The Blessings of Sufferings (Part 2)

Family policy matters and engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council hi this is John Rustin, presidency, family, and were grateful to have you with us with this week's program is our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters.

Today we bring you part two of the keynote address delivered by former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran and NC families. Major speakers dinner in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on November 7, 2019 is number five for the sauna, daughter of God who endures suffering and have the courage and faith to stand their life of blessing will go to the level that is exceeding abundantly above all they could ever ask or think joke was restored twice as much as the loss set right knee second, Abednego, became Governors Joseph became the Prime Minister of Egypt. Mordechai Esther's cousin who raised her like a daughter. He became the proud mint minister of the Medes and purges Esther inherited estate of Heyman and if you study that scripture, he was the third wealthiest family and all the land of the Medes and Persians.

David became a king.

Jesus has the name above every name, every single time when we have the courage and faith to stand. Life is blessed beyond measure. Every single time. So the assessment questions should have you stronger in these five lessons on how God works should have you stronger. I want to personalize it a little bit and tell you how it happened with me. God prepares all of us. I believe in these three areas throughout childhood upbringing throughout careers and through our family upbringing and family development so I was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1960 at Confederate Memorial Hospital because that was the hospital that all the four poor families who didn't have healthcare went to have their healthcare needs met. I had three big brothers at the time we were living in a government project. What other poor people live in the poorest neighborhood in Shreveport, Allendale three years later, two girls were added to our family. My dad left my mother for another woman. He was alcoholic and he left her by herself with six kids. We were so we were broke. When dad was with this believe it got worse after that was left. My mother couldn't pay the rent and the government project in the more so, we were evicted and we moved a few blocks over in a rear alley, rear snow Street.snow Street was a street hat shotgun houses on the front Street and rear snow Street was behind that street hat worse looking worse condition, shotgun houses we lived in one of those houses.

Three big brothers and me slept in the same bed boxspring and a mattress that was old and raggedy stacked on cinderblocks that had boards across the top of my two little sister slept in the same little room all boxspring old mattress that comes in the box wood boards across the top of them were so poor. My mother had to go on welfare and food stamps.

He had a job at a dry cleaner but it was not enough at the end of the month. All the groceries were gone and mama only had enough money to buy bread brought rabbit syrup and mayonnaise so we had toast with brought rabbit syrup for breakfast we had mayonnaise sandwiches for lunch and mayonnaise sandwiches for dinner. All the Kool-Aid and sodas will go if you wanted something sweet to drink.

We take a couple teaspoons of sugar put in a cold glass of water stirred up real good and we have sugar water without mayonnaise sandwiches. Something was always turned off. My mother never had enough money to keep all the utilities on. Something was always turned off I realized that poverty was a terrible thing going up and that alley at five years old. My mother joined the Galilee Baptist Church. When we moved in the alley. She was a Christian but she had strayed away from the faith went when dad left she joined the galley Baptist Church well started going to church when I went to church on Sunday morning I saw that there were men who were married and had children, families, families, families, and they look like they were happier than my family that dads were dressed nice hat on suits and had had some of them were cars and I would always look at those guys that minister was my dad could dress like that and have cars like that their wives were nicely dress a whole lot nicer than my mom was dressed I look at those women. That's a washer was my mother to get her hair done like that and could wear clothes like that little children would get out of the car they would be so much nicer dress to me and my sisters and brothers and I say man.

I sure wish we could wear clothes like that. The men I Galilee Baptist Church gave me a vision of what a family was supposed to be like and I wanted a family like that one Sunday after church we relying on the front room full of our little shotgun house watching a little black and white TV with a coat hanger sticking out of the top of it because we had broken the rabbit ears off of the television and put in a coat hanger in the holes where they used to be.

Gave you a little bit better reception now for four for I use the term rabbit ears and I just need to clarify. We didn't cut off a rabbit's head and ears.

They were it. We did have cable back in those days so we watching TV.

It was the Andy Griffith show. I remember very well, we heard a siren in our alley in front of our house, we spring our feet open the front door right in front of our house.

A big red Shreveport fire Department fire truck. Ms. Mattie's house was on fire.

I look at those firefighters that day and that that my mom and my brothers and sisters and I said I want to be a fireman when I grow up in the grown-ups used asked us back in those days, all the time what you want to be when you grow up. I think they were forcing us to dream beyond the ghetto beyond poverty and I will always say I don't want to be poor I want to family and I want to be a fireman. This was they taught us everywhere we went.

They said all your dreams are going to come true in our country. If you believe and have faith in God. If you go to school and get a good education. If you respect grown-ups and treat other children like you want to be treated. They said all your dreams are going to come through and I was so determined for my three dreams to come true. I just believe them and I was obedient to what they were teaching God prepared me to the faith and patriotism that I was raised upon as a kid for the termination that I experience in 2015 I saw the mighty hand of God deliver my family out of poverty and welfare and food stamps when I was a kid and seeing his hand as a kid strengthen me from when I was terminated in 2015 and then God prepared me to my career in 1981 I became a Shreveport firefighter.

My dream came true, but is also a difficult dark time because I was one of the first African-Americans on this report fire department and we were not wanted.

So I was treated with utter hatred and disdain, racial slurs, racial jokes, there was a bit designated for the black firefighter. Some of the five stations even had designated plates, forks and spoons for the firefighter.

I had a captain who made me watch the dishes, and nearly scalding water just to make sure that whatever I had on the plates, forks and spoons would not be transferred to one of my white white brothers in those very very difficult years, but wow how I was raised as a kid prepared me for those experiences.

I still apply those for principal, have faith in God did education learn the job get good at the job respect the authority of this report, fire department, no matter how they're treating you respect the authority of this report fire department and no matter how your brothers are treating you treat the other firefighters like you want to be treated in the favor of God was on my career for years. I became a captain. It usually takes 12 to 1510 years I became an assistant chief. It usually takes about 20 to 25 years, 18 years I was the fire chief in this on this report fire department with 18 years, eight years later Mayor Shirley Franklin in Atlanta recruited me I didn't have to put in an application she recruited me to come to Atlanta servicer Fire Chief.

I served her faithfully for two years. Pres. Obama gets elected an appointment to the highest fire position in the country to head the United States fire administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

Now here's a guy who was born in poverty, single mom, six kids welfare and food stamps living in a shotgun house had a dream on the front porch of a shotgun house now. The highest fire official in the country know God, but I will.

God, no country, but our country can make that happen.

So about a year later, to God be the praise of their love and that job but about a year later. 11 elected a new mayor came to Washington DC, said I can have anybody but you.

We don't make the city the safest city in the country and I got a have your my team. I went back and we were doing. We did exactly that, through the fire department to the police department in the corrections department strategic plans. Atlanta became one of the safest big cities in the United States of America.

But a year prior to my termination. I wrote a book for Christian pages were discovered where I had spoken about biblical marriage and biblical sexuality. I was terminated from employment and it ended that career so you promise I will Kevin up to that point you had a wonderful career and I had a wonderful career. Even with that I had a wonderful career. That didn't take away from it, but the preparation for that day that they have termination came from the fact that from the time I entered the fire service.

I was having challenges in every time I had a challenge and I went to God about it every time he came through and delivered me and elevated me every single time. Had my termination been Mike's first exposure to the career adversity I probably would've fallen apart, but I had seen the hand of God over and over and over again and I knew God was going to be with me when I was terminated. So he prepared me to my career. Then he prepared me to my family. I believe God is doing the same thing in your life he's prepared you in your childhood. He's preparing you and your childhood and in your you will prepare you for your career calling experiences and he prepared you through the development of your family even your whole family.

So where does all this go. What is it about a Christian men's Bible study. It is simply when you speak the truth in our current culture. The consequences of their but when you stand on the promises of God he'll show the world that yes, there are worldly consequences for standing on biblical truth, but their kingdom consequences in the kingdom. Consequences are always greater than the worldly consequences are never new that I would love a career greater than I love the fire service, but being the chief operating officer at Elizabeth Baptist Church is more joyful. I still love the fire service but I love being a church administrator a lot more then I love being a firefighter in chief is still in the title chief operating officer is still there. I was invested in my pension when I was fire but God exonerated me there that the settlement that the city of Atlanta had to pay me in the income that I have garnered since I was terminated is far greater than the pension that I would've had if I had stayed and retired. God is true and faithful to his word. So how do I conclude this I concluded with the word of God to his strength in my life my whole life but had more meaning when I was terminated.

Psalm 27 says the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid when the wicked.

Even my enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell and now sale my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me.

He shall set me up upon a rock that has been my help. Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. Then David is that song in a way that I want to ended encouraging you. He says wait on the Lord and be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart back is not against the wall.

We are not at the end of our rope throwing in the towel is not an option. I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning accomplished listening. This is been part two of the keynote address given the former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran and NC families Winston-Salem dinner on November 7, 2019 was no one in your part one of the series go to website it NC family.org that's NC family.org. Thanks for listening and may God bless you and your family