Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Rooted with Mar, where real people have real conversations in real time, all while going deeper into the Word of God. I'm Shamar, and let's get rooted together.
Speaker: Welcome to the inaugural episode Rooted. i am so excited, you guys. This has been a long time coming. But we're here.
Speaker: And I have a very special question for you at home and for my guests. And the question is this. What are three things that God did for you this week?
Speaker: Three things God has done for me this week. Honestly, the first thing, as cliche as it sounds, he's helped me through temptation. He's helped me through difficult moments and he's woken me up this morning honestly that i think i take that for granted sometimes i think i take a i take it for granted for granted when i get another day so that would be like the first thing god has done for me the next thing i would say he's helped me to realize what my goal is and what i really what i really should be pursuing right
Speaker: I had a call with one of my friends and he told me something that changed my perspective. This week started out pretty, pretty rough. To be honest, I was dealing with doubt and discouragement and distraction.
Speaker: And one thing he told me is that I should be pursuing my goals, doing the things God has been telling me to do, not for the sake of a good outcome, but for the character it will build inside of me.
Speaker: And Truth be told, I don't know the third thing. I don't have a third thing he's he's done for me that I can like think about. But I would say these two things he's done thus far is powerful.
Speaker: Well, that's the voice of the person that interviewed today Rooted. But to answer my own question, the three things God has done for me this week. Let's see.
Speaker: First of all, he woke me up this morning. He woke me up every day this week, which I'm... grateful for. Second thing that I've learned that he's done for me this week is that as you can see, your boy is in a place. I'll do a whole video on that on a separate occasion.
Speaker: But the third thing that he's given me a chance to be vulnerable and be open, but not with just my guests today, but with every person that I've come encounter with this past week. And a lot of people are like understanding that I'm human.
Speaker: I'm going to flaws. I'm going to make mistakes. But I shouldn't let that mistake deteriorate or deter me away from fulfilling the calling that God has in my life.
Speaker: So that's the three things that God has did for me this week. If you have anything that God has done for you this week, put it down the comments below. ah cannot wait to hear from you.
Speaker: Let's jump right into it. The person you heard earlier is no other than my best friend, my road dog. He helped me through so much of this chapter in my life.
Speaker: And just watching him grow in the word and watching him grow in the faith and watching him do things that men will see i'm impossible to do.
Speaker: I watched this young man go through the hardest things, but he persevered. And I cannot wait for y'all to hear his story. So give it up for my brother from another mother, Mr. Noah Kawaku.
Speaker: It's an honor to be here, Shamar. Thank you for talking with me, having this interview with me, bro. And yeah, like you said, like, man, I guess I could definitely reciprocate the same thing. Shamar has been one of my best friends for over half a year, honestly, because this year it started out rough and he's been with me this this entire time. And one thing I could say about his character is that he's a faithful person. He's somebody who is loyal and will be about your side, even in and even in tough times. And it's it's pretty hard to say that about a lot of people.
Speaker: So, um,
Speaker: i I was called to do content about four years ago, maybe three, four years ago. And
Speaker: when I first started, i was honestly feeling like an imposter. I felt
Speaker: unequipped. I felt unready and
Speaker: I was also afraid of what my friends would think about me, to be honest, because at the time I was in high school and
Speaker: i was afraid that my friends would fun of me for making content about Christ. But I had to push through that fear and I had to ask myself for a very important, a very important question.
Speaker: Am I ready or
Speaker: will the regret of not doing this outweigh the pain of doing it in the moment? And i had to, had to be honest with myself and I say, and say like, I would regret not starting and I would,
Speaker: well, I, I thank myself to be honest, every single day that I made that hard choice to, to put myself out there and
Speaker: So for the last four or five years, have been seeking God.
Speaker: I grew up in a Christian family, so I always knew about God. i knew always knew about Jesus, but I didn't have a relationship with God until about five, six years ago or four to five years ago. And okay
Speaker: when I finally developed that relationship with God,
Speaker: that's when I started to really like, that's when my face started to deepen. That's when I started to really change the person because at the time when I first got saved, I was still in the world. I was was i was listening to worldly music and I was doing a lot of different things that
Speaker: at the moment right now, I look back on, wouldn't even think about doing now, but because of like the the way how my mind wasn't renewed by the Holy spirit, um,
Speaker: I was more comfortable doing those things, right? Like listening to rap music that talks about like explicit stuff and cursing, which I do my best not to do, right? I have moments where I do curse, but I used to curse back then with no remorse. With no filters. Exactly, no filter, bro.
Speaker: And through these years, I've learned a lot, but I've also learned that A journey with Christ is not easy, but it ah changes you as you go throughout the journey and it and it makes you a better person. It makes you
Speaker: more patient, more kind, more respectful, right? It makes you more loving. It made me more loving, more compassionate and
Speaker: Honestly, I give all glory to God for that because a
Speaker: the way I am now versus the way I used to be is night and day. But the biggest thing I could say that contributed to that was
Speaker: having brothers by my side, having people to hold me accountable, having people to pour into me and to
Speaker: Show me grace.
Speaker: So I'm 20 years old. um at ah I'm fresh out of high school, my first year of college.
Speaker: And I have a passion for music. I love music a lot. And I also love content creation. So those are a few things about me.
Speaker: That's actually really good to know because knowing you for the past year, I noticed just from conversations we had outside that you are very um passionate when it comes to your content, when it comes to the video making, yeah to you're playing your pump when you're basically ministering through your content.
Speaker: Um, let's talk about that for a sec. Um, when it came to, for those who don't know, Noah, um, originally had a channel over ah hundred K subscribers originally.
Speaker: Um, that's how, that's how I got to know Noah from his content on his previous channel. And then the Lord, um, told him, back in December, well back in November to start over with this new channel.
Speaker: And as of right now, my brother has over, wanna say over 3000 subscribers, I wanna say. haven't yet.
Speaker: And I can say that like the content that I've seen my brother done before to what i see him doing now is totally different.
Speaker: So, bro, can you, like, give the audience, um, kind of backstory behind what made you, um, decide to deviate from, not really deviate, but how did you
Speaker: How do you view your content from the past versus the now?
Speaker: Honestly, i see my content from before in ah in a sort of performative light. Like, I think I was trying to trying to craft an image of myself.
Speaker: And it was more focused on, like, myself. Like, even, like, the way I talk in my old content. I wasn't vulnerable. I wasn't honest with myself and ah wasn't really that honest with my audience, you know, and with this new channel, I'm doing the complete opposite. Like if you see in my, my most recent video, I literally talk about exactly where I'm at in my walk with God, in my, my journey of sobriety, um, from pornography and I don't sugarcoat anything.
Speaker: And I think I'm really enjoying my, I'm enjoying my content. Like I, I, this is content I would watch. you know, for myself. And if I'm honest with myself, if I look back to my old content, I don't think I would watch it simply because like this version of myself has grown a lot and has cultivated an appetite for authenticity, you know?
Speaker: And
Speaker: now it's like, I love the old channel. I've learned a lot from it. And There's a lot of great content on it, but I feel like this content I'm making now is completely original and it's completely, it's just, it just, it just resonates with me personally.
Speaker: And I hope it resonates with the audience as well. That's such a power statement that you just made bro, that you had to be, you don't, you don't want to look at your own content anymore because you're being performative.
Speaker: you're just like putting on a performance wasn't bringing you the true authentic version of yourself and can definitely say that watching your content previous to watching it now is like day and night two different versions and like you said i would i would rather watch the new content more than the other ones and what
Speaker: So kind of a side question in a sense. Um, when you started creating music, um, what made you decide to display that in a way?
Speaker: So since I was eight years old, I've been interested in music. I started off playing the drums. And then I went to the bass guitar and then piano and then the electric guitar.
Speaker: And through those, i would say 12 years, honestly, I've learned so much about myself, but I've also realized that I have a lot of talents in terms of like things that God has given me.
Speaker: And i don't want to waste the talent God has given me. When I started making worship music, I was honestly, I felt very like, I felt like an imposter because though I had musical ability, I had no background in singing. I didn't know how to sing. Like I wasn't born knowing how to sing.
Speaker: My sister, on the other hand, she has like amazing talent for singing and she didn't have to work for it. But for me, i had to work for that. i had to train, had to practice every day for over a year, honestly, or a little bit under a year. And yeah it was that journey of
Speaker: just putting myself out there doing something I'm passionate about because if you know me I may not be the best at music but I'm very passionate about it and I think people can see that in the way I deliver it even when I'm at church and I'm playing the drums people know people notice the passion I have and I believe it comes straight from the Holy Spirit and I can't take any credit for that but I would say like
Speaker: It was definitely scary at first. And even now it's scary because i I still feel a bit like, I'm not good enough, you know, but I can definitely say I've approved a lot over the months that I could see like the progress that God has helped me make. And it's been a blessing to be honest, bro.
Speaker: It's been a blessing. That's awesome. Man, I remember watching one of your videos in the past and I believe it was one of your one of your first videos you ever did with the music aspect of it.
Speaker: And i think it was just like an instrumental worship video. And remember listening to it and... I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in a way that I honestly never felt.
Speaker: And can tell just because of the way the music, um mind you, in this video there's no singing, straight instrumental.
Speaker: But I can tell that your heart and your passion was in that video because I think I mentioned it to you a how that video kind of like it kind of like helped me out helped me out in ah in ah in that season where was like dang like I'm going through hell
Speaker: And I got to put some on to least calm my nerves. And I'm gonna read that with the first fear that popped up.
Speaker: And it, it made me emotional. I'm not going to lie to you. It made me emotional because I was like, dang, like I'm sitting here listening, journaling.
Speaker: And all of a sudden tears start falling out. I'm like, God, why am I going through the situation that I'm going through? Why do I feel like I have to... Why I feel like have to be on top of everything?
Speaker: Like I have to just be the Shamar that has it all figured out. The Shamar that has... That can't fail.
Speaker: ha. And during that season and watching that video, it really made me understand that it's okay to fail. It's okay to have setbacks. It's okay to not be your best.
Speaker: And that's something that I'm still learning to today. the song important That I don't have to be my best. i There are moments where I'm going to fail. There are moments where I'm going to Like, not do 100%.
Speaker: ah hundred percent And expects me for what I know. Everybody expects me to be 100% on board with everything. I can't say no if I say no, then I'm being disobedient.
Speaker: And that whole um domino effect kicks in play. And...
Speaker: I told myself from that day on that i'mma be but I'm blunt. I'm gonna be 100% real. I'm not gonna fake it anymore, even though how bad my flesh wants to fake stuff.
Speaker: I gotta be real with everybody that talk to. is it Is it gonna hurt some people? Yes. Am I gonna be hurt by some people? Yes.
Speaker: But I'm not going to allow my emotions to dictate or to misconstrue the calling and the gift that God has for me.
Speaker: And yeah, I want to personally say on here, bro, that you have definitely been a a big part of my chapter.
Speaker: and just watching you grow, watching you worship, watching you spend time with the Father even when even we are tired.
Speaker: If we don't know, um every so often we'll be hopping on at midnight every night and praying for 30, 40 minutes and our flesh, our body be tired.
Speaker: But it's the power of the Holy Spirit that keep us awake and keep us energized to pray and to spend time with him.
Speaker: if you And you're that person who are seeking accountability, seeking a community, seeking a a um just a brotherhood in general,
Speaker: i am I personally invite you to join the Knights for Christ community and I'll put the link down in the description of this video. And I believe that that community will, can help you to overcome the lusts, overcome the temptations, overcome the reality of you don't have to be right all the time. And I kind of, that's kind of a segue I want to talk to you about, bro. When it came to Night's For Price, what made you decide to create a community for the men dealing with lust, dealing with fornication, dealing with pornography? What inspired you and what also motivated you to start that community?
Speaker: Honestly, bro, I
Speaker: It was honestly something I needed at the time. And I felt as though
Speaker: I just felt a pull to make a private community because as you know, Shamar, I had the Peaceful Problems community, but it was so big and it was so many people that it didn't feel personal.
Speaker: And i want something I wanted something a bit more concentrated. yeah Like something that Because if it was men and women, it would feel it wouldn't be as like... i don't know if we could be as as honest and vulnerable.
Speaker: you know But because it's men only, I find it very...
Speaker: I found that idea compelling, to be honest. Because I'm like, okay, if I'm dealing with this... And I know other people are dealing with this Why not create a community so we can overcome it together?
Speaker: That's pretty much the simplest, shortest way to say that. And I can definitely say, bro, that I'm a witness to seeing what God has done through that community. We have a brother on there who is seven months free.
Speaker: I'm more pithead to get people who didn't hear in the back. Seven months free. from porn two actually two excuse me three we have three three three them actually gosh jonathan's over a year free glory to god and i just know i didn't know was more multiple but jonathan eric and both Shout out to them. Love you guys. um yeah Just to see what God has done through that community by us being vulnerable, by us being accountable for when we fail, for when we put in that
Speaker: That alone shows that, hey, God is is in every conversation that we have in that community. And if God can do it for Bo.
Speaker: For Jonathan. For Eric. He can do it for you too. He can do it for me. He can do it for for every single brother in that community. Even the ones who are listening to this podcast right now.
Speaker: He can do it for you too. If you just have the faith. And believe that God can do the impossible.
Speaker: And That's kind of like how I want to kind of close this particular episode of Rooted with Ashley. Thank you, Holy Spirit.
Speaker: Noah, can you pray overook over this oh but the people who are watching this um or watching or listening to this podcast? Of course, bro.
Speaker: Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this podcast. Thank you for this idea that you've given to my brother, God. Lord, I just ask that you would just bless this podcast, make it fruitful, and multiply.
Speaker: God, I pray, Lord, that Whoever's watching this, God, will feel a touch of your presence, God, and they will draw near. But God, I also pray that they will seek community, God, whether it be the Knights for Christ or whether it be the church community or whether it be something outside of that, God. Father, I just pray that they would understand the power of accountability, the power of community, the power of
Speaker: power of being faithful.
Speaker: Whatever that may be, whatever that may look like, God. God, I just pray that whoever's in their life right now, anybody that could be a positive role model, Father, I pray that they would they would connect with the person and they would allow you to work on their heart.
Speaker: Lord, I just pray over my brother Shamar's mind, God, I pray, Lord, that you would guide him and direct him and give him supernatural ideas on how to make this channel better, how to make this podcast more effective, more efficient, God, and ultimately how it can glorify you even more, God.
Speaker: God, I just pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Alright family, this has been rooted. And I just want to say thank you to every person who have reached out, who have supported me within this project um from day one.
Speaker: And I'm just, can't believe I'm actually saying this. We did it.
Speaker: But until the next episode, stay true, be yourself, and let's be rooted together. See you soon.
