Joe Green's story of government cheese to eternal riches

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Joe Green’s Story of Government Cheese to Eternal Riches

This week, we come to you from Vista, California’s very prestigious City Hall with my City Councilman, Joe Green. Joe and I share a love for football… for family… for Jesus… and for humor! Growing up in Vista, he had a rough upbringing. As Joe puts it, they were powdered milk and government cheese poor. They were robbed, he got beat up, and escaped by getting high. But, despite all his best efforts to rise above it all, no amount of comfort or money could fulfill him.

Here are a few of the things Joe and I discuss:

Born and raised, moved from Illinois, moved to the hood, food stamps and government cheese.
Walking home and got his teeth kicked out, learned to fight, and be strong.
Mom got remarried and family got huge, always went to church but he didn’t like it.
Drugs were introduced, rebelled a lot, Junior year in high school, Joe got sent back to Illinois to live with dad, moved out at 17.
Joe was born to make money, he wanted to make money, be tough, be a dad and take care of his kids.
Church was something they made Joe do, but the Bible wasn’t real to him. Life was all about JOE, God wasn’t in the picture at all.
Joe came to a point in life when he had two kids and got in some trouble and realized he couldn’t keep living this way.
Went on a retreat with his wife where and when they finally started to talk to each other, decided to get into community, started to learn a little Bible… it was a constant chipping away at his heart and priorities.
Joe has changed so much that now he wants to be a husband. There’s not much honorable about him with out God. He wouldn’t be here without God… this wasn’t his idea of success.
So, where do you start to integrate masculinity and Christianity?
Joes advice to friends: Simply come with me to church.
Favorite Bible Passage: David & Goliath because David wanted “Chicks and Bucks”… just like Joe once did.
Final thoughts: You don’t need to scream about Jesus, you just need to love God and love others

This is just part of Joe’s story. You’ve got to listen to what God has done throughout his life to train him for the things that seem to make no sense at all, but lead from one thing to the next that all add up to fulfilling God’s purposes.

Just like David, Joe was once all about getting chicks and bucks, but now he is a man after God’s own heart and wants nothing but God’s will in his life!

Follow along with Joe’s daily adventures on Twitter: @joegreen760