Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Listen. From overcoming incarceration through faith to navigating life back in society, Andre's journey is nothing short of inspiring the power of faith in action, the impact of family decisions, and his unique ministry within the motorcycle club community. Riding for Jesus. Pastor Andre's story is a powerful reminder that no matter the challenges, you can choose to be better, not bitter, and make a difference in others lives. Tune in for a moving and motivational episode. Let's go, Andre.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, this is your host, Derrick Wells of y nightu. And I'm excited about today's episode. I have Pastor Dre on, who's an associate minister at Pearling Gates Church out in Stockton. He's also the co founder of riding for Jesus Motorcycle club. Yes, they got two chapters, but one of the things I'm definitely excited about, Dre, is man, just his one is not. You know, when God calls something, calls you to do something. A lot of times we actually. I mean, we're a little bit apprehensive to follow suit, man. But you out there representing them on a major scale with the motorcycle club and with the. With the banner on your jackets, letting everybody know this is who we riding for. And that's huge. That's huge. I just want to say, welcome to the show, man.
[00:01:27] Speaker B: Thank you, man. I appreciate it. Yeah. And it's not without some apprehension in the beginning, but now that that's passed. Yes. Yes, sir. We out there.
[00:01:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
So, man, before I get started, I want to, like, like, before we start asking, like, questions, I got this scripture, and I want you, like, just kind of let me know what you actually think about this. This. This passage right here, coming from romans, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
[00:02:04] Speaker B: Amen. Actually, that's one of my favorite scriptures.
[00:02:08] Speaker A: Is it really?
[00:02:09] Speaker B: And, yes. Yes, sir. And part of the reason is because of where I come from. So based on my background, it's easy for me to slip and fall back into those behaviors that I was once delivered from. And so being not conformed to the ways of the world, it's easy for us to try to go along, to get along, to just try to fit in with everybody else. And we're called to kind of just be just the opposite. And I oftentimes equate that. As you were just speaking about sports and football, one of the things in football, they have a running play and the running play cause you to cut back against the grain. Everybody is pulling to one side, but at some point in the play, it cause you to cut back and go the opposite direction while everybody else is going one way. And what we find out is when you cut back and go against the grain, meaning not being conformed to the ways of the world, that's when some of your biggest gains are made. And so I found out we make great strides, big gains, when we don't go along to get along, when we are being transformed and allowing God to just renew the old way of thinking and give us this new way of thinking. So, that's one of my scriptures, man. I like that. I like to use that analogy with sports.
[00:03:28] Speaker A: That's a good one. And, I mean, you just. You talked about, you know, where you come from, can you share, like, what your background was?
Yeah.
[00:03:38] Speaker B: Yes, sir. I'm born in the city of Richmond, California.
And so sometime when I share my testimony, I tell people that I was black bred, meaning that I was born in the hood. I was raised in the hood, and I was all about the hood. But part of that is I was a product of that eighties era where a lot of drugs were being sold and a lot of rap music. During that time, I was a part of that, and I owned a record company called Strictly Business Records. And during that time, I don't know if I've ever told you or Stu, Pastor Stu told you this, but we produced quite a few records and some major artists out of the Bay area. Mac, Dre, McMa Ray, love the Mac. So I owned that record label. So I used to tour with all the rappers and all of the different stuff. So I lived that lifestyle. So when we talk about being not conformed, I know what it's like to live over there, and I don't want to conform to that, because that's easy for me. So being transformed, finding this new way of thinking, it's always a challenge, but it's one that's definitely worth it in the long run.
[00:04:53] Speaker A: Right? So what was that? What would you say? Was that. That breaking point or that defining moment when you actually like, you know what, man? I need to. I need to make some changes in my life. Otherwise, I'm just going to continue going down this path.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: Well, that path landed me in prison.
[00:05:09] Speaker A: Did it really?
[00:05:10] Speaker B: And so in prison, I found the Lord. And I know some of them say that's that jailhouse conversion. It don't work. It ain't real. They just try to do whatever they gotta do to get out of prison. But I just want to. Just let me just give a caveat. I've been home 16 years now, going on 16 years, never violated, haven't been back. So it does work. But with that being said, during my incarceration, somebody shared Jesus with me. And as a young man, actually, I'm still in contact with him. His mother. He was on a telephone call. It was in Sacramento county jail, and she asked if she could talk to some of his friends. I was one like, yeah, I talked to her. She prayed for me, and I talked to her several times over the next couple of weeks. And eventually, I accepted Jesus as my lord and savior. From there, I got my prison sentence, which made everyone feel like, okay, he accepted in the county jail. He not gonna hold on to that when he go through prison. But I did, and here I am today, and I'm thankful, you know? And I speak to the brother. His name is Sean. I speak to him, and I tell him, man, I'm forever grateful for what your mother spoke into my life back then. And many people had shared the gospel. But I guess it's that time in my life, like you said, I was just done doing what I had done, thought I was successful at it. But I guess you can't be too successful sitting in a county jail cell facing a life sentence.
[00:06:39] Speaker A: I couldn't even imagine what that's like. And so the crazy part is just with me being on the other side with law enforcement, working for Sac county sheriff's office, right.
I see a lot of stuff, you know, that goes on in the neighborhood. And I know laws have definitely changed because things that the guys are getting caught up with now wouldn't. Wouldn't stand in court. You know, ten plus years ago, they'll be doing some serious time.
But I just think about that conversion, how you actually accepted your new identity, and then you took that with you and you held onto it. And that's huge. Cause not too many people, they're not strong enough to do that because they allow the outside circumstances or the environment kind of dictate what they believe and think.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: And it was a, you know, I don't want to call it a balancing act, but I guess in some sense, there was a balancing act, because you come from that lifestyle, you still want to be accepted, quote unquote, by your homeboy. As you're young, you in the system, you feel like you got to stand up and represent your neighborhood or wherever you're from. But at the same time, you know, you're looking at somebody, he already been here 20 years. He's still repping the neighborhood, and he talking about, he don't know when he going home. And I don't want that to be for me. Or are you in the county jail? And the pod that I was in, it was for repeat offenders. It wasn't for first time people, even though it was my first time in the county, but because I was from the Bay area, I ended up in a pod or on a floor with a lot of guys that had been in and out, in and out, in and out, and doing the same thing and getting the same result. And I didn't want to be, I didn't want that to be me.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:32] Speaker B: You know, I didn't know what everything else was going to, you know, what was in store for me down the road, but I knew I wasn't coming back. If I was ever given another chance, change had to take place.
[00:08:45] Speaker A: So what would you, what would you say is, like, I guess, like one of the most challenging things that you had to overcome? And, you know, how did, how were you actually able to, or, I guess, how did your faith help you, help.
[00:08:58] Speaker B: You through it, if I can be honest, some of the most challenging things, and there's a couple, and it just depends on what circumstance I'm speaking of. But one of the things that was challenging, what you just alluded to, was just holding on to my faith during that time of incarceration.
You don't, and I know we say, well, we don't have to think about what anybody else think about us, but you don't want to be looked at as soft. You don't want to be a dropout, or he went to church because he's scared. You don't want all of those to be you. And so it was difficult for me to find a place of acceptance while holding on to my faith. And at the end of the day, my faith ended up being the catalyst that got me over. It was what brought me through because of the respect that people had during that circumstance, during that period of my life. Like, that's brother Dre, you know, leave him. He don't have nothing to do with this. And they started to make a way for me. So in essence, it was just God that opened doors for me and closed doors behind me to allow me to make it through that period of my life without any major complications. Yes, I did have some struggles, some complications. I think we all will in that system, but definitely that's one. The second one was transitioning from prison back into society.
And that came with so many expectations that I just didn't know if I was going to be able to stand up to what I wanted to do. You know, we all have plans and visions, and I have prepared and. But there's always that. That question, what if things don't work out the way that you envisioned them working out? What's your plan b? I didn't have a plan b. I put all my heads in one basket, and it has to work.
I had a support system. I had a plan. I had God on my side, and I just got to go for it now. And so that was the second thing that was pretty difficult, is making that transition.
And that transition comes in the face of opposition, right. Because you have people that say, oh, we got you, brother Dre, man, come on. You can do it. But on the sideline, they watching and waiting for you to crash and burn, right? He ain't gonna never be able to make it out here doing what he doing. Oh, he gonna want some money. He gonna want this. He gonna. And you just have to just put your face to the grind and make it happen. So, those two were difficult, but, you know, I'm here, and thank God, by the grace of God, that, you know, I've used those as learning opportunities to further what I've been able to do in the ministry and in my personal life. So God has been good.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: That's great. Yeah, man. Cause I was gonna ask you, I mean, as you were talking, I was like, man. Cause I know sometimes challenges could really, like, break people down, and they just. They either. They either fall or they. They find a way. They find a way to rise above and overcome.
I mean, do you think that you're actually, like, a better person now just because you had to overcome this type of challenge?
[00:12:07] Speaker B: Most definitely.
[00:12:08] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:09] Speaker B: Most definitely. And I always joke and kid and say, God, why did I have to go that route? You could have used another route to get this message across. But as a result thereof, I'm definitely better because of it, you know? And just. I don't know if just with time, I would have matured and grown up or learned these life lessons that I have now. But definitely it has made me a better person, stronger. You know, it has grounded my faith. And part of me being able to hold on to my faith is not because I just believe, but because of some of the things I went through. And at my lowest points, I had only God to rely on, only my faith to pull me through. So, definitely it has been, you know, rock solid and helped me to maneuver through life, you know? Life. Yes.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: Yeah, man. Cause I think, I mean, I just think about, like, all the stuff that I've had to go through. And I feel like, man, if God would have been like, okay, Derek, this is what you have to go through at this age. This is what you have to go through at this age.
And just kind of gave me, like, glimpses. They were like, absolutely not. There's no way. Why would you allow something like this? Why would you allow me to go through something like this?
Not really recognizing or realizing that I'm actually doing it to myself because it's based off the decisions that I've made. But at the same time, you actually see some of the trials in the heartache that you actually have to experience and be like, man, there's no way. But then it just. It's just another opportunity for us to just give thanks to God and for who he is and for him delivering us from it and delivering us from ourselves as well. Right, right.
[00:13:57] Speaker B: And I think, you know what get lost. What gets lost in these type of conversations, because it's about the individual that went through, but other lives are impacted based on those decisions that we made as well. So I have children.
I have an ex wife that I've lost. Loved ones that were passed on while I was incarcerated. My mother took on a sickness, and eventually she passed since I've been home. But those type of things are very impactful for the individual as they're making this transition through life.
And I think where you said it can make you bitter or better, you have to crossroads of life. What are you going to do at this point? And I chose to be better instead of bitter.
Yes, it's difficult. It's transitioning. It's part of life.
Whether you're there or here, it's going to happen now. What are you going to do with it? What are you going to do about it?
[00:14:51] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:14:51] Speaker B: So my thought process is I got to be better because of what I've gone through. I have to be able to share this experience with others that may not have the, I don't know, the withdrawal to carry it on without somebody else sharing their experience and that they can relate to. So, yeah, I just gotta be better, man. I gotta be better than what I. Better than who I was yesterday.
[00:15:17] Speaker A: Right.
And that is so true just with what you said based on how others are impacted that we really don't think about. We just make these decisions or we do what, do this or that, and we don't think about those who are around us or, um, how we, you know, just the consequences in general. Right. We might not experience it right away, but, oh, it's going to happen. You keep on doing. It's going to happen. You go feel the pain.
[00:15:45] Speaker B: Right, exactly. Exactly.
[00:15:47] Speaker A: But I love what you said just about dead ends. Also reminded me of a. Just a post I recently did on. On the newsletter where I talked about, uh, dead ends. And I kind of got that from Moses, you know, getting direction from God. Getting direction from God.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: All right.
[00:16:06] Speaker A: You freeing the Israelites. You go on this path. Okay, now I want you to go this direction. Uh, and then all of a sudden, they come to the Red Sea. You talking about a dead end? You either go continue down the shore to the right or to the left, but you don't think about crossing, especially something like that, and how God makes a way out of a dead end. Right. Yeah.
[00:16:27] Speaker B: Right.
[00:16:28] Speaker A: It is so huge.
[00:16:29] Speaker B: And those are difficult life decisions, you know?
[00:16:31] Speaker A: Right.
[00:16:32] Speaker B: And that time. At that time, that's when your faith comes in. You know, I can't see, but I trust you, God. I don't know what lies ahead, but I trust that you are ahead. I trust that you're leading me this way, and you just got to step out. I can only imagine stepping out into the Red Sea or looking in front of you and seeing the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army coming down behind you. Like, lord, I thought you told me to go this way. Did you bring me here just to kill me? You know? So, yeah, that's a decision. That's a dead end. And I heard someone called it a dead ind decision, you know, crossroads of life. What am I going to do at this dead end decision? I have to make a decision today. What is it going to be?
[00:17:15] Speaker A: That's right.
And now you in this.
All your. All your. All your experiences, your life experiences, everything has, like, now is culminating. Now you're at this point where you're an assistant pastor. And I already know that brings on, like, just a whole nother type of challenge, just with working with people, personalities, growing a ministry.
How do you feel like your. I guess. How did you feel like you prepared for this role that God has given you?
[00:17:51] Speaker B: And I always look at my experiences and I tell my wife all the time that technically, I did not prepare for this. I just had a dead indecision to make. God prepared me out of that, if that makes sense. That based on all the life situation and circumstances that led up to this point, God used all of that to prepare me. All I wanted to do was be available, just be a vessel and just be available. And did not realize that he had imparted all of these different things into me to prepare me for this season of my life. And even with the motorcycle ministry and pastoring the church, those type of things are very similar. We're dealing with a lot of people and with people, you know, I don't know if we can ever rightly be prepared for dealing with people. Whether it's three different people and all of the personalities that come with those three, or it's 30 or 300, there's going to be some challenges, and we just have to be prepared as best. And I don't have a set course that I navigate through when I'm dealing with individuals or dealing with groups, but I try to be prepared for the topic at hand.
So if I know if we're coming in to a group session and we're discussing, one of the things we're discussing now that's real popular in church is evangelism. And so I try to prepare for evangelism, and then I could have those one on one conversations out of what I have deposited into my spirit. And, you know, we. I don't know if you heard the term sponge effect.
[00:19:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:19:34] Speaker B: And the sponge effect is when you just kind of like, take in as much as the sponge will allow until the sponge can't hold any more water. Then the water just kind of drips off the sponge. And what's dripping off the sponge is usually what the people are able to feed off of. And so, such as a topic as evangelism, I just try to use the sponge effect. I just give myself as much information as I can handle, and then I don't have to worry about what angle or am I prepared, because I have enough in me to be able to talk on this topic or teach or share or even come alongside and show. So that's kind of how I prepared, have been prepared in the past, is that just through life, God has deposited in me certain trades, certain abilities, certain gifts that has allowed me to navigate through the course of life. And when it comes to ministry or the motorcycle ministry, they're very much one and the same. So it's not always easy. But I believe that God has equipped me with what's necessary to be successful.
[00:20:45] Speaker A: That's right.
Because you said, you talked about, you just mentioned the dead end and not really being prepared.
But I know God always gives us some kind of download, some kind of idea.
And sometimes people just, they might get an idea or they might get, they might get some kind of download, but they all, you know, if you're not connected with God, like on a spiritual level and you don't have that relationship, it's going to be hard for you to decipher between him and whatever else that you might be hearing. Just thought maybe random thoughts or whatever, but the fact that you were able to. Okay, I got this download. Let me, let me just make some stuff happen to get me out of this situation.
That's huge right there.
[00:21:38] Speaker B: My wife and my pastor, for one, they'll tell you that I don't spend a lot, a lot of time rehashing prayers that God has already answered or experiences that God has already brought me through. I don't go back and pray for it again.
Such as, maybe it's just simple as a speaking engagement.
Yes, we're going to be nervous when it's time to speak. Yes, you're going to have those things. But when I go to speak at another church, whether it's at my church or a guest church, I'm a speaker at a guest church. And I don't spend a lot of time asking people to pray for me because I got to go speak. Why? Because I've done it a hundred times already. If I'm not prepared now, probably never going to get prepared.
I'll tell them God has already gave you what's necessary. Well, how do you know? Because you did it the last time.
[00:22:35] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:22:36] Speaker B: You know you've done it. Do you trust his track record? Do you trust what you've done yesterday? If so, then go ahead. You're going to be all right. And so I'll tell him, oh, no, I'm not praying for that. And I'll be waiting for a new topic to pray for. But that's, that's just how God has wired me.
[00:22:52] Speaker A: That's good.
[00:22:52] Speaker B: You know, I can, I can do it. I know I can because I, I have a track record that shows that I've done it before.
[00:22:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:59] Speaker B: This time I'm just going to do it better than I did the last time.
[00:23:02] Speaker A: That's right.
Now, when you, when you're going different right now, when you're going to speaking or go going on a speaking engagement, I know sometimes you can have like, a message already prepared, but when you start, like, engaging with the people prior to or something like that, do you ever feel like, okay, God might be leading me to go this direction, or he might be saying, oh, you might want to take this out of the speech that you might have prepared and just kind of flow from the heart. Have you ever encountered those kind of moments?
[00:23:36] Speaker B: Yes, quite often. Oftentimes. Whether it's the day of the night before or whether I mount the pulpit and I'm getting ready to speak and God will change the. What he has given you. Yes, it happens. I think it's more common than not for those that are speaking on a regular basis to have a change and receive it. Receive, as you said, that download from God in the moment. Yes, I'm always prepared, but I'm always open to a change of the Holy Spirit, to a leading of the Holy Spirit. If he's going to lead me in a different direction, then I want to be open to hear that and then to receive it and move out on it.
[00:24:17] Speaker A: So, yes, man, that is crazy. I mean, but you have to. You have to be able to be adaptive and just kind of go with the flow. Otherwise, it seemed like, man, I got this speech, but God is telling me to do this. But you know what? I spent so much time preparing this speech, I would do what I want to do anyway, and it just ends up being a bust.
[00:24:41] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And I've been there. I've been there. They're like, well, I should have listened, you know, I won't do that again. But, yeah, and it happens. It happens. Then you're stumbling over your words. You can't get your text right. Then you begin to speak out of your flesh and not what the Lord has given you. And so, yeah, I've been there, and I don't. I don't like that. It's not a good feeling. I don't like making up stuff on the spot.
So, yeah, I am obedient when it comes to that. I try to be. I try to listen, I try to obey what God has placed in my heart.
[00:25:21] Speaker A: That's right.
Now, I know you said that the initial scripture that we actually started with, romans twelve, was one of your go tos. Do you have any other go to scriptures that you actually, like, go to? And, I mean, these are the ones that you just kind of meditate on or live. Bye.
[00:25:42] Speaker B: I have a couple of scriptures, but one of them is first corinthians 1013.
And it talks about, there's no temptation that has overtaken you, such as is common to God. But God is faithful with the way of temptation. He will also make a way of escape that you will be able to bear it. And I'm big on that because we go through life and we have a tendency to think that I can't get through this. And this scripture just basically tells me that what God has given me will supersede anything that I come up against.
And he has already mapped it out. He has already put enough in me to make it through, and I don't have to worry about not being able to make it. Why? Because the scripture says, because he is faithful and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond that which you are able. So that's one of my go to scriptures, and I think because of my background, because of how I grew up, that scripture speaks volumes to me. And because, say, for instance, when you come home transitioning, you got to fill out a job application, you got to go for an interview. Oh, it's not going to work. They're going to look at my background. They're going to close the door. People looking at me funny. Cause I don't know how to talk. And, you know, all of those type of things, and there's a lot. And this scripture just tells me that, you know, you can because I've given you what's needed already.
And there's a scripture that couples through that says that we can do all things through Christ Jesus, which strengthens us. So those two scriptures speak volumes to me in the same arena of life, but it allows me to just rely on those heavily and just persevere. Just persevere.
[00:27:31] Speaker A: Absolutely. Because one of the things, one of the things I noticed just when, like, I'm talking with people, one, they feel like, oh, well, I've prayed, and so I'm just waiting for God.
But you just said, like, you just talked, you just mentioned God.
You get all your strength through goddess, through Jesus Christ.
At the same time, people have to be reminded that, okay, okay, God is going to provide us with the strength that we need, but we also need to take action. So helping people, helping people, just be mindful, okay, this is what God says. Or he might have given you a vision, or you might have this passion. Deep down, you have this idea that you want to implement. You just can't be waiting on God 24/7 you need to, you need to initiate some kind of movement. You need to take some action. Whether just writing down, connecting with the right people to actually help you elevate or think differently, maybe you could tap into some of their resources, but there's ways out, or, I mean, there's, there's things that you could do also. I mean, but it's, you know, faith is definitely one of those action words. And if you want to rely on, strengthen or you want to rely on Jesus for that strength? How about you have some faith and believe it takes some action also?
[00:28:55] Speaker B: And I think we, you know, we. The scripture says, faith without works is dead. And I think for me, oftentimes God will give me a picture of the end game, and it's up for me to navigate the intricate details and such as I'm a business owner. So he gave us the vision of the business, but he didn't tell us how to start it up. He didn't tell us any contacts. He didn't tell us what I need to do next. But I saw the end game. I saw the business. My wife saw the business. And so we had to navigate through, and we've been doing that for the last couple of years. But he does that in ministry, with the motorcycle ministry. He showed us the end game of the motorcycle ministry, but the contacts wasn't in place.
You know, something as simple as, who can we get to sew our patches on or help us design a patch for our vest? So all of those type of things you have, like, I believe the same way you said, you gotta take initiative. You gotta get out and start doing. Once he gives you the vision and sometimes those details, you got to figure it out. Got to figure it out on the go sometime.
[00:30:09] Speaker A: So. So when you. I guess so now. I mean, you're the co founder of writing for Jesus. So what's the. What's the mission?
[00:30:18] Speaker B: The mission, I don't know if you saw the back of our vest, but the mission on the back, it said kingdom business.
So the mission is simple. Just share Jesus with a dying part of society.
We understand that we can't reach everybody, but we have. We have pegged a part of society that we felt has been underserved. And I know we talk about different things, like the homeless been underserved, meaning that a lot of their physical needs haven't been met. Well, we feel the same in certain segments of society where a lot of the spiritual needs haven't been met. And so we chose this segment of society, and we come in, similar to what a chaplain would do in the world is that we come in and we provide a service that otherwise they wouldn't have access to. And that service includes anything from prayer. If they go down on their bikes, we do hospital visits, we do funerals, we do weddings, we do counseling sessions.
And not so much counseling, but mentoring or coaching, but all of those type of things we include in what we do. And we do have, between the two chapters, I think we have five full time pastors, and then myself, one assistant pastor, and then several on staff elders in our club. So we have some experienced brothers, but that's what the mission is, just to share Jesus with a part of society that have gotten a bad rap. You know, at least that's what we believe, that they've gotten a bad rap. And so we go out and we try to just shake a hand and make a friend and fellowship and then present the gospel message to them.
[00:32:00] Speaker A: Yeah. And so with that being said, I mean, you're responsible for the club. You got members on there. You already know what your mission is. How do you, how do you find the right people?
You know? Because I'm pretty sure you guys get, like, a lot of interest.
So how do you actually, like, screen? Because not everybody might. Not everybody might not. They might not want to share Jesus, but at the same time, they might have just. They might want to be part of association or a club.
[00:32:33] Speaker B: And that's true. And what we do, we do have a screening process, and we don't, we don't call it prospecting as the term that the motorcycle clubs use, but we called it a covering period, and a covering period we adopted from the church. So when you're a member of a church and you're looking and you're deciding to transfer your church membership and go to another church, generally there is a period where you're searching for that church, while you're searching for that church, your original church will cover you continuously in prayer. You'll still have access to the church, you still have access to the pastor, to a lot of things that you had while you were a member, even though you're seeking membership somewhere else.
[00:33:12] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:12] Speaker B: And so during that, they call it a covering period. And so what we do is we have a covering period.
The covering period starts at a minimum of six months.
[00:33:23] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:33:23] Speaker B: And so how this process works, in a nutshell, you come, you hang out with us, you maybe go on a ride, we go to lunch, you come to our houses, we hang out, we fellowship. If you think that this is something you might be interested in after you hang out, then you enter into that covenant agreement. And the covenant agreement says, we're going to take this period to see if we're a good fit for you and also if you are a good fit for us. And so that is a minimum of six months. And actually, yesterday, or, excuse me, Saturday, we just passed in our member. And I think you met him in Modesto, but we passed him in, but he spent ten and a half months undercovering. And so after this period, he started saying, this is definitely something that I'm interested in. And then collectively, once we all agreed that he was somebody that was a good fit to help us promote our mission and carry out the vision, then we invited him to join us as a full member of our club, and he accepted. So that's the process, and that's kind of like what it looks like. So we do wean them out. Some people just interested in riding a motorcycle. Some people just interested in going to these different sets and different places that we go to, and they may not be for us. And, you know, we do have some as it with any organization or any group, we have bylaws. We have different rules and regulations that help govern us and help wean out those that may not be a good fit for us. So. And that's what we do, man. We love it.
[00:34:59] Speaker A: That's good.
[00:35:00] Speaker B: That's good.
[00:35:03] Speaker A: So what kind of. What kind of community service stuff are you guys involved in?
[00:35:07] Speaker B: Our community service takes a second seat to what we do. Our first and foremost mission is to minister to those that are in that segment of society that I spoke about. But what we will do is partner with them on any type of community service that they provide. So we've done anything from the homeless feeding. We've done. We fed 300 homeless in Oakland earlier this year. We fed the homeless in Sacramento earlier this year. We did the Martin Luther King parade. We let out with prayer for the city of Sacramento this year, and we let out with the motorcycles. So we're involved in all community aspects, and wherever we can be an asset, we're willing to come and participate, but we usually take a second seat to the club that's already involved, and we come alongside and just try to enhance what they brought to the table.
[00:36:06] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:36:07] Speaker B: So, for instance, this year we did Martin Luther King parade in south Sacramento. And so there was a club that was already there, but we came along and we did a speech and we did the prayer prior to the march.
[00:36:21] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:36:21] Speaker B: And so we enhanced what they already had in place.
[00:36:25] Speaker A: Nice.
[00:36:26] Speaker B: And so that's what we try to do, and we just try to be available. So that means we have several brothers that are well rounded in several different areas of life, and so we can call on them brothers when those type of situations come up.
[00:36:38] Speaker A: I mean, that's sweet. That's sweet. There's nothing like collaboration and helping other people. That's what it's about.
[00:36:45] Speaker B: Exactly. We probably, man, we met the chief of police and all of those, they were out there, the mayor, a couple of city councilmen. So we met a lot of people, man. And, you know, it's just. It's just awesome to be able to assist.
[00:36:57] Speaker A: Right? That's good. That is good.
And so when you. When you have a person that. That you already know and they might be struggling with their faith a little bit or just, they might just be going through a time where they, like, Mandy, I don't know what to do.
What kind of. Can you explain, like, your process prior to, like, meeting them? Do you have, like, a set, I don't know, maybe like some kind of, like, agenda already kind of planned out to help somebody get from point a to point c? Or do you just kind of base it off the. Your experiences and what it is that they're going through?
[00:37:39] Speaker B: I don't. I don't have a set agenda when it comes to coming alongside someone like that, but what I do have is my life experience and several individuals that I'm connected with. And oftentimes, I might not be the person who's able to get them from point a to point b, but I have no problem pulling out my resources and connecting them with someone who's more apt, who's more equipped, who's able to help them get to the next level, it may not be me. I can get them from point a to point b. But to get to see, I may have to give you a call next time, you know, or, you know, I've called. I've called on our buddy pastor Stu several times, man, that were just caught in the middle that I just couldn't figure it out. But I knew he was more able or more equipped to help me with this situation. So, yes, I have. And then, of course, several pastor friends that I have, just friends in general that is able to help navigate the next steps in life. So definitely, I don't think I have all the answers and definitely not, you know, probably not qualified for some of the areas I do work in. But by the grace of God, I'm here and I'm willing to share what I have. They willing to listen. I can always share what worked for me, but that necessarily might not be the route that they want to take. And so I have to figure out who's the best resource. Where can I point them to to get them to the next. And I just don't want to tell them, man, I can't help you go over there. He'll help you. I'm going to take you and hand deliver you to there and make sure I make the connection so that you stay connected, you stay plugged in.
[00:39:17] Speaker A: Right.
[00:39:17] Speaker B: And I think that's the key when we're making those type of coaching moves or mentoring or, you know, I can turn you on to a counselor who can help you out in this situation, but I'm going to make sure the connection is made.
[00:39:33] Speaker A: And that's, that mean to me, that's. That is so significant right there. One is just being self aware, knowing what you can and can't do, because the last thing you want to do is come across as a phony and be like, oh, man, just come to me. I'll help you get to wherever it is that you need, but you don't even have the tools or the resources to actually get somebody there, and they end up being worse than what before they got to you.
But that is one that's, that's also being humble as well. If you're like, you know what, man? I know you have a problem, or, ma'am, you have a problem, an issue with this, and I can help you with this part of it, but if you need this segment or this part of whatever it is you're going through, I need to connect you with somebody else who's more equipped or I. They just have more expertise dealing with that kind of stuff.
But it's also good just to have those kind of people in your back pocket that you could call on.
[00:40:31] Speaker B: Right, right, exactly. Yes.
[00:40:37] Speaker A: So I know, like, just with yo, your past experiences, just in, like, ministry life when it comes to, like, just people on your team, I'm pretty sure everybody has, like, this various backgrounds as well.
Do you guys or have you guys ever considered, hey, man, we need to. We need to get, like, some kind of conference together, even though it's like a one day clinic or something like that. Almost similar to what the, the men's conference was that we actually went to.
[00:41:14] Speaker B: And we have not really considered anything like that at this point, partially because what we do is very unique and it's a thin line. And everybody that we deal with, and I said, first and foremost, our ministry is to those that are a part of that world, and everybody that we deal with don't have the same faith or the ideology that we have, and they oftentimes don't want to be exposed on that level.
And so we were in an event this weekend, and part of the event, there's no picture taking, and so we're there for three or 4 hours, and you won't see not one phone.
And so we have to be sensitive when we're coming into their territory and we're invited in. We're an invited guest into someone else's house. So we. We try to respect the rules of the house. So for us to have a conference, yeah, we can have a conference, and we can talk about things like evangelism, or how did we build a team, or how do we go from point a to point b to point c? But we miss out on the essential function of what the motorcycle club does. And as we build relationships with those that the rest of society don't want nothing to do with.
[00:42:35] Speaker A: Right.
[00:42:36] Speaker B: And that's our staple, you know, and that's what we hang our hat on. And that's where, that's where we're fulfilled as a ministry, is that we're able to communicate. I can still relate to where I came from, and I can go and have that conversation where everybody else can, you know? And so we have those different walks of life, and we have men in the motorcycle club that would probably excel at a conference similar to what we were just a part of. And maybe it's something we can think about in the future. But today, that has not been something that we've considered. And that's primarily because our first and foremost outreach was to that segment of society. And if we did something like that, we want to include them right now.
[00:43:24] Speaker A: Are you able to share that segment of society that you guys actually minister to, like what kind of people they are?
[00:43:34] Speaker B: Yes, I can. I can share. So we're in the motorcycle club community.
And so that includes one percenters, that includes outlaw clubs.
[00:43:48] Speaker A: Got it.
[00:43:48] Speaker B: That includes traditional motorcycle clubs. And that is from all parts of California.
[00:43:56] Speaker A: Got it.
[00:43:56] Speaker B: Earlier this year, we were up in Arizona. We've been to Vegas. We've been to San Diego. We were in Reno. So we've hit all of northern United States, but our main goal is to evangelize northern California. And then eventually the plan, or the vision is to grow different chapters in other cities and then on to other states. So we are very heavily involved. And, you know, those, that 1% community and the motorcycle outlaw community is where our first go. And we can't, and you probably know better than me, but they're not going to just accept everybody coming in and bringing a spotlight to what they're doing.
And so we have to navigate, you know, somewhat. We have to be careful on how we enter in and come back out when we're dealing with them. Some segments is easier than others, but, you know, we just want to be mindful of where we're going with those.
[00:45:04] Speaker A: Right. And one of the things that I love about it is the fact that now you have people who are recognizing, okay, I need to make a change.
They're feeling something on the inside. And I'll never forget, man, last year when I was at a John Maxwell conference, man, and he was, and this was during one of the sessions, it wasn't just a normal session where he was just like speaking to a group of people. This was like the morning service session that he actually had. And he actually made a comment about, you know, people.
He said, you might be, you might be fatherless, you might be motherless, you might have gone through this situation, and you might gone through this situation, and sometimes you might be feeling some kind of void.
But the thing is, that void is the one who created you. Because when you're created in somebody or some somebody else's image, you're going to crave that person. You're going to crave that thing. And when he said it, I was like thinking that the light just kind of went off. It's like people miss God, but they don't know they miss God until they actually get them. Right. Right. Yeah.
[00:46:27] Speaker B: And I think that's what's unique about being able to come alongside of some of these different groups and communities is that when you come alongside, they can look at you and kind of say, well, maybe that's what I need. That's what I'm missing. How did he find that? You know, they can see something different. You know, I know where he started at, but how did he get to here? And we can present, well, I got here because of God. I got here because of that missing ingredient, that void that you're talking about. He filled it for me. And so, yeah, that's, and that's part of what we do. That's the opening that we have and a lot of those that we minister or witness to. And sometimes we don't get a chance to say anything, but we just walk and show them what's on our back and we have to do that two, three, 4510 times before we can even have a conversation.
[00:47:17] Speaker A: Right.
[00:47:18] Speaker B: You know?
[00:47:19] Speaker A: Yeah, but the fact that you guys are being invited, that right there, that speaks volumes. Yes, because not everybody's welcome.
[00:47:29] Speaker B: Not everybody's welcome. And it's different depending on what part of society you're dealing with. Where I come from, I'm welcome 24/7 when I walk up. Oh, man, I remember big mama used to talk about going to church and they'll openly have that conversation, but you go to the other side, you don't get that conversation. And sometimes it's considered to be disrespect if you come to their house, introducing this conversation when they trying to have a party.
[00:47:59] Speaker A: For real?
[00:48:02] Speaker B: Yeah. So we got to be careful, man. But it's a joy. It's a joy, and it's one that I wouldn't trade. I love it.
[00:48:08] Speaker A: Yeah. And that's amazing how. How God put something on your heart to do. I mean, he uses everybody in different ways. And for you to just kind of go through your experiences and. And ride in motorcycles, and now you turn that into a club, and you reaching, like you said, the outlaws. Right? Right.
[00:48:28] Speaker B: So, yeah.
And that's it, man. And, you know, it's funny. We talked about, earlier, you asked about how did I prepare. Well, in high school and college, I actually played tennis.
[00:48:42] Speaker A: Did you really?
[00:48:43] Speaker B: And so I was a ranked tennis player in California as a junior.
[00:48:48] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:48:48] Speaker B: And so I went to Fresno State. Didn't last there long, but I played a lot of tennis. So tennis introduced me to a whole nother world that I never even knew existed. And then as I got good at playing tennis, it opened up doors and allowed me to see behind some of these closed doors that I never would have experienced outside of Richmond, you know? So some of my first experiences outside of Richmond was negative when it came to dealing with the rest of society. So I definitely have an understanding. And I think, like we said, based on my experiences, God prepared me for some of the places that I am now that I'm going into today. And so I just gotta kind of remember from where I came from to where I'm at. And collectively, he put inside of me everything that I need to navigate through these different segments of society. And it's not easy, but it's definitely doable with him, you know, after him.
[00:49:51] Speaker A: So, what do you think your gift is or your superpower?
[00:49:57] Speaker B: I am a people's person.
[00:49:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:50:00] Speaker B: So I'm comfortable in the crowd. I'm comfortable one on one. And I. I jokingly tell the church that when I was in the streets, and we use the term, and I use it loosely now, but I have to give to gab. I mean, I could talk. I can talk my way out of anything, or a lot of times, I talk my way into stuff.
And when I came into the church after I got saved and God began to do a work in me, he didn't take that away. He left that confidence to speak. Still there. And so today, I speak from the pulpit. I speak at work. I'm over a training team for the organization that I work for, so I still get to utilize that. And I think, I don't know if it's a superpower, but it has been. One of my greatest assets is the ability to be confident in speaking.
And I came from a place where speaking wasn't.
It came with a lot of mannerisms, and so I had to learn how to speak without those mannerisms, and it wasn't easy. But here I am today, and mannerisms. And I know people say, how do you equate. Equate mannerisms with speaking? Because I used all the hands I talked and the head Bob, and I did all of that, and so I had to learn how to talk without doing all the hand mannerisms and the head bob and positioning myself always for something negative to happen, and I have to learn how to speak. So now I can stand behind the cool pit and talk to an audience or stand in front of a camera and speak to someone and have an interview without looking away or making eye contact or whatever the situation may call for. But I think that's one of my strong suits that God has given me, is that the ability to speak and be comfortable in what I'm speaking about.
[00:51:59] Speaker A: That's good.
That's good, because, you know that I think that's. They already say that's probably one of the most feared things to do. Right? Is to get up in front of some people and start speaking.
[00:52:09] Speaker B: Yes, definitely.
[00:52:11] Speaker A: Yeah. But it's. But it's crazy. You just think about how many times that did Moses try to come up with excuses and speaking was one of them.
[00:52:22] Speaker B: Right, exactly.
[00:52:27] Speaker A: So, at this. At this phase in your life. Yeah. At this phase in your life, just with all the stuff that you have going on, you know, how would you. How would you define success?
[00:52:41] Speaker B: I think, for success, first of all, I think there's two definitions of success, and one definition that I adhere to is, what is personal success? What does success mean to me? What barometer am I going to use to measure success from my own personal life? And for me, one of the greatest things, at the end of the day, have I accomplished what I set out to accomplish? Did I complete the task? And so I measured success for me in small steps. Yes, there's a big picture. Yes, there's an end game and an overall picture. But success for me is always.
I try not to allow it to become subjective, where others can place their expectation on me and cause me to believe I failed to.
[00:53:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:53:36] Speaker B: Because my failure may be your greatest success or vice versa. Your failure could be my greatest success. And so I don't want it to become objective. I don't want nobody to objectify what I'm doing in life, because from where I come from, what success is for me may not be success for you. That may be your starting point, and I understand that. So success for me has just been able to be fulfilled at the end of the day, and knowing that I accomplished that which I set out to accomplish, I just have that peace about what I've just done. And that, to me, is success.
And so I try not to objectify it by allowing it to be placed a dollar amount or the house or the riches or those type of things. But at the end of the day, am I satisfied with what I just accomplished?
[00:54:29] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:54:30] Speaker B: And that's what success really boils down for to me. And so I know it's a little different for everybody, but I want to. I like to make my success personal so that others can't dictate to me whether I'm successful or not.
[00:54:45] Speaker A: That's right. That is true. I love that, man. That's good right there. That is straight. That is good.
Because I think, yeah, I mean, there's just so many other people. If you allow those other people to kind of dictate now, you're allowing them to forecast your future when they don't have the power to do that.
[00:55:04] Speaker B: Yes, exactly.
[00:55:05] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:55:07] Speaker B: And that's spiritually or, like, in your personal life or especially for career wise, or, you know, you're not successful if you don't make it up to this rank and what you're doing or you're not successful. If you don't promote to manager or supervisor or director, then you fail at your job or at your career. But that may not be true. They may not understand. I didn't never graduate from high school. I didn't know how to read and write. For me to land a job was success for me. And so that's what, when I say I don't want anybody to objectify what success is for me because you don't know my backstory or vice versa. So, yeah, I don't want anybody to control my future, my destiny, or steer me in the wrong direction because I'm chasing their. Their american dream at what success is.
[00:55:56] Speaker A: That's it.
That is it right there. That is it, ladies and gentlemen. Y'all heard it. First of all, I appreciate you, man. Show, man.
[00:56:08] Speaker B: Thanks for having me, man.
[00:56:09] Speaker A: This is good.
Now, if somebody wants to, like, reach out and get more information just about you or writing for Jesus, how can they contact you?
[00:56:22] Speaker B: They can contact me at. The best way would be Facebook ride for Jesus Mc Bay area. That's the best way. We have somebody monitoring the page, posting, and they take care of all of the invites or the quest, the request, the questions that come in through social media, that would be the best way to contact me. The second way is they have my personal contact information. That's Andre Sweeney and that's my personal social media. And the number. Can I get my phone number?
[00:56:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:56:53] Speaker B: 916-910-8311 that would be the best way to get in contact with for any questions.
[00:57:03] Speaker A: Man, I appreciate you coming on, man. That was good. What a blessing. What a blessing.
[00:57:08] Speaker B: Thanks for having me, man. Thanks for the opportunity to have this conversation, man. I really enjoyed it.
[00:57:12] Speaker A: Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
I just want to thank Audrey for coming on the show. Thank you. Thank you, man. For just being transparent and open with your life, the challenges that you had and how you were actually able to overcome those challenges. But I love this man.
He was doing this thing in the Bay Area with record label signing some of the top artists in the Bay area. Oh, man.
Andre, thank you, man. Thank you. And one of the things I definitely took away from this episode is that, you know, when you're trusted and you have a humble spirit, you mean, you just get invited to places where you can actually make a difference. And that's all about. I mean, that's Andre, and it's about meeting people where they are so you can actually connect and make an impact. So thank you, Dre, for coming on the show again, I appreciate it, but I would like to thank you all just for watching this video. I'm excited about your growth and your transformation quest to become that person God has created you to be.
Hit that newsletter subscribe button. Get updated content and resources that will assist you in your growth. I care about your development and success, so please let me know if there's anything that you would like me to talk about or particular guests that you would like me to go for and get them on. I'll definitely do that. But anyways, I'll see you in the next video. And remember, we cannot become what we need if we remain where we are. God bless and you'll have a great weekend.
