Knowing God vs Surrendering to God | Floyd Urrutia Testimony

He grew up in church. He knew the Word. But knowing God and surrendering to God are two very different things.
In this episode of From Wrong to Strong, Floyd Urrutia shares his journey from a double life to full surrender. Raised in faith but pulled by the streets, Floyd talks about compromise, conviction, restoration, and the moment he realized obedience was no longer optional.
We discuss marriage restored, family impacted, bold steps of faith, and the launch of Lighthouse Ministries Chicago. 

This is a story about what happens when a man stops running and finally says yes to God.
If you feel stuck between who you were and who God is calling you to be, this conversation will encourage you.
Subscribe, share, and leave a review if this episode speaks to you.

Transcript

0:00

But I was involved in a drug deal that went wrong where a gun was pulled out and it was a revolver. And if you know anything about revolvers or about guns, revolvers don't jam. Revolvers, um, are meant to kill someone and take the evidence, right, be able to take the casings. What ended up happening, we got set up, sent to an alley, right? Um, the gun was pulled out and it was pulled out on me first, and the young man pulled the, the gun and started pulling the trigger. And I'm just like waiting for something to happen. Right. I'm young, you know? Yeah. Like bare face kind of, you know, I, I was new about the streets and I just remember thinking about my life. You know how people say they see their life? Well, I just remember thinking about my life like, bro, I'm 23. What? And then he realizes that it jams, looks at his boy, they tap each other and they run. And I'm like, man, I almost just died. What was I gonna make? A hundred dollars or something for a hundred dollars from the city of Chicago, a city most recently known for its crime and violence. From this podcast, we will be sharing stories of redemption. Listen to my guests as they share their experiences, struggles, trauma, but also the strength, hope, faith, and perseverance these have developed in them to keep pushing and moving forward in life. Tune in to hear how their lives have gone, from darkness to light, and from wrong to strong. Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of From Wrong to Strong. I'm your host. My name's Omar Galileo, and tonight I have my guest. His name is Floyd Uru. Uh, I met this brother. We basically, uh, we, we go to the same church, different locations. Uh, if you're in the Chicagoland area, maybe northwest Indiana suburbs, uh, man, new life, community church. I would definitely, if, if you're not plugged into to a church, I, I would definitely encourage you, man. Go online and see if there's one near you. I, I could probably guarantee there's probably is within probably 15, 20 minutes. Man. They're all over the city, man. 27 locations. Yes. Yes. So, uh, man, I like to. Thank my guests for being here. Amen. Lord man. Thanks. Amen. Amen. It's a pleasure being here. I just want to thank you. I wanna thank first and foremost our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for this opportunity, right, for this platform, for this, this opportunity of fellowship, man. Amen. Just to connect with another brother in Christ, I, uh, truly admire and respect what you and your wife are doing and all the other brothers and wrong to strong ministries. Um, you know, this is, this is a blessing and it's truly. The, the way to further the kingdom is we were briefly discussing before, um, this is the way right to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Brother. And, and, and, uh, also at the end where we're gonna share the ministry that you're doing. Oh, of course. You're doing amazing work. You know, we definitely plug that of shout out to Lighthouse Ministry Chicago. Yes. Actually, you know what, since you already mentioned it. Yeah. And now, now you gotta tell'em where where we could be, go to. To to hear about it. Amen. Amen. So Lighthouse Ministry of Chicago is the ministry that God has entrusted, uh, for me to spearhead, for me to lead. Right? And, and it is a blessing. It is an honor, it is a privilege. Uh, we are on social media, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, uh, I just. Upload it, or I just started my YouTube channel today just to upload the videos on there. Um, like I said, brother Omar Calvio is truly an inspiration, right? He, he has been somebody that I see leading the way, uh, for us here in Chicago Ministry leaders with this podcast. So I just want big ups to him for that. And, um, a little bit about our ministry, right? We are, uh, being a light. In a world that's full of darkness, right, uh, being his light and the intention and behind that is to cater and to help, right? And to disciple, um, those that find themselves in darkness. That could be, uh, financially, that could be spiritually, mentally. Um, I know that me, myself, I found myself in darkness for a long time in my life, and as you can tell, I'm getting emotional because this is something that I truly feel is important. Amen. There was so many times that I was lost while knowing the word, and I just wish that there was like an outlet, right? I wish there was somewhere where I can go and, and get fed the word, and I know that now 2026, there's a lot of different resources online, but I just felt that, man, if I reach one person a day, then I'm doing my job, man, then I'm, then I'm doing my God-given job, right? And, and I'm furthering the kingdom. If it's one like one, not even no likes, if it's one person that watches. And it touches them, and it plants that seed, then man, hallelujah. I'm doing my job. Amen. Amen, brother. No, no. You, you know what, uh, I'm sure that that passion you have is Amen. Probably based at your right now when you mention. The deep and and darkness that you were. Amen. I'm sure when that, that gives you that desire. Like, man, I, I know, I know what that's like and I wanna help others. Amen. You know, like, I guess be set free from that. Right? Amen. And just lead them the way, right? What, what is a lighthouse? A lighthouse. Something that, a beacon of light, right? That's out at sea, that is able to guide ships that are in darkness, right? In, in, in the, in the depths of sea and Jesus Christ, right? Our Lord. Savior, our father God is that light in our lives, right? And he's able to shine that light in us. He's able to shine that light in those who believe. And our job is to shine that light, let that light splendor through us, right? Let that light shine through us and being a guiding light to others. Hey, man, brother, you, you know what? Let, let, let's let, let's go to the beginning of your story. And then we'll obviously Amen we're gonna land. But where, where you were at and how you got there, but how, how, how was life for you when you were young? Did you grow up in the city? Uh, amen. So yeah, I was born on April 16th, 1990, here in Chicago, Illinois. I was born to the mo to my mother, Mariza Vasquez Perez. Amen. God bless you. And I was born to my father, Floyd Burton, uh, Yia Sr. And um, I was blessed right, to have my mother in my life. Um, you know, life, sometimes things happen and, and, um, I wasn't, I wasn't old enough to know exactly all the ins and outs of what happened, but my parents separated at an early age and I was blessed, right? God knew what he was doing when he blessed me with my father, Ezekiel Perez. Amen. He's my stepfather, but he's my father. He's the one who raised me. He's the one that right. Showed me how to be a man, and I just thank him for that. Um, right. We were instructed in the ways of the Lord. The Bible says, instruct your children in the ways of the Lord so that when they get older, they will not depart from them. Amen. And that is what my family did. It started with my grandmother, uh, Louis Vasquez. Uh, who right now is, is in, uh, a state of health that Right. We can just keep her in prayer. But she is the reason, she's the pillar, right? She's the one that drove us into. This faith-based life. Amen. This was like in the eighties, late eighties, early nineties that we came to Christ and, um, ever since then that that seed was planted, right? She was a woman on fire for God. We attended a church on the northwest side of Chicago. Fullerton and Sacramento area, and it was a Pentecostal church, a small church on fire for the Lord, man. And that's where I got my upbringing. That's where I learned how to read, speak, and write. Spanish was from the word, from from the Bible, uh, studying with my grandmother. And there was just a lot of things in my life, a lot of instances in my life where God was speaking, God was moving. Amen. God was just revealing throughout that time. Right. I was believe I was five years old and, um. I was in the Ninos, you know, in in the kids society or the kids department. Right. The ministry. And um, I would, I remember right. And I seen pictures and, and, and uh, uh, you know, the cam the camera back in the nineties? Yeah. Yeah. I had, we have videotapes of, of where I'm singing with the microphone bigger than me and, and you know, just old school cor right. And just. Praising God and, and, and just something right? Like God knows the plans and the purposes he has for you. And just man, just I'm an emotional person because of the things that God has done in my life. And, um, you know, I, I, I, as far back as I can remember, I remember being in church, the way we describe it is. You know, under the bench, as, as a little kid, you fall asleep. The church bench. Yeah. You fall asleep under the bench, you know? Uh, and, and as you get older, your parents make you pay attention and you wanna pay attention genuinely, because when the spirit is alive and the spirit is moving, even as a teenager, you're being administered to, you're being prophesied over. And I remember, um, evangelists and different people from different Puerto Rico, Florida, different places would come and it would be the same thing every time. Or I would go for prayer and they would come and speak to me. And man, God has plans and purposes for you, and, and you're gonna be the pillar in your family, and you're gonna be a preacher. And, and as a kid, I'm, I'm, man, either these people know each other or, or something's going on, you know, like, like. But, but as I got older, right, 9, 10, 11 years old, I began to really believe, I began to really see, I began to really experience who Jesus Christ was at an early age. Seeing miracles, right? Seeing things happen one time, one instance that, that, right? There's many things, but me and my grandmother were at a bus stop, man. And this is a true story on 55th and Western. Um, I'm not into like, uh, uh, uh, uh, conspiracies or like anything like that, but this is. I seen this with my eyes. This was the power of the Holy Spirit, man. So we were at a bus stop and my grandmother did not have, um, enough, she had a$20 bill and like a few dollars. And back in the day, they didn't accept dollars. You know, it was, it was, uh, sent off of change or the transfer cards. Yeah. So my grandmother was a honest Christian lady, you know, you know what I mean? Like just, oh no, mijo, you know, like, we're gonna, we're gonna find a way. And I remember getting like, man, like God, like. We're gonna find a way home, and I remember finding a quarter on the ground right. I pull that quarter, and brother, I'm telling you that more change started falling from that quarter. It is something that I have never experienced. This, this is something that my grandmother, my family knows about. This isn't something that I'm coming on here, making some story up, but I seen God's hand move in my life from a, from a early age. Amen. And uh, it was just things like that that let me know God was real. Amen. Amen. But just as you know, uh, growing up in Chicago, uh, the streets can be mean. The streets can be ugly. The streets can eat you up and spit you out, man. And, and I just found myself trying to stay in the, in crowd, right? I was always a part of like, right? Oh yeah. The cool kids or whatever, the funny guy, the, the right. But I chose that life over my following. Right? Over following Christ. Christ. I mean, no, no. In your family. Um, did you have brothers or sisters growing up? Yeah, so I have a older brother, uh, he's in the Air Force. Uh, he lived, he, he was in the Air Force. He lives in Florida right now. And I have a younger brother, um, Isaiah, and he actually just got baptized right after me, man. Oh, wow. Uh, God. God has had a domino effect in my family. But yeah, I have two brothers. Um, gotcha. I have siblings from my dad's side as well. But, um, yeah, that, that I believe five on that side. Gotcha. Okay. So, so you said like, as a teenager you are basically like a tug of war for you, like you wanna Yeah. You serve Christ, but at the same time, the, the, the streets are calling up. Yeah, man. And that, that happened till about 15 years old, till high school. Till I remember that I started smoking weed and started going to daytime parties in Chicago and started, right? Like just, I was into graffiti first. I was into graffiti. I was a tagger. Right. Um. Uh, that, that's what I was into. That's the life I was into. And then, you know, in Chicago, the, the, the taggers know the bangers and the bangers know the tags and, and you know, this is your cousin, and my cousin is this. And then, you know, you just, yeah. Yeah. You end up falling where you grew up and who you hang around. Right. And, and I just ended up right. Meeting a lot of people the way that I am, I'm very charismatic. I'm able to talk to people. So I was like that in the world. I was meeting people and man, yeah, you know, let's, let's connect, let's, let's party, let's do this. Right? And, and the enemy has a way of, of using the things that God gave you as a blessing. And he used, he tries to use it for evil, who like, uh, co uh, counterfeited, like in a, in a sense, like yes. Like it has an intended purpose. He gives it another purpose in Yes, a dual meaning, you know, real. And, and, and then in Romans it talks about how you like, like, I forget what chapter and I don't like to, to, oh yeah, Romans this, and it don't end up being there. But in Romans it talks about how you even teach people ways, new ways of sinning. You know what I mean? And that's where I found myself. I found myself listed all those sins, sexual morality and, and, and lust and, and drunky and debauchery and all those things. Pride. The pride of life. I was living, I was living that out, man. Like, like when I read that recently, as I'm coming back to the Lord, I was like, dude. I was living this life of darkness, this life of sin, man. And I didn't, I was so blinded, you know? But yeah, so, so high school happened, and, and it just corrupted me. I, I, I started getting even more disrespectful. I started getting even more right. Disobedient, stopped going to church. I would find ways if, if I knew we were leaving the church at around 10 30, I'd be outta the house by like nine, you know? Oh yeah, I'm going over here. And, and that was there after a while. You know what I mean? And, and then, you know, my parents too. They, they, they, it's not their fault, but we all like, now I understand that was the, in their thirties. So their walk with Christ began to Right. Like not be as strong as it once was in the nineties. And it's not their fault, you know, life happens. Oh yeah. Yeah. And, and, and I'm not blaming them for anything, but what I'm saying is then they stopped going. Yeah. You know, and, and then I started going with my grandmother on the bus occasionally, right. All the way from the south side to the north side. And, um. We're, we're gonna go right. Like in through high school. And I had a lot of problem. Ended up having a kid at 19. Fast forward. Right. A a a lot of, uh, I was in prison, not prison, but I had got arrested for graffiti. Simple charges. Yeah. Nothing crazy, right? Like, like my, my parents ended up sending me to military school, um, linkage Challenge Military Academy, where I lived there for six months. That was kind of preventative. Um, to kind of like keep me away from the streets and, and I just feel that everything that my parents did, all of it had to happen according to God's plan. Uh, going to Job Corps, gonna Lincoln challenge dropping out. My, my dean of students ended up being my mentor man. Like a lot of people that I met in my life wanted to help me. They're like, man, we see the potential in, you. See that, that, that, man, you're going down the wrong path, but that's not the path you're intended on. And man, thinking about it now, God had me in his hand the whole time. Amen. God had me in his hand the whole time. And, um, I was just like, Jonah running man in disobedience. I was, I was running, trying to, trying to see how far I can get without doing what God wanted me to do, man. And, um, we're, we're gonna, this story will fast forward to the age of, I believe, 21. Um, 20, no, no, no. To the age. Yeah. Yeah. 21, 22, where I would try to come back to church. I would try to come back to church. What, what, what, was there something that was happening around that time that you're like, man, I gotta go back, or what was happening? So, just life, and I always knew, man, just, just like it says when, when you have that, when you have that fear of God in you and you know right from wrong, man, it, it does not leave you, it does not go anywhere. And I had the blessing right of, of, of knowing. From a early age, the word of God, uh, uh, ellio the gospel, right? Yeah. The, the, the, the, it was, it was a profound beginning, you know? And it sounds like to you, you knew God was real. It wasn't just a religion, it wasn't just, man, we're going to church. Uh, you know, like. Don to check in. No, you, you, you experienced God. So, man, I seen the Holy Spirit move in mighty ways, man. People talking in tongues, dancing in the Holy Spirit, where, where people, grownups, I remember they would go and get like, oh, we would invite them or, or people, they would be guests of people and kids would just be like, oh, you know, they're just having the Holy Spirit. Don't worry. You know, like, tell'em in Spanish, you know, like, like, oh. You know, like, and it, it, it, it, it just span. I was around that at an early age, so God just had me in his hands and, and, um, when I turned about 23, 24, so this was about 20 13, 20 14. Right. I had a surreal encounter that, that brought me back to. My, my, my walk right. It didn't bring me back fully, but after I explain it, you'll see why. Yeah. Um, so in about 20 13, 20 14, I was involved in a drug deal that went wrong. Um, I was involved in a drug deal where a gun was pulled out and I was just the middleman. I wasn't a drug dealer, never been a drug dealer. Never. Right. Um, never was in that life. But I was involved in a drug dealer that went wrong where a gun was pulled out and it was a revolver. And if you know anything about revolvers or about guns, which I didn't know at the time, but revolvers don't jam revolvers, um, are meant to kill someone and take the evidence. Right. Be able to take the casings. Yeah. This, this all I found out after. Right. Um, but what ended up happening, we got set up. Sent to an alley. Right. Um, the gun was pulled out and it was pulled out on me first, and the young man pulled the, the gun and started pulling the trigger, and I'm just like, waiting for something to happen. Right. I'm young, you know, like bare face kind of, you know, I, I was, knew about the streets, but I was never a thug. I was never like, like a gang banger, you know? So I'm like. I just remember thinking about my life. You know how people say they see their life? Well, I just remember thinking about my life like, bro, I'm 23. What? And then he realizes that it jams, looks at his boy. They tap each other and they run. And I'm like, man, I almost just died. So I walked back to the car with the person and, and, and his girlfriend, who I'm actually, we, we won't say who it is, but I'm related to this person, right? And, and, and, um, it was like, what just happened? Took me home. I didn't tell anybody about it. I told Claudia maybe the, my, my, my wife Claudia, I told her the next day, you know, like, like man. Or maybe later that night, you know, I remember crying in her arms like, man, I got a gun pulled out on me, man. I almost died for, what was I gonna make a hundred dollars or something for a hundred dollars? You know? So a week passed and that weighing on my mind. I go to my mom's house for something on a Sunday and my stepdad's getting ready for church. My dad, my father, uh, Ezekiel, he's getting ready for church. And I'm like, man, where you going? And he's like, oh, I'm going to church. I'm like, Malta Church? He's like, yeah,'cause,'cause I had still, you know, we had actually sidetracked right here. We had been going to New Life since they had opened. My mom had been trying to look for somewhere on the south side to attend church. And since 2005 we had been going to New Life on the South side. I remember Wednesdays. We would go play basketball in the gym, and my mom would go to Bible study, uh, pastor Mark, he would always wear like those little, uh, uh, headsets to be preaching. And he had his little beard, he had, man, I remember Pastor Mark from being very young to, to the man of God that he is today, you know, and to your young man that he still is. Yeah. Oh man. The, the power man that God he is today. And, and, um, you know, a lot of people wonder where I came from nowadays, you know, like, man, where did you, where, how do you, you know, but we'll get to that. Yeah. Yeah. I got, and then, um. We were, he was going to church and I said, man, I'm gonna go with you, bro. I didn't say what happened. Yeah, right. But you see how in the midst of trouble, in the midst of chaos, man, God called me to his house. God called me because he had a message for me. And, and that just one of the times that, that God was asking me to be obedient and by the grace and mercy of God I was, so I went to church with him. Right. And just like I said, evangelists would always come and they would start ministering and man, bring that guy over here. And it happened. And I'm like, man, here we go again. You know? But this time the message was different. The message, I felt it in my heart. I felt it piercing my heart. I felt it penetrating, man. I felt it like, man, he's speaking to me. You know how people say they have that encounter, like, man, the, the pastor's talking to me. He was speaking to me that day and, and man, I remember him doing an altar call and, and as I was getting up, he's like, yes, you come here. And I'm like, in Spanish, right? Yeah. And I'm like, man, you know, I'm, I went. And as soon as I just begin to call out to God, I just fall to my knees. Man, there's actually a picture on my TikTok of this exact moment that I didn't tell somebody to take a picture, right? But, but this, this, this just ended up happening where I'm on my knees and you could see in my face the anguish to just to hurt. The life of trauma, the things that had happened, right. Seen and unseen, known and unknown. Um, things that, that we haven't talked about today that are, that are more Right. Like, like for a deeper testimony. Right. Okay. And, and, and it's just, um, man, it, it, it all boiled down to that point in 2013, man, where I fell to my knees and I reconciled with the Lord. Amen. And after that, I began to be on fire for the Lord, kind of like how I am now. But there was no true surrender. I was still trying to hang out with the same people. I was still trying to smoke weed and think it was okay. I was still trying to drink and think it was okay. Right. Oh, God got me, God's working. You know what I mean? You know what I mean? And, and Oh yeah. Grace and mercy. Yeah. And, and right. But God is a loving God, but. But there's a verse in Hebrews where he's a consuming fire. And that could go many ways, right? Where he's a consuming fire. Like he, he spreads where he's a consuming fire, where he also destroys, you know what I mean? So, so we do not wanna play with God, man. Man, the, the, the, that is something, right, that I've known from an early age do not play with God. And I would kind of use that as my excuse. Oh, I don't wanna play with God, so I'm in the world, you know, so, so I'm, I'm gonna just stay away. Okay? I'm just gonna stay in the world. That was kind of like my. Theology. That was kind of like my, you know, that, that lukewarm verse that, that a lot of people misconstrue.'cause now that I'm studying the word, I'm learning what things mean. Okay. And, and Right. Studying the word. But I used to think like, oh, lukewarm in and out, you know, warm. He doesn't want a warm Christian. But in reality, that verse actually means the aqueducts back in that time, by the time the water reached these, these poor village villages. Yeah, it would be. Ugh, lukewarm and Jesus will spit us out like that us, us Christians that ah, it disgust him. You know what I mean? So, so it's something that, that, that I knew and I'm like, oh no, I don't want Jesus to spit me out and then go to hell. You know what I mean? So, so I tried to, I was living like a double life. I was living like a, a a, a, yeah, hallelujah. On Sundays. And then Monday through Friday, I was at the Bar and Bulls in the playoffs at that time, you know, when D Rose was, you know, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was, I was, I was church on Sundays and then. Uh, you know, yeah, yeah. People probably see me at the, Hey, was that guy at church on Sunday? You know what I mean? But I was living that life, man, and I'm able to say this today, right. With confidence and, and, and, right. I'm not glorifying it, but what I'm saying is look at where God has brought me from. Right? Yeah. I'm able to sit here today and, and, and admit. Things that I was doing wrong. Things that a lot of people today, a lot of followers still think is okay. You know, and, and I was living that life. And when the enemy has strongholds, that's, and, and he has footholds on you. You know what I mean? Those are the doors that, that, that lead to other sin, that lead to other problems, right? Yeah. So I, I, that day I ended up reconciling with the Lord, um, back in 2013. But like I said, there was no true surrender. So I immediately write that, that that dissipated quickly. That ended quickly, you know. Um, I ended up. Shortly after that or around that time, that's when I met my wife. That's when I met my now wife, who I was, we were engaged after three years and then engaged for like 10 years. And, and then that, that is not something that I'm proud of. Right. But that was the life that I was living. I wanted to reap the benefits of, of man, I, I wanna be a husband, but without the commitment, without the sacrifice, without counting the cost, without leading in a godly way. Yeah. So everything that I did failed. Everything that I did, I, I tried having a good relationship failed because I would, you know, and I, I have my wife's permission. It's always good to have your wife's permission before. Oh, yeah. That's from a Fusion man, right? Yeah, that's from Fusion, man. It's always good. It's a ministry. Shout out to Shannon and Caprice and, and, uh, uh, Marlena and Jesse. My, my last season Fusion ministry leaders. Um, yeah, man, it's always good to talk to your wife. And we talked about this before coming, but there was a lot of infidelity. There was a lot of. Cheating on my part. There was a lot of, uh, um, and I was just an unhappy person. It wasn't that, that I have a beautiful wife who's loving, caring, awesome, supportive, but I was unhappy with myself. And, and as men we try to, oh, I still got it, and blah, blah, blah. Right? But anyways, that was a life of garbage that I was living. I was living a lie. I was living a lie. I was living a lie. So slowly but surely, right? Drugs came into the picture. Drugs. First it was women and drinking, then it was like drugs and uh, man. I became addicted to drugs. You know, I became addicted to a hard drug for a while. Won't get into details. I don't like glorifying things, but I, uh, I got into a hard drug for a while that would keep me up all night. We'll say that, right? And, um, even in that, like I was telling you, even in that darkness, bro, I would be talking to people about God. Anybody that, that sees this, that, that knows me from back then, they, they, they can comment on here and say, man, testify. He's, he's, he's telling the truth, bro. He, he used to talk our ear off about Jesus. And man, that's because bro, when, when God has a plan for you, there's nothing nor angel, nor demon, nor heaven, nor Hell can separate you from the love of God. And this message is for anybody out there man that believes that man, I'm too far gone. That man. I, I, I'm at my end, man. I've tried everything, man. God is not gonna forgive me. I'm not good enough. Those are all lies of Satan, and we rebuke it right now on this podcast. In the name of Jesus, man, those are lies that I was under for so long, but you know why, you know why, uh, uh, Omar? Because the enemy knew that I was a. Threat to darkness. Yes. The enemy knew that I was gonna come and be a threat. That I was gonna come or be a force to be reckoned with. Being led by God, being filled with the Holy Spirit. Man, I'm living in truth. I'm living in light. Man, I, I'm glad that God has broken those chains, and I'm not sitting here saying I'm perfect. I am far from it, man. I am far from it. But I'll tell you this, I'm glad that I'm nowhere where I used to be, man. And I'm glad that God has grabbed a hold of me. You know, a lot of people say, I found God. No. No, no. God finds us. I'm glad that God found me in my darkness and that he pulled me out, and I know I just got a little burst of like the Holy Spirit right there, man. Amen. But that's what happens, man. Yes. That's what happens when you start to reflect and you start to think about everything that God has done in your life. Yes, man. Yes. And and, and I remember in our story we're ending off where, uh, I met Claudia. She actually went to New Life with her mother and her father, who, you know Yeah. They attend New Life, Cicero. Um, and then, so within that. I, I just, man, God put us together. I remember, man, God put us together at first, right? Yeah. Like, like we go to the same church and, and you know, we kinda got the same upbringing and we got together and within a month we were living together. And I, I, I, I, I, for this, I say this because it, it, it's contextual. It, there's context to it, okay? In that I understand now as a parent. Where my, they were upset with me, the way I did things right, the way that I got with Claudia. And we kind of just moved in and rushed in, and, and three months later we had a tattoo and then we ended up pregnant very quickly. Very quickly. So I understand now. Yeah. I'm able to, to, to be mature and understand that, man, that's upsetting. You know, I, I, I, I came in and I just kind of, you know, uh, disrupted things, right? Yeah. And, and, but we were able to, uh, now, right? Be a be a family. And I wanna say something that I want to thank Claudia. Um, Claudia was actually the reason, uh, uh, Claudia's mom. Claudia, yeah. She was actually the reason, or not the reason, but, but the driving force behind me coming back, man, I had no idea what was going on. Right. She had been praying for me just like my mother had been praying for me, just like my grandmother, right? Just like a lot of brothers had been praying for me. But this whole time I'm thinking, man, they don't like me. She's praying for me. She's praying for me and reaches out to another brother who, who I'll mention in a little bit, but reaches out to another brother man, and that brother comes and, and just takes me under his wing and, and it's just a thing of beauty when we really look back at the things that God does, how he takes what the enemy literally meant for evil, bro. And he turns it to good man. Yes. And um, so yeah, I, I, I get with Claudia, 13 years of darkness. Right. We end up having two kids, Nori and Floyd. Let me backtrack. Yeah. I had a 15-year-old daughter that, like I said, remember at 19 had a kid, um, that was out of just living a crazy life, right? Like I, she's a blessing. My daughter, Zoe, I love you mama. Um, but that was just right, like just living a careless life and. Living a, a teenage life. I was a kid having a kid. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, and, and, and, and, um, I'm still right. That's a cross that I carry. That's a, that's a relationship that I'm still fixing. I could sit here today and admit that man, because I know that the God that I serve is gonna, is gonna complete that promise and that me and my daughter are gonna be one day right back to that a hundred percent relationship that we once had. But I know that the choices that I once made as a man or, or as a boy. Affected me now that, that I'm a man and, and those are things that I'm working on. Those are things that I still have to write and, and, and nobody's perfect. That's, that's why I'm sitting here, man. I'm, I, I, I have my fair share of things that I deal with, you know? Yeah. But, but you know what? It, it, it, it'll. It is good to, to, to be honest about those things, you know, and then, and yeah, like, um, I don't know the details of the situation, but I'm sure it could be some resentment, you know, maybe dad's not, not, not, not around as much as he should be. And you know, that's, you know, for a, for a, for a, um, a daughter, you know, the daddy, you know? Yeah. So, yeah, no, so, so God willing, you know, God, God will bring restoration to that end. That, that's hope for, for any, any father out there too. You might be experiencing that with your kid, you know, like, you know, um, God forgives us, but we get to live with the consequences, right? Yep. Of our choices. Amen. Amen. And it's humbling, right? Yep. It seems like, oh, Floyd, everything's going good in your life right now, and, and everything is going your way. Man. There's things that I think about. There's things that I, you know, that I, that there's prayers that I pray. You know, I was talking about this recently. We pour into a lot of people, man, and, and, and we are, we're left empty. Sometimes. We're left, we're nothing in our cup, and, and it's important for us to get ported. To too. Right. And that's, I'm learning that as well, you know, and, and I'm practicing that. And, and, um, as much as I wanna help everybody, sometimes I need a shoulder to cry on. Yeah. Sometimes I need, Hey man, are you okay man? Well, what could I pray for you about? You know what I mean? And. I'm okay, right? Like, I'm not, I'm not sitting here like crying, but I'm saying that sometimes the strongest people are the ones that sometimes you gotta ask, man, are you okay? Yeah. You know what I mean? Oh yeah. The like, uh, the, um, how do they say you need somebody that's like, in a sense, like, uh, above you? Yes. You know, ahead, ahead of you. Yes. Not above ahead of you. Somebody on the side of you that maybe you guys on the same path. On the same level in a sense, and then somebody that you are raising up right. To, to pour into. Amen. Amen. So. To get back to all of that. Right. Um, I left off with talking about my in-laws, who I love dearly. I don't wanna make it seem like, like, you know, any, everything that I'm talking about, everybody that was a part of it knows that there was a time in my life when everybody was against me, man, because of the choices that I made and because of who I was. Oh, right. I was, I was, man, I was so, in a sense it was well deserved. I was, look, I was a prideful, narcissistic, um. Just a I was, man, I was a bad attitude. How, how, how did that look? Gimme a couple of examples of the Floyd during that era. Man, man. Um, thinking that at the world revolved around me, man in my life out in public with. Everything, man. Everything. My wife, the, the main thing, my family man. I hurt the people that were closest to me. I hurt my mother, my wife, um, my kids man. And, and it's things that I'm not proud to say, but I am. I feel compelled by the Holy Spirit today to, to, to say these truths because I know that there's a lot of men in, in, in, in church and outta church that, that live lives and, and I'm not calling anybody. I'm not saying nothing. What I'm saying is it's okay to live in your truth, man, because God got you and God is gonna be the one to tell you who you are. Your identity is found. In God. It's not found in your past mistakes. It's not found in your past choices. It's not found in your money. It's not found in your title. It's not found in being a father. Even it's found in Jesus Christ alone. Amen. Right. So, so I wanna make it clear, man, that, that when we come to God, we have to come with a open heart. We have to come with a full surrender. We have to come with obedience. Those are all the C components. People have been. Oh man, what's your seat? Obedience. Being open, having an open heart, reading your word, eating the bread of life daily. You know what I mean? Like not just, I'm a Christian Sunday, like I was talking about before. That was, it's easy to fall into that. Yeah, get dressed up, go to church and man, hey brother, this guy. Hey brother, this guy and oh man. Yeah. Praise God. And that was a good message, pastor. And then back some people Sunday night back at the bar. You know what I mean? And, and back, back to living these sinful lives, right? Whatever you consider your deepest, deepest sin or back to doing that, you know. And, um, like I said, back to the story where me and Claudia were living this life of not being married and, and we lived a life of where we had cha. Conversations, right? But there would be times where we would be separate my sin, my, my, my, um, lifestyle, right? The things that I was doing would cause her to leave me. And I would pretend like I was okay. You know? I would pretend like, ah, you know, whatever. You know? And, and, and. It was bad man. And just to, just to get outta that kind of conversation. Yeah. Uh, fast forward into last year, end of 2025. Right. If I remember something important, I'll kind of go back. Yeah, yeah, go ahead. But end of last year, end of 2025. Um, I remember it was after a weekend of partying, man, and me and Claudia are getting into it on a Sunday morning and. She had enough, she had been crying out, calling out to the Lord, praying for me. Right. She, my wife has a powerful testimony as well for, for women, right. For for women that have been dealing with the similar things. Right. And, and I don't wanna speak for her, but, um, she, she's willing and able to share that testimony as well. And, um, but I was just. I was the thorn in her side. Man, I was, I was, I was literally a cast over her. I was a cloud over her. And, um, the choices that I was making was, was just driving her to leave me, man. And, and we were at the verge, right? We had left each other many times and, and been separate, but we were on the verge of like, seriously not being together. And she's like, you know what? I'm going to church but me. And my sin. I tried to be right. Well, you know what? In my head I'm like, you know what? Well, to, to mess up her day. I'm gonna tell her I'm going with her, I'm going with you. You know what I mean? So I end up going to church though, man, look at how God works. Look with the, with the wrong intentions. With the wrong intentions. Just, just, just to be a, a, a pain in her butt, man, I was, I was just like, nah, I'm, I'm gonna go with her. So that way I have the keys to the car and after, I'll take Right, I had this whole, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Start up plan, but our hearts deceive us. Our hearts deceive us. God says, right. So man, um, God has a way of doing things. And that Sunday, it was actually Pastor Juan who was preaching a message about how when we come before God. To close our eyes and to picture that, and that Jesus is gonna be standing in the middle as our mediator. He's gonna be standing in the middle speaking for us. And what is he gonna say? What is he gonna be able to say about your life? God is gonna say, what did you do with the children I gave you? What did you do with the wife I gave you? What did you do with everything that I have given you? And man, I was in tears, man. And I'm thinking about the message now and, and I just shout out to Pastor Juan, man. He, he, that was a powerful message that I said, man, later in that service, they announced that New Life Midway was gonna start their 21 days of fasting. And I'm like, or, or 21 days of prayer, right? Yeah. And I'm like, we're doing this. I'm doing this, and man, I'm telling you from day one, I just came with a open heart and empty hands and just expected. God was gonna change my life. I was tired of being tired. I was tired of, of pretending I was tired of this facade. I was tired of living in darkness, brother. I was tired, man. I was tired. And, and, and, um, by the grace and glory of God, those chains have been broken. Man, my life has been given back to me. God has replenished everything that the devil has tried to steal. I give all the honor and all the glory to God. I couldn't have done any of this on my best day. None of it. When we are weak, God has made strong man. Yes. And, and, and I give all the honor, I, I, I, I say it every time I give to God. Be the glory, bro. There, there's amen. My life is a testament of what happens when you surrender to Jesus Christ. Man, when you surrender, I was running, I was running. Jesus leaves. God leaves the 99 and he comes back for that one. Yes, he does. And I, I, I never got that verse fully until I was that one. I'm that prodigal son. I'm the one that he comes back for, man. He has 99 other sheep. But he came back for me, man. He died for me and my sins. Man, you know what? I gotta live in my God-given purpose. So all those things that the evangelists were prophesizing over me, man. I know that God was. God was waiting for the right moment, the right time, the right opportunity. He made me for such a time as this man, and I thank God that, that I've been able to express this passion that I have, the passion of God that I have, man. I have a passion for the things of the Lord. This isn't some little. Little like Puerto Ricans say, this isn't like a little thing that's gonna pass. This is my life. This is, I I have devouted. My, my life is an altar to Jesus Christ, man. Amen. My life, my heart, man. I, I have a passion for reaching those that are in darkness, man. Amen. Amen. Brother. So, so you said this happened in the year. What? What did that lead you to do? I know we were talking before we started recording. Yeah. That you took a, like a few steps afterwards. So, man, afterwards I took, I took some bold steps of obedience. One of them being in, within those 21 days of prayer, our pastor, pastor Mark job, um, actually see me in the foyer. One day. You see me in the foyer and I'm pretty tall and I have a beard. So you kind of remember me. How, how, how tall are you for, you know, you're sitting down. I'm six two. I'm six two. So Pastor Mark, I'm sure he. Seen me throughout church and was like, Hey. But the thing about pastors, he remembers names, he remembers stories, he remembers it doesn't matter how long it was. He's like, Hey, brother Floyd, God bless you. Nice to see you. You know? He's like, come here real quick. And you know, of course, man, I went to go, uh, say hello to my pastor, say hello to my pastor, and, and you know, uh, um, I was just like, man, God bless you. You know, good to see you. He's like, good to see you. How are things? Are you married yet? And I was like, oh man, I can't lie to my pastor, you know? And I'm coming back. I'm engaged for 13 years. Yeah. I said, man, we're engaged. He's like, oh, how long? And I'm like, 13 years. He's like, oh, you're couching it for 13 years. I said, yeah, yeah. You know, but actually for that last, when I said that we were coming back to the Lord, something in my, something in me had told Claudia, man, you know what? We're gonna be abstinent. Till we get married. You know what I mean? Yeah. I can't, I can't be saying that I'm gonna get baptized rebaptized. You know what I mean? And, and we're still living in sin, but look at how God works, man. That's why it convicted me so much when Pastor said that, when he put his arm around my, my, my neck bro, and he, so are you married yet? I felt like I was the only person like in that room, bro. And, and, and my heart went to my socks. I ended up going to the furnace. You know, I'm thinking about that the whole time. I'm like, oh my God, bro. The Holy Spirit just led pastor Yes. To call out my sin. Yeah. You know what I mean? And that's the in, in a loving way. Yes. And that's the result of when you're being led by a pastor who's in tune with the Holy Spirit. Yes, bro. He's being led by God and I, I love my pastor, I love Josiah, I love Pastor Mike, all the pastoral team man. Um, but yeah, man, so I went home. I said, babe, we gotta get married. We gotta get married. God called me out. God called us out. She's like. Okay. When I said Friday. We're gonna go Friday, and this was September 20th. Okay. It was, that was was September 19th, we went to the courthouse. September 20th, we were officially married. And then that night, pastor Mike, man, shout out to Pastor Mike Barry. Man, he came to my house, ordained us right there, man. On the spot, man. And, and we have a loving pastor that way that anybody at Midway, he, we know that he's. If he can do it, he'll do it, man. Yeah. You know what I mean? Pastor's a, a, a awesome pastor, and, um, I thank God my brother, my mentor brother Ariel was there. Who, who, who leads the furnace. Amen. Uh, furnace is a powerful group. You were part of, man. You helped start with Brother Rudy, and, and that's something that's growing today. So we wanna thank you for that too, man. And, and, um, but yeah, brother Ariel was there, brother Pastor, Mike, and Bro since then, right. God has just been moving in a tremendous way. A week after that, I got baptized. Um, a month after that, my wife got baptized. A month after that, my daughter got baptized on New Year's, uh, December 31st. And this was a choice from her. Uh, the fo the mo The following month my brother got baptized. Amen. So it has just been a ripple effect. Amen. In my family It is, it is What hap It's a domino effect. Yeah. It's, it's when, when God gets a hold of someone, man, it's inevitable. It's going to spill out into other people. You know what I mean? For those that want it, for those that, that want, you know, because God doesn't force himself on anybody. And that's what I've learned For 35 years I was running, this is the year that he chose to like, okay, boom. I'm, I'm, I'm, that's it. Enough of you, it's me. And I said, okay, God. You know, and then his timing. I know that, that, that, that, that, that's, um. Awesome, man. But, but you know what, so, so you, you took all those steps. Now let's, let's talk about Lighthouse Ministries.'cause not only man, you're on fire for the Lord. Amen. So, so what exactly are you guys doing through, through that? Yeah. So, so. If anybody that has had me on, on Facebook, um, throughout all the years of Facebook's been around, I guess I've always been posting scripture. I've always been posting like, you know, checking in. Used to be like a cool thing back, oh, you're at this restaurant. I always used to check in at church Man, I'm at New Life. I'm at New Life. I'm at new. You know, like, like,'cause that was, I was younger. Didn't, and, and you know, I would have Christian friends, so I wouldn't really check in that I was at the club or that I was at the bar, you know what I mean? Yeah, bro. I'm being honest. And I would check in that I was at church and I would post these like, uh, uh, uh, positive encouraging scriptures and, you know, but, but man. That was just my nature. I'm realizing that was, I've always been this like person, even though I'm going through my own problems and I was causing problems, I always wanted to help people. I always wanted to make people laugh up, uplift people, you know what I mean? I've always had this like, like, uh, um, passion for helping people. I worked in school, man. I worked in schools for nine years. Uh, before I worked a job. I worked. Now I didn't wanna get into like right jobs or anything like that, but I worked in schools for nine years and that helped me. In my development and being able to talk to people, being able to confidently write address crowds and stuff like that. But God knew what he was doing. Yes. Nothing's in training, training ground. Nothing's in vain, man. Nothing's in vain. Nothing happens for no reason. Everything is a, has a divine purpose. Yes. And, and, and, right. Like I was telling you before we started, my, my uncle today was like, man, it's like you've been doing this for 20 years. It's not that, it's that when you are exposed to something, it's just becomes second nature. And what I'm talking about is the word of God. I was exposed to the word of God my whole life. So this is just like, right, like, it's like I'm picking up where I left off. I'm, I'm just like, God's giving me a handoff. And he's like, all right, here, you're play now. It's your play. Let's go. You know, and I'm like, man, let's go. You know what I mean? I wanna, I'm on a touchdown, man. Amen. Amen. You know what I mean? And my touchdown is gonna be getting that crown that says, man, well done. Good job, good and faithful servant. Right? That's gonna be our touchdown as believers. Amen. But about Lighthouse Ministries, right? I used to post all these positive things one day, bro. When I, when I came back to the Lord, I was gonna post something, this long message, and, and I felt right. How, you know, you don't hear an audible voice, but you hear the, the voice of the spirit. The voice of God, and it don't make a post, make a video, and I'm like. Bro, I'm not one of those guys. You know what I mean? I used to like take pictures of my right to record. I used to like doing that, but I'm like, man, I'm not an influencer. Like nothing like that, bro. Or what are people gonna think? I just came back like, let me, let me hold my horses. You know what I mean? Now I'm over here gonna be Billy Graham, and I just came back to the Lord. You know? Like, no dumb, but that's the enemy. Yeah, the enemy puts doubt and, and. Oftentimes in my life, what, what are people gonna think? That's, that's another way the enemy hinders people. Man. Oh bro. Like, can't be people like pleasing. Don't worry about people gonna gonna think or say, you know. No. And, and I used to think like, oh man. Right? Like, what are people gonna say? Yeah. And, and a little bit of backtracking right to that marriage thing. Pastor Mark actually brought me out at founders week, but that was a blessing, right? He brought me out at founders' week. Yes, I seen that and big up the testimony, right? And, and a lot of people were happy, but. Would you believe that people after bro, and I'm not gonna say a, there's the celebrity. There's the celebrity, and I'm like. Celebrity. I'm like, man, the only celebrity here is Jesus Christ. Like, you know, I don't know, don't get it twisted, man. This, this isn't about me, right? This is about Jesus Christ. And, and it just shows where people's hearts were, you know? Oh yeah. When they would tell me these things and I'm not sitting here talking about nobody. I'm just saying what comes with it. There's a cost that comes with all of this. And that's one of them is people are gonna say, people are gonna talk. And that was one of the things I feared you, you know, if, if I could share something like, like people that know me know that. Uh, public speaking has been my whole life was one of my greatest fears. Yeah. Like, I wouldn't do it. And when my, when my buddy challenged me to start this mm-hmm. It was like, this is not me. Yeah. I don't like to, first of all my speech. Yeah. I'm not, it's not something I'm, I'm confident in, you know,'cause I, I, I used to stutter a lot. Yeah. You know, and then, then like, people that didn't know me, people that knew me before I took this step Yeah. They knew like, man, Omar's, that's not Omar. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. But people that have met me. Since I'm doing this, I had, I had a brother. Oh, that's, uh, oh, you're, you're the TikTok guy. You know what I'm saying? Like, look at me like, like almost like I'm doing this, like you mentioned, like for a show or like to be a celebrity. Like, nah, man. Like, no. If, if, if you know my story, you know that this, I don't even wanna be doing this, you know, or I want to do this. No, exactly. Like, it's like, man, I'm just going back to obedience. Yes, man. Yes. And that's, and that is exactly what Lighthouse Ministries is. Amen. It isn't something that's a look at me. Um, or right. A lot of people want this. They want a microphone. Yeah. They want, oh, I'm preaching, man. That is what led me to go to the streets. You see, I didn't go to the streets because I thought, okay, this is what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to go feed the homeless. Yes. But no. Right? It is by grace. Alone that we are saved, right? Amen. Faith, grace through faith, right? Yes. Not by works, not by works, right? But you need the works come as a result of that grace and that faith. You know what I mean? So that's what this was. This was like, man, you know what? There's nobody I gotta go do it. Amen. If it's, if it, if it's, if it's meant to be, then it's up to me. Right. Like, so let me go do it. Let me go spearhead this. Right. And, and I was, one day we were driving me and Claudia and I'm like, man, write this down Lighthouse Ministries. You know what a lighthouse is? Something crazy. Right? It's like, it, it brings people from darkness to light. Yeah. And I kept hearing that the way. Yeah. And I kept hearing it Lighthouse and Lighthouse and, and Be a Light, and, and I kept hearing on the radio lights and, and at church they were preaching and the light of Jesus Christ and the light of God, and he's the light of our life. And, and I said, man, you know what, God is revealing too much. I'm, I'm, I'm playing dumb, right? Like, I'm trying to act like God's not speaking to me. And I'm like. Alright. You know what, this is like those things that I used to do. Let me be obedient. And you know what? I created Lighthouse Ministry Chicago with the intent of being able right to, to, to broadcast my voice and, and get across to those who maybe have, uh, not a fear, but they, they. Don't wanna get into church, or they're like, oh man, I haven't been there in so long. Or man, you know, I know a lot of people in Chicago, man, and I know a lot of pe I'm not saying that to say I'm popular. I'm saying that, that a lot of people are hearing my story and they like, just like you're, you were just saying like, man, I know. Oh man, I know Floyd. I don't know who this guy preaching now is, but I know the old Floyd that used to do X, Y, Z. You know what? I was watching one of your tiktoks and I, look, man, you had like 262 likes. I'm like, man, what's, what's up with this? Yeah, for real. Yeah. Yeah, man, and and, and bro, it is. It is by the grace and glory of God that. These things are getting pushed, man. Amen. It, it catches wind. It catches fire. And it's the videos that I at least expect. It's the videos that I'm just like, oh man, I just gotta be obedient, you know? Oh yeah. And just like, make this video and, and, but God has been molding me and preparing me, and, and I know that God has a big door for me. Amen. I know that, that at the end of this, right, this is just the beginning, man. Yes. This is just the beginning for you too, brother. God has a big door for you, man. And God has a big door for those who really. We have a passion about this, right? And I'm not putting people in different levels and categories. No, no, no, no, no. We all have a plan and a purpose. And we serve a purpose in the kingdom of God. Everybody. Everybody. Amen. Different, different parts of the body. You know, the security team, the parking lot team, everybody. You are a vital role in everything that the church does that, that the body of Christ does. Don't think that your job is too little. No. Everything. Yes. You know what our most important job is, is going and making disciples, going and talking, pushing the kingdom, sharing our testimony. Not in the four walls of church, but on the outside. Yes. Amen. Amen. So, so we can all contribute like that. But you have a big calling brother and I have a big calling. And, and when big callings come though, we know that the bigger the calling, the bigger the attacks, man. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So, so keep Lighthouse Ministry Chicago in prayer. Keep myself in prayer. Amen. Um. We gotta, you know what I mean? Like, do something together. And, and I don't want this to be like, uh, the end of the podcast if you have any other questions or it's, it is actually, I know you gave me a time that you had be, so I just wanna let you know, know, man, look at the way things work. It's, it's 6 58. Amen. So I, I, I'm gonna allow you the opportunity to share any, anything that you wanted to share, maybe we haven't got to. Yeah. And then you could close it out in a prayer, you know, but, but, uh, where are you going from here? That way?'cause I, his brother said he got even at seven, but what are you gonna be doing? So, yeah, another one of the things that God got me. On Mission doing right now is I am a men's ministry leader at New Life. Midway, I run a group, uh, where we're studying the Blue Books. And for those that know New Life know that we got, we do a book, a series book, the baptism book, right. And, and the three books after Grow, engage, and Disciple. And, um, I'm taking a group of five brothers, right? And we're going through books two through four. Amen. Because that's something that I really feel passionate about. In, in our church is, I'm, I'm I, I don't like to see brothers getting brothers and sisters getting baptized and then lost in the church. Yeah. Um, it's the goal, our goal is not to make converts. Our goal is to make disciples. Our goal is to Right walk alongside with. Our people that we're discipling and being there to help them, them to help us, them, to hear us out, us to hear them. It's a walk. We are walking together. Right? And that is a reflection of when you're aligned with God, it aligns everything here on earth. Amen. And, and that's something that God put in my heart, but. I was offered this. Right? Anything that has been happening, I want this to be said, right? Yeah. I want this to, anything that has be been happening in my life invites to preach. Um, being here, um, leading prayer at at, at prayer week, at New Life, preaching at the furnace, all I. I respect everything and I, I'm thankful for it, but I asked for none of it. None of it. This is just obedience and this is just what happens, right? As a result of when we are aligned with God. Yes. Um, um, the fire is evident. The fruits of the spirit are right displayed, and people wanna know, man, what's going on with this guy? We wanna know more about him. So I, I encourage you all to tune in, right? Lighthouse Ministry Chicago, on all social media platforms. Actually, this Saturday we have an event. Where we're gonna be being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. I know it's Valentine's Day, but we're gonna be sharing the love and the light of Jesus Christ.'cause this world has a confused version of love. So we're gonna go out there to, uh, the Spark shelter over on Halsted and Lumber in the Pilsen area. Okay. You're from Pilsen, right? Yeah, yeah. Yes. The, the Halstead and Lumber area. That's the Spark facility. And we're gonna be going and sharing. Uh, uh, uh, being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ is what we call it. And we just lend an ear. We, we, we hook them up with little goodie bags, snacks, hot chocolate, hot cocoa, just being there, letting them know they're loved, letting them know that they're heard, that they're not forgotten about. Amen. A lot of times those are the ones that are in the deepest darkness and they feel like no one is there for them. Amen. I used to be someone that would drive past, uh, uh, those that are miss, uh, less fortunate. Now, look, God got me leading the man. It's, it's crazy. You know what I mean? To think about where I've come from, you know, and what God has done. This is all done through God. Amen. Amen. Amen, brother. Now you know what? I wanna thank you for being here. I wanna be respectful of your time. You know what I'm saying? Yes. Amen. Amen. If you could close out in, in a, a prayer brother. Yeah. So Father God, we just come before you Lord, and the mighty and powerful name of Jesus. And we just thank you, father God, for this opportunity of fellowship. We thank you, father God, that, that you have brought us together, Lord, that you have. Been in the midst of Omar and my life, father God. And that you have protected us. You have guided us. You have, you have been with us, Lord, you have ordained our steps. Father God, your word says that you are the lamp onto our feet and the light onto our path, Lord Jesus. And you have allowed our paths cross, Lord, so that we can further the kingdom of heaven, Lord Jesus. So I thank you, father God. Thank you Lord, that those that are gonna be listening to this podcast today, father God, are gonna be touched, are gonna be impacted, are gonna know that there is still chance, that while there is still life, there is still opportunity while there is still life, that there was still chance to get closer to God. So we thank you Lord. We thank you that you receive us with open arms. Father God, we thank you that there was no condemnation. Lord, we thank you that there was no. Nothing that can separate us from the love that you have for us, father God. So as we end this podcast, Lord, I pray right now, father God, that you would just lift up the veils on people's eyes and ears spiritually, Lord, and that they would receive this message and know that they are loved, that they are known, and that they were beautifully and wonderfully created in the image of God, man, and, and I just want to thank you, father God, for this opportunity, continue to be a light in a world full of darkness. God bless you guys. Amen. Amen. Thanks brother man. Thank you for your time. Man, may God bless you. Your, your wife, your children. Amen. Your family, your grandma again, you said, I know you mentioned, what was her name again? Yeah. So, so keep lu Paquita in prayer. Um, she's right now going through, um. We don't really know what it is. She suffered from Sdic nerve for a long time. She has diabetes, high blood pressure, uh, just so, just a lot going on to where she's in a facility trying to get better, trying to get healthy. So man, we know that where there are two or three in his name, there he is in the midst. We know that there is power and prayer. We know that, that, that the power of prayer can break chains. We know that, that, that, that. God makes things happen that God is the doctor of excellence. So we want him to have the last word. We want him to place his healing hands. So if you could, I, I, I'm speaking on this a lot because this is something that is even affecting my family. So if you could just keep this in prayer right? We would really appreciate that. Amen. Man. Man. Uh, you know what? Thank God for women who pray. Thank God for grandmas Yes. Yes for mother-in-laws. Thank God for wives. Yes. Man, my wife, prayer warrior. So bang. Hey, God bless all the women. Continue to pray for your husbands, for your children. And, and with that we're gonna get ready to, to wrap up. Amen. Uh, ma ma, uh, Matthew four 16 reads, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death. Light has down alongside my guest, Floyd uia. I'm Omar Calvio, and through Jesus Christ, we've gone from darkness to light and from wrong to strong.