Testimony Jeremy - Part 1

IF YOU'VE EVER READ THE BOOK OF JOB, IT'S ALONG THOSE LINES. IT'S QUITE THE ROLLER COASTER OF A LIFE, IN SO MANY WORDS. SO THANKS FOR BEING HERE, MAN. FIRST I WANT TO START OFF, YOU GREW UP IN A CHRISTIAN HOME. >> YEAH, I GREW UP WITH A GREAT FAMILY, LOVING, PARENTS, CHRISTIAN HOME, BUT I JUST, I NEVER REALLY SAW THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST, AND SO I KIND OF JUST ENDED UP REBELLING AGAINST IT ALL. >> WELL, THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU WERE 15, ABOUT THAT AGE. >> YEAH, I WAS GOLFING WITH MY DAD AND ENJOYING A GREAT GAME OF GOLF, WHERE ON THE 18TH HOLE HE ALMOST HIT A HOLE IN ONE ACTUALLY. AND HE WAS UP RIGHT NEXT TO THE HOLE READY TO PUT IT IN FOR A BIRDIE AND HE LOOKED AT ME, HE GAVE ME A LOOK THAT I'LL NEVER FORGET AND THE NEXT THING I KNOW I SEE MY DAD DROP ON HIS KNEES, FALL OVER AND THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM ALIVE. >> DIED RIGHT THERE, HUH? >> RIGHT THERE. >> IT WAS A HEART ATTACK? >> TECHNICALLY, IT WAS A HEART ATTACK. IT'S A RARE, RARE CONDITION THAT HE WAS BORN WITH, AND HE HAD A HEALTHY HEART BUT IT WAS THESE THINGS AROUND HIS HEART THAT TRIGGERED HIS HEART TO BEAT OUT OF RHYTHM. >> WOW. SO WHEN THAT HAPPENED, YOU--I MEAN WE WERE TALKING BACKSTAGE. YOU SAID, YOU--WAS THAT THE DEFINING POINT WHERE YOU CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND YOU WENT OFF? >> WELL, I WASN'T NECESSARILY ON FIRE FOR GOD BEFORE THAT, BUT IT SURE DIDN'T HELP THINGS. >> RIGHT, SO YOU STARTED TO REBEL. YOU WENT OFF THE DEEP END A BIT? >> YEAH, I GOT INVOLVED WITH DRUGS, SLEEPING AROUND, ***. >> HOW LONG DID THAT LAST? >> IT LASTED PRETTY MUCH MOST OF HIGH SCHOOL, THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL. >> SO THIS IS WHEN YOU WERE REALLY YOUNG IN HIGH SCHOOL. >> YEAH, I WAS 15 WHEN MY DAD DIED. AND I HAD SUCH THIS EMPTY FEELING IN ME, AND I JUST--I HEARD ALL MY LIFE, JESUS LOVES YOU, JESUS DIED FOR YOU. HE CAN FILL THE VOID AND ALL THAT, BUT I NEVER EXPERIENCED IT AND SO BEFORE I WAS WILLING TO SURRENDER MY LIFE, I WANTED TO TRY EVERYTHING ELSE TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE OUT THERE THAT COULD FILL ME, AND TALK ABOUT A WASTE OF TIME. >> SO YOU FOUND OUT IT WAS A WASTE OF TIME. >> BIG TIME. >> YOU TRIED ALL THAT STUFF, AND HOW DID YOU COME OUT OF THAT, WHAT HAPPENED, YOU MET SOMEBODY? >> YEAH, I WAS GOING TO A YOUTH GROUP 'CAUSE I HAD A FRIEND THAT KEPT BUGGING ME TO GO, AND I STARTED TO GO 'CAUSE IT WAS A BIG YOUTH GROUP WITH A LOT OF CUTE GIRLS AND SO-- >> THAT'S THE ONLY REASON YOU WENT. >> SOMETIMES GOD WILL USE ANYTHING TO GET YOU INTO CHURCH SOMETIMES. AND SO I WAS LIKE, WOW, LOOK AT ALL THESE BABES. AND BUT USUALLY DURING THE SERMON I'D BE LIKE THIS AND I WOULDN'T LISTEN. BUT A GUY FROM AUSTRALIA CAME, AND I ALWAYS LOVED AUSTRALIA AND I ALWAYS LOVED THE ACCENTS. SO THE FIRST TIME I ACTUALLY OPENED MY HEART UP TO A SERMON BECAUSE OF AN ACCENT. THEN AGAIN, GOD KNOWS WHAT YOU NEED TO GET YA. AND THE MOMENT MY HEART WAS OPEN, I WAS IN TROUBLE. THE HOLY SPIRIT JUST CAME IN, AND I FELT LIKE I WAS IN A BOXING MATCH. I WAS JUST GETTING NAILED LEFT AND RIGHT. AND THE PASTOR, HIS NAME WAS PHIL STEPHENSON WAS PREACHING ABOUT GOING A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR GOD, THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE FOOT IN THE WORLD AND ONE FOOT IN THE CHURCH, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS DOING. I HAD MY FAMILY FOOLED. THEY THOUGHT I WAS A GOOD CHRISTIAN BOY BUT YET, ON THE WEEKENDS I WAS DOING DRUGS AND DOING EVERYTHING ELSE. I WAS LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE, AND I HAD EVERYONE FOOLED, BUT YOU CAN'T FOOL GOD AND THAT'S WHAT HIS MESSAGE WAS ABOUT. SO THAT NIGHT I TURNED MY LIFE OVER AND WENT A HUNDRED PERCENT. >> THAT'S GREAT. YOU CAN'T FOOL YOURSELF EITHER. >> NO, YOU CAN'T. YOU ALWAYS HAVE THAT SICK FEELING IN YOU. >> I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, AT THAT TIME, 'CAUSE YOU HAVE A SISTER. >> TWO. >> OKAY, I KNOW ONE OF YOUR SISTERS. SO YOU HAVE TWO SISTERS AND YOUR MOTHER, AT THAT POINT, THEY WERE STILL GRIEVING FROM YOUR FATHER, WERE THEY GOING THROUGH THEIR OWN ISSUES? WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE REST OF THE FAMILY? >> AT THE TIME ONE OF MY SISTERS WAS GOING THROUGH SOME ROUGH TIMES AS WELL, TOOK IT PRETTY HARD. >> AND YOUR MOTHER? >> YEAH, MY MOM ACTUALLY--MY MOM LOOKING HOW GOD, THROUGH HIS GRACE, HELPED HER THROUGH ALL THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. OBVIOUSLY SHE WAS IN MOURNING AND SHE WAS IN PAIN AND SHE GOT LONELY AND FINALLY YEARS AND YEARS LATER, SHE REMARRIED BUT TO SEE THE GRACE OF GOD EMPOWER HER AND STRENGTHEN HER IS A HUGE TESTIMONY. >> TO GET ALL YOU TEENAGERS UP AND OUT ON HER OWN BEFORE SHE REMARRIED. >> YEAH. >> NOW TELL ME THIS, YOU ENDED UP IN AUSTRALIA SOMEHOW. >> YEAH, THE NIGHT THAT I SURRENDERED, THE YOUTH PASTOR CAME UP TO ME 'CAUSE I BURNED. I WENT HOME AND GOT DRUGS, *** MAGAZINES, YOU NAME IT AND I BURNT IT ALL AT THE CHURCH. I BROUGHT IT BACK AND SET ON FIRE, LITERALLY. >> AT THE CHURCH? >> AT THE CHURCH, YEAH, IN THE PARKING LOT. >> WAS ANYBODY ELSE DOING THAT? >> NO. JUST SOMETHING I WANTED TO DO. AND SO THE PASTOR ASKED ME, "HEY, YOU KNOW, WILL YOU SPEAK NEXT WEEK AT YOUTH GROUP?" THIS IS LIKE 500 KIDS. I NEVER SPOKE IN MY LIFE IN FRONT OF ANYONE. >> YOU'RE NOT A PREACHER. >> YEAH, I'M NOT A PREACHER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING. I KIND OF FREAKED, BUT I SAID YES, AND I SPOKE THE FOLLOWING WEEK AND 35 KIDS GOT SAVED. >> WOW. >> AND I WAS STANDING THERE WATCHING THE ALTAR CALL AND I STARTED JUST CRYING 'CAUSE I WAS NEVER BEEN USED BY GOD TO DO ANYTHING. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I EXPERIENCED THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKING THROUGH ME, AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW GOD COULD TAKE A SKINNY, WHITE DUDE WHO WAS MESSED UP A WEEK BEFORE AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN, BEING USED TO SEE LIVES CHANGED. AND I SAID, "LORD, IF THIS IS THE ONLY THING I EVER DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, I WILL DIE THE HAPPIEST MAN." AND RIGHT THERE, IT WAS SO CLEAR IT WAS ALMOST AUDIBLE. THE HOLY SPIRIT SPOKE TO ME AND SAID, "JEREMY, PREACH UNTIL YOU DIE, THIS IS YOUR CALLING." >> YOU FELT LIKE THAT WAS JUST YOUR CALLING. >> THE VERY FIRST WEEK. >> EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD, THAT'S WHEN I RECEIVED MY CALLING. >> WOW. >> A WEEK AFTER I WENT A HUNDRED PERCENT. IT WAS SO CLEAR, AND I ENDED UP MOVING TO AUSTRALIA BECAUSE THE AUSTRALIAN PASTOR WAS STILL THERE AND HEARD ME, AND HE WANTED TO DO AN INTERNSHIP SO I WENT AND INTERNED WITH YOUTH ALIVE ON A PROGRAM CALLED-- >> AUSTRALIA? >> YEAH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND ENDED UP LIVING THERE. I WAS THERE FOR 5 YEARS. >> FIVE YEARS WITH THAT SAME MINISTRY? >> YEAH, WELL I ENDED UP YOUTH PASTORING AT A CHURCH THAT WASN'T YOUTH ALIVE, BUT IT WAS AFFILIATED BUT IT WAS THE WHOLE START FOR ME. >> AND THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF YOUR TESTIMONY SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A PRETTY INTENSE BEGINNING. WHAT HAPPENED IN AUSTRALIA? >> WELL, I ENDED UP GETTING MARRIED TO AN AUSTRALIAN. WE WERE MARRIED FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS. WE WERE BOTH PASTORS, HAD A GREAT MARRIAGE. AND ONE DAY SHE PICKS ME UP FROM AN AIRPORT AND TELLS ME SHE'S LEAVING ME, WHICH WAS A COMPLETE SHOCK. >> HOW LONG HAD YOU BEEN MARRIED? >> ALMOST 2 YEARS. >> AND WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT THE AIRPORT?