October 21, 2025 • 22 mins
What happens when the life you built on charm, control, and distraction collapses overnight?
Tweeny Randall’s powerful One80 starts with her growing up in the Sikh culture in Brussels. We slowly hear how the brokenness felt in her family of origin gave root to an identity crisis that made itself known in attention seeking and substance abuse of her own.
As an adult Tweeny would continue this misguided lifestyle, but her world shattered with her mother’s illness. Alcohol came in and a stable marriage went out. In her utter depravity a caring friend’s request for help, an invitation to church, and a message from God directed right at Tweeny begins her journey to Jesus.
Part 1: Learn what Sikhism is and how young Tweeny’s life began to spiral in Brussels, Belgium. Hear how her life spiraled out of control and her invitation to get help from a Stephen Minister, to whom she proclaimed, “I’m not a Christian and I don’t intend to be one!” See how God had other plans and powerfully intervenes in her life. See how she powerfully comes to Jesus in church and the pastor who challenges her to read scripture.
This is an inspiring story for anyone in a troubled marriage, battling addiction, or otherwise seemingly far from God. Press play and be amazed at what God can do.
Helpful links:
Tweeny's Book, Nothing Broken, Nothing Missing
Lion and the Lamb song, Crystal Lewis
Power of a Praying Wife, Stormie Omartian
Alcoholism, where to get help:
Teen Challenge adults too
Focus on the Family addiction resources
Let us know what you thought of the show!
Follow One80 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.
Never miss a One80. Join our email list.
Follow us on Instagram.
Share One80, here's how!
OneWay Ministries
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Announcer (00:02):
Welcome to One80.
Transforming testimonies fromnext door to across the globe.
Be amazed at how God works tobring people to Himself.
Share today's One80 with afriend.
It might be the best news theyhear today.
Tweeny Randall (00:19):
And she would put a spoon and she'd say, chew.
I mean, this is how I handledmy pain.
I honestly do not know how Itook care of my three children.
Margaret Ereneta (00:31):
Tweeny Randall was lost.
The cigarettes and stilettosgal marched into a Stephen
Minister with her world crashingaround her, declaring, "I'm not
a Christian and I don't plan onbeing one!" Well, God might
have had a good laugh becausethat was the beginning of her
total transformation.
(00:51):
Welcome to Tweenies One80 Part1.
There is a lot here.
Just warning you, it's so good.
Tweeny Randall (01:01):
So I was actually born in New Delhi,
India.
When I was 18 months old, wemoved to Brussels, Belgium.
Well, actually, we moved toWashington, DC first, and then
to Brussels, Belgium.
That's why English is my firstlanguage, because a lot of
people wonder why I speak suchgood English, but it was my
first language.
And I grew up in an East Indianreligion called Sikhism.
(01:22):
And Sikhs believe in God.
They believe there is a God andthat all roads lead to God.
So it's this God like up in thesky, but they don't have a name
for him.
In fact, the man that startedSikhism was a Hindu.
He was born in a Hindu family,and his name was Guru Nanak,
(01:44):
N-A-N-A-K.
Margaret Ereneta (01:47):
I love hearing about the different religions
and groups and where God worksto call his people, and so
you'll get to learn aboutSikhism.
Tweeny Randall (01:56):
And I grew up with like a 24 by 24 huge poster
size picture of Guru Nanak.
So a human being framed, youknow, and that's who um we
worshipped.
And he was a man that grew upin a Hindu family and he didn't
like what he saw, so he startedlike what I would call a
philosophy of life.
You know, love one another, bekind to one another, just
(02:19):
basically a philosophy of life,and it became a religion.
So I grew up in a veryspiritual home.
You know, in Belgium, therewasn't a temple.
They met at different people'shomes.
And the service was basicallythis big poster size framed
picture of Guru Nanak, and thentheir holy book that would be in
front of this picture, and theywould fan like a horse hair or
(02:43):
almost something coming out ofit over this book and recite
things.
And everybody would have to taketheir shoes off, and there was
tablecloths on the ground.
You always took your shoes off,you always covered your head,
and you sat down around thisbook and murmured prayers and
listened to the priest that wasleading.
And then afterwards, therewould be a delicious meal that
(03:06):
was made by the hostess, andthat was always my favorite
part.
My parents were very spiritual.
My mother had a uh prayercloset.
I can still remember hearingher praying every morning and
every night.
But again, it was this pictureof this, you know, guru Nanak.
And I think there have beenmany gurus, you know.
So A G-U-R-U means god.
(03:28):
So guru, it means God.
But the Sikhs, you know, theybelieved these men are anointed,
and so they consider them likegods.
There was a big gold banglethey would wear because the
Sikhs were known to be warriors,and they would fight with this
big bangle.
They also had to always covertheir heads.
(03:50):
So my father always wore aturban.
And uh if you see anyone with aturban, they are from the Sikh
religion, and uh you're notsupposed to cut your hair.
That's the reason behind theturban, I believe.
Margaret Ereneta (04:03):
Here's some more fun facts about Sikhs.
The Sikh faith started as farback as the 15th century, and in
stark contrast to Hinduism,there are no classes.
All Sikh men wear a turban tocover their hair.
They don't cut their hair as areflection of accepting God's
will, they say.
And they were way ahead of thehipster man bun curve, according
(04:24):
to Sikh Raphendar Singh.
All Sikhs do share that samelast name, Singh.
The men also carry a dagger torepresent one of their five
articles of faith, which istheir duty to defend the
helpless and fight injustice.
And another thing about Sikhsis they don't smoke cigarettes.
That's why you'll keep hearingthat in Tweeny's story.
To read another awesome formerSikh testimony, check out Sundar
(04:48):
Singh.
We will link him in the shownotes.
Tweeny Randall (04:51):
That's what I mean by empty.
Like I never felt safe orsecure, but I do remember
praying, you know, to the sky.
I I do remember always praying,but there was never a feeling
of security or foundation.
I mean, I just prayed.
It was, you know, that's a wordthat keeps coming to me right
now, is that it just never feltsecure.
(05:13):
It just felt very loose end andwobbly, and just I just went
with it because I didn't knowany better.
I had always heard the name ofJesus.
But what we believed was thathe was a good man that lived, a
human being that lived.
That was how I grew up.
In fact, every Christmas, myparents they bought we had this
(05:35):
fake white Christmas tree, andwe all got gifts, but there was
nothing at all mentioned aboutwhat we were actually
celebrating.
But it was Christmas.
Never went to church growingup.
For me, I think the first time Imight have gone to church was
after I was uh engaged to myhusband.
He was Catholic at the time.
(05:55):
I did not live out my faith.
I just went to the events withmy parents, they had them at
their house, a religious event,but I never lived out my faith.
My faith was not a priority atall.
I never even thought about myfaith, you know.
And as you're gonna hear later,you know, I I just grew up very
empty, you know, drinking,partying, and that's how I lived
(06:17):
my life.
I had no faith, basically.
I grew up in a lot ofconfusion, you know.
Uh on one hand, there was a lotof joy and warmth in my home.
My dad was a diplomat, and so hewas very social.
We had a lot of social eventsat our home, and they had a lot
of friends, but it was alsovery, very dysfunctional because
(06:37):
my dad was an alcoholic, andoftentimes he was violent with
his drinking.
And so after a violent eveningat home, the next day nobody
ever said anything.
There was a lot of silence inthe home.
My mother was on her beddepressed, and no one said a
thing.
We just woke up and had ourbreakfast and went about our
day.
Margaret Ereneta (06:58):
Now you'll start to see what happens with
that fake, happy family cover-upthat alcoholism did and the
effect that it had on Tweeny'slife.
Tweeny Randall (07:07):
So, you know, I grew up with just a lot of
anxiety and fear and worry as alittle girl.
It would always be covered upwith, you know, we traveled a
lot growing up in Brussels,Belgium.
We saw all of Europe, and mydad would get like two weeks off
at a time, and we'd go on thesebeautiful vacations, and you
know, he'd be sober and it wouldbe a wonderful time.
So lots of confusion.
(07:29):
I saw my parents so in love andholding hands and just
lovey-dovey, and then I saw mydad do terrible things to her.
So I grew up just veryconfused.
I would say that I developedunhealthy relationships.
I had two gods, and one was mymom and one was my husband.
And in uh 1999, my world as Iknew it just came crashing down.
(07:54):
My mother was diagnosed withmultiple myeloma, and in 1999
she she passed away, and her andI were very close.
They had moved from Belgiumlike 10 minutes from our house,
and I saw her every single day,and she was truly my best
friend.
And then at the same time, mymarriage fell apart.
Margaret Ereneta (08:14):
Tweeny takes us back to junior high where she
started to spiral into whatbecame alcoholism.
Tweeny Randall (08:23):
Actually, before high school in junior high,
when I was 12 or 13 years old, Ibegan to smoke cigarettes and
drink.
In Belgium, there's a bar atevery corner, and it was legal
at the time to drink as long asyou could reach the counter and
order a drink.
And so that's what everybodydid.
And so I uh began to drink atthe age of 12 or 13, and that's
(08:49):
all we did was party onweekends, you know.
We'd go to different bars, andum, you know, and for some
people they can just maybehandle a beer or two or
whatever, but for me, it wasclearly a problem.
And um, as I moved on to highschool, it became worse.
On top of that, I becameextremely promiscuous, confusing
(09:10):
sex with love and looking forlove in all the wrong places.
And uh, it just spiraled when Igot to college, you know, uh
the freedom that I had.
My life was completely out ofcontrol.
All I was doing was partyingall the time.
I share that because then whenmy mother got sick, my drinking
had become progressively worse.
(09:30):
By the time she passed away, Iwas, I would say I was a
full-fledged alcoholic myself,but I was a closet drinker.
Margaret Ereneta (09:38):
Tweeny goes on to talk about what a functional
alcoholic is, and it gets worsefor Tweeny.
But hold on, it gets reallygood.
Stay with us.
Tweeny Randall (09:49):
People imagine an alcoholic like rolling out of
bed and grabbing a a drink, butit it's not always like that.
I was what I would call afunctional alcoholic, and you
know, did my duties and stuffduring the day, but at nighttime
after the kids were bed.
So by the time she passed away,it was really bad for me and I
(10:09):
did not know how to handle mypain.
And what I did was drink,smoke, and talk on the phone for
hours on end.
Unfortunately, at the same time,my husband decided to leave me.
He told me he didn't love meanymore and that he had found
the love of his life.
I discovered that he was havingan affair and had been having
(10:32):
an affair.
So he left me, and it was verypainful because all three kids,
you know, watched him pack allhis bags and leave, and he had
no intentions of coming back.
I mean, he took everything heowned.
He took books off thebookshelf, he took every shoe.
It wasn't like let me pack afew things and I'll be back.
It was like I'm out of here.
(10:54):
So after my husband moved out,I completely fell apart.
And on top of drinking, smoking,talking on the phone, I
completely stopped eating.
I went down to a size zero,which is uh absolutely not
normal for someone my bodyframe, you know.
And my doctor diagnosed me asmalnutrition, and he said, if
(11:17):
you don't start eating, I'mgonna have to admit you,
Tweenie.
God in his providence, youknow, he had put a dear, dear
neighbor right across the streetfrom me, and she obviously knew
what I was going through, andshe would come over and
literally spoon feed me, and shewould put a spoon and I would
just like that, and she'd say,chew.
(11:39):
I mean, this is how I handled mypain.
My two gods had left me, mymother and my husband.
My mother to death, my husbandto his fantasy world.
And I had no foundation, none.
I honestly do not know how Itook care of my three children.
They were maybe seven, nine,and eleven.
They're all two years apart.
(12:00):
My husband was never a deadbeatdad.
I mean, he always wanted tocome see them and he always was
in their life.
In this time of crises, Iremember crying out to the
darkness.
It could have even been in adrunken stupor, honestly.
Just like, if you exist, revealyourself to me.
Because I just felt like Ididn't know who God was, you
(12:21):
know.
It is amazing how God hadpeople planted in my life
already.
And there was a woman that Iused to work out with, and of
course I'd stopped going to thegym.
I mean, I just really wasdevastated, just completely lost
in my pain.
And one day my doorbell rang,and there she was at my door.
Well, I didn't know she was aborn-again Christian.
(12:42):
She had never told me that.
I just was always drawn to her.
And she showed up at my doorand she uh said, You know,
Tweeny, where have you been?
I haven't seen you.
Well, she took one look at me.
I mean, I was, you know, a sizezero and probably could figure
it out.
And uh, so I invited her in andI told her everything that was
going on.
And she said to me, You needhelp.
(13:04):
And I knew I needed help.
I knew that if I didn't gethelp, I was literally going to
die because I wasn't eating andI was drinking a lot of alcohol.
And I looked at her and I said,I know I need help, but I don't
know what to do.
And she said, Well, my churchhas Stephen ministers.
Margaret Ereneta (13:25):
I need help, but I don't know what to do.
Think about how many peoplemight be in your life right now
that are thinking that, waitingfor you to reach out.
Tweeny Randall (13:34):
They're just people that are trained to help
others in crises.
And this is something we laughabout today, but I literally put
my hands on my hips and I said,I'm not a Christian and I don't
plan on being one.
And she said the best thingbecause she said, You don't have
to be a Christian, they'llstill talk to you.
So then I took a sigh and Isaid, Okay, I can do this.
(13:56):
So she connected me with aStephen minister at a church
that happened to be literally inmy backyard.
And I started meeting myStephen minister, Sherry.
I would say she was Jesus withflesh on, and she would always
welcome me with so much love.
People that know me only as aChristian, I know it's very hard
for them to imagine me likethat, but it's just the power of
(14:19):
Christ, his transforming power.
You know, I was just a very,very worldly person.
Everything was about drinkingand partying.
That was where my joy wasfound.
But I also found joy in theattention I would get from men
because of how I dressed.
I wore stilettos, I wore tightclothes, I wore low-cut tops,
(14:40):
because that gets the attentionof most men.
And that was just theemptiness, you know, that I was
living with.
I had no foundation.
I found joy in, you know, whenI was drunk, or if I was getting
attention from men, or if if wewere out at a bar or something,
you know, flirting.
I mean, it was just totalworldliness, total emptiness.
It's completely lost, you know.
(15:01):
Just that's where I was findingfulfillment.
So the first Stephen Ministermeeting was very painful for me.
I was in a lot of pain.
I was very, very broken.
I had lost my mother just ayear before, and my husband more
recently.
I think it was almost like asoothing balm for me to feel
(15:23):
some hope that there was hope,even though I didn't want to
accept that it was in a Godcalled Jesus.
There was something socomforting in my Stephen
minister, Sherry's words, youknow, when she would talk about
Jesus and who he is and what hehas to offer.
(15:44):
Even though my heart wasn'tready to receive him, there was
something deep, deep in me that,like I said, it was like a
healing balm on a very brokenheart.
And she would always open inprayers and close in prayers,
and she'd talk about Jesus'love.
And something startedhappening, like a stirring is
the best way I can think ofinside of me because I was so,
(16:07):
so broken, you know.
And she encouraged me to startcoming to church there on
Sundays.
So I went very scared.
I would take my three kids withme, and we'd sit up, you know,
way up in the balcony last row.
And I started to reallyresonate with the pastor, you
know, at the time.
It was Pastor Dale Hummel, andhe would say, If you're hurting
(16:29):
right now, I'd like you to standup.
So I would stand up and um thenhe would then he would say, if
anyone near you is standing, putyour hands on them.
I would feel all these hands onme.
(16:49):
I'd look down at my shirt, youknow.
I remember my shirt being likesoaking wet with tears.
But I guess the point I want tomake is I had never experienced
love like this.
You know, like people layinghands on me and praying over me.
And then after service, theywould come up to me and would
ask me, you know, can I get yournumber?
I'd like to call you and seehow you're doing.
(17:10):
And it was like I had neverexperienced love like this.
But I was still really, reallyscared.
And so I kept meeting withSherry and my Stephen minister,
and I kept going to church, butI just I think fear had a grip
on me.
I was just so scared to believethat Jesus was God because I
(17:31):
had heard of Jesus all my life.
Margaret Ereneta (17:34):
So Tweeny is about to have a very powerful
breakthrough where God doesreveal who he is to some extent,
and we will link this song inthe show notes.
Tweeny Randall (17:44):
So it was one Sunday at church, Julie Smith
was singing Lion and the Lamb,and they had a big, huge video
screen, and I remember watchingthe screen and watching the
nails going into Jesus', youknow, wrists.
And um, I had a supernaturalexperience that I know it had to
be this way because God knowsus so intimately, and because of
(18:07):
my fear, I believe he knew whatI needed.
A lot like the Apostle Paul onthe road to Damascus, like the
Lord had to blind him and lethim hear his voice.
Well, that was very similar tomy experience.
It was um not blindness, butall of a sudden, there was like
no one in the whole sanctuary,and there was a light coming
(18:29):
from the video screen, apowerful light that came, and I
heard a voice that said, I loveyou, Tweenie, and I died for
you, not just for everyone inthis room.
And in that moment, I knew,like I knew that Jesus was God
because only he could have seenmy heart.
(18:51):
And only he knew that that wasthe stuff I struggled with.
I would go to church on Sundaysand think, well, yeah, he loves
everybody here.
He died for everybody herebecause they're all Christians.
They all know him.
But for me, it was very, veryhard to believe that he loved
me.
That was a very personal thing.
I always think of the ApostlePaul.
Like I had to be hit on thehead like that for him to get my
(19:13):
attention, for him to prove tome that he is God.
So I ran downstairs, waslooking for Sherry.
I knew, I knew I wanted to givemy life to Christ, but you
know, the devil is very real.
And I found Sherry and I toldher, I said, I know Jesus is
God.
She was very excited and shesaid, Oh, that's great.
Let's say a prayer right now.
Well, the minute she said,let's say a prayer right now,
(19:35):
fear just gripped me.
And I just panicked.
And I said, Oh, no, no, notright now.
I have to go get my kids.
And she said, Oh, they'll beokay.
And I just kept making excuses.
Well, God bless her, becauseshe kept, well, what about
tomorrow?
Can I come over tomorrow?
And oh, no, no, no, tomorrow Igot to do this.
You know, I just had a lot offear.
And then she somehow nailed medown to a date.
(19:59):
I believe it was a Wednesdayfinally, and she came over and
she was very good aboutexplaining to me, you know, uh
what I was about to commit to.
So I would say, you know what,I I gave my life to Jesus Christ
afraid, because even as I heldher hand saying the sinner's
prayer, I was petrified.
(20:22):
I thought, what am I doing?
I'm, you know, but I did it andI just did it afraid.
And uh after we were done, ofcourse, she was ecstatic and she
says, I'll never forget this.
She goes, Let's call PastorDale.
Well, I was like, why do we haveto call Pastor Dale?
This is gonna be a littlesecret I'm gonna keep.
And she says, Oh, sweetie, he'sbeen praying for you.
(20:44):
He's gonna be so happy.
I was so scared.
I was like, what is she doing?
Why do but you know, it was areally good thing to do.
I mean, we need to shout itfrom the rooftop.
I was just really riddled withfear.
So we called Pastor Dale.
Of course, he said a prayerwith me.
He was really elated and sharedin our joy.
After Sherry left my home, Ican remember just being so
(21:08):
scared.
I remember thinking, what haveI done?
I've joined a cult.
I had heard about born-againChristians, and I always thought
they were a cult.
So I got really attacked by theenemy.
I would say, you know, for along time my life didn't change
because the fear was bigger thananything.
(21:28):
And although Sherry, you know,checked on me, I was still
chasing after my husband, stilltrying to get him back, still
drinking, still smoking.
I was just spiraling.
And I called Pastor Dale and Iasked him if I could see him.
I just told him that I wasn'tdoing well.
And he said to me, Are youreading your Bible, Tweenie?
And you know what?
(21:49):
That was something so simple,but no one had really asked me
that question.
And I said, No.
And he said, Do you even have aBible?
And I did.
I had one that my dear friendJessica had given me.
And so he said, I want toencourage you to start reading
Psalms.
And then he said, And I wantyou to join a Bible study.
(22:10):
You need fellowship.
Margaret Ereneta (22:14):
Okay, I warned you this time.
Come back next week forTweeny's Total Transformation
Part 2.
Hear what happens when Tweenyopens her Bible, the sin she is
able to throw off, therestoration that begins in her
and those around her.
All next week.
Announ (22:43):
OneWay Ministries. Exalt Christ, advance His gospel.
Welcome to One80.
Transforming testimonies fromnext door to across the globe.
Be amazed at how God works tobring people to Himself.
Share today's One80 with afriend.
It might be the best news theyhear today.
Tweeny Randall (00:19):
And she would put a spoon and she'd say, chew.
I mean, this is how I handledmy pain.
I honestly do not know how Itook care of my three children.
Margaret Ereneta (00:31):
Tweeny Randall was lost.
The cigarettes and stilettosgal marched into a Stephen
Minister with her world crashingaround her, declaring, "I'm not
a Christian and I don't plan onbeing one!" Well, God might
have had a good laugh becausethat was the beginning of her
total transformation.
(00:51):
Welcome to Tweenies One80 Part1.
There is a lot here.
Just warning you, it's so good.
Tweeny Randall (01:01):
So I was actually born in New Delhi,
India.
When I was 18 months old, wemoved to Brussels, Belgium.
Well, actually, we moved toWashington, DC first, and then
to Brussels, Belgium.
That's why English is my firstlanguage, because a lot of
people wonder why I speak suchgood English, but it was my
first language.
And I grew up in an East Indianreligion called Sikhism.
(01:22):
And Sikhs believe in God.
They believe there is a God andthat all roads lead to God.
So it's this God like up in thesky, but they don't have a name
for him.
In fact, the man that startedSikhism was a Hindu.
He was born in a Hindu family,and his name was Guru Nanak,
(01:44):
N-A-N-A-K.
Margaret Ereneta (01:47):
I love hearing about the different religions
and groups and where God worksto call his people, and so
you'll get to learn aboutSikhism.
Tweeny Randall (01:56):
And I grew up with like a 24 by 24 huge poster
size picture of Guru Nanak.
So a human being framed, youknow, and that's who um we
worshipped.
And he was a man that grew upin a Hindu family and he didn't
like what he saw, so he startedlike what I would call a
philosophy of life.
You know, love one another, bekind to one another, just
(02:19):
basically a philosophy of life,and it became a religion.
So I grew up in a veryspiritual home.
You know, in Belgium, therewasn't a temple.
They met at different people'shomes.
And the service was basicallythis big poster size framed
picture of Guru Nanak, and thentheir holy book that would be in
front of this picture, and theywould fan like a horse hair or
(02:43):
almost something coming out ofit over this book and recite
things.
And everybody would have to taketheir shoes off, and there was
tablecloths on the ground.
You always took your shoes off,you always covered your head,
and you sat down around thisbook and murmured prayers and
listened to the priest that wasleading.
And then afterwards, therewould be a delicious meal that
(03:06):
was made by the hostess, andthat was always my favorite
part.
My parents were very spiritual.
My mother had a uh prayercloset.
I can still remember hearingher praying every morning and
every night.
But again, it was this pictureof this, you know, guru Nanak.
And I think there have beenmany gurus, you know.
So A G-U-R-U means god.
(03:28):
So guru, it means God.
But the Sikhs, you know, theybelieved these men are anointed,
and so they consider them likegods.
There was a big gold banglethey would wear because the
Sikhs were known to be warriors,and they would fight with this
big bangle.
They also had to always covertheir heads.
(03:50):
So my father always wore aturban.
And uh if you see anyone with aturban, they are from the Sikh
religion, and uh you're notsupposed to cut your hair.
That's the reason behind theturban, I believe.
Margaret Ereneta (04:03):
Here's some more fun facts about Sikhs.
The Sikh faith started as farback as the 15th century, and in
stark contrast to Hinduism,there are no classes.
All Sikh men wear a turban tocover their hair.
They don't cut their hair as areflection of accepting God's
will, they say.
And they were way ahead of thehipster man bun curve, according
(04:24):
to Sikh Raphendar Singh.
All Sikhs do share that samelast name, Singh.
The men also carry a dagger torepresent one of their five
articles of faith, which istheir duty to defend the
helpless and fight injustice.
And another thing about Sikhsis they don't smoke cigarettes.
That's why you'll keep hearingthat in Tweeny's story.
To read another awesome formerSikh testimony, check out Sundar
(04:48):
Singh.
We will link him in the shownotes.
Tweeny Randall (04:51):
That's what I mean by empty.
Like I never felt safe orsecure, but I do remember
praying, you know, to the sky.
I I do remember always praying,but there was never a feeling
of security or foundation.
I mean, I just prayed.
It was, you know, that's a wordthat keeps coming to me right
now, is that it just never feltsecure.
(05:13):
It just felt very loose end andwobbly, and just I just went
with it because I didn't knowany better.
I had always heard the name ofJesus.
But what we believed was thathe was a good man that lived, a
human being that lived.
That was how I grew up.
In fact, every Christmas, myparents they bought we had this
(05:35):
fake white Christmas tree, andwe all got gifts, but there was
nothing at all mentioned aboutwhat we were actually
celebrating.
But it was Christmas.
Never went to church growingup.
For me, I think the first time Imight have gone to church was
after I was uh engaged to myhusband.
He was Catholic at the time.
(05:55):
I did not live out my faith.
I just went to the events withmy parents, they had them at
their house, a religious event,but I never lived out my faith.
My faith was not a priority atall.
I never even thought about myfaith, you know.
And as you're gonna hear later,you know, I I just grew up very
empty, you know, drinking,partying, and that's how I lived
(06:17):
my life.
I had no faith, basically.
I grew up in a lot ofconfusion, you know.
Uh on one hand, there was a lotof joy and warmth in my home.
My dad was a diplomat, and so hewas very social.
We had a lot of social eventsat our home, and they had a lot
of friends, but it was alsovery, very dysfunctional because
(06:37):
my dad was an alcoholic, andoftentimes he was violent with
his drinking.
And so after a violent eveningat home, the next day nobody
ever said anything.
There was a lot of silence inthe home.
My mother was on her beddepressed, and no one said a
thing.
We just woke up and had ourbreakfast and went about our
day.
Margaret Ereneta (06:58):
Now you'll start to see what happens with
that fake, happy family cover-upthat alcoholism did and the
effect that it had on Tweeny'slife.
Tweeny Randall (07:07):
So, you know, I grew up with just a lot of
anxiety and fear and worry as alittle girl.
It would always be covered upwith, you know, we traveled a
lot growing up in Brussels,Belgium.
We saw all of Europe, and mydad would get like two weeks off
at a time, and we'd go on thesebeautiful vacations, and you
know, he'd be sober and it wouldbe a wonderful time.
So lots of confusion.
(07:29):
I saw my parents so in love andholding hands and just
lovey-dovey, and then I saw mydad do terrible things to her.
So I grew up just veryconfused.
I would say that I developedunhealthy relationships.
I had two gods, and one was mymom and one was my husband.
And in uh 1999, my world as Iknew it just came crashing down.
(07:54):
My mother was diagnosed withmultiple myeloma, and in 1999
she she passed away, and her andI were very close.
They had moved from Belgiumlike 10 minutes from our house,
and I saw her every single day,and she was truly my best
friend.
And then at the same time, mymarriage fell apart.
Margaret Ereneta (08:14):
Tweeny takes us back to junior high where she
started to spiral into whatbecame alcoholism.
Tweeny Randall (08:23):
Actually, before high school in junior high,
when I was 12 or 13 years old, Ibegan to smoke cigarettes and
drink.
In Belgium, there's a bar atevery corner, and it was legal
at the time to drink as long asyou could reach the counter and
order a drink.
And so that's what everybodydid.
And so I uh began to drink atthe age of 12 or 13, and that's
(08:49):
all we did was party onweekends, you know.
We'd go to different bars, andum, you know, and for some
people they can just maybehandle a beer or two or
whatever, but for me, it wasclearly a problem.
And um, as I moved on to highschool, it became worse.
On top of that, I becameextremely promiscuous, confusing
(09:10):
sex with love and looking forlove in all the wrong places.
And uh, it just spiraled when Igot to college, you know, uh
the freedom that I had.
My life was completely out ofcontrol.
All I was doing was partyingall the time.
I share that because then whenmy mother got sick, my drinking
had become progressively worse.
(09:30):
By the time she passed away, Iwas, I would say I was a
full-fledged alcoholic myself,but I was a closet drinker.
Margaret Ereneta (09:38):
Tweeny goes on to talk about what a functional
alcoholic is, and it gets worsefor Tweeny.
But hold on, it gets reallygood.
Stay with us.
Tweeny Randall (09:49):
People imagine an alcoholic like rolling out of
bed and grabbing a a drink, butit it's not always like that.
I was what I would call afunctional alcoholic, and you
know, did my duties and stuffduring the day, but at nighttime
after the kids were bed.
So by the time she passed away,it was really bad for me and I
(10:09):
did not know how to handle mypain.
And what I did was drink,smoke, and talk on the phone for
hours on end.
Unfortunately, at the same time,my husband decided to leave me.
He told me he didn't love meanymore and that he had found
the love of his life.
I discovered that he was havingan affair and had been having
(10:32):
an affair.
So he left me, and it was verypainful because all three kids,
you know, watched him pack allhis bags and leave, and he had
no intentions of coming back.
I mean, he took everything heowned.
He took books off thebookshelf, he took every shoe.
It wasn't like let me pack afew things and I'll be back.
It was like I'm out of here.
(10:54):
So after my husband moved out,I completely fell apart.
And on top of drinking, smoking,talking on the phone, I
completely stopped eating.
I went down to a size zero,which is uh absolutely not
normal for someone my bodyframe, you know.
And my doctor diagnosed me asmalnutrition, and he said, if
(11:17):
you don't start eating, I'mgonna have to admit you,
Tweenie.
God in his providence, youknow, he had put a dear, dear
neighbor right across the streetfrom me, and she obviously knew
what I was going through, andshe would come over and
literally spoon feed me, and shewould put a spoon and I would
just like that, and she'd say,chew.
(11:39):
I mean, this is how I handled mypain.
My two gods had left me, mymother and my husband.
My mother to death, my husbandto his fantasy world.
And I had no foundation, none.
I honestly do not know how Itook care of my three children.
They were maybe seven, nine,and eleven.
They're all two years apart.
(12:00):
My husband was never a deadbeatdad.
I mean, he always wanted tocome see them and he always was
in their life.
In this time of crises, Iremember crying out to the
darkness.
It could have even been in adrunken stupor, honestly.
Just like, if you exist, revealyourself to me.
Because I just felt like Ididn't know who God was, you
(12:21):
know.
It is amazing how God hadpeople planted in my life
already.
And there was a woman that Iused to work out with, and of
course I'd stopped going to thegym.
I mean, I just really wasdevastated, just completely lost
in my pain.
And one day my doorbell rang,and there she was at my door.
Well, I didn't know she was aborn-again Christian.
(12:42):
She had never told me that.
I just was always drawn to her.
And she showed up at my doorand she uh said, You know,
Tweeny, where have you been?
I haven't seen you.
Well, she took one look at me.
I mean, I was, you know, a sizezero and probably could figure
it out.
And uh, so I invited her in andI told her everything that was
going on.
And she said to me, You needhelp.
(13:04):
And I knew I needed help.
I knew that if I didn't gethelp, I was literally going to
die because I wasn't eating andI was drinking a lot of alcohol.
And I looked at her and I said,I know I need help, but I don't
know what to do.
And she said, Well, my churchhas Stephen ministers.
Margaret Ereneta (13:25):
I need help, but I don't know what to do.
Think about how many peoplemight be in your life right now
that are thinking that, waitingfor you to reach out.
Tweeny Randall (13:34):
They're just people that are trained to help
others in crises.
And this is something we laughabout today, but I literally put
my hands on my hips and I said,I'm not a Christian and I don't
plan on being one.
And she said the best thingbecause she said, You don't have
to be a Christian, they'llstill talk to you.
So then I took a sigh and Isaid, Okay, I can do this.
(13:56):
So she connected me with aStephen minister at a church
that happened to be literally inmy backyard.
And I started meeting myStephen minister, Sherry.
I would say she was Jesus withflesh on, and she would always
welcome me with so much love.
People that know me only as aChristian, I know it's very hard
for them to imagine me likethat, but it's just the power of
(14:19):
Christ, his transforming power.
You know, I was just a very,very worldly person.
Everything was about drinkingand partying.
That was where my joy wasfound.
But I also found joy in theattention I would get from men
because of how I dressed.
I wore stilettos, I wore tightclothes, I wore low-cut tops,
(14:40):
because that gets the attentionof most men.
And that was just theemptiness, you know, that I was
living with.
I had no foundation.
I found joy in, you know, whenI was drunk, or if I was getting
attention from men, or if if wewere out at a bar or something,
you know, flirting.
I mean, it was just totalworldliness, total emptiness.
It's completely lost, you know.
(15:01):
Just that's where I was findingfulfillment.
So the first Stephen Ministermeeting was very painful for me.
I was in a lot of pain.
I was very, very broken.
I had lost my mother just ayear before, and my husband more
recently.
I think it was almost like asoothing balm for me to feel
(15:23):
some hope that there was hope,even though I didn't want to
accept that it was in a Godcalled Jesus.
There was something socomforting in my Stephen
minister, Sherry's words, youknow, when she would talk about
Jesus and who he is and what hehas to offer.
(15:44):
Even though my heart wasn'tready to receive him, there was
something deep, deep in me that,like I said, it was like a
healing balm on a very brokenheart.
And she would always open inprayers and close in prayers,
and she'd talk about Jesus'love.
And something startedhappening, like a stirring is
the best way I can think ofinside of me because I was so,
(16:07):
so broken, you know.
And she encouraged me to startcoming to church there on
Sundays.
So I went very scared.
I would take my three kids withme, and we'd sit up, you know,
way up in the balcony last row.
And I started to reallyresonate with the pastor, you
know, at the time.
It was Pastor Dale Hummel, andhe would say, If you're hurting
(16:29):
right now, I'd like you to standup.
So I would stand up and um thenhe would then he would say, if
anyone near you is standing, putyour hands on them.
I would feel all these hands onme.
(16:49):
I'd look down at my shirt, youknow.
I remember my shirt being likesoaking wet with tears.
But I guess the point I want tomake is I had never experienced
love like this.
You know, like people layinghands on me and praying over me.
And then after service, theywould come up to me and would
ask me, you know, can I get yournumber?
I'd like to call you and seehow you're doing.
(17:10):
And it was like I had neverexperienced love like this.
But I was still really, reallyscared.
And so I kept meeting withSherry and my Stephen minister,
and I kept going to church, butI just I think fear had a grip
on me.
I was just so scared to believethat Jesus was God because I
(17:31):
had heard of Jesus all my life.
Margaret Ereneta (17:34):
So Tweeny is about to have a very powerful
breakthrough where God doesreveal who he is to some extent,
and we will link this song inthe show notes.
Tweeny Randall (17:44):
So it was one Sunday at church, Julie Smith
was singing Lion and the Lamb,and they had a big, huge video
screen, and I remember watchingthe screen and watching the
nails going into Jesus', youknow, wrists.
And um, I had a supernaturalexperience that I know it had to
be this way because God knowsus so intimately, and because of
(18:07):
my fear, I believe he knew whatI needed.
A lot like the Apostle Paul onthe road to Damascus, like the
Lord had to blind him and lethim hear his voice.
Well, that was very similar tomy experience.
It was um not blindness, butall of a sudden, there was like
no one in the whole sanctuary,and there was a light coming
(18:29):
from the video screen, apowerful light that came, and I
heard a voice that said, I loveyou, Tweenie, and I died for
you, not just for everyone inthis room.
And in that moment, I knew,like I knew that Jesus was God
because only he could have seenmy heart.
(18:51):
And only he knew that that wasthe stuff I struggled with.
I would go to church on Sundaysand think, well, yeah, he loves
everybody here.
He died for everybody herebecause they're all Christians.
They all know him.
But for me, it was very, veryhard to believe that he loved
me.
That was a very personal thing.
I always think of the ApostlePaul.
Like I had to be hit on thehead like that for him to get my
(19:13):
attention, for him to prove tome that he is God.
So I ran downstairs, waslooking for Sherry.
I knew, I knew I wanted to givemy life to Christ, but you
know, the devil is very real.
And I found Sherry and I toldher, I said, I know Jesus is
God.
She was very excited and shesaid, Oh, that's great.
Let's say a prayer right now.
Well, the minute she said,let's say a prayer right now,
(19:35):
fear just gripped me.
And I just panicked.
And I said, Oh, no, no, notright now.
I have to go get my kids.
And she said, Oh, they'll beokay.
And I just kept making excuses.
Well, God bless her, becauseshe kept, well, what about
tomorrow?
Can I come over tomorrow?
And oh, no, no, no, tomorrow Igot to do this.
You know, I just had a lot offear.
And then she somehow nailed medown to a date.
(19:59):
I believe it was a Wednesdayfinally, and she came over and
she was very good aboutexplaining to me, you know, uh
what I was about to commit to.
So I would say, you know what,I I gave my life to Jesus Christ
afraid, because even as I heldher hand saying the sinner's
prayer, I was petrified.
(20:22):
I thought, what am I doing?
I'm, you know, but I did it andI just did it afraid.
And uh after we were done, ofcourse, she was ecstatic and she
says, I'll never forget this.
She goes, Let's call PastorDale.
Well, I was like, why do we haveto call Pastor Dale?
This is gonna be a littlesecret I'm gonna keep.
And she says, Oh, sweetie, he'sbeen praying for you.
(20:44):
He's gonna be so happy.
I was so scared.
I was like, what is she doing?
Why do but you know, it was areally good thing to do.
I mean, we need to shout itfrom the rooftop.
I was just really riddled withfear.
So we called Pastor Dale.
Of course, he said a prayerwith me.
He was really elated and sharedin our joy.
After Sherry left my home, Ican remember just being so
(21:08):
scared.
I remember thinking, what haveI done?
I've joined a cult.
I had heard about born-againChristians, and I always thought
they were a cult.
So I got really attacked by theenemy.
I would say, you know, for along time my life didn't change
because the fear was bigger thananything.
(21:28):
And although Sherry, you know,checked on me, I was still
chasing after my husband, stilltrying to get him back, still
drinking, still smoking.
I was just spiraling.
And I called Pastor Dale and Iasked him if I could see him.
I just told him that I wasn'tdoing well.
And he said to me, Are youreading your Bible, Tweenie?
And you know what?
(21:49):
That was something so simple,but no one had really asked me
that question.
And I said, No.
And he said, Do you even have aBible?
And I did.
I had one that my dear friendJessica had given me.
And so he said, I want toencourage you to start reading
Psalms.
And then he said, And I wantyou to join a Bible study.
(22:10):
You need fellowship.
Margaret Ereneta (22:14):
Okay, I warned you this time.
Come back next week forTweeny's Total Transformation
Part 2.
Hear what happens when Tweenyopens her Bible, the sin she is
able to throw off, therestoration that begins in her
and those around her.
All next week.
Announ (22:43):
OneWay Ministries. Exalt Christ, advance His gospel.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com