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Spiritworks - Rick Greene · Brian Thomas

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And if you just put your well faith in God.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Rick Green from Spiritu Works Ministry, Rick Man twenty Is
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: it the twenty eighth year since the Lord just sort
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: of slapped you in the face and woke you up?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, today is twenty eight years now. I'm so grateful
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  Speaker 2: because I prayed to God. I meant that prayer. I
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: know I'm in it, and I never looked back. All right.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: For those who haven't heard the story, and for those
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: who are very interested in hearing again, because I never
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: get tired of hearing this story, because it really is
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  Speaker 1: an amazing thing that happened in your world. You didn't
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: have a real good childhood. No, you were strouded by
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  Speaker 1: drugs and alcohol. Yes, bad elements you hung out with.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, Lona cuss and a lot of fighting.
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  Speaker 1: And as a child growing up in that environment, I
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  Speaker 1: can imagine, like with you, it was easy to rub
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  Speaker 1: off on you.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. I didn't think it was. And boy was I wrong.
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  Speaker 1: You were wrong. Okay, criminal activity, drug abuse, alcol all
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  Speaker 1: all that stuff. I know you were in prison at
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  Speaker 1: one point.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know it wasn't really I'm gonna say criminal.
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  Speaker 2: It's just when I became an alcoholic and add it.
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  Speaker 2: I didn't realize you can't be an alcoholic and addict
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  Speaker 2: and be a current on town support. So I went
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  Speaker 2: to printer for child support. Oh, I was the first time,
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  Speaker 2: still planning the role along. If you're more than five
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  Speaker 2: thousand dollars behind the town support was a founding. I'm
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  Speaker 2: not blaming Bill plan because it was me. I did
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  Speaker 2: that to myself. Sure, when I went over a five
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  Speaker 2: thousand dollars in back town support, it became a founding.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you know, there is an argument to be made
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  Speaker 1: there that you're the one that brought them into this world.
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  Speaker 1: You have an obligation to help deal with the cost
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  Speaker 1: of raising children. We all know how expensive that can be,
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  Speaker 1: at least those who have had children or looked into
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  Speaker 1: the cost of raising children. But that's what happens. And
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  Speaker 1: you were you were obligated to go out look for
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  Speaker 1: job and present to court with information about the jobs
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  Speaker 1: you applied for and all that kind of thing. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: we used to do that, and guys who didn't ended
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  Speaker 1: up going to the lock up for twelve days was
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  Speaker 1: kind of slapping the face. Look, if you don't pay
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  Speaker 1: the child support again, you gotta come back in.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, the mine was too polluted and too poisoned
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  Speaker 2: and too gone doing anything right. Wasn't even in the
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  Speaker 2: thought process, all right, just trying to get.
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  Speaker 1: High, getting high. Yeah, he paid the price.
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  Speaker 2: Readon I walk up in the morning at that period
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  Speaker 2: in my life.
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  Speaker 1: So twenty eight years ago today you woke up and
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  Speaker 1: your life was immediately transformed. And you never turned around,
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  Speaker 1: explaining to the again, listeners who haven't heard the story
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  Speaker 1: and the others, please, it's just such beautiful, beautiful thing.
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  Speaker 2: That morning, I was in the bathroom. I was looking
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  Speaker 2: in the mirror, and I was about to go to court,
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  Speaker 2: and I was talking to God in the mirror. Only
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  Speaker 2: got me in the bathroom, and for whatever reason, a
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  Speaker 2: thought came in my head. I didn't want to die
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  Speaker 2: anarcoholic and an addict. I didn't want my kids to
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  Speaker 2: hear about that. I didn't want my wife to hear
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  Speaker 2: about that. At the time, now, my ex wife and
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  Speaker 2: I thought about it. There's two days pretty much. I
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  Speaker 2: believe we can't control that's alcoholism and drug addiction. They're
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  Speaker 2: not too many deaths we have authority over well, correct.
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  Speaker 2: I think those are self induced? Yeah, I honestly do.
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  Speaker 2: I could be wrong. I just think they can happen
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  Speaker 2: without our participation. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Now that's not to say that some people don't have
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  Speaker 1: a genetic predisposition to getting addicted to alcohol. I know
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  Speaker 1: certain genetic types, you know, they're prone to being alcoholics.
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  Speaker 1: And maybe the same thing stands the reason for drugs.
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  Speaker 1: But maybe if you realize you've got an issue. First off,
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  Speaker 1: I know alcohol is difficult thing to get away from.
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  Speaker 1: It's societally acceptable, and I'm happy to see the trends
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  Speaker 1: with young people going down. But listen, nobody forcing anybody
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  Speaker 1: to go out and use illegal drugs, So that might happen.
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  Speaker 1: But you're right, I firmly believe that we have a
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  Speaker 1: choice on whether to say yes or no at the outset.
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  Speaker 1: And then if you realize you have a problem and
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  Speaker 1: can't get a hold of it, then you really need
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  Speaker 1: to seek treatment or maybe experience God's miracle like you did.
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  Speaker 1: At least you were staring at yourself, asking the question
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  Speaker 1: or pointing out that you were introspective. Yeah, so I'm
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  Speaker 1: going to die and I don't want to die for
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  Speaker 1: a whole variety of reasons.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Can you give God credit for that conversation?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Because I know all things good of the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: and that was a good conversation. It was a positive conversation.
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  Speaker 2: It was a conversation that just pushed me into where
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  Speaker 2: I needed to go. It was time to leave the
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  Speaker 2: old Rick right there in the bathroom. He's still there
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  Speaker 2: after twenty eight years. He didn't need to come out
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  Speaker 2: of the bathroom. But a new man came out. That
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  Speaker 2: was the third day. I poured all my coke down
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  Speaker 2: to the toilet, I pulled my beer down the tallet.
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  Speaker 2: I broke my cigarettes. I had gone to cleanse my tongue,
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  Speaker 2: and I'm accustomed. June fifteen, nineteen ninety eight. Nobody can
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  Speaker 2: tell me Godd isn't real because I don't have authority
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  Speaker 2: over the tongue. I just don't.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you're looking at a guy across the board here.
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  Speaker 1: He might have an argument with you about that. But
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  Speaker 1: I will be willing to give the Lord at least
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: control over the on and off switch when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to cursewords. Pause from him. But we're going to bring
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  Speaker 1: Rick back. Talk about what this miracle has meant to him,
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  Speaker 1: and how he's taken this miracle and really use it
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  Speaker 1: to his personal advantage, but also to the advantage of
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  Speaker 1: so many other people, not just by spreading the word
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  Speaker 1: about it and it can be you, but how he
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  Speaker 1: helps out other people in our community. Don't go away
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  Speaker 1: my way to Montgomery Road.
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  Speaker 2: I met. He's all on fifty five krc DE talk station.
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  Speaker 1: Nine. If you do you have carece he talks station
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  Speaker 1: and Ryan Thomas some experience enjoying rather the miracle that
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  Speaker 1: is Rick Green's life and how he transformed it and
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  Speaker 1: turned it around drugs, alcohol and had an introspective moment
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  Speaker 1: in time, looking in the mirror and just saying I
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  Speaker 1: have had enough through his cocaine down the drain, threw
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  Speaker 1: away his cigarettes, poured out his alcohol, and since that
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  Speaker 1: point in time, including shutting off the curse words, that's
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  Speaker 1: an amazing feat from my perspective there, Rick Green, never
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  Speaker 1: since twenty eight years today. So I want to congratulate you.
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  Speaker 1: And and I heard you say, you know all the good,
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: with all the things good with the Lord. You knew
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  Speaker 1: that in that moment you experienced the epiphany. And I
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  Speaker 1: had to ask the question. You already planted the picture.
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  Speaker 1: You didn't grow up in a real solid environment in
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  Speaker 1: your childhood. Did you have anyone guiding you or taking
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  Speaker 1: you to church or teaching you whether you're Christian or Muslim.
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  Speaker 1: I don't even know what your religion is, but you
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  Speaker 1: obviously have a connection with God. Rick, So did anybody
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  Speaker 1: bring you up with the concept of God and that
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  Speaker 1: there was some sort of measure of salvation or hope
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  Speaker 1: in belief in a higher power, because clearly you got
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  Speaker 1: the benefit of it.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, my dad. The greatest gift he ever gave me.
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  Speaker 2: He took me to church every Sunday. It may sure
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  Speaker 2: I learned about a man n ain't Jesus, and that's
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  Speaker 2: house you had to go to church. Of course I
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  Speaker 2: didn't pay attention younger. I didn't realize I was listening.
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  Speaker 2: I'm playing with race cars.
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  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, well it's like every well, let sure our
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  Speaker 1: kids all day long and they're twelve years old, they're
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  Speaker 1: looking at your glassy light. Is any of this getting through?
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  Speaker 1: And then you later find out, well, you know what, Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: they were listening.
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  Speaker 2: And I always knew God loved me even in that environment,
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  Speaker 2: always knew the God and man connection. Whenever I was
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  Speaker 2: about to do something that I wasn't supposed to do,
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  Speaker 2: always had a warmth welling up and tigning me warning
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  Speaker 2: me wherever I went against that warmth, I wind up
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  Speaker 2: in the justice center. I wind up whenever I went
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  Speaker 2: against that, and now I don't go against it no more. Well,
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  Speaker 2: if like a warning it.
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  Speaker 1: Well you, minister, I mean you're out in the on
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  Speaker 1: the streets handing out meals every Do you still do
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  Speaker 1: that on the weekend and helping out folks on life's margins?
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  Speaker 1: And when when? If somewhere to ask you, because we
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  Speaker 1: all have all these non government organizations and other groups
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  Speaker 1: running around talking about we would to prevent, you know,
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  Speaker 1: like youth crime and gun violence, and it just seems
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  Speaker 1: to me to be boiled down to and summed up
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  Speaker 1: in probably one of the most easy solutions, which is
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  Speaker 1: a good a good family life and good morals being
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  Speaker 1: taught and that you know there should be that internal
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  Speaker 1: reaction like you had even when you were doing and
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  Speaker 1: engaging in this behavior, that you knew it was wrong
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  Speaker 1: when you were doing it. Does that come naturally or
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  Speaker 1: is it a taught thing that you know something's wrong
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  Speaker 1: when you're doing it.
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  Speaker 2: That's something God places in us. We know right, no
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  Speaker 2: wrong at birth. We might not be to articulate it,
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  Speaker 2: but we know it. You know when I'm out there
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  Speaker 2: feeding the homes. I used to do it every weekend,
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  Speaker 2: but I retire last November. Not I can only do
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  Speaker 2: it once a month. People always say Rick wants you
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  Speaker 2: a fine, won't once. See, I don't really need government
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  Speaker 2: involvement with something I'm gonna do anyway. I'm still gonna
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  Speaker 2: do it. I don't see the point. I'm still gonna
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  Speaker 2: do it. Yeah, yeah, and to stop me.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. That that's the spirit flowing through right there, my friend.
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  Speaker 2: I don't think nobody should go to bed hungry on Earth.
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  Speaker 2: I just don't. There's enough money on Earth. I don't
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  Speaker 2: think nobody sleep on the sidewalk on Earth. There's enough
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  Speaker 2: money on Earth.
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  Speaker 1: But if people applied themselves and didn't take the easy
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  Speaker 1: root out and say it's not my fault, I cannot
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  Speaker 1: rise above because the systems designed against me, or the
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  Speaker 1: man's got a thumb of oppression on me, or however
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: you want to phrase it. We've made it so easy
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  Speaker 1: in this world to offload personal responsibility and put the
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  Speaker 1: blame for any given failure we experience on someone else.
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  Speaker 1: Looking at your life, you failed time after time after time.
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  Speaker 1: You woke up on your own nobody wrote you a check.
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  Speaker 1: No governmental agency came in and grabbed Rick Green by
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  Speaker 1: the throat and pulled him out and said, Rick, you're
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  Speaker 1: going to turn your life around. You did it on
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  Speaker 1: your own initiative. I think that's the most beautiful part
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  Speaker 1: of the story.
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  Speaker 2: It's just one thing. I totally agree when people say,
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  Speaker 2: I'm not a fan of lazy. My uncle's want, lady
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  Speaker 2: my grandpa w and lady my dad won lay. It's
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  Speaker 2: just a horrible way to be. We always been in
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  Speaker 2: blue collar, working, proud people. I'm talking about maybe mentally
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  Speaker 2: challenged or physically challenged. That is different and infants. I
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  Speaker 2: think we all should look out for them. Now, if
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  Speaker 2: you're just lazy, I'm probably gonna keep walking. That's a
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  Speaker 2: you thing. That's not me thing. I can't afford to
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  Speaker 2: be lazy. I gotta say, Charlotta homewait, I mean she's
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  Speaker 2: gonna eat. I need to eat.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Well. One of the things I always say is,
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  Speaker 1: I think if there's one obligation we had to our
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  Speaker 1: fellow brothers and sisters on this planet is at least
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  Speaker 1: earn and take care of enough that you can cover yourself.
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  Speaker 1: If you bring more people into the world. Like you
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  Speaker 1: learn during paying child support, you better damn will take
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  Speaker 1: care of them until they are capable of taking care
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  Speaker 1: of themselves. And then they'll take that responsibility out into
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  Speaker 1: the world and take care of themselves. And if we
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  Speaker 1: all did that, if we are capable of doing it,
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  Speaker 1: the world will be a much better place. And those
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  Speaker 1: people truly on life's margins, my friend, those are the
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  Speaker 1: ones that would get the attention they truly truly need.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that is absolutely I wish we could all just
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  Speaker 2: wake up and see, that's enough of us to wear.
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  Speaker 2: The elderly and the young and the mentally and physically
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  Speaker 2: challenged shouldn't have to be without. That's enough for us
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  Speaker 2: that don't Okay, yeah, there's a lot of they're doing
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  Speaker 2: better now.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, well until you turn it into.
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  Speaker 2: And a lazy man or woman. I don't know what
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  Speaker 2: to say that now. I really don't, because that's the
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  Speaker 2: personal choice.
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  Speaker 1: They need to be introspective and have a look in
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  Speaker 1: the mirror like you did twenty eight years ago. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: the hand of God will touch them too. It's about
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  Speaker 1: time for me to take care of myself. Dependence is
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  Speaker 1: a dangerous, dangerous thing. Spirit Works Ministries final online spirit
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: Works Ministries dot com. That's where you find the world