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]