Transcript
Speaker: That was your punchline. And then, Joe, an hour and a half later, the ambulance shows up. And so everybody who's into logistics is going, man, can you believe that? An hour and a half response time. That was it. That's the punchline of your story. Yeah. I got a great story, Joe, about logistics.
Speaker: An hour and a half. Thanks so much for sharing that, Raj. Oh.
Speaker: you know again again rush i'm just you know i'm just i'm amazed by the anticlimactic way in which you tell stories thank you it just what do i need to change about my storytelling because i feel like that's a really interesting story now i'm the kind of person i probably still told that story for 40 times
Speaker: So maybe I'm telling it too many. Well, yeah, I mean I'm right around the time that it happens you tell everybody you see the next day like you won't believe what happened We're out of the balcony. There's this fight hour and a half hour and a half later that even though it shows up I mean again, it's wild again. I just you know, I just like man and I just this guy's blood everywhere which one was born and which one was bad to have wasp story or The wasp the Bourbon Street fight. Let's be honest
Speaker: The wasp? Sorry. I hope that that makes it to a bonus episode. I think that whole wasp thing, I'm telling you. I think we need to close the season. We need to close the season with that bonus episode of what happens when somebody doesn't show up.
Speaker: That's a bonus episode and like the four idea the four people who have listened to the episode will be totally into that I do think people are gonna like it, but maybe not But but I know what that's not the point the reason why we're doing it. It's a labor It's a labor of love to me really interesting people Speaking of this Jesus Christ cat that's got Jesus on his face. What is the guy? What's his name? Oh?
Speaker: His name's Mike. Mike. And I'm pretty sure his last name is Servin. Servin? Servin. Yeah, Mike Servin. S -E -R -V -I -N. And I've wanted to talk to this guy forever.
Speaker: Dude, I'm so excited about talking to this guy. By the way. Oh, here he is. No way. Okay. Is he coming in? Are you ready? I'm bringing him in. Are you ready for this? I don't think so. I'm, I'm, you're not ready for this. I'm not ready. I don't, I don't think. And this is so great that Mike would actually want to come and be a part of the, be a part of this conversation. I think that's pretty awesome. Hold on to your head. Let's see. Here we go. Three, two,
Speaker: Mmm, so good. Mike, what's up? Mike, you have no idea. You have no idea how excited I am. I'm serious. And I just, we're excited to talk to you. I've wanted to talk for so long.
Speaker: Mike, this is just an absolute dream come true. We've seen you online and I've just found you to be so interesting. The fact that you would come and spend some time with us just to hear your story is such a remarkable thing. Thanks so much for spending some time with us today, man.
Speaker: Dude, of course. You're welcome. Yeah, man. And hey, listen, listen, forget about forget about the microphones because our podcast is just a conversation. So it's like we're just hanging out in your truck.
Speaker: We just want to have a conversation with you. You know, now, now you are. Now I can see here, you are, you are in your truck. Is that where you are right now? Yep. I'm a semi truck right now. Nice. Okay. So Mike, as we get started, can you just, can you just tell me for a minute, just kind of give me a little bit of a brief of your story? Like where, where, um, like, where did you come from? Like where, tell me a little bit about your family background and
Speaker: And how did you get to the place to where you started posting stuff on Instagram and how we met you? So just tell us a little bit about just your own journey and why you started posting to begin with.
Speaker: So, I was born in Modesto, California. I had pretty decent families. My mom and my dad, they was there. Those cannery workers. And growing up, I didn't have no long line of gang members, like generational gang members in my family. But when I was like 12 or 13 years old, I watched these gang movies.
Speaker: And it was the first time I seen a gang member. And I was like, I wanted to be that. But throughout my whole life, I try to do everything. I try to dance. I try to rap. I try to do it all. But I became this gang member who influenced me most. Just of course. But I had a pretty cool upbringing. My mom and dad, they're pretty stand up people. But like I said, man, I got influenced by these movies. And then in 1999, one of my friends got shot and killed.
Speaker: No way. At that point in my life, I thought that's who I was. I was like, I'm a gang member and my friend dies, now I go chase the guys that did it. I was okay, thinking bad was good and good was bad. I go to prison in 1999, I get out in 2001, and my brother gets stabbed 16 times in the streets. Same thing, I was fine with it. I cried a little bit, chased the guys that did it. I thought that's who I was.
Speaker: But I started doing drugs after I started gangbanging. I started doing drugs and they started shaking me. They shook my baby's mom. I was living with my baby's mom. They shook her. She gave me the boot because I was so paranoid. She couldn't go to the bathroom without me knocking on door. Who's in there with you? Or looking under the bed and the bed's like three inches off the floor. I'm like, man, that thing skinny. How does he fit under there? Like I was chasing something. I didn't know what it was. I was chasing something.
Speaker: And then she gave me the bull and I went back to live with my mom and I started doing drugs more and more and more. And then I started seeing them and I started hearing them. And they started coming out of everything. It started coming out of the TV. What were you hearing? I was hearing these demons. I was hearing these demons. At first I heard them. At first I heard them. And then because I heard them and I thought about them, vision, then I seen them.
Speaker: Can you understand it like I heard them? And then it's like I can feel them and then I can see them, but I heard them first. Before I even felt them, I heard them. Wow. So what happened after that? After I started seeing them,
Speaker: they started taking everything. I can hear them so clearly that I was like, how do they do that? How do they know everything that I'm thinking? How do they know everything about me? And they would lie to me so much that they would make me believe I was somewhere when I wasn't somewhere. I would be lost in my own neighborhood that I grew up all my life. I didn't know where I was and I was only right around the corner from my house.
Speaker: But because they lied to me so much, it's like they hypnotized me. And I don't know which way to go. I don't know what I was fighting. I didn't know, I didn't know it was demons first. I thought, I thought it was aliens. I thought it was the CIA. Yeah, apparently really paranoid. And so you were listening. So you were listening to these voices and obeying them.
Speaker: I was this, they got me to a point to where I was listening to him so much that I got like trapped in my mind. And I didn't know one day I was picking in the door and I could not stop. I could not stop. I was like sitting in my mind, not being able to stop. I was like, what? But at that point in time, God was already sitting with me. God was like, Mike, I'm right here with you. I'm right here with you. So what made the biggest difference? Cause that life is,
Speaker: is behind you, obviously now, looking at the kinds of things that you talk about and your commitment to Jesus Christ and what you use your platform for now, what made the big difference that shifted the trajectory of your life? That name, Jesus Christ. That name, there was a point in my life
Speaker: were them voices, them demons, them feelings, them shadows were so much that I could not get away from it. And I remember saying, man, God, I need help. It's taking everything. And the little bit I knew about the Bible ministered to me. The Bible said that God knows everything you're going to say before you say it. And I remember that still small voice telling me that.
Speaker: And I, and I believe that. And I said this, I say, God, because you say, you know, everything I'm going to say before I say it, when I call on you, God, I'm going to answer for you because you said you knew I would, because you knew what I was going to say anyways. Yeah. So one day I'm in the middle of the street. You ever see them guys in the middle of the street stopping traffic, thinking they're a stop sign? Do you ever see them guys? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So high. Yeah. Their motor skills. Yeah. So I was in the middle of the street stopping traffic.
Speaker: And here comes all them voices, all them demons. And the best way I can tell you what they felt like at that point, same thing. I heard them, I felt them, then I seen them. I felt them, I heard them, then I seen them. It was like the supernatural vision. I kept seeing them. And when they started coming, it was like a wall of like continually feeling like all these rich thoughts I couldn't get. You can't get away from your thoughts. That's what you can't get away from.
Speaker: And here they come and I scream at the top of my lungs, just pause. I love you, God. And I answer back for him. I love you too, Mike. That's when I first heard God. That's when my life started to shift.
Speaker: Really? Right there. So what kind of shifts happen? What's your life like now? Tell us about your life and your family now. I think you're married, right? My life is so great. God restored my life and saved me with that name. And so God has totally transformed me. I went to this discipleship called Teen Challenge. You guys know what that is? Yeah.
Speaker: So I went to that discipleship. I went there for a whole year.
Speaker: I graduated, became an intern, then became like a counselor and a teacher, and God restored my PR skills by putting me in leadership position. Man, that's amazing. Man, I'm really happy for you, Mike. That's amazing. Jesus Christ. So as you go through Teen Challenge and you're reading God's Word and you're studying it and you're learning more, what is it about
Speaker: about your study of God's Word that really reinforced this transformation that's happened in your life? It was that when I got into the Bible, the man in the Bible somehow or another went through the exact same thing I did.
Speaker: They went through the exact same thing. And a lot of times in the Bible, it doesn't break it down exactly what they were going through, that they were fighting demons, that they were fighting worship, that they felt God like this. But in one point of the Bible, Paul said that he chased after God to get that feeling of the first time when Jesus possessed him, like that first feeling of
Speaker: Oh, I want that. So he stayed in that type of spiritual connection with God. And I was like, that's me. Jesus Christ. I was like, he's talking my language. I say Jesus Christ because it keeps me connected in the most spiritual way I could possibly be connected to him. That's how he saved me. And so as I started reading the Bible more, I started understanding more that the Bible is a love story. It's about all these different men and women who love God with all their heart. And I was like, I love God.
Speaker: God with all my heart. I love them like that. And so I would read it and it would just give me confirmation that what I was hearing, that I was, that what I was going through with God, that it was true. Wow. How does your love for God translate into your everyday life? What is it? I mean, obviously you pop and lock. So I mean, that needs to be acknowledged. So I mean, there's a lot of push. It is good. There's a lot of
Speaker: So as you asked that question, so where did you learn to pop and lock?
Speaker: Obviously, before you were Christian, after you were a Christian. Before the Christian, but hey, when I was younger, I started off, my mom put me in catechism around like 13 years old. So I'm a little bit of a god damn, but before I was following God, before God would learn in my life, I learned how to break down from my beat street. Remember that? Oh yeah.
Speaker: Hey, I know I know all that so I man I enjoyed I think I watched I think I watched a break into electric boogaloo like I think
Speaker: I mean, who didn't? I mean, who did? I mean that whole like beat street breaking, breaking too. I mean, all of that. So that was like, now listen, I, I, I mean, full disclosure, Mike, I have, I have, I have hung up my pop and lock in days, but I tell you what,
Speaker: It's fun to see how your expression through dance has a new expression in worship to the Lord, right? Yes!
Speaker: And you're full of joy, man. You're full of joy. I've been thinking about that a lot in my life lately. The importance of happiness that comes through a relationship with Jesus and pursuing that happiness that really glorifies Him. And man, that's one of the things I think, I mean, I'm saying the obvious stuff. It's one of the things that really attracts people to you. It's what people like to see in you is that you are
Speaker: You you are really you are full and overflowing with joy You know and it's not just on on instagram obviously Because you know, we're just having a we're just hanging out. Yeah, what yeah, what are the other I mean, what are the other expressions of Of your transformed life. I mean obviously we see what's what you post but what are the other ways that you've seen a difference in terms of how
Speaker: how Jesus Christ, and I wanted to say Jesus Christ the way you say it, but how has that transformed your life in other ways?
Speaker: Man, it just transformed my life to a point where everybody sees me, I'm connected to God already. But everybody really knows me, like that's the Jesus Christ guy right there. And so I'm just connected, I'm so connected with God. So before people see me, they see the tattoo, they probably think like, oh,
Speaker: like gang member or like rough type of dude or like a bad individual. But now people see me because of Jesus Christ, they see a loving person, they see a kind person, they see somebody that don't want to hurt none or let none die. They see that and so when I walk around, when I walk into the room, I feel that everybody feels so comfortable and safe when I walk in the room and that just makes me feel so good. Jesus Christ. And now again,
Speaker: I wouldn't put a tattoo on my face. You know, out of all the ways that I want to communicate the transformation, I don't think I have the courage to put Jesus Christ on my face. Okay. So just.
Speaker: tell me. Yeah. You gotta tell us. We gotta know. Again, again, I, you know, I, I'm, I'm trying to keep my cool, you know, just, but I'm so, I'm so curious about what would motivate you. This is Joe keeping his cool Jesus Christ on your, on your face. Right? I mean, it does. What, what, what, what motivated that? Talk to me about that. And when, when, when was it?
Speaker: This was like in the beginning of 2016. Okay, wow.
Speaker: So you guys are gonna, this is awesome. You guys are gonna see this and be like, oh, now I get it. So I get locked up. I'm already fighting the demons, screaming Jesus Christ at everything. I know Jesus exists, but these demons never stopped coming and I can't stop doing drugs. So at that point in time, I thought the devil was stronger than the God, cause I'm like, I'm gonna stay on drugs forever, but I know Jesus exists and I love you so much. Jesus, I just can't stop. So I get locked up.
Speaker: And I'm talking to all the guys in my cell, and I'm telling the testimony how I see Jesus Christ and his angels and archangels and how I'm out there screaming Jesus Christ and beating these demons. And they're all just sitting around me. They're just watching me the whole time because I'm really animated. And then right at the end of me telling my testimony what everything that God is doing and how I'm seeing and finding these demons, I looked at the guys with the tattoos in my cell because there's troubles in a dorm. And I said, hey, Beau, in front of everybody, I asked him, I was like,
Speaker: And he looks to me and he's like, no, bro. Cause he was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Yeah, go back. So you're in the cell and you, you're telling him a story and then you say to guy, you're talking about tattoos and you say to somebody in the cell.
Speaker: What? And then I looked at the guy in the cell just giving the tattoos. And I tell him, I said, hey, bro, can you tattoo Jesus on my face? And he looked at me and he was like, nah, bro, you tripping. Because even gang members got like the respect for God. They was like, nah. And then we're looking at each other and he chose us for like a minute. And he asked me this question. He's like, why?
Speaker: I said, because every time I get out, I start doing drugs and I keep forgetting who I am. I don't know if I'm an angel, a demon or a man, but I don't want to forget Jesus. I know that he's real, but I feel that the devil is going to take my mind out. I'm going to forget who I am. So if you put Jesus on my face, I'll never forget him. I don't want to forget him. So maybe one day if I forget who I am or I don't know where I'm at, somebody can say, Hey, does that say Jesus?
Speaker: Or I could look in the mirror and I could read it. Jesus, so he will always be with me because at that point in my time, I thought the devil was stronger than God. And when I told him that, he said, okay, well, okay, well, I'll do it. And then he persuaded him with this and he did it. And he did it.
Speaker: He did it for you. He picked it and he picked it and after after he did that in my heart because a lot in my heart I was loving Jesus with everything I had I was trying to tell Jesus I want to be connected with you if my conduct if my lifestyle doesn't match up to how you want me to live at least at least you know that I love you enough to put you on my face I want to be connected with you and never
Speaker: So at that point in my life, I thought that I was giving Jesus all the love I could ever possibly give them. That's why I put it on my face. Wow. And the stars that you have, I like the stars. Did you do the stars then too? No, the stars would be for that. Before that. The stars would be for that. All right. Can I ask you what the stars represent?
Speaker: The stars represent, so I wanted a way to all the people in my family that died, it's who I love. I was like, man, how am I going to do that? And then this guy walks into prison and he has stars like this, and I was like, I want those. So I told somebody in prison, I was like, hey, boy, can you put the stars in my face so I can represent the people that died in my life? And plus, because it looks really cool.
Speaker: Yeah, it really, it really, it really does. It truly really does. I mean, let's, I mean, let's not forget the cool factor. No, I'm going to show how much of an absolute wimp I am, Mike, but how does, how does somebody get a tattoo in prison?
Speaker: So all you do is you get a paper clip or a staple, you straighten it out, you sharpen it, it gets sharp, you wrap it around a pencil, and then you just tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
Speaker: That's how, that's how you know, that's how it gets traced. That's how it gets traced or that's how it gets inked. That's all it gets picked. That's all it gets. And then the ink is like, you got to make it like, are you kidding? Christ picked on your face. Staple dude. I have one tattoo. I have one tattoo. You have it. You have a tattoo. Yeah. Rush. I do. I don't think you can see it. Can you hold on? Hold on. I'm going to fall. It's not. Well, it's not on your face. You see it.
Speaker: Oh yeah, I know that. Now it wasn't like picked into my skin with a paperclip. That's amazing. I mean, I mean, I mean, Mike, what you're saying is, I mean, can I just take a time? Can I take a big time out here and just, and just highlight the fact that
Speaker: What you're saying is you're saying that the power and the transformative work of Jesus Christ in your life, that you wanted to communicate your whole commitment to Him, your whole body,
Speaker: and your identity, what you communicate as a person through, because we all communicate through our face, right? And that's how we communicate through our face. And that you're saying that just the redemption and the release of captivity from these horrible, evil voices in your head and in your heart,
Speaker: that you wanted to commit literally your whole life and your whole body to Jesus Christ, that you wanted to communicate so much so that you would be willing to get in prison to do that. Am I hearing you right?
Speaker: Yes, Jesus Christ, you're 100 % right. You expected the best way you could understand it, and you understood it right. Jesus Christ, because on your face, you can't hide it. I even told myself at that time when I was getting it.
Speaker: Yeah, of course. I was like, I can't deny, you know, God, all disclosure, Mike, that's not my thing. Right. But, but you're feeling close. You're feeling close. Cause I feel I'm close. And you're starting to get persuaded. And if you, this conversation goes much longer, you're going to, he persuaded the guy. I don't know. I don't know. And then he persuaded him and you're close.
Speaker: He's like, for sure, I get it. He's caught. I didn't know I now. Now, listen, I would I would bust out my old pop and lock, though, with you, though, I'll tell you that I'll I'll definitely follow you there for sure. All right. So my question, I got a question. Can I ask a question real quick? I don't know if it's the same thing you're going to ask. It might be, but I'm not sure if if we if you're in a street corner right now, what is the message that you're proclaiming to people? You know, tell us what your message is as though you're kind of proclaiming it to us.
Speaker: So my message is that you can never out sin God's forgiveness. Everything that Jesus did on the cross, every step that he took while he did his ministry for three years was for you. If he had to come to this world and hang on the cross and die and save you from your sins just for you, he would have done it. So wherever you arrive, if you're in your room, if you're in your closet, if you're in your car, if you can hear my voice, if you can hear
Speaker: my voice. We're sure God can hear your voice. He can hear you. Doesn't matter where you're at. Doesn't matter what you've done. Doesn't matter what you think. Be forgiven for. God can forgive you for it. He didn't forgive you for that because Jesus blood is more powerful than anything that you ever committed and Jesus loves you. Something like that. You did it.
Speaker: That's it. I mean, that is your face. Thank you. I'm overwhelmed, Mike. Right? Because I think that there, there's so many, there's so many out there that feel as though that they're so broken.
Speaker: And that they've committed and that they've done so many things that they're outside of, that they could never earn. They could never move beyond their brokenness in order to be good enough to receive God's forgiveness. And what you're saying is you're saying, listen, that Christ came for the broken.
Speaker: and that He came to save and that there's nothing that you can do. It's only by God's grace that comes to you and that as you repent of your sin that Christ has promised and it's true that He'll forgive you of those sins and then you can follow Him and trust Him with your whole heart and life, although you don't have to get a tattoo in your face.
Speaker: But, but, but, but, but the, but the idea, the idea that I'm going to commit my whole life and loving obedience to him, not because it's just right to do, but because it's actually better that how is, how is following Jesus better, Mike?
Speaker: How is it better than all the promises? Because those voices that come, that they promise things, they promise happiness and joy. How is it that following Jesus is better? If I ask you, I go, how is it better than the things that the world promises me? How do you respond to somebody like that?
Speaker: It's better because you don't have to try to be something you're not. Everybody try to walk about trying to be something they're not. If they want to be a businessman, they try to walk around pretending like they're a businessman. If they want to be rich, they try to walk around pretending like they're rich. A lot of times people have a lot of pride and people try to be prideful and not even knowing. And so they try to live up to this fake pride of, oh, I'm better, I dress better, I talk better, I am better.
Speaker: So the reason why living for Jesus is better is because you don't have to live up to none of these worldly ways. All you have to do is seek God, love God, and love others as yourself. If you can love others as yourself and just seek God, it is so simple. You don't have to live up to where everybody else wants you to be.
Speaker: You don't have to do that. Just live up to who God wants you to be, who He created you to be, which is the Son of God. And it's much better when you love somebody, when you forgive somebody, when you're kind to somebody, when you want to help somebody, versus you want to be better than somebody. You don't want them around you. You can't forgive them. You want to hold a grudge. It takes all kinds of energy to live like that. But if you come to Jesus, Jesus is the one that gives you true energy to love, to forgive. And when you get to that point, it's easy.
Speaker: Well, listen, I, I tell you what, it's just been, it's been so kind. It's been so kind of you to come and to spend time with us. Our time has gone by really quickly. Hey, listen, before we leave, and I know our listeners can't see this, but can you just show me one big nice pop and lock for me before we leave?
Speaker: Hey, is it offensive at all? And you honestly can say it. I think that we should have a countdown and the three of us should give one simultaneous Jesus Christ. I love that. I did. I love that. Joe, come on. Ready? Three, two, one. Jesus. You're a good man, Mike. Thanks for spending time with us. Have a good day. God bless you guys. Jesus.
Speaker: Dude, I don't even know what to say. I don't know what to say about that. You know, I just say it. You want to know what? He's a really sweet guy. That dude is full of joy. You know, and I just, I mean, again, I like that guy so much. You know what? He's a really, he's a really sweet guy. And you can, you know, again, he's willing to, he's willing to put it out there and wow, what a story. Some time.
Speaker: Thanks for setting that up, man. That was a pretty remarkable story, and I hope that... And what was cool is it's been with everybody that we've met. The central theme is that if you take this time and have a chance to sit down with somebody, it really helps you to understand their story. That really helped me.
Speaker: I only had the social media view of him and I didn't, you know, without the rest of kind of the story or actually having some interaction, you don't get interaction on social media. You know, you just watch people do things. Um, but to be able to sit down with them, that really helped me now understand. And that's, that's what we wanted. You know, I want to understand what, what's going on here. You know, like, yeah, what, what is this? And wow.
Speaker: Yeah, and I think that's the thing, right? Is that you go, hey, I think some people could put him in a box or do different things, but I think that just the kindness that he had to say, hey, here's my story, and to be able to take an interest in that, I think, again, just proves that the most interesting people in the world is the one that's right in front of you, no matter who they are, because their story,
Speaker: Their story is unique and it's important and it's meaningful. And certainly for our Fred bike, he wants to use that to proclaim Jesus Christ. I can't believe you had us all say that.
Speaker: You had to. And he was cool with it. He was cool with it. He was cool with it. And do you know what that means? Do you know what this means? What? That's a wrap on season one. What a great way to end season one with Mike Servin. There you go. Hey, thanks for it. Thanks for setting it up, man. I appreciate it. That was really good.
Speaker: Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. It's not over. I know I just said this is the end of season one, but there are actually two bonus episodes coming over the next two weeks. In next week's bonus episode, we catch up with New York Damian following his first marathon. And the following week, I'll tell Joe another intriguing story about a wasp.
Speaker: We can't promise it'll be good, but it will be interesting. So do what you need to keep up. Like, share, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks, everybody.
