17 Bullets Couldn't Stop God's Purpose

In this powerful episode of the Empowered Woman of God Podcast,Reginald opens up about surviving violence, losing loved ones, battling rejection, selling drugs, walking through grief, becoming a father, and ultimately surrendering his life to Christ.

This isn't just a story about overcoming.It's a story about what happens when God keeps pursuing you—even when you're running from Him.

Reginald's testimony touched your heart? Continue supporting his ministry!

🎵 Listen to "HELP ME GOD"

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https://music.apple.com/us/song/help-me-god/1832262899

🎵 Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/track/6sZoetLTyn8T5eldyUhxaZ?si=ZpokowHFQv6RRNeP6wbmfQ&utm_source=copy-link

📲 Follow him on TikTok: @regdoesscripture

If this conversation encouraged you, leave a comment below telling Reginald what resonated with you most. Your encouragement could help someone else find hope through his story.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/axdTBhGrJhw

Transcript

SPEAKER_07 0:00

Somebody came and shot our house 17 times. And there was a bullet in the couch. There was a bullet in the radio. There's been some points where it's undeniably this was God. This is nobody else but God. That's why I'm still alive.

SPEAKER_05 0:14

You know, selling drugs, doing that.

SPEAKER_07 0:16

What was that life for you? They look at me like I'm just means to an end. I'm looking at them like this is my source of income. So everybody in that is self-serving. The enemy will lure you into a comfortable jail cell, and you won't know you in a prison cell until that cage slams shut. And that's literally how it happened for me.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

Not too many people go around asking what is your story. Oh yeah, he's a man, we got him.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Uh flipped upside down into a ditch. And a wrought iron transport came in the windshield four and a half feet from hour. That was the first time I said not working on the floor. There's something else.

SPEAKER_07 1:09

My faith is like the number one, the number one factor in my life. So I felt like if I wanted to spend the money and make any type of peace, I wanted to just make it something meaningful.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

We felt the tires of scriptures. And so, you know, I I I always ask God is that when people walk in these doors, if they if they feel your presence above all.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Although I didn't have a father, physical father, I had the greatest father of all. And he was the one teaching me through the Bible.

SPEAKER_07 1:34

I want to be a child of God more than anything else, because that means I'm fully dependent on God. Ain't no wrong for independence.

SPEAKER_04 1:40

If God wants to send me someone, even if it looks where I might die, no weapon just to child process. If God's gonna send me, that means I'm more than quite a goal.

SPEAKER_05 1:48

That's such an important testimony to share because a lot of people I know go through these different stages of life where they are like, God, I can't do this anymore. Well, hello, and welcome back to another episode of Empowered Woman of God. We have an amazing guest in-house, Mr. Reginald Collins. Um, he is here to share his story, his journey, a very fascinating one. Um, I I was really inspired by his song that he recorded. Um, it was a very powerful song, which we'll give you a little bit of that later on. But turning over to you, Reginald, give us a little story, a backstory about who's Reginald, where he grew up.

SPEAKER_07 2:35

I was born and raised here in Houston. Um I grew up in Acres Homes. Uh, and then I want to say um my the second semester, my sophomore year, and the first semester, my junior year, I relocated to spring um with my mom, and then I moved back to Acres Homes. But um, yeah, growing up, um I was raised by my grandparents because my father passed when I was three. Um, so about a year after he passed, up until about eighth grade, I lived with him, and then I moved in with my aunt. She just passed in June, but I moved in with her um from I said about eighth or ninth grade um until I moved in with my mom. Uh second half of my sophomore year, first half of my junior year, and I moved back then with my aunt until I got my first apartment um after I graduated. But um growing up, it was it was a lot of um chaos. You know, what child wants to be raised by their grandparents and not their parents?

SPEAKER_06 3:33

Right.

SPEAKER_07 3:34

You know, so there was a lot of chaos. Um there was a lot of conflicted emotions that I felt growing up, um, and that kind of hindered my relationship with my mom. Um and yeah, but ultimately all that served to be the, you know, the catapult to fling me forward into the man that I become today.

SPEAKER_05 3:54

I heard so many different things just now, and I'm just thinking, what was that like for you growing up? How did that impact your life?

SPEAKER_07 4:02

Well, I'll start with with parenting, because it's not much on parenting. Um, and this is a conversation I've had with a few of my friends. When you parent based off of how the person that raised you parented, you're gonna miss the mark because you want to do the opposite of what they're doing instead of focusing on what your child needs. So I don't worry necessarily about what my mom did. I more worry more so about what my son needs from me. So I don't try to, you know, be like, oh, I'm gonna overly show up because she did. Or I'm gonna be oh I'm gonna be overly easy going because my parents were hard. No, what does my son need from me as a father? I focus more so on that as opposed to what I did or did not get. Now, how it affected me as a child, um, there were a lot of hurt emotions, you know, a lot of feelings of rejection. I struggled with that for a long time. Um, and and me and my mom, we we real cool now. I love my mom to death, you know, and these these I've talked to my mom about this and all. But um, yeah, it it was I and I remember there were a few nights where um she said that you know she'd come get me, like, oh I'm coming to get you tonight. And I fall asleep crying in the floor of my grandmother's room because she ain't come get me. You know, and that happened quite a few times. Um, and like I said, that led to me, you know, struggling with those feelings of rejection and stuff like that. Um, and it kind of like, even now, I don't really have a super deep relationship with a lot of people on my mom's side because I wasn't around that much. You know, my mom didn't really raise me. I was more so with my grandparents. So, you know, I'm really, really close with family on my dad's side as opposed to my mom's side. I love them, we just don't, you know.

SPEAKER_05 5:42

Like I'm happy you shared that. And that was for me very mature, I would say, in just how you talk about parenting your son and not necessarily looking at what you didn't have, but what does your son need? And I think that was so vital because so many times we are traumatized by the things that we've gone through in life. So then we are transferring that trauma, projecting it onto people, not only our children, but even those relationships that we form with people, because we are trying to be protective. But I love that you are taking it from that different angle, and I hope the listeners hearing that take some pointers from that because that was super um, that's a big deal. I met you in Echo Community Church, and um I know a lot of people they're still on the fence. Like, is there a God?

SPEAKER_07 6:29

I I have to share with y'all a few different stories, right? Because these are some, and I'm not gonna share everything, right? But there's been some points where it's undeniably this was God. This is nobody else but God. That's why I'm still alive. So it was my sophomore year in high school, a few months before I ended up moving with my mom and spring. Um, and that was the homecoming night, and I was on punishment, right? So, but I I was um I I think I had spent like maybe a week with my stepmom, you know. Um, so I was on punishment. That means no phone, no games, no TV, no nothing, right? So I'm sitting in the living room on the couch listening to the radio, because that's all that, you know, and it wasn't like one of the you know ones that be on the counter. It was like a little portable radio that you can, you know, sit with. So I'm sitting right there, and my stepmom comes in and she's like, all right, ready. Your grandma just called. She said, I don't know, man. You you you you wanna you wanna go to homecoming? She said, I don't know. He just been having a real rough time lately, and he needs to go out and get some air and breathe and spend some time with his friends. So I'm jumping for joy. I'm like, thank you, Jesus.

SPEAKER_05 7:41

You know, you can go outside. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_07 7:43

I was just on punishment. So um I end up going to homecoming and I had the time of my life. And my grandmother comes to pick me up, thinking my stepmom comes and picked me up because I'm trying to go back over there. And like I told you, I was raping my grandparents. So I was like, I don't want to be, it's boring over here. I want to be over here. Right. So um she comes back and picks me up. And then I'm like, okay, this is weird. Because you're not supposed to be the one picking me up, but okay. Right. So we drive by the house that I was at. And I'm talking to my granny, like, why am I not going home? Why are you not taking me home? Um, and come to find out that night while I was at the homecoming dance, somebody came and shot our house 17 times. And there was a bullet in the couch, there was a bullet in the radio, and in hindsight, I'm just like, that's nothing but God, because what if my grandmother didn't call? Right? And I was at home on punishment. And I didn't find out about that until like I think a day or two later. And I'm like, y'all ain't even like what's going on.

SPEAKER_05 8:48

So why was your house? Why was the house shut up so many times? What happened?

SPEAKER_07 8:51

Do you know? To this day, I have no. I I don't know what sparked it. I don't know why. Wow. You know, because like I said, I was a sophomore in high school. I don't know what happened.

SPEAKER_05 9:01

Wow. Wow. That is powerful.

SPEAKER_07 9:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 9:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 9:06

And that that's that's one of the times where I'm just like, this was undeniably God. Um, and the thing that, and even with that, right, I still fell away, you know, because I was still young out here, not really understanding that was God moving in my life. I can look back now because highlights 2020, but in that moment, I'm still young, all right, cool, whatever. I'm living at Egos Home. This is common. This stuff happens. So the thing that made me be like, all right, I'm finna.

SPEAKER_05 9:37

How old were you again at this time?

SPEAKER_07 9:39

Like 15.

SPEAKER_05 9:40

15, okay.

SPEAKER_07 9:40

Yeah, yeah. So the thing that made me be like, all right, you know, God, I'm here was my grandfather passed, he passed in December of 2023. But before he passed, he was in a coma for three days. And then he came out of his coma and he was still thanking God and thanking Jesus. You know, he was praising the Lord. And that was powerful to me because my father, his son, he died after being in a coma for a week. So you came out of what killed your son, and you still praising God, praising God and thanking Jesus. So I'm like, okay, the evidence is your faith is real. Let me learn about what you're talking about real quick.

SPEAKER_05 10:22

So before that, you weren't going to church, you weren't in, you weren't reading the Bible, wasn't doing any of that?

SPEAKER_07 10:28

No, no, no. I I literally did not read the Bible, like actually start reading books of the Bible beginning to end until after he passed away. So that was in October when that happened. And then he passed that in December, but the day that he passed, um, my son's mom, she it was crazy because I just told her, you know, I'm going to pick up my grandma because I gotta pick her up from dialysis and I gotta take her to go see Papa. So I'd go drop her off and I'm finna leave. And at that time I'm still, you know, moving around. I used to sell drugs. The Lord delivered me from that. But at that time I'm still moving, I'm like, I'm gonna drop Granny off, but I gotta go make this play on the south side. This is all the way on the north side. This is out of my way anyway. I'll come see Papa later because Papa, he's gonna, I'll come see him later. Right. And my Annie was like, Reginald, you need to park. I'm like, bro, I just told you because my my family knew what I was doing. And I'm like, you already know what I'm doing. You know where I'm gonna go, you know what I'm gonna do. Right, right. Why you messing up my flow? She said, Reginald, your grandfather passed away this morning. I said, Okay, I'm not the park right now. Now come in. And that was when I find, you know, um, and I texted my son's mom, like probably 20, 30 minutes later. I'm like, yeah, Papa just passed away. So later that night, I find out that she's pregnant. And that's the same day that my grandfather passed away, the same day we found out Reagan is on the way. But this is the kicker. The Holy Spirit told her what was gonna happen. Because about 30 minutes before I texted her, she said that she heard a voice speak to her. And it told her, Papa's gonna pass away, you're pregnant, you're going to have a boy, and you're gonna name him after Papa. And she wasn't even late on anything yet. You know, could in the world.

SPEAKER_05 12:17

Was she spiritual at that time? Like, was she in the word going to church? No, she wasn't.

SPEAKER_07 12:22

No, neither one of us.

SPEAKER_05 12:23

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 12:24

I and it's funny, I I that I'll get into that later. But um, yeah, it was crazy. And when I told her my grandfather passed away, that was when she was like, okay, let me go get this pregnancy test because that was weird.

SPEAKER_05 12:40

Right.

SPEAKER_07 12:41

And come to find out, and that's that's why my son's name is Reagan, because my grandfather's name was Raymond. Wow. Wow.

SPEAKER_05 12:48

Giving me goosebumps, man. Giving me goosebumps. I'm just like, woo. Oh, when God shows up, he shows up.

SPEAKER_07 12:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:56

And it doesn't matter who. He's not, you don't have to be a believer, you don't have to be going to church. He'll just drop that word.

SPEAKER_07 13:03

Right. Yeah, I want to know who God was. What it what am I seeing? Like, what's going on right now? Because the evidence so far is that God is real. And if God is real and all this stuff, I mean I knew God was real, but not only is God is real, the Bible is true.

SPEAKER_05 13:21

Right.

SPEAKER_07 13:21

That's the case. I'm going to hell because look at how I'm living.

SPEAKER_05 13:25

So you did talk about, you know, selling drugs, doing that.

SPEAKER_07 13:29

What was that life for you? I was unable to trust people because I understood everybody, when you're doing that, is self-serving. Right. So they look at me like I'm just a means to an end. I'm looking at them like this is my source of income. So everybody in that is self-serving. Um, like I said, you can't trust anybody. Um, it's hard to form a connection with anybody because it's like you probably gonna turn around and ask me for something, or you trying to, and like I've literally had somebody, you know, I I rode around with this dude. Um, you know what I'm saying? We we we was riding together probably like half a day, and I went to his grandma's house's grandma made me a plate, all type of stuff, and he stole from me on Christmas Day. So when stuff like that happens, it makes it very difficult for you to trust people or build a relationship with anybody because you understand what human beings are capable of.

SPEAKER_05 14:31

So that was a lonely experience. You were doing that to make ends meet and to do what you needed to do. But at the same time, there was no fulfillment in doing it because you gotta have your watch your back like 24-7, literally.

SPEAKER_07 14:45

On top of feeling the combination from selling drugs, you know, I I even um talked, I it it was uh probably one or two nights where I even cried to my son's mom and I was like, I do not like doing this, but I feel trapped in this. I don't want to do this. You know, and I had to pray the God, I had to pray to God for Lord. I asked him to live me for probably like a year straight. And and and I was I kept praying, I kept praying, I kept praying, I kept trying to climb myself, and finally he brought me out of it.

SPEAKER_05 15:20

What did that look like? Did you start going to church? What was that transition into that year where you were just starting to talk to people about like the you know Lord, do you know God? What happened in that?

SPEAKER_07 15:31

Um I I got baptized again. I gave my life back to Christ. Um, I think the following March or April. Um, and I think around that time was when I would, you know, when I was riding around doing what I was doing, I would just start cutting on the audio Bible and just listening to the Bible while I'm writing. And it's like, okay, I'm finna I'm finna be gone the whole day. Book of Genesis, like four hours. Okay, that's done in the day. And then, all right, boom, this next book, the next book. Right, right, right. I kept making my way through it. And I was like, oh man, like, especially when I first like heard the gospel, like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and I was listening to those. And I was I was so moved, I was crying, you know, driving and crying, you know, wiping the tears, like, oh man, I can't believe they did that. Jesus, like I can't believe they did that. After so long, it became, it got to a point where I'm like, I have to tell other people about this. And I even joked with my friend about this, you know, I got so immersed in the word that I was pulling up to people. And I was like, listen, God talked, God, God put it on my heart to ask you this, what's your relationship with God like? Well, and the person that's selling to him is the one that's at like like that's a reality check.

SPEAKER_05 16:49

What was the relationship like with your your son's mom at this time? Because uh at this point, who was your family? What was your what was your support system like?

SPEAKER_07 17:00

All love and all respect due to her. So I just wanted to give you a chance to do that.

SPEAKER_05 17:03

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_07 17:04

Um, but yeah. Um but the the relationship was definitely stressed. Um and there was a deep strain on the relationship. Um and it got worse after marriage. Uh and the Lord gave me the Lord gave me a dream before we got married, you know, like a warning. Like, this is what's going to happen. Wow. And everything happened that he told me about in a dream. Like down to you know my son, me having my son, the Lord warned me that before we even got married. Wow. So that was a total I'm talking about saying down to the timeline, down to down to the age he would be when everything started happening.

SPEAKER_05 17:48

And you got that revelation, but you still want to have okay. Note to sound do not disobey the word of God. Like, oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_07 18:00

And I I could I could describe that dream so vividly, like even out, but it's just it's one of those things. Um, and but I will say um being in any type of stressful situation while you're building a relationship with God will teach you how to pray more and teach you how to be more dependent on him. It's like a trial by fire, literally, it's like he's just removing everything in you that's not supposed to be in you.

SPEAKER_05 18:28

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_07 18:30

You know, ultimately I feel like I came out of better man because that's where I was at when I was growing closer to God. Wow.

SPEAKER_05 18:37

Um I'm sorry. I um I'm still stuck on the fact that the warning before.

SPEAKER_07 18:45

Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 18:46

I mean, I'm just like, whoo, that one's heavy, but what did that teach you coming out of that being at this stage where now you're, you know, you're getting divorced and um closing that chapter of marriage?

SPEAKER_07 19:01

It was like I was wrestling with myself, right? Because um the and then the dream was literally I was in like a dark cave, and it was it was um, you know, I was surrounded by a bunch of people that I didn't really know like that, they were associates that probably could have been, you know, the people that I was doing business with. Right in hindsight. Um and I was around people, like I recognized them, but we know we weren't really cool like that. Then it was a hand that just reached down through the still another cave, pulled me out, and I was on the beach with my son. I was holding my son, and I saw my son's mom, you know, on the other side of the beach, she was with her friends or whatever they were doing. I knew how old my son was, and I knew we wasn't together no more. And we I ended filing for divorce literally two weeks after he turned at age. And now my son lives with me. So that's why I said everything that was in the dream, and I got the dream before we even got married.

SPEAKER_05 19:56

Before. Wow. Coming to Christ, how did you transition out of being on the road, doing what you were doing?

SPEAKER_07 20:05

I prayed in my behind all. Definitely got in that prayer closet so many times, so many nights. Um, and I just kept applying myself. I probably applied for at least a thousand different jobs because I was applying over a period of six months from December until I started working in May. So I would definitely say that if you know, and where there is a will, there is a way. Um and if that's really what you want to do, if you really want to leave that life behind. And and also you have to see who's dependent on you. That was one of the things that was keeping me stuck in it because I was taking care of me, her, her daughter, and my son, all off of what I'm doing. So I wasn't able to just cold turkey walk away because I have people depending on this source of income.

SPEAKER_06 20:58

Right.

SPEAKER_07 20:58

So you kind of have to move forward prayerfully and snowball your way out of it. Slowly by slowly. Okay, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this, let me pick up this skill, let me pick up this trade, and I'm gonna do this, and I'm gonna do this, and you have to work your way out. That's literally how it has to go. Why not apply for a job in the beginning? I was working a job. While you were doing? Yeah, I was I was working a job. I quit my job because I started making too much money doing what I was doing. I left it alone. But no, this is this is honesty. This is honesty. Don't be don't be deceived by the by riches. Don't be fooled by that because you will think this is something stable to step out on, and then you will have a bad day, and then a bad week, and then a bad month, and then a bad six months, and all of a sudden you're like, Man, I left my stable job for this, and this job, and that's how it is. The enemy will lure you into a comfortable jail cell, and you won't know you in a prison cell until that. Cage slammed shut. And that's literally how it happened to me. I was lord. Listen, I I I had I was working for US Bank. You know what I'm saying? So when I and and this is just me being honest. I was like, okay, I'm finna do this. I'm finna lead this line. I'm finna go do this. I'm balling. I'm this, that, and third.

SPEAKER_05 22:22

You were balling. Oh my God.

SPEAKER_07 22:27

And took my L and got ejected from the court.

SPEAKER_05 22:32

You know, I love that you're being honest and open, and I think we're laughing about it now. But, you know, in reality, there's a lot of people who are going through that. They are in that different stage, not necessarily selling drugs, but different stages of um decisions that they have made because they felt like they needed to, or it was a way out, a quick way out. Making these choices, having people say what they're saying, condemning you, you know, like judging. What is that like? And what would you wish for people to do better?

SPEAKER_07 23:03

Live out the gospel better because it's easy to say that you're a follower of Christ until it's time to pick up that cross and judge righteously. Don't just judge off of appearance. It's easy to say that you're a follower of Christ until it's time to love your neighbor as yourself. Yes, the drug dealer that's trying to get closer to God is your neighbor too. You gotta love him as yourself. That's what I would say. I would want you know more people to practice better. Um, now, as far as what it was like for me dealing with that, it was rough. Um because there was a part of me that was dying while another part of me was being born at the same time. So I'm going through death and life at the same time. And, you know, on top of the the stressful marriage, you know, we we having arguments and disagreements, and I'm like, I still have to go out and provide for everybody in this house. I had a horrible morning. Still have to be out till 10 o'clock at night and make sure that everybody is okay. Even man, we falling behind. We're arguing about bits. I still have to go out here and make sure everything is okay because that is what it means to be a man, right? And this this is another thing, right? Um, I feel like you become a grown man, a mature man, when you understand that you being a man is not conditional. That's just what and who you have to be. That's what you are. Right. You can't conditionally be like, well, if you don't do this, I won't do this. No, once that once once you in that situation, then it wakes you up. If I don't do this, then people are going to be impacted by me being petty. Right. You know, so it beats the pettiness out of you for sure.

SPEAKER_05 24:47

You're having a stressful marriage, you're, you know, you're having your grandfather pass, you know, you're building a relationship with your mom, you're building your relationship with Christ. Who is your source outside of God at that moment? Who were did you have a mentor?

SPEAKER_07 25:03

It was my aunt. She just passed in June. Um it was my aunt, thank you. Um, she actually that that's another thing too. You that's another way that I know God kept me because my aunt was like a mother to me. Remember, I told you I stayed with my aunt for you know a long period of time. Um and I was the one that had to make the decision to take my aunt off life support, you know. And on top of that, like I was just telling Pastor E, I was like, man, I totally forgot. Because uh when when you go through so many things, you'll start repressing things as they happen. When it's too stressful or it'll cause you too much pain, it'll just get, and that happens with me a lot. I don't remember things until after the fact. Like, this is another thing I'm gonna say right now. Um I asked, I asked God to remind me when I was on the way here, I was like, Lord, remind me. But listen, I was so lost. I had an ex that practiced witchcraft, and I was helping her interpret tarot cards. This is the truth, and I asked God to help me remember that so that y'all could really see what God brought me out of. But um, back on back on the thing with my aunt, um not only did I have to make the decision to take her off life support, I was the last thing she heard before she left because I said, I love you, auntie, and then she flatlined like three seconds later.

unknown 26:21

Wow.

SPEAKER_05 26:22

Wow.

SPEAKER_07 26:23

And like you said, that was my source outside of God.

SPEAKER_05 26:26

And so what is your source now? What's your community looking like?

SPEAKER_07 26:31

Echo, Echo Community. Absolutely. I love Echo so much because um having that community kind of keeps me grounded, you know. Um, and and I thank God for um the situation with my son, because my son living with me keeps me grounded. I don't know how I would have been able to, because my son came to live with me three days after my aunt passed. I don't know how I would have been able to navigate all of that. If you didn't have exactly if he wasn't living with me, and on top of that, that keeps me from going out and doing stupid decisions because I know I have a child that's with me now like most of the time. So I can't go out here and just I can't be out all night. I can't just hang with everybody, I can't just wake up and do this. I have to consider my child, right? And I feel like that was nothing but the Lord that worked that out for me because you know, people do foolish things when they're grieving.

SPEAKER_06 27:24

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_07 27:25

So I had to sit in it, you know, with with God. And with my saying, I know I'm glad babies don't be remembering stuff like that, because he probably, if he could remember, he'd be like, Yeah, my dad was in the room screaming at God, like, God, what's going on? Oh my God. Wow.

SPEAKER_05 27:43

Uh I mean, I I mean, again, I know we're kind of glossing over it, but grief and all of that, you did go through a lot. Um, for those who are really listening, you know, they'll hear all of that because that's a lot.

SPEAKER_07 27:56

And that'll happen with within the month of June.

SPEAKER_05 27:59

In the month of June.

SPEAKER_07 28:00

Yeah. Her funeral was the day after my birthday.

SPEAKER_05 28:06

Wow. So now, Reginald, you are here at this place in your life. And my question for you is what do you think God is calling you to in this season?

SPEAKER_07 28:17

Yeah, I I just enrolled back in school um to get my associates in computer science. I already had like um three tech certifications, and that was something I was very passionate about going into the tech field in the IT industry. Um but now I'm I'm grateful to God that I have the opportunity to actually go and earn a degree. And my aunt was a degree woman, she had a doctorate and three masters. Wow. So, you know, I was raised around it. And my grandmother as well, she graduated from U of H and they were both educators. So I was raised by educators, and on one hand, I'm grieved because my aunt has passed, so she doesn't see me embarking on this new um chapter in my life. But on the other hand, I'm grateful because the first time I went to college, I messed it up, and God blessed me with a second opportunity to do it.

SPEAKER_05 29:03

Right.

SPEAKER_07 29:04

So I'm grateful for that.

SPEAKER_05 29:05

What is your ultimate goal, you know, as you're growing spiritually, you're continuing on your walk? What are you most looking forward to?

SPEAKER_07 29:15

I will say completely releasing my ego and and and always remaining a child of God because you know, like some people call me a man of God. I love that and I'm grateful for that, but I never want to be more than a child of God because a child is solely dependent on a parent. I don't ever want to be, you know what I'm saying, like, oh, you're a man of God. I'm grateful for it, but I want to be a child of God more than anything else because that means I'm fully dependent on God. Ain't no room for independence. Okay. So I'm trying to go from a man to a child of God. That's my goal. Yeah. To age backwards spiritually.

SPEAKER_05 29:51

And you know what? I think that keeps us centered, that keeps us grounded. It reminds us to be, you know, who is in charge. It's not us. And I I love that you said it that way because a lot of times people be, and you know, people of course may have their own discourse on what you just said, but the reality is that we are his children and we're called to do his will. So if we're doing the will of the father, then obviously.

SPEAKER_06 30:14

Exactly.

SPEAKER_05 30:15

But I do understand that concept. And so, you know, as we're wrapping up, um, I just wanted you to talk to the audience. Is there anything that you want to share to a young man um out there that might need to feel inspired, you know, make some different decisions?

SPEAKER_07 30:33

Um, to any young man, I would definitely say, do not let the world influence your view on masculinity. Do not let the world influence your view on what it means to be a man, what it means to be a follower of God, because even in the scriptures it says they call me God, but with their lips, with their hearts are far from me. So I would definitely say if you have to take a stance on anything, side with what the word says, don't solve what the world says, especially as a man.

SPEAKER_05 31:02

Wonderful. And then I would love to, one of the biggest things where I brought the men on is because I want women to also tune in and to also be more sensitive to like the some of the struggles that men go through because you don't always express that vocally. And so to the woman listening, who might just be in her feelings about a lot of stuff and just being all judgy, not supportive, what would you say to her?

SPEAKER_07 31:31

Men are just as emotional as women. We are very sometimes we are more emotional than women. We just hide it very well. We tend to be very stoic, right? So if you're dealing with somebody or you know you're you're feeling the type of way in your interactions with a man, understand that man has emotions as well, right? Um and if he's not showing that to you, um, I definitely say be patient, you know, communicate with men. Um because like I said, we we emotional is just a lot of times we've learned that not everywhere is a safe space to be emotional. You know, we don't have the luxury of being openly emotional whenever we want to be.

SPEAKER_05 32:16

Is that a thing though? Why is it that men have to be particular about where they release those emotions?

SPEAKER_07 32:24

All right, I'm I'm finna give you a scenario. You in a burning building. Uh-huh. It's you.

SPEAKER_05 32:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_07 32:31

It's three other women, it's two other men, it's a bunch of children, both of the men crying. What you do? Get into action.

SPEAKER_05 32:41

Somebody gotta do something.

SPEAKER_07 32:42

Right, right. So I mean you will probably have to rise to the occasion because they fail to, right?

SPEAKER_05 32:47

Right.

SPEAKER_07 32:47

That's my point.

SPEAKER_05 32:49

Understood. But you know, and I totally get that. I'm totally in agreement with that. So I guess what you're saying is then um we hold back, you hold back those tears for a more appropriate time when you can release that emotion.

SPEAKER_07 33:05

But yeah, cry after, cry after you're out of the building. Absolutely, cry after you out the building. So there's no burning building. We're having a moment, something's happening.

SPEAKER_05 33:13

Yeah, you feel the tears come in. I mean, this is just me just really poking the beer here now. But I'm just saying, I just feel like uh society and culture has dictated how a man should express himself emotionally, and I think that we are not allowing men to be men in their rightful space to feel the feelings that they feel. I mean, obviously, not throw a tantrum, but if that's the case, how do you handle your emotions in different situations? Like generally speaking.

SPEAKER_07 33:48

When when I'm dealing with a something that's very emotional, um, I will my first thought is to more or less isolate. And that's not necessarily the most healthy thing, especially when you're dealing with someone on a romantic level. You should not, your first thought when you're in a relationship should not be to isolate to deal with your emotions. Whoever you're dealing with should be a safe space for your emotions, but it's up to you to communicate those emotions in a healthy manner. But because I'm not dealing with anyone at this moment, I isolate. That's my first thing. Because I have to take the time to process what I'm feeling, why am I feeling this? What is the appropriate way to express how I'm feeling? And if I skip all that and I just react in the moment, what is that gonna do for anybody around me?

SPEAKER_05 34:37

That makes a valid point because sometimes we women, we just want to know, like right now. So that does make sense. And I mean, I think each everyone is different. I mean, your this is your process, and someone else might have another way of handling it. But I think it's the communication and really listening to what the other person needs and what they're saying and what they're not saying. Right. Um, so now I know that you have, I'm not sure how many singles you have out, but I do know that the song that impacted me the most, um, remind me of the title, please.

SPEAKER_07 35:12

Help me God.

SPEAKER_05 35:12

Help me God. Um, I heard that song. Um, they they played it at church, and um, I just kept listening to the words, and I was just so profoundly impacted by just what you were saying. And also, you're very gifted, very talented.

SPEAKER_06 35:26

Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 35:27

What was the reason for putting that track out and also putting it out without getting paid? Because you did that, you just put it out there, it's free. No, you know.

SPEAKER_07 35:37

So with the streaming services, right? Like Apple Music, Spotify, and title, things like that, you do get paid, you just get paid a very small, you get paid like a fraction of a penny for every stream. Right? So one play is probably like 0.0001 pennies. So I get paid, I just don't get paid a lot, which is why I don't do it for income. Right. You know, it's more of a passion thing. Um, now what inspired me to write that, because I used to make music um when when I used to make a lot of secular music. Um, and I I had I had actually started doing pretty well for myself around that time. Um I had just performed it South by Southwest that year. Um I I had um went on a podcast, Rap Economics, I think that one had like 15,000 views. Uh I had I was getting more and more followers on Instagram. Um and you know, my followers were actually, you know, because you know you can have a lot of followers on Instagram, they're not really engaged, and I was getting way more engagement. And I'm like, okay, I love this. Like this is, and then it was like spark gone. It's like Lord Jesus, what just happened? I made music like 10 years. What happened? And not the way. Right. It was it was like I was getting up to that point, and then I had actually it was crazy because I was to the point where there was uh a female rapper from Houston. She had just signed a deal with Rock Nation, and I was in the studio room that she was supposed to be using. You know what I'm saying? So I was I was I was finally getting up to that point, and then I was just like, I'm not feeling it no more. And it was um, and on top of that, a lot of the stuff that I was making was, you know, the content was secular. So when I gave my life to God, I really was like, I'm done with music. And then I found myself continuing to write, and I'm like, but I've never written like this before without cursing, without all these other things. This is so foreign to me. Um and then I um I I think stuff just kept happening. That's when I as an artist make my best music when I'm in the middle of dealing with something, and then I can just write it out. And that's one way that I release. Um, and I've made my best songs when I have been dealing with some of the most grievous things in my life, like the Help Me God song, because my aunt just passed away. I'm going through a divorce right now. My, you know, there's a lot of internal family disputes that's going on right now. God help me, because I I can't do this myself. And that's that's literally the first line. Lord, I can't do it myself. Try it all on my own and I fail. That's literally what happened.

SPEAKER_05 38:33

So where can they hear this song? Help me God.

SPEAKER_07 38:38

Uh it's on Apple Music, Spotify, Title, um, YouTube, uh, the iTunes store, the Google Play store. I I I think just all of them. Yeah, I think Okay.

SPEAKER_05 38:52

So are you planning to make more music? Do you feel like this is a pathway that God is using you to now connect with more people through your music?

SPEAKER_07 39:02

I feel like it could be used. I don't know if it's gonna be the primary pathway. I feel like it could be a pathway. Um, because I don't feel like I was only put on this earth to make music. I don't feel like that. Um, I feel like he blessed me with the talent to do it, and I want to use that talent to serve, you know. So that's why I say a pathway, but I don't think that's gonna be the primary thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 39:25

Okay. Well, I will definitely encourage our listeners to definitely download and stream this music. It's amazing. You have other singles out as well, correct? So uh we will drop the link in the below on the bio for you so people can connect. And also, I'm gonna put his Cash App there because I mean, listen, we all know what it's like being uh a single parent for those who are single parents like myself. Um, and so if you guys wanna, you know, donate or send him some Cash App after listening to the song, um, help him out. You know, these streaming services really don't pay. So I would definitely um encourage you all. If you like what you hear, just just drop him something um for his son and him for himself. But um I'm super, super, super excited for what God's plan is for you. I'm happy you came on just to share your story, being vulnerable, being open, being honest, transparent um about everything that you've been going through. And so we really are we are blessed to have you, man, and to know that you guys are doing something spectacular out there. Your son, Raymond, right?

SPEAKER_07 40:29

Reagan.

SPEAKER_05 40:30

Reagan.

SPEAKER_07 40:31

My grandfather was Raymond.

SPEAKER_05 40:32

Raymond, okay. So Ray, okay, so Reagan, yes, Reagan. I mean, yeah, you are you are doing exactly what God is asking you to do right now, and that's we can't ask for anything more than that. So I thank you again. We will definitely share your information on the bio. So if you want to connect with Reginald, you can connect with him on social media. I think you're taking a little break uh from social media, so please don't be mad if you hit him up and he doesn't respond right away. But sometimes we gotta do that little sabbatical from social media and get our stuff right.

SPEAKER_07 41:07

So thank you all for joining and do the master, got our pinnacle, that's what I'm doing, don't you? Do a hard work is to the Lord and not to me. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward to me and hear it is when you serve the Lord Christ. I mean, whatever you do, do it earnestly for God, not for the approval of others, but for God. Because our reward comes from God for serving the Lord Jesus Christ. That's all that matters.

SPEAKER_05 43:10

Hey guys, so I just wanted to share that everything that we're doing in this season on the podcast is to really transform the lives of those who are watching. We understand and recognize that there's a lot of people who might be doubting where their gifting is, what their calling is, and what how do they respond to what God has given them or what others have told you? Leaders, prophets, even just doing the work is hard. And so my encouragement is that you keep seeking God, you find a community that will help you to build that relationship. Echo Community Church is the church that I go to. Um, but you may not be in that area, and you need to still find somewhere that will resonate with your spirit, and you want to make sure that you're tapped in to God. Building that relationship is so key. These podcast episodes, I hope you're enjoying them, are really inspiring for me. Even for me here, I am growing in just listening to the different testimonies being shared. And I mean, this is not a perfect walk with God, and that's one of the things that I really wanted to say is that we are not walking in perfection, but we're growing together in Christ. We're growing somewhere. As we would say, as Pastor Eric and Pastor Kay would say, we are growing somewhere, and we just have to go through the process and trust that process. So please subscribe to our channel, hit that notification bell so that you can see more of these episodes. Please comment as well as we go along encouraging each other because we need each other as a community to support. So thank you guys so much for watching. Thank you for supporting our network and what we're doing. And if you want to see more videos like this as well, we do have a donation page where you can actually just help us out by donating and helping us so that we can provide more quality videos, more of all of these guests that you see on, so that we can have this word spread across the world. So, thank you again for watching and see you on the next episode.