"Leading with Purpose: Erik Saldaña on Faith, Family, and Law Enforcement"

Erik Saldaña recounts his upbringing in Chicago, his parents' separation, and the positive influences that steered him away from gangs. Initially focused on sports, Erik later pursued a career in law enforcement and joined the Chicago Police Department. Encountering many challenges along the way, Erik turned to faith and began understanding Christian practices and the empathetic role required in law enforcement. His faith deepened as he engaged more with the Bible and sought mentorship, leading him to a pivotal role in his church's men's ministry. Despite initial hesitation, Erik embraced leadership, contributing to the ministry's growth by focusing on structure, discipline, and mentorship. 
His story highlights the importance of obedience to God's call, the impact of spiritual support, and the essential role of men in family and community.

https://www.culturecitychurch.org/

"Men of Armor" - Men's Ministry page:
https://www.facebook.com/share/VseGVjj8rZ38gTvx/?mibextid=qi2Omg

Transcript

Omar: 0:16

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of wrong to strong Chicago. I'm your host. My name is Omar Calvillo, and tonight I have my guest here. His name's Eric Saldana. Uh, I met this brother recently and we're related almost through like extended family, right? Yeah, we'll put it that way and it's a going through the family tree will be hard to explain, but just we're we're extended family family. Yeah. So yeah, we, we connected. We had a chance to, have some dinner, you know, brother invited me over dinner. we connected. And, uh, man, just a brother that seeking the Lord. Uh, serving the Lord and man, just, uh, this brother has a story to tell. So we're going to get into it. You know, so, so welcome to the podcast, man, man.

Erik: 0:54

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Omar: 0:55

And my man, thanks for being here. But, uh, yeah, man, let's get into it, man. Uh, if you want to tell us, what, what, what part of Chicago you grew up in?

Erik: 1:01

Okay. Uh, well, I originally grew up, um, on the north side of Chicago. And then my mom ended up, uh, moving into Cicero, uh, grew up in Cicero, probably the majority of my life. And then eventually moved back to Chicago once I, uh, once I got married. Okay. So when I was about, um, I would say 23, 20, 25. When I got married, I ended up moving back into the, into the city. Okay.

Omar: 1:27

Yeah. So, so let's say like your, your, uh, your young years, you know, like your formative growing up years. Yeah. Let's say what, where was that at? North Side or Cicero or,

Erik: 1:35

yeah, so I, I moved outta Chicago when I was maybe about nine years old. Okay. Um, my parents at that point ended up, uh, splitting up. So when I moved with my mom, uh, we moved into Cicero. Okay. So from about fourth grade till about, after high school. When I, you know, I was going to, I was going to school. So I was in Cicero that whole, that whole time.

Omar: 1:53

Okay. From the fourth grade. Pretty much fourth

Erik: 1:55

grade. So I finished my, my, uh, my, uh, associate's degree.

Omar: 1:59

Okay.

Erik: 2:00

Cool. Cool. Yeah.

Omar: 2:01

Now, now, uh, Cicero, you know, for, for, for listeners, there's a lot of listeners that are not from Chicago and not from the surrounding areas. How, how is, uh, Cicero? Can you describe it, you know, like growing up? You

Erik: 2:11

know, Cicero is more of a, it's like a, like a Western suburb of Chicago. You know, we border Chicagoland. So it's a, it's a small, it's a small suburb, uh, primarily made up of, um, of, you know, a lot of families. When I moved here, there was a lot of families, um, the schools that were, that are here are great. You know, I enjoyed my time in Cicero, you know, but obviously God called me to other places as, as time went by and everything. So that's kind of where, where, where it was. Okay. Now,

Omar: 2:37

I know you mentioned, there was a split, your, your parents splitting up, but, like growing up before that split, you know, how are things at home? You know, they have brothers sisters like growing up.

Erik: 2:46

Yeah, so I mean I have a at the time I had a younger sister And to and to be honest with you, you know was from before then when I before Nine years old before I grew up and before I moved to cistro Um, I don't remember a lot of it to be honest with you I do remember obviously the the reason for my parents split up at the time was uh, you know There was domestic violence, you know, so my mom had to make that decision to You To move, you know, separate and move on her own. So before that, it's kind of like a blur. Obviously we're younger. We don't remember a lot of things. So when I, you know, started coming to school here, you know, that's when I kind of started recreating a lot of these, you know, memories and, and stuff like that, you know, going, going back to schools, kind of enjoying going back to school, talking to people and stuff, you know, making friends. Gotcha.

Omar: 3:30

Now, you know what, I could ask you, do you think maybe part of you like blacked off those younger years? Maybe, cause it was maybe a little, you know, You know, I,

Erik: 3:37

I, I think so. I think us as kids, sometimes, uh, you know, our minds work a certain way and maybe they maybe tend to block out certain, certain things that happen in our lives. Uh, so maybe that's a possibility why some of it I can't recall. You know what I mean? So that's probably, probably what it is. You know?

Omar: 3:54

Yeah. You, you, you know what? Cause I, I think I could relate to that man. Cause when, when I've been through stuff, let's say I was in incarcerated. Right. And I used to like zone out a lot, like, like daydream. Yeah. So it was almost, that was my way to cope. I will consider it like a survival, like mechanism of the mind. I don't know.

Erik: 4:11

Yeah.

Omar: 4:11

Like in order not to absorb, just the, the, the situation. The,

Erik: 4:16

I guess the, maybe the trauma that's around us, maybe it's a way to block it out.

Omar: 4:20

Yeah.

Erik: 4:20

You know,

Omar: 4:21

So I, I think could understand like, uh, like man, I don't remember that, but in a way it could be a way to just continue to go ahead. All right, cool. All right. So, okay. You know, you're growing up, you said fourth grade, you're in Cicero. So how does life look for you? Like, uh, let's say going into your teenage years,

Erik: 4:37

well, my teenage years, you know, I went to high school, um, obviously, and I, you know, I went to, uh, I was playing sports at the time playing football, you know, they had like weightlifting programs and stuff like that. You know, so growing up, I just, I played sports. That's how I kind of occupied myself, uh, with sports, playing football after school, you know, hanging out with friends, uh, you know, doing what teenage boys do. They go out to eat with their friends and go play sports and, you know, just hang out, you know, uh, you know, there was a lot of gangs in Cicero at the time, you know, so that was one thing that, uh, for me personally, I was just kind of like never wanted. To be involved in, because, you know, I know sometimes kind of what it may lead to, you know, so for me, I was like, you know what, I really don't want to, to deal with that. So let me, you know, we had, luckily I had good friends. I had good, um, role models, like with the coaches and stuff that were encouraging, you know, and say, Hey, you're doing good at this. So that kind of, you know, we, we, uh, reordered my, my, my focus to kind of focus on that, to be better doing that.

Omar: 5:34

Okay. No, not at any time where like you, like, uh, almost like. Or drawn through it or, or was it like the group of friends were on a different path that you don't have to worry about that. Like, uh, like as far as like gangs and stuff, like affecting you personally, I guess, or

Erik: 5:48

I think, I think what helped me was that the, the friends that I had around me, we were all pretty confident, you know, us and, you know, being, you know, athletes and playing sports. And we had a good camaraderie. So there was a kind of like an understanding, like, you know, those are the, uh, You know, those are the jacks and these are the gang members and it was kind of almost kind of like a Respect mutual respects like you guys still were there. We're still over here There's no reason to kind of cross paths and that was pretty much, you know, kind of it. There was a sense of Respect I guess in a way, you know,

Omar: 6:21

and you feel like your group like push, push each other to, to do positive things or go in that direction. I

Erik: 6:26

think just because of, you know, what we were doing, playing sports and, you know, we were competitive. We were focused on that, you know, that was, that was our main focus is, you know, just to play sports and, you know, get these, you know, trophies and go to these games, you know, and. Kind of, you know, not, not be distracted with other things, you know,

Omar: 6:44

yeah, I know you mentioned like coaches, you know, positive Influences that may continue to push in a positive direction. Yeah, what about like in your family? Did you have like a other than your dad or like like somebody else like pushing you? You know stay on this path, you know,

Erik: 6:57

well, I mean with my family, you know Obviously after my parents split up, you know, my I still to this day still talk to my dad So we have a great little relationship Um, you know, but obviously there was, there was struggles, you know, in the early years, but he was always there. He was a great father, role model. He always gave me advice. Um, the same thing with my, when my mom remarried my stepdad, you know, he was also a good role, a great role model for me as well. You know, so both my, my dad and my stepdad were both role models in my life. And I appreciated that they put their personal things to the side and actually they're able to communicate, you know, and even to this day they can come to my house and, you And we can all be cordial and hang out for a birthday party, you know, and it's, it's respectful. So as men, I admire that. And it showed me to say, Hey, just because there's, there's something that might've happened in your life. You don't have to always resort to anger. There's a way to handle things as adults, you know, peacefully without having to resort to throwing things back in people's faces or throwing, uh, you know, bringing up the past. Like there's, there's mature ways to handle situations.

Omar: 7:59

That's the word there. Well, man. But sure, man. Yeah, man. Unfortunately, like that's not always the case, right when you have like a stepfather and a father, there's always not always, but a lot of times the majority here. Yeah, there's conflict. But to be able to do that, I guess that that set a good example to, you know, like, it

Erik: 8:18

really did. You know, that was that was one thing for me that was just kind of like, okay, like, regardless of the of the differences or whatever happened with my parents early on. Yeah. You know, these two men have come and to kind of pour into my life as well. Right. You know what I mean? Perfect. No, right. You know, they gave me what they could and I kind of use what I would that. And then along as, as life, you know, continue down, there was other people that were mentors to me as well. And then eventually when I came to, you know, to the Lord and obviously he was, He's the biggest mentor, you know, we'll

Omar: 8:49

get to that. I don't know what part of your story, where is that or what age or, you know, but, uh, you know what, okay. So you're in high school, you said you graduated. I know you mentioned earlier associates degree. So obviously you went to college, could you to tell us about that. What a career were you looking for degree or, yeah.

Erik: 9:03

So I was, I, so I finished high school and I wasn't really sure. Kind of what I wanted to do, right. So I was just kind of like, you know what, let me just do my gen eds to get an idea of what's going on. So I started taking an interest in like, uh, you know, criminal justice, law enforcement, stuff like that. So I took a couple of those classes and then around that time, you know, that's when I kind of started working, uh, security at, um, at a retail store. So, you know, so me being young and learning about this stuff, I was like, man, this stuff is fascinating, you know. Yeah. Just kind of how everything works and this and that right so eventually, you know I got I got my degree and at the time I was like, you know, like I said, I was working there Eventually transition to to other jobs to to the position that I am now, you know So even through the through the schooling and through my experiences at the place that I was working at the time You know, it did teach me a lot and I was able to see it, you know Not just learn it but see it as it was happening as well.

Omar: 9:56

Okay. Yeah now the degree so You What, what drove you into this career? Usually something happens or like a desire, like to go into a certain field. What do you feel like led you in that direction?

Erik: 10:09

you know what I, you know, a lot of people have, desires as little kids and stuff, you know, say, Hey, when I grew up, I want to be a doctor. I want to be an astronaut. Right. Me growing up, I was just kind of like, oh, it'll be cool to be like a veterinarian, right? Or, or a doctor, for example. And, uh, so I wasn't really sure. You know what I mean? I was, to be honest, I wasn't really sure kind of what direction I wanted to go. so then when I started taking these law enforcement classes, it, it fascinated me. So that's kind of like the, the move that, that happened. You know, like just, just the information, the knowledge, and at the time working at security, you know, and then, you know, we, for example, have to sign complaints, so we would have to. Go to court to testify. So I was like, Oh, like I'm, I'm able to see it, the stuff that I'm learning. I'm able to see it play out, you know, when going to court, for example. So that was, that was kind of like, okay. So as more stuff started happening, the more interested I got. So I kind of continued on that path.

Omar: 11:01

Gotcha. So, okay. So you were like getting a taste of it before you stepped into it. Exactly. No, no, no. As far as like, um, maybe family, you know, Or, uh, friends, anybody that pushed you in that direction or that you've seen like, man, I want to go in this direction as well. Or there was just like, like you, you know,

Erik: 11:19

I mean, there, there was, there was some friends that kind of took a similar path. so I was just kind of like, you know what, let me, let me see what it's about, you know? And, uh, that's kind of where it went. You know, I was like, you know what, let me, let me see, you know, I was going to go in this direction. Let me try it out. And that, and I liked it, you know what I mean? I like the information. I like the schooling. Like the way that kind of everything that I was experiencing at the time. So that, that's kind of like how it, how it kind of went down. Yeah.

Omar: 11:41

Okay. So how was it like transitioning into, into that field? You know, being new, going into the, the field,

Erik: 11:48

I mean, so, you know, like I said, when I was younger, you know, I was 18, so, you know, you're, you're young, you're full of, uh, you know, excitement. And you want to learn, learn new information, you know, so from, I went from that store. I eventually transitioned into like a, you know, like into like a security position, like a uniform security. So I was even, even to see more of what I learned kind of play out, you know, like actually going to court more often, for example. Or, uh, you know, interacting with people, you know, people that needed help. So I was able to actually help them versus, you know, take the criminal aspect out of there. You know, there was actually people that. Needed help. So I was able to actually be genuine and, and be helpful, you know, and not just be this, uh, you know, just a person that just deals with, you know, lawbreakers or, or, or procedures. Right. Like there's a humanity involved with, with those kinds of positions.

Omar: 12:41

Like to the ones that you notice need help, how, how did that look? How, how did you know, I'm not, I'm just gonna, let's say, arrest this guy or prosecute him. Yeah. How does help look like, maybe an example or,

Erik: 12:52

you know, sometimes help is just having a conversation, you know, why, why did you decide to do this? You know what I mean? Um, it just being, having, having empathy, having empathy and say, say, listen, I can put myself in your shoes. Let me, let me try to imagine what it might feel like to be in your position. You know what I mean? For example, you know, uh, someone steals from the store and they tell you, well, I stole because my family's hungry. Okay. Right. Is, you know, putting that place, that person, you know, in custody, take him to jail. Is that really going to solve this person's problem? Yes, he committed a, a crime, right. But is that going to help this person in this situation? You know, so having a little empathy, having resources available for people, you know, and just being genuine and just to let them know, say, listen, I don't know where this is going to go, but everything's going to be fine. You don't have to choose this path. There's other ways to get to where you're, you know, where God wants you to go.

Omar: 13:49

What do you think you got that, that side of you? Cause they say security, law enforcement. Usually it's like more like black and white, right? Like, man, okay. Hey, you're a law breaker. I'm alone. Lock you up. But what, what do you get? That, empathy from like, what do you think that that came from?

Erik: 14:02

You know what, when, when I was younger, um, you know, I was like 16, 17, 18, maybe, um, you know, I've gotten pulled over by the police. Some of them were very professional, and some of them were not. So sometimes we think, you know, why, why did that conversation have to lead that way? Like, I didn't do anything to disrespect you as a person, you know what I mean? So, I remember those things, so like in the position that I am now, I try not to do that to other people, you know what I mean? I try to be genuine and say, you know what, I've been in those shoes. So I know how you could have made a mistake or that could have been me. You know what I mean? I put myself in those shoes. So my, that, that empathy and that being genuine kind of comes out because you realize, you know, out of everything that you have, or even the positions that we are all in, sometimes you can say, man, that that could have been me. You know what I mean? I could have made that mistake or, uh, you know, so you, you remember that. So that's what gives you that humanity to be like, As a person, this is how I can connect with you and try to help you the best way that I can.

Omar: 15:07

Right, man. No, that's good to share, man. Cause, that's one thing I realized since I've been doing this, that everybody has a story. Yeah. Like I know you mentioned, like we could just see it. I like, Oh man, there's just a criminal. Hey, exactly. Just put them behind bars. But man, what, like you mentioned, we're like, well, what's going on at home or what, what went on at home that through the years made this person like go down this path, you know? Cause a lot of times they're. They didn't have no choice man, like just based on their childhood or lack of resources, you know, lack of finances in the home and that's one thing that has opened my eyes to, you know, like everybody has a story and I like what you said, man, just having that conversation with them and you could learn a lot from them, you know, sometimes

Erik: 15:48

that's all it takes. You know, some, a lot of people just want to be heard. You know what I mean? They just want to be heard and say, Hey, listen to what I'm feeling. Listen to what I have to say, you know, sometimes it's quick to be like, you know, be quiet You're gonna listen to what I have to say, right but taking that moment to really listen That's how you're gonna fix. That's how you're gonna fix things, right? Like you can't you can't make up rules and then just say okay Well, you don't know what the problem is You have to find out what the root is, you know and try your best to try to help them In the best way that you can, right? Right. Yeah.

Omar: 16:17

Okay. That's good. Now you want to take us through your, few years of your career, you know, how did that look?

Erik: 16:25

So, you know, so when I was working at the, um, as a security officer, you know, I eventually transitioned and I got hired with the Cook County Sheriff's Department. So I did that for, for a couple of years. Um, And eventually, once I did there, I continued to test and I eventually transitioned into the Chicago Police Department. So that's where I'm currently employed is the Chicago Police Department.

Omar: 16:47

Okay. Now, as the Cook County Sheriff, do you have to start as a correctional officer or you go straight to a sheriff? How does that work? Um,

Erik: 16:54

at the time when I got hired, that's how, that's how the process was. You used to have to start in the corrections. And then from there you can kind of branch out either to go into courts or other like units that they had. Um, so I, you know, I started, I started inside and inside the jail. Okay. How was

Omar: 17:08

that experience for you? Like, like working in there,

Erik: 17:10

it was, it was definitely eyeopening. You know, just the, the, the things that you encounter, uh, the stories that you hear, you know, sorrow, sadness, you know, you, you realize like, man, like a lot of these guys. You know, made a mistake and they're in these positions, you know, some of them willingly, some of them not so willingly, some of them made mistakes, you know, um, some of them accept it, some of them man up to it, some of them don't, you know, and I took that and realized that just me in general, sometimes we can be like that. We make mistakes and we want to blame it on other people or we don't want to own up to it. You know what I mean? And if, like I said, back to what we were talking about, what's the root cause of it? What's causing you to continue to make these decisions? You know what I mean? So that's where I kind of, you know, I've heard hundreds of stories. In there, you know, from people that will never get out and they knew that and they shared their heart and their, you know, I, I remember a story of a young man. He said, um, I think it was about 18, 19 and, um, essentially, you know, he, he, he knew that he wasn't going to go home. You know, he, he committed a, he committed a crime that he was going to be gone for pretty much for the rest of his adult life. And, uh, he told me, you know what, You know, I've made a lot of mistakes and a lot of regrets that I've made, but you know the only regret that I have is that I never left the 3 4 block radius that I used to live in. So, this kid was 18 19, he's never been downtown, he's never been to a mall, he's never been out of state, he's never been on a road trip. And he'll probably never get to do that, you know, so that really hit home for me because it's like, you know, because of a mistake or a reaction out of anger, out of pride. You know, that's, that's the consequence. And that hit me hard because it's like, you know, I was like, wow, like that one decision and you know, that's, that's your fate. You know what I mean? And it really hit home, you know, so that's just one of. Many stories, you know that I that I but that's one of the ones that stick with that sticks with me Yeah,

Omar: 19:31

you know, man, that's that's deep cuz You mentioned two things, anger and pride, I think there was a show, I forget on what, network, but they were talking about a lot of people's cases, you know, they interview a lot of people and like in a matter of seconds, how their life changed because of a moment of anger that in three seconds they went from being, you know, calm, you know, just enjoying life. To snapping, doing something changed the rest of their life where like you mentioned, they ain't gonna get out no more, man. And for somebody like 18, you know, that's, that's rough, man. It's rough. Yeah. And you mentioned being in that little radius, right. I talked to a few guys on here and even myself, when I look back at my life, I always, I don't know. I imagined myself, like, let's say zooming out from where I grew up at. Yeah. That bird's eye view. Yeah. Bird's eye view. Yeah. I was just going in circles, man. That was like my, my life. Like you mentioned, like a little radius or, yeah, I can't go past this block or that block and just going in circles and now, now that I'm older, I want to explore, like I want to go different places, go hiking, go to the woods, go fishing, but back then, like, man, that was my whole life. Yeah. Like just in a little circle and how we're almost like, like captive. I mean, you know. Yeah. If you're in those kind of lifestyles, you're like. Like trap, like almost like in, you know, like a prisoner to your little,

Erik: 21:03

that's like your, that's like your safe zone, your, your nest. Like that's, that's it. Yeah. You know, there's no, you, you cross that, that, that line, that street. And it's, you know, it's, it's, it's scary just to think that you can't walk two blocks away to think that, you know, they, they, someone recognizes you and they're coming out to get you. You know, it's, it's, it's scary. It really is. You know what I mean? Yeah. And, uh, you know, like I said, that story stuck out to me because it's like, you think about that, you know, imagine just being restrictive to your two blocks. I'm like, that's, that's really eye opening on what a decision can make, can create for the rest of your life, you know? Yeah,

Omar: 21:45

I remember there was a guy that I interviewed on here. He grew up in a certain neighborhood. And he said he had a drive, I think like, like 15 minutes. Matter of fact, one of the areas he had never visited was Cicero. And I think it was only like 15 minutes away or something. He said, it felt like really far. Cause he was so used to just being in this little like square, you know, whatever area it was and that's crazy, man, for, for people to live like that. But, uh, Okay. So you say a sheriff and then you transition to the police officer. How, how was that for you? Like, going there instead of being like in the, like,

Erik: 22:16

I mean, it was, it was different, you know, because you weren't, you weren't inside, you know, for, you know, what we call tears. It's kind of like the, uh, you know, that your little pod and then you have the tears, that's where, you know, that with all the people that are there, you know, the day rooms or whatnot, um, you know, you're out, you're out and about driving around, you know, obviously getting sunshine, getting rained on snow, dealing with the elements, all that stuff, you know. but you come to realize that a lot of the same people, you know, it's the same, it's a, it's a similar situation. Like they end up in this, in these situations, for example, in the jail because of anger, pride, frustration, right? And a lot of the places that we go to, they call us and because people react out of anger, frustration, you know, they're mad. And so they call us for help to try to mediate a situation that they don't know how to handle. You know what I mean? So sometimes we have to go in there and say, okay, let's. Let's have a conversation like what is it that's really bothering you like why are you reacting this way, right? And then we we try to mediate that as best as we can, you know

Omar: 23:18

Situation I'm sure situations. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, depending on the individual exactly. Yeah, what was going on? Okay. How long you've been doing this for like a little

Erik: 23:28

bit over 10 years with Chicago, yeah,

Omar: 23:30

gotcha And how has that been for you?

Erik: 23:33

it's been good. I mean, uh, God's blessed me. you know, I've been, he's, he's been giving me favor. you know, I love, I love my job. I love going to work. You know, I always, you know, I was joke around and say, you know, a lot of people joke around and be like, Oh, you know, you're just catching criminals and stuff like that, you know, but that's, yes, that's what we do right with the police. Uh, but what, what I enjoy is, you know, waving at the kids and them waving back and saying, Hey, you know, that. They see someone they admire and respect, right, uh, interacting with community members, uh, helping somebody cross the street, you know, because no one's stopping, you know, the intersection's huge, nobody wants to take the moment to stop, you know, so we'll take the time, stop the car, turn those lights on to help this person cross the street, you know what I mean, those, that's what it's about, you know what I mean, about the community engagement and just, uh, talking to people, having conversations with people, you know, how's it going, good morning, how's it going. You know, get in your cup of coffee. How's everything going? You know, stuff, stuff like that. That's what really is what makes a difference. You know,

Omar: 24:32

so what are some other things you enjoy? I mean, those are all good things, or what's something that maybe like the listeners won't know about being a cop, they have this perception of them, what's,

Erik: 24:41

Well, you know, there's, there's a lot of things that, that we see, you know, a lot of, a lot of sadness, a lot of, a lot of hate, you know, towards, you know, people, people are people, you know what I mean? They, they make mistakes, react out of anger, frustration, like I was saying earlier, and, there's a, there's a lot of evil or, nastiness that's in the world that we have to see. We don't always talk about it. You know, sometimes we tend to suppress it. And if you don't have an outlet to either talk to somebody about it or this and that, sometimes it may eat you up. You know what I mean? Because you see, you see so much of it. You know, so many people getting hurt. Children that pass away, that you see pass away. You know what I mean? And no one should ever have to see that. But that's what we see. You know, so, you know, while we're there, we have to do our job and stay calm. And, uh, you know, maintain our posture, right, be professional. But there's a lot of things that we deal with on the way to the drive back home, you know, things that we share with our spouse, say, man, this is what I saw today. Or it makes me realize that, hey, like, you know, we're doing something right. You know, there's so much sadness. And you realize that, man, there's a lot of lack of guidance, a lack of positive role models, you know. And it starts in the home, you know, it has to start in the home. And there's a lack of that. And that's where a lot of these problems happen. Gotcha. Yeah,

Omar: 26:11

man. So, you witnessed that like you mentioned, it does take a toll, you know, like an individual to see, have to see this almost probably on a regular or on a daily basis. So what, what keeps you like going back? What, what is it that.

Erik: 26:24

I mean, just, just knowing that I'm, I'm, I'm trying to help as best as I could. You know what I mean? Some, some things are sometimes out of our hands, you know, we, you know, something happened and we just weren't there fast enough or we didn't, you know, Whatever the case might be or we we drove around the block and that's when it happened. You know what I mean? So sometimes you're like man, like I wish oh, you know We could have gotten there a little earlier or whatnot and try to help people, you know but the the positive outcomes is what we look forward to right is You know seeing that kid get reunited with his parents or someone genuinely happy because you're like you give them the resource me like man I didn't even know this existed and they come back, you know, I run into people before where Uh, another story I'll tell you is like I ran into this, this mom had called us and long story short, you know, her, her son didn't want to go to school. He's he was kind of having a crisis and, you know, kind of, you know, having an episode in the house, you know, so I went there to talk to him and about six, seven months later, I just, I was in the Walgreens. I was, I was working and, um, he's like, Oh, do you remember us? And I was like, I'm sorry. Honestly, I don't. And they're like, Hey, you were at our house and this is my son. You were talking to him. And essentially he kind of made a 180 and, to say, you know, he just wanted to say, he just wanted to say thank you for taking the time just to, just to talk to him. You know what I mean? Just to talk to him and say, Hey, like, what's going on today? Like, what is it that's really bothering you? You know what I mean? You're not just angry for no reason, right? There's always a reason why we're all angry. You know, so that, that for me was like, this is what it's, what it's about. You know what I mean? That's, that's a mission accomplished right there. Yeah. So like, you know, so my, my hope and prayer is that he remembers that just like I remember, you know, someone pouring it to me and he reciprocates that to somebody else. Maybe as he gets older, he could remember say, Hey, you know what? This person, you know, took the time to talk to me. Maybe I can pour into somebody else.

Omar: 28:21

Right, right, man, that's awesome story. And even coming from a, a law enforcement, because usually they'll paint, you know, you see all the negativity, you know, but for something positive that affected them, help them do 180. Yeah. Now you say your hope and prayer. And earlier you mentioned Jesus too. What, at what, at what point does faith come into your life? Like at what point of your life, I guess.

Erik: 28:45

Man, so let me go, let me go backwards. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's go backwards about another,

Omar: 28:48

another, how many years, 12, 13 years. All right. Like, like, uh, well, what age, how old were you? So it

Erik: 28:52

was actually right before I got married.

Omar: 28:54

Okay.

Erik: 28:54

Um, so I'll tell you a little story. So right before I got married, um, you know, there was a point that, you know, I was, I was by myself living in an apartment, this and that, and, you know, I grew up Catholic, my parents, my parents are Catholic. So, you know, we went to church, went to Sunday, you know, we, we went through all that, but I never really, and, and, I never really understood like certain things, right? Like, why do we do this way? Or what does this mean? What, what, what does the, what are the gospels? What is that? You know what I mean? So I kind of took it upon myself to start going to church on my own. So, and I had a Bible and I was kind of attempting to read it. And,

Omar: 29:32

what, what church you going to Catholic? Well, at that time I didn't

Erik: 29:35

know there was Christian churches. So I just went to a Catholic church. That's all I knew. Right.

Omar: 29:41

So you were bringing a Bible to the Catholic church?

Erik: 29:42

So I bought, I bought. So I was, I was reading the Bible from there and then I just bought one on my own. So I was like, okay, you know, so it goes to show you, I didn't even know there was different versions. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Everybody's just used to the King James version. You know, like you didn't know there was NIV, NLT, all this other stuff. Right. So I kind of took it upon myself to start learning. Like, let me actually read it. You know what I mean? So as I was reading it, um, things started happening. Weird things started happening in my life. You know, I didn't realize that how much of a spiritual world we're in. So I started having these dreams. Uh, you know, some, some that I kind of woke up feeling like I'm fighting with someone. Um, I felt an evil presence in my home, you know, and to look back now, it was the devil was trying to distract me and saying, you don't need this. You know, he was trying to scare me from pursuing God. So then when eventually I got married, you know, so then I still started, I kind of learned, I still learn a little bit and eventually I kind of fell off of it. You

Omar: 30:47

know, real quick, like you say, you got the Bible started reading and now, now these attacks, these dreams were you experienced this before you picked up the Bible? No, that's crazy, right? Yeah. So

Erik: 30:56

I started experiencing it, um, probably a couple of days after I started reading, I opened it up, opened up the Bible. I didn't know where to start. So I just started reading and, um, I remember, uh, uh, incidents specifically where I was sleeping and essentially I felt like something was grabbing onto my arm in my sleep. So then when I woke up, I, you know, have you ever had put your hands on somebody's arm? You know how it turns the, your skin white, right? When you gripping really hard. And I woke up and there was, it was handprints on my hand. So I'm like, you know, and people, you know, people might say, Oh, nah, this guy is, you know, making stuff up. No, listen, this is a. You don't realize how much of a spiritual world this is until you start learning the things of God. You know what I mean? Because if, if, if you're not focusing on knowing God, then the devil doesn't, doesn't want you because there's no reason for him to mess with you if you're already not believing.

Omar: 31:50

Yeah, he already got you. Yeah,

Erik: 31:52

he's like, oh, he's, you know, and, uh, that was just one of many spiritual attacks over the next course of time. Probably years of my my baby Christian years. All right, you know what I mean? And so eventually we got I got married about about a year later after that and then it came to a point where me and My wife we wanted to learn together. So we kind of started looking for churches and You know, looking around and we went to different ones and then we eventually decided on a church. We went there. So we started going there about 2009. So 2009, uh, even then I was still hesitant to go. I was just more like, okay, I'm going to go like kind of just, uh, not start a fight with my wife kind of thing, you know, cause I kind of decided, you know what, I just, You know, I was working and I was, you know, I don't want to do that. And, you know, I was focusing on me.

Omar: 32:44

No, no. Is it because she wanted to go and you were like, just trying to keep the peace, go along with her or how did that look? So,

Erik: 32:49

yeah, so we both wanted to go, but then the church that we went to for me was weird because like, I wasn't used to men embracing you and saying, Hey, brother, how are you? You know, or, or, or shaking your hand, you know, like we're used to, you walk into church, you listen to the, to the, uh, to the priest, you stand up, sit down a couple of times. Right. There's an offering. That's it. And you, at least that was my experience. I didn't talk to anybody going, I was there

Omar: 33:16

giving you a hug. Sue there. Yeah. Yeah.

Erik: 33:18

They were like, you know, Hey brother, and bringing you in. And I'm like, Hey, what's going on? Like, you know, yeah, exactly. You know, so I kind of, that made me kind of feel uncomfortable. Like I didn't understand it. You know what I mean? And just because I wasn't used to that, I wasn't used to. Um, being embraced by, by men like that, you know what I mean? And, uh, let me ask you, like,

Omar: 33:36

like growing up, like in your family, as far as the men, how did the men interact, the father, sons, uncles?

Erik: 33:42

Well, my, well, the only family that I have here is besides, uh, all my uncles and most of my aunts and uncles are, are in Mexico, you know? So, but my father was always very affectionate. You know, he never, he never took that away from us. So he was always a very affectionate, but that was my dad. You know what I mean? Like. You can hug me all you want. You're my

Omar: 34:00

dad,

Erik: 34:00

you know, but for other brothers, even my friends, like, you know, at the most, it was just kind of like, Hey,

Omar: 34:04

handshake,

Erik: 34:05

handshake, one high five. That's it. There was no, no hugging and love you, bro. And, you know, you don't like, what is this? You know? So it was all, it was all new to me. Yes. You know what I mean? And, um, so there was, there was a point of transition where it was just kind of like, you know, I'll go, like you said, just to kind of, you know, Keep the peace, you know, and, and then it came to a point where just something in my head just kind of triggered and I was, let me get back to this because this was the whole purpose is be wanting to learn. So then I kind of started learning, uh, me and my wife, my wife, you know, we had some issues with, uh, her getting pregnant and stuff. So it came to a point that we were doing everything that we could. And, um, I just essentially just came to my knees and I just say, like, You know, I want more kids, you know, and God, I don't know, I don't know what to do, you know, so I just left it in his hands, you know, I started praying more. I started, well, I want to say more, but just praying in general, uh, reading the word, actually trying to apply it, you know, um, and through that there was struggles, you know, because, you know, the, the struggles about tithing and the struggles about prioritizing your time, you know, what's important, what's not important, you know, so even, even at the beginning, you know, You know, it was all a process. I was learning everything from scratch for me. You know, so there was internal battles within myself that I had to kind of put to this, put my pride to the side and kind of go through that.

Omar: 35:35

Gotcha. Now, at this point, the early years, do you have like a mentor or somebody that was like maybe walking along this, life with you?

Erik: 35:43

So there was, uh, you know, uh, I had a good, a good friend of mine. Um, he actually passed away a couple of years ago. He was actually the first person that, was talking to me when I came to the church at the time and, you know, they. They had you fill out like a little card and say, Hey, put your name on here. Is there something that you want me to pray for you for? You know what I mean? And, um, to this day I still remember that prayer card and I put on there, you know, I pray for, for, uh, for a better work schedule so I can spend time with my family until this day that prayer has, has seen it's, it's, it's come to pass many times till this day. I'm just, I have the time that I need to the work schedule that I need to spend time with my family too. To do ministry, you know, to spend time with, with my family. You know, until this day that prayer has come to pass you know? Oh. From writing it down? From writing it down, and, um, you know, so he was one, one of my mentors. There was other brothers that were my mentors that had recently passed away. Um, I still have some mentors at the church that, that are still there, that I still communicate with, still talk to, you know, that I'm able to, to trust and, and invest time into them. For them to invest time into me as well, you know?

Omar: 36:52

Right, man. Okay. So right now you, you mentioned like, you know, the first early years you were struggling, there were some things that, man, you had issues with, uh, what happened that made you go all in

Erik: 37:02

You know, like I mentioned, we were, we were trying to have more kids and my, you know, we were having issues with that essentially kind of like The doctors pretty much said, you know, you're not, you're not going to have any more kids. Um, you know, but through God's grace, we had three more after that. So, but, um, one of the big thing, big things for me was the issue of money tithing. You know, for me, that was a big thing. And when my wife started going to church and when I started, when we started going together, you know, it was, I say her because she was going more than me. Cause I was working and kind of, I kind of just went sporadically. Yeah. Um, so she mentioned the concept of tithing to me, you know, you know, and I was very kind of like, what do you mean we're gonna give the church money? Or, you know, this and that. Like, I didn't see it as a, you know, as, as a tithe. Like, I just saw it as like, oh, you're just gonna give money to the church. So she's to,

Omar: 37:55

to somebody that doesn't know what tithing is. Well, what is that?

Erik: 37:58

Well, well, tithing is essentially, you know. It's, uh, it's, it's in the Bible. It's, it's, it's 10 percent of, of your earnings, you know what I mean? So let's just say you make, you know, whatever your paycheck might be, you know, a thousand dollars a week, you know, so it should be 10 percent of that, which would be a hundred, a hundred dollars, you know, and then anything, anything in addition to that, you feel the Lord that leads you to, to offer unto the Lord, then it's, that's an addition to, right. But. That didn't make sense to me. Okay. 14 years ago, you know, 13 years ago when I started coming to church and, um, so my wife started, so at the time, you know, we, we had a budget. So she's like, okay, I'm not going to force it on you. I'm going to tie that up my allowance. Right. Cause I had an allowance to spend. She had an allowance, you know what I mean? So we kind of had our budget and I'm like, okay, that's your money. You know what I mean? And, as she continued to tithe, you know, she continued to get blessed. So whether it was. She got a check in the mail or somebody said, Oh, here's this or come over for dinner. We'll bless you. So then I was like, okay, well, let's tithe. It came to a point that I was like, alright, you know, the Bible says you can test me in this. This is one area that you can test me in this, you know. So we kind of started tithing together like just my thought was maybe just a little bit, you know. Just a little bit of time, just a little bit. So my obedience, so in addition to learning about tithing, it was reading, reading the Bible as well, you know, so as I was reading it, not just about money, but just in general, that started softening up my, my heart, opening up my mind, you know, and then allowing the spirit to come into me and realize that I'm just being prideful. You know what I mean? Like, this is not your money. This is money that I've given you. You know, uh, I've entrusted this money unto you. And, so eventually it led up to tithing a couple bucks out of our allowance to, you know, now tithing, you know, out of our, out of our income. You know what I mean? So that, that took a little bit of time. And then once I realized, you know what, like, I could never go back. So, you know, once, a couple times where I thought I could manipulate, well, you know, maybe I can try to not do 10%, maybe I'll do nine and I'll catch up and this and that. Things were just not going my way. You know, things were not going the way I planned it to, you know what I mean? So I came to a point, I said, God, I'm not going to play with your money. This is your money, you know, uh, and I give it out to you, you know, you, you've blessed my family, you know, with everything that we have, not just with finances, but with our family, our home, our health. You know what I mean? So I'm, I'm grateful. So now I, I give my tithe and offerings willingly, not because I have to, or not because the pastor says, or because the church says, It's because I'm grateful. You know what I mean? I'm grateful for what God has done to me, you know, in our families, in our lives. So that's, that's why I do it. Right, man.

Omar: 41:00

You know what? God loves a cheerful giver, right? That's what the Bible says, man. And trust me, I was there too, man. That was my struggle in the beginning. Like, man, I ain't going to be giving that much, but man, there's, there's blessing in it, man. Like, uh, and it's like a freedom, like knowing that everything comes from him. So I know, like when I release, I'm I'm not giving him anything because he, he gave it to me. Exactly. So it's not even mine. Like when I release it, it takes me out of the equation. Exactly. Like, Oh man, look at me. I'm giving this, I'm not giving nothing. It all belongs to you. So I'm just releasing a little bit back to you. So, well, that was one area. Is there any other areas that you began to see? Or maybe God started like, like working, uh, working on you in, um,

Erik: 41:41

as you continue to seek him, just my attitude on my attitude on gratitude. I was, when I was younger, I was kind of very, let's say you would get blessed, you know, or you would get a promotion. I would be the kind of person to be like, man, I could do that job better than that guy. You know what I mean? I was kind of had like this spirit of like, Oh, you know, kind of like not celebrating with you. You know what I mean? Yeah. So God changed that in me. So now like if there's friends or family, people in ministry at work, whatever it might be, you know, if they win, you know, it's, it's, it's, I celebrate with them. I'm, I'm, I'm happy for them. You know what I mean? Because you know, what's the purpose of not lifting each other up? Like, that's what we should be doing as brothers. We should be lifting each other up and encourage each other and say, yeah, you know what, I know it's going to be hard, but I know you can do it versus like, yeah, you know, you, I could probably do it better than you, you know what I mean? And I think sometimes, you know. We, we view people that way, you know, maybe people that get put in positions that we're like, Oh man, like I could do that better than that guy, you know what I mean? And guess what? Maybe you could, but keep that to yourself and let the Holy Spirit guide you on how to, you know, display that on the exterior, you know what I mean?

Omar: 42:57

Right. What do you think happened that, uh, was there a scripture you read or something that brought that conviction that, that brought about that change in that, in that area?

Erik: 43:06

You know what? One of the, one of the verses that one of my, one of the verses that I guess I always come back to is, uh, Isaiah 41, 13, you know, and it says, you know, throughout things, I'll, I'll hold your right hand and I'm with you. You know, and, so I had a lot of struggles, you know, as, as a man, dealing with pride and, and money, uh, frustration, not, not patience. And I said, God, you know, I'm struggling with all these things. You know, you, you say you're going to be right there holding my right hand alongside with me. So that's kind of what, what helped me to know that regardless of what I may be going through. Or the, uh, the troubles in front of me, he's going to be there with me, you know, regardless, it's not saying he's not saying it's going to be easy, but he's going to be there with me. So that kind of helped me to know that regardless of what's going on or what struggles that I'm dealing with internally, or, out in the world, I know he's there.

Omar: 44:03

Gotcha. All right. You know, I want to go back to some you mentioned earlier. I know you mentioned your dad and your stepdad. We were talking earlier before we started recording about being in a blended family and I'm in a blended family. When I met my, my wife, you know, back then we're just dating. Uh, when I first met her, she had a son, you know, he was already one year old. And, I always told myself like back then, this is, I was, uh, 21. I'm like, man, I'm never gonna marry a woman that has a kid already. For real. That was my mentality when I was young. And then here we are dating and then get saved and man, get married. And here I am like, and you know, we have a blended family. So I have that experience. I know that's something that you mentioned. Yeah. I don't know if you want to share a little bit about that, how that was for you.

Erik: 44:47

Yeah. So when, when I got married, um, my son at the time, he was five, uh, he was five, you know, so that's when we kind of, me and me and my wife started dating, going out, got engaged, got married. Yeah. And, so essentially like overnight, once we got married, you know, um, I can, I became a dad of, of, of, you know, or at least the father figure for this five year old little boy. I had no idea what I was doing. You know, I figured, Hey, like I'm the man of the house and you know, I can try to help them the best way that I guess I know how based on what I know. Right. But that was a struggle in itself because I didn't know how to be a dad. You know, obviously we can all talk to little kids and. Have fun with them, right? But there's more to just having fun with them. You know, we have to be mentors and show, you know, be, be an example to them, treat their mom with respect, uh, treat them with respect, you know? And those are all things that the relationship between me and him, you know, now that he's 22 years old, you know, it took, it took a lot of mistakes on my part to realize that, man, this isn't working like what's going on. And for, for some time, you know, my wife would suggest certain things and I was stubborn and I was like, no, I'm like, this is the way that I'm going to do it because I didn't know any better. You know what I mean? And like I said earlier, my, my parents did the best that they could with what they had. You know, and I had at the time, no, no other outlet to say, who do I reach out to? It was uncommon for me to reach out to a man for help. Yeah. So it wasn't until I started going to church and started talking to men, talking to other men that had blended families, say, Hey man, how do you, how do you deal with this? Like, how would you deal with this in this situation? So it took, it took an initiative on my part for me to realize that, Hey, I need help in this area. And if I don't fix it, this is going to go bad really fast. Because I know that eventually he's going to grow into a teenage boy, eventually to a man, and you know, what happens with two, two, two men with egos? Get into it, right? You argue and you, you fight, or who's, who's the bigger man? You know, and I didn't want that. You know, I didn't want that for me and him, and I didn't want my wife to have to suffer through that, because I would see it at work all the time. And I saw how it destroyed families. You know what I mean? Because of lack of respect, the lack of, you know, The father being involved and, you know, and their reasoning was, Hey, I'm the man of the house and what I say goes, and we have to realize that it's, you know, we have to seek God to see what God is that he wants done in his house. You know, we have to be obedient to him first. And then from there, the information should filter down. Right. You know,

Omar: 47:33

I know that. Thanks for sharing that, man. Cause, uh, I, I agree. I'm right there with you. The mistakes I made not getting it right. Yeah. Prideful, stubborn, and then you mentioned like, uh, seeking God, like, like for help. Yeah. You know what? I'm going to look for a scripture real quick, man. Because, uh, there was a situation was, you know, when my oldest, uh, my son and, let's say, um, he was giving me a hard time, you know? So I'm like, man, I feel like this is like a spiritual battle, you know? So in my mind, I'm like, man, I'm going to go to the scripture and I'm going to go into Ephesians six. You know how it talks about the spiritual battle, the armor of God, you know,

Erik: 48:07

exasperating your children. Yeah.

Omar: 48:10

Hey, so check it out. So in my mind, I'm already, even, uh, even as a, as a man of God, I already know what this is and I'm, I'm just going to the word to reinforce what I believe is already right. Right. Yeah. So I go to Ephesians six. I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna go straight to the armor of God, man. But, uh, I believe the spirit of God just led me to, like you mentioned in the beginning. So I'm like, man, I'm gonna go to Ephesians six. I'm gonna start praying the armor of God. And man, I need God's help in this situation. And I, and I went to, Ephesians in the beginning. I started at the beginning and it says, uh, in Ephesians, uh, six, uh, verse one, I'm going to read all the way to three, but it says, uh, children obey your parents and the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother, this is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. And this is the one that got me, it says, fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. And that one right there brought conviction to me. Like, what's, what's my role in the conflict that we're having, right? Because it's easy to point the finger. Oh, it's, it's him. Like you, like you mentioned something too, like, Oh, it's, it's my way. You know, it's my way or the highway, you know? And it's, that's kind of like the attitude that I was having in the situation. But when I read this, it says, fathers do not provoke your children to anger. And that brought conviction to me. Like, okay, how am I speaking to him? How am I treating them? And am I, am I in a sense, adding fuel? To the fire, you know what I'm saying? Like in a sense, so man, I read that and I started reading, then I started reading commentary, uh, like a Bible commentary on, on, on that scripture, man. And it just kept saying like, like, in a sense, there was a commentary that said, like, when you do this, when you provoke your children to anger, you're almost like hardening their hearts and their hearts are going to get harder and harder, not only towards you, but also towards God. Cause in a sense, you know, here I am saying, you know, that I'm a man of God, seeking God. And how am I treating him? Like you mentioned going back, how does God want me to speak to him? How does God want me to treat them? And man, this brought conviction. And I remember, uh, the following day or no matter of fact, there was a, the same day it was in the morning, but later on that day, cause in my mind, I'm like, nah, he, he got to come apologize to me. You know, man, Holy spirit, you go and apologize for your role in the situation. So I had a man up, or let my pride down, like a year, you know, what I feel, I was right. And now, so I went, Hey, you know, Hey, I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you. I'm sorry for the tone in which I said it. So I admitted like my wrong in, in that situation. And it took humility, you know, especially when, when you think you're right. Then God lets you know, like, nah. Yeah, you're not right. You know, not right. Yeah. So, man, we definitely, I agree. I agree with you, man. 100%. We need to seek the Lord for situations.'cause we might think we're right, but well, what does God, what does God tell you? Yeah. What is, what is it

Erik: 51:22

that we, we think we're right, but what does God say that is Right. You know what I mean? And that was one of the verses as well, that, that touched me many, many years ago. And even, even till now, you know, I, I try not to, you know, pick on my kids or provoke'em right into an, into anger. Right because that's not what I want. I don't want them to be hard. I want them to know that. Hey Yeah, my father did, you know, some tough love, but I know that he loved me. You know, I know that he was man, man enough to say, Hey, I was wrong. And that's what really is being a man is allowing yourself to be vulnerable and say, Hey, I was wrong. What can I do to fix it? You know, not just as kids, but as not just to our kids, but to our, to our wives and other relationships that are around us.

Omar: 52:04

Yes. And I think that's big, man. One of the best things we could teach our kids, man, is, you know, Hey that we messed up man and just admit it like hey, you know, I'm sorry. Yeah, you know, I Said something I did something that I shouldn't have done and man It's it's humility and they need to see that, you know,

Erik: 52:21

exactly. Yeah.

Omar: 52:22

Okay, so that's another area man that you're growing with I think you have mentioned another one earlier I'm maybe I don't know another area that you wanted to talk about or

Erik: 52:31

I mean just You know, so obviously I was talking about my, my early walk with, with crisis, you know, that I struggled with a lot of how things, you know, are or the way that God describes it. And, so being a, being a father, I had to learn, you know, financing, just being a good steward of your money. You know what I mean? You can't just do whatever you want. You know, once you, once you're married, that's your, that's your partner. For example, like for, for me and my wife, you know. I'm the, I'm the sole provider, you know, so she stays at home and she handles the home and she, she homeschools, you know, so that's, that's a job in itself, you know, so there, there is no, this is just mine. She works just as hard, you know, at home, you know, probably 40, 50 hours a week, uh, in, in addition to cooking and cleaning, you know, she's teaching them, she's spiritually guiding them, she's reading the Bible with them, you know, we pray at night, we read the Bible, we read books. You know what I mean? And so it's, it's, it's an all day thing, you know, so being a financial, uh, financially responsible is important. You can't just do whatever you want. You know, that's your teammate. You have to work together. So that was one of the, one of the, one of the areas as well. Just being a husband, you know, not treat her harshly as the Bible says, you know, don't, don't treat your wife, your wife harshly, you know, love her, show her that you love her. It's not just telling her, right. It's, it's, uh, the actions.

Omar: 53:57

Yeah.

Erik: 53:58

Being a mentor, you know, talking to people, how to talk to people, what to say, what not to say, you know, there's a lot of areas in my life that needed reparations, you know, they needed a lot of things to be repaired and fixed and reconstructed in my, in my life. And, you know, I, man, I can, I can go on, you know, but, uh, just as a man, I struggled with, with a lot of things that I'm sure a lot of men struggle with just in general, money, finances, children. You know, pride being, being, uh, you know, the nervousness of maybe not being able to provide, you know, the bills are piling up. What am I going to do? You know what I mean? Just as men, we all go through that. So reading, reading the Bible and following Christ, that helped me to realize that, hey, things are going to happen. How you react to them. Is what's going to show God in your life. You know what I mean? How you react to certain things to see your kids reacted to those, to those troubles at times, that's going to show, you know what we had our troubles too. But my, my dad and my father was always, you know, calm. He said, you know, we're going to be good. He had faith. You know, so I want my kids to remember that.

Omar: 55:10

Amen. Amen. Leading by example. Exactly. Oh, okay. I, I know you mentioned you had like the mentors, like, you know, that came along you as, as you were going in your faith. Yeah. But I believe you're actually like leading a ministry. Do, do, do you want to talk about that? How, how did you get into that and, talk about some of the things that, that you do there, you know?

Erik: 55:26

Sure. So I'll kind of start off with a little background. So, okay. You know, through my, through my Christian walk, you know, there was a lot of, I wanna do this. But I don't right. I wasn't I was being obedient, but to a level right kind of like I talked a little bit about the devotional that I that I recorded for you for you last week, about limiting God. So I was being obedient. I was doing the things but I was. You know, I was limiting him on things in my life and what I thought he was able to do for me, so there was a transition point where, yeah, I started learning, you know, I was, I was drinking, you know, the, the spiritual milk, but now I was, God was giving me the meat. Now he was giving me the good stuff, be like, okay. You're, you're ready for more now, you know what I mean? So it came a point where for about two years, I was going to these, men's retreats and God was speaking to me for about two years and He was doing something inside of me and I didn't understand what it was. I was just becoming more sensitive to things and, um, I had the desire to, to talk to other men and help them and say, Hey, you know what? I, I've been through that too. And I fought God and I was like, what is it that you want me to do? And I didn't understand what it was. And at the time, you know, the, our men's ministry at our church was kind of, it was, it was there, but it was kind of inconsistent. Like sometimes we had to cancel because maybe the, the leader wasn't able to do it. So it was kind of sporadic. It wasn't really organized. It wasn't really structured. So one of the things that my desire was at the church at the time is like, man, like, I, I wish that there was more structure to this ministry, but I didn't realize that God was preparing me to. Say, okay, well, you say it needs work, so.

Omar: 57:10

Now, can I ask you this? Like in your life, are you structured, disciplined? I mean, is that something that like you, you function in like, you know, like a discipline?

Erik: 57:20

From a young age, I guess I can remember being structured. Like, uh, I'm a, I like being on time. I like being prepared. You know, if I, if I can, I write notes or, you know, try to be as prepared as I can with the time that I have. You know what I mean? And, um, punctual, I try to be punctual as best as I could, you know, uh, try to be there early. If I have to stay late, you know, I, I'll do it. You know what I mean? So then it came to a point where God was just telling me, like, for two years, I fought him. I said, like, God, like, what, what is it? We were going through stuff, you know, financially and with our kids at the time. And, and I had this dream and I had this vision and, um, I kind of shared that vision with, with my pastor. And I said, pastor, you know what? I'm not asking for, I'm not asking for a position. I'm not asking for a title. I'm not asking for recognition. I want to help with this men's ministry in whatever way you would want me to, you would want to use me. And, he had told me that he had already been praying for someone to step up into that role and that God had revealed him to him. That he gave him my name. So when I approached them, it was just like confirmation for both of us. Yes. And, so slowly, you know, I'm, I'm not a, I wasn't a public speaker, you know, and I'm still learning myself, you know, but at the time I was like scared to just lead a men's class. I had no idea of a structure of a men's class. You know, who am I to teach men about the Bible? I'm still learning it myself. But I came back to that verse and God said, I'm going to be with you. I want to hold your right hand and I want to walk you through, through this. You know what I mean? So slowly, I started learning, how to put a Bible study together, how to prepare for a teaching, talking during meetings, during team meetings, stuff like that. So that ministry. Launched in 2017. so since then, you know, we've had our men's classes have been consistent, by the grace of God, I have a, a great team, pastor supportive, always, always behind us. You know, we've through the grace of God, you know, we've had men's classes, men's retreats, men's conferences, men's events, outreaches, You know what I mean? And it's all through the grace of God. It's all, you know, he he's led me to, to, to have that desire, to really help the other men and say, Hey, you know what? You may have not gone through these things, but the people that I surround you are going to be those tools to help the ministry grow, you know, not for the sake of the ministry, but for the sake of men, because these men need leadership. They need mentors. They need to know what it is to struggle financially. And what to do in those situations, you know, they need to know what it is to love your wife, or be a father or be a leader, you know, or to be another leader, you know what I mean? With the struggles that sometimes you might encounter when you're doing all these things in your life.

Omar: 1:00:30

Gotcha. You know what, to, to any man that might be listening, something that you said, man, you stepped in there not knowing what you were doing, like, how would you encourage somebody that they feel, man, I got a, I got a Study more. I gotta get a degree in the Bible or, I gotta be at a certain level in order to step into ministry, but they're feeling that, that tug, that pull, but they feel unqualified. They feel like, man, who, like you mentioned, who am I to teach other men the Bible? What would you say to them, man?

Erik: 1:00:59

Man, I, I had no degree in theology. I had no degree experience teaching men in general. I mean, I would participate obviously in the men's classes. They would ask a question. They, what do you think about this subject? Right. And obviously we would talk about it as, as a group, you know, but I never had an experience of leading a discussion like that, or thinking of questions like that. I was far from qualified, you know, but God's the one that qualified me. You know, he doesn't, he doesn't call the people that are qualified. He calls up the people that are, he's going to qualify. You know what I mean? I mean, look at, look at, you know, like Moses. You know, he wasn't qualified, but he called him. He did amazing things. Yes. You know what I mean? A lot of times we go through life and we're like, man, who am I to step into this position? You know what I mean? And God is with you, you know, but you have to trust him. You can't limit him. You know what I mean? I think that, and that was a big, I didn't want to do it. You know what I mean? Like, I'm, I'm just being honest, you know, I didn't want to do it because it was more kind of like, I'm not qualified to do this, but I, I had to be obedient because it came to a point in my life personally too, where it's like, You know, and that's around the time too when I started going to school again, so I had school, you know I kind of started help with this ministry, you know, baby's at home toddler So it was a lot going on. That's a guy like he's like you gotta go you got it. It's go time This is the this is what's gonna make you this is you know, you you need this This challenge, you know what I mean? And obviously my wife was a massive support She's encouraging me all the time, you know telling me yeah like God's telling you to something you have to, we have to be obedient, you know, and it took obedience on her part as well Because she had to take a big load on as well with the kids knowing that I was going to school and you know Doing ministry in addition to being at home, you know and helping with with the kids and and everything, you know Man,

Omar: 1:03:05

that's, that's a lot, man. I mean, working, you know, law enforcement and then on top of all this, and it's, I'm sure it's not just the day you do the ministry, even like throughout the week, I'm sure you probably got to prepare, like you mentioned, get your lessons together. So, you know, you, you want to talk about that? Yeah. How ministry that, how much time does it take up, you know, like, I guess your life or your schedule.

Erik: 1:03:25

Yeah. I mean, like if, you know, like sometimes, for example, like right now we're doing like a small series, you know, where it's got like a video. It's got some questions, you know? So that one's a little easier kind of kind of helps you with the structure, you know, but sometimes I just let the, you know, the spirit lead me say, you know what, I'm going to put this session to the side because God's telling me to speak about on this. So whatever the topic may be, you know what I mean? So that might take an evening for me. So my wife might, you know, go to the in laws and say, Hey, we're going to go have dinner. You want to come? So you know what? I'm going to stay today because I'm going to prepare for the, for Saturday, you know, so it takes the time to, to read the Bible. Yeah. You know, and, and you'd be surprised that how much context you can get out of a verse or two when you really start studying the word of God and what it means and how can you apply it to not only to your life, but other people's lives that you've seen around you, you know what I mean? So that might take an evening, you know, and this is now, you know, my first year was not, I was, I mean, I still get nervous, you know, going up and standing in front of the, you know, the men and stuff. But. The first year and a half was rough because everything was new to me. You know, I didn't know how to read people like, Hey, this guy's not paying attention or what if I don't know what question to ask? And there's like that, uh, awkward silence, awkward silence. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, so through time I, I learned, you know, but it took the initiative for me to learn, read books on public speaking, read books on how to prepare classes, talking to my pastor, talking to other people, watching videos and say, Oh, I like the way this, this speaker. Did his presentation, you know what I mean? So it's, it's, it's always a learning experience and again, I didn't have a degree of any kind. I just had the spirit lead me and say, God, which direction do you want me to go in? You know what I mean? It's just being obedient.

Omar: 1:05:20

Yeah, there you go, man. Obedience, man. Even like you mentioned earlier, uh, um, God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the call the man and there's blessing and obedience, man. There's blessing. Yeah. Not, not, not only because it's, it's causing growth in you personally, but you're, you're becoming now a blessing to these men, like God gave you that desire for a reason. You know, it's not just like to fill the role of, you know, have a title position, uh, God's raising up a man. Cause these men need some encouragement. There are certain areas like you mentioned. How to be a father, a husband, financial, like God knows what, what these men need. You know, somebody has got to step up and fill the role. You know, what, what church do you go to? What was the name of it? Where, where, where is it at? Where's it located at?

Erik: 1:06:06

So when we started, uh, when I was going to the church, it was under a different name, but now it's under, it's a culture city church and it's actually located in Cicero.

Omar: 1:06:13

Okay. Yeah. Well, what's the address there? It's a 25, 25,

Erik: 1:06:17

uh, Austin Boulevard. It's right next to the, uh, there's a BP gas station there. So that's our church. Okay. Culture City Church. That's the name of it. There's a parking on the side. So. We have two services Sunday, 10 and 12. So more than welcome to come. Yeah. Okay.

Omar: 1:06:30

All right. When I release this, I'll put a link to the church, you know, I'm sure you guys got a website, you know, you can click on there. All right, cool. And now the name of your men's ministry, what was the name?

Erik: 1:06:41

So the, uh, it's, uh, our ministry name is, uh, men of armor. Gotcha. So that's the, that's our men's ministry. So that's kind of where it started. So those, so we have a men's class that also meets twice a month. It's the first and third Saturday of every month unless something happens that we have to cancel I don't know extreme weather or something like that. We're we're there. We're there faithfully We have a great group of guys You know It's a great opportunity to to just share have conversations and sometimes us as men sometimes we have that tendency to to close up You know, we don't talk about what we're feeling or what we're going through, you know We, we, we close up, but we have a group of, a great group of guys there that, that are open, willing to pour into you just as much as listen, you know what I mean? So I think that's great that we've built that camaraderie amongst the men in our church that we feel comfortable to say, Hey, you know what, I'm struggling with this and we'll pray for them, you know, and it's going through these like retreats, um, which is where, you know, God was trying to get my attention. So the retreats for me, I hold, I hold dear to my heart because that's when God spoke to me because it's an opportunity to kind of Detach yourself from work from home and just go away at a cabin You know when we were doing it the last couple years we went to a cabin You know, we had like a structure with services and you know Breakouts and stuff like that and glory to God, I mean, you know this year we had to actually rent a facility because it's growing No way, you know, so so glory to God. We're able to we're able to do that now and You know because we're getting a lot more men that are coming

Omar: 1:08:23

showing up. Okay. Yeah Well, where are you guys gonna gonna go to this year?

Erik: 1:08:27

So we haven't booked the the final place here. We're looking at a couple places still but that's actually going to be at the end of October. Okay. It's going to be at the end of October. So, come to the men's classes and we'll share some of those details and stuff. Yeah, for sure.

Omar: 1:08:41

Like for somebody that they may be listening, you know, man, maybe they're not even going to a church right now, but they know they need some help. These men that I need some help. I need to talk to somebody. How does the group look like on a regular Saturday? What are they going to encounter when they show up to, to this meeting, you know? So

Erik: 1:08:56

usually like the flow is, um, so we usually meet at 8. 30. So our classes are from 8. 30 to 10 in the morning. So from 9, we usually kind of just start showing up, fellowship, you know, kind of catch up on what's going on during the week. Uh, we start class at 9. So from 9 to 10, you know, whatever the class may be. Sometimes I'll show a short video, I'll share some scripture, and the majority of the classes is having a conversation. Say, hey, this is the topic, what do you guys think, what do you guys think about this, or how can you apply this to your life, you know? So, having the other brothers open up, it kind of makes you realize that, man, like, they're going through the same thing that I've gone through before, but I've dealt with it the wrong way. Or say, hey, I'm currently going through that right now. You know, I've had many brothers that approach me and say, Hey, you know what? I'm having issues in my marriage. I'm having issues in my finances. Personal struggles, you know? And um, they reach out. They're, they, we've built a rapport where they feel comfortable enough to say, Hey, you know what? I need help. How can you help me? Or how can you advise me? What resources can you give me? And hey, I might have, I may have not gone through that experience, but I know someone that has. So this brother can, can probably guide you because he's been in that position. You know what I mean? You want to talk about finances or something? I can give you a word or two. You know, if you want to talk about drug addiction, I've personally never been through that. But there's plenty of men in our church that have, you know, and by the grace of God, man, they're here in church. They're serving alongside each other. You know what I mean? So there's always resources available with, with God's people, you know? So that's, that's, that's kind of like what you encounter there. We close out with some prayers and that's it. You know, it's just an opportunity just for men, you know, there's no, there's no, no women there, you know, cause we need, we need that safe space too. You know, we have, we need to have that ability to, to share what we go through as men. So. That's kind of kind of like it's the setup that we have, you know,

Omar: 1:10:58

all right. So you said that's the first and third Saturday you might use. Yeah, that's your first

Erik: 1:11:02

and third Saturday of every month. Yeah, me 30 to 10 Yeah, right, right. Okay.

Omar: 1:11:06

All right. No, that's good, man Now now I see like you mentioned earlier like when you know as an officer Like having that conversation with the kid. I'm sure the spiritual life that you're leading transfers into your career. Right. Yeah. I would imagine like,

Erik: 1:11:22

yeah, well, you know, there's, there's been times where, uh, you know, we were talking about spiritual attacks, you know, and it's a, it's a spiritual world, you know, so I've, I've gone into homes, for example, sometimes, and you just feel a negative presence there, you know what I mean? And in that moment I said, God just be with me because something doesn't feel right. And, uh, you know, you come to find out that, you know, they, they worship, you know, the devil. And maybe that's why a family member is going through crisis because maybe that's what they're hearing. You know, there's, there's maybe possibly, you know, possession or something's going on. You know, maybe, you know, people that think that, oh, that's, that's, uh, you know, that's not real. It's a spiritual world. Like you've, you've been in a, if you've been in a position where you go into homes, And you see these things, you know, it's, it's very real, you know, and, so not just with that, but sometimes just going into a situation as a guy, you know, just be with me as we, we go into, into, into this, you know, keep us safe, keep that, that, that person safe, you know, I've been in positions, I'll tell you another story. I remember there was a gentleman that was, was jogging down the street and, um, He was jogging down the street and he just collapsed, had a heart attack. So we get called. The ambulance was already there. You know, there's a crowd on the street. This, this gentleman looked, he looked healthy. You know, he looked like he was fit and he just happened to just fall out. And, uh, and at that moment I just said, God, you know, just heal him. Let it be your will, you know, to intervene. And, within a minute. He came back to life, you know, now I'm not saying that all it was because of me, right? It was because you know, we I intervened on this gentleman's behalf and the spirit led me to say hey, you know What just pray so there's been a lot of times where not just at work But in in in in other places with family say hey just pray for this person I need you to be obedient right now and pray for this person drop what you're doing and pray for this person You know what? I mean, and I've I've been in situations like that where sometimes it's like I need you to pray for this person doesn't have to be a lot because only I need to know you know Just I need you to pray for this situation at this moment You know what? I mean? So it's just many many instances where I've seen God come and and show up and it's like there's you can't explain that with just You know with just with just science and numbers like God is supernatural. You you will never understand it fully Right. Because God says, even if he tries to explain it to us, we don't, we won't understand it.

Omar: 1:13:58

Right. Even if you give somebody evidence, there's still, they're going to doubt just to doubt, man. Yeah. Let me ask you, so somebody that's listening, they've never heard God speak to them or they think, Oh, it's gotta be a certain way. I know you mentioned you feel like God telling you to pray. How would you, I know we're just talking about trying to explain it, but I know it's hard to explain, but to your best, or your ability. How does God speak to you?

Erik: 1:14:25

I mean, it's not this, uh, megaphone, you know, that's coming from the clouds and you know, that people expect those people say, Oh, show me a sign. You know, sometimes we've seen many signs, but we're still disobedient. But, just the prayer is, uh, it's just that voice, you know, some people call it your gut instinct, you know, but that's, that's kind of like where it's coming from. Like that's, that's God's way of saying, Hey, like, Listen, pay attention to these things that I'm trying to tell you through your body, through your mind, through your ears, you know what I mean? And it's just taking a moment to just listen. You know, sometimes we're too busy with life and we block. He's been trying to talk to us and tell us certain things, but we're too busy because it's too noisy. We're, we're distracted by the distractions. You know what I mean? And, so it's just that little voice that says, Why, why would that thought come into my mind? You know, um, I would have never thought, Hey, of that situation or to do that. You know what I mean? So that's, that's the moment where you need to be sensitive. And if you're reading your Bible, and if you're starting to know and get that relationship with God, you understand that it's Him. You know, I think that's where it's at. You have to be sensitive, and you have to know that relationship that you have with God. You know, because if you get to know someone just like as friends or as your spouse, if you get to know someone, you kind of know what they're trying to tell you, right? For example, you might say, Hey, like you're giving each other and I, I don't have to say anything. You know what I'm trying to say, right? So that's kind of, kind of God works. Like he's trying to say, like, pay attention to this, or you might not know what it is, but it'll come to pass. And you'd be like, okay, this is what God was talking about, right? This is what he was trying to get me from. Yeah. Move away from.

Omar: 1:16:19

Yeah. Or like, like those prompts, like you said, those prompts to pray. It'll just be a thought, like, yeah. Or a feeling like pray from, you know, I, I find myself doing that at work. Like sometimes, you know, like I'll be walking and it just come man. Pray, pray for your coworkers. Yeah. Like, sometimes, let's say if individual is acting a certain way, it could be easy to dismiss him, right? Just, oh man, this guy's just angry all the time. And God will man, pray for him. Like you mentioned earlier, the root, what's the root cause that's causing these effects. And man, God, whatever's going on in this life, man, I pray you bring healing, whatever's robbing him of his joy, like, fix that whatever issue, you know, situations going on, help them, and things like that, that I would, that I wouldn't do on my own, you know, like it's God, just prompting you, pray for their salvation, maybe their lost, you know, and just sometimes walk around and just. Don't even know it, but yeah, praying for a man

Erik: 1:17:14

as you, as you, as you were talking, you know, there, there've been situations where, uh, a coworker is going through something and I'll just take a moment. So, you know, do you mind if I just pray for you? And they're like, okay. And, probably most of those encounters, they end up in tears because, you know, they're going through stuff and for them to someone to say, Hey, you know what, it's going to be okay. Or you're just praying for them and they're listening to those words. You know, it really hits home. And another thing that you were saying about, you know, like, I wouldn't ever do this under my own understanding, you know, and I remember taking my kids to the park one day, you know, my kids are playing on the swings and the slides or whatnot. And there was this gentleman that kind of was walking in the park by himself and he sat down on one of the benches there. And, at first I was just kind of like, I don't know, he looks kind of, kind of sketchy, you know, and he was all tatted up. Face neck, you know, so I was just kind of like, you already have like an idea Yeah, like where's my kids that you know, and God quicken me right away and he said go pray for him and I'm like what and So we were at the park for another 20 minutes and he the guy just sat there He was doing something on his phone and I can tell that he was frustrated. I don't know what he was going through And, so as we were leaving the park, I was, you know, I wasn't listening. And, and I heard God and he's like, go pray for him. So I told my kids, just stand here for a second. Like, where are you going? Just stand here. So I walked back about another 20 feet to where the guy was sitting. And I said, Hey, you know, how you doing? My name is Eric. Um, you know, I don't know you. I was like, but God just led me. And he, he wants me to pray for you. You know, do you mind if I just pray for you? He was just taking back. He's like, Yeah, he told me his name. I forgot what his name was. This was about a year or two ago and I prayed for him and You know as he looked up and he's like man, I needed that. He's like, thank you And that was it and I left with my kids, you know But I don't know whatever happened to this gentleman, you know I don't know what he was going through but I was just being obedient, you know as much as I fought him You know, because my concern was kind of like, I don't know this person, how are they going to react? What if he thinks like I'm trying to do something to him or harm him? You know what I mean? That's not my intention. And, so yeah, so I was, I did it and then I told my wife about it and she's like, Well, you know, we, we might never know, but you were obedient to God. You know what I mean?

Omar: 1:19:55

That's the key, obedience. You know what's crazy? And Chicago, if somebody is trying to be nice to you right away, you put your guard up like, man, there's, well, what's, what's really your intention, right? For exactly, it's unfortunate, but that, that, that's how it is. You know, like you grew up like, man, ain't nobody nice to you just to be nice. But, but the other thing is you went over to pray for him, but you, you could have, you could have been an answer to his prayer where he could have been, like you mentioned, going through something struggling, God, where are you? Why am I going through this? And God put in that thought, man, and that go pray for him, go pray for him, man. And that prayer, God just probably became more real to him. Like, man, God, you send somebody to, I don't know where in the park. And I'm there too, where sometimes I feel those promptings are like, and I guess like my thing, man, how are they going to react? Exactly. What do they reject? You know, the, my, you know, and then we got to get rid of that fear, man. And if, if, you know, That God's prompting you, man, just go do it, man. Just be obedient, whether they accept it or reject it. You were obedient to what you felt God was telling you to do. Right.

Erik: 1:21:01

Yeah. And I, and nine times out of 10, you know, sometimes you'll approach people and they'll accept it. Yeah. They'll accept that prayer and they'll, they say, thank you. Amen. You know what I mean? So just be obedient. Yes, sir.

Omar: 1:21:13

Amen. Now, is there anything you want to talk about? Maybe something God's doing, maybe a word or something you want to share with those that are listening, you know, to your story, something maybe we didn't, we didn't get a chance to. To, to get to, you know,

Erik: 1:21:25

man, there's, there's a lot, you know, but, um, I guess one of the things that my, one of my focuses was today was just to share that, you know, what God is real, regardless of the position that you might be in, God is there with you, and sometimes you might be in a position and be like, how am I going to get out of this? And, uh, God is there with you, if we don't have the answers, you might not have the answers. People around you might not have the answers, you know, but God might not give you the answer right away, but he'll give you that comfort in the meantime to muscle through. What is it that you need to, what do you need to go through? You know, sometimes we think that, uh, bad things may happen and we're, we think, you know, why is this happening to me? And sometimes we got to kind of pause and say, you know, God, what are you trying to teach me during this time? You know what I mean? What is it that you want me to see out of this? But it's just, it's just, God is great, man. He's, he's, he's blessed me. He's blessed my family. Uh, he's given me favor in many areas of my life. I'm grateful for everything he has done in my life. You know, just, just overall, just gratitude, just gratitude on what he's, what he's done, what he's pulled me out of. How much he has changed my heart and my mind, the way I think, the way I speak, just the way I was, you know, I've made a lot of, a lot of changes willingly, not because an organization said so, or because someone said so, you know, it was because something that God, like I'm thankful and I'm, I'm not going to do those things anymore, you know, we might get tempted by certain things, right, but I'm gonna try my best not to do those things anymore. And if I do, I'm sorry. And I'm going to try to do better. You know, we can't be perfect. It's impossible. We can't be like, we can't be Jesus, but we can try to be like him, you know, but, man, it's just continue to have faith and everything that, and everything that we're doing is, especially as, as men, as leaders, leaders of our home, man, our, our roles are so important. And, it took a lot of, I don't want to say bad experiences that I've seen, not just at work. You know, but even have gone through or have heard from other men and man, the role that that, uh, that a man plays in a home is, is so crucial and to be a man of God is even more important because that's, that's, what's going to give you the direction, you know, not to provoke our kids and to love our wives and to be financial stewards of what God has entrusted onto us, you know, and putting our pride to the side, being able to say, Hey, I was wrong. How can I help you? And at the end of the day, you know, do everything for his honor and for his glory.

Omar: 1:24:17

Amen. Definitely, man. I know you mentioned a few things, humility, faith, and obedience, man. Just obeying what God wants to do in your life, man. Humble yourself. It starts with a, with a surrender. It starts by acknowledging, man, that I need help. You know, that's one thing we talk about here a lot. Like, man, as men to ask for help, like to ask another man for help, you know, like now I'm not going to do that, but That's where it starts because, when I am weak, then, then I am strong, right? That's when we allow God to come in, begin to work in our lives, work in our hearts, change our mindset and change our actions, our reactions, our tongue, tame our tongue. And man, and in all areas, man, it's, it's a blessing. And I believe the change is not just for us, but it's for our children. We're setting an example for them. And for other men, you know, to, to see that man, it is possible to, to, like you mentioned, not to be perfect, but man, to, to walk out and live out what God wants to do in us and through us, through his help, man. But, uh, man, thank you for very much for being out here, brother, man. Awesome conversation. And, if you could, close us out in a prayer, whatever God places on your heart, you know, whatever you, you want to pray, pray. Sure.

Erik: 1:25:27

All right. Father God, Lord, we just, we just worship you, Lord, and we honor you, Father God, and we're thankful for this opportunity here, Lord, with my brother Omar, Father God, we just ask for your presence to be here, Lord, and for this, this podcast, Lord, to touch those, Lord, that needs to be touched, Father God, we ask you to speak into the men, Lord, to be leaders of their home, Lord, to be, to be men of God, Lord, to be the, the, the warriors that you need them to be, Father God. We just ask you to intervene through any hardships, Father God, through any doubt, through any questions, Lord, and to remember and to remind them, Father God, remind the men, Lord, that you have not forgotten them, Lord, and you have not forsaken them, Lord, that you are there with them every step of the way. We just ask you to soften their hearts, Lord, to change the way they speak, to change the way they think, to change the way they think about lives, Father God, and to, and to honor you and to glorify you, my God. Lord, we thank you and we glorify you and we do everything for your honor and for your glory. And in Jesus mighty name, Lord, we pray. Amen.

Omar: 1:26:26

Amen. Amen, brother. Hey, thanks a lot for, for coming through, for sharing your story. And, uh, once again, man, if you could share the name of your church,

Erik: 1:26:35

it's a culture city church. And now we're located on the corner of a 26th and Austin. And our men of armor ministry, men's ministry meets on the first and third Saturday of every month at eight 30.

Omar: 1:26:45

Okay. Sounds good. And the service times again for that Sunday,

Erik: 1:26:47

Sunday's at 10 o'clock and 12.

Omar: 1:26:49

Okay. Sounds good, man. Whether you guys heard it, man, if you guys are in the area, You know, you guys are looking for a church, man. Hey, you guys are need help in any area. Like all the areas he talked about being a father, a husband, financial, definitely, you know, stop by, you know, connect with these men. Uh, but with that, we're going to get ready to, to wrap up. Um, Matthew four, 16 reads the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned. Alongside my brother, Eric Saldana, I'm Omar Calvillo and we are wrong too strong.