We're All Insane - From Near Death to Pastor

Episode Date: October 7, 2024

Tyler shares the life-changing moment that altered his path forever. After surviving a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of his brother and best friend, he found himself on bedrest, struggling with grief and guilt. But it was during this dark time that he received a divine message that would transform his life and lead him on a journey of faith. Tyler's Links: YouTube: https://youtube.com/@differentchurch?si=avcz2tVmW3ejXRni Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/differentchurchonline?igsh=Y2F1dzN1cHdweXFk If you have a unique story you'd like to share on the podcast, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/ZiHgdoK4PLRAddiB9 or send an email to [e-mail] Business Inquiries please contact: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey guys, it's me Devorah. I just dropped an all new bonus episode inside my new subscription channel, We're All Insane Plus. This week's bonus episode is called My Brain was slipping into my spine. Listen now by subscribing to We're All Insane Plus inside your Spotify or Apple Podcasts app or go to we're all insane.com. What's going on? My name is Tyler Sturban. I'm a pastor out of Nashville, Tennessee. And if you would have asked me 15 years ago, if this would have been my occupation, I probably would have fought you, cuss you out, done something ridiculous. Because I never could have imagined my life being where it is today. Amazing. I'm excited to hear about it. Where'd you start? Where'd I start like as a as a young boy in Nashville, Tennessee. Bad part of town.

Okay. Lived in the bad part of town. You didn't go to church. Nobody went. went to church. You're too busy, I guess. My mom was a single mom. She's working. Are you an only child? You have siblings? I've got a brother who is deceased. I have a half-sister. And we were just home alone, running around the, you know, riding your bikes, whatever. And so the last, the last, I didn't even know pastors were a thing. Like, I didn't even know, like, that it was a job. The first time I ever And the first time I ever heard the The name of Jesus or anything

I was like in sixth grade And I'm playing basketball with my friend Antoine And we're outside of All I knew it was a basketball goal I didn't know that there was a church Like attached to it in the hood that we were in And we're shooting in this old This old man walks out and he goes

Hey boys And we're like, what's up? He's like, you guys want to go to a basketball camp and we're like, okay. And he's like, there will be girls there. I was like, okay. And he was like, and you'll hear about Jesus. And I was like, who?

Yeah, like, okay. Like, that's cool or whatever. And he's like, you want to go? And we're like, yeah, sure, bro. And so told my mom and my mom was like, you got camp money. And so then we never went. But I remember that was the first time I ever heard J-E-S-U-S. Okay.

I was waiting for you to spell it. I was actually about to spell it out. You know that song? No. It's like an old kid's song like J-E-S-U-S dot-da. Like that was it. No, I'm going to have to start bopping that at the gym. Yeah, it is a, it's a hit.

It's a certified banger. And so that was the first time I ever heard, the name Jesus and never picked it back up until I was like 17. Okay. That's still younger than I would have thought, though. So between how old were you when that happened? Probably in sixth grade. Okay, so sixth grade to 17, like what was going on? You were just like running the streets.

You know, the usual, yeah, it's, you know, whatever you can, whatever somebody will buy for you. Okay. You know what I mean? Like, that was it. Like, just like any other, I think a lot of times we think pastors, and some do, and I'm, like, grow up in the church, they grow up. And that's a lot of, I think, my identity crisis that I had a few years ago in a sense of like nobody looks like me in. In the occupation that I'm in or in like the calling I'm in. I think that was part of it.

but I think a lot of times people think well pastors your your mom or your dad or your grandma like all these people you come from a long line of pastors and ministers well I feel like that's a very old mindset I feel like that's not but it is but it is kind of true like when you think of like these old like these these names that may come to your mind like their family passed down the church was passed down or this was passed down and for me like I said the I don't know

that I ever went to, like, I think my mom one time went to a Joyce Meyer concert, like a, I say concert, like a Joyce Meyer thing, like in Nashville one time. And we'll probably get to this conversation or topic, but, you know, this is kind of in general what we have discussed, I feel like, in many different ways. But you can have somebody that is a pastor that came from a church background and grew up going in a church, but that doesn't mean that they're a great person. No, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, you know what I mean? Then you could have somebody that went through a lot of shit and has different experiences and then, you know, is more fresh into it, but they might have more real life experience and have better intentions in their heart and a

relationship with God. And on, Dev, in that on paper sounds correct. But in church, it doesn't work that way. Well, that's what pisses me all. But if that makes sense, right? So I think that was my biggest, uh, hurdle. But anyways, so how do you, how do I even get to Jesus, right? And I think that there are, as I look back, I think Jesus was constantly calling to me, but I don't know that I ever answered

the phone, right? It is a two way, right? You know, you hit that silence button when it's somebody, I'm not interested, right? I don't have time today, right? Text me. Don't call me, text me. Um, but I was, I was 17 and, uh, it was my, I was a junior going into my senior year. My brother, who was living with my mom, I had just went to live with my dad. I had gotten my brother to come move in with my dad on the other side of Nashville. And he was a freshman in high school. I was going to be a senior. And it was the first day of senior year.

I went to school like it was nothing. I think we had a football game that night, the first day of senior year, we had a football game. And so me and my best friend Damon and then my brother, Zach, me and Damon were going to to take Zach home and then go back to school. Because I think I was the only one driving. And at the time they had their license, so we get in the car and that was the last thing I remember. I wake up two days later, somewhere around there.

It's been a while. Two days later, I wake up in the hospital. I've got stuff all in me coming out of my throat. all that. But you ever like been in a room and you just immediately, obviously like you're so groggy in your head. Like the, this stuff, like you're not really feeling it. Right.

But you ever just been in a room and you just felt the room, like the room just felt heavy. You ever just been in a room where you go, I shouldn't be here. Like maybe somebody just got into a fight. Maybe somebody's arguing, like, and you only even have to hear the argument. You just know this room's thick. It's just heavy. And so.

So like they pull the thing like out of my throat. And I remember my, my, my dad is next to me in the hospital. And I'm like, I don't know that I say. I don't know if I say anything, but I know my dad says, hey, your best friend Damon on impact passed away in the car and your brothers down the hall. We're hoping he gets better. I had never like, I had never heard anything like that. in my life like in a sense of not just i lost somebody because i had lost people but i was i felt

responsible because i was driving the car like that's that that's that's that's a weight i don't know that anyone like very few people can feel yeah like a responsibility for something and so i fall back asleep because i'm healing broken my legs my hips lung everything i'm done i am done And every day I would wake up. And then, like, my whole purpose was like, okay, in a couple days, I'll get to see Zach, my brother. A couple days I get to see Zach. A couple days I get to, like, that was the only, like, when you're on the hospital, you really zero in on one thing. I didn't even care if I was better.

I get to see Zach. And being raised by a single mom, when you're next, when you have a sibling and y'all are going through the trenches to get, I'm talking about mom wouldn't come home for nights and whatever. wherever she was she was working she was out with friends like whatever because she was still living her like i understand that me and my brother like that's it like nobody's closer than that and so it's like okay like almost like my comfort like if i can just get zach if i can just get zach and so a day a day went and a day went and a day went i'm getting better and i remember uh one morning it was the exact that exact same feeling that first day i uh i wake up and i see my dad and my dad and my mom in the room. And that's when I knew it was different because they're split up,

but they're in the room. And my mom whisper something like into my ear. I can't remember because I could just feel the weight of the room. Like I couldn't even almost hear things. Like I just, I knew the answer. I knew what someone was going to say. But no one even like let me know it was going bad or good. They just kept saying Zach's in the other room. And My mom says something. She whispers something in my ear. I don't know what she said. And she left for good.

And that's when my dad let me know, you know, Zach didn't make it. And I think in that moment, I just started pulling stuff out of my body. Just anything that was attached to me. And I think they put me back down. Like, I was done. Like, there's no point in living, you know? Yeah. And I think without Jesus, without, like, without, I had no hope.

Like, when, as a Christian, when you walk through something, you have a hope that is going to do something good on the other side. Like, you hope it does something. But at the time, I didn't know that. Right. All I know is my best friend of my brother are dead. as you can cook it you can make it

sound sexy all you want all I know my brother and my best friend are dead I was driving the car what am I supposed

to do with this right what do I do go get a job yeah you think I just go hang out with you think I go to the club

again then I go to teen night again no you don't you can't nothing like everything changed

like yeah nothing's the same nothing's the same and so So this is probably the spookiest thing I'll say while I'm here. And I did not grow up in church. I don't know anything.

And especially at this time, I had probably never read the Bible for my entire life. I go to sleep, right? They put more morphine in me. I go to sleep. I wake up. Or no, I go to sleep. I have a dream. It's a black screen.

And it says, Tyler, I've been saying. this story, like, and if you can look back at old sermons that I preach, I have said the same thing. I have, I will never forget this, this thing. I don't, Tyler, and I heard a voice audibly. Can't soothing, heavy, but not loud. I don't know. It was a voice. It was a voice. It was very clear. It said, Tyler, dot, dot, dot, dot. Like it was being texted to me, Tyler, dot, dot, dot, dot. What do you have right now? Dot, dot, dot, dot. If you follow you follow. You follow. You follow. me, you'll be a fisher of men. I had never heard, like, and that's in the Bible. I find that out later on, right? I wake up. That's weird. But a youth pastor that was a pastor in the city,

as it was Galen, he was in the hospital room when I woke up, just checking on me, you know, I went to a school, all of that. The first thing he says to me, Tyler, and he pauses. And you know those like deja, like, I already know you're, I don't even, I already know what you're about to say. He said, Tyler. And I just remember like my mom, like this has never happened to me before. Like coincidence, spiritual. I don't know what this is, but it ain't ever happened to me before. Tyler, what do you have right now, bro?

If you'll follow God. Unprompt. Like, I don't even know this guy. Yeah. Don't. We've never talked before. like don't know you if you follow God you'll be a fisher of men and I literally because I don't know I don't know how to be like churchy about this I go bruh you'll never believe the dream I just had

yeah that's crazy I don't know how to like just go oh that's confirmation right in church we go oh that's confirmation no no I was like bruh I just had a dream I don't know what it was but those exact words I heard, and I've never heard him before. And he was like, oh, brother, that's the Holy Spirit. And then we, that was the journey. It hadn't been easy. But that was the, well, I don't have nothing. Right.

I'm in a hospital room. Brother best friend dead. My mom's gone. It's me and my dad. Let's figure this thing out. Yeah. They start taking me to church. Like youth group.

I had never been like in a youth group before. So with this guy, Gailen, right? Yep. Okay. Yeah, he was just a youth pastor. Just a guy. was the first time you had met him was he was just making his rounds? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, I don't know. I don't really know this guy like that.

And yeah, bada boom, bada bing. And then I go home, like, I get discharged. I go home and I'm like in a wheelchair. And he would come over and he would play Madden with me like on the Xbox. And no one else was coming over. So it was like the coolest thing in the world that like just. it could have been an 80 year old guy. I would have been extant. Like my grandma and me were watching the Cosby show on rerun, right? So like any, any life form whatsoever showing up and hanging out with me, I'm taking. Right.

And this guy, he's probably like 25, 26 at the time. He comes to. So he was really young too. Yeah, he's a young youth pastor. And he comes over when he's playing Madden. And I just remember like he made me feel normal. Like whenever I was around, him and it wasn't just him right whenever i was around church i not that the my brother and my best

friend came back or i forgot like it was just a place of peace in the midst of all of the problem right i just found some people that brought me peace in in it and so finally he goes hey you want to come to church and it was the first like and i was like in my wheelchair and he's like bro people are going to get a, like, because obviously in the city in Nashville, a car accident like that happens. I'm sure you remember in high school. It's like an accident would happen. Like, kids talk. Every high school in the area knows like, oh, man, that child passed away or whatever. And he picks me up. He takes me to church. And I like, go to the church. And I'm like, everyone's just partying, hanging out. Like, it's nobody's fighting. I'm used to going to clubs. I'm used to

go into parties like or bonfires. That's what happened. That's what people do like in the south. Like you go to a bonfire. Everyone's drinking, fighting, whatever. You're always on edge a little bit. Like even though you're having fun. And like here, it was like, everyone's just hanging out. And I was like, bro, how did I not know about this sooner? People were just vibe. Like, high five of me. Tyler, man, how are you? Like da-da-da-da. And they really like cared. And so that's when I was like, man, I want to start like, I'm still working through the Jesus stuff in my head. but I found peace at the church. I found people that cared about me, that loved me, that checked on me, that would call me, that would swing by.

And that's, and honestly, like, how I got into, how, really how I got into pastoring. A lot of people think pastors want money. I'm probably. Ain't no money. Ain't nobody worried about that. I wanted to play madden with people. Like, that was just my heart. Like, because I became a youth pastor years later.

and I wanted to play Madden with young guys that didn't have anyone to walk alongside. That's how it started with you. And I feel like it, I think that that is something important too because I think it's easier to really bond and connect with someone when it comes to like shared interest and things like that. And I think everything starts somewhere. It's not always going to be as simple as like, oh, come to church and like you know what I mean?

You have to feel some sort of connection. And I think that's why a lot of people like they say it. Just like it takes, it's kind of like off topic in a way, but just like it takes. takes finding the right therapist. It also takes finding the right community and the right church. No, for sure. No, and bro, I feel you.

Like, I'm lucky I found some people early on. Like, I didn't have to, like, church hop a lot. I didn't have to do that kind of stuff. And obviously, church got messy.

And I don't, I don't want it to be about that. But I feel like, I feel like, in a way, like, Jesus came to you. Oh, dude. In the form of a bunch of teenagers that didn't have

nothing figured out. Do you feel like right away you like leaned on prayer and everything? Or do you feel like it took some time? Not so I'm a that's that's so I'm in a hospital bed. You've got to think for six months of my life. My senior year. My scene no not in the hospital in a hospital bed in my so they moved to hospital bed in my house when I didn't need to be attached to anything but I couldn't make it. We had like a condo that was like two stories. But it was like. Like it wasn't super big, but it had an upstairs. I couldn't go to my room upstairs. And so like they put in the living room, my bed was in the living room.

And at the time, you didn't have cell phones. Like this was before like iPhone. Like we had like a slide like you do the keypad type deal. But you didn't like hang out on your phone. And so my dad every night because it was downstairs, he'd be like, all right, it's like 8.30, 9 o'clock. I'm going to see if I got to work in the morning. He'd turn all the lights off. I've been sleeping all day because I'm just laying in a bed.

Right. My grandma had given me, and I know this is going to sound like a hundred devotionals for young, like strong young men or something like that. It was like a book. And I didn't have a Bible, anything like that. You couldn't go to the Bible app or anything. And I remember the night, like, that's all I had down there and like, yeah, that's probably all I had. And my dad hits the lights the first night. The second night, I said, dad, will you give me a.

a flashlight so I can read this. Not because I was really interested. I kind of was just bored. Like if I'm going to keep it real. Like I just wanted something to do. And I remember like I started reading this thing of like day one. And it would say, you know, you're a strong man. You're a bold, like God created you for a purpose. And I just started reading that day, night and night and night and and then whenever I was able to leave and stuff like that, that's whenever I got to church. And I was like, y'all are saying the same thing. This thing's saying like, that's crazy. And so that was kind of the beginning. Like that was how I got started in a sense of like and why I think why I got started.

And obviously my life's changed with online presence and all of that. But like my whole goal was just a walk with people in a hospital. Never like if I preached cool, if I didn't cool, it was just I'm here with you. What do you need? I got you. I'm Anna Garcia. host of True Crime News, the podcast. Every week, we bring you in-depth coverage on cases making headlines, as well as those that go under the radar. Tune in for murders that defy explanation, mystery seeking exploration,

and shocking secrets that will leave you breathless. Each week, we honor the victims by going beyond the salacious in our search for justice. Crime never stops, and neither do we. Listen to True Crime News available now wherever you get your podcast. Because someone did that for me. Yeah, to be that support for people that need it most. That was it. So I didn't say, yeah, I didn't have like family in the, in the mix. I didn't, you know, get into it for the money or the whatever people think pastors do. Like, I just, I don't know. Like someone did it for me and I wanted to do that for guys that didn't have that. Yeah. So yeah, I started. So you started going to church and you did that for a few years. And then when did the transition come with becoming a pastor? So you're, are you still

considered a young pastor? No, no, no, no. I haven't. We have our own church in Nashville. It's called different church. It's all over online and stuff like that. So we started our church probably three years ago. How did it start? I think a lot of times, and even like I would say this in your life or in anyone's, a lot of times the conference, God will speak to you through his hands and feet, aka me and you.

Okay. You ever had someone tell you the thing you needed to hear in the moment you needed to hear? Of course. That was, we always look for God in like this. I've been following God as close as I can for 15 years. I've heard him once. I think it was him once, right? 15 years one time.

But I've heard him thousands of times by somebody in the hallway just going, hey, bro, you good? I'd be careful. I'd watch out. I'd do this. And so early on, whenever I think probably shortly after, like, I started walking again and stuff like that, a church called and said,

hey, we have like 10 youth in this room. Do you want to come share your testimony? And I was like, I don't even know that I'm like, are you sure? Like, I'll probably cuss them out. Like, I don't know. Like, I don't even know what I'm saying. They're like, hey, you'll be fine. You'll be fine.

I wasn't. But yeah. And I think I did that. And I think the moment I found out that like sharing my story. And I think what you do, I think what this podcast is is no different than like testimony night at church, right? Like you just have people on here. I'm sharing what I've been.

been through, we just add what Jesus got me through, you know, like how God has been good in the midst of all my bad, in the midst of my mess. And I think one time I was doing a few churches like that where I would like go do their youth thing. I would tell my story. And then the pastor would come up after me and like, hey, he'd say whatever. I remember one time. I remember this one kid. And I think it's what he's what made me. Like, he, I don't remember what he looked like. I remember what he was wearing. He's wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots.

We couldn't be more opposite. Yeah. I share, I lost my brother, my best friend, and this is what I think God's, like, working on me. Romans 828, God does every, God turns everything together for good to those who would trust in him are called according to his purpose. God will turn everything together for good. I think God's going to turn this for good. I think so. I think so.

because I'm still in the mid. Like, bro, it's only been like six months. And this kid with cowboy hat and cowboy boots, tears comes to like the altar or the front of the stage, the altar. And he like drops down on his knees and I see like him give his life to Jesus. And I was like, was I a small part in that? Like, I want to do this for the rest of my life. Like that, like, that was like that I saw, I, I still remember cowboy hat, cowboy boots, like Wrangler jeans.

And I was like, I want to, I want to be a part of that story in people's life for the rest of my life. I want people to experience hope, even if I have to bring up the dirt that I've been through, the sucky that I've been through, the mess, right? And so then that was like, okay, I want to try that. And then people just kept saying, like, hey, I think this is a call on your life. I think this is a call on your life. I think this is a call on your life, which, you know, church and you know, you've heard it a million times.

And so, yeah, I just started hanging out at the church. I said, man, I've spent 17 years. I've never been here before. Let me, I'll clean toilets. I just want to be here. Yeah. I'd spend all day. And I think, too, like you said, it gave you that piece that you needed after such chaos.

Needed it. Yeah. It saved your life. It was a, yes. God used his church. to take a kid, I'd a hop right back in. My drinking would have gotten worse. The turn up would have been worse.

Yeah. And who knows what else? My insecurity. So I'm with any woman that, all of it. Yeah. All of it. But you mask it with, I mean. But also to live a life where you feel, where you carry guilt and anger within yourself.

It's like you're never, like you said, you're going to mask it with the worst things because you're not going to want to deal with yourself. It numbs it. It numbs it. Or I find my value in someone else. Yeah. Like I allow you to give me my value if you give me validation. And I had been doing that for 17 years. You go out if I take a girl home. I win, right? Like I feel more valuable than I did before. Or if I make this amount of money, I feel more valuable than I before. If me and my friends have, have a good night out, we turn up, we have fun. I have more value than I did before. And then when all of that could be gone in an instant, it went, those words, Tyler, what do you have now? Yeah. I had nothing. Like, none of that mattered. Right. And so I needed to find my value somewhere. I needed to find who I could be secure in because I couldn't, I'm insecure. I need to find my value. Yeah. And I found it on the cross. I love that. That's me. That's a good line right there. I found it on the cross. That's great.

And that was it. And that was, like I said, that was the beginning. Okay. When in the end, that was the beginning. Right. So then I guess to kind of skip ahead, explain what you do now. I pastor a church as plain as possible. But God has been ridiculous.

So we started a church. It's called different church because we saw the state of church. Whether you love it, hate it, indifferent, you hear it. you hear either messy, they love money, this pastor's running around doing this, this is happening, this is happening, why you got all this and don't let nobody in, why you, da-da-da. And so we said, my wife and I were like, and we've been a part of those churches. And we've tried to be the good in the midst of the mess. We've been a part of amazing churches that ain't none of that happening. So I can talk just as bad as people. I could tell you gave shirt off back, gave.

And so my wife and I, Ryan, her name's Ryan, we said, we're going to do a church that is solely and how we want to be for people that nobody, that they don't feel like the church has ever been there for them, aka different church. Because I think all of us has something different inside of us that got put us on this planet to share. But when I get into church, I don't want to stick out. Yeah. When I go to the club, I don't want to stick out. It's anywhere. It's not just, we say it's church. When I go anywhere, I want to blend in and be liked.

When I follow Jesus, he said, they hate me. So you already know the moment you stand for something and don't agree with everyone in the room just so they're going to hate you too. Yeah. And so we said, you know what, bump that. Like a lot of people have to see something. to have faith. You know what I mean? So we start a series this weekend called Pix or it didn't happen.

Yeah. Where we talk on miracles. Okay. You don't keep that same energy with anything else. How come you trust toxic people? Right. No one they're about to stab you in the back, but you trust them anyways. Yeah.

It's not a trust. We trust people all day long. We trust things all day long. But for some reason when it comes to the spiritual, we decide to be, oh, well, I got to keep, I got to protect my. heart and my mind. You didn't with that dude. You didn't with that chick. You didn't at that club. How come it's with God though? Right. It's not I don't trust things. I trust people all the time. Yeah. That burn me every single time. So why do you think that is? I don't know. I think it's our flesh.

Our flesh and our spirit are at war all the time. Right? Right. Heck, even the Tyler I want to be and the Tyler I am now, I had gummies last night. But Tyler, me. you ran today. I'm at war just there, let alone like, am I going to pray today? And I'm a husband. Am I going to pray for my wife today? I've got daughters. Am I going to speak life over my daughters today? But I'd rather sit on this couch. Yeah. It's like a constant battle. But you're already battling. I was battling before I knew Jesus. Right. I just switched my battle. That was it. says, when you gave your life to Jesus, you didn't stop becoming a slave. You were a slave to sin, right? I want to go to the club. I want to be messy. I want to be gossipy. I want to turn up. I want to do whatever. I took those chains off, but I got new chains. I didn't just become free.

Now I'm a slave to God, who do you call me to be? Who's the woman God called Dev to be? Okay, let's figure that. Now I'm a slave to that version of me, not the messy version of me. Yeah. Good luck. Good luck. That's a war every single day. And some days you win, some days you lose. Some days Tyler wins.

Some days Tyler loses. But God's grace is so good. But he loves me so much that he will let me be messy. And he'll go, you know what? I'm going to still use you? Because that makes me look more powerful and you less powerful. What did Paul say? In my weakness, he is made strong.

In my weakness. But nobody wants to admit they're weak. Right. And I think that's what makes out, why are, online do we have millions of people tuning in, hundreds of thousands of followers? All I'm saying is I'm the worst sinner in my church, but you're a close second. That's all I say. I'll be the first one to tell you. I have fallen short. I am broken. I am hurting, but God's still using me. That's it. But we don't want to be that. We don't want to be weak. Right. And then I know that you

mentioned too, I think whether it was in the email or on the call that you were saying how, I guess with your, like the identity crisis that you have because you aren't the typical pastor, like, people have, I guess, made comments based on how you do things differently. And like, I guess for you, does that ever weigh heavy on you or make you like question or has it made you question like what you do or the path you're on? Or do you think for the most part you've been like very confident and like, no, I do it this way and like for this reason and this is what I believe? I think you're always, I think you have to question yourself. Yeah.

Because then it's, is what I'm doing the right. Like, I'm always like, and it's not even is, is Tyler doing what Tyler wants to do? It's, is Tyler doing what the word tells me to do? So every time I get paid, I tithe, I serve the widow. I serve the orphan. I serve my community. That's not what Tyler wants. Just because the best thing in my head is let's save up, man, let's go on this trip.

let's do this. I want to buy this. I want to do this. That's what Tyler wants to do. I don't, every day I have to go, but is this what the word commands me to do? Is this what the Bible tells me to do? And so whenever I look at my church, my preaching, me as a pastor, as a human being, as a father, as a husband, as a friend to you, as a friend to all of you, am I, it's not what does Tyler want to do. Yeah. Because I do a lot of stuff that's messy, even though I'm a Christian, even though I think, I'd say like, oh, I do good sometimes. I go to soup. kitchen sometimes. I said, I'm still kind of messy though. Yeah. But I mean, too, I think, you know, social media, as I'm sure you know, is a very, it can be a very toxic place. It can also be a

place that bring people together and, you know, gets the word out there and everything in between. But I'm sure that between all this and the time that you've been, you know, posting online and spreading the word, I'm sure that you've seen negative things and negative comments and like, yeah, but it's usually from, it's usually from Christians, not from people that don't know Jesus. Okay. And so when I look at Jesus's life, who hated Jesus? Pharisees, the people that followed the religious law. You never saw paralyzed people hating Jesus. You never saw widows hating Jesus, orphans hating Jesus, children hating Jesus. You saw the people that had their rules, their regulations, their little, their little tea parties that they had a church. You see those guys. And they go, I don't like that guy. Because he's, he's just, maybe he's actually living what the word says. And that challenge, like, that challenges, that challenges me.

Even whenever I watch someone else do something, like, I see somebody serving somebody, they go downtown and they love a bunch of people. I don't like cuss that dude out and get mad. I go, man, I should probably spend more time loving people in my community. Yeah. But you can get offended. Like, you can feel like, man, I, I'm F y'all, man.

Right. I should, I should, that makes me look bad, feel bad or whatever. And so, but yeah, we get thousands of comments all the time about what I should do, what I shouldn't do. And something I've, I'll hear, Tyler, you're the best preacher in the world. That's not true. I'll hear Tyler, you're the worst preacher in the world. That's not true. Yeah.

I put good comments, bad comments in the same barrel. none of them get a response at all because I can't take criticism from somebody that I wouldn't take information from like I would never like if I don't really like if I don't want to be where you're at but you want to speak to where I'm at I don't know I feel like I'm really good

when I go to a football game go I wouldn't have thrown that pass I'm not throwing the past yeah you're not out there I'm not out there right and so me, my wife, we have accountability. We have pastors that oversee us, that walk with us, that love us, that pray for us from all across the country

all over the globe. It's like, man, I've got people that I go to for accountability, for someone to talk to. Somebody, hey, was this good, was this bat? Like, I've got that. We've got it.

Right. And most people that are critical don't have that. And so, like, I can't really. Yeah. And I feel like, too, like there's two things that I want to bring up and I'm going to bring them up both at once so I don't forget. The one that I wanted to say is like obviously, which I don't know how many episodes you've seen,

but I have a lot of episodes on here about people that have been there, they've been involved in cults, whether it was them personally or their family. And I think that they have a very negative outlook on religion. And I wanted to ask you as far as that goes, because obviously as like a, as an, as a viewer, as some of my audience, they, whether they have their own religious beliefs or not, whether or they follow a religion or they're spiritual or anything in between, nothing, who knows. But, you know, I think it's very easy if you are an easily swayed person, if you hear negativity around religion, that's going to be your mindset on it.

And that's another reason why I wanted to have you on, because obviously, as I've told you, like, growing up, I come, I do come from a religious background. I kind of have different takes on, you know, being raised Jewish and then Christian and everything in between. but I feel like I guess what would be your opinions on that? Like as far as, you know, these people have had very dark experiences around religion. And obviously, even with different, I guess, occupations, there's good cops, there's bad cops, there's good pastors, bad pastors.

I guess what would your advice be? Because I do think that there's a lot of people that would be completely turned off from religion and the whole idea of it. And I think, too, I guess. the way that I think people view religion now, I think it, in a way, it's improving because I think before it was looked at more of like this strict set of rules, whereas now it's more like community and your relationship with God and, you know, whatever else. But I don't know, I feel like, because that's something that gets brought up a lot.

In Nashville, growing up, a jack in the box, the restaurant, a restaurant, a, a, you know, Jack in the Box in Nashville had like roaches or something, like really bad roaches at this time whenever I was younger. And so my whole life growing up, you don't eat a jack in the box. They're nasty. They got roaches. Like, you don't mess with every jack in the box in the world's done. Do not. Don't touch it. Don't look at it. Nothing. And I moved to Arizona for a little bit whenever I like was right out of high school for like a summer. And everyone went to Jack in the Box. And they're like, you've got to try these tacos. Like you dip them in the hot sauce and the ranch and they're like 25 cents a taco, like four for a dollar.

And I was like, bro, we don't eat. Right. Like, y'all haven't heard about Jack of the box. Like, no, bro. It's where we go. And so I went. And I tried the taco. And I was like, this thing's bong.

This thing's hitting. Yeah. Hitting. So I guess in a way, it's like you can't take a bad experience you have and let define the rest of your life decisions. I don't know. Do you? I don't think you do it with anyone else. But right. I had a lot of people I dated that were nasty. I'm glad I didn't. But for some reason with spirituality, we like to do that. But anywhere else, I had this one bad experience at this club. Yeah. So I just went down the road. I think it's a fear thing too. Yeah. Yeah. I mean,

how many times do we have to, how many times am I going to go through that? Like, is this, is this everywhere? Is this always going to happen? But like, you, you, you, you, you, give everything else chances. Right. Everything else. But for some reason, the moment one thing bad happens, I preached it this past weekend, your best friends you have in life,

you did the dumbest stuff with. You got locked up with. You were messy with. You barely got home. We don't know how we got home. Jesus took the wheel before I even knew the carry under what's not right. Like, you did it. And now that makes it.

you all inseparable, like intimacy like no other. But for some reason with God, the moment we walk through a hard season, it makes me doubt him. Hard times are created to create intimacy. That's what makes me and my wife's relationship different than any other that I have with another woman. No other women's walk through hard seasons with me like my wife and prayed for me, loved me, been there for me, been someone to check on me, been. But for some reason, in any other relationship, we love.

love it. We laugh about it. That's our test of it. Boy, the moment we go out somewhere, that's how girl, if you even knew how I knew her this one time, we did this thing, she swung one time. But with God, the moment something hard goes, we're like, oh, I can't even, can't trust him anymore. Can't do it. But what if, what if God walked through that season with you? So you kept that same energy and you said, guys, if you knew what me and God got through, God got me through it, when I, he stretched the paycheck when I didn't know he could stretch the effect. He brought right? Like that's what he desires from us, but we go, no. I think, too, it's an accountability thing. Like, if you're not willing to show up for yourself,

like, because to a certain degree, I think that if you have enough self-love and you want something good for yourself, you're going to show up for yourself. And that means sometimes doing that prayer or sitting down and doing that meditation. And I know that's kind of different stuff. Well, no, no, you have to like, I have to remind myself like, why, like, same thing. when you're dating somebody, when you're, there are seasons where I have to remind myself that this is a good relationship.

Yeah. I would love to say the moment you put a ring on your finger, you just magically, you become like the princess and he becomes Prince Charming and y'all, no, there are days where I have to remind myself that my wife more than me. My wife has to remind herself,

this is a good man. Though the situation's not good. He is a good, and he has prayed for me in the past, though right now he's slacking. No different. Yeah. When I'm walking with God, but I don't see the miracle that I'm praying for now, I have, it's not that God doesn't do miracles.

I think we're forgetting all the miracles he's done. And when I forget that, I'll start doubting him. Well, also, as humans, I think we're very impatient and we're selfish and everything in between. And I think going back to what you said about, like, that constant battle between, what was it, like your flesh. Your flesh and your spirit. Yeah. So I think that's what it comes down to because humans are, they can be those things.

And I think that's why when I wake up, I read the word. Those are reminders of the goodness of God, right? Just like I go to the gym. Just like I'm going to choose to eat the salad, not the burger. Even though I've had 18 burgers straight, I'm going to do the salad today because I'm in my fit girl era, right? Like I'm going to do it. I'm going to try it.

Every morning I wake up and read the word, not just so my church thinks I read the word. I'm reminding myself the promises that God gave me that I'm standing on in the midst of I ain't got the money. I'm single. I have been, it is, I'm struggling out here on the single bus. I got some ladies that I know that God, I guess I'm coming to you single. No, no, no. Stand on the promises of God, but you'll feel really lonely in those seasons of singleness because you're not standing on promises that God gave you. You're not standing.

Or my marriage is a wreck. Why did I choose this person? Because at one point, God called you together and you've lost sight of it. Let me go back to the word or prayer. Rather than putting on Nikki Minaj, whatever, I'm going to put on worship today because I need to remind myself. I'm in a season of doubting myself. I'm in a season of doubting my season and my scenario with my finances, whatever. I'm going to remind myself.

That's hard. All throughout the Bible, he says, don't forget. more than almost anything more than almost any command he says remember or don't forget it is so easy to remember the good times in the midst of i'm about to swing on you yeah very easy so don't forget remind yourself you're good you're the like bro you're like you're like you pull it out it's like the alley you know what i mean like off the backboard i don't know but no that i i can see why but yeah but i do think like and this is just coming from my personal experience too is like I feel like growing up and going to church or being.

How was your first church service? Do you remember like your first? What was the first? I wouldn't say your first. What was the first one you remember where you go, oh, I'm in church? Gosh. I don't know because I think it was hung over half the time. Okay.

I mean, kind of like what I told you, I think I would assume it was maybe ninth grade. So I was 14, 15. Do you have a Bible? Did you like walk in with a Bible, skirt? Like, did you like do like, do like, the churchy girl. Okay, so you were still like... Like, it was to the point that I think the mom...

The moms didn't like that I was teaching Sunday school. I think they made comments about what I was wearing. Did the kids like you though? Of course the kids like. Got them. Got them. Yes. But no, the parents didn't like what I would wear and I, but I didn't care.

Like, I mean, I never have been somebody that really cares. But I think my first time was probably either at that church that I was talking about in Hampstead, which was just like a smaller church, they would... But I also like, my point is, is growing up going to that church. And he was a really great guy. The pastor was great and he was sweet. And I remember him being a very sweet person that I felt comfortable and safe talking to. And maybe because I was younger and not very into it.

But the things that you say sitting here, it relates to real life and very real circumstances that I think are very easy to understand for people that aren't even religious. Whereas I think growing up when I was going to church, unless you really were into it, it and you understood the word. The lingo. Yeah, you're kind of sitting there like, when's it going to end? And that's how I felt. And then I know that there was a point,

I think when I was 15, like my mom took me to some church. I don't know where it was. It was a little bit further away where I was dunked and baptized. Uh-oh. But it didn't like, it didn't mean anything to me.

It didn't hold value because I really wasn't in a place where I was understanding. You didn't make the decision. Yeah, I was just getting, I was going through it. Like I was like my mom said, I have to do this,

I'm doing it. Not because I really. And that's the thing is I feel like because it was pushed on me at that time when I finally did move out and I could make my own decisions because I was no longer under my mom's roof. I was like, I don't want to hear about religion. Like I want to step back. And it wasn't that I didn't believe. It just was like I didn't so often, she'll say to me, will you come to church with me for Christmas Eve or will you come to do it? And it's now I'm just so like I don't want to because I just I don't. And also I do think it is about,

like I said before, finding the right place for you. You need to find a place that you really, you feel connected to and you understand because I don't think anybody really wants to sit somewhere where they're not feeling like they're getting anything out of it for themselves. They're learning. Like if I'm going to do something, I want to get something out of it and I want to learn from it. And I think kind of those are my first experiences. And then, you know, I told you I've been to, I was forced to go to the Benny Hin events. And that on its own was like, I mean, for those of you that don't know who he is.

I mean, how do you describe him? Is he like a pastor, but he would only do it like on TV or he would do like, big conventions. Right. And he'd have people and he's like, and he's like, knock people over.

Yeah. And these people are falling and convulsing on the floor. And obviously as a 16, 17 year old, I'm like, these people are nuts. You went with your mom? Yes.

And one of my best friends I dragged with me and we both, we don't forget it because it was so bizarre to us. We had to like sleep on the floor in the hotel room because there was not enough beds. It was like me, my mom, my uncle, my grandma. My grandma was so much.

No. It was not a good memory. We just wanted to get back and go to this house party. Like I remember it. And it was just, chop, chop, Benny. Yeah, literally. And it was so long.

It was like, I wish you'd knock me outside. Forget like so I can wake up and leave. Yes. And I think too, it was just, it, I didn't have this very like. It wasn't personal. Correct. But I will say this is what I was going to bring up right before we started filming is, you know, Claudia, it was Claudia, my best friend that was very much involved with this as well.

Like she would sometimes be laying in my mom's bed with me just like hearing the audio Bible right before we would go out. I was like, you guys have to read a couple more job. after you go out and we're like, all right, like, we'll lay here. And there would be times we're like holding in a laugh because we're just like young kids, like we got to get out of here. But there was this time that her and I were both upset about boys. We were young, dumb. Like I said, we were probably 15, 16.

And at the time, my bedroom at, so at this time my bedroom downstairs eventually, which was my bedroom downstairs was like a playroom. And my mom was sleeping and her and I, my bedroom was upstairs. So we went downstairs to the playroom where it was like, you know, we could be more loud and talk because it was like a week night. It was a summer, I think. And we were downstairs and we were like very upset over boys and we were like crying, being dramatic little girls. And we are like, let's hold hands and pray. Because it's interesting, even though like we didn't really want to be there, that is what we turned to. Like, let's hold hands and pray. That was real. Yeah. Well, listen. So we sat there

and like, and she'll tell you the story too. We both remember it. We were sitting in my basement in middle of the night and we're sitting there praying. And you know like that ringing that you hear in your ear and like but only you hear it. So we're praying and we say a prayer and like right after we finish we hear these like bells. And like the best way to describe it is if we were at my house, I had a dog. That was it, one dog. At her house she had a cat named Salem who had a- My daughter's name Salem. Really? Oh, I love that. So her cat had a collar with bells on it. And the best to describe is it sounded like you took her cat's collar and like we're jiggling it. But we weren't at her house. We were at mine. So we finished the prayer and we both.

hear that very clear but like also at the same time kind of like what you said like it was clear but it wasn't loud but it was almost it reminded you as if you heard that ringing in your ear and we both looked at each other no words were said and we bolted like we were terrified like oh my god what was that and i think i like had to grab my dog because she like couldn't walk up the state we were terrified but we both knew like we didn't even have to say anything but we knew like something just happened right there yeah and it was intense That was probably one of the realest moments of your life. I mean, I remember it, and I don't have that great of memory.

She remembers it. But like that you prayed without your mom asking you to. I mean, I pray. I still do pride here and there. Like when my dog. But like when you were that eight, I'm saying like the beginning. Yeah, I guess so. Yeah.

There was probably a lot of time. I think I will, something that I'll tell you about religion that I realized is, and even what I tell you now, because I told you, I feel like now I'm more spiritual and into like, man, and meditating and whatever else, but I still do believe in God and I still do feel like I have a relationship because every now and then, like, I still do pray. And I still, it's not that I ever stopped believing. I think it's more so that I took a step back of like feeling pressured to go to church. That's, I think, where it came from. Because like, any time something happened in

my life, and if I was alone in my room, I would pray. Like, that is what I turned to. Like, every night I would still pray and say prayers before bed. And it wasn't ever really forced. Like, I think for me, that did feel real. I mean, all of my first tattoos that I had, they were all Bible verses. And I think that also came from because I genuinely liked the so-called quotes. Like they're good, they're very good things to live by. You know, so, and that's never been something that has turned me off in a way. But I think the only thing I didn't love was that pressure of like, you have to go to church on Sunday to have a good relationship with God. Like, that's how I feel like I was made to feel in a way. Like that really defined your relationship with God is if you,

You went to church. No, for sure. Two things can be true at once, right? That is true. You should not have to feel that. On the other end, there's pressure for every other thing. Yeah. And we don't, there's pressure to go on dates with the person you're dating.

Because that, I'm showing up for you. Yeah. But for some reason with God, don't, don't do it. Don't touch me. I want to live my life and have you as my. butler to what I need you versus like, no, I show up from my friends. Yeah. If you called me, if you called me, if you call me, because I know you, I'm going to show up for you. That's because that's who I ain't. Like, because I have a relationship with you. So the moment guy goes,

hey, I think you need to spend this season in church. You need community, not just people that go out with you that agree with everything you're talking about. No, you need some people that will challenge you and, hey, who are you? Where are you going? Who has got, who has God called? You need to get into with those people. That's not, like, I don't know that that's pressure. I think that's me doing what a healthy relationship would do. And I think that you have to flip, I have to flip the switch of I'm not showing up for them. I'm showing up for him.

Yeah. Like, that's it. That's why I'm doing it. And then it removes, like, then it removes the pressure. Yeah. But will people still pressure you? Yeah. people online pressure me to do stuff all the time people even in my own church they pressure me

to i don't do i don't not or do i don't not do it nor do i do it because of you i am spending time in my prayer closet i'm spending time in the word i'm going to church i'm worshiping my hands are up i'm praying i'm shouting i'm all of this and out of that overflow i make decisions that's it so but the pressure of a relationship that's normal baby like you'll you'll always have that. And you have no problem with it. But the moment Jesus gets it, and that's just been so funny for me. Yeah. Like as I've like looked as as a pastor when I preach to people and they go, why don't, I don't like this or I don't believe in this. And when I take a step back and I think for five minutes, I'm like, like for instance, I raise my hands when I worship. You probably been

in churches or people raised, I raised my hands when I worship. This lady comes up to me a long time I go. She goes, Tyler, I was a young pastor, so I wasn't, like, maybe confident in, like, speaking to a lady that might have been older or whatever. She was, I'll raise my hands when I worship in church. I said, okay, like, that's fine. Like, that's cool. Go off, sis. Like, I don't, okay, whatever you got. We were in a church softball league. And she hit, like, she was playing. She hits, like, it was terrible. Like, but she gets on first base. And I see her hands, like, she thought she won the soup. Like, she thought, she won the soup. Like, she thought, she won the lottery, right? And I was like, that's interesting. It's not you don't raise your hands.

It's not that you don't give your hands. You're just selective to who you give your hands to. Because whenever I look back, I wouldn't have raised my hands when I first got into church, but the moment a little girl wanted to hold my hand whenever we went to the movie theaters for a date, I'd give her my hand. I had no problem giving my hand. The moment a boss asks me, hey, do you want to sign this contract to make more money? I slide my hand right across to make money. it's not giving my hand. It's who I'm giving my hand too. And I think a lot of times God's not valuable enough to give our hands to or my voice to my life to. For me, God's been there through it all. I'll give him anything he wants. My money, my time, my aspirations, my dreams, my hands. I'll drop

down on the floor, pray. I don't care. God's worthy of it all. He has, because I've seen what he's done in my life. So he gets it. Just like if my wife asked me to do something, we have been committed for 11 and a half years. We have been through, we have had negative money in the bank account. We've had more money than we knew what to do with in our bank account. Her love for me has never changed. She never, she believed in me. She loved me. She cared for me. She is such a good woman. Out of that, I don't feel pressured when she asked me to do something. I can't wait to do it. Yeah.

Because we've been through so much, it's the least I can do. When Jesus died for me on the cross, 2,000 years ago, died a death, I could never die, paid a price, you probably heard it a million times. He hung on that cross for me. The moment that happened, the moment I found that out, the moment it became real to me. The moment I realized every little piece of my life began to fall into place. Romans 828, God turns everything together for good. no pastor that I ever knew came from a divorce household.

How many people, 50% of the nation is a divorce household, can't no preacher talk to them in this, like if everyone, so God just allowed these things to fall into place so he could get the good. When I look back on things I struggled with and now there's a story I can use with power, I look back and I go, man, guy, you are too good. I just start dancing because I'm, I start dancing. Like that's my overflow.

Like I'll dance. I'll shout whatever. Well, that leads me into my next question. I'm not trying to interrupt you. I just don't want to forget my question. You're the boss. I did forget it for a second.

But that leads you led into it perfect. Perfect. Because I want you to kind of explain the differences, I guess, between, like, because a lot of people might not know what we mean when we say like laying hands and stuff like that. Because I think there is so many different types of like churches and things like that because and that's what I understand it. So it's not weird to me. but for a lot of people, and I remember being younger,

if I ever brought a friend into the church with me, I was embarrassed. Like, yeah, doesn't it always happen when you bring a friend? Like nobody, nobody speaks in tongues until I bring my visitor. And I'm like,

oh, why'd it have to be this weekend? Yes, and they'll, like, leave flag. Play in your head, what would happen? So,

I'd tell you like that stuff we'd. I'd go up for prayer. You would go up for prayer. Yes. And they would lay hands, the pastor, my mom. On your head?

Shoulders. No, anywhere. Their kind of back, shoulders, wherever your hands can fit appropriately. But it wasn't weird. It was never, would you say it was weird? No, but it was the mindset of like, obviously, if Christ is living through these people or like you're walking through Christ, when you, the power of laying hands, it's like that

the Holy Spirit is going through your hand. Well, I think there's power in touch in anything. Oh, yeah. Right? Like, does that make sense? So it's like there's, like, there's, and I think all throughout the scripture, there was. laying on of hands. There was, there's something about me coming together with you and like, hey, we're going to, we're going to, you and your friend holding hands and praying these boys.

Like it's, there was, there's something in unity. Like you've got people agreeing with you. You've got people walking it out with you. You got people in the fight with you. So yeah. Like now falling out and stuff. That's a whole. But like, yeah, like, we do that all the time. Yeah. So when people. So we lay hands and they go on the ground and they start convulsing or crying. And they feel. Oh, the Holy Spirit. That was good. That was good. Yeah.

Why not? But like how, I guess, okay, so speaking from my perspective of Benny Hinn. Yeah, you went to Benny Hinn. How do you? So I will say Benny Hinn is a. But I'm asking you, how does somebody know if it's real or not? I mean, I guess technically you don't. But like, what if somebody's not a believer and they see that happen?

And they see it happening. I think, I think the moment, like, if you're coming front, one, experience it for yourself. Right. So I know you can say, I can say, because we've been in it when it wasn't dramatized. Benny Hinn, we're at a concert, we're at this crazy venue and all that. You've seen it in the small intimate moments. I've laid hands on people with hundreds of people at the altar and I've been at them with seven people in a room where we're just believing in faith. We're praying somebody is pregnant, but they got a bad report and we lay hands on our stomach and we're just coming in a good. like when you've been in those moments, whether this is dramatized, not dramatized, this is real.

Like, this is real. I would say like I don't take merit like Kim and Kanye's marriage because I saw so much of it on TV and go, well, I don't trust any marriage. You don't do that. Just because one's dramatized and shown and produced and all this stuff, they're like, man, there are some real. really dope couples. They'll wake up every morning. They pray for each other. They serve each other. They go off on whatever God's called them to do. You don't see those. I've seen too many

closed doors, prayer meetings where we're believing in agreement and miracles breaking through where two or more got like there's only two or three people in the room. And we broke through in the name of Jesus. Just like you, we're going to run like we're feeling this way. Whether right, wrong, we said the right words, did whatever. We came together. We held hands and we agreed these boys ain't nothing and God's going to break us through and so I think and when people fall out I think like the actual act of falling out I I willingly fall out when I'm in worship and the Holy Spirit just goes I need you get on your knees and pray I choose to do that when I feel like man it's been a little bit since I've like dropped down on my knees and

pray like not the not the Lord I thank you for this food, amen. God, make the money work. Amen. But I'm talking about, God, it's been a while since I've surrendered myself to you. You can do that at your bedside. I remember the first prayer I ever prayed. I put my, I saw it on the, on the, like, old like kids, like nursery rhyme thing. I did this right here. I said, God. I was 19 years old. And I, like, prayed the sinner's prayer. Because I had never accepted, like, fully said, like, Jesus, I accept you into my life. I had never done that. But I dropped down on my knees because that's what I had seen. And now, like, I willingly choose to surrender. I humble myself, right? Like, I fall down, right? The moment,

if you've ever seen a bank getting robbed, they come in, everybody down, I lay down and I surrender. You are in complete control. Everything I have is yours. I don't want nothing else. And God will call you to do that. Maybe not every time. Like, I don't think every single worship said, every time I preach. It doesn't happen. But there are moments where I'm sensitive to the spirit. And that's not something your church teaches you. That's something while Darius is singing and all of this stuff and the and you're reading

the words and you're like, man, God has been good this week. Like you're reflecting on the goodness of God and the things that God's done. And you'll just feel something like, hey, man, like humble yourself for a second. Drop down on your knees and pray. Yeah. It's been a while. Because not every date I go on with. my wife is like a big date.

Right. Sometimes, like my wife loves Arby's. We started to, I like art. Like every time I do a wedding, we always go to Arby's after. As well we do, beef and cheddar. Love it. Beef and cheddar, large, curly fry,

Sprite, no ice, don't waste my, the room with the ice, that's just water. I can get that at home. Yeah. Don't do it. Not, then we have steak dinners. They're, both are intimate. Both are me getting to know you,

but there are different acts. One costs more. And there are times, anniversaries, birthdays. Man, I'm gone. Like, I'm in like four states this week alone. I'm in Oklahoma City.

I'm in Alabama. I'm here. And then I'm back in Tennessee. I'm only going to see my wife a couple times this week. When I get back, it's like, man, let's go. Like, I felt a little distant from you this week.

Let's go. Let's go out. What are we doing? Are we turning up? Like, it's more than just, let's go grab some food. and just like talk, talk about the kids, whatever. Like, their moment, and same thing with, it's, it is the same, if you'll keep the same

energy with God, you'll find the real you're searching for. A lot of times it feels fake because I've walked into it fake. Same thing. I used to date girls and I would lie about my age, lie about her, just so they would go out with me. And then I'm living a lie the whole time. And then I can't blame her. Yeah.

I walked into it. it. I didn't walk into it real. And so same thing. When you walk into church, man, I'm going to, I'm going to read his work. I'm going to worship. I'm going to pray. I'm going to get close to the Holy Spirit that lives inside of me. And when I feel that tug, I'm going to follow it. Even if it doesn't make sense, I'm going to follow it. Yeah. I feel like the last year or two, I've gotten way more into like meditation, manifestation and more spirituality. I feel like in the sense of you're in control of your reality and kind of like I guess you could say like spiritual signs like I'm very big on numbers and things aren't coincidence and and I do have a lot of moments that I feel like

line up yes for sure and I recently read the book I don't know if you know who Joe dispense is Dr. Joe Dispenza. What's that book's name? What was it about? Well, so Dr. Joe Dispenza, he's like big on meditation manifestation. Basically, but I guess what confused me about it and I tried to like look it up because he does a lot of retreats and things like that. And he believes in just to like this, the book is all about you have control of like your wellness and your health in the sense of like a lot of people because of their stress because of their negativity. They're sick and they're in control of like basically if you take your self. out of this constant stress that you're in, whether it's mental stress. And you run to meditation or whatever, it will better your life.

Yes. And like a lot of people have like healed themselves and cured themselves because they changed their mindset and they changed their reality and all this stuff. And like I guess kind of what you were saying before like why can't it be both? You know? Well, I don't think there. So what if I told you the Bible wrote that before he did? The thing is Philippineas four, six. Worry about nothing.

instead pray about everything is that not remove yourself from the stress meditate on his word pray to him so then why is that not that I'm curious I'm asking but like for example if I were to bring up that to like my mom

I feel like she's like doesn't like the words meditation manifestation she doesn't like yoga well in Psalms 119 meditating on his word is in Psalms Okay. How does a young man stay on the path of purity? It Psalms 119, maybe verse 6. How does a young man stay on the path of purity?

How does a young woman stay pure by writing your word, Emma, by meditating on your word day and night? But meditating on his word. Right. Not just, yeah. Not just home. Right. Because I think, I will say, I do think people, when they hear that word, they think, like, nothing.

Versus like when I'm meditating, I'm reciting God's promise. this is over my life that he spoke over me. It's like what are you kind of like meditating? Yeah. So like I would ask you like when you're meditating, what does what do you do? Because I've never, I've never maybe done what you've done. So for me like meditation. I mean, it depends on what my goal is for the day. But if I'm feeling like extremely stressed and overwhelmed, like when I meditate, it's keeping myself present and thinking of nothing. So like every time my mind wanders, like I'm going and literally, I go into my closet and I shut the door. I have like a million. And I have like a million. animal so I need that kind of like solitude. It's a zoo. Let's go. So I shut my closet door and I'm just

in the dark and my eyes are closed and I'm breathing in and out. I'm focusing on like my breath. And as soon as my mind starts to wonder of like crap, I need to take the trash out. I center it back to like you're not like this is your basically it's like a time of quiet like you're shutting off your mind. So you know, so the that also is a Bible scripture. It says take every thought captive. When you're in a season of, and I don't take every thought cap, I'm not going to butcher where the address is. When your mind begin, when the enemies, and we, the enemies, what are they saying? What's happening here? How am I going to do this? In those moments when you're, because I'll be praying and my mind will start. It's no different, right? Like, what am I going to eat after this? What am I get?

Right. Like, I'm in church worshiping, but like in the back of my head, I'm like, what's happening here? I think it's all about like being present. Take every thought, grab it. We're not going to dwell here. We're not going to do that. I'm taking every thought captive. I'm grabbing it. I'm not going to think about myself that way just because they think of me that way.

What you're doing, the word tells you to do. You're just doing it centered on the cause of Christ. What Christ did for you on the cross. And that, like, I mean, that's the big question, right? And that's the question that, like, you guys will have to ask yourself. like is Christ going to be the king of my life? Because until then, yeah, you're going to grab any, like, if I don't finally marry my, like, Ryan, you are the woman that I always want to be.

I will never be with another woman. Until that, I will entertain this until this fails me. I will entertain her because that'll fail me. I will, until I go, Christ. I've been entertaining. I've tried everything else. I've drinking every drink imaginable. I've taken every pill I could possibly take.

I've dated every single person thinking they were going to say, I've made any amount of money I thought I was going to make. A none of it satisfied me. Jesus, do I need to run to your cross and find my fulfillment in you? And I had to do that. Yeah. And that, so from then on, nothing else. I had everything else.

And I'm sure you guys have had, you've tried anything to gain any type of fulfillment. Fulfillment, satisfaction, because there is a desire, but the cross does that. That's what Jesus does. And so that, like, until that happens, yeah, you're going to do stuff and some preacher's going to come and go, you know, the word says that. You know, Jesus did that, you know? And you're like, okay, well, I want to try this and I want to try this and I want to try this. And it's like, or what if it all just comes back to Jesus? And that's going to be the pill you have to swallow.

And that's when you hear those people on their deathbed. They did everything else and they lay down and they go before, before I go, Jesus, you are the king of my life. Because ain't nothing satisfied me like Jesus. Ain't no one been good to me like Jesus. Because they lived their whole life and nothing worked out. Do you drink? No. Okay.

I just was curious. I don't think it's a sin I think being drunk is a sin and we can get on the sin like we can have fun like whatever but like for me I was wondering because I've seen I mean regardless of like

pastors drink no pastors drink people in church drink wine communion yeah no and I was asking in the sense of like I guess it is more so like it's not the act of socially drinking I don't think or just having like a sip or whatever but like I and I will tell I mean she knows like I don't really enjoy alcohol I don't like the way it makes me feel

afterwards, I don't like how it makes, not only does it make you feel sick, but then even the next day, like, it's like the depression, the anxiety, and it all comes down. You question everything you said and did. But regardless of that, like I did see something. I can't remember exactly what it said, but it was like a video and it was saying how, I think I told you, I can't remember what it said, but it was saying how like alcohol is evil. And I do think it is. Wine and spirits. I don't know though. Yeah. No. Uh, Jesus was the first bartender. He turned water into wine, right? I don't think, and we say it at our church all the time, it's not the heart of the matter. It's the matter of the heart. Yeah, that makes sense. I don't drink because in my, I wouldn't be able to spend time with my family

because I know they struggle with alcohol. Yeah. I love them more than I love alcohol. So I choose no alcohol. Okay. I want my daughters, and God forbid this was ever happened. has never happened. When my daughters, and they have a nightmare, they're 10 and 8, and late at night, they get scared and they run into my room, and I'm too drunk to grab them, to hold them, to pray for

them, to love them, to carry them, and they're getting big so they're a little bit heavier. I'll smack their head on the door. I couldn't imagine choosing alcohol over that moment. I never will. never will. It's not worth it. And I didn't even mention Jesus in any of that. Right. Then I'm somebody that has tens and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. If I went out one night and using what isn't a conviction for me and somebody takes a picture,

Psh, Pastor, Pastor, Pastor, they take a picture. And then not that I, not that I send, but that somebody that looks up to me in some way, shape former idea goes, Pastor Tyler does it. And he's a man of God. I'm going to do it. And then they get drunk and they go home and they hit their wife. Now, not me. Yeah. I'm not playing that game. I don't love, I don't love the freedom to drink enough. It ain't worth it. I did it, bro. I'm good. Yeah. I've had too many hangovers. I try to pray him away. I think I preached out this past weekend. Like I would rebuke the puk in the name of Jesus. Like I did it like, God, you take this away. and I will serve you forever.

Don't act like you ain't never. Boy, I have been in the toilet praying, throwing up in between prayers. God, I am never drinking again. And the next weekend, I got tasting. Same, yeah, it's bad. Just, I actually saw whether you like him, you don't like him. Donald Trump just recently did something he's never drinking a day in his life. Because his brother was an alcoholic and actually died of it.

And he said, if you never drink, you never miss it. Yeah. He's like, I don't miss it. Like, there's nothing about it that I, because I've just, it's hurt too many people around me. And I, with anything, porn, alcohol, drugs. Yeah. Prostitution, whatever. Anything.

I've seen it hurt too many people. Yeah. So I just have no. People at our church drink, we don't judge them. Right. If they ask me, I usually say it's unwise. Be careful. just be very careful

which you wouldn't run don't run around with that knife you might hurt somebody but you'll run around with the bottle not thinking about nobody can't do it so I don't

my wife and I we don't yeah that's great that was my main question we don't yeah we don't curse we don't yeah I gotta get better with that

no yeah I think whenever you're given children it kind of changes how you're wired but I think even before I had a child, I was given the Holy Spirit.

And it changed how I talked, what I listened to. You know whenever, like, you would watch a movie and it was like all vibes, but and then your mom or dad would walk in and like the scene and you're like, oh, they're here. Yeah. When the Holy Spirit came to live inside of me, you started having that feeling. He'd make me feel weird. Yeah. If I started watching something, I had no business watching.

Right. It's that same feeling. It's like, I think. Conviction. Conviction. I probably shouldn't be here. Right. I'm convicted.

Yeah. The Holy Spirit does it to me. And so I'm just like, man, I really don't. Or like maybe watching one movie is, it's like what I've seen is like whenever I like, it seems like a pattern for me. So it's like listening to the throwbacks, boy, ain't nobody throwing it back. Like, bro, I'm off. But then like two days straight. And I'm like, oh, it's kind of heavy.

I haven't really like listen to worship music. Like, all right. Let me get back. Holy Spirit, I feel you, you're uncomfortable, I'm uncomfortable, let's move. No, that makes sense. I also wanted to open it up to if you had any questions for me, because I know that you said you might ask some questions. And you wanted my audience to see my life.

Yeah, yeah. So ask a way. And you can cut this out if you want to. I'm just curious. Have you ever like prayed Jesus, like Jesus is my savior? No. First of all, first of all, why would I cut it out? I don't know.

Like if I don't know. Like some people are like, no, I'm not scared. Okay, okay, okay. Is Jesus the master of your life? Like, have you, when you would go when you were maybe younger 14, 15, 16, like Jesus, you are the king of my life. Like you, did you ever pray that prayer of like you are, I've confessed that I'm a set, like, bro, I am messed up.

I am jacked up. I am a sinner. I think they say ABC. I like, except Jesus is, what is it? Like, accept belief, confess. Like ABC. No, I haven't done it. I would, uh, I, is that step one for me?

Yeah, that would always be step one. Yeah. Like I would just like, is Jesus who he says he is? And I don't think I can convince you of that. But I think everything you're, you're dancing around Jesus. Like I think you're seeing Jesus in everything. And I did the same thing. I would read.

I would watch. I was doing this stuff. I went to like a Jehovah's Witness thing. Whenever I was younger, my mom like got into this like little like, thing for a little bit and we went and and it was like in a hotel room or it was kind of you know just weird stuff like single mom going wherever you know whatever and um and I just remember like when when I did start going to church I was I loved the church but then it was like what makes this one different than that one that one was you know like and you begin to test that and I feel like you're

bouncing around a lot of the conversation where it's just like I really just think the cross is what you're searching for. Yeah. I do. I think like whatever internal, I always run back to the cross. So I got to run to the cross. Run to the cross.

Okay. Because he carried it for you. And that's it. And then from there, everything else gets more clear. Because you're not seeing things outside of the cross. You're seeing things through the cross. So now this relationship that I'm about to hop into,

does it reflect and value me like the cross reflects and values me? Okay. So then I know like I shouldn't be there. Yeah. When you accept Christ as your savior, life gets a little bit easier. It's easy. I think it's easier to like decipher between. Yeah.

You know. If you just ask yourself that simple question. Let me read this book that tells me this. Let me read this book that says this. But you have to go, but is Jesus who he says he is. And I think that you, I think you've seen it like, you, now I don't know like anyone, if you've been through church, if you've like been in moments where it's like, man, I think I do trust that there is a God and, and did he make himself flesh

and come down on this earth and live a perfect life so that I could be in heaven because I couldn't live a perfect life. You know, it's something interesting I just thought about? Talk to me. I, like, sometimes, you know, when you have like a really scary dream, like you're dying in your dream, I have a lot of those. So I have had many dreams before, especially recently, where, like, in the moment, I've fully accepted death, like, whether I got in an accident or, like, drove off a cliff by accident or, like, an elevator was crashing down. And I knew, all right, this is my time.

And, like, in that moment in my dream, like, I fully was like, like, like, I let go and I, like, knew. And it's weird because in those dreams, it's like, even though I don't, like, live my life through Christ or anything like that, like, I do pray in those. movements or like I do kind of like surrender and just like so it's like interesting that in those last moments do you think that's something you're wired to do because of your pastor do you think that that's something that like is deep inside of you know because I'm pretty I'm pretty like stubborn a lot of times and if they were something that I really didn't believe and really didn't like like middle finger like I would just like I'm not somebody that because it was pushed on me I would do it I think if anything I'm the opposite like if I'm pushed I'm out so I think that it's something that I

really do. But you will miss out on a lot of dope things also. Believe. With how you can protect yourself by if y'all, like y'all want to do this. And I think that there's a lot of cool things that you can really like you can be you. You can be unique. You can create things on the other end. There are things people are saying, hey, come on. You need a good community to love on you. And that's what I was going to say to you. Does that make sense? No, it doesn't. That's what I was going to say mentioned before is that, you know, I think that when it kind of going back to the fear, thing. I think a lot of the reason a lot of people maybe don't want to commit themselves or turn to Jesus or faith or anything is because of the fear of like what they have to let go of. Like they're so, they're still, I think, reliant on like the alcohol and the toxic relationships

and friendships. And I think it's easier to stay in the negativity. Like as humans, I think it's naturally easier if you don't believe in anything to be negative and to be toxic. So I think that it takes getting to a certain place in life. to really be ready and realize that like Jesus and putting your your life into faith and and everything in between holds more value than everything else, if that makes sense. A pastor one time, Pastor Jason Scales, phenomenal teacher. He looks at me one time. I told him something that I was like wanted to do or something I was stressing about, something

like that. He asked me one question that he asks himself all the time. how's that working for you? It's not usually. How's the alcohol working? How's the club working for you? How's the dating app working for you? How's that relationship working for you?

How is it? Because I think that you'll believe yourself before you believe anyone else. But you never ask yourself. Like you're never honest with yourself. Right. Because you're always going like, I'm doing the right. I don't want my mom to be right. Yeah.

Mm. what if she was? And that's okay. I'm wrong most of the time. That's why I have a savior. Yeah. I think a lot of people fear not just letting go of things, but like I'm going to mess this thing up. I'm going to drink again.

I'm going to go back to that guy again. I'm going to do that. Jesus knew that when he died for you. Yeah. Jesus knew Tyler was going to be messed up when I really don't think when we were like saying, like my wife and I, we were like looking at each other. other like at the altar. Do you? Do you? I do. I do. I don't think my wife in her head went, he's never going to do something I don't like. He's just going to be the perfect robot for me.

Like it's just going to be a, I don't think she did. I think she went in sickness and in health. For richer or poor? All through the Bible, it talks about Christ and his bride, which is the church, which is me, which is you, which is you, which is you. Like, and it's a. marriage. It's a covenant. Like, he didn't die for us to be perfect. He didn't need me to be perfect. And something I would tell you or anyone, you're not more bad than he is good. You're not a better sinner than he is savior. You cannot outdrink how much grace he has. You cannot. It is impossible. Because I mean you are more powerful than he is. You're not. But he goes here every day.

Why don't you wake up, run to my cross, find your value in my cross, read this word, and change the people around you. Use the mess that you've walked through, that you are walking through. Tell us something about it. You'd be surprised at how many people need you, Def. You, probably. Yeah. They need you.

They need your story because you have something, you have the most valuable thing on the planet. It's one of one. Your story. No one else has yours, yours, yours, or mine. that's what makes me so valuable. Elon Musk cannot buy my story. I guess he could buy the rights to a movie, but he wasn't in every single day that I walked through.

And I can't share the small intricacies that somebody that has lost a brother. If you've lost a brother, I don't know, but you may not be able to relate to that person. I can. I am valuable to them. Why would I keep that to myself? Right. And so what God did.

in my life. It's big. It starts at the cross. Well, I guess that's where I got to go. Was, so your mom's religious? Yes. Like super religious? Hi, Mom.

Yes, I'd say so. My whole family is now. Well, my mom, my uncle, and my aunt. They go to the same church, all that? I think that they do now. Okay. Like, yeah. I think with family, you can be more critical.

It's easier to be critical. Does that make sense? because you know them better or there's like a closeness so I can be more critical. Just like your mom can be more critical of you than probably of you just because you're hurt. So but yeah, people are, people are broken. They're still broken. Like I'm going to do stuff that you don't like and you're going to do stuff that I don't like.

Say you gave your life to Jesus today. You said, Jesus, you're my Lord from today on da-da-da-da. And then in three days, I see that you posted like, hey, I'm still on OnlyFans, right? Like I would go, okay, like you're still working out yourself. Like you and Jesus are still growing together. My wife and I are more married an 11.5 years later than our wedding day. We're not less married because we're further away from the day I said I do. I'm more married to her now.

Yeah. Over the ups and downs. So yeah, you'll have that. But yeah, no, I mean, that's welcome to most of the conversations I have. my ex-boyfriend was a pastor and he didn't live what he preached. And it's like, okay, I'm like, I hate that too. Like, I don't like that either. But I'll probably say something that you don't agree with.

But I run back to the word. Right. Like, it's not what I like, what I don't like. And so, hey, you're not eating or you're not working. Hey, I just Googled this passage. What do you think about? And it's like, okay, well, the word obviously, like, that is a hypocritical moment. We're all hypocrites.

All of us. whether it's at the club or at church we're hypocrites period but I don't know if you were going somewhere else but to answer your question yeah my mom's religious I didn't know if you were

Was your dad religious? No so my dad passed away when I was 12 he was Catholic but I don't like I'm assuming not very religious because like I said I was raised Jewish so I guess I just kind of like went

the route of like my mom's side at the time that's fine Yeah, it's blast. Yeah. It's your story. Like, it's your story. Like, no one has that. Yeah.

No one on the earth has that. And when you really look at that, you're like, man, God's giving me something pretty crazy that I can use. I know, I mean, like, kind of just piggybacking off of that. I mean, in a way, I feel like, I know that this platform, obviously not in a necessarily religious sense, but in a community sense, I feel like what I've tried to do with this is make. people feel like they're not alone because I think that that's a huge problem is kind of going back to what you were saying of how you know you just needed to feel that support I feel like there's a lot of you know especially with social media nowadays there's so much out there but I feel like there's not enough positivity and I feel like whether it's you know your page with religion and you know being a pastor

and helping people in that way or even just something like this where people can just very raw hear people's stories and life experiences I think that it really can help people I mean, it can save people's lives, honestly. No doubt. Save mine. Yeah. And that's the point of the show and the key of it. So there's a young dev somewhere.

There's a little girl walking through the same thing you did that needs you. And you're going to go, God, go get her. And he's going to go, you're my hands and feet. Go get her. You know what I put you on this earth to do. That's your purpose. Purpose isn't how much money you make. Yeah.

Because the moment you lost that job, you lost your. purpose. Well, yeah. And that's not, we know that that's not true. Like, yeah, that's not my purpose is to find somebody. I always say as fast as you can make money, you can lose it. So you can't rely on it. But so, but what's your perp? Like, if you had zero dollars, what are you still, what are you on this floating rock? If it was an inch closer to the sun, we'd burn up. If we were an inch further from the sun, we'd freeze to death. Oh, I have so many answers. What are you called to do on this earth? There's a lot of things I could say. Well, I think, I don't think that, I don't know fully. I think that that's always evolving.

I think that I don't believe there's just one purpose. Yeah, no. You know? I agree with. Part of my purpose is something with animals. I love my animals. Yeah. I love, like my purpose when I was a husband was to be a Christian, a husband, and then I got kids.

So now my purpose isn't I'm a father. Like you're evolves. It evolves. Yeah. So what do you think like the underlying, like what's the message to we're all insane? I think. I want to help people. Like I don't want people to feel alone.

And even prior to this, there was the FBI. I also wanted to be a therapist. Like I dabbled in, I think, and it kind of leads me to this. As I've always said, that in a weird, funny way, I feel like wanting to be a therapist, wanting to be in the FBI, in a way, this kind of combines it all to a certain degree. And I feel like that all kind of dwindles down to. I want to help people because I think that obviously we've all gone through. through struggle and pain and obstacles and hurt.

And if only it was as easy as to go on YouTube and type in, this is what I'm going through. And then a video comes up to hear somebody's like very raw thing. It's just like we didn't, I didn't really have that growing up. Like I feel like we would Google things and you wouldn't get any answers. My cousin would tell me and I didn't want his answer. Yeah. And I just think that it, I want people. And I'm not somebody either.

It's interesting. Like when like I feel like in here I'm in my zone. Like when somebody walks through my door and they're sitting here, I feel like I'm very much in my zone. I feel for them. I'm listening to them. I'm very invested. And I'm very invested in what this specific episode is going to reflect and do for the people listening. But when I'm outside of this room, like I don't really feel this like, oh, I want to help people like on this show.

Do you know what I mean? It's like it is like a very different, which sometimes is kind of conflicting and confusing to me because it and feels selfish in a way because it's like this is my thing. And I feel like I am so open and so welcoming. And when I have calls with people, and I mean it. It's genuine. But then when I'm outside, it's like I notice that like, I just, I can't stand people. And like, and I really do feel that way. I say it all the time.

Like I like animals more than people. I think a lot of people are evil and they suck and this, that, and the other. And maybe I'm biased. But I think the people that come on my show aren't really like that. I think they're good people. But, you know, that can be a conflicting thing that comes up in my life sometimes. But I don't know. I think to help people is really what I want to use my platform for.

I feel like I've had a platform that was all about me and my relationship and my partying and my friendship. And I did that for a few years and it sucked the life out of me. You know, it got to the point where I was, I had more money than I knew what to do with. And I would just cry and cry and cry and be like, why am I so unhappy? And it was because I didn't have any fulfillment. I didn't, it didn't matter.

Money doesn't give you fulfillment. And now I feel like, like while yes, I still have my only fans, and that is a huge part of my income, and it allows me to, you know, be able to run this show and do something that I'm passionate about, which I'm grateful for, even though it's not, you know, the ideal thing, but it's, it is what it is at this moment and what I choose to do. But I don't know. I just feel like giving my platform now, and I've changed so much, I feel like I change every year, but being able to give my platform that I've created to other people makes me feel a lot more fulfilled and happy. and I know that I, like, I don't, I don't really care about views personally in that sense, but it makes me happy to see that, like, people's stories are getting, are getting views. And the show is growing because of real life stuff and real life stories.

And it's not only is it growing, but it's helping people. Yeah. And then I have my animals that I love, and I'm just like, I would adopt all these animals if I could, and I want to live on a farm and just roll in the grass and feel free. Yeah. Yeah. You want to help people. Maybe that's what God put you on this earth to do.

Because that's why Jesus came. Yeah. He came to help us get to heaven. And so now that's what I do. I go, hey, how's that working for you? Yeah. And that's it. I think you're really dope.

I think guys are about to blow your mind in this next season. I do. Thank you. I think he is. If you'll answer the call. If I run to the cross. Answer the call. That's it.

I answer the call for everyone else. I know. Ring, ring, ring, ring. Quick. What are we doing tonight? Where are we going? To church. But the moment someone goes, hey, how are you feeling?

Blessed, highly favorite. I'm the best I've ever been. And you fake it. Yeah. I think I was about to do something in your life. I do. Paul tells these people, Paul's about to be taken off, taking to jail. And he goes, I don't care like how fast it comes.

He says, he tells his story. He says, I don't care how fast it comes. As long as you get the same hope I have. Dev, I don't care when. I don't care. I just know guys put you on this earth to do something huge. Thank you. And I can't wait to be at your conference

where you're like sharing your testimony and like me and my wife have like our signs. It's like Dev's biggest fan. I can't wait. I can't wait to do it because I think that God wants to do something crazy in your life. And I know he will. I know he will. Thank you.

All right. do a prayer please. Lord, one, I'm just so thankful for every person that's watching online, everybody in house. God, I just pray that you just begin to blow their minds like they never have had before. And God, if they've been skeptical of you, that you would make yourself real to them, like you've made yourself real to me. Lord, we lift up Dev right now. God, I pray that you have your hand on her mind, on her heart, on her soul, on our finances, God, on this platform. God, I pray that you bless her in ways you can never imagine so that when she looks back, she goes, God, you get the glory because I couldn't have done it. I couldn't have done it without you.

And Lord, I pray anyone watching online that they might be in their car, they might be on the treadmill outside running, I have no idea. And that maybe in this moment that they would say, Jesus, I need you. The drinks aren't working. The club's not working. This relationship's not working. This vape ain't work. Whatever it is, it's not working. And I'm going to test you. I'm going to say, Jesus, are you who you said you were? And that you will. would blow their mind. God, we love you. We love you so much. It's your name we pray. Amen. Amen.