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Beating The Night Life: A DJ's Path to Christ w/ Michael Zapeda
141 Plays1 year ago
In this episode, Ken Freire sits down with Michael Zepeda, a former professional DJ who shares his journey of escaping the nightlife scene's many temptations to find freedom and purpose in Christ.
Michael opens up about the pressures of the DJ life, where substances, lust, and ego dominated, and how a key turning point—and his faith—led him out of darkness.
Together, Ken and Michael discuss practical steps for resisting temptation, the role of community, and how to be a light in environments that often feel far from God.
Michael's testimony offers hope and real strategies for men seeking redemption and purpose. Tune in to learn how Michael turned his career and faith around to live boldly for Christ.
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Transcript
Intro
Introduction to Nightlife Temptation and Guest Introduction
00:00:30
kenfreire
All right, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Damn Shame podcast. I am super excited about today's topic about overcoming the temptation of the nightlife. And as a DJ, Michael Zepeda is going to talk about redeeming your past life. Michael Zepeda is our guest today. He is a multi-talented entrepreneur with a background in DJing, cybersecurity, and leadership within his church.
00:00:57
kenfreire
and where he does a lot of translating of services at his Armenian Russian church, and he loves working with the youth at his church. Michael, I am so excited to have you on the podcast today, and you have such a varied background from cybersecurity to DJ. We'll get into that today, but before we do, man, tell the audience something fun about yourself.
Michael's Journey as a DJ and Nightlife Challenges
00:01:20
Michael Zepeda
Thank you, Ken, for that kind of introduction. A lot of kids would say, oh, you are such a dad, even though I don't have kids of my own just yet. But I tend to pull out at my hat like some corny dad jokes. For example, I printed some out. But what do you call a fish with no eyes?
00:01:41
kenfreire
Uh, I don't know Oh my gosh Uh,
00:01:43
Michael Zepeda
Fish, just without the eye. Yeah, why did the math book look sad?
00:01:52
kenfreire
why did the math i'm a dad I should know these I should have these uh, but go for it Oh my gosh, you are dead you're ridiculous A bear with no teeth bearless
00:01:55
Michael Zepeda
Well, Ken, it's because it had way too many problems. And the last one for the little ones, what do you call a bear with no teeth? This should be easy one. Great one, a gummy bear.
00:02:16
kenfreire
Uhhh...
00:02:16
Michael Zepeda
I know it's so bad, but they at least get a little crackle or, you know.
00:02:18
kenfreire
Yeah.
00:02:21
kenfreire
The dads who listen to this podcast are gonna be like, I love Michael. Everybody else is gonna be like, what the heck just happened to this podcast?
00:02:29
Michael Zepeda
Sorry about that.
00:02:30
kenfreire
No, no worries, man. Hey, we'd like to have fun here. We're gonna crack a lot of jokes today, so it'll be great. But DJ, man, I'm excited to have you here. I'm excited for the conversation, especially because, you know, you do have a vast experience, right?
00:02:42
kenfreire
Where you're like, your day job is cybersecurity, but you have been in the DJ scene and you have ah your own
00:02:46
Michael Zepeda
Sure.
00:02:49
kenfreire
community of DJs now, is it called the Wolfpack, right?
00:02:53
Michael Zepeda
Correct
00:02:54
kenfreire
So you're just like, you got so much stuff going on. But I really want to dig into your world as a DJ and just tell us about first how you got into DJing scene and what that lifestyle was like for you in terms of both excitement and struggles.
00:03:09
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, so first of all, it started in high school. I've always looked up to these DJs that are doing these competitions, you know, with like scratching all these maneuvers, you know, it looks so cool to me. You know, just like how a lot of kids are brought up in like sports, you know, soccer, it could be anywhere like skateboarding. For me, it was always around like, how can you manipulate these records and make it sound Super cool, you know, so I got into that world probably at the age of 16 and there was no YouTube at that time I think it was still like just Migrating so it was like a lot of like VHS and whatever you catch on cable access TV and so Luckily, I grew up in those days You know like getting into the early days of YouTube and being able to see people around the world You know put out this content and it just inspired me to get like a deck of my own and learn the craft and
00:03:48
kenfreire
Yeah.
00:04:04
Michael Zepeda
And from there I just became hooked.
00:04:04
kenfreire
Yeah.
00:04:06
kenfreire
That's awesome. man So you got into DJ and now you've been doing that since the early 90s.
00:04:11
Michael Zepeda
Sure.
00:04:11
kenfreire
But that also came with temptations, right?
00:04:13
Michael Zepeda
Oh yeah.
00:04:15
kenfreire
And that was like a double edged sword. So what were some of the temptations that came with that lifestyle and how did you see those affecting your spiritual life at that time?
00:04:23
Michael Zepeda
I would say you look at this as a potential, not not just as a job, but a potential career. There is a lot of inconsistent hours, as you
00:04:33
Michael Zepeda
You're taking a lot of gigs that aren't necessarily paying at first.
00:04:38
kenfreire
Yeah.
00:04:38
Michael Zepeda
And that's the struggle for most DJs I see nowadays is that they are super to go from bedroom DJing to DJing for a crowd of their
00:04:48
Michael Zepeda
And then to take that into consideration of getting into a main stage, you know, where people are buying tickets to see you perform to maybe the nightlife, night scene, you know, you're spinning at a club, consistently having a residency. So what comes with that is that there's a lot of toxicity, there's a lot of, there's a lot of like substance abuse, there's a lot of drinking involved, there's a lot of, people just acting recklessly at times, you know. I'm pretty sure, Ken, you could name countless times you celebrated someone's birthday party, you know, an alcohol cane, people took shots, you know, and people started acting and wild. You know, there are those fun moments where you're singing it along to your favorite song. And then there's those moments where some guy gets in a fight because like, you know, you had a little bit too much to drink.
00:05:41
kenfreire
Yeah. So you see seeing a lot of substance abuse, a lot of drinking, right? there's also a lot of lust that was there.
00:05:49
Michael Zepeda
Yes.
00:05:49
kenfreire
How did how did that play out in your life?
00:05:50
Michael Zepeda
Oh, yes.
00:05:53
Michael Zepeda
You know, to be honest, it's part of the culture. You know, they're going to be beautiful women either that are going to do bottle service that are goingre going to be dancers. You know, they draw a crowd to this venue, even restaurants. I've DJ'd at restaurants or private events and they have models that they hire, you know, fruit.
00:06:13
Michael Zepeda
to be in attendance and so with that comes people that you know they look at you as like oh you know like you're somebody now you know you're behind the decks you have credibility and they like to be seen with those certain any of people just like if you're in a band you know people love to get to know be acquainted with the musicians And so with DJs, it happens the same. You kind of live like a rock star life and you know, you could draw an ego, but you kind of have to like balance that out.
00:06:44
kenfreire
Yeah. Well, so let me ask this, were you at any point saved during the time that you were a DJ or would you say I was always saved? How did that kind of how did your spiritual life play out in this?
00:06:55
Michael Zepeda
Sure. So I was born in Judeo-Christian values. you I was dedicated as a baby. I always followed it. Got baptized and by water at the age of seven.
00:07:07
Michael Zepeda
So I understood my values were. It wasn't until college life came is where I kind of try to take my own path, if that makes any sense, to the point where I was just like, you know,
00:07:19
Michael Zepeda
I've always been this good boy. you I've never actually got to see if I take this risk, if I could go about like trying to live both lifestyles. And it was always a hit and miss for me. I would run into either the wrong crowd, you I would put my feet a little too far to the world and do things that was against my own moral beliefs.
00:07:39
kenfreire
Oh yeah.
00:07:42
Michael Zepeda
But I always stayed true is like, you know, I got to have some people in my social circle that are not all toxic. You know, they're still Christian friends, you know, that reach out to me. So that was one of the benefits.
00:07:55
kenfreire
So you in some sense were living a, correct me if I'm wrong, if I heard this right, a double life where like at some point in your DJ life, you were like, I'm going to church.
00:08:01
Michael Zepeda
Yes.
00:08:04
kenfreire
I'm hanging out with my Christian friends, but like, I'm falling into sexual sin. I'm drinking, I'm smoking, or I'm falling into substance abuse.
00:08:09
Michael Zepeda
Yeah.
00:08:12
kenfreire
Is that correct? Or were there some stuff you were like, your moral conscious stopped you from it.
00:08:13
Michael Zepeda
No, that's correct. That was lukewarm as as is. I mean, any early 20-year-old is going to go through that. You know, they're going to, what is that? The parable of the one that sheep, you know, that left and then came back, how was that?
00:08:31
kenfreire
Yeah, the parable, the parable, ah powerbo ah ah parable of the prodigal son.
00:08:35
Michael Zepeda
There you go, the prodigal son. And so that was me.
00:08:37
kenfreire
We both were like spacing out. I was like.
00:08:41
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, I just got intrigued by all, you you know you go to these places, they're beautiful. you These women are beautiful. They're intoxicating. And you're being seduced, not just by the music itself, but by everything that comes along with it. And when you're just getting into it, it's very,
00:08:59
Michael Zepeda
like a shiny present you know like you get a new car you're like oh you know for for while you're like intoxicated you want to drive that car every day and well same thing with his nightlife everything about it is smoke and mirrors you know there are good things about it and there are bad things about it
00:09:15
kenfreire
Yeah. What did that seduction promise you? Because I think a lot of us, right, we fall into it for a certain reason, but for you in particular, what was it promising you that you thought, man, this is going to fulfill the X in my life.
00:09:55
Michael Zepeda
The realization is that it's a small world. you People know everybody. And so if you make a good impression on one person, you it's a domino effect. It starts leading to other places, new opportunities. Some doors that open aren't meant to be open. And sometimes you just go in a hunch. you Maybe this this is a good thing to add to my resume.
00:10:16
kenfreire
Yeah. So did you feel like you had to fall into like sexual sin and substance drinking or substance abuse and all that stuff primarily because you're like, this is my way in to get into these, uh, in front of these people and be like, look, I'm one of you.
00:10:32
Michael Zepeda
Believe it or not, that's always going to be there. um That's always primal. My whole thing is that I would drink but to moderation. I wouldn't get to the point where I was hungover and next day and I don't know how to handle liquor that very well.
00:10:45
Michael Zepeda
So I learned early college days, you know, like once I go into these places, I'm going to try to like limit myself to one or two drinks and nothing more.
00:10:49
kenfreire
Yeah.
00:10:54
Michael Zepeda
I'm cut off after that. As far as all the drugs go, I didn't touch any of that. Luckily, I had the right people in my circle to prevent me and take accountability for me making that mistake.
Finding Faith and New Passions
00:11:07
kenfreire
Got it. Was your was so your main struggle was just women and sexual sin.
00:11:12
Michael Zepeda
Yes, yes.
00:11:13
kenfreire
Yeah. How did, at what point in your life did you kind of like hit rock bottom for the lack of a better word or just be like, Oh my gosh, what I'm doing is not working.
00:11:24
kenfreire
None of these girls are satisfying.
00:11:26
Michael Zepeda
Yeah.
00:11:26
kenfreire
Lust isn't satisfying. And I'm like, I'm at the end of my rope. Like walk us through that journey a little bit.
00:11:30
Michael Zepeda
Yeah.
00:11:33
Michael Zepeda
Sure, so passion for anything only goes so far. You could be very talented. you To me, that's being skillful at a certain thing. You could be a handyman. You could be somebody that's really good at computers. And so for me, it was music, that deep love for music and having a platform to immerse myself, creating and producing my own sound.
00:11:55
Michael Zepeda
you know, that I could share with others. That's what kept me going to a certain point. I engage with my favorite artists, you know. The other thing is you have opportunities and recognition from other DJs, promoters in the nightlife scene. You build your personal brand. You get to perform, you know,
00:12:20
Michael Zepeda
cool events you know for like say you had a chance Ken to perform for Samsung you know and they're gonna give you like a brand new TV and stuff like that for doing them the favor like you're gonna be ecstatic right so I had opportunities like that you know and to my peak of my career it was until the age of 27 where I realized I wasn't passionate about this anymore I'm going through the same motions you know I wasn't being fulfilled honestly like I had the money I had you know, the resume. And I had the fan base, you know, people would drive like an hour and a half to come see me DJ just because in their city, there is nothing happening. And they seen everything that I was doing. And they're like, this is brilliant. Like this, you're different from all the other DJs in my town. And so there got to the point where I just got fed up of traveling. I got fed up with dealing with like shady people. And I took a break and we'll stop from there.
00:13:18
kenfreire
Yeah. Well, it sounds like what's interesting is I heard you is that and and the shame that you were living in started to deteriorate your passion for something that you fell in love with early on.
00:13:32
Michael Zepeda
Yes.
00:13:34
kenfreire
And you're like, I want to do this, but like your sin was kind of trapping you to something else and kind of losing yourself.
00:13:41
Michael Zepeda
And another thing to add to that is that ego becomes a thing at that state. You start getting this recognition and people showing up to support you and you're like, know what? It's like all pride in a sense to where you're doing things and you're like, I was never this person.
00:13:54
kenfreire
Yeah.
00:13:58
Michael Zepeda
Why do I speak this way? Why do I make promises to people and like lead them into this? But I've learned to turn that around today.
00:14:08
kenfreire
Yeah, that's great, man. Well, what's crazy to think about is that like, I'm trying to remember where it says this, but like sin begets sin, right? Like the one sin leads to another sin. It's not like it's just isolated event. And it's, it's funny how you're talking about like, well, your ego, right? Like your pride comes up and you're just like, Oh, I think I can handle this. But then you fall into another sin and then another sin and another sin.
00:14:29
kenfreire
I remember a previous podcast guest, he was just talking about how he had to keep hiding all of his sin and just the sin of lying just kept compounding that he was like, I didn't even know who I was talking to or what lie I was telling to what person at at some point.
00:14:43
kenfreire
And that same thing kind of feels here where just like that pride was just overwhelming everything else, right?
00:14:48
Michael Zepeda
Oh yeah.
00:14:50
kenfreire
But then you took a break and you were like, I need to reset my life. And you started to realize that this is drawing you away from God. And now you're like, I need to come back to God. Walk us through your journey of coming back and really surrendering your life to the Lord and and not living that double life.
00:15:08
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, for me, honestly, I wasn't having fellowship with my Christian brothers or sisters anymore. you feeling like I was a failure at that point.
00:15:18
Michael Zepeda
I was like, I left this lifestyle. I don't really have anything going on anymore. You know, I had to start ah ah all over again in Canada. Out of everybody, I'm pretty sure you understand how that feels as a man to have to start all over again.
00:15:31
kenfreire
It sucks, dude, yeah.
00:15:31
Michael Zepeda
You know, whether going back to school, you know, like maybe you have a family, you have kids, you know, and you're balancing two jobs, whatever that is, you know, and you're like, I have some friends that are earning like six figures. You're like, why aren't I in their footsteps? And so for me, it was a lot of self-reflection, finding who I am and finding my identity in Christ that led me to finding a new passion because we're human beings like we constantly want to learn new things and we constantly push ourselves if we're Comfortable being uncomfortable like learning new things meeting new people and so that's kind of how like how cybersecurity Fell in place is that you know, it was always pretty good or pretty decent with computers. I would say I shouldn't say great because it takes a lot of work and just like with DJ like when it I was learning how to scratch or how to mix by ear and not by
00:16:26
Michael Zepeda
you know, what the computer shows you. It was very technical, you know, you had to rely on a lot of different things. How do you troubleshoot like a printer going out? You know, everybody that works in the office knows that that printer is going to give you a headache. And so I'm that guy that ah helps them troubleshoot and gives them patience. And just like how I feel like the Lord gives us grace and patience with us. I've learned how to do that with others.
00:16:53
kenfreire
That's great, man. and you're the guy that a lot of us would be like, please save us when our technology is going on the fritz, and especially the printers. There's always that one murder, right?
00:17:02
Michael Zepeda
Yeah.
00:17:03
kenfreire
You're just like, I freaking hate this thing. I want to go back to a little bit of what you just said when it came to like your identity in Christ. I was just like, since you've been in the church, you kind of like knew about God for a long time.
00:17:16
kenfreire
You were wayward, you kind of left, you came back.
00:17:19
kenfreire
What did repentance look like in your life during this time?
00:17:24
Michael Zepeda
repentance is just saying you know even though I may failed you even though I tried to make my own way you know you've never abandoned me you know how Christ was on that cross and he's like where are you you know and I was kind of like in that moment in my life where I had to shift you know what I was used to what I got comfortable doing and Yeah, just ask for general repentance to turn away from that lifestyle.
00:17:54
Michael Zepeda
And never that I think I would get back into this life scene, you know, but things are so different now. You know, I go into the room and people are like, there's something about his mannerism that is different from all the others in this room. You know, I carry myself differently. And thanks to the father, like I'm able to be a better communicator, be a better active listener. And yeah, now I have different goals than what I had 10 years from now, 20 years from now.
00:18:22
kenfreire
Yeah. Well, dude, let's jump into that. I really want to talk about this, right? Because when most people jump into or they leave an old lifestyle, it's kind of like they bury it. They're like, it's gone. It's done. I'm never going to do that again. But it seems like Christ redeemed that lifestyle, right? Whereas like, no, no, no, this passion that you have may actually be a calling, a way for you to minister to other people.
00:18:46
kenfreire
How did that work out in your life where all of a sudden it went from this really a season of life where sin was rampant to now a ministry for you?
00:18:57
Michael Zepeda
So wild. I don't know where to begin, but you know, the very first church that I grew up in that I got dedicated as a baby, I ended up going back to this place, you know, several times in my lifespan, you know, after I retired from DJing, you know, like at 29 to today, 37. And I never thought, you know,
00:19:20
Michael Zepeda
the Lord would bring me back just randomly on a whim. I was like, this is not an English or Spanish speaking church. you I'm bilingual English and Spanish. How am I going to learn how to speak Armenian or Russian?
00:19:33
Michael Zepeda
He's led me to other congregations like that too, where it was like a Jewish assembly or it was like an African-American church. And I'm like, I don't belong here.
00:19:42
kenfreire
That's awesome.
00:19:43
Michael Zepeda
I'm like the one that's off like from everybody and they give me these looks and I was just like hey you know I was led here by the Holy Spirit and people are like oh praise God you know
Mentorship and Ministry
00:19:54
Michael Zepeda
you know the Lord and Savior but I would just say you know he leads me places where I least expect it you know like if you were called to be a pastor you know I'm pretty sure someone would struggle with that, you that calling. If you were called to be a politician, I'm sure you would be like, I'm not smart enough for this. you I don't know all the bills and laws to go about that. And so for him to lead me back to this is something I was pushing against. I'm like, I already know what to expect. There's a lot of young people. you There's other people that could do it, or it's like, why are you calling me back into it?
00:20:31
Michael Zepeda
And it's because I'm very relational with people. I know how to earn their trust. I they know their when we talk about certain subjects.
00:20:41
kenfreire
That's great, man. So as you, because you knew it, it sounded like that was like an easy segue to ministry for you. So walk us through how did God use that as a ministry?
00:20:49
Michael Zepeda
Sure.
00:20:52
kenfreire
Like maybe some examples of, I'm not, we don't need like crazy examples, but simple, small examples of like, man, this is how God really started to use me and redeem that lifestyle.
00:21:03
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, it starts with, I'm meeting a bunch of these young kids by young, I'm talking about 21 to like 32 year olds that are just hungry and passionate like I once were, you know, they have the talent, they have the potential to reach, you know, that milestone that I reached to having like,
00:21:24
Michael Zepeda
their own nights, you know, so I'm mentoring them which is essentially me discipling them along with another brother of mine that's a little bit older than me. Now this other brother is a Christian and a current DJ in the house scene. He loves house music and he was also mentored and discipled by another brother that was a Christian and now a pastor and he's still a DJ and I was just like how is the Lord arranging these people in my life you to work with them with the same goal as like, hey, yeah, I love what you're saying about Christ. I love that you're you're coming back to the deejaying, but you're not really deejaying anymore, which to me is odd. Now you're doing more of the promoting side.
00:22:08
Michael Zepeda
So they question my ethics of like, can you really promote, like you're promoting, you know, these nights where people are going to be in sin.
00:22:17
Michael Zepeda
And I was like, yeah, but this is a way for us to witness to them that otherwise would not be reached by a church. And so it's kind of like he's brought me in that direction of like, you're mentoring these young people, but at the same time, these young people are going to be witnesses to other people in this scene that no other words could not be, you know, related it to.
00:22:24
kenfreire
Hmm.
00:22:38
kenfreire
Yeah. You know, as you were talking, the image that came to mind was like light entering into the darkness, right? Where so many times as Christians, we just kind of, and if we're not careful, we could fall into this trap of like, let's just be exclusive.
00:22:45
Michael Zepeda
Absolutely Yes
00:22:51
kenfreire
Let's just stay in our own bubble and not like press into these dark places where like, the light needs to be shown and God needs to be revealed and, you know, using the skills and the passions like you did.
00:23:02
kenfreire
And now you're mentoring these young people to actually go utilize.
00:23:05
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, it starts with simple things like when you go to a gig, you don't pre-game. Pre-game is a term as that they drink before they get to the venue because it's cheaper, they get pumped up. Just like if you go to the gym and you have a pre-workout shake, essentially it's the same thing.
00:23:22
Michael Zepeda
And so, you know, I meet them at the gym, you know, as a way to have fellowship with them. You know, I make activities to like besides music, like we get together at one's house, you know, we have like some billards, you know, we have like essentially like almost like the churches do with like small groups, you know, like a Bible study group.
00:23:42
kenfreire
Yeah.
00:23:42
Michael Zepeda
I do this out in my own terms in ways, like how can I meet them where they're at when they are not believers? Yeah.
00:23:51
kenfreire
Yeah, that's great, man. Okay, so you're mentoring these guys you call we have mentioned earlier, but that's kind of like your wolf pack, right? It's a group of people not being in isolation, you're doing this, they're going into the darkness, right?
00:24:02
kenfreire
And as people are listening to your story, they're like, man, I
00:24:02
Michael Zepeda
Yes.
00:24:06
kenfreire
I remember times when I was in past sin in a certain place or in a certain vocation, but I would want to God to redeem it, but I'm scared. And a lot of people may be scared because they're like, if I fall back into the sin, I feel like I'm going to, you know, fall back in and have a crazy sinful cycle.
00:24:25
kenfreire
What have you done since then to prevent yourself from falling
Practical Tips and Maintaining Integrity
00:24:29
kenfreire
to that temptation? And there might have been times that you weren't perfect, but like, you know, that you're like, yes, I'm fighting.
00:24:31
Michael Zepeda
Sure.
00:24:34
kenfreire
Give us some practical tips.
00:24:37
Michael Zepeda
These are some of my tips that really work well. One thing is when somebody's offering you drinks and they're like, hey, I noticed that you haven't been drinking. It's like, just get a water from the bar.
00:24:46
kenfreire
Yeah.
00:24:47
Michael Zepeda
Talk to the bartender and say, hey, I've been 10 years sober. Just give me water or juice throughout the night and then put little fruit in it and it looks like if I'm having a cocktail. So you're tricking others and thinking you're having a drink, but really you're not.
00:25:01
Michael Zepeda
Another one is, yeah, often tell them times are like, oh, you know, I'm in a detox right now. You know, that's such a LA thing to say, and they believe it. I was like, I'm trying to leave some weight. I'm trying to stay away from those calories. So I'm going through a detox and they totally understand. When it comes to the women and all that, just have your intention set to what is the end goal for that night? Did you want to network with five people? When I come to some events that aren't under my wolf pack, I just go to support the artist that is on my team and then I'm out of there. As soon as they're done DJing,
00:25:40
Michael Zepeda
There's no need to be there. You're just going to be tempted even more and more. And the last thing I tell them is that first impressions are everything. When you show up to these places, make an impression with the security, with the staff you you know from the bartenders, the people that clean up at their place. That goes a long way. You never know if you could use them. They will help you in the future.
00:26:04
kenfreire
Yeah. Well, what's interesting about that is that like, you're telling me to do real practical basic things that you do. But I'm sure in that scene, right?
00:26:10
Michael Zepeda
Mm hmm.
00:26:11
kenfreire
Like when I'm like, Oh, those seems like some nice basic things. But like in that scene, that's almost like counterintuitive, right? Because they're like, No, no, let's let's go flirt with the girls. Let's get drinking. Like you were saying, like the pregame, right?
00:26:21
Michael Zepeda
Yeah.
00:26:22
kenfreire
And almost kind of because of pride, like just fluffing off people and just like, I don't care what you think or for a low level entry people. It's like, No, no, no, treat them with respect is what I'm hearing from you.
00:26:32
Michael Zepeda
They're not perfect. They make mistakes. you I have some artists that are, they're not just smoking weed or the vape, but they're doing other stuff, you like a pill or something.
00:26:34
kenfreire
Yeah.
00:26:43
Michael Zepeda
tell them, don't do it on my watch. you you do in your own time, keep it away from the events that you're DJing. And if you need help, you could come to me or you could come to my partner, Steven, and we could get you help.
00:26:56
kenfreire
Yeah. It sounds like some of the people in your group are, are they all believers or are they not all believers?
00:27:02
Michael Zepeda
No, no, a lot of them are not believers.
00:27:04
kenfreire
Okay. So that's even a ministry within itself. I was thinking that they're all believers, but they're all non-believers. So you're ministering to these guys, working through them. How during your time with them, right? You're giving them these practical advice to fight against temptation and then what you utilize to fight against temptations. But how are you ministering to them? Like, how does the gospel kind of come in during your conversations and your hangout times?
00:27:27
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, whenever they're talking about negative associations of feelings, you know, like, oh, you know, like I'm overthinking or, you know, I'm feeling a little depressed, I got these headaches, like those are opportunities, like little windows where you could witness, you know, like, I'm a believer in, you know, I believe that headaches or like migraines, you know, they could leave over the power of healing, you know, through the Holy Spirit. And they're like, what? You know, when I, you know, me or like my partner, Stephen Prayover, and they're like, wow, like that is so crazy. Like they don't know how to explain that to, you know, anytime they're feeling like they messed up or that night for every reason, the equipment malfunctions, they had a bad set, you know, I'm giving them words of encouragement, you know, and then, you know, that could lead anywhere to like a prayer at the end of the night, like maybe you pray for you. And they're like, okay, you know, they're open to it.
00:28:22
kenfreire
Yeah. Dude, that's so awesome to think about because, you know, sometimes you think that unbelievers are hard-headed and they wouldn't want some of that stuff. But, you know, yeah, what's fascinating?
00:28:32
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, it's that stiff neck. There you go.
00:28:36
kenfreire
Yeah. But but what is fascinating about this conversation, right? Going back to your nightlife, right? And in in sin, living in shame, living that double life to now just be like, no, no, I get to minister to these people.
00:28:48
kenfreire
And you know, what they're struggling with because you've done it, you've been there, you've kind of walked that road. And we're not suggesting for people to do that in order to be able to empathize with individuals. But God is uniquely utilizing you now to be able to pray for people and they're not hard, you know, sorry their hearts are soft enough to be like, oh, wow, yeah, you could pray for me, you could do these things.
00:29:10
kenfreire
And little by little, you're but ministering and hoping we can see them in heaven with. And we could all be in the greatest party ever known to mankind, right?
00:29:18
Michael Zepeda
Absolutely. There's an analogy that came about the wolf pack name is that we were all gray wolves. Gray wolves, when they're adolescents, they are left from their parents and they're on their own in the wild. So they don't have a pack just yet.
00:29:33
Michael Zepeda
And so they try to find other, you know, older gray wolves that would be able to take them in. And so what I've essentially did is I've taken some gray wolves that have potential that need some gray wolves are known to give experience, you know, they're able to teach them and then they create their own wolf pack. And so i've i've essentially been able to take that. And, you know, I'm not the alpha, you know, that I told them like there are many of us that leave this pack.
00:29:59
Michael Zepeda
You know, and so I'm not their boss. I just work alongside to give them my insight of, you know, you can either learn the hard way, you can learn the smart way, you can learn the wise way. The wise way would be learn from others that have been in their shoes. Yeah, they're mistakes. That way they prevent from making those mistakes.
00:30:17
kenfreire
That's great, man. So
Advice on Lust and Identity in Christ
00:30:19
kenfreire
as we wrap up here and the guys who are listening to this, they struggle. They struggle with lust. They struggle with sexual sin with women, especially they might be in a scene similar to yours, right?
00:30:30
Michael Zepeda
Sure.
00:30:30
kenfreire
Or other scenes, right? But they're just like, I keep falling into this. What's some words of encouragement that you give them to fight the good fight?
00:30:38
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, one thing would be limit your screen time. you Go through your social media pages and see like what stands out and what is liked and block those distractions because it's all noise. you go to the gym, I realize there are a lot of beautiful women there with revealing outfits.
00:30:57
Michael Zepeda
And what I tend to do is I zone into the music, and I looked opposite the way, because that is a distraction to I, I'm only there for an hour workout I'm not trying to be there for like an hour 40 minutes. You know, our time is precious here, you don't know how long you have on this earth.
00:31:14
Michael Zepeda
And so for someone feeling trapped in temptation, whether it's related to nightlife or any other struggles, such as lust or pornography or pride, one powerful message of hope and encouragement would be that you're not defined by your struggles or your past.
00:31:30
Michael Zepeda
There's always hope and the possibility of change, meaning remember that every challenge is an opportunity for growth and transformation. You are not alone in this fight, you know, reach out for support, lean on to your faith, you know, your values and trust with the perseverance and the right guidance of others that you can overcome any obstacle.
00:31:52
Michael Zepeda
future is full of potential, as I have seen with the Wolfpack, and each step he takes towards seeking help and making positive changes is a step towards that breakthrough, brighter, more fulfilling life, you know, because I was once unfulfilled, and now I have a a fulfillment through others.
00:32:09
kenfreire
Michael, that was a lot of great insights and a huge encouragement. And I love the beginning when you're not defined by your past failures or struggles. So for those of you who are struggling right now, that's not what you're funded by. If you are in Christ, right you're a believer, you're born again, you've repented of your sin. And what I've always thought about is if you failed today, and then you decided to listen to this podcast, and you asked for forgiveness, the Lord is like, I have washed you white as snow.
00:32:37
kenfreire
You're redeemed and your identity is not the sin that you fell into. It's you're my child. You are a son of God or a child of God. And that right there is the power that makes you do all those other things that you were talking about of like being able to press through to unlock your full potential, to be able to say, you know what, regardless of everything else that's going on in life,
00:32:59
kenfreire
I know that God has me and I could keep pressing forward. So Michael, dude, I love that.
00:33:02
Michael Zepeda
Absolutely.
00:33:04
kenfreire
Great word. Any final thoughts that you want to share with our audience before we wrap up?
00:33:09
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, we're all going to make mistakes. um um I'm going to continue to make mistakes. I'm not 100% clean. Like my robes would be, you know, damp, torn and stuff like that. But he gives us mercy, you know, to get back up. You know, he's washing us consistently, you know, to genuine repentance, turning away from that sin, to be disgusted by that sin. You know, ultimately one day you're going to be able to teach your young ones, future generations, how to go about that.
00:33:38
Michael Zepeda
by your testimonies.
00:33:41
kenfreire
I love it, Michael. Uh, if people want to learn from you or if they're like, dude, I'm in this scene and I need a wolf pack. What's the best way to reach out to you and and to know you more?
Closing and Community Support
00:33:54
Michael Zepeda
Yeah, I don't have a personal Instagram pages anymore. So you just go to Wolfpack l LA events and you'll be able to connect with me there. Or one of my team members will get you in contact with me.
00:34:02
kenfreire
Perfect.
00:34:05
kenfreire
Sweet, man. Well, we'll make sure to put that in the session notes. So I'll make sure to get that link from you, Michael. We'll put it on the session notes so you guys can reach out Michael. Michael, thank you again so much. and And thank you for sharing your story of just like, man, living that double life, living a sexually sinful lifestyle, but God redeems it. And now you're using it to be a witness and a minister, man. I love that.
00:34:27
Michael Zepeda
Absolutely all praise to God and thank you Ken. It's been an honor and a privilege.
00:34:31
kenfreire
Yeah, for those of you who are listening, my encouragement to you, go follow Michael. if If that's the thing that you're into the the same scene that Michael's in and you need a wolf pack, go reach out to him. And if you are struggling and you are fighting and you're like, I don't know who else to reach out to, feel free to reach out to me. Let's ah ah stand together. Because at the end of the day, what we want to do here is to kill shame, stand strong in your identity in Christ,
00:34:55
kenfreire
and be on mission. That's exactly what Michael has done over the last several years is just he killed that. He killed his past life, his old life. He stands. He's been standing strong in his identity. And now he's being on mission in the same place that used to be sin. Now he can say I'm doing it for the glory of God. So if that's you. Feel free to reach out, but keep fighting on the good fight. Hope you guys have a great day and God bless.