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

26:46I would say that I am healing. I'm moving towards healing every day. I don't think I've reached the pinnacle, though. I think that that is a journey. Yeah. You know one thing, by the way, I just want to say that it's on the YouTube, they may not have seen your face. The minute you start to talk about God, you shift. Your presence is very strong, even when you just say the word God. I just want you to know that, 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.

27:19Like, 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 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, right? You have the grace of God is all over you. Had I met you before you were shot, were you this guy?

27:54Were you different? No, I was completely different. Tell us about it. When I tell you that, 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 the only concern about me and that's it. Now other people that knew me in that time would say, no, Marcus was a great, he was a good guy, but I'm talking about the things that nobody else knows.

28:44Yeah. Which is your heart's desires. Yeah. Heart's desires that a lot of people struggle with. You see people and you just don't know what's going on on the inside. Yes. I call it like dressed up trash cans, you know, it's like, you don't know what a person is. It's very familiar actually. Yeah. You might've just described me. 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, I was into stuff, just being negative.

29:16Yeah. So I was not the person that you see here today. Did you have faith in God before that? I had faith, but I didn't have faith. 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 know this sounds horrible. Like, yeah, I'm going to McDonald's.

29:54Seriously. 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 real name. This man left church after he played to go get McDonald's while the pastor was up there. I didn't hear a sermon at all. I never sat and actually listened to the word of God. I appreciate your confession and your honesty. Yeah, this is the truth. I want to tell you the truth. Yeah, I never listened to one sermon. 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.

30:25And 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, I 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. Cause I have so many things I want to ask you about your life, how you became you, how I found you, all that stuff.

30:55But before we do that, what was the physical healing? I know everyone's listening. Hey, Ed, you got shot eight times. Can we figure out the physical healing part? Cause you're carrying scars all over your body from it. So how long and what did you have to go through to recover? 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 situation, 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.

31:41So I was not mobile walking around and everything. I even had a line, a pick line in my neck and all this. 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, it would be moments where 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.

32:21I 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 happen with other things from, you know, results of the shooting that tried to take me out.

33:02Infections and all types of things, just like you're saying, that recently happened to. I had to happen when I was when I was in the hospital as well. 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've financially blown up. And the metaphor of what you said is it's step by step.

33:38It'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. Yeah. 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's because yours is obviously the most powerful version of that. Was there a point where you're like, OK, I'm kind of back? And how long was that? 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.

34:11I was hurt. I struggled with forgiving the people that - Have you forgiven them? I have today. Wow. 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 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.

35:00I had real pain, but I took that pain medicine through that process and had no idea that I was becoming dependent on it. Wow. 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 mentioning to you the forgiveness.

35:48that made it even harder for me to forgive the people who shot me. How'd you get out of the addiction? I tried everything to get clean. It was that big of a deal. Yeah, it was that deal. I was back touring, back doing music. And I would, I tried everything. I would go to rehabs. I would go to treatment centers. Seriously? I didn't know this part. 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.

36:24The 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. Yeah, they're laughing. 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. And a year, that sounds crazy, but it was a year long.

37:03I said, I need something extreme. I need the boot camp of all this 30-day, 90-day. It's 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, is I asked God to help me. I said, I was like, Jesus, I want you to set me free.

37:42and said, I can't do this anymore. The other times I was asking the therapist to help me or this person to help 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 it got bad. When I tell you it got bad, it went from pain pills to heroin to, it was bad. And again, I would have never thought in a million years I would be doing something like shooting heroin. But that's what I did when I couldn't get the pain meds.

38:20A lot of people don't know that. But the opiates, you're just looking for an opiate. 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. But I got off of it. And through my failures after failure after failure is where I found that freedom. brother 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 yeah you actually well he was there yeah he was there but it was like there was a full embrace an actual intimate relationship yeah it was a process 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 yeah 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.

39:11And 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. 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 controlling issue. It's not just drugs. And you can't see it. No one can see it on me. And when they saw signs like, oh, Marcus looks terrible, they would be like, oh, he got shot. So no one can help me for years. I want you to understand this. I did not.

39:47People can be successful. They can do everything and 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 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. Years. 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.

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41:37i stayed at that treatment center for four more years what did you just say people thought i was crazy wait so you went through a year program and then stayed four years 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 of that. And I stayed on as a staff member to help, no pay, no anything, to help people for years.

42:19I 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 and nobody knows about and so i didn't mean to give you a curveball or give the viewers a curve ball it's not a curveball it was literally i was there hidden for years like literally till 2015 oh my gosh so from 2010 when i got free to 2015 i was there serving helping people quietly and No cameras, no social media. No social media. 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.

42:57Wow, Marcus. You're most qualified in life to help the person you used to be. Yeah. 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 you 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 yeah to reach me yeah 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?

43:40There 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. if I assume, but it was growing, which sounds more like my story too, right?

44:15What 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 scripture of some type. And 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 piece 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.

44:52Lots of people quote scripture or read positive things. Why is it that I stick to you? 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 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. That was a process too, because I went many years, not able to tell my story.

45:32I 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 God is using that story to just shift and reach people. And I couldn't tell it. I'm 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.

46:12And when I finally was able to tell my story, I had been attending Life.Church and Pastor, Pastor Craig Rochelle, I think you know him. Wait a minute. I didn't know Craig was your pastor. Yes, he is. 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. Yes. Okay, keep going. What in the, God, what is going on here with you? Okay. Yep. So I love him. 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.

46:52I 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 for the first time. I said, I think it's time. And I try to be obedient to 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 shared 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 then someone called me a few days later and was like, hey, your testimony.

47:30I never even opened the app again and checked on it. And they're like, your testimony is everywhere. I opened 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 slow path there. It wasn't anything that I planned. I didn't really want to do anything. I don't personally want to be on camera. I'm not a person that likes attention on myself. I'm very much like you as an introvert. Yeah, you are. Protecting my energy. and very careful with that. Do you feel like when you put stuff out, do you ever feel like, I'm not qualified to be doing this stuff?

48:06All the time. That should be like someone like Craig. All the time. 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.

48:41Because 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. 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. I thank you for trusting me. And even, uh, I noticed you are very careful about who you have on the show and it means a lot.

49:15Like I said, when you reached out and said, Hey, I want you to come on. I couldn't believe it. Yeah. Well, I, I, I'm honored. You said yes. Only 50 people a year sit in that seat. And, uh, I'm so thrilled that it's you. A couple of things we need to know. Shooters ever reached out to you, made any contact with you? 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.

49:54And 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, a statement is not enough. A 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.

50:34But in the moment, I still struggle with that. And I didn't forgive them. Okay. You're telling me that because these dudes are incarcerated. The main guy is, right? Yes. That's not from shooting you. Yeah. From other things. Okay. Yeah. I did not know that. Yeah. But I still struggled with hurting through that. Of course. Because at the moment, they were still out. Have you ever met them? No. Does he know you forgive him? I don't think he does. Maybe he'll find out today. Yeah. I don't think he does. But I try to remember that, you know, something I heard on, actually, a guest that you had on, Les Brown.

51:09And he said that. I love Les. He said that forgiving others is not forgetting, but it's remembering about anger. And I was listening to that podcast where you had him on. 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. 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.

51:54That's the reason why my life has been transformed is because they did that. It's amazing. 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. I 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. Gosh, you're remarkable, brother. Next up is a little song from CarMax about selling a car your way.

52:31You want to sell those wheels. You want to get a CarMax instant offer. So fast. Want to take a sec to think about it. Or like a month. I want to keep tabs on that instant offer. With OfferWatch. Want to have CarMax pick it up from your driveway. Get it done to it. You want to do it all. So, want to drive? CarMax. Pickup not available everywhere. Restrictions and fee may apply. 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. as I'm on my back right now like you were, except in a different way in my life. I don't know what to do.

53:14I want to turn things around. What would your honest answer be? I know there's no simple thing, but 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. 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.

54:01He'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, 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 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. 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.

54:35He 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 colosomy bag, right? Or then all of a sudden you're addicted to drugs. He was with you when you were shooting heroin. Yes. He was with you all those times you tried to get clean. Because everybody thinks that he's not with you when you're in your dark, low moments. That's not true. He was right there with me. Like, you're going to get it. You're going to get off of this eventually. Like, you're going to be okay. Even though you can't see it right now, you're going to be okay.

55:05I remember people praying for me, even when I was addicted. And they would be praying. The whole time they're praying, I'm like, would they hurry up so I can just go get more drugs? Like, that's how lost I was. Yes. But God was still there with me. People were still praying for me. 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. I'm still right here. That's the message I tell to anyone that's feeling like, look, I'm in this.

55:41How do I get out? Where is he? How can I keep going? You have it in you. You literally have it right here. greater the bible says greater is he that's in you that is he that's 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 what out works is dead like there has to be something here just like i want to i'm going to take some action i'm going to do this and that's where i That's why I was willing to go to that one year treatment, even though it was insane to people.

56:19They're like, one year? That's crazy. I was like, I'm all in. That was your time in the desert. I'm all in. Yeah, I'm all in. Your time in the desert. Yeah. You know, what's amazing is you were blessed that you had people praying for you, even though you were like, hurry up and 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.

56:48You need to stay faithful. You need to believe in yourself. You need to believe in him. Faith without works is dead. 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. It's like, I didn't think I'd be praying for people. Yeah. There's so many more people, much more qualified. like we were talking about. And I get messages from people and emails and people saying that they pray with me every morning. And these are people that are in church their whole life.

57:22People that, you know. 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.

57:55Now let's say one thing here before we like go, Oh, it's all Rosie. You were booked to do the show. I don't know what a month ago, something like that yeah and then april 9th april 9th and then and then what happened yeah so you guys like listen to this then what happened 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 i wouldn't know either i didn't know i can't have one either got one or you don't and so there were several things that i should have been taking out 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 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 and one night i was just sitting there with my wife and then all of a sudden i started shaking and and everything and And I almost discounted it and just said, I'm going to sleep it off.

59:07And 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 the 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 was 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 but I felt something felt different just like what I said when I was on that street something felt different and some things aren't you know you don't have a booming voice from above you're 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.

1:00:04I wanted so bad to still come on the show. I called Steven. I said, I really want to come. Steven's my producer. I just said, I still want to come. I said, I don't want to be on this show and nobody knows what happened to me. Why is he breathing so heavy? Why is he struggling right now? I was in sepsis shock and every organ was shutting down. It was like I thought that I was going to die in there. That's how quick everything happened. I walked in the hospital, and then they rushed all these people in there and say, get him to another room. Now it's a serious thing. 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.

1:00:50We 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 on your life again. Oh, yeah. It takes people out every day. Sepsis takes people out every day. It's just so quick. I just want you to know something. 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. It's remarkable.

1:01:20That 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 but 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 like just what we read about in the what do you think i've had those moments yeah because i do know that even biblical angels don't look the way that people right we think they are so i'm like who who was this i have had that question if you have people of real devout faith go what's blasphemy that you had an eight-foot angel i'm sure i wonder that um and i've wondered over and over who was this that God sent to protect me in that moment.

1:02:15And I just, I don't know. And I think, 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 his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And there's some things that I just don't understand. I don't know. Why do you term it? I'm just curious. We're talking a couple of dudes here, right? Like the term you use is angel. How do you know it wasn't just the presence of God? Yeah, 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.

1:02:53I felt like it was an angel, especially when I saw it again in the emergency room. Yeah. When I looked over there and I saw that figure, again, not really being able to see details, But like 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. By the way, I obviously defer to you on what you saw and felt. You know, it is possible you have an eight foot tall relative somewhere because you're so tall. I mean, it is possible. Let's let's wrap up with this question. I think this is one of the most extraordinary conversations I've ever had.

1:03:30It'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. Thank you. You have a real friend in me. Thank you. 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 I, you know, 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?

1:04:03It could be anything. What would your message be to people? I want to give you, I've never asked that at an end of the interview, but I want to create space for you to say whatever you want at the end. 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. 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 five, verse three through five.

1:04:37It 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 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. 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.

1:05:27And 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 it means. 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.

1:06:00And I have to pass that on. So I'm sorry I didn't have an opinion or a response to send my words. Please don't. Please don't apologize for an extraordinary answer. 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. So it's risk of me being paralyzed. But that bullet reminds me just how good God is. I'm like, I can feel.

1:06:40So I look at, I frame it through a different lens. I look at life through this gratitude lens, and 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 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 2nd, 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 of branding.

1:07:23I'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. If somebody can know. I don't think that 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 him to go? Social media to find you? Yeah, just search Marcus Stanley. I'm really laid back. 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.

1:07:58And I want to thank you 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. I can't express how grateful I am for that. I can tell you unequivocally that the honor is completely mine and the audience's. And yeah, I think you did okay for your first podcast, by the way. Like a hundred out of 10, a hundred 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, man. Just everywhere. All right, everybody, you're welcome.

1:08:39I 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 edmylett.com. Get on that list so you get the shows early, you know what's happening. And follow us on social media at Ed Mylett. God bless you. Max out. This is the Ed Mylett Show.