Father's ProXY: recap of last week. ⁓ we went over well, we talked about Abraham and his strength, ⁓ and his strength. Absolutely. ⁓ wow. ⁓ That's ⁓ there's a a of story. ⁓ Ryan. That's that's that's lot that happened to you. So couple questions. What ⁓ were you are you from Texas or you from somewhere else? Yes, I grew up in a town in northwest of Which I mean, Texas, right? Yes. ⁓ so you were out kind of away from ⁓ a lot of the city life, I'm assuming. You weren't a i it was it a smaller community. ⁓ it's a much smaller community. Yeah. We gotta keep this image. Yeah. Yes. Which is protect the image. Yeah. The Pharisee we are holier than he a believer? say that's fair ⁓ with what you've been with been through with these people 'cause they're supposed to love you. You're supposed to learn how to love through them. ⁓ and and receiving that. I mean, I can't imagine something like that 'cause I have two little boys. ⁓ and ⁓ much of a darker, darker behind the scenes going on. ⁓ And, you know, it's like you said, you have no animosity. It's just acceptance. ⁓ And, you know, that takes a lot. 'Cause most people harbor to those feelings and they're mad, you know, and and to hear the trauma that you went through, thank God that he guided you and rescued and freed you from that. Because it could have led to even worse things, you know. Did and I hate to ask this, but were you ever at the lowest point in your life of I'm just ready to go? Did you ever feel that? I Absolutely, father, they my family, they don't know that they've attributed you know, contributed to my PTSD at betrayal by somebody else I'd be trusted and so forth. It's almost like they didn't even want to accept the fact that they were the problem. You know, they they masqueraded it. They would deny So your your dad did the they try to feign victimization themselves. If I get mad and angry and yell or scream at times I mentally ill veteran. But I like what about before when you were ⁓ like sixteen or whatever when they were he was you and things? I mean, did he ha can he ever did he ever say anything about that or has he ever talked to you like one time So ⁓ you said that you were unequally yoked, so I'm assuming that you got a divorce. Yes. ⁓ did you have any kids? No, They can o and she was a narcissist too and and they could only keep the mask on for so long. Then the charade gets too frustrating to play and the mask slips and you see the truth and the reality of all. So But it's a blessing from God that's over. Yeah. Well I mean question is, ⁓ what brought you here? 'Cause the first time I met you and heard you, you were talking about ⁓ being strung out and I just ⁓ it hit me because it was like I gotta hear this guy's story. 'Cause by here you mean seventh in May. Seventh 'cause we know you came to the bottom of the Seventh and May Main, yeah. ⁓ that you got a church home and that ⁓ one you got the ⁓ sounds like the Holy Spirit was the only one that you from going off in the D Bay. It was God's word. Thank God. Thank God. You know, I'd end with it. ⁓ Well, you what you had ⁓ a hold on to. were holding on to that and that stuff and you finally opened your hand and said take it. Finally. That's that's how I felt. And like I with my marijuana, I wasn't ready to give it up. it was like finally I'm here, I take it. 'Cause I if I have it, I'm just gonna keep doing this. Yeah, and that was me with pornography. Yeah. I mean it's like ⁓ it's easy to hold on let go, but it's like when you f you finally get to point of, Man, there's gotta something more than this 'cause it's like I can't let this go. You're gonna have to take this. And it's like when you do let it go, he takes it. And and it's one of the best feelings in the world of the stuff that had a hold of you. It's like I want nothing to do with it. It it doesn't bring me satisfaction. Absolutely nothing. It's a vicious cycle. It it is. And it's now it's I need some Jesus after day. ⁓ Absolutely. It's I need to be in that word because I know myself if I ⁓ don't start my day in that book, ⁓ It's horrible. Yeah. And it goes ⁓ it it goes kinda downhill and I I get this like almost dreadful feeling throughout the day like, ⁓ this and that, like am are we done? Where am I at with this? And then finally it's like I know what I'm missing and I go pick it up and it's like, Okay, ⁓ you know, we're all good and I mean I've had it recently where I was like feeling overwhelmed with work and whatever else and just going, I don't know how I'm gonna do this And I started the same old anxiety that would happen and whatever else and then was like, Nope. I stopped. And I like I it was this was like in the last week, but I w was like, I'm gonna go get in shower. Cause that's like my place to like calm down and I r relax and I get in the shower and I mean get down on my knees in the shower, hands up and go, It's yours. Take it away from me. I don't want it. And I mean almost instantaneously all that was gone. The worry was like it's Today is what we're gonna focus on and we're gonna focus on Jesus today. And if I do that, every day works out just fine. It's pretty awesome. No matter what happens, no matter what terrible thing happens, I got the best thing in the world, it's Jesus. Well, it's like at our Bible study, it was like you feel like the weight of the world is off your shoulders. And it's like it don't matter how big the burden is, if you're one of his, he carries it. Absolutely. And that's one of the best feelings in the world is he does the hard part. We just have to submit. And you know, I can I can think about it so much and I talk about it to this day because I'm two hundred and thirty eight days clean. He took away something that I chased my whole pretty much almost my whole life. And to know he took it away and I can look at it and just be, No, I'm good. I don't want that feeling. I don't every time it was, I just need a little head change. I just I want that buzz. I look at it now and it's like I want nothing to do with it. Yeah. I I'm sober. I'm having fun like tonight. I Something about you like big Bible studies. Those small little Bible studies are some of the best. ⁓ yeah. Because you really connect and it just shows that God loves us all no matter where we are, what we've been through, or what we've done. You give it to him, man, it's like he's I've been waiting for you. It's like you go to pray to him. It's like you're going in this colosseum and he's just, Son, daughter, where you been? I know exactly what you're gonna say, but I want to hear it anyways. And it's like that's the greatest feeling in the world. Yeah. And it just I mean it goes to show like whether it's three people sitting in a group like this or there's a hundred thousand people and you get the Holy Spirit like it doesn't matter. God works anywhere and everywhere. You cannot like be away from him. You can't hide from him. So ⁓ Ryan, thank you so much for your story. Like what a powerful story that just like How you built it up and how you laid it out was perfect. You didn't jump anywhere. You started from the beginning and how you built up it. ⁓ It's a very emotional story, But I first time I ever heard you talk, I just was like, I can relate to this guy. I haven't done what you've done, but ⁓ I just heard it and was like, I have to hear this guy's story. And hearing it, I'm like, I knew it was gonna be good. Well, I've I've never practiced my testimony. I just That's God and his sovereignty and his beauty. ⁓ that's how he does stuff, because he'll speak through you and he certainly is speaking through you, Ryan. And ⁓ we're happy that you're here. ⁓ thank you for the story. you for ⁓ stepping up and and guys, like I said, for those of you that are struggling, if you're a vet, ⁓ there's help out there, right? At the VA, you can get help. ⁓ we've got people here at Seventh and Main, like Ryan, I'm sure will talk to you ⁓ if you're struggling. That's that's what these things are for. ⁓ you know, right now you might be sitting in a cold dark room and all you got is your the screen that's lighting up in front of you. ⁓ but God can still speak to you through a screen. So ⁓ again, thank you guys for listening. Thank you for joining us. ⁓ we ask that you you know like, follow, share, subscribe to the Father's ⁓ proxy. We're on Facebook. ⁓ you can watch us on YouTube, listen to us on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. ⁓ we're on those platforms. ⁓ next time we're gonna be finishing up Abraham. So it'll be our part three and I say finishing up this part of the story because we got more Abraham. Abraham, we're gonna see him a lot. and a lot is ⁓ with it. Sorry. ⁓ And I think we can I think I can definitely relate to the lot. Yeah absolutely so definitely ⁓ you guys don't want to miss out. We'll have more ⁓ like I said more testimonies and again men we're gonna Challenge you, women, anybody, if you've got a story to tell, we're gonna listen and we're gonna share it. So ⁓ come see us at 7th in Main. ⁓ or just get plugged into some church somewhere. But if you can't find anywhere else, or even if you're just looking, come see us 7th in Main. We'd love to have you. We got a great church family. This this place is ⁓ spirit-led, and that's that's the changes here. Yeah. So ⁓ Come in. We got a 9 a.m. service and we got 1115 a.m. service on Sundays. If you can't make either one of those, or or like Ryan said, if you if you're trying to get ease back into this social life, ⁓ for you vets that are out there, check us out online. We have we live stream the service at 7 MBC on YouTube. You can watch us there and at least see what we're about until you get worked back in ⁓ to you know showing up every day. So ⁓ do that. We've got a great support system. I mean, it's great to hear. the message online but the fellowship here is what really helps bring this word to ⁓ all of us, right? And we all have to deal with life, ⁓ and reading this book. And so when we can sh share the struggles with everyone, it makes it a little bit easier. Which we all know Jesus is gonna take care of us, but he says, talk to your people, right? Keep ⁓ around, surround yourself with godly men, ⁓ and do my work. So ⁓ well Wanus is out for now. We talked about that, but it'll start back when school starts. But the next thing we've got is vacation Bible school. So it's gonna be June fourteenth through eighteenth. The meal begins at five PM and then VBS goes from six to eight. So you folks ⁓ out there that are like, ⁓ we got to feed the kids beforehand, as Cody says, we got a meal for you. And you say, Well, we gotta eat. And so we're gonna, nope. You come on in, you can eat with us as well. there's a go to the seventh and main website. We'll put the link tree up here for your registration because you'll need to register. ⁓ you'll need to register the kiddo register the kiddos, and then you guys, if you want to volunteer, you can register there as well to volunteer. ⁓ Saturday, this upcoming Saturday, June sixth. ⁓ coffees and cars, weather permitting. So as long as the weather's ⁓ favorable, ⁓ we're gonna do that here at the seventh of Maine. ⁓ and there's gonna have a breakfast and a fellowship. ⁓ really it's just bring your vehicle and hang out with some car folks. There's no awards or prizes, it's just everybody getting a fellowship and admiring cars if you like cars or or trucks or whatever have you. If you got something that's cool and you wanna show it off or ring it up and And you'll get to meet a lot of fun folks. ⁓ and then directly after that, ⁓ they have the Rise and Shine Bible study on the 6th, and it's gonna be at the same day. ⁓ yeah, and it's begins at 8:30, so you can make both if you'd like. But ⁓ for those of you that like big breakfast, you may not want to go work out right afterwards. ⁓ but it'll be held at the Rise Fitness on the Square here in Bonham, and they're gonna do a workout and a Bible study. ⁓ so you guys don't want to miss that, especially if you're trying to get back into shape. ⁓ and then last but not least, we have the 1613th men's conference that we are going to be video hosting right here at 7th in Maine. This is going to be ⁓ ⁓ this this is gonna be July seventeenth. This is a Friday. It's gonna start at six PM. ⁓ so you'll you'll have time to go to work today that day. So if you don't need to take off, but you can still make it, it'll be six P.M. and then it'll be an all-day Saturday event on the eighteenth. And that's in July. ⁓ we're telling you now that way you guys can get on there. We're gonna get the ⁓ link up so that way you guys can read July. It'll be July. Okay so it's July seventeenth and eighteenth. ⁓ the main speakers include Joby Martin. Brian Dawkins, ⁓ Nick Friedis, ⁓ Brad Gear, Brad excuse me, and then many more. ⁓ Anthony Munoz. There's so many speakers. It's gonna be fantastic. You guys don't don't want to miss out. ⁓ you guys come in. We'll be doing a few and some things like that. We'll be having Kobe Rich Kobe Rich will be speaking ⁓ on ⁓ Saturday. So that'll be on the ⁓ Saturday. So you guys don't want to miss ⁓ join us for that. Guys, again, thank you. We love doing this. ⁓ this is the Father's Proxy, where we are, Pro XY, led by the Holy Spirit.