Oh, come, oh, call me, Matthew.

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Hey, scripture and story family and friends. I'm Jermaine. I hope everybody's having a good day so far.

I'm so excited to get to share my story and my heart with you guys today on this great podcast.

I mean, where do you start? I mean, I grew up on the south side of Oklahoma City, and for me, it wasn't uncommon for drugs and gangs to influence

the majority of kids in my community.

I don't want you to get it wrong.

There were plenty of success stories that also came out of my community. However, I do remember as a child,

many childhood friends and classmates who were killed, some went to prison, some became addicted

to drugs, some even died from overdoses. Quite honestly, I was one of those kids that could have

went either way. I'm just grateful that God gave me committed parents and the love for athletics that literally saved my life.

And I don't want you to think that I'm an angel by any means.

But I remember my sophomore year in college losing twin boys midterm and the pregnancy.

And if I had to describe life, I'd say life happens in chapters.

That tragedy is what began to change the trajectory of my life towards God.

We oftentimes wonder why we experience some of the things we experience in life,

but I truly believe that our experiences are directly connected to our destiny.

I remember being in my room during that chapter of my life and the day I truly gave my life to God.

...