Russ Taff's "I Still Believe" Celebrates Redemption On The Big Screen | Huckabee

it was in 1976 rust hath exploded onto the music scene when he became the lead singer of the supergroup the Imperials after a string of hits with the Imperials Ross went on to have one of the biggest solo careers in all of Christian music history but there's a dark side to Russ his fame in music that includes abuse shame and a secret struggle with alcoholism the bright side to Russ's process of recovery was the journey that he walked with his wife Tori Russ's story of acceptance freedom and love of God is documented in a brand new film and it's called I still believe here's a clip of the film shame is a prison abused as a child shame told me that it was my fault singing for Jesus and living a secret life as an alcoholic shame whispered there is no hole but prison doors were made to be open captives can be set free I'm rusty and I still [Music] and joining us with more about this incredible story make welcome Russ and Tory TAV Russ story great having you you are beloved in this town but you know what your beloved all over America people have been blessed by your songs and they never knew what was going on backstage no I mean this is a powerful story Russ and and that you've had the courage to tell it is in of itself I think a extraordinary just candor on your part right I that it was a Pentecostal preacher and we grew up with a God that didn't like us very much and you're just hanging by a thread over hell in any moment he could let go but the the the hard thing about that was the constant message and they were raising me my mom and dad the way they were raised it's now daily you're not good enough you'll never be worth it you're not worth the salt that goes on your bread and it's said to you so often that you start believing it and and then all of a sudden you are brought to Nashville to this huge machine called the Imperials and you went in Grammys but in your heart you don't feel worthy see it's hard for me to believe that rust have this guy that I have known not a you know up close but at a distance I mean I just assume rust half is probably the most together guy I ever meet in my life I was on stage I mean you had it all but this was haunting you deep inside yeah it was and there was so much shame with with my father you know he was jealous of me growing up and so when I would do good he would be threatened in and Mama when you live in a house that you know six months he's preaching and the other six months he's drunk and six months he's preached any years getting this yin-yang of a message but you carry all this into your adult life and you are you're terrified and thinking that I'm gonna get found it I don't belong here I don't know matter how many awards you got it doesn't but if in your heart you know you don't feel worthy we're in New York there were three Heinekens in the fridge and I just never and by the time I had the third one honestly I was praising God I can live this way all these voices are quiet and I don't you know I don't hate myself I don't feel like a fraud and I knew nothing about grace his embrace Wow that you know that he was on my side and I was trying so hard to live the way I should live but I kept falling up short and I would have maybe three days sober and then I relapse and and and it just started this cycle of about ten years of begging God to forgive me and then relapsing in and begging him to forgive me and crying out for help please help me did people around you know this was going on after a while yeah it was not a big secret to the ultimate circle but certainly not in the know in the great public when you grow up in a home of an alcoholic you learn how to hide rule because you watch him but you know God began to bring people into my life that saw what was going on and I thought for sure they would judge me I thought yeah sure it's over because I built this image of myself everybody in Arkansas saw and and everybody liked this image but behind this image was an Auschwitz survivor hmm you know I I was that I was not getting any love that image was but it started and it started a lot with with with her she began to notice something very very different and and I began to change you know it's all I look at you and I think I think you're the hero you stayed with him you did you continued to love him and walk with him how did you do that I would love to say it was because I'm like Mother Teresa I I loved him mmm but but I also figured out that I could love him and leave if I had to yeah and my vow was never I'm staying no matter what my vow was he needs to get well hmm if it came to a point in which it was not healthy for me and if I wasn't able to be part of the recovery then I don't know are we would have looked it would have been a different picture but he worked extremely hard and there were long periods of sobriety there were like 10 years at a time and then something would my father passed away his father passed away and so much between he and I that was never settled and then there'd be a relapse but it wasn't it wasn't 30 years of daily addiction and I didn't see him actually drunk impaired until the very last treatment when he was treated for trauma and the the violence from his childhood was finally completely dealt with in a very experienced way and that laid the groundwork for him to be able to come into to who he's always been you know I hope people see this film for one reason they'll need to understand that Christians are not immune from pain hurt shame guilt alcoholism everything that crushes the human spirit right and you're being able to tell that story I think you have no idea how powerful that is going to be and how liberating that is going to be for so many people out there see Russ Taff and I still believe it's a one-night-only movie it's going to be playing in over 700 theaters on Tuesday October the 30th got that Tuesday October the 30th coming up so to get your tickets for I still believe in your city go to rust half movie.com that's Russ Taff movie.com and please don't miss rust halves new album believe it's available beginning November the second music sellers everywhere in a trust half.com

Channel: Huckabee

Views: 27,930

Rating: 4.9705338 out of 5

Keywords: mike huckabee, huckabee, trinity broadcasting network, tbn, movie, hollywood, i still believe, russ taff, the imperials, fathom event, faith, redemption

Id: eEdknwT_gwI

Length: 7min 33sec (453 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 27 2018