It Takes a Village… But Where’s It At?

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:13] Speaker B: Do, man. I'm your host, B. [00:00:15] Speaker C: And I'm Cuda Don. [00:00:17] Speaker A: Hey, hey, hey. [00:00:17] Speaker B: I'm Chanel, and this is the Kimi podcast. Man, listen, man, it's good to see y' all again for another episode, and we got something in mind for y', all, man. So y' all continue to listen. Listen how y' all week was. [00:00:33] Speaker A: Ooh, my week was very much uneventful. [00:00:37] Speaker B: Oh, man. [00:00:37] Speaker A: Work and home and that's pretty much it. [00:00:41] Speaker B: That's it. [00:00:41] Speaker A: Yeah. How was yours, man? [00:00:44] Speaker B: Listen, my week was. I had a very eventful week. But before I really talk about my week, man, I, you know, me and Q probably gonna kinda go in details about the Black Effect. What is it? Black Effect Podcast Festival, man, listen was so dope, man. I mean, honestly, I got my own opinion about it, but I'm let Q kind of go in details about what his experience was and how he, you know, for our very first time, taking Keemi on the road, well, I thought [00:01:15] Speaker C: it was, like, it was a pretty decent event. I'm gonna give some highlights of was very informative for the people that they had on stage. Everybody came to, for the most part, everybody came there with the mindset to kind of network and actually get their stuff off the ground and just be collaborative and share information, share what they know, share their stuff. But on the downside to it, for me, when I went there, I actually had in mind, like, me and B talked about it, of course, prayed about it. I just went there with the mindset of getting a feel for people. Like, I'm not one of those type of people who just. I'm just gonna just do stuff because we there. I can't. This thing, right. I can't see y' all when I'm talking. Hold up. Yeah, I gotta be able to see y'. All. But I didn't want to just go there, like, with the mindset of just trying to collaborate with everybody, because everybody's not your people. You stick with your people. So, like, if my spirit didn't feel some type of connection with you, I wasn't really, you know, trying to make anything happen. And also, the celebrities that was there, they were very, like, they got in the crowd, they walked around, they. They engaged, man, they. They were great. Then you have those people that may have, like, had a little bit of buzz on them, like, maybe, like, you know, a couple, like, 20,000 followers, 30,000 followers. And these people only want to talk to the celebrities, like, and I'm like, y' all acting like y' all Done made it to, like, a different type of status or something, like. And it just, you know, reiterated in my mindset, like, you know, maintain your humility. No matter what point you get to, no matter where you go, no matter what you do, maintain your humility. Because y' all may be looking at the smaller people today like, oh, I don't really want to deal with them. But sometimes life has a way of moving very fast for some people, and God favor rests on some people. So where y' all might be looking at us today, like, oh, they small. I ain't want to deal with them next year when we go, we could be the name. You never know what can happen. So just always be humble. So that was pretty much my take on it, man. [00:03:19] Speaker B: Listen, for me, I mean, I concur with everything you just said, man. It's, you know, just to take Kimi part on the road, man, and just got a chance to kind of mingle with everybody. That was super dope, man. Just listening to some of the people's stories and stuff like that, man. And along with Q2, though, me, I ain't even gonna lie. I think because I'm a structural type of person, I like things to be kind of structured. For me, it felt like it was all over the place. And it's really what it was was a network, you know what I'm saying? Event. So, you know what I'm saying? And I ain't really as if you ain't the type of person that just kind of go up to people and stuff like that. See, I ain't really that type of person. And I had Q, me and Q talk about it, you know, And I had to kind of get out my. My own little way and just kind of really actually mingle and talk with everybody, man. But for as. And then they gave some great tilts for all the cast, all the people that really was out there, that was on stage. They gave a lot of great tilts, man, and from where they started at and where they at, you know what I'm saying? So it was. Overall, I give it like a 6.5. [00:04:27] Speaker A: That's not too bad. [00:04:28] Speaker B: Yeah, 6.5. But, I mean, I did get a chance to kind of really mingle and talk with everybody. Some of the people, man, who just starting out. But like, Q said, you got some of the people that. Because they got, like, 20,000 followers or whatever, man. Like, they just was acting like they were just kind of up there. And I mean, hell, like. I mean, followers is just followers, you know what I'm saying that don't mean all 20 something thousand people, you know what I'm saying, About everything that you put out there, you know what I'm saying? So, you know. But yeah, it was overall 6.5. I do the next one next year, and I think, you know, it probably getting better and better, so. You know what I'm saying, how I feel today, you know what I'm saying? Next year, it probably be even better, you know what I'm saying? [00:05:14] Speaker C: And hold up, man. Let me pop it real quick, too, because I gotta say this. I don't look at nobody as no celebrity, as no. The only difference between me and somebody else is y' all might got more resources or you might have more followers. I didn't go there. And I don't go anywhere putting somebody on the pedestal. I don't idolize nobody. Like, so for me, like, I don't know if that's. I ain't want to say cocky, but it's just. I'm not about to be. I'm not. I ain't. [00:05:41] Speaker B: Somebody fan out. [00:05:42] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm not. No. I ain't gonna lie. I did fan out over one person. That was the shift lead of Nav Green. But, like. But other than that, bro, I'm not going nowhere feeling. I don't care if Jay Z in the room with me, bro. I respect you for, you know, your accomplishments, but I don't feel like nobody is over me, bro. I just. Something about it, I just can't get with that. Like, we equals. I don't care. I don't care what you got. We equals. So, yeah, I just had to put that in there. [00:06:04] Speaker B: Do you have a star, a celebrity that you think you probably found out about? I'm be honest. There's one person that I might be finding out about. I ain't even going to fake, man. [00:06:14] Speaker A: Who? [00:06:15] Speaker B: It's probably Kanye West. [00:06:17] Speaker C: Oh, wow. I didn't respect that you say that. [00:06:19] Speaker B: You know what I'm saying? [00:06:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Why him? [00:06:20] Speaker B: I love Kanye west, man. He just. I don't know. I think for me, I like Kanye West. His creativity, just his mind. I just think he's, you know, almost. I'm gonna say it, man, like Albert Einstein when it come down to creativity, you know what I'm saying? Music in this generation, you know, but somebody that. That would be somebody I probably like. Wow. That's Kanye west, yo. You know what I'm saying? I ain't gonna like. That's. Yay. You know what I mean? I ain't Even gonna fake. [00:06:49] Speaker C: I ain't expect Kanye from you. [00:06:50] Speaker B: Yo, who you say? [00:06:53] Speaker C: Maybe somebody that's kind of like, I don't know. But I ain't expect yay from you, though. How about you, Ms. Chanel? [00:07:00] Speaker A: I only have one. That's Fantasia. I love Fantasia. I've probably been to every concert she had here. [00:07:05] Speaker B: Wow. [00:07:06] Speaker A: Oh, wow. But the reason why I love her humility, I love the fact of she was counted out and she was like, you know what? Y' all can't touch me. Like, that anointance is something serious. I would really not just meet her in person, but actually have a conversation with her. I've been following Fantasia before she became Fantasia, when she was on the Barrino family album with just her mom and her dad and her brother singing gospel. I've been following her that long, so. So, yeah, I've watched her grow up. So, yeah, I would love to have a conversation with her. [00:07:38] Speaker C: Like, her redemption story, like, even once she made it to her pinnacle and she dealt with things like, in the public eyesight, and, you know what we would consider is, like, going back, like, coming back down. Like, she handled everything to me, in my opinion, with grace and show how you could have a redemption story. And then. And just, like, when it's God given, like, people think they could take it away from you, but they can't take it away. So, like, I can. Like, her story is pretty amazing. I'm trying to see who would I fan out over. [00:08:10] Speaker B: You almost fan out over Jeff T. A little teeny bit. [00:08:13] Speaker C: Yeah, I did. I did. Like, I did. I did. I did. I'll be honest, baby. Like, man, I couldn't believe it, bro. Like, I couldn't believe it. Nah. And see, the part that got me with them was, like, I expected them to maybe be there, but what I didn't expect was them to actually get down, like, and come amongst the common folks and really just be talking, like, and really chilling, like, and they didn't have. Like. Because you see so many stories where people be like, oh, I seen this celebrity, and they had such a. They had a bad attitude. It's like, nah, they knew why they were there, and, like, they was actually there, like, and just enjoying the vibe. So I almost did fan out over him. [00:08:48] Speaker B: Over him just a little bit. [00:08:51] Speaker C: I'm gonna be real. Who would mine be? Honestly, Probably Drewski. [00:08:55] Speaker B: Oh, Drewski. Yeah. [00:08:57] Speaker C: Drew Ski. Like, Drew Ski is like, he's that dude. Like, when it come to that comedy, Drewski is that dude. Yeah, Drewski. [00:09:04] Speaker B: Yeah, he is. Yeah. For me, it'd be Drewski dang. Well, I was thinking on some stuff, even though Chanel was supposed to come up with a subject, but she didn't [00:09:15] Speaker A: love throwing me on the spot, ain't it? [00:09:17] Speaker B: Yeah, man. But you know what, though? There's a lot of stuff been going on in the city, right? Like, a lot of stuff been going on in the city, man, as y', all, you know, if y' all stay tuned to the news or whatnot, man, some like, I don't know, people going crazy or I don't know what going on, man. But you know, one of the things I really wanna highlight is the community, part of our community where we stay at, you know, the most important thing for me is the kids that coming up, man. And I feel like, you know, do kids have a sense of community where they feel comfortable to come to their elders without any judgment, you know what I'm saying? And I had to answer that question, man. Like, what? You know, where we at with our community as a black community, you know what I'm saying? So that's why I want to start off, man. Like, I know each one of us stay, you know what I'm saying? We stay in the PD area, but everybody stay where they stay at and their sense of community. The kids or the people that y' all connected to. Right? You know what I'm saying? Do y' all see that in your community? [00:10:30] Speaker A: No, there's no unity at all. When you first said you wanted to talk about community, I was just thinking back to childhood days that I know for myself. I'm 45 and my dad and kind of the way I raised my boys, where the village raised your children. And we were just talking this past week, me and some friends, about if you got in trouble, you know, you didn't want nobody in the neighborhood. No, because Miss sue gonna cut your rump. Mr. Bob gonna cut your rump. And then when your mama get home, she gonna cut your rump. But saying that to say that everybody cared about your well being. And everybody was hands on with saying if you cut school. I remember me and my brothers cut school one day and this guy my aunt named is Sheila yelled. He's like, sheila, I think that's your niece and your nephew. Like, what you doing? You snitching? And we dug down and we were hiding and my aunt was calling our names, and we was like, we ain't moving. And the guy saw us and he was like, they right here. That's the kind of stuff that we need in our community where everybody is responsible for those children, everybody is responsible for their well being and making sure they going to school, making sure. You know, when you see kids nowadays, I've seen it plenty of times on my off days. You see teenagers that, you know, go to school with your kids and you just look past them, you know, their parents, you look past them. Because nowadays we gotta mind our own business. People ain't the same no more. We don't have those villages no more. [00:11:50] Speaker B: You absolutely right. I ain't even gonna fake. Q. What about you and your community, man? Like, I know you always talk about certain things. What you see, I know the crime rate over there where you at is kind of, kind of high. I mean, actually crime rate is high everywhere, you know what I'm saying? Not just to highlight where you at, but you know what I'm saying? What about in your community? [00:12:13] Speaker C: I think, let me see, what do I think? I think the generation now, it's kind of like, will they hear you or can they hear you? Even if you saw those kids that's out of school, like we've come to a point where they don't hear nothing. They don't hear anything. They don't, they don't take, they don't take no type of correction. They don't type, no, they don't take no type of like trying to steer them in the right direction. So it's like, it gets to a point as, as a, as an onlooker where you just like, is it even a point for me to try? But also, then there's the other side of me that's like, well, if we don't try, nobody ain't gonna try. So it just becomes a lost cause. And I was just saying this the other day. There's a lot of people who feel like, well, they ain't breaking in my house, they ain't doing it. I ain't the one getting shot at. So it don't really involve me, but nah, it do. All the stuff involves you. Because in dealing, I know there was a situation where there was a shooting that happened and somebody that was just passing by got shot. So although they're not breaking in your home, although they're not breaking it going to your car, you can still be met with some of this stuff. So at what point? And so I was talking to a lady the other day at work and she was like, they was having a meeting with grandmothers or grandparents raising, raising kids now, like, and one of the grandparents was, she's scared to Wake her grandson up for virtual school or either for school, one of the two. Because the last time she woke him up and he didn't feel like getting up, he actually punched her. Like, this is stuff that we really dealing with. Like, so my thing is, like, when it comes to community, what could we do better to help these kids? Or, like, what can. And I'm. And I get lost with it because what can we do? Like, I don't even know if they listen to us. They think everything is corny. If we not out here shooting and gang banging, they think we corny. So, like, you're not about to listen to the guy that go punch a nine to five when you know you got homeboys that scamming and they making 14, $15,000. Like, so you ain't really want to hear me talk. You don't really want to hear your mom and them talk. You don't want. You just don't want to hear nobody. So, like, at what point do. Like, what. What can we do? I don't really even know, man. [00:14:35] Speaker B: I would say this, though. You know my personal opinion, man. I think, I believe that every. Every community have a church, right? And I would say this. And the parents or grandparents, uncles, you know what I'm saying, that have issues with their kids, that they have, you know what I'm saying? Most of the time they go to a church, you know what I mean? And the way I kind of look at it is, you know, I believe the church should be able to. To step in within your community, you know what I'm saying, and help these kids, man. Not saying that they don't. And I know a lot of people have hard times with getting their kids to come to church. And, you know, y' all know, like, when y' all was growing up, you ain't really had no choice. Oh, you, hey, you got it going. Like, if I'm going to church, you go to church, you know what I'm saying? But I understand we stand in a different generation right now, man, And. And I truly believe, though, you know what I'm saying, that when two or more come together, man, when it comes down to your kids in the community, change will happen, things will manifest. Any kids, man, but it going to take a level of love, one and two, patient, know what I'm saying? In my opinion. Now, I guess my second question is, is, do y' all feel like the church and y' all communities should be responsible for. For some of the things that going on in the community and what way that would look like. [00:16:11] Speaker C: Hold on, hold on. Let me go back. I'm sorry. Let me go back to something you just said. As far as, like, that whole notion of we've come to a different point and we're at a different point. Who controls that? Are we at a different point? What is so different about the kids nowadays that they can't. Like, when I see kids in church with tablets, I see kids in church. They're not made to pay attention. They could go to sleep in church. What's so different now? Because when we was growing up, we didn't have all the children church. We didn't have all this stuff. You sat down and. I mean, of course, we might have. Didn't understand exactly what was going on, but we still have reverence for God House. And we still sat there until we got old enough to understand. I don't understand. When did a compromise come that says these kids need all of this extra stuff? You don't have to go to church if you don't want to. [00:17:01] Speaker A: What changed is when government and political people started governing how we discipline our children. Because I know I've been going to church since I could walk. As far as I can remember, I've been going to church and my mother's son going to choir. And if me and my brother's baby acting up, all she had to do was a look. And we knew what that look meant because we knew how she cut butt at home. My mother didn't abuse us, but what was disciplined in my day is abuse today. [00:17:27] Speaker C: Now, that's. I agree with that. [00:17:28] Speaker A: So therefore, I remember going to Carver School here in Florence, and Ms. Ellaby was our principal. She could spank us. You know what I'm saying? So when you start taking discipline, taking prayer out of school, taking things that were structuring us in our day, you took it out. So now these kids can stand up and say, you ain't gonna touch me. And they stand on that. Cause my mama can't touch me either. [00:17:48] Speaker B: I want to add something in with that, because I made a. I made a joke with my mom's. Just two days ago, I made a joke with her. And I said, you know, I still dealing with PTSD for you. You just raising that hand up, or you know what I'm saying? All that yelling. You know what I mean? I still, you know, even I made a joke. I was like, man, even with my wife, like, you know, we just playing and stuff, and, you know, she throw her hand up, I automatically get flashback, like, oh, you know what? I'M saying my hand go like this. [00:18:17] Speaker A: Flashbacks taught you something, though. [00:18:20] Speaker B: Especially if I get smart, man. But I think this, this is just my opinion. This is not a fact. But I believe that the level of trauma that, that the adults today, you know what I'm saying, us adults today experienced growing up, we didn't want to inflict that on our kids. Right? And the reason being, I think, is because you know how you felt doing that during the moments when, when, you know, you might did something simple. And some things were just. Was what kids do, right? You know what I'm saying? And you got discipline for it. And you not knowing, you know what I'm saying? And it didn't come your discipline. The discipline didn't come with, okay, understanding behind it, you know what I'm saying? It was just you getting that behind cut because you know you did this wrong, you know what I'm saying? That didn't really equate to you, you, you learning from, from, from that experience, you know what I'm saying? [00:19:18] Speaker A: It depends on the parenting. Because I, I've said this before when we talked about raising kids, rearing kids, I didn't always get it right. So I learned this from my mom. My mom didn't just cut our butt. She had a conversation with us before she cut our butt. And then after that, she reminded us that she loved us. And she told us, okay, so this is the reason why I beat you. You may think that this is what kids do, but sometimes what kids do can lead to adult consequences. So she started teaching us, like, yeah, I mean, I told you we used to go and steal out of Crest when it was downtown. Skipping to school, doing crazy stuff. That's what kids did in our neighborhood. But my mom had to teach us that. I'm not beating you just because I don't understand the reason why you're doing it. Peer pressure is big, but this is what it can lead up to. So I'm cutting your butt for what the future holds. [00:20:04] Speaker B: I don't think beating that help. [00:20:06] Speaker A: I mean, you know what I mean? She ain't right. [00:20:07] Speaker B: Truthfully, I think, man, no, no, I got my behind tore up though. But I don't think it was all of us did right. Like, I don't think it was as effective as people think. You know what I'm saying? If you do the statistics on it, I just don't really think it was successful. [00:20:22] Speaker A: It depends on, I mean, again, people say, you know, corporal punishment comes from slavery. And I mean, a lot of us have adapted to that when you feel like my voice isn't being heard and you result to putting your hands on your kids, I did it. And what people call soft parenting now don't work for everybody. You can try to soft parent your kids. And I'm not saying that you have to cut their butt or whatever your discipline method is. Just make sure it's effective. [00:20:49] Speaker B: I know it don't work, you know what I'm saying? Like, maybe for some kids, but, and then the other part is some kids literally have ADHD and they got their ass tore up for I got one at home. They what I'm saying. And you like, bro, I'm having intrusive thoughts and, and my mind going a thousand miles per hour, like I'm getting a butt cutting. You know what I'm saying? I don't even know why I'm getting a butt cut. I don't even know why I did what I did. You know what I'm saying? And for some kids, that's really their testimony and they got their behind toe up. [00:21:21] Speaker C: But I feel, and I agree with what you're saying partially, but you have to watch how you give people excuses because adhd, all this stuff, a lot of kids are very manipulative and they, and, and once if you look at a child and you tell them, don't get no candy out that bucket, the first time they go get that candy, they're gonna look at you because they want to see what you're gonna do. And if you don't do nothing every time after that, they're gonna keep on doing it. They're gonna keep on doing it right at the end of the day. And I agree with that. I will say like, like sometimes when we, when we got beatings growing up, and when we say beatings, we don't mean nobody. I, I can speak for myself. My mama wasn't killing us in that. But when we got beatings growing up, still here. When we got beatings growing up for some stuff, it wasn't necessary. But like she said, you know, your mama talked to you. This is why I did this. Because you start doing that gentle stuff and, and they thinking like, okay, I can get through life like this. People will kill you nowadays, right? So the fact that you just. Everything is gentle. We don't live in no gentle world. And, and as far as it not helping and that trauma stuff, I, I, I understand mental health and all of that, but we are getting to the point now where mental like, like it's starting to be a weapon against us. A little bit. Because now you see, okay, now that was traumatic for me, that, that. And I'm not saying you in general, but people are putting this as the whole narrative now. We're not doing anything to the kids. Now when the kids out here killing and. And. And. And they unruly and. And nobody can't tell them that. Now you got everybody saying, well, what we going to do? Well, y' all didn't want us doing it because y' all claim that version of doing things was the worst thing that could possibly happen. What's worse than you having to go identify your child? What's worse than you having to pick up brain matter off the street? What's worse than you having to go visit your child in prison? It don't get too much worse than that. So I rather my mama cut my behind now than have to come talk to me through a wall or to come have to look at her baby in the casket like. And that's what so many mothers and so many fathers are going through it now. Because we feel like, nah, you ain't got to do all that. It don't take everything that we got. It don't take all that. But I. I can't sit up here and say, that didn't help me. I got a lot of homeboys dead. I got a lot of homeboys that have been in jail. And those homeboys that I'm talking about, a lot of them parents let them roam free. And they didn't have no structure, they didn't have no discipline. They could do whatever they wanted to do. And me and my brother growing up used to look at them same homeboys like, dog, man, my mama make us be in church. She make a. She. Like, we got laughed at for going to church. We got laughed at for getting beaten. But those same set of friends, a lot of them ain't here to talk about it no more. So I feel like there are some benefits in that. So I can't just be like, it don't work. Now, I do understand in your case where for some people, that wasn't that effective, like, and I respect that. But just for me to say, like, it don't work in general, that's a hard stretch. [00:24:08] Speaker B: Well, it is a hard stretch, man. I'm speaking from just personal experience, like. Like, I was just thinking about. Cause the same thing you just said, that kids wish that's locked up or. You know what I'm saying, Probably not here anymore. And they probably wish they would have got that level of love or that level of structure. At the same time it's kids out here that got their behind toe up and still went down the same path. And you know what I'm saying? So it just so you know, for me that's the reason why I'm speaking on that, you know, And I think for some kids, and this is honest, God truth man, for some kids, they little more hard headed than others, you know what I'm saying? Personally and it take sometime life really growing them up if they make it past life, you know what I'm saying? That's the other consequences, like okay, you gonna do this over here. But you know, it's a consequences that you probably likely gonna go to jail or we gonna go to your funeral, you know what I'm saying? That's the other part. But like just really actually bringing it back in, man. You know, when you, when especially when you having kids or you have kids in your community, you do really have to have a level of emotional intelligence with just dealing with the kids and meeting them where they at, right? And you know, especially like some kids, I will agree you do need to be firm, you know what I'm saying? But not anger or allow anger or frustrated come out, you know what I'm saying? And a lot of times, you know, that's what really be going on like, you know what I'm saying? Especially frustrated with kids not doing the right thing, it come out as anger, you know what I'm saying? But you can be firm, love, let me back up. You could be loving and still be firm in your approach with things, you know what I'm saying? And, and where they can kind of let that, that they guard down in a sense, you know what I'm saying? Like just cutting ass and you know what I'm saying? Every time they do something wrong, I mean there's no way in the world y' all sitting here saying that was effective. Especially if you got a. [00:26:25] Speaker A: Every time they did something wrong. [00:26:27] Speaker B: For me, excuse me, for me, that's what it sound like. Because you know, even though you get, and also you can get them adapted to that butt cutting, like they become like, okay, I already know you're going butt cutting coming, you know what I'm saying? And they can get tough even in that, you know what I'm saying? So what I'm saying is it going to be. You're going to have to have a different approach when it comes down to the kids, man. And that's basically what I'm saying, especially within this community, within our community. And how we reach, how we really actually reach them, you know what I'm saying? How we reach them and we still dealing with things from our youth. [00:27:08] Speaker A: You know what I think would be a beautiful thing? We always hear about recently the guy that got shot at a restaurant by another co worker or whatever. And now you're seeing all these stop the violence programs and these forms that they're coming up with. But a issue I see is we're starting once the problem has arisen instead of getting ahead of the problem. We have school counselors all the time, but how many school counselors actually take an hour session with each child when they're in kindergarten and then first grade before these behaviors start to develop? Because I mean, we're all not born to perfect parents, you know what I'm saying? So sometimes if you catch a child when they're young and they're vulnerable and they're acceptable to things, stop waiting until they turn to a teenager to say, hey, I got a mentoring program for you and I want you to be here. He was a badass before he got this month, you know what I'm saying? He was already bad. Catch it in the beginning. Whenever, you know, especially if you see a single mom, you know, she's coming here and she's unwed and she's pregnant, she should automatically be enrolled into a parenting class because she's not there with her spouse, you know what I'm saying? There are things that we can do and put in place as a community as we don't have to pay for, that's free to the community to start putting people in place before the problem arise. Instead of waiting until you got this child that's unruly, who's not disciplined properly, who has ADHD and he over here punching his mama. Now you want to mentor him, get to the root of it. [00:28:32] Speaker B: So who you think should be responsible for that in our community? And I literally have political leaders, we [00:28:39] Speaker A: have mayors, we have city councils and stuff like that. We have other resources other than just the church. I'm not a fan of just saying church members are responsible because church members are common people. You're not doing background checks on your church members. And then you got this person who we, we're hearing about that now today about these pedophiles in the church. Then you going to go tell them to mentor the boys, what he mentoring them to do. [00:29:07] Speaker B: Well, well, well, well, you know what I'm saying? [00:29:09] Speaker A: It need to be people in place that have degrees, who have experience in these areas, who Are volunteering their time as community leaders and say, hey, we're going to put this in place for pregnant moms. We're going to put this in place for all boys five years and older, you know what I'm saying? Stop waiting until they hit adolescent ages or they're hitting puberty and say I want to help them. Problem starts. [00:29:31] Speaker C: We always reactive instead of proactive like, and I definitely agree with that. [00:29:35] Speaker B: Well that's, that's why I was saying like, okay, some of the political leaders, most of them, they, they, they going to like a church or something like that, you know what I'm saying? And what I'm saying is as what the church is today, I guess you know what it was back then and what it is today, what I'm saying is we can be involved in our community a little more than what we are, you know what I'm saying? I think most of everybody have busy schedules and you know what I'm saying, they got their own personal life that they kind of dealing with. But that's what I'm saying, like if most of all the resources is coming and going to church, you know what I'm saying, they should at least lend their resources out, you know what I'm saying, and spread it abroad, you know what I'm saying? That's basically what I'm saying, like if it's responsible. [00:30:29] Speaker C: Okay, so with that I agree that the church should have more input and more hands in the community. But the people that we vote for, they get off scotch free in this whole thing, right? These are the people that you went out and cast your ballot for that lied to us and said they were gonna make sure these changes happen. Nobody at the church said, nobody at church got voted and said I'mma go in the community and make sure it's safer for y'. [00:30:54] Speaker B: All. [00:30:55] Speaker C: Why don't we hold the, the, the elected officials to the same standard that we hold the church and I agree with that. But when we get, with, when we get, for the most part in every community, I can speak for, for lad. Cuz that's where I'm from, I can speak for lad. Do you know how many people don't go to no council meetings, don't go to council meetings, don't know anything that's going on until whatever is getting rolled out actually happens. We never go to a meeting, but we have, we like let stuff start going on. Well, the churches need to do this. You don't think your voice need to be heard at the council meetings? Well, we elected Y', all, what are y' all doing about it? Y', all, y' all are receiving our money through taxes and whatever other means. What are y' all doing about it? Because y' all have the financial resources in the pool to be able to get stuff done. And a lot of churches and, and people love to do the church thing. But what they fail to realize, a lot of churches don't even work with a budget to even be able to do stuff. Cuz nowadays when people do stuff for church, it used to be a time where people did it out of their own just love and care if they do something for the church. Nowadays I want to be compensated. Most churches don't have a budget. Cuz we're talking about where I'm from, we're talking about small churches. We're not talking about no mega church that got 40, 40,000 members, 10,000 members. We're talking about several different churches that got 35, 40, 50 members. Now I'm not taking that now for them because even with those little bit of people, there are some things that we can do and some changes that we can make. It's like for my church, what we, we just had a meeting last week with the guys, with the males, where we're trying to turn the upstairs into like a, a place where we could kind of like invite the younger guys to come in and we could do life lessons and trying to implement new stuff that's starting with the older males, getting ourselves together. But. And that. So that's a whole another point in the church. You ain't got a lot of men that attend church no more. Like, so most of the people that's going to church are the women and are the young people. So as men we got to take our rightful spot back in the church and let God be the head of this thing. And we follow God. So as men, we got to get back in the church, we got to get back in the community. So it's a, it's really an absent presence of men, like good men to follow. That's why the church can't do nothing. Because if you go to most churches, I'm not saying all churches, most churches are heavily dominated by women. Like in the males, we're there, but we're not doing too much and we're not saying too much. So we got to get back there first. And if we could get there, then we could start making some changes, then we can start holding the church more accountable as well. [00:33:19] Speaker A: I think they can be accountable for like say for instance, if One of our political leaders, one of our councilmen or whatever, decided to put something in place, like I was saying, a mentoring program. You can go to the church for your volunteers. You can go to the churches for their support. Support. But again, depending on what denomination you're in, some of these churches are led by people who just decided, hey, I'm going to be a pastor, and this is my church, and I have these deacons or whatever. But if I go to church, hypothetically speaking, if I take my son to church and say I want him to be a part of this mentorship or whatever, it's governed by the people in the church. Who are those people? We don't know. When you become a deacon in the church and he's ordained to be a deacon or whatever that comes from supposedly guys, you know, put this in place or whatever, but the pastor elect him. [00:34:05] Speaker B: So you don't trust him. So you don't trust. You don't trust the selection. [00:34:11] Speaker A: Not for every church. I'm. I'm be honest. Church is a building is made up of the people who have the church in their heart. So you trust comes in there, don't have it there. [00:34:20] Speaker B: I'm saying so you trust. [00:34:22] Speaker A: I'm not saying I trust them, but like he said, we appointed these people to make a change in our community. So they are mandated to do what they're supposed to do. I shouldn't say mandated, but we expect them to do what they promise to do. [00:34:34] Speaker B: They got a lot. [00:34:35] Speaker A: Churches aren't promising you that. We go to them for. For fellowship. We go to them for leadership or whatever. But we can't always just rely on the church to step in and do stuff when those people are normal people. [00:34:47] Speaker B: Well, they're. [00:34:48] Speaker A: They're in that building because they're trying to get themselves fixed themselves. You know, they try to work on them. And so I'm not saying that they can't take some responsibility. I just don't feel like it should be pointed at the church to say, hey, take these kids to church and pray that the Lord fixes their heart. He can fix their heart at home too. [00:35:05] Speaker B: Well, well, I mean, truthfully, I mean, as you can see, I mean, mankind just gonna fail anyway, you know what I'm saying? I mean, like we got a lot of stuff going on within our politicians right now, man. And you got some people that was in. That's in politics, in politics that governors been on the L. Steam files, you know what I'm saying too as well. And so you know what I'm Saying we can't really rely on that either. But what I'm saying is, and I get it, we can do both, right? Like a person, you know, like if they are raised up in church, right, you know what I'm saying? And I trust the spirit within them, you know what I'm saying? That they gonna do the right thing. But they raised up in church and they may be. They. Wherever they work at, they taking God along with them, you know what I'm saying? And they can. And I get it, they can do the things that. What they talking about, create change in that, you know what I'm saying? In that system. A reason why I was using the church is because I know that we don't rely on this worldly system, you know what I'm saying? There's a lot of things going on in the system that we stay in that is very faulty, even within the church too, as well. But you know what I'm saying, for the most part, man, I was just thinking on what the church was created for and have we fulfilled what God created the church for, you know what I'm saying? And I use the church for that reference because, you know, I don't really trust the system that we stand in. I trust God's system, you know what I'm saying? And you know, and that's the reason why I say, like, you know, getting more bring then what Q was saying, getting more men to. To come into the house of God, man. It's something about seeing men worship God, you know what I'm saying? And then, you know, get built up, learn what they gonna learn and then take that and go into the arenas that they are in, you know what I'm saying? So I agree with every last one of y'. [00:37:07] Speaker C: All. [00:37:07] Speaker B: What y' all was saying, man, I'm just. I was just using the church as a reference because, you know, church is kind of, you know, in the middle of everything, you know, like how we, like, if y' all on y' all way going home, you probably see two or three, four churches on each corner, you know what I'm saying? And. And I was just saying, like, you know, these churches are in the community, you know what I'm saying? They seeing what stuff they. They really seeing what's really going on, because people coming in the church and they may be talking to the pastor or talking to, you know, some of the members, and they know what's going on in their household a little bit. And so that's the reason why I said, like, the church you know, it's in the middle of everything. [00:37:47] Speaker C: And I agree with you. And you. And you know the problem with this, this whole church thing, and not. Not in the problem in which you probably think I'm about to say for black people, our biggest issue is we could never come up with the lineup for who's the head of something. Everybody has to be the head. So that's why you would have. On a block, you got four or five churches with 10 people in it. Instead of somebody saying, you know what? Let's make one body. Everybody act like everybody's got to be the head. So in our communities, we will be way more effective if everybody said, I don't care what church you're from, I don't care. We have a community problem. This is not a. This is not a First Baptist problem. This is not an African Methodist problem. This is not a whatever problem. This is a community problem with us. We never. We never have a delegation. Everybody got different wants and different needs. Well, these people want money from you. These people want you to actually raise their child. These people want you to take. [00:38:44] Speaker B: They. [00:38:44] Speaker C: What is it that we actually want? We could never come up with a list, like, of a thing like, okay, this is the goal. This is what we're trying to attain here. And then who. Who's the delegation for this? Because everybody wants to be the head so that we run into that. To that problem ourselves. Like, and I agree with you as far as. Like, as you were speaking, I'm just sitting here listening. I'm like, yo, he has a very valid point. We. They're in the community. I'm sure people come and talk to them about different stuff. What stops a pastor and another pastor from saying, hey, man, I know we got two separate crowds. We serve one God, though. Let's see. [00:39:18] Speaker A: It used to be like that again. Going back to my roots when during the summertime, I used to go to a church out in. It's between Timmonsville and Darlington. As youth, we used to walk the streets of Timmonsville like you see Jehovah's Witness do, and we pass out flyers about our youth events. We passed out. We. We stood on street corners and sung. You know, we did a lot of those things. But we had tent revivals where it wasn't just about the Baptist church, the Holiness Church. We had a large tent revival and people off the streets. We had right down Timmonsville walking off the street, coming in, being saved and everything. Our ministers used to go into the prisons and go minister people in the Prisons. I know some people still do that, but I remember this being a part of my childhood. The women would go into women facilities, go into psych wars and stuff like that and minister to people. We don't have missionaries like that anymore. The same discipline that we don't have on our children. Churches aren't disciplined like that either. It's been taken out of just not just our children, but when it comes to structure. And I, I ain't going to even lie. I don't even follow this rule like I supposed to because I grew up. Remember wearing slips to church? Your skirt had to be past your knee. It wasn't just about your dress code. It was called respecting the house of the Lord. [00:40:29] Speaker B: Right? [00:40:30] Speaker A: There's a lot of discipline that has been taken away when you act up in church or whatever. If I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do in my life, I was set down off the choir. I was set down off the usher board. Discipline has been taken off our lives, not just our children, but people aren't disciplined anymore. Church has turned into a business more so than it has been a place to worship. If you ain't paying your ties and offering, then you can't sing on the choir no more. What if I ain't got it? Of course we know that we're supposed to do certain things with the upkeep of the church, the finances of the church, we're supposed to do it. But if my heart is in the right place and my finances aren't, we have people in the church now that say, well, girl, I seen you at Texas Roadhouse, but you ain't pay your time this week, you know what I'm saying? It got to stop being about the business and start being about saving souls and saving our youth and saving our community. Until it gets back to that there is exactly. Mankind is gone. [00:41:25] Speaker C: Because the Bible never instructed people to go out and he never told the disciples, go out and see if everybody paying their taxes. Go out and see if everybody paying their tithe. [00:41:33] Speaker A: Let him do that. [00:41:34] Speaker C: Right? Go out and compel men. And so like, she said that, that, that's the part of it that, that doesn't get spoken on. Because like she said, if you don't have your ties, they'll sit you down. But if I know you out here hitting everybody in the world, that's fine. You can still come sing on the choir. Nah, bro, they're. They're like. And. And I said this today, actually in church when I was talking to the guys, the Lord's house is a house of reverence. So that that has gone out, you see. And like I'm get on the kids, but I'm the adults too. You see kids sleeping, you see kids on tablets. You see kids playing around. When we were little, we did not do all that stuff. But that comes from the older people. Like she said, the older people, there's no discipline, there's no respect. We come into church. Nope. If somebody says something to you. If we know church start at 9:30 and we come in at 10 o'. [00:42:26] Speaker A: Clock. [00:42:26] Speaker C: I'm grown. Nobody better not say nothing to me. You can't have that mentality. Well, you, I ain't gonna say you can't because you're grown. You can do whatever you want to do. You shouldn't have that mentality. This ain't no place. This ain't just no regular place. This is supposed to be a sacred place. So that's why churches can't take their rightful spot. They not discipline. You got people, egotistical people, that, that's preaching the word. That's, that's, that's over these churches, that's. And again back to community. That's why we're not getting anywhere. Because Brandon got his own church. You got your own church. I got my own church. Well, we know this going on in the community. We meet as leaders. Okay, we know this going on in the church. Well, who going to lead the charge? Well, I feel like I should lead it. B. Feel like he should lead it. You feel like you should lead it. So since we can't come to a common agreement, nothing is going to get done done in the neighborhood because we just couldn't come to an agreement because we couldn't figure out who was going to be the leader. [00:43:11] Speaker A: Are you back biting and you going to talk to another pastor because he think he got a preacher service. I mean, it's crazy. I have witnesses, I have a family member of mine passed away and I was doing the funeral, doing the funeral arrangements and I'm not going to call any names, but hey, if they listen and they know it's them, it is what it is. But this particular pastor was like, I've known them longer, so I feel like I should preach the service. Well, the mom wanted somebody else to preach the service, so they decided to go and tell another pastor and I was like, take all y' all off, I don't care. I mean, who cares, right? But you have people who feel like they own a position. They feel like they own it. Not just I want to be in it, but it's mine. It belongs to me. And that's not how it's supposed to be. If it's really about ministering to people and bringing souls to God, why do you have to be in the spotlight? Why do you have to be? If we all got the same common goal, it shouldn't matter. Because it ain't supposed to be about you anyway. I tell my son that all the time. I know y' all tired of hearing about my saxophone playing son, but I tell him all the time that your gift is not for you. It's not for you. It's to draw people closer to him. Let the light he has on you shine on them, to bring them to. They're not drawing near to you. They're drawn to what they see on you. If our churches get back to that, our community. I do feel like there is a responsibility church, and I hope I'm not being misunderstood. The church does have a responsibility, but not in the way that I feel like you're right. You're bringing. [00:44:39] Speaker C: It's not their soul responsibility. It don't just fall at their feet, but they like, like he said, like you said. [00:44:44] Speaker A: Because if it's not their job, then what is missionary? What, what is your purpose? What, what use does God have for you if it's not to save souls? Saving souls is saving these kids from all this chaotic stuff they're doing. And thinking that they are born with a gun attached to their hand or thinking that just because I see it, I can get it. I don't have to earn nothing. We don't make our children earn anything anymore. They don't earn nothing no more. Like, I just took my son phone, he was getting on my nerves and I gave it right back, you know what I'm saying? And it's, it's not right, but that's the way we think. Like, I'd rather pacify you than deal with you. [00:45:19] Speaker C: That's gentle parenting, though. [00:45:20] Speaker B: I mean, yeah, I would say this. Matthew 6 and 18 reads, on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And so you know at the end of the day that even though pastors have churches or they be like they the founder, by the end of the day is Jesus church. And Jesus might have gave you the church so you can steward it. You know what I'm saying? You know, and so I think we, you know, some, some people, some leaders forget that at the end of the day, it's Jesus church, you know, what I'm saying. And he said he built this house upon a rock, a sound foundation, you know what I'm saying? And I just want to get that out there. And also, you know, we come into the house of God to get taught, right? Taught the word of God, and then we go out there and then we compel men, you know what I'm saying? Bringing, you know, creating disciples, you know what I'm saying? So at the end of the day, that's really what, you know, really what it stands for, though, you know what I'm saying? I just really wanted us all to get back to community, you know where, and showing a level of love, man, you know what I'm saying? We stay in this world where, you know, like, you say we want to mind our business and stuff like that, and you see somebody going through certain stuff, I ain't gonna say that necessarily, your problem, you know what I'm saying? But Sutton should compel Sutton, the Holy Spirit in you should compel you, man, to really actually reach out to that individual. You should feel something, though, you know what I'm saying? Especially if you feel with the Holy Spirit and you know, what God done for you in the inside in your life, you know what I'm saying? You really actually want somebody else to feel the exact same thing, you know what I'm saying? So, you know, not beating them up or nothing like that, but just a seed, you know what I'm saying? Encouragement. Hey, listen, once you come to church or whatever, you know what I'm saying, bring your kids, we have this amazing, you know what I'm saying, youth program for your kids and everything, which our church do do that they have amazing program for kids of all ages. But if you get the parents, you get the kids, you know what I'm saying? And you get the kids, then you raising them up to do the exact same thing to their peers, you know what I'm saying? And they bringing their peers in, in the church, though, you know what I'm saying, it become effectuous. And that's really why I led with that, with the church or whatever, because, listen, no matter what we vote or what we put in, you know what I'm saying, what we do, and I'm trying to be careful what I'm saying, because we still actually have a responsibility to go out and vote, you know what I'm saying? And I truly believe in voting, you know what I mean? But I would say this, but us as discipleship of Christ, man, we also have a level of responsibility too. For God, to him and also to our community that we in. Right. [00:48:29] Speaker C: And to your point, when Jesus was actually on earth, walking in, like, in the flesh, I forgot who it was. That was fisher fishing. And he. And he actually said, put away your nets and come with me and become fishermen of men. So like you said, it's our job to do that. And a lot of times we go to the four walls. Every day, every Sunday, we go to the four walls. Church has to happen outside of those four walls. And that's where we're feeling it. And I'm in a complete agreeance with you. That's where we're feeling it. Because after we done with the four walls, do you talk to somebody that you see on the street that may be in turmoil in their mind and turmoil in their life? Do you talk to them? Do you minister to them? And you can't minister effectively if you're talking about the church that you go to. That's another thing. If you sit up under these people every Sunday, Watch your tongue. Your tongue is a powerful thing. [00:49:23] Speaker A: Yes, it is. [00:49:23] Speaker C: It's hard to draw somebody and you're talking about your leadership. It's hard to draw somebody and you're talking about your people that you're going to church with. Watch your mouth. Watch. Watch how you use it. Instead of using it to. To tear down and all of that. Use. Use that same mouth to go pray for somebody. Use that same mouth to ask the Lord, because maybe sometimes it's us. Ask the Lord to change you. Ask him to give you a different perspective. Well, let me see it from this point of view. But our job ultimately is to be out in the streets like he said, and compelling me. And. And sometimes that ain't preaching to them like, oh, you need to change your life. Sometimes it's just a simple amen. If you ain't doing nothing Sunday, man, come to our church. We start at this time. [00:49:59] Speaker A: Yeah, not even that. Sometimes you can minister to people just by sharing your experience. You know, when, when, when. I'm not trying to say that's exactly what God wants us to do in that form, but if I was to share with you what I've been through and then tell you, like, okay, this is what God delivered me from. Sometimes people will run from you just because you mentioned the word church or because, oh, they. Them Bible bumpers, they the ones want to talk about Jesus. But sometimes you can reach people without them even knowing that, hey, I'm telling you about the goodness of God. When I tell you about. Listen I was strung out or I was in prison and I ain't never got in a fight. I ain't never had to just God deliver me from 18, 20 years of prison. And now I own my own house, I own my own business and stuff like that. You're speaking about what God did for you. You're telling people about what God did for you, but they're caugh up in what you did. And then when they go to ask you that question, well, how you did [00:50:52] Speaker B: it, Jesus, people, faith will rejuvenate. [00:50:55] Speaker A: God has on my life, you know what I'm saying? Sometimes you don't have to always come with the fact of let me pray for you. I ain't want you put your hands on me. [00:51:03] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:51:04] Speaker A: Go to church faithfully. Don't you put your hands on me. Because I don't know where your praying is coming from. [00:51:09] Speaker B: Well, well, I would say this, I, I want to add this in. Some people are anointed to do, be like, do just that, you know what I'm saying? Like, I might not be anointed to like. And when I say anointed, people have a special anointed gift over their life where they are able to talk to somebody and lay hands on them. See, I am on the evangelistic team, right? And I go out in the community every two months, man, every other month I go out there with some of the elders and man, I be watching people getting saved, yo, like on the spot, you know what I'm saying, Man, listen, that right there, even just being part of that man blessed me. But I know personally I couldn't do that, you know what I'm saying? Why not? [00:51:54] Speaker A: Why not? [00:51:56] Speaker B: I'm not there yet. I'm not there yet. But I know when I see them in words, you know what I'm saying? And they, you know, I'm good with talking through people like what you just said, sharing my life, my experience and stuff like that. And I know God called us to a house of prayer, you know what I'm saying? So we always gonna have to pray, you know what I'm saying? But you know, that's one of the things that I gotta kind of get out of something that God dealing with me. But just seeing that openly, right? Seeing people being like literally saved and say, hey, listen, I want to get baptized today. I witnessed that, man, that just be amazing to me and amazing and just, just. And that's what God calls us to do too, you know what I'm saying? Just to see, you know, people, you know, actually on the spot, hey, I want to get saved and I want to get baptized. You know what I'm saying? I didn't seen that, man. And I know I say some people just anointed to do it. Yeah, because I ain't even going. [00:52:50] Speaker C: They are. And because the Bible says some we gave elders, some, we gave this, some, God gave everybody their portion. So for B, he might be able to go out and do it that way. But don't take whatever God give you as something small like just sharing your stories, sharing your testimony. They may be able to do it, and I'm not talking about you, but they may be able to do it that way. But you telling somebody about the goodness of the Lord in your life and your situation is just as powerful as somebody saying, let me pray with you right now. And they say, I want to get. So for God gave everybody a different. Like I said, we know that. So whatever it is that God gave you, you use that to the best of your ability. That's why the Bible said your gifts will make room for you. Whatever your gift is, he's going to make room for you to use it. It's just, are you willing to do it and are you going to do it? So, man, like, for me, like, it's like Paul said in the Bible, I became all things so that I may win some. I'm a cool dude. When I come talk to you, I might not say the Bible said nothing. But some way or another, if we talk long enough and we talk having a good enough conversation, you'll get, you'll get some God out of it without me saying, well, the Bible says. And John some I ain't. I'm. I'm not going to do that for every situation. Some situations I will, but it's. It's just having the discernment and asking God when you trying to do these things and trying to draw something and trying to win some Lord, how do I go about doing this? Because for one, if we consult with the Holy Spirit, he'll. He'll. He'll guide us on what we need to do and how we need to do it. So even when we trying to do community, ask God about what we should do. What, what impact could we make and how. How we could make an impact. And that's all I really got on it. [00:54:35] Speaker A: I mean, I agree with what he said. Again, I'm getting back to the community. I think it's going to start with bringing discipline back in the beginning stages. Not just discipline our children, but discipline us as A people discipline the church, how we govern ourselves in front of our children. I think it starts there getting to the root of the problem instead of just attacking the problem. [00:54:55] Speaker B: I ain't even gonna lie. Like you said something key, man. Getting back to discipline. I wanna add this in it. Just because you grown don't mean you can't be corrected, man. You know what I'm saying? I know people be like, dude, talking to me like that, nah, you could be corrected, you know what I'm saying? And that might be your problem, you know what I'm saying? That you need to listen, you know what I mean? Cause some people think they grown, they ain't gotta listen to nobody. But hey, listen, you gotta listen, you gotta listen if you want to see that change in your life, right? And your kids and everything else. And you know, the other part is, you know, being, being humble enough to just, you know, hear what God's saying. Even if, if it like you having a conversation with somebody. Some people ain't sensitive to God voice. When God using an individual to speak into your life and it could just be through a conversation and, and sometimes they'll miss it, you know what I'm saying? And, and the Holy Spirit giving you instructions while we having this conversation, you know what I'm saying? So it's very important and this is the reason why church is very important to, to just our community and to this world. There's a lot of things that, that I. Let me go back to my point. Some people need to be trained up, man, to understand when God's speaking. Because I didn't met so many people that have been going to church and they don't know what God voice sound like. And sometimes, and it ain't really that thunderous voice, man, it's that soft voice, you know what I'm saying? Calling you, you know what I'm saying? Pulling at the door of your heart, man. And I know a lot of people don't really understand that as much, you know what I'm saying? But I know they felt that, you know what I mean? And just being gentle, you know what I'm saying? But that's, that's only, that's the only thing I just wanted to add in that last little piece though, you know, you look like you. Thank you, man. You about to tap in. [00:56:50] Speaker C: I'm sorry, I, I got to say this. [00:56:51] Speaker B: Go ahead. [00:56:52] Speaker C: A lot of times in our community, we, we, we. And this just kind of convicted me. We like to get on the kids, parents got to start being where they want their kids to be you. You have a lot of parents that do. They dibble and dabble in anything. They. They show their kids anything. And then when their kids start living a certain lifestyle and it becomes problematic. If you want your child to change, if you want your child to be a certain way, start showing them the example that you want them to be. If you know that you smoking in front of your kids, stop smoking in front of drinking. You got men and women running up, stop doing that. Sometimes you have to be the example that you want everybody else to be for your child, that you want the church to be, that you want the politicians to be. You be that example for your child, and that changes a lot of things. It can't be do as I say and not as I do, because we've all been younger and we've all been kids. We're gonna do what we see you do. It don't matter what you say to us. If you want to see your child be a certain way, you start being the example that you want your child to be. And there may lie to change. That's it. [00:57:47] Speaker B: How much time we got, B? Cause I want to add this in. I heard testimony today, man. I heard this testimony today, and I got to share it. And it remind me of another story that I heard on social media. This lady gave a testimony by her daughter and she adopted her at a young age. And, you know, she had some issue with her academics, you know what I'm saying? And so she just didn't know what she had to do. But she heard God told her, get some naught north and n her pillow where she lay down at night and speak over her, you know what I'm saying? And her daughter getting ready to graduate this year, man, with honors. And she got accepted in college and she in the honor program, you know what I'm saying? And that right there, man, that thing had, you know, it made me thought about what I done with my kids, man. Like, I literally would, you know, I used to pray, you know what I'm saying? Pray for them. But the thing is, I used to speak over their life, man, when they even knew I was speaking over their life. And truthfully, particularly my son, there's a lot of things that he don't know, you know what I'm saying? That I do, though. But I've been praying over his life, and even though things that I don't see it yet, but I'm believing God for it. And that's what it is, man. Like, I'm a constantly keep speaking that over his life till I actually see it. And as parents, as believers or uncles, you know what I'm saying? You know, we have responsibility to the kids, man. We got to constantly keep speaking over their life, even when we don't see it right? [00:59:24] Speaker C: Man, you dropped the mic on that, my boy. I ain't got nothing. Yeah, I ain't got nothing. [00:59:32] Speaker B: I guess that's it, man. [00:59:38] Speaker C: Sometimes. No strokes.