From Prison to Purpose

it still had the thoughts the desires of getting high and all that stuff I knew at that time I was looking at okay Jerry long time yeah and how long were prison sentence but I knew I was like that's and I'm like oh I didn't my idea I didn't have anything like I lost my kids a lot literally what else what's a house if I don't have anything so but yeah he just I just took the first well probably first nine months I just I wasn't tall I didn't talk to anybody I just stayed off the radar and me and God all day long every day read my word I was at peace and then slept flipped at the beach a few quite a few nights they had them concrete tunnels they put in the ground well they were doing road work there for a long time and they hadn't 12 of them lined up by the ocean so I was sleeping there just like into night time I'll tuck in there and get out in the morning and talk a guy at the beach and watch the sun come up and it was that gave me film it and I I knew I was trusting y'all I had to trust God yeah I tried my kids I trust my situation I knew I was gonna have to face the music eventually but it was on his time all the times like you're literally all the time to even read my name at the beach and nothing came up I knew God had to be hidden until the right time but I kept asking the Lord to take away taking away my desires take away this this and that and wasn't wasn't taken away and I was looking at and taking it away from my own in my own freedom I wasn't really had no that had nothing to do with him really as much as I wanted to be right standing and everything but what's up welcome to another session of rebuilding life after addiction I'm your co-host Rob we got Justin on we have herb on it's going to be a really good show today I'm so thankful because my mom introduced me to this guy and I remember when I went to go visit my mom just recently about a month and a half ago I was just able to hear his story and his heart and his passion for God's people but also for those that are coming out of the correctional facility and so I thought it would be an honor to be able to have him on and share his story and his perspective of life and what he's been through and how God has kept him throughout all his troubles and uncertainties and so without further Ado I'd like to welcome my friend and brother in Christ herb Ross herb how you doing today I'm blessed brother and I appreciate the opportunity here yeah man yeah I'm looking forward to another call man it's been a little bit since we went live been like 10 days since we got on here and done our last call and on right I saw people are itching for a live dude was I oh I didn't have my mic on again I don't how do I keep doing that anyways it's been 10 days since we went live man I'm excited and I read a little bit of your story when you sent over the information man and on and I'm excited to jump into it and hear on you hear what the Lord's done in your life and real quick before we get into that though I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Valley custom homes for recently coming on to sponsor the podcast these guys decided to come in and sponsor the show and so we appreciate you guys if you're in the Shenandoah Valley Virginia area these guys do incredible work they've been in the business for 30 years and they don't do barely any marketing everything's been word of mouth and that reputation is the only thing that keeps the business going for 30 years with only Word of Mouth marketing so big shout out and thanks to our friends over at Valley Customs homes for coming alongside and rebuilding helping us rebuild lives they're a builder we rebuild lives after addiction so man amen it works but Chris the guy that runs that company he's such a stand-up guy and I'm just grateful and so I wanted to jump in and do that shout out real quick so on man herb why don't you take a moment just introduce yourself to the audience and on share a little bit of your back story and we'll just we'll roll from there well I'm her boss and I'm I guess I started addiction really started with the money and being in a poverty-stricken neighborhood and selling drugs to be able to afford the things that the kids around me had and my uncle started smoking weed with me when I was nine and then I started selling it by like 13. pretty much anything I could if I had to if I had the connections and I had the people that looked in need from the people there around me I would make some money and then I started doing it myself but I was in my about 21 is when I really started getting addicted yeah I cut my got my achilles turned in my tiddler nerd well I started getting on the pain pills and needing them every day so then I started finding other ways to do more than while I was getting prescribed I had a dirty doctor it was writing me massive amounts of pills and yeah I had making money known things yeah anything I could do to feed that addiction but a lot of it I was running from God running from paying my childhood and my mother's pain a lot of that but so I ended up for selling cocaine ended up getting with a hit on my head looking at the Attorney General's office finally caught up with me I had a couple buys for a few houses of cocaine here and there and so they came in and looking at 72 years they were if they stacked them at the baby on the way at the time and he's 13 now but so I didn't they wanted me to give up somebody to it's and work the system and so I went and so I gave one guy up let's turn around they pretty much put a hit on my head ten thousand dollar hit to take me out and the Attorney General's office had an inside man there that actually got wind of it and so they had to move me out leave me out there because they it's all responsible my main fear was pretty much going to jail fighting that Addiction in jail definitely fighting it on my own leaving my kid stranded and so I went against everything I believed in at the time but so we moved to move to Jacksonville they paid for us to get a place I beat on I didn't have to do any time on that there was guns and a lot of different things involved so I felt blessed to get out of that but I am still had the addiction so and then I free note I started cooking meth and started doing anything I could do to trade and just trading up for things and so we moved into a house that was just haunted it's took over the ex-wife ex-wife now but was under a spiritual attack she ended up leaving taking the kids moving back to Pennsylvania where I had the hit on my head so the only way I had to get pretty much was to go back with nothing lived in a painted house a little while still doing what I knew how to do making ends meet and then here to the bed house fixed it up made it home to have running water didn't have no pipes heat anything so ended up getting the electric turned on and that's where I started seeking the Lord then because I needed and I've always knew he was there with me as a kid even though I spent a lot of time alone I knew he was there with and I just filled his presence but remember I started going this well I'm Gonna Fill Up like 10 gallon jugs of water down at the creek and go to flush the toilet and everything and saving a little bit of money up fix it up to be a home trying to get my boys back when went clean for a little while trying to do it for my kids and then she fought me and beat me in court took my boys and then then I went back into the dick slip back into addiction I had a police on me I had up there you missed a 25 payment they're sending a 50 Constable out to collect if you don't have it they're taking you right to jail well I was in and out all the time he always on the run always chasing looking over my shoulder playing cat and mouse police I was by then I was let's see it was that would have been 2013 so I'm 45 now no yeah so yeah so they'll end up there knowing I had a hit on my head but no one is either that or not see my kids so I went there but really where the Lord met me at where it was so I went to this bar where I knew pretty much just Reckless I knew that's where the people hung out at and they didn't care at that point so I came so I wanted to go leave and then they guy stalled me and I knew something was up I seen them on the phones and making calls and this and that so so I had a bicycle and I would go down this bike trail so when I left the bar I went down his bike trail where they ambushed me it had the one side locked off and the other sidewalked I seen a big light coming out from the back of the truck yes I knew that they were they're gonna snipe me off so I so I took my bike went up into the woods just that's where I prayed I told the Lord I said if it's my time to go I was like be there with my kids that's really the only thing that really mattered to me I said if not get me out of here I didn't know how because I knew they had me yeah I knew they had me blocked off the only thing to the left of me was a big Hillside with no going up that and to the right of me was all woods and then on the other side of the woods with the river and it was November that was cold so that's when and it was dark and actually I know just Lord just took supernaturally I was able to see a mcgear trail I like just lit up I went down and like suddenly won the run I just like just took over and they wouldn't stop and listens run and stop and listen and they were listening for me trying to push me through the woods so I get to the riverbank I take my hoodie off my phones and my hoodie and got took up my head because you're the one let's walk across the river so I'll go in there real quietly there's leaves all over the ground so you could hear somebody started to walk and run or stop so when I got to when I got through the water got over my chest I started hyperventilating from the cold and then then that's the last I started freaking out because I could didn't know what was happening next thing I know like Angela Lords stuck my hand just pulled me across the river put me up on this rock and yeah and I made up they made a made up on top of the hill went up top of the hill and I could see across the river see all my enemies they were just they had lights and they were coming through the woods another one as the at the other end they were waiting on me they're gonna push me through like a deer so I went back up around them and then I went up and started going down the trail went up on the road up on the hill on the top of the hill then I was able to get home that way and then but the main thing when I got I went to church that Sunday I was like I knew it was something lower kept that saved me supernaturally for a reason but I went to church and then my the Reverend at the church he The Life just started like a three-way sermon just staring right up right through me yeah they started talking about I think Psalms 18 where he talks about making my feet like a deer and set me on high places he's my refuge when I cried out and I cried out to him I'm just bawling he said I like yeah and like everything from Sunday to Sunday it was just it was just me and God I would just add questions and I would more next Sunday I go to church even just talk answered all my questions I had all week through scripture and then when I met his wife several several months later she said she's like well she's like she knew who I was because he told her about how God would speak to him and he would throw away his word for that week you just God would just speak through him so I just I felt this the connection a duty to walk in it walking that I was still battling in my mind I still I still had the addiction I wasn't free but but I felt the love I felt the mercy and all the beginning recipe of being free so I started realizing how real his word was I wanted to learn more I wanted to know more so I was still coping with with addiction end up a mother she wouldn't she was going to pain clinic she was hooked she was addicted to at the time got kicked out of her pain clinic and then didn't have no other options but got the heroin so and now by that time off I was on heroin still seeking God though so he can answers but so she was she had suicidal moments twice that God brought her back that wasn't her time she so the early option was she said she was a job in front of a train if she didn't find something she couldn't afford it find him on the streets she couldn't and she was enough she had a lot of pain a lot of back issue so I introduced her to the heroin I didn't know it all still I ain't know what else to do I didn't want her to off herself so so she had me stopping over three times a day I didn't want her to OD either so I I at the momentum will just keep her from being sick and everything that ate me up for a long time one night she she had me tell me she won more she was drinking I said I'm not giving you any more I'm not gonna kill you so I ended up getting outside into the cold there's a precipitation I think it was slowing out and finally call her back I said okay I went back in did it she died OD the Lord brought her back but she it was cold like that and then a mother is a yeah which that goes way back always childhood but this was it led me into my next move so I went and to the dude this guy that sold the heroin I already knew I already had cases looking at warrants it drugs and everything else and so I already had my mind made up I was I'm going back to Florida so I was gonna go on the run after I did it I went paid him a visit and then so yeah so when I just the charge was overnight B and E during the overnight accommodation so pretty much home invasion but I didn't get it I didn't get all the way inside I cut myself I'll bust my window out and their home and so when I well I cut myself they let the drop of blood on the curtain it's the big thing all over on the on the news and everything else they and then so I left when it hit up in the mountains for a couple months I had a friend until I can figure out a way to get to Florida got to Florida at that time I just went with the clothes on my back how was it yeah flu Jacksonville went homeless did the homeless scene for about two years lived in a tent at that time that's when I totally gave up I said all right Lord you gotta you got your way I've I still had the thoughts the desires of getting high and all that stuff but I knew at that time I was looking at okay Jerry long time yeah and how long the prison sentence but I knew I was like that's and I'm like oh I didn't my idea I didn't have anything like I lost kids a lot literally what else what's a house if I don't have anything so but yeah he just I stuck the first well probably first nine months I just I went and thought I didn't talk to anybody I just stayed off the radar and me and God all day long every day reading my word I was at peace and then slept flipped at the beach a few quite a few nights they had them concrete tunnels they put in the ground well they were doing road work there for a long time they hadn't 12 of them lined up by the ocean so I would sleep in there just that'd make into night time I'll tuck in there and get out in the morning and talk a guy at the beach and watch the sun come up and it was that gave me film it and I knew I was trusting God I had to trust God yeah I tried my kids I trust my situation I knew I was going to face the music eventually but it was on his time all the times like you're literally all the time to even read my name at the beach and nothing came up I knew God had to be hidden until the right time but I kept asking the Lord to take away my desires take away this this and that and but wasn't taken away and I was looking at and taking it away from my own in my own freedom I wasn't really had no didn't have nothing to do with him really as much as I wanted to be I wanted to walk a ripe standing and everything but but when I asked the Lord to take it away because it was I kept telling us I kept holding on to the word walking standing believing the scriptures and taking them and applying them and the second Corinthians 10 four through six taking them thoughts captive but I got tired of taking the thoughts captive they were this kept coming and then bring into The Obedience of Christ but when I told when I said I had the money cries and I told her I told the father I was like you didn't this is in my way of my thoughts but for him because can't think about him in Liars of getting high or going back cooking meth to get somebody to get a hotel room or all those things were like my need was I needed a place I needed like to have a bad sleeper and I know it didn't take much I could go and do it but that would mean me going back to going back to cooking and doing all and going back to using so yeah so right then and there he he said I just felt this heat and the joy and the peace and crying and laughing all this came through me all at one time and I remember looking up and there was nobody around that morning like every morning I would sit on the beach and the joggers would be jogging by or something but that particular morning there was not a soul there was a son the sunrise came up it was a most beautiful one I can't even put it in the words like but it was like look Paradise look at Paradise the way the sun would shine up behind the she could see valleys and you could see just somebody who had like the backdrop of the sun eliminating around the clouds and the trees just it painted his picture and like I might never seen just I knew it was special but he yeah he burned it out all his eyes didn't have the and I even fell short I found the bag on the ground one time and I was walking oh yeah I was clean before this I found a dog and I ended up doing it yeah I don't know why I did it and I felt horrible after that so after this moment and I knew I was truly free when well enough I did it again the enemy tested me again I found it felt good I felt Victory I felt now I knew like then there so I'm free the victory Felt So Good yeah after all that it's probably total about 20 years of being addicted to something I did like that was everything else how old are you now 45. no she started but how long have you been free how long has it been since all this that would have been 2017. I don't have the exact date but yeah this thing yeah 2016 into 2016 is when I went on the Run started doing it really gave it all to God at that time I think what's amazing is that like and Herb thank you for sharing what you're sharing but many people don't make it past their mid-20s in addiction let alone in their late 30s in addiction and so all that you've been through right You said something that really touched me when you said that you would continuously quote second Corinthians 10 4-6 4-6 4-6 and you were like man I'm tired of continuing to take these thoughts captive I think that's something that's so impactful because I can relate to that when I'm wrestling with temptation whether it be sexual Temptation whatever it may be right like the desires of My Flesh often at times I become so tired I'm like ah but then I'm reminded like I'm trying to do this thing in My Own Strength right like I haven't really let go and let God get the glory right because I want this recognition of I've done this thing but it's like you came to a Breaking Point and you really let God set you free because as I was hearing you speak it's almost like a little bit of you wanted to have a part in setting yourself free but God's like look I'm waiting to like let me do that for what but yeah that's that's that's hard man because a lot of people that are listening to this a lot of people that are viewing our channel are or if they're not and they do get the opportunity to watch this like it's okay to be tired right like it's okay but don't don't remain that way right like don't don't don't settle for the drug right because you said you picked it up once the second time what do you threw it away right and it's like man like you got to be sick and tired of being sick and tired and so yeah that's good man Justin did you have something that you wanted to add and it yeah no so I'm I'm curious so what you said you had these people chasing you down they were coming after trying to take you out so after you found your freedom and you began to move forward like what transpired that they just after you were laying low for a while just disappear and forget about it or how did that get resolved are there still people out there looking for you today what I'm saying yeah the funny thing is so whenever So eventually I had to go back because I had to face the music which I'll get to that in one second because that's the whole that's God moves mightily there changed my name like actually whenever the when they came and picked me up the I was well so the Lord left me after about two years I went into a to like this faith-based residential beaches rescue recovery Mission now Jack speech so I went there I was already free I just I felt the Lord wanted me to go there so the Lord went there after about three months there's a bed they keep their like five hours a day in classes and they're the word and so after about three months a guy that was there stepped down and then jumbo asked me if I would take over and lead the classes and oversee and help disciple so did that for a year and then a little over a year and then the police came in they found out where I was at they took me in the Duval I've got a gentleman there I was ministering to we were playing Spades and he like he really talked to me and well he was he started calling me coach I don't know just so I look like it looked like a coach so he started calling me coach so so I was like I knew I'm going back to going back to PA or I know I'm getting I'm probably gonna butt heads with this there's a big group a lot of people knew so I went in there just noticed that he said he looked familiar and anybody asked my name I said coach I didn't even know my name my tag was on the thing nobody it was all God everybody nobody put nothing together like once did I hear anything about my past like God I know and I was at peace even going into I knew like I was going through the detectors they check check you out before you put you in I just felt this Spirit just speak a soft voice display don't worry I got you it went through there and God got me mildly I only did eight months I went to trial yeah I went to trial so that's a whole nother testimony but yeah I went to trial they dropped the one charge because at my preliminary hearing the guy so I had a mask on when I was there and everything and so my attorney said well is the guy that was at your house here today and he said yeah he pointed to him he's like well how do it's him so he caught a line right at the beginning he knew I was but yeah like I was just there to Rob him like he was a victim and all this and that so fast forward when it came time I did I was waiting to go to trial but eight months while I was waiting to go to throw or to see if they were going to take me to trial all my other warrants they piled up and then time served for all my old warrants and just drug related warrants and then and then like I gotta think I went my last hearing and they were like yeah we're gonna go to trial I was like all right I said well if that's what the door wants that's what I'm gonna do I'm good with her there was so much fruit in there in that eight months I've seen people repenting and people being thankful that they got caught with Bible studies and prayer circles and so many tests it was so fruitful and they're like almost didn't care about God though yeah for real like it was yeah and loved it but got me he moved the judge I had she was a head cracker she they moved her out of the office because she had to resign for giving an unlawful sentencing sorry I couldn't help it you were like she was a headcracker and I was like wait what's a headcracker but then I realized what you meant dude sorry yeah she's giving unlawful sentencing like giving double sentencing to people like that was my judge so God moved her out of the way put a new judge in and he was a Christian had favor so first the prosecuting attorney they wanted to fight it they thought they were going to go ahead and go to trial that night that day later I got back to myself I got to find my mother and she's like did they tell you yet you're going home tomorrow what they just said we were going wow I was like and I guess they changed their mind so yeah so I got out the next day I was looking at four to eight years there's but for the charges so yeah so God I had a little bit of parole to do and I got out just don't have a driver's license or I still have to wait to do wait all my time on that so they'd be back with my mother try to wait that out got married my wife now which actually met her whenever I was in the ministry doing the ministry down at the recovery transition place there Jack's Beach we met her we would get together and do different the State Community stay surrounded by the body and different home churches different churches and stuff and just got surrounded myself around all the people and that are God put people in my life when I was homeless he he made me somebody's assignment like I would pick me up every morning take me pick me up the more I look back The more I've seen God's hand in way more than what I thought going through it but even all the way back and I realized he was using everything I went through so I could get it once I knew him I would get understanding of my calling because sometimes you got to go through things to get to have the compassion at the depth and for to reach those that are going through it a lot of people going through stuff they don't want to you haven't been through it too often they don't really want to hear you all the way sometimes so so I look back well we're not getting sick sorry no but you said God made somebody your their assignment and then you said this is so key right like this is the beauty of God's hand on our lives right he doesn't not use our mistakes right he uses them because God is a God of Wonders God is a God that desires to show out and show up right and it's like Joseph's situation right we can look at Joseph's story and see all that Joseph has been through but yet at the end of the book of Genesis it says what the enemy meant for evil God intended for good and we're we're so caught up in the moment looking at our circumstances and situations but we have to be like Peter and bold enough to step outside of the boat right we have to walk on water we have to do things that are often at times difficult and challenging and it's it's good that you say this hurt because like even in my own personal story like looking at my addiction and the things that I've been through still not knowing my dad today but like what I had to go through to be reconciled to my mother or to meet my wife right like if I never went through what I went through if my wife never went through what she went through I would have never met her right like everything happened at its perfect timing and so like we can't underestimate or we can't undermine God's timing and I think we do that too often at times yeah so you mentioned earlier because Rob brought this up as well about the desires and praying for that to go away so now it's been six years since you touched so where do you live now mentally right with the desires like that prayer right that you prayed and you asked God like I just I need this to go like where do you live at now is this still something that from time to time when Aaron thought comes across and you wrestle with it or have you experienced like that total Deliverance mentally total Deliverance now I'm on fire just to help I know I decided the lord gave me the keys to work open the doors and I just now I just I want to help others that's my because I know the pain really calls his family loved ones and yourself but one person's motivation might be different than another one's motivation but God's word is for everybody for there's a Bible story or anything in there somewhere that you can relate to but my mindset is just it came to mind I used to have to like nope that's not that's I Discerning what the enemy what's discernment but I would find a scripture that worked and I would remind myself of that scripture the battle whatever it was that was coming to the enemy was going to try to use because I realized not only did I have a physical enemy I knew I had a spiritual enemy and so I had I always had a responsive reminder too knowing hey if I step out of this with God I got a Target on my back as long as I stay in the shadow of his hands I'm I'm I'm not gonna I knew he wasn't gonna let nobody nothing kill me but we're gonna have consequences decisions and I knew mine were my mine were crucial if I so that was part of my motivation but I knew my kids like I knew God could take care of my kids more than I could ever take care of them so I gave him that and I with that trust and knowing while I work on well you work on me I'll trust you with my kids and everything else will work its way out be willing to go through whatever I had to go through if I knew whatever it was he was driving he was he took the wheel whatever I had to go through I was gonna get what I could get out of it and you could be used be available to be used whenever and wherever and yeah I think that path to Deliverance man is so like this has come up so many times Rob as we've been talking about like when people get free and stay free right and you see that very strong threat of purpose that constantly becomes a part of their lives it's like it's the fullness of the Gospel like I'm not just coming to the gospel for what I can get I'm not just coming so Jesus can save me from the mess that I've created but when he does save me then I'm submitting to his lordship right and that's what she did it's like Lord my life it's yours now right I did this thing my way and I'm I'm making that leap what do they say it's 18 inches is the distance between a lot of people it's from the head to the heart and so a lot of times like I feel like it's like we it's okay to come to Christ as an addict save me from this it's okay to cry out to him in that mess but if the question then becomes what are you going to do with the freedom right what are you going to do with the deliverance and then and you've mentioned that like even before all your stuff was resolved in a recovery program serving finding a way to serve and it really is no sacrifice at that point for us like of course there's sacrifice and of course there's some hard times ministering but when our lives have been giving back to us this is no sacrifice because I'm I'm living in the Overflow you're living in the Overflow of God sparing you from what was certain death had the past kept moving the way it was moving and I just think that's so key man like purpose really getting that Aaron Rod was on Rob was on the call with me with Aaron a couple weeks ago and he said every time that he goes and preaches somewhere purpose-driven sobriety find something for the sake of the kingdom and go after it not everybody's going to get behind a Pulpit and that's fine but find Kingdom work find out where the Lord wants you to submit your life to him and just go with all abandoned with all recklessness the dude I'll stop preaching here in just a second sorry guys but the dude from Project hope posted the other day on his Facebook wall Michael Vecchio he said on he said I'd never left my dope man's house empty-handed never he said if I had money I would go and I would pursue and I would be persistent to get it but yet so many of us go into the church we go into the recovery meetings we show up at programs like Teen Challenge or any of the others and we leave not getting what we came there for and it's like man I am so hungry for the Lord and that's what I hear this fire and you heard like I am so hungry for the Lord wherever you say go I'm gonna go whatever you say do I'm gonna do because I want the life that's been promised to me in the Bible like what I read I want to experience that and stop playing like I don't even want the desires anymore Lord give me all of your freedom and everything that you have for me and sorry that's been bottling up for the last 30 minutes man after hearing your story but it's it's so inspiring dude like what you've walked through like I know there was a lot of pain but to see you repurposing that and using it for the kingdom like that's what the Bible is all about right that's what this whole gospel salvation story it's what it's all about it's like we're saved for a purpose and then we go rescue more people out of the fire and it really is a beautiful thing man I didn't really have a question there that was like a three-minute rant I'm sorry I think man this is that's really good Justin but not a butt that's really good what I wanted to add to that or to ask for those that are listening right they hear this story and it's like man this is amazing that's great it's cool but how did you find Hope amidst like how did like because you were saying throughout your story that you would pray and you would ask God to help you and you go on your stents and binge or whatever but like how did you keep hope right like I think there's some people that are going through this journey right and they're like what would you say to the individual that is where you're at or where you were at six years ago seven years ago eight years ago ten years ago that is struggling and wrestling with the thoughts and the desires knowing that God has a plan and a purpose but lack the hope to push forward that's a good question yeah so I would say sometimes you got to get hopeless really put your faith in in something else am I and that's God that's the hard thing when you put your hope in God you can read his word and anything that applies to your situation you can stand on that firmly and believe it and know that okay this is what God says he's not a man Nation a lie and that's your hope you believe when God's not going to let you down God's not going to let his word not be true in your life it might not look the way you want it to look but that's what my hope that I knew I had a long season coming out of that season I knew my next season was going to be in prison I just but well I still had hope I knew my I was like wherever that's my got her I Fear God was the beginning and God's in the end he knows everything in between he's already knows how my walk-ins he still called me and so I'm just gonna walk that out the best I can staying on his word his words will gave me hope I know no only several other times that he saved me a gun to jammed in my face and pulled the trigger and they jammed several times I should have been dead I knew looking back he saved me as many times as he did and he's not gonna The Enemy can come back come at me all he wants but he's out to get through the father's that's where I found Hope but yeah so it's that confidence too that right like anybody with a story similar to yours anywhere on the planet has done this or has gotten free before or then they can do it too right well like that's that mindset where like did you ever struggle with that like victim the victim mentality that man this just isn't going to work for me there's no way we're gonna be able to beat this like I'm just I'm gonna stay trapped here forever I feel like a lot of people miss out on Hope because they're stuck there I read Deuteronomy 8 as it was huge for me like when I started reading about Egypt and I started reading about how the Israelites went how God brought them through the Wilderness and delivered it from Egypt and but they profound thing he said was when I multiply he's humbled on the discipline them as a child as his son but also to Humble them and to because when he gives them everything else it multiplies their gold and their cattle and gives them the promises that they don't forget him or think that they did it on their own and I right so I knew God's problem I knew God had rivers of water and milk and honey and I knew all that was coming I knew because he said it was I knew I was just I was in my Egypt I was in my slavery of a mindset or in the drugs and that was my Egypt so I knew where I was at scripturally going through but I I took the things of the things that history and what they went through or God's what God spoke and I knew was for it was for me too so but yeah everybody has an Egypt for Christ everybody made everybody down in Egypt yeah so yeah it's gone yeah it's cool man it's it's amazing to know right because I'll be very careful of how I share my words now because my mom or she had everybody listens to this well she might get catch me by my throat but no it's it's really cool just to know like what your vision is because that's my mom's vision to open up a transition home for people and I know that you guys have talked about that stuff and so I'm pretty sure that you guys have already spoke about getting connected and her helping out along with my dad my stepdad Ralph and so but yeah man it's it's amazing herb Ross dude 45 years old six years of sobriety reconciliation with your kids you have an amazing job now you're giving back to people that were once in your position and to be able to testify about the goodness of God in your life and so what greater way to bring hope to a lost person to a broken people because no story is ever without purpose right like your story has immense purpose and so it's amazing to know you to be a brother in Christ with you and to who knows man I this is for the my Florida listeners I might be back in Florida I might be working with herb in the near future I don't know what's going to happen I heard man I really appreciate you jumping on tonight man and on just being open and honest and sharing the Deep parts of your story and that's a big deal because you people are going to come across this and and they're going to need hope this is going to go up on YouTube and Rumble and we'll chop it up and it'll go over the internet in the next couple days and weeks and months and continue to be famous dude yeah so we could make you insta famous tick Tucker yeah but man I'm I'm so excited to hear about your recovery Ministry that you're getting going in your transitional home that you're rolling out I I was scrolling through the internet the other day man and I saw that as of 2020 I think the number was 32 million people in the country are addicted to something and those are 20 numbers so that's before all the pandemic Madness so you can only imagine what that number looks like now and so it just and reinforces the need to do things like you're doing do things like Rob and I are going in hard on this podcast right now just trying to inspire some hope for people to change because men addiction is no joke and with the Fentanyl and everything that sells out there and we're just hearing stories of people not making it through and it's it's heartbreaking folks are relapsing and overdosing and not getting another shot and so we're trying to do everything we can to just Inspire hope and when I hear about folks like you I met a guy in harrismith the other night that's getting ready to launch a Recovery Center down there and it's just like man cheering people on as much as we can because man this is this is a significant problem and it's 15 20 years ago when I was first coming out it wasn't really in the church as much it was hidden but now it's just impacted every corner of the country and so I encourage you thank you for turning your pain into purpose and being willing to answer the call of God and on that's a big deal and on that note I also want to thank our sponsor of this show one more time Valley custom homes that came on to help us out and bless the show thank you guys for pouring into folks that are struggling and helping to rebuild their lives you guys can find them on the Internet and I will link all of their stuff down in the description in the comments but we appreciate you guys for sponsoring the show and on Rob did you have any part words yeah I actually do pretty emotional and it's it's weird but it's not strange herb it's still sticking with me somebody was called by God to make you their assignment and so I want to challenge my viewers and the listeners today to listen to God because somebody's your assignment there are people that you walk by that aren't doing good we have our own agenda and we don't want to be slowed down we don't want to miss our destination but yet sometimes it's slowing down and being five maybe ten minutes late because you took the time to help somebody that was broken and I just want to challenge you we just recently lost a sister from TC alumni and she left two girls behind and that's hard it's hard right because from my perspective everything was okay but it wasn't and so my heart goes out for her and her family and so I just want you guys just to understand why Justin and I are doing this we're not doing this because we want to be YouTube or Facebook or social media famous but we're doing this because one we love one another we we want to give hope back to people but we also want to let people understand the importance of community and that you don't have to be alone and that if you need help you can reach out and we want to be of service to you guys and just to pour into you guys and just to remind you that as herb said you have value and the enemy comes to steal kill and destroy what has value and so yeah I love you guys thank you so much once again for supporting this page continue to light continue to share continue to just encourage one another as we post things and yeah thank you all right love you man