You're listening to an I-Heart podcast.

And we return to our American stories.

Up next, we'll hear Jeremy Clark's story,

a story of brokenness and loneliness

and ultimately redemption and love.

Jeremy went from being the leader of a prison gang

to being a leader and inspiration for many.

Take it away, Jeremy.

You do, the only time I've ever been interviewed was by the police.

Well, my mother was a good mother, but she wasn't ever there.

She worked in the bars.

She worked in the bar at 2 o'clock in the morning, and she'd leave me at the house by myself

when I was 8, 9 years old.

My real daddy had got killed when I was 2 years old in an accident, so I didn't have no daddy. My little cousin, he was born

with a Bible in his hand. He lived this perfect little life where I thought it was perfect, you know,

compared to mine because he had a daddy, he had a mama. So even though his daddy kind of whipped him

and stuff like that, at least he had somebody

there to whip him.

Every man my mom brought home was, I mean, he wasn't father material, you know what I mean?

He wasn't going to throw the football with me or the baseball.

He was there for mama.

That eventually got me living with my grandparents who pretty much raised me for a while

...