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Giving Back to God
Alex Rabiee hopes to serve as chief of the Seminole nation of Oklahoma someday.
He explains, “I have a dream in my heart that God put there, you know, several years ago to try to help my people, my Native people.”
Just over a decade ago, Alex needed help himself. He was living with his mother and battling a methamphetamine addiction.
He confesses, “I just felt like the only way that I was going to get off the drugs was either by going to prison or by being killed. You know, there was one evening that, you know, I said, ‘Mom, I don't have a fire anymore. You know, I've just lost my fire.’"
The very next morning while flipping through the channels, he came across Joel Osteen’s Lakewood church service.
“The man on the TV said, ‘I'd like to talk to you today about getting your fire back’, he shares. “And that’s how I knew that that was God speaking to me. One of the things that he said was, ‘It’s not going to happen right away’, but it’s going to happen if I trust Him.”
At the time, Alex was struggling to find work and only had a dollar to his name. He’d heard about tithing at church in his younger years and knew that giving would be a way to show God that he trusted Him.
“I took an act of faith,” Alex says, “and put it in an envelope and sent it to the church in Houston, Texas. And I gave my – the last dollar that I had to God, expecting, you know, for a miracle.”
Within a week, he got a one day job that paid $100.
He recounts, “That was just the reassurance that God is listening. That was 100-fold. And that's what got me to believe, you know. Now I got this $100. Let me give 10% of that to God. I just went in with the mindset if I continue to tithe, God will provide. Even though I wasn't working steadily, my bills were always paid, my refrigerator never went empty.”
In time, God also set him free from his drug addiction.
He declares, “The desire for drugs was gone. I was completely healed. God just took it out of me.”
Alex got his fire back and his faith took off, as he prayed for a vehicle and a steady job, while continuing to tithe 10% off every odd job he did. And when his tribe’s council voted to give every eligible tribal member $600 as a part of a mineral settlement, Alex went way beyond 10% and gave it all to the church.
He explains, “I said, ‘I'm going to be a blessing to others, trust in God,’ just you know, because I'd seen it before when I gave Him that dollar. I stepped out of the safe zone and into the faith zone.”
That very day, his mother helped him get a truck. A month later, a job he’d applied for came through, and he started working as an associate at a national retail store. Then, within six months, he was promoted to the bakery department manager, receiving a 50% increase in pay.
He says, “Just by continuing to give and sometimes giving more than my 10%, you know, God was rewarding me with promotion. And I see the law of reciprocity, you know, give and it will be given back to you.”
In addition to tithing, he also started giving to CBN.
He remembers, “I was just trying to find a prayer line, you know, and that's where I found CBN. Probably 11:00pm, 11:30pm at night, and there was somebody available. And so, I began giving to CBN to be able to, you know, keep these people available, you know, keep that prayer line open 24 hours because, you know, you never know when you need prayer.”
Today, Alex lives on his own. He’s now the overnight maintenance lead at work, making more than ever. Meanwhile, he’s getting his business administration degree through his company’s free tuition program and continuing to give to God.
“I always tell God, you know, that if you could speak to me out loud in a voice, you know, that you would be telling me, ‘Alex, you haven't seen anything yet,’” Alex shares. He concludes, “I'm just very humbled and thankful. And I owe it all to God. He’s never failed me. And to think it all started with that single dollar bill. If He can do it for me, He can do it for you. If you stay obedient and you give your 10%, it will be given back to you.”
Woman’s Faith Tested During Pregnancy
Simisola became blind during pregnancy; this didn't stop her belief that God would be faithful.
A Difference-Making Leader of Men
He’s a football-coaching fixture! Leslie Frazier’s reputation is the standard for leadership, revered for his success with defenses and respected for his heart of compassion. He stands elite as a Black College Football Hall of Famer, who has also won Super Bowls as both player and coach. After 34 straight years of football, he comes off a sabbatical as the Seattle Seahawks new assistant head coach.
Question: “Coach. I’ve got to ask the defensive genius in the current passing league, is it best to prioritize the front or the back end of that defense?”
Leslie Frazier: “Of course, I played in the secondary. (Yeah.) One of the greatest defenses ever. But it starts with the front, Tom. We had a great front in Chicago, guys that are in the Hall of Fame now. And today's NFL is no different. If you can get your front right, it's going to improve your secondary, along with your linebacker. So I'm a firm believer, get the front right. Uh, it'll, it'll make you better.”
Question: “25 years of NFL coaching experience. What drew you specifically to the opportunity in Seattle?”
Leslie Frazier: “Well it goes back from my relationship with Mike McDonald. Mike and I worked together with the Baltimore Ravens and we had a good relationship and we've kind of kept in communication over the years. And when he got the head-coaching job here in Seattle, he called me up and asked me, he said, ‘Leslie, will you come and help me’? I have such respect and love for Mike. I just sense that this was the right move at this stage of my life. And I'm so thankful, Tom, that I accepted this opportunity.”
Question: “35 years of consecutive years of coaching before the sabbatical, so what did life look like breaking that routine?”
Leslie Frazier: “When you've been doing something, uh, for as long as I have every fall - it was definitely different and challenging in some ways. But I ended up doing some TV stuff with the NFL network that was great, that kept me around pro football and, kept those relationships going. But it also gave me a chance to get even closer, to the Lord during my time away from football. I was able to do some things family wise that I had not been able to do in the past, especially in the fall. I got a chance to see how other people live. You just think that the whole world revolves around football. That's not, not the case. So it was, it was good in a lot of ways.”
Question: “What does an assistant head coach bring specifically to that position?”
Leslie Frazier: “The fact that I've been a head coach before, been a defensive coordinator, been a position coach. More and more owners are, are hiring, first time head coaches and very young head coaches who need someone to walk alongside them, to maybe have a word to say here or there, but also build a relationship with the players, because in that head coach's role, I mean, you're the CEO you are, you can't really get into nuts and bolts of the everyday. And that's where one of the areas why I think can help Mike, is we're building relationships with our players”
Question: “Like a lot of professions. Coach. When one role has to take a backseat to a primary, how difficult is it to embrace a selflessness in a arena that rewards high success?”
Leslie Frazier: “Yeah, that’s a great question, man. This role, Tom, is probably not for everyone, 'cause you are truly a servant in this role. When I was a coordinator, you're tied to that and everyone associates that side of the ball with you. Whereas now in this role, you're kind of in the background, you have to be okay with that. And I am, uh, thankful, uh, that God opened this door.”
Question: “How does the impact of fatherlessness literally reach a player, a coaching staff, on the field of performance?”
Leslie Frazier: “A lot of times a coach becomes a father figure for those players. And I was one of those young athletes growing up without a father in a home. I could relate to a lot of our players who didn't have that male presence or that direction. My grandmother, who had a major influence on my life, in so many different areas, raised me. It puts a premium, Tom, on us as coaches to be the right type of leaders - understanding that it’s much more than X’s and O’s. We have a chance to impact, uh, some players, uh, for eternity”
Question: “What can society learn coach about a group of men that walk united in diversity going after the same goal?”
Leslie Frazier: “Yeah! This type of environment where you have so many people from so many different backgrounds, that don't necessarily look like you, but yet we have to be unified in our purpose. What I'm hoping Tom that here in Seattle, because of the spiritual leadership that's on our ball club, where it's not just about wins and losses, but it's also about developing people. Christ has put you in this position and in this place for a time such as this, to make a difference for the kingdom, be able to impact and influence people in a way, that is not ordinary. It's with a spiritual emphasis.
Question: “How does biblical wisdom coach up this NFL coach to help coach up?”
Leslie Frazier: “Everything's based on my belief in scripture. Which means I have to stay in the word on a daily basis. I have to be in prayer, I have to be in a mentor relationship, uh, where someone can hold accountable what I believe, but having that belief in the Bible - that's the driving point to what I do and what I say and how I act and how I interact with people. That's the foundation”
Question: “When scripture speaks of God giving you a refugee, what does that look like for you?”
Leslie Frazier: “For me, what I’m doing now, allows me an opportunity to make a difference in so many lives to impact people for our savior - where people may not remember some of your deeds, but they remember how you made them feel on a daily basis. They may not remember some of the words that you had to say, but they remember the impact that you had. But doing it for this reason, Tom - to follow the gospel. And I think if you keep that in mind and realize what your purpose is, you have the chance to have a long-term impact.”
Miracle Woman Dies and Visits Heaven
“They called a code and they come running in. I was above my body. I could see them doing chest compressions. I could see them, all the nurses around. I could smell the most beautiful flowers I've ever smelled. And then I heard music. And when I opened my eyes, I knew where I was. I knew I was in Heaven.”
In 2019, Charlotte Holmes was having a routine checkup with her cardiologist when her blood pressure spiked to 234 over 134. “My heart doctor said, ‘You're not going home. We're going to put you in the hospital. We've got to get that blood pressure down. It's got to come down. You're in a – you're in a – having another stroke or you're going to have a heart attack. They put me in a room and started an IV just to, you know, try to get that blood pressure down.”
Charlotte’s husband Danny stayed with her while the hospital staff tended to her. “Immediately, you know, they called this code and they – everybody started rushing in,” Danny says. “They just started working on her. And my feeling was, you know, I thought, ‘Boy, I'm wondering if I'm even going to be able to bring her home.’”
Charlotte began describing things to Danny. “She started talking about the flowers,” says Danny. “Well, I looked around and I knew there was no flowers in that room. That's when I knew she was not in this world when that was going on.”
Then Charlotte’s heart stopped. For the next 11 minutes, she was clinically dead. “I was above my body. I could see Danny standing in the corner,” she says. “He had backed up. I could see them, all the nurses around. And then I opened my eyes. I looked around at the beauty. I could see the trees, I could see the grass. And everything was swaying with the music. Because everything in Heaven worships God. I can't convey to you what Heaven looked like, cause it's so above what we could even imagine, a million times.”
Charlotte says she was led into heaven by angels. “There is no fear. It's like pure joy. When the angels take over, there is no fear. When you are going home, it's pure joy.”
She says she then began to recognize deceased family members. “I saw my mom. I saw my dad. I saw my sister. I saw family members standing behind. I saw saints of old. See, they didn't look old. They didn't look sick. None of them wore glasses,” Charlotte recalls. “They looked like they were in their 30s. But yet it says in the scriptures, ‘We will be known as we were known.’ I know them. There, in their new bodies, they looked wonderful.”
What Charlotte saw after that, however, shocked her.
“Standing behind my mom and dad was a light so bright. I couldn’t look upon it. So bright. But I knew it was my Heavenly Father. I saw a toddler. And I can remember thinking, ‘Who is this?’ And I heard my father say to me, my Heavenly Father say to me, ‘It's your child.’ I lost that child. I was 5-1/2 months pregnant. I can remember them holding the baby up and saying, ‘Charlotte, it's a boy.’ Then he was gone. So when I saw this toddler, I said, ‘God, how is that possible?’ He says, ‘They continue to grow in Heaven. But there's no time. It's eternity.’ So 48 years, and here my child, our child, is a toddler.”
Then God chose to show her one more thing. “God took me to the edge of Hell, and I looked down and the smell –rotten flesh. That's what it smelled like, and screams,” she says. “After seeing the beauty of Heaven, the contrast of seeing Hell is almost unbearable. And He says, ‘I show you this to tell you if some of them do not change their ways, this is where they shall reside. I heard my Father say, ‘You have time to go back and share.’”
As quickly as she had gone to heaven, Charlotte’s spirit came back. “I felt myself being drawn into my body. I felt the pain, where I hadn't felt pain. I felt the sorrow.” Danny said, ‘They came running in and your eye blinked.’ And he said, ‘I knew then I was going to get to bring you home.’”
Charlotte made a full recovery and was released from the hospital after two weeks. She has been sharing her story since then: in public appearances and with everyone she comes into contact with. “People need hope. They want to know that there really is something out there. They want to know that everything's okay,” Charlotte says. “I have been privileged to bring people to Christ, as He asked me to. All the authority that He had, He has given to us, in the name of Jesus Christ. Not because of who we are. God promises, He said if it were not so, He would’ve told you. But He's gone to prepare us a place, and it’s more real than you can imagine. I can look you square in the eye and tell you for sure, ‘Heaven is real.’”
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