Participants: Aaron Chancy (Host), Ray Clay
Series Code: TNJ
Program Code: TNJ000052
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00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:03 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:05 may be too candid for younger children. 00:09 Today we have with us a young man 00:12 from the gutters of life, 00:13 but was redeemed by God 00:15 through the work of a Bible worker. 00:17 Join us on today's New Journey and find out how. 00:50 Welcome back to the program. Today we have with us Ray Clay. 00:54 Ray, we thank you for being on the program. 00:56 Thank you for having me. All right. 00:58 Mr. Ray, give us a little bit about your family background 01:01 prior to making the change in your life. 01:05 Well, I was raised in Huntsville, Alabama. 01:09 Okay. 01:11 Went to school at Bob Jones High School, 01:14 and middle school Levey Day. 01:18 Had eight sisters, brothers and sisters. 01:20 Okay. 01:21 Come from a very poor family and we didn't have much. 01:24 And all we had what we needed. 01:30 That's about all. Okay. 01:32 Now growing up in Huntsville, most are familiar with, 01:35 especially Seventh-day Adventists 01:37 are familiar with Oakwood University 01:39 and familiar with the many different 01:40 Adventist churches in the Huntsville area. 01:44 But talk about the other side of Huntsville. 01:49 As a Bible worker myself in that area, 01:51 I'm very familiar 01:52 with the project areas in there, 01:54 the many low income areas there. 01:57 Talk about growing up in that kind of environment? 02:00 Oh, man. 02:02 It's trouble, trouble, trouble. I remember growing up. 02:06 It all started in Triana Alabama, 02:09 that's where officially I'm from. 02:10 Okay. 02:12 Just this country place, you know outside of Huntsville. 02:14 Okay. 02:16 There, man, it's like, 02:17 you know, get it how you live man there. 02:19 You know, it's not a game 02:20 and everybody out for their self. 02:22 Oh, yeah. 02:25 Kind of grew up with around a bunch of girls. 02:29 You know, I grew up with my brothers, 02:31 and sisters and stuff and my grandmother 02:33 and kind of what... 02:36 Like in Huntsville, we got a bunch of places 02:38 that you just don't go to, 02:41 you know, unless you're looking for trouble. 02:42 Yeah, exactly. 02:43 You're going to, you know, 02:45 you're going to take care of some trouble, you know. 02:46 Okay. 02:48 Just a bunch of places there that... 02:52 They are all the same just different 02:53 you know, different standards to them, 02:55 you know, certain colors you wear at certain places, 02:58 you know, it's just the riffraff 03:00 you know, as far as the street life. 03:02 Okay. 03:04 Now growing up in your household did... 03:06 Was your mother, your father, your siblings or is anybody 03:09 on any type of drugs or anything? 03:11 Did you see that growing up? 03:12 Oh, yeah. Okay. 03:14 Talk a little bit about that? 03:15 My grandmother, she actually was a bootlegger, 03:19 bootlegger something that, 03:20 you know, you sell liquor out of your house. 03:21 Okay. 03:23 I'm off kind of raised, you know, in that atmosphere. 03:26 So I was familiar with, 03:27 you know, the drinking and everything 03:29 and you know the cigarettes and you know stuff like that. 03:33 At what age did you yourself become involved with the drugs? 03:38 Of course you saw it growing up. 03:39 Your mother was a bootlegger. 03:41 But at what age 03:42 did you yourself start partaking in those things? 03:45 That's strange because I started drinking. 03:49 I remember drinking at the age of 10 and 11, 03:51 you know, went about to sneak it, 03:53 man, if I can get it, you know. 03:54 Okay. 03:56 Actually my grandmother when she was bootlegging, 03:58 she actually, 03:59 I don't know if she knew what she was doing 04:01 and I bathed in, 04:02 but I actually was the one 04:03 that was pulling the shots for the grown ups, 04:05 you know, yeah, man. 04:07 So it kind of started off early. Okay. 04:10 But the cigarette smoking and the drugs and all that, 04:13 it came, you know, a little bit later. 04:14 Okay. 04:15 Now what effect 04:17 as a 10, 11 year old drinking alcohol? 04:20 What effect did that have on you 04:22 at an early age drinking at 10 years old? 04:24 I mean, you are a very little child? 04:27 What effect do you think that had on you? 04:29 Oh, man, a major effect. Okay. 04:32 I believe that, 04:34 that I didn't have a fair chance at life, 04:37 you know, because of that. 04:38 I don't think that my grandmother 04:40 did that to be mean to me. 04:42 I think that she did it you know for thinking 04:45 that she was maybe helping me out 04:47 some kind of way, 04:48 but I always stayed with my grandmother. 04:49 She always kept me with her. Okay. 04:52 I believe that she really didn't know the effect 04:54 that it could cause on my life later on 04:57 but it was rough, it was rough you know, 05:00 starting something 05:01 that you didn't know nothing about. 05:03 And then by the time you did figure out, 05:05 you know, what was going on, you know, it's too late. 05:07 You're already addicted to, 05:08 it's already kind of messed up your life and things like that. 05:11 Now later on, 05:13 in the years you got involved with other drugs. 05:16 What were some of those other drugs 05:17 that you started using? 05:19 Oh, man. 05:20 The question should have been is what drug did I not do, 05:22 you know. 05:24 Oh... Okay. 05:25 I've done... I've experienced with LSD. 05:27 Okay. 05:29 I've experienced with marijuana, 05:34 ecs pills, I don't know 05:36 if you're familiar with ecs pills. 05:37 Very familiar with ecs pills. I used to use ecs pills myself. 05:39 Yeah, that for me. 05:41 And the one that it really took 05:43 the toll on me was crack cocaine. 05:45 Okay. 05:46 You know that, man, 05:48 that was to speed on my control, you know. 05:50 Okay, talk about the negative effects 05:53 of each of these drugs that you were involved in? 05:55 You especially said that the crack cocaine 05:57 took a very heavy toll on your life. 06:00 So speak about these drugs 06:01 and how they kind of affected, affected you negatively. 06:03 Okay. 06:04 With the LSD, it was like a, yes, they get, 06:07 you know, they say don't do that. 06:09 Now they say, whatever mood 06:10 that you're in when you do that. 06:12 You know, that's how you're going to be 06:13 when you're on it. 06:15 But I mean, myself personally, I had a bad experience on it. 06:19 I only done that once. 06:21 Never wanted to do that again. Yeah. 06:23 But far as on the marijuana, oh man, I just love that, 06:27 you know, just takes me away from me, man, 06:30 and the drugs far as in the marijuana, 06:35 I didn't even think that was a drug. 06:37 Yeah, and most don't, 06:38 most tend to not think that it is a drug 06:40 but it actually is. 06:42 Yeah, and these are very bad one, 06:44 you know, especially when you can't stop it. 06:46 Yeah, true. 06:47 But the marijuana was my main choice, you know. 06:51 Okay. 06:52 But the crack cocaine, oh man, that's, 06:56 it's a whole another level, man, you know. 06:59 The marijuana and the LSD and the other stuff 07:02 that I have done, you know, normally, 07:04 when I go purchase that 07:05 or when I receive it from someone, 07:07 you know, I could stop it when I want to. 07:10 You know, crack cocaine and it, 07:12 yeah, it just take you, takes you broke, man, you know. 07:15 Okay. Takes you broke, man. 07:17 Now, I want you to talk about the reality of the streets 07:19 because so many young people they see movies, 07:22 they listen to the hip-hop music 07:24 and sometimes it's almost glorified. 07:27 But I want you to do a real life experience, 07:30 talk about the violence, the drugs, 07:34 the various things that go on day-to-day in the "hood". 07:39 Oh, man. 07:41 It's kind of sad, 07:42 you know because back in the days, 07:46 even when I was in my mess. 07:47 Okay. 07:49 Even the music back 07:50 then was different than it is today. 07:51 Yeah. 07:53 You know back then, you know, it was all about, 07:54 you know, just get paid, 07:56 you know and just get your money I guess. 07:58 Nowadays, man, it's all about, you know, disrespect, you know. 08:02 Yeah, definitely. 08:03 Have this, you know, have that. 08:05 This woman calling woman outside of her names 08:07 and, you know, 08:09 it's all about getting money in the wrong way. 08:10 Yeah, exactly. 08:12 Other than just, you know, entertainment and music. 08:14 You know, now, they want you to sell drugs 08:17 and you have to shot somebody, 08:19 you have to be dressed to be cool. 08:21 I think that set a very, very, very negative impact 08:24 on a bunch of young people. 08:27 You know, you said something about music. 08:28 I remember when I used to be out there in the streets 08:31 and listen to secular hip-hop music 08:33 and I remember a song by a rapper Young Jeezy 08:36 and this particular song, 08:39 it was called hypnotize 08:40 and this particular song would almost, 08:43 I mean, it would drive you to wanna get high. 08:46 The lyrics, the beat, everything about it just, 08:50 it like spoke to your inner being and saying, 08:53 I need to get high, you know, especially for those, 08:55 you know, of us that were involved in drugs 08:58 like that and things like that. 09:00 But the harsh reality of the streets 09:01 is that people get killed out there. 09:04 You know some people get so addicted to drugs that 09:07 they can't get off of the drugs 09:08 or you know, by the time they do get off, 09:10 their life is completely messed up. 09:13 So there is a harsh reality to the streets beyond the glitz 09:16 and the glamour that, 09:18 you know, people see on TV, 09:20 in the music videos, things like that. 09:23 Now you were eventually incarcerated 09:26 in juvenile detention centers. 09:28 Talk about your experience in those detention centers 09:30 and how many times you have been back and forth? 09:32 Well, the music that you just talked about. 09:36 It kind of led me, you know, 09:38 let me down that road, you know. 09:40 I guess it kind of opened up a door 09:42 for that type of lifestyle anyway. 09:43 Okay. 09:45 But how I ended up there in the detention center, 09:49 it's called Robert Neaves Center 09:50 back in Huntsville, Alabama. 09:52 Okay. 09:53 I remember going there for the first time 09:54 and I remember crying my eyes out, man, 09:57 and it's like I was just alone, 09:59 you know, no one was there for me man, 10:01 you know, it was just one little room in a... 10:04 I remember praying for the first time, man, 10:07 though I don't know if it was a prayer at night, 10:09 you know, but I guess that's what I was doing, 10:10 you know. 10:11 Okay. Man, get me out of this place. 10:13 You know, what I'm saying, man, I'd never do this again. 10:15 And that's so many of our prayer 10:16 when we get in a situation like that. 10:18 Lord, get me out of this. I won't do it again. 10:20 And as soon as you get out of it, 10:22 you're right back and it's the same exact thing. 10:24 Right back, man. Right back. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. 10:26 But I feel that, when I had got there, 10:30 you know, everywhere you go, there is good people 10:32 and there is bad people, you know. 10:34 When I got there, I was looking for the bad people. 10:38 You know, I didn't want to be around the lames 10:39 and the, you know. 10:41 Understood. 10:43 Yeah, I don't want to be around people like that, man. 10:44 You got to be involved in something. 10:46 You had to be in something, you know. 10:48 That's what makes you, you know, you're cool, 10:50 you know, that's the one of those, you know. 10:52 Oh, yeah. World's version of being cool. 10:54 Yeah, exactly. 10:56 I've always been a leader, you know towards things. 10:59 I've never been a type to be drove toward stuff 11:01 because of the people that are doing it. 11:03 You know, whether it's good or bad, 11:04 you know, but I guess the main thing for me 11:07 is I just wanted to be accepted 11:09 at an real early age for the wrong people. 11:13 So that led me to juvenile, you know, detention. 11:15 Okay. 11:17 Even that, man, I realize 11:18 that God was using certain people to still, 11:21 you know to be, you know, 11:22 to touch in my life in a way, man, to let me, 11:24 you know, see that, this is not it, man you know. 11:25 Okay. 11:27 I had correction officers, man, 11:28 they used to come to me, you know. 11:30 They used to watch me and tell me man, 11:31 you know, watching man, you know. 11:33 Why did you get into this place? 11:35 You know, why did you get into this situation? 11:36 There you go. Okay. 11:38 But I just tell them what happened, man, 11:40 and mainly just, 11:42 you know, being around the wrong people, man, 11:44 made a major impact, you know. 11:46 Oh, yeah, definitely. 11:47 You know, who you hang around with, 11:49 who you hang around with 11:51 definitely has a major impact of, 11:53 you know, what type of lifestyle 11:55 we may follow 11:56 or what type of lifestyle we may live. 11:59 Now after juvenile detention centers the various times, 12:04 you eventually caught an adult charge 12:06 and was sent to prison. 12:07 Talk about that whole experience? 12:10 Well, it started from the detention thing. 12:13 I went there, I didn't learn anything, 12:14 you know, I went there, 12:16 you know, made a thing by being colored though, 12:18 you know, to fake it to make it. 12:20 I want to make this, 12:21 fake it to make it, just to get through. 12:23 Yeah, you know, this will be okay, 12:25 you know later on, 12:26 you know, I could do this for this amount of time, 12:27 you know, play the game, you know. 12:29 Yeah, just roll with the punches 12:30 or whatever get out, 12:31 you know, and do what you got to do. 12:33 Yeah. Oh, yeah. 12:34 But it didn't work for me in the walk. 12:37 That's right it, man. 12:39 I thought that I had everything I needed you know. 12:41 I finally got released from that juvenile thing. 12:44 When I went home, 12:46 you know, everything went good for a day or two, 12:48 you know, it always turns out like that, 12:49 you know, day or two. 12:51 Oh, yeah. 12:52 This thing, you know, man, 12:54 I found myself right back in the same position again. 12:56 And I'm like, man, whoa, 12:57 you know, what will I do, you know. 12:59 And they wouldn't, what I was doing, 13:01 it was, who I was around, 13:03 you know, the type of atmosphere 13:05 that I was trying to be accepted in, 13:08 you know, and I quit getting in trouble 13:11 but I wouldn't let these people go, you know. 13:13 You know, what I'm saying, you know. 13:15 So that kind of took me for internment 13:18 and I did some things that, that held on to me, man, 13:22 for a long time, you know. 13:24 Even to drove to that case 13:27 that I had, you know, before I was going to prison. 13:30 But the juvenile thing, 13:32 when I went there, I think that, 13:34 that's where I first heard God force, 13:37 you know, God trying to get my attention, man. 13:39 I think that was like a wake up call for me. 13:41 Okay. Okay. 13:42 You know, but that's to get likely, 13:44 you know, like slap on the wrist 13:45 because you know, it went deep. 13:46 Yeah. As I thought it was. 13:48 But as I recall it wouldn't get. 13:50 You know but as I went to prison, 13:53 I caught a bunch of charges, 13:55 had over 20 something charges, man. 13:56 Wow. 13:57 Yeah, man, I got over 20 something charges 13:59 just different stuff, drugs, assault cases. 14:03 Okay. 14:04 I had one man that was real crazy, 14:07 shooting around occupied toilets. 14:09 Wow. 14:10 Yeah, man, I joined the game, man, 14:12 right before I went to prison 14:13 I had joined the gang just for Crips, 14:16 You know, you had to wear your colors 14:18 and prove your loyalty and all these stuff. 14:21 Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. 14:22 My loyalty of proven was to go shoot at all 14:25 the school windows out. 14:26 Shoot at the bus windows out, 14:29 you know, the buses and everything, you know. 14:31 Okay. Man, I was a fool. 14:33 Man, I went and I did it. Yeah. 14:34 You know, did all of that, man. 14:36 That at right there were held on to me. 14:38 Okay, okay. 14:40 So the main thing that I was, I went to court... 14:43 I'm about that and they kept talking about everything goes, 14:46 you know, they would gonna 14:47 let this go and gonna let that go. 14:49 But that one particular thing 14:50 they weren't willing to do, you know. 14:52 Yeah, okay, okay. 14:53 So the judge offered me though five years in prison. 14:59 And I didn't take it. 15:00 You know, I struck it up and I told them 15:02 that I felt like that's too much for me, man, 15:03 you know, I've never been, you know. 15:05 It's too much. 15:06 I've been to prison before, yeah, yeah, yeah. 15:08 Don't care nobody, man. 15:12 So I went ahead and I struck it up, 15:16 you know, I went to court and everything, 15:18 so the guy come back and again he tells me, 15:21 we got you something that look better than that. 15:23 And in ten years, 15:24 you'll be able to live better, you know. 15:26 So mainly they told me, 15:28 they are giving me ten years of good time, 15:31 you know, ten years of good time, 15:33 you know, you get ten years sentence, 15:34 you go there, you do three years, 15:36 four months and 27 days. 15:37 Okay, so you remembered exactly to the day. 15:39 Man. 15:41 It kills, you know, this whole thing, 15:43 you know and um... 15:44 I went in, you know like okay, I can do three. 15:47 Oh yeah, oh yeah. 15:48 You know, I'm going in and meet 15:50 some of these old partners of mine 15:51 is in there already, you know. 15:52 Yeah, okay. 15:54 But things didn't turn out like I wanted them to, 15:55 you know, I ended up doing more than three years, 15:57 four months and 27 days, 15:59 you know, end up doing half of that sentence, man. 16:01 Half of the ten years sentence. 16:02 Yeah. Okay. 16:04 And I didn't even have to. Okay. 16:07 As I was there, 16:09 you know, like I told you God had people 16:11 in different places, man, who touched me, you know. 16:14 Had a bunch of guys that was there 16:17 and I'm just familiar, man, this is crazy 16:18 because I had guy that was there 16:20 that was getting into the same trouble with me, 16:22 you know like, man, yeah am I supposed to be here, 16:23 you know. 16:24 I didn't know that's where bad people go, man, 16:26 you know, all bad people 16:28 go into this one place man, you know. 16:30 You know, as I got there, 16:33 I then started thinking about my life a little bit. 16:35 Okay. 16:36 And you know, I stayed there first year, two 16:39 and I started losing people, man, 16:41 that was real close to me, man, and I'm like, 16:42 "Man, oh, this is not no fun," you know. 16:44 Yeah, yeah. Exactly, exactly. 16:45 This isn't cool, you know, man, 16:46 years are passing 16:48 and I'm here stuck in this one spot. 16:49 Yeah. 16:50 You know I called home 16:52 and they are having a good time, 16:53 you know people, man, 16:55 they just live in, man, you know. 16:56 Yeah, you're just in this cage. I'm like man, what, you know. 16:57 But I don't deserve this, you know. 17:00 So then I started paying attention 17:02 to my life there and... 17:04 I remember man like yesterday, man. 17:06 I had a guy, man, 17:07 I was used to be real cool with. 17:08 His name was Jay Rock. Okay. 17:10 Young guy, man. He was quite an example for me. 17:13 You know, he, 17:14 he was into the word of God, you know. 17:15 Okay. 17:17 I mean, I would go, went there, 17:18 you know read a couple of verses and stuff, 17:20 whatever there's a key to tab, you know. 17:22 But this one particular guy, man, 17:23 he's got really true with it. 17:25 Okay. And this is while you were in prison? 17:27 Yes, sir. Okay, okay. 17:28 He was younger than me, you know. 17:30 This guy was on fire, man, 17:31 and I saw how other people had accepted him, 17:34 you know the guards, they don't mess with this guy, 17:37 you know, he's always serious. 17:38 You know he's just Jay Rock, 17:41 you know, he's always just uplifting God, man, 17:42 you know, he talks to people, 17:44 people come to him with problems 17:45 that they had, 17:46 you know, I want that kind of life. 17:50 I don't want to be bad kind of people, 17:51 people running from you when they see you, 17:53 so I want to be accepted, you know. 17:55 Okay. 17:56 So, just so happened man, who's in church. 17:59 And he walked up to me and he told me, man, 18:01 you know, God told me, 18:03 you know that I should take some time up with you, 18:05 that you need it. 18:07 Okay. I'm like, what, God. 18:08 You know, I mean, he's like, yeah, man, 18:10 it's like I want to know little bit more about you, 18:11 you know, just like you had an encounter with God. 18:14 I said, that's what I remember telling him, yeah. 18:16 Only one encounter when I was young. 18:18 Back in the days, we had a car, 18:20 old car that used to sit in my grandmother's yard. 18:23 And that was my brother's old car 18:25 and I used to sit up on blocks, 18:26 you just sit up in a car 18:28 driving like we were driving, you know. 18:30 Been there, I understand it. 18:32 You know, maybe sitting there and get high, you know. 18:35 And I started telling him about my life and everything. 18:37 I think they asked me, I was like, well, yeah, 18:38 have you ever had an encounter with God. 18:40 Okay. I said, well, yeah, maybe once. 18:43 When a preacher came and we were sitting in a car 18:45 preaching while there is many, 18:46 you know trying to spread the word 18:48 and then, you know, I got it all from the God. 18:49 I told him, you know, preacher, we don't want this God, 18:52 you know, we want this life. 18:53 And as a matter of fact, 18:54 if you don't want to preach again, 18:56 you know, you better get out of here, 18:57 you know, yeah, man so, preaching, 19:02 you know, he never gave me no bad look, man, nothing. 19:04 Okay. You know. 19:05 And matter of fact, 19:07 I'll tell you about this preacher later on 19:08 about this other encounter 19:09 that I had with him, the same guy. 19:11 Okay. You know, in the prison. 19:12 Okay. 19:13 Now you said that with good times, 19:16 you would have been able to do to three years, 19:18 four months and such and such days, 19:20 to 27 days. 19:21 Now, you ended up doing 19:23 five years of that ten year sentence. 19:24 Yeah. 19:26 Why did you end up doing more of the sentence thing 19:28 you could have done? 19:32 Oh, man, when I got incarcerated, 19:35 I got in there, 19:37 I found myself right back into the same position 19:41 again as I did on the streets, you know. 19:43 Me not knowing, 19:44 you know, the type of place that I was at. 19:46 You know, me not realizing that, 19:48 you know, these people got, 19:49 these people are on the streets for a purpose, you know. 19:52 Everybody that goes there 19:54 not want to have a better life, you know. 19:56 Everybody still want to live the same 19:58 and get out and do the same and, you know. 20:00 So I found myself with a bunch with that was planning, 20:04 you know, all bad stuff when they get out, 20:06 you know, planning on selling these drugs 20:08 when we get out, planning on coming up 20:10 and getting this time, you know. 20:13 I know it. 20:15 We plan on getting all this time 20:16 back and everything, you know. 20:18 It's making up the time, 20:19 you know, as it was, making up the time. 20:21 Oh, yeah, you got to make up for that lost time. 20:22 The same thing I did when I got out. 20:24 I got to make up for this time. 20:25 Yeah, you know, where I go, you know. 20:27 So I kind of got with that, 20:29 with that crowd and I told you about the guy Jeremy, 20:33 Jay Rock the guy that was. 20:34 He never let me go, man, even when he saw me 20:36 with these certain particular guys, man, 20:38 he always keep going. 20:39 And I'm like God did this on purpose, you know. 20:41 It's amazing how God will put people 20:43 in your path throughout your life 20:45 to try to get your attention, 20:47 and at the moment we may not realize it 20:49 until we look back and we say, 20:51 wow, that was actually God trying to get my attention. 20:52 That's right. 20:54 Back then, back then, 20:55 I didn't even know him, you know. 20:57 Oh, yeah, yeah. 20:58 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 20:59 Now eventually you got out and eventually you came 21:03 into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 21:06 What was your religious background 21:07 prior to coming 21:08 into Seventh-day Adventist Church? 21:10 Oh, man I was a Baptist. I was grown up as a Baptist. 21:12 That's my whole home, you know. 21:13 My grandmother, my aunt, everybody's just Baptist. 21:15 Okay. 21:17 Now how did you, how did you come 21:19 into the Seventh-day Adventist Church? 21:20 What, who knocked on your door or what transpired? 21:23 What was going on? 21:25 Well, a few times... 21:27 I've actually had a few of them coming to my door, 21:29 you know, they weren't so good, 21:31 you know, what it is. 21:33 You know, that was in my mess, 21:35 or trying to do something that wasn't right, 21:38 you know, and these people knock on my door 21:40 and I answered the door 21:41 and there were a couple of my aunt told me, 21:44 sure, I'd be there man, you know, I'll be there. 21:47 To tell them something to get them away from the door. 21:48 Hey, hey, bro, I got to go and get my keys, 21:51 you know, but I never showed up. 21:53 Okay. 21:54 It was this one particular guy, man. 21:57 His name is Timothy Lee. Timothy Lee. 21:58 Man, oh, my God. 22:01 Oh, you do. I know him well. 22:03 Oh, there was something different about him, man. 22:06 You know, you always, 22:07 you know like I always see in his face that he cared. 22:09 You know, I always see it in him 22:11 and I see it in you, you know. 22:13 You can always see him, man, that he cared, you know. 22:16 And there was something different about him. 22:18 And right at that time, I was going through a crisis. 22:21 And I was ready to leave streets 22:23 along there, man, you know, fully. 22:25 I was ready to give it up, man, and just like, 22:27 you know, I'm going with this guy thinking, 22:29 man, it's got to be better than this lifestyle, 22:31 you know, it's got to be, you know. 22:33 So he came and everything 22:36 and I told him like I told everybody else, 22:38 yeah, I'd be there, you know, yeah, I'll show. 22:40 You got a boy, you know, show him the dress, you know. 22:43 I'll be there. 22:44 But after that time, 22:46 the next week brother come back again. 22:49 Yeah, yeah. 22:50 What's with you man, you know. He showed up again. 22:53 Yeah, you know, I'm scared to be around here, man, 22:55 you showed up, you know. 22:57 I know where you are at, man, you know. 23:00 And the brother, you know, he just told real, man, 23:02 you know, he talked to me and I find out where I'll sit, 23:05 you know, and he told me that I had a place man 23:07 that would accept me, man. 23:08 Yeah. 23:09 And he told me that 23:12 the size of church, look at brother, 23:14 you know, you could call me even if you had problems. 23:17 You know, it don't have to be 23:18 just about church or whatever, man, 23:19 and more about your well-being, you know. 23:21 So I took his number down, man, and I'm thinking, 23:24 you know, I make or make not, you know. 23:27 God had sided up, man, 23:28 he had different plans for me, man. 23:30 He sided up to where, 23:31 you know, I actually had to had it proper, man. 23:33 You know, so I gave him a try, I called him, you know. 23:36 I gave him a try. 23:38 You know, I called him, brother, 23:39 and I told him that I had a crisis 23:40 that was going on at the time. 23:42 My brother was like, 23:43 you know, on the phone he was like um... 23:45 I read it, what were you at? 23:46 You know, all into it, 23:48 you know, that's while I was there. 23:49 Oh, yeah. My brother was there. 23:51 You know, it never happened, you know. 23:53 Even when I'm shooting he falls in 23:55 and all these in the streets, man, you know. 23:56 These people will not definitely 23:58 like this particular person was and, you know. 24:00 And you don't even know him. You never met him before. 24:01 I didn't know this guy, man. Didn't even know this guy, man. 24:03 Didn't even know why he was doing 24:05 what he was doing, you know. 24:06 Why do you care about me, man, you know. 24:09 Go out to somebody else, 24:10 somebody who wants to change, you know. 24:12 But the brother never left me alone, man, 24:15 and I told you, 24:17 I've always been a leader instead of a follower. 24:18 Yeah, exactly. 24:19 But I've seen that the brother cared, man. 24:22 So, I'm like, man, you know, this is different, here, 24:24 you know, there's something different about this brother. 24:25 You know, I'm gonna go ahead and try this thing up. 24:27 Okay. 24:28 And at the time, I had a girl, 24:30 I mean it was Andrea, you know, 24:31 man, I was together and everything. 24:33 She was going through some things 24:34 that she was dealing with. 24:36 She was caught up into, oh, man, witchcraft. 24:39 You know, yeah, man, 24:40 and she was, 24:42 do her literal things or whatever, 24:45 you know, what I set up in the room. 24:47 And the church that I was going to at the time... 24:50 we needed some help 24:51 with the crisis that I had, man, 24:53 and it's like, they went and found me, man. 24:56 I don't know, man. 24:57 So I told her, 24:58 we'll start checking out something else here. 25:00 Yeah, okay. 25:01 So we actually came to Oakwood University. 25:04 Man, that's the church that the brother belonged to. 25:05 Praise the Lord. 25:07 Oakwood University in Huntsville, man, you know. 25:09 The pastor was Dr. Byrd, 25:11 you know, man, I went to that church, man, 25:13 one time and never could stop going, you know. 25:18 It's like the brother real, man, 25:20 it's like the brother to speak directly to me, 25:21 you know, and he breaks it down to a place 25:24 where you like it, I can understand, 25:25 you know, that I can relate to the brother, you know. 25:29 And he's more like a teacher than a pastor, you know. 25:33 He's like a teacher. Yeah. 25:34 Oh yeah, I know. Oh, yeah. 25:37 But the brother Timothy Lee, man, you know, 25:41 he just went out of his way for me, man, 25:42 a few times, a few times. 25:44 You know, what's interesting, 25:47 Timothy, Timothy Lee myself were Bible workers 25:50 and it's not just 25:52 because you mentioned something important about, 25:55 how he would go out of his way for you 25:56 and things like that, and as a Bible worker, 25:59 we have to do more than just Bible studies. 26:00 Yeah. 26:02 You know, we're actually in people's lives. 26:04 Getting to know them, picking them up, 26:05 bringing them to prayer meeting, 26:07 bringing them to church. 26:08 Yeah. 26:09 So that was a real blessing to you 26:11 to be able to have somebody in your life like that 26:13 that never had met before. 26:16 Talk real briefly about the experience of accepting 26:18 Jesus into your life, the joy that you received? 26:21 Joy, oh, man, it's better than any high. 26:24 Even the crack, you know that. Oh yeah, oh yeah. 26:27 It's better than any high, man, that I've ever had, man, 26:29 and it gives you a joy, man, that the streets can't, 26:33 weren't able to give me, you know. 26:36 It's just, you know, it's something 26:39 that you just can't explain. 26:40 I just encourage people man, if you never tried it, man, 26:43 you know, just try it out. 26:44 Yeah, give Jesus a try. 26:45 You know, man, I'm telling you, man, He's closer than anybody 26:49 or anything else ever been to me, man. 26:51 Oh, yeah, oh yeah. 26:52 I just can't explain this love, man. 26:53 Yes, yes indeed. 26:55 What have you seen real briefly that has helped you 26:59 navigate away from the streets and stay in the church? 27:03 Like far as, like far as just being out. 27:05 Yeah, being in the church now 27:07 and staying away from various things 27:09 in the streets that you used to get involved in, 27:11 real briefly? 27:12 Oh, man, just family, man, 27:13 I see how the love that they have. 27:15 I see that people really do care, man, 27:17 and that, you know, 27:19 I'm not alone in this world, man. 27:21 You know, people that are willing 27:23 to make sacrifices for me, 27:25 you know and that means a lot to me 27:27 because I never grew up, I never had it. 27:29 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 27:31 Well, Mr. Clay, we would like to thank you 27:32 for being on the program. 27:34 We've run out of time. 27:35 Very amazing testimony. 27:38 I want you to keep staying in that word, 27:40 stay in that word, 27:42 stay strong and continue to go forward in Jesus' name. 27:45 God has a special blessing for you. 27:47 Amen. 27:48 Viewers, we'd like to thank you for tuning in once again 27:51 for The New Journey. 27:53 Be sure to tune in next time 27:54 for an exciting broadcast of The New Journey. 27:57 Be blessed until then. |
Revised 2017-07-06