Shot 8 Times and Left for Dead: Marcus Stanley's Incredible Testimony

Summary

Podcast Summary: THE ED MYLETT SHOW – Shot 8 Times and Left for Dead: Marcus Stanley's Incredible Testimony

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "Shot 8 Times and Left for Dead: Marcus Stanley's Incredible Testimony" of The Ed Mylett Show, host Ed Mylett welcomes Marcus Stanley, a remarkable individual whose life underwent a dramatic transformation following a near-fatal shooting. This episode delves deep into Marcus's harrowing experience, his prolonged battle with addiction, and his profound spiritual awakening. Through candid conversation, Marcus shares his journey of resilience, forgiveness, and faith, offering listeners a beacon of hope and inspiration.

The Life-Altering Shooting

The core of the episode revolves around Marcus Stanley's traumatic ordeal where he was shot eight times at point-blank range. Marcus recounts the terrifying moments leading up to the shooting and the immediate aftermath.

"[04:53] Marcus Stanley: He pulled out a .45, pointed it straight at me, and shot me seven more times. It was the longest seven shots of my life, even though it was just a few seconds."

Marcus describes the suddenness of the attack and the surreal experience of seeing what he believes was an angel intervening to save his life.

"[07:27] Marcus Stanley: I saw an angel right in front of me. Every bullet that was coming out of that .45 caliber gun was like it was going through the angel first."

Physical Recovery and Medical Intervention

Following the shooting, Marcus details his intensive medical recovery process. He underwent multiple surgeries to repair damage to five major organs, including his pancreas, spleen, and stomach. The physical toll of his injuries necessitated prolonged hospitalization and extensive physical therapy.

"[23:00] Marcus Stanley: I was hooked up to life support and went through an eight to ten-hour surgery. The doctor told me I made it through, and that was my awakening moment."

Marcus emphasizes the critical nature of his physical healing, highlighting the challenges he faced regaining mobility and overcoming complications like infections and sepsis.

Emotional and Mental Healing

Beyond the physical scars, Marcus opens up about his emotional and mental struggles post-shooting. The trauma led him into a deep depression and dependency on painkillers, eventually spiraling into heroin addiction. He candidly shares his battle with addiction and the darkness it brought into his life.

"[35:21] Marcus Stanley: I became dependent on pain medicine without even realizing it. Eventually, that led me to heroin, and I struggled for six years in the depths of addiction."

Marcus reflects on the difficulty of forgiving his attackers, a sentiment that prolonged his suffering and hindered his path to recovery.

Spiritual Awakening and Transformation

A pivotal moment in Marcus's story is his spiritual awakening, which played a crucial role in his recovery. After years of hardship and multiple failed attempts to overcome addiction, Marcus found solace and strength in his faith. His relationship with God became the cornerstone of his healing process.

"[36:58] Marcus Stanley: I finally reached the level of forgiveness and became broken. I was willing to do whatever it takes to be free, which led me to a year-long treatment program where I felt God's presence fully."

Marcus's transformation is marked by his decision to share his testimony publicly, leveraging social media to reach millions with his message of hope and redemption.

"[46:07] Marcus Stanley: I decided it was time to tell my story. I put up a video on TikTok with zero followers, and within days, millions had seen it. That's how everything started."

Overcoming Addiction and Finding Purpose

Marcus's journey through addiction was fraught with setbacks, including multiple stints in rehabilitation centers. However, his unwavering faith and the support from his spiritual community ultimately guided him to sustained sobriety.

"[36:08] Marcus Stanley: After numerous failed attempts, I entered a one-year treatment program where I fully embraced my faith. That commitment broke the chains of addiction, and I've been clean ever since."

His experiences have fueled his mission to help others, leading him to serve at treatment centers and eventually share his story with a broader audience, including platforms like The Ed Mylett Show.

Message of Hope and Encouragement

Towards the end of the episode, Marcus offers poignant advice to listeners facing their own battles. He underscores the importance of faith, perseverance, and the belief that with God's help, overcoming any adversity is possible.

"[54:11] Marcus Stanley: I would say there's more in you. You have pressure hitting you from every direction, but Luke 1:37 says, 'With God, all things are possible.' Hold on and take one more step."

Marcus concludes with a powerful scripture from Romans 5:3-5, encapsulating his philosophy that suffering leads to endurance, character, and ultimately, hope.

"[64:54] Marcus Stanley: Romans 5:3-5: 'Rejoice in your suffering because suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope will not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.'”

Conclusion

This episode of The Ed Mylett Show offers a profound narrative of survival, healing, and the transformative power of faith. Marcus Stanley's testimony serves as a testament to human resilience and the enduring strength that comes from embracing one's spirituality. Through his honest and heartfelt story, Marcus provides invaluable insights and inspiration for anyone navigating their own struggles, reinforcing the message that no matter the darkness, there is always a path to redemption and hope.

Notable Quotes:

• Marcus Stanley [04:53]: "He pulled out a .45, pointed it straight at me, and shot me seven more times. It was the longest seven shots of my life, even though it was just a few seconds."

• Marcus Stanley [07:27]: "I saw an angel right in front of me. Every bullet that was coming out of that .45 caliber gun was like it was going through the angel first."

• Marcus Stanley [35:21]: "I became dependent on pain medicine without even realizing it. Eventually, that led me to heroin, and I struggled for six years in the depths of addiction."

• Marcus Stanley [36:08]: "After numerous failed attempts, I entered a one-year treatment program where I fully embraced my faith. That commitment broke the chains of addiction, and I've been clean ever since."

• Marcus Stanley [54:11]: "I would say there's more in you. You have pressure hitting you from every direction, but Luke 1:37 says, 'With God, all things are possible.' Hold on and take one more step."

• Marcus Stanley [64:54]: "Romans 5:3-5: 'Rejoice in your suffering because suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope will not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.'”

Final Thoughts

Marcus Stanley's incredible journey from a life-threatening shooting to becoming a beacon of hope exemplifies the transformative power of faith and resilience. His willingness to share his deepest struggles and triumphs offers a relatable and inspiring story for listeners seeking motivation and understanding in their own lives.

Transcript

[Ed Milet]

So hey guys, listen. We're all trying to get more productive and the question is, how do you find a way to get an edge? I'm a big believer that if you're getting mentoring or you're in an environment that causes growth, a growth based environment, that you're much more likely to grow and you're going to grow faster. And that's why I love Growth Day. Growth Day is an app that my friend Brendan Burchard has created that I'm a big fan of. Write this down growthday.com forward/ed. So if you want to be more productive, by the way, he's asked me, I post videos in there every single Monday that gets your day off to the right start. Got about $5,000, $10,000 worth of courses that are in there that come with the app. Also, some of the top influencers in the world are all posting content in there on a regular basis, like having the avengers of personal development and business in one app. And I'm honored that he asked me to be a part of it as well and contribute on a weekly basis. And I do. So go over there and get signed up. You're going to get a free tuition, free voucher to go to an event with Brendan and myself and a bunch of other influencers as well. So you get a free event out of it also. So go to growthday.com forward slash ed. That's growthday.com forward slash ed.

[Brendan Burchard]

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[Ed Milet]

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[Marcus Stanley]

This is the Ed Milet Show.

[Ed Milet]

All right, welcome back to the show, everybody. So I have to tell you, this is a very, very special day for me. And let me first tell you why. I'm very proud of our show. And the reason I'm proud of it is when we became more and more popular, I could have gone in a direction where every week I just have a celebrity on and they talk in basic platitudes and they don't really say a lot. Some do, but most don't. And I tactically started to go that direction. Then I made a conscious decision, everybody. I want to have people on who can make a difference in your life. Real people, whether they're well known or not so well known, that can make a real difference in your life. And then every once in a while, I pick somebody who's made a real difference in my life that I want to meet. And the man that's sitting here with me today has made a tremendous difference. I'm not on social media very often, but when I am, it's mainly his content because he inspires me. Today is his first podcast interview of his life. He came, flew all the way in here to be with me here today. He's a musician, he's a speaker, he's an entrepreneur, but he's a good voice for God. He says healing and transformation. I'll just say it straight up. I think he's a voice for God. And although you may not know him, his social media gets huge engagement, more than most of the famous people that you follow. And it's because it's so good and his story is incredible. You ready for this? He was shot eight times at point blank range in kind of a gang situation that took place that he was not a part of, just a random act of violence. And he survived that, and it really transformed his life. Today's going to be awesome. Thank you for being here. The very tall, very, very tall Marcus Stanley. Welcome to the show, brother.

[Marcus Stanley]

Thank you so much, Ed. I'm so honored to be here and to be able to share and to be able to spend time with you.

[Ed Milet]

I just wish we had more time, you know that I literally just picked you out. I said, I want you to come be on my podcast, please, because you inspire me. I think we should go back because I look at you as this, like, great Christian voice for good in the world. And even setting Christianity aside for a second, which I never do, you're just a force for good in the world. So I'M already following your stuff. Like, this dude inspires me every day, and not a lot of people inspire me. Then I find out the story, which blew my mind. So can we go all the way back and you take us through this day that changed your life and take all the time you want to describe it, because it's a riveting story.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. I would have to set it up first by just saying first that I was a musician in my former life. I was a professional musician. I had the opportunity to travel the world, play for different artists.

[Ed Milet]

And would you play for anybody we would know?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. To me, it doesn't matter. So I don't. I don't name drop with all.

[Ed Milet]

Give us one, give us one.

[Marcus Stanley]

I did play for Chris Brown at one time. Okay, different people. But, yeah, so I was one of them people that would walk around late at night. I'd be at a Waffle House or ihop. I was a night owl. Yeah, not like that anymore, but the former me was that. And this was a night where we had just finished a rehearsal and I was in a hotel, and I walked out to go to the store. I would always get junk food and just snacks or whatever. I wasn't a smoker, wasn't a drinker, wasn't any of that. But I would always get some snacks, loaded up, sugar bag, and head back. And I walked out the hotel this night, and it was just like any other night. There was busyness everywhere. There was people out there, cats running through alleys, dogs moving. And when I got halfway to the store, walking down the sidewalk, I realized I didn't have my wallet. So I turned around, went back to the hotel, and I got my wallet, came back out. So this time I walked out and the energy just was different. I noticed it was quieter. I didn't see the same dogs and cats. I didn't see the same people out. And I had these guys that approached me and they came right out of the bushes. And I didn't think anything of it at the moment. I thought, this is just people that are out. And they walked right up on me, like as close as I am to you. And the guy said, what are you doing out here? And I said, I'm just chilling, man. He said, oh, just chilling. Chilling. I said, yeah, I'm just chilling. And that's how quick the interaction was. And in a split second, he pulled out a.45, pointed it straight at me, and shot me. Oh, my gosh. And when I tell you how quick it was, it really was so quick. I didn't even see the actual gun. I just saw the flash, and I fell to the ground. My gosh. Hard. Just imagine if you're standing up and you fall back as hard as you can with your shoulders. Oh, my gosh. That's the impact that. That I felt when I hit the ground after being shot that first time. And then he came over top of me, and he stood right over top of me and pointed it. Pointed the gun. I could see the gun by that time. He pointed straight down at me. He said, you got to roll out. He said, peace out, homie. And then he shot me seven more times. And it was the longest seven shots of my life, even though it was just a few seconds.

[Ed Milet]

Oh, my gosh.

[Marcus Stanley]

And so at that point, I did realize I was getting shot. And that's when I saw an angel right in front of me. And I know that I saw an angel because it was so quick that I had no time to think about it. It was the quickest thing that I've ever seen. Just a transparent figure. I couldn't see any details, really, but just right in between me and the angel had his arms crossed like this. And every bullet that was coming out of that.45 caliber that he pointed at me was. It was like it was going through the angel first. I laid there on the ground. My eyes were closed at the moment. They were laughing. They were joking. And something just told me, don't move. Like, don't move at all. And I'm glad I didn't, because I truly believe that they might have finished me off. I knew I was still alive, but it's almost like I just didn't test to see if I was live. I could hear everything going on, but I just didn't move. So they're picking up shell casings all around, and they're joking and laughing. This is. Went on for about 30 seconds, and then they jumped in the car and just drove off. I could hear the car just speed off. And then at that moment was when. That's when I just. I took a deep breath, and I was. I was like, oh, God. Oh, God. And I just looked down at my chest, and I saw all the damage that happened. I saw all the bullets. I saw the blood that was around me. It was like a pool of blood that I was in. And I was in the middle of the street, almost like the median type deal, because I was crossing the street when they stopped me, and I. I had to drag myself out of the street, literally, to not get hit by cars. And I remember putting my hand up and I'm trying to stop people. I'm like, help. Help. Nobody stopped. No one stopped. People were terrified, and no one stopped to help me. And I dragged myself out of the street. I'm pulling back like this, just dragging myself. I can't move my legs. Like, my legs are done. Everything is just numb and everything. But my arms. I can still move my arms. So I'm pushing and pushing out the street. I get on the curb. And then I said. I said, oh, my goodness, I think I'm a die right here. But then I said, I'm still breathing. Just keep my eyes open. I said, oh, I got my phone. So at that time, I had a. I had a phone. It was one of the first flip phone camera phones. And I had it and I pulled it out and I just called 911. I was laying right next to. Laying right next to a street sign. And I was able to tell them where I was. And the operator got on the line. She said. She said. Asked my name. She asked me how old I was, and she just said, stay on the line with me. It was pretty quick. How quick the officers got there. When they arrived, they began to put crime scene tape all around me. Now that is a feeling that even more. Wow. Like, devastation. Like, I really am gonna die here.

[Ed Milet]

You're right.

[Marcus Stanley]

You see that on movies and everything. But they started dragging the tape around, around me, and they were just like, what's your name? Just the same time, they're dragging the tape and securing the scene. And I'm laying there the whole time. I hear the ambulance coming. They said, just stay with me, stay with me. Then the ambulance gets there. They load me into the ambulance. It felt like the movies. You see, these things happen. You're looking up, see the lights and everything. They're cutting off my shirt with scissors. They plugging up all these things to me, connecting me, all these things. And I heard the lady just tell me, the ambulance technician, she said, just stay with me, stay with me, stay with me, stay with me. And so I'm trying to keep my eyes open. I'm just like, if I could just keep my eyes open, I can. I can make it. We get to the hospital, we pull in, they unload me off, and they bring me into this emergency room. I remember. I'll never forget it. I went into the emergency room on the stretcher, and I looked around. There's nurses, there's doctors, there's everybody looking at me, and they're looking at me with the expression on their face. Like, how is he still alive? Yeah, that's the way.

[Ed Milet]

That's what I'm thinking.

[Marcus Stanley]

And then I see that same angel that I saw on the street standing behind one of the nurses. Same way I saw him on the street, but no details. Can't really see. I'm like, is that. And. But I saw the angel standing over there just like this. Like, almost like, you're going to be okay. And at that moment, the doctor walked over to me, and because I was fully conscious, he pulled this pad right here. He said, right here. It was actually in an anesthesia form. He joked. He joked me and said, you got a pretty good signature for somebody who's got shot all these times. So I don't know what was happening in that moment. Like, I should have been passed out. I should have been. I'm. Loss of blood. All these things happen that I see. But I'm fully awake during everything. And our last thing I remember is they're doing a countdown. Countdown from 10. Wow. That's it.

[Ed Milet]

You think you're awake, Marcus, because God wanted you be able to give a testimony about it somehow.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yes. Now that I look back on it. At the moment. No, at the moment, it was all pure confusion. I was just like, why?

[Ed Milet]

It's amazing that I'm listening to you, brother. And, like, the emotion still, like, right there. And this was years ago. Can I ask you a few things about it?

[Marcus Stanley]

Absolutely.

[Ed Milet]

We're not done with the story, but I want to ask you a few things. Where were you shot?

[Marcus Stanley]

I was shot in my chest.

[Ed Milet]

Eight times.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. So it was seven in the chest and one in the arm. One in the elbow. It's actually still here today.

[Ed Milet]

Right there. I can see it on you.

[Marcus Stanley]

One in the elbow that I have no feeling on this right arm. So everything from even when I just shook your hand, I have to think about because I can't feel. Yes. I can't feel pain on this side, but I can feel pressure, though. I have loss of feeling on that. I have one in my L, two in my spine that I feel every day. And.

[Ed Milet]

Okay, now I feel stupid for complaining about my bad.

[Marcus Stanley]

No, no, no. Don't feel stupid.

[Ed Milet]

Oh, my gosh.

[Marcus Stanley]

No, no, don't feel stupid.

[Ed Milet]

My gosh.

[Marcus Stanley]

But we have. I have. Have one actually was five organs that got damaged. So I had my pancreas, lost some of that spleen, completely lost that stomach, small intestine. Colon was reattached. My gosh. It was just down the road. Oh, my God. I Wanted to be able to even share that transparently to you, no matter what these platforms do, to try to keep the things. The message going out. Because usually I don't even say the details, but I feel like somebody needs to hear that. Like a million five major organs that were unbelievable.

[Ed Milet]

Obviously, everybody. You lean into this to the end of this interview, everybody. Because there's way more coming. But I want to stay in this moment just for a second. Can we go to. Can we go to where you're being shot?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

So 10 minutes before you're in your hotel room, grabbing your wallet, thinking about whatever you got to do tomorrow morning or whatever, Right? You're just living your life. And then there's this circumstance. What it. Do you remember? You see the angel, which. We're going to unpack that in a minute. But do you go into complete shock or are you like, he just shot. I'm being shot in the chest. I'd be thinking, I'm dead. I mean, that many bullets. Did you have fear? Did you have a sense of peace? Did you feel pain? What's going through you?

[Marcus Stanley]

I had a. I had fear. I had shock. And just to be completely descriptive with you of how I was feeling was at the moment I was thinking, why. That was the first thought that came to my head. And even when I tell us the story today, people automatically say, you must have been doing something. You must have did something. It's like, no, that's not my story. I wasn't doing anything. I wasn't drinking. I wasn't partying. I wasn't involved in anything crazy.

[Ed Milet]

I was completely innocent.

[Marcus Stanley]

I was chosen. I found out later that I was picked at random. And they were doing a gang initiation for one of the guys in their gang. And so they picked me at random, chose me that night, me to take my life. And so I wasn't doing anything wrong. And then that's. So when those shots started coming, that was the first thought. It was like, why you would think that? Why would you say that? But that's what I was thinking as I was falling down to the ground, like, why? I don't know them. I didn't do anything. Why beat me up or something, like, punch me? Why are they trying to kill me? And so I'm laying there on the street and I'm scared. I'm thinking that no one is going to know how my life ended right now. That's what I was thinking. I was thinking, I won't be able to tell my mom I love her. Oh, my gosh I won't be able to tell my brother and sister that I love them. I'm going to lose my life on the street right now. For what? Why? So that was the extreme feeling that I was feeling. Just imagine why times a thousand. Like, okay, why, why, why, why, why? That's what I was feeling in that moment. And it was just a complete sense of brokenness. As far as pain, there wasn't immediate pain. It was more like shock really. The pain came after the fact. But in the moment, there was no, no immediate pain.

[Ed Milet]

I've always wondered, what's it feel like to be shot? Frankly, Never mind. Eight times.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yes.

[Ed Milet]

You actually physically didn't feel pain?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yes, I did actually. I felt more pain from falling down. Really, dad, like I told you, shoulders first. Just imagine if I just pushed you down today. Take a while to get back up. And me too.

[Ed Milet]

He's six, seven guys. He's a big man. They picked a big dude, by the way, to do this too.

[Marcus Stanley]

But okay. Yeah, so even the drop could have.

[Ed Milet]

Very friendly for me.

[Marcus Stanley]

But yeah, that force of hitting the ground was the most. It was almost like that shocked me so much that I didn't feel the rest of the bullets.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah, that stood out. The first time you said it. I'm like, well, that of all those things, did you. So you're scared. So you see this angel? Do you make out who it is? What it is? Can you see facial features? Is it even look like a human being?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, I couldn't see any features.

[Ed Milet]

Okay. Did you know it was a person? Did you think it was a person?

[Marcus Stanley]

It looked like a person, but very tall. Like you said, I'm 6 7, but the figure was like 8ft taller than me. And even when I got shot.

[Ed Milet]

Marcus, can I tell you something?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

I've had one other person tell me this story like this. And they literally said the angel was 8ft tall. I'm not gonna tell you who it was because it's personal story. I went eight feet. Now I know you're crazy.

[Marcus Stanley]

Wow. No descriptive features. Again, like it was so much, so much smoke from the gun and all these other things that happened that I could still see the figure and it was just like whoosh in a second. So that first shot, I didn't really see. And then that's. And then when he stood over top of me, that's when the angel, it kind of got down like this like. Like almost like on one knee.

[Ed Milet]

Really.

[Marcus Stanley]

That's when I saw up close, but I still was. It was in front of me. So I couldn't see in front. I couldn't see any features like that. I just saw that it was an angel. And I believed it to be an angel. Again, I had no time to. This was instant. I didn't know I was going to get shot. It wasn't just standing there like this with a. A gun pointed toward me. It was. He pulled it out in one motion, and as soon as he swooped out, I saw the flash. So it wasn't time. When I say it wasn't time for me to think about it, it wasn't. It was like that.

[Ed Milet]

Why is it that of everything you're telling me, one of the parts that turns my stomach the most is the laughter. After they've believed they've killed a man, the laughter. Did that linger with you afterwards as your healing just.

[Marcus Stanley]

It did. It did. But there's. There's a lot of darkness in this world today. There's darkness in ways that we can't imagine. So even though something would sound as absurd as someone laughing as someone's demise, it was a normal thing at that moment. And those laughs haunted me for a long time until I was able to heal mentally, not more than the physical aspect, but able to heal emotionally and mentally over the years to come. But I still heard those laughs for many years.

[Ed Milet]

So, hey guys, I want to jump in here for a second and talk about change and growth. And you know, by the way, it's no secret how people get ahead in life or how they grow. And also taking a look at the future, if you want to change your future, you got to change the things you're doing. If you continue to do the same things, you're probably going to produce the same results. But if you get into a new environment where you're learning new things and you're around other people that are growth oriented, you're much more likely to do that yourself. And that's why I love Growth Day. Write this down for a second. Growthday.com forward/ed my friend Brendan Burchard has created the most incredible personal development and business app that I've ever seen in my life. Everything from goal setting software to personal accountability journaling courses. Thousands of dollars worth of courses in there as well. I create content in there on Mondays where I contribute, as do a whole bunch of other influencers like the Avengers of influencers and business minds in there. It's the Netflix for high achievers or people that want to be high achievers. So go check it out. My friend Brennan's made It very affordable, very easy to get involved. Growthday.com forward sled that's growthday.com forward sled this show is sponsored by BetterHelp and I'm really glad that it is. I'm gonna tell you why people ask me all the time, what do all the guests on your show have in common? And it's not all of them, but most of them. They've been to therapy or they're in therapy. And I've had athletes on business, people, thought leaders, musicians, actors, you name it, across the board. Most of the people I know that are happy and successful have been to therapy. Whether you've got something really traumatic you need to work through, maybe you're just not clear and focused right now and you want to talk through some stuff, maybe something's bugging you. What I love about BetterHelp it's affordable and if you don't click with your therapist, you can switch to another one right away. They got 30,000 licensed therapists with an App Store rating of 4.9 out of 5 from over 1.7 million reviews. It's clear it's helping a lot of people. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at Better. Betterhelp.com edshow that's Better h lp.com edshow Today's show is sponsored by Strawberry Me. So you know this. I'm a big believer in coaching, especially when it's from a reliable source. And I think most people should have some interaction with somebody who's helping them get better in their life. So if you're waking up every day and you know you're capable of a little bit more, but you're not really sure how to get there, listen, success doesn't just happen. Most successful people in the world don't figure it out on their own. They have a coach, they have mentors, they got coaches, they have people guiding them every step of the way. That's where Strawberry me personal coaching comes in. You'll identify your obstacles that are holding you back. You'll develop a step by step plan, take action and confidence. You can be held accountable if you want to, knowing you have a dedicated support staff, a coach behind you every step of the way instead of relying on guesswork or waiting for the right time. I've had a personal coach for a long time and it's helped me tremendously in my life. You know, I love that Chinese proverb If you want to know the road ahead, ask those coming back. That's what a coach can do for you. They've got the directions. Many times in your life, go to Strawberry Me Ed and claim your $50 credit. That's Strawberry Me Ed. Let's talk about some of that healing. Let's do the physical part first. So you shot seven times in your chest, once in your arm.

[Marcus Stanley]

Y. And let me tell you where it was from. That countdown from 1098, anesthesia, and I'm out. First thing I hear is beeps. So I hear beep, beep, beep. And it's the life support that they have me hooked on. And I open my eyes and I have tubes and everything connected to me. And I look over to my right. I really can't move. And I see this nurse standing over there, and she's over by the IV bag and she's adjusting some things. And so she just happens to look towards me and she walked over to the bed. She saw I was awake and said, you made it, Marcus. You made it. I'm sitting there just. I remember I began to cry at that moment. And she grabbed my hand and she held it, and she said, you made it through it. Eight to ten hour surgery. She said you had five major organs that were damaged. The doctor was able to do everything at once. He said, normally the, you know, vitals change and all this stuff. She just like. She knew I couldn't talk because of the tubes down my throat, but she just kept going. She just kept going, telling me more information, and the whole time I'm just weeping. She's telling me that the surgery was a success and that you made it. You made it, Marcus. She said, we didn't know who you were. Golly. We had to do some digging to find out where you were. Everybody didn't know. Even my family didn't know. I was in the hospital for days, for days. So that was my reality at that moment. When I came to, in that moment, it was like, you made it. She's telling me I made it. And even though I can't move, that was my awakening. Coming back into the world after that happened. I'll never forget it. Just how real it was.

[Ed Milet]

The emotion on your face is just. I just. I'm sitting here in front of you and I've loved you from a distance for so long. It's like I'm almost reliving this the first time, even though I know part of the story and I'm feeling fear and emotion as I'm you know, as I'm listening to you, have you ever seen that angel since that time?

[Marcus Stanley]

I haven't. I haven't. But I'll tell you one thing, Ed. I've felt God's presence even though I haven't seen that angel. Again, just reassuring me through many things because the. The fact and the reality is that I'm not the only one who has experienced a traumatic event. There are people that have been through horrific things and you don't have to go through something like me getting shot. You could be shot with depression, shot with anxiety, shot with. Just because I got shot doesn't make me any different from the another person. We've all been through some very heavy things, and I remember that fact about my story all the time when I'm sharing it. To share it with the world.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah.

[Marcus Stanley]

To try to bring hope and encouragement.

[Ed Milet]

You do, brother. And by the way, I appreciate what you just said, but yours is like a doozy. Like, if you're having a bad time right now or you're going through a tough time. I'm having a bad day. Okay. Compared to what that's considered a bad day. Shot seven, eight times in the chest, point blank range for no reason. We'll go through recovery a little bit, but I want to know, are you emotionally healed from this now? What are you are?

[Marcus Stanley]

I am, and I. But I also want to say that I feel like it's a journey. Healing takes time for everybody. Yeah. I don't know if I believe that anyone can fully be healed from all of the traumatic things they go through. You can find a sense of peace and you can find some freedom, but it's our humanity that will still have moments where we're broken. Sure. Just like you can wake up some days and your back's hurting or this happened or whatever. That's how I feel about our spirits and our emotions is that they can fluctuate. We can change. We can have good days, bad days, but the one thing we can hold on to is God's promises through it all. I would say that I am healing. Like, I'm moving towards healing every day. I don't think I've. I've reached a pinnacle, though. I think that that is a journey. Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

You know, one thing, by the way, I just want to say that it's on the YouTube. They may not see in your face. The minute you start to talk about God, you shift. Like your presence is very strong even when you just say the word God. I just want you to know that, like, being here with you, by the way, everybody. Just so you know, Marcus was scheduled to do my show a little while back, and he almost passed away again recently. Like, he got that sick. So there's more to come here today, just so you all know. Like, if. If that wasn't enough. And by the way, I'm so honored that I'm the first podcast, because after this comes out, you're going to have 26 billion invitations, because this is the most incredible, incredible story. There's a thing about you that I love from a distance that I want to acknowledge about you, and it's your humility and your goodness. I'll just say it in our language because we share a belief system. Holy Spirit's very much present on your face. I'm an acquired taste. You don't catch that right away with me.

[Marcus Stanley]

Right.

[Ed Milet]

You have. The grace of God is all over you. Had I met you before you were shot, Were you this guy? Were you different?

[Marcus Stanley]

No, I was completely different.

[Ed Milet]

Tell us about it.

[Marcus Stanley]

When I tell you that I was. I was just lost. I was searching for purpose in the industry, trying to make my name great, trying to be the best musician possible. I play piano, and every day that I live was to be the better musician, to be the one with the most gigs, the one touring the most places, the one most famous, or. It was all about me. And that brought darkness. I say I wasn't a good person. Like, I was really out there, just really worrying about myself. I was only concerned about me, and that's it. Now, other people that knew me at that time would say, no, Marcus was a great. He was a good guy. But I. I'm talking about the things that nobody else knows. Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

Which is your heart's desires.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. Heart desires that a lot of people struggle with. You see people and you just don't know what's going on on the inside.

[Ed Milet]

Yes.

[Marcus Stanley]

I call it, like, dressed up trash cans, you know, it's like you don't know what a person is.

[Ed Milet]

Very familia, actually.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

You might have just described me.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. So I was. When I say I was out there, I just didn't. I was focused on me, and my whole life was just focused on. I was a dark individual as far as just everything I said, I was cussing. I was. I would say inappropriate things. I was. Oh, I was into stuff. Just being negative. Yeah. So I was not the person that you see here today.

[Ed Milet]

Did you have faith in God before that?

[Marcus Stanley]

I had faith, but I didn't have faith.

[Ed Milet]

Okay.

[Marcus Stanley]

As you know, you can Go to church or you can believe in God. That doesn't mean that you're actually following. And so I grew up in A one and my mom did an amazing job. She's a youth pastor, and she raised me to know who God was, but I didn't pay attention. So I was in the building, but I was not saved myself. Even when I was playing, I would be in the church and I play, and then by the time the sermon starts, I'm out the door. Okay. So I noticed. No way.

[Ed Milet]

Really?

[Marcus Stanley]

Like, yeah, I'm going to McDonald's.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah, serious. That's how crazy.

[Marcus Stanley]

So it's like when I say I wasn't a good person, I just. I don't want to sugarcoat anything. I want to tell you, the man.

[Ed Milet]

Left church after he played go get McDonald's.

[Marcus Stanley]

I didn't at all when I was young. Yeah, I didn't. I never sat and, like, listened to.

[Ed Milet]

The word confession and your honesty.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, this is the truth. I want to tell you the truth. Yeah. I never listened to one sermon.

[Ed Milet]

Wait till you hear the difference, everybody. He's literally sitting there. Because literally every day I check and get a scripture and a word from him on social media. And I'm going to tell you straight up. I've tried to be a better man. If you all wonder whether your posts or what you create on social media and you think no one's watching it, if it makes a difference, I can just tell you this. Me sitting in wherever you guys think I sit in these big old houses, this man right here has caused me to want to be a better man, want to be a better Christian, want to be in the word of God more often. So every single day, you're inspiring me. Let's talk. Let's finish. Wrap up on this because I have so many things I want to ask you about your life, how you became you, how I found you, all that stuff. But before we do that, what was the physical healing? I know everyone's listening. Hey, Ed, he got shot eight times. Can we figure out the physical healing part? Because you're carrying scars all over your body from it. So how long and what did you have to go through to recover?

[Marcus Stanley]

It was a long process. I had to learn how to walk again. It was step by step. Now, I remember PT Coming in the room and they would say, here's your goal for the day, is to stand up. That was the goal. Just for a few days, just doing that. And it would be to pull my legs to the side of the bed and Stand up. Because just to give you a reality of what my present situ. I mean, what my situation was then was I had a colostomy bag, I had a catheter, I had all types of things connected to me, so I was not mobile walking around and everything. Even had a line pick line in my neck and all these. So it was stand up for today and APPLAUSE Great job. And then weeks down the road, it would be, all right, we're going to take a step, right? We're going to take a step today and next day, we're going to take two steps. That's how my recovery was. And to the point where I was frustrated, there would be moments where I would be. I would think to myself, I want to do more than this. And one time in particular, I fell to the ground while I was doing it. No one was in the room and I tried to walk on my own and I fell, Boom. Fell down to the ground. I couldn't reach my call button and I laid there and I just cried. I remember laying there on the ground and I said, I just want to be able to walk again. I want to be able to do the thing that I took for granted for so many years. And so that is what my recovery was like initially. It was me just one step at a time, one step at a time, one step at a time. And so it took me months to be able to walk again and I was super fortunate. And I had all sorts of things happening in between. I would have infections, I would have all types of things happening with other things from, you know, results of the shooting. Sure. That tried to take me out, infections and all types of things. Just like you're saying that it recently happened to. I had to happen when I was. When I was in the hospital as well.

[Ed Milet]

When you're talking, I'm thinking to myself, metaphorically, people listening to this that will have this happen in their life or is happening right now, where their life's been blown up. You were literally blown apart. But there are people that are going through their, as you said, their version. Their marriage just ended, their relationship ended, their business. Did they Financially blown up? And the metaphor of what you said is it's step by step, it's one day you're going to be frustrated, you're not making more progress. There's going to be moments in everyone's journey where no one's watching and you just crumble and fall down.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

And there's no hope. I just. I just think. I just want you to know the lens I'M hearing this through on behalf of everybody else is because yours is obviously the most powerful version of that. Was there a point where you're like, okay, I'm kind of back. And how long was that?

[Marcus Stanley]

It was probably about a year. Wow. A year and some change after where I felt like I'm back. And even then, I was fragile, and I wasn't the same. I was. I was hurt. I struggled with forgiving the people that.

[Ed Milet]

Have you forgiven them?

[Marcus Stanley]

I have today.

[Ed Milet]

Wow.

[Marcus Stanley]

Back then, I didn't. And it held me down for so many years. It plunged me into some extreme darkness. So I don't want to skip this part, because that's part of my journey, too, is that I came out of the hospital fully dependent on painkillers and pain medicine. I had a button right beside my bed that I could press for pain at any time. Just get your hit just to get me hit. And again, you're looking at somebody who never smoked, never drank, never did anything. And that used to be my peace. In the middle of the pain that I was actually feeling, I had real pain. But I took that pain medicine through that process and had no idea that I was becoming dependent on it.

[Ed Milet]

Wow.

[Marcus Stanley]

So years or so later, I finally run out of the medicine. I can't remember what exactly happened, but I think I just went through the medication and I was out. And then that's when I realized I was dependent on it. I felt the sickest I have ever felt. I started feeling nauseous and shaking and all types of things. And I said, what in the world is going on? And I had no idea that I had become dependent upon the pain medicines. And so that I thought about that. When you said. When I was mentioned to you, the forgiveness. Yeah. That made it even harder for me to forgive the people who shot me.

[Ed Milet]

How'd you get out of the addiction?

[Marcus Stanley]

I tried everything to get clean.

[Ed Milet]

It was that big of a deal.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, it was that. It was that day. I was back touring, back doing music, and I would. I tried everything. I would go to rehabs. I would go to treatment centers.

[Ed Milet]

Seriously?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

I didn't know this.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. I would go right off. Like, you get off the plane, they're holding your name on a sign. Nice treatment centers. I tried. I would go every few months, I would try to get clean. I just couldn't do it. And I would stay and finish the thing and then get back, right back out and mess up again. The bondage of addiction held me for so long. It was six years. Six years of darkness. I realized after the fact that me not being able to forgive those people who shot me was another big part of why I was never able to find my freedom and why I failed so many times because I held that bitterness in my heart. And I was like, I'm not forgiving them. They can't be forgiven.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah, they're laughing.

[Marcus Stanley]

I finally reached that level of forgiveness and I just became broken. I said, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be free. And I went to this one year treatment program in a year. That sounds crazy, but it was a year long. I said, I need something extreme. I need. I need the boot camp of all this. 30 day, 90 day is not working. So I left everything and went to this treatment center for one year. And I fell down to my knees in a small little chapel service. And that's the moment I felt everything shift. And I felt the Lord come into my heart. And I was never the same after that moment. Like everything, I felt the chains come off of me of trying and trying all these years to be clean. And it was different. And I think the different part was as I asked God to help me. I said I was like, jesus, I want you to set me free. I said, I can't do this anymore. The other times I was asking the therapist to help me or this person helped me, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I needed more. I needed Jesus and therapy. I needed all of it. And when I came to that moment, I felt the chains fall off of me. And that was 16 years ago. And I've been clean ever since. And free and. And it got bad. When I tell you it got bad, it went from pain pills to heroin to. It was bad. And again, this is a. I would have never thought in a million years, yeah, I would be doing something like shooting heroin, but that's what I did when I couldn't get the pain meds. A lot of people don't know that, but the opiates, you were just looking for another one. And when I couldn't get access to those pain meds, I did the heroin. And I was bound to that. And it's almost impossible for people to get off of that. Wow. But I got off of it. And through my failures, after failure, after failure is where I found that freedom, brother.

[Ed Milet]

You may have the greatest story I've ever flipping heard. I mean, I'm serious. So you found. You found. You found God? Not when you got shot.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, you actually.

[Ed Milet]

Well, he was there. Yeah, he was there, but it was like there Was a full embrace, an actual intimate relationship.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. It was a process.

[Ed Milet]

A process over time. By the way, it's so good that you say that because there's all this stuff in faith about there's just this moment.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

And there are moments, but a lot of times for a lot of people, it's like any relationship that grows and then all of a sudden there's this point where you surrender to it.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

And in my case, it was more like that over time. I am blown away. I did not know any of that part of your story. Thank you for being so open and honest.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, I didn't want to skip that. I wanted to make sure I was able to say that because I know so many people struggle with addiction to many things. It could be gambling, it could be any life control issue. It's not just drugs.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah.

[Marcus Stanley]

And you can't see it. No one can see it on me. Yeah. And when they saw signs like, oh, Marcus looks terrible, they would be like, oh, he got shot. So. So no one can help me for years. I want you to understand this. I did not. People can be successful. They can do everything and you know, make money and do all these things and still be broken on the inside. And so I was completely broken out there. I'm playing on stage and shooting up and doing drugs before I get on stage and looking for places to get more while I'm touring in different cities, random cities, and looking for more. That was my story for six years and it was terrible. So yeah, a process. It's going to be a process. When you go through things, most people won't get the instant thing and the clouds open up and everything is perfect. That wasn't my story. Even though I went through something life changing like the shooting, I had more to go through after that. There was the transformation. It was like a slow cook. Yeah. And through that I just slowly was changing through this. And everything didn't stop there.

[Ed Milet]

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[Marcus Stanley]

I stayed at that treatment center for four more years.

[Ed Milet]

What did you just say?

[Marcus Stanley]

People thought I was crazy.

[Ed Milet]

Wait, so you went through a year program and stayed four years?

[Marcus Stanley]

And then I felt so strongly that I needed to help other people. This is where everything about my identity started because it was no cameras, it was no anything. It was none of that. It was no cell phones. It was me and God. And that's where my foundation for helping people started. It was one on one, 40 or 50 guys in the program at a time, coming through there, completely broken, addicted to things, lost, homeless, all that. And I stayed on as a staff member to help. No pay, no anything to help people for years. I was there for four years. God bless you. That's where everything was formed. See this? That's the season for me that was hidden that nobody knows about. And so I didn't mean to give you a curveball or give the viewers a curveball.

[Ed Milet]

It's not a curveball.

[Marcus Stanley]

It was literally, I was there hidden for years. Like literally till 2015. So from 2010 when I got free to 2015 I was there serving, helping people quietly. And there's no social media. No social media, people. People coming up to me like my mom died, my dad died, where was God? Like broken. And those are the type of questions and things that I dealt with while I was there. Wow.

[Ed Milet]

Marcus, you're most qualified in life to help the person you used to be.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

And you used to be a whole bunch of different people. But the fact that you stayed there and helped all those people that were struggling with what you're struggling with is just remarkable. I'm blown away by you. Think about how amazing God is. Who'd have thought in the moment that you're being shot eight times in the chest, they go, okay, that's when it changes. Then you go through this six year abyss into drug addiction and heroin and all that other stuff. Then you stay there another four years afterwards. And that somehow God's going to pick that guy to reach me through social media, through his faith post. And then I invite you to sit here today and you're now going to bless millions more people, isn't it? There should be so many people listening to go. Legitimately, anything is possible. If I keep getting up, if I keep pursuing my dream, if I. And in this case, the lesson for you, I believe, is going to be through God. But it's just unbelievable, the ripple effects of decisions we make in our life and the impact we make. So I want to say again, thank you for what you do now because we're only an hour long show, we're going to kind of morph through here a little bit. So that's when really God became a centerpiece in your life, I assume. But it was growing.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yes.

[Ed Milet]

Which sounds more like my story too, right? What made you. Eventually maybe I missed a step. Go. I'm going to grab a camera and I'm going to say, let me bless you today. Because basically his posts for the most part are very simple. It's the camera comes on, he says, let me bless you today or whatever. And then it's a, it's a. It's a scripture of some type. And it's, it's not only the scripture. If I can be complimentary of you, it's the way in which you say it. There's a peace into the way that you communicate. I'm even feeling it being with you that God's given you. That's why I asked you, were you this person before? The answer is no. It comes through on the camera to me. Lots of people quote scripture or read positive things. Why is it that I stick to you? Right? What is it? It's how you actually make me feel when you're doing it. I feel God's love through you when you do it. I just want you to know that that's why you're sitting here. Of all the people on Instagram that I could pick. Right. I'm wondering what compelled you to start doing that. What made you think, I know what I'll do now? I was a heroin addict. I play music. I. Da, da, da, da. I got shot eight times. I didn't know any of that story till later. You're just all of a sudden doing what you do.

[Marcus Stanley]

That was a process, too, because I went many years not able to tell my story. I was not able to tell my story for so many years. It hurt. That's the simplest answer I can give you. I'm not. I can't come up with any other words than that. It just hurt to tell it. And so there was even times where I would be on stage and other people would tell my story or when I was doing music, they're like, the keyboard player right there. You got. They're telling my story and this. And God is using that story to just shift and reach people. And I couldn't tell it. I'm just. Just sitting there playing. So that was 15 years of me not being able to tell my story. Okay. And I couldn't tell it. So it was. When I tell you it was a slow process of getting there. It truly was. And when I finally was able to tell my story, I had been attending Life Church, and pastor. Pastor Craig Groeschel. I think you know him. And wait a minute.

[Ed Milet]

I didn't know Craig was your pastor.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yes, he is.

[Ed Milet]

I did not know that. This entire time, I did not know Craig is your pastor. Craig, by the way, did the show last week. I did not know that Craig was your pastor.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yes.

[Ed Milet]

Okay. Keep going.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

What in the. God, what is going on here with you? Okay.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yep.

[Ed Milet]

So I love him.

[Marcus Stanley]

I started just. I got inspired just seeing how God would use him to share the word of God. And I was sitting in my car one day, and I just said, I need to tell my story. I think I'm ready. It wasn't the clouds opened up or anything. I just said, I think it's time. Just like even coming on this podcast first time, I said, I think it's time. And I try to be obedient in those moments and not delay. And I just put that camera up in there, and I just told my story unedited. No script, no anything. I just share my story from the heart. And God used that story to just reach people all over the world. I put it up on TikTok, and I had no followers. I just opened up a TikTok account, brand new. I remember it. Zero. And I put it up. And if someone called me a few days later is like, hey, your testimony is I never even opened the app again to check on it. And they're like, your testimony is everywhere. I open it up and millions of people have seen it. And that was how everything started. Me sharing hope to help other people. It was through my brokenness. So again, that was a. That was a slow path there. It wasn't anything that I planned. I didn't. I didn't really want to do anything. I don't personally want to be on camera. I'm not a person that likes to tension on myself. I'm very much like you as an introvert.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah, you are.

[Marcus Stanley]

Protect my energy and very careful with that.

[Ed Milet]

So do you feel like when you put stuff out, do you ever feel like I. I'm not qualified to be.

[Marcus Stanley]

Doing this stuff all the time.

[Ed Milet]

I should be like someone like Craig.

[Marcus Stanley]

All the time when I feel it every day. And I feel it because I'm the guy that was expelled from high school. I'm the guy who just has a ged. I'm the guy who got in all types of trouble, who was a drug addict. I'm the least and only through God's grace and his power, he allows me to even sit in positions like this. So, yeah, I walk with that, realizing I feel that. And I have to actually put those thoughts to the side when I'm about to do things just like this and say, like, you know, God created you to do this. Gosh, he introduced you to Ed to be able to do this even in moments like that, because I have those thoughts. I'm like, you're not supposed to be here. You're not supposed to be here. Like, you're not. It's supposed to be all these people that have written 20, 30 books and all these things. And I'm like, God's like, you are supposed to be there because one person needs to hear this today.

[Ed Milet]

Way more than one needs to hear this today. And you absolutely belong here. I've done very few interviews, conversations where I'm like, this is. I. I feel extremely blessed to be in this conversation.

[Marcus Stanley]

I thank you for trusting me. And even I notice you are very careful about who you have on the show. And it means a lot. Like I said, when you reached out and said, and once you come on, I couldn't believe it.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah, well, I. I'm honored you said yes. Only 50 people a year sit in that seat, and I'm so thrilled that it's you. A couple things we need to know. Shooters ever reached out to you, made any contact with you?

[Marcus Stanley]

Well, that's something that. It was in the hospital where a detective came up to me and he told me, we won't be able to prosecute and the charges have to be dropped. And that was the moment where the bitterness in my heart started, and I didn't forgive them. Like, I was angry at that point, and it was because so many people that saw the shooting, they were scared to come to court. A lot of people don't know that, oh, statement is not enough. Person has to actually come to back that statement up. And when it was time for court, so many people did not show up, and people were scared and they didn't get prosecuted. And so that forgiveness that I had to get to had nothing to do with actually meeting them in person and telling them that I forgive them. It had to do with me saying that I forgive them right here. And they went on to get in trouble for all types of other stuff. I think they're in prison right now. But in the moment, I still struggle with that, and I didn't forgive them.

[Ed Milet]

Okay, you're telling me that because these dudes are incarcerated, the main guy is right?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yes.

[Ed Milet]

That's not from shooting you?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, from other things. Okay. Yeah. I did not know. Yeah. But I still struggle with. With hurting through that.

[Ed Milet]

Of course.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. At the moment, they were still out.

[Ed Milet]

Have you ever met him?

[Marcus Stanley]

No.

[Ed Milet]

No, but does he know you forgive him?

[Marcus Stanley]

I don't think he does.

[Ed Milet]

Maybe he'll find out today.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, I don't. I don't think he does, but I. I try to remember that, you know, something I heard on actually a guest that you had on Les Brown, and he said that Loveless. He said that forgiving others is just not forgetting, but it's remembering about anger. And I was listening to that podcast where you had a morning. I was like, wow, that's a. Wow. I think that that's where I got to, like, I can remember it now, and I can say thank you and that again, I know that people out there go through horrific things. And so for some people, to even get to my step would be very difficult to get to. But for me, I can remember it now and be grateful, because that's the whole reason why I'm sitting here today. That's the reason why I got to meet my wife April, and we have four wonderful kids. That's the reason why my life has been transformed is because they did that.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah. It's amazing.

[Marcus Stanley]

So even in the most darkest things, that's why Romans 8:28 is one of my favorite scriptures that says in all things, God is working together for the good. It's not some things. It's even the most terrible, horrific things. God can still pull, squeeze, like a little bit of good out of that. Even though it's extremely hurtful, even though it's extremely painful. That's something that I can stand on and believe with all my heart.

[Ed Milet]

Gosh, you're a remarkable brother.

[Brendan Burchard]

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[Ed Milet]

So real answer, don't filter it. Someone approached you right now and said, I'm really down. I've got my own version of my scars.

[Marcus Stanley]

I'm.

[Ed Milet]

I'm. I'm on my back right now. Like, you were accepted in a different way in my life. I don't know what to do. I want to turn things around. What would your honest answer be? I know there's no simple thing, but I. I think there's one thing at least. But what would you say? Someone's listening to this. They're like, okay, I'm in my own version of that right now.

[Marcus Stanley]

I would say there's more in you. You may not be able to see it right now. You have pressure hitting you from every direction. Your back is completely against the wall. You've cried yourself to sleep each night. You don't even know how you're going to make it. But Luke 1:37 says, With God, all things are possible. And if you just hold on and take one more step, just keep going, one more, one more, you'll see that God has had you in his hand all along. He's never left you. That's not easy to hear when you're in the middle of a battle, though. So I do acknowledge that you could be in a storm. That is crazy. And you're like, where is God? And I don't feel him here, but that's our humanity. Like, we're. We all feel other things. We're like roller coasters. But it doesn't change. God's love for us never changes, even when we're in our darkest moments. And he's right there.

[Ed Milet]

Gosh, that's so good. Well, you're the perfect example. God had his hand on you as you're laying in that street, crawling out of the middle of the street, trying to reach your phone. He was with you even though maybe in those moments we don't always know that. Right? Or when you fall down and you can't walk and you got a colostomy bag. Right. Or, or then all of a sudden you're addicted to drugs. He was with you when you were shooting heroin.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yes.

[Ed Milet]

He was with you all those times you tried to get clean.

[Marcus Stanley]

Because everybody thinks that he's not with you when you're in your dark, lowest moments. That's not true. He was right there with me. Like, you're gonna get it. You're gonna get off of this eventually. Like, you're gonna be okay. Even though you can't see it right now, you're going to be okay. I remember people praying for me even when I was addicted. And I would. And they would be praying the whole time. They're praying. I'm like, they hurry up so I can just go get more drugs. Like that's how lost I was.

[Ed Milet]

Yes.

[Marcus Stanley]

But God was still there with me. People were still praying for me. People. Even though I was burning bridges, even though I was destroying my family, even though I was just becoming a dark person and just hurting everybody that was in front of me, God was still there. Like, I still got my hand on you. Yeah, I'm still right here. Yeah. That's the message I tell to anyone that is feeling like, look, I'm in this. How do I get out? Where, where is he? Where? How can I keep going? It's. You got. You have it in you. Like you literally have it right here. Greater, the Bible says, greater is he this in you, that is he this in the world. So like you have the power, you literally have the power to overcome anything. If you believe it. It's not going to happen just by again, the clouds opening up and all that. It's like you have to literally say, I can do this. That's the first step. If it all works is dead. Like, there has to be something here. Just like, I want to take some action. I'm going to do this. And that's where I was. That's why I was willing to go to that one year treatment. Even though it was insane to people. They're like, one year, that's crazy. I was like, I'm all in.

[Ed Milet]

That was your time in the desert.

[Marcus Stanley]

I'm all in. Yeah, I'm all in.

[Ed Milet]

That's your time in the desert?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

You know what's amazing is you were blessed that you had people praying for you, even though you were like, hurry up, I need to get some more drugs. But I want everybody to know this. Some of you don't. Some of you don't have anybody. It feels like you're alone. You're never alone. God always holds you in the palm of his hand. You're never alone. If you feel alone right now, you are not. Your Father in heaven has his hand on you. He loves you, and he will show you a way out. You need to stay faithful. You need to believe in yourself. You need to believe in Him. Faith without works is dead.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. That's why I believe in the power of prayer, and that's why I show up to do that, because I believe that, again, there is some people who have nobody praying for them. So that's. That's why it means so much to me, Ed. It's like, I didn't think I'd be praying for people.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah.

[Marcus Stanley]

There's so many more people, much more qualified like we were talking about. And. And I get messages from people and emails and people saying that they pray with me every morning. And these are people that are. Been in church their whole life, people that, you know, you know, but you haven't.

[Ed Milet]

You know, you're so humble. I want to tell you one thing. You have found your anointing, and, like, I think you just nailed why I love your work. I actually think you're praying for and with me, when I see your stuff, there are other people that. Even when I pray with them or that I'm with them, I'm like, what a beautiful prayer. But I didn't feel like it was for and with me somehow through social media, and I'm not so much so that I eventually say, please come on my show and come to my house. I wouldn't let you do it through zoom. I said, I want to meet you. It's just amazing what God's done in your life. Now, let's say one thing here before we, like, go. Oh, it's all rosy. You were booked to do the show, I don't know, what, a month ago, something like that.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah. And then April 9th.

[Ed Milet]

And then. And then what happened?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah.

[Ed Milet]

So you guys, like, listen to this. Then what happened?

[Marcus Stanley]

So the. The short story is I thought I had a spleen. I thought I had half a spleen. Okay. Doctor said there's no such thing as that.

[Ed Milet]

I wouldn't know either. Okay.

[Marcus Stanley]

I didn't know.

[Ed Milet]

I can't have half of one. You either got one or you don't.

[Marcus Stanley]

And so there were several things that I should have been taking for 21 years to protect myself, because the spleen helps you with your immune system and being able to fight off normal things that other people can just. They're good and, you know, sick a little bit, get better. And so I didn't know. I didn't have this spleen. And I had an infection that came on me, just a regular thing that anybody else would be fine and just have a cough or something and be okay. The next day. It got in my bloodstream. And one night I was just sitting there with my wife, and then all of a sudden, I started shaking and everything, and I almost discounted it and just said, I'm going to sleep it off. And I later found out that that would have killed me. So I ended up going to the hospital, and they identified it very quickly, got me on a treatment to treat it very quickly. And this is the first time since the shooting that I've been in the hospital. I have not been in the hospital at all. At all. So for me to go to the hospital is a big deal. I was, like, talking to my wife. I said, I think I need to go to the hospital. And she said, I think you do go. And I went. But it was something that I normally would not do. And I felt. Something felt different. Just like I said when I was.

[Ed Milet]

On discernment, told you, go.

[Marcus Stanley]

Something felt different. And some things aren't. You don't have a booming voice from above. You just like something feels. Something feels different. And that's what I felt in that moment. I said, I need to go. And I was in ICU for five days, and they stabilized me, and I was completely weak. I wanted to. I wanted so bad to still come on the show. I called Steven. I said, I really want to come.

[Ed Milet]

Steven's my producer.

[Marcus Stanley]

And I just said, I still want to come, but I said, I don't want to be on this show. And nobody knows what happened to me. Like, why is he breathing so heavy? Why is he struggling right now? Because it's sepsis, really. I was in sepsis shock, and every organ was shutting down. It was like. It was like I thought that I was going to die in there. That's how quick everything happened. I was. I walked in the hospital. Yes. And then they rush all these people in there. Yep. And say to get him to another room. And this big. Now it's a serious thing.

[Ed Milet]

Yeah. I had no Marcus an Hour ago, before you got here. John Gordon was the previous interview and he just lost his best friend to sepsis. We were just literally talking about this an hour ago. So thank God you went in. And thank God, even when you go in, it's not any guarantee God had his hand.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, it takes out every day. Yeah, sepsis takes people out every day. It's just so quick.

[Ed Milet]

I just want you to know something like, I don't think you know the depth of what you're doing in your reach. I want everyone listening to this like you guys. There's so much possible in your life. Look at this man's life. Look what God's doing in his life. It's remarkable what you can come through when you're down, right? It's remarkable. That test, it's so corny. That test you're going through will eventually be a testimony. It's. It just, it's one of the best, most corny, true sayings of all time. Can we go back to something? We're gonna run out of time. I gotta, I gotta. This angel thing, right? Have you spent any more time thinking about that? Like, what was that like? Do you, do you, have you had any sense of, you know, is it someone in your family? Is it like just what we read about in the. What do you.

[Marcus Stanley]

I had those moments. Yeah. Because I do know that even biblical angels don't look the way that people typically think they are.

[Ed Milet]

Right?

[Marcus Stanley]

So I'm like, who, who was this? I have had that question.

[Ed Milet]

If you had people of real devout faith go, what's blasphemy that you had an eight foot angel. I'm sure I wonder that way.

[Marcus Stanley]

And I've wondered over and over, who was this sent to protect me in that moment? And I just, I don't know. And I think I, I think this is difficult for people to say something like that. But I have no problem saying I don't know to a lot of things. Like his ways are higher than our ways. The Bible says that thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And there's some things that I just don't understand. I don't know.

[Ed Milet]

Why do you term it? I'm just curious. We're talking a couple dudes here.

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, right.

[Ed Milet]

Like the term you use as angel. How do you know it wasn't just the presence of God?

[Marcus Stanley]

Yeah, that. You are correct. It could have been just the presence of God. I interpreted it with my eyes to be an angel, but it could have been just God's presence there as well. I felt like it was an angel. Especially when I saw it again in the emergency room when I looked over there and I saw that figure again, not really being able to see details, but there's a tall figure back there again standing there like this. And I could see. The only detail I could see was arms like this, nothing else.

[Ed Milet]

By the way, I obviously defer to you on what you saw and felt. You know, it is possible you have an 8 foot tall relative somewhere because you're so tall. I mean, it is possible, as tall as you are. Let's wrap up with this question. I think this is one of the most extraordinary conversations I've ever had. It's exceeded my expectations for today. And I kind of want to just give you the floor because you came a long way to do this and you've been through a long road to sit here today. And I want to tell you that I'm proud of you.

[Marcus Stanley]

Thank you.

[Ed Milet]

And you have a real friend in me.

[Marcus Stanley]

Thank you.

[Ed Milet]

For the rest of my life, you're going to outlive me, but for the rest of my life. So if you had any message, you said, man, I get to sit there and I'm on my LET show. And we covered a bunch of stuff today, but I got a message that, man, if I leave here, I want to make sure I at least got this to people. What would you say? It could be anything. What would your message be to people? I want to give you. I've never asked that at the end of an interview, but I want to create space for you to say whatever you want at the end.

[Marcus Stanley]

Well, I have to. When I think about that question, Ed, I have to respond with scripture. And the reason why I have to is because I've learned so much through Jesus teachings, Especially when he was tempted. He didn't respond with how he felt. He didn't say maybe or I think or all that. He responded with the word of God when the enemy was trying to tempt him. And so I'm going to respond with this scripture that is dear to my heart, which is Romans, chapter 5, verse 3 through 5, it says, Rejoice in your suffering because suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope will not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. And that's my message to everybody that hears this is that like, you're going to go through some suffering, you're going to go through some pain, you're going to go through a lot of Things in this life like that is something that is not going to change. Is suffering and pain and hardships, many things that we go through. But as I said at the beginning of this, God's love for us and his presence and his hand on your life is the one thing that will never change through all of it. And people have told me, even when I've shared that scripture, like, how could you say rejoice in your suffering? Like suffering. Do you understand what that means? Yes, I do understand what you do. And some people understand it better than me. They understand it in a deeper way of what suffering means. And that is what it means to have faith and to truly follow Jesus and to follow God and to walk this walk. It means that no matter what happens my way, I will lift my eyes to the hills from where my help comes from. My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. And that's where. That's my heart with everything. And I have to pass that on. So I'm sorry I didn't have an opinion or a response to send my words.

[Ed Milet]

Please don't, Please don't apologize for an extraordinary answer.

[Marcus Stanley]

But I had to answer with the word that has carried me rejoicing in my suffering, that's carried me for so many years. I don't know exactly when that activated in my heart, but it's activated in my heart every day. I'm like. Because I still feel pain. I feel pain with every step I take. Because the bullet, they can't take it out. It would. It's so. It's risk of me being paralyzed. But that bullet reminds me just how good God is. I'm like, I can feel. So I look at, I frame it through a different lens. I look at life through this, this gratitude lens. And I just, I'm grateful. That's why if you hear me do a prayer, I say thank you first, no matter what. I'm like, thank you, God, because I. Before I say anything, thank you. That's like my number one prayer. Dear God, thank you because I'm grateful. I know that April 2, 2004, could have been everything. I could have just been a memory. It could have been all over. But God had more in store for me to do, more souls to reach. And it's not about me. I'm not trying to make my name great. That's what I've never even said my name on videos or pictures or branding or. I'm not like that. I'm like, what can I do to draws people to find hope? And point to him, not me. So that's, that's my message. Somebody can know.

[Ed Milet]

I don't think we're. It's possible to do a better conversation than this today. I will say your name so they can go follow you, which is Marcus Stanley, everybody. Is that where you want them to go?

[Marcus Stanley]

Social media? Yeah, just search Marcus Stanley. I'm really laid back.

[Ed Milet]

He's incredible and you all know he's incredible after today. And I promised you in the beginning that this would be extraordinary and you completely over delivered. I'm so grateful for you and I.

[Marcus Stanley]

Want to thank you all your. All my heart for giving me this chance to come be able to share on your platform, your house, your show. It really means the world to me and express how much, how grateful I am for that.

[Ed Milet]

I can tell you unequivocally that the honor is completely mine and the audiences and yeah, I think you did okay for your first podcast, by the way. Like 100 out of 10. 100 out of 10. I'm very proud of you. I love you. You have a friend for life in me. You inspire me and I'm just like in awe of how this went today. It's just Holy spirit's really good just everywhere. All right, everybody, you're welcome. I told you this would be great. Would you please share this? You know, somebody needs to hear this. By the way, if you're not on my email list, go to edmylet.com get on that list. So you get the shows early, you know what's happening and follow us on social medialet. God bless you. Max Out.

[Marcus Stanley]

This is the Ed Milan show.