MY IDEA OF A MAN, AT THE

TIME, WAS A MAN USED WOMEN,

ABUSED WOMEN, DISRESPECTED

WOMEN.

A MAN CARRIED A GUN.

A MAN USED A GUN.

A MAN BASICALLY USED

WHATEVER HE HAD TO GET WHAT

HE WANTED.

Reporter: ANTHONY GREW

UP ON THE STREETS OF

CHICAGO, ONE OF THE MOST

GANG-INFESTED CITIES OF

AMERICA.

ANY BASIC THE GOT INTO

THE GANGS AND DRUGS AND

ALCOHOL AT THE AGE OF 13.

Reporter: HIS PARENTS

DIVORCED WHEN HE WAS YOUNG,

AND HIS MOTHER MOVED THE

FAMILY.

AND THE LATIN KINGS FAMILY

BECAME HIS NEW FAMILY.

THEY GAVE ME THE

ATTENTION THAT I DIDN'T

RECEIVE AT MY HOUSE.

AND THEY PROVIDED SECURITY

FOR ME.

THEY PROVIDED AN IDENTITY

FOR ME.

Reporter: ANTHONY

STARTED USING AND SELLING

DRUGS, CARRYING WEAPONS AND

BREAKING INTO HOMES.

HE ALSO BECAME VIOLENT AND

WANTED TO ENHANCE HIS STREET

CREDIBILITY BY BECOMING A

KILLER.

AND A FRIEND JOINED A RIVAL

GANG, AND THE TWO BECAME

ENEMIES.

ONE DAY, I WAS LIKE, WHY

DON'T WE GO HERE, AND HE

SAID, WHY DON'T WE GO

THERE.

I HAD A HOODIE ON, AND I HAD

A GUN IN MY POCKET.

HE STARTED TALKING CRAZY TO

ME.

AND RIGHT BEFORE HE GOT TO

THE END OF THE PARK, I

PULLED OUT THE GUN AND I

FIRED OFF.

Reporter: THE FIRST

BULLET DIDN'T KILL HIM, AND

THE MAN RAN OFF.

ANTHONY CHASED HIM OFF AND

HE SHOT TWO MORE TIMES AND

LEFT HIM FOR DEAD.

AT THAT TIME, I DID THINK

I TOOK HIS LIFE.

I WENT TO THE THIRD FLOOR OF

MY COUSIN'S APARTMENT, AND

FROM THE WINDOW WE COULD SEE

THE CRIME SCENE AND SEE

EVERYTHING, AND WE WERE

ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY, LIKE,

YEAH, WE DID IT, AND THERE

IS MORE TO COME.

Reporter: HIS EUPHORIA

WAS SHORT-LIVED.

WITHIN HOURS HE WAS ARRESTED

AND HE LEARNED HIS VICTIM

WAS STILL ALIVE.

I WANTED TO DIE BECAUSE I

DIDN'T WANT TO TESTIFY, BUT

THEN I DIDN'T WANT TO DIE.

Reporter: ANTHONY WAS

SENTENCED TO 11 YEARS.

IN PRISON, HE CONTINUED TO

SELL DRUGS.

AND THEN HE GOT A NEW CELL

MATE.

HE WAS A CHRISTIAN.

I SAID THIS JESUS STUFF

DOESN'T WORK FOR ME.

I LOVE SIN.

Reporter: BUT ONE DAY

HE GAVE ANTHONY A BIBLE TO

READ.

HE GAVE ME A BIBLE, AND I

WANTED TO THROW IT IN THE

CORNER OF MY CELL, BUT IT

WOULDN'T FALL OUT OF MY

HAND.

Reporter: THAT WAS THE

FIRST OF SEVERAL INCIDENTS

THAT MADE HIM THINK GOD MAY

BE AT WORK IN HIS LIFE.

BUT HE REMAINED SKEPTICAL.

I THOUGHT, I'M GOING TO

TAKE THIS THING AND READ

IT.

I'M NOT GOING TO READ IT TO

CHANGE MY LIFE, BUT TO

CONDEMN ALL OF THESE

CHRISTIANS AND WHATEVER ELSE

YOU WANT TO CALL YOURSELF.

SO FOR THREE YEARS I READ

THE BIBLE, EVERY DAY, ALL

DAY.

I JUST READ IT NON STOP.

10, 15 HOURS, ALL I DID WAS

READ THE BIBLE.

Reporter: ANTHONY SAID

GOD CONTINUED HES RELENTLESS

PURSUIT FOR HIS HEART WHILE

HE WAS IN PRISON.

EVERY CELL MATE I HAD

FROM THAT POINT FORWARD WERE

EX-GANG MEMBERS AND

CHRISTIANS.

GOD WAS USING THIS TO SHOW

ME HOW REAL LIFE IS, DESPITE

THE REALITY OF PRISON LIFE.

Reporter: THEN ONE DAY

HE ATTENDED A PRISON CHAPEL

SERVICE.

THIS GUY COMES IN AS A

GUEST SPEAKER, AND HE SAID,

I COME IN TO TELL YOU GUYS

ONE MESSAGE FOR ONE GROUP OF

PEOPLE.

AND GOD TOLD ME TO TELL YOU

TO QUIT PLAYING GAMES WITH

GOD AND WITH THE DEVIL.

FOLLOW GOD WITH YOUR LIFE OR

FORGET GOD AND THE BIBLE AND

SERVE THE DEVELO DEVIL

100%, BUT YOU CAN'T DO

BOTH.

I THOUGHT, YOU'RE TALKING

TO ME.

I WENT BACK TO MY PRISON

CELL, AND I HEARD THIS VOICE

SPEAK TO ME.

IT WASN'T AUDIBLE, LIKE NOW,

BUT I COULD HEAR IT.

HE SAID, ANTHONY, HE SAID

TODAY IS NOT THE DAY YOU'RE

GOING TO BE A LION KING.

TODAY YOU'RE GOING TO FOLLOW

ME.

Reporter: AT FIRST HE

THOUGHT HE WAS GOING CRAZY.

I LOOKED UP AND THOUGHT,

WHAT THE...WAS THAT?

I THOUGHT IT WAS MY CELL

MATE.

AND I SAID, WHAT DID YOU SAY

TO ME?

AND H HE SAID, I DON'T

UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE

TALKING ABOUT.

I WAS WATCHING TV WITH MY

HEADPHONES ON.

AND I THOUGHT, WHY WOULD HE

SPEAK TO ME.

WOULDN'T HE TALK TO THE

CHURCH PEOPLE?

I'M THE WORST THE WORST.

WHY WOULD HE SPEAK TO ME.

HE SAID, ANTHONY, IT IS OVER

WITH.

YOU'RE MY CHILD.

Reporter: ANTHONY

PRAYED AND SURRENDERED HIS

LIFE TO CHRIST.

THE NEXT DAY, HE TOLD THE

LATIN KINGS HE WAS

QUITTING.

I SAID I'M GOING TO

FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST.

AND I SAID, WHATEVER YOU'RE

GOING TO DO TO ME, GO AHEAD

AND DO IT.

AND THEY SAID, WE CAN'T.

WE GIVE YOU OUR BLESSING.

Reporter: HE SERVED 11

YEARS IN PRISON AND WAS

RELEASED IN 2011.

HE MET AND MARRIED JESSICA

AND IS NOW ENROLLED IN BIBLE

COLLEGE.

TODAY HE HAS A WHOLE NEW

DEFINITION OF MANHOOD.

MY DEFINITION OF A MAN IS

ONE WHO CAN TRULY HUMBLE

HIMSELF BEFORE ALMIGHTY

GOD.

A MAN WHO CAN DENY HIMSELF

DAILY AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS

AND BOW TO JESUS CHRIST.

Reporter: AND HE SHARES

THE LOVE OF GOD WITH THE

HOMELESS AND GANG MEMBERS IN

CHICAGO.

POOX I

I HAVE AN IMMENSE HEART

FOR DRUG DEALERS AND

CONVICTS.

GOD CAN REESTABLISH THEM AND

MAKE NEW CREATIONS IN THEM.

OUR HEART IS A VESSEL IN

GOD'S HAND TO HELP THE WORLD

FOR HIS CAUSE IN HIS NAME'S

SAKE.