May 26, 2024 • 59 mins
Have you ever faced a mountain so tall, you thought you'd never see the summit? Javan Smith joins me, Quiana, to share the incredible story of his climb—barber shears in one hand and the Bible in the other. Javan’s testimony is a powerful reminder of what unwavering faith can achieve, from overcoming academic hurdles to finding his calling as a minister. Through his eyes, we witness the true meaning of success, one that's measured not by earthly standards, but by the spiritual growth and blessings that come from a life aligned with Christ's teachings.
Our heartfelt conversation traverses the rocky roads of life's challenges and the toll they take on our journeys. Javan recounts the tale of a distressing incident in his dorm that shook his sense of security but ultimately fortified his faith. It's raw. It's real. It's a testament to how respect, safety, and divine guidance play pivotal roles in navigating the complex dynamics of shared spaces and life's unpredictable twists. And as we explore his profound personal growth, we uncover the strength and grace needed to face each day with determination and faith.
Wrapping up, we look toward the horizon—where faith meets grace—and discuss the delicate dance of balancing conviction with compassion as we grow in Christ. For those beginning their spiritual voyage or seeking a deeper connection, Javan and I share pearls of wisdom on the essence of progressive sanctification, the power of confession, and the joy of truly living "Queued4Christ." This is an episode imbued with inspiration, a beacon for anyone yearning to intertwine their professional life with a higher, more fulfilling purpose. Join us, and let the story of Javan’s dedication light your path.
Our heartfelt conversation traverses the rocky roads of life's challenges and the toll they take on our journeys. Javan recounts the tale of a distressing incident in his dorm that shook his sense of security but ultimately fortified his faith. It's raw. It's real. It's a testament to how respect, safety, and divine guidance play pivotal roles in navigating the complex dynamics of shared spaces and life's unpredictable twists. And as we explore his profound personal growth, we uncover the strength and grace needed to face each day with determination and faith.
Wrapping up, we look toward the horizon—where faith meets grace—and discuss the delicate dance of balancing conviction with compassion as we grow in Christ. For those beginning their spiritual voyage or seeking a deeper connection, Javan and I share pearls of wisdom on the essence of progressive sanctification, the power of confession, and the joy of truly living "Queued4Christ." This is an episode imbued with inspiration, a beacon for anyone yearning to intertwine their professional life with a higher, more fulfilling purpose. Join us, and let the story of Javan’s dedication light your path.
www.Queued4Christ.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2Vq5bN9L1IxHmN_9ZLSfw
🌟 **Exciting News! My Book is Now Available on Amazon 🌟Hey everyone! I’m thrilled to announce that my book, *Why Not Me: Blueprint From Brokenness to Breakthrough* is now available!!!
🎉In *Why Not Me*, you will embark on a journey through my full #successonpurpose story and how the framework Q.U.E.U.E.D came about. Whether you’re passionate about podcasting, eager to your own breakthrough or simply love a good read, this book has something for everyone.
💡 **What You’ll Discover:**
- Insightful Information about the acronym QUEUED
- Captivating stories about how I overcame obstacles!
- Practical advice on how to live a successful life on purpose
📚 **How to Order:**Simply click on the link below ⬇️ to secure your copy today: https://www.queued4christ.com/why-not-me
Thank you for your incredible support, and I can’t wait for you to read *Why Not Me: Blueprint From Brokenness to Breakthrough* #preordernow #newbook #1stbook #booklaunch #newauthor #successonpurpose #queued4christ #podcastlife #podcaster
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Hey, hey, hey everyone, this is Kiana, your
creator and your host of Q forChrist, and I want to say thank
you, thank you to everyone thathas liked, you shared, you
commented, whatever you've done.
I'm so excited and I'm sothankful.
This is something that I don'ttake kindly.
(00:45):
This is something that God hascalled me and I take it very
serious.
So I'm excited.
I'm excited what you have done,okay.
So anyways, as you know, I havebeen speaking with individuals
that are successful on purpose,and we're not talking about
success by money, cars and fame.
We're talking about the successby the backing of God.
(01:07):
They have taken Habakkuk 2 and2, and they have wrote the
vision, made it plain, and theyare being consistent about their
calling.
So today, I'm so excited, I'mso excited to have on this on Q
for Christ.
Mr Javon Smith, how are youtoday?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I'm good, I'm good.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
That is so exciting.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Look at that, look at that smile.
Y'all I'm telling you his smileis infectious.
Okay, I'm so excited that youare here and I want to tell
people a little bit about how Iencountered you.
I was at our Change YouthExplosion and he was telling his
(01:57):
story and God was just prickingme in my heart and I said and
the thing about it, I didn'teven know how to find you.
I it, I wasn't, I was justgonna let it go.
But when they put your yourlittle clip up, said, oh my god,
I gotta reach out to himbecause I had even forgotten
your name.
I ain't even gonna tell nostory, I hadn't even forgotten
(02:19):
your name, I just knew yourstory was so incredible, and so
I just want to say thank you forbeing here, okay.
So, anyways, I'm going to say aquick prayer and then we're
going to go right into theinterview.
(02:39):
The message is going to be amessage because it's going to
touch somebody, okay.
So, anyways, it's going to be amessage because it's going to
touch somebody.
Okay, so anyways so, dearheavenly father, we come to you.
First we want to say thank you.
Thank you for this time thatyou have carved out for us to be
able to speak tonight.
God, we want to be able toimpact someone, and so we thank
(03:00):
you now for allowing us to behere.
God, we thank you now because weknow that you have set us
together, and we want to saythank you.
We know that the enemy comes tosteal, kill or destroy, but you
are the giver of life, and sowe thank you now for life on
today.
We thank you now for just yourstrength and your peace and
(03:22):
everything that you have givenus, god, we do not take it for
granted, god, and so we thankyou now for even being able to
say that you are God and you areLord, and so we just want to
give your name to praise God.
Go with his house, god, go withhis blessing.
God, touch his hands that hewill be able to be prospered in
you, god, and so we thank younow.
(03:43):
We love you, god.
We ask you to hide us behindthe cross.
God, allow people to see you inour interview, and so we thank
you.
We love you, we honor you, wecherish you.
It's in Jesus' name that I pray.
Amen, amen, amen oh my goodness.
(04:04):
I'm so excited to have you here.
I would just want you to justkind of introduce yourself.
Let everyone know who JavonSmith is who am I?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I am a barber.
I'm a barber.
I've been a barber for eightyears now.
I went to ministry school tobecome a pastor.
What else?
I consider myself a fourthgeneration minister.
You know, I might not operatein ministry as a vocation in
this season of my life, but Iknow what I'm called to do, you
(04:45):
know what I'm saying, and sothat's who I am.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
So yeah, hey, I don't know, you had Look, that's why
you almost had to crowd up honey.
You was, you was, I'm tellingyou, you were on fire and I and
I was like wow, like that was soamazing, man.
Now it's crazy, it's done.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yeah.
So for me, like if you don'tknow me, if you never met me,
you would never know I struggledwith being on a platform and it
was something that I really hadto give to God, and every time
I do get on a platform, I makesure I pray and I say, god, let
it not be me speaking, but youdo me, because I want him to
talk to the Lord.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Right, and that's so important because you know with
me, I struggle with it too.
I mean with being in front ofpeople.
I can sing in front of peopleand not be as bad, but when I go
to talk in front of people I'llbe like, oh, but that's where
(05:48):
God want us, because, yeah, youknow, I think I remember um
Pastor Sarah when she had got onthere one day and she was
talking about her nerves and shejust want to feel gotten.
She'd be ungotten and you know,we have to trust that the Holy
Spirit is going to speak throughus, because that's where he
(06:08):
want us to be.
And so, you know, I just I wantto encourage you to walk in
that Like seriously, because youwere the Holy Spirit.
I can tell the Holy Spirit wasall over you.
So, anyway, that's just myopinion all over you.
(06:34):
So, anyway, that's just myopinion.
So, um, anyways, I just want to, um, just ask, like in your
barbering, um, what cued you?
What quickened you to just say,um, I want to do barbering?
I know I remember you weretelling a story that you started
in high school and I mean, wow,that's amazing.
So what quicken you to say Ijust want to cut hair?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
So, honestly, this is crazy.
So I feel like my friends wouldprophesy that over me, and what
I meant by that is they wouldbe like oh Devane, you know so
much about hair, you know somuch about this, that or
whatever.
You should consider being abarber.
And I said, oh, there's no way.
And so what ended up happeningis a year later.
(07:20):
I'm talking about me in thatway Because I said me and my
friends.
We used said me and my friends,I used to give each other I
will.
I used to give them texturizers, because you know that was a
thing back in the day.
So and you ain't that old, holdup, you are not that old, my god
that's so funny, um, but yeah,and so a year later I um went to
(07:47):
the barber and he messed up myhair like horribly and I was
like man.
I was like this is pretty badand I didn't want to go back to
him.
I was just like this is justI'm done you know what I mean,
right and I remember me and mydad.
We went to Sally's.
You know Sally's Beauty Supply.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
And we went there and we went to go pick up something
for my mom and I saw theseclippers that were on sale.
They're clippers that areusually like $150, but they were
on sale for $30.
And the only reason, the reasonwhy they were on sale, was
solely off this one reason theywere leopard print and nobody
would buy them, and so Childhood.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I get some leopard skin for that price.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Right.
And so I told my dad, I saidyou should buy me these clippers
.
And he was like, why do youwant these clippers?
I said.
I said I'm going to use them.
And he was like for what?
He was like you don't need, youdon't need clippers, I said.
I said trust me If you buy.
How about this?
I said if, said okay, he boughtthem, went home, put some
(09:11):
clippers on my brother's head,messed them up, got them
confiscated immediately, and soI had to talk him back into
giving it to me how confiscated.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
He was like you was in jail.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I'm in jail, I got to give it up.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
He was like you was in jail, I'm in jail, I got to
give it up.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
I'm sorry, god, he was mad because my brother had
to go to church the next morningwith a bald spot on his head.
He said you got me lookingcrazy.
I was like dude.
And so I was like chill, it'sokay, it was my first time.
And so he gave them back to meand I tried like chill, it's
okay, it was my first time.
And so he gave them back to meand I tried to cut myself.
(09:48):
It didn't work out and I saidokay, how about this?
I said maybe if I mastersomeone else's hair, maybe I can
cut myself better.
And so I started.
I let one of my friends know.
I said, hey, you should let mestart cutting your hair Next
thing.
You know I'm cutting the wholeentire school because my hair
(10:08):
gets high.
Gotten that good.
And so yeah, that you know.
It fell into my lap.
It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Right and see the thing about it.
Sometimes we have to fail a fewtimes in order to get it right.
A few times in order to get itright Because you know some
people don't realize that howelse you going to learn if you
don't feel you know and we don't?
We don't fall backwards, wefall forward, meaning that
(10:38):
that's how you were able to moveforward and to learn more.
You know, and I don't just sithere thinking about that, boss,
but I probably would have beenlike you're dead, I would be
like no, no, but I'm, I'm, I'm,I'm so glad that you were able
to continue on doing that.
(10:59):
Um, because now look at you,you know, and, and that's
amazing right there and that'sone of the examples that I'm
saying is that when you stick towhat God has called you,
because not only is barbering isto help people, but it's also a
(11:20):
ministry because it helps boostpeople's energy, but it's also
a ministry because it helpedboost people energy, I mean they
ego and boost everything else,because I know when people get a
fresh haircut, they just be.
You can't tell them.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
They act different, they act different and act up.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Right, and so that's amazing.
So did you have to unite withsomeone that to help you show
you the ropes, or was it justlike you kind of had that inside
gift that God had given you?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
You know, what's interesting is, I'm self-taught
Barbara.
I'm actually I'm self-taughtBarbara, I'm actually I'm
self-taught.
But not just that, I still wentto school for it.
But this is how watch this,watch how that works.
I was so good that my teacher,my Barbara instructor, had me
teach the class, wow, and shewould trust me to educate the
(12:21):
students.
And you know, it's crazy.
Like I don't want to want, Idon't know if I have time to get
into it, but like I didn't eventhink I was gonna go that far
into barbering, like like oncethat you know the whole story,
you know, of my breakthrough, um, and then Morehouse and all
these different things, um,there was a big shift that
(12:44):
happened in my life.
It was massive and I don't knowif you want to get into it.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Go into it.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Go into it Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Yes, so you want me to start?
Do you want me to tell thestory, or do you want me to meet
you or do like a, almost like a?
It's a long story, but I canquicken the story that you, that
I shared and you heard, um, andgive you the after, because the
after I didn't share it, butbecause I needed them to see
(13:14):
that pivotal moment in my life.
But then after it just got evencrazier, like it just got crazy
.
Hey, I'm here for it, trust me,it just got crazier.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Hey, I'm here for it.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Trust me.
So so the story that she knows,I'll quicken it for you guys.
I failed 10 classes and with mefailing these 10 classes, I had
gone to 11 different schoolsand I had got to my senior year
and I wasn't going and I wasn'tgoing to graduate.
I was in a bad position and youknow the things that you know
(13:52):
the things that one insecuritiescaused me to get to that place.
Because I had gone to 11 schools, I never was able to have
friends, and so I allowedfellowship really to become an
idol, and what ended uphappening is I put fellowship
before work, and because of thatI put fellowship before work, I
I failed.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I failed, and that's what happened.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And sometimes, and I think I think loving people is
good and relationships are good,but I think sometimes I
remember when God sharedsomething to me, um, in our
relationship, uh, he said hesaid don't let your love
paralyze your purpose.
And I think some, and I thinksometimes we allow the love that
(14:39):
we have for people to make usget paralyzed, that we don't
move, we're so focused on thatlove that we just are stuck in
this position, focused on thewrong thing.
And so for me, that love offellowship became my God and I
got lost in it.
And so I got to my senior yearI was in a position where my
(15:03):
classmates they're applying fordifferent schools, et cetera.
I want to get in on this fun.
I'm like, hey, I'm like I'mgoing to fly at Morehouse, even
though I failed 10 classes.
So I know I'm crazy for doingit and you know it's crazy.
I didn't.
I don't think I shared this, um, but like when they sent me
that letter saying that I didnot get in, I cried like a baby,
(15:25):
like I didn't know like I knewI wasn't getting in, but I sat
there crying like I didn't.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
That is so.
Look, that is so.
People you know what I'm saying, because people, they know the
consequences and that is likeyou.
I can just say people speedingand they get pulled over and now
you know you're doing 150 andyou, now you want to sit up here
and cry.
Don't cry, you, you know whatyou were doing wrong.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
You knew what you did wow, and so you know the next
day.
Uh, they said, so, did you getin?
Because I told people, becausemy parents shared with me that I
had got that letter in the mail, and I said, oh, I got in.
I told everybody I got in.
I was lying.
(16:15):
I was lying, but let me tellyou something, even though I
prophylied, you know, we'll putsomething on everything I
prophylied.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Did it?
Yes, I did, but it came true,right, right.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
It came true, and so I ended up reaching out to
Morehouse and I bargained withthem because I said, hey, like
y'all gotta let me and we gottado something like help me out
here.
They said no, they said applynext year.
And I'm just like, oh my god,I'm so embarrassed because
everybody thinks I'm going toMorehouse.
(17:02):
Wow they.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
And they're going to find out I'm not going.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
And so I told them.
I said, hey, I understand, butI know that I have eight more
classes remaining that I needalready failed and the classes
that I need to finish for theremainder of the year.
Will you let me in?
They said it wasn't.
(17:33):
They said because of your trackrecord it was unlikely.
But good luck.
And you know, I think a lot oftimes people don't realize that
you can trap yourself in yourown storm.
But sometimes, even in themidst of that storm, you have to
(17:54):
change the way you see it.
And in the way I had to, what Ihad to do was I had to change
the way I think and I had tochange the way I thought about
myself.
You have to be transformed bythe renewal of your mind.
And if I'm going to put on thatmind of Christ, what did that
look like?
That required for me to havefaith.
And so, in that same faith, Isaid, okay, I feel this pressure
(18:20):
.
What do I do?
I lean on the word the Biblesays.
Though I'm pressed on every side, I will not be crushed my god
and, and the thing is you haveto understand, I'm gonna feel
that pressure.
It's uncomfortable, it does notfeel good, but god, you're
still with me.
When the disciples were on thatboat, they felt discomfort.
(18:42):
Jesus said why are you scared?
Why have little faith?
And the thing is he didn't sayit in a mean way, he just said
it because he genuinely cared.
Why are you scared?
I'm here, I'm about to walkthrough this with you.
You don't even understand.
They about to obey me.
You know what I'm saying.
(19:03):
He says I'm about to take over,because the Bible also says the
Holy Spirit does the work in youas well.
The thing is, god gives ussupport.
And so the thing is guess what?
I'm over here stressing out I'mhaving faith, but guess what
God's doing for me?
He's changing the way I thinkfor me, he's helping me out.
He's giving me that boost thatI need.
(19:24):
Amen, I passed all my classesand I sent my transcript to
Morehouse and I got intoMorehouse College you don't know
how this is blessing me.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
This is blessing me so much.
I'm sitting here like, and Iheard it, but it's blessing me
so much because know even whereI am in life is like God is with
you.
So why are you stressing Likethat, just right there, just
blessed me.
So, anyways, go on, go on withyour story.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
So now we're in the season where I'm walking into my
house and it's like all chaosbreaks loose once I enter the
space.
And so what ended up happeningwas what they did was they said,
hey, we're going to let you goto the school, but I didn't tell
(20:21):
this part of the story.
They said on one condition youhave to get through the summer
program with all the honorsstudents and do an 18-week
course, do four courses that are18 weeks long, compressed into
six weeks, and we're going tosee if you can compete with them
(20:42):
.
If you can and you pass allthese classes, then we'll let
you win.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
So I got in unofficially.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
I have one more step, but let me tell you those were
the hardest weeks of my life.
But that's the thing about God.
You know, I talked about James1, consider it pure joy.
My brothers and sisters, whenyou face trials of any kind, let
perseverance do its work in you.
That way you're complete,perfect, lacking nothing.
(21:12):
The thing is, you have to letperseverance do its way in you.
When I went through that seasonin high school where I had to
persevere through the pressure,the thing about it is it's doing
its work in me.
That is making me perfect.
Why?
Because even though I'm in thisdiscomfort, I'm comfortable.
I'm comfortable with discomfort.
And if I'm comfortable withdiscomfort, that means if I feel
(21:34):
this discomfort again, I willbe okay, because I understand on
the other side of it, I'm goingto be complete.
You get what I'm saying and sobecause of that, I said okay,
let's take this same faith intothis season.
And guess what happened?
God brought me through thestorm again.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
And I officially got into Morehouse College.
That's what's bad.
Look, that devil tried rightand he thought that you would
have gave up and man over herelike rejoicing with you, like it
just happened yesterday.
I'm so excited, that's excitingfor me.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
So do you want to keep going?
Yes, honey, I've been enjoyingthis.
I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
That's exciting for me.
So do you want to keep going?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Yes, honey, I've been enjoying this.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
I'm not worried.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
So this is where it took a big turn for me and this
is when I felt like it was onestorm after another.
But God was really trying toperfect my faith and he was
doing a massive shift in my life.
He had to crush me, and so whenI was at Morehouse my first
(22:48):
week cutting hair, it was youknow, I'm cutting in the school
bathroom $7 a cut.
I say, let me go up on myprices and I'm going to tell
everyone on campus that I'm abarber.
When I got an official thatfirst week my first week at
Morehouse I made $1,500 cut inhere as a college student.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
My gosh when they do that.
I'm sorry, wait a minute.
I don't think people do thatnowadays, not first week.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Wow, that's amazing and I was like wow, and it won't
start coming to me.
But what ended up happening isI accumulated a group of people
who, um, who were veryinterested in what I was doing,
and they saw the traffic thatwas coming into the, so I would
(23:44):
cut in the bathroom.
So we had a what's the word?
A community bathroom, and sothat first week I'm not going to
lie I can take completeownership.
I wasn't being as cleanly as Ineeded to be in the bathroom,
because it's a shared space, andso it was a lot of commotion
(24:06):
and people were upset because Imean, you could imagine, if I'm
making fifteen hundred dollars,I'm made.
I'm cutting lots of peopleright and so.
And so I was like, okay, I saidI don't know how I'm going to
become clean, but I'll figureout how to create a system.
And so they had a forum meeting.
They said, hey, you guys needto talk to your brother and tell
(24:27):
him he needs to get together orwe're going to have problems.
So everyone was mad at me,upset, and so I said, hey, I
said I'm going to take ownership.
This is my fault.
I'm going to take ownership,this is my fault.
I'm going to go get a broom,dustpan, lysol, everything I
need so that way, every singleday, after I'm done um cutting
hair in the bathroom, that wehave a clean shared space.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
That's what I did.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
So I wanted to honor them and I wanted to be
respectful.
It was a great moment.
Everyone cheered me on becausewe did a forward, said thank you
for doing that for us and beingrespectful because I could have
, because some people aren'tthat.
Uh, people are prideful peoplewho, like I, do what I want you
know, right, right.
So, um, a weird thing happened.
(25:09):
Um, a couple weird thingshappened, but I'll tell you the
main weird thing that happened.
I came back, um, I came back my.
I went to go visit my familyfor the weekend and I came back
to my room.
This is like my.
This is my third week, my thirdweek at Morehouse, and my
(25:34):
dustpan and my broom and mystuff is gone from my room.
I have a roommate, so I askedhim I said hey, where'd my stuff
go?
He says I don't know.
Ask your brother.
Across the hall I said did yougive it to him?
He says I don't know, ask him.
And I said well, this is aweird interaction.
Let me go ask him.
I don't understand what's goingon.
(25:57):
Went to go ask him.
I don't understand what's goingon went to go ask the other guy
.
He says I don't know.
And I said are y'all playingwith me?
And so I'm trying to figure outwhat's happening here.
I said I need to clean thebathroom.
I just got that cut of hair.
They're not listening to me,they're.
They're all playing this game.
I said y'all do understand, ifyou don't give me the broom, I
(26:18):
can't clean the bathroom rightand so they're like I don't know
where it is.
I said okay, so I left the hairin the bathroom.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
I was like I mean, what else you guys do with your
hair?
Speaker 2 (26:33):
right, and so I'm like, I'm like there's nothing
for me to do and so thank Godone of the cleaning specialists
that came in.
They cleaned the bathroom duringthat hour.
So I was glad that that wascleaned up.
But I was just like that'sweird, I need a broom.
I asked the next day.
(26:54):
They didn't do it, so I endedup leaving a hair in the
bathroom again.
But I said you know what, Letme at least scoot it under the
sink.
So I scooted it under the sinkwith my feet because I wanted to
respect other people whoweren't acting funny.
Now I forgot to mention over thecourse of these three weeks.
There are a few individuals whoconsistently ask me how much
money did you make this week?
How many heads did you cuttoday?
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Okay, so I'm naive.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
I'm a very nice person.
I'm like, oh, I did this.
This is crazy.
You know I'm blessed.
I don't know how this happened.
You know this is growing for mybusiness.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
It's great, Mind you.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
I still don't want to be a barber, and so what ended
up happening was I leave thehair in the bathroom and the
janitor, um, he comes in.
He was coming in.
He said hey, don't worry aboutit.
Um, this is our day.
He cut it and he said I'llclean it up.
I said I'm gonna go get anotherblue and dust pan.
Um, uh, this friday when I goto walmart.
(27:50):
And um, he was like, yeah, Igot you, I hope you out.
I said thank you so much.
I appreciate, appreciate you.
And so I'm having all this issuewith my people on my floor and
I'm just like this is just crazy.
And so this is when everythingmade a weird turn.
So, that Thursday no, thatWednesday I had went to go to
(28:11):
Georgia state to go cut hair forsome other students, cause I
had got so big Wow, people atthe other schools wanted me to
cut their hair, and so I'm likethis is crazy, and so what ended
up happening?
Um was I, uh, I was gone thatnight and they had a floor
meeting without me, apparently,and there was some.
(28:31):
There were the.
RAs mentioned something that wasa consequence for all the
people on the floor, for meleaving hair in the bathroom
that was not shared with me.
Wow, so what ended up happeningis that thursday I cut from 8
am to 12 am oh, wow because Iwas like one day I didn't have
(28:52):
class isn't that crazy.
So I had nowhere to put all thishair, so I just scooted it
under the sink and I said I'mgoing to sleep because the next
day, that Friday, I'm going topick up my broom.
True story.
I'm asleep in my bed.
(29:13):
It's 2 like 11 am.
I'm in deep sleep.
You can imagine, after a longday.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Start to feel like I'm being lifted off the ground,
and so I'm like what the heck?
I'm actually being lifted bysix individuals.
What they bring me into thehallway and I'm like being
lifted by six individuals, whatthey bring me into the hallway
and I'm like what?
(29:42):
They lift me up in the air andthey drop me on my head and I
knock out on the ground.
I'm knocked out on the groundand I'm not blacked out for
probably a solid minute or two.
And as I'm waking up, I seeflashlights.
They turn all the lights off inthe hallway and what ended up
(30:03):
happening was, when I started towake up, they said take his
shirt off, take his shirt off.
And so they're taking my shirtoff.
I'm like stop, stop, please.
What are you doing?
And I'm like I'm stuck becauseI'm like I feel like I'm
paralyzed because I got hit myhead really hard right, and I'm
like stop, please stop.
And they're taking my shirt off.
(30:23):
They said, flip them on andstuff.
They took bottles of gorillaglue and squeezed it and poured
it all down my back.
Wow, they dumped out all thehair in the hallways and they
dragged me across the hallspicking, using me as a room to
pick up the hair, attaching itto my back.
(30:44):
That is so awful and they'rehitting me and they're like, and
then they just throw my body tothe side and they just run and
they're wearing masks and I'mlike, and I'm like I'm stuck.
(31:09):
I'm trying to get up.
I go to the bathroom, I look inthe mirror, I'm just looking at
myself and I'm like there'sjust no way this is real.
Wow, my head is pounding.
I have a really.
I have a really glow on my back, with everyone's hair that I
cut for that day attached to me.
Wow, and I was like, oh my God,this is crazy.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
And I'm livid.
Then I find myself um atknocking on doors.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
I said who did it?
Who did it?
They're like I don on doors.
I said who did it?
Who did it?
They're like I don't know, Idon't know.
I said don't play these gameswith me.
I said who did this?
And I remembered hearing thedoor shut when I ran down and it
was six guys in a room and theysaid we don't know what you're
talking about.
And I approached them about itand I knew it was them.
I said why did you do that?
They said you're not going todo nothing.
(31:57):
You think you're big shot.
You think you're big shot.
And I said bro, what are youtalking about?
Oh, you got money.
Huh, you got money.
I said, bro, what does thishave to do with anything?
I said why did you do that?
You put Gorilla Glue on my backand attached everyone's hair to
it and they said we don't care.
(32:19):
They said they said.
And I said I said, bro, you'renot right.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
I said I don't know why y'all would do that to me.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
I said you dropped me on my head.
You do this, this, this, theysaid.
Well, they said that if thehair wasn't cleaned up in the
bathroom we would all get fined$500 a piece.
On the floor, I said but youdid not lead with that, right,
there's an issue here.
He said so what you going to do?
(32:46):
And they all got up and theycornered me in the hallway and
said fight me, fight me.
And I said I'm not going tofight you because the moment I
said I worked too hard to getinto this school.
There's a violence policy, andthe moment I lay hands on you
will be the day I lose theopportunity that I've got.
(33:08):
And they didn't fight me.
They said okay, said things outof my name and, uh, walked off,
got me out of my name inmultiple ways, wow.
And then next day they end upcalling the ambulance because my
(33:29):
head was pounding.
Come to find out I had aconcussion wow, wow it was
severe and I find this so crazybecause I'm like this is my
third week.
It was so severe that Icouldn't even do my work online.
Wow, I felt like I was delayedand.
(33:50):
I'm like, oh, but it's.
I said God, why are you doingthis?
And so I found myself in aplace where I started to lack
belief.
I started to find myselfhanging out with friends, I
started smoking, I startedturning up with them.
All the time I'm like I'moutside of myself, right,
(34:13):
because I'm coping, because Idon't know what to do, and so
what I did was bring it back tofellowship.
And it became my God again.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
My goodness.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
And I said God, what is going on?
And I remember true story, thisis amazing.
So this is like on the tail endof the semester, I'm like God,
I'm having a struggle in thisschool, I'm dealing with this.
(34:51):
And I remember I was at thisclub with my friends and I was
smoking in the club and, truestory, we had just walked in, I
felt like I had just smoked andin a moment I felt like I heard
God audibly for the first timein my life.
It was so loud.
It was so loud.
(35:16):
And he said why are you here?
And I looked, I turned my headand I was like and nobody was
there and I was like huh.
And then I heard I don'tbelieve in anything in this room
(35:40):
, nor do you.
Wow.
And I was like wow.
And I said, okay, I know thisis God Right, because I came
here to have fun.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
And it just disrupted my spirit immediately and
that's how God do, Because Icame there to have fun and it
just disrupted my spiritimmediately and that's how God
do.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
And because I literally look around, I see
drugs, I see people drunk out oftheir mind, I see all this
crazy stuff.
I'm like, why am I here?
And I said, god and I'm on mykitchen, I'm in the club.
And I said God and I'm on mykitchen, I'm in the club.
(36:22):
And I said, god, take the veiloff my eyes and just really show
me who you are.
I told my friends.
I said hey guys.
I said let's leave.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
They said we just got here bro.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Let's go.
I'm like guys, let's leave.
Got food, I went back to campus, I put on my headphones and I
walked around campus and I justprayed and I prayed every day to
the last day of school and me,fasting and praying, god told me
(37:00):
to leave more house.
Wow, and I'm like, oh, my god,you're confusing me.
I was like why?
why, did you?
Let me tell me if you want meto leave and this is a small
little nugget just to show youlike you got to be careful with
(37:23):
certain things and I remember myfather sent me a um message
because he was like I don't know, maybe I don't.
He was like I don't know ifyou're supposed to leave.
I said why would you be, whywould god?
I'm like, I'm telling you, Ifeel like I don't want me here.
He's like are you sure he sentme this message?
He said this is would you be?
Why would God?
I'm like, I'm telling you, Ifeel like I don't want you here.
He's like are you sure he sentme this message?
He said this is for you.
I think I watched the message.
(37:45):
I cried about it.
He was talking about you needto stay where you are, you need
to stay in the famine, you needto stay where trouble has lurked
and it has grabbed you.
But this is not the end.
True story.
You're going to think this iscrazy, I said.
I cried my eyes out.
So this message was for me.
I got to stay at Morehouse, allthat stuff.
(38:05):
That night God gave me a dream.
Wow, he gave me a dream and inmy dream, my Morehouse brothers
are waking me up out of my sleepand they said get up, get up,
get up, get up.
We're all running on this run,we're jogging.
You hear these police sirensand they're like run.
(38:27):
Everyone starts sprinting.
I trip and I tumble down a hill.
I was tumbling, I was tumbling,I was tumbling.
I tumbled into a building andit was the church.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
Wow, wow.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
And I was like, and I was like okay, god wants me to
leave and go to ministry school.
Wow, I said I know that's whathe was saying and and this is a
small message that God gave mehe told me not every message is
for you.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
I think you need to say that one more time, because
a lot of people will think thatevery message is for them.
But you have to know, when youhave the spirit, the holy spirit
, and you have the spirit ofdiscernment and god, you can
hear god's voice.
Because we, we all know that mysheep knows my voice and, and
(39:29):
so when God told you in thebeginning and said, hey, it's
time for you to go and for himto man, I'm here for it.
I'm here for it.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
And so he said not every message is for you.
And I was like man, and in thatmoment I learned that it was a
learning lesson, because even menow, in my own life, when I
hear a sermon, I pray about itand I say God, is this for me?
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Right.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Because I don't need to.
If God is planting me somewhere, I don't need to go out of
somewhere Because I had amessage of saying come out of a
space and it wasn't for me.
Right, you know what I mean.
That's how you leave a spaceprematurely or at the wrong time
.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Right.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
And so I left and I went to ministry school.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
That is so, and I went to ministry school.
That is so amazing.
And you know what I'm moreexcited for you now, knowing
that you are a young man thathas experienced.
I mean, not only you know, likeyou said you prophesied but you
(40:51):
got to where you were, but youwent through this whole
transformation in just a shorttime to know that God wanted you
into ministry.
And that's amazing, because nowyou are still able to do
ministry and cut hair.
You are still able to doministry and cut hair.
And so you know, and the thingabout it, we have to understand
(41:16):
that God takes us throughcertain things.
And even though you know youwent through that jealousy
period where they were basicallyjealous of you.
That wasn't them, but the enemyright there that was trying to
stop you from your purpose, butit also pushed you there, if
that makes any sense.
Because if you hadn't have gonethrough that, just think where
(41:41):
you might be.
You might still be at Morehouseand not in the ministry where
God really wanted to get you to.
And I'm so excited for you, like, seriously, I'm seeing, like,
like, and I love how God justpivot things because, you know,
even your whole story itself wasjust a successful on purpose
(42:05):
story just in it, in itself.
You know, like you, like Ireally feel like the Holy Spirit
is telling me I don't need todo no more because of the simple
fact that it was just it, youknow, it showed how you were
quick and it showed who youunited with.
It showed the education thatyou went through and it showed
(42:26):
the understanding that you havehave gotten from God.
And you also show how excitedyou are by your smile and
determined to be who you are,and so it's amazing how God do
things, and so, but just tell ushow determined you are now.
I really want to know howdetermined you are to say you
(42:50):
know what for God live and forGod I die.
How?
Speaker 2 (42:53):
determined.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Explain to the young people how determination really
looks.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
I think determination , for me determination.
I think for me determination isseeking after God and it sounds
simple.
But I think a me determinationis seeking after God and it
sounds simple, but I think a lotof people don't realize.
Seek the kingdom and all hisrighteousness and let everything
else be added unto you.
(43:20):
I always tell people.
People are like oh, you have somuch favor on your life, you
have a connection with who.
You did this, you did that.
They're like oh, my God, thisis crazy.
You're in this.
And I tell people you dorealize the thing that you're
desiring.
God can't give that to you.
You know why?
Because he doesn't trust youwith it.
(43:42):
And it's not that he justdoesn't trust you with it, it's
actually because you want it sobad.
That's actually your idol andhe's not going to give it to you
.
He's not going to give it toyou, but because God is the God
that I worship and I love him, Ipray to him, I talk to him, I
(44:02):
create relationship with him.
This is super practical foranybody who's young.
I tell them like this and I wasteaching the kids this the
other day I said understand that.
I said prayer is us talking toGod, but us reading our word is
him talking back to us, and sowe get to have that experience
with God, and that's why yourdevotion is important.
(44:24):
And when I say I would seek thekingdom and find my contentment
in Jesus, that Jesus came downand did exceed me, above For me,
that's because I was actuallyseeking him and I was determined
to one kill sin in my life tojust love God.
(44:46):
I always tell people where,when your posture is gratitude.
Complacency can't live there,and so for me I have a posture
of gratitude, always, always,and I thank God for everything
that he's done for me, even thesimple fact that people will be
(45:10):
like.
I thank god for getting me todo this.
I said you just need to thankhim for dying on the cross my
name is but for you, yes, thatyou can have eternal life, you
have a god who's an advocate foryou, that even when you do fall
, he becomes before the fatherand says I've been human, I
understand.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Remember what I did.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
You know what I'm saying?
Right, you haven't.
And even the simple fact thathe does that for me because of
his character and that he's agood God, that's enough.
And because that's enough, godgives me more.
And it's not because I want.
I'm like I give me more andmore.
He just keeps doing it becausehe trusts me and he knows that
(45:55):
I'm the one that truly loves him.
So when you truly love God,forgive the worldly stuff.
It's not bad stuff.
But the thing is it'll justcome if you just find
contentment in him.
Amen, just find contentment inhim.
Amen, just find contentment inhim.
That is enough, him dying onthe ground for you so that way
(46:19):
we can have a relationship.
And that he says the wages ofsin is that I don't have to die,
I have eternal life, I am madenew, I'm in the creation and I'm
free.
Speaker 1 (46:31):
indeed, oh, my God, I'm telling you, just love you.
I'm sorry because you know,like you say, if you seek first
the kingdom, you I mean it's.
It's no way that you can gowrong and I'm living proof of it
(46:56):
.
I tell people all the time thatI go by the grace of God,
because if it wasn't for hisgrace I don't know where I would
be.
And it's so, so funny how youwere not funny, but how you were
talking about being in the cluband um, and I was just sharing
(47:19):
a story with my daughter aboutwhen I had that epiphany and I
was in the club and the club gotshot up in the bottle.
I mean I was like God, I knew Iwas not supposed to be there
because, matter of fact, beforewe left we actually prayed.
(47:39):
This is how I knew I really wassupposed to.
But my cousin was like I feellike we need to pray before
y'all leave and we actually satthere and prayed.
I'm talking about standing in acircle holding hands old school
prayer I'm old now, but oldschool prayer and I went there
and I really went there.
(48:00):
God was speaking with metelling me what to do before
they started shooting the cluband it was.
It was like I was telling mydaughter this, like like
literally a couple hours ago,how you know, the club was not
when God called me from that andit's amazing how you went into
(48:22):
that.
That's why I say I know my God,don't lead me wrong.
Speaker 2 (48:25):
Can I share a funny small story?
Yeah, can I share a funny smallstory, because you brought it
up.
I remember because the holyspirit, when I I promise I never
, I said I'm never going again.
My friend was like uh, hey, Ihad a long day, I didn't have a
car at the time.
He says, hey, bro, let's go tothis club.
They got really good food.
I said, hey, bro, no I'm notdoing that.
(48:47):
No more, I'm not in that kind ofspace.
That's not what I do.
You know how I believe in myfaith.
I don't look at myself in thatkind of space.
That's not what I do.
You know how I believe in myfaith.
I don't want to put myself inthat kind of environment.
That's just where I'm at.
I said it's not shame, shameyou or all that stuff.
He was like come on, bro, thefood is good.
I feel the Holy Spirit tellingme no.
And I'm like bro.
No.
He said bro, come on, just trythe food.
(49:08):
I said okay.
I said we can sit at the table,we eat the food and then we
leave.
I don't want nothing extra.
I'm not doing nothing extra.
True story, I feel the HolySpirit telling me no.
As we're walking in, about towalk in, it's probably maybe 15
(49:31):
feet away.
That's the door.
A group of people started tocome out.
True story.
I don't know what the commotionwas.
Something was transpiring.
I don't know if there was afight.
Someone said something tosomeone else.
It was huge.
A car drives by, puts a gunonto the window in the back seat
(49:52):
and starts boom, boom, boom,boom, boom.
I ran so fast you thought I wasUsain Bolt.
I was like I said the deviltried to kill me.
I said, oh my god.
And I was like I said the HolySpirit, don't lie.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
I was like he don't lie.
Speaker 2 (50:16):
He don't, and I said never again.
I said never again.
I said I can't do it.
Speaker 1 (50:24):
I'm telling a lot of people he is there and
protecting us.
And to think about it, what ifyou had a God in there?
You know what I'm saying.
Like you have to be able tolisten to him when he say no,
I'm, you know, I'm just so I'mso thrilled.
I'm so, god, you know, and Idon't want to be the same ones
(50:49):
that say God got his hand on you, but I can say, say I can truly
say this after meeting you,that God is really, really in
your life and working throughyou, and I'm just so thrilled to
have had you on here, you know.
I just want to ask one morequestion because, like I say,
you don't went through the wholeAbsolutely.
(51:11):
I just want to ask one morequestion because, like I, said
you don't went through the whole, absolutely everything.
But what?
What is one piece of advicethat you will leave with someone
that is really just trying tostart their life with Christ?
We're going to go with Christbecause you know, I know the
barbering is is is extra, butwith Christ, what are some
(51:33):
advice that you would leave withsomeone?
Speaker 2 (51:37):
So to make sure I heard you, what's some advice
that I would leave someone who'sstarting their relationship
with?
Speaker 1 (51:46):
Christ Just starting.
Yes, yes.
That's a really good question.
Speaker 2 (51:59):
Two things Give yourself grace.
Give yourself grace.
It's called progressivesanctification.
You know, as we go, god willsanctify us and we have to trust
that He'll do that in us.
And one of the things for me Ialways had to realize that I
(52:20):
have to really forgive myself.
Give yourself grace throughthis walk, because God's gonna
work.
He's patient, he's kind, he'sloving and I feel like as a
believer.
Give yourself grace andhonestly walk.
I feel like a lot of times.
(52:40):
I think as believers, we getwhen we first start our
relationship with Christ.
What we do is we just run itand we go crazy and we almost
become legalists we always welow-key become pharisees.
All these things happen to usand it's crazy, like it's really
crazy.
(53:00):
Everybody does it and like whensomebody starts talking, I'm
like, oh, you're a new believer.
That's why I'm like, I'm likeyou're a new believer yesterday,
yesterday, I'm like, I'm likeyesterday, and so what I would
say is I feel like a lot oftimes we just service ourselves
(53:25):
by being overzealous, and Ithink we have to realize that it
was always, it's always been, awalk.
But you just started outrunning and I think sometimes if
you go at full pace and youwalk with God, you're learning,
have a know-nothing attitude,learn about God, understand his
(53:48):
character and, I think, also sitin worship.
Sit in worship and I thinksometimes reflect, reflect your
life, reflect on the goodness ofGod.
Like I said before, I saidwe're gratitude when gratitude
is your posture, complacencycan't live there, right?
And I think, when you even lookat the small things, I remember
(54:09):
sitting in in my house when Ifirst got saved, and I remember
looking at my bed and I saidthank you God.
I said you're giving me a bed tolay my head.
Thank you for this arm warm.
Thank you for this phone Wow.
Thank you for my arms.
Thank you for my legs, and Iweep and I say God, thank you
(54:32):
for just the small.
You for my legs, and I weep andI say God, thank you for just
the small things, because thatis enough.
And when that's enough,hallelujah, you'll be okay,
because you you learncontentment and when you're
content with Christ, that'senough Because he will sustain
you, like Paul says.
(54:52):
He says I'm content when I'mfull and I'm content when I have
an empty stomach, but I can doall things through Christ, who
strengthens me.
It's so good.
Speaker 1 (55:06):
Well, I'm so ready to hear you preach a sermon, dude,
like I swear, I'm ready for you, I'm like my goodness, because
that is so good, that is so good.
Oh my gosh, I'm full, like,literally I am, and you have
(55:26):
really, really blessed my soul.
And so, last thing, just leteveryone where, where they know
where they can reach you at, andum, if you could pray us out,
that will be absolutely so soyou can find me at on instagram
at javansmith underscore, um.
Speaker 2 (55:49):
j-a-v-A-N.
Dot Smith underscore.
And I have a new Instagram formy haircuts, so that way, if you
want to see my work, you can.
It's called Atlanta MasterBarber.
You can find me there, cool.
Speaker 1 (56:03):
So if you're ready, to pray.
Speaker 2 (56:04):
We can pray in the dark.
Speaker 1 (56:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (56:11):
You're having a gracious father, god.
We just thank you for today.
God, we just thank you for yourgrace, your mercy, your
kindness and your peace.
God, we just thank you forwalking with us.
God, we just thank you forbeing a lamp upon our feet that
guides every step.
Thank you for leading us, god.
(56:32):
Thank you for not leaving usalone.
You are always with us, god, wejust love you.
We just thank you.
We thank you for this calltoday.
We thank you for thisfellowship, god, we just thank
you for just all that you do inour lives, god.
God, we just pray that thetestimony that you've given me,
god, lands on good soil, that itblesses someone, that it
(56:54):
changes their lives and empowersthem to live a life worthy of
living, a life that is, a lifethat worships you, god,
worshiping you.
God, a God who died on thecross for our sins that we may
have eternal life.
God, the cross for our sins,that we may have eternal life.
God, a God who died not to justgive us eternal life, but to
(57:16):
set us free.
To set us free, to release usfrom the bondage of sin, the
bondage of the enemy.
Hell lost another one, and wejust love you and we appreciate
you for all that you do.
In Jesus mighty and holy namewe pray Amen.
Speaker 1 (57:39):
Amen, amen, amen.
Thank you.
Thank you, javon.
I am honored to meet such ayoung man that is on fire for
Christ.
You know, I know, you know myson is kind of like a youth
(57:59):
minister but you know, I'm soexcited because you're going to
touch somebody and I'm just I'myour biggest fan.
Now, like I'm your biggest fan.
Speaker 2 (58:12):
You got, you got you got me.
Speaker 1 (58:16):
So anyways anyways, anyways, thank you all for
tuning in.
I'm so excited for Javon.
If you want to reach out to him, make sure you go to his page
and look at his, his art.
That's what is art, okay.
And so we just want you, if youwant to be, if you want to give
(58:38):
your life to Christ, you canfeel free to ask.
You can acknowledge that Christ, that Jesus Christ will
acknowledge that you're a sinner, confess with your mouth,
believe in your heart, turn fromyour evil ways and seek after
his face and seek out theBible-based turtle.
Okay.
So, anyways, I thank you.
Thank you again, javon, andjust make sure that you are
(59:01):
staying cute for Christ.
All right, bye, y'all.
Hey, hey, hey everyone, this is Kiana, your
creator and your host of Q forChrist, and I want to say thank
you, thank you to everyone thathas liked, you shared, you
commented, whatever you've done.
I'm so excited and I'm sothankful.
This is something that I don'ttake kindly.
(00:45):
This is something that God hascalled me and I take it very
serious.
So I'm excited.
I'm excited what you have done,okay.
So anyways, as you know, I havebeen speaking with individuals
that are successful on purpose,and we're not talking about
success by money, cars and fame.
We're talking about the successby the backing of God.
(01:07):
They have taken Habakkuk 2 and2, and they have wrote the
vision, made it plain, and theyare being consistent about their
calling.
So today, I'm so excited, I'mso excited to have on this on Q
for Christ.
Mr Javon Smith, how are youtoday?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I'm good, I'm good.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
That is so exciting.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Look at that, look at that smile.
Y'all I'm telling you his smileis infectious.
Okay, I'm so excited that youare here and I want to tell
people a little bit about how Iencountered you.
I was at our Change YouthExplosion and he was telling his
(01:57):
story and God was just prickingme in my heart and I said and
the thing about it, I didn'teven know how to find you.
I it, I wasn't, I was justgonna let it go.
But when they put your yourlittle clip up, said, oh my god,
I gotta reach out to himbecause I had even forgotten
your name.
I ain't even gonna tell nostory, I hadn't even forgotten
(02:19):
your name, I just knew yourstory was so incredible, and so
I just want to say thank you forbeing here, okay.
So, anyways, I'm going to say aquick prayer and then we're
going to go right into theinterview.
(02:39):
The message is going to be amessage because it's going to
touch somebody, okay.
So, anyways, it's going to be amessage because it's going to
touch somebody.
Okay, so anyways so, dearheavenly father, we come to you.
First we want to say thank you.
Thank you for this time thatyou have carved out for us to be
able to speak tonight.
God, we want to be able toimpact someone, and so we thank
(03:00):
you now for allowing us to behere.
God, we thank you now because weknow that you have set us
together, and we want to saythank you.
We know that the enemy comes tosteal, kill or destroy, but you
are the giver of life, and sowe thank you now for life on
today.
We thank you now for just yourstrength and your peace and
(03:22):
everything that you have givenus, god, we do not take it for
granted, god, and so we thankyou now for even being able to
say that you are God and you areLord, and so we just want to
give your name to praise God.
Go with his house, god, go withhis blessing.
God, touch his hands that hewill be able to be prospered in
you, god, and so we thank younow.
(03:43):
We love you, god.
We ask you to hide us behindthe cross.
God, allow people to see you inour interview, and so we thank
you.
We love you, we honor you, wecherish you.
It's in Jesus' name that I pray.
Amen, amen, amen oh my goodness.
(04:04):
I'm so excited to have you here.
I would just want you to justkind of introduce yourself.
Let everyone know who JavonSmith is who am I?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I am a barber.
I'm a barber.
I've been a barber for eightyears now.
I went to ministry school tobecome a pastor.
What else?
I consider myself a fourthgeneration minister.
You know, I might not operatein ministry as a vocation in
this season of my life, but Iknow what I'm called to do, you
(04:45):
know what I'm saying, and sothat's who I am.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
So yeah, hey, I don't know, you had Look, that's why
you almost had to crowd up honey.
You was, you was, I'm tellingyou, you were on fire and I and
I was like wow, like that was soamazing, man.
Now it's crazy, it's done.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yeah.
So for me, like if you don'tknow me, if you never met me,
you would never know I struggledwith being on a platform and it
was something that I really hadto give to God, and every time
I do get on a platform, I makesure I pray and I say, god, let
it not be me speaking, but youdo me, because I want him to
talk to the Lord.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Right, and that's so important because you know with
me, I struggle with it too.
I mean with being in front ofpeople.
I can sing in front of peopleand not be as bad, but when I go
to talk in front of people I'llbe like, oh, but that's where
(05:48):
God want us, because, yeah, youknow, I think I remember um
Pastor Sarah when she had got onthere one day and she was
talking about her nerves and shejust want to feel gotten.
She'd be ungotten and you know,we have to trust that the Holy
Spirit is going to speak throughus, because that's where he
(06:08):
want us to be.
And so, you know, I just I wantto encourage you to walk in
that Like seriously, because youwere the Holy Spirit.
I can tell the Holy Spirit wasall over you.
So, anyway, that's just myopinion all over you.
(06:34):
So, anyway, that's just myopinion.
So, um, anyways, I just want to, um, just ask, like in your
barbering, um, what cued you?
What quickened you to just say,um, I want to do barbering?
I know I remember you weretelling a story that you started
in high school and I mean, wow,that's amazing.
So what quicken you to say Ijust want to cut hair?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
So, honestly, this is crazy.
So I feel like my friends wouldprophesy that over me, and what
I meant by that is they wouldbe like oh Devane, you know so
much about hair, you know somuch about this, that or
whatever.
You should consider being abarber.
And I said, oh, there's no way.
And so what ended up happeningis a year later.
(07:20):
I'm talking about me in thatway Because I said me and my
friends.
We used said me and my friends,I used to give each other I
will.
I used to give them texturizers, because you know that was a
thing back in the day.
So and you ain't that old, holdup, you are not that old, my god
that's so funny, um, but yeah,and so a year later I um went to
(07:47):
the barber and he messed up myhair like horribly and I was
like man.
I was like this is pretty badand I didn't want to go back to
him.
I was just like this is justI'm done you know what I mean,
right and I remember me and mydad.
We went to Sally's.
You know Sally's Beauty Supply.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
And we went there and we went to go pick up something
for my mom and I saw theseclippers that were on sale.
They're clippers that areusually like $150, but they were
on sale for $30.
And the only reason, the reasonwhy they were on sale, was
solely off this one reason theywere leopard print and nobody
would buy them, and so Childhood.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I get some leopard skin for that price.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Right.
And so I told my dad, I saidyou should buy me these clippers
.
And he was like, why do youwant these clippers?
I said.
I said I'm going to use them.
And he was like for what?
He was like you don't need, youdon't need clippers, I said.
I said trust me If you buy.
How about this?
I said if, said okay, he boughtthem, went home, put some
(09:11):
clippers on my brother's head,messed them up, got them
confiscated immediately, and soI had to talk him back into
giving it to me how confiscated.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
He was like you was in jail.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I'm in jail, I got to give it up.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
He was like you was in jail, I'm in jail, I got to
give it up.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
I'm sorry, god, he was mad because my brother had
to go to church the next morningwith a bald spot on his head.
He said you got me lookingcrazy.
I was like dude.
And so I was like chill, it'sokay, it was my first time.
And so he gave them back to meand I tried like chill, it's
okay, it was my first time.
And so he gave them back to meand I tried to cut myself.
(09:48):
It didn't work out and I saidokay, how about this?
I said maybe if I mastersomeone else's hair, maybe I can
cut myself better.
And so I started.
I let one of my friends know.
I said, hey, you should let mestart cutting your hair Next
thing.
You know I'm cutting the wholeentire school because my hair
(10:08):
gets high.
Gotten that good.
And so yeah, that you know.
It fell into my lap.
It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Right and see the thing about it.
Sometimes we have to fail a fewtimes in order to get it right.
A few times in order to get itright Because you know some
people don't realize that howelse you going to learn if you
don't feel you know and we don't?
We don't fall backwards, wefall forward, meaning that
(10:38):
that's how you were able to moveforward and to learn more.
You know, and I don't just sithere thinking about that, boss,
but I probably would have beenlike you're dead, I would be
like no, no, but I'm, I'm, I'm,I'm so glad that you were able
to continue on doing that.
(10:59):
Um, because now look at you,you know, and, and that's
amazing right there and that'sone of the examples that I'm
saying is that when you stick towhat God has called you,
because not only is barbering isto help people, but it's also a
(11:20):
ministry because it helps boostpeople's energy, but it's also
a ministry because it helpedboost people energy, I mean they
ego and boost everything else,because I know when people get a
fresh haircut, they just be.
You can't tell them.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
They act different, they act different and act up.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Right, and so that's amazing.
So did you have to unite withsomeone that to help you show
you the ropes, or was it justlike you kind of had that inside
gift that God had given you?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
You know, what's interesting is, I'm self-taught
Barbara.
I'm actually I'm self-taughtBarbara, I'm actually I'm
self-taught.
But not just that, I still wentto school for it.
But this is how watch this,watch how that works.
I was so good that my teacher,my Barbara instructor, had me
teach the class, wow, and shewould trust me to educate the
(12:21):
students.
And you know, it's crazy.
Like I don't want to want, Idon't know if I have time to get
into it, but like I didn't eventhink I was gonna go that far
into barbering, like like oncethat you know the whole story,
you know, of my breakthrough, um, and then Morehouse and all
these different things, um,there was a big shift that
(12:44):
happened in my life.
It was massive and I don't knowif you want to get into it.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Go into it.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Go into it Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Yes, so you want me to start?
Do you want me to tell thestory, or do you want me to meet
you or do like a, almost like a?
It's a long story, but I canquicken the story that you, that
I shared and you heard, um, andgive you the after, because the
after I didn't share it, butbecause I needed them to see
(13:14):
that pivotal moment in my life.
But then after it just got evencrazier, like it just got crazy
.
Hey, I'm here for it, trust me,it just got crazier.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Hey, I'm here for it.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Trust me.
So so the story that she knows,I'll quicken it for you guys.
I failed 10 classes and with mefailing these 10 classes, I had
gone to 11 different schoolsand I had got to my senior year
and I wasn't going and I wasn'tgoing to graduate.
I was in a bad position and youknow the things that you know
(13:52):
the things that one insecuritiescaused me to get to that place.
Because I had gone to 11 schools, I never was able to have
friends, and so I allowedfellowship really to become an
idol, and what ended uphappening is I put fellowship
before work, and because of thatI put fellowship before work, I
I failed.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I failed, and that's what happened.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And sometimes, and I think I think loving people is
good and relationships are good,but I think sometimes I
remember when God sharedsomething to me, um, in our
relationship, uh, he said hesaid don't let your love
paralyze your purpose.
And I think some, and I thinksometimes we allow the love that
(14:39):
we have for people to make usget paralyzed, that we don't
move, we're so focused on thatlove that we just are stuck in
this position, focused on thewrong thing.
And so for me, that love offellowship became my God and I
got lost in it.
And so I got to my senior yearI was in a position where my
(15:03):
classmates they're applying fordifferent schools, et cetera.
I want to get in on this fun.
I'm like, hey, I'm like I'mgoing to fly at Morehouse, even
though I failed 10 classes.
So I know I'm crazy for doingit and you know it's crazy.
I didn't.
I don't think I shared this, um, but like when they sent me
that letter saying that I didnot get in, I cried like a baby,
(15:25):
like I didn't know like I knewI wasn't getting in, but I sat
there crying like I didn't.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
That is so.
Look, that is so.
People you know what I'm saying, because people, they know the
consequences and that is likeyou.
I can just say people speedingand they get pulled over and now
you know you're doing 150 andyou, now you want to sit up here
and cry.
Don't cry, you, you know whatyou were doing wrong.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
You knew what you did wow, and so you know the next
day.
Uh, they said, so, did you getin?
Because I told people, becausemy parents shared with me that I
had got that letter in the mail, and I said, oh, I got in.
I told everybody I got in.
I was lying.
(16:15):
I was lying, but let me tellyou something, even though I
prophylied, you know, we'll putsomething on everything I
prophylied.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Did it?
Yes, I did, but it came true,right, right.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
It came true, and so I ended up reaching out to
Morehouse and I bargained withthem because I said, hey, like
y'all gotta let me and we gottado something like help me out
here.
They said no, they said applynext year.
And I'm just like, oh my god,I'm so embarrassed because
everybody thinks I'm going toMorehouse.
(17:02):
Wow they.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
And they're going to find out I'm not going.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
And so I told them.
I said, hey, I understand, butI know that I have eight more
classes remaining that I needalready failed and the classes
that I need to finish for theremainder of the year.
Will you let me in?
They said it wasn't.
(17:33):
They said because of your trackrecord it was unlikely.
But good luck.
And you know, I think a lot oftimes people don't realize that
you can trap yourself in yourown storm.
But sometimes, even in themidst of that storm, you have to
(17:54):
change the way you see it.
And in the way I had to, what Ihad to do was I had to change
the way I think and I had tochange the way I thought about
myself.
You have to be transformed bythe renewal of your mind.
And if I'm going to put on thatmind of Christ, what did that
look like?
That required for me to havefaith.
And so, in that same faith, Isaid, okay, I feel this pressure
(18:20):
.
What do I do?
I lean on the word the Biblesays.
Though I'm pressed on every side, I will not be crushed my god
and, and the thing is you haveto understand, I'm gonna feel
that pressure.
It's uncomfortable, it does notfeel good, but god, you're
still with me.
When the disciples were on thatboat, they felt discomfort.
(18:42):
Jesus said why are you scared?
Why have little faith?
And the thing is he didn't sayit in a mean way, he just said
it because he genuinely cared.
Why are you scared?
I'm here, I'm about to walkthrough this with you.
You don't even understand.
They about to obey me.
You know what I'm saying.
(19:03):
He says I'm about to take over,because the Bible also says the
Holy Spirit does the work in youas well.
The thing is, god gives ussupport.
And so the thing is guess what?
I'm over here stressing out I'mhaving faith, but guess what
God's doing for me?
He's changing the way I thinkfor me, he's helping me out.
He's giving me that boost thatI need.
(19:24):
Amen, I passed all my classesand I sent my transcript to
Morehouse and I got intoMorehouse College you don't know
how this is blessing me.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
This is blessing me so much.
I'm sitting here like, and Iheard it, but it's blessing me
so much because know even whereI am in life is like God is with
you.
So why are you stressing Likethat, just right there, just
blessed me.
So, anyways, go on, go on withyour story.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
So now we're in the season where I'm walking into my
house and it's like all chaosbreaks loose once I enter the
space.
And so what ended up happeningwas what they did was they said,
hey, we're going to let you goto the school, but I didn't tell
(20:21):
this part of the story.
They said on one condition youhave to get through the summer
program with all the honorsstudents and do an 18-week
course, do four courses that are18 weeks long, compressed into
six weeks, and we're going tosee if you can compete with them
(20:42):
.
If you can and you pass allthese classes, then we'll let
you win.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
So I got in unofficially.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
I have one more step, but let me tell you those were
the hardest weeks of my life.
But that's the thing about God.
You know, I talked about James1, consider it pure joy.
My brothers and sisters, whenyou face trials of any kind, let
perseverance do its work in you.
That way you're complete,perfect, lacking nothing.
(21:12):
The thing is, you have to letperseverance do its way in you.
When I went through that seasonin high school where I had to
persevere through the pressure,the thing about it is it's doing
its work in me.
That is making me perfect.
Why?
Because even though I'm in thisdiscomfort, I'm comfortable.
I'm comfortable with discomfort.
And if I'm comfortable withdiscomfort, that means if I feel
(21:34):
this discomfort again, I willbe okay, because I understand on
the other side of it, I'm goingto be complete.
You get what I'm saying and sobecause of that, I said okay,
let's take this same faith intothis season.
And guess what happened?
God brought me through thestorm again.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
And I officially got into Morehouse College.
That's what's bad.
Look, that devil tried rightand he thought that you would
have gave up and man over herelike rejoicing with you, like it
just happened yesterday.
I'm so excited, that's excitingfor me.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
So do you want to keep going?
Yes, honey, I've been enjoyingthis.
I'm so excited.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
That's exciting for me.
So do you want to keep going?
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Yes, honey, I've been enjoying this.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
I'm not worried.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
So this is where it took a big turn for me and this
is when I felt like it was onestorm after another.
But God was really trying toperfect my faith and he was
doing a massive shift in my life.
He had to crush me, and so whenI was at Morehouse my first
(22:48):
week cutting hair, it was youknow, I'm cutting in the school
bathroom $7 a cut.
I say, let me go up on myprices and I'm going to tell
everyone on campus that I'm abarber.
When I got an official thatfirst week my first week at
Morehouse I made $1,500 cut inhere as a college student.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
My gosh when they do that.
I'm sorry, wait a minute.
I don't think people do thatnowadays, not first week.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Wow, that's amazing and I was like wow, and it won't
start coming to me.
But what ended up happening isI accumulated a group of people
who, um, who were veryinterested in what I was doing,
and they saw the traffic thatwas coming into the, so I would
(23:44):
cut in the bathroom.
So we had a what's the word?
A community bathroom, and sothat first week I'm not going to
lie I can take completeownership.
I wasn't being as cleanly as Ineeded to be in the bathroom,
because it's a shared space, andso it was a lot of commotion
(24:06):
and people were upset because Imean, you could imagine, if I'm
making fifteen hundred dollars,I'm made.
I'm cutting lots of peopleright and so.
And so I was like, okay, I saidI don't know how I'm going to
become clean, but I'll figureout how to create a system.
And so they had a forum meeting.
They said, hey, you guys needto talk to your brother and tell
(24:27):
him he needs to get together orwe're going to have problems.
So everyone was mad at me,upset, and so I said, hey, I
said I'm going to take ownership.
This is my fault.
I'm going to take ownership,this is my fault.
I'm going to go get a broom,dustpan, lysol, everything I
need so that way, every singleday, after I'm done um cutting
hair in the bathroom, that wehave a clean shared space.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
That's what I did.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
So I wanted to honor them and I wanted to be
respectful.
It was a great moment.
Everyone cheered me on becausewe did a forward, said thank you
for doing that for us and beingrespectful because I could have
, because some people aren'tthat.
Uh, people are prideful peoplewho, like I, do what I want you
know, right, right.
So, um, a weird thing happened.
(25:09):
Um, a couple weird thingshappened, but I'll tell you the
main weird thing that happened.
I came back, um, I came back my.
I went to go visit my familyfor the weekend and I came back
to my room.
This is like my.
This is my third week, my thirdweek at Morehouse, and my
(25:34):
dustpan and my broom and mystuff is gone from my room.
I have a roommate, so I askedhim I said hey, where'd my stuff
go?
He says I don't know.
Ask your brother.
Across the hall I said did yougive it to him?
He says I don't know, ask him.
And I said well, this is aweird interaction.
Let me go ask him.
I don't understand what's goingon.
(25:57):
Went to go ask him.
I don't understand what's goingon went to go ask the other guy
.
He says I don't know.
And I said are y'all playingwith me?
And so I'm trying to figure outwhat's happening here.
I said I need to clean thebathroom.
I just got that cut of hair.
They're not listening to me,they're.
They're all playing this game.
I said y'all do understand, ifyou don't give me the broom, I
(26:18):
can't clean the bathroom rightand so they're like I don't know
where it is.
I said okay, so I left the hairin the bathroom.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
I was like I mean, what else you guys do with your
hair?
Speaker 2 (26:33):
right, and so I'm like, I'm like there's nothing
for me to do and so thank Godone of the cleaning specialists
that came in.
They cleaned the bathroom duringthat hour.
So I was glad that that wascleaned up.
But I was just like that'sweird, I need a broom.
I asked the next day.
(26:54):
They didn't do it, so I endedup leaving a hair in the
bathroom again.
But I said you know what, Letme at least scoot it under the
sink.
So I scooted it under the sinkwith my feet because I wanted to
respect other people whoweren't acting funny.
Now I forgot to mention over thecourse of these three weeks.
There are a few individuals whoconsistently ask me how much
money did you make this week?
How many heads did you cuttoday?
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Okay, so I'm naive.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
I'm a very nice person.
I'm like, oh, I did this.
This is crazy.
You know I'm blessed.
I don't know how this happened.
You know this is growing for mybusiness.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
It's great, Mind you.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
I still don't want to be a barber, and so what ended
up happening was I leave thehair in the bathroom and the
janitor, um, he comes in.
He was coming in.
He said hey, don't worry aboutit.
Um, this is our day.
He cut it and he said I'llclean it up.
I said I'm gonna go get anotherblue and dust pan.
Um, uh, this friday when I goto walmart.
(27:50):
And um, he was like, yeah, Igot you, I hope you out.
I said thank you so much.
I appreciate, appreciate you.
And so I'm having all this issuewith my people on my floor and
I'm just like this is just crazy.
And so this is when everythingmade a weird turn.
So, that Thursday no, thatWednesday I had went to go to
(28:11):
Georgia state to go cut hair forsome other students, cause I
had got so big Wow, people atthe other schools wanted me to
cut their hair, and so I'm likethis is crazy, and so what ended
up happening?
Um was I, uh, I was gone thatnight and they had a floor
meeting without me, apparently,and there was some.
(28:31):
There were the.
RAs mentioned something that wasa consequence for all the
people on the floor, for meleaving hair in the bathroom
that was not shared with me.
Wow, so what ended up happeningis that thursday I cut from 8
am to 12 am oh, wow because Iwas like one day I didn't have
(28:52):
class isn't that crazy.
So I had nowhere to put all thishair, so I just scooted it
under the sink and I said I'mgoing to sleep because the next
day, that Friday, I'm going topick up my broom.
True story.
I'm asleep in my bed.
(29:13):
It's 2 like 11 am.
I'm in deep sleep.
You can imagine, after a longday.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Start to feel like I'm being lifted off the ground,
and so I'm like what the heck?
I'm actually being lifted bysix individuals.
What they bring me into thehallway and I'm like being
lifted by six individuals, whatthey bring me into the hallway
and I'm like what?
(29:42):
They lift me up in the air andthey drop me on my head and I
knock out on the ground.
I'm knocked out on the groundand I'm not blacked out for
probably a solid minute or two.
And as I'm waking up, I seeflashlights.
They turn all the lights off inthe hallway and what ended up
(30:03):
happening was, when I started towake up, they said take his
shirt off, take his shirt off.
And so they're taking my shirtoff.
I'm like stop, stop, please.
What are you doing?
And I'm like I'm stuck becauseI'm like I feel like I'm
paralyzed because I got hit myhead really hard right, and I'm
like stop, please stop.
And they're taking my shirt off.
(30:23):
They said, flip them on andstuff.
They took bottles of gorillaglue and squeezed it and poured
it all down my back.
Wow, they dumped out all thehair in the hallways and they
dragged me across the hallspicking, using me as a room to
pick up the hair, attaching itto my back.
(30:44):
That is so awful and they'rehitting me and they're like, and
then they just throw my body tothe side and they just run and
they're wearing masks and I'mlike, and I'm like I'm stuck.
(31:09):
I'm trying to get up.
I go to the bathroom, I look inthe mirror, I'm just looking at
myself and I'm like there'sjust no way this is real.
Wow, my head is pounding.
I have a really.
I have a really glow on my back, with everyone's hair that I
cut for that day attached to me.
Wow, and I was like, oh my God,this is crazy.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
And I'm livid.
Then I find myself um atknocking on doors.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
I said who did it?
Who did it?
They're like I don on doors.
I said who did it?
Who did it?
They're like I don't know, Idon't know.
I said don't play these gameswith me.
I said who did this?
And I remembered hearing thedoor shut when I ran down and it
was six guys in a room and theysaid we don't know what you're
talking about.
And I approached them about itand I knew it was them.
I said why did you do that?
They said you're not going todo nothing.
(31:57):
You think you're big shot.
You think you're big shot.
And I said bro, what are youtalking about?
Oh, you got money.
Huh, you got money.
I said, bro, what does thishave to do with anything?
I said why did you do that?
You put Gorilla Glue on my backand attached everyone's hair to
it and they said we don't care.
(32:19):
They said they said.
And I said I said, bro, you'renot right.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
I said I don't know why y'all would do that to me.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
I said you dropped me on my head.
You do this, this, this, theysaid.
Well, they said that if thehair wasn't cleaned up in the
bathroom we would all get fined$500 a piece.
On the floor, I said but youdid not lead with that, right,
there's an issue here.
He said so what you going to do?
(32:46):
And they all got up and theycornered me in the hallway and
said fight me, fight me.
And I said I'm not going tofight you because the moment I
said I worked too hard to getinto this school.
There's a violence policy, andthe moment I lay hands on you
will be the day I lose theopportunity that I've got.
(33:08):
And they didn't fight me.
They said okay, said things outof my name and, uh, walked off,
got me out of my name inmultiple ways, wow.
And then next day they end upcalling the ambulance because my
(33:29):
head was pounding.
Come to find out I had aconcussion wow, wow it was
severe and I find this so crazybecause I'm like this is my
third week.
It was so severe that Icouldn't even do my work online.
Wow, I felt like I was delayedand.
(33:50):
I'm like, oh, but it's.
I said God, why are you doingthis?
And so I found myself in aplace where I started to lack
belief.
I started to find myselfhanging out with friends, I
started smoking, I startedturning up with them.
All the time I'm like I'moutside of myself, right,
(34:13):
because I'm coping, because Idon't know what to do, and so
what I did was bring it back tofellowship.
And it became my God again.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
My goodness.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
And I said God, what is going on?
And I remember true story, thisis amazing.
So this is like on the tail endof the semester, I'm like God,
I'm having a struggle in thisschool, I'm dealing with this.
(34:51):
And I remember I was at thisclub with my friends and I was
smoking in the club and, truestory, we had just walked in, I
felt like I had just smoked andin a moment I felt like I heard
God audibly for the first timein my life.
It was so loud.
It was so loud.
(35:16):
And he said why are you here?
And I looked, I turned my headand I was like and nobody was
there and I was like huh.
And then I heard I don'tbelieve in anything in this room
(35:40):
, nor do you.
Wow.
And I was like wow.
And I said, okay, I know thisis God Right, because I came
here to have fun.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
And it just disrupted my spirit immediately and
that's how God do, Because Icame there to have fun and it
just disrupted my spiritimmediately and that's how God
do.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
And because I literally look around, I see
drugs, I see people drunk out oftheir mind, I see all this
crazy stuff.
I'm like, why am I here?
And I said, god and I'm on mykitchen, I'm in the club.
And I said God and I'm on mykitchen, I'm in the club.
(36:22):
And I said, god, take the veiloff my eyes and just really show
me who you are.
I told my friends.
I said hey guys.
I said let's leave.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
They said we just got here bro.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Let's go.
I'm like guys, let's leave.
Got food, I went back to campus, I put on my headphones and I
walked around campus and I justprayed and I prayed every day to
the last day of school and me,fasting and praying, god told me
(37:00):
to leave more house.
Wow, and I'm like, oh, my god,you're confusing me.
I was like why?
why, did you?
Let me tell me if you want meto leave and this is a small
little nugget just to show youlike you got to be careful with
(37:23):
certain things and I remember myfather sent me a um message
because he was like I don't know, maybe I don't.
He was like I don't know ifyou're supposed to leave.
I said why would you be, whywould god?
I'm like, I'm telling you, Ifeel like I don't want me here.
He's like are you sure he sentme this message?
He said this is would you be?
Why would God?
I'm like, I'm telling you, Ifeel like I don't want you here.
He's like are you sure he sentme this message?
He said this is for you.
I think I watched the message.
(37:45):
I cried about it.
He was talking about you needto stay where you are, you need
to stay in the famine, you needto stay where trouble has lurked
and it has grabbed you.
But this is not the end.
True story.
You're going to think this iscrazy, I said.
I cried my eyes out.
So this message was for me.
I got to stay at Morehouse, allthat stuff.
(38:05):
That night God gave me a dream.
Wow, he gave me a dream and inmy dream, my Morehouse brothers
are waking me up out of my sleepand they said get up, get up,
get up, get up.
We're all running on this run,we're jogging.
You hear these police sirensand they're like run.
(38:27):
Everyone starts sprinting.
I trip and I tumble down a hill.
I was tumbling, I was tumbling,I was tumbling.
I tumbled into a building andit was the church.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
Wow, wow.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
And I was like, and I was like okay, god wants me to
leave and go to ministry school.
Wow, I said I know that's whathe was saying and and this is a
small message that God gave mehe told me not every message is
for you.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
I think you need to say that one more time, because
a lot of people will think thatevery message is for them.
But you have to know, when youhave the spirit, the holy spirit
, and you have the spirit ofdiscernment and god, you can
hear god's voice.
Because we, we all know that mysheep knows my voice and, and
(39:29):
so when God told you in thebeginning and said, hey, it's
time for you to go and for himto man, I'm here for it.
I'm here for it.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
And so he said not every message is for you.
And I was like man, and in thatmoment I learned that it was a
learning lesson, because even menow, in my own life, when I
hear a sermon, I pray about itand I say God, is this for me?
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Right.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Because I don't need to.
If God is planting me somewhere, I don't need to go out of
somewhere Because I had amessage of saying come out of a
space and it wasn't for me.
Right, you know what I mean.
That's how you leave a spaceprematurely or at the wrong time
.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
Right.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
And so I left and I went to ministry school.
Speaker 1 (40:26):
That is so, and I went to ministry school.
That is so amazing.
And you know what I'm moreexcited for you now, knowing
that you are a young man thathas experienced.
I mean, not only you know, likeyou said you prophesied but you
(40:51):
got to where you were, but youwent through this whole
transformation in just a shorttime to know that God wanted you
into ministry.
And that's amazing, because nowyou are still able to do
ministry and cut hair.
You are still able to doministry and cut hair.
And so you know, and the thingabout it, we have to understand
(41:16):
that God takes us throughcertain things.
And even though you know youwent through that jealousy
period where they were basicallyjealous of you.
That wasn't them, but the enemyright there that was trying to
stop you from your purpose, butit also pushed you there, if
that makes any sense.
Because if you hadn't have gonethrough that, just think where
(41:41):
you might be.
You might still be at Morehouseand not in the ministry where
God really wanted to get you to.
And I'm so excited for you, like, seriously, I'm seeing, like,
like, and I love how God justpivot things because, you know,
even your whole story itself wasjust a successful on purpose
(42:05):
story just in it, in itself.
You know, like you, like Ireally feel like the Holy Spirit
is telling me I don't need todo no more because of the simple
fact that it was just it, youknow, it showed how you were
quick and it showed who youunited with.
It showed the education thatyou went through and it showed
(42:26):
the understanding that you havehave gotten from God.
And you also show how excitedyou are by your smile and
determined to be who you are,and so it's amazing how God do
things, and so, but just tell ushow determined you are now.
I really want to know howdetermined you are to say you
(42:50):
know what for God live and forGod I die.
How?
Speaker 2 (42:53):
determined.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Explain to the young people how determination really
looks.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
I think determination , for me determination.
I think for me determination isseeking after God and it sounds
simple.
But I think a me determinationis seeking after God and it
sounds simple, but I think a lotof people don't realize.
Seek the kingdom and all hisrighteousness and let everything
else be added unto you.
(43:20):
I always tell people.
People are like oh, you have somuch favor on your life, you
have a connection with who.
You did this, you did that.
They're like oh, my God, thisis crazy.
You're in this.
And I tell people you dorealize the thing that you're
desiring.
God can't give that to you.
You know why?
Because he doesn't trust youwith it.
(43:42):
And it's not that he justdoesn't trust you with it, it's
actually because you want it sobad.
That's actually your idol andhe's not going to give it to you
.
He's not going to give it toyou, but because God is the God
that I worship and I love him, Ipray to him, I talk to him, I
(44:02):
create relationship with him.
This is super practical foranybody who's young.
I tell them like this and I wasteaching the kids this the
other day I said understand that.
I said prayer is us talking toGod, but us reading our word is
him talking back to us, and sowe get to have that experience
with God, and that's why yourdevotion is important.
(44:24):
And when I say I would seek thekingdom and find my contentment
in Jesus, that Jesus came downand did exceed me, above For me,
that's because I was actuallyseeking him and I was determined
to one kill sin in my life tojust love God.
(44:46):
I always tell people where,when your posture is gratitude.
Complacency can't live there,and so for me I have a posture
of gratitude, always, always,and I thank God for everything
that he's done for me, even thesimple fact that people will be
(45:10):
like.
I thank god for getting me todo this.
I said you just need to thankhim for dying on the cross my
name is but for you, yes, thatyou can have eternal life, you
have a god who's an advocate foryou, that even when you do fall
, he becomes before the fatherand says I've been human, I
understand.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Remember what I did.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
You know what I'm saying?
Right, you haven't.
And even the simple fact thathe does that for me because of
his character and that he's agood God, that's enough.
And because that's enough, godgives me more.
And it's not because I want.
I'm like I give me more andmore.
He just keeps doing it becausehe trusts me and he knows that
(45:55):
I'm the one that truly loves him.
So when you truly love God,forgive the worldly stuff.
It's not bad stuff.
But the thing is it'll justcome if you just find
contentment in him.
Amen, just find contentment inhim.
Amen, just find contentment inhim.
That is enough, him dying onthe ground for you so that way
(46:19):
we can have a relationship.
And that he says the wages ofsin is that I don't have to die,
I have eternal life, I am madenew, I'm in the creation and I'm
free.
Speaker 1 (46:31):
indeed, oh, my God, I'm telling you, just love you.
I'm sorry because you know,like you say, if you seek first
the kingdom, you I mean it's.
It's no way that you can gowrong and I'm living proof of it
(46:56):
.
I tell people all the time thatI go by the grace of God,
because if it wasn't for hisgrace I don't know where I would
be.
And it's so, so funny how youwere not funny, but how you were
talking about being in the cluband um, and I was just sharing
(47:19):
a story with my daughter aboutwhen I had that epiphany and I
was in the club and the club gotshot up in the bottle.
I mean I was like God, I knew Iwas not supposed to be there
because, matter of fact, beforewe left we actually prayed.
(47:39):
This is how I knew I really wassupposed to.
But my cousin was like I feellike we need to pray before
y'all leave and we actually satthere and prayed.
I'm talking about standing in acircle holding hands old school
prayer I'm old now, but oldschool prayer and I went there
and I really went there.
(48:00):
God was speaking with metelling me what to do before
they started shooting the cluband it was.
It was like I was telling mydaughter this, like like
literally a couple hours ago,how you know, the club was not
when God called me from that andit's amazing how you went into
(48:22):
that.
That's why I say I know my God,don't lead me wrong.
Speaker 2 (48:25):
Can I share a funny small story?
Yeah, can I share a funny smallstory, because you brought it
up.
I remember because the holyspirit, when I I promise I never
, I said I'm never going again.
My friend was like uh, hey, Ihad a long day, I didn't have a
car at the time.
He says, hey, bro, let's go tothis club.
They got really good food.
I said, hey, bro, no I'm notdoing that.
(48:47):
No more, I'm not in that kind ofspace.
That's not what I do.
You know how I believe in myfaith.
I don't look at myself in thatkind of space.
That's not what I do.
You know how I believe in myfaith.
I don't want to put myself inthat kind of environment.
That's just where I'm at.
I said it's not shame, shameyou or all that stuff.
He was like come on, bro, thefood is good.
I feel the Holy Spirit tellingme no.
And I'm like bro.
No.
He said bro, come on, just trythe food.
(49:08):
I said okay.
I said we can sit at the table,we eat the food and then we
leave.
I don't want nothing extra.
I'm not doing nothing extra.
True story, I feel the HolySpirit telling me no.
As we're walking in, about towalk in, it's probably maybe 15
(49:31):
feet away.
That's the door.
A group of people started tocome out.
True story.
I don't know what the commotionwas.
Something was transpiring.
I don't know if there was afight.
Someone said something tosomeone else.
It was huge.
A car drives by, puts a gunonto the window in the back seat
(49:52):
and starts boom, boom, boom,boom, boom.
I ran so fast you thought I wasUsain Bolt.
I was like I said the deviltried to kill me.
I said, oh my god.
And I was like I said the HolySpirit, don't lie.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
I was like he don't lie.
Speaker 2 (50:16):
He don't, and I said never again.
I said never again.
I said I can't do it.
Speaker 1 (50:24):
I'm telling a lot of people he is there and
protecting us.
And to think about it, what ifyou had a God in there?
You know what I'm saying.
Like you have to be able tolisten to him when he say no,
I'm, you know, I'm just so I'mso thrilled.
I'm so, god, you know, and Idon't want to be the same ones
(50:49):
that say God got his hand on you, but I can say, say I can truly
say this after meeting you,that God is really, really in
your life and working throughyou, and I'm just so thrilled to
have had you on here, you know.
I just want to ask one morequestion because, like I say,
you don't went through the wholeAbsolutely.
(51:11):
I just want to ask one morequestion because, like I, said
you don't went through the whole, absolutely everything.
But what?
What is one piece of advicethat you will leave with someone
that is really just trying tostart their life with Christ?
We're going to go with Christbecause you know, I know the
barbering is is is extra, butwith Christ, what are some
(51:33):
advice that you would leave withsomeone?
Speaker 2 (51:37):
So to make sure I heard you, what's some advice
that I would leave someone who'sstarting their relationship
with?
Speaker 1 (51:46):
Christ Just starting.
Yes, yes.
That's a really good question.
Speaker 2 (51:59):
Two things Give yourself grace.
Give yourself grace.
It's called progressivesanctification.
You know, as we go, god willsanctify us and we have to trust
that He'll do that in us.
And one of the things for me Ialways had to realize that I
(52:20):
have to really forgive myself.
Give yourself grace throughthis walk, because God's gonna
work.
He's patient, he's kind, he'sloving and I feel like as a
believer.
Give yourself grace andhonestly walk.
I feel like a lot of times.
(52:40):
I think as believers, we getwhen we first start our
relationship with Christ.
What we do is we just run itand we go crazy and we almost
become legalists we always welow-key become pharisees.
All these things happen to usand it's crazy, like it's really
crazy.
(53:00):
Everybody does it and like whensomebody starts talking, I'm
like, oh, you're a new believer.
That's why I'm like, I'm likeyou're a new believer yesterday,
yesterday, I'm like, I'm likeyesterday, and so what I would
say is I feel like a lot oftimes we just service ourselves
(53:25):
by being overzealous, and Ithink we have to realize that it
was always, it's always been, awalk.
But you just started outrunning and I think sometimes if
you go at full pace and youwalk with God, you're learning,
have a know-nothing attitude,learn about God, understand his
(53:48):
character and, I think, also sitin worship.
Sit in worship and I thinksometimes reflect, reflect your
life, reflect on the goodness ofGod.
Like I said before, I saidwe're gratitude when gratitude
is your posture, complacencycan't live there, right?
And I think, when you even lookat the small things, I remember
(54:09):
sitting in in my house when Ifirst got saved, and I remember
looking at my bed and I saidthank you God.
I said you're giving me a bed tolay my head.
Thank you for this arm warm.
Thank you for this phone Wow.
Thank you for my arms.
Thank you for my legs, and Iweep and I say God, thank you
(54:32):
for just the small.
You for my legs, and I weep andI say God, thank you for just
the small things, because thatis enough.
And when that's enough,hallelujah, you'll be okay,
because you you learncontentment and when you're
content with Christ, that'senough Because he will sustain
you, like Paul says.
(54:52):
He says I'm content when I'mfull and I'm content when I have
an empty stomach, but I can doall things through Christ, who
strengthens me.
It's so good.
Speaker 1 (55:06):
Well, I'm so ready to hear you preach a sermon, dude,
like I swear, I'm ready for you, I'm like my goodness, because
that is so good, that is so good.
Oh my gosh, I'm full, like,literally I am, and you have
(55:26):
really, really blessed my soul.
And so, last thing, just leteveryone where, where they know
where they can reach you at, andum, if you could pray us out,
that will be absolutely so soyou can find me at on instagram
at javansmith underscore, um.
Speaker 2 (55:49):
j-a-v-A-N.
Dot Smith underscore.
And I have a new Instagram formy haircuts, so that way, if you
want to see my work, you can.
It's called Atlanta MasterBarber.
You can find me there, cool.
Speaker 1 (56:03):
So if you're ready, to pray.
Speaker 2 (56:04):
We can pray in the dark.
Speaker 1 (56:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (56:11):
You're having a gracious father, god.
We just thank you for today.
God, we just thank you for yourgrace, your mercy, your
kindness and your peace.
God, we just thank you forwalking with us.
God, we just thank you forbeing a lamp upon our feet that
guides every step.
Thank you for leading us, god.
(56:32):
Thank you for not leaving usalone.
You are always with us, god, wejust love you.
We just thank you.
We thank you for this calltoday.
We thank you for thisfellowship, god, we just thank
you for just all that you do inour lives, god.
God, we just pray that thetestimony that you've given me,
god, lands on good soil, that itblesses someone, that it
(56:54):
changes their lives and empowersthem to live a life worthy of
living, a life that is, a lifethat worships you, god,
worshiping you.
God, a God who died on thecross for our sins that we may
have eternal life.
God, the cross for our sins,that we may have eternal life.
God, a God who died not to justgive us eternal life, but to
(57:16):
set us free.
To set us free, to release usfrom the bondage of sin, the
bondage of the enemy.
Hell lost another one, and wejust love you and we appreciate
you for all that you do.
In Jesus mighty and holy namewe pray Amen.
Speaker 1 (57:39):
Amen, amen, amen.
Thank you.
Thank you, javon.
I am honored to meet such ayoung man that is on fire for
Christ.
You know, I know, you know myson is kind of like a youth
(57:59):
minister but you know, I'm soexcited because you're going to
touch somebody and I'm just I'myour biggest fan.
Now, like I'm your biggest fan.
Speaker 2 (58:12):
You got, you got you got me.
Speaker 1 (58:16):
So anyways anyways, anyways, thank you all for
tuning in.
I'm so excited for Javon.
If you want to reach out to him, make sure you go to his page
and look at his, his art.
That's what is art, okay.
And so we just want you, if youwant to be, if you want to give
(58:38):
your life to Christ, you canfeel free to ask.
You can acknowledge that Christ, that Jesus Christ will
acknowledge that you're a sinner, confess with your mouth,
believe in your heart, turn fromyour evil ways and seek after
his face and seek out theBible-based turtle.
Okay.
So, anyways, I thank you.
Thank you again, javon, andjust make sure that you are
(59:01):
staying cute for Christ.
All right, bye, y'all.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
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.