1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: You know, I was living in Tupelow. My dad calls me. 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: He's like seventy years old at the time, and he's 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: in Buffalo, New York, and he's a doer, he's a worker. 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: He said, hey, Steve, you know I saw your state 5 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: got really hit by that hurricane. What are you thinking 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: about doing? I said, I don't know, what are you thinking? 7 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: He goes, well, why don't you find a couple buddies. 8 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: I'll get a couple buddies and maybe six of us 9 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: could go down there. You know, find a town. It's 10 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: your state. I don't live there. I live in New York. 11 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: But you find a town. Let's find a widow and 12 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: elderly couple or a single mom. Let's help one family 13 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: with their house. And I'm like, Dad, just like, yeah, 14 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: fix painting whatever. I said, Dad, you have seven kids, 15 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: including five daughters. And if you rank us from the 16 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: handiest from one to seven, I'm like number seven, I said. 17 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: So he goes Steve. He goes, Steve, you could carry 18 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:47,839 Speaker 1: the shingles, and you can carry the drywall. And he goes, 19 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: I know you can paint and I can't paint a 20 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: little bit. He does. Don't worry we'll keep you busy. 21 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 2: Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney, 22 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 2: I'm annoy guy. I'm a husband, I'm a father, I'm 23 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 2: an entrepreneur, and I've been a football coach in Inner 24 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 2: City Memphis. And that last part somehow led to an 25 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,400 Speaker 2: oscar for a film they made about our team. It's 26 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 2: called Undefeated. Y'all. I believe our country's problems will never 27 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,679 Speaker 2: be solved by a bunch of fancy people in nice 28 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 2: suits using big words that nobody ever uses on CNN 29 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 2: and Fox, but rather an army of normal folks, US 30 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,039 Speaker 2: just you and me deciding, Hey, I can help. That's 31 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 2: what Steve Typer, the voice you just heard, has done. 32 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 2: His dad's idea of six of them helping with the 33 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 2: recovery from Hurricane Katrina led to six hundred and eighty 34 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 2: four volunteers going, which led to them to keep going. 35 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 2: And today Steve's charity, Eight Days of Hope, has had 36 00:01:54,760 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 2: forty thousand volunteers respond to sixty different disasters, and they've 37 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 2: rebuilt seven thousand homes for free. I cannot wait for 38 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 2: you to meet Steve. Right after these brief messages from 39 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 2: our general sponsors Steve Taiber, Welcome to Memphis. 40 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It was 41 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: a little bit interesting getting here, but I'm here and 42 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: I appreciate the invitation. 43 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, you got to see like three cities on the 44 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,959 Speaker 2: way here. I mean they mentioned that's terrible. 45 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: You know, I've got about two million miles with Delta. 46 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: I've flown for decades, but today was an interesting one 47 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: where my bag made it before me. Usually it's the 48 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: other way around, but I'm here. 49 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like your bag made the transferred you did. 50 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 2: That's too bad. Well, Detroit needs to get their world together. 51 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 2: So but you got to see Detroit. You got to 52 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,399 Speaker 2: see Atlanta. Sure, I hope you got to do work 53 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 2: on the nineteen hour trip. 54 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,119 Speaker 1: I did. I did, Thank you. I did. 55 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 2: Steve is the founder and CEO of Eight Days of Hope, 56 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 2: which is grown to be kind of phenomenal, and we're 57 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 2: certainly going to get into all of that. But your 58 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 2: world and what I know starts in ninety three, but 59 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 2: I want to go back before ninety three even Sure. 60 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 2: Where are you from? How'd you grow up? 61 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: Yeah? You know, I grew up in the inner city 62 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: of Buffalo. My family and I we had seven kids. 63 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: I was one of two boys, five sisters. We grew 64 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 1: up with not a lot, one bathroom in a house 65 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: of nine people and four bedrooms. You make it work, 66 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: right because you only know what you know. But I 67 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: went to an inner city school in the city of Buffalo. 68 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: I was a minority, and I knew nothing other than that. 69 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: It was just it was I felt like I had 70 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: everything I needed. My mom and dad modeled loving people well. 71 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: And even though at that point in my journey, I 72 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 1: was still a selfish person. You know, a kid, you know, 73 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: you just think of yourself and what you want to need, 74 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: I was. I was starting to see some things, especially 75 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: from my mom, who really went out of her way 76 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: to love and serve people, and that that was just 77 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,479 Speaker 1: really that was so cool that everyone knew, you know, 78 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: my mom was was such a loving person, and so 79 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: you know, you grew up without much, but your heart's 80 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: full and your you feel loved, and you know, I 81 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: ran track. Didn't play high school ball, but I ran track. 82 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:33,280 Speaker 1: Was I was pretty quick and enjoyed it and loved 83 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: it and thought I would stay in Buffalo for you know, 84 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,680 Speaker 1: till from the beginning to the end, but got out 85 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: of other plans. 86 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 2: Did you what'd your dad do? 87 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,359 Speaker 1: You know? My dad was a contractor, he did concrete work. 88 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 1: Neither of them finished school. My mom didn't even finish 89 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: high school. So they weren't educated, but very hard workers. 90 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: And so they modeled that for me my six siblings. 91 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: It's interesting. I have five sisters and a brother, and 92 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: one of us is adopted, but the one that was 93 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: not adopted the other side, we're all Type a's all 94 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,359 Speaker 1: six of us. That room's a Type A. It is crazy, 95 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: and we're doers and we love to see things happen, 96 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: and you know, people in sales and managers and owners 97 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: of companies. But it's been a lot of fun. And 98 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: poet say, you have some great memories growing up. I 99 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: really do well. 100 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 2: I guess in Buffalo, when you have nineteen thousand people 101 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 2: in a small house, at least you stayed well. 102 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 1: I'll tell you what. Oh, the blizzard is seventy eight. 103 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: I was a senior in high school and I was 104 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: stuck at my girlfriend's house for like four days because 105 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: you couldn't travel. And you know, thank god, you know, 106 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: our city recover. But yeah, we get some epic snowstorms 107 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: up there. But you know, Buffalo's a great place because 108 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: you're right, You're right near the water lake Erie Lake, Ontario. 109 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: People think of New York of just being concrete. You 110 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:45,760 Speaker 1: have the ad Rock Mountains, you have the Finger Lakes. 111 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: I mean there's a ski resort thirty five minutes from 112 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: our house called Howdy Valley and Kissing Bridge that a 113 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 1: lot of Canadians from Toronto come down, and a lot 114 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: of people in Western New York US. So definitely get 115 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 1: four seasons. Definitely a little bit longer of a winter, 116 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: maybe somewhere down your Memphis, maybe a little bit longer summer. 117 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: But it's all. 118 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 2: Good, man. It just sounds like a middle load and 119 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,039 Speaker 2: middle income, blue collar coming up with a lot of 120 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 2: love and a lot of direction and frankly a normal childhood. 121 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: You only know what you know, and so you know, 122 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: my mom and dad they loved each other and they 123 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: really tried hard to provide. But it was no big 124 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: deal for you know, seeing a bike being handed down 125 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: three three times, or you know my brother and I 126 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: sharing clothes, or watching my sisters. I mean, you just 127 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:33,919 Speaker 1: you make what out of it what you have to 128 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: make out of it, right, And you don't know no better. 129 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:38,840 Speaker 1: You just don't. So you know, you don't know about Disneyland, 130 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 1: and you don't. Maybe you know about it, but you 131 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: don't even think like that. I mean, you're just you're 132 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: enjoying life, you know, back in the day, and maybe 133 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: this is when you grew up as well. I think 134 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:47,919 Speaker 1: you're probably a little bit older than you. But you 135 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: played until the lights came on, and you played with 136 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: all the neighborhood kids. 137 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 2: There were no electronics, and a mom went out on 138 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:55,360 Speaker 2: the porch and screamed your name. 139 00:06:55,520 --> 00:07:00,480 Speaker 1: Absolutely all the time. We played board games on the porch, 140 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: and we played you know, football on the street. We 141 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: played kickball, we played hide and seek, just simple things, 142 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 1: but man, we had a blast. 143 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 2: No normal, you know, simpler times. Some would argue, and 144 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 2: I would that maybe those were better times, but we'll 145 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 2: digress from that. You go to college, you know, I did. 146 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: I went to a school in Ottawa, Kansas, a small 147 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: Division two school. I went there on a track scholarship. 148 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: My sister picked it out of a book and this 149 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 1: is back, yeah, and she was there. She was a 150 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 1: year ahead of me. And the track coach heard that 151 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 1: I could run, and so they threw a couple dollars 152 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: my way, and I went out there. It was a 153 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: little bit unique for me, you know, a lot different 154 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: from Buffalo, York to go to Ottawa, Kansas. It's about 155 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: forty miles southwest of Kansas City, and it was a 156 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 1: lot slower. People made fun the way I dressed and 157 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 1: the way I talked, but it was it was a 158 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: lot of fun. 159 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 2: All right. So you graduate, I do, and you get married. Yeah, 160 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 2: I start. 161 00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: You know, in nineteen eighty four, my wife and I 162 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,400 Speaker 1: got married and after dating for about twelve months and 163 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: just she hung the moon. You know, I'm still hung 164 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 1: hangs the moon. Her name is Charmaine. Charmaine and I 165 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: will be celebrating our fortieth wedding and versus November. Yeah, 166 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: thank you. You know, marriage is hard work and yet 167 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:19,119 Speaker 1: we're committed, and you know, she's an amazing young lady. 168 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: And we have five kids now, all of them adopted. 169 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: The only reason I'm bringing that up because through a 170 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: couple oft of adoptions, we learned about some things that 171 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: end up changing the ministry that we're going to talk 172 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: about eventually. But just just love my kids. They're they're amazing, 173 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: they're all uh, they're all doing well, and you know, 174 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: we've got one in the military. My fourth daughter or 175 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 1: my number four, is in the Marines as we speak. 176 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: She's amazing. Uh. My youngest is at Liberty College. So 177 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: after having kids in my house for thirty three and 178 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: a half years, my wife and I ten days ago 179 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: looked around and it was just her and I and 180 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: that was a little bit weird. But we're enjoying the season. 181 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 1: But yeah, it's been fun. 182 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 2: So we've established. Yeah, you come from a blue collar 183 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 2: family in Buffalo. You get your degree, you're Mary Charmaine. 184 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 2: You adopt five children, you're actually three at this point, 185 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 2: but eventually five, and you're rolling And what are you 186 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 2: doing for a living? 187 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: You know I'm doing you know. So I was living 188 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: in upstate New York. I lived there until I was 189 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: thirty nine, but I was working for my wife's family business, 190 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 1: the only building material distributor in upstate New York. In Buffalo. 191 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:29,560 Speaker 1: They had multiple locations sold vinyl siding, windows, doors, and 192 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,440 Speaker 1: I was working for a roofing manufacturer when my wife 193 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 1: and I got married. But her dad died unexpectedly at 194 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 1: like forty four, and they asked if i'd come sell, 195 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 1: and I reported to my dad. So working for my 196 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: wife was great. Working for my wife's brother was great. 197 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: Working my dad was a little bit interesting because every 198 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 1: time you do something in a family, it's not hey, 199 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: how you doing, and you know I was your kid, 200 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:54,560 Speaker 1: it's hey, did you open that account? Did you pick 201 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 1: up that check? Are they placing that big order? What 202 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 1: do you got going on tomorrow? And so I longed 203 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: for that. So he wasn't aware of it. My wife was, 204 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:04,320 Speaker 1: of course. But I applied for a job for a 205 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,720 Speaker 1: company based in Booneville, Mississippi. They made vinyl siding. 206 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 2: In Buffalo to Boonville. 207 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, well I didn't move right away. I started 208 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:13,840 Speaker 1: as a salesman, but literally in eighteen months just was 209 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:17,839 Speaker 1: blessed at like three steps in the corporate ladder. And 210 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 1: when I was thirty nine and nineteen ninety nine, my 211 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: wife and I moved to blom Mississippi to become a 212 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: vice president of a corporation, and the rest is history. 213 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 1: My corporate career was often running. 214 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 2: So there it is, there's your life. Yeah, Buffalo college wife, kids, 215 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 2: found your way up the corporate ladder and everything else. 216 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 2: But nineteen ninety three, you were an addict. 217 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm getting emotional, not because I'm sad. But you know, 218 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,320 Speaker 1: for eight years, every day, every single day, you know, 219 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: I was involved in a self destry, destructive habit, and 220 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: it's I did very innocently. And so you know, people 221 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: know about drug addicts and alcoholics. Well, my addiction was gambling, 222 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:08,600 Speaker 1: and so I got down to Atlantic City actually for 223 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: one of these jobs. Got the job, but that one 224 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 1: night I went to play cards. I knew nothing what 225 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,680 Speaker 1: I was doing playing blackjack. I won a boatload of 226 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:20,240 Speaker 1: money and thought I had it figured out. And a 227 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,840 Speaker 1: buddy night said, hey, you played college football. Let's just 228 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: pretend something. Pick six games, here's the spreads, tell me 229 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: what you think, and knocked all six of them out. 230 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 1: And he's like, dude, man, you need to be doing this. 231 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 1: I mean, you're smart, you played the game. A lot 232 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 1: of people don't understand football. And so it started that 233 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: innocently in nineteen eighty five. But for every day, I 234 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 1: mean every day I had to miss one. I left weddings, 235 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 1: I left funerals, I left my wife's birthday party. I'd 236 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 1: go to bed at night to play spets. I'd go 237 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: to bed at night with a beautiful young lady next 238 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: to me, and back in the day. There wasn't Internet yet, 239 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: and you know, you couldn't foul on your phone if 240 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: you were up or down. I'd have three TVs and 241 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:01,920 Speaker 1: our modest bedroom. We'd be going to bed, and I 242 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:03,679 Speaker 1: have three TVs on top of each other, so I 243 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:06,079 Speaker 1: could see the scores of all the games. And it 244 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: got out of control. It got so bad. I knew 245 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: I was blowing it was I was blown it with 246 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 1: Charmaine and we had just adopted Steven. He'd been with 247 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,520 Speaker 1: us for about a year. And here's the pivotal night. 248 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: I was rolling the ball back with my son, a 249 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:23,679 Speaker 1: plastic ball, and he was in front of the TV. 250 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: And I had a huge beat, a huge bet on 251 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:29,560 Speaker 1: a game. And it came to the final play and 252 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 1: either I was going to win a lot of money 253 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:34,079 Speaker 1: or I was gonna lose tens of thousands of dollars. 254 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I was out of control the last Friday. 255 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:39,880 Speaker 1: And I'm not trying to please, don't be impressed. If 256 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 1: you're listening, it's crazy. The friday before the last of 257 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: the final weekend, I bet thirty college basketball games, three 258 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:50,400 Speaker 1: thousand a game, three dimes. 259 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:52,439 Speaker 2: That's what you call it. 260 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 1: Just on one night, in basketball and in an attic 261 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: is always looking for the next high and I was 262 00:12:58,000 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: looking for the next thing all the time. 263 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 2: And so it's actually ninety. 264 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: Right, because the big ten percent if you lose. 265 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 2: So you had one hundred thousand dollars on the lawn 266 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:12,079 Speaker 2: in one night. One night on college basketball, I. 267 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 1: Was betting on games. You know, my wife would say, 268 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: name one person that plays at vc VCU, What do 269 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: you know about Saint Bonaventure? You know, what do you 270 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 1: care about Georgia? You know, you live in Buffalo. You've 271 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 1: never even been to Georgia. And you know I would 272 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,199 Speaker 1: reason away and I'd always throw a little money or 273 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:28,920 Speaker 1: a way to keep her happy. But she didn't know 274 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:32,400 Speaker 1: what we had loans. I was doing stupid things. Oh 275 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,440 Speaker 1: my gosh, I mean you have to. I don't care 276 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 1: how good you are. You can get a little hot streak, 277 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: but any addiction, it will just rob you of your joy, 278 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 1: It consumes you. I'd wake up in the morning and 279 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: I'm watching the weather channel to see it's gonna be 280 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,559 Speaker 1: windy in Chicago? Is it going to range that I 281 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 1: bet the over under. It became my god. And so 282 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:53,680 Speaker 1: that that's that Sunday night when Steven stopped in front 283 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: of that TV and we were rolling a plastic ball. 284 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: I had the ball in my hand and he stopped 285 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:01,160 Speaker 1: right in front of Teth and I couldn't see if 286 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:04,240 Speaker 1: I won or lost. And I screamed Stephen, and I 287 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 1: threw the ball at him. It was a plastic card ball, 288 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: and I'm thankful that I missed. But my wife was 289 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: looking down from the foyer of our house and she 290 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 1: was screaming at me. He was screaming because I screamed 291 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 1: his name and threw the ball atom and she said, 292 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: get out. I'm done. I'm done. I've been praying for you, 293 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 1: I've been hoping the best, but I can't do this anymore. 294 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: She just said, I love you, but I don't like you. 295 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 1: You've got to go. I don't care where you go, 296 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: but you gotta leave. And man, I was. I was 297 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: at rock bottom. I went upstairs to get my car keys. 298 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: This is so stupid. I didn't own a gun, but 299 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 1: I went into the bathroom. I'm thinking I couldn't stop gambling. 300 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: I mean, I just couldn't stop. I remember going to 301 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:50,800 Speaker 1: the bathroom. I was looking in the mirror. It was 302 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 1: just me and a mayor and She's down there screaming, crying. 303 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: Steven's crying. I'm crying, and I take my fist and 304 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: I punched myself in a face, and it's I'm so stupid. 305 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 1: But I just hated myself so much that I blew 306 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: it with Charmaine that I was a terrible father, a 307 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,400 Speaker 1: terrible husband. It was a terrible person. I was selfish, 308 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,160 Speaker 1: I was out of control, and I was an addict. 309 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 1: And so I left my house and I thought, I 310 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 1: can't stop. I can't keep moving. I just lost my wife, 311 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 1: I lost my kid. Why live? So I pulled our 312 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 1: car in western New York. I pulled it on a 313 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: rain a railroad track. And back in ninety three, I 314 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: had a car. You had to roll down the window, 315 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 1: and I parked the car in the railroad track so 316 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: when the train would come around the corner, he wouldn't 317 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:39,840 Speaker 1: be able to stop because I couldn't do anything right. 318 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,320 Speaker 1: But I was gonna get this one right. I was 319 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,720 Speaker 1: gonna get this one right. So I parked the car 320 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: so when the train comes by, it can't stop, and 321 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:50,240 Speaker 1: I rolled down the window. I throw the key, so 322 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: don't chicken out, you know, at the last minute, and 323 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: I'm waiting for the train window. Yes, so I won't 324 00:15:55,960 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 1: even be tempted to admit it. I'm done, brother, I 325 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: couldn't go on. I was out of control. 326 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 2: And now a few messages from our general sponsors. But 327 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 2: first I got something really cool to tell you about. 328 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 2: We're hosting our second ever live interview. We're doing it 329 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 2: at Memphis on November seventh with Todd Coomer Niki. This 330 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 2: guy is the director of one of the most thought provoking, 331 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:36,880 Speaker 2: inspiring deep movies ever made, one of my favorites elf. 332 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:42,560 Speaker 2: But he's also the writer of Sully and now he 333 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 2: is the director of Angels Studio's upcoming film. 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He's one 341 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 2: of the most epic examples of what we're looking for, 342 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 2: an ordinary person who lived an extraordinary life of service 343 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,119 Speaker 2: all the way to the point of death. And I 344 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 2: hope you can join us to get inspired and meet 345 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:36,199 Speaker 2: the incredible director that is now telling Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer story. 346 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:42,320 Speaker 2: You can RSVP for free tickets free tickets at Bonhoeffer 347 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:47,680 Speaker 2: director dot event bright dot com. That's bo n ho 348 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:54,439 Speaker 2: e f f E R director dot event bright dot 349 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:58,439 Speaker 2: com in Memphis on November seventh. It should be a 350 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 2: good night. We'll be right. 351 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:20,840 Speaker 1: The train came every night at ten o'clock. We'd lived 352 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:22,880 Speaker 1: there for multiple years, and I'm waiting for this train. 353 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 1: It's like nine fifty eight, nine fifty nine, and I'm 354 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: listening for the train. I don't hear this train, and 355 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 1: it's ten o'clock and then it's ten oh one, and 356 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 1: now I'm crying even more. I'm like, where's this train? 357 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:36,080 Speaker 1: It comes every single night, And it was ten oh five, 358 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,479 Speaker 1: ten o eight, and I thought, you gotta be kidding me. 359 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:43,320 Speaker 1: This train's not coming tonight. It comes every night. So 360 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,120 Speaker 1: at this point, now what do I do. I can't 361 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:52,920 Speaker 1: go home. I can't find my keys, so I get 362 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: out my hands and knees. I finally find my keys. 363 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:56,960 Speaker 1: I drive back to the house. It's about a mile away, 364 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:58,959 Speaker 1: and Charman came downstairs, said, what are you doing here? 365 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: I said, you know, my mom and dad live forty 366 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:03,879 Speaker 1: minutes away. It's eleven o'clock at night. Let me just 367 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 1: sleep here for the night. I'll sleep downstairs. I promise 368 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,439 Speaker 1: I'll be gone in the morning. I said, okay. Well, 369 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: the next morning I heard her getting her things together 370 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,640 Speaker 1: and she was moving around around eighty thirty and I said, 371 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:16,840 Speaker 1: where you had it. She's I'm going to church. And 372 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:18,879 Speaker 1: she had been going to this Bible believing church for 373 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,320 Speaker 1: a little bit. I'd gone a couple times with her, 374 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: just kind of keep her happy, right, But she says, 375 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: I'm taking Stephen to church. When I come back, I 376 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,359 Speaker 1: want you to be gone, and I said I will be. 377 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 1: So she's getting ready and I'm thinking to myself. I said, Chermain, 378 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:38,280 Speaker 1: could I come to church with you today? And she's, 379 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,680 Speaker 1: I mean, she's one hundred and fifteen pounds of spit 380 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:43,680 Speaker 1: and fire this day. Because she said, you know, you're 381 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:46,359 Speaker 1: such a manipulator. I was just about to say yeah. 382 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:47,240 Speaker 2: She had to. 383 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:51,879 Speaker 1: Exactly. She said, I'll tell you what, you can come 384 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: take a separate car. But afterwards you go right to 385 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:57,600 Speaker 1: your parents. I said, okay, So I go to this church. 386 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 1: It's a Bible believing church, and the pastor this preaching 387 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:03,640 Speaker 1: on Joshua one nine. Have I not commanded to be strong, 388 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,640 Speaker 1: be courageous, do not be discouraged, do not be terrified. 389 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,400 Speaker 1: For the Lord that God's with you wherever you go. 390 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 2: Would you say that one more time? 391 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:13,639 Speaker 1: Have I not commanded you to be strong, be courageous, 392 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:17,960 Speaker 1: do not be discouraged, do not be terrified, For the 393 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: Lord that God will be with you wherever you go. 394 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 1: And he said, you know, I believe there's someone here 395 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:25,959 Speaker 1: tonight who feels like they're scared and they have nowhere 396 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 1: to turn, and you want to give up, and you 397 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: feel alone. And man, I'm telling you. He was preaching 398 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 1: to me, and he said, you know what, We're going 399 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: to open up the altars and if that's you and 400 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 1: you want to come forward for prayer and talk about 401 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:41,240 Speaker 1: your relationship with Jesus, come on forward. And I'm telling 402 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:43,920 Speaker 1: you what you thought I could run in college, man, 403 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:47,359 Speaker 1: I ran, I mean, before you even finished. I'm at 404 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:50,199 Speaker 1: the altar on the right side, on my knees. I 405 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:52,880 Speaker 1: was there for about forty five minutes, just crying out 406 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 1: to God. I remember saying, please forgive me. I said 407 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: it five thousand times, Please forgive me, Please restore my marriage. 408 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: Take this addiction from me. Please forgive me, Please restore 409 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:03,720 Speaker 1: my marriage. Let me be the man you want me 410 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 1: to be. Please take this addiction from me. And I 411 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: would just do it over and over again. And it was. 412 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:12,159 Speaker 1: It was an attorney changing moment for me. 413 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:21,440 Speaker 2: Was Charmaine having to have seen her husband do this 414 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 2: while she's sitting in charge. I can't imagine she's not 415 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 2: having a reaction to it. Was her reaction? Is this 416 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 2: more BS? Or is her action maybe this is real? 417 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,879 Speaker 1: Her mind was going eight thousand miles an hour because 418 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:38,600 Speaker 1: the pastor said, Charmaine, don't you know, let this just 419 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,680 Speaker 1: play out. He knew what was going on. He said, 420 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 1: it doesn't mean that he can't go to his parents 421 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:47,240 Speaker 1: for a little bit, but let's see what God's doing here. 422 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: And I went and lived with me. 423 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 2: He encouraged her to at least have an open mind. Right. 424 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: She wasn't like, oh, you're such a liar again again? Right? 425 00:21:57,119 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: She was hoping for the best. I mean, you hope, 426 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:01,960 Speaker 1: of course, if you know an addict a lot of 427 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,960 Speaker 1: us know addicts, you always hope for the best. There's 428 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,879 Speaker 1: always that that glimpse of hope. 429 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 2: And you also struggle between hope encouragement, but also you 430 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 2: don't want to be in a neighbor. 431 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:16,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's a big one, right, I mean we 432 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: all fight that when you know somebody who's really struggling. 433 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:24,080 Speaker 1: And so you know, we we we we like right right, right, 434 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: You're hoping for the best, but you're also you know, 435 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:30,359 Speaker 1: you know, time, time will tell you. Gotta remember I 436 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:33,200 Speaker 1: had gambled every day for eight years, and so was Sunday. 437 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:36,800 Speaker 1: I left church. I went to my parents' house and 438 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:39,240 Speaker 1: for the next two weeks I lived there, and that 439 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 1: night was the first night I had not gambled in 440 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: eight years. And then Monday I went to Gamber's Anonymous 441 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 1: and I went to my job, and you know, the 442 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 1: second night I didn't gamble. And you know, literally, for 443 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: like three four years, multiple times a week, I would 444 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:59,879 Speaker 1: just tell the gamblers anonymous. But God changed me that 445 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: Sunday morning. And I know it doesn't always work that 446 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: way for everybody. I get it. I don't know why 447 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:07,399 Speaker 1: he delivered me that morning, but I can look in 448 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: the eyes, look the world in the eyes and say 449 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: my last bet was January thirty first, nineteen ninety three. 450 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 1: You know, I've been cleaned thirty one years, and I 451 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,399 Speaker 1: could care less about any of that garbage. You know, 452 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:21,880 Speaker 1: I promised God that I would serve into the day 453 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: I die. Man, I'm still imperfect. I'm a sinner. Say 454 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: by grace, I'm learning things at sixty three years of 455 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 1: age every single day. But I'm going to serve him 456 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:33,000 Speaker 1: to the day I die. He rescued me at my 457 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 1: lowest point. He restored my marriage, he blessed us with 458 00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:39,879 Speaker 1: four more kids. He's allowed me now to be a 459 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,000 Speaker 1: part of some things that are way bigger than I mean, 460 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,240 Speaker 1: who am I? I'm just a sinner, say about I'm 461 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 1: just some guy from the inner city of Buffalo that 462 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:50,200 Speaker 1: you know, what was was out of control and now 463 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: you know things are going in the right direction. And again, 464 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:58,359 Speaker 1: so thankful that you know, God met me at my 465 00:23:58,359 --> 00:23:58,960 Speaker 1: lowest point. 466 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:05,640 Speaker 2: First of all, all your your nakedness, that's the only 467 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 2: word I can come up with. But you're you're your 468 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 2: willingness to be so transparent. 469 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 1: Oh man, it Well, there's people out there, you know, 470 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: and maybe you're listening and you're an addict, maybe you overeat, 471 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 1: maybe a shot, maybe alcohol, drugs, Pornography, that's a big 472 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,919 Speaker 1: one these days, a lot of I mean, pornography is 473 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 1: out of control. Don't give up. If you know somebody 474 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 1: who's struggling, keep praying for them, love on them, but 475 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:35,800 Speaker 1: don't enable them. You know, find a support group for yourself. 476 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,440 Speaker 1: But you know, I'm thankful that after eight years, January 477 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:42,439 Speaker 1: thirty first is a date I'll always remember, and you know, 478 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 1: I'm thankful for that day. It was a really tough 479 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: eight years. But you know that's behind me. 480 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 2: So now you have this job. I assume you're winning 481 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 2: back your family. Oh yes, yeah, and you're you're you're 482 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:05,399 Speaker 2: you're dealing with any addiction as a grip, and it 483 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:09,680 Speaker 2: takes a while. Even when you're doing well, that grip 484 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 2: will tinge you every once in a while. I gotta 485 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:13,680 Speaker 2: believe every once in a while you'd look over to 486 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:15,640 Speaker 2: TV and see a game and you'd have to catch 487 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:16,639 Speaker 2: yourself or something. 488 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 1: You know, in the beginning, Yes, I'm telling you right now, 489 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:21,840 Speaker 1: I don't care, I really begin Oh yeah, right, of course. 490 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:25,080 Speaker 1: You know, it is a journey, it's a battle. And 491 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,119 Speaker 1: you know, I really dove into a local church. I 492 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,240 Speaker 1: took up running again. I did some marathons, so I 493 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:34,159 Speaker 1: kind of switched my time because it takes a lot 494 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:36,119 Speaker 1: of time. When you're watching all these bogg games, all 495 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: you have time on your hands. And I went to 496 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 1: Bible College for a couple of years. Was thought it 497 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 1: was being called in the ministry, and literally the last 498 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,160 Speaker 1: week just felt like it wasn't the step, even though 499 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 1: I had completed completed my education, so there was yeah, 500 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:52,320 Speaker 1: it was. It has been a journey. I'll tell you, 501 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:54,280 Speaker 1: just in the building material industry that I've worked in 502 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,479 Speaker 1: for thirty five years, a lot of things happen in 503 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: Las Vegas, the builder show. I can go into those areas. Now, 504 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,119 Speaker 1: I'm telling you I don't care. I just I have 505 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 1: seen what God has done in me and through me 506 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,240 Speaker 1: and with my family the last thirty one years. I 507 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:10,880 Speaker 1: have no desire to endanger any of that. I mean, 508 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 1: I mean it's not perfect, our life's not perfect, but 509 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 1: my gosh, you know much joy my family has. You know, 510 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 1: when you're around an attict, it just sucks the life 511 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,720 Speaker 1: of your family. And that's what I was doing. 512 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 2: So you go to Bible College. And this is this 513 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 2: guy named Frank kind of gives you some advice. 514 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: How do you know that, Frank Reich, Yeah, you do 515 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 1: your own work. 516 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 2: I just read it. 517 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:41,360 Speaker 1: Yeah. So in nineteen ninety three, I gave my heart 518 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 1: to the Lord and Frank Reich was attending a Christian 519 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:48,560 Speaker 1: music festival in Buffalo. And for those yeah, okay, back 520 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 1: backup quarterback of the Buffalo Bills and our four Super 521 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: Bowl years that we lost that yes, I went to 522 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 1: two of them and cried my eyes out. But Frank 523 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:00,160 Speaker 1: is a dear friend. But we met in nineteen ninety 524 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,479 Speaker 1: four and he was asked just to come to this 525 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 1: festival and throw some footballs around. And Frank and I 526 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: just we just connected. And you know, after he kind 527 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,359 Speaker 1: of left playing football, he went to seminary and he 528 00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 1: was a pastor, and you know, I brought him in 529 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:17,400 Speaker 1: for corporate events. I brought him in to some other 530 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,119 Speaker 1: events to speak encourage people. I mean, he is the 531 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:22,640 Speaker 1: quarterback of what the greatest comeback are now the second 532 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,479 Speaker 1: greatest comeback ever. So there you go. Yeah, and I 533 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:29,679 Speaker 1: was there. I was there. So it was halftime. It 534 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 1: was halftime. We were down thirty five to three of 535 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 1: the Houston Oilers in Buffalo, and I said, Dad, I'm 536 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,160 Speaker 1: out of here. He goes Steve. We paid forty five 537 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,639 Speaker 1: dollars for these tickets. I'm not leaving to the games. 538 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:42,280 Speaker 1: Over of course, I sat right back down. I'm so 539 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:43,120 Speaker 1: glad I did. 540 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 2: Can I tell you something? What's that off scripture? Do 541 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:53,880 Speaker 2: you know? Of course? The immaculate reception Franco Sure, the 542 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 2: Tennessee one where the tied end Frank wycheck America, the miracle. 543 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 2: It was for miracle, it was for I was at 544 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:01,880 Speaker 2: that guy. 545 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 1: Of course you were. 546 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 2: Hold it. Oh gosh, they scored. I knew it was over. 547 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:11,120 Speaker 2: It was, and my buddy and I left and we 548 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:14,679 Speaker 2: heard it from outside. This gosh. I was there and 549 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:15,879 Speaker 2: missed the music. 550 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,120 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, yeah, sorry, but it's not. 551 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 2: Near as it's losing for Super Bowls in four years. 552 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 2: So you've got the. 553 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,400 Speaker 1: I'm always hoping. I just want one before I die. 554 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:29,240 Speaker 1: But put back to Frank, right though. I brought Frank 555 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:31,399 Speaker 1: down to the Atlantis and the Bahamas to speak to 556 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:34,640 Speaker 1: three hundred of our best customers. We took our best 557 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: customers on a really nice trip, and he and I 558 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 1: were having lunch. I said Frank, I really think God's 559 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 1: calling me to ministry. This is back now, Like in 560 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: two thousand and one, I was living in tupol of Mississippi, 561 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:49,800 Speaker 1: working in Boonville, Mississippi. I said, you know, I really 562 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 1: feel God's calling me in ministry. He said, what are 563 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,920 Speaker 1: you talking about. He goes you are in ministry. I said, no, no, no, 564 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 1: I mean I think he's calling me, like to be 565 00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 1: a pastor, said Steve. The business world needs people who 566 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:03,360 Speaker 1: can teach and model how to handle conflict, on how 567 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 1: to do the right thing, even if it hurts the 568 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,320 Speaker 1: bottom line of how to treat people. Because you're exactly 569 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:09,640 Speaker 1: where God wants you to be. You don't have to 570 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 1: be a minister. You have to be a pastor. You 571 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:13,960 Speaker 1: don't have to have a pulpit, you know, lead those 572 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:16,760 Speaker 1: hundreds and then thousands of employees and lead them in 573 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: a way that would model Jesus. And he spoke truth 574 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:21,600 Speaker 1: and to me, he's still a very very dear friend. 575 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:25,800 Speaker 1: Him and Linda, they're amazing, and yeah, we love them, 576 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: we love them dearly. 577 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 2: So you got that. So you got that advice. Yeah, 578 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:34,959 Speaker 2: and now you're looking at yourself that you've redeemed yourself 579 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:37,160 Speaker 2: from your addiction. You've won your family back and work 580 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:40,920 Speaker 2: in the corporate world. You have this new found, very 581 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 2: strong faith, and you've been given advice by someone you 582 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:48,080 Speaker 2: respect and love as a friend to serve where you 583 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 2: are sure be comfortable, right, Yeah, and then a hurricane hits. 584 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:55,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, two thousand and five, August twenty ninth, clout that change. 585 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:57,840 Speaker 2: You're looking around for something to do. Oh, let me 586 00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 2: give you this handy hurricane. 587 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:02,400 Speaker 1: So you know, I'm living in Tuplow, which is about 588 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 1: four and a half hours from the Gulf Coast, and 589 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: the storm's coming. It's called Katrina. You probably heard of it, right, 590 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,120 Speaker 1: the most costliest storm ever hit America, still even above 591 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:14,720 Speaker 1: Harvey and Michael and Ian and I'd and all the rest. 592 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:16,640 Speaker 1: I could name a bunch of them. But you know, 593 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 1: I was living in Tupelow. My dad calls me. He's 594 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: like seventy years old at the time, and he's in Buffalo, 595 00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 1: New York, and he's a doer, he's a worker. He said, hey, Steve, 596 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: you know I saw your state got really hit by 597 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 1: that hurricane. What are you thinking about doing? I said, 598 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:30,920 Speaker 1: I don't know, what are you thinking? He goes, well, 599 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: why don't you find a couple buddies. I'll get a 600 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: couple buddies and maybe six of us could go down there. 601 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: You know, find a town. It's your state. I don't 602 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 1: live there. I live in New York. But you find 603 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:41,720 Speaker 1: a town. Let's find a widow, an elderly couple, or 604 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:43,920 Speaker 1: a single mom. Let's help one family with their house. 605 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 1: And I'm like, Dad, just like, fix a roof, fix 606 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:49,720 Speaker 1: a roof, painting whatever. I said, Dad, you have seven kids, 607 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 1: including five daughters. And if you rank us from the 608 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 1: handiest from one to seven, I'm like number seven, I said. 609 00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:59,560 Speaker 1: So he goes Steve. He goes Steve. You could carry 610 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 1: the shingle, and you can carry the drywall, and goes 611 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:02,680 Speaker 1: I know you can paint and I can't paint a 612 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,960 Speaker 1: little bit. Heuse, don't worry. We'll keep you busy. 613 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:22,160 Speaker 2: We'll be right back. So that was the plan. 614 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:24,120 Speaker 1: The six of us were going to go down to 615 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: Base Saint Louis Waveland, Mississippi, is the area that I 616 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 1: was looking at. 617 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:29,800 Speaker 2: Sounds like maybe your mom is not the only one 618 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 2: that the servants. 619 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:33,760 Speaker 1: Are, you know, she modeled that for me. At this time, 620 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:36,840 Speaker 1: my mom had passed you know she had passed suddenly 621 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:40,840 Speaker 1: in two thousand, a year after I move very diagnosis 622 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:44,920 Speaker 1: of cancer sixteen days later. Gone, yeah, I know, crazy, 623 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: I'm so thankful, you know, I was with her and gosh, 624 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:50,800 Speaker 1: I don't even want to get emotionals, but you know, 625 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:54,120 Speaker 1: all these years, but she was the most compassionate, loving 626 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 1: person I've ever met in my life. And you know, 627 00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 1: to this day at sixty three, I can still vividly 628 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,440 Speaker 1: remember her, you know, taking all of us kids, I 629 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:05,720 Speaker 1: mean we had next to nothing, and we would you know, 630 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 1: she would model for us. We would raise money and 631 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:11,240 Speaker 1: go Christmas carently and collect can goods at stores. I 632 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:13,600 Speaker 1: mean we had closed it didn't fit and holes in them. 633 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:16,200 Speaker 1: It's just so we can feed like fifty families a 634 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,000 Speaker 1: nice meal for Christmas. And some of my siblings. I 635 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:20,800 Speaker 1: was saying, you know, this is nicer than what we're 636 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: gonna get. But she just modeled that for us. That's 637 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 1: all we knew. That's all we knew. So I thought 638 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,520 Speaker 1: it was really interesting. So I said, okay, I'll call 639 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:30,200 Speaker 1: a couple buddies. You call a couple buddies, And that 640 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:34,239 Speaker 1: was the plan, very simple. And then being a man 641 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:36,400 Speaker 1: of faith, God just showed me. Steve, you'd like to plan. 642 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:38,880 Speaker 1: You like to think you got your birds all the 643 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:41,440 Speaker 1: ducks in a row. But brother, get ready hold on 644 00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:43,440 Speaker 1: because I got another plan. And guess whose plan is 645 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:45,640 Speaker 1: gonna win. It's gonna be his and not mine. So 646 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:48,960 Speaker 1: you know, I shared it. American Family Radio is based 647 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:51,160 Speaker 1: in Tupelo. They have like two hundred radio stations around 648 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 1: the country. I was coaching the boys of Don Wellman's, 649 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 1: his grandsons in church Lea basketball, which I know nothing about, 650 00:32:57,800 --> 00:32:59,840 Speaker 1: but Church Leick basketball. He had a kid on the team. 651 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:00,280 Speaker 2: You know. 652 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 1: We played the two three Syracuse soh and that's all 653 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 1: I knew. And we actually did pretty good. I mean 654 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker 1: we lost one game in like five years, but that's right, 655 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,240 Speaker 1: that's right. And I asked him, I said, hey, would 656 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:13,280 Speaker 1: you play one local spot here in two plow because 657 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:15,000 Speaker 1: maybe we can get twenty or thirty people to go. 658 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,160 Speaker 1: I said that'd be really cool, and he said, well, 659 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:21,600 Speaker 1: why do you meet me Tuesday morning and let's talk 660 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: about it. I thought, okay, Well, I mean, I don't know, 661 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:26,680 Speaker 1: a big one spot would be really expensive. It's a 662 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 1: big decision. But he's the president of AFI. They're a 663 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,520 Speaker 1: large organization, and so I met him and I walked 664 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 1: in the room. There's like ten people in the room, 665 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:35,360 Speaker 1: and I thought to myself, what did I do wrong? 666 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:38,400 Speaker 1: You know, what's going on here? Because something? You know, 667 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 1: there's no intervention needed. You know, I've been clean for years, 668 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:42,840 Speaker 1: Like what heck is going on here? 669 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 2: And so long story yeah, yeah. 670 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 1: So long story short. He said, hey, we want to 671 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 1: help you to be successful and if we want to 672 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:53,840 Speaker 1: play an ad for you, I said, thank you. He goes, 673 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:56,040 Speaker 1: back then they had one hundred and forty five markets. 674 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:57,240 Speaker 1: He goes, we're going to play them in all hundred 675 00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:01,080 Speaker 1: and forty five markets. I go, really, go, well, a 676 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:03,240 Speaker 1: lot of people might come. Then, I said, you know, 677 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:06,200 Speaker 1: right now, we've raised like twelve hundred dollars, you know, 678 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: between some friends, and it looks like we got about 679 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 1: twelve people going now. And you know, they designed a 680 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:14,960 Speaker 1: website page back in two thousand and five. It was 681 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:18,960 Speaker 1: just a splash page. There was a form you downloaded 682 00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:21,799 Speaker 1: from the page and you faxed in the form to 683 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:23,920 Speaker 1: tell us you were coming. And that trip that was 684 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:25,560 Speaker 1: meant to be my dad and I and like five 685 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:28,960 Speaker 1: of our friends is our smallest trip ever. But we 686 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,120 Speaker 1: took six hundred eighty four people with us. Holy it 687 00:34:32,160 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 1: was crazy, and only four hundred registered because EveryWare all 688 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:38,640 Speaker 1: over the country, literally all over and we told everyone 689 00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:41,000 Speaker 1: we provide food and lodging. So we had four hunds. 690 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:45,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, you went from ten to six hundred and fifty. 691 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:46,520 Speaker 1: Or something, and we have like twelve hundred dollars in 692 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:46,879 Speaker 1: the bank. 693 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:53,360 Speaker 2: You know, everybody's eating crackers, well half. 694 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 1: A cracker and anyway. So at the end of that meeting, 695 00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,279 Speaker 1: Don while I'm in the founder of American Family Radio, says, 696 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:01,759 Speaker 1: who's over senior finances. I said, well, my buddy's the 697 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,320 Speaker 1: vice president of the bank, Renaissance Bank. He's going to 698 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,160 Speaker 1: join us. He's actually coming down and you know, he 699 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:09,920 Speaker 1: was wanting to give you a hundred and I'm thinking, wow, 700 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,640 Speaker 1: we're at thirteen hundred. This is great. And he says, 701 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:14,360 Speaker 1: I want a ledger of how the money was spent. 702 00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:17,000 Speaker 1: And I'm like, okay, one hundred dollars bill. That's a lot, 703 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:18,319 Speaker 1: but we'll do it for him and we'll big deal 704 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 1: with nothing to hide. And he says, I think God's 705 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:24,080 Speaker 1: going to move in a pretty big way here Steve 706 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:27,120 Speaker 1: buckle In, and I said, all right. So I go 707 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 1: to the parking lot and I'm calling Wayne and I said, hey, 708 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,000 Speaker 1: Wayne'm gonna drop off a check. We had ano one 709 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:32,919 Speaker 1: hundred bucks for at thirteen hundred. They're going to play 710 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:34,719 Speaker 1: the AD one hundred and forty five cities. It looks 711 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:35,879 Speaker 1: like we're gonna have to raise some money. You don't 712 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:37,480 Speaker 1: know how we're gonna do this. And I opened up 713 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:40,040 Speaker 1: the envelope and the envelope was one hundred thousand dollars check. 714 00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:42,200 Speaker 2: Wow. 715 00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:46,239 Speaker 1: At that moment, I realized that God had a much 716 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:48,560 Speaker 1: bigger plan than what my dad and I thought we 717 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:52,279 Speaker 1: were gonna go do. So December of two thousand and five, 718 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 1: we took six hundred and eighty four people to Bay 719 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: Saint Louis and Wave and we partnered with multiple churches, 720 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:59,919 Speaker 1: different denominations. Yeah. Now at that point we had about 721 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,239 Speaker 1: two hundred ran thank God, and we were going to 722 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:04,880 Speaker 1: do one trip. And so we helped eighty four families 723 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,320 Speaker 1: rebuild our homes in eight days. It was like extreme makeover, 724 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:09,719 Speaker 1: but my hair's not cool, and there's no bust to move, 725 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:12,080 Speaker 1: you know, but. 726 00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:17,120 Speaker 2: And no cameras. That's right. Eighty four okay in eight 727 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,879 Speaker 2: days kind of described to me, what rebuilt a home 728 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:21,480 Speaker 2: in eight days? 729 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:27,040 Speaker 1: Looks so like on Espanade Esplanade in Bay Saint Louis 730 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:29,440 Speaker 1: a lady at eight feet of water. So you got 731 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:31,239 Speaker 1: to remove everything inside our house, you have to gut 732 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:34,680 Speaker 1: it out. Her roof stayed intact. We gave her new windows, 733 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:38,719 Speaker 1: new flooring, electrical, new plumbing, new cabinets, We painted it 734 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,279 Speaker 1: inside you out, and she was able to go into 735 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:44,560 Speaker 1: her house on day number nine. Oh it's great. It's crazy. 736 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,439 Speaker 2: What that all for eighty four houses? It's a lot 737 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:52,120 Speaker 2: more than two hundred thousand dollars. Oh my gosh. Oh yeah, 738 00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:52,800 Speaker 2: where'd that comes? 739 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:54,759 Speaker 1: Well? We got some donated. You know, I was working 740 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:58,360 Speaker 1: in the building materia and here was great. You know, 741 00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:00,840 Speaker 1: hurricane train of the whole world was which and the 742 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:03,120 Speaker 1: whole world wanted to help. And so when I called 743 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,040 Speaker 1: a roofing company, hey can you send down a truckload 744 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:07,279 Speaker 1: of roofing. And so they sent a truckload of roofing. 745 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:09,560 Speaker 1: We bought dry well for you know, twenty cents on 746 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:12,080 Speaker 1: the dollar. We got paint donated by shret. I mean, 747 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:13,960 Speaker 1: all these people said we want to help. Oh, you 748 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,400 Speaker 1: guys are going we weren't even a nonprofit. We were 749 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:18,799 Speaker 1: going to go one time for eight days, do our thing. 750 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:24,400 Speaker 1: Feel good that we made a difference, you know, And again, 751 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:28,239 Speaker 1: how did. 752 00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:31,719 Speaker 2: These six hundred and ninety something people populate? Yeah, to 753 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:35,440 Speaker 2: get the job done. Yeah, that's that in and of 754 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:36,560 Speaker 2: itself is Yeah. 755 00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: So we stayed in pick a unit, a Baptist camp, 756 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:40,520 Speaker 1: and we drove forty five minutes. There was no power 757 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:42,919 Speaker 1: on the Gulf coast for months. You know, people don't 758 00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:45,759 Speaker 1: realize because these other storms, you know, Harvey, there was 759 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:48,040 Speaker 1: no power for a couple of weeks. Hurricane Ida and 760 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:50,799 Speaker 1: laplace maybe twenty some days. New Orleans was up in 761 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,239 Speaker 1: five days, but they didn't have power. In December, there 762 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:55,720 Speaker 1: was no power, so you had to leave the area 763 00:37:56,360 --> 00:37:58,520 Speaker 1: to drive forty five miles back to your own base 764 00:37:58,560 --> 00:37:59,000 Speaker 1: because it. 765 00:37:59,120 --> 00:38:01,239 Speaker 2: Got so found. We've got summer camp or something. 766 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:01,560 Speaker 1: We did. 767 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:03,680 Speaker 2: We did cottages and everybody bunked up. 768 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:06,000 Speaker 1: Well, it was set up for four hundred people. We 769 00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:09,120 Speaker 1: had people sleeping in hallways and lobbies in their cars, 770 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:11,600 Speaker 1: and no one was mad because they didn't sign up. 771 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:13,719 Speaker 1: They just showed up. And I said, we're not mad. 772 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:15,960 Speaker 1: You know, I think God's up to something big here. 773 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:18,080 Speaker 1: We're gonna find a way to feed you. We're gonna 774 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:21,080 Speaker 1: get make sure you stay busy. But sleeping was a 775 00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:22,840 Speaker 1: little bit interesting on that first trip. 776 00:38:23,880 --> 00:38:25,439 Speaker 2: Yeahly eighty how. 777 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:27,160 Speaker 1: Many eighty four families we served? 778 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:31,440 Speaker 2: Okay, you have to be calling Charmagne. 779 00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:34,879 Speaker 1: Charmaine was there and my three kids, Oh you're kidding. Yeah, 780 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:37,279 Speaker 1: So we're family friendly. Auvre rebuilt Trup's families can come. 781 00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:40,520 Speaker 1: My kids now they're they're thirty three now to twenty. 782 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:43,200 Speaker 1: They've been on dozens of They've been a hurricane. I 783 00:38:43,239 --> 00:38:46,680 Speaker 1: had a Hurricane Harvey, Michael, tornadoes, flooding, They've been from 784 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:50,000 Speaker 1: Nashville to Tennis, from Texas to Buffalo, New York, or 785 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:53,560 Speaker 1: snowstorms to Florida with hurricanes. I mean they've been. We 786 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:54,280 Speaker 1: do this together. 787 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,360 Speaker 2: I guess what I'm saying is, which is cool, but 788 00:38:57,520 --> 00:38:59,160 Speaker 2: that first time, y'all have to be if you're not 789 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:00,839 Speaker 2: calling her, you have to be look at each other 790 00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:02,360 Speaker 2: going what. 791 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:06,480 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, what is this? So we were leaving, 792 00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:10,560 Speaker 1: the last person to leave, and I'm leaving and we 793 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:12,799 Speaker 1: had money left over, had like twelve thousand hours left over. 794 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:14,359 Speaker 1: So we went to the churches. We were partnering with 795 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:18,080 Speaker 1: and said we're done. You know, we were here for 796 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:20,680 Speaker 1: eight days. That was the plan. We never even thought 797 00:39:20,719 --> 00:39:23,080 Speaker 1: about coming back. So we split all the money equally. 798 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:25,600 Speaker 1: We had donors. They gave us truckloads of furniture. We 799 00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:28,520 Speaker 1: distributed all the furniture. We gave them building materials to 800 00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:32,480 Speaker 1: other organizations. We left with nothing zero. And on the 801 00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:37,040 Speaker 1: way home, I came to a red light and I 802 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:41,200 Speaker 1: saw little kids doal hanging out a fence, and the 803 00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:43,960 Speaker 1: clothes on the doll were waving. And you know, my 804 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:46,680 Speaker 1: daughter Handah was seven, she was daddy, look someone's doll. 805 00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:49,400 Speaker 1: And then I looked to the left and someone's boat 806 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:51,719 Speaker 1: was in a tree. And I looked to the right 807 00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:54,520 Speaker 1: and there was a home totally destroyed, and there was 808 00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:57,120 Speaker 1: a tent because the people decided they had nowhere to go, 809 00:39:57,200 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 1: and they were living their tent. And I thought, wait 810 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:02,640 Speaker 1: a minute, God's up to something big here. Who am 811 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,160 Speaker 1: I to see? We should go here or there? Right? 812 00:40:06,719 --> 00:40:10,279 Speaker 1: But I think I mean adonomy. He wasn't done. He 813 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:12,480 Speaker 1: wants to go back. There was more to do. 814 00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:12,799 Speaker 2: More. 815 00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:15,800 Speaker 1: People need to see a glimpse of hope. They were distraught, 816 00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:16,280 Speaker 1: they were. 817 00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:24,480 Speaker 2: Hopeless and That concludes part one of my conversation with 818 00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:27,640 Speaker 2: the amazing Steve tiber and you do not want to 819 00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:30,360 Speaker 2: miss Part two that's now ava able to listen to. 820 00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:34,000 Speaker 2: As to the story of eight Days of Hope is 821 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:39,160 Speaker 2: really just getting going together. Guys. We can change this country, 822 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:41,919 Speaker 2: but it starts with you. I'll see in part two.