Love GOD, Love Your Family. Love Your City with Pastor Mike Jr.

Summary

Keep it Positive, Sweetie – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Love GOD, Love Your Family. Love Your City.
Podcast: Keep it Positive, Sweetie
Host: Crystal Renee Hayslett
Guest: Pastor Mike Jr.
Date: January 11, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this powerful and uplifting episode, host Crystal Renee Hayslett sits down with gospel artist and senior pastor, Pastor Mike Jr., for a candid and encouraging conversation about the intersections of faith, family, and community. The dialogue touches on navigating leadership, the truth behind viral success, the real challenges behind wins, and the importance of living authentically while prioritizing purpose and grace.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Journey to Purpose: Faith and Timing

• Delayed Gratification and Obedience:
  Pastor Mike Jr. shares the story of founding a church at 25, placing 1200 chairs and only seeing 12 people show up. He references advice from his mentor to "love God, love your family, love your city, love your church—and the world will come looking for you" (09:26).
• Trusting the Process:
  Both host and guest reflect on their respective “10 years” to breakthrough:
  • “That was 2009. 2018 we have an incident in our city… 2019 is the year ‘Big’ came out. That’s 10 years to 2009 with my pastor telling me to wait 10 years.” (11:26, Pastor Mike Jr.)
  • Crystal shares her own experience: “It wasn’t until 2019 that Sisters got greenlit.” (12:01)

2. Authentic Success: The Realities Behind Achievement

• The Hidden Costs of Winning:
  Pastor Mike Jr. discusses how victories are often accompanied by unseen struggles, referencing biblical figures:
  • “Everybody wants to win. They don’t know the warfare that comes with it.” (05:48)
  • “A lot of people see the front side, which is the victory, but not the backside, which is the pain.” (06:07)
• Prioritizing Family and Balance:
  Despite professional success, Pastor Mike Jr. chooses to prioritize family over endless opportunities:
  • “I go where God calls me to go. Even being on this platform… I can feel God on this.” (17:10)
  • “How to win but not lose your house. How to win and not miss a single football game… So for me, it’s been easy to handle. And here’s a word that God introduced in my life because I got a rhythm now.” (15:14)

3. Staying Grounded: Faith in Practice

• Staying True to Calling:
  Pastor Mike Jr. refuses to be consumed by external validation and the public spotlight:
  • “If the light shining on you is brighter than the light shining in you, then the light shining on you will consume you.” (14:10, quoting Kirk Franklin)
• Serving Through Leadership:
  • “I want my life to be... Everything that's visible isn't valuable… I want to make an impact, and that's what's so precious right now, man.” (18:29)
  • On awards: “It’s not about the award in itself, but when I look at what it does for the people in my life… my producer... now he’s able to charge more. Now his bio says Grammy nominated producer.” (17:54)

4. Creativity & Authenticity

• Creative Process:
  Pastor Mike’s music is mostly spontaneous and born out of real-life moments, not calculated strategy:
  • “Everything is on the spot… If I sat down and tried to write a hit song, I don’t think I could.” (21:03)
• Honesty about Growth:
  He candidly discusses his weight loss journey and the importance of authenticity:
  • “I start working out and eating healthy. I’m lying. I had the surgery. I couldn’t even lie. I had to have the surgery. I tried to eat right. It didn’t work.” (23:51)

5. Mental Health and the Pain of Purpose

• Transparency About Struggles:
  “The biggest misconception about my song ‘Big’ is I was talking to people. That song was me looking in the mirror. I was the lowest I had ever been in life when we did ‘Big’.” (29:30)
• Navigating Seasons of Grief and Loss:
  Pastor Mike Jr. touches on the inevitable losses (friends, team members) that come with elevation and leadership, embracing the necessity of both highs and lows:
  • “Life looks like this… If your life was all joy, all peace, all prosperity, if you went to a hospital, they would say, you flatline.” (33:07)

6. Reaching People Where They Are

• Going Where Others Won’t:
  Pastor Mike Jr. emphasizes being present in unconventional spaces, showing love especially to those outside the church:
  • “Do firemen run to the fire or away from the fire? So if I'm light and they're darkness, I'm supposed to sit back and be like, no, they gotta stay dark? Or do God assign certain people to go into those places?” (47:39)
• On Judgment and Grace:
  • “You can’t evangelize and criticize at the same time.” (40:36)
  • “If this were to happen to me, how would I treat it in my house before I start being so religious in the streets?” (52:44)

7. The Evolution of Faith — Growth, Grace, and Witness

• Witness Over Perfection:
  • “It may not be a sin to go there. Just know it may kill your witness.” (41:15)
  • “When you define what your assignment is and what your purpose is, that determines where you can and can't go.” (41:24)
• Patience with Growth:
  Both guest and host stress that everyone is on a journey, and grace should be the guiding principle:
  • “People forget that they weren’t saved all their lives. If we had the grace and also the memory to remember… let me have grace to pull them with me.” (57:38, Crystal)
  • “If I tell you how I failed, I just gave you speed. Cause experience isn’t the best teacher. It’s the hardest teacher. I just told you in 10 seconds what it took me 10 years to learn.” (61:14, Pastor Mike Jr.)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Delay is not denial." – Pastor Mike Jr. (11:26)
• “Some people are blowing up to be seen. Some of us are doing our work to go missing.” – Pastor Mike Jr. (14:10)
• “If the light shining on you is brighter than the light shining in you, then the light shining on you will consume you.” – Kirk Franklin, recounted by Pastor Mike Jr. (14:10)
• “Everything that's visible isn't valuable.” – Pastor Mike Jr. (18:29)
• “You can’t evangelize and criticize at the same time.” – Pastor Mike Jr. (40:36)
• “You only hear about the planes that crash, not the ones that land.” – Pastor Mike Jr. (39:19)
• “I want to be comfortable in places people won’t go.” – Pastor Mike Jr. (45:13)
• “Failure is so powerful… I wish I could get moments back, but if I tell you how I failed, I just gave you speed.” – Pastor Mike Jr. (58:58)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Pastor Mike Jr. on beginnings and listening to wise counsel — 08:01–11:48
• On the importance of enjoying the journey — 05:32–06:29
• Handling success and pressure, prioritizing family — 13:00–15:44
• Impact of awards and recognition — 17:10–19:34
• Creative process of ‘Amen’ and authenticity — 20:44–24:13
• Mental health, pain behind ‘Big’ — 29:06–31:43
• Letting go, growth, and isolation — 32:17–34:43, 62:28–63:58
• On being judged by church and learning patience — 39:19–41:58
• Grace in spiritual friendships and “killing your witness” — 41:14–42:07
• Advice for handling shifts in friendships — 64:13–67:18
• Closing benediction and focus on sharing the gospel everywhere — 67:35–68:39

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Tone & Style

The episode is honest, warm, and deeply rooted in faith while remaining accessible. Both Crystal and Pastor Mike Jr. maintain a relatable, family-oriented tone, balancing humor ("Not the pork, but I love the ham" (07:40), candidness, and spiritual insight throughout the conversation.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Trust God's Timing: Not everything happens overnight; your “10 years” might be coming.
• Prioritize People: True success never replaces family, authenticity, or faith-driven purpose.
• Be the Light: Step into spaces where others may not go, showing love and grace without judgment.
• Own Your Story: Share struggles as well as wins—your realness inspires and helps others grow.
• Growth Involves Loss: With elevation come shifts in relationships; it’s okay to outgrow certain circles.
• Grace is Key: For yourself, for others, and for anyone seeking a closer relationship with God.

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Final Blessing

"Falling in love with God is the best thing I've ever done... If you're watching right now, you don't know Jesus, man, wherever you are, man, you can just say, 'Lord, come into my heart. I am a sinner in need of a savior.' ... And right now you're not just positive, you’re saved and that's the greatest decision you can make in your life." – Pastor Mike Jr. (67:59)

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For more:

• Follow Pastor Mike Jr. and listen to his music (“Big,” “Amen,” “Confetti and Conspiracies”).
• Share this episode with anyone who needs hope, encouragement, or a reminder that faith and authenticity can walk hand in hand.

Transcript

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[Pastor Mike Jr.]

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[Pastor Mike Jr.]

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[Pastor Mike Jr.]

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[Pastor Mike Jr.]

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[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Calling all my sweeties to the forefront, I'm your host, Chris Renee Hazlett, and this is the Keep It Positive Sweetie Show. Welcome to the Keep It Positive Sweetie show. The place where we heal, grow and learn together. Today's guest is gospel artist and senior Pastor, Pastor Mike Jr. Pastor Mike Jr. Is someone who many people know through his music and ministry. But today's conversation is about how faith shows up in real life. From the impact of Amen to his latest project, Confetti and Conspiracies, this is a chance to hear how he navigates leadership, responsibility and encouragement without losing his humanity. Kids, family. Please give a very warm welcome to the one and only Mike Jr. Hey, how you doing PMJ?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I'm excited to be here, man. It's a beautiful day today. I'm kicking in with you, we finna keep it positive.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

We gotta keep always, always. And I feel like you exude that. Your energy is amazing. I was telling you before, before we started rolling, this is our first time really, like, sitting down to have a conversation. But I've been a fan of yours, and watching you win is like watching.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

One of my own friends win. Yeah, I received that.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

So proud of you. You've done so many amazing things. How are you feeling right now?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I'm excited, man. I tell everybody it's been an incredible five or six years. You know, 20, 19, I kind of started singing and then the career just takes off. But I tell everybody this is the first year that I've actually enjoyed it.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Wow. Let's talk about that.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I think that's a trap. I think everybody wants to win. They don't know the warfare that comes with it. You know, when we look at the Bible, we see Joseph getting favored, but his family had to turn on him.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

We see David getting the crown, but his own daddy didn't think he was good enough to be king. We see Jesus conquering the grave, but he still had to be crucified.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, so a lot of people see. And our friend. Our friend Dr. Darius Daniels says this the front side, which is the victory, but not the backside, which is the pain.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

It's been an incredible year. And I feel good, like. And you know that you get to a certain point where everything slow down. Well, where you're winning. But it's not just the wins you enjoy, it's the journey.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And seeing how it impacts people's lives. So I'm excited about this year.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And you are making a huge impact.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I receive that.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes. Let's talk about that. So I know you're in Alabama. Are you originally from Alabama?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah. All I really know is Birmingham. Really? I'm an army brat, you know, So I was born in Tacoma, Washington, and my brother was born in Germany, my sister, Colorado, so. But my parents are from Birmingham.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Okay. You got back home.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah. So all I know is Birmingham. And everybody always tells me, I can't tell you from Birmingham. I don't know what I need to break. I don't know what camera I need to look at this one right here. We don't date our cousins. We actually got streets. I'm not eating ham and pork. Like, come. Birmingham is thriving. Shout out to my mayor, Randall Woodson. We are killing it right now. Look, Birmingham. Look at who Birmingham has. They have me as Mike Jr.

[TJ Maxx Announcer]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

We got mayor. They was Calling him Mayor Bay. Randall Woodland.

[CJ Toledano]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Then our chief of police going viral. They say he fine.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I saw him.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

We winning right now.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Listen, I might need to go to Birmingham.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Keep trying to make it seem like everybody in Alabama got dating they cousin and just got on overalls. Like, no, we got swag. We saying we love God. I love God. So I'm from Birmingham. I love the hamster, man. 205.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes. I love the ham. Not ham.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Okay.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Not the pork, but I love that. Yeah. I'm from a very small town where. Yeah. You might see somebody dating a cousin where I'm from.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Oh, Lord.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

No, we from. I'm from the country. Country. Had to get up out of there.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

But no, that's incredible. Take me through the journey of how we got. How you got to be where you are today.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah, man, it's crazy, man. I'm a kid who just love God. Like, I'm that kid. I didn't get a chance to run the streets. I didn't get a chance to gang bang. I was in vacation Bible school, in church every Sunday. I'm a pastor's kid, grandson of a civil rights icon. He walked with Dr. King and Shuttlesworth. So I grew up hearing stories about Dr. King and Shuttlesworth. And here's what happened, you know? So I always loved God. Grew up singing. Grew up. I'm the irritating kid in Sunday school. They ask, who want to share what they learn. I'm raising. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Because I know everything.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I know everything. I love it, you know? So now I started a church when I was 25 years old. Walked into a room, I put 1200 seats out. God told me it was going to be crazy. And so at 25, I'm looking at all these people who were like me dying senselessly. I turned to my father and said, I really think God wants me to do something special. He says, mike, go for it. We put 1200 chairs out, and 12 people came. But we was having the time of our life just preaching. So by 25, it was 10 of us. By 26, man, it's like 1000, 2000 people. And by 27, it's 5000 people in an arena. I don't know who I am as a man, let alone somebody's pastor. Yeah, but I'm doing the best that I know how to do. And we're just growing, growing and growing. And I always wanted to sing. I would write songs and record songs, and I never forget my pastor. Shout out to Dr. R.A. vernon. He said, mike, God's going to do something crazy in your life, but do me a favor. For 10 years, love God, love your family, love your city, love your. Love your church, and the world will come looking for you. So I'm sitting here like, 10 years, you done lost your mind. It's go time right now, right? Like you ever got a word in church. And the prophet was like, I need you to wait. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's now. Yes. But I don't know why. When he said it, it just hit my spirit.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

So for 10 years, I had one of the fastest growing churches in the world, and nobody knew who I was. Like, I would get invited to be on tbn and invited to be on all these stations, I'd be like, no, no, thank you. And a lot of my friends would be like, boy, you crazy. But in my heart, I heard my pastor say, and I felt like that was God through him. Love God, love your family, love your city. He said, In 10 years, the world will come looking for you. That was 2009, 2018. We have a incident in our city where the whole city is ripped apart. You know, for the first time in a long time, I was Malcolm X in my city of if something happened, I'm doing protests. We marching. It was almost a thing. Like, when Pastor Mike find out it's going to go down. Wow.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

But for the first time, I heard the Lord tell me to be a bridge, you know? And the bad thing about a bridge is it get walked on by both sides. So the black people in my city are saying, pastor Mike, you're not doing enough, you know? And we get to the arena that Sunday, my city is so mad at me that it's empty.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

So in my heart, I'm like, this is it. It's over for us, you know? And I walk on stage that Sunday and I praise team and singing. I'm getting ready to see something I've never seen. And I walked up and said, and it's gonna be big. That clip does almost 2 million views. Wow. And I don't even. I thank God for the young lady who clipped it. It was just crazy. And I'm wrestling with anxiety, borderline depression at the time. So much going on. I go on somewhat of a sabbatical, and I get a phone call saying, hey, I don't know what you were singing Sunday, but you might need to turn that into a song.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I called my guy and say, hey, let's make that a song. We're gonna sing it at church anniversary. And the rest is history, man. The rest is history. But the beautiful thing about that is 2019 is the year big came out. That's 10 years to 2009 with my pastor telling me to wait 10 years. So somebody watching right now, they just trust the word of the Lord. God ain't done yet. Delay is not denial.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Say that I am a living testimony. That's so crazy. The same year 2009, is when I moved to Atlanta to pursue music and acting. It wasn't until 2019 that sisters got greenlit.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Oh, wow.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

10 years.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

It's power in those 10 years.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Stability, 10 fingers, 10 toes, I believe. And I don't know who's watching right now. They may be in their figurative 10 years. You know where they're sitting there. Gifted, talented, intellectual, got charisma. But it just ain't click yet. And I just know God has some of us in a season where our 10 years coming in 2026.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Come on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Like, this is the year God's going to do everything I told my church he's going to do expeditiously and exponentially. That he's going to do a whole lot real quick. And he will.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Like, I've seen it, and it's crazy. Like, when I think about God's goodness and how he literally takes it and turns it around just like that. And you're like, whoa. And I feel like that's where you are right now. This has been one of the biggest years of your life, 2025. So I can imagine what 2026 is going to look like for you. How have you been able to handle it all? You know, all the nominations. Like, congratulations. Like, literally. Get the broom out, man. Swept at the stellar.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Sweep, Sweep, sweep, sweep.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Had to pull a broom up. I caught that. I was like, that's fire. So good. But, like, with that comes so much more. And a lot of people don't understand. Yes, we work for these things, but when it comes, it comes with a different type of weight that we may not expect. Have you had that experience?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah. I think this was the most prepared I ever been. And I can remember the first time I won artists of the year. I didn't know what to expect. So you win, you go in the back. Then I get in the truck. I'm like, oh, my life gonna change. Like, I can remember, like, in my head, Oprah was gonna call. I was gonna be in a Tyler Perry move. I just thought it was in your head.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. All the doors are opening.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

It's going to open. And I got back to the room and I can remember I just couldn't stop crying really. Cuz it was this overwhelming anxiety of, okay, what do I. How do I do this again? How do I keep it? What do I do next? And. And the pressure hits you. And now I told my boys this, this morning. I said, I'm so glad God did all he's doing in daddy's life at this age. So now, man, it's like I. I can't explain. I'm. It's like I got so many opportunities and shout out to the best publicist in the world. I owe him an apology. His name, Von Vaughn, calls me and he says, hey, so and so wants you. No, I'm good. Well, they want you to come here. No, I'm fine. Hey, guess what? We got your interview with. No. My daughter has gymnastics. And everybody around me right now is trying to figure out like, okay, this is the biggest year of your life. All these doors are open, but you're not going anywhere. Cause some people are blowing up to be seen. Some of us are doing our work to be. Go missing. And so for me, I'm trying, Michael. I'm trying to go missing. Like, I don't. Because I see with that spotlight comes so much I never forget. Kirk Franklin said to me, I was, I was, I was blowing up. And I got on FaceTime with him. He said, if the light shining on you is brighter than the light shining in you, Jesus, then the light shining on you will consume you. So for me, I want to display how to win but not lose. Your house. How to win and not miss a single football game. How to win. And every time your daughter hit a backwards flip, she look up there, you standing right there. Yes. So for me, it's been easy to handle. And here's a word that God introduced in my life because I got a rhythm now. You know, like, even with the church, it's like we had this big year. I didn't. I only performed maybe four times this year.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, because I was like, nah, I gotta be more stable. Boom. Or not missing the boys football season. Boom. My oldest son dating in this series.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, so I need to be there when he come on and look him in his eye like, you good? Are we good? Are we still saved? Are we still safe? I have to. I gotta act.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Still saved.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Are we still saved? So it's been an incredible year, but it's been a. It's been an easy year. Yeah. Because I think for the first time in my life. I'm not trying to be something.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah, because you are.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I just am.

[CJ Toledano]

Come on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And it's a blessing.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

That's. So that is exactly what it is. It's a blessing because a lot of people aren't in position. We do get in the mindset of, like, how do I keep this up? What's next? And we will literally burn ourselves out trying to keep it up. There is a blessing in the. No, I'm okay. I don't have to do that. Because a lot of times, like, no, we need to be doing this. Where are the. Why isn't anybody calling? So the fact that you're able to say, no, I'm okay. Like, that is a huge blessing. And the fact that you are prioritizing family. I think a lot of times when you talk to a lot of successful people, family is what gets sacrificed the most. So I commend you for making sure that your family stays priority.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I tell everybody, man. It's. I was on a call. I was on a call this week. A lot of people on this call, and they were like, hey, we got so many big plans for you. 2026 is going to be even bigger. We XYZ, XYZ, XYZ. And Tiffany, who's my executive director, she said on the call, she said, I still don't think y' all get. I don't think he care about a lot of what y' all care about. And I don't, like. I don't, like. I can't, like, hey, we invited you to. Okay, great. God bless you. I go where God calls me to go. You know, even being on this platform, the moment they call, I was like, absolutely.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Thank you.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Because I can feel God on this. I can feel that you're in assignment and you're in purpose. And what I've discovered is when you have an assignment and you're dealing with people who just have attachments, that's when you become chaotic and toxic. And so for me, I only wanna align with people who are in assignment.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, and so I'm just excited, man. I can't describe enough what it means. Like, I get joy. Like, we nominated for the Grammy this year, and that's, like, huge. Like, so when I tell you, I'm so excited about that, and I know somebody said, well, you know, you shouldn't be in it for awards. Okay, thank you. Hallelujah. Are we gonna talk about that? So they say stuff like, it's not about the awards. Yes, it is. I want to be recognized like, like, why are we so spiritual that we sitting? Like, when I. I'm living right, so I can get a crown. Come on, like, think when I. When I go to heaven, he gonna give me a crown. And the Bible also says that certain people gonna have more jewels in their crown. So for me, it's not about the award in itself, but when I look at what it does for the people in my life. Like my producer. Yes. He said, pastor Mike, I don't produce for every secular artist you can think of. I never thought my first Grammy nomination would be a gospel album. But now he's able to charge more. Now his bio says Grammy Award, Grammy nominated producer.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

That holds weight.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And then the writers, they're Grammy nominated writers. And so for me, man, you know, like the last award show, I left the Stella Awards, I had an artist come up to me and say, man, one day I'm gonna get me one. I said, you want this one? He was like, serious? I said, yeah. I said, put it in your studio. He literally came by the room. I gave him to Stella in his studio right now. It's right. They say when he record, that's how he stay motivated. Because to me, I want my life to be. I don't want to be. Everything that's visible isn't valuable, you know? So for me, I want to make an impact, and that's what's so precious right now, man. So I'm excited about the Grammy nomination and people saying, are you going to win? I don't even care at this point. If we win, we win.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

We already won.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

We'll be nominated. And to hear people say Yolanda Adams and Shirley Caesar and Cece Winans, Kirk Franklin, Tasha Cobb, Pastor Mike Jr. That's.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

A. Ooh, that's some company.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

What? What?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Legendary.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

What? I ain't gotta win as long as I get there and like Beyonce, say my name, say my name. That's all I need right there. The rest is history.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

So I love it. No, as you should be. And to go back to the young man, that was like, I'm gonna get me one that shows your heart, posture, you know, and that it's not like this doesn't make you, you know, the trophies. In fact, you like, here, take one. You know what I'm saying? That he looks at that when he's in the studio to be motivated.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Cause that's what I did, man. I was the type of person that would have pictures up everywhere. When I say pictures up everywhere, like, that's gonna be this. This gonna be this. Or even you look at my team Dre, who does all my videography, who did all my music. Music videos. He didn't do that. We brought a cheap camera. I bought him an HP computer. I said, let's figure it out. He's still with me to see Tiffany, to see Leslie, to see ati, to see an Adiya. Everybody who kind of started this journey with me. So when you get a chance to win like that, it's not just about the artist. And I get what people are saying in the world today, like, gospel artists shouldn't be. Yes, I got you. We want to do this to please God. At the same time, they have to make a living. It's a gift, you know, it's a gift. And I'm honored that God picked me to help put so many people in position to live their dream, you know? So I'm excited about that.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Well, so I want to know about your creative process. Okay, so you got Amen Blessed that we just went viral for you being in the gym, going crazy, y'.

[Public Investing Announcer]

All.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

My pre workout and Jesus hit at the same time, and I lost my mind, but it's so good. What is your creative process like when you go in, do you already have an idea, or do you just get in there and start letting go?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

So. So everything is extemporaneous. I'm being a preacher, not extemporaneous. Everything is on the spot. So take, for instance, Amen, Right? So I'm finna give you the behind the scenes story nobody heard. So we're on tour on the Sprinter, and Da Vinci says to me, he's a gospel artist. Da Vinci says, pastor Mike, I gotta get a song. And I look at him and say, we gotta get you a number one song, boy. You know, Adiya had on the way. That was a song that was gonna be on one of my projects. I was like a Diya. Kill it. Boom. I looked at T, I was like, I gotta get you a song. So then I go through my phone and I find a random track. It was like. And literally all I say is, this gonna be the year that I break every cycle. That laying hand on the back that the church say amen. And then I ain't thinking. Yeah. I look up T. Like he's shaking his head, like, is that my song? I'm like, well, let's see what the Lord says about. Let's pray about it.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I said, this might be mine.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I said, I think it. Let's pray about it. So we get out the V, we go upstairs, we go Perform at the concert. We get back in the van. He look, has the Lord. I said, come on, let me rest, man. Let me breathe. I wake up the next morning. We get in the van and go to the next city. He said, hey. I said, nah, that ain't. That ain't God's will for you. It was in my spirit. By then, he's like, I woke up out my sleep, like, let the church say, listen. And then from there, we just kind of flowed, you know? And. And if I sat down and tried to write a hit song, I don't think I could. Big was randomly in church. Yeah, I got it. I was preaching about, go possess the land, and they was born. I said, it's already mine. It's already. And TL Dad. I got it. I got it. And boom. And so a man was Ran tj Late Boom. Shout out to Late Boom, one of the best producers in the world. Late Boom. And Curtis Glenn produced that track. She said that bang.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

When the beat goes out, it goes. I'll be like, yeah, it's so. I don't miss nothing. Like, I'm into every part of a song, see?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

But the creative process, too. I view everything. I ask myself, where do I want to live? And if a creative is watching right now, this will bless them. Because it's one thing to be creative, but if what you're creating has no ecosystem, not. Not an ego system, but an ecosystem. And I think the reason so much stuff we do works because it's not in an ego. I'm not sitting there like, I know what's best. I'm going to kill it. This is going to be the so and so. No, like, I live in an ecosystem, you know? So when we hit the scene, it was, okay, what do I want to look like? I was like, £320, you know? So then I was £320, and I was like, okay, if I'm gonna make an impact in gospel, I want to look a certain way, you know? I want to look a certain way. So I start working out and eating healthy. I'm lying. I had. I had the surgery. I had the surgery. I'm lying. I couldn't even lie. I couldn't even lie. I had to have the surgery. I tried to eat right. It didn't work. It didn't work.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Listen, we all need a little help now.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Popeyes called me. It was prophetic. I dropped weight. And then when it came to the look, I knew what I wanted to look like. So, no. Call Felipe G. Yeah. Then when it comes to the music, how do we want it to present? But even with the music, when I saw your video of you and your workout, that's where we wanted it to live.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I was like, I may not get invited on a Sunday morning to do I got it. I said. But people who love God, we don't have nothing that we can listen to when we want to be motivated or when we go into the interview or when I'm getting my mind right. So to see you in there, that made my day.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah, I love that you talked about.

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[CJ Toledano]

This week on Point game with me, C.J. toledano and Isaiah Thomas. It answered some questions from you, the fans. Here's a sneak peek. Check it out. My favorite TV show yeah ever is Law and Order. Oh, you could pick up any. You could watch any episode. Did you know I'm on a Law and Order episode? Which one?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You don't even know.

[Ben]

I gotta stop.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Look, Law and Order is my favorite ever. So when I that was one of my dreams as a kid to be.

[Ben]

On Law and Order.

[CJ Toledano]

I'm gonna go off and watch it on near. Do you want it? I got reading lines and everything. Oh my God.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Reading lines and everything.

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[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Where you were mentally, when it's gonna be Big came out, or when it was conceived, the conception of it. I want to talk about that. Because a lot of times people feel like when you are a person of faith, you don't deal with any type of mental health issues when it comes to depression and creeping in. How did you navigate that season and knowing that you were doing what you were supposed to do, being the bridge and how it's like you felt like it kind of turned on you?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

The biggest misconception about my song Big is I was talking to people. That song was me looking in the mirror. I was the lowest I had ever been in life when we did Big. Wow. When I say the lowest, the lowest, I'm talking about Christmas 2018. Christmas 2018, Christmas 2019. I didn't have money to be buy my kids stuff. You know, I'm pushing this church and I'm pushing the vision. I've never really been a money preacher, so even now, when you come to our church, you probably won't even see me raise an offering. A lot of times it was just bad mentally. I felt like I was at my lowest socially. I had lost a lot of friends. Emotionally. I probably was the most immature I had ever been. Because, you know, when you're hurting, you start to blame.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And a lot of times it's hard for you to realize you're the problem. And so when you look back at those lyrics, I believe it's my season. I believe it's my time. I'm anticipating God's getting ready. And so for me, I don't think we talk enough about the pain that comes with purpose, you know, the pain that comes with purpose. Like this set and everything I'm seeing you doing in here is so phenomenal. Like, I remember was getting ready to shoot a movie, and I walked past here and it was like, that's Crystal Spot. I was like, what? But they don't know the pain that comes with it. Somebody's gonna walk by here and literally say, man, I want that. They don't know the note. They don't know how hard it is. They don't know how hard your team work, you know, Like. Like, to me, man, Big was an anthem for so many people during that pandemic. Cause I believe we all were in the most. We were all in the wilderness. We were trying to figure it out. It's 2019. I'm trying to figure, okay, my show just hit now what?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Now what?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Now what?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Literally, like, what you gonna do?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Like, what you gonna do? Create a whole bubble for us. And so for me, that's why I can say 2025 is different for me. Yeah. You know, I may have lost. I may have lost more personally than I ever lost this year as far as socially, like friends and people and team, but I feel stronger than I ever been. Like. Like, I'm at a place now where I can sit back and. And say, okay, God, I see you. Like, even when it's not going like you want it to, it's like, I see you. I see you, man. So I'm excited about that.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I had Tyler on, and he had this analogy about a rocket ship, and when it takes off, talking about people who are ascending and their star is rising, and he said, crystal, he's like, everybody can't go. And he was like, think about when a rocket goes off, it's the boosters that fall off. And it's so hard because you want everybody to come. And it's like, as you're going, it's like, dang, I just lost so and so. And, like, where is everybody?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

You know, and to let you know that you're not alone in that. That is just something that comes with success and with. So everybody either they can't handle the. The elevation and the altitude of where you're going.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And then sometimes we got to prepare to get there.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah. When you look at that rocket ship, it can preach all. All in and of itself, that rocket ship. You got people in a tower you can't go up to. Give you a countdown.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Come on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, then once they get a countdown, they all watch up, like you said, and the boosters fall off.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

But the beautiful thing about that rocket is they go up in that rocket knowing they can't stay up forever. And so for me, I guess that's where I am. It's like, okay, I'm up here. Yeah. I'm gonna have to come down at some point. So now the downs don't depress me.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And I think a lot of creatives become depressed because we're in that rocket and we're going up, and now we're trying to figure out, how do I stay up here.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You're not meant to stay up there. You know, think about this. If your life was all joy, all peace, all prosperity, if you went to a hospital, they would say, you flatline.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

That's death. Life looks like this. Yes, medically, this is death and this is life. So if all I want to do is win or stay, I can't. I gotta have risk. And so for me, man, I'm just. I thank God for it now. That's why now, you know, I said it earlier. I just. I'm gonna have to keep hugging my publicist because every time he called me, like, he like, hey, Mike, I got. Not right now. And it's not because I think I'm all that. I think it's like, right now I see where God is taking us. You know, like, even when I look at my team, like, when I look at my team, I see the doors God gonna open for my public, the doors God's gonna open for my manager. The door is going to open for my team. It's okay. I'm going to have to stay in a spiritual place. So when God elevate them, who praying for them? Come on, who praying for them and who doing this? Cuz I can remember I went to a BET Awards this year, right? So I'm at the BET Awards. So it's the. It was the. It was the best thing in the world for me to go to. And I say that because people don't say, you're a pastor. Why was that good for you to go to? I didn't know the level of impact I was having. Cause I never come outside. So literally so Vaughn is like, I want you to go to. I'm not going to that, Pastor Mike. I'm not going to that. I'm like, pastor Mike, please. Cool. So you know when you stand in that line at the BET Awards, it's like, it's people who are celebrities, who ain't even celebrities no more. Cause another celebrity came in.

[CJ Toledano]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

So literally. So I'm standing there like, you're next. Next. Then this person walk in, step back, boom. Next thing I know, I'm 75 people back. I'm standing next to Glorilla, like, hey, how you doing? Hey, how you doing? Like, cool. And we looking at somebody else. I'm like, but the best part was I'm in the line and people looking at me, they like, hey, man, I love your videos. I'm like, oh, thank you. Then another person walked up. My daughter. Love. Amen. Oh. I'm like, okay. So then the next person, hey, boy, what's up, man? Hey, boy, your tick tocks be black. And so I went home like, hey, this is making a difference.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

It is.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

This is making a difference. And when you do that, it changes your. Why?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Come on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

So now it's like. It's a lot of stuff you don't need anymore now because you realize I'm getting to the heart of people right where they are. So I'm excited.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

That's so true. I love that. It's so funny because there's been times where I've gotten pushed back in that life that pushed back crazy. Number one shows on this network, that pushback crazy. How are we getting pushed back?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I was like, hey, let me tell you, I'm gonna give you one funny story. So I finally get on the carpet at the BET Awards, right? And so we on the carpet, I take, you know, you take the picture, hide your stomach. Boom. So then. So Vaughn, my publicist, he's literally, like. He's walking up to people, trying to get him to talk to me. Yeah. But I guess he don't want me to see, but I'm looking at him. He walks to this lady, said, I have passion. He's not big enough. I said, oh, God, I can take you back to church. Take me back to the Stella's. I'm the man at the Stellas. I can't handle the. Take me where they love me. But it was so good because for me, like, I was. I was standing there when Kai Sinat told the people, if my. If my boy can't get on, I'm not getting on. I was standing there when the lady up there said, hey, no. Kevin said he wasn't doing it unless Kai came. If we had that mentality in gospel.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Come on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Or that mentality as people, that when I get through this door, I ain't coming unless he come.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I'm not. And that's the mindset we need, man. So to see all those people and to hug them.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, I can't remember who that was I met in the elevator, and he gave me a big old hug. I think it was Playboy Carti.

[Ben]

Oh, wow.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Playboy Cardi. Boom. I said, whoa. He was like, man. I said, man, I'm praying for you. Keep doing your thing and y' all keep him safe. I said, man, I'm praying for you. And I'm sitting there. So I get home, I tell the boys I like, man, hey, man, I pray real quick. We pray Playboy Cardi.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And. And the boy is like, what?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, so for me, I. I always wanted to be the person that when life got thick for people, I was a safe place. So.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah, come on. Yes. I love that. And honestly, it Just. It's a reminder of how Jesus was. A lot of times he was in places like, why are you with them? Why are you going to their house and having dinner with them?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Exactly.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

It's not. You're not going there to do what they're doing. You're going there to be light. You know exactly what he was. And I wish more people operated.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

They don't get it. Threads is when I tell you. I'm so tired of threads. It's so messy. Like, everybody wants to judge and condemn.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

But if Jesus was here, he would not be a Rock City church. He would not be a change. He would be on Peachtree. He would literally be at the bottom. He would be in Bessemer in Birmingham. And so for me, man, in 2020, I'm. I'm saying, lord, grace me with the anointing to go to places people won't go. But here's the crazy part. Not because those places are wild.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

But because of the fiery darts that are going to come from people who should be praying for me.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Come on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And that's the hardest part. That's the hardest part. I can tell you so many stories where I received so much love in places that I probably shouldn't have been and more hate in places I should have been. And so we just got to get over that.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

We do. Let's talk about that. Because I. I've never really understood that, and I have a lot of. Especially in this climate. So many of my friends and peers are searching for hope.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And they are so turned off by the Christian community and how we carry ourselves. Not boxing everybody in, but as a whole, we're supposed to be bringing people closer to us and to Christ, to want to be more like us and be like, yo, what is something about them? Like, what are they doing over there? Like, they really serious. And I had one friend say, like, I look at y', all, and it's like, y' all just not really serious about it. It's a lot of like, oh, yeah, I go to church on Sundays, but I'm in the club tomorrow. You know what I'm saying? Like, living my life however I want to. Then another friend's like, yeah, I'm just not really sure what I believe. And I do feel like there's a lot you just preached on this Sunday. I believe, or I don't know if it was a recent clip about how a girl may just be coming from the club, you know? And I do believe that, like, once you start to learn more about God, you do kind of change the way you dress, but if you don't know, you don't know. You don't know. And you're not supposed to judge people based off that. We're supposed to welcome them in so they feel welcomed. And then they'll start looking like, okay, wait a minute, so this is how I'm supposed to dress this supposed to do. But not judging them and pushing them away, because I feel like we push so many people away.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah, yeah. It's a lot of great Christians out here. Like, I tell everybody, you only hear about the planes that crash, not the ones that land.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Come on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And so a lot of times the church and Christian get a bad rep because we hear about the ones that crash, not the ones that land.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And so for me, man, there's some incredible churches here in Atlanta, some incredible churches all over the country. But I think what happens now is I feel so sorry for the new school Christian because they're being condemned by the church and their peers.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

So, so, so, so, so we said something. We. Grandmama said something when she was in church. She would say, please be patient with me. God ain't through with me yet. Right. But there's no patience now. Yeah, man, there's no patience now. Like, I got this one young cat that we inbox a lot, and he watched me every Sunday. Every Sunday, he's gonna send me a video in my inbox. And I promise he might be smoking weed every Sunday. Ap you killed that today, bro. You killed that today. And I played it one time. I never get the person in my office, like, I can't believe he sent you that. Like that. I said, one, he's watching church. Two, he's trying to get closer to God. Three, and his state is legal.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Come on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I said, so how are we going to condemn him?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And so for me, that's what I don't think we need to. You can't evangelize and criticize at the same time. And so for me, I'm trying to walk this fine line of, hey, guys, I love God, I'm serious about my faith. But then I think a lot of people are like, I love God. I'm serious about my faith, but I want to go out with my friend. Yeah, I want to do so. And so. And what I tell people now is, it may not be a sin to go there. Just know it may kill your witness. And that's the danger now. It's not a sin to go out. It's not a sin to put on A nice dress and go kick it with your girl.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You just have to decide now, is this going to kill my witness? And when we define what your assignment is and what your purpose is, that determines where you can and can't go.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

That's so true.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

So it ain't about not. It's not about being fake. It just kills your witness. It's almost like. Like somebody. Like. Like right now, we get done taping, and then Big Dog say, man, here go a cigar. And I grabbed a cigar, and we sit here and we got a Bible open. All we do is talking about God.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Smoking a cigar, not a sin. But to somebody who may be unbelieving, it may kill my witness.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

So that's why sometimes I get invited places. People want me to do certain features. They want me to do something, and I'd be like, as bad as I want to do that.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I don't want that to kill my witness.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Oh, my goodness.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, and so that's the. That's the thing. But I think when you say it like that, it makes more sense than you fake.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know what I'm saying? So for me, like, I learned that lesson the hard way, you know, Like, I tell everybody, it's a lot I wish I could get back, you know, I was young and. You know, when you first get saved, you hell fire, baby. You are fire, boy. Listen, you walk around, don't cuss around me. Don't, don't, don't you do it. Put that out around me. Don't you do it. You know how you first get saved? You ain't want to interview nobody. Your manager telling you. Am I talking to her? Hey, when you first get saved. Oh, my. Hey, we got so and so. No, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. We not doing that. That was me. That was me. Like, because you first get saved, all you know is how to be religious. Yes. You don't understand the depth of your relationship.

[Covino and Rich]

Come on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And so the first thing you do is you change your clothes. You know, things I used to do, I don't do no more. Now your girl, you got on a whole turtle.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

You hot.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You got on a whole turtleneck. Right now you gotta be saved. Hear me? And so now I think there's a.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Generation I feel attacked right now.

[CJ Toledano]

See?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

But now it's a generation who, like, I want to look like that.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Yes.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And I think that's what it was for me. It's like. And even, like, I'm so happy. The BET Awards bringing that back.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

We.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

They Made it formal attire.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Because everybody was naked.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And I was one of them.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And I was like, thank you, Lord. I was like, we gotta put some clothes on. We gotta put some clothes on. And I was like, how can I be set apart? And that was part of it.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Like.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Cause I love fashion.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

But I am hot right now.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah. You know, but to me, it's like the actual. Like, I'm gonna tell you something nobody knew, and I'm gonna give you an insight. Right? When we got ready to drop big, it was in the system as PMJ. My mute pastor Mike Jr. Was gonna be the preacher.

[CJ Toledano]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

PMJ was gonna be the artist.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Got it.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And I'm sitting at home, right? And they was like, no, we gotta be pmj and shout out to my team. They were so prophetic. They said, you're gonna be one of the biggest gospel artists in the world, and if they call you Pastor Mike Jr. You're not gonna be able to walk in certain rooms. I was like, okay, we'll be pmj.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Wow. I called back two days later, said, now I want to be Pastor Mike Jr. Yeah. And it's like, I said, I want them to know who I am when I walk in. And so now I think that's where we. And I don't mind taking shots now, because I'm realizing the greater goal, you know? Like, even the clip, I said, if they. If that girl walked in my church half naked and I walked up and hugged her, the first thing, he must be sleeping. Sleeping with her or the first thing they gonna say, or. And for me, it's like, I. Because I'm in the trenches.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, I. I talk to drug dealers.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Somebody gotta be down.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Somebody gotta. And notice I ain't say X. You're right. I talk to people who ain't out the life yet who say, pastor Mike, my baby mama made me start watching you. And I. Like, like, literally, we were laughing today because I want to change my phone number. I don't know if I can, like. Cause I'm the type of person that I get an inbox. Two days ago, this lady inboxed me. My son, 22, he's still in the streets. He said, but he always sending me your tiktoks.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I said, yes, man. I said, what's his number? She's like, you gonna. I, I. I say, bro. And literally standing outside, fool, y' all ain't gonna believe this N word on the phone, like. And I'm just sitting there looking like, what up? He's like, hey, man, we be watching your TikTok, bro. You be God dang with the woo.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

The woo.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And I'd be like, man, I said, your mom hit me up. He was like, man, he walked off to himself. I said, man, you know what you're doing. There's only one way that's gonna end, right? Maybe two. I said, the second option is a blessing.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

He's like, you right. He said, but I ain't. I said, man, what you wanna do?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And then I'm sitting there and I'm like, look, this my number. You hit me. And he texted me, what one time, like, bro, pray for me. And to me, though, that's what God called us to be. Not these mega pastors that, that, that by default. Because a lot of people watch us. We became right. But when you meet certain people, man, you gotta reach them where they are. And I just. I just don't want to be that. I can tell you going to hell, but are you going. Even Jesus fed him before he. He talked to him. Yeah. And in essence, he met a need. So for me, you know, I want to be comfortable in places people won't go. You know, I want to. I want to be able to say, hey, I had to perform in Houston one time, and we in there. When I tell you I knew I was going to hell. Like, I knew I was going straight to hell. Like, hear me, we in Houston and it's. God dang. It's people on stilts, like ladies on stilts dancing and everybody drunk. Just during the pandemic. Everybody drunk in Houston. They supposed to be in their cars.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

You was probably where Herbin was.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Hear me? They supposed to be in they cars, right? And they like, it's a concert. I'm like, why am I here? They was like, we exit station in the station. Everybody at the station said they want to pass the mic. So I'm talking about dating the person before me. Put your mother.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And I'm like, I'm about to go on.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I'm like, I'm next. They like, you closing. I'm like, jesus, wow. And God rest her soul. The senator came up, gave me, like, the key to the city. And then I got up and said, y' all ready? Anybody love God? Every. And this is back when they had to blow their horn. Cause couldn't nobody get out the car. Yes, everybody got out the car in a pandemic, came to the front of the gate. I end up praying for people, hands lifted, people, tears in their eyes. And I'm sitting there and I'm like, had I been religious, I'd have. Like, that ain't no place for me, but let me free you. Do firemen run to the fire or away from the fire? So if I'm light and they're darkness.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I'm supposed to sit back and be like, no, they gotta stay dark. Or do God assign certain people to go into those places? And I think it starts with a certain level of transparency. And you gotta have a level of freedom.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And that's why I say God graced me not from what's gonna happen in darkness, but from all the people who. Who got light.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And that's the problem.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

You are preaching.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I said all that to say you don't have to wear a turtleneck.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Okay, thank you. Yo, no, it's turtleneck. I be in Miami all the time, and my friend, I'm like, y' all come down, we'll do a Bud Day. And my friend's. She goes, now, you know, that's the first lady. She's like, you can't wear that around her.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And then I had put, like, I had on the outfit with my back out. She goes, chris, I had her back out today.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I thought you were saved. Like, I can't wear outfits.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Listen.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Like, that's crazy.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Listen, I'm still that girl. I just. Yo, you are so funny. No, literally, like. And I think it's also when I be fasting, but, like, certain things are distasteful to me now. So, like, when we. When west be cussing, I'm like, stop. Like, I was. Like. I said, language. And you're like, oh, my bad, my bad. You know, because certain things are more sensitive to my spirit now than before I. Working in costumes in the TV and film industry, sailor.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

It's a lot.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And you're around it all the time. So, like, my mouth was so bad. And work. I'm still working. Like, sometimes, like, I don't. Because, like, I used to. But I'll get upset and it'll come out, and it'll, like, be that slit.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You gotta get to the point. I cuss, and instantly. God forgive me. Blank. God forgive me. Literally.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Literally.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I'm like, I'm sorry.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Like that. Fix you and see. I'm gonna say this, too, though. Like, even with you, like, you're telling. Hey, language, language, language. I think the people who you interact with daily should become more like you as you become more like Christ. Oh, my.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

No, seriously, that's how it should be. No, Mike, literally, my other Manager Shawna. She was like, because of you. She's. I mean, because I did an interview while I was fasting.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Never do that. I was like, literally in tears the whole interview. Because, like, I was just open.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And I left. And I was like, oh, my God. I was like, was that too much? Like, what did I say? Because it was like an out of body. Yeah. Literally, I was saying stuff Crystal would have never said. God was like, I. I fit through you today.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I got you. Yes.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And she was like, no, because you. I read my Bible in the morning. She said, I'm doing this. And like, she said, but I wasn't doing that before I started working with you. Wes going to church, reading his Bible. Herman. Same thing. We're going through 50, 52 weeks in the Bible because. And it's like, people ask, is she really, like, who she is? Like, no, that's really her. You know, like, she's really who she is. But no, you're absolutely right. And I see it. It's reflection all around me.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And so when I say things like, the people who interact with you. So to somebody watching who's saved. But you got a lot of people around you. The people who interact with you should grow, but you shouldn't be at a place where you can't be around people who have not started growing yet.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Exactly.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And that's what I'm saying now. Like, when you go on that movie set, you don't have the. I don't need you on a movie set. Like, this movie ain't saved. I need you on that set bringing 10 people out with you.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And that's where I believe God is doing right now, man. Even in the industry, you're seeing it, man. You're seeing more and more rappers talk about God. More and more R B singers sing about God.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Even athletes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Athletes now in their press conference talking about God. I have so many athletes now who inbox me.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Really?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And they be like, p, man, like. And it's crazy because I thought. I thought people were watching church, but they'll get that 40 second clip, then go find a sermon.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yep.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

40 seconds. And so now they hit me. I just did Angel Reese's podcast and I told her, I said, man, and I'm gonna say the same thing to you. There is a generation of young girls who need an example. And that's who God calling you to be.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Exactly.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And that's when I say, now you have to ask yourself, okay, does that, even though it's not a sin, does it kill my witness? Because I don't think we realize sometimes. I had a conversation with a couple and they were going through a lot, man, because one of their children came out to him and so they were. It was a lot. Like when I tell you, it was a lot.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And I asked, I asked him, I said, what did you deal with when you were growing up? He was like, man, I was out here, I had 50, 11 women, yada, yada, yada. I was doing XYZ. I said, can I free you real quickly? He said, yeah. I said, well, you know, that's lust. I said, so what you're saying is when you were coming up, although you slept with a whole lot of women? That's lust.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I said, so if we, if we're really talking about generational, you can't determine how lust shows up in the next cycle.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Exactly.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I said, so you might need to have a level of grace.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And so for me, I think if all of us had this level of grace for every person in their personal walk. Yeah. And that's where I catch hell at right there. Because it'd be like, pastor Mike, you're doing too much. But. But is he not deserving of love?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Right?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know what I'm saying? Like, is he not deserving? Is she not deserving of love? I ask myself sometimes, if this were to happen to me, how would I treat it in my house before I start being so religious in the streets? And so for me, man, I think there's a remnant of Christians who are rising, who are unapologetically saved. But they have this heart for people like never before and the patience to help them as they grow.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes, exactly. I did.

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[Covino and Rich]

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[Chris Renee Hazlett]

LaCrae's podcast a year ago, that's my dog. But I got, well I say drug through the mud cuz I wasn't where I am now in my wall then. And I think that's what people forget. They forget the journey of walking with Christ. It's like what I, what I was okay with doing two years ago, I wouldn't dare do it now, you know, because I've grown with him and I revere him and I fear him and I take it very serious. But people forget that they weren't saved all their lives. And it's like if we the grace, if we had the grace and also the memory to remember, wait, I ain't always been like this all my life. So let me have grace to pull them with me and be like, hey, I've been where you are. Like, I know what it feels like to lust and to like want to have these urges and do these things and actually do them, you know, I actually got on TikTok today. I've been a year abstinence, celebrating my one year anniversary of abstinence. And I was very open. I was like, you know, a lot of times we don't talk about, we talk about, oh yeah, I've stopped having sex. And this is great, but we don't talk about them days where we like struggling.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Amen.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And I was like, and there's times where like there's other things you have to let go of as well. And I said, and I failed at those things. I said, I held onto the abstinence. I said, but now I said six months, I'm good On that, I said, if you fall, don't give up.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Just get up.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I said, Because a lot of times we make it seem like, oh, you're done. Because you said you were doing this and you fell and, yep, you're out of there. Like, no, get up and keep. God knows your heart. Get up and keep trying. And I think that freed some people today. They're like, oh, my God, thank you. I'm gonna keep. I'm not gonna give up. I'm gonna keep going.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Failure is so powerful. Like, I was sitting down with a group of people. Cause everybody sees all my wins. They say things like, man, you killing the Stellas, Grammys, doves, you, kid, church, everything. You got a million F. And they like, I said, but I failed too. They like, no. One of my biggest failures in the last two years is how I handle situations. Wow. You know, it was a situation I had one time where I didn't feel like I was being treated a certain way. And so you know how you're new in the industry, you don't know nobody, and you start feeling all these things, and then people in your ear telling you, this person said that, and this person did this, and then you start paying attention. Nobody. And so now you get defensive and you get aggressive, and now you start firing your shots back. And I said some things online about Ty tripping one time. I was like, he shouldn't have did that. He shouldn't have did yada yada. At the core, that's my hero. I've said it every time. Like, that's the only artist that motivated me to do everything.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

That was my goal. That was my goal. I won the award. And I told everybody the night I won the award, like, everything you see me doing was a reflection of. Of two people. Ty Tributt and Ken Jones.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Wow.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Those are my goats, you know, but out of pain and hurt, and then people in your ear saying this, and now you get out there and you say something, and now, boom. Then I end up having to apologize. But I potentially damaged that relationship forever. You know what I'm saying? He's in his own right to never speak to me again if he don't want to. But what I try to show people is that, yes, you see these wins, and, yes, you see that, but I've gotten it wrong, Come on. So many times. You know, even when it comes to my sons, like my oldest son, he kind of feeling himself. At one point, before I know it, I'm yelling, I'm fussing, I'm cussing. I'm. I'm still young. You know how that get. He looking at me lifting weights now. He's like, I'm looking at him, looking at him. And then I had to come back. But I told my church, I said, I failed at this. Wow. I said. But I went back in that same room and said, xander, I'm sorry. I said, dad, just this hard for me.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, and he was like, I understand. So I think if more people would share their failures. I wish I could get that moment with Ty back. You know, I wish I could get certain things, but I wish I could. I wish I could go back and not do this. I wish I could go back, but since I can't. Here's the thing. Beautiful thing about failure. If I tell you how I failed.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I just gave you speed. See, because experience isn't the best teacher. It's the hardest teacher.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I just told you in 10 seconds. Seconds. What it took me 10 years to learn. So now you can be better than me faster. And so for me, man, I'm in this season now, especially in 2026.

[Nyx Underwear Announcer]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

It's like I want everything God got for me now because I feel like I'm in a place where I can handle not just what comes with it, but the ripples of what it calls come on. And that's what we don't talk about.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

We don't.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, we know about the light that come and the fame, but it's the ripples. It's the not realizing that the moment you got saved and got serious, you don't even realize people stop calling. Or it's the ripples like, oh, she's saved now. Or the boom. She ain't doing that no more. Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

We can't have fun when we.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You ain't fun no more. Or you realize this gonna bless you. It's another group text.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Uh huh.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And be like, whoa, when did y' all get another group text?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

All right. Now. And then they get the call like, what's going on? I'm like, I don't know.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

But, you know, I'm glad I don't.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I'm glad I don't. Leave me out of there. Absolutely. Absolutely. It is.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

All right. That's so true.

[Ben]

Gosh.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah. You're so right.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And it's okay.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Yeah, it's okay. We're gonna be all right.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

We are.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Because I'm learning now. The. The best version of me is sometimes the isolated version of me. Oh, my gosh. You know, I ain't gonna lie to you. I love my isolation when I tell you I'm having the time of my life right now. I'm back playing my PlayStation. Me and my boys got our group thread. We be sending memes. You know, the people around me I really believe got my best interest at heart.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Absolutely.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I also got a circle now that when I want to be wild, I can be wild, you know? And wild for me. Ain't bottles and weed wild for me is I just want to watch something and laugh.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, like, everybody. I don't care who you are. Everybody saved. Got 7 screenshots of memes they can't post. I just need two friends who can. Let me send that. That's wild for me. I'm out there now. Like, I'm out there now. Like, hey. Cause we so say. You know how you be on Twitter?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Like, oh, yeah, you say this.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I just need to. Cause I can't post it. Right? I'm too sad. I can't post that. But it don't mean I ain't liking it. And everybody just need to be honest. Just be honest. And so I got a group now where I can literally be like, boom. Yeah. And so now, man, I think. But that's. That's balanced. Think about this. Even when it comes to sound, if I was to put my hand over the mic, it messes the sound up.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Right.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

So you will have to take that audio to a person who can EQ it. So if you're gonna have a good circle, that circle should be the EQ to your life.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Wow.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, somebody who lets you get your high, but then somebody who handles your low, somebody in your trouble who can keep you balanced. So I'm in a good place.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I love that. I love that. Pmj, man. I have enjoyed this. We're gonna close out the episode with positive outcomes, and this is when our audience members write into us.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Okay.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

And we're gonna give them advice. All right, so let's see. This is from Shashi White. She says, how do I handle shifts in my friendships as I grow spiritually, emotionally, and gracefully without hurting anyone's feelings? Wow. That's kind of what we just talked about. Shifts. Because it happens honestly, without hurting anyone's feelings.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

That's impossible. Yeah.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Feelings will get hurt even when you don't mean to, when it's not your intention. Shashi. I would say, as you're growing, the people who are supposed to be around you will cling to you. The people who are not will fall off. And hopefully at some Point. You can be the light how we talk about whatever that is to draw them back to you. But I wouldn't worry about hurting people's feelings when you're growing closer to God. Yeah, yeah. And your intentions appear.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I would tell her, like you said, not worrying about hurting people's feelings when you're trying to get closer to God, but also making sure you're not contributing to the feelings, you know, so. So that's when I was talking about that grace. Like, I had a homeboy who hit me last night. It's probably like one o'. Clock. One o'. Clock. Hey, what you doing? I'm chilling. Yeah. He was like, man, we don't talk no more. He said, I'd be wanting to hit you, but, you know, you like Pastor.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Mike Jr. You big time.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You big time. Like, he. He's. Man, you like. And I was like, nah. I said, man, I say, hit me. I'm trying to be funny. I'm still the same. Like, it's yada, yada, yada, you know, and then. But the kind of. You can almost see a relief come off them. Because it's not just people always think, when I get saved, it's not hurting people's feelings from your. From you being saved and your success. Because I also believe there's a level of success that comes when you get in God's will.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And so a lot of times people can almost kind of detach and project what they're feeling on you. And so what I'm trying to do now is make sure I don't contribute to it.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Right. That's so good.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You gonna make me feel bad. Cause I'm saying I don't need to do that, man. I understand. That's different. I know I was the life of the party.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Cause some of us seeing. And we was really good at it. We gotta talk about that now. We were really good at it. Now. You was out there. I saw a glimpse of yours a minute ago. You said, cause I was that girl.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I was that girl.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Some of us, I was the party. Yeah. I like when I say the party. When I got there, everybody, Mike here, Mike here. Like, oh. And so now it just ain't the same. But like, I tell them, if you come over here, I'm still the life of the party.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Oh, my goodness.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

It's better over here. It is better. So I'm excited.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I love it. I'm the same way. I'm still the life of the party, but in a different way. When I invite people, they Already know it's gonna be a good time, good food. You can still have your drink. Whatever you want to do. I'm not partaking in it. But we're gonna have spades, we gonna have good, clean fun, and we gonna go home.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Absolutely.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

But it's like you just. You grow and you mature, and, I mean, if I'm still doing what I was doing five, 10 years ago, are we really growing?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Are we really growing?

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

You know?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

And I think that's just a shift. And I would tell her, you shifted baby girl from being the thermostat, the thermometer to the thermostat. You know, now you setting the temperature, so it's gonna get hot. I'm gonna leave this quote my son sent me. Cause he loved the DC Young fly. It's gonna get hot in that kitchen. Yeah. But they still gonna have plates. So let them get through their feelings. Let them go through it and just love them through it.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

I love that. Thank you so much.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Thank you for having me.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Is there anything that we. I. I didn't even read the cards with you. I was like, so is there. I don't know what we supposed to touch on. I hope we touched on it. Is there anything you have coming up that we can support you with?

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Oh, man. Just support everything, Pastor Mike.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Absolutely.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Of course. The music. And I'm excited about that. I'm not sure if this will air during the Grammy window.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Oh, we can make it.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Or if you're a Grammy voter, that'd be great. But more importantly, man, just continue to share the messages. You know that. That means the world to me.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, like, it means the world to me to take the gospel, which is the good news, the places that people never thought it would go.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yeah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

You know, and if you don't mind, if you're watching right now, you don't know Jesus, man. Falling in love with God is the best thing I've ever done. I heard a person say one time, man, I can't wait to be successful. I'mma drive a Bentley. And I looked at him and told him, even a Bentley needs an oil change. Which means it's possible to be saved, successful, and still need another dip. And if you're watching right now, man, wherever you are, man, you can just say, lord, come into my heart. I am a sinner in need of a savior. I confess with my mouth. I. I believe with my heart that you rose from the dead with all power in your hand. And right now you're not just positive you saved and that's the greatest decision you can make in your life. That's what means a lot to me.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Wow. Thank you.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Amen.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

That was beautiful. Thank you so much. Listen, anytime you want to come back, please come back. This is amazing.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I'm going to come back, but we not going to act like 20 minutes ago, she didn't just say, I was talking to Tyler. Like, that was fire that blessed me that never left me. Hey, prophesying. That's gonna be my conversation. Well, you know, me and. Me and Drake were talking and we were just. We were just talking about the great things on the jet. We were just talking, man. No, I can't wait to come back.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

As a blessed. I could. I was just talking to Tyler. It's so funny because I'm talking to Tyler. He's like, yeah, I was just talking to Barack.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I'm like, it's levels.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

It's levels. I'm just talking to Oprah.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

I'm like, his levels. His level.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

But yes, for sure. Thank you. This is phenomenal.

[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Phenomenal.

[Chris Renee Hazlett]

Yes. Thank you, guys. Oh, my goodness. Wow. That was such a powerful conversation and a reminder that faith doesn't have to ignore reality to still bring hope. Thank you guys so much for tuning in to this episode of Keep it Positive, sweetie. Don't forget to subscribe. Share this episode with someone who could use a little positivity. And remember, as always, stay blessed, stay encouraged, and remember, remember to keep it positive, sweetie. I love you guys. Thank you for tuning in. I'll see you next time.

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[Pastor Mike Jr.]

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[Chris Renee Hazlett]

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[Pastor Mike Jr.]

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[Pastor Mike Jr.]

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[CJ Toledano]

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[Pastor Mike Jr.]

Can get anything you need for game day delivered with Uber Eats. Well, almost. Almost anything. You can't get a running back, but baby back ribs. Yes. Uber Eats official on demand food delivery partner of the NFL.