AND THE MVP FOR "CONSISTENT FRIEND" GOES TO...

[music] >> 2023 for my family was was probably one of the hardest years of my life. Me and my wife in particular. But here in our home, our family our family was rocked in 2023. I mean rocked to the core. And I remember how my wife was feeling. And I remember the pain that she alone was feeling. You know, it's one thing when you're trying to shoulder other people's pain and and shoulder other people's burden, but who's there to shoulder yours? I'm I'm trying to be as real and transparent as I as I possibly can, ladies and gentlemen. If if 2023 had to circle back around and spin the block, I don't want to be here. Lord, take me out of here. I I I would not want to relive 2023 for nothing else in the world. That's how difficult and how hard it was. I was experiencing it. My children were experiencing it, but most importantly my bride was experiencing it. And while she's trying to be strong for her her her her children, I'm trying to be strong for our children, our family. I was at weak moments in my life and so was my wife. And I saw it. We trying to be there for each other. I'm I'm in one part of the house trying to get myself together. My wife is in another part of the house trying to get herself together before we come around each other to encourage each other. That's how bad it was. It was so bad that even our love life and marriage with the Woods Channel, we had to put a pause on that because the pain was so great. We did not know what subject we wanted to touch and what what subject we wanted to be transparent about because we were still working it out. This is one of the reasons why right now, 3 years later, we have not done a live together yet. Not because we don't have things to say. Oh, trust and believe me, ladies and gentlemen. Trust and believe me, brothers and sisters. We got a lot to say. We have a lot to say. We do. And when the time is right, the Lord's going to release us and we're going to share our experiences from 2023 and beyond. Because I believe that all these things didn't just happen for no reason. Everything that happens in our life, ladies and gentlemen, is for is for a reason. It's for a purpose as well as on purpose. It's for a purpose and it is on purpose. God does not waste his trials and his and his moments for us to go through what we go through for no reason. And and and a lot of the times we go through what we go through is for others. But I remember I remember during that time in 2023, I remember this. I called a friend of the family. I called one of our my wife's closest friends. I'm talking about like school yard friends from from when they were little girls growing up. I called her and her name is Olela. And I said, "Hey, sis. Just was checking to see how you was doing." I said, "I I I need a favor from you." And she's like, "What's up? What's going on?" I explained to her what had happened. Explained to her what was going on in our family. And I said, "Hey, I said, "If you got time, my wife didn't even know anything about it. Cuz I wanted it to be a surprise as well as an encouragement to her. And uh I told her I said, "Hey, listen. My wife is going through a lot right now. And uh I said, "It it would be good for you to if you can come by and see her. Just just a just you know good surprise visit." And she said, "Okay. What what what day you uh what are you thinking about?" And I told her. I said, "Well, you know, I said, "We we here during weekends and stuff like that." And uh I never forget my wife was upstairs in the family room. She was sitting on the couch watching TV. And I made sure that she did not know that she was uh her best friend, her sister they they they look I'm telling you, if y'all if y'all were to see my wife and her and her best friend who >> [snorts] >> we call I call her sister, they they you you would swear they were sisters. And so she came over and my wife was upstairs and I had recorded the moment and I believe I had shared it one time. I was trying to find the video. I was going to try to share it again, but nonetheless I had uh I recorded the moment where my wife's best friend, her sister was walking upstairs and my wife was my wife was sitting down on the couch upstairs in the family room and that moment was golden. I mean that hug that they that they gave each other and that long embrace it was priceless, man. And and and I believe the weight of that was just it just it just fell off of my wife's shoulders when she saw her friend. Her best friend. I mean I I get confused on the wedding party titles. I think she was the maid of honor is the maid of honor the married woman or whatever. But anyway, I think the maid of honor is the married woman. So nonetheless, but but she was the she was the sister that was in my wife's and our my wife and I's wedding. And um I'm telling you that that was a moment that I I thank God that that I had been I was submissive to the spirit of God. And I'll never forget that. I'll never forget that. Because even in marriage, ladies and gentlemen even in marriage husband and wives can do what all they can, but sometimes God will allow you to be ministered through through other people. You know? And >> [snorts] >> that's what happened. And I'm telling you that sister that sister came through in the clutch. I mean, she came through. I'm talking about MVP style. And and my girls, they they call her Auntie O because I'm telling you, man, she she she was there. She was there for for for for her sister >> [snorts] >> and for our family. And those are the kind of friends that I'm talking about. Those consistent friends. Those faithful friends. Because at the end of the day, some of y'all will never understand what it means to be a pastor's wife >> [snorts] >> until you become one or if you are one. There's nothing that that that is a weight. An indescribable weight because you can't always tell everybody what's going on in your life. But praise God for faithful friends. Praise God for MVP friends. They don't They're not They're not MIA. They don't go AWOL. >> [snorts] >> Their loyalty is proven. Their loyalty is tested. Yeah, I forgot about that. She came She came through while she was going through a terrible hurt with another friend, another family friend >> [snorts] >> that she grew up with. Just came through. So, faithful friendship, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, faithful friendship, consistent friends, they're they're they're revealed >> [snorts] >> in hardship, not just merely in in happiness.