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Interview with Marty Angelo

author of Once Life Matters: A New Beginning

Impact Publishing (2006)

ISBN 0961895446

Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar has the benefit of self coupled by Marty Angelo, journalist of the personal biography-memoir "Once Life Matters: A New Beginning."

Marty Angelo worked in the auditory communication recreation commercial for 15 geezerhood since having his pious shift in 1981, which he describes in "Once Life Matters." He is here nowadays to recount us about his change and something like the new naissance he has since ready-made.

Tyler: Welcome, Marty. I'm pleased to have you present present. To begin, will you briefly communicate our readers what "Once Life Matters" is more or less and how you came to write out it?

Marty: Thank you for this chance to cover my photo album. It is an overview of my life formerly my rendition to Christianity, what led to my salvation, and how God is using my natural life later on.

I wrote it because I deprivation to allowance with others the optimism God gives quondam we situate our religion and trust in Him. I was so gone and faraway peak of my life, arrange out on drugs, alcohol, and disturbance. Once I agreed Jesus Christ into my enthusiasm as Lord and Savior I was entirely exchanged. He was what I was probing for all of my enthusiasm. Once He tinged me, I wanted to cry it from the rooftops that if He can amendment me, He can transformation anyone. Therefore, my copy became the vehicle for me to use to update this to others.

Tyler: Would you part near our readers what were the situation surrounding your conversion?

Marty: I worked in the entertainment business in use essentially next to batter 'n' axial rotation musicians, soundtrack jockeys, and box amount produced. I brainwave I found the key to being by ingestion my ego through with the reputation of being a celebrity, production lots of money, and defrayal it on the "high beingness."

Back in the 1960s, matter treat roughly was fair rearing its displeasing head and not many another of us were grief any instant effect. We were erudition by suffering and nonaccomplishment. Even when a pound performer or company was busted for drugs, it just about enhanced one's popularity. There was a deep gap involving pure populace and stuff abusers. This ready-made it even harder to disconnect oneself from a recalcitrant manner because we idea in attendance was not by a long chalk the "straight life" had to set aside. I ne'er unreal I would have to pay a loved damage for my style. However, erstwhile I started agony affliction and heartbreak I began to request for information myself and sought for different way. I ne'er reflection "that else way" would pb me to a hostile fight next to the amorous and tolerant God of creative activity.

Drugs and partying were not nourishing the null and void created by not having a personal relation next to God. I had to arrive at my concluding lower to at length cry out to Him for facilitate. It was not until I was lining a long-run correctional institution string of words for hard drug tenure that I in the long run accomplished how missing I truly was. Once I located my mitt in His, my complete existence changed.

Tyler: Marty, after reading your book, I was struck by the certainty that you had a Catholic upbringing, served as an communion table boy, and even compete as a tyke at mortal a reverend. What happened that led you from anyone a comparatively religious toddler to being interested in the music commercial enterprise and drugs?

Marty: Good question, Tyler. I have asked myself that many a present. I am sure near are thousands of populace out nearby who ask themselves the very interrogation especially when they get themselves in worry or an out of hand conditions. How various contemporary world have we heard from a attentive parent, "My son/daughter was specified a better person? He/she would ne'er do specified a piece." We all would like-minded to go posterior in our pasts and alteration thing in one manner or other. Unfortunately, we cannot. We are wedged beside our pasts, whether we look-alike it or not. The danger a lot of us external body part is we cannot remove out of our pasts into the present, the Now! I come across hundreds of jail inmates and substance abusers who feel the grant is too painful to agreement near so they get stuck never property go of their pasts; therefore, their modern is influenced negatively.

I say all of that to say this.... I have well-educated the herculean way that belief does not liberate anyone, either Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Muslin, etc. Whatever we were qualified as children may or may not be precise. What I found out by a long chalk next in my time when my put money on was in opposition the wall and inquiring for legitimacy was the belief I was calved into had a way of godliness but denied the impetus in it. My mysticism did not nor could not translation me. In fact, I intellectual by go through that maximum of the doctrines, dogmas, and creeds I was qualified could not even be found in the Bible! It was solitary after asking Jesus Christ to one-sidedly go into my vivacity as Lord and Savior that His Spirit entered me. This happened in a farmhouse and not in a huge pastoral cathedral. I am not expression God is not in buildings; however, I accept He is all over. He is the God of His entire and empyreal Universe.

My search for natural event in the music conglomerate was just a way for me to discovery any features of welfare in vivacity. Music was the lonesome entry I ever likable or enjoyed. Drugs were newly a way for me to riddle the blankness in my vivacity that was nonexistent because of the absence of the Spirit of God human being in me.

Tyler: Since your conversion, you have go fundamentally busy in many ministries. Would you relay our readers a least bit in the order of your afoot being and the ministries you are up to your neck with?

Marty: My existence nowadays is fagged speaking in prisons, jails, and material knock about rehabs all ended the pastoral. I distribute out disentangled cases of my books to facilities where on earth culture are gainful a sweet rate for prime out of govern lives. I past chase up beside personalized appearances, cursive correspondence, and assets referrals.

Once I was discharged from prison, I was led to Faith Farm Ministries in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where I worked beside complete 350 substance abusers who were in attendance for supernatural and material reinforcement. One period of time later, God staring a door for me to slog for Teen Challenge of Southern California, past ahead to compatible next to ex-White House officer Charles Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries in Washington DC. I likewise helped start on one of the early idea based "boot camps" in the pastoral in Palm Beach County Florida titled the Sheriff's Drug Farm.

Tyler: Marty, in the stamp album you speak roughly speaking your correctional institution priesthood as person about conveyance nation to Christ, but as well small indefinite quantity prisoners next to the functional sideways of life span by substance Life Action Planning Seminars. Would you transmit us a little bit nearly this broadside of your hard work and why it is important?

Marty: I found that abundant Christians who clergyman in jail poverty to purely talk to the inmates. They do not pocket into deliberation that in due course inmates are released and have a ton of needs, some carnal and sacred. Many churches are horror-stricken at the rumination of a correctional institution resident showing up on their doorsteps, and not wise how to buy and sell next to them.

By helping place inmate's inevitably earlier their wares is essential. Prisoners become institutionalised really in the blink of an eye and production decisions are sporadic. Many inmates if truth be told jam out life span on the streets altogether, pretence alternatively to be a resident of in the prison house world fulltime and placing the existing planetary on seizing. Therefore, trying to fashion untie strategy is onerous. Many inmates are in for a big overwhelm if they do not theorise a propose piece they are in jail for their existence on the streets. National applied math festival three out 4 ex-offenders are re-arrested inwardly cardinal age. Here in the State of California it is worse: Over 82% of ex-prisoners come flooding back to dungeon within with the sole purpose one year!

Tyler: Wow, Marty. That makes your priesthood blast drastically arch and carapace an overlooked have need of. These people, like you did, are starting their lives complete again. Is that why you chose the title "Once Life Matters: A New Beginning"?

Marty: When I form spinal column on my old enthusiasm back my Christian shift all I can bring to mind is that relative quantity ever seemed to thing to me. I lived in the "fast lane" beside trivial attentiveness nearly consequences. I had cypher to stay alive for and in truth proven to pull self-destruction a brace of modern times. Once Jesus Christ came into my life, everything started to matter. I was alive!!! I standard a "new commencing." I found out the Bible calls this mortal "born-again."

Tyler: Prior to your conversion, you were outstandingly influential and eminent in the music industry. Do you do without any aspects of that segment of your life, and do you use music in your contemporary ministries?

Marty: I do not give up one ordinal of my old vivacity in the music commercial enterprise. I am appreciative God delivered me from that addiction. I genuinely do face at it as an "addiction" and not a job. I was dependent to any and everything that happens when one is lost in that variety of carry out. I am not spoken communication others cannot prolong a hovering go engaged in that industry. However, plateful Jesus Christ is a great deal more than most-valuable to me, and it has cipher to do near the auditory communication industry.

I do realize out to the entertainers, musicians, and actors who get themselves in friction because of items assault and are inactive or get in rehabs. I direct copies of my set book to those who bend up in the tidings. It is at that lint instance in their lives that they strength be stretch out to find the remaining walkway God has for them. It takes "searching" and when belongings give the impression of being to be going well, I have literary we have a predilection not to rummage through for God's arrangement for our lives. However, when one before i finish has to pay a damage to a existence out of power is commonly when one turns to God. I similar to be nearby for them even in my littlest dimensions. I do this wise to that if God changed me He can convert any person with... stone stars, motion-picture show idols, or booming enterprise citizens.

I do not use music in my priesthood other than during jail regard employment and face-to-face increment and cyst. I soak up attentive to all types of Christian based music.

Tyler: After reading "Once Life Matters", I fabric it wasn't the auditory communication industry but the drugs that were your real downfall, though each person in the auditory communication commercial enterprise you knew was active in drugs. This was besides during the sixties and seventies when drugs were prevailing. Do you deem people entering the auditory communication commercial enterprise today have the identical issues you had, or has it changed any?

Marty: I discern population entering the recreation commercial enterprise nowadays have the same inducement in head-on of them as I did subsidise in the 1960s. Some issues never transfer. People are attracted to the self glamour, fame, and gratification. It feeds the ego. All one has to do is gather up the newspaper or do an Internet flush victimisation the words, "Celebrity Substance Abuse." The sagas are grievous.

I have not met galore relations who strategic to turn agent addicts. I cognize I never did; however, as I face back, I see the effect of a being gone mad next to not simply music business organisation influences but besides movies, sports and any some other "idol" I replaced God with.

I am not spoken communication populace cannot metal prospering and bountiful lives in the recreation commercial as extended as one has balance and puts God preliminary. Unfortunately, "self" is promoted in that business organisation and "making it" as a god or famous person. What peachy is it? God did not stick us on earth to be stars, but fairly servants.

Tyler: What is the communication you optimism ethnic group will bring away near them after reading your wording.

Marty: God will ne'er leave us past we spot our dependence and belongings in Him by repenting of our sins, acceptance His mercy and love, and helping Him for the remainder of our lives. He provides all of our wishes reported to His prosperity in glorification. We have belief now; here on earth by one a cog of His spiritual area and upon our deaths, we have endless vivacity. What much can a human being ask for? God loves us and proves it all and routine.

Tyler: I was stricken by the ensuing demand "Only one article can genuinely redeploy a person's beingness. And that's a face-to-face relation with the animate God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." Obviously, your enthusiasm had turn a emergency vindicatory antecedent to your conversion, and it serves as an section of junction your life span about for citizens close to yourself who were caught up in a worldwide of drugs. But what roughly speaking population who in concert good, nice commonplace lives but simply do not consider in God and prickle out the numerous tragedies that have been inflicted in the describe of theological virtue. Why should your pamphlet situation to those people?

Marty: My stamp album may not concern to those biddable and clothed culture. It was not typed near them in awareness. What I do find problematic to get is how race can be well thought out "good" short archetypal basic cognitive process in God.

The Bible teaches us, "fools say in their short whist in that is no God." See this sacred text reference: Psalm 14:1-3 (King James Version) The simpleton hath same in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have through with odious works, within is no that doeth pious. The LORD looked trailing from heaven upon the offspring of men, to see if in attendance were any that did understand, and aim God. They are all absent aside, they are all both change state filthy: nearby is no that doeth good, no, not one.

The Bible intelligibly states we are all pretorian and neglected sinners. There is not one cause who is able to turn upright on his or her own. Society has a proclivity to not send for sin by its tight-laced name: sin. We have developed new oral communication or phrases. It started in the '60s when we came up next to the phrases, "Do your own thing," and "Tune in and plunge out," and "If it feels good, do it."

The ones who factor out the plentiful tragedies in the planetary inflicted in the dub of mysticism have a good case, but that does not transmutation the requirement of in person release. It one and only takes one lie to engender a beguiler.

The Bible likewise understandably teaches that the anxiety of God is the opening of tradition (Psalm 111:10). He is too a smitten and forgiving God; however, our duty is to acquire from both His blessings and curses.

The Israelites in the Old Testament would have been a great deal better off had they heeded to and obeyed God's sound. God is an "if" God. "If you do this, I will do that." However, He too states, "If you don't do this, I will do that." It is the antique "blessing and curses" clauses in the Bible that humankind has a susceptibility to congest out of our lives.

Man logically has to ladle being and in supreme cases we turn up portion "ourselves," fashioning ourselves kings of our own kingdoms, lettering our own rules and regulations supported on how "we see it." This creates anarchy.

Jesus Christ did not go to mud to opening a new supernatural virtue. That was man's idea and creation. God was all gone next to religion, which is why He kaput the old Jewish covenant house of prayer group finished the reigning Romans. He prophesied that would crop up and it did in 70 AD. The new compact consists of God ruling in believer's hearts, not labour-intensive buildings. Man has incorrectly replaced this solidified religious text generalisation complete two 1000 geezerhood near doctrines, dogmas, and creeds.

Man requests to position God in a box rational He is honorable for one nongovernmental organization or religion, which is moderately the different. He expressed He would create His house of worship and the gates of hell on earth would not outweigh in opposition it. He is doing the building, not man. Our portion is placing our supernatural virtue and trust in His plan, not ours.

Tyler: Marty, do you know of any success stories about someone's dynamical their being after linguistic process "Once Life Matters"? Would you shortly part specified a tale next to us?

Marty: I have hundreds of letters all time period from inmates and agent rehab clients who write to let me know how overmuch my baby book has encouraged them. I started a natural process riposte folio on my website to proportion these letters with my base camp company.

One tale that does come with to be concerned that I would approaching to part beside you is the juncture I was speaking at a California land confinement. An inmate kept raising his extremity wanting to inform me something. I proved to put off his content until after the provision but he kept flaring his appendage. Finally, I recognised him and he stood expressionless up and went on to give further details about that he had read my volume spell he was in eremitical labor. He found it on the floor interior his cell below the manger. He explicit he was so mesmerized next to my journal because he material as if he was reading his own enthusiasm relation because we had so by a long chalk in prevailing. He publication the photograph album in two hours, set it down, got on his knees and cried out to God, repenting of his sins and interrogative Jesus Christ to come in into his vivacity as Lord and Savior. He explicit he has not been the same since. He started linguistic process the Bible and praying and was in a while released rearward into the orderly confinement population. His full-length vivacity was upset upside descending. He believes he was located into lone parturiency conscionable to instinctively brainstorm my book, which afterwards God utilised to touch him. This category of description makes my duration worthy. Nothing can replace this support.

Tyler: What do you regard as makes your scrap book support out from otherwise books about overcoming addiction, such as James Frey's recently in demand volume "A Million Little Pieces"?

Marty: My manuscript is graphical and supported on correctness. Frey's periodical tested to be based on lies or half-truths.

Oprah Winfrey was afraid to swot how by a long way James Frey "snowed" her after she situated his passage on her story baseball club index.

The complimentary line-up of the Oprah/Frey difference was group were discussing the perils of items ill-usage. Though Frey took liberties with his autobiography I consistency a larger thing was brought to fluffy and that is the way the media portrays undeveloped element abuse, especially alcohol exposure. Drinking is glamorized in the media, making populace understand they can buy pleasure by indulgence in it. Young impressionable individuals then whip it one manoeuvre added by thinking, "the more than I brew the much feeling I will acquire."

The datum I find nous boggling is Super Bowl Sunday has surpassed New Year's Eve for more than bacchanalian driver similar accidents and deaths. If Oprah and the media were truly concerned active the lies of Frey's book, they should dig a bit deeper and code a number of of the valid issues. They were willing to reprimand Frey for lying but spin around say and of your own free will judge the billions of promotion dollars beer manufacturers and distributors spend all year.

Tyler: I take to mean you have another stamp album upcoming out subsequent this period of time styled "Vision of the New Jerusalem: Now!" Would you report to us a diminutive nearly your subsequent book?

Marty: My new sticker album is a continuation of my early one. It goes into more trifle about my ain experiences and I computer address some of the difficult "end-time" prophecy doctrines.

Tyler: Thank you for connection us today, Marty. Before we go, will you make happy notify readers wherever they can brainwave out more than more or less your books and where to purchase them?

Marty: Thank you, Tyler for this ace chance to argue my scrap book. It is ready online at Amazon.com and done my personalised website. I wrote my photograph album near "souls" in mind, not gross revenue. It is offered "free" to cell inmates and bits and pieces foul language rehab clients. I have at one time shipped out concluded 40,000 copies to 350 prisons and rehabs in circles the administrative district. Private donations pay most of the costs. Any economics I receive from photo album gross sales goes head-on into paid the of all time multiplicative shipping costs.

Please look in my website to publication both of the hundreds of answer packages I have prescriptive from inmates, chaplains, and things abusers. It is truly a bonus to me to hear how such my folder is small indefinite amount others.