Stop Complicating Your Life: An Interview with Darryl Strawberry

Everybody Greg Laurie here. You're listening to the Grigori 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. And here you feel strawberry there are good to have you.

Good to be back with you press agree.

I think we all know about Darrell is funny because we were adjusting barrel stool. I think it's too low. Darrell your seminar you I'm looking down to you.

Something's not right with this picture because you are 65 right I am. Six. Robert is still pretty good there little dinner and I show how tall your stand say that there you go. I was full of my still dissident. Well, you know Dell, yet an amazing career. Obviously with the Mets Yankees the Dodgers you know it and I probably shouldn't admit this to you but I'm not a huge sports guy, but I knew you because you were famous on the field and off the field. Of course, because of all the things in your that unique name, which I think is the coolest name of all Darrell strawberry you know I like that name. We're talking about. You could have other fruit names like Darrell pair that you know Darrell, but then not as cool strawberries. A cool name. So I appreciate that, you it was a name that was really touching but I didn't really think about that. You know when I was growing up her letters when you had to roll call in class site down strawberry nearby would turn around strawberry was that name from so very you know people think oh I I wish I could give somebody young boys want to be baseball players. I it's just a dream of so many young men and you lived it.

You you know you been there done that, bought the T-shirt you actually wore the T-shirt but you know and the baseball card to go along with it. But this also opened a Pandora's box of all kinds of options from drugs and alcohol. You know, mingled with your fame, womanizing, and you were in a cycle and you were gone the wrong direction. How did you get out well how to think through prayer for my mother praying for me on my mother was very faithful woman who love the Lord and she she wasn't crazy about my career and everything she was more concerned about my salvation well and I think that's had a big part of why I'm sitting here today because she was a friend for me behind the scenes where I was living this loose life even wildlife and was praying to God when Mike knocked me off my throne saving so you know, the mother is is very important when you on your knees and pray to God. God hears your prayer you know that your.

Then comes the wife yeah I think in comes a wife. My wife Tracy who was an incredible woman who love God and she was tracking me down when I was in the midst of my diction using drugs and shooting dope smoking crack, and here it is unlike $3 million in debt don't have anything in here it is. She's tracking me down by holding me out of the house is a saying God has a plan for you. I said I want you in a God just leave me here let me die.

She says you're not that lucky us for any lady out there that may have someone struggling you love. Don't give up on never know what God is going to do a lot of times when everybody had threw me away as to what movies this not Tracy so BS something that God wanted to do inside of me and she didn't give up. A lot of times we give up on people. We don't really know why but I'm grateful to remarry today for two years.

She's incredible and that's a great word a great word you moms out there any wives out there that may have a husband and that is not walking with the Lord as he got to. Don't give up keep praying they may be able to escape your presence but they cannot escape your prayers right so keep praying. So Darrell, yesterday you talk to the man you gave an amazing message. My wife said my favorite message was Darrell's message and that included me to the census in the eye when I love you by your message. It was so practical and you were talking about temptation. So talk to everybody not just guys with guys and girls, all of us.

How do we resist temptation while we think the most important thing I learned about temptation is you have to run, you have to not cute yourself about the temptations because the real euro and you live in the flesh, and you're in the flesh, but I think what happens to so many of us.

We never get into so that real spiritual place with God and keep our life simple. What I mean to stop, take your life and going places you should be going to end and meeting people. You shouldn't be meeting because SI we really get in trouble and we allow ourselves to open up the door for the enemy to come in and no longer open the door for the enemy.

You know, is the word of God and you know if you stay in the book, all answers are in the book they been there forever were looking form a certain form on everything else. Social media news all less fake and real answers are in the Bible and I think that's what you notice how most people don't want to the Bible to run to every Bible yes and I realize the importance of my life are being transformed was running to the Bible when you first came to the place nor Christ you fell in love with you ran to that book setting when it enacted wears all where are you, you know that that's what most people lose a they lose that that love at first love that you have pricing change, you gotta remember he loved you first. You know, and he's always there. He'll never leave you nor forsake you.

Night and you gotta remember everybody else is going to leave you or forsake you what Christ will never offer safe have to know as I was listening to you basically just that the Dell strawberry version of someone you know because he said don't hang around with and godly people render the word of God. Someone says blessed or happy is a man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat and the scornful. But his delight is in the word of the Lord, and it does he meditate day and night, so there it is in the book just like you said that some people need to do when I am. I first met you at the White House we were there and and I was really impressed with the way that you interacted with people. Also you may have saved my life at the White House on so we were there for an event and we heard a loud crowd gathering outside. They were screaming and yelling and sending us horns and all kinds of craziness I'm with my wife and she's dressed very nicely in high heels.

So in her high heel shoe boxes fast like that.

Something okay we better leave your we gotta go on foot, and we have to walk to our crazy crowd and NII said That we should leave notes or walking out and who walks by, but my 6 foot, 5 inch friend Darrell strawberry I said Darrell can can I walk out with you and I got even my voice. Even changes like that tonight. Just yeah. Come on man type walking.

I would Darrell that we hooked up with some other guys lots a good size guys. I was very happy about that but I so idly what got some guy comes up he gets in the face of one of the wives of one of the men in our group and screaming and I looked at him and I looked at you, you know, and I thought you cannot knock this guy out with one punch right but you were humble because you know is just words and and so we just kept walking, but I thought you know God's changed you because probably younger.

Darrell yet will you might've handled a little differently? You know baseball clearly would have told the man of Christ, realizing that when God changes your life.

It's about walking with weakness like you talk about Moses walking in humility.

Yeah, even when the enemy brings his head out issue.

You'll have to respond to them, but I was thinking in that moment no pastor Greg and his wife is with me. I was thinking the guy was yelling at our house like don't let me take my Christian hand over right now as you could be in a lot of trouble.

Do you know who I'm next� Past Ray Gloria do you understand and I was a plan around you is that amazing leader man for this country and that's what's important. More than anything you know your humble guy now you you can't say I'm a humble guy because that kind of does it right there but you are, you really are humble guy Darrell and especially with all the God your fame in all of your success, you're very down to earth and and I think you take your fame, and you use it as a great tool because yesterday after the conference is over with a long line of people wanted book signed by Darrell baseball signed by Darrell Batts, signed by Darrell things like that but Darrell will sign it and stay there till the last person is there which it took time with people.

There was a young man who was especially troubled and tie and tell me what you said to me earlier.

I thought it was really insightful about social media help. What is what is social media done.

The young people today why think young people are antisocial, and social media driven. You know I had a chance to spend a lot of time in the school with the kids and really really find out what's important to them. He told me what my cell phone is number one social medias number to be a likable social media and I saw all these kids yesterday two boys boys and I can see the troubling side of one, and I realize the Holy Spirit was like giving a number also like to call you so I can be able to talk to Mike and talk to right in that crowd here so I just gave him my card and give him a number took a number nurses when you find yourself wanting to go in the wrong direction and troubles out there pick up the phone call because I want to talk to you. I won't have much of their know you made a statement. Your mom prayed for you. She saw your baseball success. She wasn't that impressed by that your mom is in heaven right now.

I'm confident she knows about how God is using you as a is a minister now to encourage people bring people to Christ but do you think because people remember your mother remembered you Tracy would let you go.

Make your bad choices. You said it was when you started being discipled that it made the difference in your life explained to me what you mean when you say that I was discipled. What that means you personally have to get in to action with God.

Everybody wants the miracle of being what God wants from me, but they don't want to do the work.

Now discipleship is the work elsewhere. You stir up everything. That's where God get to know you and you get to have a relationship which you and then you will eventually find out who you are and know how to stay in your life through discipleship because God's going to train you up, he's gonna show you who you are. Bible talks about how this is my people perish because of lack of knowledge.

You have no knowledge and understanding.

Nobody wants to pick up the book everybody wants to miracle but you got it. Spend that quality time with God by yourself, not with your wife by yourself. So God can show you who you are keys created all that was good. All we gotta do is participate in when you participate God's going to show you is your show you how you are there amazing here so so glad to know you as a friend.

Thankful for the way the Lord is using you and I like that. Pray for you right now in your ministry so let's pray. Father, we thank you for Darrell in his testimony, and how you transformed them and brought them out of the pit and are using him now to help others get out of pits, especially younger people that look up to him and he can say this is the answer. Look at Christ follow Kim look at the word of God continue to use Darrell continue to use his wife Tracy for your glory and we ask you would bless. Now this time of giving as we invest in your kingdom. Use it for your glory as well. We ask this in Jesus name, amen. Let's think Darrell for being what they think it out like everybody Greg Laurie here. Thanks for listening to our podcast and the learn more about harvest ministries. Please subscribe and consider supporting this show just got a 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