, but I would come home crying to myself, 19:20 driving home crying, because I went there, you know. 19:24 Yeah. Right. Somewhere I didn't want to go. 19:26 And I will fall on my knees and I just kept praying to God. 19:29 I say, you got to take this away from me. 19:31 I don't want to be out to this bar. 19:33 I don't want to be out, 19:35 you know, in this life like this God. 19:38 I say, please help me. 19:41 And so, Wayne, 19:42 this is about the time when we met again. 19:44 And I know for me, you were a huge support 19:48 and the Holy Spirit was using you in incredible ways 19:50 to speak to me, and to give me truth, 19:53 when I didn't want truth, remember. 19:55 Tell me a lie, you know, 19:56 just tell me I can keep my boyfriend and my identity. 19:58 And you were the voice of reason, 20:00 and the voice of the Holy Spirit 20:01 many times to me, 20:03 to tell me what truth was and to help me. 20:05 Thank you. 20:07 You helped me so many times, you know. 20:08 We just hang out together on Sabbath afternoon. 20:10 And we actually ended up meeting another young man 20:13 that was in gay culture that left his boyfriend 20:16 and we became like the Three Musketeers. 20:18 Yes. 20:19 We had a lot of really good, 20:21 you know, spiritual times together. 20:23 And so, eventually I moved to Tennessee. 20:24 And we were somewhat distant, but still in touch. 20:28 And then, several years later 20:31 something else happened when you came to visit. 20:33 Can you talk about that a little bit? 20:35 Well, several years later when I came down to visit you, 20:39 to visit, it was a more, we were walking. 20:43 Yeah. 20:44 The first time-- 20:45 so that was my second visit. 20:47 You know, I was dragging you up that hill. 20:48 Yeah, and I was able to make it up to hill. 20:50 That's right. Yeah. And I was getting there. 20:51 But it seems some time that during that time 20:54 when I came back the second time. 20:55 Yeah. Something was wrong. 20:57 Yeah I noticed, your walk was different. 20:59 Yeah, you noticed my mobility. 21:02 And you said, "Wayne, I'm not trying to be funny, 21:05 but I think you may have Parkinson." 21:07 Okay. 21:08 But at that time I guess, I wasn't-- 21:12 I knew there was something wrong 21:13 because I thought, I just was tired from work. 21:16 You know tired from working. 21:18 And, but when I got back home, 21:21 that's when I consulted with my doctor. 21:24 And I call you and tell you, I said, 21:26 "Mike, it's Parkinson." 21:28 Yeah, yeah. 21:29 The MRI came back, the doctor diagnosed me 21:33 as having a mild case of the Parkinson. 21:36 But I felt like it was worse than that, you know. 21:39 He was right about one thing, but wrong about... 21:43 because I was-- 21:45 my mobility and my left side was getting worse, 21:49 my leg start dragging. 21:51 And I thought, you know, I have-- 21:57 and I just put it in God's hand at that time. 22:00 Okay, all right. Come on. 22:01 I say, Lord, let Your will be done, 22:04 but I say, I got to stick with Jesus, 22:06 there's nowhere else for me to go. 22:07 Nowhere else. 22:09 And so I say, I have HIV, I have Parkinson, 22:13 but God has brought me this far, 22:15 He can't let me down now. 22:16 That's right. That's right. 22:17 So, Wayne, you made a powerful decision. 22:19 Somebody's been born and raised in Florida, 22:22 you knew nothing else, 22:23 and then all of a sudden you decided 22:25 that you needed to move to the country. 22:26 Yes, I moved to Tennessee. 22:28 All right. Finally moved there. 22:32 Mike said, Wayne, come and live with me, 22:37 and till you get screened out, you know. 22:40 And so, after I got to Tennessee, 22:41 I went to M.E.E.T. 22:43 Ministry for about 18 days of detox, you know. 22:47 Have everything, my body and everything. 22:50 It was a healing time for me, 22:52 because God just moved in such a way, you know. 22:56 I got the medic care that I needed, 22:59 the help that I needed, and everything just open up 23:05 that came through my disability. 23:08 People say, you have to wait two years. 23:11 But I said, not if God has says, 23:14 God has the last word. 23:16 And I only waited a couple months and got it. 23:18 Perfect, you know, 23:20 and so how God took care of me up there, 23:22 you know, even though I was-- 23:25 I just stepped out on faith. 23:27 I said, "Lord, I have no job, nobody won't hire me, 23:30 because of my disability now." 23:31 And my tremors got worse, which you saw that, 23:35 you know, until I got the help. 23:38 But you know what else I saw, Wayne, is, 23:41 you know we've had some pretty open, 23:43 you know, conversations through the years. 23:45 I remember, there was one time, you had some other friends 23:49 that were in different stages of their experience, 23:52 and also the history of homosexuality. 23:54 And there was one Sabbath afternoon, 23:55 we were sitting in my living room, 23:57 and we were watching a videotape of this, 24:00 this brother that had come out of homosexuality, 24:02 remember that? 24:03 And there were probably six or seven of us 24:06 sitting in that circle. 24:07 And that was a first time 24:09 that I had heard a story about somebody, 24:10 that it actually walked out 24:12 or walked away from homosexuality. 24:14 And what was so amazing to me is, 24:16 there were tears coming down my face, 24:17 because I didn't think it was possible. 24:19 I didn't even, I wasn't even interested. 24:21 And as I saw this brother, 24:23 that had lived as a woman for year and a half, 24:25 was about to have a sex change 24:27 and then is redeemed by God, you know. 24:29 As we're sitting in that circle, 24:30 that was a first time I realize 24:32 that if God could do it for him, 24:34 then maybe he could do it for me. 24:36 And I remember that, we had this circle, 24:38 what was so beautiful is that, 24:40 we were all in different understanding. 24:41 Some people were looking for a monogamous relationship. 24:44 Others were looking to come out. 24:45 I was just plain, sitting there just... 24:48 I had no idea what God had. 24:49 And you know what, that began that journey for me 24:52 realizing that God had much more in store for me 24:54 than I could imagine for myself. 24:56 And you know, Wayne, you were part of that, 24:58 I remember, you know, you used to work out a lot, 25:00 and you had big muscles, 25:01 and you would come over in tank top and shorts, 25:04 and there was one brother that just couldn't stop looking. 25:06 And we pulled you aside and we said, 25:07 "Wayne, you got to cover up. 25:09 You got to cover up those muscles, you know, 25:11 because you're really causing this brother 25:13 to really struggle." 25:14 And that was when I was also convicted 25:16 about covering my body. 25:18 You know, the Bible says 25:19 that we're holy vessel to God, isn't that right? 25:21 Right. 25:22 And you know, you said that, and I say, 25:27 "No, I'm not here for that, 25:29 I just got to cover up, you know." 25:31 I start covering up, because I fully-- 25:34 I didn't believe, I said, "No, 25:37 I wasn't born gay and I'm not gay." 25:38 So. That's right. That's right. 25:40 I'm not a gay Christian, you know, so. 25:42 So, Wayne, I want to conclude, 25:43 and I want you to tell me quickly 25:45 about how things ended with your father. 25:47 He'd been out of your life, most of your life, 25:49 and then all of a sudden he was very sick 25:51 and you had an opportunity to make amends. 25:54 The most beautiful moment for me with my father 25:56 was that he got-- 26:00 he was very sick, 26:01 he had brain tumors on his brain, 26:03 when we found, when we finally got him into the hospital. 26:06 And that I gave him a bath in the hospital, 26:10 and that was closest I ever felt to him. 26:12 The healing and forgiveness right there 26:15 came for me and him. 26:18 Because I was able to touch my father 26:21 and it took me back, if I was that little boy, 26:25 I never had the experience of my father picking me up, 26:29 holding me, or you know like fathers do. 26:32 But during that time, I just had that vision, 26:35 there I was. 26:36 My dad, and, but I'm touching him, 26:38 giving him the bath, you know. 26:40 Yeah. 26:41 As he there on his sick bed, and I just-- 26:45 it was, I just felt so much peace 26:48 and so much release, you know, 26:51 relief in my life at that time, you know. 26:55 And my... 26:56 Talk to me about the forgiveness. 26:59 The forgiveness? 27:00 I think that's so important for our listeners to know. 27:02 The forgiveness came, you know, I had no, 27:06 I wasn't angry about with him 27:09 about the way my life turned out. 27:11 I wasn't upset, but I-- 27:13 but when the forgiveness came for me at that time. 27:17 So much peace from God that I may-- 27:21 to forgive him so, it brought me healing 27:25 in order to have that from him. 27:26 Powerful. 27:28 Wayne, that's so powerful. 27:30 This is why I felt it's so important 27:32 to share your story with Coming Out Ministries. 27:34 And this is your fourth time 27:36 that you've given your testimony in public. 27:38 Wayne's a very private person, 27:40 and so to have you share that story 27:42 and to talk about the full picture 27:43 of your father's little child. 27:45 And then coming all the way to the end 27:47 and finding forgiveness 27:49 even though your father wasn't a part of your life 27:51 during that time. 27:52 Isn't God amazing 27:54 how He gives us those opportunities 27:55 to find that healing in those situations. 28:01 Come back and join us again for Pure Choices. 28:03 Thank you. |
Revised 2016-06-02