Hey, welcome to the podcast today. We are living
up in a down world. And usually I've got my way
better half sit on the other side of the table
from me, Annette. She's not going to be with
us today because I have a special guest. And
it's actually a whole family today. The coffee
family and Luke coffee is kind of the center
of this. show today and his story as one who
is a young, he was a child actor. He's in a lot
of shows, a lot of movies, written screenplays.
He's writing a book right now. A lot of interesting
things about Luke, but he also has a very powerful
story of pain, suffering, and what it means to
follow Christ when things are hard. And one of
the hardest things in his life was losing his
fiance. just before they were going to get married
and heartbreaking tragedy. But on the other hand,
there was another event that that led to later
on where he was at the White House and the Capitol
on January 6th in 2021. And you've heard about
Jay Sixers and what happened in this supposed
insurrection. Well, he was a part of that. He
was an unwilling participant. He didn't go there
to do that or be involved in any way. But this
is a young man who loves God, who's worked with
his father doing prison ministry, and now finds
himself on the other side of the bars as a Jay
Sixer. His story is powerful. It's compelling.
And as you listen to his family talk about the
dynamics of what they've been through, just keep
that in mind. So thanks for joining us today
for Living Up in a Down World, Conversations
with the Coffey Family. All right. Well, we always
want to start our conversations with a word of
prayer and giving all this to Jesus. I mean,
our heart is to consecrate everything we do to
him and that people who watch or listen, there's
an audio and video version of this, that they'll
be drawn to Christ. That's the whole point of
this. So I want to welcome you and we'll do introductions
in just a minute. So let's go ahead and pray
together. Father, what a privilege it is to be
here together with this amazing family. Lord,
what a story they have. twists and turns and
ups and downs, and yet your life in the middle
of it all. You, Jesus, ordering their steps and
delighting in every detail of their lives. So
I thank you for this family. Thank you for the
privilege of having a conversation today about
you and for your glory and your honor. And we
give everything to you. And for those that are
watching or listening today, I pray, Lord, that
you'll touch their heart and that you'll help
them get on the journey of faith. And get on
the great adventure with us. Pray these things
in Jesus' name. Everybody said, Amen. I want
to welcome you to Living Up in a Down World Conversations.
As you know, if you're a regular listener or
now a watcher or viewer, that we've made some
adjustments in our programming. And before it
was audio and with Annette, affectionately known
as Dame Annette around here. And she's actually
here. She's just sitting over at another seat.
But we'll do another podcast with us together.
But I have some very special guests today that
I'm really excited about. And this is a family.
Not just an individual, but a family who has
walked out their journey of faith, walked out
their life of faith, lived it out. Not just talking
about it, not just saying it, but doing it and
living it. And so I'm going to divert, first
of all, to Luke, because I know Luke. Luke has
become a member of our church and involved and
connected. He also is an executive producer for
another podcast, and I'll let you introduce that
as well. And we'll let us know how others can
get to see that great podcast. And I want you
to introduce your family. Thanks for having me,
Jimmy. So, yeah, I'm privileged that my parents
are visiting me in town. I just moved to Fredericksburg
about five or six weeks ago. And I have the privilege
of helping produce Going Rogue with Laura Logan,
who I met through my story. And that's, you know,
that's why I think you've asked me to come. And,
you know, the amazing thing is, you know, God
is the author of story. He created it. You know,
I mean, he is the master creator. And our testimonies
are, you know, the biggest way we can impact
the kingdom. And, you know, my parents will testify.
But ever since I was a little. Boy, I was making
movies on my ranch and wanted to be involved
in media. I was a child actor and did all these
things. And but I just I know and have seen it
in my own life through living a adventurous story,
as you said yesterday in church that living,
you know, having walking with the Holy Spirit
and when you fully commit, especially it is an
adventure. But that means. storms and valleys
and peaks and all the rest. And, you know, and
I think in my own story, it's, you know, I have
trusted because God got me to my knees several
times where then that's a beautiful thing when
you when you finally end up where, you know,
there's no one else that can save you from, you
know, the pitfalls of this world other than the
Lord. And so you can only look up. So there's
there's a beautiful thing when you're. broken
to that level yeah and uh and so my two heroes
in my life are my parents and being the oldest
you know I've I never thought I all my siblings
have uh have their own children and I you know
I think thinking back I would have been maybe
the first to get married but you know I'll also
love the quote if you want to make God laugh
tell him your plans so uh I've said that you
know I continue to echo that but uh but God has
you know if you trust in a sovereign hand as
providential planned then he does you know he
does want to give you the desires of your heart
and he wants to especially if we're at a place
where lord just used me if you're there he will
use you if you cry out and you say it you know
do i think the big thing is asking um for his
will if it's your will you know instead of these
wants and desires that may not be you know that
may be of the flesh or outside of his will through
the holy spirit it's like asking Lord, give me
your will. But if it's your will, I would like
to have a family and a wife for these, these
things. So in your timing, you know, so that
being said, yeah. So this is my father, Rusty
and Mary Beth, my mother, Mary Beth coffee were
spelled like the spelled like the drink. Yeah.
And so I want to. read an introduction to a book
I'm writing about my story. And then I want to,
you know, start the conversation. They've been
through a journey with me through two different
big tragedies. And we've seen God's hand and
his redemptive glory in it. And so life has a
way of challenging our faith, testing our strength
in ways we never anticipated. In the darkest
of times, we find ourselves questioning everything.
especially when the pain feels unbearable. But
I've learned through the chaos, through the heartache,
through the storms, God is present, not just
in the good, but in the struggles too. He is
the God of miracles, both natural and supernatural,
and he works in ways that can defy explanation.
I never imagined I would survive a hit and run
accident that nearly took my life, nor did I
imagine I'd be forced to navigate the excruciating
pain of losing Elizabeth, who's been the love
of my life. But even in those moments, as my
world crumbled, I came to see that God's hand
was at work. He was shaping my story, even in
the midst of suffering, leading me toward a greater
purpose. The journey didn't stop there. Just
when I thought I had weathered the greatest storm
in my life, the events of January 6, 2021 brought
me into yet another battle, a battle not just
for truth, but for my very reputation, for my
faith, and for relationships I thought were unshakable.
People I loved, people I trusted began to turn
away. In the face of adversity, I found myself
not only physically and emotionally isolated,
but spiritually tested in a new way. I thought
I'd been through the worst, and in many ways
I had, but this way was a new kind of suffering,
one that cut deeper than any I had experienced
before. It forced me to confront something I
never fully acknowledged, my need for approval
of others. And I think that fear of man keeps
a lot of good men from stepping up. In the midst
of public judgment, condemnation, and abandonment
by people I once held dear, I realized that God
was calling me to abandon the approval of man.
No longer could I live for the validation of
others or seek their approval to determine my
worth. In the silence of those moments, I understood
that God's approval was all I needed. It was
His truth I had to cling to, His voice I had
to follow, and His love that would sustain me.
As Romans 8, 28 reminds us, and we know that
God, that in all things, God works for the good
of those who love him and who have been called
according to his purpose. Even in the face of
rejection, isolation, and suffering, I began
to see that God was still at work. I had to trust
that he was using every piece of my story, the
good and the painful, for a purpose beyond what
I could see. Sometimes God allows what he hates
to accomplish what he loves. Through my journey
of loss, hardship, and healing, I saw how God's
love can shine through even the most difficult
circumstances. His miracles are often hidden
in the mess of our lives, in the trials that
seem impossible to bear. I'm almost done here.
When a heart is broken, it's gifted with compassion,
the kind of compassion that only can come from
having experienced deep suffering. Through the
heartache and grief, we are transformed. We begin
to understand the depths of pain others carry,
and we are called to love more like our Savior
Jesus. He comforts us in our suffering, and now
it becomes our calling to comfort others in theirs,
as it says in 2 Corinthians 1, 3 -4. Praise be
to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion, the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles so that we
can go and comfort others in their troubles with
the comfort we ourselves receive from God. Forgiveness
has been a cornerstone of my healing journey.
It's not merely an act of releasing others from
their wrongs, but a profound release of the burden
of resentment and anger that heavily weighs us
on our soul. Choosing to forgive has allowed
me to let go of the past, to heal, and to move
forward with a lighter heart and an ultimate
miracle of grace. This book is a testament of
these miracles. This story is a testament of
those miracles to the invisible thread of hope
and grace that have been woven together in my
life. It's a story of a man who, through great
suffering, came to understand that God is with
us, not just in the mountaintops, but also in
the valleys. From surviving an accident that
should have killed me to standing in the storm
of public scrutiny, God has a present. God has
been present working through the pain, through
the loneliness, and through the miracles, both
big and small. It's a story of resilience, of
trusting in the unseen, embracing the hope that
comes from knowing we are not alone no matter
what we face. And it's a reminder that in the
end, it's God's approval that matters most. Come
on, brother. Have you all heard this before?
Okay, so this is the first time. I heard part
of that. Okay. Listen, thank you for sharing
that. It raises questions for me. Good. In a
good way. And one of them is this. This has been
credited to Will Rogers, this quote, but it's
iffy if he actually said it. But it sounds like
something he'd say, and it is, I never trust
a man who doesn't walk with a limp. And I'll
go back right back to Jacob. I go back to the
river Jabbok where. He wrestled with, the Bible
gives a capital M, the man. He wrestled with
a man. And it was in that wrestling, if you'll
remember what he said, I will not let you go
unless you bless me. And he held on, apparently,
through the night. I mean, and he must have got.
the tar beat out of him. I mean, in Texas terms,
I mean, he must've just took a whooping, you
know what I'm saying? Because it literally, you
know, it dislocated his hip and he walked with
a permanent limp. And, and I, I echo the sentiment
of Will Rogers that I, I too do not trust a man
or a woman who doesn't walk with a limp. And
so when, partly because of my own journey, my
own experience, and I'll save that for another
day, maybe another conversation, but. Having
walked through the valley of the shadow of death,
you talked about three different really distinct
and intense times in your life. The first accident,
the second accident, and your loss, and then,
of course, the J6 experience. As parents, okay,
so I have a son your age, so I could be your
dad. So as parents, we know that when our kids...
Our sons, our daughters go through painful times.
It's a dagger in our hearts. Why don't we start
with you and just share, even as you hear him
read that and you know and you've walked through
this, what's been part of your story in terms
of how it impacted your life? Well, first of
all, I want to say I wasn't prepared to do this
today, and I haven't prayed for them as they
speak, but I don't. But the Lord will show me
what to say. I guess as a mother, the hurt you
carry, you hurt for your child. And without the
Lord, you tend to carry the burden on your own
shoulders. So for me, it has been... years of
giving over my child and my children to the Lord
and putting them at the foot of the cross and
knowing that he, he is capable. He is, he is
capable to carry my burden and I'm not supposed
to carry it. And as As far as Luke, I look at
him and see how God has, throughout his life,
prepared him for today and prepared him for each
thing that he has been through. God took him,
prepared every bit of the way. Luke has had a
burden to glorify the Lord since he was a child.
And I didn't have any clue that it would take
all the suffering. But God, by his grace, has
held him up through this. And I see. the perfecting
and the just building up and the refining. And
I do see now how God is going to greatly use
him. I, to be serious, am still limping and limping
with two legs probably. I'm one of four. And
all of my siblings have brought, you know, they've
had their storms. And my parents have worn, you
know, their pain, too. I think one of the hardest
things with our family has been the division.
You talked about it in church yesterday. We have
been a very close family when God brings these.
Opportunities. Opportunities, yeah. That's a
silver lining moment there. Unknown, unplanned
for events into your life. And also when you
have a big, we have four to me, that's kind of
a big family. And all the different personalities,
how each one of them handled, you know, and also
each one of them being in a different place with
the Lord. That was something that has been tremendous
as far as impact on our family. So there are
family members that didn't speak to Luke for
a while. And then they're like, Mom and Dad,
why are you handling it this way? And anyway,
then I see with time the healing that has taken
place. And we're still praying for a couple of.
that they will seek the Lord through this and
that God will use. And we do know that he will
use it. Our kids definitely up our prayer game,
don't they? You know, they bring us things that
happen to them, to you, bring us to our knees.
And they actually do bring us closer to the Lord.
There are things that we had to walk through
with our own family and our own kids. It's not
been a straight path. If there's anything I've
learned as I've gotten older, everyone has a
story. Everyone. They may not all be telling
it. There's going to be nuances of differences,
but at the end of the day, there's something
that pain, suffering, loss breeds in us something
that looks a lot more like Jesus. Philippians
3 .10, in fact, Pastor Brian quoted this yesterday
in his little section there, and he said, Philippians
3 .10, that I may know him and the power of his
resurrection. I always thought it'd be nice if
there was a period there. There's not. It's just
a comma. And he says, and the fellowship of his
sufferings, being conformed to his image in death,
but also the rhetorical is, and also in the resurrection,
right, to life. And that pain that we go through,
it either makes or breaks us, doesn't it? But
for we who have Christ and have that hope, we're
not like those in the world that are without
hope, the scripture says. It actually drives
us to God, not away from God. I made God a promise
years ago. I said, I'm going to make a lot of
mistakes. I read about David as a new Christian.
I said, I'm that guy. I relate to him. But I
am a man after God's own heart, so I promise
God. I'm going to run, but I'm not going to run
away from you. And when I blow it, like David,
I'll be quick to repent, and I will chase you
down. And like Jacob at the river Jabbok, I will
grab you by the legs and not let go. That's been
my story in my life. And I'm thankful in retrospect
for those difficult seasons because they did
train me for the next thing coming. It was never
looking back, because we can't always see it
going. forward but looking back you realize this
prepared me for this the interconnectivity of
it all and uh i i can see that and even hear
it just in the the linear version of your story
this this this and now what next you know that's
here too as well yeah but thank you for sharing
that i know that's tender yeah and i will say
that i'm When you're in the depths of the, I've
been a believer all my life. And when it has
gotten very, very dark, we had to wait. There
was a period of time that I wasn't coming out
of the darkness. But I knew that he was going
to bring me out. But it lasted. It can last a
long time. It can last a long time. So you're
telling me that as a Christian, you're not perfect.
Okay, good. We can hang out. And when I would
be at my weakest rest, you know, God would have
supplied him with the strength to bring me up
and vice versa. And we, to be quite blunt, have
had a difficult marriage when we were younger.
I see that God, I mean, it's amazing after what
we've been through as parents that, I mean, we're
each other's best friends now. God healed them.
Yeah. So God, and he is healing our family. It
just takes time and you have to hang in there.
And by the grace of God, our faith has sustained
us. Sustained Luke. And it's God. God. Sometimes
you have to wait a long time. You know, there's
that scripture. It says those who endure to the
end will be saved. I never liked that verse,
to be honest. I'm like, that sounds like there's
going to be a lot to endure. If we have to endure
to the end, that means we will be exactly what
it says. We will have to endure things in this
life. And there's been some real shifts in my
own mindset where I used to disdain that. I had
this fantasy, I think we all did when we were
younger, thinking there's going to come a point
in my life where I'll hit a plateau and I won't
have to suffer anymore. I won't have to feel
pain or I won't have to experience disappointment
or loss. But I've learned that's just not the
way it is. And I've resolved to be okay with
that. So now when things happen, I don't get
surprised anymore. I just say, okay, I have to
trust that everything that's happened up to this
point has trained me for this. Right? This is
where we trust. This is a big deal, isn't it?
Trust. When you can't see. That's what faith
is. That is. You trust and hold on when you cannot
see. You cannot see. And you don't know how long.
Pastor, brother, prison minister. A little bit
of your version of how this has impacted you
and just your version of that. My whole life
or just right here? Oh, really, yeah. Just your
family. Family. Since I married Mary Beth. So
important. Yeah, we've been married by the grace
of God May 21st, 48 years. As she said, it's
not been always a walk through the park. type
relationship. We've had ups and downs, particularly
when we were younger and more immature in our
persons. But God took us through that period
of time. What can I say? Luke, before Luke was
conceived, we would pray daily for our, when
we found out he was, Going to be a boy. Prayed
Luke 2 .52. You know that scripture? Not off
the top of my head. Okay, and Jesus increased
in wisdom and stature in favor with God and man.
And like you said, that he would be a man after
God's own heart like David. That was the prayer
for Luke before he was even created in his mother's
womb. Beautiful. And that has come true. That
is reality now. But I have to say, I want to
caveat, you didn't know that meant you were setting
him up for some pain. Because when we ask God,
we sing these songs in our worship services.
Have you ever just stopped to look at the words
we're singing? We're basically challenging God
to send us out into deeper water, into deeper
places. And then when it happens, we're shocked
and surprised. But we don't realize we've repeated
that every Sunday for six months. And yet God...
Because he loves us so much, he cares more about
our character than he does our comfort. And he's
creating and crafting something. So when y 'all
were praying those prayers for Luke, sorry that
your parents prayed that for you, it was in a
way a setup, but a good setup. Because the outcome
is gold that's been refined by fire. And I'm
seeing that. And that's clear in the scriptures
that we're going to go through the fire. Beautiful.
You can't escape that. Just a little of my testimony.
I came to faith when I was 20 years old by reading
the Gospel of John in a non -Christian class
at SMU. My whole world was around football. My
father was a football coach. He coached with
Royal at Texas. Nice. Later, he became my head
football coach. a school in Dallas. And so my
whole life was centered around football or sports.
So you've been in some of those halftime pep
talks. Yeah, I can relate exactly what you're
talking about. That got kind of ugly sometimes.
Actually, he would come in and be the guy that
would chew us out. There he is. I was being nice
yesterday. Church. Yes, but I could certainly
relate. Can't repeat most of what was said. Right.
So having been raised by a football coach, as
he is and was, and he's in heaven now because
in the last six months before he passed, he came
to faith. Beautiful. After 40 years of praying
for him. And mocking my father for being a missionary
and a prison minister. Wow. He mocked it. Story
there, right? Oh, yeah. Beautiful. I believe
her. He wanted to turn me. He said, this is not
going to last. So just, you know, cause, cause
I told him I wouldn't give up my football scholarship.
That made him very angry. But, uh, wow. Uh, I
did. My dad said, don't become one of the, that's
good son. Just don't become one of those fanatics.
I said, it's too late. I'm already there. That's
right. But he's been gracious. I was one of those
fanatics and still am. But, uh, I, Quickly after
graduating from college, I prayed for a godly
wife. And God brought the godly wife, my wife.
And it didn't take long to know she was going
to be my wife. And nine months later, we were
married. This coming May 21st will be our 48th
year. Beautiful. I think about a year later,
we had Luke. After those prayers, I decided.
And we've had him now for 45 years and been with
him every step of the way through ups and downs
of his life. And he's been with ours, ups and
downs of our life. He's witnessed that. But after
about 25 years of a business, real estate business
in Dallas, God put it in my heart to... make
my focus not building a kingdom on earth, a material
kingdom, a financial kingdom, which was where
I was. He brought that all to a collapse, literally,
because we had the Great Recession of 1986, 87,
and everybody was in Dallas and around. Texas
was going broke, and banks were going broke,
and oil and gas dropped down the bottom. And
so all this that I had built up collapsed. And
I see how God took it away. So my focus would
be on his kingdom, building his kingdom that
is coming. And so that was 1995 or so, 95, 99.
I began to go to overseas on mission trips, Russia.
And then Cuba, I really began to focus on Cuba
and have now been probably 50 trips to Cuba where
God is using me to help plant house churches.
They don't build buildings over there. The government
will not build them in a communist country. So
the model of the early church is how. The best
way to multiply and make disciples in Cuba, and
I think it's a good model for a lot of places.
Did you know the church in Corinth was never
larger than 150 people in seven locations? Oh,
in seven different locations. Seven locations.
They were house churches. Seven different houses.
No one thinks that way. No one thinks that way.
I know. Because we're American. We're Western.
We don't think that way. We want everything bigger
and grander, but, you know, God. Supersized.
God likes these intimate, small house churches,
and it really works in multiplying in the country
of Cuba. So that's kind of my focus. I'm helping
a couple do that by supporting them and going
over there two or three times a year to encourage
them and walk beside them. And I've been working
with them for 30 -something years. Beautiful.
That doesn't relate to Luke, but Luke has actually
gone with me to – I also was going to Cuba for
a while, I mean Haiti. And Luke went with me
on one trip to Haiti and then to Cuba, Dominican
Republic, just that area down there. And prisons.
Yeah. That's really what my primary focus is
weekly is to go to Texas state prisons. And talking
about a broken community, that's inside a Texas
prison. So these people have been broken. They've
been stripped of everything, like Luke is talking.
Literally, they've been stripped of their freedom,
their families, their finances, their jobs, all
of that. Their identity. Their identity. I mean,
this is one of the most broken communities of
people groups. You'd say in the world is those
are inside prisons. Thank you for going there.
I say I was raised in a first responder home.
He was a firefighter. This is first responder.
This is frontline stuff going into the middle
of brokenness and bringing life. It definitely
is. And it's funny. I've never been arrested,
but I can somehow relate to these men who. are
serving time in a prison, although I've never
been in their place. Probably before 20, you
just didn't get caught. Well, that's true. That's
kind of my testimony. Well, that's really true,
I think. Yeah, you affirm that. That's certainly
true. But I have a passion for it that God has
given me. I can't shake it. It's not like, oh,
I've got to get up and go to prison tomorrow.
It's not a drudgery, probably as yourself. You
look forward to getting up and presenting. Can't
wait. It's game day. Share the word on Sundays
or whenever. Feels like football day. Feels like
game day. Game day. It's supposed to work out
on Tuesday. This is game day. Game night. Friday
night lights. That's right. And Luke has actually
gone with me into prison before he. That's the
first time I had been in prison. First and only
time before January 6th. I was going to segue
that because it really does feed into you were
on one side. Right. Is it a different perspective
going in the other way? Well, that's where, you
know, dad was like trying to prep me for it.
I was like, pops, you get to leave at the end
of the day, you know. So it's definitely. And
that's the irony of, you know, the first time
I ever. shared so i've written a screenplay about
like my previous uh story about losing elizabeth
and really you know i it was the worst and best
thing that happened to me in my life which is
that's hard to even say those words because she
was my best friend and loved my life and and
just to see the family you know that was the
hardest thing to being a survivor and i can get
a little more into that but The irony is the
first time I told that story, I was very, you
know, God, I wanted I'm mission oriented. I'm
a mix between these two. I have the compassion,
compassionate heart, not on the same level as
my mother. But for a man, I have pretty compassionate,
you know, heart and especially after being heartbroken.
And then I have the drive and, you know, passion
of my father, you know, and his. So I'm a mix
of these two. And I think I was when they had
a marriage growing up when it was. you know,
not the best thing. Like I was kind of in between
it. And I, I, I kind of saw why one was not what,
why the one was frustrated. The other is like,
just tell her she's pretty and you appreciate
her, you know, mom, just support them, you know,
just, you know, come on, let's just get this
to work this out. Yeah. And, uh, so, and that's
what's irony of that is like, I've been in, you
know, I'm still 45 yet to be married. I've been
engaged on, you know, almost twice. And, uh,
But I've been in between some marriages of some
of my best friends. You know, they kind of bring
me in as a mediator. It's very it's been a weird
deal. And I wrote a marriage program during my
Christian marriage boot camp, not from my own
knowledge, but from research. The last four years
I wrote with a guy hired me to write one. So
a Christian boot camp for couples that were struggling.
So that being said, yeah, the first time I had
gone to prison was to share my story. And, yeah,
I was a little different when I was checked in
as a domestic terrorist and belly chained. And,
you know, I mean, it was and I've played, ironically,
Jimmy, I've played a domestic terrorist twice
in TV shows and a prisoner. So it was just very
strange. Wow. You know. Wow. Very serendipitous.
It was. So Annette and I, we had someone had
recommended one of the documentaries, J6 documentary.
OK. And we were just learning about this. OK.
All we knew was what the news was saying. So
we had the news narrative going, oh, yeah, that
was a bad deal. I can't believe they did that.
And we saw the guy with the horns, the other
guy kicking his feet up on the desk. And so that
was the narrative we knew. And then some friends
of ours, as I really began to speak into culture,
said, have you seen this documentary on J6? It's
not what you think. And that was right after
all the footage came out. I think Tucker released
a lot of footage that no one had seen. and all
of a sudden it's a different story. So we saw
the documentary that was made out of that. Okay.
And you were a large part of that. Epic Times
one? Yes, yes, that is that. And I remember when
you came on and I heard you talking about Jesus,
I get goosebumps thinking about it because I
was like, there's something on that guy. This
is not normal. And it was really interesting
that the Lord had directed. Them to tell your
story. Yeah. And, of course, the tragic side
of that as well. But also, I'll never forget
the picture of you, not just the picture, the
video of you holding a crutch up, telling people
to pray, telling them to stop, trying to get
them to stand down, and yet someone behind you
with a billy club or baton trying to beat you.
I mean, it was a shocking scene. Yeah. But look
at the... wisdom of god to get that caught on
video because it is a testimony and it is now
you didn't you didn't sign up for this club but
you're in it and you're kind of the chairman
of it well and that to take take take you back
three months before january 6th i was so we were
raising equity around the story called we were
calling it texas angel true story faith hope
and love uh around my my backstory losing elizabeth
and Maybe in a different episode we can go into,
cause there's, you know, Steve went into the
supernatural and that's very much part of my,
my story. And there are some miracles that happened
around January 6th as well. But yeah, there was,
you know, so I, I felt God's sovereign hand through
that. That's my, that's, and he enlisted me like
seven days after my accident, I heard the voice
of the Lord say, Luke, your story is not over,
but I want you to start telling it. And I was
going to share it. I couldn't go back to Elizabeth's
funeral. We were going to share it. He wanted
me to share it that day. We were going to watch
the funeral, and Dad kind of did. For all the
L .A. people, this accident happened in Hollywood.
Elizabeth and I were from Dallas, and her funerals
were going to be back in Texas. And I got up
there, and, I mean, it was an audible voice from
the Lord. I had prayed all week, Lord, I was
ready to take my life, Jimmy. I was like, this
is, her family didn't want her to move to LA.
I had her over my shoulder when we were hit by
the hit and run driver crossing the street. And
I've seen the video of us getting hit. There's,
I shouldn't be alive. The car was going upwards
of 90 miles per hour. And I totaled it. My body
totaled it. And Elizabeth died instantly. And
I walked out of the hospital seven days later.
And there's, there's so many, you know, Looking
back, God had this, you know, I wanted to tell
great stories and Elizabeth and I wanted to tell
kingdom minded stories, not necessarily Christian.
You don't need a label. The Christian label.
God is the creator of story. And Hollywood is
a soulless place. So therefore they tell soulless
stories and demonic ones. So so anyway, but that's
the irony is God has. Through my life, wanted
me to tell my own story, which, you know, as
writers, you are writers and creators, you know,
your story the best, you know, so that's or you
people write about what you know, that's what
they say. And I know my story very well. And
I also intimately know that God wants to use
all our stories to glorify his son and through
the Holy Spirit. And and if you think about I
always think about this is the greatest story
ever told was Jesus. It was like this rock that
was thrown in this pond, okay? And then there
was just these ripples, you know? But guess what
caused those ripples? It's the rock of Christ,
you know? And I prayed before Elizabeth died,
and I believe that's not why God took her, but
it's why he took her in my story. I prayed for
brokenness for a calendar year because she brought
me back to Jesus. After five years in Hollywood
where I was, you know, questioning things and
not living for the Lord. And, you know, because
of these people who were my rock growing up,
I mean, the first verses that came through my
mind was what, you know, trust in the Lord with
all your heart. That I memorized with my daddy
when I was, you know, six years old. Don't lean
on your own understandings. All your ways acknowledge
them and it'll make your path straight. And as
I was going through this nightmare. of losing
her though these verses that i memorized that's
why it's you know he guys tells us to raise your
children right you know right raise them up right
and you know and uh with the lord and i'm saying
i mean i those were was what came through my
mind but i prayed every single day for a year
because i wanted to she had this childlike faith
and i remember the first night i met her i was
like um uh i said you know our ranch is shared
a fence line in texas and she didn't believe
anything was a coincidence that we met on, you
know, a boat in Dallas. I mean, a boat in LA
and our ranch is shared a fence line back in
Texas. And, you know, and I said, I was going
to marry her that first night. And, and I remember
early on questioning about like, you know, Because
I felt I loved all these people that weren't
raised like us in the Bible Belt in L .A. It
was my first time. I went to Bethlehem on the
Brazos, Baylor University. That's where I got
my film degree. And I moved to Hollywood. And,
you know, it was very it was, you know, never
been to L .A. And there was a lot of darkness.
And that can be a whole nother episode, too.
But Elizabeth just had this childlike faith.
She's like, you don't need to worry about let
the Holy Spirit do its job and just love people
and love our Lord. And so just simplify it and
bring it back to that childlike faith. And so
I prayed every day, Lord, break me. I was looking
at the heroes in Scripture. They'd all go through
suffering. That's a dangerous prayer. It is a
dangerous prayer. He answers those. He does.
He does. And I remember these beautiful moments
in our relationship. She was like my best friend.
She called me out and stuff, but we were just
equals, like my teammate, co -partner. And she
really brought me back to the Lord. God chose
to take her and leave me. And again, they have
a charity foundation. They've raised $9 million
in her name for children in need. It's a Christian
one in North Texas. But that prepared me for
the January 6th thing. And I saw God's supernatural
hand multiple times in that story. And my dad
can attest, we may have to tell this one before
we go. That was the worst nightmare of my life,
losing somebody and seeing the people that she
loved worse. You know, her father has dealt with
some addiction and, you know, alcoholism. And
I've seen them be healed, but it was I hated
to see, you know, and to know that I survived.
Like, why, Lord? Why did you not take me instead
of her? She wanted to be a mother more than anything.
And so that's. But he carried me through that,
and he gave me in seven days, I went from wanting
to take my life to having a mission and knowing
he wanted to use my story for his glory. And
the story wasn't over, but I was supposed to
start telling it. And the irony of that is, like,
God opened up doors through me telling the story,
and he said he was. And he said, in my timing,
Luke, I want you to make a film about this. I
didn't say when that was. So going to setting
up January 6th, we were raising equity. kind
of going in and then covet interrupted it and
this has been a a couple times we had to put
this project on hold and it's it's a notebook
type love story or or love story from the 70s
that old story that but it's god's there's supernatural
miracles and and there's too many coincidences
and it's providence you know these to to if you
line them up to be to be a made -up story and
i'm not that creative a guy but you know what
our god is and and it so it shows All these God
stepping in at these moments when I was playing
out like, Lord, I need encouragement. If it's
your will, you know, and God would show up like
in supernatural ways. And and my parents can
attest to all this. But so we got to a place
at the end of covid. My dad was like, couldn't
go into prisons because of the lockdowns. And
he's like, son, I used to raise equity for film
deals. Yeah. I'm sorry for real estate deals.
And I want to help you with this equity raise.
Cause I wanted somebody to be the financial.
So I could just be the creative aspect of it.
And I was like, dad, this is what I've been praying
for. And he's like, you sure? I was like, yeah.
So I went back that night after meeting with
him at our lake house, but drove back to Dallas
and I laid down on my bed and I just heard this
is the second time where, you know, the first
time was right. Seven days after Elizabeth, I
heard the Lord say, Luke, it's not time. Your
story is not over. I'm going to take you through
a dark storm. You're going to lose your business,
your reputation. Family is going to turn on you.
Friends are going to think you're crazy and and
you're going to be more attacked by the enemy
than you ever have before. And he said, I want
you to start. I've put you in media. And this
is what he said after Elizabeth. I've made you
a storyteller, you know, and I put you in media
to expose. the darkness and I want you to be
one of my watchmen. I'm pulling back a curtain
on nothing's new in the sun by pulling back a
curtain to expose in the season, you know, revelations
coming, right? And he said, it won't last long,
but it'll be very painful. But in my timing,
I will redeem you, my son, and give you an opportunity
to share my truth. and continue to expose the
darkness. And so that was three months before
January 6th. He didn't say I was going to go
to prison, but it was a gift. It's a good thing
he doesn't tell us everything. It is. We'd run
to Nineveh. He told us that experience. The next
day. Yeah, the next day. And there was immediate
demonic attacks and just, you know. I had people
that had worked for me, you know, on my cruise.
I had a commercial production company, but I
had been in advertising. And I knew, you know,
that all this was fear -based propaganda around
COVID. And, you know, that God wanted, needed
his people to stand up and expose it, be vocal.
And this was early on when people were, you know,
you're going to kill my grandmother, you know.
And I had, it was amazing, you know, Jimmy, to
see that. how many men that I thought were like
alpha males that just bent the knee, you know,
and, or, or even said, what are you doing coffee?
You know? And I had fear for my parents that,
well, you're going to lose your business, Luke,
you're being out. So I was like, well, so be
it. I mean, the Lord said he's, he's gonna, you
know, but I'd also had been praying that God.
I'm tired of the advertising business. I want
to do something more kingdom -minded, and I want
to use my skills to impact the kingdom in a greater
way. You didn't know this was your exit strategy.
No, I didn't know this was my exit strategy.
But that's what he does sometimes. He brings
in a storm and washes it all away so he can start
afresh, you know, and set you up to, you know.
I mean, I met Laura Logan because she, you know,
going back to documentary, she was making a documentary
around my story and the death of Roseanne Boylan.
So it was, I mean, it was a gift that the Lord,
gave me that because it was, I, I'm a recovering
people pleaser. I'm still like every day there's,
there's, you know, I want to be, you know, I
justify it sometimes. Well, I want to be a good
guy for the Lord. And, you know, but sometimes
it's, it's there. That's also, you know, pleasing
man, you know, and I had all these friends, quote
unquote, you know, I had 300, 400 people at my
40th birthday and Gary P. Nunn played. And no,
those people all disappeared when all this January
6th came, you know, But there's a, you know,
it really revealed, you know, I prayed for brokenness
again. And that was like the big last thing that
God needed to strip me of was, you know, the
fear of man. And I'm telling you, when you've
gone through fire like this and your whole reputation
of firestorm in the media of, you know, Texas
Monthly did this huge hit piece on me and said
I was hiding out from the FBI, told a blatant
lie while I was talking to the FBI. So how can
I be hiding out? But it was, I know all my parents,
you know, it was our family name. It was hard
for them to endure because it's their son, but
it's also like everybody's calling them and there's
an embarrassment and shame aspect of it for all
of us. And my siblings, especially, you know,
I remember my brother saying, of course this
happened to Luke Coffey, you know, it's like,
so anyway, so it's been just. But again, God
prepared me for this. And I, you know, and I,
through what he told me, I said, this is, you
know, the Lord told me that I was going to go
through a storm and he's going to use it. He's
going to use it, but we have to lean into the
storm and cause he's going to, it's, it's coming
either way in our lives, you know, at some point,
you know, that not every person will experience,
uh, unconditional love. But I think every person
can relate to something that they've suffered
through if they've lived long enough. And that's
a common thread. We see in David's life, he ran
towards the giant. He didn't run away. He ran
towards him. It was totally insane in the natural,
but he wasn't operating in the natural. We also
see that an eagle doesn't fly away from the storm.
They fly over the storm, but they've got to fly
into it to get over it. And there's this principle
that God has set up where, Those who you see
Joshua and the Lord saying everywhere you go,
your feet tread. I'm going to give you that land.
And he did. He stepped into it. And it was insane
the things they did. They marched around a fortress
for seven days and blew a trumpet. Like what?
But God will bring us into these things that
make no sense to anyone and even ourselves. Again,
if he gives you the whole story, you'd probably
bolt and run. Just like, you know. It's happened
before, right? Jonah. Exactly. We go the other
way. And yet I'm glad he doesn't tell us the
whole story. Right. I'm glad that because what
he does, he creates dependence on him. If you
don't know the whole picture, you're just getting
pieces of it. All you know to do is cling to
him. And that's what you were doing. You're just
hanging on, almost like hanging on for the ride.
Oh, yeah. You know, and not knowing what's coming
next. Yeah. Well, and I just think, too, just
if we if we look at. Our life, our life story
and the Holy Spirit is in us. Like Steve talked
about that there's that light of the Holy Spirit
that exists in us, that every day, you know,
somebody, God could put somebody in your path
that you could impact, you know, because of where
you are. That is a Holy Spirit moment. Absolutely.
But you have to have the eyes to see and the
ears to hear, you know, and be bold. to make
use of that moment. But if you're timid or if
you're just unaware or if you're completely consumed
with yourself and your desires and all those,
then you don't have the eyes to see or the ears
to hear. But I experienced that within my story
through it was, and again, well, these are just
previews for maybe another episode, but I had
a homeless man that intertwined. I'll share this
one very quickly. Because this is just an example
of how the Lord works. He sent me a homeless
man early on after Elizabeth died. Homeless man,
a black guy that had just gotten out of prison.
But it wasn't a businessman in a suit. It wasn't
this CEO. I mean, it was just the nature of Jesus.
So I know we're jumping around a little bit,
but this is just, I think the Holy Spirit guided
me here. I had prayed for God. I was, my friends
were trying to get me to come out. I'd moved
back to Texas after my accident. And I thought
I was that the Lord was going to use me to help
her family and grieve. And they just didn't want
to see me. And a lot of the pain and hurt went
towards me and her dad forgave the driver and,
and kind of the bitterness went towards me because
they didn't want her to move away. And I took
her away. So, and that's another big thing with
forgiveness and where, you know, unforgiveness.
And it's very much, again, it's when you're holding
onto that, that unforgiveness, that's not good
for you. And, you know, obviously we have been
shown complete grace from our Savior. And the
more you hold on to it and let bitterness, you
know, it's not good for us. But during that period,
I became bitter at the driver because he was
forgiven and I wasn't. And they didn't want to
see me for a long time, her family. But through
this homeless man, God brought her dad and I
together. Just ironically, it's just a beautiful
story. But and you're a music guy. Jimmy was
in a band and has been involved in the music
scene. But we had the song Chris Christopherson
originally wrote it, me and Bobby McGee. And
but it was Elizabeth's song and it would come
up at all these major moments. And this is just.
the this is how beautiful god has like these
god winks i think especially after suffering
or grief and that he gives these little uh little
you know moments where it's it's so personal
that you know it's from the lord you know so
um you know elizabeth called me you know her
bobby and it would just like we were leaving
when i was driving to la her her parents were
bawling crying it's the last time her father
saw her and i drove her with all her packed car
and And she was bawling. She was like, I just
wish you knew my daddy better. And I was like,
babe, we can have you stay for another six months
while they get used to this idea. And she's like,
no, this is our life, Luke Coffey. I want to
go. She's like, let's turn on the radio. And
so we turn it on, me and Bobby McGee. She's like,
see, we're walking in God's will, Luke. And so
that's what she connected this song to. So I
was going fast forward a couple months after
our accident. I moved back to Texas and Dallas.
And my buddies were like, come out, coffee. You
know, everybody wants to see you. And I was like,
all right. And I remember I was crying in the
shower. I was like, Lord, if it's your will,
I need some encouragement tonight. I want to
sign that Elizabeth still attached to this world.
And I think about what Steve said. And even during
my trial, I just remember there was a big. It
was a big room. It's a dark, you know, the federal
building, the federal courthouse is a dark place.
It is, yeah. And there were these Antifa people
that were just giving, just, you know, looking
at me the whole time. And I used, Jimmy, I used
the whole, it was a five -day trial, but I told
my whole story, and I was like, I'm going to
testify of God's goodness, and this will be my
testimony. You know, so. Be recorded. Yeah, exactly.
But I remember looking up, and there's just,
it's a big room, and there's. I just remember
thinking about all the saints, you know, they're
sitting in there and watching the heavenly host
cloud of cloud of witnesses. But I prayed that
night. I was like, Lord, I want to, well, Elizabeth
was my biggest cheerleader on earth. I just want
to know that she's somehow still attached. If
it's her will give me a sign. So my, my buddy
picks me up and I'd shared this at Dallas real
estate ministries. I, I mean, I, right after
I got home, God, God started opening these doors
for me to share my story. And it's like there
was a article written about my story. It said
when a young girl dies, an editorial piece, human
impulses to reach for an explanation. And they
use her funeral saying that God must have wanted
her home. It's like, that's not right. God doesn't.
Doesn't allow that. He's up there crying. He's
not. I'm basically saying he's not sovereign.
And he lists all these, you know, the Ugandan
or Rwandan genocide. And God, he's he doesn't
want children to die, doesn't. So the other editor
of the paper was in my dad's cabin at Kanaka
Camp in Missouri when he in the 70s. And he reached
out to my father and he said, would everyone's
angry about this article? And it's like, would
Luke want to respond? um, to this article. Cause
he's, you know, talked about in this article
and I'd already said, I'm supposed to share this
story. My dad says, Luke, would you, here's your
opportunity. And I had written a letter to the
park cities, Holland park community and Dallas
or whatever, uh, three weeks before. And I said,
I've already written the response. It's complete
opposite of what this guy's saying. And I just
tamed the title when I, when a beautiful young
girl dies, a faithful response should be to trust
in Jesus. Wow. And that article was just, I got
probably 3 ,000 emails from people that had forwarded
it to, that reminded them in their suffering
what they had gone through, that Jesus is there
in the storm, you know? And so through Dallas
Real Estate Ministries asked me to speak from
that and had some opposition from the enemy,
like through our close family friend that's like,
it's too early, Luke, to share your story. And
I was like, well, it's going to hurt the Toon
family, Elizabeth's family. I was like, well.
They don't want to talk to me right now, so I've
got to walk this journey on my own. I know God
said to walk through these doors and share the
story. And so I shared the Bobby McGee because
it came up in the hospital. So my buddy that
picked me up knew of the significance of this
song. He picks me up. We go and park. And on
the way, he's like, how are you doing, coffee?
And I was like, man, I'm really struggling. I
actually just asked the Lord. for a miracle or
some sign that you know because i want to know
elizabeth's attached and i believe that she knows
what's going on and i just needed some encouragement
and so we literally are parking as i finish that
statement we get out and this homeless man is
crossing the street and he's a pudgy guy with
a big beard and he's singing freedom's just another
word for nothing left to lose and my buddy goes
coffee isn't that the song and he turns to me
and he goes son, that song means something to
you, doesn't it? And I go, actually, yes, sir,
it does. And he goes, well, the good Lord told
me to start singing. So I guess I picked the
right one. Wow. And so I go, sir, what's your
name? And he goes, Gary. And I go, Gary, Luke
coffee. Can I take you get some barbecue tomorrow?
And he's like, Luke, I'd love that. So I was
like, I'll pick you up right here. So I'll pick
you up at noon and took, picked him up, took
him to Sonny Brian's barbecue on, on a lover's
lane. And this guy, but he said before Luke,
I want to hear the significance of that song,
but I want to first tell you, God connects me
with people that have gone through or in the
midst of a storm and suffering. And he said,
having your heart broken will be the greatest
gift of your life because it makes you more compassionate
like Jesus. And and he said, and just so you
know, I did hear the Lord's told me that right
when I started crossing that street, he said,
sing, Gary. And the song I picked that song was
I had a band at Texas Tech University for five
years. And I opened up every every set with Chris
Christopherson's me and Bob McGee. So and so
then I go in to tell him. the significance of
that song. And, and, and for, we sat there for
four hours, Jimmy. And at the end of it, he said,
Luke, now I just want to encourage you. And what
did I pray for? I prayed for a sign and encouragement.
He's God sent this. So he grabbed my hand and
broke up this ratty Bible and was just, he didn't
even look hardly look at it. It was just for
just our, our eyes were connecting like two souls,
you know, just connecting. And he was just looking
at my eye and just. reciting scripture, Job,
you know, all Paul's letters. And just, you know,
for two or three hours, we were there. And I
was like, bro, this is going to be a good scene
in the movie. And if I can find you, I'll let
you play yourself. And so what was amazing is
I drop them off, fast forward seven weeks, the
week before Easter. And Larry and Patty, too,
and Elizabeth's parents are walking into this
Louie's, this Italian place around the same area
I met Gary. And he's walking in with them, and
this is one of the favorite restaurants to go
to. And he sees these two homeless men, and he
goes, Patty, I'll meet you inside. And he goes
up to these two guys and goes, gentlemen, I don't
know what it feels like to be homeless, but I
now know what brokenness is. I lost my little
girl in a hit -and -run accident in Hollywood
nine months ago. And if this can help you out,
this will bring me a lot of joy. Takes $80 and
hands it to this guy and he goes, you know, Mr.
Toon, I heard a similar story. And there's another
man that loves your daughter, too, that's suffering.
And guess what? Easter's on the horizon. It's
time for new beginnings. And it was Gary. Oh,
my God. So that weekend, they call me at the
end of that week and he says. Luke, I met a we
have a mutual friend I met this week and he's
like, can you? I was like, I didn't know what
he meant. He's like, can you come down to the
ranch? And so that weekend was when they said,
Luke, thank you for loving us unconditionally,
because I'd send them letters and text them.
And I was just like, Lord, give me the grace.
Just love them unconditionally during this period.
And and yeah, so they came down and we. uh they
just said thank you for loving us when we couldn't
love you luke every time we see you we see her
future that she will never have and and uh we
just thank you for loving us unconditionally
and you know so that began our healing phase
which got us to Which led me to be able to let
go of the anger and bitterness I had for the
driver. So when we got to our trial, and by the
way, I've done more time than the hit and run
driver in prison. But I was able to fully, I
wanted him to know about Elizabeth and the life
he took. So I printed out pictures of her and
her family and her and I and her alone. And I
said, I wanted to know why I forgive him. It's
because of the grace of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
And I said, I hope I get to introduce you one
day to Elizabeth in heaven. And the judge was
crying. And he said, I've never seen so much.
And her dad said a beautiful thing, too. And
it was hard because when he got his sentence
was. 120 days and he did i think he did uh 40
days of 120 days but the judge said i've never
seen so much grace given to someone that didn't
deserve it um because he was still denying that
he knew he hit us and he's like he held up a
big photo of our like mr coffee's blood is all
over your car and he totaled it i don't even
know how you made it to hide it a block and a
half away it was a hit and run you know But that
just shows you that God is in the details. He
is in the details. He cares about the details.
Because I remember when I was trying to decide
if I moved to Austin or Hollywood right out of
college, it was like, does he care where I am?
And he does. He cares about the details. He will
guide us when we ask. He will direct our steps.
That's Psalm 37, 23. It says he'll order our
steps and he delights in the details of our lives.
That's in the New Living Translation. The other
one says he delights in our way. But I love the
NLT on that. He delights in every detail of our
lives. You know, the fact that he had Gary, all
the interconnectedness of things that have to
happen, the complexity of all that, of getting
him in that intersection with you at just the
right time. There's so many miracles connected
to just getting in there. And everything about
it. I want Dad to share this because this will
set up for another episode if we do it. Yeah,
we'll do it to be continued. Yeah, but will you
share the Big Ben thing? Because the supernatural
is undermined. We have a supernatural God. Absolutely.
He'll work in natural ways, but he still is a
living book. Our testimonies are still happening
of his goodness and amazing. The book of Acts
is still happening. It's us. We're writing it
now. Exactly. Go ahead and share that. Luke came
back from L .A., and he was very depressed. And
we loved, and we still do, love going out to
Big Bend, the national park out on the Rio Grande
River, Mexico. So we went up the river and had
our tents in there. camping equipment on canoes
and set up camp that night. His younger brother
was with us and we were all in a tent. And that
night, this is in probably March of 2007 or six,
seven, seven. Luke was just, just back, but still
grieving and depressed at night. The moon. It
was a full moon, and it came over the Rio Grande
River right above this Santa Elena Canyon, which
is a famous canyon there. I don't know if you've
ever been there, but it's really beautiful. It's
gorgeous. So that was probably about 3 in the
morning when this event happened. I mean, for
the timing, it had to be right there. Right there,
you know, spotlight. Spotlight on our campground.
So Luke, prior to this happening, Luke couldn't
sleep. He has trouble still at times sleeping
and probably I was snoring too. That was the
man. It's like a grizzly bear. He was snoring.
So he said, I'm going to get up and I'm going
to go down to the, I can't sleep. I'm going to
go down to the river. Well, I didn't say anything
to you. I just got up and went. Yeah. Oh, you
did. Okay. Anyway, when he went down several
minutes later, I began to hear a acapella. Female
voice, beautiful. You know, the canyons, you
know, the walls made it very beautiful, even
more beautiful. Wow. We had not seen anybody
on the river, you know, so I knew it was not
somebody singing at 3 o 'clock in the morning.
We hadn't seen anybody for three days. Some female.
Yeah. I knew that's impossible. It didn't sound
like any kind of animal either. It was a human
voice, female voice. Human sounding. Yes. But
it's very beautiful. And I wish to this day.
In a tongues that you'd never heard of, right?
In a language I'd never heard of. I speak Spanish
and English. And Creole. This was neither one.
And I knew it wasn't Luke because Luke doesn't
have a very good singing voice. So I didn't know
what it was. I mean, I really didn't. It was
unimaginary. So the next morning, you know, I
finally went to sleep. It stopped. I went to
sleep. Luke stayed down on the river in one of
the canoes, and he came back up to the campfire.
And I asked him, Luke, did you happen to hear
anything last night after you went down to the
river? His eyes got really big. He said, yeah,
I heard that. And I thought I was just imagining
that. And I said, no, you weren't imagining it.
I heard it too. We both heard it. And we both
didn't know to this day. When I had prayed the
two days before at the outfitter where we got
in the kayaks, it was like, Lord, if it's your
will. I would love a miracle out here, you know,
to happen. I need some encouragement, you know?
And, and then my brother goes, Luke, didn't you
ask for something to happen? And cause Nate was
slept through it. But the fact that God gave
me, yeah, I went down there from my perspective
and yeah, dad was snoring so loud. I went and
got down there with these inflatable ducky kayaks,
canoes, whatever. And just sleep in there. As
soon as I got adjusted. It was like somebody
was 10 feet away from me, but the acoustics of
the canyon, it was just the most beautiful thing.
I was like bawling, crying for 20 minutes. It
was going on and on multiple harmonies, but one
voice and just in this language, you know, this
tongues I'd never heard. And, you know, I was
just like looking around and no one was around.
But the spotlight was the moon was right on us.
And I was like, thank you, Lord, if that's in
my imagination. But then I get up there and dad's
cooking breakfast. He's like, son, that wasn't
you. And I was like, but he gave me a witness
of that. And that's what every time, every miracle
that God, that's one of five or six just around
Elizabeth, you know, and losing her. But God
always gave me a witness, you know. I'll share
this last one and I know we need to probably
wrap it up. I was given an overdose in the hospital
four days after that should have killed me. Four
days after getting hit by a hit -and -run driver,
they said I should be a quadriplegic or be brain
dead. A nurse made a mistake. Made a human error.
Getting him 24 hours worth of Dilaudid in one
dose. And it was enough to kill a cow. And so
they said after I survived, they said, you know,
you were. you're a miracle that you're here and
i was like well that's the second time your hospital
said that in four days wow so if you know to
think you know two different freak accidents
that should have taken my life happening in four
days but to set that up i My, you know, when
Job was going through his suffering, he had his
friends that sat with him for a while. So my
three best friends found out I couldn't go to
Elizabeth's funeral. And I was just like angry.
I was like, God, you're not even giving me this.
You know, I need this closure. And it's like
this feels because the whole time it felt like
a movie. I was living in this nightmare, my living
nightmare. And it was. They said I had more people
come see me than any other celebrity. I was a
no one that week at Cedars -Sinai Hospital, and
it was the love of God. So that was the difference
of the January 6th. I did feel like God's people
surrounded me and loved me, but the January 6th
was me and the Lord and my parents, but my parents
being my closest confidants. But it was a very
different experience where strangers, when I
moved back to Texas, said, I've been praying
for you. And then I'm this, I call us January
Sixers or modern day lepers because it was hard
to find legal representation. And, you know,
everybody's talking, gossiping about you. Right,
right. You go from a hero to a zero. I mean,
literally in a nanosecond. Yes, exactly. Just
witnessing all that from the outside in, but
also hearing your story. I so see the hand of
God in all this because of our own family story.
And that's another episode. But he orders our
steps. He delights. That literally means he takes
pleasure in the details. I've never believed
it. Even before I was a Christian, I'd hear somebody
say, oh, the devil's in the details. I'd be like,
I'm not really a churchy guy or Christian, but
I don't believe that. That doesn't sound right.
And sure enough, as a follower of Jesus and learning
the word and getting to know him and his character,
his nature, it's God that's in the details. He's
ordering our steps. He brought Gary along right
at the right time. He brought that voice to you
in the middle of the canyon that sounded ethereal
and the reverb and all that off the canyon walls.
Well, let me finish with this last little miracle.
And it's, again, God wants to glorify himself,
you know, through the Holy Spirit, through our
lives. I mean, we want to be a living testimony
of his goodness. And that's where we look at.
If we change our perspective, it's not what we're
going to get out of this life. It's what he's
going to do through our lives. I mean, that's
just, you know, every day, Lord, use me as a
vessel of your spirit, of maybe a great lover.
of people and, and, uh, showing an unconditional
love and, and give me opportunities to share
your truth in that love, you know, and, and cause
you, you can go vomit on somebody, but you, you
know, they're, they're not going to respond well.
So you got to do it first in love and be able
to, to breathe that truth on them. Um, so, but
what was, what was incredible was, uh, this,
okay, this particular. night before my overdose,
I was praying like, or all night I was just vocalizing,
Lord, take me away. I don't want to live. I don't
want to see your family again. I'm ashamed, you
know, and, uh, my three best buddies there, they
were allowed to stay in my room and they just
kind of listened. And, uh, and I, cause I found
out I couldn't go to her funeral because my lungs,
I had, so I had a broken leg. Um, almost most
of my ribs were broken, collapsed lungs, you
know, I have two scars right here. They put bilateral
chest tubes through my ribs, um, without any
pain that saved my life. No, in the, cause I,
my lungs were collapsed in the street. Yeah.
They put, that's what saved my life, Jimmy. So,
um, through, and it was painful cause you didn't
have any pain medicine. And that's what I remember
just laying in the street. I called out Elizabeth
and the collapse. And I was like, I could not
breathe. Yeah. And, uh, so. And my buddies were
with me all night. And then around four in the
morning, one of my buddies says, you know, Luke,
I was taking my Southwest flight up here and
I opened the window and this light, I had just
opened the Bible and this light hit this first
Job 42 .5. And it says, I've heard about you
before, but now I've seen you in my own eyes.
And it's after Job had gone through suffering.
that he actually understood the nature of god
and christ really to come and it was through
it was after suffering i've heard about you but
now i've seen you And that's the difference is
like when you go through the fire, you see him
because you need him and you're on your knees.
So I said, you know, he said, Luke, I think we
can be bitter and angry the rest of your life.
And this is for everybody. You can be bitter
and angry the rest of your life for what you've
been through, or you can trust that God has a
plan and believe Romans 8, 28, that he works
all things for the good of those who love him
and are called according to his purpose. If you,
you know, we are called as believers, there's
a purpose behind our existence. Outside of our
fleshly desires and wants in this world. And
it's to be used for the glory of the Lord. And
to our lives, story is the greatest way to impact
and break through hardened hearts. Because it
makes, I'm telling you, just opening up and sharing
and just being transparent with people. People
are hungry for truth. And they don't want preachy,
you know. These celebrity pastors, they want
real people, you know, and real stories and raw,
you know, not polished, you know. And so he's
my buddy was like, I think, bitter and angry
at trust that God has a plan in this. And I was
like, Elizabeth, that's what she showed me, that
God is sovereign. And she didn't believe in any
coincidence. And then there's a providential
plan. And I was like, I don't want to be angry
in her. with her being gone. Um, she was the
most joyful person I ever knew. And I want to,
I want to, uh, be a reflection of what she showed
me, but I wish God would give me a mission and
let me see her have a dream or talk to her. And
I'm telling you, you know, set up for future
because God gave me all three. But right after
that, uh, he said, well, my buddy said, well,
let's pray for that. God can do anything as well.
Luke. So my three best friends pray around my,
my, um, hospital bed. And her birthday was going
to be the following day. Her funeral was on her
birthday. And they made it like a wedding. So
we prayed that prayer. And I'm telling you, Jimmy,
at the end of it, it felt like a supernatural,
like I felt like a shower of just that peace
that surpasses all understanding. Just tingling,
but like literally rain like over me. And as
I opened up my eyes, this woman was rolling in
a full harp. Okay. A full six, whatever, large,
the big, and she said, you know, sir, could I
play for you? And we're all like amazed because
it's four 30 in the morning and I'm in a regular
room and she starts playing this heavenly music
and, and for 20 minutes and we're all, you know,
puddles, you know, we're all bawling, crying.
And she, she wheels it. She said, God bless you
and wheels it out. And then right after my favorite
nurse who was a believer, and made the human
error and gave me the overdose came in and said,
Iris, did you see the harpist jaw of harpist
coming around in the middle of the night? She
said, what harpist? And yeah. And she said, Luke,
we made exception to have your friends here.
It was like, we don't have, you know, sometimes
during Christmas we have, yeah, we have, we have
musicians coming around singing Christmas carols,
but we don't have the floors closed. Wow. And
my three best friends were there and witnessed
it. So right after that, Iris gave me, you know,
and all week I was also, for two days, didn't
have medical insurance. I was going to owe $279
,000 for my time at Cedars -Sinai. So I was like,
on top of this, Lord, I'm going to be in medical
debt and all this. I was like feeling sorry.
And so Iris, I was, my buddies left soon after
that and mom was about to arrive, but she changed
out my bag of Dilaudid. And I was like, guys,
let's go sleep. And so I went into this deep
sleep. And 45 minutes in the overdose, she came
in to give me Vicodin. And my breathing rate
had dropped 24 breaths a minute. I was at three
breaths a minute. Wow. And I'll tell you this
part. So they were shaking me for 10 minutes.
And I came to and I was in this white space.
And I see Elizabeth right in front of me. And
it's this beautiful version of her. And she says,
wake up, Luca, wake up. And then she's like,
wake up. And that jolted me up. And there was
for chaos. There was mom was right there. And
I started vomiting and, and I couldn't use the
restroom. And I said, something's not right,
but I'm still carrying this IV five more minutes.
And then it starts beeping. I'm vomiting. Like
there's just, I was like, there's something wrong
with me. And I just wanted to go back to sleep.
And then that's when we realized they'd given
me an accidental overdose. And they were going
to fire Iris the next day. I said, can I see
Iris? And, you know, she was so ashamed that
she had made this error. And I was like, Iris,
I'm so glad you made that mistake because I prayed
for God to give me a miracle and let me see Elizabeth.
And I now know she's alive and she's not in this,
she's not in this, you know, in this physical
existence, but she, God gave me a glimpse and
she was the most beautiful version I've ever
seen over, you know, and it was just. You know,
we can talk about this because Steve, you know,
went to heaven. Yeah. I mean, this was a near
death. This is my near death experience. And
she, you know, that woke me up. But God in that
with that also answered my prayer and let me
see her that she was alive. And also they forgave
all my medical debt and paid 80 grand for not
suing their butt. Wow. But also Iris got fired.
I believe that Luke was able to. Tell her about
Jesus and say, I forgive you. I love you. I mean,
I'm glad you made this mistake. And I hugged
her, yeah. I don't say how anymore. I gave that
up. I just got over it. And now it's just wow.
It's just wow. I mean, really, literally, you'll
hear Annette and I and probably half our church
will say, wow. We quit. We don't need to know
how God's doing what he's doing. I just want
to always live in awe, live in wonder. And mystery.
I mean, he is mysterious. And be okay with it.
I don't need to have everything answered. And
the people I know that need an answer for everything,
they live a miserable life. Right. Because they're
never satisfied. And thank you for sharing part
of your story. And I mean, thank you for you
two being here. I'm so glad it worked out timing
wise that you happen to be in town. Happen to
be. I think God orders our steps and delights
in the details. That's right. And the detail
was you're supposed to be on here today. Thank
you. Share a piece of your story. But thank you.
And I have to just say this just. one parent
to another and Annette sitting over here as well,
but, but job well done. Well done. I mean, you
raised. You raised a powerhouse in Jesus, and
you stayed with him through those hard, difficult
times. And now the product of it is gold that's
been refined by fire. And I think he's just starting
to tell a story. I'm grateful for, you know,
it has been hard being 45, and I desire to have
a wife, a helpmate. And I also tell all my married
friends. On the days you love her but don't like
her, the greatest gift is a helpmate and a wife.
I know it. But I've gotten to have my parents
be a part of two major incidents in my life that
was very dark. And I do value them as they will
always be my parents, but they're also my best
friends. And I'm grateful that God gave me two
powerhouses for the Lord. to raise me in this
way. And, and also that as we become adult, as
I became an adult, that they could come alongside
me as a friend, as a friend, that's a beautiful
gift. It's a gift, a gift, a massive gift. It
is. So I want to just thank our friends for joining
us today. And thank you for staying with us.
This story is. complicated and highs and lows.
I mean, it's got everything. It's got the classic
storyline and then some. And I see that in Luke.
He's a storyteller. And I look forward to reading
your book someday. I definitely, maybe I'll get
bits and pieces along the journey. But again,
thank you for being with us today. We love you.
Our heart is for you to learn what it means to
live up in a down world. And I'll tell you the
secret to it. The only way you can do it is through
Jesus Christ. He said, I am the way, the truth,
and the life. not a way not a truth and not a
life the way the truth the life and no one comes
to the Father but through him and that's our
heart for you we want you to join us on this
journey we want you to be a part of that and
we we're here for you we're cheering you on thanks
again for being with us today we so appreciate
you telling your story I know it's not always
easy