Adrienne And Israel Houghton

[Music] okay this conversation oh man I am so excited to to share with our audience to people who are I mean I don't want to overuse the word but is lovely an okay word yeah lovely magnetic um electric yeah um but really the things you talked about were just I I really believe are going to be so helpful so do will you introduced our incredible guest Israel and Adrien hotton I have been calling Israel hton for a long time we'll get to that almost immediately in this conversation but I love these two and their story and their Journey it's so compell I'm interrupting that moment when you realized that you've been calling somebody the wrong name for over 20 years how did that feel for you well I actually knew that I was but it had become so prevalent because of our time spent in overseas as they say so um we'll get to that right at the outset of the conversation and then jump into one of the great love stories forgiveness stories Redemption stories you'll ever hear yeah oh sorry you were in you were talking about them um Israel and Adrian Israel and Adrian are public figures they are artists they are musicians they are actor actress they producers um absolutely incredible I'm sure you've seen them on television or heard their art and uh I have been friends with Israel hoton for uh gosh 25 plus years so I have been uh waiting to have this conversation so here we go we're live wait can we all see each other I can't tell I can see you half of your beautiful face and half of yeah are we out at Chelsea wanted us to wait to like see each other right when the recording start so it's like this authentic engagement do it live do it live it live is better I glad to know Judah is not the only person in capable of using a uh computer I suck all this stuff man I don't even own a laptop doesn't help my anger issues here it's testing all of them everyone has their gifts yeah yeah we'll start recording mention that both of us have faucets for noses the last 40 yeah a little guy he's he's a mess right now and we're all and we Coast we just can't seem to pull it together around literally and disease can we just keep passing this back and forth to each other because it's it's at this point we've been sick since a week before Christmas and it has not stopped get out of town dead serious I am the most least the most least the I am the least spiritual person you will ever meet in your life true and when I tell you I told Israel I think we need to anoint the house because we keep getting sick that's that's that's where I want you to know where I am that's by the way those are all lies she's far more of a Christian yeah overly spiritualize things I'm which we appreciate yeah that means you're authentic and genuine Spirit that's living in our house yeah no I'm I'm there I'm there I'm Googling the spirit of the flu and how can we get it out of our home you're naming the spirit we will we will come curse it for you bind it in the name of Jesus like yeah let's do an anointing service on the podcast yeah walk us through the house walk us through the house did I not tell you should mommy come and pray for the house oh yeah no she did and I had to remind her that mommy already did that I can't make this up that's how that's where we're at okay I saw a freaking meme on Instagram it's like if there's confusion in your home arguments or sickness non-stop we recommend anointing your house and I was like sickness we've got that do we need to do this shoot this this is so you know what's sickening about what we're talking about right now is the way that you two look in your skin when apparently you're on your deathbed I'm annoyed this podcast is over and we're logging off because you both have a freaking glow that's annoying meanwhile chelse and I feel great look at us we look like the sikies you guys still got that Mexico glow on you oh we missed you guys so much see my luggage fully still packed in we were ready it's still there it hasn't moved it's just waiting on the Lord with a bunch of summer clothes in it and it's the worst to miss something when your baby is being I mean those are the two most things that are just painful at the same time so sorry you guys had to get through that you guys look great though seriously you really and it's an honor to be with you oh my word I love you guys so much and I have been anticipating this podcast um let's let let's get something straight here and I I don't mean to throw shade at an entire wonderful continent and country of Australia but I believe Israel we have heard a r that we have been friends for 2900 years let's set the record straight is it hoton or hton and can we get right down to it in the United States of America where you are from and born and live the contiguous 48 states and then also including Hawaii and Alaska it's HED but when you announced me so passionately like this is my friend we've been close friends for 28 years Israel hton I'm like I'm in Australia baby I'm know who am I gonna correct Israel the the Australians did it to me I know it's wrong and it's like every time I do it I'm like that's not actually accurate but it's like a stage name now I'm confused never corrected Brian I never con corrected any of those dudes if it's Europe Africa or Australia it's Howton and I'm fine with or Seattle or Seattle since we're Americans let us publicly apologize it's and I Know It Israel and just dro the last name completely because it's made my life just as difficult as well because I require people to now say my name out loud and I went from one last name no one can pronounce by loan to another last name that no one can pronounce so excited to hyphenate the situation you know which I love the hyphenation call me whatever you want but it is hon but by the way I think you was just Adrian just Adrien is also pretty pretty fantastic all on its own for it I'm here for it yeah no no flattery you guys can both just drop the the last names and just go first name kind of like culturally I think it just fits where you guys are at in life so uh Israel and Adrien and and tiger and Prince you know me we just start going opra um like keep going I'm oh I have more um so I've been looking forward to this conversation and I don't need to say it I know I underscored a lot but one of the reasons I talk about uh Israel you and I being friends for a long time is because at our age you don't have that many friends you've been friends with that for that long left sure you don't have that many people who mispronounced their names for that long so you know chelse we're trying to make some progress here in this podcast you know making progress no um and we've lived some life we've lived some life and Israel you and Adrien have lived some life and uh the journey we would have never predicted years ago at that little Campground in Washington state that uh our path would take us where it has taken us and notwithstanding some pain and some challenges and one of my favorite Parts uh Israel Hoten hton about you is uh your your absolutely remarkable resiliency to trust in the love of Jesus and the goodness of God and I count it such a privilege to to uh know all of your babies and to know um uh some of your friends and family involved in your journey but I kind of want to jump in today and I literally before we jumped on I asked again I was like chelse can we can can we go there and discuss this and talk about this because um it is what we are all about as human beings and in terms of us four we are about uh new days new beginnings new chapters New Seasons and always thinking about what God has for us ahead so um I have so many questions to ask Chelsea Renee would you like to start sure let's let's let's start now and then we can go back and then come forward I want to start with first of all the two of you how did you guys meet and tell us a bit of your love story because I think that'll set up set up Journey we actually met in New York at a church in Brooklyn called CCC and it's AR Bernard's church and we met for the first time while doing promotion for a movie called I'm in Love with a Church that you may or may not have seen on BET absolutely yeah I I actually filmed the movie that was in 2013 but I filmed the movie in 2010 and I it was a movie I did with J Rule I'm the church girl he's out here being thug life and he meets a church girl she changes his life you get the point and Israel actually came on to the project when was it maybe 20 20 top of 2012 I think to basically work on me music for it yeah and I ended up becoming an executive producer and owning half the company and doing all of the score and being a producer on the film so I I then became in charge of like all the promotions and stuff like that so like we wrapped a tour bus and went to all these churches and places and would do you know clips from the movie and we would do live music and then i' talked to the cast about you know their process in the movie and whatever and um yeah I mean we got it released in theaters and was all cool the day I met her was September 22nd 2013 and I know that because I also met her entire family the same so pretty much they started doing the promotion of the film and I didn't even know that it was coming out literally I shot the film in 2010 around 2011 I'm like are we not coming out 2012 I'm like we're not even going straight to DVD like what are we doing here and then 2013 I actually saw on Instagram that you guys were at Mega Fest oh promoting the film and I hit up John and I'm like how are you guys promoting I'm in Love with a Church Girl without the church girl so they're like I had a manager at the time that didn't love me doing a faith-based film which is funny in itself and kind of was blocking my promo of the film and I was like that's insane I absolutely want to promote this film I'm proud of it I'm excited about it and so um they were like well our next stop is New York if you want to come we're doing CCC you know it's Israel will lead worship and then they'll do like a panel where he asks questions and blah blah blah I was super late as I normally am the lean in but looking phenomenal running in and they were just about to walk on to the Altar and like do this panel and I just met you quickly like oh my God like how are you yeah but because it's New York my whole family we roll super deep so literally it was like my mom my stepdad my dad dad my stepmom my sister her husband her family yeah and I just I I just hit it off so well with them specifically her brother-in-law who's now like one of my best friends in the world and um you guys kept in touch more we kept in touch and yeah I lived in LA and she lived in La so occasionally she'd like throw a taco Tuesday party and be like hey you you all come out like for a theme you know a little sip and paint I'm good for a theme these parties and job would come at the time T-Bone get like there was like a a squad of us that had done the film we still all kept in touch and had like a group of friends and then yeah so that is how we met and we were friends for three and a half years I went through a divorce during that time yeah she went through a breakup uh after that time she was engaged to be married to somebody and um went engaged to be and then one day we were like she was engaged to be married to someone as opposed to engaged in a then we ended uping into the same building I think that's where it got romantic was like once you moved into my building he moved into my building you guys I lived in the penthouse he was on the second floor but pretty much I threw a party he came over he was like you know I'm going through a divorce um I'm going to need to find somewhere nearby uh you had a house in Malibu at the time and you were like I just need a place he's like do you know if there's any more Apartments but I was like no problem I will take you to the leasing office and so he ended up getting an apartment there and I think that's where our real friendship grew because okay Israel you have to be honest on in good faith that's our one rule there's no lying oh that's our rule that's our rule one Ru did you move into her building with an intention of progressing the relationship with this stunning woman who you had met fantastic question um I think I think gun to my head subconsciously yes did I think I ever had a shot no I this is the first time I'm hearing this so it was yes cu the majority of the time that he lived downstairs he was touring you were you were traveling so my job was pretty much to pick up his packages like that was the deal we lived in a building that had like those lockers and youd get a code and you'd have to go to the number of the locker and open it and my job while he was on the road was to go get the code and get the packages and I remember one day going and getting packages and I think um you text me and you're like hey did you get it and I'm like yeah you're like did you open it I'm like dude I don't open your packages what he's like no no no it's for you and I was like oh okay and I opened it and I love to collect vinyls and you had like bought me vinyls and you're like yeah you need to like round out your collection and I remember sitting my God does this man like me like what why did you buy me vinyls like I thought it was the sweetest thing ever and I remember telling A girlfriend of mine Angie uh I was like I think this guy likes me and now that I'm thinking about it I would like him too and she was like well you just have to kiss him to know if there's like an actual romantic thing there yeah and pause our first kiss was captured by TMZ in Mexico well there you go so all hell broke loose after that yeah so you're just we were good together because like I expect her to go hey this is too heavy for me you crazy church people and I don't know what's going on and I'm out because her publicists were like get away from this guy he's uh Radioactive right now yeah and instead she's like I was your friend before all this went down and I'm going to be your friend through it all and I was like I'm gonna marry you and N months later we were married I think something like that it was 9 months later I didn't know it was wow got can I say we got all the all the crap out of the way in three years of just being friends because in it how about that first people I told like okay here's what I'm actually going through this is how I've actually torpedoed my life this is actually what is not in the news yet but when it is it's going to be a rough one and she's like okay well sucks to be you but you know where we going to lunch and it was that it was just very chill like that and man um I I even told her like we had very Reckless conversations as friends I'd be like I'm never getting married again and I had Reckless conversations like now that I look back and I'm like I married him he's my husband I then think about our conversations like um I would get like flowers in my dressing room at the Reel from different like athletes and I don't know a thing about sports so Israel was the guy I would call and be like does he play well like is he someone I like should I be receiving these flowers like and I'm like I'm like well he leaves the league in rushing and so that's probably pretty good I what rushing me he's running back baby they hand him the ball and he I thought what is rushing is he fraternity sority right now I like Russia anyway like that was our conversation like I would tell that if I had known I was going to marry him I would have never said it yeah but that's I loved most about our friendship was that he saw me on my ugliest like picking up packages with my hair in a bun if I had a cold or like we never attempted to impress each other because we never thought we'd be together so I think that there's this weird thing that happens when you're interested in somebody or even now when I see my girlfriends on apps and they're like okay so what should I wear I'm like where what what you would wear like come on representative that comes and meets people when there's an idea that there's going to be a romantic thing happening that they want to show their best versions of themselves they want you to hear all the good things about who they are in relationships versus us we were literally telling each other this is the worst of who I am and this is the ugly parts of me and I'm a total disaster I'm a mess and then we were like this dister together but I still love you and really like you in our wedding we actually have like a reading of a book called I like you we always say the the like is more important than the love and what wean by that is obviously we love each other but I think in love well I didn't I don't think this it's scientifically proven that the in love phase can only last but two and a half possibly three years scientifically if you read the book five love languages it's in the first part of the book I love that book and it literally tells you that there is a chemical reaction that happens when you meet someone that you like and that that chemical reaction form whatever it is is goes away after the third year and then you have to choose to love this person and the chemical reaction actually makes things go away that you normally would not like in somebody that you'd be like oh they chew really loud you don't hear it in the first three years something it's so strange and then three years happens and you're like have you always chewed like this like that is literally like nails on a chalkboard but I think the awesome thing is if you like someone you're compatible with them similar things you like to do similar things you have a sense of humor that's similar I think those things last forever oh come on Renee you already asked a couple questions your turn I okay Adrien first of all you guys should know that our management team is buying the rights to your story as we're talking right now and we will be producing a feature film so I I hope I hope the negotiation goes well because if this isn't a film I don't know what it is but anyways Adrian I got to ask you to to quote my friend Israel he used the word torpedoed okay he he he used uh another word on fire he so I want to know think about all the people that are going to watch this and first of all I just want to go on record side note and I know I'm spider webbing a lot here bear with me but when I found out that Israel was seeing you I think we were all praying to God that this would work and that he would have a chance and um so we are all very very grateful that you married Israel um uh this is a test on my end people absolutely not Jezebel you will not come in here destroying our favorite worship leader that that was what I felt okay so it's nice to hear that um you are an absolute force in uh we love you so much so I got to ask why as this man's own words saying man I kind of sabotaged my own life he's in this really really painful place and in our little Christian vertical and ether um Israel was taking some of the most intense heat that any you know public Christian leader could take and here is Adrien falling for this man in love with this man why why in the middle of all that were you like I'm down I'm into this guy and we're doing this funny enough during the time that we started dating I grew up in church my mom was literally superintendent for children's ministries of the eastern district for Assemblies of God I grew up in like old Pentecostal Hispanic church and funny enough I feel like I've lived multiple lives in my one life and when I did I'm in Love with a Church Girl I feel like that promo tour that album Jesus at the center kind of kind of brought me back to church wow like want go to church it was actually going to Hilla New York and I was like this is an Irving Plaza like this is very cool like I just went to a Meek milk concert here two weeks I'm like this is awesome so I started going back to church and all that to say I think I had heard enough sermons at this point to know that we are not what we've done come on you know what I'm saying like I have heard enough sermons that said like even though I had heard all of it I was like I still believed that I wanted to see him maybe the way God sees him and that like he was worth being forgiven he was worth being listened to of why and how he had gotten to that place to me was far more interesting than the salacious things he had actually done um that sounded really funny Sal salacious what a great word delcious things that were on shade room and everywhere else that you were seeing it and all the the people that were in my comment section and I actually genuinely felt like I love him and I would want someone to not drop me like that if I was in that situation like I wouldn't want that to be done to me I wouldn't want for someone to be my friend when it looks good for them and then leave me when it doesn't look good for them I am not a professional Christian being Christian is not part of my business or my industry at all so I don't have to answer to those people and it does not affect my bottom line when I choose not to do something that the Christian world thinks is amazing or not amazing so I the things that matter to me more is actually what God thinks about me versus like someone that possibly could or could not pay my rent you know what I mean like that is the real part and I used to joke with him and be like that has to be so hard and you guys I'm sure understand this more than anyone how hard that is that if you are going through something something that's really difficult and maybe you're not living your best Christian Life that affects the food that you could put on the table for your for your children like literally your livelihood ends up depending on people's perceived uh version of your walk with God wild and that's really hard and I chose to do what I believe God was going to be proud of which was being his friend and actually loving him the way shockingly the Bible tells us that we're supposed to love people we're supposed to love them in the good times and the bad times we're supposed to be an example of God's grace what a concept and that the Bible talks about this Grace yet I wouldn't be like the staple child for being a Christian but I'd like to actually live as close to chis as possible I don't know if I do a very good job at that but in this area I think I was just like used by God for sure I think I was just and the weird thing is while it looked like a whole circuit we were in so much peace like like strange like chilling like well where would we want to run away like where would we want to run R to do you want to do you want to like give guitar lessons to kids in freaking Santorini sure you know like I I didn't know how to handle the heat I was receiving but I knew that my loyalty to my friend mattered more wow wow so you talk about this incredible peace but Israel I'm sure you had to fight for that peace can you tell us a little bit about what the season was like for you and your journey and so I think I've heard it said this way like sin is only powerful in the dark it only does its worst wrecking wreckage in the dark and so from 2009 to probably 2015 I was battling through that alone I went I went I went to a counselor and realized I went to a professional counselor and realized he told a pastor everything I told him and that's that's that's a completely different thing oh my I have no idea about that this is it's very real it's very real it's very very real and so when that happened I'm like oh then there's nobody that I can go to and why would I I had friends that I sort of pushed it like I'm dealing with something and two weeks later heard it from somebody else and I'm like okay that's that's enough of that so I I dealt with it my Crucible was done individually and without any help at all and in a separated you know uh ERA with my then wife we had five years of of not being together except for sort of the you know oh the Optics you should be at this event or whatever but um but for the most most part like I just had to battle that so when it all had come out I'm I mean I hate to say this without sounding um anything but regretful of of people that got hurt but I was on the other side of it like I I I had dealt with it dealt it dealt with it with my family dealt with it with my kids and I was on by the time it got to the public like like you guys are the last to know like world like but we recognize how bad that look but when it started happening some of the best advice I ever got was if you have to make a statement make a statement and I did I said you've gone through a divorce and appreciate your privacy you know all that kind of stuff right but the next piece of advice was shut your mouth don't say a thing don't say well what had happened was here's my side of the story or those three things are true but those six things are false I didn't I didn't address any of it and I just walked life through with with this one here and and with a and and my my friend group probably shriveled from you know you know how it is when you think you're everything's fine you go I have 200 friends that would stick with me no matter what what at least 200 probably 500 but I know I have two and then one day when you realize you have six to I feel like six is a whole lot six is great give me two maybe three happy with the sick and and that number is swelled to eight I have like eight really close friends now maybe nine I'm kidding but um it once I found my little Squad of people and it happened to be her and her family and you know a few friends you guys for sure um I was like I I think I can get through this and there was a lot of opportunity to push back to make other people look really bad and I could have uh and I didn't and I think now going on on 8 years married like we're we're going we know we're the better for that and we went through the freaking you know we went through I'm like trying to think back of how you know when you try to put yourself back then where we were who we were you we were different people back then I you know just like I think eight years makes a huge difference but when I'm even looking back I'm thinking about how we were just like well if it's going to be over we might as well be together like they already mad well what we going to do now like we might as well be together do what we want to do and the oddest thing was this is so weird me I go ahead um did we literally got a phone call from the uh my publicist at the time and she's like so they've got these pictures of you guys blah blah blah blah blah we hung up the phone and why did we start listening to that Covenant worship album and we were just like listening and listening to worship music in the hotel room just so random and I just thought I literally right now as you were talking I was thinking like what what did those days look like for us I remember we like pretty much said like we're just going to take comments off of our stuff and just see what happens and it's so weird how I said we were different people then because the people that were commenting are also different people now you can't imagine how many DMS I've gotten the last three years so sorry I said horrible things about you guys about your marriage and I love your love and I'm so sorry and wow God bless you and you're like wow it's so that's kind of cool can you speak to oh my word I have so many questions um can you you know CS Lewis said uh at the risk of sounding like I'm very well read uh I took one college class on CS Lewis but he said that God Whispers in our pleasure meure he speaks uh in our conscience and everyday life but he shouts in our pain he shouts and he he believed that pain was the megaphone that maybe God would use to Rouse a a dead and Dying World did did God shout in your pain did you feel that I I for sure feel that I feel like I thanked God for family at that time because there were so many people that didn't know me that were saying terrible things about me and I remember my mom being like hey if they don't know you personally then you can't take it personal you know like that was like her thing thinking about that and I started thinking about well my mom is a woman of God and she loves me and she doesn't hate me right now and she doesn't think I'm what the internet is calling me I'm not a home wrecker I'm not some Jezebel I'm not a whatever it is right I I'm not a girl that's using him for his money and all you know like it was like no that's D that was one of the funniest things I she's a gold dead broke like dead broke like any royalties I had all went to alonia chall point like I was dead broke borrowing you know lunch money from her but I'm sorry for laughing that's all I can do like God you know the truth and there's something really dope about that and special about that yes and that brings you peace when you're like the people that know me and love me and care about me they know the truth so what like I try started trying to think oh my God was it Judah that did that word about it was you okay this is really weird Okay um Zoe conference the first year yeah Sunday night you spoke okay I think it Sunday night I think so too yeah and you whole word and it felt like confirmation of something I had thought about when I was going through this was like that none of this stuff actually matters like you did a whole preaching about sorry the way my ad is set up you did a whole pre about much how no one likes to talk about that uh we're going to heaven like the Rapture and how this is all going to end and like no one is actually deciding like we're going to talk about this because we actually some of us like it down here some of us like we actually we're doing all right it's not that bad I kind of like it what does up there look like can sound scary to us and like we we fear it because we don't know it and it's in our human form we can't even imagine what there is to be up there all of that yep rwind but your take on it was I'm longing to see him yes you talked about going on trips and like your dad coming back home and you being like I'm so H there's a whole thing okay how I remembered that right now in this moment is bizarre but I was about to quote you to you and that would have gotten weird so I um I remember at that time just really believing that I needed to put my mind on something that wasn't Earthly like I had to like think about what's Eternal and that people talking about me on the internet that ain't Eternal like who are you like what does God think of me and that those things were going to matter long term so I really shifted my perspective in that time because if not I would have been a mess I I'm a people pleaser I would have crumbled up and died same so and I would answer your question he definitely shouted at my pain because I see the result of it now but I was I had so much noise in my life like my whole life has been noisy and full of doubt and full of competing voices and I think for the first time you know the the ride slowed down enough for me to actually hear his voice wow and he whispered to my pain and he said I've got you I've always had you and we're going to get through this and those were the chilling ones for me and I know how he dealt with the pain because I'm lowkey painfree you know all these years later um and I say that you know knocking on wood everybody goes through stuff but that pain I don't remember that that's and that's only God that that could only be God for sure like that's only how we got through that and we were just like we're okay like we don't care what anyone thinks about us God is on our side we got like what a beautiful place to get I was shocked when I think about it now like if I'm honest if you told me if I went through that again today I would fear it and be like scared of anything like that happening again but it's weird because I remind myself God walked us right through it and we were we were actually okay what is absolutely blowing my mind right now is two things first of all Israel the way you look at your wife with love and care my favorite have you been noticing that too it is just like the absolute Look of Love and adoration and it's just she's magic I'm I want you to look at me like that sometimes can tell you think she's magic but the fact that you guys went through all of this and you're not bitter you're not angry you are not wearing the criticisms of the world as a badge of honor that you have came through this honestly without bitterness is beyond me and I think a lot of people experience a lot of pain that's very different than what you have experienced but don't come out without bitterness the way that you guys have how have you done that wow the thing is we're all human man like we're we all all like have our things like I even think about when we talk about people dming us and being like my bad I think about the fact we probably be talking about people too everybody be talking about somebody at some point you know whether it's Will and Jada or like the reality is we all will talk about people that we don't know personally possibly and get the wrong idea I think the only thing we can do now is crazy enough there were a lot of eyeballs on us and it was like well what are you going to do with that like what are you going to do with that what are you going to make of that and I think we found purpose in in that like we literally call each other like I'm like oh that's my purpose partner like what I'm supposed to do in life is attached to him wow in a special way and I'm grateful for that so now that we're here we gonna be bitter or we going to do something special together are we going to do something that can maybe help others that are going through something similar or just dealing with people viewing your situation in a way that maybe not be great and how do you come up on the other side better I think that's a great answer I'm going to say it's probably a little tougher for me because I'm I'm a Justice I'm oriented oriented and somebody should tell them that that was super they should know that I'm still upset about you know what he feels the need to just like all the time though like random like I didn't like that like I think I'm going to say something about that and I'm like I don't I don't think you need to but he's very Justice oriented and like very like it's the principal can I be honest though this is not a Shameless Club one of the things that has helped it significantly is starting your day with intention oh yeah and church home the church home app this is just a quick little commercial but like the church home M has been yeah lifechanging for us for us because you can immediately apply it yeah and you can set your day based on that guided prayer based on that scripture based you know and we're like for me that just helps me go it's sort of like working out if I if I've gone and worked out I I don't leave the gym going I need donuts now no you eat better cuz you just killed it in there like said waste right so it's this kind of same idea if I'm setting my intention with God you got today and I know I know the world is what it is but like I'm setting my intention today to honor you in everything I do to to see you and other people and let's go you don't then go into bitter mode after that if if you if if you can't you know if if you can stop it wow specifically for me where the church the church home app then goes think of someone else I love that that like literally shifts everything because you can get caught up in what you're going through you can get caught up in like what you've got going on your own issues and even now when you're like how are you guys not bitter I'm like man there's people that are still like angry and mean and commenting on people's Instagrams like I got to think about them that ain't a happy place to be either like what you going through that you aren't here being mean to me you know me so I just think to some extent like that moment where you're like okay God I'm going through this and this sucks think of somebody else right now that you can pray for that needs to that's maybe afraid of something they're about to go through how can you pray for them right now to not be fearful and to know that God's with them so that I think is so dope because it doesn't make it all about you and I think so many of us when we're going through crisis and we're going through hard times the first thing that we do is we go to apps and we go to the every app we can find and we're like God here's my Bible when and I just flip it open you're going to have the answer for what I'm supposed to do right now in this moment don't act like you've never done that don't act like you never man I named kids that way man absolutely this job or am I not supposed to take this job and it's like the brother of the he ties and the me and you're like that was not what I wanted to hear midianites and make it all about yourself you're like I'm in this crisis I need something that helps me right now but there's something really beautiful that happens when it goes God I'm afraid right now is there someone else that's afraid that I can pray for that's great oh you just inspired me I want to do a guided prayer prompt to pray for mean people on the internet that's what I wanted like that how fun would that be actually I'm recording some right after this podcast I'm going to do it watch I really did you pray for Kiki I did pray for I prayed for Kiki Kiki was on the app and said she had a I prayed for her it was great I I did pray in the bathtub this morning I did my guided prayer I'm not going to lie to you and I did pray for a few people that are a bit cantankerous and uh it was helpful I want to say that I have been obsessed with this concept lately of of spiritual maturity or as the intellectual Community says maturation spiritual maturation spiritual formation spiritual formation um because that is such a uh underestimated underrated concept which simply indicates this idea that each and every one of us ought to go and grow every day right this this operative word of go is so imperative in scripture and Jesus is Into The Go God's into the go he's always got us like we're going somewhere and that is significant and I just want to say to the to the two of you I I actually think uh because you're both so sexy and so Sensational uh we don't use that term enough it's true um that I think I think one of the most underrated underestimated aspect of the two of you individually and collect itively is your formidable spiritual maturity and one of the ways I Define spiritual maturity is not um morality uh your your the state of your leather Bible um your church attendance it it is things like forgiveness yeah things like relinquishing and releasing bitterness and um probably Israel more than you realize because our lives have found some parallel moments together and there's been whole chapters where we haven't seen each other very much and talked very much and it occurs to me that some of that was 2009 to 2015 when you're going through hell um but nonetheless your spiritual maturity the two of you um makes me feel like I have more wind at my back makes Chelsea feel like we had more wind at our back because without even knowing it in Adrian your you're such a force and you're such you're electric you're a light like a lightning bolt but but amidst of all of the beauty that that is you too and the talent that you so obviously portray and emanate and people um love to follow you guys and watch you guys I I just want the world to know if I could shout from the mountaintops that you have helped Define again from me what real spiritual formation looks like what real spiritual growth looks like and um thank you for making it swaggy thank you for making it sexy thank you for making it attractive and appealing but thank you for wanting to be more like Jesus because um few things matter more to me in the whole wide world and every time I am around your husband Adrian you have to know uh I feel more encouraged I feel more built up but I also feel more desirous to to be fully integrated and and and be the kind of person that is consistent and loving and caring um and if if pain has produced some of that in the two of you in some sadistic weird sort of way then I am grateful for it because the world's a better place when the hoton are are in full flight and you got to know I just think you guys are in full flight and I think you're impacting people more than you could ever possibly imagine Chelsea and I are in love with the two of you would do anything for you and and it sounds like I'm closing the podcast I didn't intend to do that but um I just my heart is full even even talking to you both today yeah okay True Confession I'm sitting here listening to Judah and I'm thinking how can I look at him the way J the way that Israel looks at Adrien yeah work on it honestly work try no but practice makes perfect we start right now I'm going to start talking talking talking talking look at me talking talking talking it's a little disingenuine love that I never see looking at well I can't see you looking either because I was looking this way right I know I was like it's not we had the thought and didn't even know I was looking at Israel and I'm like oh that's that's real love hey can I can I can I can I just respond to what you said I think I think watching your journey and watching you guys do life do Church do family do um you know even your external work you know you're you're known outside of the church as well right so you've had to navigate a whole lot of stuff as well um but you do it by embracing the mystery of who Jesus is but de demystifying it like for us I don't know how to put that like it you you you embrace the mystery you you've you've got you know 40 Years of doing this but but there's this let me break it down for you so you can apply it at at equinox gym tomorrow you know what I mean as as opposed to this is so deep that I'm gonna have to go commit to a bunch of study to figure out what the heck Judah was saying last night in his message I think I think you have opened the door and really given a Christlike um approach to this life and you've you've made that invitation to people and I just want to thank you for not making it so complicated and I know you had to go through your own fight to get there but I think the reason we can receive a a compliment like spiritual formation I I don't feel like I've done anything in spiritual information if I'm keeping it above but when it comes to forgiving people I think we forget like the small basic things yeah when it comes to actually being a Christian when it comes to Reaching Across the aisle to somebody that you wouldn't normally interact with when it comes to being in uncomfortable situations with people who think about life and relationships and sexuality differently than you do y instead of going oh I know what this is and I better leave a second I can how about sit there and engage them in a conversation come on and go what's up Y and I'm going to me that's Christlike the woman at the well in 2024 is probably not a woman it's probably a man dressed as a woman you know what I mean and what does that conversation with Jesus look like come on yep and so that's the kind of life I just want to live and I still love the local church I still love my Christian brothers and sisters a lot um but I I just love people and I think what you're picking up on is both of us really care about people and want to want to see them well and whatever Journey we can be a part of to help them get there we're going to do it and if that's being a Christian with spiritual formation then I'll take it spiritual formation is my word right now right take run with it I like it he said run with it you see just a random fashion picture on my Instagram and the caption is spiritual form spiritual for gosh if spiritual formation gets gets us looking like you guys then then we will we will take it honestly thank you so much for time for this conversation it's really blessed us and helped so many people and thank you for being who you are truly I just have to say this Israel whenever you come in and and use your gift which is music to introduce us to Jesus you do it in such an authentic and real way not a show it is you can tell like oh this is somebody who knows what it's like to be with Jesus and you are you guys are just both a gift to us and to the world so thank you for being who you are and we're we're very excited about the feature film about your love story it's going to be incredible um I would would like to interview you guys as I'm uh good news though we've got Mersa Ali will be playing you Israel so we're very very excited yeah I'm going I'm going with the first kiss for a title by the way if your that was your first it's a good title right the first kid the first kid with the long lens from the other Resort the TMD guy I say Mersa Ali Mersa Mersa Ali because Chelsea's in love with him so anyway this doesn't have to make the show but when the when the publicist called like okay TMZ because the real and TMZ are owned by the same company they're like um so we see you you know on the beach with this guy but nobody can identify him they literally they thought I was Arab Chic they reported him as an Arab Chic and said that Adrien get lives her lifestyle due to this Arab Chic I'm thinking to myself working since I was 14 what lifestyle is this man giving me work for this lifestyle he sure is a Chic congratulations Israel we're going to either release these unflattering photos unless you give us a name and if you give us a name then you can we'll release the flattering photos that you guys have taken on your trip swear and the flattering ones got put up so did the unflattering ones byy another thing that's but that's not the point the point is the Sheik's name is Israel and it just and I don't know many Arabs named Israel so I'm just gonna this is high level Netflix comedy special stuff here happen we were like what's the Sheik's name they were like you have to give us his name like you're making a deal give us the man's name and at the time I was just going to not giv and I remember you were like like girl my life been lit on fire torpedoed go ahead and that's when I expected her I literally expected like a text message two hours later like hey I had to leave and you know you couldn't go ahead and stay in your room for the next three days but I'm out I was fully expecting that and instead what I got was um just the character of this woman man just this Puerto Rican Ecuadorian girl from the Lower East Side Manhattan who just has all the character you wish people actually had gez and and I I I'm you don't have to keep this or anything I just love you guys one other thing I have to say is when I I was terrified to tell her hey here's what's really going on in my life this is early on and and because she yeah cuz she was very opinionated on our show and Men Who cheat I just can't you know and so I'm like how am I going to tell this woman like here's what's up and I got a kid over here it's like crazy and she goes so I tell her and I'm trembling and I'm nervous and I never get nervous about anything but in this case I'm like stammering and my leg is shaking and my lip is quivering I like what is happening and I tell her and she just looks at me and she goes she just reaches across the table grabs my hand and immediately starts praying that is by the way that is not who I am as a person I don't know what I'm not lying to you that is not my normal like I wouldn't normally do that I'm not a person that would normally just be like that's like that's just not you know what I mean but when youing dark for years I remember I was like crying by and start to cry and she says God just please help him know that he's not what he's done oh and he said that it was like it it was like somebody turned all the lights on like where I'm fighting in the dark and feeling like I'm fighting in the dark with a blindfold on just for my life that's a whole another podcast dear God but when she said let him know that he's not what he's done it was like Life Light love I I have a shot I I I might have a shot of staying alive and living this life walking this life out I'm all because of that moment know what that feels like when you're like that definitely was not me like that was God like I absolutely believe that because I normally would be like or maybe be hesitant like I don't that this doesn't even seem but I in that moment I was just like oh my gosh like this is not a person that's malicious or evil like this is somebody who's been through something you know what I mean but here we are I'm just saying she she's the actual Christian here I love it to share that that is so good that is so good Lord and and and honestly you know all these podcasts and things that we do you're always hoping that somebody can attach to a sentence or a phrase or a statement that maybe can serve them in in in their own way and their own journey and their commute to work and uh please help him remember that he's not what he's done you know that that that can change people's trajectory of their whole life please least let her remember she is not what she has done um that is uh you embody that you both do and you treat other people like that um you really do and it's it's contagious and it's uh a big part of why people are so attracted to the two of you so uh this wouldn't have been a complete podcast unless you shared that part so and uh man reaching over and just right into prayer that's spiritual formation that's what that is spiritual formation B also also yo God tells you to go pray for somebody actually do it you don't even know because I I normally wouldn't do that like I normally would think I don't have like some Pro prolific like I don't speak perfect Christian E I wouldn't know what to say like you know what I mean like I wouldn't do that but if you feel it in your heart just like go somebody in whatever words you don't know what that can do for somebody's life or somebody's heart do it it might Mike drop Mike drop Mike drop oh Israel have I thanked you today for marine Adrian have I have I thanked you I need to thank you right now um God just put it in my heart I love you too to the High Heavens and this has been such a joy hey let's spend more time together say let's just plan another trip to Cabo I'm dead serious take a group of friends and just get out there we had so much fun man I was just I don't know how you feel but I was just so moved by Israel and adrianne's story and their ability to let go of pain honestly when they when they mentioned that people will now DM them say sorry for the mean things I said to you that actually almost teared up at that moment just because that's so beautiful and their ability to um put themselves in other people's shoes to for healing and forgiveness and I just thought that was so incredible yeah and it's just one of those episodes that I think taking a moment of reflection in prayer is probably appropriate I just I loved um kind of just anchoring or connecting or latching on to that phrase that Adrien said to Israel in one of the darkest moments of his life uh and she even admitted you know that it wasn't even pre-planned or prepared but she just reached over grabbed his hand started praying and and led with God remind him he is not what he's done and uh boy do we all need that reminder today so I'm just going to pray for that God thank you um for Israel thank you for Adrien thank you for their life the journey um that you have taken them on and continued to take them on and we just uh we glean from it and take from it and draft off of it right now in this moment and I ask for every single human being that can hear this prayer that you God right now would remind that human whoever where wherever and whenever they hear this that they yes that person right now listening are not what they have done that is not the sum of who they are that is not the conclusion of who they are they are who they are because of your grace and your love and their identity is um one of value and beauty and worth and significance um because of you remind us all today thank you for this time and minutes and moments we share amen [Music] amen

Channel: In Good Faith with Chelsea & Judah Smith

Views: 38,445

Keywords: In Good Faith Podcast, Chelsea and Judah Smith, Churchome, Faith and Life, Spiritual Growth, Christian Marriage, Navigating Faith, Christian Parenting, Contemporary Christianity, Spiritual Wellness, Inspirational Podcast, Faith and Challenges, Relationship Advice, Godly Parenting, Spiritual Support, Faith and Marriage, Faithful Living, Justin Bieber, Bieber Faith Journey, Celebrities on Faith, Justin Bieber Interview, Justin and Churchome, Adrienne Bailon, Israel Houghton

Id: jHduXlj3nIQ

Length: 58min 46sec (3526 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 12 2024