Scarred 2 Live
I was born in Dayton, Ohio and raised in Los Angeles, California. I only lived in Dayton for the first five years of my life. My mother, older brother and I moved to Los Angeles, California. I spent my early years growing up in various apartments that were in tough neighborhoods of South Central. At a young age I had to learn how to survive the streets. I remember the hard times we had to face. However, through all of the difficulties, the love expressed in action is what I remember the most that kept the family together.
When I was eleven, my mother was able to afford her first house. My brother had joined the US Army and was in boot camp. Things were looking up. A couple months passed and then my life was turned upside down. A burglar broke in our house, stabbed and killed my mother, and stabbed me approximately thirty-nine times leaving me for dead. Needless to say, I am still alive!
The older I got, I began to realize that my life was worth something. To be so close to death and not die was a miracle. I began to understand that God had a plan for my life. I understood that I had a reason to live and my mother's death was not going to end as a tragedy through my life but be a success story.
I currently work within the community and local churches, encouraging young, middle aged and older people about not giving up hope and explaining to them that their scar is the reason why they are still alive; reminding them that they are alive to fulfill their God given purpose. I try to use my life to be an example of an over comer.
Some Accomplishments:
Happily married and a proud Father
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Various awards and declarations from the US Army
Ordained Elder
Coach Football & Special Olympics
Mentor teenagers at the detention center
Motivational / Inspirational Speaker
The desire to inspire others about my testimony grew. In 2000, I received the burden to write a book to document my life as a motivation and strength to let others know that they too can overcome traumatic situations. As I began to write, it seemed as if it were something that had always been apart of my life. I wrote and wrote for days. The product seemed to be pretty good and nothing was going to stop me, so I thought.
One day, I went back to the computer to start back writing and my computer froze. Immediately, I began to press buttons over and over again. I didn’t know what to do but look in shock at this computer do its own thing. And it happened, the blue screen came up, my computer crashed and I lost all the material of my first book. I gave up for a while but the conviction to write a book remained. It took me a couple of years to start writing again. I would try to write here and there but it wasn't the same. But in 2007, the conviction came like never before to complete what I had started. So I wrote and wrote and wrote into completion. Praise God, my first book is now a reality! Moreover, the second book is on its way...
If you're ever in the Hampton Roads area come visit my church
