MY PARENTS STRUGGLED WITH

DRUG, AND AT 14 MONTHS, I

WAS ADOPTED BY MY

GRANDPARENTS.

I GREW UP IN A VERY

FAITH-DRIVEN HOME.

I KNEW THE WORLD OF GOD.

I WENT TO DUDLEY HIGH

SCHOOL, IN NORTH CAROLINA,

AND PLAYED SOME SPORTS.

ACTUALLY ONE A STATE

CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1966.

AND I GOT A FULL SCHOLARSHIP

IN 1997.

MY WHOLE LIFE I WANTED TO BE

A LAWYER.

I WANTED TO BE BE A PUBLIC

DEFENDER AND PERHAPS PARLAY

THAT INTO A LIFE OF

POLITICS.

IT WAS IN MY SENIOR YEAR, AS

I WAS PREPARING TO GET READY

TO GO TO LAW SCHOOL, I HAD

EVERYTHING TOGETHER.

I KNEW I WAS GOING TO BE

THIS GREAT LAWYER.

I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE SOME

NUMBNESS IN HIGH HANDS.

I ASSUMED IT WAS SOME TYPE

OF CARPAL TUNNEL.

I DID A LOT.

I WENT TO A DOCTOR, AND

AFTER A COUPLE OF BATTERIES

OF TESTS AND SEEING A FEW

DOCTORS, I BEGAN TO GET THIS

DIAGNOSIS.

I SAT IN THERE WITH MY

GRANDFATHER AND MY MOTHER.

THE DOCTOR LOOKED AT ME AND

SAID AFTER THEIR EXTENSIVE

RESEARCH AND THEIR WORK,

THAT THEY SAID THAT I HAVE

A.L.S.

THE DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT I

HAD TWO YEARS TO LIVE.

IT WAS A SHOCK WHEN I FIRST

HEARD IT.

THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW MY

GRANDFATHER CRY.

THERE I WAS, 21 YEARS OLD,

2001, AND IT SEEMED LIKE MY

DREAMS WERE DASHED.

THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO

DO IN MY LIFE.

FRIENDS WERE CALLING ME AND

TELLING ME LET IT GO, LET GO

OF SCHOOL.

BUT THERE IS SOMETHING

INSIDE OF ME THAT SAID THIS

COULDN'T BE BE IT.

I MADE UP MY MIND THAT

EVENING I WOULD GO BACK TO

SCHOOL.

WAKE FOREST WAS ABOUT 25

MINUTES FROM GREENSBORO.

IT WAS ABOUT 4:00 IN THE

MORNING, AT McDONALD'S,

AND WE SAT THERE AND I HAD

TEARS EN MY EYES BECAUSE I

STILL WAS TRYING TO DEAL

WITH THIS NEWS.

HE BEGAN TO PRAY WITH ME,

AND HE SAID I REALLY BELIEVE

THIS IS GOD CONFIRMING A

CALL ON YOUR LIFE.

WHEN I MADE IT TO MY ROOM ON

THAT EVENING, I SAID THIS TO

GOD, I SAID, GOD, IF IT BE

JUST TWO YEARS, I'LL GIVE IT

TO YOU.

I KNEW THERE WAS SOME KIND

OF CALLING IN MY LIFE.

MY GRANDPARENTS HAVE

PICTURES OF ME PREACHING IN

THE VACUUM CLEANER.

THE PASSION AND PURPOSE GOT

RENEWED IN MY LIFE.

I GOT TO EMERY, GOT INTO THE

SEMINARY, BUT DIDN'T GET

INTO THE LAW SCHOOL.

I RECOGNIZED IT WAS GOD JUST

ORDERING MY STEPS.

YOU'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND,

THE PROCESS FOR ME TO GET MY

MASTERS AND DEMOCRATIC

MASTERS AND MY DOCTORATE, I

COULDN'T WRITE.

I HAD TO HAVE A NOTE TAKER.

HERE I AM 11 YEARS AFTER THE

FACT, AND THE DOCTORS SAID

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TWO

YEARS.

GOD HAS BEEN MORE THAN

FAITHFUL.

I WAS ABLE TO PASTOR TWO

CHURCHES, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO

COMPLETE MY MASTER'S OF

DIVINITY AND A DOCTORATE

DEGREE.

MY SCHEDULE NOW IS CRAZY.

FROM PASTORING A

CONGREGATION THAT EXCEEDS

3700, TO TRAVELLING

THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY

PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD.

THE REASON I'M SO PASSIONATE

IS I BELIEVE MY LIFE IS

BECAUSE OF THE PROMISE I

MADE TO GOD.

I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO TAKE

HEAVY MEDICATION.

JUST TO WAKE UP ANOTHER DAY

MEANS THERE IS HOPE.

TO BE ABLE TO PROGRESS AND

MOVE WHEN OTHERS SAID I

WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BE HERE,

IS HOPE.

I MAY WAKE UP WITH SOME SORT

OF SIGH EFFECTS, BUT I DO

NOT ALLOW THE SIDE EFFECTS

TO STOP ME FROM PROGRESSING.

I'M JUST THANKFUL FOR ANY

DAY BECAUSE THAT'S A LOT

MORE THAN DOCTORS GAVE ME.

GOD ULTIMATELY IS A GOD OF

HOPE, A GOD OF PEACE, AND A

GOD OF JOY.