Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Michael Harris
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000089S
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00:01 Stay tuned to meet a man that has an amazing story
00:04 of redemption to tell. 00:05 You won't want to miss it. 00:07 My name is Yvonne Lewis and you're watching Urban Report. 00:30 Hello and welcome to Urban Report. 00:33 My guest today is Michael Harris: singer, author, 00:36 and speaker. Welcome to Urban Report, Michael. 00:40 Thank you for having me here, Yvonne. 00:41 Oh it's great to have you. Listen to that voice. 00:43 Already you can tell that this man is a singer. 00:46 I've always enjoyed this telecast though. Great job. 00:49 Well praise the Lord. God is really so faithful. 00:52 And you know that - yes, oh yes - because you know 00:56 where He's brought you from. I am blessed and highly favored. 00:59 Yes... yes... amen... amen. 01:01 Let's talk about where God brought you from. 01:04 Well, I was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, 01:07 but I was raised in Chicago. 01:10 The south side of Chicago... a place where you 01:12 probably wouldn't want to have an accident or a flattened tire. 01:16 It was a very gang and drug-infested community... 01:20 a place where I practically had to fight my way to and from 01:23 school every single day. You know, Michael, 01:26 I was watching some documentary 01:30 or some program not too long a... Oh, it was a program on 01:34 another Christian network where they were talking about 01:37 this family in Chicago and how they lost both of their sons 01:41 in the span of like three weeks 01:44 to gangs. Yes, the death rate is so high 01:48 on the south side of Chicago. Every weekend 01:53 gang violence. And I say right now: 01:56 "Stop the violence and we need to come together. 01:59 Come up with a conclusion to all this pain and hate. " 02:04 Yes. So many young black kids and Hispanic kids 02:07 who are just falling by the way- side because of their decisions 02:10 to be a part of gang activity. 02:12 And a lot of those guys are not involved in gangs. 02:15 Some of them are just going to and fro like I was 02:17 trying to do in my life. 02:18 I was constantly approached by "gangbangers" 02:21 because of my size... my height. 02:23 But thanks be to God, He was with me every step of the way. 02:26 Yes... amen. You know, the pull 02:30 is so strong on our young men. 02:34 Well, it's all about decisions so - yes - what... which... 02:36 the Bible says "Choose you this day" - that's right - 02:39 "who you will serve. " That's right. 02:40 "Me and my house I choose to serve God. " 02:42 It's all about choices. Amen; amen. 02:44 If we make the wrong choices, we can find ourselves in a very 02:47 bad predicament. I'm so glad that I decided that I didn't 02:50 want to be a part of gang activity. 02:52 So how did you avoid that? 02:54 Well, I played basketball in high school. 02:56 OK. I stayed busy by doing that. 02:58 But even there I had to come back and forth on the bus. 03:01 I had to travel several miles from school back to home. 03:07 And I was approached many many nights just walking 03:09 from the bus stop to my home. 03:11 But I decided I didn't want to be a part of gangs. 03:13 So I just flat outright didn't like what they represented, 03:17 the things that they were doing, and so I made a decision 03:20 after I was... after I graduated. 03:22 I had several scholarships, but choices again. 03:26 My grade average wasn't that great because of the choices 03:30 that I made, and I started using drugs 03:32 at a young age as well. 03:33 Now let's talk about that. How did you start? 03:35 How did you fall into that? Well I started using what I 03:38 call "gateway" drugs. OK. The cigarettes; the alcohol; 03:42 the marijuana. How old were you? 03:44 I was probably around 12 or 13 years old when I first started 03:47 using marijuana. And I'm not sure if I used it as a crutch 03:50 because of the turmoil around me. I'm not sure why. 03:53 I'm not sure if it was peer pressure, but 03:55 I know that I used drugs just to make me feel better. 03:59 And actually, I wasn't feeling better. 04:01 It's like... have you ever seen a dog chase its tail around - 04:04 yes - in circles? It was like "grasping the wind" 04:06 as Solomon says... King Solomon says. 04:09 I couldn't get any satisfaction. 04:11 But I continued to use drugs, and I must say 04:14 to our young people today: be smart 04:16 and don't ever start because drugs can and will kill you. 04:20 You see, our God has a wonder- ful plan laid out for our lives, 04:23 and if we just take that opportunity. 04:25 And I wish that would have listened earlier in my life. 04:28 Yeah. I went through so much pain and trouble 04:31 because of drugs. But God was even still with me. 04:34 Even with the choices that I was making at that time 04:37 God continued to love me - yes - anyway. 04:39 Isn't that? That is what's so great about God. 04:43 No matter what we do His love never falters. 04:47 Never fails. We walk away from Him - exactly. 04:49 He never walks away from us. 04:51 He's constantly beckoning us to come to Him. Yes! Yes. 04:54 And what you said just a few minutes ago about 04:57 God having a plan... we always talk about that 04:59 on this program. Yes. God has a plan for each person. 05:04 Every person has a specific plan for their lives that God 05:08 wants to give them... the abundant life - yes - 05:10 but choices make a difference. You know, I have several nephews 05:13 who are incarcerated today. And I am constantly writing them 05:16 letters and I send them money occasionally. 05:18 But I tell them the story about two wolves. 05:22 There's an Indian chief that was telling his grandson a story 05:25 about two wolves. One wolf represented the fruits of the 05:29 Holy Spirit... you know: peace, love. 05:31 And the other wolf represented the evil of the principalities 05:35 of this world. And they fought and they tussled. 05:38 And the grandchild finally said: "Grandpa, which... 05:40 which wolf won? " 05:42 He says: "The wolf that you feed. " 05:46 Oohh... And we must concentrate, be very careful 05:51 of what we allow in our minds. Careful where we walk, 05:55 where we go. We must constantly listen for the voice of the 05:59 Holy Spirit to lead us, to direct us. 06:01 I have a couple nephews who are incarcerated because of 06:04 drugs on the south side. They thought that they 06:06 were going to take the easy way out - 06:08 um-hmm - and make all kinds of money. 06:09 I never saw them drive a limo 06:11 or I never saw them living in a house on a hill. 06:13 They're constantly in and out of jail. 06:16 And I encourage our young people: don't turn to drugs. 06:20 Absolutely. That's part of the devil's trap. Um-hmm. 06:24 So he sets up this illusion - yes - of wealth 06:28 and everything is great. 06:32 If you're a guy... "I'd rather do this 06:35 than to work at McDonalds and make $4 an hour or whatever. " 06:38 Until they're locked up. Exactly. And then they'll: 06:41 "Why did I? Why did I go for this? " 06:43 Yes. "Why did I choose this? " 06:45 Those drug dealers who claim that they love them? 06:48 Where are they once they're incarcerated? 06:50 They don't come and make sure that they're visiting them 06:53 at the penitentiaries that they are going to. Um-hmm. 06:55 They go and they find another kid to take prey on. 06:58 So I encourage our young people: drugs is not the answer. 07:02 Selling drugs is not the answer. 07:03 Using drugs is not the answer. 07:05 The only solution is Jesus. That's right. 07:08 And unfortunately, many times you can't... 07:11 you can say that - um-hmm - but the person won't get it 07:16 until they hit rock bottom - yes - and then they realize 07:19 "Man, I have made the wrong decisions here. " 07:23 Where else can they go? It's at that point 07:26 that they realize: "Man, I need something different. " 07:29 Tell us what happened to you. Did you hit rock bottom? 07:32 Well I hit rock bottom, yes. 07:33 One day I looked in the mirror - now this was after several years 07:36 of using drugs, of course. 07:37 Now first of all, I left Chicago - 07:39 OK - by way of the United States Navy. 07:41 And when I was in the Navy all I did was play basketball. 07:43 OK, OK. What I was supposed to do in college. 07:45 No drugs. No drugs. No no no no, I was still using drugs. 07:48 Oh! I was still using these gateway drugs. 07:50 I wasn't into the heavier drugs like the cocaine. 07:52 So they don't test Navy? Well, when I was in, no they didn't. 07:56 They didn't start testing until after I got out. 07:58 OK. Back in the Vietnam times... It was mostly guys that were 08:02 high on drugs in the Vietnam era. Yeah. 08:04 But I used these drugs throughout the military. 08:08 But one day I looked in the mirror at myself 08:12 and I finally saw what I had become. 08:16 And I was tired of breaking the heart of people who I loved 08:20 the most. Yes. I was just tired of being tired 08:22 of outright being tired. 08:24 And I cried out: "Dear God, what have I done to myself? 08:27 I've tried to stop using drugs so many times in my own 08:30 finite strength, but I just can't seem to do it. 08:32 I need Your divine power to come into my life. " 08:35 At that point, you were beyond the gateway drugs. 08:38 Oh yes. By that time I graduated from the marijuana 08:42 and a couple of glasses of wine and beer 08:44 to smoking crack cocaine and snorting cocaine, 08:47 and finally I began to intravenously use cocaine. 08:50 So had you lost the weight that often goes with that? 08:53 You were just looking really gaunt and sick? 08:56 Or were you? No, no. Actually I thought that I was 08:59 in control. In fact, I felt like I was in total control. 09:03 But yet I was totally out of control. 09:05 And these are the lies that the enemy will tell you. 09:07 That's right. "You're in total control. " 09:09 I didn't start actually looking at myself 09:13 until my body started to fall apart. 09:15 And I started to hear things and I became schizophrenic 09:19 and paranoid. Anything that moved in the room 09:21 I saw it move. Even if didn't move, I thought that it moved. 09:25 Yeah. I began to become paranoid. 09:26 I thought that everyone was against me. 09:28 I started hearing voices. I was chasing around. 09:32 Like I said, that dog chasing his tail around in circles. 09:35 And finally I looked at myself and I saw for the first time 09:38 what I had become. I saw something looking back at me 09:41 from the reflection in that glass that I didn't care for. 09:43 I began to reflect on all the time that I wasted. 09:47 All the scholarships that I passed on because I was... 09:50 the drugs were leading me away from the classrooms 09:53 as opposed to into the classrooms. 09:55 So many missed opportunities and relationships that were 09:59 and broken hearts that I just got tired of being tired. 10:02 Yes, yes. So let's go back a little bit before the armed 10:07 services. Tell us where you hit your lowest point. 10:12 Where were you at that point? 10:14 You know, I had several low points in my life. 10:16 Even still today I have low points, because the enemy is 10:19 constantly... Every morning that we wake up we have to expect 10:21 an attack by the enemy. That's true. God has given me wisdom 10:25 in my old age to know that I must seek His face 10:29 in order to combat all those attacks. 10:31 But one of the down plays of my life that stands out the most 10:36 I guess - this is prior to me going into the military 10:38 of course. I was around 11 or 12 years old 10:40 and we didn't have a father in our home. 10:44 But I had a strong black woman as a mother. 10:47 She raised my 7 sisters and my brother and I. 10:50 She didn't "take no stuff" either. 10:53 When she said something you had to do it - 10:54 all right - otherwise you were in big trouble. 10:56 All right. But I didn't have a father in my life 10:59 at that time. My mother was my mother and my father. 11:03 But she made an announcement we were going to go visit 11:06 with Mr. Harris. And I always wondered why they had separated 11:09 you know. And I was born in Indianapolis as I said earlier. 11:13 So we had to travel back from Chicago to Indianapolis 11:16 to visit with him. And as we were going down the highway 11:19 in my mind I began to wonder what would we talk about. 11:22 Would he play basketball with me? 11:23 These are the questions that were roaming around in my brain. 11:26 Did you know who Mr. Harris was? 11:28 No, I had never met him. OK. At least I didn't remember him. 11:31 I didn't remember. So when she said you were going to meet 11:34 Mr. Harris did she tell you who he was to you? 11:37 No, she just says "We're going to visit dad. " 11:40 Oh, OK. So then you started wondering 11:42 what you were going to do when you visited dad. 11:45 What would we talk about? I was really excited 11:47 because I was in desperate need of a father you know. 11:49 Of course. When my mother took us from Indianapolis 11:52 and dropped us right smack dab in the middle of gangbangers 11:54 and drug dealers... But today as I look back 11:58 I realize that God loves even me amongst them. 12:02 But anyway, I always wondered why my sisters and I... 12:07 At this particular time there were only three of us 12:09 in the family. Now there's nine of us. 12:11 But we didn't look anything alike and I always wondered why. 12:15 My oldest sister, Gloria... she wrote a song for me 12:17 and it went something like this: 12:19 First there was Gloria Steen. Then there was Virginia Ann. 12:22 And then we found Michael in a garbage can. 12:25 Because I looked so different, you know? 12:29 We finally arrived in Indianapolis, and I was so 12:32 excited I ran into the house even while the car was still 12:35 slowly moving to the parking space. And I sat on the floor 12:37 waiting for him to arrive. And my two older sisters 12:40 followed me, and they sat on the sofa across the room 12:42 from me. And shortly afterwards in walked Mr. Harris. 12:44 And as he walked into the room he was so excited to see 12:47 Gloria and Virginia. In fact, he embraced both of them. 12:50 And as he was embracing them I saw that glimmer of pride 12:52 in his eyes. By now I'm so excited. 12:56 And finally he turns to me and he has this angry look 13:01 on his face. And he uttered off these words: "I remember you. " 13:05 And I was wondering why was this man speaking to me 13:08 this way. What did I ever do to him to deserve a greeting 13:11 such as this? The father that I traveled so far to meet 13:15 and the father I waited so long for is now rejecting me. 13:19 Why? We came to find out later... They said... 13:22 They said that I was an accident. 13:25 They said I was a big mistake. 13:28 But I know that God don't make mistakes. 13:31 No. Every man, woman, boy, and girl in this entire world 13:34 has an awesome purpose in Christ Jesus. 13:36 So don't ever let anyone ever tell you that 13:38 you'll never amount to nothing because my everlasting Father, 13:40 my heavenly Father, has a different opinion. 13:43 God had me in the palm of His hand - 13:48 absolutely - when I was conceived. 13:52 And He has an awesome plan, not only for my life 13:54 but for your life and everyone's lives. 13:57 And that was one of the biggest let downs in my life. 14:01 But you know, I grew older and I was about 15 or 16 14:05 playing basketball in high school, and I remember 14:06 all of my friends would bring their fathers to the basketball 14:08 games. And I wanted that so much. 14:11 But my mother was always working so she never had time. 14:14 And it's different. Yes. It's different 14:17 with your mom going to your games - um-hmm - 14:20 from your dad going with you to your game. 14:23 Yes, it means a lot. The thing that is so... 14:25 Oh, my heart just aches because I know how 14:30 much this impacts the black community. Oh, yes. 14:35 Yes. Period. Fatherlessness is a huge, huge issue. 14:40 And as I listen to you... the pain that you must have felt - 14:45 oh yes, when your dad did not acknowledge you. 14:48 He rejected me. But you know, came to find out 14:52 that Mr. Harris was not really my father. 14:55 And that's why he reacted that way. 14:58 And that's why my mother and Mr. Harris were separated. 15:01 And that's why we moved to Chicago. 15:03 But I believe that the next that I journey to meet my Father, 15:07 the next time that I journey to meet him, he's... I believe 15:10 He's going to meet me and He's going to greet me 15:12 and He's going to tell me that I'm His very own. 15:15 But my only prayer as I sit here with you today is that 15:18 when I finally see my heavenly Father face to face 15:22 I pray that He will have that glimmer of pride in His eyes. 15:26 There you go. That He will whisper in my ear 15:28 "Well done, good and faithful servant. " 15:31 Yes. You were no mistake. 15:34 No. Your life... The fact that you're here 15:38 is no mistake. Amen; amen. 15:41 God's plan for you is that you will take this message 15:45 because so many - as you know - so many of our young men 15:48 who are incarcerated or who are in gangs 15:51 or who are in the inner city caught up in crime 15:54 they don't have a dad - an earthly dad - yes - 15:57 so they don't know how to be a man. 16:00 They find out how to be a man in the streets. 16:02 In the streets! And there's a lot of mothers with broken 16:05 hearts out there because their sons are incarcerated. 16:08 You know, I always thought 16:14 that I was being cheated out of a relationship with my father. 16:16 Mmmm. But He was there... my heavenly Father was there 16:20 with me the whole time. That's right. All those times 16:23 when I was in my closet using drugs, the massive amount of 16:27 drugs I was putting in my body I should have killed myself. 16:29 I should have died... I shouldn't even be sitting here 16:31 right now. But He was there with me all the time - 16:34 that's right - because you see He saw me 16:36 right here sitting next to you today. That's right. 16:39 So when you see someone that's out there 16:40 who you think... Don't give up on... 16:42 Don't ever give up on anyone because we don't know what 16:45 God's purpose is in that person's life. 16:47 That's right. What would you tell a young man right now 16:51 that's caught up into that lifestyle? 16:54 That has no father... no earthly father... 16:57 that feels that no one really cares. 17:01 Look into that camera and tell that person 17:05 just what is on your heart. 17:09 We have a Father in heaven 17:12 that longs to be your Father on this earth. 17:16 He's hope to the hopeless; 17:19 He's power to the powerless; 17:21 and He's a Father to the fatherless. 17:24 And it's His desire that none of us will perish 17:28 and He wants us all to experience this joy 17:30 that surpasses all understanding. 17:32 You can never find that joy in drugs. 17:36 You can never find that joy out in the street. 17:39 There's nothing that compares with what Christ can be to you 17:44 if you would only allow Him in your heart today. 17:46 Even if you're sitting in a penitentiary right now 17:49 we have a God... He's a God of second chances. 17:53 I'm on my sixth or seventh chance right now. 17:56 That's how merciful... how He's shown in my life today. 18:01 So I pray that you will look to Jesus 18:03 and give Him all that you have 18:06 because He loves you with a love that will never stop. 18:09 And I can honestly say to you that I may have never met my 18:14 earthly father, but I have the greatest Father 18:17 in this entire universe: Jesus Christ. 18:20 He means everything to me. 18:22 Thank you. I mean, if our young men 18:26 could just know that they're not a mistake. 18:29 That there's a plan for them. 18:31 I was talking to a young man, Michael, one time that 18:34 was 17. And he was part of a gang. 18:38 And he told me: "I don't care if I die. " 18:40 "I don't care... " It's like there's no value 18:44 placed on life because they don't have anybody to kind of 18:47 walk them through. But Jesus will walk you through 18:51 if you just get to know Him. Amen. 18:53 And all that pain that you're suffering... 18:55 It's evident there's pain that they're experiencing. 18:58 That's why they turn away from their family, 19:00 they turn away from the church, and they turn to drugs. 19:03 But they need to turn BACK to the family, 19:05 turn back to the church. Yes. That is where they will find 19:08 that peace - that's right - and that joy that surpasses 19:10 all understanding. That's right. You know, there's no drug... 19:13 I can say right now I'm high right now, 19:16 but it's no drug I'm high on, right. 19:18 I'm on... My high is Jesus. That's right; that's right. 19:21 I always have a smile; I'm always happy. 19:23 I'm always rejoicing because I find that peace 19:26 that only He can give. Yes, yes. 19:28 So how did you find Him? You were in the midst of... 19:32 After you dealt with that rejec- tion and then you went into... 19:36 you started using crack and all that - yes, yes, yes - 19:39 you went into the military, how did you find Jesus? 19:42 Well I knew that I couldn't keep going in the direction 19:45 I was going in. My health had failed 19:48 because of the drugs that I was using. 19:51 And God kind of got my attention. 19:53 Sometimes He allows things to happen, you know. 19:55 God has nothing to do with our misery and our sorrow today. 19:58 That's all of the enemy. But sometimes God will 20:01 allow certain things to happen just to get your attention 20:04 briefly. Yes He will! Sometimes you will end up 20:07 in a penitentiary somewhere. Moses... he had to go out 20:10 into the wilderness to understand more about 20:12 what God's plan was for his life. 20:14 Sometimes the penitentiary can be your wilderness. 20:17 But I say this much: you must take advantage of that 20:19 wilderness that you're in because that wilderness can be 20:21 can turn around and make your life something very wonderful - 20:25 yes - that Christ has in store for you. 20:27 So you can actually be free even while you're in the 20:31 penitentiary. Oh yes, definitely. 20:32 You know what bothers me the most? 20:34 See, I go to different churches. 20:36 I'm in a different church every Sabbath 20:38 and a lot of Sundays as well. 20:40 And I go into schools. And I love going into the schools 20:44 but I especially love going into the prisons. 20:45 But the problem I have here is sometimes I go into a... 20:49 I go into a school and I will go into a prison 20:53 a year or two later and I will see some of the same faces 20:57 that I saw in our schools. Yes. 21:00 Incarcerated. Locked up... locked down. 21:02 And we must find a solution. 21:07 And as parents we must - even if you're a single parent - 21:11 we must strive harder to give our lives to Christ 21:15 that they may see a legacy being left behind. 21:19 Yes. And we also need for our men that are in the church 21:24 to take an interest in some of these boys - yes, yes. 21:27 And one of the things that scares you 'cause you don't want 21:30 pedophilia and all that so you get freaked out about that. 21:33 But our godly men... if they would mentor - 21:37 um-hmm - some of these boys who don't... 21:40 I was watching... As you can tell, I watch TV. 21:43 I was watching a program... Well you have to stay abreast. 21:45 I do! Well, see, that's the thing. 21:47 So I was watching, and Steve Harvey was talking about 21:49 a camp that he has for boys 21:52 and how they have to teach the boys how to tie a tie. 21:56 And tears came to my eyes because these are daddy things. 22:00 How to respect women. Yes! How to be in a relationship. 22:03 Yes, yes. How to deal with a person of the opposite sex. 22:07 Um-hmm. How do you become a man? Yes, yes. 22:10 And a woman, I'm convinced... You can have the greatest mom 22:15 in the world, but a woman can't teach a man to be a man 22:19 because she's not a man. Yes. Just like a man 22:21 can't teach a girl to be a woman. 22:24 You need the pair. 22:25 All the relationships I've ever had in my life 22:27 going back to when I was dating in high school 22:29 I've always looked at a woman as a precious jewel. 22:33 Because I have a mother. That's right. And my mother 22:36 was a precious jewel. I have seven sisters. 22:40 I saw each one of them go through their different 22:41 turmoils with their boyfriends or their husbands. 22:44 So I know that women are very valuable to us 22:49 and we must respect them with all that we have. 22:52 'Cause God has placed us in dominion over everything 22:55 so we have to be that godly man in a woman's life. 22:58 And if you have God in your life, if you are seeking first 23:01 the kingdom of God and all of His righteousness 23:03 all these other things will be added unto you. 23:05 That's right. You will be that representative for Him 23:09 in the family, in the household. Even as you're walking 23:11 throughout your community - yes - and at your work place. 23:13 Yes. That's why we must seek God with all of our heart 23:16 and all of our soul... all of our mind. 23:18 Absolutely. And if you don't know how to do that 23:20 you just get on your knees and say: "God, I want to know 23:23 You better. Show me how to know You better. " 23:25 And get a Bible and begin to read that Bible 23:29 and God will reveal Himself to you. 23:31 We're promised. And your life will be so much better. 23:35 Amen. So... back to my other question. 23:37 How did you find Jesus? 23:39 Well I... Like I said I looked in the mirror at myself 23:42 and I saw what I had become and I was just tired of being 23:45 tired. And I cried out: "Dear God, 23:47 what have I done to myself? 23:49 I need You in my life today. " Because see as a young man 23:52 growing up, you know, I was always moved from my mother's 23:55 house to one of my auntie's house because of the gang 23:58 violence in Chicago. 23:59 And I was living with my auntie who is a... 24:02 In fact, she's going to be 90 years old in June. 24:04 I'm going to go to Chicago and visit with her 24:07 and celebrate her birthday. 24:08 She's a little Pentecostal lady. 24:10 Ninety years old, and she goes to this little storefront church 24:13 on the south side of Chicago and she wears these big big hats. 24:16 And I remember smelling the corn bread and collard greens, 24:20 sweet potato pie. Oh yeah; oh yeah. 24:22 You know, cooking in the house. 24:24 But I saw that this woman had an awesome relationship 24:27 with Christ and she sang like Mahalia Jackson. 24:31 So she was a good foundation for me for my spiritual walk. 24:35 And I saw how joyful she was 24:37 as a young man growing up, and I reflected back 24:40 on all the seeds that she had planted in my life 24:42 up until that point, and I realized that I needed 24:45 Jesus in my life. I wanted what my auntie had. 24:48 Yes. What has still still today. 24:50 And that's how I made my turn-around. 24:52 I knew that there was a way out and Christ was my way. 24:55 And how old were you at this point? 24:57 Well, I gave my life to Christ as a teenager 25:01 but then by now I'm like in my 30's. 25:03 And I reflected back on what my auntie had said - 25:06 had taught me - um-hmm - about Christ. 25:08 She said: "Michael, you know if you cry out to Jesus 25:10 and you have the faith of a mustard seed 25:12 and you cry out to that mountain to move it will move. " 25:15 Uh-huh. I said: "No, that mountain's not going to move. " 25:16 She said: "Well no, it's not going to move literally 25:19 but circumstances will change for you. " 25:22 And I remembered all those Bible stories that she would 25:24 tell me. And when I was in my pit of despair 25:27 I cried out to Jesus and He heard my cry. 25:30 And He began to pull me up our of a horrible pit. 25:32 Out of the miry clay - amen - and He placed my feet on 25:35 the solid rock and He put a new song in my mouth 25:38 to sing praises to His holy name. Praise the Lord! 25:41 So many people might want to contact you 25:44 to get you to come to their church and give your testimony 25:48 and sing. How can they get in touch with you? 25:52 I think they've got some information on the screen, 25:53 I'm not sure. But you can contact me at 25:55 restorationintheson@yahoo. com 26:00 Great. And I look forward to all of the inputs or invites 26:05 or whatever. God has blessed me. You know, I went from 26:07 being locked up in my bedroom poking needles and doing drugs 26:10 to getting on an airplane every weekend. 26:13 I've gone to 50 states and 25 countries. God is good. 26:17 God is so good. And so briefly tell us: 26:20 how did you become an Adventist? 26:22 Oh, I lived just a couple blocks 26:27 from the Shiloh SDA Church on the south side of Chicago. 26:30 Oh! I had never heard of the Adventist church. 26:32 And when I went overseas there was a group of Adventist 26:36 people. You know, in Chicago the only people who knocked 26:38 on my door were Jehovah's Witnesses. 26:40 But I went overseas and I was surrounded by these 26:43 people who I thought were quite peculiar. 26:46 But they showed the love of God and I had never seen it 26:49 demonstrated that way since my auntie 26:51 and other relatives that I have. 26:53 And I realized that these people were sent from God 26:57 to me. But they started talking about worshiping on 27:00 the Sabbath... on a Saturday. And for some reason, I couldn't 27:03 figure that one out. But I began, because of their love, 27:06 I was drawn to sit down and Bible study with them. 27:08 And I began to understand God's truth. 27:11 And I began to understand how much God loved me as well. 27:14 And that just reinforced my walk with Christ. 27:16 And now today I've been worshiping on the Sabbath 27:19 for like 28 years now, so... Praise the Lord! 27:22 Doesn't it make a difference, Michael, when you know you're 27:25 valued in Christ. It makes all the difference. Oh yes! 27:29 It raises the standards in your life. 27:32 Not only in your life but other people's lives 27:35 because people will see the Christ in you. That's right. 27:38 We may be the only Bible that some people may ever read. 27:40 That's right. If we're walking with Christ, 27:42 we can witness without even talking. 27:45 That's right. Your life is a sermon. Amen; amen. 27:47 Well thank you so much for being with us. 27:49 You have blessed us. You've blessed me. 27:52 Well praise the Lord, praise the Lord. 27:53 That's the end of our program for today. 27:55 Thanks so much for tuning in. 27:57 Make sure to join us next time 'cause you know what? 27:59 It just wouldn't be the same without you. |
Revised 2023-10-07