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June 15, 2026 11 mins

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And if you just put your well faith in God.
Rick Green from Spiritu Works Ministry, Rick Man twenty Is
it the twenty eighth year since the Lord just sort
of slapped you in the face and woke you up?

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, today is twenty eight years now. I'm so grateful
because I prayed to God. I meant that prayer. I
know I'm in it, and I never looked back. All right.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
For those who haven't heard the story, and for those
who are very interested in hearing again, because I never
get tired of hearing this story, because it really is
an amazing thing that happened in your world. You didn't
have a real good childhood. No, you were strouded by
drugs and alcohol. Yes, bad elements you hung out with.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yes, Lona cuss and a lot of fighting.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
And as a child growing up in that environment, I
can imagine, like with you, it was easy to rub
off on you.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yeah. I didn't think it was. And boy was I wrong.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
You were wrong. Okay, criminal activity, drug abuse, alcol all
all that stuff. I know you were in prison at
one point.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, you know it wasn't really I'm gonna say criminal.
It's just when I became an alcoholic and add it.
I didn't realize you can't be an alcoholic and addict
and be a current on town support. So I went
to printer for child support. Oh, I was the first time,
still planning the role along. If you're more than five

(01:24):
thousand dollars behind the town support was a founding. I'm
not blaming Bill plan because it was me. I did
that to myself. Sure, when I went over a five
thousand dollars in back town support, it became a founding.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Well, you know, there is an argument to be made
there that you're the one that brought them into this world.
You have an obligation to help deal with the cost
of raising children. We all know how expensive that can be,
at least those who have had children or looked into
the cost of raising children. But that's what happens. And
you were you were obligated to go out look for
job and present to court with information about the jobs
you applied for and all that kind of thing. Yeah,

(01:57):
we used to do that, and guys who didn't ended
up going to the lock up for twelve days was
kind of slapping the face. Look, if you don't pay
the child support again, you gotta come back in.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah, yeah, the mine was too polluted and too poisoned
and too gone doing anything right. Wasn't even in the
thought process, all right, just trying to get.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
High, getting high. Yeah, he paid the price.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
Readon I walk up in the morning at that period
in my life.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
So twenty eight years ago today you woke up and
your life was immediately transformed. And you never turned around,
explaining to the again, listeners who haven't heard the story
and the others, please, it's just such beautiful, beautiful thing.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
That morning, I was in the bathroom. I was looking
in the mirror, and I was about to go to court,
and I was talking to God in the mirror. Only
got me in the bathroom, and for whatever reason, a
thought came in my head. I didn't want to die
anarcoholic and an addict. I didn't want my kids to

(02:52):
hear about that. I didn't want my wife to hear
about that. At the time, now, my ex wife and
I thought about it. There's two days pretty much. I
believe we can't control that's alcoholism and drug addiction. They're
not too many deaths we have authority over well, correct.
I think those are self induced? Yeah, I honestly do.

(03:13):
I could be wrong. I just think they can happen
without our participation. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Now that's not to say that some people don't have
a genetic predisposition to getting addicted to alcohol. I know
certain genetic types, you know, they're prone to being alcoholics.
And maybe the same thing stands the reason for drugs.
But maybe if you realize you've got an issue. First off,
I know alcohol is difficult thing to get away from.
It's societally acceptable, and I'm happy to see the trends

(03:38):
with young people going down. But listen, nobody forcing anybody
to go out and use illegal drugs, So that might happen.
But you're right, I firmly believe that we have a
choice on whether to say yes or no at the outset.
And then if you realize you have a problem and
can't get a hold of it, then you really need
to seek treatment or maybe experience God's miracle like you did.
At least you were staring at yourself, asking the question

(04:00):
or pointing out that you were introspective. Yeah, so I'm
going to die and I don't want to die for
a whole variety of reasons.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
Can you give God credit for that conversation?

Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah? Because I know all things good of the Lord,
and that was a good conversation. It was a positive conversation.
It was a conversation that just pushed me into where
I needed to go. It was time to leave the
old Rick right there in the bathroom. He's still there
after twenty eight years. He didn't need to come out

(04:33):
of the bathroom. But a new man came out. That
was the third day. I poured all my coke down
to the toilet, I pulled my beer down the tallet.
I broke my cigarettes. I had gone to cleanse my tongue,
and I'm accustomed. June fifteen, nineteen ninety eight. Nobody can
tell me Godd isn't real because I don't have authority
over the tongue. I just don't.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
Well, you're looking at a guy across the board here.
He might have an argument with you about that. But
I will be willing to give the Lord at least
control over the on and off switch when it comes
to cursewords. Pause from him. But we're going to bring
Rick back. Talk about what this miracle has meant to him,
and how he's taken this miracle and really use it
to his personal advantage, but also to the advantage of

(05:13):
so many other people, not just by spreading the word
about it and it can be you, but how he
helps out other people in our community. Don't go away
my way to Montgomery Road.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
I met. He's all on fifty five krc DE talk station.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
Nine. If you do you have carece he talks station
and Ryan Thomas some experience enjoying rather the miracle that
is Rick Green's life and how he transformed it and
turned it around drugs, alcohol and had an introspective moment
in time, looking in the mirror and just saying I
have had enough through his cocaine down the drain, threw
away his cigarettes, poured out his alcohol, and since that

(05:50):
point in time, including shutting off the curse words, that's
an amazing feat from my perspective there, Rick Green, never
since twenty eight years today. So I want to congratulate you.
And and I heard you say, you know all the good,
with all the things good with the Lord. You knew
that in that moment you experienced the epiphany. And I

(06:12):
had to ask the question. You already planted the picture.
You didn't grow up in a real solid environment in
your childhood. Did you have anyone guiding you or taking
you to church or teaching you whether you're Christian or Muslim.
I don't even know what your religion is, but you
obviously have a connection with God. Rick, So did anybody
bring you up with the concept of God and that
there was some sort of measure of salvation or hope

(06:36):
in belief in a higher power, because clearly you got
the benefit of it.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
Oh yeah, my dad. The greatest gift he ever gave me.
He took me to church every Sunday. It may sure
I learned about a man n ain't Jesus, and that's
house you had to go to church. Of course I
didn't pay attention younger. I didn't realize I was listening.
I'm playing with race cars.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
Oh yeah, well it's like every well, let sure our
kids all day long and they're twelve years old, they're
looking at your glassy light. Is any of this getting through?
And then you later find out, well, you know what, Yeah,
they were listening.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
And I always knew God loved me even in that environment,
always knew the God and man connection. Whenever I was
about to do something that I wasn't supposed to do,
always had a warmth welling up and tigning me warning
me wherever I went against that warmth, I wind up
in the justice center. I wind up whenever I went

(07:31):
against that, and now I don't go against it no more. Well,
if like a warning it.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Well you, minister, I mean you're out in the on
the streets handing out meals every Do you still do
that on the weekend and helping out folks on life's margins?
And when when? If somewhere to ask you, because we
all have all these non government organizations and other groups
running around talking about we would to prevent, you know,
like youth crime and gun violence, and it just seems
to me to be boiled down to and summed up
in probably one of the most easy solutions, which is

(07:58):
a good a good family life and good morals being
taught and that you know there should be that internal
reaction like you had even when you were doing and
engaging in this behavior, that you knew it was wrong
when you were doing it. Does that come naturally or
is it a taught thing that you know something's wrong
when you're doing it.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
That's something God places in us. We know right, no
wrong at birth. We might not be to articulate it,
but we know it. You know when I'm out there
feeding the homes. I used to do it every weekend,
but I retire last November. Not I can only do
it once a month. People always say Rick wants you
a fine, won't once. See, I don't really need government

(08:40):
involvement with something I'm gonna do anyway. I'm still gonna
do it. I don't see the point. I'm still gonna
do it. Yeah, yeah, and to stop me.

Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah. That that's the spirit flowing through right there, my friend.

Speaker 2 (08:56):
I don't think nobody should go to bed hungry on Earth.
I just don't. There's enough money on Earth. I don't
think nobody sleep on the sidewalk on Earth. There's enough
money on Earth.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
But if people applied themselves and didn't take the easy
root out and say it's not my fault, I cannot
rise above because the systems designed against me, or the
man's got a thumb of oppression on me, or however
you want to phrase it. We've made it so easy
in this world to offload personal responsibility and put the

(09:29):
blame for any given failure we experience on someone else.
Looking at your life, you failed time after time after time.
You woke up on your own nobody wrote you a check.
No governmental agency came in and grabbed Rick Green by
the throat and pulled him out and said, Rick, you're
going to turn your life around. You did it on
your own initiative. I think that's the most beautiful part
of the story.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
It's just one thing. I totally agree when people say,
I'm not a fan of lazy. My uncle's want, lady
my grandpa w and lady my dad won lay. It's
just a horrible way to be. We always been in
blue collar, working, proud people. I'm talking about maybe mentally
challenged or physically challenged. That is different and infants. I

(10:12):
think we all should look out for them. Now, if
you're just lazy, I'm probably gonna keep walking. That's a
you thing. That's not me thing. I can't afford to
be lazy. I gotta say, Charlotta homewait, I mean she's
gonna eat. I need to eat.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
Yeah. Well. One of the things I always say is,
I think if there's one obligation we had to our
fellow brothers and sisters on this planet is at least
earn and take care of enough that you can cover yourself.
If you bring more people into the world. Like you
learn during paying child support, you better damn will take
care of them until they are capable of taking care

(10:51):
of themselves. And then they'll take that responsibility out into
the world and take care of themselves. And if we
all did that, if we are capable of doing it,
the world will be a much better place. And those
people truly on life's margins, my friend, those are the
ones that would get the attention they truly truly need.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
Yeah, that is absolutely I wish we could all just
wake up and see, that's enough of us to wear.
The elderly and the young and the mentally and physically
challenged shouldn't have to be without. That's enough for us
that don't Okay, yeah, there's a lot of they're doing
better now.

Speaker 1 (11:23):
Okay, yeah, well until you turn it into.

Speaker 2 (11:26):
And a lazy man or woman. I don't know what
to say that now. I really don't, because that's the
personal choice.

Speaker 1 (11:32):
They need to be introspective and have a look in
the mirror like you did twenty eight years ago. Maybe
the hand of God will touch them too. It's about
time for me to take care of myself. Dependence is
a dangerous, dangerous thing. Spirit Works Ministries final online spirit
Works Ministries dot com. That's where you find the world

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