so you have been going viral over the past few days over an interaction that you had last month with a homeless man at your church during service before we get into all the details what was your reaction to seeing this particular interaction go viral well I think first and foremost Billy I I didn't even know it went viral um until my phone started blowing up and people just started reaching out across the country going hey I saw this video because we didn't post it so it didn't come out of our church we uh actually U our marketing director executive Tiffany Brown when this went down uh we made an actual decision we sat in the room after uh that service and went we're not posting this this is we're not going to post this this is it'll be seen as if we're exploiting Anthony and uh as much as Michael who is the in my humble opinion the hero of the story were like this is going to be told as a were you in the room and if you weren't in the room you missed it that's literally uh what we were going to do and somebody held up their phone and recorded it and posted it and that's that's what happened so for the longest time I didn't even know I had no idea until all a sudden people just started reaching out across the country and I was like why what is happening right now well and and this was early early April right April 7th or so that this happened that's that's what's amazing I walked in a room yesterday Billy and this guy was like hey man I know you're probably still reeling from this like last weekend I was like that's what's so crazy about social media I'm like dude that's been almost a month ago like you've lived a whole other life since that moment unfolded right yeah it's it's crazy to watch because you see the clip and and it's interesting you say that I did go to your Facebook page I was looking for the video and I assumed that you guys did not post it intentionally which makes sense you know to not want to look as though something's being exploited but I think the way this actually looks is incredible in terms of you know Michael who is the man who brought Anthony who is homeless to church your sermon how you reacted I want to just ask you first you know this is this moment for those who haven't seen it where you're on stage you're giving your sermon and somebody yells Anthony um an exploitive you know from the audience and I would imagine that's not something that happens every day um you know to to pastors what was going through your mind initially and I and I had heard that it happened a number of times that morning but when you heard that yeah the uh the part that is missed because the video went viral didn't include the first part of what actually happened so any Pastor could hear this and go yeah I know exactly what this feels like you walk out on stage after the last song and you typically begin with an introduction so glad you're here you welcome the guest but the moment I like Billy opened my mouth to go you're to say something there is profanity that shouted at me um and it was a compliment I wear all black every day and I but I wear Jordans and uh so I'm I'm very not interesting to look at as a person but my shoes stood out to Anthony but I didn't know Anthony and so Anthony yells out cool blank shoes and so immediately it just checks me and I'm like hey what's your name and he goes Anthony and I I was like well cool man uh glad GL you're here typically don't get greeted like that glad you're in the room just moved on and then got into the bulk of the message of because we were doing we were actually preaching through our core values and the core value of that weekend was Celebrate life change we just got out of baptism um just baptized like over 200 people and SE we celebrate like we actually have like a pep rally when people get baptized and we're talking about lost found party which is the story of The Prodigal the Lost coin lost sheep and I'm talking about the Pharisees that are real critical of Jesus and that's the part where you pick up on the video where Anthony yells out again and he goes as I'm talking about the Pharisees he goes That's blank blank [Laughter] and and again you're in this position you're in this you're in a position I would imagine is a little awkward in the moment because you've got kids in the room probably families in the room people who are not used to this and you have to make a decision at that moment of what you're going to do I don't want to speak for you but as I'm watching it I'm thinking this no Billy you're right on and and truth be told his statement about the Pharisees was pretty accurate what he said that they were you know whatever and and I think for me I wanted to go no you're exactly right just how you said it is uh was a little off but I don't know I'm a student Pastor I've been a student Pastor for long time and I've just been a senior pastor for eight years and for anybody that's watching that's a student Pastor there's nothing that you've not seen and for me all I knew to do in that moment was to go Hey listen if if we're one-on-one I'm not correcting you but because we got little ears in the room I I had to somewhat kind of just say hey you're welcome here you're loved here and then when he yelled out after that this guy saved my life then I'm trying to figure out and this is the part Billy that I did not know till a week later cuz I I don't go back and watch Services um somebody walked up Timmy Billy and goes how did you know he was homeless because he didn't look homeless he was shaved had a mustache I said what what do you mean they were like Ed you went from he said that and then you looked right at them and said are you homeless and I was like no I didn't do that they're like no Ed you were really direct with that guy and I and I didn't know I did it I I really honestly did not know that I changed the gear without a clutch and just went from here to here and when I said are you homeless that's when he looked at Michael and went this dude saved my life so I mean and at that moment it is CRA I mean that's I got chills as you were saying that you know because you're and you're standing there and you're in front of all these people in your church and you have this moment and it was this gentle rebuke the way you did it was so kind and he responded really well to it but there's a moment then where where you can see your gears are turning and you're thinking and I imagine you're maybe even praying in those moments you then invite him Anthony and Michael the man who he said saved his life up to the stage with you you sit down on the on the stage they come up what was it that motivated that because that's also a big risk in that moment because you don't know how that conversation's going to go yeah well Michael I invited Michael who is a 24 year-old African-American financial analyst by the way hero of the story that's kind of uh I find out in that moment because I didn't know Michael prior that's come up through our College Ministry and I invited Michael up I felt in my heart which first of all that's not the first time I've invited people like I just felt that what they had to say to give testimony I do a lot of that like Hey Brother uh W you come say a word tell us what's going on but but it typically doesn't become the sermon it becomes like a 60-second 90c 2-minute testimony but I knew at that moment there was something going on with I wanted Michael to to be the I knew at that moment Michael was preaching the sermon but I didn't know that Michael came to the 8 o00 service and the 10 o'clock because we have five Services one on Saturday at 5 4 on Sunday 81022 he came to the 810 heard the message and left the 10:00 service and bought a some somewhat of a breakfast meal to give to a homeless person and when he went to go give it to her she wasn't there and then he saw he saw Anthony and he walks up to Anthony and Anthony goes where are you coming from and Michael goes I just came from church and then that's where Anthony invites himself to go to church with Michael well can I just say too that Michael has been to I didn't realize it was to Services he's been to two Services now he's on his way home he's going to do the right thing live out the message he heard from you I would imagine Michael probably wanted to go home at that point he had been to church already and you know so here's this guy asking him or saying I want to go to church I'm I'm inviting myself to church and he had a choice to make in that moment and he chose to take Anthony back to church for a third time I mean that that to me is a pretty amazing piece of of the story A simple piece but but an incredible one that that is the the the thing that captivated the because if you look back at the video when I'm sitting down on the stage I love the fact that one one person in the congregation can be heard going Ed that's the sermon that's the sermon because we were talking about leave the 99 go after the one and when one of the congregationalists yells it you'll hear me as I'm sitting down going that's right that's so Michael was the sermon he lived it out he's the here and he's so meek and meekness is not weakness it's power under control M Michael's one of the most humble guys we're about to go do a podcast out in California like this has been crazy Michael's the hero of the story he's the he's every pastor's dream that hears the sermon and tries to live it out yeah and so when Anthony comes up you you hear this story about how and feel free to fill in any blanks but he was going to throw himself in front of a vehicle that morning he was going to kill himself and you think it gives me chills to think that you know had Michael not come and and interacted looking for that woman finding him what could have happened that day and he ends up at church when you heard that detail that he was going to take his own life that day what went through your heart it wrecked me if you watch the video like it it wrecked me because he actually gave a Tim stamp he said I was just a few minutes away from stepping out in front of a bus and um the part that nobody really knows unless you go to CBC about 3 four years ago I dressed up as a homeless man like honestly got it uh this going to sound you're going to think I'm making this up Billy I got a professional costume artist that dress me up my name was Tim facial smoked a cigarette like long wig and I wanted to see how our church responded to people that didn't look like us well that moment honestly shaped me um for the rest of my life for the rest of my life because I know what it felt like to not be talked to um I walked into our church on a couple spaces and people just didn't know what to do I mean I was really disheveled because of the professional costume artist and and for a solid weekend I felt that tension and wow um so even to this day and you got to hear my heart Billy this is not like trying to self promote I just now know what it I know what it feels like for people not to look you in the eyes cuz I felt it for yeah wow and and and so I man I can't ex like it wasn't even I was dressed up and people wouldn't even look at me and and the crazy part was I knew them but they didn't know me so it just so that shaped me even to this day I'll come up to a and by the way anybody watching this I'm not saying that you should engage anybody at a stoplight that's not what I'm saying but I'll roll down a window and I'll will look at people and go Hey listen tell me your name they'll tell me their name I go I'm GNA look you in the eye and tell you that you matter I don't have anything to give you right now if I did I give it to you but I just want you to hear me say I love you and I care so when he said all when when Anthony said all of that stuff to me I was feeling that from a couple years ago of just so that's why you hear me say when was the last time you've been hugged and he goes a long time and wow so that's when I'm I'm hugging him um I'm I'm overwhelmed with emotion Anthony who is uh one of the most compassionate dudes you'll you'll ever be around starts wiping my tears as I'm trying to communicate in that moment so yeah and he even apologized at one point for how he was dressed you know like I'm not dressed yeah he wasn't dressed but he had a t-shirt on and you know but I thought that was so interesting and just you hugging him how powerful that was because in that moment there are a lot of people they see a homeless person they want to walk the other way they don't know what to do like you were saying I just have to ask you one more thing about the experiment you did you know how did how did the church react and how did you react after you know what did it teach you about the church well um there was a moment that our church responded so well um obviously in moments where I had encounters you don't encounter the whole church you just encounter a certain group of people but at the last Service uh his name is Johnny and I'm going to get emotional thinking about this because Johnny was a 40-year-old heroin addict not 40 his addiction was 40 years so Johnny and his sister picked me up at the entrance of the church put me in their car take me into the service and it's our our last service of the day and Johnny's language was rough I the FW never sounded more Godly to me coming out of um Johnny's mouth because he was an addict who ended up in the hospital gets cleaned up gets saved at our church and is during the baptism service doesn't know he's talking to the pastor and Johnny goes dude when this guy gets up here to preach you're gonna love this guy he connects you're gonna I mean so Johnny's talking about me but he doesn't even know he's talking about me and he says when he's done preaching you're going to come home with us I we're going to get you some waterburger which is a big Texas thing we're going to get you some water Burger we're going you're going to live with me and my sister and we're going to find you a job wow that encounter that story and this is the thing what I'm saying to you Billy that story never got told you know virally but it what it did is impacted our church internally that we we never this is the phrase that came out of that you never look down on somebody unless you're helping them up M and that became the Mantra of our church is everybody's at a different Step In the Journey and their spiritual progress and if you've been walking with Jesus like I have for over 30 years you can't hold somebody accountable to your standard of spiritual maturity that you've had for a 30-year progression for somebody that may just encounter Jesus for the first time in three minutes yeah no and it's so crazy everybody's on such a different plane you know some people come right into it and they're on fire immediately other people it's a long process of getting there you know and I think we we have sort of a cookie cutter approach of how we assume like you're going to accept Jesus and everything goes away it's like that does happen for people but for a lot of people it's a real journey um of struggle and so you know that as as a pastor um you know so so as far as Anthony goes the way that the the viral video and the stories have ended is you and the church we're going to help him people were obviously coming up putting money up there but you had said we're going to help him get on his feet you know we're not going to just throw money at him where are things now with Anthony yeah super incredible well let me just make this one I I'll make one comment U Michael in the video I said Michael what motivated you to bring him here and he said this he goes I knew he'd be accepted wow and um it the most humbling thing that could be said about our church is the fact that a 24 24 yearold knew he could bring somebody in our church and he'd be loved on uh and that's what happened the church responded they started bring if you watch the video there were two moments there was a woman that walked up to me that said she wanted to share a testimony another woman and a mom came up I mean another woman and a baby came up and said hey I need help she saw the money and she was like I I I'm struggling I need help so we ended up trying to help those two people but the M the $5,000 Billy was thrown on the altar $5,000 I did not realize that wow $5,000 or stone in the altar we counted that obviously at the end of the service um and as that unfolded um into the service because the video doesn't show this I was like hey Michael preached the sermon this this is a service that's impacted us greatly I shared a brief gospel message death be and resurrection of Jesus power of the Cross 35 people walk forward to get saved wow 35 like no no music no like heads bowed eyes closed you want Jesus walk forward 35 35 it's crazy so I end the service like that um we bring Michael and Anthony and one of the thing uh that's been interesting is people are like where's security they were there security was just creating a Halo what was making me feel uncomfortable and this is the hard part and you'll um you'll hear this if anybody goes to my Instagram you'll see the following week I had to address this in our church I was on the on the verge of having a panic attack while people were walking up on me because of some other things that have happened in our church where a couple months ago I got through a cigarette at me at a two o'clock service I mean there's just been a lot of but just for anybody watching we're safe we got great security but we prayed several years ago God would you send people to this church that nobody gets nobody understands nobody wants and by your power by your spirit use us to love and to make them who you want them to be well that's that's a raw prayer and and God's doing that and but when that went down man I I tried to get Anthony and Michael away from everybody that probably wanted to help um we bring him backstage assistant police chief of San Antonio who who loves Jesus and so does the police chief assistant police chief was in the room typically comes to the 10 o'clock service just so so shows up at I'm going air quote that at the 12:00 she knows exactly how to triage this so she meets Us in the back room my office is right there in the vicinity of the Worship Center we go back in my office she walks through the protocol and because Anthony had said out loud he was going to kill himself immediately that's a moment and Anthony was willing to do this we didn't have to force him to do this was to get a 72-hour hold just for his safety so we got him to the uh local hospital they did some Diagnostics the really cool part about this story that that you'll hear in the video this is not just like privy information I say this the following week he's sitting in my office and it's Michael and Anthony that now have just bonded together um Anthony goes Pastor Ed I need some smokes and uh he was so nervous you know so he's just like he goes I need some cigarettes well one of my associates I said hey Tony um I think got some cigarettes in my cabinet which caused the police chief to go what Pastor has cigarettes in his cabinet and it came from a couple of weeks prior or months prior we had a service where we're like hey whatever addiction you're struggling with throw it on the Altar and I'm not trying to be crash Billy but two condoms five Vape pin and one pack of cigarettes and a and a razor blade was thrown on the Altar and it was in a basket in my cabinet as a reminder that God is Breaking Chains well I said Tony I think we got some cigarettes so Tony gives those cigarettes to Anthony he tries to light up in my office I'm like Anthony you can't light up in my office right now um and the assistant police chief kind of walks through hey this is what we're going to do they get him to the hospital he's there for a couple of days and this is the crazy part of the story he gets out we're ready to take him to rehab he opts out he goes I'm not doing it he he goes I'm not doing it so then he goes on the street for two three weeks crazy this video that you're talking about that I don't know is viral gets around I tell the church the weekend after because the 12 o'clock was like Ed what just tell us what's going on I go hey he didn't go to rehab we still got that $5,000 the moment he turns in this direction we're going to help him we're helping him get some supplies because we we're we we're uh Frank Kirby is one of our counselors who is the hero behind the scenes that kept meeting with Anthony at waterburger random places at Walmart 11 o'clock at night a staff member who was getting in contact meeting his needs and this is what this Billy this is breaking news and it just I just posted this on my uh Instagram uh Friday I'm in my office in security it's three weeks later and our church is bumping into Anthony and they're like Anthony we love you they're pray we're praying for you Anthony's waving but he's not trying to get help from nobody he walks back in our church on Friday so crazy Security's like Ed um Anthony's in the lobby right now so I go out there with my son who's 16 and Frank has gotten him a bus TI ticket Anthony wakes up that Friday morning after a Binger just wakes up I mean like passed out wakes up and he goes I'm done wow I can't do this no more he he gets a ride or walks to our church calls for Frank Kirby who's been meeting him for about three weeks randomly at waterburger and other places and Frank gets him a bus ticket three hours to Brian Texas to a rehab facility and right now as we speak I got goosebumps saying this my man Anthony's in rehab wow I mean this is this is incredible you know at every level of this at every layer of this it involves one of you everything from your sermon that you were called to give Right Down the Line making a decision to step out and do what God has called you to for Michael and now for Anthony for the church congregation coming forward with the money I mean every step of this just trusting God and I want to emphasize what I was saying before about how it takes people time sometimes right the fact that you guys didn't give up on him that you were there for him still meeting with him still guiding him getting him supplies trying to help him and that and that because of that very likely he showed back up at the church and was willing to make the change weeks later right um that's just incredible to me yeah it's incredible and when I met him uh in the lobby and if any anybody watches this and goes to Pastor Ed Newton and that's not a Shameless FL for an Instagram you'll just see the post of that encounter where Anthony goes I'm going to rehab and and he and he's just such a funny dude and he goes uh and this was Anthony's words my story to be continued that's what he says and then he goes and he and he and I told him I said dude when you get out of this we're going to party like holy spirit party so right now I'll tell you what's going on we're sending him care packages with notes uh me and Frank Kirby are his emergency contact number at the rehab place that is amazing and he is like right now sending me and Frank Kirby I need cigarettes I need cigarettes he's try I mean I go ahead go ahead no I'm when somebody hears this and they're like well he shouldn't be on cigarettes can I just say this that's the least of my worries right now this dude has been on some hardcore drugs we got to minimize just you know and I'm like the holy spirit will get to the cigarettes but he's first got to work through a lot of other things first and uh and that's the tension because our our counselor is like Ed do we give him cigarettes and I'm like dude once more it the gospel's about heart transformation that leads to behavior modification and I think so many times the church and we get it wrong too we try to clean people up on the outside before the inside so yeah yeah no I mean I I think the fact that he's there doing this right and that's a part of the story a lot of people probably haven't heard they've seen the viral video they've read the right ofs but they haven't I had not heard that part obviously and I had not seen that so that is amazing you know I've taken a lot of your time can we talk for just a couple more minutes because I wanted to talk about your backstory which I also did not know that you know you're incredible backstory I'd love to hear how you came to Faith but before we get there I mean you you were the only child correct me if I'm wrong of two death parents um and that is such a a unique experience talk a little bit about what that was like growing up yeah I you know what's so crazy I just thought it was normal it was your normal I mean that is my normal it was my normal I um Billy I know we don't have a whole lot of time but my my mom died for years years ago and my dad died two years ago only child they were told they can never have kids and I just recently within the past four years got my grandmother who passed away almost 20 years ago her journal and my grandmother takes my mom newly married to my dad this is before me coming into the world to a Tent Revival service in charlot North Carolina and my mom goes to a healing service cuz she was raised in a Christian home my mom was a a Christian when she married my dad and my dad wasn't a Christian at that time when they got married couldn't have children cuz my mom had cerebal paly so my mom goes to a healing service in Charlotte North Carolina to get healed of cereal paly and her deafness and the Evangelist prophesies over my mom Billy this is this is crazy my mom so my mom's deaf she wants to be healed of her deafness and cerebal py and the Evangelist Speaks Over My mom which my mom can't understand my grandmother has to translate it and so my my mom's looking at my grandmother I read this in the journal what did he said that's the sign for what did he say and my grandmother tells my mom you're pregnant wow and that's me wow so I don't know that I'm 10 years old at a McDonald's in Orlando Florida where I grew up sweet African-American senior adult who I believe was an angel she goes you interpret for your parents everywhere you go cuz she just saw me do this at McDonald's I inter I was the voice for my mom and dad everywhere we went I ordered for them I answered the phone for them that was just I was the voice I was the ears and they were the parents and wow she told me this when I was 10 I'll never forget it I'll be almost 49 this year and she said um one day God's going to greatly use you I was 10 I didn't come to know Jesus I was in high school and when I look at my story my dad fast forward I look at my dad one day and I go do you wish you could be healed of your deafness and my dad goes no I said Dad I'm confused you've been discriminated against you've not had equal opportunity being handicap we lived in a season of government subsidized housing because they we couldn't afford stuff and and my dad go no I go Dad what do you mean and he looked at me and Billy I'll never forget this my dad goes look at you I go Dad what do you mean man I get emotional thinking about it he goes um he goes because of our deafness God raised you to be a voice for us and then God called you to be a voice for him and you see people that other people don't see and you hear people that other people don't hear because I grew up in an environment with in a lot of spaces where I um forgive me for walking into another room but I grew up in different environments where I didn't get a chance to uh I I I just saw different people from from the fact that both my parents were handicapped and so I'm growing up with blind people I'm growing up with deaf people that was my world so uh for me personally I've always been drawn and gravitated to the Underdog the overlooked and uh and my my journey has been that and um yeah that's incredible and here we are talking about this story though I mean the connection points between everything we're talking about with Anthony and everything you just talked about are are incredible and I love what your dad had said to you about you know being a voice right you were a voice for your parents and then getting to be a voice for God and what you're doing now I don't want to take any more of your time this has been incredible I want I want to have you back again though because there's a lot more to dig into on your story and I just appreciate we'll have to do an update on Anthony as well and see where things go as he h goes through rehab appreciate your time today we throw a party Billy I'm gonna invite you to it I'll come to I will be there I will absolutely be there we have a park at the church I'm I'm right now I'm already arranging like a DJ I mean we I'm telling you if he comes out of re have cleaned up our city is going to lose its mind we're going to throw the biggest I I will be there I love it I I appreciate you just your heart and everything you did that day but also sharing it uh because this is what people need to be hearing this is what we need to be doing as Christians we get so distracted you know remembering that we have a calling and it it's very simple all of you took very simple steps that had a huge impact right and and a huge potentially a huge Kingdom impact obviously a definitive one you had over 30 people come up because of what went on that day so um we pray for the same for Anthony too oh thank you man I I think we all uh live by this principal I know you do as well Billy you do you do for one what you hope you could do for all and and that's Jesus leave the 99 go after the one