SpeakLifeAZ
The testimony of Jesus in, with, and through everyday people like us. A father and son who were addicts for over 20 yrs. You name it, WE DID IT, TOGETHER!!!! we used to use drugs together now we share about what God Has done for us to encourage the body of Christ and anyone else who may listen to this that is feeling hopeless and empty. LISTEN TO OUR STORY...and the testimony of others who feel led to share with you.... GOD BLESS YOU....TODAY WE CHOOSE TO SPEAK LIFE AZ!!!!!!!!!!
SpeakLifeAZ
Andy S. Testimony
What role does faith play when you’re navigating life’s most challenging moments? This episode of the SpeakLifeAZ Podcast brings you an inspiring narrative of transformation and hope as we sit down with our special guest, Andy S. aka Andy "Jagger". Listen to Andy’s heartfelt testimony as he shares his spiritual journey and how a supportive community became a beacon of strength during his trials. Together with hosts Eddie and Rowdy, Andy reveals the pivotal role faith and community played in overcoming challenges, leaving listeners with inspiring tales of resilience and unity.
Our discussion takes a reflective turn as we explore the complexities of family turmoil and the enduring impact of these experiences during childhood and adolescence. From navigating the chaos of family dynamics to the healing power of reconciliation, we share intimate stories that highlight the unwavering support of loved ones. Discover how a life marked by learning disabilities and bullying was transformed through the strength found in sports, spiritual encounters, and the powerful bonds of family and faith.
As we journey through stories of personal growth and spiritual discovery, we celebrate the vibrant cultural connections that enrich our lives. From the bustling streets of Chicago to the warmth of Arizona's communities, the stories of love, forgiveness, and new beginnings shine. We honor the strength found in faith during trying times, the joy of embracing change, and the unbreakable bonds of community. Join us for an episode that promises to inspire, uplift, and remind us of the profound impact of trusting in God through life’s trials.
all right, everybody. Welcome back to the speak live faze podcast testimony of jesus and everyday people. I'm your host, eddie, and always with me is my son, ratty. Jesus, what up buddy?
Speaker 2:yeah, man, how you doing, man. It's a blessed day, bro, it is any day above ground is a good day. Come on walking with jesus. How was your day, buddy? How was the shop you busy?
Speaker 1:it was all right, it was, it was a day bro what'd you eat we?
Speaker 2:were busy, I was just tired, that's great, we did a lot this week, man, amen bro.
Speaker 1:That concert last night was awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was cool. That was cool seeing those guys man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really was, bro. What about you, man?
Speaker 2:That was a good day. I spent the morning with Mama man Took the dog out for a walk. Nice dude.
Speaker 1:Came in and man and tied it up some stuff around here and just really uh excited about this man. Hey, man, this one's been uh kind of a battle to get to.
Speaker 2:But yeah, we made it. His wife was. It was a fight, but it's all right, dude. We got here, bro and god's time and all that.
Speaker 1:You know, yeah, you know how it is, bro.
Speaker 2:People get busy in life and things change and he's got a bunch of girl. He got his hands full, man.
Speaker 1:I'm excited, bro. Yeah, Tell the people you brought man.
Speaker 2:Man, I don't know if I brought this guy or if it was you, but we got Mick Jagger. What's up, oh Mick. Studer Mick. Studer Andy Jagger.
Speaker 4:How you doing, brother, I'm doing great man. How are you guys doing?
Speaker 1:We're well man God. Thank you, brother.
Speaker 4:Thank you guys for having me man, I'm just so honored.
Speaker 1:We absolutely love you, andy, you're an amazing, amazing person, awesome dude, loving father, loving husband, man, and we just God made it very clear to us to honor our guest, because we're not just sitting down with anybody, we're sitting down with a son or a daughter of the king and um, anytime we get the chance to sit in front of royalty. It's a privilege, brother, so we thank you. Thank you, man, yeah that's really good yeah I love you, andy.
Speaker 2:Um for me, bro. Uh, I think I kind of really started to get to know you for the first time. Man was that life group, Pastor James and Pastor Lacey's life group?
Speaker 7:man yes.
Speaker 2:Spring of 21. And just the way, bro, you always came with a smiling face and just an encouraging word and a hug and just a lot of love, bro, a lot of love man. Whenever I think of Andy, I just think of a man that's just full of God's love, bro, willing to show that. And it was in the time, a season in my life, bro, where I was just coming out of a relapse and addiction and rehab and trying to really just find my place, man, just personally, bro, for me, you really helped me. I look forward to those Monday nights hanging out with you guys, man, um, a lot came out of that life group.
Speaker 2:A lot came out of that life group, bro a lot, um, your, your, your wife has has come on, speak life, az, and shared um. You guys need to go check out that testimony. It's not not on YouTube, it's on Apple and Spotify. It's Yesenia Y E S E N I A S? Um, and you can, uh, check that out so you can hear her her side of the story. We're getting ready to get his, but, um, no man, it just I'm thankful that whenever we get to people that we're quote unquote doing life with, I mean, I see you every Sunday, bro, I see you all the time, man. So it's cool that, through the relationships we have, and for your yes, to come on and just share, because I know a little bit about you, bro, but I don't know a lot. You know this kind of format and this opportunity is different. It really lets people sit down and just kind of share themselves, man and where they came from. Let me just pray real quick, bro, and then we'll kind of get into this, all right, yeah let's do it.
Speaker 2:Jesus, man, holy Spirit, thank you, god, hoo-wee, wow. Thank you, god, man, lord, I thank you for what you're getting ready to do in this testimony. Dang Andy, it was crazy. As soon as I started to pray, I saw the enemy and it was like he put this thing over your mouth and you couldn't talk. And God literally ripped it and he's giving you a voice to speak his word. So, holy Spirit, I thank you for every word that's getting ready to get spoke. I pray for an anointing on his head. God, uh, let the words flow from heaven, from what you can do, um, because God, he's here, by your grace, um. So I just pray that whoever's listening or whoever's watching God, um, that they can find, uh, similarities and things that they can relate to, because, god, if you can do this for Andy, you can do this for anyone. So I just pray that you use this testimony for your glory. God, in Jesus' name Amen.
Speaker 7:Amen.
Speaker 2:So you know, man, your wife came on, bro, you kind of know what we do. We just want to know who Andy is, man. We want to know where Andy was born, how, how you grew up, what the home was like. Mom and dad, brothers and sisters, yeah, um, school. Get into your academics, man. Get into to sports, um, how was your childhood? Uh, me, man, as soon as I dang, dude, kids are mean, bro, kids are really mean. As soon as I said that I just but me and dad. You know, in recovery I heard all the nicknames. I was like dang, they all flashed through my head come on fat check.
Speaker 2:It's like shut up, um, but we just want to know who you are, man and and how you grew up, bro. But me and dad working in recovery, we know that a lot of the stuff, that kind of messes with us in life, those traumas, those childhood, hurts man. It happens when we're young. So let the Holy Spirit totally lead you in all that stuff. But I think the coolest thing we want to get today, andy, is when Jesus encountered you, because when Jesus encounters somebody, man, things change. But the coolest thing is, every one of those encounters is so personal. It's so personal to you, bro. The way that God met me was in Teen Challenge in Phoenix at a blue altar, bro, I can still see right where I was when he said I love you, son, I forgive you, I've got more for you. Uh, dad, jesus met dad in a prison cell, on a prison yard, um. So god meets us all right where he knows, at the very moment when we need it.
Speaker 1:It's so unique. It's so unique, bro me for him.
Speaker 2:It's your personal encounter with the living god, man, um. So we want to. We want to get that in the deep, and those look different for everybody. Some people it's like over a progression of time, other people's it's a. Mine was august 26, 2014. That was the day my whole life changed, man um. But we want to get your encounter. And and then Dad found a verse yesterday and it talked about transformation. It talked about life change, about being a new creation.
Speaker 2:New creation, anytime you meet the living God, anytime you meet Jesus. The other side of that is life change. The other side of that is transformation. It's new choices, it's different habits. It's really because God gives us a new heart. The old things don't entertain, they don't please us like they used to.
Speaker 2:So we want to know how God kind of changed your life after your encounter with him. And then, at the very end, bro, we want to get what you're hoping for. You're still a young man. You've got a lot of life. You've got more life left on this earth than you've even lived, bro. So God's got some plans for you, man. He's got some purpose ahead for you. We want to know because we want to know, like, what you're hoping for for, maybe yourself, maybe career opportunities, or something that God's put in your heart, ministry, ministry what you feel the Lord kind of leading you to step into in the future, when you have more time and the, the family's, not girls you know what I mean yeah, um, but you're able to kind of, really, what do you have for me, god?
Speaker 2:what's in that heart, man? Because we want to pray for you, yeah, and then our listeners are faithful and they actually come and they pray for you as well, man amen, yeah, it's gonna be good Wow.
Speaker 1:So what was it like growing up, andy brother?
Speaker 4:Man so Jesus.
Speaker 1:Is Andy your real name or are you Andrew?
Speaker 4:So Andrew is my government name, come on.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so Andrew. Andrew Anthony Studer is me. That's who I am, and it's funny because my dad is Andrew. Anthony. And so the fun little fact is my dad's. You know, everybody knows him as Chip, right? Yeah, his real name is Anthony as well, but he's the opposite of me, so he's.
Speaker 2:Anthony Andrews.
Speaker 4:Yeah, he says when I had Andy, I want a name the opposite of me.
Speaker 1:You're pretending to make your middle name like Steven or something.
Speaker 4:That's what I was saying man, I tell people that. That little joke that would have been so bad man that would have been horrible.
Speaker 2:Oh my god, you guys All the comments dude.
Speaker 1:That would have been horrible. Dude Shoot high school junior high.
Speaker 7:All that man, they'd be having fun with that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I'm thankful for being Anthony in the middle there.
Speaker 2:Amen bro. Oh, this is great.
Speaker 4:When were you born, bro? So I was born in December of 1980. Oh, you is great. When were you born, bro? I was born in December of 1980.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're older than me.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm 44, you gotta respect your elders, right.
Speaker 7:You look great for 40 years bro. I literally thought you were in your early 30s bro.
Speaker 4:Thanks, man, god's good, and I shaved up, you know. What are you trying to say?
Speaker 2:dude, You'll look a little younger Rowdy.
Speaker 1:A little less facial hair, buddy, I saw your thing today. Keep the beard, buddy.
Speaker 2:Keep the beard, keep the beard, buddy Keep the beard.
Speaker 1:It hides some stuff that second and third chin, tuck it up.
Speaker 2:Oh man, I love it. It up, oh man, I love it. Bro. Shoot, yeah, okay. 1980. 1980, baby.
Speaker 7:All right yeah.
Speaker 4:So yeah, we were, let's see, yeah, so 1980.
Speaker 2:Where were you born?
Speaker 4:I was born in. I was actually born in Illinois.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 4:Yeah, what part? So I think back then it was. I'm originally like from New Lenox, which is just Suburbs. Yeah, south suburbs of Chicago, so like 45 minutes south of Chicago is where I grew up. Yeah, it's where the white people lived. Oh my gosh, that's so funny. I don't know I just think of Chicago.
Speaker 2:I'm like man, that's the hood, bro the ghetto.
Speaker 4:But I'm sure that this is probably a little bit nicer area. Yeah, okay, yeah there was a little bit Like when we moved to Juliet too, like there was. I lived on the west side of Juliet, which was kind of hoody over there too. When I lived with my mom at that point, and that's what we get into is like, so, like when I was five years old, five or six years old.
Speaker 2:Were you an only child.
Speaker 4:No, so I had a younger sister. She was born two years after me, okay. And then I have an older half-brother. He's 10 years older than me, all right.
Speaker 2:That was from your dad, my mom's previous marriage.
Speaker 4:Okay Because she was pregnant in her junior year of high school.
Speaker 2:Wow, kids having kids. Yeah, okay, pregnant in her junior year of high school.
Speaker 4:Wow, and kids having kids, yeah, okay, and so she. And then um it's the crazy part too is my dad, um and the guy that she was uh with um married and everything with uh. They were best friends, but then that thing fell apart with them and then my dad hooked up with my mom and yeah and and so yeah, and then me and my sister came, you know, and yeah, man, it's just so.
Speaker 4:actually, right around five or six years old, my parents got a divorce. Yeah, so as a young kid at that age, it really rocked me.
Speaker 2:I was like seven or eight, bro. So yeah, it tore me apart, dude.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and like I was just thinking about that, like too, like I remember my parents fighting. I remember sitting there standing there watching, and even my mom. She bit my dad in the nose and his nose was bleeding. Wow. So like as a kid standing there watching that, watching them fight, you know it just really man it rocked me.
Speaker 2:Those are your two superheroes, man, that are invincible, that are here like these. These two are as little kids, man. Our parents are, are everything they provide for us, they keep us safe, they, they give us. They're basically our gods as little kids they're supposed to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're supposed to. They're supposed to yeah yeah, um so did you see him fight a lot, or was that like the first time you've seen him really fight?
Speaker 4:um, I think I remember a little bit, yeah, just the fighting and um, and you know, I remember that that particular scene was in the kitchen, yeah, um, but yeah, I just I just knew things weren't going good there and um, and then at that point too, I think, um, when the divorce was going on, I ended up moving with my mom and then we moved um out to juliet there yeah, okay, and so did you, and your sister and the half brother live with mama uh, yeah, well, no, the older half brother he was, um, I want to say he was on his own, for oh, at that time, I think.
Speaker 2:I think it was yeah, so he was older okay, yeah, he was, oh, yeah, 10 years yeah okay.
Speaker 4:So I think at one point he was there actually. Yeah, he was there a little bit um, because he had a girlfriend and everything, and but yeah, I think they ended up going on their own way.
Speaker 2:So how did that mess you up as a kid man?
Speaker 4:Well, I think too, like man, my mom too. At that time her dad, my grandpa, passed away. I think it was around that time.
Speaker 4:So she kind of had a point man, where it just rocked her Like she started smoking cigarettes, different things, just she was really depressed, and so I saw my mom hurting in the midst of us. You know, my parents getting divorced. So now here I am with my mom in a whole new town, you know, not familiar. I mean, she even tried to keep us in the schools that we were at, but the school district found out. You know, hey, you guys are not living here. Mean, yeah, she even tried to keep us in the schools that we were at, but they, the school district, found out. You know, hey, you guys are not living here in new lennox, you're living in juliet.
Speaker 4:I'm like me being honest, andy yeah so then that caused the thing where I had. You know, now I gotta go to school over there, but um, wow yeah it, um, I even I learned how to swear over there, this little punk girl she told me how to swear. But man, yeah, it's just, I've seen some things there too. So there were some guys across the street. The guy was married across the street at the apartment. So we stayed at this apartment. It was a house, but it was like three levels.
Speaker 4:So we were on the third floor and, yeah, I do remember my brother being there too, a little bit, yeah. So then this guy started hanging around, which eventually went to be my mom's boyfriend, and the crazy part is they're still together to this day. Really, yeah, never got married. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 7:Wow Okay.
Speaker 4:I got to see firsthand too, like the alcoholism yeah happened with him and uh, just you know, the boyfriend the
Speaker 7:boyfriend.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so they were yeah drinking and there's these different guys, because the one guy across the street he had a brother and he just coming, just coming there, you know so before before, uh, the boyfriend for mama came in like with mom and dad that you didn't see no drinking or nothing like that there was no, nothing, no nothing
Speaker 2:no, nothing like that depression and divorce and grieving man. Yeah, it opens people up into uh, want to escape and get away from the hurting. Yeah, um, and a lot of times we drowned ourself in the sauce man and yeah, when you start to do that, you start to hang out with people that are doing that and living that life, bro. So that's.
Speaker 4:I can totally see that man. I can't recall ever seeing her.
Speaker 4:My mom drink but I just remember him being there and I remember, even as a kid, like I had, I caught him one time. We saw him. He just like passed out in the middle of the lawn. Somebody gave him like a little sleeping pill to pee his. Because I caught him one time we saw him. He just passed out in the middle of the lawn, somebody gave him a little sleeping pill too. He peed his pants on the front yard, all that stuff, dude. So as a kid I'm seeing this stuff, you know.
Speaker 2:What are you like? Seven? Yeah, something like that. Wow, you're just a little kid.
Speaker 4:And I remember one time he was so drunk I was scared, so I found this plastic shovel and I, just like I wanted to defend my family like my mom and my sister and he's like what are you going to do with that? You know. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And so I'm like, you know, hit me with that, you know, and I'm like, and I didn't know, I just instincts kicked in you know. I mean, I grew up underneath that. And the crazy part too was I remember my mom had two gay guys living there. We had like an extra room and I remember them succinctly. Both guys' names were Tim, so we had two gay guys living in a house there too.
Speaker 4:And it was recently. I just had a conversation with my mom not too long ago. She said one of those guys, he's dead. The other guy, tim, the other tim, he's now a believer.
Speaker 2:Really, yeah, so he got saved that's what I was gonna ask you, man. So up to this point, like with mom and dad, was there any church or anything like that, or yeah?
Speaker 4:yeah, so um, I, um, I want to say I got, I got saved, like when I was five years old you're a kid. Yeah, I'm a kid and um, we started off, uh, lutheran with this church called Christ Mission Lutheran Church, which later became into a non-inimational church.
Speaker 2:And that's with your real father and your mother. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we were going there, and then yeah.
Speaker 2:After the divorce and mom was doing her. Thing you guys keep going to church.
Speaker 4:And that's what it was too. Yeah, so on the weekends my dad was going to a different church. It was called, but it was Christian Center. At the time it's Family Harvest, so my dad would pick us up on the weekends and we'd be with him for the weekend.
Speaker 2:Great, so you'd go with him.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so he had to. You know We'd smell like smoke and all that stuff. But he would always. That was one of the things he did, you know. And one thing I vividly recall was like when it came time for my dad to drop us off at the house, man, I didn't want to go.
Speaker 7:I didn't want to go back to the house.
Speaker 4:But there was a reason why, and it was yeah, I really want to be with my dad, but then I also feel like that connection with God. Yeah. Because, like I felt comfort, I felt peace, I felt safety, yeah. And so when I went there to church on Sunday with him. Man, I just I needed that. Yeah. Even as a young kid, you know.
Speaker 7:I just you felt safe yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah. I felt safe because in the midst of what was going on at home, what I was exposed to with my environment, so, yeah, that's great.
Speaker 1:As a young boy you could feel that the presence and just the peace and the account with God, the goodness of.
Speaker 4:God, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's amazing.
Speaker 4:So yeah, and then my. So I think for 10 years my dad was single before he met Ella you guys know Ella yeah. And so he was just praying and believing God for a wife, but I think it. So I wound up staying there for like maybe two years out there in Juliet or something, and I think there was a battle there for custody Okay, so my dad was able to win custody.
Speaker 1:So then at that point, For both of you, or just you, for both of us. Nice.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So then we ended up I moved in with my dad and my grandparents over there, Kind of like outskirts of New Lenox there, like rural New Lenox, whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 2:Back to the white area. Yeah, hey.
Speaker 4:I literally had like a cornfield.
Speaker 2:We were getting in trouble with the farmer because, we would go in the cornfield Literally yeah, amen, but yeah, my, and that's too like I really got a chance to really develop a relationship with my grandparents my dad's parents, yeah, so at this point you're like eight or nine when you go to live with grandma and grandpa and dad yeah, something around there?
Speaker 4:yeah, okay, don't yeah, so what?
Speaker 2:was uh. Do you remember school? How was school for you?
Speaker 4:Yeah, man. So school was good up till, I want to say, fifth grade, fifth or sixth grade. So I also struggled with I had a learning disability. I was diagnosed with having a learning disability, okay, so I was in special classes, you know, okay. And I just remember fifth grade was rough. Yeah, kids can be mean bro, they were mean bro. So the whole. They had a song on the bus that they sang the bus driver was like freaked out. She's like it was like Andy About you, yeah, about me, oh dude Dang bro.
Speaker 4:Yeah, bro. So it was like I remember this song. Actually it's kind of crazy. It's like Andy, you know, like I don't want to grow up because I'm a special ed kid. So I took that Toys R Us theme and sang that on the bus and they'd ask me hey, andy, spell chicken, spell window. You know, all these little things just make fun of me on the bus, you know. So I was like man and I remember just my grandpa was there. He met me at the bus. I was just in tears.
Speaker 2:He's like what's going on, buddy, because I didn't know that about you, man, yeah, From that being spoken over you or you having to be in those classes and not with I don't, I don't want to say normal kids, because you're still fricking normal dude.
Speaker 2:But you know the, the kids that don't have to be in the bus and go in those classes. Did that make you feel less than, or like you weren't good enough or you're not smart or stupid, did you feel? Did you call your I'm stupid? Did you do that to yourself as a kid?
Speaker 4:I mean, I fell down, I felt, I think, my self-esteem, you know, because that particular setup, how that was, was that you would stay in the same classroom where some kids would go hey, I'm going to go to, I'm going to science class whatever.
Speaker 6:Andy would stay in the same class, and there was even yeah, there was even a picture of me in the yearbook.
Speaker 4:It was that I was in that class and I remember people making fun of that. You know, like oh you know he doesn't, why does he not go to other classes? Why?
Speaker 2:does he?
Speaker 4:stay in the same classroom all day long. Wow, you know.
Speaker 2:And so you literally got me crying bro, because I remember just bringing kids were mean dude. Yeah, they were really mean to me, buddy, and I can just remember feeling alone and feeling like I'm stupid and I'm fat and I hated myself and there's nothing good about me. My mom left and I hate. I just it was bad, bro. Childhood for me is rough dude yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:Did you believe those things that were spoken over you? Because that's what really matters.
Speaker 4:Not that they were spoken over you, but whether you believe them or not, if you believe them or not, you know what I mean. Yeah, I guess I just was always trying to figure out. How do I get out of? This and I think I mean it hurt, I mean obviously, those comments hurt me and it crushed me as an individual.
Speaker 1:The biggest lie we were told. As kids, sticks and stones may break my bones but words never hurt me, they cut like a knife.
Speaker 2:I'm in recovery now from words that were spoken when I was a kid man.
Speaker 7:Yeah, so I mean.
Speaker 4:But here's what God did. You go to live with grandma and grandpa.
Speaker 2:You're like eight, nine yeah somewhere around there.
Speaker 4:Yeah and so yeah, my dad, yeah, I'm still visiting my mom.
Speaker 2:Oh, so I visitation on the weekends. Oh, so now you're living with grandma and grandpa and dad and visit mama? Mm-hmm, okay, yeah, so how did your mom take that?
Speaker 4:You know, there was a lot of man, there was a lot of crap going on because, Sure, dude. So even my aunt, like she was very manipulative, like she would even.
Speaker 2:Is this mom's sister?
Speaker 4:yeah, mom's sister, yeah she was like you know my dad would give us spankings, you know stuff like that. You know he disciplined us, yeah, but then they would uh, try to do things to you know say, hey, he's beating the kids. So she would my and and I mean I forgive my aunt, but you know I I don't, I really don't want a relationship with her.
Speaker 4:Nothing, nothing like that just I, just you know, yeah know but yeah, she was just her manipulation. Stuff was just always just causing trouble. And my dad I don't know if you guys know this my dad was working in the court system so my dad was like a bailiff.
Speaker 2:He was a bailiff he was a bailiff for like 30-35 years. Oh wow, I'm going to have to get him on here.
Speaker 1:Chip.
Speaker 2:I bet you got some great stories, buddy.
Speaker 1:I'm going to get his wallet. I'm going to get your wallet. We're going to get your wallet.
Speaker 2:Chip, we're going to get it.
Speaker 1:Me and him have this thing. It's freaking hilarious. That's so weird. So we're like he's like hey, he got any money.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and I'm like the operating box is right there, bro, let's get it. You know what?
Speaker 1:I mean, and he's like all right. So then we went to like where's your wallet? At you know what? I mean yeah, yeah yeah, he tells me he keeps it in his front pocket, right?
Speaker 2:So I slide up behind him and I like reach in his back pocket. He's like nope it's up here.
Speaker 1:So I caught him the other day. I think it was at the quink, greek one right, yeah yeah, come up behind him. I start going in his front pocket. He's like it's over here, on this one, we'll get it chip. That's awesome.
Speaker 2:I love you man you guys are awesome, bro, you guys are just good. He's all your dad. So come here you. Holy Ghost man, give me a hug.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you can see where I get my sense of humor from.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, your dad's a riot, bro, oh yeah. Yeah, man has he always been somebody that you just really enjoyed spending time with and loved yeah, really, bro, because Really, bro, because he's just very on fire for the Lord.
Speaker 4:He's always been like that. He grew up as a hippie. Yeah. Drugs, I mean you name it. If you get him on, he'll tell you.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, I did not know that, you didn't know that. No Go talk to him a little more.
Speaker 4:He was lit up in his. His funny little comment is like I'm a product of the 60s. You know I was a hippie In high school. He had the long hair and everything.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, okay, I've had a few conversations, everybody's got a story bud yeah.
Speaker 4:But yeah, man, it's just you know, I'm just grateful for that time there too, that's special man.
Speaker 2:He tried his hardest. That's special, bro. So has he always been. Because, father, I love you if you watch this, but there would be time when I was younger man, I'd go to church and I would see one father and then I'd go home and I would experience another version of my father. Oh wow, was that how you grew up? Or was your dad your dad, no matter where you were at?
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, my dad, yeah, I know, probably when my parents were early in their marriage I think I think he was still drinking, you know, but I don't recall that. You know, like in around that five age, you know bracket, but I remember even him having. He decided, just he wanted to have Bonfire's burned, all of his secular music, that he had and they were like man, they were like man. They were like screaming. The records were screaming and it was pretty Wow. Yeah, he's got.
Speaker 4:Yeah, but I just think that's something he needed to walk away from, or just get delivered from. Amen. But yeah, man, so no, I mean he Just the way he raised me, you know, he really poured into me. Come on, I mean we were just talking about that the other day. That's special man. I had like a moment like and it's kind of hard to imagine with me, like growing up in teenage years I had a really bad temper. You wouldn't think that about me yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So even Ella stepped in and she was giving me the word, you know, just helping me with that, and I remember, you know, even Even my dad kicked me out of the house. There I was going to spend the night in the car. Ella felt bad. She's like yeah, I think I had to bring you a blanket or something because I grabbed a pillow.
Speaker 2:Were you an angry kid? Did you hit and throw stuff?
Speaker 4:I think I threw like I remember it was a garbage, can there?
Speaker 2:I kicked it.
Speaker 4:Immediately, I felt convicted by the Holy, by the holy spirit like, oh, lord, I'm like, oh, let me get this tent out but, yeah, yeah, no, I mean, you were a good, you were a good kid, but I, at that particular time in that teenage year, I I definitely struggled with um, with anger, for some reason. I don't think that came from being teased I don't know, man, the divorce, yeah, I don't. I'm not sure where that you know, but yeah, because that's a spirit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's definitely a spirit bro.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Somewhere along the line something happened an offense a hurt you.
Speaker 4:It's crazy okay, yeah, because I mean, even I can recall too, like with my, my dad's been through it, you know, honestly, and the cool thing about this whole thing is like my mom and my dad now there's been reconciliation.
Speaker 7:You're a real mom, my real mom, yeah.
Speaker 4:For years now it's been.
Speaker 2:They've just buried the hatchet. Good terms. Yeah, she's over in.
Speaker 4:Illinois. Yeah, she's over in Illinois, yeah, okay, yeah, so my mom is there and then my sister's married With her, with her husband. They got kids and everything.
Speaker 7:They're over there. They're over there, yeah Cool.
Speaker 4:And then my older half-brother. He's living in Colorado. He's been there for many years. Amen, okay. But yeah, man, I just think about those times too, with the stuff that was pulled on my dad, like we had the cops come over there. I remember the officer at the door was like you know, he thought there was abuse going on there. So, like I said, going back to my aunt and my mom doing that.
Speaker 2:Man. They called the cops on dad. Yeah, the neighbors.
Speaker 4:And this is when at that point too, it was like Ella and my dad were married and they had their house in, like it was downtown area, new Lenox, and so, yeah, man, they were just doing stuff stupid stuff to try to get my dad in trouble. They were hurt.
Speaker 1:Mom was probably hurt yeah, I mean my mom wants to lose her kids. I mean, yeah, and to lose them to a husband? That's probably hurtful yeah and hurt people want to hurt people you know I mean, and they'll do anything to get their kids back. Moms moms are fighters, bro yeah, they are, they don't just give up on their kids?
Speaker 4:mostly, most of them don't anyways yeah, yeah, so was, that was some wild stuff, you know for sure.
Speaker 2:So we had a. How old were?
Speaker 4:you when that was going on.
Speaker 1:Seven eight nine or a teenage.
Speaker 4:Well, yeah, I mean going, so even going over there to um, that the time when the police came, I think I was older. I think my point too, where you know my sister wanted to live with my mom, I I actually felt, again felt like the right thing for andy was I wanted to live with my dad. Junior sister, get along, yeah, we got, yeah great yeah, we got, we have a wonderful relationship and like um, but she was getting into her life she has a young girl you want your mom?
Speaker 4:yeah, and that's what she wanted to explain to you about what's going on with your body and why you're leaking and you know what I mean. All the things.
Speaker 1:I don't know how to say it nicely or correctly but, a young girl going through that needs a mom there to help her you know what I mean Exactly. It's kind of weird to have this lady that didn't have you kind of explain this stuff to you when you want your mom to explain that stuff to you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's right, exactly, yeah. Yeah, I really felt like she had a desire to be there, and so I think how was she when she went to go to stay with your mom? Oh man, because this is, this is past, this is probably um shoot. I can't remember teenage years, probably teenage years yeah, and I think at the point to my dad had to make a decision because she was, she was acting up yeah and so she really wanted to be with her mom.
Speaker 2:Them teenage girls bud. Yeah, he gave her the boot. But yeah, man, it's just crazy. My father put my sister in Mexico, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, bud Dang Just dropped her off bro.
Speaker 2:I know I went with him Like we're going to the beach in Mexico.
Speaker 1:Let's go, and then boop here in Mexico.
Speaker 2:Let's go. We went in these big red walls and she never came out.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's a whole other story. We'll leave that for the other one.
Speaker 4:I know what you mean Going back to even living with my grandparents there, because I think my dad and Ella they were married in 1997. No-transcript. And so that was around like the junior high time. I think it was in between grandparents and the new house. But man, seventh grade came around and you know, after dealing with fifth and sixth grade, getting made fun of. Yeah.
Speaker 4:God gave me the ability to run, so I mean I just said, let me just try, for the track team Didn't know what was going to happen, like I started gaining the popularity you know, and he just gave me that gift.
Speaker 7:And like.
Speaker 4:I was, oh man, just able to really make some connections there.
Speaker 2:Like long distance running or short run like 100 yards. Sprinter, yeah. Sprinter, yeah yeah.
Speaker 4:And then, even in eighth grade grade, I said you know what, let me, I want to stay in ship, let me try out for the. I did the cross country team too. So I was doing that. I was like, well, okay, you know, and I was able to Even like being a sprinter. I saved up enough juice To like peg people off.
Speaker 2:At the end.
Speaker 3:There I had like a game plan he's like now now.
Speaker 2:That's great, you got to have that last kick. Man you do, man you got to save it up Wow.
Speaker 4:But man. So here's man, here's the deal. This is where God just came in for me, like um, I remember eighth grade, so yeah, so I was in junior high there.
Speaker 1:Up until then you. So then you're still going to church, though. Right, yeah, so I'm going to church.
Speaker 4:So yeah, so I'm plugged in church and everything, and um, and that's what I love too about man I, just every Sunday I'm getting the word getting the word you know, I'm just. I was hungry, I think you know, just as a young kid hungry.
Speaker 2:It's.
Speaker 4:Christian church yeah.
Speaker 7:It was.
Speaker 4:Christian.
Speaker 1:Yeah, non-. Were you part of youth groups and stuff?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, they had the stuff, yeah.
Speaker 1:Like you did your midweek youth group and stuff, or no?
Speaker 4:We had a midweek service there. It was kind of like the Bible study night, yeah, midweek Wednesday nights, and then they had the Sunday. We had service, like man, it would be Sunday morning, sunday night too. So yeah, it was. Yeah, you're constantly getting.
Speaker 1:Were you guys in all that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, like I think I'm trying to remember, like I remember just being in the youth and going on these camping adventures too. We had these, you know, like the Royal Rangers and all that. So we?
Speaker 2:I was in Trailblazers then too, I did Royal Rangers and Trailblazers, so we even went did the camping thing and my dad came along.
Speaker 4:Come on man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, Did you ever have any like special moments at any of those things where, like you, hear about our youth when they go to these things, how they have this Encounters with God, encounters with God.
Speaker 2:Summer camp. Yeah, I mean, did you?
Speaker 1:ever have a moment where, like you, started speaking in tongues or anything like that, when you were at any of these camps or anything?
Speaker 4:Yeah, in children's church. Really so we actually had like a children's church. Everything was all set up in like um kind of like, basically like a service, but each section was preaching Holy spirit, yeah. Wow. Yeah, cause I remember the little plant foot I got. I remember I had like a little it was a little kid with a little dove on it and the lady, uh, the worker, the ministry worker, she to do it like this.
Speaker 7:That's the scope this is going to say no that ain't right, but you know, just you know, but it's trying to uh figure it out and, yeah, and it clicked for me.
Speaker 4:You know, man, um, wow, as a kid yeah, so just really developing that, you know and um you remember going to any of them camps and like getting a word from god or anything did god ever use you as a kid, or anyone man?
Speaker 2:um, I don't see you stepping out in faith and that kind of as a young man. Yeah, we're probably. Were you shy?
Speaker 4:I, yeah, I was yeah, you know, I mean I think I had I definitely had those encounters in camp yeah, and I remember even one one particular camp that we had a situation where, um, I think I was coming up later and I think I was a little bit older, and the night before a kid passed away in the water. He drowned, he had like a brain aneurysm or something like that. So I came in it was a camp in Wisconsin or something like that and I came in.
Speaker 2:The next day you go in.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I came in because I think I was working and I think it was more like kind of like a leader at that time.
Speaker 4:I don't remember exactly, but I remember showing up there and, like man, the atmosphere was a little different, you know. But yeah, I remember being there and that going on, but just like, yeah, just any of these youth encounters and just really feeling the presence of God. Like Ron Luce, I went to one of those. I forget the name of what Ron Luce did. It was, oh man, I can't recall, but it was a big youth rally that he did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you're talking about the 90s. I didn't get saved until 2014. Okay yeah, this is all way before me, but yeah. I remember it, it was yeah.
Speaker 4:Okay, definitely some times there for sure.
Speaker 2:So middle school was better for you because you started to run yeah. What was high school better for you? Because you started to run? Yeah. What was high school like for you? Are you still in the the other classes or were you able to catch up at this point?
Speaker 4:at that point still, I'm, um, I'm basically still kind of like in the same um classroom setting, because I think one of my struggles too was math man. I just oh, it took me like you gotta explain it to me like four different times or whatever, or different ways.
Speaker 1:That was reading for me, dude. Yeah, I was in 12th grade and 8th grade reading class. Wow yeah, I hate reading. I still hate reading. Love math, though.
Speaker 4:Man see, that's crazy. Wow See, god knows we have very different gifts. Jesse's really good with the math. I still use it today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I use angles and degrees and all that stuff today, buddy, yeah, my fabrication. You need to know angles and degrees and measurements. And so numbers to me. I love numbers, bro. Wow, I see numbers, I get excited. I see letters, I'm like ugh.
Speaker 4:Yeah see, I can rock out a really good English paper.
Speaker 7:Really.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it'd be good. Yeah, yeah, but the math, yeah, fractions, you know, I never did that calculus stuff or any of that stuff. I could never do that. Yeah, but, um, have you done bible college? No, I've never done bible college, no, okay, um, but um eighth grade year, though, um, at that point too, I was like I just had, I was staring out, I remember just distinctly, just staring out at the courtyard, because that's where my classroom faced right, and I, just I just sat there at my desk. I'm like you know what, lord, help me to get out of special education. I prayed, I prayed right there in the classroom and I asked him help me, lord, because, you know, I wanted to feel what it was like to be with my regular peers.
Speaker 2:All that. You know. Not look that differently, yeah.
Speaker 4:I remember even a crazy story too, I don't know, being a kid with goof around and I stabbed him with a pen. I got like a day out of school, so I had a couple moments like Andy, really yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah me.
Speaker 4:But that year, man, things started to shift Like these. Things were really shifting for me.
Speaker 7:For the better or for the worse? For the better, for the worse. For the better. Okay.
Speaker 4:And as soon as I prayed, man, just all of a sudden things started opening up for me.
Speaker 7:Like.
Speaker 4:I started getting mainstream, for I started going to the science class that regular kids are in. So all that started happening, just started getting mainstream for different classes, so I was no longer in that same class, because that's one thing for about me, man. I was like that, that, um, that hurt like in a way, like to like thinking what do people?
Speaker 4:think of me. Yeah, here he is again. You know, he's in the same class all day long and I, I kind of like tried to like pretend like I wasn't going in the same class, but you know, um, but what happened was god showed me how much he loved me and I began to do that, began to get mainstream. But what really? He showed up in a mighty way. We had graduation practice. It was obviously eighth grade, right, graduation practice. And we're all sitting there and they're going through this practice, this ceremony. I'm like I'm just sitting there just chilling and then they call my name for an award. I'm like I'm just sitting there just chilling and then they call my name for an award. I'm like what.
Speaker 4:So this particular award? I found out what it was. It's called Marie Swass Award. It was for overcoming challenges, academic challenges and achieving goals. Wow. Wow bro. So what God did was that during graduation ceremony, called Andy's name. Wow, in front of everybody, people were cheering. Yeah. And I got the second highest award in junior high. Wow, dude, so man.
Speaker 1:God redeemed you.
Speaker 4:So all that you know just melted, yeah, and like Wow, buddy.
Speaker 1:He honored you, bro. Yeah, he honored you.
Speaker 4:Wow man and I was rocked dude because it just really showed me how much he loves me. Yeah, you know, and in the midst of all that pain and that hurt and all that, so you connected the two.
Speaker 2:You connected that award and that moment from God.
Speaker 4:Yeah, wow, there's no other source for me. I didn't do anything. Yeah, I prayed and I asked God to help me. Wow, and I believe that he showed up. Come on man, why wouldn't he? Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because he says what he says right, never leaves us, nor forsakes us.
Speaker 4:He's there, yeah, even in the midst of doubt.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, I think, I think about the story of Joseph bro. Yeah, how his brothers, kind of like the kids, you know, counted you as less than and, you know, sold you for nothing.
Speaker 7:You know what I mean. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And God put you in a palace and honored you with an award and yeah, that's pretty cool bro.
Speaker 4:Yeah, man, so yeah. So then when high school came, I was still doing track, doing all these cross country, just loving it. Do you do any band or instruments or anything? No, I didn't do it. No, I think I was even involved in even a children's church. I was singing. I was doing singing then I was in the church kids choir.
Speaker 2:Andy, I gotta ask you did you ever drink or use drugs as a kid?
Speaker 4:no, but at my mom's, at my mom's apartment there, there was cigarette butts there. So I was like I tried to, I lit it up on the stove, I'm like I'm trying to figure it out. You get curious as a kid, right.
Speaker 2:And then there's the Miller in the refrigerator.
Speaker 4:I was like let me taste this, I was like oh, this tastes like pee. It does bro.
Speaker 2:Okay so yeah that stuff was there, that was your extent though.
Speaker 4:All yeah, that stuff was there. That was your extent, man. All right, it does taste like pee, yeah. So I mean even like just in that environment too, man, just the stuff that I was exposed to. There was one guy that I think he wanted to be gay. I told you about the two gay guys there. But yeah, man, so high school was kicking off A lot better.
Speaker 2:You're mainstreamed in a normal school with the kids start going.
Speaker 4:I mean yes, I think the only class I I still was the math. Yeah, so like I a lot of kids struggle with math, though I tried to go mainstream with that and I was getting a d and then man, I got, I got put back in like the special a class for that. But you know I wound up getting to be in that class okay you're still running I'm still running throughout high school, yeah.
Speaker 1:Nice bro. All four years, All four years. Yeah, you try anything else Baseball, basketball, football.
Speaker 4:No, as a kid too, I did do soccer from first grade to sixth grade, so I kind of wanted to do that in high school.
Speaker 1:It involves a lot of running, but yeah, I couldn't do it because it conflicted with another sport.
Speaker 4:I think it might. I might've been cross country or something.
Speaker 2:So but I was like well, I could see Mila taking after you bro.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dude, yeah, I could totally see that. She seems like a little energy ball too.
Speaker 4:She is yeah, it's like go run, she's my firecracker.
Speaker 2:Yeah, zoe's Zoe Worship team here, that's where I see her totally is like theater and artsy and that whole lane bud.
Speaker 4:Yeah, all right, yeah, man. So yeah, high school was great. Did you actually graduate? I graduated, cool, got to walk, yeah, yeah, and that's the thing too is I graduated. I think I was held back, maybe I think it was two years, because back then too, they, they held you back, and so my birthday was december, yeah, so when the cutoff time was october. So I got held back. So I would have been, I think I would have been a class in 99 or 98, probably 99, but um, yeah, I graduated in 2000 high school, that's not bad and I got a.
Speaker 4:They actually gave me one of the coaches got me lined up with a scholarship to go down Southern Illinois to um for running, for running, wow. But I, I didn't, I didn't pull the trigger because, um, I just they decided that I needed to stay home and it was a junior college too at that time too. So I I wound up just staying at the. Juliet had a really good um program there, so I stayed. I felt like I didn't need to go down and do that, you know, and run over there and all that stuff. So it's kind of just that was my end of my running career. It was pretty much high school was up, you know, and it's done.
Speaker 1:What's Juliet famous for? That name sounds very familiar. Okay, so Juliet.
Speaker 4:So you know the show Prison Break. This is J-O-L-I-E-T.
Speaker 2:J-O-L-I-E-T.
Speaker 4:Illinois. Some people call it Juliet.
Speaker 1:Jolliet, jolliet. Well, you hear it a lot In like I don't want to say entertainment. It might have been entertainment, but like I don't know, you just hear it a lot In something.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Juliet.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so Prison Break was Juliet.
Speaker 1:Arts, the school, juliet Arts or something like that. Is there something like that in there, like arts, like theater?
Speaker 4:No, no, nothing like that no. But I'm just trying to think what else would be associated with that.
Speaker 1:I don't know. I just hear something. I just hear it talked about all the time.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Juliet, the Juliet School of Arts.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah, because maybe yeah when you're thinking Juliet, but this, yeah, maybe it's Juliet. So I wonder if that's kind of.
Speaker 1:It is, it probably is.
Speaker 4:I don't know, yeah, because I'm trying to think what they're famous for, juliet.
Speaker 1:Rabbit hole. Sorry, nothing, juliet's not famous for nothing. Maybe it is a different type of Statesville. The big prisons there.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's one of them. That's where they keep them all. Maybe that's what it is Right there, bud Juliet prison. Maybe I've heard.
Speaker 1:I know some people have been locked up there.
Speaker 2:Maybe that's what I'm serious.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that could be. Maybe that's what it is.
Speaker 1:I think that yeah, juliet Did Third Day. Talk about Juliet, where was Third Day? From Milwaukee? Milwaukee, that's right.
Speaker 4:It might have been because, like so, back in the day, I used to listen to this Grape Tree Records, so they had different rap artists, right, yeah, Like rap artists, right, Like Prime Minister Antonius, they were all talking about this Rockford Illinois type of thing. So they, you know, they mentioned them sometimes, Julian on the thing but I was like, oh, he said Rockford Illinois. I was like that's like more north. Yeah. And you know. So I was like remember this and that I'm like oh, okay.
Speaker 1:Christian rap yeah, In the 90s. There's no noise in Illinois. Buddy, no noise, that's all I know. You say Illinois and they're like there's no noise in Illinois. There's no noise. No, that's awesome. So you graduated high school, you stayed home. What did you start doing? Did you get a job?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I was working. Did you have a?
Speaker 1:job when you were in high school.
Speaker 4:I did fish fry like friday and saturdays, yeah doing that. And then yeah say I went up um, yeah, I just I was going to college, junior college, and so I took forever for me to get done, I was just just working were you still staying with your dad or staying with your mom again? Yeah, I was still with my dad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I didn't juliet and the other place are close together yeah, they're like literally in uh two towns next to each other, yeah but I mean shoot.
Speaker 4:Going back to like my mom over there in Gillette man, I seen like there was a drive-by that came by. Yeah, there was. They shot every other car out with the BB gun. Yeah, yeah. So my mom's car got tagged oh wow, and then somebody bricked it one time.
Speaker 1:If you were in Arizona, that might have been me Drive around shooting stuff out with BB guns.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I remember. Yeah, I felt scared there too, because I remember me and my sister were just down the street.
Speaker 1:You know that a DeLorean's window won't break Really, we shot that thing like five times with a BB gun. It would not break.
Speaker 7:Wow, yeah we kept driving by like break sucker it wouldn't, break bro oh man, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:I didn't know that why they parked the DeLorean out on the street is beyond me, but we shot at it like five times.
Speaker 4:Man.
Speaker 1:I didn't know that it wouldn't break. I think it's pretty thick, you had the glass on it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, wow, I didn't know that that's fun. Yeah, oh yeah, wow, oh yeah. There was a story where we were just me and Mr Rob playing and we saw these guys roll up in a white van and they were smiling. We freaked out and ran, yeah, and we sprinted home. It was like I didn't know what was going on.
Speaker 1:It was like bro, let me just get home. We booked it. So the whole time you were a kid, growing up with your dad, would you go stay with your mom every now. Good relationship with your mom, yeah, amen, yeah, amen, yeah.
Speaker 4:So yeah, see, and man I love her, you know, and just, and I know you know there's there's. No, I don't have any like.
Speaker 1:what's the word I'm looking for? Remorse, Remorse. Yeah, Heart feelings toward I did the very best. I can.
Speaker 4:She was in that moment where just things were going on, yeah, and I don't know what happened with all that, even with my aunt getting involved, all that stuff. It's just the enemy, but you know I love her. And Mom if you're listening to this, I really love you. I just want you to know that.
Speaker 1:Amen, that's beautiful brother. Yeah, my dad was a little, because growing up he was my idol, he was my, my hero. You know what I mean. And then he turned into this monster yeah per se, not that he was like beating us or anything, but to my eyes he was a monster, because what he did to my mom, you know what I mean and got to this point where I got to realize that he was just a man.
Speaker 1:Men make mistakes If you put them up on pedestals, they'll let you down. Once I started looking at my dad as just a normal man, that he was just a man who was broken like the rest of us, it was easier to forgive him and understand why he did the things he did, and even to this day I just I love my dad too, but it's like yeah, you know, we're all just men make mistakes, man, wow, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, and I just I, you made me think about too, something like with uh being there with my mom, like I remember Jesus. Yeah, so it started in my sister's room.
Speaker 1:That might have been me too, bro man, you were all over the place. I lit our house on fire.
Speaker 4:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:A little arsonist yeah.
Speaker 4:Man, Eddie, you were really into all this stuff, bro.
Speaker 1:Filled alleys Shoot. I was a destructive kid, bro. I had no Jesus man. Yeah, I didn't have Jesus growing up. Anger and mischief, and you know just anything. I could do to find trouble bro.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Shooting things, lighting things on fire. You know what I mean, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, because I mean, even with my dad man, there was a guy that had a race car like two blocks away. So me and the neighborhood kids and Andy was clowning too, there's a funny story too about me I decided, let's do a smart thing. I climbed, you know those little storm, little drain things, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Nobody was around, but Andy decided to climb through there. So it's literally our street right. So I'm in the middle of the street, I get stuck, oh geez. And so I'm like I was praying Lord, help me get out of here. What did I do? Something stupid, yeah. But I got out of there. I was like man, but just um, yeah, going back to even with that car.
Speaker 4:Man, uh, it was sitting there it was a race car, yeah, and I went along with the kids and we, we want to. I let the air out of the tires, I, oh nice, and he, um, a couple of the kids smashed the windows. Damn it, we damaged the car, yeah. So next thing, you know, I'm getting a knock at the door. Hey, you know what happened with my car. They said you did it, oh, wow. So my dad's standing there like bro. What happened? What's going on, you know, yeah, and this is still at my grandparents house. Yeah and um, I said no, I didn't, I didn't do that, you know, I think I even told him. I just let the air out of. The Holy Spirit came in, because that Friday we loved to go to this raceway it's called Santa Fe Speedway and sure enough, that car came out, was in the race and I was like Father, I'm so sorry Because they came running around the track.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was like man.
Speaker 7:That's awesome.
Speaker 4:But yeah, man, you know how it is, you just as a kid, you know, you know how it is, you just as a kid, you do some dumb things.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, well, the people lead us into dumb things too.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Did you ever feel the need to fit in? So you did things like that. What was this?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think so I was, and sometimes those kids too were also. They kind of bullied you a little bit too.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, you wanted remember one time um the one, even my protecting my sister one time this girl said something bad about my sister and I was ready to go to confront her.
Speaker 4:Well, her brother came out. I think he even hit me, like you know, I just punched me or slapped me. But I was at that point like bro, you're talking bad about my sister to the, you know, to the girl and so yeah, man I was, I was trying to protect my sister man, we protect our own around here, yeah, yeah so how did?
Speaker 1:how did junior college go for you? Was that good experience, or?
Speaker 4:yeah, it was good. I um I wound up graduating and um it took me a while. So, yeah, I graduated, uh, 2009 really I think it was an associate's with an associate's degree in like liberal arts good job, buddy yeah, and I think at that time I was trying to figure out man, I won't.
Speaker 1:I won't make fun of you for that, I promise. Yeah, I was trying to figure out, man. I won't make fun of you for that, I promise.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I was trying to figure out what I want to do. I think at one point I really wanted to be a police officer. I was testing a lot, like I tested from age 21 all the way to finally I just Was that from watching your dad be a bailiff? Yeah, and I was around that too. I was involved with it. There was a sheriff's department that I was hanging out with and they had kind of like a Boy Scout type of group called the Explorers Group. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:So I was doing that and, man, that was so much fun because you get to go and travel, ride alongs and stuff. And that was the first time, but then it was the first time coming to Arizona here.
Speaker 7:Really.
Speaker 4:I went to the Grand Canyon too.
Speaker 2:I came here I was wondering how you got here.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I didn't even end up knowing that I was going to end up moving here either.
Speaker 2:That was a crazy part, man. He wanted to show you You're coming to Arizona one day. I'm going to Arizona. I've been there before. I love that place Remember that big hole.
Speaker 4:Yeah, man, I think it was the first time on a plane too. With that too. In. Arizona.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, and I think it was the first time on a plane too, with that too in Arizona. But yeah, man, just how old were you when you graduated?
Speaker 4:junior college in Joliet. So let's see, I probably 23, 21.
Speaker 2:Something.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because I graduated when I was 18 already, when I graduated high school. Yeah. Because I would have been 19 coming up in December. Yeah, so, yeah, I think yeah, so it was nine years. I did nine years at the school because I was working. I was even driving a school bus at a particular yeah, nice, that's how I started with my CDL.
Speaker 4:I got a lady walk into the office there. I went. She's like hi, I'm here for the to be a bus driver. She's like, really, I'm like yeah. She's like, oh, I thought you were gonna uh wanted to to do the. Uh, there's like a mechanics assistant yeah I'm like no, actually I really want to drive a school bus, all right she's like okay, so the kids man, I had great memories with kids.
Speaker 2:I did that for like six years, wow bro, so yeah so you're going to junior college, you're driving buses for the district, yeah.
Speaker 4:Wow. And then I wound up working at McDonald's too as well with that. So then come summertime I worked at McDonald's full time and it was cool. The school district said, yeah, you want to take the bus home, so there'd be times.
Speaker 4:I'd bring that bus home and my dad would be like, hey, that's not going to be here when I get home, is it Because they'd take up the driveway? You know it's a 71 passion or yeah, school bus and I take it over mcdonald's and sometimes when I first started bringing people like oh crap bus, my bus is coming because mcdonald's workers. They see a bus, they're like, oh shoot, there's about to be a rush but no, yeah, man, it was just it was.
Speaker 4:It was a fun time. Um, yeah, I didn't end up leaving too like. I stayed with my, my dad and ella for um all the way up to actually when I got, before I got married it went up. I think it was like 34.
Speaker 4:So I was at home, yeah, living with them, and and I actually went to on from from the associates. I then decided, well, you know I was, I was also involved with, like, working with special needs kids. So I dealt with kids that you know had autism. Yeah, there's some I'm trying to think what else a couple of kids had but yeah, I would be like a teacher's aide. Yeah, so, after hanging up the bus thing and all that, I got plugged into working with special needs students and that was really fun. Yeah.
Speaker 4:I mean it really, it drains you sometimes you know, know man. The hard part for me was when I had to restrain a kid. Yeah. You know, you know when they were acting up Like you know, I had to behave or whatever. But I was like, okay, lord, am I supposed to Some?
Speaker 1:of them. Suckers are strong, bro Dude, they are yeah.
Speaker 4:I remember this kid. His name was Cole. He had Down syndrome, that's what it was. He had Down syndrome and I left him in the bathroom by himself. You know, just to go to the bathroom, dude, the tank came flying out.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So, man you like had to be on guard because they would be clowning and he would drop in the middle like you'd be walking. He'd just okay, I'm going to sit down. I ain't getting up, bro. I'm like all right, well, I'm going to be here a while.
Speaker 1:Oh man up bro, I'm like all right, well, I'm gonna be here a while oh man, my, my senior year of high school I was a special needs aid. Yeah and uh. Met the coolest dude in a wheelchair, bro and uh, he was. He was the one I was assigned to. I had to help you know what's the answer and write it out for him, you know, because he couldn't write.
Speaker 7:Yeah and write it out for him.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean, because he couldn't write yeah, and the coolest dude bro Really got along with him. Later on we ended up smoking weed together and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Hey bro you want to smoke a joint.
Speaker 1:I seen him at someone's house I was at and I was like whoa, wow, I'm like you smoke. You know what I mean. I'm like get in bro. Oh, that's crazy. Wow, yeah, he was a cool dude man Wow man. You would think, looking at some people like that, that you know just most people don't give them people the time of day.
Speaker 2:But if you sit down and talk to them.
Speaker 1:Man, there are some really neat people. You know, what I mean. If you can get past their disability, get past the fact that they had to talk through a voice thing, you know what I mean? Yeah, the dude was hilarious bro yeah. You know what I mean? I mean, I was smoking weed in high school so he was cracking me up, bro. You know what I mean? That's awesome. I'm like dude, you're freaking dude man, wow, yeah. Man Some of those people are awesome yeah.
Speaker 2:So you're all through your 20s, bro. You do a lot of junior college, but you end up graduating getting all your credits. You're driving buses I think he beat Rob. Bro. You're working with the special needs kids special needs kids.
Speaker 4:um, you're 34, you said when you ended up finishing juco, and or is that when you? Um, no, so, um, what I did was so, after I graduated junior college, I went into, um, I went into the special needs. Well, yeah, I did special needs, but I was working that. But I decided that at this point maybe you know, um, I'm trying to figure out where God wants me at. So I went to a university too. I wound up doing classes there Again. I got another degree in interdisciplinary studies, which is liberal arts again. Sorry, eddie's going to make fun of me about that one again, but yeah, I just took. I mean, I did that, I knocked out in two years, so I got a good job got a bachelor's done.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you know, amen. And then I ended up going into what university it was? Uh, uh. What was it called? Governor state university? It was called okay, nice, yeah, and still back there in illinois still back there. Yeah, not too far of a drive for me, you know go to. And um, yeah, that was fun. Uh, did that. And then I was like okay, I'm in again. I'm still here at working, especially at schools. And um, I was like, well, maybe partying in college life?
Speaker 4:no, no yeah, I behaved myself good for you, buddy um, yeah, there was.
Speaker 4:I think at that point too, I was like, well, lord, you know what do I do too. I was like, well, lord, you know what do I do, you know. I was like I thought, well, maybe I could become a special ed teacher. So then I enrolled into the master's. I was going to get a master's degree in special education. I only did end up doing like one semester and I think what happened was, with being the kids, I got burnt out, yeah. And so I think all those years I was like man, I don't know what to do, and I think at that time I still had the CDL, so I was like I want to go back and do something else. But at that point I kind of reached a part where I honestly got burnt out. It wore on me and I was trying to do the best I can. So that direction, and then, even with that, Still involved in church still involved in church singing.
Speaker 4:I was on a worship team there was that where you started singing? Yeah, I started singing in. I started in kids and children's church and then they had the adult worship. I was doing that. Yeah, I was part of the choir. We had this huge choir with these I remember these crazy purple robes we had nice dude we were like call him up you know, just any pictures.
Speaker 1:Huh, you ain't pictures oh man, I want to see maybe, maybe my dad I'll have to ask your dad.
Speaker 4:I'd love to see that yeah, because sunday man, you're always wearing your sunday best shirt and tie suit, yeah not like me.
Speaker 1:I show up with sweats and a t-shirt.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I love it. I was like wow, this is different, I can wear like come as you are buddy, unless you're serving, then you gotta dress up.
Speaker 2:That was, that was one I had.
Speaker 1:I went to a church a few times with some friends growing up. That's one thing I didn't like yeah there's the dressing up part yeah, I'm like why are we all getting dressed up to go to a building and just not do anything? You know I mean, yeah, I couldn't grasp that, bro you know, I mean, and they were down to a t bro, suits and ties, and I'm like, yeah, we're just going here, why are we getting? You know what I mean? And I still don't get it. But yeah, wow yeah, yeah, like.
Speaker 4:I think I was involved too with like at a parking lot ministry out there so I was. I was doing like the outside security, so we had, you know, some crazy time. Some stuff come up.
Speaker 1:You know, one time I found Were you and your dad in the same church this whole time. Yeah, Wow bro.
Speaker 4:At that point too, we were serving together on the parking lot team.
Speaker 1:Nice dude.
Speaker 4:And I'm trying to think where else I was involved. I was involved in a couple different things too, but I ended up before leaving to come here. I was actually running the parking lot team out there, in church there.
Speaker 1:Big church that team out there in church there.
Speaker 4:So big church at the church, yeah, church, yeah, yeah, yeah, probably couple hundred, five hundred, uh, no, probably, like maybe 1200 at the time.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it is a pretty big church, yeah, yeah so, and our church was right next to, uh, i-80, there a major highway, wow. So, um, yeah, just um. I mean I had different ministers, ministers coming in. We had like a faith conference every year, like Joyce Myers, all those guys were all there but, yeah, just plugged into church, just seeking the Lord. But yeah, come. And at that time too, I'm still searching, trying to figure out you know, am I supposed to be a police officer? Because I think at age 29, I realized I had to put down myself because I realized that God didn't want me to do that. So, from age 21, all the way to age 29, I was testing, testing, testing. I was like man, I really want to do this, I love this, but it's not what God had for me.
Speaker 4:But I was trying to achieve it on my own.
Speaker 1:It's funny how he closes those doors for us when it's not him.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it rocks, you.
Speaker 1:It really rocks you. He was protecting you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, he was, Because I mean it's crazy. Now, oh, yeah. I give it to the police officers what they have to face with.
Speaker 1:They face crazy crap every day, brother.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:People like me and Rowdy.
Speaker 1:Come and get me buddy.
Speaker 2:Catch me, if you can, homie.
Speaker 1:I don't live like that. No more bud. Thank you, jesus. We used to tell the cops I ain't going down without a fight. Now we tell the devil I ain't going down without a fight.
Speaker 2:Jesus.
Speaker 1:We're going to go toe toto-toe homie redemption buddy yeah, yeah, man.
Speaker 4:So yeah, just um.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm living there just doing that um put down the cop training and all that yeah yeah, I, I get your bachelor's. How old are you when you finish your bachelor's?
Speaker 4:oh gosh so I graduated. I know, I know I graduated in 2012. So, 32., or yeah, or is it was it 32?
Speaker 2:No 22, right 32, buddy.
Speaker 4:Was it really?
Speaker 2:1980 to 2012 was 32. Yeah, math life, see. That's why I?
Speaker 1:need you in my life, math's one of my specialties.
Speaker 2:He said he was bad at it bro.
Speaker 4:I love math.
Speaker 2:I wish I remember, man, I would have tutored you. Just pay me my five bucks, dude, I'll do your homework for you.
Speaker 1:So up until this point you had no girlfriends. No, nothing like that.
Speaker 4:Man, yeah, I tried. My dad was always like hey, don't be dating nobody. So I tried that there, like always, like you know, hey, don't be dating nobody. You know, so I like this. I tried that. You know there's a couple girls that were really liked. Even there was this girl in in track. She was a really awesome girl. Her name was Vicky and she. I found out this one girl I wanted to go. They had this twerp dance you know where the girl asked the guy right.
Speaker 4:So we were set to go with this one girl and I was like okay.
Speaker 2:Did you say a twerk dance or a?
Speaker 4:twerp, twerp, twerp, twerp, twerp, twerp twerp. Yeah, that's different.
Speaker 7:Oh my gosh Rowdy.
Speaker 4:Touch him, jesus, he's got a little hood in him too, brother. I can him jesus, he's got a little hood in him, dude brother, I can't believe. I just did that, that's crazy, oh man dude I couldn't imagine a school having a twerk
Speaker 2:dance? Oh my god, I'm sure they have. I pulled my kids out of that real quick man.
Speaker 4:Oh lord, yeah, so we um.
Speaker 1:That's a good time of the Lord right there it is a good time of the Lord. So yeah, man.
Speaker 4:So then it was great because, well, I found out that she wanted to change her mind. This girl Changed her mind, went with this other guy. I was like, oh man, what the heck, bro, yeah. So I was like crushed. You know, you know high school stuff. Oh yeah, you know high school stuff. Oh, yeah, and um man.
Speaker 4:So what happened was that particular day of the of the dance. So I had gotten injured, I had fallen while I was we were in the indoor season of track. I had fallen and and got really hurt. Like I scraped at my back really really good, right, and not knowing vicky at this, at the same day, she, she got hurt too, she pulled a muscle or did something right. But what happened was her and I got to be able to. She's like you know what, I'll go with you to the dance. So here we are and I was like showing off, because it was one of her buddies, this girl that I was supposed to go with. I'm like, hey, hey, I'm with this girl and we wound up having a great time together. You know, I'm with this girl and we want to have a great time together. You know this girl, vicky. But I just remember that was like hey, Andy, how's it going? I'm like, oh, my back. People would say how you doing, andy.
Speaker 1:I'm like, oh, Right on your road rash.
Speaker 4:Yeah, dude, I was like man.
Speaker 1:Those are the best.
Speaker 4:But yeah, I mean some of the girls I try to holler at, you know, just like hey, just weren't interested in me. I'm like man, why are you not interested in me? Man, I'm a really good guy, yeah. So I struggle with that, you know. And just people like bro to the girls like why don't you give Andy a chance? He's a super nice guy. Yeah. So I got frustrated with the girls and I was just like man. What am I going to do here, lord you?
Speaker 1:know what the reality is. Yeah, I don't know what it is about women, especially young women. They're like jerks.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:They want the jerk.
Speaker 2:They do bro. They treat them bad, they do Call them names guy too bro yeah yeah, I was a guy like.
Speaker 4:I'll treat you good. You know what I mean and you're friend zone. Oh yeah, friend zone worst.
Speaker 1:Thing even if you try and you try to go into like with groups, right I don't want to.
Speaker 4:It was always.
Speaker 1:I got this friend who's butt ugly and I'm like, oh god, I always get stuck with the bug ugly ones. You know what I mean.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah and then, like they're like well, they're looking at my job I said, but I'm in the process, I'm getting a brand new job here, so all that stuff is like you know, you're just like what the heck?
Speaker 2:But you know cause you're working at McDonald's, you know?
Speaker 4:I think it was working at the school or something like that. I don't remember, but yeah, man.
Speaker 2:So then so you, you're trying to figure out what you're going to do. I want to know how you either meet Yesenia or get here yeah.
Speaker 4:I'm coming right up.
Speaker 5:I knew it it's coming, bro, coming in like a fire fire, fire, fire, fire.
Speaker 2:We had a pastor. When you do that, you got it right in the belly Fire, fire. That's awesome. Yeah, we had a pastor.
Speaker 4:We had a pastor back over there in Illinois Fire. You're back for two weeks it was great oh man.
Speaker 1:Oh, I just heard sports radio. Damn.
Speaker 4:Bickley man. So yeah, so, um, the my church was starting a spanish ministry and I got approached by the spanish teacher pastor and, uh, he was like hey, andy, the one girl that's running the children's ministry there. Um, you know, they she's getting ready to go off to college. So, you know, would you be interested in coming aboard?
Speaker 4:I'm like, yeah, you know, but at the time my plate was full. So I was. We had life goods over there too in Illinois, so I had parking lot ministers involved with the worship team. I think at one time, man, I had like six ministries. I was like bro, I had to like, okay, whoa, I got to cut some loose here ministries.
Speaker 4:I was like bro, I had to like, okay, whoa, I gotta cut some. Yeah, yeah, loose here. Yeah, so, um, at that time, so, yeah, I had, um, I ran a, I ran. I was the only life group man. This is what's so cool. And I I still get calls from from, from the people that were in my life group.
Speaker 4:One girl, she had a major crush on me, special needs girl yeah she actually, she called me the other day but, um, I had a special needs group, life life group. So it was rare, wow, and there was a funny moment with her. Jen was like the life group is growing right. We had to split. So we had the one group up. We were together with me and my co-life group leader, so he was upstairs, or no, I was upstairs, and his group was downstairs in the garage. So they're in the middle of worship and the pastor, the lead pastor's wife, is there All of a sudden. They're in the middle and just worshiping the Lord and one of my girls from my life group she does the worm underneath the garage to get underneath there. Oh, wow. To get underneath yeah.
Speaker 4:And then Miss Linda.
Speaker 1:She reminds me of pastor sharia they like the laugh yeah, she does right in the middle of worship.
Speaker 4:Yeah so, um, yeah, man, it just um she, they just lost it and my, my uh co-leader was like just keep focused, just keep focused. But it was funny so but yeah so, man, just it was, that was a really good time season. I did that for 15 years with the life group. That's awesome, so then.
Speaker 1:But yeah, so there came time to where I had to hold on a second, so you've always had a heart for that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, is that because of yeah, and I think you growing up growing up, you know, and I had, I had the patience yeah and I had the patients, yeah, and I had the encounter, so I knew how they felt.
Speaker 2:Those are the people that you were in class with yeah.
Speaker 1:As you were a kid man yeah.
Speaker 2:Wow, dude, those are your friends, you knew how to relate to those people.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's so awesome dude so man, it just and it was so unique just to have a life group full of that.
Speaker 1:We had a lady that reached out to us the other day Very special we have this step study, our step study, coming up. Yeah she asked for child care and she asked if we had special needs adult care for her. Yeah, because she had somebody she takes care of that was an adult that had special needs yeah. And I was like unfortunately we don't have that. You know what I mean, and so I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 4:I. And so I don't know. I think that's pretty awesome that you did that, brother. Yeah, I loved it. You know, like I said, I still get to communicate with some of the kids reach out to me. I keep calling them kids, but you know, I mean they're adults now.
Speaker 2:You made an impact in their life, bro, yeah.
Speaker 1:I love that Mark Fleet does kind of something similar to that.
Speaker 4:Yes, with her name Maylene Maylene. Yes, and what's the other guy? She's such a sweetheart, kenan, kenan.
Speaker 7:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that he goes out of his way to attend to those people, to make them feel belonged and part of it. It's awesome, dude, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, man. So at that point I had to make a decision. So if I was going to do this Spanish group, their church service was on Thursdays, so it was the same night that I had my life group. So I was trying to figure out what do I do here? Do I move my life group to another night, or is it that season where something new is coming and I want to be in that? And that was a hard part for all of us all around because, you know, we had to make the decision to step down as a life career 15 years bro doing that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a lot. Yeah, step away from that man.
Speaker 1:That's a lot bro, amen, wow, yeah, god had something for you. Yeah, yeah, amen, wow, yeah, god had something for you, yeah yeah.
Speaker 4:So, man, I tell you so, then I, I, I said yes to the um to helping out with the spanish pastor. Yeah, pastor jesus. And then um, yeah, just um, I was, his name was jesus, his name was jesus come on now, pastor jesus.
Speaker 1:That's freaking awesome. Yeah, and I think even with life group I was involved with.
Speaker 4:I was always involved with life group. Yeah, I think I want to say it was 15 years for all that, but I definitely from the Awesome, yeah, and I think even with Life Group I was involved with. I was always involved with Life Group yeah, I think I want to say it was 15 years for all that, but I definitely from the start, man, I think junior high I was always plugged into like a Life Group. Come on, man, you know, and we just we grew man, we just there's so much fun times there. Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know I mean. It's hard on a Sunday. Everybody's so busy and people that are involved in serving. You're busy Sometimes you won't get to connect with a lot of people, yeah, but down a life group in the middle of the week where you can sit down and actually spend a couple hours with some people. Yeah, you get to know people and make those connections, man.
Speaker 7:Exactly Get in a life group.
Speaker 4:Sign Group, sign up. Get in a life group, sign up. Yes, yeah, cause I was thinking About you, roddy too. Like I remember that life group. Yeah, and man, we, we were putting down that I put you, you know, put a name down, that we were praying for you.
Speaker 2:Cause you were.
Speaker 4:Had that, he had that. You had to go back and serve some time. That was. You know. That was still left on the tab. You mentioned that life group. I was thinking about that.
Speaker 2:You guys prayed for me at 7 am and 7 pm every day. Yeah, for every day I was in there. Yeah, yeah, wow. In a caravan of you guys picked me up yeah.
Speaker 1:That's life groups, baby.
Speaker 4:Man that's connection. That never happens, bud.
Speaker 2:No, people don't go into jail getting prayed for and picked up, and nobody for a ride somebody standing outside.
Speaker 1:they were like, how come nobody's picking me up?
Speaker 2:Yeah, God is good man yeah he is.
Speaker 4:So yeah, man I.
Speaker 1:So you say yes to the Spanish ministry.
Speaker 4:Said yes to the Spanish ministry.
Speaker 1:Had you met anybody in the Spanish church yet besides the pastor?
Speaker 4:No, actually most of them were just like outside people. Yeah. There was some. Maybe Any of them come, just like outside people. Yeah, there was some, maybe, maybe.
Speaker 1:Any of them come to Sunday services.
Speaker 4:So they would also have. So they had the regular Thursday night service, but then they would also have a Sunday night service and they would use the children's church. Yeah, yeah, so I would see them. You know, I'd see Pastor Jesus and all that stuff. And you know, yeah, I wound up taking on these kids. It was ages, kindergarten, to like man, I think it was even high school. Yeah. So I had to figure out a curriculum that I can teach them.
Speaker 1:Nice, because there was like 20 kids in that room. You know kind of the high schoolers. They spoke English, of course.
Speaker 4:Yeah, spoke English, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so it got to the point, too, where it was like so I'm doing this, you know.
Speaker 1:and um, so you had to come up with with the curriculum for the kids yeah, I kind of like, come on, now came up with something I had like I had my little you know poster board stuff and all that yeah so I mean, it came to time too.
Speaker 4:Where did you go, buddy?
Speaker 1:see that's something I didn't know about you, man, that's yeah, I don't know I don't know.
Speaker 4:I just I remember just getting some books and just getting some ideas. Yeah, because I want to make sure you can you connect to all that ages. That was, that was a challenging part yeah, how do? You know, versus uh kindergarten, keeping them occupied to like okay, here's a high schooler here I have my room as well come on man. So, um, yeah, man. So then it came time we're like there, like there's so many kids. I said, pastor jesus, I need some help.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, not knowing that, uh, how many kids I think it was like yeah, it was like 20, yeah, yeah, it was a lot of kids, it was a lot of kids um, for one person to facilitate and keep a track of and keep them engaged, it's a lot for one person.
Speaker 4:A lot yeah and I think too, uh, jesse started coming to church at that time too. And she, I remember one time, uh, pastor Jesus asked me to. We were meeting at a um, uh like, it was like, um, some type of um office building at that time, and, um, I remember seeing Jesse in the service and, um, I remember even trying to sit next to her mom. She's like who's this white boy, you know? But like um, I, I wound up preaching that night. Wow.
Speaker 4:He asked me. You know, I wound up preaching and he translated yeah, so that was pretty fun. But she was Jesse not knowing what was going on here. Jesse was sitting there in the audience, yeah, she didn't want to be there, yeah.
Speaker 2:Her mom, my mother-in-law, was like bro, listen, you're going to not go to school because she was not showing up for classes and stuff like that. You need to go listen to her story. Yeah, yesenia S.
Speaker 4:Hey, you're not going to go to school. Then fine, because she found it out. She's like you're going with me to church, Come on.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 4:So that's how I remember her, seeing her in the audience there. But then what happened was we moved to a different like like rec building yeah and yeah, and at the point, yeah, the growth of the kids was like man, I gotta have some help, I don't know what to do. And then, um, he asked jesse, you know? And she was like yeah, I'll do it, yeah so we started going um I'd meet at her house she. She helped me with the lessons we go over there and, dude, the butterflies just started developing.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because I mean I think I was trying to, I was trying to holler at another girl in there, um, it wasn't working out and I was just like all right, well, but then the butterflies started happening with her and I and like it was really fun. Like you know, even her parents, like you know, this white boy's coming, where's he? This white boy's coming over here. So but you know, um, yeah, man, it just how old were you when that started that season?
Speaker 1:Were they? Forgive me for forgetting? Yeah, they were in Juliet too.
Speaker 7:Yeah, all right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, they like right there, juliet. There's another town called Shorewood or something like that yeah. But yeah, I was probably right around that because I want to say I started knowing Jesse probably in 2014. So I was probably like 33, 34. Yeah and yeah, so we were doing those lessons and everything. And then, yeah, I just started developing feelings for him Like what's going on here?
Speaker 4:You know, I was and for me being hurt by rejection. Yeah, I just, I actually had a serious talk with the Lord. I realized that the feelings here were just something was happening.
Speaker 7:I didn't know what was going on, what God was doing.
Speaker 4:I honestly just told the Lord listen, if this doesn't work out with this girl, I'm staying single. I mean, I had a heart-to-heart with him, but then what happened was, as soon as we had that conversation, everything just started falling into place Really In our relationship, yeah, and so we just really started to develop a relationship together and yeah, serving God, serving God. Serving these kids.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, man. So and then. So that was I want to say we got engaged. Yeah, we got engaged. We just celebrated our 10th year engagement. We got engaged here in December. Yeah and so yeah. So what 34? Yeah, because then we're going to be married officially 10 years in June yeah so we dated for 6 months, got engaged and yeah, man, just, she's just such a great girl. Yeah, and I don't know if you know this we're 11 years apart from each other.
Speaker 1:In age, In age. Oh wow, so she's younger.
Speaker 4:That gives me hope. Yeah, yes, yes, man yes.
Speaker 2:Lord, there's a woman out there that's going to give me a family in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1:Jesus' name. Thank you, god, amen. Lord, can you hurry up please? Yeah, really, cut him loose, jesus.
Speaker 4:Yes, lord, I want some grandbabies, dude, let's roll bro I'm telling you, Roddy, listen, name it and claim it. Bro, Be serious about it, man. Yeah, I mean, like I said when I had that conversation with the Lord, that's when he moved. Get serious about it, bro. I mean, he's got it for you. You just got to step up and just say listen, lord, I'm believing for this, I want this and you know, just be intentional, man, he's got you bro. He hasn't forgot about you. And that's how I felt too, bro. I honestly thought, man, I honestly thought I was 34.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I just talked to my buddy this week. He's 63, and he has a 12-year-old.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I was like okay. All right, dude, Dad's like. What the heck? That's rough, but I mean it just yeah, god's got me. God knows what I need when I need it.
Speaker 4:He has the right plan, you know. And just you look back In the midst of it. You're like what is going on here? Why am I struggling with this? Why am I going through all this? You know, but then he's setting you up for the big blessing. I'm not going to hurt him.
Speaker 2:man, I'm going to be able to raise my family the way they need to be raised.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 2:In his word and in his house and in his ways.
Speaker 4:And he knows, and he knows like it's so crazy how he orchestrates like with your wife. Yeah, you know, like he just he knows what, what fits what works and it's just, we just got to trust him. Oh yeah, and so that's what it was. Man, it's just um, all right. Just things started clicking. I gave her, had like a little devotional that I gave her you know you were 34 and she was 23. Yeah, okay yeah, because she yep and um, she's newly saved how did that work with her?
Speaker 4:parents. Um, they, they were. You know, they got used to me coming over because of the lessons, everything, and they're obviously christian.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're christian, yeah and her mom.
Speaker 4:Her mom, you know her dad, yeah, they, they got a um a pass too. Like you know just different things, but you know they just. Yeah, they were on fire. Amen.
Speaker 2:She talked about it a little bit in the story. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:And, but yeah, man so. They call you mijo, oh no, so my mother-in-law this is funny Gordo que paso, he's the fat one. Yeah, that's my name, Andresito. Que paso, Gordito. So I'm little Andy or Gordo. I'll get a text message, Gordo, what are you doing? I'm like hola Flora, que paso?
Speaker 1:So, we'll mess around. Yeah, that's fantastic. Them Hispanics got a sense of humor don't they, yeah, they do they got good food. I will eat your food yeah, you got some good, I wouldn't be surprised if god didn't bring him a mexican girl. Yeah, love me some spicy latina, bro, and she better know how to cook.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she gotta know how to get down bro, bro, that's awesome, amen, man. Come on buddy. Wow, dude.
Speaker 1:Little fat Mexican babies running around Little bambinos.
Speaker 7:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4:That's awesome dude. Yeah, god is so good man yeah.
Speaker 2:But yeah, yeah, dude, dated for six months. Got engaged, did you?
Speaker 4:guys do it right yeah, amen amen yeah, we didn't um, you waited, yeah, we waited, come on dude, yeah, that's fantastic yeah, yeah, that's the way to do it, but that's why there's such a blessing on your marriage.
Speaker 1:Yep, it really is. I try to get people to understand that, that you know, don't curse yourself playing husband and wife ain't the same as being husband and wife man right, yeah, covenant there's a blessing that comes in in that covenant that we make before god and before man and waiting and doing it the right way it bestows a blessing it really does it's. It's literally the hand of god upon it, you know, I mean yeah trust me, I know I did it the wrong way.
Speaker 2:It was chaos until you got married. Once you got married, then it was all blessed bro but yeah, the first decade of their marriage was hell bro, drugs and prison and crazy fighting and arguing and all kinds of kids they got married in 2006, just so mom could visit him during the four years he was locked up I was on a long test drive, bro.
Speaker 1:He couldn't commit. I was on a long test drive I told myself. I was only gonna get married once yeah I mean I wanted to make sure. 10 years of making sure mom's a writer dude, wow man, yeah, that's wild yeah but yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:So you know, we, um, and that was, that was the thing too, like. So now here I am. You know I'm about to be married and obviously I'm not going to be able to live with my parents anymore, that's not the right thing to do, right yeah. So I found myself getting. I wound up getting. I had some money left over from the school district. It was like a um, like a retirement funding. But I no longer. Since I'm no longer there I you know either had to cash it out it was a little amount, but I used that amount.
Speaker 4:We got an apartment, nice and with start adulting. Yeah, yeah, so I remember like, okay, so everybody helped move in, my parents helped me move in, uh, get the stuff in the apartment and then my parents left for and this was, and like a couple towns over from where I was at, uh, originally from new lex, or you know. It's like maybe 40 minutes or something like that yeah so we're in this apartment.
Speaker 4:It's it's nice house and it was. That was all. God too, because we're trying to figure out, man, where we're gonna live. We found this house and this lady. She lived in downstairs and she rented the cool mill, yeah, yeah yeah and so, yeah, we was like I called a number, she's like yeah, yeah, definitely, you know you guys, you see, and she was like she was a catholic lady, but she was, she wanted, you know.
Speaker 4:And one thing she told people yeah, she wanted some good solid renters, you know yeah and she was, and she even like was. You know, listen, she's like, and you just want to tell you I'm really proud of you guys. She's like, you know you guys are doing things the right way, because she knew that I'm living in this apartment for the month until we get married, right by myself. Oh wow, so that scared me, because the delting really hit me. So my parents left, they went home, right, and now it came time for Jesse to go home, because obviously she's not staying with me.
Speaker 1:We jesse to go home because, um, obviously she's not staying with me.
Speaker 4:We're not doing that, we're not doing that, right, yeah, damn. And so, um, she goes leave and I'm like, oh man, dude, I'm by myself. Yeah, I gotta suck it up for a month, you know that's the first time you've been alone.
Speaker 1:That's the first time I've been alone because I've been all this all this, yeah, and all this with my parents, you know, so that scared the crap out of you. It did. Yeah, that's it did. Yeah, that's a real feeling, bro. Yeah, yeah. So definitely some growing up there you know, especially when you have the comfort of mom and dad and all that. I mean, even if they're not home, it's just the security of knowing.
Speaker 2:It's mom and dad. It's mom and dad. I'm not responsible for this.
Speaker 4:Yeah, oh yeah, now here comes all that stuff, it's all you baby, it's real man, yeah, so dude we got. Just that was a really good wedding yeah. And um where was?
Speaker 2:it.
Speaker 4:It was that church, there at the church family house I was going to yeah. And um so we had um one of the pastors there, jacques he was in charge of. He was in charge of like he was kind of overseeing the Spanish ministry, and so Pastor Jesus was also helping. We had him facilitate too, so he can do it in Spanish this is the same church you've been at for 15 years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Bro, I guarantee you the life group, people were at the wedding, the church ministry, everybody was there, so yeah, I was at that church from age five, all the way till we moved here. Wow, so man, 30 years yeah so, and and I signed, I was in the parking lot ministry shoot man.
Speaker 4:I started that when I was 15 years old, you know, and and just serving on that, you know. So, yeah, wow, yeah, man, it's just, it was awesome, um but yeah dude. So yeah, we got married and um just, just doing life, trying to figure out. You know, figure each other out you're gonna, you're gonna.
Speaker 2:I don't know why, bud, but I feel like you're gonna be in the parking lot ministry with your girls in a later season in life, bro your girls are literally gonna want to serve and you're literally gonna do it in the parking lot with them. Bud, I saw it, I was like wow, and it was a full circle moment for you.
Speaker 1:Bro, wow man, wow dude I had fun when I was out there oh yeah, it's like you're the first face, bro.
Speaker 2:You're the first smile, the first I made it.
Speaker 1:I made it fun. Yeah, I'm like if I'm gonna be out here, I'm gonna be a clown yeah, I'm gonna have fun, I'm gonna dance yeah, you know, easter time, I'm gonna have bunny years christmas time. I'm gonna be a clown yeah, I'm gonna have fun, I'm gonna dance. Yeah, you know, easter time, I'm gonna have bunny ears christmas time. I'm gonna have a santa hat on that's awesome dance and point people in direction.
Speaker 4:Oh, I went out there and had a blast dude yeah, dude, I remember like, so we, I told you we had those like faith weeks, yeah, so you know we have to, we have to orchestrate that traffic, get them people as fast we can I remember I I had to make this guy wait and man flipped me off. I'm like bro you just left the service. I think it was a visitor you literally just got the word and you just went rated me number one in your life.
Speaker 1:It's amazing what happens when you leave the building.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right, buddy.
Speaker 1:Go in, put your mask on, come out, take it off and go back to your house. Hurry up and get out of here. Oh my God, Manifesting much.
Speaker 4:That's great man.
Speaker 1:Oh man. So what were you doing for work when you got married?
Speaker 4:Oh man, what was I doing? I know I was doing something with the CDL, just driving, making deliveries, yeah, and then, uh, jesse was working downtown, so that was. That was one awesome part about where our apartment was. She could walk just two blocks cool this um train. It would take you down to the city, oh wow, and she would ride that. You know, it's like an, I think, maybe like an hour ride down to the city yeah, yeah and so she was working um for bos, for Bosley Like a trolley or an L.
Speaker 4:It was kind of like an L, but it's called the Metro train.
Speaker 1:Above ground or on the ground.
Speaker 4:Above ground Nice, so it's like a big passenger train yeah. Yeah, so it would shoot you. And it was fun too. Even on weekends you can go there for like five bucks, get on it and go.
Speaker 2:Is that Can you?
Speaker 4:oh yeah, I want to go to Chicago.
Speaker 7:I want to go to.
Speaker 2:Chicago too.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because the buildings over there are beautiful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the downtown, the architecture man, there's a place downtown where there's like the water runs through it or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And there's the banks and the way the buildings are on the banks.
Speaker 4:You're talking about the Chicago River.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can take a boat, yeah, or ride down it, yeah so during St Patrick's Day they always dye it green.
Speaker 1:So yeah, it's pretty cool. I've seen videos of people being right there and it's just a beautiful place.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the little bridges there. Yeah yeah, downtown is really awesome.
Speaker 1:As much as they're known for their bad side of things there is some beautiful places, man, that are really, really nice.
Speaker 4:You know what I mean. Yeah, like the Wrigley Building.
Speaker 2:Just don't be there at night.
Speaker 3:I want some of that deep dish pizza, big old deep dish.
Speaker 1:Just different foods. I mean, it's just the food there is different than it is here the people you know.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go have a Polish dog. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:So, like their roast Chicago, with their roast beefs, those that they're hot, that's a real Italian roast beef. Right yeah, dude, oh God beef yeah, dude, oh god, that's some good spots, yeah and then like even hungry man yeah, I haven't eaten dude, sorry bro.
Speaker 2:Hey, there's donuts where's those donuts?
Speaker 1:I went out and had my chocolate one what's what's a cool place that you've visited in chicago, something that you like?
Speaker 2:yeah, what would you recommend to tourists like myself that's never been there to go check out?
Speaker 4:yeah, so, um, they have and it's. It's not there anymore, but like there was. Like where we got engaged, 95th floor, there was a restaurant there. It's no longer there anymore. But I'd say, any of the museums they got these amazing museums there. There's even like a sky deck. You can go on. I think it's the Sears Tower. I call it the Bean.
Speaker 2:The Bean is there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they call that Millennium Park. Yeah yeah, there's some spots there and they got this place. I love the popcorn called Garrett's Popcorn. It's a combination of you can do the Chicago style where it's the cheese and the caramel mixed up in a bag.
Speaker 2:They never had that Chicago style I never had that. Caramel cheese popcorn.
Speaker 1:Who has the best Chicago dog?
Speaker 4:Around here, no, in Chicago, man, honestly, you can find, don't even say those hot dog carts.
Speaker 2:No, there's a lot of these mom and pop places.
Speaker 4:You can find stuff there.
Speaker 2:Those are the best ones, probably the family sausage shops, pork shops.
Speaker 4:When you see the signs of the Vienna beef this is the one.
Speaker 2:I gotta go Sausage shops and pork shops.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, when you see the signs of the V and a B, you're like, oh, I'm getting the real deal, this is the one I got to go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can't wait to travel and go try that kind of stuff out. Yeah, it's going to be a fun season.
Speaker 2:Culture, man Just enjoying God's creation? Yeah, and his people.
Speaker 7:Like to go see Wrigley Field yeah.
Speaker 1:Or just things like that. I know they have a I think it's a ballet place that they have there A theater.
Speaker 4:Yeah, oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I would love to go see that.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm cultured.
Speaker 2:No I mean. I'll dress up.
Speaker 7:Just to go see places that are historical and are part of that part of town.
Speaker 1:Yeah. You know that are famous for that part of town History man. Just like going to Green Bay and seeing Lambeau Field. Yeah or going to Yankees and see Yankee Stadium. You know what I mean. Just things that are to that area.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the Statue of Liberty in New York. Yeah, I want to go to. I could care less about that one. You don't care about that. No dude.
Speaker 1:I kind of want to see the 9-11 stuff. I don't feel like going to worship in Ishtar but I'm good I got him started.
Speaker 2:I'm good, I'm sorry.
Speaker 7:I kind of want to try like an actual official New York slice of pizza.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I want to do that.
Speaker 4:I want to experience that.
Speaker 2:You've had so much deep dish. He's like I need a thin crust. You know what?
Speaker 4:And it's funny for us because, even like we both were like we love the thin crust- oh wow, Because they got a lot of like. There's a place that was down the street, man it was you. Just you pay cash. There's no, you don't pay. You know card man, but the cheese, you pull that slice of pizza off and the cheese is just oh man, Sorry, Rowdy.
Speaker 2:You're good bro.
Speaker 4:I'm making plans in my head right now for dinner tonight.
Speaker 1:baby, I'm not a big fan of deep dish, I mean that's just a lot of stuff in there, you fill up really fast, yeah, and it's just.
Speaker 2:I don't know Oreganos. I went over there. They got great deep dish.
Speaker 1:I just see heartburn.
Speaker 2:Heartburn. Here's the Zegred. So how'd you get here, dude? Now we know how you met Yesenia, and God literally brought her to you. That's awesome.
Speaker 4:And that's another thing too. We were in that apartment too. I was going to say, too, in our young marriage. All of a sudden, something happened with me. I um my mind shut down, so I had a moment here where it's in 2016. Um didn't know how to handle it all of a sudden because I was dealing with a lot of numbers at work, so I had to read all these numbers and check these orders right. I I was working for a delivery company that delivered like janitorial products you know.
Speaker 4:So I'm over there. I don't know if I was just working so hard. Even with my lunch I don't think I was really been able to take a full lunch. You know, just sit down and unplug, whatever. I was just constantly running because you know you'd be driving far with those trucks sometimes, you know. But I got a moment where, like what's going on here?
Speaker 2:Yeah, what do you mean, your?
Speaker 4:mind shut down. I had like anxiety came.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you couldn't read.
Speaker 1:No, it's just like yeah, just Couldn't read.
Speaker 4:Yeah, like something happened. Like it just I felt like my body just said what's going on here? We're shutting down what's going on? Here we're shutting down and I there was a moment there where I just I was like yeah, the anxiety kicked in, I was like overwhelmed and I found myself hyperventilating like yeah, not like that, but like I couldn't get off the floor like I remember like I was trying to get ready for work and I, just I was crying. I was like Jesse, I can't get off like yeah, I was like yeah yep so and she didn't know what to do.
Speaker 4:She's we're young in our marriage right, and so she's never experienced that before. But you know she still had to go to work somebody you know. So it got to the point where I um my god, I God.
Speaker 4:I, I just I couldn't go to work. I don't know what was going on, like it, just my mind was just, I don't know if it's just everything that built up in stress or all that stuff yeah, I just it just said you know what, hey, I'm, I'm, I'm not doing this, you know. So what happened? Was man I? Um, yeah, I was. I remember just struggling, trying to get to work. I remember trying to come back to work, thinking I was okay, and I remember just sitting, I'm sitting at the dock, Got the truck loaded and I go to go, and I can't go, like I can't pull the truck out, can't do nothing, like my mind, just I was in fear, anxiety, even to the point to like where, jesse, did you? Hey, did you lock the car up Cause we had to park our cars outside right and driveway? Hey, did you? Did you? Did you sure you checked? That Is it? Is it good? Is the door? You know? Did we lock that? You know? Yeah.
Speaker 4:So stuff like that was happening and I didn't. I I've never experienced that before and so at that point obviously it was letting my work know what was going on, because obviously not showing up to work, you know.
Speaker 2:So you're going a couple days here now, yeah, leading into a week long, no, work.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so you know, we were able to still with her working, we were still able to pay her the bills and everything like that. But it got to the point where I reached out to my pastor, pastor Rob, and I know he had in his past he faced off with that. He was in a mental institution, you know and he just sent me an email back. He said, andy, give me some scriptures that you want to stand on. Yeah.
Speaker 4:So I went home that you and I was at home there and I got those cards together and those scriptures together and I just knew I needed to come up with a battle plan because the enemy is not going to win here, right, right. And me knowing the word been in the word, you know, and obviously this is not of God, right? So I remember just taking walks and that's why I brought these little cards. I wanted to show you guys like this radically changed my life and what I did was um, and I found them today.
Speaker 4:I was like man, I want to, I need to, I need to get back to these because they're come on bro oh man, I just for three years I walked around california with no cards in my pocket bud.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Every time I sat down went between the business fundraising. Yeah, Pull out my note card. Read the verse. Yeah, Turn it around Address.
Speaker 1:Yeah, read us a couple.
Speaker 4:Come on, yeah. So like what I did is I came up with a game plan. I was like, all right, I'm going to write these scriptures out on a 3x5 card.
Speaker 2:Good.
Speaker 4:But then I'm also going to do an audio of myself reading these cards oh good and then praying that scripture over me.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 4:So what I did? And the thing is, man, when I switched my phone, I lost it, so it's not even on there anymore. I was like dang it. So when I switched over to a new phone, You're going to have to make a new one, bud.
Speaker 2:I'm going to have to make a new phone, exactly so you can hear this Wow.
Speaker 3:So this radically changed my life. Man, I love what you're doing, God, so man, man you're coming into a good season, andy.
Speaker 2:Yes, man.
Speaker 1:I want you to know what you're getting to share. Yeah, it's going to give them tools and and and weapons to give them combat the enemy yeah, from what the enemy's trying to do to them right now. So what you're about to share is going to change somebody's life, brother yeah they may apply this exact same thing in their own, in their own walk right now, bro, just so you know, you said the key word, though they're going to apply this to their life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you have to actually do this, you can't just want to do it oh, that's a good idea you have to do it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah, because I mean, honestly, I was stuck. Yeah, you know. And so, like you know, I I made these cards out and then I would just say, like this one says here, this is proverbs 3, 5 and 6. And it says this is the message version. I wrote it. I said trust god from the bottom of your heart. Don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice. In everything that you do, everywhere that you go. He is the one who will keep you on track. Come on. So, like I would take that verse and I say Father God, I thank you, I confess that scripture. I said Pro Father God, I thank you, I confess that scripture. I say Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. I read that and then I would say Father God, I thank you In Jesus' name, that Andy trusts you, lord from the bottom of his heart, and I don't try to figure out anything out of my own Lord.
Speaker 2:You make it personal. Yeah, make it personal. And I just say Lord, Put yourself in that scripture.
Speaker 4:Wow, and then I remember putting. I said I thank you, father God, that I have victory over anxiety depression You're claiming it All, those all fear yeah. So I would end that with that prayer and then I would, when I would get tripped up in my mind, I would play that. Wow. I would even play that while I'm sleeping or something like that, you know, just to have it Wow, or just grab these whenever I needed them. And so it was a two-month battle. Yeah, I was off for two months from work.
Speaker 4:And I was able to get short-term disability and you know, I wound up getting, I had to get on some meds. And then there was one pill I had to take if I really had to break down. But I found myself not having to use that one too much, that one day I got stuck at the dock, I had to pop one of those pills.
Speaker 2:You know, yeah, um, but yeah that you know, I went to um psychologist tried to do that.
Speaker 1:There's nothing wrong with medication.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, that, that whole you gotta pray harder and believe more and have yeah, some people bro, their stuff is just all we need a little help. It's okay, you religious people yeah yeah, you can be a believer and still use medication. Yeah man god uses medication yeah, just like he uses doctors not saying he can't heal you in a moment. He can't, he can't.
Speaker 1:The lord can, will and do whatever he'll also allow the medication, because sometimes our chemistry is imbalanced. Yeah, we can be, sometimes the medication helps to reset that. Yeah, does he want you to stay on it permanently?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it might just be for a season. It might just be for a season Some people may need to be on it permanently.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a reset, chemical reset. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And like yeah, so I mean man bro.
Speaker 2:Read another one.
Speaker 4:Give us another one, okay, this one says here this is Philippians 4, 13, and 19, where I can do everything with the help of Christ, who gives me the strength I need. And then 19 says and the same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which has been given to us through Christ.
Speaker 2:Jesus.
Speaker 4:So how do you make that one personal? So I would take that one, and I think these are ones that and I was trying to find the ones that I had for that time too. But like for that one, I would just say Lord, I thank you that I can do everything through you, through your help. You give me the strength that I need you know, and so I just yeah.
Speaker 4:The Lord is my strength, he's my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me. He's hoping my heart, you know, he's filled me with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Lord.
Speaker 4:And you know there's just different ones here. I'm trying to find that one that really was one of the key ones, man, because there was just man. Oh, look at this, I was believing God when I was trying to be a police officer. Will Cunningham Corrections Officer. No, oh, look at this, I was believing God for when I was trying to be a police officer. Will Cunningham, corrections Officer. You had to let go of that one.
Speaker 2:You really wanted to hold on to that one. He still got the card. I'm going to be a cop one day. God.
Speaker 4:I love you, bro, man. So yeah, come on, buddy I could see it over there.
Speaker 2:You're shining right now, bro. You're literally going through revival inside, yeah man, a personal revival inside your heart. I could see it. This is amazing, bro man. Thank you so much, andy, for just letting me into this part of your life, buddy, this is the stuff, dude, that really makes testimonies really powerful. Bro, yeah, man, because we get to use our story in this, the the stuff that was crap for us. They literally kept us stuck. There's like I can't tell anybody about this, dude that I anxiety. I can't freaking drive and be.
Speaker 1:I can't this is I gotta hide it nobody can know about this?
Speaker 2:no, this is the stuff we talk about, about how god got us through it, yeah, about how I'm on the other side of it now, and now I I can testify about. Yes, there was a time in my life where I was stuck, I was crippled, I was lame and I couldn't do what God had me do, and I had to go to his word for months, weeks.
Speaker 4:Man bro, yeah, it's also the medicine for your soul. So you got your physical medicine that you need and then you got your. This is your medicine for your soul, and I think I was trying to find the one for you guys for talks about. Like I have the mind of Christ, I can do all things. So, I would say father God. I thank you that, andy. Andy Studer has the mind of Christ and he can do all things you know you like Andy Jagger or Mick Studer.
Speaker 1:You know what I think is so phenomenal right now with what you just shared, bro, is that you just literally gave everybody who's going to listen an example of how to apply Scripture to a situation, of how to take the Word of God and apply it to yourself in a situation that was crippling, but yet you still, with the help of your pastor, knew that I have to take the word of God, I have to apply it to this self, not just this situation, but apply it to myself personally and put myself in that word. You know what I mean. I think a lot of times we read the word but we don't read it for us.
Speaker 2:That's God's love letter to me.
Speaker 1:I think one of the best things someone told me is Eddie is when you see like people's names in the Bible. Put your name in there and read it that way.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And how that became my personal scripture. You know what?
Speaker 7:I mean yeah.
Speaker 1:And just to see in that situation how you took the word of God and not just the word of God, you took the time to write it out.
Speaker 4:And that helps you too. Yeah, write it out, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because there's something about writing stuff out. There's a reason we see how we do journals and stuff. You know what?
Speaker 7:I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, something about writing stuff out, but to write it, to read it, to apply it. You literally took the initiative to take the word of God. Write it out, apply it to your life and your situation and here you Confess it Now you're testifying that you came out the other side with the word of God getting you through it all, and now here you are, just walking in victory from that. You know what I mean.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Praise God for that, bro. Yeah man, we almost stopped you from bringing those in.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, cheat cards in it, no notes.
Speaker 2:We got rules around here, people.
Speaker 1:It's a spirit, land, people, no notes.
Speaker 4:Yeah, man. So I tried the little psychologist for a little bit. I think it went a couple times and then I think at that point they even had me go, which I do. Was it the psychiatrist? I went like one or two times. I'm like I just couldn't do it for me. I just I was like man, I can't do this. So you know, I had a really good doctor there that helped me with the meds. But like when I moved here, dr Hope was here. Yeah, wow. So she said you know, andy, we're going to do, we're going to come up with this battle plan.
Speaker 4:Well why did you move here?
Speaker 2:So Because your whole life was Joliet and Illinois yeah. There's nobody here why. Except a visit through Grand.
Speaker 1:Canyon, deep rooted in your church. Yeah, I mean you had a foundation.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and honestly, I forgot to tell you something too, like even with jesse and our marriage there, there was a moment where you know she was I don't remember sharing that she was going to go to the army, oh, yeah. So at that point there was another opportunity. I got to trust the lord. Yeah, because I love this girl and I'm about to lose her because she's going to go off the army and in the possibility of her family leaving.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so, on the way, on the way to church this is so wild tonight and you know to come here tonight, I'm just driving, I'm just preparing my spirit, oh, as you're coming here tonight, as I'm coming here tonight, oh, wow, I'm coming here tonight. I'm praying in the spirit. I put the worship on and I'm just jamming along, right, just praying the spirit, and then the song comes on on the music and the Holy Spirit said hey, you remember this song and that's why, when I got out of the car, I was just blasted by God's presence, because he reminded me, andy, you stood on, this is one of the songs that you stood on when you were facing, losing the possibility and not even, uh, losing yes, you know her going off to to um to join the song just came on the radio.
Speaker 2:It came on, yeah, so now obviously, yeah, literally.
Speaker 4:When I and and I heard it come on, I'm like oh god. And then I just, I just hear him say you know, hey, you remember this song. Wow. And so I began to like, and I just repeated it all the way. Wow bro From that point.
Speaker 7:I repeated it all the way until I pulled up right.
Speaker 4:And I was just listening to the lyrics.
Speaker 2:Andy, god is wanting to remind you the things he's done in your life, bro, yeah.
Speaker 1:He's really stirring this. I saw that when you read the cards.
Speaker 7:Yeah, when he was talking about you were having this personal bible.
Speaker 1:You wasn't, it was this man. It was this remembrance of the things that god did for you. Yeah, and you could see the emotions that you were having, because you were remembering that moment, how you felt and how god got you through. That, you know. I mean, he's reminding you of how much he's brought you through, bro.
Speaker 4:Yeah, man, wow, I remember like she needed space, right? So like me, like.
Speaker 2:If they're from God. Sometimes you got to let them go and they'll come back, yeah, and that was hard for me.
Speaker 4:I was like, okay, well, here I am. I'm like, okay, she wants the space, I won't bother her, you know out and I on here I am that that week, or whatever it was. I'm praying, I'm seeking the lord like. And that song was one of my go-tos.
Speaker 2:It was a song was called yeah, what's the name you got me?
Speaker 4:you're killing me, man it was um, so it's a bethel song with chris christine uh demarco demarco yeah, and it's called, it is well yeah, oh, but it is well it is well with my soul. Man, so like even I was just listening to the lyrics too and we hear I'm like gosh. It's like when they're talking about the mountains falling, yeah, and how we have to trust him. That's what that song is all about. Like you know, we just got to trust him.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and so he's working and I just remembered I had that song just repeating man and just I. I just remembered I had that song just repeating man and just I remember even going to take a pee in the bathroom and I just was all right, god, I trust you, lord, I trust you, and that song was playing in my head. Oh, you're talking about back then Back, then yes, yeah, and you just, I trust you. Yeah.
Speaker 2:It is well with my soul. It is well with my soul, yeah.
Speaker 4:Cause, you know I mean only you can, yeah, speak to her and say hey, girl, don't do this, this is not what God wants you to do. And I was also reaching out to Pastor Jesus. He was like Andy, we're going to pray. Her parents were on board. Yeah, we're going to pray. We don't believe this is what God wants for her. Amen.
Speaker 4:We believe that the Holy Spirit is going to speak to her. So I remember, yeah, I saw that man. I was on Messenger. I said oh, she's active. I was like I really want to reach out to her but I was like no, she needs a space. I got to let God do this.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You know, and so Good job buddy. So yeah, it just happened. Before you got married Before we got married.
Speaker 7:Okay, and.
Speaker 4:I forgot to powerful moment in the steps of our relationship you know, and she's getting ready to run. Yeah, she was getting ready to go, cause she was just yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a lot, bro. She's 23 and this 34 year old man, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's a lot. She's like sure I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker 2:I haven't even started living my life yet Exactly. You know what I mean you want me to be a wife? It's a lot bro, I'm sure dude Wow, but look what God has done. Only God.
Speaker 4:It's only God.
Speaker 2:Well, so what brought you here?
Speaker 4:Okay, so you want to know that? Yeah, I know you knew. I'm like come on bro. You grew up in the church.
Speaker 2:I was like I think he got baptized in the Holy Spirit in his mom's belly. He was born under the pew. He started reading the Bible when he was two. He basically grew up in the church, bro, and then.
Speaker 4:I did, so I mean.
Speaker 2:but it's good because it gave you so much. Man, andy, if you didn't have the church, church, if you didn't have that when you were younger, yeah oh my god, yeah, yeah the hell bro. Yeah, because it was all hell, else it was all hell it was all hell around me, yeah there was no good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's all you would have known, dude the only good he had was the church, the church bud.
Speaker 2:That's why I'm, that was my state, that was my safe place, bud man yeah, um, wow.
Speaker 4:So you know, we, uh, we decided that. So at that same company I was at where you had the mental breakdown there, um, they were affiliated driving, driving yeah yeah, so we just it's like you're still driving, ain't you still driving?
Speaker 2:yeah, okay, so it's okay. Yeah, what god's called you to? Yeah, that seems like to be with customers and handling people yeah I'm really good at it.
Speaker 4:God has given me that gift to like really you're a people person, but you're totally personable, bro.
Speaker 2:You're a smile and a guy. I would love to get a delivery. Hey, buddy, yeah, amen dude man.
Speaker 4:So yeah, so you know, we were desiring to get out of Illinois because it was just so expensive to live there. It's like, man, I don't know if we can get a house. You know it just.
Speaker 2:So this is 2016? Yeah so, yeah, you know it.
Speaker 4:Just so, we was 2016, yeah, so yeah, so, and I think we had gone out, we had gone out that year to come out here and visit to see if we even uh liked it, because her parents came too and because they wanted, wow, like a family trip.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they wanted to there was anybody out here that you knew no dad was still back there too.
Speaker 4:Yeah, everybody was there. Yeah everybody, the whole crew, yeah, Wow and yeah. So we just wanted to go and check it out.
Speaker 1:Why Arizona? Why?
Speaker 4:Arizona.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I have no idea. It's not the ocean?
Speaker 4:It's not. Yeah, I think we just wanted a change and we wanted something warm. Yeah. The snow too was another thing. It was like man, I I remember, um, a funny moment I just I keep telling people about this is like because they're talking about snow and stuff like that and remember just breathing in during the bus stop and like oh, is my boogers freezing, that cold buddy?
Speaker 4:it was that cold bro but, um, yeah, I know, I think we just we're just desiring something different and you know, we um halfway across the country. Yeah, that's yeah, because it's over, like Gosh, I mean, I think it's like over 1800.
Speaker 1:Did you guys Google warm places to live, or? Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 2:Past this growing cities or great things for kids. You know what brought you to Arizona?
Speaker 1:That's a trip? Yeah, man, because you could have picked Texas. Yeah, california, california.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's a trip dude.
Speaker 4:I mean, yeah, I think we at one point, jessie and I, weren't even married and her parents at that point they wanted to move. And that's why this whole thing was like, okay, she's going to go, you know, try and go in the Army. And they're looking to move. And I'm like man, what's going on? I'm freaking out. You're like, you know, it was crazy. But they were looking at Tennessee. So we had a pastor down there from our church there that had moved down there and they planted a church down there in Tennessee. So we were going to go there and I thought, maybe that was an option, okay, maybe we'll move to Tennessee. And then that wasn't what God wanted. You know, there was a no there. So then, shelf that. And then this opportunity opened up. I don't know, I forget the time frame on that but Arizona, she just said, you know, let's go check it out. We did that.
Speaker 2:So this is after your two-month crippling. You come out of it. You've got some meds, you're seeing some people, you're doing some stuff trying to work on you to come back.
Speaker 4:To be normal. Yeah, because at this point, yeah, I've already come back, because I think it was October, November and I think I was able to come back maybe December or something like that.
Speaker 6:Okay, so, I'm already in the swing of things On the meds stable.
Speaker 4:Okay, you know back.
Speaker 2:So you guys all take this trip out here.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, in 2016,. We took a year out and we came out I forget maybe like in May or something.
Speaker 1:Okay, good time yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah we're like, bro, this is nice. Yeah, couple more months. You don't know what was happening. Coming back to this hell, hole yeah.
Speaker 4:So we came and visit man we really, really like it out here and we were just, we're just praying, seeking the Lord about it. You know jesse was saying like you know, let me put in my transfer and see if I get it oh, so her, her company, yeah has a place here.
Speaker 4:It's got nice yeah, so that's okay yeah, so, and then that that got locked in like it just approved yeah, she's ready yeah, it happened pretty much pretty close for her yeah, yeah within a time frame. And then, yeah, then we were just okay, lord. I knew that I was with this company and that I could transfer over there. You do, yeah. Wow.
Speaker 4:So mine actually happened. This is how it all lined it up. It was like we even reached out to our pastor there and said hey, we're looking and thinking about moving to Arizona. And he gave us you know of any good churches. Yeah, I mean, he gave us his blessing too, Said you know what I'm good? Yeah, we're good. Because obviously I knew that Tennessee thing was no, yeah, don't do that. But this was a yes, and so then from that moment we got her locked in.
Speaker 4:That's good that you involve your pastors in your decisions, buddy. It's a respect thing. You know how few people actually do that, bro yeah people just make their own decisions yeah, you can't do. I mean especially you know your pastors are pouring into you.
Speaker 4:Come on, buddy this is the very thing that they want to be invited into to help you, yeah, make a right for our only good, because they can see things that there's a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death yeah, and you know I look back on that as, like you know that tennessee thing, you know, I was like thank you, god for your protection. You knew, you knew what was happening here in our antsy pants, stuff, type of thing you know we want to like.
Speaker 1:Oh, you know that just shows you how many people really consider their pastors to be their shepherd man. Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean. You're not just going to. If they're truly your shepherd, you're not just going to up and leave the flock. You know what I mean. You're going to go and get some guidance and some prayer. And what is God telling you about this? You know what I mean.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I've seen him do it, bro.
Speaker 4:It was the most amazing thing, yeah because, I mean, think about it You're walking out from underneath the covering of God's protection and God's blessing.
Speaker 2:It's the last thing we want. We don't want to do that, bro. We've done that bud. It's like holy. Lord Don't want to go down there. It's crazy out there without us, bro, it's crazy out there people. Yeah, jesus Okay. Yeah, so we're God was literally God brought you out here.
Speaker 4:God brought us out here. Wow, Because we, yeah, I think within it came time for us the jobs To leave. Yeah, the pastor's blessing Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:The finances? Yeah, because I was trying to figure it out Place to stay. Yeah. Yeah, mine came in last bit How'd you guys line up the place to stay?
Speaker 4:That was another thing Like we were looking for. I was on a map trying to figure out where we're going to find a place to um to live, and we we had Glendale on the map. We were like, I was like well, I don't know, about. Glendale.
Speaker 2:Wow, dude. After being here I told Jess I'm like, hey, I'm glad we sister that lives there the streets are real over there but like, yeah, so I don't know you know what man I called this hotel or hotel apartment complex.
Speaker 4:And it turns out in a conversation with the lady there. She's like, yeah, we can do this and that, and it was on up, we rented an apartment in Chandler off of Pecos and Elma School right there, oh nice. And so it turns out later on that that lady was a believer. The apartment manager.
Speaker 4:Come on come on and she hooked us up, gave us a good deal, and then what happened was my parents were out there at the time when we were trying to get that lined up. They came out, dad and Ella, they came out. They wanted to scope out, you know, because we had already made this announcement. Hey, they wanted to scope out, you know cause we had already made this announcement. Hey, danella, we're thinking about. Uh, we're thinking about, we're going to move to Arizona.
Speaker 4:My parents like oh, shoot, okay. So they decided to get like, um, like an Airbnb or like they went um and they stayed out yeah. They stayed here for a couple months, and so they were get eyes on the apartment through video hey Andy.
Speaker 2:I'm walking through your apartment right now, this is going to be your apartment.
Speaker 4:So my dad was able to give us that video.
Speaker 2:I love your dad, bro. He's really like there for you, dude, I understand you and your dad's relationship now. A lot more buddy.
Speaker 1:You could always tell you and your dad were close.
Speaker 2:But now I understand you can see get why, yeah, I mean, yeah, that's beautiful and glad you guys have that relationship yeah, I love him.
Speaker 4:He's been such a I mean the way he poured into me all these years.
Speaker 2:I'm so grateful for that I'm sure sometimes it gets a little like dad, give me some space you know, you need to know, bro, that you're blessed to have that I am there's a lot of guys that's coming from two dudes who don't have relationships with their fathers, like With their fathers, like that, andy, you're really blessed bud. Yeah, I am.
Speaker 1:I hope you know that, yeah.
Speaker 4:I do. Yeah, I'm thankful. I look back and everything that he put up with, all the crap that he put up with and how he raised us as a single dad. We have my grandparents there, but, yeah, he's just an amazing dad, but yeah, man. So we pulled the trigger and got out here and I got my transfer last bit. And then, on top of it, jesse's pregnant with Zoe.
Speaker 2:Oh, so now we're at a point where— you moved out here and she's pregnant, oh wow.
Speaker 4:So that's the challenging part too. Like, okay, how do we do this, so she can't fly because we're at a point where you moved out here. She's pregnant, mm-hmm. Oh wow. So that's the challenging part too. Like, okay, how do we do this, so she can't fly because we're at that point. Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean.
Speaker 4:I'm sorry, she could fly. She could fly, but I needed to drive. It would be easier for her to fly out there, obviously, than trying to make the 1,800 miles plus just to get from there all the way down here you know, so yeah.
Speaker 1:Reality, it's a two-day trip. Yeah, I mean you could drive it in one day. But that'd be it's killer bro, it'd be taxi bro.
Speaker 4:So yeah. So I ended up getting one car in the trailer and then my in-laws helped. They drove her car.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 4:And Team work. Yeah came mart, yeah, and then they, yeah, they got down here and um I'm a car guy.
Speaker 1:What kind of car were you driving?
Speaker 4:at the time when I was driving. Yeah, I had like a little um honda elantra, come on I just traded it in to buy your other car. Yeah, it was 11 years old, 190 000 miles on ice. Bro, what was she driving? She was driving like a little. Uh, mr bc outlander sport, little little suv thingy nice yeah, all right.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, so we, they packed them all up and like her, even her brother was here like you got, got an on that and all that stuff. And then, um, yeah, man, so we all just got out here. And then obviously you feel that you're like oh shoot, I'm alone now omar right omar. Yep, what's up omar, what's up omar? See, they know you, bro, they know you yeah we're watching.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we know where you live. Dude, god loves you my buddy, yeah buddy, miss you, omar I miss you, man.
Speaker 4:Yeah, um, yeah. So then, yeah, we're at a point too. Now we're um. So now she's pregnant, trying to work. She's still working. Yeah, she got the job transfer. Um, we're in the apartment. Was she like far enough?
Speaker 1:along that she had to when she was searching for OBGYN when she was coming here right, wasn't that one of the remember her story?
Speaker 4:I think so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think she was, yeah, that was one of the concerns was she got to find somebody right away because she was close.
Speaker 4:Yeah, she was pretty much yeah because it was let. Yeah, she was pretty much yeah because it was, let's see, we moved out here, so it was April or no. I left Illinois around March 30th of 2017. So we got out here within a couple days, at the beginning of April, and I had taken some little days because I needed to get things settled, yeah, and then Zoe came August. Yeah, wow. So within that couple months.
Speaker 4:Jessie's a beast man. She worked down to the bone. Come on and man, yeah, so and then. But what's cool too Is like Mexicans ain't no joke bro.
Speaker 1:They don't play no games bro, they don't play around Orale pues.
Speaker 2:Orale. Pues, lord I need.
Speaker 3:Oh god, oh man, they come out the womb gangster bro.
Speaker 4:Come on Christ for life, ese Right. Oh man, they come out, the womb gangster brother. Come on Christ for life, you see Right.
Speaker 1:First words out of their mouth is me be the loca. That's great, La raza. Oh man, that's great dude. I love my.
Speaker 7:Mexican people, man, they're awesome dude.
Speaker 1:Chicanos for life Dude. Family. I love my Mexican people, man, they're awesome. Dude Chicano's for life, eh.
Speaker 2:Family. They love family. Once they bring you in, you're family.
Speaker 1:I have a buddy who lives in this apartment right. He's an older white guy.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Lives in a predominantly Spanish apartment complex and the way those people treat this dude bro is just phenomenal. Yeah, like if they're having parties they'll bring him food.
Speaker 2:They'll come, knock on the door.
Speaker 1:Yeah, come and eat, yeah come get you some or they'll come get them and hey, man, we got your favorite beer. Yeah, come have a beer with us.
Speaker 6:Yeah, you know what I mean, and yeah, they literally they don't drink mickeys or anything.
Speaker 1:They'll literally buy mickeys and invite them to come drink with them. And yeah, they, they treat you like family bro yeah, if they, if they love you and treat you like family man. They'll always treat you like family bro. Yeah, if they love you and treat you like family man, they'll always Treat you like family bro.
Speaker 4:Yeah, cause even my mother-in-law. She's like Andresito, come on, eat, eat eat Always make sure I had something you know, yeah and like.
Speaker 1:I used to love it. In prison they'd sneak me food Really. Oh yeah, you have to sneak it. You can't eat with them.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah in trouble. They sneak it. Hey, bring your bowl. Yeah, we got some menudo dog.
Speaker 1:I smell it, bro. Walk by and drop my bowl and act like I'm going to the bathroom and walk back by and grab it, pick it up and go to my thing.
Speaker 2:That is awesome. Yeah, I got some grub and here's the thing right.
Speaker 1:So in prison, if white boys were throwing together something, it was four or five of you. Yeah, screw everybody else.
Speaker 2:If the Chicanos were making something, they feed their whole people, bro, whether you put something, in or not, they're inviting everybody, every one of their people, are eating.
Speaker 1:It's like if we're eating, we're all eating.
Speaker 7:Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:Not the white dudes. It was like oh, you didn't put nothing in, you ain't getting none of this. Not up to Mexicans, dude. They would throw down bro. Wow, yeah, good people, man, they understand family and value and how to take care of our own.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, they do. I mean, I've definitely experienced that. I bet for sure yeah like and we have a funny little joke. We're at the beach and they're um. So I'm with uh, jesse's family and we're over at the Michigan Dunes over there, and it was funny because they're like they, they see this little white boy, andy. There's Andy with all these Mexicans.
Speaker 4:They're like oh, look at, the Mexicans dropped this little white boy. They adopted him, you know. So we were just joking. We had some jokes with each other. We got a really good relationship with Jesse's family.
Speaker 1:That's great, we're tight. They love their little gringo. Yeah, they do their little Gordo.
Speaker 2:Come here Gordo, Merry Christmas Feliz.
Speaker 1:Navidad.
Speaker 4:Oh, my God.
Speaker 1:That's freaking awesome Jesus, oh man.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so now we're at a point. Yeah, so Jesse's giving me the baby 2016?
Speaker 2:2017. 17? 2017.
Speaker 4:17. Yeah, we're here, we're in Arizona. Yeah. And so now we're trying to figure out what to do and obviously once the baby came you know Jesse's, she and her cousin, which she's basically a sister, nayeli they were able to bring her over. She came over, she sacrificed her senior year of high school, came and did online school. Wow.
Speaker 4:She would help us take care of the baby while we were both working. Wow, once Zoe was born. So, yeah, she's been a blessing to us. And Jessie doesn't even call her cousin, it's her sister Because Jessie's family pretty much raised us, you know. And Jessie doesn't even call her cousin, it's her sister Because they pretty much Jessie's family pretty much raised her too. Wow, growing up, you know.
Speaker 4:So it's yeah, niall is her sister, Nice dude, and so yeah, man. So yeah, we're at that point. I remember even Pastor Dave coming over, and that's a crazy part too, how we got hooked up to life. Yeah, how'd you get here? Yeah, so here's the deal with that man. We're trying to find a church. I have a list of like 12 churches I'm trying to figure out. You know where are we going to be at here? You know Where's my family going to be planted?
Speaker 2:I love that I love that You're just looking for that yeah, man man, because I you've experienced it. You know, it's always known you know what it does for you as a young man into a man and yeah, what it's going to do for your kid.
Speaker 7:Yeah, you got to get her in the house.
Speaker 2:Yeah, got to get planted.
Speaker 4:Yeah, develop some roots relationships yeah, good buddy so, yeah, we're trying to figure that out and I remember just when we visited all those churches pretty much, or whatever we did there Twelve of them.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I don't know if we did all of them. He's like no, I don't like this worship. No, the pastor gets too, much milk? No, there was one.
Speaker 4:I don't see you walking into churches like that.
Speaker 2:Bud looking like that.
Speaker 4:Well, there was one church where during the worship, in the worship, we're like oh you know, you just wouldn't feel that we kind of walked out.
Speaker 2:You can feel it when you're home.
Speaker 3:You can feel it, and now it's like oh, this is it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah. So I'm driving my work truck. You know where I got the job?
Speaker 1:Don't tell me A-frames, me a frames the sign right outside.
Speaker 4:Seriously another one I was on my way to go um. Just I was driving past her wow, I was like oh life rank church. Let me write that down yeah and I was like hey, jesse, I got another church added to the list. She's like seriously it's number 13.
Speaker 2:Whatever lucky number 13, that's great. So, man, I just okay. So we started.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we started figuring out kind of going to church. We went to like um I, I think Hillsong's was here in Mesa.
Speaker 2:We went to that church.
Speaker 4:But it came down to Bethel and LifeLink, yeah, and we were going back.
Speaker 2:Bethel was right by you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, bethel was right there, Right there, exactly. Yeah, wow. So Dave telling us too, like cause we were trying to figure it out, he said to us at the end of service he's like hey, oh yeah, if, if you can't find a place, if lifelink is not your home, we'll, we'll gladly help you, yeah.
Speaker 2:Isn't that beautiful? That's crazy. Yeah, that's different.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah so.
Speaker 2:I being in the audience and just knowing, like this is our home. Yeah, so that's how we got plugged in here, man. It's just been all these years. It's just been an amazing ride, yeah that's exactly what it is, too, andy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you've been on a ride, bud, that's how you know.
Speaker 7:Your pastor is not concerned about filling the pew yeah, when they're up there saying if you just don't, if you just don't feel comfortable here.
Speaker 1:Let me know, I'll help you. I know plenty of pastors in the valley will help you find a place I want you to be where god wants. You know what I mean that was one of the things that really like opened my eyes about pastor dave. Yeah, I've never heard a pastor say if you want to leave, let me know, I'll help you find a bible-based jesus yeah, usually it's like yeah you know, what I mean no, it's all open palm here, bud, everything, everything's open palm here the people, the ministries, everything.
Speaker 2:It's all yours, god, who's coming? What are you doing?
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Man, yeah, so man, we're, we're plugged in and just I think too I was kind of just also tired to like, um, we're serving everything. I just kind of just sit for a little bit, and so I didn't join the worship team right away.
Speaker 2:I was yeah, no, you weren't, you weren't on the, I remember, after covid, after covid, and they closed down and then I stepped into it and then it was you and ahmad and there was a few other guys yeah, I had to take a little hiatus because the job at the time that I was working here, man, I was working some long hours and I was getting up driving.
Speaker 4:yeah, I, I was looking for a roll-off company. Yeah. So, man, it would be some long hours, like 14 hours.
Speaker 1:I worked there for a while, didn't you?
Speaker 4:I, I made it there. It was almost I think it was almost a year, but I ended up quitting.
Speaker 1:Oh, so you've worked at a couple of roll-off places.
Speaker 4:Just, and the money was really great. But man I found myself like I'm home, but now I got to go to bed.
Speaker 1:What was the one you were working at where the? It was something where you couldn't get to the yard or something. Remember.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that was the one. Yeah, because the fire next to the bed, yeah. So I had to leave my car there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was the place, oh yeah.
Speaker 4:I remember you telling my car there and then so one of the guys took his truck home.
Speaker 1:I remember picking me up at like whatever it was 3 in the morning with this big roll-off truck at my house. Yeah, that's crazy bro.
Speaker 4:So yeah, man, and you know, so that was happening with Nayeli here, and then, so then both sets of parents are still there in Illinois. Yeah and um, they're like shoot man, we want to go move my parents and he she's like don't tell Andy and Jesse like they knew that time but they were here visiting on their own yeah they knew within the second week that they needed that this is. This is where they needed to go man they didn't say go, don't tell them yeah again the space thing dad, I need some space, yeah he didn't he's
Speaker 4:like, don't tell Andy. Yeah, we really like it here. Everybody retires here, bud, yeah, so like, yeah, so, man, they both said. The parents came a year after and you know how. He walked through my apartment and showed me the video, yeah. So now I'm here, he's buying that house over by you guys. Yeah. So I'm here. He's buying that house over by you guys, so I'm walking his place keeping an eye on his house that's being built.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 4:It was like one of those DR Horton ones, whatever.
Speaker 7:Yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 4:So I'm shooting videos, it's like here's your house.
Speaker 2:Hey, it got studded today. Yeah, yeah. Hey, the walls went up today. Dad, that's awesome. What he did for you. Now you're repaying him. Hey, look at this Stuckle today baby.
Speaker 4:So yeah, man, that's. Yeah, we got plugged in and just was really it's been like I said, it's been a really amazing ride just being here and just grateful for God and I'm just so glad we did it the right way. I just couldn't. That's not how I'm built. Amen, you respect your pastors. Yeah, you do things the right way, and if it's not lining up, then you know you ain't right, amen. So yeah, man, so we're just living life here and serving plugged in what has this community done for you?
Speaker 4:Well, I think back to like even with those life groups I'm reminded of, like I think, pastor Lacey and Pastor James. They had a date night group. That was one of the first life groups we went to. Just, we're new, you know, trying to figure out, we're kind of nervous and scared, like right now we've got to meet a whole bunch of new people, don't know people, yeah. But even like that first day, like we came to life group Al was out there in the parking lot and those A-frame signs you talk about they'd say like hey, if you're new, flash your hazards, right. So we did that. I guess I was like whoa, I told Jesse I was like I'm just trying to be obedient. It says flash your hazards. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, he came over, and that's how we met Al and Star. The first people we met in the parking lot was. Al, and they greeted us and said oh it's your first time here. Like yeah. So I made an impression. So it goes to show the parking lot guys, the team, their first impressions.
Speaker 1:I'll never forget. When we were working out there, Pastor Tom's daughter had showed up and I think Connor threw up in the van.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and how?
Speaker 1:we all just got around her, helped her clean up the mess. Someone you know took Connor inside and got him to Pastor Tom, and just how we did all that. You know what I mean.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And it was I don't know. It was a fun time. I did that for a lot of years, bro, and I really enjoyed it. You know what I mean. I was the kind of guy that greets you with a smile how you doing, man. God bless you, man. You know anything I can pray for you about, you know? I mean just I remember there's this mom that had these two boys and I would park them get out how you doing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all these ones are being there. They were rough. This mom, my boys come on, man. You know. I mean, give your mom a break in the morning, she's just trying to get. You know. I mean just how, just being there and greeting these people, how impactful that was to them. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:You never know what somebody's going through just getting to church man, for me you're the first face they're going to see If you're out there and you're grumpy and you're mean and you're nasty.
Speaker 1:They're probably like what the hell? You know what I mean. But, if you're joyful and you're personable and you're out there just representing Jesus and the church. That changes people. Before they even get to the door they're like holy crap, man. That was a really good experience.
Speaker 7:I can't wait to see what it's like when I get inside you know, what I mean, it's just, you're front line, those men that are out there in the parking lot are front line man.
Speaker 4:Your first impression. If you ain't out there doing it right, then they're going, going to like hey, what's going on inside? Cause, even like, even back over there in Illinois, like I would, I would love to grab him one of the vans 15, 15 passenger van and I'd screw people up in a parking lot Cause the parking lot was big. I think about like the moms you're trying to carry, so I'd be like hey, hey, I'd drive right to the front door.
Speaker 1:Open those doors, alright guys, they loved it and I love doing it.
Speaker 4:That's good stuff sorry man, I'm having some reflections along with you guys. This is really good, yeah, man yeah, so, man, we're here and, like life groups, we're connected you're singing. She's serving on yeah social team you guys are doing your thing, yeah um, and then, you know, I think we encountered a, a moment here back in I think it was 2021. Oh, yeah, yeah. So that was the hard part.
Speaker 4:That was our first time man, so I had just bought Jesse this Jeep, and it was November of 2020. The girl loves the Jeep, you know, and so I was like, all right, I'll get you a Jeep. You know, we got rid of the Outlander, yeah, because we needed more room. You know, it's like I was back there, man. It was just cramped but, um, yeah, so I said, you know what, let's go get. We need to go look at a different vehicle. Um, so I got out of that jeep, but then I came time to when we found out in february, um, that she was pregnant, yeah, and um, so I was like, shoot, what are we gonna do? We definitely, you know, you know the vehicle, yeah you already at this point have zoe and yeah, I'm sorry.
Speaker 4:Yeah, at this point we'd have zoe and mila, so you, hadn't said to for our listeners, that yeah mila had come, yeah mila had come when did? She come. So mila was uh january of 20 oh 2020, yeah oh she was wow.
Speaker 2:My little brother was, uh, january of 2000 okay, he was almost a 2000 baby to where he would have got all this money.
Speaker 1:And yeah, free all this stuff, dude. January 19 days 19 days.
Speaker 2:He missed it by wow. Yeah, if he would have been january 1st 2000. Yeah, oh bro, they had all this stuff he was going to get for free. Oh yeah. Wow.
Speaker 7:That's crazy Millennial baby.
Speaker 1:Millennial baby yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because even for Mila the nurse said something and I was like, okay, I didn't catch it right away. She's like, yeah, the time is like 23, 24, 25. Wow, so it was 24th minute, 25th second, yeah, wow. Or the 24th day yeah, samila's born on 25th, wow. So I'm like whoa, okay, wow, okay, so, yeah. And so then at that point, yeah, I'm squeezing in between the two car seats, I'm like gosh, this car is tight, you know. So I got out of the jeep a little bit more room, a little cherokee, and but then, yeah, we're thinking, oh, shoot, now there's a third one third coming yeah so then there's no way we can't put no babies on the roof.
Speaker 4:So I went and got that van, our minivan, and so, yeah, we got that and man, me and Jesse, we just made this video of us, you know, making a sign, you know, welcoming hey, baby's coming. You know November, or whatever it was. You know 2021 sign. You know welcoming hey, baby's coming. Yeah, you know november, whatever it was. You know, uh, 2021, whatever it was, and um, so we were excited about that man and then, um, I think, with within eight weeks, we found out that, uh, we lost the baby at the very uh, so I want to just pop in here, and because the spring life group of 2021 was the life group of pastor james and lacy that we all attended yes and that started the first week of february of 2021, and so we had just started kind of mixing and meshing and all of us growing together in about a month, six weeks into that thing yeah, this happens
Speaker 4:dude yeah, yeah and um, yeah, that was. That was definitely a hard time because, um, you know, I like I never seen jesse the way she was, like she wasn't herself and she was. I think she might have had a little bit extra benadryl, might have over excellent overdose on the Benadryl, might have had an excellent overdose on the Benadryl, whatever it was that she had. But she was not herself. She was talking like hey, tell the girls I love them, and so I'm like what the frick is going on. So at that point you know she's just not herself.
Speaker 4:I don't remember exactly what was going on with her medically, but we got the fire department to come over one time and, uh, and then I just knew something wasn't right and so we, we had to end up calling the fire department again. And then, and that's when, I think that's when, at that point you know we had made a decision that you know she'd probably take her in, you know. But at that moment I stepped away because I knew something wasn't right, because the way she's talking it's scaring me.
Speaker 4:And so I reached out to Pastor James and said hey, bro, this is what's going on. He's like all right, I'm sending Pastor Lacey over right now. So we got everything lined up with that, hold on.
Speaker 2:You guys leave. She goes to the hospital. Pastor lacy came over and all night cleaning right, she came the next uh, she came the next day and uh, I think it was.
Speaker 4:I'm trying to remember what it was, but she came um she came and got the girls, didn't she yeah, well, no so yeah, so what happened was my, my family, uh, jesse's parents were there yeah um with um, um, omar was there and aylee was there, so they're all trying to figure out what's going on.
Speaker 4:You know she's not right, she's not. You know I'm all freaking out, basically, you know. And so it was very emotional. Obviously everything's going on, all the feelings, and then as a pastor, they came over and at that point she was ministering, trying to figure out what's going on, and then that's when the ambulance came To take her To take her away. Yeah, and I think at that point we had everything set up with the girls because my in-laws were there. Yeah. So they stayed, and then I went.
Speaker 4:To the hospital with Jesse and I was communicating back and forth and all that stuff. But man, it was definitely very scary for us and I also remember this part too. It was like getting a text from Nayeli saying, hey, where's the pregnancy test? I'm like, okay, well, they were located over there in our room, you know. Then they're asking you know, like you know, I think they would have been asking for something else, like the onesie. We used a onesie to announce the pregnancy, you know. So I think in that time frame, imagine, you know, I'm over at the hospital trying to figure out, I'm trying to focus on Jesse and figure out what's going on, and I get those texts. I'm wondering what's going on at home. You know, I'm concerned. So then, you know, we come back early morning, sunday morning, we're back at home from the hospital. She was able to get released and everything, get some sleep and she got, you know, and obviously I'm like I'm feeling all the things you know.
Speaker 4:I'm trying to stay solid for my wife and your girls and my girls and also trying to figure out what's going on at home too. You know, and I get in the door and and I'm telling you from a guy's perspective how it is. You know how to process things because it's just, it's different. You know, girls go through the things, they go through their things. It's hard. But as the man of the house, how do I? I got to stay strong. Yeah.
Speaker 4:But at the same time I'm physically tired, I'm emotional, I'm all these things right. Yeah, man, Damn that's real so. God, holy Spirit, spoke to me and I noticed that the picture frame of Jessie when she was pregnant with Mila was taken down. And I just noticed and Holy just hoisted and said hey, andy, check the garbage can. I opened the garbage can and there's the ones who are sitting in the garbage can and it rocked me as a man. Yeah, because you know, obviously that meant something to me. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And I didn't know how to respond, like that. And I said, hey guys, I trusted you here at my house. Like what are you doing? I was very loving about him, like I wish you would have asked me about this. Yeah, instead of just removing stuff, and so I'm trying to call, I reached out to Pastor Lacey. I didn't know that day that Pastor Lacey was actually ministering, so I got in touch with Pastor Dave. I tried calling him. He's like yeah, give me a minute, five minutes. So we talked on the phone and I remember Pastor Dave saying to me he's like, andy, their intentions were good, but it may not necessarily have been the right intentions. And I say all this to say that I don't blame nobody. That's just not who I am. Yeah, they were trying to do what they knew in their heart. Yeah, what would bring Jesse comfort?
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Removing the picture from the wall.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Removing everything that would remind her the pregnancy test, the onesie, all that stuff that would trigger her Exactly pregnancy test, the onesie, all that stuff that would trigger her, exactly.
Speaker 4:So you know, um. So I'm like guys, you didn't even ask me, you know, and um, at that point too, how I'm wired, is my mother-in-law and coming that night um accidentally blocked the neighbor's driveway with her car, just literally just parked it right there.
Speaker 4:I said, hey, let me get your keys. I moved the car and moved it closer to our house, so I had to process that, you know. So, just trying to walk through that with her, you know. And then I think within a day or so, I think, pastor Lace just showed up saying I'm going to help you guys clean. So, she started. My pastor is brooming my floor. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, and then I just I remember and I think about Penny because several people reached out to us and, like, brought us food. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Dinners, and even going back to when Zoe was born. Pastor Dave was at our house, at the apartment meeting Zoe for the first time, I remember just different people coming and dropping off meals for that. So that's that connection you know again. And then here it is. I remember one of the things with Penny man. She brought me like a bag of waffles for like when we were walking through this. You know, know this situation, and just people were there yeah and that's what I'm grateful for and that's that's another good reminder of, like you know, we need connection.
Speaker 4:Yeah, man, and that's why life groups are so important. And I'm gonna plug it because get in a life group.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you, yeah, man you need that.
Speaker 4:You need that, that link it's in cr.
Speaker 1:We always tell there's a step where we talk about accountability.
Speaker 2:Can't do recovery alone.
Speaker 1:And how we're not meant to do recovery alone. It's the same thing in life Not just recovery, but in life in general. Community people. I hate it when people are like I don't want to go to church. It's like you're missing out on one of the greatest aspects of what God intended church to be in as community People. People.
Speaker 2:I don't come here. I mean, I do come here for you, God, you know that. But I come here for all y'all.
Speaker 4:Man, I love you guys, dude Well even my dad would say like you don't have to go to church. You get to go to church.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I was like, whoa, okay, that's good, yeah For me just like with Rowdy, for me it was learning how to coming out of addiction, coming out of prison just not being able to trust anybody is finding community that you can trust in.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:People that are going to show up and be there for you and not expect anything in return. And for me it was in a life group. Yeah, return, yeah. And. And for me it was in. It was in a life group. Yeah, the first time I ever went to it. The first life group I ever went to was with pastor tom yeah, and it was a men's life group and we were doing some book and I'm a year and a half or so out of prison yeah and I'm in this life group and this guy's talking about this million dollar business deal he just lost yeah this guy's talking about how he just sold all these houses and makes $500,000 a year.
Speaker 1:This guy's a professor at ASU Polytech.
Speaker 7:There's.
Speaker 1:Pastor Tom and some other people, and they're all well-established, well-to-do people. And here I am, a mechanic making $30-something thousand a year, just out of prison, yeah, and I'm surrounded by a millionaire, you know, real estate agent, a professor at polytech, and I'm like I'm in the wrong circle. Where am I lord?
Speaker 1:yeah, well you got me in the wrong circle, bro, and I and I remember leaving that, even that small group, bro, and calling my wife and told me I'm, I'm way out of my element here, I have nothing in common with these people. She's like, what are you talking about? And I'm in that small group, bro, and calling my wife and telling me I'm way out of my element here, I have nothing in common with these people. She's like what are?
Speaker 1:you talking about and I'm telling her this dude just lost a million dollars. This guy's a real estate agent, this guy's a professor. I'm just like. I'm like a convict, you know what I mean? Wife told me knock it off, man, Go back Pastor.
Speaker 7:Tom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I did. I finished that life group. And you know what, after that life group, I went to go get baptized.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Every one of those dudes showed up to watch me get baptized.
Speaker 7:Wow.
Speaker 1:Every one of them, bro, and for me, being out of prison, I saw social stature, I saw economic division.
Speaker 2:God saw unity, yeah he was what unified us.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Despite our difference in pay, despite our difference in background, despite our difference in whatever, the one common thing that united us, Jesus, our love for God.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And for when them dudes showed up to give me baptized, I told myself I will never allow money, social status, anything like that to divide me. You know what I mean, because God status anything like that race to divide me. Yeah, you know I mean because god is the unifier of all people. No matter what the world says about you, when we're in christ, we're all the same exactly it blew me away, bro. Wow, I'll always be an advocate for life groups, man, life changing, yeah, yeah yeah, that 2021 life group changed my life, bro.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I never the whole jail thing and y'all picking me up from there. Dude, it was just we were.
Speaker 4:It was a big group too. Your your thing that you guys went through.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember you guys just because you remember we didn't want to stop yeah we went on for three, four, we all in may. Yeah, it was like the summer season was getting ready to start we gotta stop, guys, we got to stop guys.
Speaker 7:We're going to have a bonus. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That was special bro.
Speaker 2:That was very special.
Speaker 1:That's where I met Joe Sima.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And me and.
Speaker 1:Joe Sima are like this now bro, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:They call every Thursday night.
Speaker 1:They have these Zoom calls, bro, every.
Speaker 2:Thursday night him and this guy in Pittsburgh, this dude in Texas and. Ozema and anybody else that's willing man can come on these calls.
Speaker 1:We just went through the book of Galatians, bro we spent. We spent four months, four months digging through the book of Galatians, bro, wow, I mean, we tore it apart dude.
Speaker 2:That's what God told him to do years ago, and now he's doing it just I don't know, it's kind of cool man, yeah, wow.
Speaker 1:but it all started because Josima and his uncle had that connection. We had that connection, we were having the same conversations and he was like, hey, why don't we just all get together and have these conversations.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:And we started it bro.
Speaker 2:Man, that's so good.
Speaker 1:They've been doing it for years now.
Speaker 2:Keep inviting guys and they'll. Craig Nagel, he went on it a couple times. Yeah, craig Nagel was there all the time. You know what I mean but it's.
Speaker 1:It's not for everybody.
Speaker 7:Praise God you know what I?
Speaker 3:mean, but we get a whole lot out of it, that's so cool yeah wow, yeah, it all came out of that life group bro wow, yeah the connection me and Joe Simmer made you know what I mean yeah, yeah, you know, you build a solid friendship.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And I think life played a really big part of that Huge Like okay, yeah, we served together on a worship team, or you know. Hey, you know, it's just you remember those yeah. Like the penny with the waffles.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Or you know.
Speaker 1:When I first started coming here, I remember they would always say oh, we do life together.
Speaker 3:And I'm like like what does that look like? What do you mean? Like with none of you people?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, I see you on sunday and that's it what the hell, you mean doing life together.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean and then join a life group and I was like this is what they're talking about?
Speaker 1:yeah we're not just getting together on site, we're getting together in your house.
Speaker 2:We're spending a couple hours we're getting to know each other.
Speaker 7:We're drinking bread, yeah, we're having conversations.
Speaker 1:Well, this is doing life together yeah you know what I mean? Yeah, and so if you're at, if you're at our church and you don't feel like you're doing life with people because you're not, you're alone, man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're not in the life group. It's, it's that, it's that valuable your best friend is literally in the life group that you're not in.
Speaker 1:It's literally that important yeah, if you don't feel like you're a part of this community, it's because you're not putting yourself in a place to be part of this community, because there is plenty of opportunities at this church yeah, to be part of community yeah, and if you don't feel that it's your own choice? We've got 24 different life groups this semester.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, get in one I don't ever want to hear somebody say they came to lifeling church and nobody said hi to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you get hired from the parking lot to the signs.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because you're probably like building, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, our church is freaking phenomenal, dude yeah we're blessed the way that we intentionally make sure that people are seen the way that we make sure people are intentionally engaged. Yeah, there's no way that you could come to this church and not feel seen, loved, welcomed.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean, you think about it, you've got the parking lot right. Yeah, you get the people greeters at the front door.
Speaker 2:Yeah, greeters at the front door. Then you've got the people with the signs.
Speaker 4:You've got the welcome team.
Speaker 1:Then you've got the people at the door of the sanctuary. There is none.
Speaker 2:The ush saying hi to everybody yeah, oh, you're a new guy hi, and we're not part of none of those teams.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I made it my goal, brother, to make sure that if I saw a new dude, yeah, I'm gonna go and say hi, you ain't leaving my church. And making saying nobody said hi to you because I'll make sure that you someone said hi to you that's awesome, yeah, wow intentionality man. Yeah, god is good man also andy, we've.
Speaker 2:We've got uh you being born in the church. You've got uh, um your your salvation buddy. Just god's been all over you your whole life man it's how he's protected you and kept you safe and kept you.
Speaker 1:Kept you, yeah, um, because that's what he literally did, bro.
Speaker 2:He, he kept you bud because I could have totally seen suicidal ideations and addiction that nobody knew you were.
Speaker 1:You were headed somewhere bad quick, without, without him, bud, yeah the fact at a young age that you knew church was your safe place. Yeah, you're. You're saving grace buddy, yeah.
Speaker 7:Really yeah, yeah, that was definitely, that was safety.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Um, we've got, we've got you. And, yes, he man and your travels across the country. Um, and how, how the family followed. Yeah, Uh, that's just a beautiful bro. Neither one of the grandparents was like my grandkids here I ain't missing this yeah so they're moving with you. They're moving, all right, we're going to so yeah, but it's just cool how um dr hope.
Speaker 1:You said something about dr hope, but never shared the story. Your plan, what?
Speaker 2:was oh yes, what is that? Okay, yeah, I don't know why that just came in, but it just popped in but she came.
Speaker 4:Uh, she's like you know. I just told her like I really don't want to. That just came in, but it just popped in but she came. She's like you know, I just told her like I really don't want to be on the meds anymore. You know she came up with a battle plan like here. We're going to slowly lean you on.
Speaker 2:When you got to Arizona, you wanted some more care for what had happened in Illinois. Some more care, and Dr Hope was the doctor you showed up to.
Speaker 4:She was my primary doctor.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I connected with her. Yeah, so that's before you actually showed up to LifeLink, because you had 13 churches that you were checking out.
Speaker 4:Well, yeah, I think at that time we were already, yeah, pretty much plugged into LifeGroup.
Speaker 2:And. I found out that that she was a doc, yeah, that she was a doc.
Speaker 4:I was like okay, cool, we can go and then I think that's how we got connected with you know, for Zoe, for Dr Laundrie.
Speaker 7:Dr Laundrie yeah. So then, yeah, she came up with this plan. She's like.
Speaker 4:I'm going to slowly take away the dosage here and we'll just see how you do.
Speaker 2:That's the good way to do it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, she's like yeah, it was incredible. She's an amazing person.
Speaker 1:Good dog. She helped me get on blood pressure medicine.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because I was.
Speaker 2:My parents are special. I don't like doctors yeah, they don't like meds. I don't trust them.
Speaker 7:I don't trust them. It's all my money. You know what I mean, yeah.
Speaker 1:And so I literally went to her and I was like all right, I'm gonna trust you in this. I don't trust doctors very much, but I'm gonna trust you because I don't. You're a woman of god and I don't think you'll leave me wrong yeah and uh, best thing I've ever done bro that's awesome. Yeah, I haven't. I don't have bipolar pressure, no more, it's great, it's great I'm still on meds, but it worked great bro.
Speaker 2:He's like 120 over 80, man.
Speaker 1:He's great. Sometimes I'm lower than that Sometimes he's lower.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was running hot brother, I was like 180 over 120. Man, 191 times. I was like what is that?
Speaker 1:dude. I told the lady one time she was like dude, you're on the verge of a stroke.
Speaker 2:And I was like whoa, his dad, my dad had a stroke at 44.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my mom died of an enlarged heart at 65. Yeah, so my concern ever since those times were you got to watch your heart?
Speaker 2:You know what I mean, yeah.
Speaker 1:And once I saw that, I'm like, oh, this ain't happening, I'm not going to be a victim of those like that dude.
Speaker 4:You know what I mean. Statistics, yeah, and so.
Speaker 1:I did. I went and got just to make sure.
Speaker 2:What else is God telling you to do, Dad?
Speaker 1:To find you a wife.
Speaker 2:No, he not Get you out of my house. That's not your job.
Speaker 1:He's saying exercise You're the reason my blood pressure's high bud Exercise, Exercise.
Speaker 2:You stress me out. God's telling him to exercise. He does. He's blaming it on me. That's hilarious.
Speaker 1:So he. So A couple weeks ago he was telling me I must speak to you and when I speak, just drop and do pushups. And so Like four or five times Throughout my work day I would hear Do some pushups. So I would drop and do some pushups, started getting a cramp you know what I mean and I'm like, I'm like I'm a little old, you know what I mean. And uh, so I stopped doing them. Cramps went away and uh, I know I need to exercise. Today I hear do some push-ups.
Speaker 1:I was disobedient I was disobedient, but I need to start doing. I do because the two things they tell you about heart blood pressure, water and exercise, water and exercise. So now I drink, you don't. I don't know if you remember that life group, but we asked a thing about water and I'm like you can have it.
Speaker 2:I remember you're anti-water bro you know all day long, you know what I mean a good guy can do.
Speaker 1:I went from drinking coffee all day to work up a coffee water all day. You know what I mean and uh. So I just need to have the exercise part. You know what I mean I'm getting there Jesus. But I'm on my feet and I work hard all day, so I'm like I get plenty of exercise.
Speaker 4:You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:But not like that type of exercise. But yeah, man. Yeah that, right there You're drinking the water, I remember that Like soda or like yeah, I don't drink soda no more. Yeah, I don't, I drink iced tea every once in a while.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't drink it like I used to. You know what I mean. This is probably like my first one in the week and a half A long minute yeah. So I don't really drink anything sweet. When I have my coffee, I put half and half in it now.
Speaker 3:Instead of creamer, I used to use vanilla creamer or hazelnut creamer, which is full of sugar.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now I do. I do decaf coffee half and half, good job you know what I mean, because I like the taste of coffee. I like having it in the morning makes me feel like I'm doing something. You know what I mean yeah so I went to decaf and half and half, which tastes great, you know, I mean yeah um. I put propel in my water for hydration which is no sugar yeah I mean. So I've cut all that crap out and helping ourselves yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man it really is.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to be intentional with my health. God's got a lot of stuff for me to do and I need to be healthy. I just need to add some exercise in there. The problem is I work six days a week. I do ministry two, three, four times a week. That's a lot man.
Speaker 2:That's a lot so who has the time? To exercise 5 5 am.
Speaker 7:Wake-up calls. Rowdy, you hear that. Get up and work out.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, yeah, I love you, Andy. Well, dude, so what are you hoping for, bud? Well, yeah, what are you? What's coming, man? What are you?
Speaker 1:Unless you got something else you want to share.
Speaker 4:Well, I was going to share also, too, that the second pregnancy loss that we had year um also to that, the second pregnancy loss that we had. So we just um, so back in 2023, um, we were we were shoot. Jesse was 12 12 weeks along.
Speaker 1:Wow, okay and um that's the most recent one we went through with you guys, right? Yeah, all right, all right.
Speaker 4:So we, um, and the crazy part is like she, we found out things were going good there and that week was hard because shoot. So Sunday, I know I felt that baby's heartbeat on Sunday. Yeah, tuesday came around. We're scheduled to be here for the trunk-a-treat. Yeah, tuesday afternoon I get off work. We find out that and we knew the thing about this one was she was a girl, yeah, and we had already named her. Her middle name was Hope, because Zoe is Zoe Grace, mila is Mila Faith.
Speaker 7:Yeah so the next one was gonna be.
Speaker 4:Grace.
Speaker 7:Faith.
Speaker 4:Hope, yeah, yeah. So we made a decision, um, we found out we were, we were wrecked, you know um, and then we're still, we're still going to serve show up and do the the trunk of treat come on um, kind of reach out to some people there, like the kelly's were there, I said chris man, I need you right now. Man man, I just found this out.
Speaker 7:Damn dude.
Speaker 4:Right by where he was set up and I said, man, this is what happened, man, we just lost a baby. And so those next couple days I ended up taking off work and took some personal time and so next thing, you know, we're here at the same spot. It's different, obviously, because the weeks are longer, and but what rocked me, eddie, and and probably, was that I had to walk Jessie through the process of her losing the baby, like the sack and everything so as her husband of her losing the baby, like the sack and everything.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so as her husband, as her husband, I had to go in the toilet and pull the sack out. Yeah, knowing that that was potentially my little girl.
Speaker 7:Yeah, it was my little girl yeah. Knowing that that was potentially my little girl.
Speaker 4:It was my little girl. So it was hard, man, as a man. Again, you're trying to be supportive, but that rocked me.
Speaker 4:Yeah, bro, and we were so hopeful too, like we were going to have this one too, because preps, you know, we're like excited, you know, because even with the first baby, you know we had made it like a little thing. Like a little, we set some balloons off in the air, just praying, and the thing about this is, this is where we're at. This is our heart. We never blame God. We told him that, lord, we never blame you, we don't blame you for any of this. We trust you and have the same thing with this one Never in our hearts at all that we said, well, look what you did. You did this.
Speaker 2:No, it's not our hearts, it's not our posture you said well, look at you, did you did this. No, it's not our hearts, not our posture. Yeah, is that um in your time?
Speaker 4:god, yeah, we trust you and you know we don't blame you at all, lord yeah, and so we had to walk through that. That took some time too, as well, you know, and um it does man um but yeah. So I mean, we're kind of at a spot where you know, hey, god, because we've had discussions about that, you know like is you know Trying again.
Speaker 4:Well yeah, kind of like at the point where we just keep the door open. But I think we're also at a point, too, where we're like okay, this is what we have. I mean, we've got two amazing girls.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're blessed already, so blessed.
Speaker 4:So girls yeah, you're blessed already, so blessed, so beyond blessed, you know. So I mean we we're kind of at a point now we're trying to still seek the lord about that and it almost.
Speaker 2:It almost gets to a point where it's like god, I don't, I don't want her to get pregnant again. Lord, if she has to go through another one of those, we're good with this. Lord, do not make my girl have to go through another one of those.
Speaker 4:Man, yeah, so, and she's trying to get Right now she found out too, like there's some things that are off Chemically too. Okay, so I know she wants to try and her goal is to get healthy, okay, and you know, get those things Taken care of too.
Speaker 7:Okay, yeah.
Speaker 4:So but yeah, and I know we're at a point when just you know, and yeah, we'll just see what God has in store you know, he's got good things for you.
Speaker 1:There's a verse in one of Brandon Lake's new songs where it says faith is not proven like gold, until it's been through the fire. Oh, the hard-fought hallelujah.
Speaker 2:You know what?
Speaker 1:I mean yeah.
Speaker 2:That's a hard-fought hallelujah when you can say hallelujah bud you put some hard fighting through that into that bro. Man.
Speaker 7:Yeah, man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, sometimes the fire's painful man. It's designed to burn away self. Self, that's a good word. You know what I mean. It really is.
Speaker 2:What we want.
Speaker 1:I think the way that I know you brothers, is your faith is proven. I mean that you're, you've been tested and you're proven man. God sees it.
Speaker 2:God sees you and your wife very, very closely, I mean yeah, there's been another one in the fire with you this whole time, buddy yeah yeah, jesus has been right there with you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely been your fortress and your shield, my friend. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, just like you said, just looking back, even just sharing, like just the thoughts come just reminding of his goodness.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right, yeah, we were going to the concert last night and we drove by a couple of buddies in the car and we drove by a couple of buddies in the car and we drove by this bar, and it was an open bar that you could see from the street. You know, yeah, everybody, there's the party. It was packed.
Speaker 7:You know what I mean and I'm I look at ratty and I'm like we could be heading there.
Speaker 1:No, thank you so it was one of those reminders too, of yeah, we could drive into phoenix, but we're going to a christian concert.
Speaker 1:We're going to christian rap show and we're going to go and hang out with brothers and sisters in the faith and, yeah, where we could easily make the choice to go to the bar to the bar and and have a drink and wake up tomorrow feeling like crap and regretting the choice that we made and and good, I know I woke up this morning and just chuckled to myself and laughed in my spirit, knowing that I had a good time last night. Man.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It was fun, you know, to hear the beat of the music and hear your brothers up there. You know singing about Jesus and rapping about Jesus and meeting new people.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And how you know, because you'll meet new people at the bar too. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, new people and yeah, and how you know, because you'll meet new people at the bar too. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, your best friend, but just, oh god, you know, just let me buy you a drink it was like, like you had your moments of reflection today with sharon right now, and just seeing that last night was for me was just a moment of reflection of I don't have to make that choice, no more to go there yeah, I can make can make the choice to go to a Christian concert and enjoy myself and be around brothers and sisters.
Speaker 7:Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:That's good, eddie, and it's a good reflection to remind yourself that that was a choice I used to make, but I don't make those choices anymore. I think Pastor Dave said it on Sunday night about you know, we're the chooser, you're thinking about you, we're the chooser you're thinking about. You know, I mean yeah, yeah, we can't we gotta stop blaming other people.
Speaker 1:We have the choice, yeah, to either go to the bar, or we have a choice to get up on sunday and go to church, or we have a choice to to go and do things that we're not supposed to do, or we have the choice to do the right thing, you know, I mean yeah, and to see where our lives are and where your life is, and to know that we're making better choices making good choices. You know what I mean yeah, freaking awesome dude way better. I love it way better.
Speaker 2:Yeah if you're looking for a good church man, come and join us at lifelink. We'd love to have you. We'll save a seat for you.
Speaker 1:Man, heck yeah I think I meant to say that to let you know that even in that moment that was very hard for you you still made a choice to say god, you're still good yeah we don't blame you for this at all.
Speaker 2:You're still a good god we had somebody on here, joe, that shared their test joe, joe man, yeah, and he got his whole thing with alia yeah and afterwards where, literally, he got to a point where that's all he could say god I don't know what you're doing, but I know you're good yeah that was his worship that was his prayer for a season man that was it?
Speaker 2:yeah, just to keep him's heart from going to that bitter, angry place with god yeah yeah, yeah, it's real man love buddy. So, um, what are you? What are you? What are you hoping for in the future, bro? What do you believe in god for man? Believe big buddy we got a big God bro we do have a big God.
Speaker 4:We got a big God dude man, I just I'm at a point where what? Do you feel called to. I'm open to do, you know, whatever God wants me to do, like I. Just my heart posture is that you know what's next. You know what do you have. Would you go through Bible college? I don't know. I mean, maybe you know I'd be open to checking it out. Yeah, I mean, there's no math there is no math.
Speaker 2:There's no math. There's a lot of papers. There's a lot of them, though you know there's not that many but, it's, it's good bro.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like one semester you want.
Speaker 2:You want to go deeper with god. You go take that next step, bro. Yeah, let him lead you there. Man, yeah, the stuff you learn, bro, so cool. Yeah, it's not like college and juco, bro. Here it's actually so specific and focused on individual classes, bro, it's really cool. Yeah, you want to take that? Pray about that one man. I don't know why, but I feel like that very well could be your next thing. Man is in your growth and your walk with God is to study, to show yourself approved, bro.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You got no idea what God will open with that door man and you already having prior education, you've got credits already available.
Speaker 7:Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, man. Yeah, I don't know, dr andy, dr andy, come on, buddy, I could totally see that bro.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I guess I, I guess I never really really thought about it. I just, I'm just, I'm just riding a wave right now you know, I mean even with worship, just to be on there on the stage there and be able to be a part of that. How long has that been?
Speaker 2:How long have you been doing that?
Speaker 4:now, oh man, because I had taken a little hiatus with that one job. Yeah, I think it pretty much got started. I think it was 2018, I think. But then, like you said, I had that little hiatus, but yeah, but on there I've gone from choir, choir, yeah bgv, and now you're frontline bro yeah, it's such an honor to do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I just think just you're fun to watch yeah, I love your joy, you are, you really just worship man and you bring freedom into the crowd. Bro, because you're just you up there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I just that's one thing I'm really passionate about.
Speaker 1:It's just I just love the lord, yeah, and the show just figure it where you're at right you know like oh yeah, you get lost with him for you being up there, brother, and I've told Pastor Lacey this too that when you guys just forget that you're on stage and you're just up there worshiping God, we feel that being in the crowd, we feel that because you're lost with God there's times that, literally because I have the best seat in the house, brother, I have the highest point in the crowd. We feel that Because you're lost with God. There's times that, literally because I have the best seat in the house, brother, I have the highest point in the church and I get to see everything.
Speaker 1:And there was a time Pastor Lacey literally was just worshiping God, fell to her knees in worship, leading worship, and in that moment I literally saw this presence, the presence of God, fall down in the church. Wow. And you saw how it affected the crowd, not that she was worshiping God, but the effects that it had on God himself, her obedience to what God was telling her to do brought him in. And allowed everybody else to freely worship God. You know what I mean?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so when they talk about how you guys are ushering in the presence of god, that's real, yeah, and if god tells you to get on your knees up there, get on your knees up there if you're up there for yourself, yeah, god you're gonna be worried about it bro, yeah, you know what I mean, and we're gonna, we're gonna sense it.
Speaker 1:I've been in churches, brother, where it's like what's really going on right now? Dude, you know, you're not a rock star, dude, yeah get back to the line bro. You know what I? Mean but literally. I mean, I, like I said, I can see this come down on the people because of what you guys are doing up there, your obedience and your worship to god. Yeah, because it's your worship to God that ushers in the presence, not the fact that you're singing or that you're on stage. It's you worshiping God.
Speaker 4:It ushers in his presence that we get to follow in it and get in his presence too because I think about last week how both services were so powerful with praise and worship and like even like Pastor Lacey just felt in her spirit like to hey, you know what we? We practiced on Thursday. It was good. Yeah. But I feel like God is telling us to stay right here. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And we just just took the time out and just connected with him and just spend time in worship. And then it led into like, well, hey, hey, the Dream Team's getting ready to come in for Dream Team Connective 815, but just stay here and it just spilled over. Oh yeah, so we're all scattered. I think the only one on the rise is we were left, because I think it was Kevin. Kevin was the only one on the rise. Everybody was just spread out.
Speaker 4:It was awesome, but people, I really felt like people were just really just rocked and changed, you know, and I just love that, yeah, because it just God's presence. Man is just so powerful, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:He inhabits the praises of his people, bud yeah.
Speaker 7:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:We believe in God for it, buddy.
Speaker 7:Oh man.
Speaker 1:Your wife, your kids, your home business opportunities.
Speaker 4:Yeah, like right now, we're at a stage too where you know Jessie gets to stay home with the girls. Amen and she's gonna. She got her new car. So, she's like all right, I say go, hey, you want that new car, we gotta step it up a little bit. So she's got an interview. She's gonna do like this job. That's maybe a couple days a week, but she's also days a week, but she's also. We're believing god that we can grow her cleaning business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, have you put the thing on the back of the windshield? I've been telling her about that yeah, I've been telling her.
Speaker 4:So, um, yeah, I know a guy that has a vinyl machine, but he can put some stuff on a window.
Speaker 4:I'm gonna, I'm gonna definitely talk to her about that today a name and a number man just come on, baby my website get it on there, yeah yeah, because I think, yeah, her, you know her desire is because they see that grow and I know her, more focus for her is more the commercial side, yeah, but um, yeah, she's just believing for um, those clients and some people have come in. It was crazy cool. Uh, too, because I think the last girls event, um, there was like a business showcase but we were out of town. But uh, her, uh, our sister-in-law, omar's wife nice she makes um the sourdough bread.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and naeli was here too, was with her um, and they just slipped this um. They gave her a card with the sourdough and she's like oh, okay turns out the lady lives um, she's either a family member, goes here to lifelink or a friend, but the lady lives like literally behind here, like the next block over right. So Jesse's been cleaning her house. She got you know and they worked things out. The lady's really impressed with Jesse.
Speaker 1:Got to let you in on a secret. Yeah, it's God's desire for her to really focus on that too.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:God wants to bless her bro.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:God loves it when his people want to start something, and create, create, create something yeah. Financial security. God loves that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, he loves to bless it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's what promotes the kingdom bud that's what advances the kingdom when kingdom people have kingdom businesses and can take in money that are going to help kingdom things. Yeah, god's blessing, we'll be all over that, brother.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's when people start something and forget that they're kingdom-minded.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, they start to get weird. They want to go buy a big house and a nice car. The money makes them funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what I mean. They're like oh, Look what.
Speaker 2:I've done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, whoa, there, bud. Yeah, there's this joke where this guy, his tie is five bucks. He's faithful, he's like god.
Speaker 7:I love it, man, I got you god you know what I mean and god sees his faithfulness.
Speaker 1:So he gets a raise, gets $500 a week and he's like man 50 bucks a week. God you god, god you god. God sees his faithfulness and god's like alright, I'm gonna promote this guy and he gets $5,000 a week and he's like $500.
Speaker 2:I can't give 500. I a week and he's like $500? I can't give $500. I can't give $500.
Speaker 1:He's like God, help me with my tie, and God's like you want to go back to making $50?. You know what I mean. That's so funny, because when $5 seems like not a lot, $50 doesn't really seem like much. But, when we start really making good money. Oh, God. You got to tithe $500? Yeah bud Just got convicted, not bad.
Speaker 2:Oh Jesus. Get them. God. Now obey.
Speaker 4:Now obey yeah. When you're faithful below, god will give you much too right. That comes to my mind too Like yeah.
Speaker 1:God used my own story to convict me.
Speaker 2:Thanks Lord, like yeah, yeah, god used my own story to convict me. Thanks, lord, love you, buddy jesus, I just heard myself in that story. I love the truth of god man. It's great. God showed up so many times, andy and ties with this dude. One time, bro, one time we had this landowner and dad is like gonna try this thing with god, bro, and and he, literally what is it? What is it? It was three months. It was three months straight. I tithed faithfully October, november, december.
Speaker 1:And my tithe was like 75 bucks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know what I mean. Our rent was 750 bucks.
Speaker 1:So every week I'm doing 75 bucks, right.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think I told God I was going to give him three months. About halfway through the third month, my landlord calls me up and says hey, man, you're such a great guy, I'm going to knock $75 off your rent for the next three months. Wow, the amount that he's tithing, the amount that I was tithing and the length of time that I tithed, yeah.
Speaker 2:And December. I thought he took December away. I don't remember, but it was December. I thought he took December away.
Speaker 1:I don't remember, but it was yeah, it was crazy bro, and yeah bro, wow, yeah, but the problem, is is. God blessed me and I started making more money, and now tithing, $130 a week seems like a lot.
Speaker 7:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So conviction received God.
Speaker 2:Oh, instead of the 75. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't know, I just oh instead of the 75. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:I don't know. I just I guess for me it's always just been Like I guess I don't want to use the word automatic.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's what you do, yeah.
Speaker 4:Just as a guy I need to take care Are you a secure give guy?
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you get the email, your check's been deposited, you go secure give.
Speaker 4:Well, yeah, I'll get on there. Yeah, and do it, yeah, either through my phone or like check's been deposited. You go secure give. Well, yeah, I'll get on there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do it, yeah, either through my phone or like, um you know, at home on the computer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my problem is is I still have a poverty mindset it's real man, even though I'm coming out of addiction and coming out of a lack you know, for 30 years I was battling to even make ends meet to let alone being blessed. So now it's like we were just talking about that yesterday, last night. So now that I'm blessed, I still have this poverty mindset where I keep crap as long as we have stuff, as long as I got stuff, I'm good I mean god's really trying to break me of this poverty mindset.
Speaker 1:So in my mind I'm like okay, I gotta hold on to this, just because I don't know what you know. And god showed up time and time again for me that I know that God will not let me go without.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But yet I have this poverty mindset that I'm like I have to hold. You know what I mean.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And God's like if you'll just live with your hands open.
Speaker 4:Trust me, I can put more in it I'll put more in it. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:And I'm like but, god, I trust you with my life, I trust you with my family, I trust you with my kids, but for finances, for me, it's just.
Speaker 2:It's hard, yeah, well, the reason why Andy is because he's going to have so much money in the future. The business, the men's homes, the thrift stores the things we're going to do. He's literally going to finance Kingdom things and that's why he's going through this, but I got to get this right first.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because God wants to pour so much through me.
Speaker 2:He wants to get him like this, because if he can, pour it through me, he'll give me, he'll open up heaven and earth for me.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And pour everything he has through me. Yeah. But I have this clinging mindset of don't know what tomorrow brings, so I got to make sure that I have something to get through tomorrow.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think too, like man, it's just you just got to trust him and just know that. You know that's the thing about God is like he doesn't force himself, and so you know he's so patient with us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so like I was so bad Andy's, like I would literally.
Speaker 1:He doesn't force himself on you, and so you know he's so patient with us. He's a gentleman man, yeah. And so yeah, Like I was so bad, Andy, Like I would literally put enough gas in my car just to get to work and back that day For that day, and then do the same thing the next day. Because I don't know what might happen that I might need this money for.
Speaker 1:So if I just filled in my tank, then I don't have it. Yeah, so I'm just going to put enough in to get to work and back and I'll worry about my gas tomorrow, because I just need to get through today and make sure I have enough for tomorrow.
Speaker 7:Yeah, wow, you know what I mean. Yeah, that's great, and so I would literally do that.
Speaker 1:Now he doesn't, he Well? I'm better now because I got this little car that gets like great gas mileage, yeah, and $20 fills up my tank where my truck was $20 a day.
Speaker 7:Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's like I can fill up my car now, because I'm used to putting $20 in my truck. So when I put $20 in my car it lasts me five days, you know what I mean. That's awesome, yeah, but I still have this tomorrow might bring, so I gotta make sure that you know what I mean yeah but, like he said, god has shown up time and time again and showed himself like I'll take care of you just open your hands.
Speaker 1:You know I mean, yeah, that's funny, he told me to tell that joke yeah and then convicted me in the same time he's a good
Speaker 4:guy he's got a quiet sense of humor.
Speaker 2:He's, he's, uh, he's a quite the jokester but I think sometimes he's up there going like this with us. What are these guys doing? Seriously, they really think they. What are they doing? I gave them my word, I told them what to do, man.
Speaker 1:I just see Homer Simpson Dork Dope. Dope. I see what it comes to me. This is great dude guy also what's up, man?
Speaker 2:you gonna pray for him, or am I?
Speaker 1:you pray for your friend, you pray for him. Brother, I love you I love you guys.
Speaker 7:Thanks bro so much thank you.
Speaker 1:I thank you for your friendship. Yeah, I thank you for your hugs, thank you for your laughter and your smile, brother.
Speaker 2:You bring joy to my heart every time I see you Just being you, buddy.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:More than enough.
Speaker 1:I'm grateful and thankful for you, man. There's been times where people wouldn't let me in their lives, so the fact that you let me in your life means the world to me yeah.
Speaker 5:Thank you that you let me in your life means the world to me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, thank you. Yeah, I love you friend, love you guys, man father thank you, god, for what you just did. Man man, holy spirit man.
Speaker 1:I just want to thank you god. Thank you, god. I just want to thank you, God. Thank you, God. That's all I can really just feel right now is just thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus, Just thank you for who you are, the way that you work with us, God, the way that you operate through us, in us, around us. I love the way that you have us tell things and then convict us, God, in the things that we're trying to share with somebody else. I thank you, Lord, that most of the things you've given us to share for us, we just feel the need to share them, God. So I thank you for that, Lord and Lord.
Speaker 1:I thank you for Andy. I thank you for the way that you've kept him. I thank you for the way that you kept him. I thank you for the way that you protected him, God. I thank you, Lord, that in his most trying times, when people were trying to mock and ridicule and make fun of him, God, that you protected his mind, you protected his heart and you didn't let those seeds of bitterness take root or be planted in fertile soil, God, but they've fallen on rocky ground where sparrows and birds could easily just pluck them away God. So, Father, I just thank you for everything that you've done for them. I thank you for his marriage to Yessi. I thank you for their story of love and faithfulness.
Speaker 1:I thank you for their trying times, God. I thank you, Lord, that we don't enjoy being in the fire, but in the fire we find purity, we find our strength and our hope in you, God. So I know that Andy is just trusting in you, God. He has a spirit of yes in his heart, God. But I thank you, Lord, that you have so much more for him than he could ever dream or imagine. I thank you for this business that, yes, he's trying to start. God, I thank you, Lord, for just a heart to promote herself. God, I'd come against any self doubt that she might have that she is worthy to even have a business. I bind that right now in Jesus' name. God, I loosen prosperity over her spirit and over her mind. God, I loosen worthiness over her spirit and mind. God, she does deserve it.
Speaker 1:God. I pray, lord God, that she will begin to see herself as who she is, and that is, a princess of the most high king.
Speaker 1:That she is worthy of all that comes to a person of royalty, god. She is not just a lowly servant that. She is royalty King's kid. So I thank you, lord, just for her and Andy's marriage. I thank you for their beautiful daughters. Thank you, god. I thank you, Lord, for the joy that I personally get when I see his oldest daughter in plays and singing and the way that you just use her, god. I thank you for protecting them. I thank you for keeping them safe, god.
Speaker 1:I thank you, lord, that the same heart and mindset that Andy has. God, that negative words that are spoken against them will fall on rocky ground where they cannot take root. God, on rocky ground where they cannot take root. God, that you will shelter them and cover them under your wings as they grow up into be mighty young women of God. Thank you, lord, for everything you're doing. I just pray blessings over my brother. I pray clarity over my brother. I pray direction over my brother, god. I pray favor and blessings with his employer and with the men who are there. I thank you, lord, that when they see him, they see something special. I thank you, lord, that they're not going to understand why they're bringing promotion, but there's going to be promotion. Thank you, lord, and I thank you, lord, just for the favor that he has. So I thank you, lord, for all that you're going to do. We love you, we praise you, we glorify you, not just with our mouth, but with our bodies and with our lives.
Speaker 1:God, your word, says in Colossians that our bodies are a living sacrifice, god. So let us walk that way, god. Let us be a righteous, holy people. Thank you, god and I thank you, lord, that you are faithful, so we will be faithful and return to be obedient. We and I thank you, lord, that you are faithful, so we will be faithful and return to be obedient. We praise you and we love you In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 2:Amen, andy, do us a favor, bro Pray for Speak Life AZ and pray for me and Dad in the ministry man.
Speaker 4:We'd love to do that. Thank you, lord. Heavenly Father, I just come before you, oh God, thank you for what Eddie and Roddy are doing here. Oh, father, I just come before you, lord God, thank you for what Eddie and Roddy are doing here, lord God, the impact that they're making for your kingdom, their heart posture, lord God, and to see people get connected to you in such a different facet, lord God, and the work that they've put in here, lord God, you get all the glory for it. God, you're doing something big here, lord, and it's just starting to explode.
Speaker 4:Lord God, the great things are going to just come out of this podcast, lord, and I just pray for the people that hear these testimonies, lord God, that we route in etiquette the testimonies of the impact of what they've done and their obedience to you, lord God, and what you've called them to do, god. The steps are adding up to what's ahead, lord God, and I just thank you, god, that they don't get discouraged, they stay on track, they stay in the game, they stay on fire, lord God, and I just thank you, god. I ask you, god, for a special blessing over this ministry, lord God, and that Eddie and Rowdy will know, lord God, that it only came from you. So I just thank you, father God, on images you bless this ministry like it has never been blessed before. I speak.
Speaker 4:Lord God, just as I speak life, I speak life into this podcast even greater than what it is doing right now. And so, Father God, this is only the start.
Speaker 2:This is only the start, lord God, and you're not done.
Speaker 4:You're not done, lord, god. Thank you, lord, for what you have in store for them and I just thank you, God, that they love you, lord, with all their heart. Thank you, lord. And they're willing and obedient, lord, god, to do whatever you ask them to do, jesus, and when you're willing and obedient, the Word of God says this it says when I, god, and I, support them 100% and I just pray in the name of Jesus, lord God, that I stand in agreement for what they're believing for In Jesus' mighty name, amen, amen, god.
Speaker 2:Thank you, brother. Man, everybody, I don't know where you're watching. You're probably watching on YouTube, you're listening Spotify, apple, but please subscribe to the channel. Follow us, man, through social, on X, instagram, facebook. Speak Life AZ all one word. If you yourself want to come on the show, you can reach out through social media. Speak Life AZ all one word. We'll get back to you. We'd love to have you on. Everybody's got a story. If you want to support the show, you can support the show. We would love your support, whether it be monthly or one time, anything helps. But until next time, we're going to continue to speak life AZ. God bless you.
Speaker 1:Jesus, thank you.