The Transformed Life: An Interview with Darryl Strawberry

Everybody Greg Laurie here.

You're listening to the Greg Laurie podcast and my objective is to deliver hopefully compelling practical insights and faith culture and current events. From a biblical perspective to find out more about our ministry. Just go to our website harvest.org so thanks for joining me for this podcast. Let's welcome Darrell strawberry good to have you in your general inhibited the Zulu moment if you like we done this before. Right we we were pretty good I think so. I think you're pretty good out of this is her third time we've had a conversation and every conversation was a little different than the other. You have such an amazing life but you.

Looking back on first meeting you. I met you at the White House and we went to a special dinner. That was a second member, the image of the White House, but it was for evangelical leaders in and there was a moment with the president open the microphone opposite anybody who wanted to could come up and speak a lot of people got up there and you know give a lot of praise and a lot of compliments to the president. Don't walk up there. He was so bold as Darrell knew Donald Trump before he was the president because Darrell was on celebrity apprentice and something I mean I love the way you spoke though as it is a believer and a follower of Jesus and but here's the other thing I really noticed about him is boldness there, but then before and after all kinds of folks.

Of course recognize a want a picture with them.

One, an autograph want to see some reason just took time for ever anybody you know a real great representative of Christ. So welcome Darrell Grady Hyder. Thank you. Yes we done this in is pretty cool to be have amazing house. Like this note makes it a lot easier for you. Have a conversation is not very difficult but with the president.

Everything is really trying to allow him to know that man has not called God is calling on just like all of us men doesn't have say you know what we listen to television and what they have to say about us and we believe that-we wrong. Cannot believe the hype what they said about me, then I wouldn't be sitting here right today and I'm a follower of Jesus Christ had a listen to him and I was trying to get him on sin and persecution is real. You will be persecuted because of what society doesn't like about you and that's that I should never leave your worries and I was telling the president Trump that because God found me and put me in the pool.

I'm not even qualified to do that.

So God can put you anywhere you want support you when he wants to put you, so we people need to understand that if we don't really have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We don't know it all and in most of the news.

They don't know Christ and not enough talking about faith is talking about worldly things are not talking marking them things they don't have my Army laboratory King.

The mindset I wasn't always like this, but I've had a transformation would God know over nine years ago.call me to preach, 15, 16 years ago I was shooting dope smoking crack and drop a woman in my life and my wife today and she was pulling out of deposit and always use people to help people.

We need to understand that man does not have the last say man does not qualify you God qualifies you to China for the president needs to know about you, no doubt, you live the American dream.

I mean, many young men would just love to do it you been able to do play with all these teams like the Giants, the Mets, Dodgers, the Yankees and they think maybe you look like this storybook life, but it wasn't a storybook life. Your father was an abusive man and factor was moment in your life when when it could've turned out horribly. Tell us about that time. Yeah me know your voice really got a chance to see me live a very successful life because I play major league baseball put a uniform on and talk while you make a lot of money should be having money to make you happy broken on SI brokenness rails. It doesn't matter how much money you make, how much framing up if you broken on SNI was broken forever put the uniform all see my pain limits my greatness, greatness would eventually lead me to my destructive behavior because it never well on the inside is going to lead you to all those habitat I just copy that that is such a great statement. Say that statement again. My pain led me to my greatness right for my greatness let me to my destructive behavior. His pain that usually this lead us to being who we want to become in everything because of of hurting a rejection of what was happening. My father was alcoholic and just to beat nearly Mikasa.

Maybe take off a certain beat. You would extension cord and my brother and he came home for the last time put on the shotgun when I was 14 years old, my brothers, and we wanted to ask and we can this close until my father 65 then I was 65 would love to do some damage in my brother and he bought shotgun settings will kill us all soup.

Most people never knew that was already broken before put uniform and brokenness is real and we live in a society today. You know, brokenness, and all of lawlessness brings about broken loose living alcohol prayers rejection all the stuff brings about a broken generation, and now that's what it was for me and that's what still is today like you broken your because of what they go through and never allow themselves. They don't allow him to get well. Inside, we want to look at people from outside job and purpose.

My whole life on the Baha'i community gaze at me is a dollar that homes caused but I had nothing I was just a baseball player when I put the uniform all hidden home as I was in pain to become a manager I met Jesus. When I met Jesus.

I became a man filling your journey. I'll get a tight shot of Darrell and can you get a camera closed his ringing. Check this ring, Elliott Herring, we get it in their trying looking at me for some unknown reason, there is a ring that's a nice ring, says New York Yankees on filling just have the ring by just preaching it out to see. Let me make this one right now think about that is beautiful there you go. You're the manager where you earned it. So you got this incredible success as you've already said, but then you your life begin to spiral in the out of control. He got into drinking. He got into drugs and all kinds of crazy stuff and then there was a big moment in your life. We found that you would colon cancer the world where we went spiritually when you got that news. I wasn't really never anywhere spiritually because I got saved and 91, but I didn't get disciple and discipleship is so important, I think so many Christians miss out on discipleship and discipleship is reading the Bible and understanding God's word of God's commandments and his will, and if you don't do that, you know you gonna be the same person you know is what about talk for my people perish because of lack of knowledge know I was perishing because of lack of knowledge and understanding and earthly knowledge, but I didn't have kingdom knowledge and you don't really get kingdom I was to pick up the word of the word empowers you teaches you how to live in. It teaches you who you are, so I was struggling with all that I was struggling with the success I was struggling with the sickness I was a complete loss person completely. I was I was a he. Then I was a liar was a womanizer cheater I was alcoholic I was a drug addict, but I was a sinner saved by grace God's grace is sufficient.

Note no matter who you are and still has grace for you, no matter how far you go now. He still has grace for you and he still has a perfect plan for you.

So many of us find ourselves with so many struggles like I did and they ultimately give up one thing on the swimming cursor church and people are here today is don't quit know God is not finished. You know everybody else made friends with God is never ever finish which you sent him a prime example of a prime example to God is never easy, right where you at and he has a perfect plan for your life. If we don't quit me so many of us quit and so meals denied Jesus.

We know we just think is Jesus as apologies as a holy man is a righteous man is mass with no sin, so he comes into your life and when he comes into your life room when you commit to Israel. He empowers you know he brings it to wholeness and righteousness deliberation, he redeems you as he's been reading he's been resurrected. He is the Redeemer. I'm not overcome it because of me immobile, because of the blood of the lab. We understand that blood from across the blood of Jesus on the cross for you and for me that blood is clean, so you need to know that seats always tell people what is what is Jesus here for Jesus.

Jesus is here to rescue you sinful ways.

He's here to redeem you with his blood and is there to restore you disgrace see when you understand that you understand who you have spent a lot of time about time a lot of was never give myself enter into a real relationship with Christ and we just think… Jesus to talk about a book you know but he's the King of Kings is Lord, Lord, you know, he was wounded for our transgressions, right Bruce Rudnick by his stripes we get to be here.

You get to live abundant life like that. You don't even know about because of the grace that he gives to you every day site you know Darrell somebody listening right now who's struggling with drugs are struggling with alcohol. They tried to bring you from the fallen back your the same struggles like you said a few months ago for 15 years so one word of encouragement would you give to a person struggling with whatever addiction it is in their life whatever whatever you struggling with this allow other people to help us most important thing for the first don't try to do it yourself you know God is my wife libido 16 years ago. You put me on condo classes you know and go smoke crack and she had one year recovery and I was lost in.

That's all I want to just leave me here. You and God let me die and she was like you just not that lucky. So God is always do what he's always done.

God is always all use people know people and we can understand that we humble ourselves, especially those that are struggling and those that help hangups how was it hurt. Humble ourselves and we can get rid of our ego and three letter word using God out and get rid of our ego then were able to get the help that we need because that's what is always there. You know he's not asking to be perfect sometime before you not perfect Jesus only perfect one know he's asking you just follow me. Follow obey the commandments follow me in trust, and trust processes. Some of us got a be in a place where we have to learn to trust God. We don't trust God nothing will trust everything else will trust what television sandwich trust. This trust, everything else is an island in Proverbs 356 from Meisner talks about a trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your past and he will direct the passenger trust and believe you believe what the word says and allow people to help you. We gotta get away from stop pushing people away and we all learn how to love people. Most most important gift that I've learned through this whole process with God is God love me and my brokenness and that's what we need to do is learn to love people writing the brokers not being up to tolerate Tracy to tolerate my book. She did tolerate me she loved me and missed my mess as you love me back to life. God used her to lead me back to the cross used her back to lead me back to the altar, returning to God and ask God to forgive me and then he restored my life. So tell your father mistreated so horribly and what would understand if you were to say I don't ever talk to that man again.

But after your baseball career had concluded your route now serving the Lord in speaking your father ended up in the hospital and the Lord directed to go see him tell us about what happened yet as this good passage because it is very powerful to understand about forgiveness something so many of us we hold everybody cost us about what is happened to us not in it for so many years my father kept him on my life, my career and I hated and been wanting to be a part of nothing that I was achieved and then in the Lord save me and then six years into that six years later, somewhere down the line number want to do a mass, some of the speak and the losses go see your father in the hospital on Friday night I was on speaker mask off of that one talk about God's love is is like go see your father returned to him. I said really.

I mean, I knew we hadn't had no relationship another for very long time since just want you going on and I want to return to him and I want to talk about anything he did to you. He says how dare you not give him enough gave you and I just sat there and I was on the bed up his criticism and I call my wife and I said I started tell you this blood flow, lesson.

Please pray for Messe God is all over me right now and he's not plan to start a marble see your father returned to she said a prayer and in the guy woke up and I did mass covers and not realize that I need is going on.

I went down and asked him to forgive me signal talk about anything he did. He beat me rejected me sit on, none of us it would you please forgive me, Roth.

Keep your mind say yes. I just lost it. I latest I cried so hard I just lost it. I just completely lost it. I just laid it out is crying like a baby and and and the Lord said raise up and in a razor message.

You know the Lord is change my life said the Lord is speaking to me and he wants to change or would you like to accept the Lord as her Savior and he said yes and there was I was leaving the man that beat me to the Lord God says don't you remember one thing I want to remember one thing clear is never about you to get values always think it was about me see. He said that forgiveness was not for your father that get that forgiveness was for me because I held him hostage so long. I was broken and empty on the inside so long as anytime you don't let anybody freak the brokenness of who you are stays and was soon. As soon as I released him. I got free.

There was something came over me and there were there was God telling me in the mist of that don't you ever forget it is never about you once God has saved you.

It's about you being redeemed. Go out there and help somebody else come to know that his great love for them is real because of what you been through, it doesn't matter what you've been through Farallon tell us what you're doing now do a lot now you know I'm on the event was a trouble trouble 236 times last of recent which I wasn't qualified. Years ago God call me away signal processing all nodding of this you say one thing, now you're very qualified. Now tell you why because you have a story to tell and God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called you know and you you know God is not looking for ability. He's looking for availability not qualified either you know high school graduate. Barely that's it made a lot of bad decisions in the early part of my life.

But you know I have something to say and you have something to say and you lived it, and you've seen God do it for you. So as far as I'm concerned you're very qualified to go pray to God sometime and I really appreciate.

I really appreciate your great man of God and not really follow those that that set the example of who Jesus is and on the Internet. That's what's important you know God is allow me to live up on the life you know he is allow me to preach the gospel and is allow me raise me up from the pit to the poor. And qualified me to do as well only because I said yes that's right I got to place a suggestion. No yes is three letter word. Why yes you enjoy salvation like you enjoy salvation, and salvation is incredible.

I think so many was passed to not understand the greatness of salvation. Salvation is everything. Everything up always wanted like not baseball. Not all Ross not leave his dog. I wanted to know Jesus. I wanted a relationship with Jesus Christ. And that's what we also wants a relationship or personal relationship with Jesus.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. So good. So great is better than anything that you will ever taste better than your wife you're letting your kids better than money better than the thing she is everything when you take since you have a relationship with him. You make the commitment to help you will not want anything else.

Everybody Greg Laurie here. Thanks for listening to our podcast in the learn more about harvest ministries.

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Just go to harvest.org and by the way, if you want to find out how to come into a personal relationship with God. Go to know God.org that's key NOW GLD.org