Old Man/New Man Podcast - Tyrone Allen with Stephen Canup

in righteousness and true holiness, the old man new man podcast with host Stephen Kenneth. Well, hey, thanks for tuning in to another old man new man podcast. I'm Stephen Kenneth. I'm here with my friend Tyrone Allen and this is my picture. That's my old man and you're looking at the new man and I'm sure Tyrone has an old man, new man story that we're going to get to today. Tyrone, it's great to have you. We just came a conversation but I want to thank everybody for tuning in. That's a copy of my first book, Jailhouse Religion, that most of which was written actually while I was locked up in prison. So I want to encourage you if you're watching us on Pando to click that subscribe button and share this with other people because I believe we're going to have a good time, a good conversation and I believe you're going to find hope and encouragement from here in Tyrone's part of Tyrone's testimony and so we're glad you're here today and I just kind of get things started off so I know there was a moment sometime where you really surrendered to God and you were born again. So let me just ask you, how many years ago did you really, and you might have been like me finally surrender because I was 56, but how many years ago did that event happen in your life? Could you say? Six, I've been in love with going on five years, so five years ago back in 2022. Okay. Where were the 11th, 2022? Here's what I'd like to do. When you get to that part of your testimony camp there a little bit and we want to share with folks, well, what brought you to the point where you finally surrendered and what was that like and what did God do and things like that, but I'd love to hear your background, your testimony, what was your growing up period like and you've been in prison and so we want to share that just whatever the Lord has put on your heart, how you'd like to share your testimony?

So I grew up in a small town called Temple, Texas, which is in Central Texas. We call it Temple Waco Colleen. I used to live in Waco. So dad was in the military, mother worked at TI, but my dad was a minister. And so growing up in a minister type home, his dad being a pastor, he was also the crossing guard and so he was a person of school. And so I'm the baby of five. So preacher's son, baby of five, dad's the crossing guard as well as the pastor in one of the local churches. And so having the PK on my bag, dad's the crossing guard, I was known, especially being the baby. And so being known, had his advantages and his disadvantages. And one of the advantages was that everybody loved the Allen family, but one of the disadvantages was, is that everybody knew the Allen family and that if you got in trouble or you did anything, it was going to get back to mom and daddy. And with Temple, I only have in one elementary, one middle school, one high school, and me being the baby, going in that circle, I got all the same teachers that my brothers did as well as my sister. And so they compare you to them. And they knew the relationships that my mother had and dad had within the school. And just growing up in that environment, two parent home, the home wasn't broken. And so for me, yes, yes, yes. But as a young man, learning how to become a man, trying to follow in my brother's footsteps as well as my father's because my father was my hero, I would see him work, then I would see him preach, teach, go to nursing homes, go to the hospital. He was my hero. So we would play preach in the house as boys. But I also wanted to be like my brothers too. And so trying to balance that at an early age was something that I never did, was able to balance.

and not only self, but in the spirit. Amen, that's right, yeah. So what happened as you grew up, did you? Well, at some point you ended up going to prison. So I know somewhere in here you started rebelling apparently. Yeah, so at the early age of 19, I ended up going to jail. But the steps leading up to jail were things that were all self, just being disobedient to parents. Not to God because I knew God, but I wasn't serving God. And there was a difference, I'm knowing him and serving him. And that relationship that I had with God was just, I go to church, I single acquire ersha, but I never was, I never talked to him. You have a relationship, is it a bad relationship? Yes, but not a relationship. Yes, yes, yes. So I ended up going to the county jail, being dumb, being stupid, stealing, stealing, and actually thinking that I was above the law, because who my daddy was, my uncle was a police officer, and all I did was just drive the car. And so I was thinking, well, what am I getting in trouble for? But having that two parent home, having the discipline of the parents, I was bonded out. So I never learned my lesson. So that was a lesson not taught in 19. So going to jail never scared me. It was never a fear of going to jail, because it was just county jail. You know, my mother would say, well, when they don't go to the big house, and you don't want to go down to the big house, they got a place for you. But I would hear her words, but I never did heat her words. And with not having heat, my mother's words took me on a different type of path. Because once again, I wanted to model my dad, but I wanted to model my brothers also. And that identity that I was struggling with was a sentence. So your brothers were living a little bit different kind of life than your father? Yes. Yes. Yes. So that's where you were. The identity. Yeah, I was torn. I was, I was, I was really torn because my brothers were doing things that I wanted to do. But with me being the baby, I couldn't leave, leave home, or I couldn't, I couldn't fend for myself, because I was a daddy's baby. And, and so my brothers was the one who introduced me to drugs, marijuana. So I started smoking marijuana. About what age? About 16, 17, straight coming out of high school, middle school. Emulating them. Emulating them doing what they were doing. And so I got into marijuana. And then I thought I could sell the marijuana. And I wanted to be a marijuana dealer. And I became a drug dealer. And in becoming a drug dealer, I thought I was good at it. But the things that came along with selling drugs was neglect from my mother, my father, the church, because I wasn't

attending anymore. And also, I couldn't get a job. But I always had a home to fall back home. And with me having that nest, I never did get a chance to actually live or walk on the home. So going to prison until you had a, you had a nest or like a safety net to fall back on. Yes. And your, your parents, you know, they're going to love you through things like this, or a lot of parents will, some won't, you know. But so you kind of had that, a little bit of security. So how did that impact you? That impacted me a lot. Yeah. Because as we get, as we talk more, I ended up going to prison five times. You did? Not, not jail, but prison. Prison. Actually, in Texas, in Texas. The Texas Department, just from, and from state jails to TDC, not learning anything. Because it's, it's different when you're, when you're out there and you feel you have the love of the people, love of the streets, the devil's giving you everything you want, but then your parents are there. It's all a lie. I mean, I'll figure that out later. But yes. Yes. Yes. It's all a lie. It's all a lie. And living though, and living the lie is not living the dream. Mm. And you wake up, yearning to build broken relationships with people who actually love you. And that's where I found myself, I found myself getting older, my parents getting older, and time passing me by. And so you went five times to prison, how long in total did you do in prison? If you added all up. If I added all up, and I'm 46 now, I would say I spent the majority of over 20 years in and out of prison. The last one being seven years, but I was blessed to make parole, come to the love of Texas, have the love of Kingdom Towers, freedom of Jesus ministry, glad tidings, grace, highland. A lot of churches that come along. So let's stop here. So for the people that don't know, Kingdom Towers in love with Texas is a Christian residential transition program for men. Coming out of prison, Steve Taylor runs it and his ministry owns its spirit of boldness ministry. We're associated with it, but, and I've got ads in the back of all my books, just, they didn't ask me to put those in there. I just believe in the place. So, but, so you do this prison time and it comes 2021-2022 right in there is when you're getting out. And so how did you, what made you decide that you wanted to go? Because Kingdom Towers is no drugs, no alcohol, this is, you know, you got to be on your, you know, you're going to be on your best.

It's for people who really want to start over in the right place. So, is that, did you give your heart to Jesus there or on the way there? What happened? Talk to us about that. Well, I'm being incarcerated at the usually in Gainesville. I, which was 30 minutes from home. So, I was real, from temple. So, I was real familiar with the guards, the layout, the background, the back roads and being in prison, being going back to prison. I knew everything. And I was, I was wanting them. That was just, just too smart. And so, I was reading the Bible. You thought you, I was really, you know, too smart for prison. Okay. And I was reading the Bible because it wasn't still in me, but I was living the Bible. I wasn't living the commandments. I wasn't living the living words. I have life, breathe, breath into me. And while I was there, Kingdom Towers wasn't even a thought. It wasn't even, it wasn't even something that, that it was an option for me. No, but I never made parole. And so, making parole in prison was big. If you made parole, you had a chance to go home. Early, early, they had to say, "Hey man, sit down and stay out the way." And so, I was coming with an F-I-1. And I never had an F-I-1. And Texas means you're not only going home, but you're going home soon. Soon. And you're going to have to go to a program first. Yes. And you're going out the front door. Out the front door. And so, God, I found that favor on me. But the struggles that I've faced in prison was, I thought I was entitled to commissary, male, to telephone and visits. But I didn't get those. I just got letters from the church that my dad, Pastor, letting me know what was going on with the church. But also, it was also obtained bituaries where people that had passed on. And my mother was up in age. I lost my father in prison. And while you were in prison? Yes, sir. November the 3rd, 2006. That's an awful day when you're in prison and you lose your loved one and you know you can't go. Yes. Yes. Yes. And so, losing my dad in prison was a feeling that I never wanted for my mother. And so, I remember my mother telling me when I got my sentence back in 2018 that your mama is tired. She might not be here. I might not be here when you get back. And so, I went to prison that time with a different mind frame. I didn't want to be a crash dummy. I didn't want to crash out. I wanted to get back to my mother. But I wanted to show my mother that I was living right. And my part of living right was just being drug free. Oh, that's what you call him. That's what I call him. That's good enough. - Yeah, well, 'cause she was so used to seeing me own drawings. and so as I was trying to get back to her reading my Bible and never going to chapel never They would call church, but I will hold my love prayer circles in the sale or under the stairs and

One day one the ministers now over it In Gaceville offered me to go to church and I went to church with him and I went to church and Inside the prison inside prison chapel inside the chapel Because I had judged it so much of people who just go to church to pass notes and yeah There were a lot of people not real about it Yeah And so and and I've tried to talk to some of the ministers of there and I didn't get the help I wanted as a response. I want so I was just turned off by church chapel. Yeah So I went down to the chapel with him and when I was there They was passing out these papillots and one of them was kingdom towers. Okay, so I took the kingdom towers Papillot put it put it in my Bible Walk back. Yeah got back in the sale went right back to being taught around and they said Hook out domino paper And so I reached in my Bible and I get out the kingdom tell it pep it and I turn it in the domino paper writing X's and O's on it And I even thinking about it. I made a domino paper Set it right there and set it on top of the tv in the day room. Yeah, well Two days go by I get a f1 I call my sister tell her. I'm coming home. I'm coming home. I got f1 I'm coming home and she tells me what look mama's in the nursing home. Oh And look yeah, I didn't know Mama's in the nursing home and uh, I'm getting married now and uh You know what your brothers are doing? Tyrone, I don't know what you're going to do, but you can't come here Wow, and it broke me Wow, it hurt me. I bet some of you people watching can I didn't hurt me. It hurt me

To know that the relationship that I had with my sister And then my brothers were not living how they should be living. I'd have nowhere to go. Mm-hmm. So what happened? So there's the domino there's the kingdom tower's paper It's sitting on it sitting on top of the door the X's and O's on it They call me down there to parole to one building Uh, she says, well, you're gonna need a parole address. Yeah, I said, okay, ma'am So I go back and um people are giving me all these ideas about right this place right this place and so um, the significant the power of the of the testimony of this story is I got the f i one f i one in june june So from june 2021 yeah I was right in halfway houses all the way up till December Of 2021 Six months six months Nobody would write me back. Mm-hmm. No one was accepting me. Mm-hmm. Um Tired it's just I couldn't get an answer and I was wondering why here. I am. I'm non-violent I'm not I'm not this I'm not that right. You know, I'm coming home We can run that we can run down a whole list if things were not And I was questioning I was asking god what what I'm going I'm going to do And and and and I didn't know what to do. I run across the prayer of jabas Yeah, um, and in the prayer of jabas it says god bless me indeed Enlarge my territory And it says that the god of israel did And I learned then that god doesn't Ask questions. He just answers prayers. Mm-hmm. And I'm beginning to pray to him And and I began to pray that prayer for god to enlarge my territory. I know I couldn't go back home And there's another part too of that that I wouldn't hurt anybody. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes

It's a short prayer. It's a short prayer. Mm-hmm. It's a it's a very short prayer Um, and then I should bear no pain. That's yeah That's because there's no pain because there's no pain And so that prayer was what I prayed every day for god to enlarge my territory and to bless me indeed Wonderful author, uh, brother wilkerson [BLANK_AUDIO] He comes, he says, "Hey, brother was sitting at the day room table. Don't play down my nose." I said, "Yeah." I said, "Come on, let's play some down my nose." You know, man, you the mess that F out one off, man. You've been here. Ain't never seen nobody would have F out one. You supposed to have been going in 30 days. We were having this conversation at the table. And I was telling him, I said, "Man, you know, I can't go back home. I can't go here. You know, I can't do this." And, you know, the girl I had, she done moved on. And I was telling him everything. And I looked down and I said, "This is a halfway house right here." I said, "Man, let me see it." And where we had rolled on it and rolled on the pamphlet. And rolled on for the Kingdom Towers. For the Kingdom Towers, we're at the Domino table. And I looked down and here is a halfway house. Transitioned in your interior the whole time. The whole time. But it got this excellent old, we were tearing stuff off of it. But wasn't what wasn't tore off of it was the address.

Steve Tyler's name. And we're the right. So I get the paper, get my indigent stuff. And I write Kingdom Towers. To my surprise, and he writes me back. And so when he writes me back, I get excited. But in this packet that Kingdom Towers sends you, he asks you some questions. And he asks you to write a letter to self about why you want to come to Kingdom Towers. And so I wrote the letter, heartfelt, sincere. I wrote the letter also, double-minded. Oh yeah? Because I wrote the letter, just wanting to get out. Just wanting to get out, OK? Because I want it out of prison. I want it out of this. I want it out of prison. And so as I made the commitment to Kingdom Towers and made the commitment to God. And I wrote it down on the tablet, like in Rebecca. I wrote it. I wrote it. The activation to make it plain. Make it plain. So he that reads it. And so I wrote it. We'll run with it. We'll run with it. And not knowing that God had already

ordained and sanctified that day and me as his people. I wrote it and sent it out. He writes me back, and I sent it back. I get a letter, and it's Steve. And he tells me-- let me reverse it. It wasn't December. It was November. And Steve writes me. He says, hey, listen. He says, in the letter, he says, when you get a chance, get me a call. And we're tall. Well, I'm in the gym. I can't get on the phone. I can't do anything. So I was scared to use the three way for other people calls. Because you're not supposed to do that. You're not supposed to do it. But I'm knowing the people of the jail, know my dad, know my mom. I'm going up here in the one building. I'm going to tell Sergeant, such and such, that me use the phone. And I guess I was so boldly in it that when I asked him, he said, come see me after a child. Oh, he did. And I said, OK. So I wasn't sending him out to a child. He takes me to his office. He says, he says, who do you need a call?

And I gave him Steve's tailored number. And I called Steve, picked up. Me and Steve talked. And he says, well, I don't know what's going on with Huntsville. I let him know that we accepted you and improved you. I don't know what's going on. When I get to you, I get to you. But you do have address. I've called the unit and you do have address. Now, I'm not knowing that my good friend that I called Steve Taylor today was so-- how was the word was reliant and resisted in his kingdom work, and that when he said what he said, he was doing what he was doing behind closed doors. He was working in my favor. And that was November. And Thanksgiving came. I spent Thanksgiving in prison. I called Steve back. And Steve said, yeah, he says, well, you know, it's the holidays now. You might have to sit till Christmas time round. He says, but I'm going to get you there. And so-- Praise God. Here's Christmas comes. I'm still in jail. January rolls around. Prison, actually. Prison.

I'm still-- I'm still there. Yeah. I started going back to the chapel. I started reading my Bible. And I started praying for a broken relationships and for God to heal me. - And I started surrendering. - There you go. - He tells me, go in the cell and give everything away. - God told you? - 'Cause I was holding on to, I was holding on to. - So you felt God speaking in your heart? - I knew it was God. - Yeah. - I knew it was God. - Yeah. - Because I was holding on to this stuff. - Well, one time you would normally do, it's like, I'm not normally giving on my stuff. - I'm not gonna give my stuff away, I'm here. - That's right. - So I had to get my mind out of the convict mind. I had to free my mind. I had to release everything that I had and I went back and I looked at the guy that didn't have nothing and the little stuff I had and I just gave him everything. I just, "Hey, here man, I'm going home." And I started claiming it. - Yeah, okay. - I started putting ownership of--

- Okay. - I'm going home. - Okay. - And when I started claiming it-- - I started believing it. - And started believing it. 'Cause I'm gonna go home. How I know? 'Cause I know there's men who called up here and this, but no, Jesus didn't tell me I'm going home. - Jesus told you. - Yeah. - And so I take my stuff-- - Basically, Jesus telling you to get ready. - Get ready, get ready. But I'm not knowing what he had in the store for me. - Okay. - I'm not knowing that he had what he had. And so, Steve calls the unit. And I'm laying in my cell and I'm laying in my bunk. And it's one of those hot days where you just laying in the cell and open the door to his rolls. - And then Texas prisons, for the most part, are not air conditioned. - The door rolls. And you know, if you know that door sound, if you know that door is sound, when that door rolls, they're coming to get you. It's hot, top up.

She said, "Alex." She said, "Come to one building." And I go to one building, it was Steve. Steve tells me, he says, "I talked to the--" - Steve was on the phone. - He was on the phone. - Oh, really? - And he was on the phone and he says, "I've talked to the ward. I talked to Baro. They're going to send you a parole certificate. They hadn't printed yet, but I told them they're consented to love her. And that you won't be needing it there at the unit." He says, "I got your bus ticket. You and another fellow will be coming in your day that's fairly worthy, the 11th." And so-- - Wow. - I run back, I'm a sighted and I'm a sighted, but I'm not committed. - Mm. - I'm not committed. I'm just committed to get down. - Still playing a little bit. - Still playing. - Yeah. - I'm not committed. I'm not committed to the promise. I'm not committed to my walk with him.

I'm not dedicated in my service. And I end up leaving. If I were at the 11th, Gatesville, with people happy that I was leaving, some was mad that I was going, but it felt good to be released. But I didn't know what I had in store because I had no money. Fitted out of the check, no clothes, nothing. And I'm going to love her. I don't know anybody. - Never been in the problem. - You know, never been to love her. Don't know where love her gives. I just know it's Texas. And me and a good friend of mine who's going to be with the Lord, Roger Yarbrough. He, me and him caught that bus and we were so excited with our leg monitor zone. We get the Dallas downtown and we miss the bus. - Oh, no. - We miss the bus. So I have to call Steve. And the relationship to me and Steve Taylor has, and relationships is big because I have a big relationship with Mr. Cannon, period. The relationships that you build with people, you have to build them off a trust, but you have to build them off of honesty. - That's right.

- Honesty is something that is not earned, is not given. Honesty is something that you have to grow into because of the sheep and the wolf. You've been a wolf so long that the honesty is in you and you think you are born with it. You think you have it, you don't. You have to grow it. It has to be seized that a planet so that the fruit would know it. the bus station and once again, he don't know me. I don't know him. I just know this man is getting me out. And he called the bus station, got me another bus ticket. And me and Roger both, me and Roger both. And we came on to Lubbock. And we came to the Lubbock, Texas. And I got out for that. I got out for that bus. And there was people that agreed me, me, me. They took me to Kingdom Towers. And they rolled out the welcoming mat for me. And that morning, the next morning, when I woke up, I didn't know what to do. Finally, I was a knock on the door. And a good friend of mine now, Dwayne, came. He's been on our podcast. He came and brought me dishes and plates. But I didn't know what to do. I wanted to run home. You have your own room. Have my own restroom. You don't have a roomy or silly or whatever. Nothing. And these men that have been incarcerated have been where I've been. Or just pouring out love. Try to help you. From the South Bank food bank, to Lubbock Impact, to the Dream Center, to the Humboldt House, to open doors. Taking you around, helping you get resources. They just pouring at everything. But mine was different because here I am 6'5", I was 2'40". I went down to see with Steve on it because the way knocked on the door, and Steve told me, he says, "Hey Bubba, there's a salvation on me down the street. You can go down there and try to get you some clothes. Why are you hoping?" And so I walked down there. I got down there. I met Mrs. Erica, who was over the program, and then they have no clothes for me. The picture. No clothes. So I got to lay mine on her own, gray socks, jacket chants, these big old shirt pants. I walked back up the street. I don't know how the devil will play your mind. I don't know how I'm going to pay the pasty because, at Kingdom Towers, they do have what you pay. It's a program. It's a program. It's a program fee. And so I don't know.

You got to pay your pro fees, in my restitution. So the devil's already in your head. I don't know how I'm going to do this. And Avenue Q is one of the worst of streets in Lubbock at the time. Plus it's February. They had a freeze. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff going on if you want to get into it. A lot of stuff. But I had my paper from the IRS. When I was locked up, they was giving out stimulus checks. So Steve tells me, he says, "Well, what you can't do, go up there on that corner, make a right, and walk straight till you see a Walmart." So they got a jacket, and you were in there. And let them know that you're trying to claim your stimulus checks and see if you can get them. And then apply for jobs, as you see jobs, because you're going to need a job. And so when I left out Kingdom Towers, there's a bank, and then there's another bank, and then this church is checking. I don't know why I was thinking me as a five-time fella, burglar habitation, possessions, and things like that was going to get hired at a bank. But I went in the bank anyway, because they had to sign, and I applied. And I applied on everything on the right side of that street. I got down to the stripes, I crossed over, I went in the Taco Bell, and right behind there is the Walmart that you're looking for. Right behind this is what I'm looking for. I see it. I go in the river Smith, and it's a catfish place. It's a catfish place. And I tell the man, I just got a present. I need a job. He asked me, "Well, whether you're not a cook?" "Yeah, I'm not a cook. I'm cooking 15 years. I'm not a cook." Now, to watch dishes, you're starting to watch dishes. He says, "Well," he says, "Where are you staying?" I said, "I'm in Kingdom Towers." "Oh, yeah, Kingdom Towers." And I said, "Yes." He says, "Well, I know Steve." I said, "Well, sir, I'm on the leg monitor." And David, the manager, lifted up his leg and said, "I'm on one, too." He said, "Do me a favor. Tell Steve that you talk to David, and then we're going to hire you. Can you start tomorrow?" I said, "Well, no, I ain't got no black pants. He's got pants and shoes. I ain't got none of that." He said, "Well, you look about my size. God was doing something for me, right thing." Yeah, he was. And so - Wow. - And shoes.

I put them in the little bag, big game. - That's God. - I walked over to the Walmart. As I was walking down, I seen the most beautiful angel I ever seen. - True. - And she was at the Jackson U at a desk. And I tell you, that lady today is my wife. - Oh really? - That's Tasha? - Tasha. Yes. - She worked for Jackson. She's working at Jackson U. - Really? - And she helped me do my stimulus. - Yeah. - She helped me get my driver license. She actually came to Kingdom Towers, poured into me. And I left there. - Wow. - Went back to Steve. Steve got me cleared. I started working at River Smith. Me and my wife of today, she would come by and she would pray for me. She would pour into me. I worked River Smith. I worked at River Smith from February the 12th. I got out February the 11th.

I was working February the 13th. - You got to love her on February 11th. - February the 11th, 2022. I was able to work on February the 12th. February the 13th seat parole. She told me if I worked 30 days, she would take me off the monitor. - Really? - I would go home and go see my mother. - Really? - I worked those 30 days. - It's just God right there. - It's just God. - Yeah. - And I was able to go home and see my mother. - Wow. - In that time frame, I told my wife, I told her, I said, "Listen, I want to tell you about me." - Yeah. You weren't married yet. - We wasn't married yet. - Tasha, who is your wife? - My wife right now for four years. I told her everything. I told her my insecurities. I told her my faults, my flaws. I told her, I told her everything. And she said, "That's your past." - That's your past.

- She says, "Let's work on the future." - Yeah, amen. - She said, "You know God." She said, "That's what I love about you." She said, "But if we gonna do this, we gonna walk with God together." - Amen. - And she said, "So you gonna stay here? 'Cause I don't believe in shacking." - I think the tower is right. - Yeah, 'cause I don't believe in shacking. - Right, right, right, right. - God's not gonna honor that. - And I said, "I don't need them." And this is my mama. And she says, "Well, when you get right, we'll get married." And so we ended up, we ended up getting married. And I went from working at River Smith. To the overtant where we had my beautiful wedding, man. - The overtant hotel, really nice luxury hotel. - Yes, really nice. And to walking with God in a different light. Because I surrender to the spirit, man. - Very good. - Galatians chapter five, verses 15, 16 and 17, talks about the spirit and the flesh and the lust thereof. And I learned to strengthen my spirit, man. 'Cause the flesh is weak. - That's right.

- And so I started strengthening him by going to class, by going to church service, by surrounding myself with different individuals who wanted the same thing that I wanted. - That's right. - But God was doing something in my life that they wasn't doing in theirs. I was having to claim ownership of my accountability, my walk, and what God was doing. And what God had for me was so big, I didn't know he had it. - No. And you know what, he doesn't reveal his plan more than about one day at a time. Sometimes just one hour at a time. You've got to trust him. - That's right. You have to trust him. - But I know, now we're getting ready to wrap this up here in just a few minutes, but just to let everybody know, give a little bit of the plan that God has shown you so far and 'cause I know you're graduating from ministry school tomorrow, and I'm gonna do my best trying to be there. But what have you seen God doing and the direction that he's leading you when you're talking about his plan for you? - God's plans for me, that he has for me, is part of the vision and the letter. I wanna emphasize something that I didn't share with you guys. And then when I wrote Steve,

I told Steve I planned on working in the office. 2026. I now work in the off field. And now in the Ardang pastor over at Grace, multicultural church here in love of Texas. I have accomplished, I've accomplished more than, I accomplished more than the inner man thought whatever to accomplish. God's plan, his vision, his, his calling on me was bigger than what I knew. When we finally surrender, it's amazing what he can do in through us. Right. Then we, so we, we can't do it. We cannot. We cannot. We cannot. I've, I've formed a good friendship with, with Stephen Taylor, Dan, Council Berry, and Stephen, kind of been having the blessed opportunity to be a part of freedom in Jesus ministries, not only as a brother, but as a family, and was able to go back into prisons, share my testimony, but share God's testimony, that he has risen. That's right. And he is alive. He lives in me. And he lives in you. The obedience that we have to the word of God, and what God's plan for us. Yeah. To hear his, to hear his voice, my sheep know my voice. That's right. And when you're in times of being tired, depressed, stressed, and you're your identity crisis. You don't know who you are. Your identity is Jesus Christ. Amen. As you're, you know what? Is there any other advice or anything else? The Lord put on your heart that you haven't been able to say, just look right there at the camera and tell them. And then I'm going to ask you to get ready to praise out. I would say to the men and women who are watching this, be steadfast, unmovable, always about in love in Jesus Christ. But I ask you to trust him. When you can't trust yourself, you can trust God. To do what he says he will do. You have the book, read it, basis instructions. Oh, I live in here on earth. It is a deed is a creed. It is your

papers. It is your birthright. It is your walker passage. You are not who they say you are. You are not who you think you are. You are a child of the king. And you're who he says you are. That's right. Amen. Amen. Amen. I love that. I love that. And one of them, I'm sure your favorite verse two, one of mine is Jeremiah 29 11 through 14, where God says to people who in captivity, for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope in a future says, then you will call upon me and come and pray to me. And I'll listen to you. That's right. Said you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. I will be found by you declares the Lord and bring you back from captivity. And so that's a message that all of us who have been in prison, we can really identify with captivity. So God has a purpose of playing a hope in the future. And I know I needed that you needed that. Yes. Yes, I did. And one day at a time we're walking it out and it starts in prison really. It starts where it starts wherever you are right now, wherever you are right now today. It says now is the time of salvation. And there will be signs like the dominoed paper. God will send send you signs and he will send people be open to receive. Yeah. The blessings from God. Yeah. Okay, that's great. Turn around. Praise God. We may have to do this again. Sometimes. Yes. Praise God. Thank you. The aggressive heavenly Father. We come down, Father God, saying thank you, Father God, for the day that you brought over our heads. Father God, we thank you for the two gathered in your name. But when you say we're two or three together in your name, Father God, you are there in the mist. Yes. So Father God, we thank you for being in the mist, Father God. We thank you, Father believers and the

nonbelievers, Father God, that are listening here on the podcast today. Father God, we ask that you strengthen the men and women behind bars. We ask that you give them comfort, strength, Father God, that they shall endure. Father God, we ask that you lift them up. Ask that you bless us, Father God. We ask these blessings in your son's name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. There's freedom in Jesus. That's right. That's right. Hey, thanks for tuning in. Be sure to subscribe, tell you friends, and check out our page on Pando and all the content underneath there. My books are there. Some great music is there. A bunch of other testimonies like these podcasts, some preaching and teaching. And just man, park right there for a little while. And I believe God will give you hope and encouragement through that. Well, thanks again for tuning in. And we'll see you next time. Tyrone, thank you. Thank you. Have a good day. [Music]