From Prison to Divine Purpose - Inside/Out talks with Josh Randolph by Kim Woods:
Question: What happened when you were young that contributed to the bad behavior?
I began to hang around the wrong crowd. At that time they were considered the in crowd. They were doing things that, were not right and I adapted my lifestyle to that to try to fit in. I was raised by two wonderful parents who understood discipline and order. Once I got to the age of 18 and out from under my father’s housing, I lived on my own and started indulging in things that sent me into the wrong direction. It was my choice to live a destructive lifestyle.
Question: So you are breaking the stereo type that bad behavior comes from being raised in a broken home or parents who were not there for their children?
Correct. I made my own choices.
Question: What event or person helped move you in the right direction or caused your “Damascus” experience?
It was actually the day I got arrested. Prior to that day my mom called me crying saying that she had a dream about six or seven police officers. They had guns pointed toward me and had my face down to the ground. She begged me to stop selling drugs. She was crying please do it for me because I don’t want to see you go to jail. I felt at the time that she was jinxing me. I thought to myself that I have enough money and I can stop now and get a real job and my family would still be cool. About five minutes after I hung up with my mom, my (drug) connect called me and asked if I was ready. So everything that my mom said to me came in one ear and went out the other. I went and got the stuff and the next day I ended up getting set up. I remember the police jumping out the back of the van and I tried to run. It was about six or seven police officers with guns pointed at me. All I could do was raise my hands. As I was raising my hands I started to smile. I started to remember the dream my mom told me the day before. I started thinking about all the things other people told me about changing my lifestyle. When the police pushed me to the ground and started hand cuffing me I knew within myself no matter what the outcome may be with this situation I would never find myself in this predicament again. I feel this was my “Damascus“ road. Also, my second day in county (jail) I remember being in the cell by myself and falling to the ground and praying to God that I did not want this lifestyle or live like this anymore. God answered me just as clear as day. He said “son you can either make the best of this or the worst of it but the choice is yours”. From that point, I chose to turn my life around and give my life to God. I then started on the path of redemption, restoration, and renewal. That’s when my new journey began.
Question: What would you say to the current in mates who are serving time now and feel like they are being punished for the bad choices they made? They also feel like they have no more choices and it may be too late.
I would say a few things. The first thing that I would say is that God allowed me to be locked up. I would never say that God put me in prison. It was my decision that got me there. God allowed me to get locked up in order to set me free. He put me in a confined place to really get my attention. I would also like to tell people that your present does not dictate your future. God uses your present to develop you into the man or woman that he has called you to be. I don’t believe that I would be so tenacious about serving God if I had not gone through what I went through. I’m passionate about helping people and seeing them change their lives. You can overcome your past. Statistically they say that 8 out 10 ex-offenders return to prison within the first year. That may be correct statistically but spiritually we can break that if we all choose to not do the things that we use to do and begin to do something different.
Question: Was there a part of you that wanted to get caught?
It’s funny that you asked because I would always tell myself I was doing what I was doing to take care of my family. People tell themselves that all the time. Most of the things you buy are selfish and for yourself. You get addicted to the lifestyle and showing people what you’ve obtained. I would tell myself I will quit if I go to jail.
Question: What would you say to people who read this and who think that you deserved what happened to you? Also, they may not feel like you are the right person to bring this message of redemption.
I wouldn’t say anything to a person like that because I don’t allow negativity into my atmosphere. If I have to address them I would let them know that I respect their opinion but I don’t agree with it. I would rather have a person who has been down this road to tell me about the ditches down the road so I won’t fall in, but if I do fall in, I want someone to tell me how they got out. Life experience is one of the best teachers. It may help you avoid some of the pitfalls by listening to their testimony. A testimony is the thing they’ve been through and overcame. Even the Bible says that they overcame by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11).
Question: A lot of the repatriates don’t want to share their story because they feel like they are getting their lives together and are blending into society. They don’t want to lose friendships or change public opinion of them. What would you say to people who are afraid of sharing their testimony?
I let them know that I understand but we must reach back and help others to overcome as we are overcoming. You can encourage those coming out of prison by attending support groups or programs that are private and give comfort. It’s hard when you have a felony on your record. What helped me, I had a strong support system that included my wife, my dad/mom, father/mother in law. I also got active and involved in the church that I was attending. That really helped me because I didn’t have time to hang with the same people I use to be around. I surrounded myself with people who would support my needs, not only for my past but my present. People who would help me reach my destiny that’s attached to my future. You can’t stop destiny. God called you to go back and reach others and don’t be ashamed. I embrace my past. Don’t allow people’s opinion of you to stop you from fulfilling your purpose.
Question: Where do we see Josh Randolph a year from now?
If it’s God’s will I see myself being more influential not only within the community but, in another realm of the industry dealing with music, TV, and all areas God has called me into. I was speaking to someone the other day and I told them that I didn’t believe that God called me to just be another pastor with a mega church. That’s not my desire. We are the church so I would like to affect mega people. When you affect mega people then you really have a mega church. I didn’t just want to have another church in the community because we already have enough of those. I really believe that God is calling me to build or establish an empowerment center. When I was in the streets selling dope I wished there was a church that was open all the time. Isn’t it amazing that churches are always closed when they really should be open? What about twelve in the morning when that person is on the corner or 2:00am when that person is ready to go and use drugs and they need some type of light that they can run to? I believe God is calling me to build a church that’s an empowerment center that never closes. We will have people on staff ready to pray and minister to people who come in for help. Paul says in the word, “I cleanse, Apollos waters, God gave the increase”. You never know when the increase may happen. A person could have looked at my life 15 years ago and said, “You will never be nothing but a dope dealer and smoke weed until the day you die”. If they would have looked at my now state then, they would have been 100% correct. The good thing about God is he never looks at our now state. He’s a God of increase. I wish I had a place like an empowerment center that I could have gone to when I was out there in the streets riding around selling dope. In my mind I was thinking why am I doing this? I know my life would have turned out different and I wouldn’t have had to go through the things I went through. I thank God for the experience but, I could have missed a lot of that if I had an empowerment center I could have ran to. So, a year from now that is what I would like to see God really doing, affecting this generation to change the world.
Question: What’s the Show that you currently have?
The show is called, The Bridge. It’s a web based show that deals with youth, young adults, teens, and anyone under the age of 38. It focusses on the issues that they have and it’s bridging the gap from pop culture and bringing God in the mix. Its shows teens how to bring solutions back into the problems of their lives. The message is God is the answer and Christ is the bridge. It’s doing well. We’ve received a good response from the public. The show is really for all ages. We’ve tried to think outside the box so for the first few shows you really don’t see God in mix of it and I hear people say, “I thought this was supposed to be a Godly show”? Jesus says, “Be as wise as a serpent but gentle as a dove”. He also says, “I will make you a fisher of men”. The most important thing with fishing is the bait. This show deals with the things that people are going through and they are watching and becoming hooked. So in Episode three we administer God and show people that without God you can’t do anything. It shows that Christ is the bridge that connects us to God.
Question: What is the #ROCKYODAY movement?
It started several months ago. I was reading Matthew 7:24&25. It talks about building your house upon a rock. When I read that I was like wow! Jesus is telling us to rock our day. What that means is the rock is Jesus. When I rock my day I’m saying that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. Not only that I’m also choosing to keep a positive mind set and I’m not allowing anything negative to come into my atmosphere. I’m choosing to keep a positive attitude. When someone at your job is getting on your nerves just say you choose to Rock Yo Day and keep a positive mindset. Originally, it was only supposed to be a three day thing over the weekend where I asked people to post pictures with the #ROCKYODAY. It grew so fast that by Monday Facebook had trend the term. I eventually trademarked it and it has now become a movement. We have people from all ages who are excited about it. We’ve created a music video and we say it’s not a one day thing…it’s an everyday thing.
Question: I understand that you’ve written a book. Can you tell us a little of what it’s about?
My first book is titled, behind closed doors. It deals with coming from behind the mask and portraying something that you are not. Most of us operate out of our strengths and we never deal with our weaknesses. We allow people to see Superman but never Clark Kent. The book teaches people on how to deal with these weak areas. In the last two chapters I basically expose my life from when I was five years old until the time I got out of prison. I talk about me being molested and addicted to pornography. How I would smoke weed and drink and how I got into the dope game. I show the transition on how I became the man God allowed me to be today. I’m also working on a second book called; Uniting the Giant Within and Living Life to Your Full Potential. This book should be released in August.
Question: There are people who are currently serving time or who maybe spent many years in prison and were not able to connect with their family. They feel guilty for not being there. What would you say to them?
I would let them know that you can never get that time back no matter how guilty you feel. You don’t want to make the mistake of allowing guilt to keep you in prison. I learned that you have to be patient with your family. We get out prison and think that everything is supposed to be the same but, life kept happening during that time you were locked up. We have to let God reestablish those relationships. Guilt keeps you in prison because it’s bondage. You did the time and now you are out. It’s time to live your life and don’t waste it by continuing to be locked up. Your new life starts from the day you get out. Another mistake I made is when I came home I tried to go into discipline mode with my children right away. I should have worked on building a relationship with them as daddy first. Again, be patient and allow you and your family to adjust to you being home.
Question: You mentioned that when you came out of prison that you had a good support system. How did your family react to you being locked up?
That was one of the hardest things because, even thou I was physically in jail they were locked up to out of jail. They had to do the time with me. There daddy wasn’t there. My son was three months when I left and my daughter was a year and a half. When I came home my daughter was four and a half. I missed three years of their life. I had to see them grow up from Kodak moments by seeing pictures. It was hard for them. One day they came to visit me and when it was time to go my daughter broke down crying. They physically had to grab her and take her out because she did not want to leave. That was hard for me because I still had a year to go and I couldn’t embrace my daughter like I wanted to. I had to go back to a unit of a hundred men and couldn’t go with my family. My wife had to handle raising the kids and running the house. It was hard on everyone.
I’ll end with this: If you want to know the secret to changing the world you must first become the change in the world. If we have more light bearers to change this world then we will really see a changed world.
End
Question: What happened when you were young that contributed to the bad behavior?
I began to hang around the wrong crowd. At that time they were considered the in crowd. They were doing things that, were not right and I adapted my lifestyle to that to try to fit in. I was raised by two wonderful parents who understood discipline and order. Once I got to the age of 18 and out from under my father’s housing, I lived on my own and started indulging in things that sent me into the wrong direction. It was my choice to live a destructive lifestyle.
Question: So you are breaking the stereo type that bad behavior comes from being raised in a broken home or parents who were not there for their children?
Correct. I made my own choices.
Question: What event or person helped move you in the right direction or caused your “Damascus” experience?
It was actually the day I got arrested. Prior to that day my mom called me crying saying that she had a dream about six or seven police officers. They had guns pointed toward me and had my face down to the ground. She begged me to stop selling drugs. She was crying please do it for me because I don’t want to see you go to jail. I felt at the time that she was jinxing me. I thought to myself that I have enough money and I can stop now and get a real job and my family would still be cool. About five minutes after I hung up with my mom, my (drug) connect called me and asked if I was ready. So everything that my mom said to me came in one ear and went out the other. I went and got the stuff and the next day I ended up getting set up. I remember the police jumping out the back of the van and I tried to run. It was about six or seven police officers with guns pointed at me. All I could do was raise my hands. As I was raising my hands I started to smile. I started to remember the dream my mom told me the day before. I started thinking about all the things other people told me about changing my lifestyle. When the police pushed me to the ground and started hand cuffing me I knew within myself no matter what the outcome may be with this situation I would never find myself in this predicament again. I feel this was my “Damascus“ road. Also, my second day in county (jail) I remember being in the cell by myself and falling to the ground and praying to God that I did not want this lifestyle or live like this anymore. God answered me just as clear as day. He said “son you can either make the best of this or the worst of it but the choice is yours”. From that point, I chose to turn my life around and give my life to God. I then started on the path of redemption, restoration, and renewal. That’s when my new journey began.
Question: What would you say to the current in mates who are serving time now and feel like they are being punished for the bad choices they made? They also feel like they have no more choices and it may be too late.
I would say a few things. The first thing that I would say is that God allowed me to be locked up. I would never say that God put me in prison. It was my decision that got me there. God allowed me to get locked up in order to set me free. He put me in a confined place to really get my attention. I would also like to tell people that your present does not dictate your future. God uses your present to develop you into the man or woman that he has called you to be. I don’t believe that I would be so tenacious about serving God if I had not gone through what I went through. I’m passionate about helping people and seeing them change their lives. You can overcome your past. Statistically they say that 8 out 10 ex-offenders return to prison within the first year. That may be correct statistically but spiritually we can break that if we all choose to not do the things that we use to do and begin to do something different.
Question: Was there a part of you that wanted to get caught?
It’s funny that you asked because I would always tell myself I was doing what I was doing to take care of my family. People tell themselves that all the time. Most of the things you buy are selfish and for yourself. You get addicted to the lifestyle and showing people what you’ve obtained. I would tell myself I will quit if I go to jail.
Question: What would you say to people who read this and who think that you deserved what happened to you? Also, they may not feel like you are the right person to bring this message of redemption.
I wouldn’t say anything to a person like that because I don’t allow negativity into my atmosphere. If I have to address them I would let them know that I respect their opinion but I don’t agree with it. I would rather have a person who has been down this road to tell me about the ditches down the road so I won’t fall in, but if I do fall in, I want someone to tell me how they got out. Life experience is one of the best teachers. It may help you avoid some of the pitfalls by listening to their testimony. A testimony is the thing they’ve been through and overcame. Even the Bible says that they overcame by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11).
Question: A lot of the repatriates don’t want to share their story because they feel like they are getting their lives together and are blending into society. They don’t want to lose friendships or change public opinion of them. What would you say to people who are afraid of sharing their testimony?
I let them know that I understand but we must reach back and help others to overcome as we are overcoming. You can encourage those coming out of prison by attending support groups or programs that are private and give comfort. It’s hard when you have a felony on your record. What helped me, I had a strong support system that included my wife, my dad/mom, father/mother in law. I also got active and involved in the church that I was attending. That really helped me because I didn’t have time to hang with the same people I use to be around. I surrounded myself with people who would support my needs, not only for my past but my present. People who would help me reach my destiny that’s attached to my future. You can’t stop destiny. God called you to go back and reach others and don’t be ashamed. I embrace my past. Don’t allow people’s opinion of you to stop you from fulfilling your purpose.
Question: Where do we see Josh Randolph a year from now?
If it’s God’s will I see myself being more influential not only within the community but, in another realm of the industry dealing with music, TV, and all areas God has called me into. I was speaking to someone the other day and I told them that I didn’t believe that God called me to just be another pastor with a mega church. That’s not my desire. We are the church so I would like to affect mega people. When you affect mega people then you really have a mega church. I didn’t just want to have another church in the community because we already have enough of those. I really believe that God is calling me to build or establish an empowerment center. When I was in the streets selling dope I wished there was a church that was open all the time. Isn’t it amazing that churches are always closed when they really should be open? What about twelve in the morning when that person is on the corner or 2:00am when that person is ready to go and use drugs and they need some type of light that they can run to? I believe God is calling me to build a church that’s an empowerment center that never closes. We will have people on staff ready to pray and minister to people who come in for help. Paul says in the word, “I cleanse, Apollos waters, God gave the increase”. You never know when the increase may happen. A person could have looked at my life 15 years ago and said, “You will never be nothing but a dope dealer and smoke weed until the day you die”. If they would have looked at my now state then, they would have been 100% correct. The good thing about God is he never looks at our now state. He’s a God of increase. I wish I had a place like an empowerment center that I could have gone to when I was out there in the streets riding around selling dope. In my mind I was thinking why am I doing this? I know my life would have turned out different and I wouldn’t have had to go through the things I went through. I thank God for the experience but, I could have missed a lot of that if I had an empowerment center I could have ran to. So, a year from now that is what I would like to see God really doing, affecting this generation to change the world.
Question: What’s the Show that you currently have?
The show is called, The Bridge. It’s a web based show that deals with youth, young adults, teens, and anyone under the age of 38. It focusses on the issues that they have and it’s bridging the gap from pop culture and bringing God in the mix. Its shows teens how to bring solutions back into the problems of their lives. The message is God is the answer and Christ is the bridge. It’s doing well. We’ve received a good response from the public. The show is really for all ages. We’ve tried to think outside the box so for the first few shows you really don’t see God in mix of it and I hear people say, “I thought this was supposed to be a Godly show”? Jesus says, “Be as wise as a serpent but gentle as a dove”. He also says, “I will make you a fisher of men”. The most important thing with fishing is the bait. This show deals with the things that people are going through and they are watching and becoming hooked. So in Episode three we administer God and show people that without God you can’t do anything. It shows that Christ is the bridge that connects us to God.
Question: What is the #ROCKYODAY movement?
It started several months ago. I was reading Matthew 7:24&25. It talks about building your house upon a rock. When I read that I was like wow! Jesus is telling us to rock our day. What that means is the rock is Jesus. When I rock my day I’m saying that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. Not only that I’m also choosing to keep a positive mind set and I’m not allowing anything negative to come into my atmosphere. I’m choosing to keep a positive attitude. When someone at your job is getting on your nerves just say you choose to Rock Yo Day and keep a positive mindset. Originally, it was only supposed to be a three day thing over the weekend where I asked people to post pictures with the #ROCKYODAY. It grew so fast that by Monday Facebook had trend the term. I eventually trademarked it and it has now become a movement. We have people from all ages who are excited about it. We’ve created a music video and we say it’s not a one day thing…it’s an everyday thing.
Question: I understand that you’ve written a book. Can you tell us a little of what it’s about?
My first book is titled, behind closed doors. It deals with coming from behind the mask and portraying something that you are not. Most of us operate out of our strengths and we never deal with our weaknesses. We allow people to see Superman but never Clark Kent. The book teaches people on how to deal with these weak areas. In the last two chapters I basically expose my life from when I was five years old until the time I got out of prison. I talk about me being molested and addicted to pornography. How I would smoke weed and drink and how I got into the dope game. I show the transition on how I became the man God allowed me to be today. I’m also working on a second book called; Uniting the Giant Within and Living Life to Your Full Potential. This book should be released in August.
Question: There are people who are currently serving time or who maybe spent many years in prison and were not able to connect with their family. They feel guilty for not being there. What would you say to them?
I would let them know that you can never get that time back no matter how guilty you feel. You don’t want to make the mistake of allowing guilt to keep you in prison. I learned that you have to be patient with your family. We get out prison and think that everything is supposed to be the same but, life kept happening during that time you were locked up. We have to let God reestablish those relationships. Guilt keeps you in prison because it’s bondage. You did the time and now you are out. It’s time to live your life and don’t waste it by continuing to be locked up. Your new life starts from the day you get out. Another mistake I made is when I came home I tried to go into discipline mode with my children right away. I should have worked on building a relationship with them as daddy first. Again, be patient and allow you and your family to adjust to you being home.
Question: You mentioned that when you came out of prison that you had a good support system. How did your family react to you being locked up?
That was one of the hardest things because, even thou I was physically in jail they were locked up to out of jail. They had to do the time with me. There daddy wasn’t there. My son was three months when I left and my daughter was a year and a half. When I came home my daughter was four and a half. I missed three years of their life. I had to see them grow up from Kodak moments by seeing pictures. It was hard for them. One day they came to visit me and when it was time to go my daughter broke down crying. They physically had to grab her and take her out because she did not want to leave. That was hard for me because I still had a year to go and I couldn’t embrace my daughter like I wanted to. I had to go back to a unit of a hundred men and couldn’t go with my family. My wife had to handle raising the kids and running the house. It was hard on everyone.
I’ll end with this: If you want to know the secret to changing the world you must first become the change in the world. If we have more light bearers to change this world then we will really see a changed world.
End