Denver Service: 06.20.19

and what a special evening we have for

you

God is he’s definitely in this but

anybody feel the presence of God you

just miss of God God and we’re gonna

have a great great time and I do me a

favor if you’re visiting with us for the

very first time just wave at me your

first time guess never been to the POTUS

house Wow tremendous tremendous

tremendous well welcome the the Potter

in the potter’s house is God Almighty

he’s the father and so so if it’s the

paw versus and this is your father’s

house that means that you’re welcome and

so we’re glad that you’re here

we pray that you stay connected with us

a lot of great things going on but one

of the great things that’s happening

tonight and I’m excited about it is our

special guests and we have many special

guests tonight but we have a

distinguished guest who’s here tonight

that I’m gonna have a conversation with

and this is he’s a phenomenal man of God

God has blessed him in so many ways God

has used him since the 90s to talk since

to to supreme since to culture and to do

so many things and we’ve got a lot to

talk about but while you’re standing I

want you to help me welcome Golden Globe

winning Emmy winning Oscar winning

multiple Grammy winner rapper musician

[Music]

a lot like this gotta be something for

me to write this we I seen you in a

minute

wrote this letter and finally decide to

sell it signed sealed delivered for us

to grow together love has no limit let’s

reel in slow forever

about what does did to you I go solo I

did it true because her you fellas I had

that weekend brothers recognize the

light they can handle it late I decided

to walk around with matches searched

relationship is you got your work we

don’t wanna make us be in search of the

most the end is near

[Music]

Wow come on we got a bonus blessing you

may be seated if you want to one more

time can we give it up for this man of

God come on oh this is great I’m gonna

keep this up here in case in case he

decides or maybe I decide to freestyle

come on i’ma keep this mic close to us

but uh but becomin welcome so so glad to

have you here with us man I love you you

you’re doing so much so so many things

taking place oh by the way his latest

book now is a New York Times best seller

can we celebrate that and you’ve got to

get it you’ve got to read it I’ve got

all types of notes I’ve got sticky notes

in it it is an incredible book it’s a

book of wisdom it’s a book of truth it’s

it’s it’s your story tell us a little

bit about the book why why did you write

it and why do you think it’s important

now well first I want to say thank you

and thank you all for being here I wrote

this book let love have the last word I

really was looking at the times that we

dealing with but I was looking at how

much you know people kept my

conversations with a lot of people were

so anxiety filled in Fairfield and it

was a like a lot of despair really

because of the political climate and the

division that was going on and just like

I mean we had people coming into

spiritual settings attacking people it’s

just it was heavy and the times I’ve

been having for a lot of people and I

was really thinking what was an antidote

what was the solution to really like us

feeling better like to us like creating

a better environment for ourselves from

the inside out like just from how I

could feel better as a person so how you

could feel better on the next woman a

man could feel better and I felt that

the practice of love and acknowledging

that love is is the antidote and God in

that love was was what the reason I

really wanted to create this book and

and I and I did it by telling my German

you know like telling some of my stories

but um I just wanted people to have

tools and resources along wherever else

we get our tools and resources to to say

man this is how I can apply this in my

life to feel optimistic about the times

we live in it to feel optimistic about

myself even if I’ve been through some of

the roughest things I know that I can

overcome these things because of the

love I have for God and love I have

herself and how to apply that love so

that’s really why I wrote it it’s

tremendous first of all thank you for

writing it love is powerful it really is

and sometimes you know as believers you

know we believe in love what we’re

called to love but sometimes we feel

like love isn’t enough and that could be

because of what we think love is we

think love is an emotion but

but you talk more about love you talk

about love being far more than an

emotion but in action yeah and and it’s

a powerful action and I appreciate that

because a lot of times I’ve discovered

that sometimes people just want to fight

yeah

they don’t they don’t really like I’ve

been attacked in the past for promoting

love during tumultuous times it doesn’t

mean that I love everything that goes on

or I love everything that takes place

but but I think it’s courageous and bold

to make that statement as as a man of

influence who’s in culture to say you

know what we got a lot of problems it’s

gonna take a lot of solutions to solve

them but in my opinion love is gonna fix

it I commend you for that from where we

come from sometimes is like oh man

that’s kind of soft you know like what

are you doing but I feel like it’s more

necessary now more than ever

and the things that I’ve learned you

know as a man some things have been

great and some things I have to unlearn

and I’m and and unlearning for me part

of it is like being able to express love

and be like embrace that I’m expressing

love and Express that love like in a way

that I could be humble and still be

confident be a king but also be a

servant you know and my thing my thing

is right that’s been that’s been and

my thing is like it it it’s work though

like SPT you’re saying like I wasn’t

talking about like their love like oh

yeah I’m just gonna say love and that’s

it and like you know it’s just like a

floating fluffy thing I’m thinking about

it as an active action like a practice

that we do and it takes in the work is

because man it’s not every moment that

we want to express love it’s like that’s

not realistic for any human being on

this planet so I’m I try to figure like

how can I feel I feel a certain emotion

of anger at times I feel a certain

emotion of despair like when I’m angry

how can I find love in that moment

because that’s gonna be the only thing

that’s gonna be the best solution and

resolution to whatever the situation is

and and obviously I don’t always reach

that level every time but as I practice

it more it starts to become more a part

of me I got you know more and more just

resources of what to do or being able to

step back and just take inventory of

myself and look at myself and say okay

don’t don’t snap in this moment like I

mean I we owe all my moments end up

because I travel a lot a lot of my

moments end up being in the airport

where I want to snap by even today when

we was traveling to Tamara and I was

like a god it just challenged like man

don’t put your bag there because you

know it’s gonna mess up the Hat and you

just said it in a hat and he was like

just gonna mess up the hat box and you

know he just said in a kind of way that

made you want to snap back but I really

just took a little inventory of myself

and I believe Tamara did too Terrence

somebody I worked with very close on

partner mind but I think we both had

they’re kind of like gather ourselves

with and that and that’s the type of

love I’m talking about practicing and

we’re talking about it on greater levels

– I’m talking about like forgiveness for

those who’ve heard us the type of love

you know on being able to love somebody

even when you don’t

with him but you know they may have a

whole different belief system but you

still find loving it and I’ll talk about

that black panther type of love where

you’re going to I’m fighting to that’s

that’s part of love to man love made

just laying down you know I love it I

completely agree it’s funny you mention

that my mother and father wore Black

Panthers and it was interesting because

they were two different types of people

my mother was extremely compassionate

she was just a lover even to this day

she’ll give you the her last she has a

challenging time receiving but she will

give her last but what drove and my

father was a completely different and he

was on the militant side he’s like what

you know he you know but um but what

what what drew her to the party was the

fact that they were feeding there was a

lot of benevolence in in what they did

jesus said that the world wouldn’t know

the church by our love I mean like

little he said that one of the things

that one of the things he prayed he

prayed in John 17 that we would be one

but he told his disciples I’m telling

they’ve got the love that you have for

each other is going to be so impactful

that it’s going to in essence make

people believe in me that’s why I say

love is powerful I think that people are

desperate for love about the church I

really want to be you know like well we

do something here and not that where the

you know the only you know prototype or

whatever but but we go into the prisons

which we’re gonna talk to you but this

common guys that as well thank you so

much

we we go into the prisons we have like a

Food Bank

we have yes praise the Lord

wonderful people pastor Calvin others

take care of that so that’s you know

kind of like what Jesus talked about

doing going into the prisons feeding

people you know and I think that that

the church has quite frankly a PR crisis

right now

not the whole church but some of the

church and I think that your message

about about love and it’s really God’s

ministers I fully believe guys I’m

reading this book and I just see the

Bible all in this book and common God

has given him a unique ability to use

language that appeals to mass audiences

and he is presenting God but but I think

that you know we can be more loving we

can love an action continue to go to the

prisons continue to feed people and

continue to look for ways to uplift

people I think that the church this is

wonderful we meet on Wednesdays we meet

on Sundays we get filled up we get

charged up that’s wonderful

but if our entire experience with God

stays in these four walls

I think we’ve missed it entirely because

you know I often you know I often want

like when I go into the neighborhoods

and I’m talking to people I’m talking

I’m talking about God too but I try to

you know I try to I want to do it in a

way that it that they receive it to like

and you know obviously I don’t i

personally don’t go by certain rules

that that i feel like the church

structure has had not every church like

you said but but um and I felt like

that’s been helpful towards me relating

to to a lot of people who you know

always I love the passages in the Bible

about the lost coin or you know or the

prodigal son you know like the people

that are lost I’m always I want to seek

the loss and not saying we all got some

we all have flaws and and none of us are

perfect but I’m I want to be in in the

neighborhoods like letting people know

who God is and God is God is not only

like just what some people have have

like put in a box you know

yes no and and and and you’re doing it

we had a talk of conversation similar to

this at the writers guild last week and

one of the things that I felt it was

important for me to do as a related to

Rashi door it was common but it’s you

tell me your name yeah my name is Rob

but I see that’s my middle name but all

my friends call me Rossi one of the

things that I felt it was important to

do in that setting particularly in LA

that’s kind of our homes was to affirm

him in the fact that he’s a man of God

and sometimes when you don’t stand in a

pulpit or you don’t have you know an

m.div or dr. so-and-so in front of your

name a degree in theology sometimes is

it might be difficult for you to connect

with the fact that that God is using you

and God can use you and I’m telling you

I’ve seen him going to the prisons I’m

reading his book and when I tell you it

is full of the wisdom of God is full of

the Spirit of God and I just think it’s

it’s worthy of affirming you in that

again because here’s the thing no one

can argue with love the reason why Jesus

says hey I need you to go out and

demonstrate my love the great

commandment love the Lord your God with

all your heart mind soul instead of your

neighbor as you love yourself that’s

loving God loving self loving neighbor

it’s powerful you you wrote something in

your book that I want to read and I

think it’s amazing it says to be loved

is to be seen and when it comes to faith

in God we hope we are seen by the divine

that were not forgotten left down here

to figure it out all for ourselves and

when a human rest their eyes on us sees

us our one individual and unique body

among a sea of bodies in a party or on a

city block we feel activated brought

forth chosen more times than not we just

want to be seen recognized and cherished

we do not want to be ignored for real

and so sometimes your most powerful

sermon is to love somebody

to honor them is to acknowledge them and

I just love the way you do that I think

it’s important no I give thanks yeah I

don’t know I think like when we just

acknowledge a human being I think we are

kind of recognizing that God in them

like and God in ourselves and it’s like

also you kind of you basically saying

hey man I do honor you and I acknowledge

you as a human being as the living

creation of the Creator

just by me speaking to you as a simple

act sometimes I believe in that small

gesture you acknowledging and showing

love to a human being it’s other

gestures obviously you can get his you

know his great is going out to you know

to the prisons or going out to to help

someone in other ways but I still

believe from the smallest acts we

showing love for God and I and I and I

just feel like no matter how big you get

as artists or you know as a pastor you

know entertainer athlete how much money

you got then we all just children of the

Most High and I don’t you know none of

that to me not none of that denotes me

to treat somebody less than you know and

that to the level of respect is just has

to be given for as far as I’m concerned

like if I give respect even if I and

this is something I’m talking about as

far as learning about love to even if I

have a boundary and say you know I might

not want to do like I give a quick

example sometimes people might come up

in and they on a picture and I’ll take a

picture but then they’ll come back and

say I want to FaceTime with my homie and

and I’m like all right I I can’t face

time right now cuz I’m doing something I

have a boundary but I treat them with

respect no matter what but but it’s also

like

I’m serious I do treat her with respect

but but I mean I learned to have

boundaries for myself and that’s love

for self too like this is very important

you know absolutely we’re going to get

into self-love because you’ve got some

wonderful things to say about let’s

self-love but just to piggyback on what

comment said I think that sometimes

relationships don’t work whether they

are romantic relationships familial

relationships even sometimes

professional relationships because we

don’t honor each other yeah if you were

here on Sunday I talked about how when

you honor somebody it brings out the

best everybody has something to give

everyone that we are creating the image

of God means that we possess some unique

gift regardless of you know

socio-economic distinction we have

something to give and what I’ve learned

is when I honor people whether it’s my

wife or whether it’s my staff or whether

it’s my children when I speak to the God

in them and I affirm them and I don’t

you know focus on what’s wrong but but

celebrate them there’s always something

that I get back from them and sometimes

what I get back from them is a better

version of themselves and so so honor is

to the human like the same as what Sun

and rain is to a garden right and I just

believe that love is honor yeah and I

you know I heard your sermon that day

and I was like man that’s such a wise

way that you put it because you know for

people who out who are out there too

that are leaders or even obviously as

parents to like man is just honoring

your child to just hearing them out

means something and you know I know a

lot of our traditions you know I was

raised in the house and my mom’s like

you do what I say shut up but do what I

say you know and we all had that but I

think you know we are learning more than

just giving our children a chance to

express themselves and and hear them out

is like teaching them how to express

themselves and they won’t be afraid so

it’s

himself and it’s actually honoring them

as individuals that still doesn’t mean

they not go do what you say but that

that meant that they got to they got to

be heard and one of the most important

things that I think what you know as you

saying is honoring each other it’s like

man we all want to be heard we all want

to be seen I mean I started rapping

because I wanted to be seen I wanted to

be acknowledged there’s something in

this world you know they’re saying so

and and we are honestly in certain ways

or another some some of us I can’t say

all have had issues with we’re not being

acknowledged whether it’s because of

abandonment or whatever has occurred in

our lives you know sometimes we weren’t

acknowledged and we got to kind of build

from a deficit when it comes to getting

that acknowledgement but I mean we

really recognize that that

acknowledgement comes in in and God

acknowledging us once we got that we

fool no matter if a human being doesn’t

give us that acknowledgement or we were

wounded in the past by something we

still understand that the love of God

fills us up yeah absolutely

I think is also very dismantling as it

relates to an argument we’re moving into

what could be prayerfully it won’t be

but what could be based on history a

contentious political process with the

2020 elections how cool would it be if

instead of arguing slinging mud we try

to find in our opponent sometimes it

could be difficult but with God all

things are possible yes we find help me

Jesus

there’s something in there because there

is something there but but what if what

if on the campaign trail and I’m just

dreaming we just doing it right now

somebody said you really are dreamin but

I really wouldn’t pray but what if what

if and what if we created a culture I’m

trying to start a love revolution we’re

trying to start a love revelation but

what have we created a culture that

that’s worthy of applause

we’re even in our disagreement even in

our disagreement we were honoring an

honorable said something kind and

affirming about the one perhaps who

we’re trying to unseat right I mean I

think that’s the that’s the level that

first lady Michelle Obama talked about

when she said when they go low we go

high that um I mean but it takes it

takes a lot and it takes us to

communicate in that way and also have

that it’s almost like we gotta have a

collective agenda of that we gotta find

it in ourselves and then remind each

other come on man like we ain’t even got

a function function in that way like

because we will dispel a lot of energy

towards like bringing somebody down like

whether it’s a political person I mean

so many people are unhappy with the

political environment but I I subscribe

to what you’re saying like man I mean I

could find something good in almost

anything and I can like gift that energy

send that energy that way and also stay

on my mission it’s something that like

my mother always like she’s been

recently even telling me like man

sometimes when you’re feeling that angst

about the toys somebody just put a light

around them visualize a light around

them like God’s light around them and it

really has helped me to do that because

sometimes I’m like jealous of a surge

somebody got a role I wanted and when

somebody did something and I they made

me like unhappy and I’m like man I’m

just trying to put that light around him

and eventually it start working subsides

you know it does and I I think you know

uh supplying that that mentality towards

this political environment will I think

will get us in the right space where the

week where we could be clear and go

forward and in the right way man like

like listening and really observing

we’re gonna be the right leaders for us

because in that in that sphere because

our leaders are not some of the leaders

now are not honoring people they’re not

honoring individuals that live in

America they like not honor

and and and it is difficult when

somebody not honoring you for you to

honor them yes but I do believe that is

what God called us to do I feel like you

know we have to be the leaders no matter

not not just saying just the pastors and

the artists but I’m saying we as the

people no matter where we sit a stand we

have to be leaders in this culture and

in this world as children of God and

that and that leadership takes that

digging deep to the person that you

really might even despise and still send

them love you know you know the Bible

says that the church is the light of the

world

Chuy’s the light of the world and Jesus

as I mentioned earlier as a reference he

said that people are gonna know that

that Christ came because of our love

what if our job in this season more than

anything else is to educate the world to

educate culture and society on love yeah

I think it’s profound when I read this

book I saw through your journey and

there’s so much I mean he talks about so

much he talks about his love for God he

talks about the love of God those are

two different things but they’re

connected our love for God ultimately

has to do with the love of God we love

God because God first loved us and we

sense his love we affirmed by his love

he talks about the love of self and then

he talks about the love of others and

that’s that scripture you know when

Jesus was as hey and they were trying to

trip him up with rules and regulations

they like which is the greatest

commandment let’s get into this argument

basically he said oh that’s easy

he said love the Lord your God with all

your heart all your mind all your soul

all your strength and then he says and

love your neighbor and this is just like

it it’s equal love your neighbor as you

love yourself and so the sequence there

is not loving God loving neighbor loving

self the sequence is loving God loving

self and then loving neighbor as you

love yourself and I think that

oftentimes the reason

why we can’t love our neighbor well get

to in that PC get to a big seat come on

let’s become they get to it it’s because

we don’t we don’t love ourself well and

so maybe we can talk a little bit about

about about self-love because some

people like some people are nicer to

others than they are to self like what’s

that about man speak on it yeah I mean I

have to say you know I was one of those

people to be honest um kind of you know

some people say a people-pleaser where

you wanna and I didn’t discover I didn’t

like truly like love myself at the in

the way I should until I was in a

breakup I was in love in a relationship

and when we broke up I was like you know

I was down I was I was hurt and uh as I

was going through this process I was

like God what you want me to learn

because this pain is I’m carrying his

pain this is tough and uh like what what

lesson am I supposed to get out of this

and what I really discovered in at that

time was that I was willing to dim my

light for for others like in that

relationship I was like Jim in my life

just because just because I wanted to

please the relationship and and I

learned at that moment like I was

putting more value in in others than I

was in myself and and on that that

process it helped me because I started

to like and in the crazy part was I was

already at a point like wow at first I

thought I’ll like love myself enough

because I was like man I’m a hip-hop

artist out there I got you know these

things going on and I feel good or in

this way but I saw through relationship

that that wasn’t it I wasn’t there yet

and I really started to really work on

myself and work on loving myself more

and that meant building my relationship

with the creator in a stronger way that

meant having those affirmations

it did where I’m just declaring it in

the morning like what I want for the day

the things that I see within myself and

just like recognizing that man it’s a

it’s other great people here but I don’t

have to dim myself to make them feel

better if they feel out of out of whack

because I’m shining and that’s on them

like so took some lessons and work to

get to get to that point you talk in the

book about when you sat down with

Michelle Obama and and she said

something to the effect of you know in

love you you gotta compromise you don’t

always get everything in one person

which I fully believe but also and this

doesn’t contradict that this balances

that statement is you also talked about

how you know you can be in a

relationship and it’s not love if you

keep giving away pieces of yourself to

try to make you don’t have to sacrifice

who you are that authenticity I think

that’s right that’s it Petey because of

course in any relationship you got to

make sacrifices I mean that’s what

relationship is obviously there for us

to like some of those areas where we may

be selfish we we learn to create space

for others and we learn how to deal with

that and that’s what relationship rings

I mean all types of relationship but it

definitely you know partnership and

romance and marriage can can bring that

out of you but it is a balance and

learning that balance of like okay I’m

I’m willing to compromise and give these

things to to better you and the better

us but if I’m sacrificing things that

really matter in my value system or in

my life and and things that are like

going towards what I was my purpose I

can’t leave my purpose behind to try to

in a compromise you know what I mean

like that

and it for me it was just like

recognizing like I still God gave me a

pass and at times if it’s times it’s

like if my mother don’t agree with that

path if my lady don’t agree with that

path as much if my team don’t agree with

that path if I hear the voice of God

telling me that’s where I need to go I’m

going there and-and-and-and mama mom

will understand later it’s like my

mother

well my mother um when I told my mother

I wanted to leave school to rap she was

like what you crazy like like cuz you

know she’s a educator and she was like

dude I was at Florida A&M University

like um and I was doing well so when I

told I wanted to leave school she was

trippin and that she like out you

trippin and now she like hurry up and do

another harm I need a new guy you know

that me you know I need to take yourself

on a boat you know but you know what was

cool and what are you saying is very

important because I can’t think of

anyone right now particularly in an hour

Aaron our age could we’re about the same

age that has had the consistency the

longevity the the evolution of career

from from rapping to rapping and

producing to acting to producing

television to to film to authorship I

can’t think of too many people who have

had the trajectory that you’ve had but

but beyond the trajectory the

consistency and and how much of that had

to do with you being completely

authentic and true to yourself in in an

industry where oftentimes it’s difficult

to do so and that I tribute that is the

core reason why I feel like I’ve been

able to evolve as an artist and expand

in these ways I mean it’s being true to

myself means like I know that I know

where it’s coming from

God is giving me this purpose and this

purpose is like a path and as I see it

expand I honor that and being and that

is being true to myself at times where

I’m like like basically it’s times where

I felt like I wanted to do things and I

just saw that it was something I should

do and I’m supposed to do and I prayed

on things and listened and saw when it

resonated with me

I just went after you and the things

that didn’t resonate with me like like

acting was something that I felt was

when I went to the acting class I was

like this is for me I have a long way to

grow to be great at it but I know I can

do it and and you know it was other

things I tried to play the piano and I

just weren’t good and I had to recognize

that’s not a gift guy gave me you know

we got to recognize those things right

but that I believe that being authentic

to who I am too was like is is founded

in spirituality that’s the first thing

but also like within that knowing where

I am at the moment like I’ve done music

projects where I’ve been like out there

doing like music that was influenced by

Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd and and like

so the hip hop industry was like man

what you doing dog this is like just too

out there but I was true to myself and

that this particular album called

Electric Circus it wasn’t received in

the best way when it came out but years

later people was like man you know what

I respect you for doing that and I and

and actually I went back and listening

to it and it’s good and it’s like you

know and not everyone said that but some

people that were initially like this is

trash was like this is actually good but

what I learned through that process was

the true I am to me the more longevity

the more value it has the more resonates

and and and honestly is something that

you and Pastor Sarah talk about a lot to

its purpose the more when I know I’m

operating in purpose

it’s like it’s gonna do what it’s

supposed to do now that might not mean

it might not have a hundred thousand

record sales 100 thousand streams if but

it still might impact somebody that

needs it

and and you never know what that wave is

gonna go it’s like that when John Legend

and I did this song glory

honestly we honestly we we were like

that was like one of those things where

I was I was pitching myself I was

already a part of the movie but I was

saying man we want to do a song for the

film but they had other people in mind

but I remember I was on the phone

talking some to my manager and close

friend and I and it just hit me man it

was like God spoke to me and I said I’m

gonna call you back I’m about to call

John Legend now thank you

thank God I could call John Legend but I

called John Legend and took that moment

and I listened man and and I told him

what we were doing and we created this

song and the song went on to to go on

and win Academy Awards and things but

the thing is the thing that was most

valuable was like I knew I was up there

and purpose I know it was bigger than

what we were doing it was bigger than us

we were standing like in in the

tradition of the people who the women

and men of the civil rights movement we

were standing in in there for people who

were young brown and black people who

were getting shot down by the police at

that time there we were standing up for

God when we were on stage so I was like

man if I’m being true to myself this is

the way it’s going to resonate and

that’s what I understood I’ve got chills

thinking it’s it’s a powerful lesson

because there was a moment this

inspiration came and there was a moment

and and there was an opportunity and you

could have like a lot of people do talk

to yourself out of it and I remember

there that time you know not you’ve

never wavered but I thought because you

were full of faith I didn’t know if you

would think and otherwise but you did it

and you stepped into it I feel like

there are moments

and windows and and a window doesn’t

stay open forever and and and if you

don’t seize that moment if you don’t

trust and believe that you have heard

from God and sometimes God speaks

through inspiration it’s interesting the

Holy Spirit he’s the spirit the word

it’s a Newton word pneuma in the Greek

and it means breath and and it has the

idea of inspiration in it so sometimes

God will come to you in a breath in an

inspiration the all scriptures inspire

it’s an inspiration and if you don’t

move in the window of the opportunity of

that inspiration you can miss Grammys or

you can miss Oscar you can miss I think

you got it was a Golden Globe for that

as well yes

yeah I mean it I’m so glad you brought

that up too because normally honestly in

my operation the way I operated I

wouldn’t call on John I’d be like I

don’t want to call on him to do this but

that was one of the first times that I

just took that that voice and didn’t

look back

well whether they were like well we

thinking about getting this person and

that person to do it I never looked back

and I just was like and I just went kept

going forward with it and and it really

taught me a lesson I learned to embrace

those things and pay attention to that

more and and also recognized even when

that voice comes sometimes I made expect

it to be this one thing but it may end

up being something else so yeah so

that’s where that’s what I can say a

lesson I got out of that that whole

experience and and I and I strive to

move with that now yeah first of all we

can take this way because it also took a

level of boldness because sometimes God

brings resources to you via

relationships you know I tell people

like look if you need something you know

hit me up and I actually mean it I’m not

kidding if I say I want so everybody

that but but certain people I say you

know I told a guy the other day I was

having lunch what I hadn’t see him a

long time I’m like look man

and I know that I can help him in a lot

of ways right based on where he is in

his life but you didn’t say I don’t want

to bother John with that there was a

level of boldness sometimes you have to

cash in the chips of your relationships

I don’t think that it’s about using

people you never should be a user

because users are losers you know but

but but also you have to fight against

that that thought that tries to talk you

out of kashi in its best way to put

cashing in on the wealth of

relationships I think that that cashing

in is if you’re doing it from the

intention that we’re talking about then

that intention is never using right

because like your intention our

intention my intention was like John we

can make something that can be

incredible and it’s bigger than us and I

was inspired by that spirit my intention

was was solely that to you know to

create and I think our intentions are

one of the most important things we have

that’s why even when I’m talking about

love it’s like if I say love but my

intention is not really love then that’s

not even love really to be honest like

and and and some people can feel that

and they know you when you just like

giving the words and saying the things

but you’re not really meaning it and I

think I’m one of the most important

things we got is is our intention in

fact Oh Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey said

that to me one time you know I’m not

trying to act like I got friends in high

places but what I’m not trying to act

like it but I do now

never seriously I was just in I was in

the film Selma with and we and she was

talking about it in it in the makeup

trailer and she was like man your

intention is one of the most important

things you had I kind of went home and

was like trying to marinate on it

because Oprah said you knew I felt like

it was the the wisdom like let me think

of this from every dimension and it was

it it didn’t hit me that man if my

intention is in the right place then

even if somebody doesn’t receive it you

know I can I can sit with that I mean I

can live with that and

you know and eventually let them know if

they fade you know that this is what my

intention was and if they still don’t

receive it I know I came from a place of

a right intention in love what motive is

everything motive there’s a passage that

says that that man looks at the outward

appearance but God looks at the heart

and what you said it really blessed me

personally because even as a pastor as a

leader you know you know I pastored this

church that Pastor another church this

is full blown and really full disclosure

and the church survives literally off of

the tithes and the offerings of the

community it is a nonprofit organization

every other type of business has a

product or service that they can sell

and set the price points in such a way

they can be profitable and that’s how

they grow and expand the church can’t do

that so we literally are dependent upon

tithes and offerings you know with

multi-million dollar budgets every year

to meet and when I first started

pastoring I planted my own church and

and sometimes you want to be so unlike

maybe some of the abuses that you’ve

seen that you begin to abuse yourself

and abuse people so for like the first

five years of the church I’d never my

whole you know appeal for tithes and

offerings was at this time we receive

our tithes and offerings and and the

church couldn’t do anything we couldn’t

grow we couldn’t move we couldn’t get

buildings we couldn’t bless the poor we

couldn’t do those things but one day I

got a revelation and and and it was

self-love and it was about being true to

self first of all I give tithes and

offerings like all the time like ten

percent of what I get goes to the house

of God like ten percent that’s just the

basic from there I gave offerings not

just to the church but all around I got

I literally take cash out every week to

give to people but the point that I’m

making is I got delivered from that real

quick septum bills came in and my

offering talks got a little bit longer

but but what

but what but what help me is is I knew

that I wasn’t an abuser I knew I was a

man of integrity I’m not going to you

know mismanage resource and that sort of

nature so I’m not gonna let what I think

somebody out there might say oh and he’s

just talking about money or he wants to

get a rolls-royce or something like that

I can’t let even if they would have feel

that way I couldn’t receive that and and

the the blessing is obviously the church

grew we’re able to do more and do things

like you know have a food bank and have

some of the other things that we do but

then the people also got benefited

because it is more blessed to give and

receive and when you tithe you do get

blessing who in here can testify to that

God is really so I was I was holding

because I had this fear of how I would

be perceived I was holding the church

back I was holding my vision back and

quite frankly I was holding the people

back so so as long as you know your

motive is right your intentions all

right and good you got a go for it man

hey y’all we gotta listen to that

because that right there is so important

because so many times like I could say

when I spoke earlier about not one

people to feel like um while I was doing

my life for other people it was because

of how I thought they would perceive me

and and I wasn’t thinking about like man

what I really meant or how I truly felt

and like being able to express it but I

was like man how is this person gonna

look at me and man if we operated out in

our truth and it’s coming from that

place that we’re talking about of love

then man it that person’s perception

really doesn’t matter sometimes you just

gotta show them through action anyway

like no matter what so absolutely in

your book you talk about a lot of things

comment talks about he talks about

everything your transparency is

absolutely breathtaking it’s not that

you’re not transparent because you are

open but to put it all out there for the

world to see I think is amazing one

point in the book that really stood out

to me is you talked about your journey

of growth in your relationship with your

Amoy yay it really blessed me I’ve got

daughters my daughter Tara is here

tonight one of my daughters but but talk

to us about what happened between you

and ammo yeh and and and how it shapes

your perspective of love and

relationships of vulnerability yeah well

you know Moya and I amore is now 21

years old and basically when when she

was born I was a young man just and and

her mother and I didn’t say together

but only for a year after she when she

turned 1 so the the me being a father

was a it was a battle in certain ways

just you know just the truth of the

matters you know so baby mama baby baby

mama baby daddy’s relationships are real

like we understand that and that’s what

you know everybody experiences no matter

how much class you got no matter how

much money you got people experience

they’ll you know the emotions of that so

uh in many ways I wasn’t able to be the

father that I really would have loved to

have been but I did think that I was

there in a way that was like Rick just

showing out of love and I kind of felt

she understood it and that she got to be

a teenager it was even stronger and

things were great overall but fast

forward to about a year and a half ago

two years ago she called me late night

one night and um I thought it was a

great I thought it was a good call cuz

she was calling me just talking regular

and then um eventually I said I’ll call

you back it cuz I was really late and I

had to get up early and she called me

back and she started just spewing out

these things saying you you ain’t even

asked where I was that you ain’t see if

I was okay you like you’re not a good

father and it really struck me and I

told her I wanted to talk to her about

it tomorrow cuz she had been drinking

that night and and yes you drinking see

that college drinking a kickin it so we

talked about it and then we talked about

it in person and what she was

she said to me was that she felt that I

didn’t fight for her when she was

younger and she brought up other things

like you know she said well you were

always on tour and then she said you

know like man you didn’t even want to

pay for me to take the SAT and I was

like you really believe that like and

but my initial emotion was I was I was

getting defensive I was getting I was

hurt I was mad at some of the things she

was saying and something just hit me at

a certain point where I was like you

know what I need to just be quiet and

listen to her because this is her

perspective this is what she feels I

don’t whether I agree or not this is her

this is this is what she’s experiencing

this is how she’s received this and you

know it what it taught me in that moment

and it became part of the way I try to

practice my love is to listen I just

decided to listen to her and and not

listening I’m really paid off because

she felt she felt she was being heard

and though I couldn’t resolve everything

that she felt from the past and I didn’t

try to fix everything in that moment

just her being able to tell her

perspective and me not trying to argue

why I was a good father just let her

know that she was hurt and she was

careful and she felt loved in that

moment to be honest this is powerful

he’s speaking from the perspective he’s

speaking from a post conversation

perspective but I want to slow that

process down a little bit because here

he is he is providing for his daughter

he’s doing the best that he knows to do

you are not absent from her life you’re

working hard which meant that to a

certain degree you had a right to feel

like you were at minimum a decent father

you had the right to feel that way right

so this is his posture is position this

is important an important lesson for all

of us when she initially begins to

confront him and and you know about the

things that she said his initial action

was defensiveness and I don’t want to

brush over that too quickly because he

said and then I don’t know what happened

but something said just listen I think

that all of us are susceptible to being

defensive when life challenges us in an

area where God wants to grow us and and

and I think it’s important to be

self-aware to recognize one things I

love about Jesus is Jesus never tried to

defend himself I’m telling you I am the

son of God I promise I am the Christ he

never did that he’s going to the cross

you don’t see him trying to fight back

and you know somebody tell him you don’t

mean you know none of the angel with you

none of that he he was he was so

confident in who he was that he could

take what was coming at him and I think

it’s important there’s some and it could

be in a in a marriage relationship and a

parental relationship in a of true

friendship I think that a true

friendship necessitates friction if

everybody around you agrees with you I’m

not sure you got the right crew because

because I cannot grow I can’t grow with

without friction as iron sharpens iron a

man sharp as we talked about a Sunday a

man we sharpen each other everybody

around you thinks like you never

disagrees I’ve never either you’re lying

you know or you’re crazy and so so I

think that I think that we have to

really recognize that defensiveness is

sin now what is sin sin the Greek word

for sin is Hermit EEMA it means to miss

the mark what mark the mark of you being

everything that God has called you to be

so I love the fact I think that that

would hit you in that moment where all

of a sudden you had the calm and the

peace and the resolve and the whiz

to just listen to your daughter which is

what started the healing process I think

it was love I think the love because

only the love of God can make you feel

so protected that you don’t have to be

defensive you feel me

because the love of God is a defence I’m

love nothing can be taken from me in

this moment right and I think that

that’s I think your relationship your

love relationship with God heals your

relationship with self because if I know

that no matter what God loves me yes

that God values me he honors me he sees

me even when I’m broken he acknowledges

me then it frees me to take whatever

corrective criticism whatever we’re at

least open because if I love to the

overflow by God nothing can be taken

from me yes yes yes yes yes and I think

me feeling our love I knew I was gonna

have to do some work and I was gonna

have to work and that work was like work

on this relationship with the Moyer and

and I really take time to listen and be

present and figure out ways that we can

like discuss these things in a healthy

way and I continue to listen to her and

and really try to show up in areas where

I may have normally thought everything

was okay you know like oh man I I’m

thinking you everything is good I’m

showing up at these times that you’re

saying but and but a lot of it is not I

guess it was awareness that I needed to

have and some of it is now that we have

that communication like you said that

challenge brought our relationship to a

better place because that challenge let

us communicate in a more honest way she

had been harboring those feelings for a

long time but when she finally was able

to confront me with him now she feels

even closer to me because she’s been

able to be herself more and not like

harbor the feelings that she had and be

afraid to express her

the this story in the book is absolutely

everything because it plays itself out

in so many relationships and there was a

moment where you had to take ownership

sometimes was so busy defending

ourselves that we don’t hear our crimes

because we’re not human we have

sometimes we have and I call them crimes

that’s just the word I use right there

but but our violations are our offenses

sometimes we’re so busy you ever been in

you ever seen two people you have never

done this okay you you got this all

figured out but you haven’t seen two

people and they it seems like they’re

communicating but they’re not you ever

been in the conversation and you’re

thinking about what your response is

going to be to the last point made while

they’re still talking and you completely

miss the point because you’re so busy

desiring to defend yourself that you

missed the opportunity some people just

want to be listened to and then you took

ownership yeah can I say something like

it is I gotta say you as a friend I

wanted my only only people that I like

talked to and I talk long y’all see I

talk long you talk a lot but Peachy will

actually listen some meets a lot until I

finish he don’t even start cutting me

off or anything and I’m like man this

dude is really listening man and I

really appreciate that in a friendship

like cuz I have to work to not get me

like get my point across I want to know

people you just talking about it’s like

I know you’re not in here but yeah you

sitting right across from one one of

them that people just like okay I’m like

but this this actual situation was not

like the seed the incubus for me to be

like a man listen like listen even

listen to your enemies listen to him yes

like listen listen to your mothers she

telling you these things I know you

heard it before but listen you know and

I’m really learning and it’s a lesson

it’s very helpful to me like being a

better human being but I appreciate that

you in that in you as a as a person as a

friend cuz I’ve watched you I say man

this

listen to my whole all my citizens I

can’t believe it thank John alert I’m

trying to learn I mean I’m serious I’m

reading this book and I’m just I’m

serious I’m blown away at your life I

think that so it’s a memoir so it’s

obviously about his life but all these

truths and all this wisdom is through

your experiences are you know woven in

there it’s just I want to hear you talk

I want to hear you talk you you learned

a lot you’ve seen a lot you’ve been

amongst the grey one of the things that

I really appreciate you is your humility

you know as I mentioned before you know

he’ll be in the airport and he and he’ll

take a picture like he’s you know like

so he comes to the church in LA and and

99 percent of times sometimes just crazy

and we do have to do something special

just to even get him in and to get him

out before the most part you know he’s

just parking you know and just get out

and go and sit down low special seating

you know he just wants to come and I

just I so respect that I’ve got guys

that that god bless them but they don’t

have anywhere near the influence that

you have and they’re calling the office

and you know and what’s the VIP seats

and all that kind of stuff and that’s

wonderful I don’t mind that however you

roll but I just really admire your

humility and I think that’s one of the

reasons why God continues to raise you

up and will continue well I mean I do I

do

first of all I do like coming to one

church is like man it’s a peace for me I

need and I need that and I and I I feel

like you know no walking in the church

is no celebrity and all that don’t for

me doesn’t matter we all just in there

to celebrate worship God and listen to

these great pastors give us a word that

we can apply in our lives but that being

said on New Year’s services I’ll be

calling you try to get it you try to get

that now but seriously I mean I it’s

it’s crazy

super back then but but but I do look I

do believe that I read I read the Bible

like

I read the Bible everyday in the morning

this month one of the things that that

grounds me for the day I’m and and and

sets my intention in the right place so

I know no matter where I’m going I know

what my foundation is knocking and I’ve

already fed myself what the best food

that I can have in in life right so but

one of the things that that that I’ve

learned is like to be humble and and

that humility that that is that is

talked about by Jesus and it’s talked

about a lot in the New Testament I’m

like I work to apply it and it is

something to like and that’s the balance

of life so to be able to still be

confident and be you know um courageous

and be bold but also still be humble um

and and I think you know that’s where we

go through our journey to find the

balance in life and I think you know I

think me me being like a humble person

and working in striving towards that

towards God’s humility and knowing that

all comes from God has allowed me to go

to places where it ain’t even about

talent some people just want to be

around good people and and and that’s

honestly where I end up in some of the

places I end up in it’s amazing

I mentioned your vulnerability in the

book he also opened up about being

molested as a youngster why did you what

did you feel it necessary to disclose

that what did it was it therapeutic for

you did you what what was your reason

for including that part well I you know

I was molested when I was nine years old

by older like play cousin he was my god

brothers cousin well I was really close

with in love and but you know I was

molested by and this is something that I

didn’t like acknowledged at all in my

life

thirty years plus and I honestly didn’t

even know it existed after a while you

know MIT your memories is something how

we deal with trauma in certain ways

because my memory was like I honestly

forgot about it like that was my way of

dealing with it and I so happened to be

doing a film called the tale I was an

actor in a film called the tail and and

the tail was about child sexual abuse

the writer and director he wrote just

she wrote the story it was her life well

we were in the scene and I we were

rehearsing the scene and I and I

actually um with the actress Laura

D’Arnot I told her you know what I think

I was molested I think this happened to

me and she you know and as I started to

share whether all the memories started

to come back about it and I recognized

it as the truth that I hidden for so

long um at that moment I didn’t just

start healing immediately I was just

going through the process not even

talking about it much I kind of still

just knew that it was something that

happens to me but I wasn’t ready to

share it as I started to write in this

book and write this book and to go

through my journey I was peeling off a

lot of layers putting off a lot of

layers of things that I hidden for

myself things that I was learning about

through therapy and different things

about myself that I was like man opening

up to a new me and I actually wrote

because I was writing them and I wrote

our album inspired by the book I

actually started to write about this

situation of being molested in a song

and I shared this song with Tamara who’s

here and and and I talked about said I

don’t think I’m gonna put it in the book

because music felt like such a safe

space for me like I always put a lot of

stuff in music the music felt so safe

that I was like I’m just gonna keep it

in the music I’m not gonna put it in the

book and we talked about it as soon as I

think it’s worth it and then I started I

went home and thought about like how

many times I’ve read books to help

enhance my life and shake my life and

and I thought excuse me I thought about

how many black men have experienced this

and never talked about it I thought

about how many women young women black

brown of all colors experienced this and

were afraid to talk about it so I said

man I have to write about it I gotta

write about it not only for my own

healing but I have to write about it

because somebody will feel confident

enough to tell their story and then this

cycle of abuse and and it being a kept

secret yes but it’s been a secret in our

community for so long as people uncles

you know it’s cousins that have molested

family members but the family won’t

acknowledge it because they don’t want

the uncle to feel bad or they don’t want

to put the uncle out there but what

about the child yeah and yeah and and

that and that happening to a child ends

up can end up a child can become lost

and they could become violent I’ve seen

it I’ve seen it and I felt like I have

to write this and tell this story

because I want to be a part of stopping

the cycle and and that’s simply why I

wrote it I’m glad you did it touched me

and I won’t even get into it but but it

made me dig into something as well and

and and I think a big part of it is you

know you you forgiving him yeah you know

which is which is huge I don’t think

that you can have a conversation about

love and not scratch on forgiveness at

some point because forgiveness is a part

of it you can’t you know I truly think

that you know we know the scripture says

God is love and then there’s this this

accountant in first Corinthians 13 where

the writer basically says you can speak

in tongues all you want to you can

prophesy all you want to you know you

can you know be benevolent all you want

to but if you

do not have love it says you are nothing

I said you I mean that was a harsh words

you know but but then it makes sense if

it says if God is love

then we are ultimately not just to have

love but to become law to become love

that’s one of my favorite scriptures I

first Corinthians on 13 man I love that

because you know it says even with faith

and hope the greatest of these is love

and I’m like man I had to learn to I

mean what I the reason why I talked

about this story in it was because I did

have to learn a forgiveness and do you

have to work on forgiveness and find

that level of love where if somebody

who’s done something that you know was

damaging to me I mean and very hurtful

enough where I had to hide it for myself

but I knew I didn’t need to carry that

weight and I knew that by by channeling

forgiveness towards that individual

somehow God could do the work to help

heal him and heal me and I was like this

is this is what I need to be doing and

and and because me carrying the anger

and the hurt can perpetuate other cycles

and when I when I and when I was talking

about watching violence from somebody

who was sexually abused when we have

visited prisons I’ve talked to

individuals I would say 70% of the

people I met in prison have talked about

being abused as children

Wow and you can see and they are wise

enough to trace that trauma to why they

became violent

and it’s those things that let me say

man we can stop this by talking about it

by being honest about it by

acknowledging and being truthful like

why what is in society is and what is in

our communities not allowing us to say

man this is wrong

and this is weak we don’t have to allow

this to happen we got to shut it down

because

like better in our communities is is

it’s the spiritual thing it’s a it’s the

emotional thing too it’s the social

thing it’s economic but we can’t forget

those components we got to do autos it’s

a you know health thing to a nutritional

thing we like we got a better ourselves

in every holistic way and I think you

know that’s one of the ways I wanted to

to deal with it cuz I’m like man I’m for

the people I’m for the people yeah I’m

going out try to get jobs for the people

I’m gonna help out prisons but am i

dealing also with some of these issues

that that we hidin under the table that

my mother or grandmother can can attest

that that may have happened to them but

they don’t talk about it and never did

talk about it so man this generational

cycles is as Sara always said those

curses is we gotta stop them cursing yes

but we can talk about this all night

it’s almost like and God often does this

he uses our own journey and the healing

that we receive from God on the journey

to bring healing to others I think you

know even as it relates to – first of

all I just want to say you know in a

crowd this size and obviously we’ve got

several probably several thousand people

watching this via livestream or who will

watch us via livestream there’s abuse

right here in this room you know right

here on the stage there’s hey you know

there’s abuse I just want to you know

shame oftentimes it’s a big part of it

you know especially for it for males you

know we’ve been violated this this false

sense of masculinity and what it means

to be a man and if this happened to you

you’re less of a man and and but I but I

just want to commend you for talking

about it

you had to break through many barriers

to get to it and no doubt one of those

barriers was shame and guilt

you know I’ve obviously dealt with and

work with a lot of people who have been

abused and and just getting past the

layer the layer of shame was everything

but it’s nothing to be ashamed of

anything if anyone needs

feel some sense of shame blame it’s

obviously the perpetrator but what one

of the things I think is important is to

I’ll put it to you this way you can’t

always keep a snake from biting you but

you don’t have to receive its poison and

I think that and I think that when you

don’t forgive when you when you hold on

to it you know there’s another there’s a

passage that says don’t be overcome by

evil but overcome evil with good I think

that when something happens to you and

you keep it in the dark that allows that

evil that happened to you to stay

present in your life and I think the

first step to your point is to share it

too you know I believe in therapy you

know counseling we have counselors here

in our church you know licensed

therapists and you know you just got it

you gotta go after it yes you do and uh

like as you speak of therapy like that’s

been one of the things that’s been very

helpful to me because I always had

people to talk to like my uh my Maddy

was she was my hood therapist for a

while sometimes but having that person

that really can really can absorb in in

a non-biased way they listen to you and

give you really feedback to understand

yourself more and really give you tools

to work through these situations because

I found I went to a therapist because I

found myself repeating the same things

when it came to relationships and I was

like man what what is it in me that is

making me do this

like whatever why do I keep behaving in

this way and the therapist that I worked

with really helped me identify those

things and work through those things and

be more present in relationships to not

bring old wounds to my present

relationships and the beautiful thing is

like she’s she one of the things that

helped like really ground me and and and

many of these times where I’m like I am

chasing certain things she was like

remember God’s love is filling you up

you have God’s love in your heart so you

don’t need that person sir took to

verify your you don’t need that person

to make you feel like you were something

and you know and I’m bringing that up

because sometimes in church and in our

communities we feel like therapy

we got God we don’t need therapy but God

works to people yeah I works through

different techniques to me and and ways

to search and I think you know our

process of building our relationship

with God has to be something that things

that work for us to get closer to God we

know when we get into our higher self

and I was chipping off all these things

to help me get to my Higher Self and

this has been the truest I have been in

my life and it’s you know a bit the

truest to me I’ve ever been and it feels

great even at the time when I first

stepped out there my first interview I

was interviewing with Robin Roberts and

she just went out and said yo so you

were molested what is it and I didn’t

know I was gonna have to talk about

these things like that but after I

talked about it I was like man this is

my truth yeah I’m actually living in my

truth yes and I felt okay well even when

I went around the homies and they asked

me about it I just still was like okay

well yo I am Who I am this happened to

me I’m not gonna carry that shame and

guilt and I’m just gonna look you in

your eyes and man and be Who I am and

yeah that’s wholeness that that

literally is wholeness and even as it

relates to relationships I think it’s

important like I don’t think that you’re

ready to have a relationship with

somebody else until you have a good

relationship with yourself I feel like

you know you know one time I talked

about how to haves don’t make a hole the

phrase you complete me

makes me sick it makes me absolutely

sick and and and I understand the

sentiment I’m in love you don’t mean and

and I feel like my life week we we

complete each other’s destiny because

God brought it together you know but but

we’ve never said of each other you know

what I was just fifty percent until I

met you right you know we were like we

were two holes and that’s what makes it

awesome you know I mean I’ve read your

book so I know that you talked about

that wholeness and man I agree a hundred

percent on that you complete me thing

it’s like man you want to be a whole

person before you step into any

relationship and and and and you should

I mean that I don’t think it’s

completion is more about yo we we make

each other better but I’m a whole person

making you better and you’re a whole

person making me better and even if some

of that constitutes like us having some

friction and challenges but we still

making each other better and huh and I

just you know I had to learn that nobody

can’t complete me but God and myself

everything and literally that is what he

I think that’s what Jesus was talking

about when he said when he was asked

what the greatest Commandments were

commandment is not like this religious

rule that you should do for the benefit

of God God doesn’t need anything if

there is a commandment or an instruction

it is because you need it not God right

so he says you should love the Lord your

God with all your heart mind soul and

strength let me tell you what that not

is what that is not that is not this

this arm bending to make you create some

sort of emotion or affection towards God

that is not organically there that’s not

what that is that is saying get to know

God enter into a relationship with God

and when you do and when you meet the

true living father God you are gonna be

so overwhelmed by how God feels about

you that your natural response is to

reciprocate love back it’s basically

saying try me

test me and and when you have that type

of relationship with I wouldn’t serve a

god that I didn’t feel like loved me on

that level for I couldn’t do it I’m not

the guy that when you scare me into into

that that’s not me I think the fear of

God is being in awe of God right not I’m

trembling God’s gonna strike me down and

I don’t believe in that personally you

know God bless you and however you role

the way you roll in that respect but but

but what that does is I have a better

relationship with myself because how can

I be insecure if a perfect being sees me

perfectly and still loves me and still

values me I begin to value myself and

then the overflow of self love and self

value is what I give to others that if

that’s why that commandment when you

said it was Jesus he asked what I want

command me but but that just sums up so

much of what I want how I want to live

my life and I strive for that so much

because I do recognize and I have

recognized that when I really like

loving myself I can’t hate on anybody

else

I can’t hate on like it’s just it ain’t

even like I don’t know that it I don’t

even know that thought you know it’s

just not a thought there and I

appreciate and the beautiful thing is I

love being around people who love

themselves too because they they give me

they give me the support and I can get

the support and and and now you know by

striving to apply what I’m talking about

when I’m when I’m a

people who may not feel that way or they

may be hating on me I still try to give

him a love like a small example is like

I you know I I used to have to go into

the clubs and like do promotions for

records and stuff captain yeah he just

had to date we had to go to club well

yeah I mean it was I should be part of

like you know part of water but part of

what the promotional I was I should be

tired of being in new clubs Meno like

man I’m good like I don’t want to have

to go I get at 1:00 in the morning go

party with job ready to go home you know

one like one and preaches this feel

called to the club I feel like my

ministry I just I just yeah but I would

be in those clubs you know in the club

and you know I would see people that

would just be giving me that look like

our common think er that you know and

like just give me that look like aw man

you know you’re charming you know that I

could read all the thoughts I see me

right but man I honestly would just go

up to them be like what’s up brother and

man it automatically just disarm and

they were just like from that moment on

it was like that I could feel him like

embracing me and and I and I bring that

up to say it you know it’s those times

where I just had it like yous love to

disarm yes certain individuals and be

like man this is this is what we gonna

do this how we gonna operate last

thought we’re gonna open up for a few

questions we’ll have time for a few and

so if you have a question I think we’ll

do four I’ll do I’ll do we’ll do six

three at this might create that might

but this the first the first three that

gets up there that that’s kinda I will

do that

but I love that this is a journey and

you don’t purport at all to have arrived

in every way in every sense as it

relates to love you share your journey

there’s a lot of wisdom in there are a

lot of tools and if you don’t have this

book you got to get it

love books but it’s got to be a good

book and this is a good book and I’m

reading it now love is a practice you

got a prob we don’t always get it right

but but we work at it just like with

anything if we practice we get better at

it forgiveness is a practice you know

one things we talked about on Sunday was

you know I like the fact that the word

forgive has the word for in it and for

obviously denotes a sequence something

happening ahead of time and I think that

if you’re gonna walk in love if you’re

gonna walk in forgiveness you have to

already have your one foot in forgiving

someone’s offense before the offense

even shows up yeah so it’s a practice I

think it’s all you said some oh I gotta

find it I gotta find it I hope man I

hope oh you gotta get wait wait wait you

said something crazy

it was absolutely oh man

you talked about and shoot all right all

right all right all right I’m gonna tell

you what you say it okay it sit there I

I should have made it I meant to make a

part of it but you talked about how you

make a decision to love every day you

don’t like rest in the fact that you

were loving yesterday you start each day

like it’s a clean slate and you use this

analogy I’m gonna mess it up you said it

so beautifully and poetically that’s the

artist in you in the book and I really

see if while I’m stalling I can come

across it but you basically said that

you have to make the decision to love

every day and as if you didn’t love

before because oh here it is here okay

okay

it’s you said I’m talking about self law

this on page 34 I’m talking about self

love but it’s deeper than that it’s a

constant adjustment like tweaking the

knobs to the board in the recording

studio trying to create the perfect

sound except in the case of love there’s

no end goal no stopping point in the

adjusting and tweaking love is a daily

practice and it calls for us to step to

it every day to choose love every day

though we didn’t choose it yesterday and

the day before I think that that’s how

it really works because while it’s

important to remember what our loved

ones did for us yesterday how they stood

by us defended us cared for and

respected us all of that would mean very

little if today they chose to no longer

love us it’s just this is so powerful no

matter how good we were yesterday if all

of a sudden I did something to betray

you or dishonored you none of that would

matter yeah that’s powerful yeah I I

wrote that in particular because I

understand

for me like each day is gonna be a day

that I have to like journey to what love

is gonna be meaning yesterday my mindful

practice of me putting my hand on my

heart and put my hand on my stomach

might have worked for something but the

next day it may not I may be feeling

something else one day a scripture may

have worked for me and it worked but the

next day I may need something else and

it and and it’s also just like picking

up information and tools and and

accessing things so that like you have

those in your in your repertoire and you

can use them when you need them and

knowing that the people that you

actually do love and that they change to

and they evolve so you you gonna have to

love anew every day you know because

even sometimes they not in the inner in

the space to feel the love that you may

be giving so you have to understand that

from another place and I think you know

to you know for as long as I’m on this

planet I want to be working towards love

and nothing God’s love is the love that

I’m working towards and that love is the

love they’re like it shows up it can

show up in the highest way in my music

and show up in the highest wind my

acting show up in the way that I greet

each individual I see it show up in a

way that our Father is dropping away

that I’m a friend a way that I’m a

student the way that I’m a you know a

leader to waited on a son

I want that I’m striving for that love

and I actually got to go

my father used to live in Denver he

passed in 2014 and I got to go to his

old house today and it made me feel I

felt his love like as I stared at his

old house and I said man this love

transition like even when he’d left I

still feel his love and I just just

didn’t have to be at the house to feel

it but if I felt that even stronger I

felt this spirit there and I feel it I

know that that type of love can exist

beyond just us even our lifetimes so

that’s what I’m striving for that life

that love that transcends generations

yeah awesome thank you so much family

this is tremendous

[Applause]