My Life as a Skateboarder Junkie Inmate Pastor

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To fame as a teenager.

However Christian -- -- celebrity status only open doors to drug addiction and a jail sentence.

But he found his way back through faith and the chronicles it all in his new book and so -- -- -- life as a skate boarder junkie inmate.

Pastor -- joins me now from Los Angeles welcome.

-- -- -- -- You know my.

Biggest surprise was understanding how.

Profitable skateboarding could actually be -- you -- a lot of people are actually I didn't know skateboarding was actually that popular or profitable.

Yeah -- you know back in the early eighties you know skateboarding was kind of underground there wasn't a lot of money unit.

And in the mid eighties it really exploded in -- starting to become more on TV and there was more mainstream but it was still a small industry.

But the guys that were at the top we made a lot of money I was making a couple 100000 dollars a month that it.

Watch -- years.

In the late eighty's.

Wow how -- start very profitable and now.

And what was that how you get started skateboarding.

Well -- Grew up in.

My -- was -- surfer he grew up in Hawaii came out to California went to art school in skateboarding was the hot thing in the early seventies and he gave me one.

And I fell in love with it right away by the time I was eight years old all I wanted to do -- -- -- every single day.

And it at ten years old I was going to this gate park and I wanted to go so much to my dad decided he'll be.

Manager of the skate -- so that's when it became like my backyard and that's when I really progressed.

And really.

Really just.

Fell in love with you know the competition and then by twelve years old I was the top amateur fourteen turn pro.

Seventeen I started -- company so things happen very quickly.

In the mid eighties.

But then.

The bottom dropped out what happened to you.

Well I'm like everybody I'm big goals when you're young kid -- you you strive to be the best you become you start accomplishing your goals.

But peer pressure comes upon you in life and you start.

You know trying to please everybody and I was this.

You know great skater on this pedestal -- -- was telling me I was the best in the world and I did have that title.

But along came you know the parties the girls the drugs.

The traveling around the world with no guidance and and no one taking me under their wing in talking to me about.

You know having a good foundation of principles of -- godly principles and I think that was a recipe for me to just continue going down that road of trying to find identity.

In all the things that the world has offering it in the world off free everything money fame and all that.

But there was like I always call up my heart was like a bucket full of holes and I just -- Kept putting that stuff in and put that stuff and -- just kept draining out and to finally I was like.

This isn't satisfying means so I went and heavy duty drug addiction in the early ninety's.

And I got introduced a crystal methamphetamine -- that's when my life really went spiraling out of control to the point where.

I wasn't just partying at night I start -- all day pretty soon I was so dependent apply and you when I went to sleep I need it when I woke up.

I've put my family in the backseat ski -- everything was at the bottom of the list.

If you want to and I know I you went up in jail and yeah that's where I wound up.

In prison in hindsight that you would do you think that actually wasn't a -- blessing.

Yes it was a blessing in disguise I always tell everybody -- you know I mean are committed either killed killed somebody or I would have -- But the next thing on the list is going to prison and that's what happened to -- and so I always say that it was a blessing in disguise.

And I made the choice to carry a whole bunch of drugs on an airplane but.

In that.

You know when you hit rock bottom I think that's where life can either take a turn for the better or you can continue going down that -- in my life.

I was confronted with the lord at that moment my -- houses my name's Christian my nickname was Christ in 85 on the cover of the magazine.

I invented -- maneuver called the Christ there and no one ever told me about Jesus nobody ever said hey have you ever been to church Christian do you -- -- cut.

Can I pray for you have you ever read the Bible -- -- -- traveled the world ten times and I can't remember one time where I was confronted with that.

And so here I am make -- my first phone call.

-- to my girlfriend at the time and she quit drugs went to church and I sit -- -- indeed nothing happened in the but I went for the first time in my whole life and then I got arrested and I remember the first phone call to her was.

You know look I'm looking at ten years I don't know if I'm even gonna make this I thought that was a life sentence and she said.

You know what I love you we just got to trust in god and I was like god I need an attorney -- -- Yeah I guess I use I think I mean I literally -- that's the way that I thought -- right at that time and she goes no God's gonna help us go get a Bible.

And that day first.

Second day I was in -- I went and got a Bible and I looked at innocent men I've never even opened up one of these before and all those spiritual markers my name.

My nickname.

Invention of the maneuver all hit me like a ton of bricks wow I remember crying out to god I say god if -- real.

You need to help me cannot open up the Bible and it was like the scales fell off my eyes I realize that god had a plan for my life.

That you know my choice is dot knew where I was -- -- my choices will get me out in -- I'm an influence on people whether I like it or not and I remember being a huge influence and a huge.

Following and I went man I want to tell people about this about the love of god the mercy of god the forgiveness of -- -- And you ought to do -- I received a right then in there now you are you are now the associate pastor of the the sanctuary.

Would you be would you say described as -- -- as the ravaged church what what does that mean.

-- -- -- You know we we believe it's you know.

We believe it's the greatest church on planet earth and we believe everyone should feel that way about their -- she knows the sanctuaries in Westminster we just started another.

You know extension service in downtown LA Sunday night's.

And we just feel like you know we -- to come together we wanna warship the lord but we want to bring people into the president's of where it lives can be touched didn't change people can feel welcomed people are not judge they're not criticize.

And that you know we -- look it's the Bible says the goodness of god leads us through repentance and we want to bring that atmosphere to a place.

Where people come in the experience god in a place where you know his presence is there.

The Bible says in his presence is the fullness and so many people.

Don't don't have joy in their lives and the joy of the lord is our strength the Bible says and so we needed.

Tell people these things I mean I I had five years and I spent five years in prison and studying doing corresponding course is in just.

Comparing translations in reading every Christian book I can get my hands on to.

And I always tell people you know.

That not everyone says it was such a shame he went from from freedom his whole life to getting into prison cell and getting locked up and I tell everyone I spent.

You know my life in prison living in sin and death my whole life in getting -- prison cell.

And getting set free having victory and freedom over sin and death.

And I spent five years in prison for the first time in my life a free man while you -- you -- incredibly powerful story to tell.

Yeah and it's only by the power of God's love that you know like I said you know searching for love in all the wrong places and once -- experienced God's love it fulfilled me.

It made me content.

It it it satisfied me to the point where.

You know -- wasn't gonna compromise who I am when life gets tough and I'm gonna throw in the towel and I'm gonna use drugs and -- the cover of the pain.

The guilt the shame.

I'm -- actually fight the good fight of faith and I'm gonna.

You know use God's word to lead me guide me direct me and it protects us you know -- you've got -- you people these things.

Down in a relevant way I mean is through my experience is that you know people will respect me.

But it's about God's truth it's about God's word that really changes people's -- I've even got there real quickly meet with Rio -- almost out of time but teaming -- four sons and you yourself.

Dropped out of school to -- -- -- -- -- you can hear me at all it's -- -- he can't hear me at all.

OK well anyway.

We you know I think we've lost Christian right now -- not in philosophically but where where with.

I think we've lost three this satellite connection to Los all right -- -- -- -- OK great -- that last question I'm back.

Because a lot of people.

Don't really realize you have four -- now your life is really back on track.

Did you basically dropped out of school to be -- skate -- in professional.

Oh well.

If yours one of your sons had an extreme talent for something else and it is up to escape when we're so they would do allowed under the same thing.

No I mean.

I definitely you raise them up in the lord there it -- -- chairs they understand that you know -- it's a lifestyle to be a Christian it's not.

Something that we choose in life it's how we raise -- you know my children.

And I believe that they will -- tailor their lives around their relationship with Jesus and so that comes first.

You know.

I think that's where you know we as parents.

You know and leaders need to stand by that we need to put god first and they need to see that example in us.

I mean every you know child looks at us and where their first idols and if we don't.

Give them the example of what a lot a Christian life is supposed to look like who's going to well it's gonna be the videos is going to be the you know the television and we need to lead our children in the way they should go Bible says if we -- -- or they will not depart from it.

And down so my children know that they they understand prayer and made me.

They love church and I think that bouts where you know I didn't have this advantage they have agreed advantage over me.

As a child growing up in a crazy.

I mean I grew up in Hollywood where was.

Exists Bryant get -- -- can -- while you can get as much as you can and put it in a -- get buried within the bigger they can.

The more the man can't and that's just a big facade you know at the end of the day they're still empty it doesn't matter how much you have.

Or or what you've done the accomplishments that you've made it's about having the peace of god in your heart being content.

You know in all situations.

Down yeah that's something that you can't buy I want to thank you so much cushion beside the book is called a sewing.

My life was -- skate -- junkie inmate pastor you got a powerful story to tell and people could certainly check that out and they get inspired by your life story thank you so much for being on a spirited debate.

Thank you so much revenue going god bless you got -- -- him are -- your break right now on.

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My Life as a Skateboarder Junkie Inmate Pastor

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