The Freedom No One Talks About [part 2]

["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] Oh, what it is, what it ain't! You already know that we're putting another one in that Pando app bank, baby! What's going on, everybody in Pando land? Oh, whoa! All the ladies and gents all over the United States of America, part of our DOC family, thank you so much. Genuinely, I say this every week because I mean it with everything aside of me. Thank you so much for being a part of what we are doing. My name is Trevor. I'm a part of a small church here in Northeast Florida, just south of Jacksonville, about maybe 25 minutes or so south of Jacksonville, about 40 minutes north of Daytona Beach. And yeah, I just want to say that I'm glad to be here. That's what I'm saying. I'm a part of this small church here in Northeast Florida that has a heart to help people champion every season of their life, including you. We have this amazing opportunity to be a part of the Pando app through God Behind Bars and to help you, wherever you're sitting, just grow in a deeper relationship with Christ. Or maybe to meet Christ for the first time, or maybe to see things in the Bible actually make sense for once. How many times am I going to hit the microphone? Lord!

What was I saying? Oh, yeah, to help you champion every season, and sometimes to make Scripture make sense or whatever it might be, and just to say, hey, listen, you're a part of this family. Genuinely, I believe this all the way from Alaska all the way down to Arkansas, all the way down here in Florida, which it is hot as literal Hades. And surely that's all that's going on. But with me this week, last week was trash, dude. Like, whoa, why am I talking like that? It was rough, man. I feel like the message, because I put my actual Sunday sermon in, which I felt pretty good about, because I put that in there, I felt like it was like saved. Am I recording? Yeah, I am. Praise God. It was saved. I went on a pretty big rant, and then I just couldn't get in the flow. And it was humbling. Goodness, was it humbling. And frustrating, all the above, as T-Pain would say. All the above, all the above. What was I talking about? Oh, last week, yeah. So it was not good. It was not good. But I would say this. We're kind of doing a part two to last week. So if you have not watched, at least go watch the message part of it, and you'll see where I'm actually sitting in our small church and teaching it.

I believe that part is good. The other stuff is pretty like, eh. But we're talking this week again about the freedom that no one talks about. That's really the title of it is the freedom that no one talks about. Like this is part of the good life that no one talks about. And you might even say, well, Trev, I'm sitting behind bars. How could life be good? Listen, I'm not going to try to pretend or paint a picture or make chicken salad out of chicken. Like I honestly don't know. Like I'm not going to be like, I shouldn't say I don't know. What I'm going to say is this. The goodness of God, because I do know this, the goodness of God is not withheld because of the work camp, the detention center, the county jail, the prison, whatever it might be, of wherever you are sitting. The goodness of God does not stop there. And there's actually a freedom in our life that we can taste and see that God is good more than we could ever fathom or imagine, better than we could ever fathom or imagine. And that's a huge statement. And I mean every bit of it. I think it just begins to scratch the surface of how good God really is. But there is a freedom in the goodness of God that not many people want to talk about. say is bold is like no one wants to talk about this because it's kind of peeling the bandage back and it's letting God heal some things that maybe we've been keeping compartmentalized in a way from him. If you've never been here before, typically I ramble and then we'll do some type of ride on something, motorcycle, jet ski, surfing, ATV, whatever it might be. I sound like I'm rhyming. ABC 123. That's what the Jackson 5 said. As easy as do re me. What am I doing? I don't even know. I don't have time to do all that. Getting in here lunchtime on a Tuesday. Lunchtime on a Tuesday and then getting back. Oh, you know

what? That's really nice. I love when FPL sends me my electric bill just right when I'm trying to have a good day. Right when I'm trying to have a good day, they want to send me that. Praise God. That's all you could say. Praise the Lord. Yeah, I think that's it. Not a lot going on. Oh, oh, I do know this. I've heard the Global Leadership Summit. I guess they're doing a lot of different things in different jails and prisons. Trying to fix this cable. Hopefully I'm not messing too much up. But anyhow, they're doing a lot with jails and prisons. And if you have the opportunity, if it is happening where you are at, do what you need to do to get to that. I think that would be really awesome. I didn't realize they did that. I've been to the GLS several times, not in person, but just like different like satellite sites. And I believe what they do for sure. I don't know how much I could say of what I'll be a part of that in a certain prison. Yeah, who knows? I have said before, and I'm learning this very, very newbie to the whole DLC situation of different places have invited me out to come out and to be a part of what they're doing, which I love. Like what an honor. Like the fact that you would invite some dude in Northeast Florida with a forehead, you could land a helicopter on to be a part of anything blows my mind. Just none of this stuff has worked out like we have wanted. So like in Florida, I have to get my PREA training, which I went through for St. John's County. I was actually going to be going into St. John's County, but then just a connection kind of fell through. Nothing like on a personal note or any, it wasn't like personally, it just didn't happen. But I took the PREA training through them, but I guess that doesn't count for the state, right? So it's like, oh my goodness. So just different places. I know Texas, a couple of different places in Texas has wanted me to come out, which again, I would do it in a heartbeat on my own dime, take the time off work, all of that kind of stuff. It's just, here's what I've learned you have to have. You have to have a chaplain and an administration that are going hand in hand to make it happen. That is the biggest thing that I have noticed. And when those two things converge, I feel like it's going to happen. And whenever it does, awesome. I feel like this one that might happen in Missouri, it feels like, but who knows? Like we could be watching the same four months down the road and it never happened. I will do, and I've made this promise to several of you. I will do everything in my power that I can, right? But I can't force myself into any place either. So if your facility wants me to come out for something, it would have to be chaplain and administration on the same page. And I will do everything in my power to come out there for sure.

Right. Cause, um, yeah, I think that's about it. I think that's about it. And, uh, man, I want to say so much on that, but I can't, I can't, I can't. All right. I got to get rolling because lunchtime is only so long, ladies and gentlemen, it's only so long ladies and gents. All right. Talking about the freedom that no one wants to talk about the freedom that nobody wants to look into the freedom that God is like, listen, this could be the greatest thing that ever happens in your heart outside of salvation, but don't miss it because of the package that it is wrapped up in. Let's jump into the episode. Oh, now I'm soaked. Sorry, these puddles or whatever they are. They just get deeper and deeper and deeper until it's like stupidly deep. So, uh, I guess we're going around that. It's in the socks! Hey, can I get down from here? These trails are amazing. Maybe I should stand up a bit more. You always think it's going to bottom out, but it doesn't. Here we go. We're getting to the bog zone. Oh, it's deep. Oh my God. I've got to keep the feet up on this one. I should have worn my proper boots. These go through anything. Oh, it's getting deep. It is deep, deep. Oh, look at that. You can see why people love this trail, especially if you're an off-roader. Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. Look at all the waders getting soaked. Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.

All right, here we go, here we go, let's jump into it, let's go to Matthew chapter 6 together. We've been looking at Acts chapter 2 where they come to Jesus, or excuse me, they come to Peter after he's preaching, and again, last episode, even though it's not my, just go to the part where I'm sitting in church, like I'm not wearing a hat, you can see, okay, I got them locks. A lot of people ask me, Trevor, what are you doing with your hair, are you just growing it out, which I am, I'm just letting the Lord have his sovereign will with it, I'm just letting God do his thing with my hair follicles, okay. Also a couple really quick housekeeping things I thought about and I did not say, I've been trying to do closed captioning on at least some of this, I'm not going through and reading these, that would take me forever, so forgive me if some of this stuff does not make sense in the closed captions, to what I'm actually saying, because some people tell me this, I don't believe I do. Some people say I have an accent, 100%, I don't believe I have an accent, but people say I do, and then also, sometimes I'll mumble, I actually mumbled a lot when I was a kid, and I would like say stuff and my family would be like, we don't understand what you're saying, you're mumbling, and I would get so mad, I'd be like, then listen better, do better at listening, okay, but it was really on me. You ever done something like that, like something that's in your own fault, but you're like, no, it's on you, but you know in yourself, it's on me. Anyhow, that has nothing to do with the sermon, whoa, Lord, Lord, everything's moving. Drop the oar. Oh, goodness, I did drop, I felt like I dropped the oar last week. Why do we talk about this? Because everybody rows, you know that, what it is, what it ain't, everybody is rowing. That's what we're doing, everybody is rowing, being part of that. As a church, essentially, we say like, listen, man, this place is like a big rowboat, and it takes everybody rowing to move it down. Streaming, you're like, how could I row in the DOC? Actually, there's a lot of ways you can, let somebody know about the show, talk about the

show, share the show with somebody back home, whatever it might be, say this every week, when we trend, man, it's all of us trending, it is not me, this is just a seat I sit in, and I row right along with all of you as well. One of the things I'm going to do today, on kind of the extra videos we do, I actually pulled the story of one of my favorite football players of all time, and his story, a lot of you, when you see, oh my goodness, I grew up watching him, especially middle school, high school, is when he was in his prime, everybody had this dude's jersey, everybody did, but his story is one of greatness, but also redemption, and this one that I pulled, it doesn't go into the detail like the Netflix documentary on him does, but I think this one kind of shows, at the same time, the part that you have to sometimes, in forgiveness, we have to let go of it ourself, right? But then at the same time, some people are never going to forgive us, but we still need to put in the work to just be a better human, let me say it like that, right? And meaning putting in the work, oh man, I'm saying a lot of stuff that I'm having to unpack, is really not the sermon, but I guess it's going to help. When I say putting in the work, I mean turning my heart to God, that repentance that we talked about, that in Acts chapter 2, they say, what should we do, brothers? And Peter says, repent and get baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, and then receive the Holy Spirit, like this is what disciples do, they repent, they make a public declaration of faith that they are a follower of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, and then they receive the very Spirit of God that has been gifted to us from our Heavenly Father, the very Spirit that Jesus had, we have now from our Heavenly Father, but what I love about this story, you have to go look at it, I want to give it away, what I love about his story is that he still had, man, he had to turn his heart, he had to shift some things in his life, he had to turn from his way to God's way, and I think that was really cool, his story, this doesn't go into the complete fullness of it, but I think some of you will enjoy it, I enjoy it, or I enjoyed it, and I woke up this morning, it was on my heart to put on the show for y'all, so that is gonna be at the end of the episode today, but we're talking about forgiveness of sins, and last week we said, like, listen, we are forgiven and we laid out the depth of what we've been forgiven, if you have never accepted

Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, maybe today's the day for you to do that, right? Maybe today is the day that you turn from your ways to his ways, that you accept that Jesus left Heaven and came to Earth for us, and took all of our sin and shame and shortcomings and filth and humiliation on him. The Bible says that he would take, that he literally became the sin for us and died in our place and he rose again three days later, defeating, defeating death, hell, and the grave, right? Like, this is what Jesus did for us, and he says, listen, this salvation, this forgiveness of your sins, this forgiveness of your wrongdoing let me just say it how we say it around here this forgiveness of the screw-ups that you have time and time and time again Jesus paid it all and he says listen well you just received a free gift of salvation what I love about the panda web is they make it so easy with the give your life to Christ button directly below me if you've never done that man you need to do that if you haven't subscribed subscribe to the channel be with us row with us disciple with us as well and then we looked at listen sometimes you got to forgive yourself and that's not easy right like I mean we all know what it's like to say something that we wish we had back but I would be willing to bet man if you're watching this wherever wherever you are watching from ladies and gents wherever you're watching from that there are some things that you wish you would not have done put yourself in some positions you wish you would not have put yourself in went somewhere that night or that day that you wish you didn't go and sometimes you're a man listen I know God's forgiven me but I've not forgiven myself for the disaster for the damage for the hurt for the loss that I caused and sometimes the hardest person to let the condemnation go against you is yourself but here's the good news of Jesus and hear this maybe if it's your first time hearing it or hear it with fresh ears or hear it with a genuine heart that wants it Romans chapter 8 says there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus that is from God to us and and from us to ourselves because sometimes we know the

screw-up we know the mess up we know the trash we know the damage we know the absolute the way we obliterated things in our life and the people we hurt we're like man I don't know if I can forgive myself I just want to tell you there's grace to do that there's grace to do that you don't need to continue to beat up the person that Jesus is recreating in you I talked about that a lot in the last episode then we said this too we got to forgive others and this is the freedom man a lot of people don't talk about we got to forgive ourselves we got to receive forgiveness from Jesus forgive ourselves but then also Jesus calls us to forgive others and Matthew chapter 6 I encourage you to go read it Jesus would say this and when he's teaching the disciples how to pray he would say listen pray this forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us and then he would say and don't let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one right and then he doubles down on this in verse 14 and 15 if you forgive those who sin against you your Heavenly Father will forgive you but if you refuse to forgive others your father will not forgive your sins Colossians chapter 3 verse 13 says this make allowance for each other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you know what that tells me people are going to have faults and people are gonna offend you guess what no one is perfect no one is perfect P-E-R-F-E-C-T perfect nobody I can't even spell no one is perfect people are gonna have faults people are gonna offend you like so like maybe this is just freedom I know this isn't for everybody but maybe this is freedom for you to hear this no one is perfect so quit holding people to levels of perfection let me tell you right now I sure early am NOT perfect I can promise you I am NOT for my Spanish friends el perfecto which means the perfect I think I'm not sure or law perfecto nothing masculine's L you understand what I'm saying like like no one is perfect they're gonna have faults and offenses and here's what the scripture teaches us to do remember so when this happens you're gonna have to stop and be like hold on just a minute remember the Lord forgave you so you must forgive others you can't be forgiven by God and then withhold grudges against other people there's

that story we told it last week Matthew 18 where the guy owes millions of dollars to the king the Kings like listen you got to pay up baby it's time to pay up and he goes listen I could never do this and the king has pity on him and releases his debt millions of dollars releases his debt the man walks out of that court moment walks outside and sees somebody who owes him a couple thousand dollars I'm not good at math and I'm not good at math but I do know this millions of dollars and thousands of dollars is not the same it's just not this is pretty big this not so much and the guy sees that owes him a thousand grabs him by that neck that old head holder that old through grabs him by the neck and says pay me right now Well, people are witnessing what's going on. And they're like, wait a minute, homeboy. Hold on just a minute. You just got forgiven for millions of dollars in debt. How are you gonna hold this dude who owes you a couple thousand to this standard? They tell the king. The king says, get your Rudy Poo behind back in here. And he says, listen, if that's how you're gonna be, you're not forgiven for the millions. Because what's the point? God has forgiven us of a debt we can never repay, but we can't hold stuff against someone else if we've been forgiven. Essentially this, God's mercy and grace will flow in and through us. And it is the greatest freedom no one talks about. Forgiveness. Now, I wanna say this. We don't like talking about it because it reopens pain.

It reopens wounds. And sometimes we find safety in pain and safety in wounds. We find almost like our foundation for life in these things. And sometimes it can be scary because you're like, well, if I forgive these things, if I let these things go, what is my life really then based on? And that's a real thing. I wanna say a few things here before we jump into two parts that I didn't cover that I really feel like God has put on my heart to cover. The first thing is, that's some good prime, okay? But the 1A is this. I wanna say this. I'm just gonna read it straight from my notes for a second time. Forgiveness does not mean reconciliation. And forgiveness does not mean trust and access is all back. Forgiveness is removing it from our heart because of love and mercy that God removed against me. And therefore I must remove it against them, right? And the only response to God's mercy is to do the same for others. Forgiveness releases my demand for personal revenge. Forgiveness releases my demand for personal revenge. Reconciliation and forgiveness are not the same. I wanna make that super clear. Reconciliation requires the participation of two people. Trust requires demonstrated change by the party who offended you.

Boundaries may still be necessary even after forgiveness has been given. Now this is good for us, and it's also good for those that maybe haven't forgiven us to understand this, okay? Maybe you need to realize, forgiveness releases my demand for personal revenge. If I've truly forgiven, I can't wanna take personal revenge against that person because I really haven't forgiven that person. Reconciliation requires the participation of two people. I did not say this in the sermon to the church, but I wanna say to all of y'all, and I never thought about it to this moment, but I feel like it is a God thing that he is putting on my heart for whoever this might be for right now, okay? Some of you might want reconciliation with people you hurt, but they don't want that reconciliation because they are hurt. You cannot force it. You cannot force it. Trying to force it is actually, you begin to lean into manipulation without even realizing it because you want the reconciliation so bad. There are people that I have hurt that I really wish I could have reconciliation with, but they don't want that, okay? As bad as it still hurts me,

if I try to force it, then I'm leading into manipulation. And when I lead into manipulation, what happens is I'm actually leaning into, because I'm trying to force it, I end up in manipulation because I end up being selfish. I just want to have what we had before, or I just want you to love me again, or I just want to be able to have this relationship again. Not everyone's gonna have this, and it doesn't make them a bad person. It doesn't make them the enemy. It's just reality of human nature. When I lean too much into forcing that leads to manipulation, which all of this is in the root of selfishness, I can actually begin to lean into some type of, oh man, what's the best way to say it? Almost like a witchcraft of the heart, and maybe that's not the best way to put it, but that's the best way I know how to say it. I can actually lean into that, all because I'm like, listen, I'm sorry. I am deeply sorry for what I did. I messed up. I was wrong. I did all this. I'm not denying any of it, but I want to have the relationship back,

and the person's like, no, no. I don't want the reconciliation. They don't have to reconcile with you for them to forgive you. And you don't have to reconcile with other people for you to forgive them. There are also people that have offenses. I'm just talking about me because, I don't know, like there's someone else on the show, I'll talk to them about it and ask them questions, but you understand the point I'm saying. There's people that I don't want reconciliation with. There's some of the hardest things I've had to forgive with other people. I do not want reconciliation with them doesn't mean I hate them doesn't mean I'm even holding unforgiveness against them all I'm saying is we're not gonna have a relationship again it's just not going to happen doesn't mean that I haven't forgiven you it just does not mean that I believe that our life is going to be connected ever again here's what I know if people who are withholding reconciliation against you please hear me they're not evil and even if they are that that is that is none of your business I'm talking strong here but plea if you trust me trust me here in this moment because what I want you to get is this I know it hurts but I believe God can still heal that hurt even if there's not reconciliation the question is will you give it to him will you give it to him some people will never trust you again some people will never speak to you again there is nothing that you can do about that except release and forgive them for what happened and then if they say listen I want nothing to do with you okay here's the practical thing that you have to do Lord I messed up I caused damage I caused hurt they don't want anything to do with me I can't change that because if I try to change that

I'll end up in manipulation and the root of manipulation is witchcraft I don't want anything to do with that so if they don't want reconciliation here's what I'm gonna ask God that you would heal my heart and you would fill those voids in my heart that only you can do like this is a through Christ this is a um sorry let me say like this I can do all things through Christ moment these are things that are only gonna happen as you draw closer to God you're gonna have to say Lord give me the grace to release this I have forgiven them I have asked them for forgiveness they don't want reconciliation okay Lord I am trusting that you will heal my heart if you want to do a miracle and bring reconciliation I trust you but if not I'm still walking with you I still am serving you Jesus as my king I can't do anything about that but I can love and serve you and just believe that you will do the miracle healing within me not everybody is going to give reconciliation that doesn't make them evil that's just life okay I was strong did not plan on saying any of that so that is for somebody I hope it happens now trust forgiveness is forgiveness it's letting it go I'm not having this ill will towards them anymore I'm not holding this personal revenge or I want to see them pay I am forgiving them I am moving on because I have been forgiven by Jesus I'm going to forgive them and I am moving on with my life because there is a freedom and the goodness of God I don't want to miss out on because I'm withholding forgiveness for some from someone else now reconciliation is an agreement the participation of two people trust trust happens when change is seen somebody might say okay I want to see maybe someone really hurt you man how real do we want to get let's just do it because I love all of you and I wish someone would have told me this earlier in my life okay now you might say Trevor you don't know what I'm feeling I'm not pretending I do I'm not pretending I do it all I went through and y'all heard my story and I've talked about my my son's mother and my ex-wife and all that kind of stuff and so I'm just saying I felt pain if that makes sense right I felt pain I felt betrayal I felt all of that and I also know what it like what it's like to screw up massively right and hurt other people too so now my son's

wife or my son's mother and I having a my ex-wife we have an amazing relationship she has a great relationship with my wife like so all that is like good I'm just saying the point to say I'm not coming at this mess from just like philosophy if that makes sense this is stuff I've learned okay and maybe maybe like hey this sucks hey bud hey pal this sucks maybe that's what you're thinking right because forgiveness is not fun sorry that was a little harsh forgiveness isn't fun man right like and you just be like man I don't want to hear none of this and I get it okay I get it because this is some deep hurt that goes into this okay all right what was I saying trust let's just say the reconciliation is wanted by both parties to trust that person again that maybe you over I need to think of a better word I can't keep saying that who did you wrong to be able to trust that person who did you wrong you're gonna have to see change in them for you to trust them again and it's it takes longer to regain trust than it was to ever give trust right we all know that all right so don't be like man listen I want reconciliation but I'm really struggling trusting this person again I'm really struggling trusting this Family member or whoever might be again Trust to regain it is going to take so much longer than it was to originally gain in the beginning Trust happens though because people see change Right when people see change then they trust that the words are not just words But they're actually coming from the depth of who you are or who they are to want it to happen All right So forgiveness means letting things go the ill will against somebody else so god can use that space to produce The freedom and the goodness of life that no one talks about but but Through that it doesn't mean reconciliation is going to happen I don't need to reconcile with that person and that doesn't make me wrong But I do forgive them and let it go the same way. They may not ever want to reconcile with me Okay i'm going to believe that god will do only what he can and heal my heart in that and then the trust man listen

If i'm going to trust that person i've got to see change and maybe it's for you Maybe I want to trust you, but I need to see change Now I I had this situation recently where Uh hadn't talked to somebody in a while and I knew how my interaction went with them and it wasn't pleasant at all uh, and there was wrong on both parties between he and I And uh, somebody asked me I said hey, listen, I have nothing to say about it and they were like man, hopefully it's changed Genuinely, I would hope that person has changed like I want that for them Like like even though I don't want anything to do with them. I have forgiven them i'm moving on But genuinely, I would hope they have changed in their heart, right? Like I would hope god has done something in them in the way same way He does with me like i'm not the same person I was before by any means and thank god for I've got a long way to go to what I Want to be and who I feel like god created me to be and I would hope that for them As well and the question and here's a way you could see if someone's changed or not Those things that they would have reacted a certain way before them watch to see if those are still there because I can say i've changed But if i'm still acting the same way when certain things happen, I really haven't okay i've i've beat I've i've talked about that too long. And here's the last thing Forgiveness is release releasing my demand for personal revenge Reconciliation requires the participation of both parties or all parties. I should say trust requires demonstrated change And boundaries may still be necessary Even after forgiveness has been given There are people that I have forgiven in my life that I have boundaries for that. I'm just not nope You're not having access. Nope. You're not going to be friends with me on social media. Nope. We're not hanging out Nope, we're not doing that anymore doesn't mean I haven't forgiven you doesn't mean i'm holding anything against you but sometimes the wisest thing people can have after there's been hurt and damage is Boundaries for sure like that's some of the wisest things you can have now. Here's what I want to I want you to get Forgiveness oftentimes is not even for the other person. There are instances. We just talked about all that but oftentimes forgiveness is for you Like for some of the people that that we might be holding unforgiveness against they don't even know it They don't even give a rip, but we're still holding this thing inside of us oftentimes

forgiveness is For you, it's removing things out of your heart if you will to give space to the holy spirit of god To produce what a good life is actually like and a good life has love a good life has joy A good life has peace and patience and goodness and kindness and gentleness and self-control Sure, are there things in life that are good like the supernova prime? Yes Are there things in life that are good like air conditioning? Yes, are there things in life that are good like vacations? Yes, but none of that even compares. Please hear my heart None of that compares To the fruit of the spirit being produced by god in us in the way that only he can When we begin to truly experience in our life what we are made to experience In our life what we are made to experience which is love and joy and peace and patience and goodness and kindness And gentleness and self-control where there's literally no lid There's as as some of them youngins would say i'm about to y'all don't even believe how wide i'm about to say There's no cap on that as some people Would i've never said those words out of my life out of my mouth, but you understand what i'm saying? There's no cap on there's no lid on that. Let me get back to what i'm saying There is no lid on these things like the abundant life jesus promises Is found in those things in the space of our heart, but it cannot grow hear me super clearly It cannot grow when we are holding Unforgiveness in our heart against someone else even when they were wrong Even when they did the crime even when they were the ones that that maybe let's just talk as real as we can call damage with inside of you that you didn't know how to control and the only way it came out of you was causing damage for other people and you feel like if I never had to deal with that person if that person never did that to me if that didn't happen to me I most likely wouldn't have done this those are real things that happen and we all know that but the thing is this the enemy will lie to us he would have these schemes as Hebrews 12 would tell us to keep this essentially this poison within us which is unforgiveness to truly experience the freedom of God that he offers sometimes we say man listen I've

given my life to Christ but why am I not living in the freedom it's because we're still holding on to unforgiveness within ourselves I want to give you this this one thing forgiveness keeps someone else's sin from continuing to live inside of you that's Ephesians chapter 4 it says let all bitterness and wrath and anger and slander and shouting be put away from you along with malice he literally says remove this mess from you be kind to one another verse this is Ephesians 4 verses 31 and 32 be kind to one another tender hearted forgiving one another as God and Christ has forgiven you I found this to be interesting bitterness in this situation scenario bitterness is often what happens when hurt remains in the heart long enough to take root anger may be the heart continuing to prosecute the case within you against them shouting can be pain demanding to be heard slander I'm guilty of this one and I'm like man been so convicted my lord I don't want to be this type of person slander can become an attempt to make others see the person the way our wound sees them and malice is when hurt slowly develops into a desire for the other person to suffer fail or pay I found this in a Bible commentary it says Paul seems to recognize that when offenses remain untreated they rarely remain contained I don't know how long I've been going so I need to hurry up because I've got to get back to work but I want to give us this other thing number one forgiveness is for you we talked about forgiveness and reconciliation and trust and boundaries forgiveness oftentimes is for you so you can actually experience the good life that Jesus promises yes even there in the Department of Corrections you could still experience it like the gospel doesn't stop we're working at those gates right or those fences or those walls or in that sentence the gospel is for everyone but then also I want you understand this forgiveness is is a decision and a process meaning this when you decide man I hope for many of you you decide today how I'm gonna forgive that person here's what it looks like Lord I asked it I want to forgive this person I'm releasing these people and I'm just asking that you help me with the grace to do this day by day help me with the grace to do this day by day because I don't want to hold this

within me I don't want to hold this grudge I don't want to hold this anger I don't want to hold this bitterness I don't want to hold this this this this malice a slander this anger any of that kind of stuff against this person Jesus I'm literally asking for your grace that you said I can do all things through you because you strengthen me I am asking for the strength to forgive that person now here's what's gonna happen it is a decision but it's also a process here's what I mean by the process because oftentimes we have to forgive the impacts of the offenses and the faults that have happened to us along through life let me say like this maybe there was something that happened in your life and someone did you wrong okay and then but that created this this chain reaction of things that were happening in your life let's just use money for an example okay let's just use money let's just say somebody's the most simple someone stole money from you well the impact of that stolen money is things are gonna get missed bills are not gonna get paid things are gonna get behind stress begins to happen anxiety begins to take over you now now you're beginning to freak out because you don't know what you to do all because someone did you wrong and stole money are you seeing the impact of what happened I'm using as an example it could be a thousand different things of an offense against you you might forgive the initial act like I forgive them for stealing the money but every time something comes up down the road of the impact of oh now I'm behind on this bill oh now my lights are getting turned off oh now my car is getting repossessed you're gonna have to forgive them again as those impacts are happening and there's actually a grace to do that sometimes we don't talk about that enough we don't talk about the forgiving the impact of the offense that was against you as just a big of an act as forgiving that person initially it's like keeping that space for the Holy Spirit to produce what only he can in us because what the enemy will do is he will exploit these things against us like oh you didn't forgive them because you're mad today you didn't forgive them because they actually caused this years ago You're still dealing with the pain today, and he'll cause these things

You'll start uprooting what God has been doing in and through you to plant seeds again of anger and bitterness and man Malice and slander and and shouting and all of this kind of stuff Because we haven't processed the fact that there's going to be impacts down the road That we have to forgive and there is grace to do it in the same way as the first time you say Lord I am forgiving that person for what they did to me and that Often is the freedom that no one talks about that is available Through you doing all things through Christ who strengthens you Forgiving not just the instance, but the impact Now I want to tell you a quick story, I'm gonna wrap this up and be done I talked a lot Because oftentimes the very thing we're seeking is found in packages that we don't expect Sometimes a very good life. We're seeking is found in the package of forgiveness That we would never expect like the true joy of life is found in Forgiveness of others because again, what do you say get rid of these things in your heart the verse before that we didn't read It says don't grieve the Holy Spirit So literally when we hold these things inside of us, we're hindering the Holy Spirit's work from working in and through us That's the reality of this. Let me tell you the story. There's this young man. He was 13 You know his 13th birthday for whatever reason he noticed this big truck Like he's never noticed before this massive truck this beautiful truck And he noticed it and he said dad. I know I just turned 13, but when I turned 16, I want that truck That's it. Okay, son. Well, you know you got a You know Keep your grades up all that kind of stuff and the kid takes this to heart and his dad starts to see And this kid even at 13 is serious about this or the dad starts saving money And starts saving money and on the 14th birthday the son brings it up again dad two more years Two more years and there's that truck that I want this the dad starts saving money for it and saving money for now It's 15th birthday says dad. We're a year away from from me wanting this truck I'm a year away the dad knows and he knows he's gonna be able to have the money for the son So there's just joy on both

Parties of this essentially and the son goes and he gets his learner's permit and that year of him 15 He's learning how to drive and on his 16th birth birthday He wakes up and him and his dad go down to the DMV and the son takes his driver's test He gets his driver's license is excited. They jump in the truck and the son's like dad. Are we going to get the truck? Are we going to get the truck and the dad just looks? and he smiles He nods he puts his truck in reverse They back out of the DMV they go To the dealership and as a son can see the dealership picture this in the mind as the as the boy can see the dealership coming up on the road Excitement is building what he has wanted for year after year after year is right there He's kept his grades up. He's done everything, right? His dad has saved the money and here we go the thing I've wanted since I was 13 is just a few hundred yards away as they get closer to the dealership He hears his dad turn his blinker on he feels the brake of the truck as his dad begins to pull into this dealership And there it is Gorgeous truck seems like it's shining like never before and he has looked at pictures of this forever and The boy is so excited I'm finally getting it and the dad puts his truck in park The son goes to throws his seatbelt off goes to grab the door and the dad says whoa Samoa the dad reaches in the backseat and he Grabs this small box. Let's just say it was this big He grabs this small box and it's wrapped up and he says son first. I want you to open this And he hands it to the son Sounds a little confused. He's like, okay. All right, whatever He opens it up he sees this this box and he opens the box up and it's a Bible for a split second. He thought maybe in this box or the keys to the truck. That'd be cool to me He could have just handed him to him. Maybe it's here. But that's not there goes my prime, but that's not the case at all

Sorry about that, that's not the case at all The son's looking at this Bible in this box. He looks back at his dad and he's like, I don't that uh, I Honestly don't really understand And the dad says, son, you've done everything right, and we have the money, but I'm just going to tell you, we're not getting that truck today. The son feels the blood rushing out of his face in disbelief. The dad points to the Bible and he says, son, listen, I know you want that, but this is something I've really been praying about. And I feel like you need to see what is in that book, meaning the Bible, because what is in that book will prepare you for the places that truck will take you. The son's 16. He doesn't understand. He's actually begins to get furious. He feels the blood, not just rush from his face. Now there's anger that is beginning to happen. He begins to try to maybe talk to it like, dad, wait, wait, wait, what, what, what? I could read the Bible and have the book. People have Bibles and, and trucks all the time. I can do, but I'll even put it on the dash. What do you mean? The dad says, son, I just really believe in my heart that that what's in that book, what's in that Bible is going to prepare you for the places that truck is going to take you. And the dad says, Hey, let's put your seatbelt on. Let's go meet your mom for breakfast. And he puts the truck in reverse and they pull out of the dealership. The son is, is, is furious. He doesn't even understand. There becomes some inside of him. He doesn't not, he wants nothing to do with that Bible now because he feels like his dad tricked him.

He feels like his dad led him on for years. I mean, he literally said, I have the money for it, but we're not going to do it yet that I need what is in this book to, to prepare me for where this truck is taking me. That makes no sense. That's something like we, you know, like Kenny Chesney, poetic mess. Like, what are we talking about? This bitterness doesn't go away. The days turns to weeks and the weeks turn to months and the months turn to year. Eventually the son graduates high school. He goes to college. He ends up getting his own truck in his own way and he's in college and he rarely comes home for college. And from that 16th birthday, that relationship with him and his dad had become to get more distant and more distant and more distant. And what became as confusion and frustration and anger as a 16 year old boy actually began to take root inside this young man's heart of unforgiveness towards his dad. His dad must not have really loved him. His dad must not really cared because if he did, it was a stupid truck. Why wouldn't you just do that, dad? Look, look where the relationship is at now, dad. He gets a call one day and says, Hey, listen, you need to get home. However, you can get here, fly, drive, whatever your dad's about to pass. And even in that moment, this son is still so hurt over what happened on his 16th birthday. He pauses. He doesn't go right away. Eventually he says, I need to probably go. But as the story would have it, he doesn't get there in time. And the dad has passed away by the time he gets there. And the son just, I mean, his emotions, as you can imagine, are just all over the place. How did something that was so good in this few years get so distant and now he's gone.

His mom asked him to come back to the house after the funeral and begin to just go through things, kind of move some stuff out. And the young man ends up finding himself back in his childhood bedroom and he's going through some things and he ends up in his closet and he sees that very box that his dad handed him that day on his 16th birthday. He says, maybe, maybe the time's right. Maybe I do need to see what was in that books. And he grabs that box down and he opens the box and takes that Bible out and he holds it and it's a moment where he's like, man, this is a gift from my dad. Even though like whatever the relationship became, this is a gift from my dad. He begins to flip it open, he begins to flip through the pages, he begins to flip through the pages and eventually somewhere through it just opens up perfectly and he sees a blank check in that Bible with a note that is from his dad that says this, I figured once you got to this page, you were ready for that truck. Now go get what you've worked so hard for because this book has prepared you for. the places that truck is going to take you. And what's the point? Please hear me. What's the point? Sometimes the very thing we want so badly is wrapped up in a package we least expect. And inside of it is that blank check from our Heavenly Father that says, you're ready. You're ready now to experience the very things your heart desires. God never holds goodness back from us. But what we will see is when we hold on to unforgiveness, we actually quench, we hinder, we grieve the greatest things the Holy Spirit could ever produce in and through a human on this planet. I'm begging you. I'm begging you. If you have unforgiveness in your heart, bring it to God. Let it begin to walk, let yourself begin to walk this out with Him.

Let it be a decision. Look for His strengthening grace as you still navigate the impacts of what happened. Realize it is for you more than it is for anybody else. And know this, forgiveness is letting things go, letting it go. I've been forgiven, so I will forgive. Reconciliation does not have to happen before forgiveness. If you're wanting it from someone else and they say no, God can heal you of that pain that you think you can't go on without, you can. Trust is demonstrated through change. And sometimes the wisest thing you can do is have boundaries. This is, ladies and gents in Pando land, this is the freedom that nobody talks about. My name is Trevor. I love you guys so much. God bless you. I'll see you right here next week. I'm going to make a change for once in my life. It's going to feel real good, going to make a difference, going to make it right. As I turned up the collar on my favorite winter coat, there's a wind that's blowing my mind. I see the kids in the street with not enough to eat. Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their needs? A son of disregard, a broken bottle top, and a one-man show. They follow each other on the wind, you know, because they got nowhere to go. That's why I want you to know. I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. No message could have been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change. I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love. It's time that I realize there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan. Could it be really me pretending that they're not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart, and a washed out dream. They follow the pattern of the wind, you see, because they got no place to be. That's why I'm starting with me. I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. No message could have been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change. I'm starting with a man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways No message could have been any clearer If you want to make the world a better place Take a look at yourself and then make a change I'm starting with a man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways No message could have been any clearer If you want to make the world a better place Take a look at yourself and then make that change All right we got some crazy crowds up here around Rick Ross's house This car is sitting front and center right here Twin Turbo LS 1962 Chevy Impala Check it out got the turbos right there next to the headlights Now next up this is the gray matter this car won the Riddler award either 2025 or 2024 Beautiful car this has to be one of the most well-done nomads in existence Saw it at Detroit Autorama earlier this year And as you can imagine from a Riddler winner the undercarriage is just as detailed as the exterior This car is insane all right before we get to the rest of the cars up here in the the driveway we're gonna catch some of these ones on the outside a little bit This is a 1963 Chevy Impala saw this car out at Detroit Autorama as well This is a 1973 Chevy Impala saw this car out at Detroit Autorama as well Full custom interior of course Check it out we got the starlight in the trunk hopefully you guys can see it good It's pretty bright out here I can't see the screen that well so Beautiful car I love the color next we want some chocolate All right next up we got a 1975 Chevrolet Caprice

and this car has been undercover until this morning so it's actually the first time I'm seeing this car 1100 horsepower supercharged 427 stroker absolutely insane Wow look at the trim on the side of the seats I hope you guys can see that they got leds in them this car's name is Holy Ghost Even got the matching golf cart to it right there nice wow Got the Holy Ghost and the the stands I don't know if you guys could see the mirror underneath it the oil pan transmission pan everything is all engraved Beautiful car All right next up we got I-95 Motorsports entry to the Rick Ross car show this car's name is Insanity and it's pretty obvious why this thing is crazy insane Supercharged LT4 super detailed engine bay nice sheet metal work you see the mirrors underneath it just as clean as the exterior Wow Just as clean as the exterior Wow Back up and get a good side view of this thing Big shout out to I-95 Motorsports follow them on all social media for crazy insane builds like that car All right Now we're making our way up. We're about to be at Rick Ross's front door guys got security coming through Check out a couple 57 Chevy low-riders It's pretty congested around here, so sorry not really getting good clean video for you guys like I like to do but What do you expect it's a Rick Ross car show Check out the paint on this All the pumps engraved Now this one's super cool because this one has the matching go-kart with it so check it out So we got the go-kart right there, we'll get to that in just a second 57 Chevy Bel Air this one is not a low-rider 502 big block Green and silver is looking really good. Not sure I've seen this color combo before but it it works

So cool got the matching go-kart check it out That is crazy Here We got another 57 Chevy Bel Air. This is the boss edition. I'm assuming this is one of Rick Ross's personal cars supercharged LS Back up and get a good side view of this one while it's clear. Whoo It's cool how they have different styles of 57s like we got a couple low-riders then you just got like Resto Mods Pretty cool. Which one's your favorite? Green the green one with the matching go-kart. Yeah Yeah, I do too We got the Porta Miami chopper nice 57 Chevy Bel Air Golf cart That's where Rick Ross's front door right now This is literally Ross's front door. We got a Monte Carlo SS go-kart My dude 57 Freddy right here. So 57. How you doing, bro? You're good. Dude. This is awesome, man Big Freddy right there. He's the one that gave me the invite to come out here. So Huge shout out to 57 Freddy because without him I wouldn't be here This is crazy See 57 that was 57 Freddy and it shook hands with right there taking a picture Here we got a Caprice classic this one's got a supercharged LS in it as well Another one of Ross's personal cars here And I believe these sorry go ahead sorry, no, you're good appreciate you though So comedian Mike Epps. This is his little mini bike here And I believe this 57 Chevy is his and there's another car up there. I believe it says also I'm not sure about the next one. We're about to see Yeah This is crazy Look at the detail on the engine bay like that looks like it should be in the jewelry store

So next up we got a 57 Chevy Bel Air lowrider This thing is extremely detailed. Also, check it out the gas tanks all engraved Everything chromed out Near Dallas Yeah, what's up sick cars and trucks follow on all social media Yes, sir, appreciate it 57 Chevy Bel Air lowrider right here Nice Wow, look at the engine bay on this one. Also all chromed out like It's just crazy how detailed these cars are everywhere is a work of art every every piece on it, it's crazy I Believe this is Mike Epps also. I'm not sure about the green one, but I think the red one and this one are Mike Epps. Wow, it doesn't get any cleaner than that. I think this one has the original engine in it, which is cool to see. 59 Chevy Impala. This car is powered by LT1, sitting on a Roadster Shop chassis. Yeah, this is one of my favorites for sure. Check out the mirrors underneath it. That blue one. Excuse me, bro. That interior is crazy. What a beautiful 59 Impala. Now we're back to the gray matter. And last but not least, guys, this is one of my favorite things of the show. You guys already saw the hauler there. It's funny, but this is one of my favorite things of the whole show right here. This is so cool. Who does this to a zero turn? Rick Ross, the boss. He does. That's what I'm talking about. It's got a stereo system on it. Coral One forged wheels. Absolutely crazy. Check it out. We got a Chevy Impala bench here. It's a pretty cool piece of yard art and a car made out of trees or something, I guess. Pretty wild. I want to play a real cigar. Oh, wait. Wow. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Welcome back to the channel. This weekend we're in Onaway, Michigan for the Great Lakes Big Rig Challenge. This is a semi-truck race, uphill, sometimes loaded, sometimes unloaded with trucks ranging anywhere from old school mechanical trucks to 3,000 horsepower, big power, big compound

turbo setups. We're bringing you with us for all the action, starting right now. Just based on sheer **** luck, I'm going to see if this truck's fast. We're going to see just how fast right now. The burnout looks wicked. So much black smoke. And a very unique smoke jack out of this truck. When these trucks are running without trailers, that means they're racing bobtail, and that is a 500-foot racing surface so that before they go over the hill, they're letting off the throttle so they get on the brakes harder. When they're racing loaded, they've got 120,000 pounds behind them, there's 2,000 pieces of lumber on here. These look like four-by-six-inch pieces of lumber, 2,000 of them, a lot of weight. And then when they're loaded, they're racing the 700-foot distance, the finish line's right at the top of the hill. Yes, sir. You got a rocker? Give him a drink. That's a whole lot of smoke. I cannot see anything past that. Not the right gear for him. Right lane. Right lane. That thing looks so cool. That blue truck's fast too, man. Tell me what you've got going on with this booter down there. It's just a 14-liter Detroit. We did a couple new things, a new turbo setup over the winter, and I've done one pass which seems to be working good. That was your test pass?

That was a test pass. It looked really good. First run since last year. So far, I'm pretty happy with it. Any guesses on how much power it makes? I know there's a lot of secrets in this world. I've never been on a dyno, and I don't want to say because it causes too much riff-raff. I have my opinion, and other people have their opinions, so it's got horsepower. Where are you guys from? Port Perry, Ontario. Awesome. Well, cool. Well, good luck this weekend. Well, thank you. In the crazy A-class here, the trucks with the orange stickers on the windshield, there's a lot of secrets. No one really wants to tell anyone what they're using, so you're not really going to get many details out on the turbos. Maybe engine modifications, we're just going to get some basic details on the trucks. This thing just looks neat. I love the exhaust deck on the side. It's a unique look I haven't seen on any other truck here yet. You don't have any stacks in the back, it just makes the cab real plain. Most of these trucks in the A-Class that this truck's in are close to 3,000 horsepower, if not higher. And it's very tricky without a trailer here, because without 120,000 pounds behind you, you've got to launch this truck with near 3,000 horsepower without spinning the tires and get out of the hole really good. The super dog he was racing up here got him on the tree and didn't spin the tires much, and he was out a truck ahead of him right off the bat, and it's hard to make that up in 500 feet. This is a semi with my favorite idol blowing smoke through it all. Over here, one of the Eagleson brothers racing the brown truck right next to her. It's a good race. I loved watching this truck run last year.

Let's see how this race goes. You're going to be a football player when you grow up. Today is the best day of your life. Believe me. Give me eight years of daylight, that's all right. Greatest year I've ever known. What a ride it's been. You're going to be a football player when you grow up. Today is the best day of your life. Believe me. Give me eight years of daylight, that's all right. Greatest year I've ever known. What a ride it's been. Today is the best day of your life. Believe me. Give me eight years of daylight, that's all right. Greatest year I've ever known. What a ride it's been. When you make a mistake, you have to live with the consequences. I think he'll be remembered as the person who was involved in dogfighting. That's never going to be forgotten. Some people are never going to truly trust you. Some people are never going to truly allow you to let go of your past. I mean, I was living the time of my life. 23 years old, 35 plus million dollars. I mean, what are you going to do? I'm pretty sure if y'all was in that situation, y'all probably wouldn't have did what I did. I understand the situation that y'all are in. I understand how hard it is to come back from a felony. I was in that cell right in the front. Without struggle, man, you'll never make change. My life changed for the better.

It's a blessing to see that you made it. It gives us at least hope. Saying that somebody else can have a second chance at making it. Like one of his runs, Michael Vick's path to redemption is at times winding and seems endless. The Michael Vick experience was a dance between trouble and triumph, on and off the field. When he was a kid and played tag, he was never it. It was like having Barry Sanders back there as a quarterback. The most dynamic, athletic quarterback that there ever was. I'm going to give him all this, baby. I'm going to give him all that. He was the most thrilling player of a generation, who became the most reviled. This guy had everything, and he risked it all and ended up losing it all because he wanted to have dogs fight against each other. What planet are we on? A man who seemed to have everything had to start from nothing once again. So I grew up right up in here. This is my house right here on the corner. Growing up, we always had more than most, but it still wasn't enough. I seen a lot of things that I wasn't supposed to see. I seen dead cab drivers. I seen crack being slung. I seen shootouts. Not the easiest city to live in. Newport News is a tough town, affectionately referred to as bad news. bad news from those of us that are from there. His dad, he didn't pay any attention to the kids. You know, I did everything. My dad liked to run the streets. You know, my dad liked to do his thing. My dad really went down the wrong path. Growing up with a dad that was on drugs, that was abusive to his mother, it's some things that he probably wanted from that relationship but just couldn't get. It's like, is this the road that I take in life? Is this the road that I want to take in life?

Fearing her son would follow in his father's footsteps, Brenda Vick signed Michael up at the local Boys and Girls Club. I was the cheerleader on the cheerleading squad and they was like, y'all need to come around here. There's this guy, he's like throwing this ball everywhere and he's just playing so good. We just ran around the court and I was like, who is it, who is it? I was like, oh, that's just my brother. I know him. He does this all the time. This is nothing new. He wanted to get out. What I offered him was a way, a direction. Football was Vick's doorway out. Tommy Rehman held the key. As a prominent coach in bad news, he'd seen the area produce future professional athletes in Aaron Brooks and Allen Iverson. Allen Iverson put on a show. He played hard all night, we shut him down. But Michael Vick is the finest athlete I've ever seen. There you go, baby! Good job! Probably in ninth grade, the first time I heard about Mike, he's a local legend. He had college letters coming from everywhere. Syracuse was a big one. The quarterback was Donovan McNabb and he just loved McNabb. It really kind of got down to us and Syracuse. He went there, Donovan McNabb showed him around, they hit it off. Virginia Tech, I had never seen them on TV, never seen them in a bowl game. I felt like what Donovan had built at Syracuse was what Donovan had built. I was saying to myself, this is an opportunity for me to leave a legacy.

My first college football game, I just remember being so nervous. The first play for Michael Vick. Through a pass into the flat, it looked bad. My coach called a quarterback draw, he told me he was going to give me a play just to settle me down. Here's Vick taking the snap, scrambling, running with the football. Crosses the 50, turning on the Jets. Look at that speed! He's racing all the way into the end zone! Touchdown Tech! They couldn't catch him! From that point on, it was over. Over. Oh, baby! The Vick era is here! There's just not that many that can play quarterback the way he can play quarterback. Oh, what a throw by Vick! It just looked like something out of a video game. Out there freestyling, just doing crazy things. This guy is a big time player. He was just so much faster than anybody else on that field. Vick finished third in the Heisman voting as a redshirt freshman, and took his team to the national championship game. Starting out the game, it's 20-8-7. And right now, it is all Florida State. There was only one thing we could do, and that was fight back. And we had Mike. So, you don't need much more than that. As good as a team as Florida State was, Mike was still that much faster than everyone. I'm like, we really got a chance to win the national championship.

Before I knew it, Chris Winkett dropped a bomb on us, and then Peter Warwick did something special. It was over. David's a great show, didn't he? He sure did. He changed our program. He changed the university. The whole country was talking about Michael Vick the next day. Vick led the Hokies to another 11-1 season his sophomore year. The NFL was next. When it was time to declare for the draft, I didn't want to go. I came back home to think the decision over with my family. I talked it over with my mom. I just looked at the surroundings and everything that was around me, and I looked at where we was living, and it was a no-brainer. This is something that I've been thinking about doing all of my entire career. And the opportunity was presented for me, so I had to take full advantage of it. After his sophomore season, Michael Vick declared for the 2001 NFL Draft. The San Diego Chargers held the first overall pick. But with teams clambering to land Vick, that changed just hours before the draft. San Diego was willing to trade. You just don't see quarterbacks that have that combination of speed, quickness, ability to throw the football. So we wanted to make sure that we could have that first pick

and get the player that we wanted. The Falcons traded a first, second, and third round pick, along with wide receiver Tim Dwight, to move up to number one. With the first selection in the 2001 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Michael Vick, quarterback, Virginia Tech. I was really itching to see him, because during that first game we had a TV timeout. It's a close game, and he reaches in his helmet, and he pulls out a thing of chapstick. And he just kind of hits his lips real cool, real confident. And everybody's just kind of standing in the huddle like, looking around like, did y'all see this cat? That drive, he draws back, cuts through the line to the right side, 25-yard run. Now you know what all the excitement is about. This guy can make something out of nothing. So I was like, yeah, can't wait to see some more of this guy. The wait wasn't long. Vick was named the starter in his second season. Let's go, baby. Now or never. Gotta realize that right now, it's now or never. Let's go. Let's go. Touchdown by Vick. Oh, man. I'd gone through that type of ability with John Elwood, going, no, no, yes, yes, yes.

Everybody talks about him running the ball all the time, but in the real world, he could throw that ball, too. It was just a flick of the wrist. He's using the football as darts, just, it's. Going long for Jefferson. Oh, yeah, getting the grab. Touchdown. You have just seen Michael Jordan of the NFL. That's what you call a hog. Hell, that's what we got him for. We played Minnesota in Minnesota. One of the things that tried to get through to Mike was, if they play man coverage across the board, when you don't see anybody open, they're not covering you. Vick ran through the Vikings man coverage for 173 yards, a single game rushing record for quarterbacks. What a superstar. Somebody pick up that jock at the 30 and give it back to a member of the Vikings. He made so many unbelievable plays in that game that were just incredible. Overtime, tied at 24 in the Metrodome, where the champ is defense. I just told myself at the line of scrimmage, if they play man, it's going to open up a lane down the middle. Vick play action, being chased, coming nearside, keeping the football. Go, Mike Vick. This is over. It's over.

Yes. A 46-yard throw by the incomparable Mike Vick. Wow, what a run. Oh, man. Still running. Running in the clubhouse. It's probably the only game I didn't shake anybody's hand after the game, because Mike runs into the tunnel, and we just run in the tunnel with him. The game's over. It's overtime. Bye-bye. An eight-game unbeaten streak put Atlanta into the playoffs, where they faced the Packers, who had never lost a game. a home postseason game in their 83-year history. Lambeau Field. Feel good, though. Thought it was going to be a little colder than what it was. Well, there's a runner and a passer, and he's in one body for Atlanta. His name is Michael Vick. He told us to know about their history, and we came in here to make history. He said we're going to shock the world. ♪♪♪ We get the ball first. I'm hitting a bang, bam, bam, bam. How do you stop them? You don't. Here comes Vick.

Rolling to the near side. In trouble. ♪♪♪ And Vick gets away from one. He's still on his feet. Now he cuts it to the right side. He's cut it to the middle. He's got the first down. How did he do that? ♪♪♪ Still to this day, sometimes I have dreams. I thought I had enough to, like, you know, kind of yank the back of his head to pull him towards me out of bounds. Roger Villamilla has control of it. He has everything. Michael Vick just makes a great, sprays out his face mask, gets his helmet back on right, and then goes back the other way. ♪♪♪ Vick throwing, finding Sean Jefferson, touchdown Falcons. This is an amazing game by the Atlanta Falcons tonight. ♪♪♪ They talk about the great upsets. This is pretty stunning. ♪♪♪ You made history today. You did it 22 years old.

Stop and think about that. How many people make history at 22 years old? It was wonderful. I just left there thinking, I mean, this could be the dawn of one of the great quarterbacks we will ever see. What is the Michael Vick experience? When you see me running around on the field and dodging, defending, spinning, you're hurtling over guys, flipping in the air. That's the experience. Welcome to the Michael Vick experience. Put your hands and feet in the harness. Enjoy the ride. Whoa! ♪♪♪ That's not in the playbook, but it should be. By 2004, at age 24, Michael Vick was the NFL's main attraction. He was rewarded with a record $130 million contract. Just saw the number 7 jerseys everywhere. He was like a rock star. You know, if I was going to hang out downtown, I would sit in my car and wait for Mike to get there so I could go in with him. We'd go to different events, and then you have a police escort. He'd be in from Little Newport News, and we'd get to go through red lights. You know, we only had to stop at red lights. We had an AirTran deal.

We was flying for free. Just attending this event and this event and meeting different stars. We had rap songs about him, then music videos. A lot of quarterbacks aren't relatable to black people. All they grew up with is a silver spoon in their mouth, and Mike was just this raw kid out the projects. Young people who might have looked up to Joe Montana and might have looked up to Dan Marino, now this was somebody who spoke their language, who looked like they did, the way they wished they could play. He had the headband on, the braids. As a young Pop Warner guy, I tried to imitate him every time I got a chance to on the field, wearing a long tie, wearing a visor. I wanted to be like Michael Vick. Hey, my wife wants to take a picture with you after the game. By the bus, okay? I'll meet you over there. In three years under new head coach Jim Mora, Vick dazzled, becoming the first quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. He a lot faster in real life. Uh-huh! A lot harder than it looks on TV. I would always tell Mike, go do what you do best. I didn't want him to feel like just because he was a quarterback that he had to force something. On a daily basis, you'd see him do something where you'd just go, wow.

The spin was a great addition. It worked out. Sometimes things just click. Seven is worth every down. It was a great time. Almost being like a superhero, you know, in a town that needed a superhero. All I wanted to do was bring that city a championship one way or another. His opportunity came in 2004 against his former idol Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles. When I say kill, you say Vic. Kill! Vic! Kill! Vic! Kill! Vic! Kill! Vic! The gains that he had made throughout his career, but in particular that year, when he'd take off and run, it was ridiculous. I felt like if he'd shut down Michael, then everything else would be okay. Vic is back. He is stumbling, and he's sacked! The toughest games I played was against Philadelphia. They did a good job in keeping me bottled up. Throws, intercepted, Dawkins at the 30. It's a poor decision by Michael to throw this ball. They put the ball in Mike Vic's hands and forced them to do something they're not really comfortable doing, and that's dropping back and throwing the ball. It was his final playoff game as a Falcon. The lines between his professional and personal life began to blur. I think at the time one of the things that concerned the Falcons is that he was basically living two lives. He was going home to Virginia all the time. He had a couple days off or a long weekend. He was going to Virginia. I just came back because, you know, I was still stuck in the realm of,

you know, being with my friends, hanging out with the guys. Everything that I thought I was doing right, I was doing wrong, and I probably should have spent more time in Atlanta. I should have spent more time in the film room, hands down. You know, I probably had me a piece of hardware by now. Michael had a group of guys that he grew up with, and they consistently stayed around him. We had a great bond on the field. We had a great bond in the locker room, but we weren't going to dinners and eating out as teammates. I mean, those things just weren't happening. He'd be the last one in and the first one out. I'm not really a perfectionist. You know, I just get the job done. When you're young and playing in the National Football League and you're the face of a franchise, face of the league, there's a lot of maturing that has to go on for you. I just couldn't wait for that maturation process to happen for Michael. The league will find Michael Vick $2,500 for each middle finger shown to the Georgia Dome crowd Sunday. Things are still going to happen. Situations are still going to come up, but it's all about how you get yourself away from it and, you know, how you persevere through those situations. Going through security at Miami's International Airport, the water bottle that Vick was holding contained a substance in a hidden compartment that had, quote, a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana. I have a developing story to tell our viewers about right now. I was actually on a golf course in Atlanta. Oh, my gosh, look at that thing.

Right down the middle. Good job, Michael. My best friend called me and told me I knew it was over. You know, the things that I was trying to hide for so many years or thought I could get away with was now coming to light. How could a football star making literally millions of dollars allegedly get involved in something like this? Allegations of hanging, shooting, body slamming, even electrocuting dogs to death as part of a multi-state underground dogfighting operation is a record-breaking NFL superstar, a former number one draft pick, losing a $120 million contract over dogfights? I was surprised, because I'd never seen... I'd never seen a violent or angry or mean side of him. I was stunned because Mike loved dogs. You know, we used to have Saturdays where you could bring your kids or, you know, whatever, and Mike would bring dogs with him to practice. Would you at least like to proclaim your innocence? Like I said, I won't talk about the situation right now, and when the investigation is over, then I'll be more than glad to answer any questions you have for me. Michael Vick pled guilty to federal dogfighting charges. 66 dogs were removed from Vick's property, Bad News Kennels. The reports show some animals were found buried dead on that property. I personally think that he's a sociopath. The collective picture was a very bad one. There were tremendous concerns on my part about the severity of the crime, the effect on the animals, as well as the attitude of the individuals involved in this operation.

Bad news. Kendall's just started us wanting to breed pit bulls with the patches and the ones that, you know, look pretty and show dogs and we was going to sell them. And it just went from one aspect to another. It was kind of scary back there. Everything was all black. That was our cover-up. We had a place where we trained the dogs. We had, you know, 50 dogs on, like, chains. It was an area where we had all the medicines and things that we used. Then you go upstairs and that's where they used to tangle. Where I grew up at, dog fighting, I didn't know that it was legal and I didn't know if it was illegal. I knew several people, several friends, that if they had a pit bull, you knew at some point in time they was going to fight it against somebody else who had a pit bull. That's just the way it was. The first time I saw a dog fight, I was, like, 7 years old. You know those bushes right there? See them big trees just leaning over like that? That's where everything used to happen. And that's where I seen my first dog fight. I know about the area in which Michael grew up. We work in those neighborhoods. It's a very sad situation when children grow up not thinking of dogs as friends but as just some thing on a chain in the backyard. It's like a junked bicycle. Dogs are often just commodities. Vic was a person who had an effect on the lives of many, many young people. He cast a very, very wide shadow,

and that's why he had to be accountable for the effect he had on other people. Vic was sentenced to 23 months in prison and ordered to pay just under a million dollars in restitution for the care of the dogs. First I want to apologize for all the things that I've done and that I've allowed to happen. So I will redeem myself. I have to. Thank you. I kept saying, Mike, let's just run. Like, let's just escape. We can leave the country. We don't ever have to come back. Let's just go. He was like, no, I got to go do my time and get this over with. He was getting out of the car, and I just was holding him. I didn't want him to go. I kept saying, please just don't go. Just don't leave us. Like, what am I going to do by myself with two kids? He said, you'll be fine. You're going to be fine. The uncontainable number 7 became inmate number 337-65183. It was heartbreaking for me. We came in together, and I'm thinking, you know, at some point in time, we're going to lead this franchise, this city, to a Super Bowl, birth, possibly a championship. The Michael Vick experience, it's over with. It's been a long time.

A long time coming. Coming back in here, it feels smaller. All I can think about is that **** has let so many people down, so many people believe in me. I just feel like I couldn't get no lower than this. Michael Vick spent two months in Northern Neck Regional Jail and another 16 in Leavenworth Federal Prison. I went to Leavenworth Prison, and we spent about two hours together just talking about his goals and his aspirations, what he wanted to do with his life coming back. I thought he was serious about becoming a role model and, as he says, part of the solution to the problem. I'll just never forget that day, just knowing that I had some support. I got somebody who's going to be there for me, somebody who's going to listen to me, who's going to help me in all facets of my life and help me become a better person, a person that I want to become. I didn't think he was getting back into the league. He doesn't pay attention to the media. I do. So, you know, I'm hearing all these things, and I'm like... I don't want to be like a Debbie Downer, but I'm like, we need to think about life after football now. He called me, he's like, I'm coming to Philly tomorrow. It was important that he and I talk. He made a mistake. And do you understand that? Which he did, completely understood it. Are you willing to right the wrong the best you possibly can? And he was willing to do that.

So he was given a second chance. I never thought I would go to Philadelphia. That just happened out of nowhere. That was the biggest blessing in disguise. Made a horrible mistake. And now I wanted to be part of the solution and not the problem. When it happened, I'm saying, are you kidding me? And the people of Philadelphia went nuts. I won't be supporting the Eagles. Sold my tickets for the season. I understand that Vic is a great football player, but it insulted the fans. It's the vilest thing I can imagine. It's despicable. I didn't expect the public reaction to be great. You know, that was the hole I dug for myself. And, you know, I had to crawl up out of it. I mean, it was a mess. We understood. There was no saying, well, we don't get it. No, we got it. We know what he did. I felt like if he took a survey, it'd probably be a 50-50. The 50% that were against it were gonna be loud. And then there were gonna be 50% of the people that sat there and go, hey, listen, you know, the kid deserves a second chance

and let's see what he does with it. This is not a slam dunk. He's gonna have to be absolutely committed to be proactive. If we don't have an extremely proactive player here off the field, then this is a terrible decision. I got a call one day from President Obama. His primary reason for calling was, in a way, applauding us for giving Michael Vic a second chance. He knew so many prisoners and kids that just had gotten into trouble that never got a second chance. A week after Mike signed, we went to a steakhouse in Philadelphia. We went in, people stood up and gave him a standing ovation. I was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe this. You know, when you watch the media, the media gives you different perceptions and they're not always true. One media member sought out to find if perception had become reality. I was working for NFL Network and they asked me to go back and do a sit-down with Mike. Probably the first time we'd really been face-to-face since everything went down. As we talked, just kind of the cameras and the lights just kind of faded away and it just became a conversation between two guys that had known each other for a while. Why didn't you just come clean? I was just living my life.

My whole life was a lie, Jim. What could I have done? I look back and I say, how could I have helped him more? There was nothing you could do, Jim. The best thing for me that ever happened to me in my life was me getting shipped off to Kansas, man. Because other than that, I wasn't going to change. You've been watching film at home now? Yeah, I watch, you know, we used to get the DVDs back in the day. Did you ever watch those DVDs in Atlanta? DVDs piled up in my car, Jim. So if I'd have put a check in one of those cases for a million dollars, you'd have never seen it. It'd still be sitting there to this day. But not any more, huh? Not any more. He's paid as large a price as anyone could ever pay for what he did. And he'd probably be the first one to tell you that he deserved to pay that price, but he's earned my trust. He was older and wiser. He sat in a jail cell. I mean, think of that, all the hours. There was a lot of dead time right there. Somewhere you talk to yourself and you go, I've destroyed a career, but if I get a second chance, I'm going to devour this thing. With Donovan McNabb entrenched as the starter, Philadelphia tried to find unique ways to use Vick. When Michael Vick steps on the field, it gets people's attention. We moved him all over. We widened him out at wide receiver. Michael Vick trotting out onto the field. We put him at halfback.

I'm not even sure I'd call it creative. I'm not sure how good all the stuff worked. Vick returned to Atlanta a much different man than the one who left. Now a gimmick player, seeing only a handful of snaps per game. I cried on the way to the stadium. I used to own it, and I was the guy. Now I'm at the back of the bus. I'm the third-team quarterback. I let the city down. I let myself down. I let my family down. All I wanted to do was just make it right. Vick, he is in for the touchdown! Vick, firing to the near side to Selleck. He's in! Touchdown! He's rampant. Return to Atlanta for Michael Vick. It's a great win. I just appreciate all the support. Appreciate the opportunity. And it couldn't have happened at a better time. Philadelphia traded McNabb before the 2010 season and elevated Vic to the backup behind Kevin Cobb. Cobb at the guard. He is running. He is running. He fumbles the ball as he's hit and they say it knocks out of bounds. And Kevin Cobb slowed to get up. When Kevin went down, I was just saying to myself, Kevin get up. I didn't think I was ready, but I thought wrong. Looks like Michael Vic from the Atlanta Falcons back in 05-06. That sure does. In vintage Vic fashion, he ran for 103 yards and earned the starting spot for the season. At age 30, he produced a career high 30 touchdowns. Oh, is he something. Oh, is he something. He has zero distractions. Zero expectations. So you got this purity of Michael Vic. A mature guy that had something to prove. I'm about to make it happen. I'm about to go make it happen. For that short period of time, he reestablished himself as the best player, most dangerous player in the National Football League. What a play. What a throw by Vic. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Where he was in Philadelphia mentally. Everybody relax. Have some fun. It's an honor and privilege to play this game. If he'd have had that in Atlanta, you'd have been talking about one of the best quarterbacks to ever play.

Trailing by 21, with the division lead on the line, Philadelphia got its own Michael Vic experience. Floats it. Complete. Good. Running with the football of Selick. At the 20. At the 15. 10-5. Touchdown! The quarterback draw. We've got a one-touchdown game! He looks. He fires. Complete. It is to Macklin. And Macklin runs in for the touchdown! We're tied! This is the type of game where legends are made. Matt Dodds the punt. Jackson takes it at the 35. Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Midfield! He's at the 40! He's gonna go! And the Eagles win! The Eagles win! This is Miracle in the Middlelands number two! Those are the memories that I always have. I was a part of such great moments in the NFL. Nobody can ever take it away from you. We were watching TV and breaking news came across the screen. Atlanta quarterback busted. I was already involved in pit bull rescue. I had been doing it for over a decade. The first thing I said was, we gotta get one of those dogs. There was well over 50 dogs. The judge had actually ordered that they be euthanized. All of them except for one or two were able to be homed. Good boy! Good boy! He was the biggest, sweetest teddy bear. He was just afraid is what he was. Go get it! Go get it! Go get it! Good boy, Maggie! So many of them became such incredible, inspirational animals later in life. There was a number of them that became therapy dogs. Helped everything from people with PTSD to the elderly to young, at-risk youth. Spreading so much love and so much joy. I love you. The Vic dogs are an excellent example of second chances. Michael Vic made the most of his opportunity in Philadelphia. He spent five seasons with the Eagles, being named the NFL's 2010 Comeback Player of the Year. His career is nearing an end, after being a backup the last two seasons. At the 30, here comes Michaels-Wheaton at the 20. Pittsburgh Steelers touchdown. We got Michael Vick. We got Michael Vick. That's a Pittsburgh Steelers. I think when you're, you know, 13th, 14th year,

you start to understand that, you know, there's more to life than football. I'm trying to figure out, you know, what I want to do after football. But I, I can step on the field like this and I can just grab one of these three, four kids. I can just, I can just make them better. It ain't no question. If you want to, you can. He sees that adversity as an opportunity for ministry, an opportunity for him to tell a story. A lot of boys that would not know who I was, would not listen to what I had to say, would watch him and look up to him and do what he said because he's Michael Vick. He's their hero. He's somebody they can relate to and he's been through where they're living. Vick worked as an advocate for the Humane Society and took anti-dogfighting legislation to Capitol Hill. Please join with me today and help us reach out to these kids before they go down the wrong path. Thank you. The road to redemption for me is just to continue doing what I set out to do, you know, post-incarceration. And that's been an instrument of change. The more people I can come in contact with,

the more people I can influence, the more people I can help. I think his attempt was to redeem his career as a football player. He obviously had to say things that he regretted doing this. If any child heard a convicted dogfighter say that he was sorry for what he did and advised them never to do that, it's a good thing. But his motives, I doubt. What Michael did kind of represents the right way we should do this. Somebody's got to give a man a chance. If they do a good job and they do the right things, we've got to say, you know what, we can forgive a mistake. I think you could draw the conclusion that Michael Vick, after serving his time, is an inspiration for other people, that getting back on the right track can lead to a productive life. Vick's former property has been given a rebirth. The Good News Rehab Center is home for abused and neglected dogs. Vick himself has added a new member to his family. My kids are animal lovers. They love dogs. Lola, you want to show off? Lola, paw.

Good girl. I made it a responsibility for them and for myself to bring that into the household. ♪♪ You going to hang it up? You think? I don't know, Pop. Think about hanging it up. Yeah, man, I mean... It's been a long time. Yeah, son, you been playing a long time. That's a lot of football. I did way more than I thought I was going to do, that's for sure. Vick has embraced the second chance he received. And now he's giving one out himself. At the end of the day, my dad is my dad. We all have flaws. I feel like we all go through tough times in our life. I'd give my dad a third chance if it came down to it. Pop, you took me fishing first. You was the first one. First time you threw your rod out, you caught a fish. We ain't catching nothing else for the rest of the night. I hope to be remembered as a guy who went through some difficulties but understood what it took to get back on top. I have to continue to do my work and continue to help make change. Keep that smile on your face.

It'll take you a long way. I think he's a lot more appreciative now. He enjoys football. He enjoys his family. He enjoys life right now. He had a second chance. Who doesn't enjoy a second chance at life? He's making the best out of it. Your mama got you back. Your mama wiped your a**. Wiped your nose. Wiped your whole a** face. All with the same rag. I learned my lesson on that. I was like, uh-uh-uh. And my mama's old school. When I was growing up, there wasn't no need for no a** alert. When my mama putting that Vaseline on my face so I could look shiny and new at that bus stop, she give me some real good advice. When your a** get off that bus at 4.30, I want you in that house. And I mean in that house. I don't want you letting nobody in the house that I get off work at 9 o'clock tonight. You got it? I got it. Everybody in the house, they can get off work at 9 o'clock tonight.

I get off that bus at 4.30, I get in that house, lock that door like Fort Knox, go get me some chocolate milk, and watch my favorite cartoon, Thundercats. Thunder! Thunder! Thundercats! Go Lionel, go! I'll be drinking my chocolate milk, this is the greatest episode I've ever seen in my life! That doorbell ring, door, bing bong, I'm like, who could that be? I go to the door, who is it? Baby, it's your grandmama, open up the door and let your grandmama in the house. Sorry, grandma, my mama said not to let nobody in the house, and she meant nobody in the house until she get off work at 9 o'clock at night. Aw, baby, now grandmama came all the way over here to see you, you know you can let your grandmama in the house. I love you too, grandma. Now baby, I ain't got two buses to come over here, I love you too, but my mama said not to let nobody in the house, and she meant nobody in the house until she get off work at 9 o'clock at night. Now you're welcome to catch both them buses back to your house, or you're welcome to sit on the porch and wait until she get off work at 9 o'clock at night. But could you please excuse me, I gotta get back to my Thundercats and my chocolate milk, and I go back and sit down, go Panther, go! Next thing you know, the doorbell rang again, bing bong, what does she want? Nah! Open that door, who is it? Boy, it's your daddy, open this door, you got your grandmama out here sitting on the porch, you open this door and let both of us in right now! Sorry daddy, mama said not to let nobody in the house, and she meant nobody in the house until she get off work at 9 o'clock at night. Boy, you know I live there! Apparently not.