September 2, 2025 • 46 mins
In this episode of Just Heal, Dr. J Barnett sits down with saxophonist Christopher Mitchell for a powerful conversation on healing, resilience, and the transformative role of music. Chris opens up about his personal journey, sharing how he overcame adversity, navigated the weight of trauma, and leaned on faith to guide his path. Together, they explore the importance of community, forgiveness, and surrendering to God as vital steps in the healing process. The dialogue emphasizes authenticity, personal growth, and the courage it takes to live in alignment with one’s purpose, offering listeners inspiration to embrace their own journeys of restoration and renewal. Tune in and join the conversation in the socials below.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to jess Here with Doctor J, a production of
The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome back to
(00:47):
another episode of Just Here with Doctor J. And I
am your host, Doctor J.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Barnett.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Listen, before we get started this episode, I will encourage
you to join our healing hub. We call a healing community.
I don't know, healing circle, whatever you want to call it.
All I know is we are healing over here on
this podcast. I want to encourage you to subscribe hit
that like button, do all the things.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Don't just flirt what us, Come on over here and
join us. Right.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
So, I have had a unique journey of meeting some
amazing people, some amazing dope talented brothers. And I'm excited
about my guest today because he's a brother that I
met many years ago when I was living in Sugarland, Texas,
and we actually kind of started our journey at the
same time, our journey of healing, self discovery, our journey
(01:36):
of just like wanting more. I was on my journey
of going to therapy, and what I would do I
would go to the Town Center and just sit at
the Town Center and just sit by myself. And one
night I went out set at the Town Center and
I heard a sound and it was a sound that
I'm telling you, man, I love musical instruments. And I
(01:56):
heard a brother playing the saxophone. And I heard a
brother that was playing a sound. I said, I gotta
go meet this brother. Met the brother. We talked that night.
At that time, he was taking tips. He was taking tips,
and I was like, man, let me get his brother
ten dollars, man, because his brother's killing it. But now
this brother is not just collecting tips. This brother is
collecting bags because he's all over the world. And I'm
(02:19):
so excited to have my brother and friend. The amazing, talented,
gifted saxophone is Chris Mitchell.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Man, welcome my brother.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Thanks for having me, man, this has been a pleasure
to be here.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Man.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Now, before we get started, Now, that is a saxophone, right,
soprano saxophone. Okay, So what's the difference between that saxophone
and the one that's just kind of like the kind
of J shape.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
All right, So it's like a choir. You got soprano,
alto and tenor the divorces. Yeah, so with the saxophone
is similar to that. So soprano saxophone will be like
the sopranos, an acquire altos, like the alto's an acquire
tenor and bolkalo. So this is more of a brighter sound,
more of a higher pitch, you know, her octive sound.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So yeah, wow, man, listen, I just wanted y'all to
have that quick moment, because quick teaching moment, because I
didn't know what it was.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
I didn't know that. I knew it was a saxophone,
but I didn't know what type. Man.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
So, brother, I am so excited to have you joining
the Just Hell podcast. Man, we have been friends for
ten plus years.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, over a decade.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Yeah, over a decade.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
And to see your journey and to see your growth,
to see your name be on Arenas, it's something amazing, man,
because I remember using sugar Land playing in front of
that court restaurant, Turkoise restaurant and what was it Mediterranean restaurant. Yeah,
And to see where you are now, brother, I'm so
(03:45):
proud of you, man.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Man.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, that was the start of my journey because I
graduated right after the recession from college. I was jobbings
for two years. A lot of stories. You didn't know
that I haven't told you, but when you saw me
that day, I just started playing on the sidewalks seven
days a week, eight to ten hours a day. I
was playing for tips. Only to two years of not
finding a job after the recession was a problem for me.
(04:09):
My car was stolen. All my instruments in there. Right
after I left church. I was playing at church for
you know, twenty five dollars a Sunday at a time,
and that's all they could pay me. So I went
to the movies. And after I left the movies, thank
god the girl I went to the movies, we drove
because after I walked into our car and I walked
to my car, my car was gone. I had my
(04:32):
saxophone in there. So I went to the pastor and
asked him if I could have one hundred and fifty dollars,
and I went to the paun shot and bought a saxophone.
And that's a saxophone you saw me using on the sidewalk. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Shortly after I marry you, that's when my life really
started to change. There was a guy at the restaurant
called Harry Seisha, that's his name. If he lost his
mortgage to day, I'll pay his mortgage. I'll tell you
this guy here really saved my life. Harry Sacha came
out on the Saturday afternoon and he was looking around
in the town square and he says, you know what,
you should be collecting people's information, man, So let you
(05:11):
know when it's gonna be back out here. I said, man,
you're right. So I went into the manager's office, got
on Microsoft word putting Nain email phone number, drew a
bunch of lines, and printed out about twenty pages. Went
out there at my table, the table you saw, I
had my bucket on it, and I put uh the
tablet down there with the with the sheets of paper
(05:32):
on it. I started collecting with four hundred emails and
phone It was a day. Now I was out there.
You think that's a lot, but I was out there
for eight hours, you know, seven days a week. So
after nine and a half months, I collect collected over
half a million people's information.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
What yeah, wait, wait, wait, wait wait, Chris.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
It's gonna be a lot today we go.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So out man, you collected all over half a.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Million, over half a million, and at the time I
didn't have the money for weeks, so I had to
end put it all by hand, so I didn't have
I didn't have any money for iPad, so when people
wrote it down, you know, they wrote it down. So
I got to transfer to the computer. So I had
hundreds of Gmail accounts because you can only upload so
many and only saved five hundred emails per day, so
(06:17):
I had to I had to create so many Gmail accounts,
so I was busy.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, this wasn't too long after we met, man.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I just so I want to go back to where
you started.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
You go on a date with the young lady and
you come back. Your car is gone, but your instruments
are gone as well.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, when when you when you walk out there, what
what was the first thing that went through your mind?
Speaker 3 (06:50):
It's funny to show the podcast is about the show
is about healing. By that time, I've already heald. I've
been through a lot of my life, man, that you
don't know about. The most traumatic experience was Mother's Day
of nineteen ninety seven, when my father tried to kill
the whole family. He stabbed my mom five times in
the chest, my sister, and the stomach, and came after me.
(07:12):
I held my mom in my lap while she died,
my sister crawled over. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Hours after it happened, when the ambulance came to pick
her up. My uncle came to picked me up from
the scene, took me to the house, his house, and
we got a call about four hours later, four or
five hours later. I was ten years old at the time,
said that she miraculously lived. They gave her not and
a half pints of blood. She's still here today, seventy
eight years old.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah, oh, man, let's I'm pausing, man, because I didn't
know that. Man, I didn't know your backstory. I didn't
know because we never had any childhood conversations. I think
(08:04):
when we met, we were often having discussions about where
we wanted to go and where we were. But to
think about a ten year old boy that's holding his
mom in his hand and as she's bleeding out. Man,
I'm sitting here just trying to fathom. And I'm sure
(08:28):
that you didn't at the time because you probably didn't
even know what was going on, that everything was happening
so fast.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Yeah. So when it happened my parents, I used the
phrase where my dad was a terrible husband, but he
was a good father to his children.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
I know.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
As crazy as that may sound, he didn't miss any
important events for his kids. He was always there. But
his relationship with my mother was terrible. My dad was
a pastor. I'm a piquet like me.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, did you know that?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Yeah, my dad's a pastor thirty three years really yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
So, uh man, I grew up in South Park in Houston,
Nick in their third ward.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
My dad was a hard worker as a carpenter and contractor.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
So was my dad. Oh so he was a carpenter.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Really. Yeah, we've been on your brothers all right. So
oh wait, waited, Billy ain't rolling Stone man? Hold up?
So yeah, yeah, so I grew up in I grew
up in Sauth Park in Houston, and we was evicted
from several homes and it got to a point where
(09:39):
my dad just shut down the church. We had to
live in the church for a year and a half.
Didn't have any my birthdays on Christmas. That's how I
get my name Chris. I didn't me. I didn't get
any presents when we were younger. So what my mom
did was, uh, she pawned a wedding ring and buy
me my first Christmas gifts. So when my dad earned
the money, he went to the punch shop to buy
(10:02):
it back, but they gave it back. Well, he gave
it the money to my mom and she with and
the owner gave the gave my mom the wedding ring
back because he just thought it was a marrable what
she did for children. So you know, I mean, yeah,
that's two of the many stories I got to sham
to try to give you as many as I can today.
But when you go through so much of that up
to ten years old, you learn how to heal. So
(10:25):
anything that came as a challenge after that, that the
most traumatic experience was just like this, you know what
I mean. So I don't cant hand.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Out it sidewalk, but how did you heal? Though?
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Well, I knew God was real. I've always been in
church my whole life. And to back you up, I
was born in Thesemmer twenty fifth, nineteen eighty six. Before
I got here, my mom was thirty nine years old
and she's having me. Doctors told her nineteen eighty six,
this has done a good idea because they ain't had
any type of technology back then to have a child
(10:58):
at eighty to thirty nine, So my dad was against it.
My oldest siblings were against it. They were like, you know, shoot,
we want our mom childing. We want her to make it.
If the child can't make it, you know, that's the
decision we're gonna roll with to keep my mom. But
they didn't know that. The whole time, my mom had
been praying for a savior to come to the family,
(11:19):
so a financial savior. So when I got here, they
were trying to figure out what was gonna be my gift.
My mom always knew it was gonna be his gift.
When I was four years old, was at choir rehearsal
at church. That was the day they was discovering my gift.
The choir was rehearsing and I got off the front
(11:40):
bench and I went and pointed out to the person
that was in the wrong key, and then my brother
looked at my mom and my cousin. They said, that's
what it is. He got perfect pitch. So when they
came to learn the saxophone, I didn't take lessons. They
took me two and a half months. I would put
Kenny g CD's in a CD player and just try
to emulate the signs I was hearing and I just
(12:00):
picked it up the third month. My first performance was
in church. I played Amazing Grace and that was that
was pretty much.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
So you discover your gift at four, you learn how
basically taught yourself how to play the saxophone through hearing.
So I played drums. I didn't know that I played drums,
and I don't play often like I used to. I
played in my dad's church, my dad's son quartet saying,
so I played for his group.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
I played by ear. Can't read sheet music.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Yeah, And so my dad was Baptist, and so you know,
I played by ear.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
And to think about.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
To discover your gift at such a young age, but
also to experience something so traumatic, how do you navigate
what happened at ten through the time you went through college.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Because God never let me fell. So when I was
when I was sitting down on the curb and she
was dying, my mom immediately started praying over me while
she was dying. While she was dying, do you remember
what her prayer was. Yes, she was praying that God
keeps her hair to be here for a children. So
she was rubbing the hand of my cheek bloody hand everything. Man,
(13:21):
it was blood shooting them like a water fountain. And
I remember my hat on the Grand Hills, the Grand
Hills in ninety seven. Yeah, the white Grand Hills had
a whole white union on. It was all in blood,
dressed in blood. And my sister was crawling over and
she started praying and she passed out. So I started
rocking and saying, don't leave me. So her testimony is
(13:42):
that when she passed out, she heard her voice that
asked her, do you want to stay with your children?
Do you want to come with us? She said, I
want to stay with my children. So she woke up
in the back of the ambulance truck. We didn't know that.
So when she got to the hospital, that gave her
nine and a half pints of blood. And so when
she told her testimony in church, she said she heard
her voice saying, don't leave me. I don't want it
(14:05):
told her that, I said, you know that was me.
So in my eyes, it felt like, you know, we're
all guys, little children, these angels, right, I felt like
I was being an angel for her to night. I
felt like I was the one that kind of like
really encouraged her, inspired and motivated to stay here. So
throughout life, every little thing that I got involved in,
(14:27):
I was always saved from it. It didn't matter like
it was well, we didn't have a place to live.
We had, you know, we got evictor. We had a
place to live. When she died, she came back to life.
When I wanted to line to play saxophone, I didn't
have any money for it. My sister was there. She
was in the military at the time. She's able to
get alan. I didn't have the money to get lessons,
(14:50):
so God gave me an ear for it. When I
graduated school, I couldn't find a job, he gave me
an opportunity to play on the street. That's what I
made you. When I didn't have money to ren venues,
I sayd them eight hundred dollars. I'm playing tips and
rented the Redcat Jazz Cafe.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I don't you remember that yet, Red Cat in Houston.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
In Houston rented the Red Cat Jazz Cafe. Shout out
to Santa Pink. He was an owner. No one would
give me the opportunity because I was just somebody playing
on the street. So I rented the venue. So saying
people was like, how are you gonna sell tickets? So
I said, well, I got a few email addresses. I'm
gonna see what happens. Sold out under fifteen minutes. It's
(15:27):
one hundred and fifty seats. I had half a million people, right,
So we added a second show. The first was at
seven pm. The second one was at nine to thirty pm,
and that was sold out too. So every every time
I got involved with something I wanted to do, God
always he literally always opened the door for me if
I only stayed true to what I wanted to do. Wow,
(15:48):
now what led me out to the sidewalk is interesting
because after my car was stolen and I got that saxophone,
I prayed a proud that I'll never forget. And you know,
you reached the point in your life like when you
were healed or when you were prayed over by TD Jenks.
I saw the video. The moment I knew that I
(16:10):
really had a connection was during that prayer. Because I
still renting my entire life everything. So I told God,
I said, if you bless me with music, I don't
care if I made twenty thousand dollars a year, I'm
gonna take it over any job you give me that
sixty thousand that was in twenty eleven. I meant it,
and he knew I meant it. Two weeks later I
ended up at Turquoise. My friend Schouler, he lives in
(16:33):
Baltimore nonight' from Houston. He didn't want to told me
to go to the US Sugarlan Town School with him.
He played saxophone and we were just practicing in the open.
So when I was walking down a sidewalk, I saw
a guy playing the guitar. The guy you saw me
playing guitar with. He was on a sidewalk and I
just told him we played together, we could make some
extra tips. And then that door was open. And then
the whole Harry saysha, give me the idea open. And
(16:56):
then when I wanted to do concerts full time in
different cities, I was sitting at the bar area in
Turquoise and I was looking at CNBC. That's what he
had on the screen. CNBC said that in twenty eleven
that America is one of the most diverse countries in
the nation. So I graduated a general business degree, but
(17:19):
I had to hustle mentality from the street. So I said,
all right, well, if America is the most diverse in
the world, right, then Houston got to be there too,
because Houston is one of the most diverse in the nation.
So that means everybody in my list ain't from here.
So I go back to my email list or asking
people where you're from New York, Italy. I'm from Morocco,
(17:42):
from wherever all around the world. That was right, But
now I still don't have the money to get to
him to do the shows. So I was playing at
Sugar at Marriott on Wednesday night, right down on you know,
right down there. Jeffrey of Bembije, the general manager. I
asked him. I said, I see all these parties coming
in and out, people having meetings and parties at in
(18:06):
the meeting space and barrooms. How do you how do
you get a ballroom or meeting space? He was like, well,
how many people you want to hold? I said, man,
maybe about fifty people. He said, what you're trying to do?
Or said, I'm trying to do a show, but I
don't have money for a venue. He was like, whoa,
this is how you work in there. If you could
do a food and beverage minimum meat, you can get
the room for free or uh, if you rent the room,
(18:28):
you don't have to have food of beverage, but the
rent gonna be a little high for the for the
meeting space. Okay, And I said, well, does that work
all around the world? He go yeah. I say, is
there any money up front? He was like no, and
I said he said, they give you a deadline. I said, okay, cool,
here's another nugget God gave me. I get an email
A few days later a woman named Jenny Chang. She says,
(18:52):
my name is Jenny Chang. I'm from groupon dot com.
We've been watching your career and I was like my head,
like what career? Because I already posted on social media
like that I ain't got a career. So she's like,
I've been your friend on Facebook for a while, but
we're trying to start this music thing on groupond. We
want you to be one of the first. I was like, well,
I'm thinking about self worll. I ain't got no venues.
(19:15):
So I lied to It was like all right, cool,
I say you the tour schedule. I ain't got no tour.
So I started calling all around the world, booking meeting
spaces at the married hotel, which is perfect because I
knew that my career evolved around entertainment for women. Men
don't buy concert tickets, so uh, not like that, not
(19:38):
like women do. So I needed a place where women
could get dressed, have a place where they can go,
have something to eat, something to drink, they listen to
some good music. If they don't want to go home,
they could go upstairs, go to their room. It was
a hotel. It's a perfect place. So I started doing
shows all over. I didn't have the money, so I
was buying one white one way tickets, have a way
(20:00):
to get home. And since we in Dallas right now,
those hotels, I was out here playing that. And then
I started playing at the Dallas Our Museum.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
Yeah. And I had the money to pay them either
until after the show and I sold enough CDs.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Man.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Yeah, bro, As I'm listening to you, Chris, what's cathartic
and what will also be a bit freeing for those
that are watching, is how what happened as a tragedy
(20:36):
and what could have been a traumatic spind on your
life turned into something greater than what you can even imagine.
Because what happens when we have a traumatic experience. Not
only do it reset the brain, but it also reset
our life. And your life seemed to have been reset
(20:58):
in such a way that God orchestrated that what was
meant to derail you actually put you on path because
you now saw God as this sovereignty and saw God like,
if he would bring my mom back, what else could
he do?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Yeah? Is that how you view God through your journey
of healing?
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Absolutely? I didn't have the money for college. I didn't
want to get in, so my best friend filled out
my application. I was always surrounded by the people God
needed me to be surrounded by to where I can
be where I am today and further so, I didn't
know how to get in college. I went to Sam
Jessie State University. By the way he filled out my application,
(21:38):
I done had the grades. So two of my friends,
they were in the DECA program back in high school.
You probably remember that those are smart people in there.
So two of my friends, you were wondering why their
friends aggress just but they wrote my letter to Sam
Houston of why they should let me in. So I
get to Sam Houston and I'm basically the fresh prince
(22:01):
of Bell Eye get dropped off because I was like,
I don't know where to go from here, and so
I get dropped off Huntsville. I'm looking at my friends
like all right, I'm here. Now, I'm what now? Then
we got to go down and you know, figure out
what your major mind it go be. But the point
is is that I've always been like He's always ordered
my steps everywhere I was going.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
That's what I was looking for, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
I never had to wonder like what was gonna be next, because,
like you said, like I always knew that God had me.
So even still to this day, the scariest thing for
a businessman is that we don't know. We don't know
up tomorrow. That's that's in a good book too. We're
supposed to let that go and worry about and focus
about today. So even as a businessman and today man,
(22:47):
you don't you don't know how much You never made
the same amount of money on a day. Never. That's
not how business works. Even when you have contracts, that
doesn't mean it's gonna pull through, right, You just gotta
step out of faith.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
That's business.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
This is all faith.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Yeah, that's business. If you if you're a real entrepreneur,
you have to operate on faith. So I want to
go back to the childhood. Mom is still living. Whatever
happened with dad.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
They went to prison for about five years. Uh. You
know laws are different in ninety seven, so you went
through about about five years and then he got released.
And I still talk to him today. Been forgave him
a long time ago. I mean we don't go out
and have a beer or nothing like that, but you
know I always.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Check on him.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
See if you're done, all right?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
What's my father? What was that like for you to
forgive your father who you watch preach Pastor Shepherd and
the very wife that he had.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
That the Bible would say, love your wife, husband, love
your wives as Christ love the church. You don't see
that with him and your mom. In fact, it is
a complete opposite of what you should have saw, or
or what of what.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
You didn't see.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
I know you say that you forget him, but if
you can somebody who's watching this, what is that process like?
You know, to forgive somebody that you love that It's
not like an uncle, it's not like a friend, a cousin.
This is your dad who tried to take take your
mom's life. How do you and your sisters, And then
(24:33):
how did forgiveness? What was that process like for you?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Even on our best day, Will still has failed. This
woman's rag. That's on a good book. God still loves us, right,
So regardless of how bad he did my mother or
his children, I'm supposed to still love him, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
So, and not at any given time did you ever
have any malice?
Speaker 3 (25:01):
As I was upset, But over time, because of my
faith in God, it just kind of just dissipated.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Because you ever do therapy, anybody you ever said in you.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Know, yeah, the altar. I couldn't go to a person,
you know what, because me going to a person, I
needed somebody to relate to that traumatic experience that they
took us to therapy that didn't work for me. What
I needed to do was go to the altar and
go to my source, my therapy. So when I went
to the altar and the God on my knees and
(25:35):
told God, just take it off from me, I don't
want it, he did. So I think a lot of
the times that we go and look for uh healing
and people from people, but you gotta go, you gotta
go to that like you did. That video was different, bro.
I'm saying you do a lot of videos. I'm saying
you pray. Other people get prayed over something happened that
(25:56):
day when you was with TD James. I don't know
what you was going through. Was something happened and you
went and you gave it all. You gave it all
to God that day.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
And it's funny you say that what had happened was
that was probably the toughest year of my life.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Man.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
I was coming out of a relationship that I walked
away from I thought amicably, but the individual felt that
I couldn't leave on my terms, and because they had
an issue with me leaving, they made my life a
(26:39):
living hell. Her son who is here today and we'll
talk about it a little bit. I walked into the
gym Chris right in Missouri City, and they was ready
to turn me around because it was all on the
news and she said I had abused her, hadn't touched her,
(26:59):
hadn't all. I just said, I was just wanted to
break up and this didn't work for me. And during
that time, man, when everything popped off. It was may
or twenty eighteen, and that happened with Bishop July in
twenty eighteen, and you're right, man, something shook that day.
(27:20):
I mean, I still had to heal and go through
that process of really forgiveness, because it's one thing to
be accused of something that you go, you know what,
I probably could have did this better, but to be
accused of something where you're just like, nah, I didn't
(27:41):
do that. And when that happened with Bishop Man, it
was my moment of understanding that God truly sees me.
Because I caught a flight up to Dallas from Houston.
I was still in Houston living in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
No, I was. I was still in Houston.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
So a friend of mine went to church and I
was like, she was like, yo, you need to come
up here. Man.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
She's like, you just need to come to church. Man.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
She's like, I don't know why, but I feel like
this should got a word for you. I said, okay,
bet So I got on a plane that came up
and that happened that day. So you're right, man, something
And when that happened that day, man, it was almost
like the moment that Jesus come out of the water
when John the Baptist is baptizing him and God goes,
(28:33):
this is my beloved son and whom I'm well pleased.
It was like this was my moment.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
That God was.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Validating me that I know you are hurting right now,
but I got I got you right where I want
you and I'll never forget that day, man, And for
you to bring that up and for you that to
be sort of like an earmark that you remember tells
me and that that not only had an impact on
(29:03):
my life for me being in that moment, but also
had an impact on yours.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
It did, man.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
You know, we believe it or not, you'll follow us.
We watch your journey, so we we we've been following
you for a while saying where you're coming from and
where you currently are and where you where you want
to go. And it is healing to see somebody that's
you know, for us, seems like they're doing so well
in social media, but then they go to church and
surrender themselves like that that's reality for us. We won't
(29:32):
get a lot of that on social media. Man, we
get a lot of I'm just doing good. Life is good.
There's no there's no hardships, you know what I mean.
But to see to see you do that, that reminded
me like this, you know there's some realness in some
people that that post on social media on my timeline
(29:52):
what I need to see, right, you know what I mean.
So I appreciate you posting that.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
That was nice.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Yeah, no, I appreciate you sharing that, man, because again
I never you never know how people feel, you know,
people with that until you until you hear what people
think about you know what they observe.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
And so you sharing that, man, I'm really blessed. Man.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
I'm just blessed man to have you here in your journey,
like I didn't know about your childhood's story.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
I didn't know, but.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Just to see you live in complete freedom because that
it's not most people, let alone most men. Because some
people have a traumatic event man, and they're they're they're
off for the rest of their lives. They can't find
(30:43):
their way back, they can't find their way to to
to reconcile and to see you thriving and what should
have and what the enemy probably meant for harm, but
God used it for good.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
You know. It's it's funny that you and I said
mentioned before. We're all guys children, so we all we'll
all have discernment. You have a decision to make we're
all faced with that. Some people choose not to go
to the positive route or to follow the rout god
the path God wants to take him because of fear.
The humans we're curious, you know what I mean? And uh,
(31:21):
but we also we also feel the unknown. A lot
of the times people don't jump off of business themselves
or self employment because they're afraid to leave the employment
that they have because they're like, oh, you know, I
got bills, I got a wife, I got kids, or
on the flip side, I got a husband, I got
kids or whatever. But the thing is, it's like you
(31:41):
still wants to step out in faith. Because I explained
this in another podcast in Atlanta. The interview had a kid.
I said, I'm glad you're doing what you what you're
doing and living your dream because if you wasn't, One
day your kids are gonna grow up, I'm gonna ask you, well, daddy,
did you do? Did you Are you doing what you
want want to do? Because dads still their cares. You
(32:02):
could be all you want to be, but they gonna
want to know if you're being all you want to
be too, So you gotta be an example. You know
what I'm saying so man, yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Man, oh man, yeah, are you being all you want
to be?
Speaker 3 (32:20):
Yeah, they're gonna ask you that. They're gonna look at
you like that, and you're gonna have to answer it.
You're gonna have to answer it. Uh. Yeah, it's it's
at home.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
But man, it's the truth. Man.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
I watched I watch. Your dad was a contract of
a preacher. My dad was a preacher. Both parents are
the same. Was my dad doing what he really wanted
to do? I don't think so. But also I think
he was doing what God called him to do. I
think he should have left that contract and alone. If
he was staying in the world, then it ain't been
all right because that's what he was called to do.
(32:55):
But he deviated. And when you deviate, you see what
happens if I if I stop I'm doing on call
to do with music, it's not gonna go well. Like
you just said, why didn't my life go the other way?
It's because I stayed true to what God wanted me
to do. As long as I stayed doing music and
how he wanted me to do it, I was gonna
be all right. Everything will work itself out.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
So we may asked you this quzy, Is that your lifeline?
Speaker 3 (33:19):
No, so I'm glad you asked.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
So.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
People think that the saxophone is my gift, that's not
my gift. My gift is entertainment. The saxophone is a
segway for me to do it. I can entertain people
without my saxophone. So if you stole the saxophone, I'll
still be all right because God is just put my
gift in and initially put it in me so for
me to go out there and entertain on stage. But
(33:42):
I got my saxophone out of tune. If it's backstage
on a broken to read or whatever, I could still
go out there and give people a good show. Matter
of fact, before I would go, before I even go
out there and perform, I walk out on stage without
my saxophone and people happy to see me. What do
you think that is? It's not that they're like, where
your saxophone at? Some people may say it, well, yeah,
(34:03):
but I stick it out there. Enter title though, So
when you start deviating from what you're called to do,
your life is not gonna look good. Like you can
go out there and make all the money you want
if you do. Went to the NFL and not doing
this right here, you will not work. It would not
ended well for you at all.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
And I and I and I never forget, man, well
you did go. I'm just saying, And I never forget
you said that. I never forget someone telling me that
a lady, an older lady, said God didn't allow you
to make it because it was not going to end
well for you.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
No, it's not your gift. The gifts shall make room
for you. Uh. And and if you're not using it, dude,
I'm telling you, it's like blatantly going against guy's will
for you. Who wants to do that? Right? I don't
want to do that. I don't even want to see
what that's gonna look like. If I just stop doing
what I'm called to do, it's not gonna end well.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Man.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Man, listen, if you you're watching this, it's not about chance,
not about happenstance. I think it's a divine moment that
you've been listening and watching My brother Chris Mitchell awesome
saxophone player, but even better man. And so often we
(35:17):
are infatuated with people's gift that we lose focus of
the gift giver and what I love that Chris is
expounding on and I love one of my favorite words.
He's elucidating pain in this picture that he's never forgotten
the giver of his gift. And I want to say
(35:40):
to you, have you forgotten what God has given you?
Maybe there's some gifts in you that you have just overlooked,
that you have just forgotten about. In fact, you just
don't even want to touch it because it irritates you
because everybody's like, why don't you do this?
Speaker 2 (35:55):
Why don't you do that? You're good to this.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
So I want you to take this opportunity to think
about what has God giving youth that is unique about you.
How can you use your gift to not only just
be blessed because you're compensated for it, but how can
you be a blessing.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
It took me a long.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Time to figure out not only just what my gift was,
but how to utilize my gift. And I think that's
the difficulty for most people is with doctor J what
do I do with my gift? Okay, I can do
this because sometimes you can be gifted in many different areas.
What I learned was my voice was a gift, and
(36:35):
my level of understanding and comprehension was even more of
a gift because I can conceptualize information and process it
in a way and deliver it back to people where
they can hear it in a way that can resonate
with them. When you think about playing by ear, what
(36:57):
are some of the things that you hear when you
are are deciphering how to pull out a sound and
to connect the cords.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
So I'll tell you what gets me started before ever
going to a performance. I got a players, like a
gospel player. That's what I listen to before I go
on stage, and I think my spirit gets heightened. So
then when I go out there, it's kind of like
somebody that lose the Holy goes they don't you know, Yeah,
it's only they don't know where they at. So when
(37:27):
I go out there, I just play. It's just like
muscle memory. It's just like just order my fingers and
what do you want me to So I don't have
any premeditated nothing. Yeah, I'll just start going.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
What I love about what you shared today, Chris, is
that you just a vessel man, but a willing vessel,
and you have surrendered the gift. I often talk to
people about that when they ask me about my ability
to to do what I do. I said daily, I
have to surrender my gift back to God, because if
(38:00):
you don't surrender it back to God, you will mismanage
what He's given you. And I never want to mismanage
what God has given me.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
I want.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I don't want to manipulate. I don't want to explore.
I don't want to use for my game. I want
to always make sure that I'm stewarding the gift well
so he continues to expand what the gift can do.
How important is it for you to steward your gift?
And when you think about.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
That's funny you say that because I know you can
relate with my mother. Tell you, how did it feel
being in church on a Sunday and you weren't playing drums?
You feel like you need to get up there exactly
because that's what that was your way of praise. It's
the same thing with me. I can't just go to
church sometimes just be sitting on the sidelines. Some people
(38:48):
raise their hands, some people lose their minds, some people
just stand still and cry. I always was I gotta
get to that instrument. I gotta play the drums. I
gotta feel. That's how I'm a feeling, you know what
I mean, That's how I stewarded by. Every time I play,
I make sure in every concert I do one good
gospel song because that was my promise of God that
(39:08):
every show I'm doing a gospel song and tell my story.
And I do. Wow, that's not a concert that ever
went by that will not tell my story. My story
goes further than that. Since twenty eleven, I've never been
hired to do a concert. Every theater, every rent has
been my own investment. Wow, I've never been hired. Even
(39:31):
when when I spoke to Live Nation this year about
going on my til for twenty twenty six and put
my toy days together, they were like, all right, great,
uh sitting an agent and I was like, I'll sing
you the agent, but I'm renting the theaters. And even
then it was like what I was like, Yeah, but
(39:52):
uh again it goes back to Irby's till I step
out in faith. That's another way I mean stewing in
my gift.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
It's managing.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
Yeah, this is as long as I just stay on
the path that he wants me to be on, I'll
be all right. I literally don't. My prayers are very
open ended. It literally ends and basically have your way.
That's it. I don't have this a bucket two and
two Steve Harvey talks about the life was one of
(40:20):
his one of my favorite verses. Right division making plans
a huge reason. Will run to it, even though it
take a long time, wait for it, for surely to
come into this terrs way for it. It'll come at
to a point in time. This is a fact. You
went through your life trained Jim two hand, touched on
(40:40):
the street in the grass that show. Do you know
what I'm saying? And you stay, stay us to it.
You went to the league, after that, you left, You
went through some things, but you still use your voice.
And here I am today sit with you like it's
easy for me to call you my brother. Because there
was a reason why we met on that sidewalk, on.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
The sidewall, and we was both at a place where
we was looking for more, looking for.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
More, and look at us and ten plus years later
we're talking about our journeys.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Man.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
Yeah, you never know, bro, When I tell you, I'm
so proud of you, man, it blesses me through to
see you all over the world. It blesses me to
see your videos being reposted, retweeted, thank you. Know, to
see your your TikTok videos, to hear people talking about
how phenomenal of a saxophone player you are, Man, it
blesses me because no one would have ever known that
(41:34):
this black man that would stand on the sidewalk had
navigated one of the most traumatic experiences that any child
would have to navigate through.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
It's seeing their parents in a pool of blood. Yeah,
and finding a way to not only just forgive your dad,
but finding a way to take what God has given
you to use it. Brother. And I tell you, brother,
you have inspired me even more today just hearing that
because I didn't know. And that's why I love what
(42:07):
I do with this podcast, because we don't realize that
our life's journey is also someone's healing journey, and it's
how people get healed through sharing our stories. Man, in
this moment, if you can think about a song in
this moment, what would you play Amazing Grace? Yeah, let's
(42:31):
here man, My brother, you're truly annoying it. Man, Thank you.
(43:39):
There's people who are gifted and there's people who are
an knowing it.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
You are both appreciated you, and I pray Man that
as you begin your tour next month, that.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
You experience a different.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
Level of admiration and validation, not because you could at it,
but you get to experience what your kid brings to others.
Speaker 3 (44:08):
Appreciate it. Man, Thanks so much for the interview. Thank
you for inviting me on Man, and stay in contact
with me because I got some friends, as we both
that didn't make it. I'm thirty eight, now you know
what I mean, Like, I got some friends that didn't
make it at thirty eight. Yeah, but we're in and
if we wasn't promised to be here today either, No,
but we both have the stories to share. And you know,
(44:30):
Guy of the plan, so he kept us.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Yeah we are. I want to ask you this one
last question. I always ask every guest man, what is
healing for Chris.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
Mitchell surrendering your life to Christ. It's said, accepting Jesus
your Lord and savor and know that God is the
only way. I said, when you do that, everything in
work and souff out Man. There's not a single story
in the Bible of somebody that's rending themselves in Christ
that didn't make it, that didn't make it now. God
(45:03):
gives a free will. You can choose the other route,
even if you do supposedly surrounding usself to Christ. But
for those that surrender themselves, it's still in that path.
They'll be right, They'll be just fine.
Speaker 2 (45:15):
Many brother, I love you man too. Listen.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
I hope something that was shared today in this interview
with Chris. I don't know what will title this episode.
I know we will come up with something amazing, but
it definitely has been a transformative conversation for me because
I've known this about ten plus years and did not
know the depth of his story. I don't know the
(45:41):
depth of your story, but what I do know is
there is healing on the other side and you have
the power to rewrite a new story. Listen, don't forget
to subscribe to Jess Heal Doctor J. Every Tuesday, we're
bringing new episode. We're bringing guests from all walks of life,
(46:03):
people that are sharing their journey so you can continue
your healing journey and remember, healing is a journey and
wholeness is the destination.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
Until next time, take care.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Just here with Doctor J a production of the Black
Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
Or wherever you listen to your favorite shows
Speaker 1 (46:25):
And you can follow me at King J Barnett on
Instagram and x and follow us on YouTube Just Heal
Doctor J.
Welcome to jess Here with Doctor J, a production of
The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome back to
(00:47):
another episode of Just Here with Doctor J. And I
am your host, Doctor J.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Barnett.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Listen, before we get started this episode, I will encourage
you to join our healing hub. We call a healing community.
I don't know, healing circle, whatever you want to call it.
All I know is we are healing over here on
this podcast. I want to encourage you to subscribe hit
that like button, do all the things.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Don't just flirt what us, Come on over here and
join us. Right.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
So, I have had a unique journey of meeting some
amazing people, some amazing dope talented brothers. And I'm excited
about my guest today because he's a brother that I
met many years ago when I was living in Sugarland, Texas,
and we actually kind of started our journey at the
same time, our journey of healing, self discovery, our journey
(01:36):
of just like wanting more. I was on my journey
of going to therapy, and what I would do I
would go to the Town Center and just sit at
the Town Center and just sit by myself. And one
night I went out set at the Town Center and
I heard a sound and it was a sound that
I'm telling you, man, I love musical instruments. And I
(01:56):
heard a brother playing the saxophone. And I heard a
brother that was playing a sound. I said, I gotta
go meet this brother. Met the brother. We talked that night.
At that time, he was taking tips. He was taking tips,
and I was like, man, let me get his brother
ten dollars, man, because his brother's killing it. But now
this brother is not just collecting tips. This brother is
collecting bags because he's all over the world. And I'm
(02:19):
so excited to have my brother and friend. The amazing, talented,
gifted saxophone is Chris Mitchell.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Man, welcome my brother.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Thanks for having me, man, this has been a pleasure
to be here.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Man.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Now, before we get started, Now, that is a saxophone, right,
soprano saxophone. Okay, So what's the difference between that saxophone
and the one that's just kind of like the kind
of J shape.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
All right, So it's like a choir. You got soprano,
alto and tenor the divorces. Yeah, so with the saxophone
is similar to that. So soprano saxophone will be like
the sopranos, an acquire altos, like the alto's an acquire
tenor and bolkalo. So this is more of a brighter sound,
more of a higher pitch, you know, her octive sound.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So yeah, wow, man, listen, I just wanted y'all to
have that quick moment, because quick teaching moment, because I
didn't know what it was.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
I didn't know that. I knew it was a saxophone,
but I didn't know what type. Man.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
So, brother, I am so excited to have you joining
the Just Hell podcast. Man, we have been friends for
ten plus years.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, over a decade.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Yeah, over a decade.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
And to see your journey and to see your growth,
to see your name be on Arenas, it's something amazing, man,
because I remember using sugar Land playing in front of
that court restaurant, Turkoise restaurant and what was it Mediterranean restaurant. Yeah,
And to see where you are now, brother, I'm so
(03:45):
proud of you, man.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Man.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, that was the start of my journey because I
graduated right after the recession from college. I was jobbings
for two years. A lot of stories. You didn't know
that I haven't told you, but when you saw me
that day, I just started playing on the sidewalks seven
days a week, eight to ten hours a day. I
was playing for tips. Only to two years of not
finding a job after the recession was a problem for me.
(04:09):
My car was stolen. All my instruments in there. Right
after I left church. I was playing at church for
you know, twenty five dollars a Sunday at a time,
and that's all they could pay me. So I went
to the movies. And after I left the movies, thank
god the girl I went to the movies, we drove
because after I walked into our car and I walked
to my car, my car was gone. I had my
(04:32):
saxophone in there. So I went to the pastor and
asked him if I could have one hundred and fifty dollars,
and I went to the paun shot and bought a saxophone.
And that's a saxophone you saw me using on the sidewalk. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Shortly after I marry you, that's when my life really
started to change. There was a guy at the restaurant
called Harry Seisha, that's his name. If he lost his
mortgage to day, I'll pay his mortgage. I'll tell you
this guy here really saved my life. Harry Sacha came
out on the Saturday afternoon and he was looking around
in the town square and he says, you know what,
you should be collecting people's information, man, So let you
(05:11):
know when it's gonna be back out here. I said, man,
you're right. So I went into the manager's office, got
on Microsoft word putting Nain email phone number, drew a
bunch of lines, and printed out about twenty pages. Went
out there at my table, the table you saw, I
had my bucket on it, and I put uh the
tablet down there with the with the sheets of paper
(05:32):
on it. I started collecting with four hundred emails and
phone It was a day. Now I was out there.
You think that's a lot, but I was out there
for eight hours, you know, seven days a week. So
after nine and a half months, I collect collected over
half a million people's information.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
What yeah, wait, wait, wait, wait wait, Chris.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
It's gonna be a lot today we go.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So out man, you collected all over half a.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Million, over half a million, and at the time I
didn't have the money for weeks, so I had to
end put it all by hand, so I didn't have
I didn't have any money for iPad, so when people
wrote it down, you know, they wrote it down. So
I got to transfer to the computer. So I had
hundreds of Gmail accounts because you can only upload so
many and only saved five hundred emails per day, so
(06:17):
I had to I had to create so many Gmail accounts,
so I was busy.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, this wasn't too long after we met, man.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I just so I want to go back to where
you started.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
You go on a date with the young lady and
you come back. Your car is gone, but your instruments
are gone as well.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, when when you when you walk out there, what
what was the first thing that went through your mind?
Speaker 3 (06:50):
It's funny to show the podcast is about the show
is about healing. By that time, I've already heald. I've
been through a lot of my life, man, that you
don't know about. The most traumatic experience was Mother's Day
of nineteen ninety seven, when my father tried to kill
the whole family. He stabbed my mom five times in
the chest, my sister, and the stomach, and came after me.
(07:12):
I held my mom in my lap while she died,
my sister crawled over. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Hours after it happened, when the ambulance came to pick
her up. My uncle came to picked me up from
the scene, took me to the house, his house, and
we got a call about four hours later, four or
five hours later. I was ten years old at the time,
said that she miraculously lived. They gave her not and
a half pints of blood. She's still here today, seventy
eight years old.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah, oh, man, let's I'm pausing, man, because I didn't
know that. Man, I didn't know your backstory. I didn't
know because we never had any childhood conversations. I think
(08:04):
when we met, we were often having discussions about where
we wanted to go and where we were. But to
think about a ten year old boy that's holding his
mom in his hand and as she's bleeding out. Man,
I'm sitting here just trying to fathom. And I'm sure
(08:28):
that you didn't at the time because you probably didn't
even know what was going on, that everything was happening
so fast.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Yeah. So when it happened my parents, I used the
phrase where my dad was a terrible husband, but he
was a good father to his children.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
I know.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
As crazy as that may sound, he didn't miss any
important events for his kids. He was always there. But
his relationship with my mother was terrible. My dad was
a pastor. I'm a piquet like me.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, did you know that?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Yeah, my dad's a pastor thirty three years really yeah?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
So, uh man, I grew up in South Park in Houston,
Nick in their third ward.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
My dad was a hard worker as a carpenter and contractor.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
So was my dad. Oh so he was a carpenter.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Really. Yeah, we've been on your brothers all right. So
oh wait, waited, Billy ain't rolling Stone man? Hold up?
So yeah, yeah, so I grew up in I grew
up in Sauth Park in Houston, and we was evicted
from several homes and it got to a point where
(09:39):
my dad just shut down the church. We had to
live in the church for a year and a half.
Didn't have any my birthdays on Christmas. That's how I
get my name Chris. I didn't me. I didn't get
any presents when we were younger. So what my mom
did was, uh, she pawned a wedding ring and buy
me my first Christmas gifts. So when my dad earned
the money, he went to the punch shop to buy
(10:02):
it back, but they gave it back. Well, he gave
it the money to my mom and she with and
the owner gave the gave my mom the wedding ring
back because he just thought it was a marrable what
she did for children. So you know, I mean, yeah,
that's two of the many stories I got to sham
to try to give you as many as I can today.
But when you go through so much of that up
to ten years old, you learn how to heal. So
(10:25):
anything that came as a challenge after that, that the
most traumatic experience was just like this, you know what
I mean. So I don't cant hand.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Out it sidewalk, but how did you heal? Though?
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Well, I knew God was real. I've always been in
church my whole life. And to back you up, I
was born in Thesemmer twenty fifth, nineteen eighty six. Before
I got here, my mom was thirty nine years old
and she's having me. Doctors told her nineteen eighty six,
this has done a good idea because they ain't had
any type of technology back then to have a child
(10:58):
at eighty to thirty nine, So my dad was against it.
My oldest siblings were against it. They were like, you know, shoot,
we want our mom childing. We want her to make it.
If the child can't make it, you know, that's the
decision we're gonna roll with to keep my mom. But
they didn't know that. The whole time, my mom had
been praying for a savior to come to the family,
(11:19):
so a financial savior. So when I got here, they
were trying to figure out what was gonna be my gift.
My mom always knew it was gonna be his gift.
When I was four years old, was at choir rehearsal
at church. That was the day they was discovering my gift.
The choir was rehearsing and I got off the front
(11:40):
bench and I went and pointed out to the person
that was in the wrong key, and then my brother
looked at my mom and my cousin. They said, that's
what it is. He got perfect pitch. So when they
came to learn the saxophone, I didn't take lessons. They
took me two and a half months. I would put
Kenny g CD's in a CD player and just try
to emulate the signs I was hearing and I just
(12:00):
picked it up the third month. My first performance was
in church. I played Amazing Grace and that was that
was pretty much.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
So you discover your gift at four, you learn how
basically taught yourself how to play the saxophone through hearing.
So I played drums. I didn't know that I played drums,
and I don't play often like I used to. I
played in my dad's church, my dad's son quartet saying,
so I played for his group.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
I played by ear. Can't read sheet music.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Yeah, And so my dad was Baptist, and so you know,
I played by ear.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
And to think about.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
To discover your gift at such a young age, but
also to experience something so traumatic, how do you navigate
what happened at ten through the time you went through college.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Because God never let me fell. So when I was
when I was sitting down on the curb and she
was dying, my mom immediately started praying over me while
she was dying. While she was dying, do you remember
what her prayer was. Yes, she was praying that God
keeps her hair to be here for a children. So
she was rubbing the hand of my cheek bloody hand everything. Man,
(13:21):
it was blood shooting them like a water fountain. And
I remember my hat on the Grand Hills, the Grand
Hills in ninety seven. Yeah, the white Grand Hills had
a whole white union on. It was all in blood,
dressed in blood. And my sister was crawling over and
she started praying and she passed out. So I started
rocking and saying, don't leave me. So her testimony is
(13:42):
that when she passed out, she heard her voice that
asked her, do you want to stay with your children?
Do you want to come with us? She said, I
want to stay with my children. So she woke up
in the back of the ambulance truck. We didn't know that.
So when she got to the hospital, that gave her
nine and a half pints of blood. And so when
she told her testimony in church, she said she heard
her voice saying, don't leave me. I don't want it
(14:05):
told her that, I said, you know that was me.
So in my eyes, it felt like, you know, we're
all guys, little children, these angels, right, I felt like
I was being an angel for her to night. I
felt like I was the one that kind of like
really encouraged her, inspired and motivated to stay here. So
throughout life, every little thing that I got involved in,
(14:27):
I was always saved from it. It didn't matter like
it was well, we didn't have a place to live.
We had, you know, we got evictor. We had a
place to live. When she died, she came back to life.
When I wanted to line to play saxophone, I didn't
have any money for it. My sister was there. She
was in the military at the time. She's able to
get alan. I didn't have the money to get lessons,
(14:50):
so God gave me an ear for it. When I
graduated school, I couldn't find a job, he gave me
an opportunity to play on the street. That's what I
made you. When I didn't have money to ren venues,
I sayd them eight hundred dollars. I'm playing tips and
rented the Redcat Jazz Cafe.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I don't you remember that yet, Red Cat in Houston.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
In Houston rented the Red Cat Jazz Cafe. Shout out
to Santa Pink. He was an owner. No one would
give me the opportunity because I was just somebody playing
on the street. So I rented the venue. So saying
people was like, how are you gonna sell tickets? So
I said, well, I got a few email addresses. I'm
gonna see what happens. Sold out under fifteen minutes. It's
(15:27):
one hundred and fifty seats. I had half a million people, right,
So we added a second show. The first was at
seven pm. The second one was at nine to thirty pm,
and that was sold out too. So every every time
I got involved with something I wanted to do, God
always he literally always opened the door for me if
I only stayed true to what I wanted to do. Wow,
(15:48):
now what led me out to the sidewalk is interesting
because after my car was stolen and I got that saxophone,
I prayed a proud that I'll never forget. And you know,
you reached the point in your life like when you
were healed or when you were prayed over by TD Jenks.
I saw the video. The moment I knew that I
(16:10):
really had a connection was during that prayer. Because I
still renting my entire life everything. So I told God,
I said, if you bless me with music, I don't
care if I made twenty thousand dollars a year, I'm
gonna take it over any job you give me that
sixty thousand that was in twenty eleven. I meant it,
and he knew I meant it. Two weeks later I
ended up at Turquoise. My friend Schouler, he lives in
(16:33):
Baltimore nonight' from Houston. He didn't want to told me
to go to the US Sugarlan Town School with him.
He played saxophone and we were just practicing in the open.
So when I was walking down a sidewalk, I saw
a guy playing the guitar. The guy you saw me
playing guitar with. He was on a sidewalk and I
just told him we played together, we could make some
extra tips. And then that door was open. And then
the whole Harry saysha, give me the idea open. And
(16:56):
then when I wanted to do concerts full time in
different cities, I was sitting at the bar area in
Turquoise and I was looking at CNBC. That's what he
had on the screen. CNBC said that in twenty eleven
that America is one of the most diverse countries in
the nation. So I graduated a general business degree, but
(17:19):
I had to hustle mentality from the street. So I said,
all right, well, if America is the most diverse in
the world, right, then Houston got to be there too,
because Houston is one of the most diverse in the nation.
So that means everybody in my list ain't from here.
So I go back to my email list or asking
people where you're from New York, Italy. I'm from Morocco,
(17:42):
from wherever all around the world. That was right, But
now I still don't have the money to get to
him to do the shows. So I was playing at
Sugar at Marriott on Wednesday night, right down on you know,
right down there. Jeffrey of Bembije, the general manager. I
asked him. I said, I see all these parties coming
in and out, people having meetings and parties at in
(18:06):
the meeting space and barrooms. How do you how do
you get a ballroom or meeting space? He was like, well,
how many people you want to hold? I said, man,
maybe about fifty people. He said, what you're trying to do?
Or said, I'm trying to do a show, but I
don't have money for a venue. He was like, whoa,
this is how you work in there. If you could
do a food and beverage minimum meat, you can get
the room for free or uh, if you rent the room,
(18:28):
you don't have to have food of beverage, but the
rent gonna be a little high for the for the
meeting space. Okay, And I said, well, does that work
all around the world? He go yeah. I say, is
there any money up front? He was like no, and
I said he said, they give you a deadline. I said, okay, cool,
here's another nugget God gave me. I get an email
A few days later a woman named Jenny Chang. She says,
(18:52):
my name is Jenny Chang. I'm from groupon dot com.
We've been watching your career and I was like my head,
like what career? Because I already posted on social media
like that I ain't got a career. So she's like,
I've been your friend on Facebook for a while, but
we're trying to start this music thing on groupond. We
want you to be one of the first. I was like, well,
I'm thinking about self worll. I ain't got no venues.
(19:15):
So I lied to It was like all right, cool,
I say you the tour schedule. I ain't got no tour.
So I started calling all around the world, booking meeting
spaces at the married hotel, which is perfect because I
knew that my career evolved around entertainment for women. Men
don't buy concert tickets, so uh, not like that, not
(19:38):
like women do. So I needed a place where women
could get dressed, have a place where they can go,
have something to eat, something to drink, they listen to
some good music. If they don't want to go home,
they could go upstairs, go to their room. It was
a hotel. It's a perfect place. So I started doing
shows all over. I didn't have the money, so I
was buying one white one way tickets, have a way
(20:00):
to get home. And since we in Dallas right now,
those hotels, I was out here playing that. And then
I started playing at the Dallas Our Museum.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
Yeah. And I had the money to pay them either
until after the show and I sold enough CDs.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Man.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Yeah, bro, As I'm listening to you, Chris, what's cathartic
and what will also be a bit freeing for those
that are watching, is how what happened as a tragedy
(20:36):
and what could have been a traumatic spind on your
life turned into something greater than what you can even imagine.
Because what happens when we have a traumatic experience. Not
only do it reset the brain, but it also reset
our life. And your life seemed to have been reset
(20:58):
in such a way that God orchestrated that what was
meant to derail you actually put you on path because
you now saw God as this sovereignty and saw God like,
if he would bring my mom back, what else could
he do?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Yeah? Is that how you view God through your journey
of healing?
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Absolutely? I didn't have the money for college. I didn't
want to get in, so my best friend filled out
my application. I was always surrounded by the people God
needed me to be surrounded by to where I can
be where I am today and further so, I didn't
know how to get in college. I went to Sam
Jessie State University. By the way he filled out my application,
(21:38):
I done had the grades. So two of my friends,
they were in the DECA program back in high school.
You probably remember that those are smart people in there.
So two of my friends, you were wondering why their
friends aggress just but they wrote my letter to Sam
Houston of why they should let me in. So I
get to Sam Houston and I'm basically the fresh prince
(22:01):
of Bell Eye get dropped off because I was like,
I don't know where to go from here, and so
I get dropped off Huntsville. I'm looking at my friends
like all right, I'm here. Now, I'm what now? Then
we got to go down and you know, figure out
what your major mind it go be. But the point
is is that I've always been like He's always ordered
my steps everywhere I was going.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
That's what I was looking for, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
I never had to wonder like what was gonna be next, because,
like you said, like I always knew that God had me.
So even still to this day, the scariest thing for
a businessman is that we don't know. We don't know
up tomorrow. That's that's in a good book too. We're
supposed to let that go and worry about and focus
about today. So even as a businessman and today man,
(22:47):
you don't you don't know how much You never made
the same amount of money on a day. Never. That's
not how business works. Even when you have contracts, that
doesn't mean it's gonna pull through, right, You just gotta
step out of faith.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
That's business.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
This is all faith.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Yeah, that's business. If you if you're a real entrepreneur,
you have to operate on faith. So I want to
go back to the childhood. Mom is still living. Whatever
happened with dad.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
They went to prison for about five years. Uh. You
know laws are different in ninety seven, so you went
through about about five years and then he got released.
And I still talk to him today. Been forgave him
a long time ago. I mean we don't go out
and have a beer or nothing like that, but you
know I always.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Check on him.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
See if you're done, all right?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
What's my father? What was that like for you to
forgive your father who you watch preach Pastor Shepherd and
the very wife that he had.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
That the Bible would say, love your wife, husband, love
your wives as Christ love the church. You don't see
that with him and your mom. In fact, it is
a complete opposite of what you should have saw, or
or what of what.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
You didn't see.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
I know you say that you forget him, but if
you can somebody who's watching this, what is that process like?
You know, to forgive somebody that you love that It's
not like an uncle, it's not like a friend, a cousin.
This is your dad who tried to take take your
mom's life. How do you and your sisters, And then
(24:33):
how did forgiveness? What was that process like for you?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Even on our best day, Will still has failed. This
woman's rag. That's on a good book. God still loves us, right,
So regardless of how bad he did my mother or
his children, I'm supposed to still love him, you know
what I mean.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
So, and not at any given time did you ever
have any malice?
Speaker 3 (25:01):
As I was upset, But over time, because of my
faith in God, it just kind of just dissipated.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Because you ever do therapy, anybody you ever said in you.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Know, yeah, the altar. I couldn't go to a person,
you know what, because me going to a person, I
needed somebody to relate to that traumatic experience that they
took us to therapy that didn't work for me. What
I needed to do was go to the altar and
go to my source, my therapy. So when I went
to the altar and the God on my knees and
(25:35):
told God, just take it off from me, I don't
want it, he did. So I think a lot of
the times that we go and look for uh healing
and people from people, but you gotta go, you gotta
go to that like you did. That video was different, bro.
I'm saying you do a lot of videos. I'm saying
you pray. Other people get prayed over something happened that
(25:56):
day when you was with TD James. I don't know
what you was going through. Was something happened and you
went and you gave it all. You gave it all
to God that day.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
And it's funny you say that what had happened was
that was probably the toughest year of my life.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Man.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
I was coming out of a relationship that I walked
away from I thought amicably, but the individual felt that
I couldn't leave on my terms, and because they had
an issue with me leaving, they made my life a
(26:39):
living hell. Her son who is here today and we'll
talk about it a little bit. I walked into the
gym Chris right in Missouri City, and they was ready
to turn me around because it was all on the
news and she said I had abused her, hadn't touched her,
(26:59):
hadn't all. I just said, I was just wanted to
break up and this didn't work for me. And during
that time, man, when everything popped off. It was may
or twenty eighteen, and that happened with Bishop July in
twenty eighteen, and you're right, man, something shook that day.
(27:20):
I mean, I still had to heal and go through
that process of really forgiveness, because it's one thing to
be accused of something that you go, you know what,
I probably could have did this better, but to be
accused of something where you're just like, nah, I didn't
(27:41):
do that. And when that happened with Bishop Man, it
was my moment of understanding that God truly sees me.
Because I caught a flight up to Dallas from Houston.
I was still in Houston living in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
No, I was. I was still in Houston.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
So a friend of mine went to church and I
was like, she was like, yo, you need to come
up here. Man.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
She's like, you just need to come to church. Man.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
She's like, I don't know why, but I feel like
this should got a word for you. I said, okay,
bet So I got on a plane that came up
and that happened that day. So you're right, man, something
And when that happened that day, man, it was almost
like the moment that Jesus come out of the water
when John the Baptist is baptizing him and God goes,
(28:33):
this is my beloved son and whom I'm well pleased.
It was like this was my moment.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
That God was.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Validating me that I know you are hurting right now,
but I got I got you right where I want
you and I'll never forget that day, man, And for
you to bring that up and for you that to
be sort of like an earmark that you remember tells
me and that that not only had an impact on
(29:03):
my life for me being in that moment, but also
had an impact on yours.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
It did, man.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
You know, we believe it or not, you'll follow us.
We watch your journey, so we we we've been following
you for a while saying where you're coming from and
where you currently are and where you where you want
to go. And it is healing to see somebody that's
you know, for us, seems like they're doing so well
in social media, but then they go to church and
surrender themselves like that that's reality for us. We won't
(29:32):
get a lot of that on social media. Man, we
get a lot of I'm just doing good. Life is good.
There's no there's no hardships, you know what I mean.
But to see to see you do that, that reminded
me like this, you know there's some realness in some
people that that post on social media on my timeline
(29:52):
what I need to see, right, you know what I mean.
So I appreciate you posting that.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
That was nice.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Yeah, no, I appreciate you sharing that, man, because again
I never you never know how people feel, you know,
people with that until you until you hear what people
think about you know what they observe.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
And so you sharing that, man, I'm really blessed. Man.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
I'm just blessed man to have you here in your journey,
like I didn't know about your childhood's story.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
I didn't know, but.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Just to see you live in complete freedom because that
it's not most people, let alone most men. Because some
people have a traumatic event man, and they're they're they're
off for the rest of their lives. They can't find
(30:43):
their way back, they can't find their way to to
to reconcile and to see you thriving and what should
have and what the enemy probably meant for harm, but
God used it for good.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
You know. It's it's funny that you and I said
mentioned before. We're all guys children, so we all we'll
all have discernment. You have a decision to make we're
all faced with that. Some people choose not to go
to the positive route or to follow the rout god
the path God wants to take him because of fear.
The humans we're curious, you know what I mean? And uh,
(31:21):
but we also we also feel the unknown. A lot
of the times people don't jump off of business themselves
or self employment because they're afraid to leave the employment
that they have because they're like, oh, you know, I
got bills, I got a wife, I got kids, or
on the flip side, I got a husband, I got
kids or whatever. But the thing is, it's like you
(31:41):
still wants to step out in faith. Because I explained
this in another podcast in Atlanta. The interview had a kid.
I said, I'm glad you're doing what you what you're
doing and living your dream because if you wasn't, One
day your kids are gonna grow up, I'm gonna ask you, well, daddy,
did you do? Did you Are you doing what you
want want to do? Because dads still their cares. You
(32:02):
could be all you want to be, but they gonna
want to know if you're being all you want to
be too, So you gotta be an example. You know
what I'm saying so man, yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Man, oh man, yeah, are you being all you want
to be?
Speaker 3 (32:20):
Yeah, they're gonna ask you that. They're gonna look at
you like that, and you're gonna have to answer it.
You're gonna have to answer it. Uh. Yeah, it's it's
at home.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
But man, it's the truth. Man.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
I watched I watch. Your dad was a contract of
a preacher. My dad was a preacher. Both parents are
the same. Was my dad doing what he really wanted
to do? I don't think so. But also I think
he was doing what God called him to do. I
think he should have left that contract and alone. If
he was staying in the world, then it ain't been
all right because that's what he was called to do.
(32:55):
But he deviated. And when you deviate, you see what
happens if I if I stop I'm doing on call
to do with music, it's not gonna go well. Like
you just said, why didn't my life go the other way?
It's because I stayed true to what God wanted me
to do. As long as I stayed doing music and
how he wanted me to do it, I was gonna
be all right. Everything will work itself out.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
So we may asked you this quzy, Is that your lifeline?
Speaker 3 (33:19):
No, so I'm glad you asked.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
So.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
People think that the saxophone is my gift, that's not
my gift. My gift is entertainment. The saxophone is a
segway for me to do it. I can entertain people
without my saxophone. So if you stole the saxophone, I'll
still be all right because God is just put my
gift in and initially put it in me so for
me to go out there and entertain on stage. But
(33:42):
I got my saxophone out of tune. If it's backstage
on a broken to read or whatever, I could still
go out there and give people a good show. Matter
of fact, before I would go, before I even go
out there and perform, I walk out on stage without
my saxophone and people happy to see me. What do
you think that is? It's not that they're like, where
your saxophone at? Some people may say it, well, yeah,
(34:03):
but I stick it out there. Enter title though, So
when you start deviating from what you're called to do,
your life is not gonna look good. Like you can
go out there and make all the money you want
if you do. Went to the NFL and not doing
this right here, you will not work. It would not
ended well for you at all.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
And I and I and I never forget, man, well
you did go. I'm just saying, And I never forget
you said that. I never forget someone telling me that
a lady, an older lady, said God didn't allow you
to make it because it was not going to end
well for you.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
No, it's not your gift. The gifts shall make room
for you. Uh. And and if you're not using it, dude,
I'm telling you, it's like blatantly going against guy's will
for you. Who wants to do that? Right? I don't
want to do that. I don't even want to see
what that's gonna look like. If I just stop doing
what I'm called to do, it's not gonna end well.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Man.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Man, listen, if you you're watching this, it's not about chance,
not about happenstance. I think it's a divine moment that
you've been listening and watching My brother Chris Mitchell awesome
saxophone player, but even better man. And so often we
(35:17):
are infatuated with people's gift that we lose focus of
the gift giver and what I love that Chris is
expounding on and I love one of my favorite words.
He's elucidating pain in this picture that he's never forgotten
the giver of his gift. And I want to say
(35:40):
to you, have you forgotten what God has given you?
Maybe there's some gifts in you that you have just overlooked,
that you have just forgotten about. In fact, you just
don't even want to touch it because it irritates you
because everybody's like, why don't you do this?
Speaker 2 (35:55):
Why don't you do that? You're good to this.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
So I want you to take this opportunity to think
about what has God giving youth that is unique about you.
How can you use your gift to not only just
be blessed because you're compensated for it, but how can
you be a blessing.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
It took me a long.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Time to figure out not only just what my gift was,
but how to utilize my gift. And I think that's
the difficulty for most people is with doctor J what
do I do with my gift? Okay, I can do
this because sometimes you can be gifted in many different areas.
What I learned was my voice was a gift, and
(36:35):
my level of understanding and comprehension was even more of
a gift because I can conceptualize information and process it
in a way and deliver it back to people where
they can hear it in a way that can resonate
with them. When you think about playing by ear, what
(36:57):
are some of the things that you hear when you
are are deciphering how to pull out a sound and
to connect the cords.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
So I'll tell you what gets me started before ever
going to a performance. I got a players, like a
gospel player. That's what I listen to before I go
on stage, and I think my spirit gets heightened. So
then when I go out there, it's kind of like
somebody that lose the Holy goes they don't you know, Yeah,
it's only they don't know where they at. So when
(37:27):
I go out there, I just play. It's just like
muscle memory. It's just like just order my fingers and
what do you want me to So I don't have
any premeditated nothing. Yeah, I'll just start going.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
What I love about what you shared today, Chris, is
that you just a vessel man, but a willing vessel,
and you have surrendered the gift. I often talk to
people about that when they ask me about my ability
to to do what I do. I said daily, I
have to surrender my gift back to God, because if
(38:00):
you don't surrender it back to God, you will mismanage
what He's given you. And I never want to mismanage
what God has given me.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
I want.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I don't want to manipulate. I don't want to explore.
I don't want to use for my game. I want
to always make sure that I'm stewarding the gift well
so he continues to expand what the gift can do.
How important is it for you to steward your gift?
And when you think about.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
That's funny you say that because I know you can
relate with my mother. Tell you, how did it feel
being in church on a Sunday and you weren't playing drums?
You feel like you need to get up there exactly
because that's what that was your way of praise. It's
the same thing with me. I can't just go to
church sometimes just be sitting on the sidelines. Some people
(38:48):
raise their hands, some people lose their minds, some people
just stand still and cry. I always was I gotta
get to that instrument. I gotta play the drums. I
gotta feel. That's how I'm a feeling, you know what
I mean, That's how I stewarded by. Every time I play,
I make sure in every concert I do one good
gospel song because that was my promise of God that
(39:08):
every show I'm doing a gospel song and tell my story.
And I do. Wow, that's not a concert that ever
went by that will not tell my story. My story
goes further than that. Since twenty eleven, I've never been
hired to do a concert. Every theater, every rent has
been my own investment. Wow, I've never been hired. Even
(39:31):
when when I spoke to Live Nation this year about
going on my til for twenty twenty six and put
my toy days together, they were like, all right, great,
uh sitting an agent and I was like, I'll sing
you the agent, but I'm renting the theaters. And even
then it was like what I was like, Yeah, but
(39:52):
uh again it goes back to Irby's till I step
out in faith. That's another way I mean stewing in
my gift.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
It's managing.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
Yeah, this is as long as I just stay on
the path that he wants me to be on, I'll
be all right. I literally don't. My prayers are very
open ended. It literally ends and basically have your way.
That's it. I don't have this a bucket two and
two Steve Harvey talks about the life was one of
(40:20):
his one of my favorite verses. Right division making plans
a huge reason. Will run to it, even though it
take a long time, wait for it, for surely to
come into this terrs way for it. It'll come at
to a point in time. This is a fact. You
went through your life trained Jim two hand, touched on
(40:40):
the street in the grass that show. Do you know
what I'm saying? And you stay, stay us to it.
You went to the league, after that, you left, You
went through some things, but you still use your voice.
And here I am today sit with you like it's
easy for me to call you my brother. Because there
was a reason why we met on that sidewalk, on.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
The sidewall, and we was both at a place where
we was looking for more, looking for.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
More, and look at us and ten plus years later
we're talking about our journeys.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Man.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
Yeah, you never know, bro, When I tell you, I'm
so proud of you, man, it blesses me through to
see you all over the world. It blesses me to
see your videos being reposted, retweeted, thank you. Know, to
see your your TikTok videos, to hear people talking about
how phenomenal of a saxophone player you are, Man, it
blesses me because no one would have ever known that
(41:34):
this black man that would stand on the sidewalk had
navigated one of the most traumatic experiences that any child
would have to navigate through.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
It's seeing their parents in a pool of blood. Yeah,
and finding a way to not only just forgive your dad,
but finding a way to take what God has given
you to use it. Brother. And I tell you, brother,
you have inspired me even more today just hearing that
because I didn't know. And that's why I love what
(42:07):
I do with this podcast, because we don't realize that
our life's journey is also someone's healing journey, and it's
how people get healed through sharing our stories. Man, in
this moment, if you can think about a song in
this moment, what would you play Amazing Grace? Yeah, let's
(42:31):
here man, My brother, you're truly annoying it. Man, Thank you.
(43:39):
There's people who are gifted and there's people who are
an knowing it.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
You are both appreciated you, and I pray Man that
as you begin your tour next month, that.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
You experience a different.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
Level of admiration and validation, not because you could at it,
but you get to experience what your kid brings to others.
Speaker 3 (44:08):
Appreciate it. Man, Thanks so much for the interview. Thank
you for inviting me on Man, and stay in contact
with me because I got some friends, as we both
that didn't make it. I'm thirty eight, now you know
what I mean, Like, I got some friends that didn't
make it at thirty eight. Yeah, but we're in and
if we wasn't promised to be here today either, No,
but we both have the stories to share. And you know,
(44:30):
Guy of the plan, so he kept us.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Yeah we are. I want to ask you this one
last question. I always ask every guest man, what is
healing for Chris.
Speaker 3 (44:39):
Mitchell surrendering your life to Christ. It's said, accepting Jesus
your Lord and savor and know that God is the
only way. I said, when you do that, everything in
work and souff out Man. There's not a single story
in the Bible of somebody that's rending themselves in Christ
that didn't make it, that didn't make it now. God
(45:03):
gives a free will. You can choose the other route,
even if you do supposedly surrounding usself to Christ. But
for those that surrender themselves, it's still in that path.
They'll be right, They'll be just fine.
Speaker 2 (45:15):
Many brother, I love you man too. Listen.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
I hope something that was shared today in this interview
with Chris. I don't know what will title this episode.
I know we will come up with something amazing, but
it definitely has been a transformative conversation for me because
I've known this about ten plus years and did not
know the depth of his story. I don't know the
(45:41):
depth of your story, but what I do know is
there is healing on the other side and you have
the power to rewrite a new story. Listen, don't forget
to subscribe to Jess Heal Doctor J. Every Tuesday, we're
bringing new episode. We're bringing guests from all walks of life,
(46:03):
people that are sharing their journey so you can continue
your healing journey and remember, healing is a journey and
wholeness is the destination.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
Until next time, take care.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Just here with Doctor J a production of the Black
Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
Or wherever you listen to your favorite shows
Speaker 1 (46:25):
And you can follow me at King J Barnett on
Instagram and x and follow us on YouTube Just Heal
Doctor J.
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