Heart of Gold
“The two best days of your life is the day you was born, and the day you realize why you was born.”
Life is an event that we all must go through, but those who’s been at it a long time can teach us a great deal. Mr. Terry has no shortage of experience, wisdom, and insight– that he’s freely willing to impart. When thinking of the apostle Peter and how much he urged us to keep adding qualities to our character, (such as; goodness, knowledge, and perseverance) Terry definitely comes to mind.
Ricky Jean Chief Editor
Debbie: Tell me a little about yourself. Where did you grow up, stage in life, working, going to school, are you from DFW originally?
Terry: Well, I grew up in Yanceyville, North Carolina. Very, very small town. If Tyler (Jongsmas) thinks his town is small, the town I grew up in is really, really small. My family was farmers, we grew up as Sharecroppers. As a little boy, we’d go to the fields at 4 o’clock in the morning, and I had to just try to keep up with my four older brothers.
My entire life was just to keep up with my four older brothers, and that wasn’t easy ‘cause they wouldn’t help. I be so far back there, and they take the tractor and everything way up there. I have to walk so far. So I get further, and further behind, and behind. So I just skip some things. I’ve learned later on in life there is no such thing as “short cuts.”
Eventually, I had to figure it out– it took me a while to figure it out, but I had to figure it out. “Where am I at in life now?” (He pondered) Twenty years of Military service, it was always difficult, but everything came pretty easy to me you know, because of the struggles I had when I was young. Military life was very easy for me.
Debbie: Wow, Really?
Terry: Oh, Yes! And I progressed through Military life at warp speed. I progressed so fast that people thought I cheated. But the more they investigated me, they couldn’t find no wrong. But by that time I had become bitter. I was very upset. But even with that, when it was time for me to go to combat– I didn’t have to go. I already had retirement orders in. I was going to retire with the Military. So there’s nothing they could’ve done to make me go, but I just went.
I didn’t want to practice something for 18 years and not get a chance to do it, so I went to combat! But then I done something really selfish. I got out of the Military, I retired, I just left. I didn’t tell nobody– I just left, and I regret that so much today. I regret that because that was a selfish decision. For me, that was the first time that I really felt what selfishness was all about, ‘cus I had so much to give to so many soldiers. 
God had allowed me to go through these things. God had allowed me to be successful so I could give it away. But I was selfish, and I got out, and I wasn’t able to give it away, you know? That haunts me! It hardens my heart. And the only thing that has softened my heart is the church.
Every day that I come to church, every day that I go to bible study– it softened my heart. Like one of the brothers told me, “ Terry we thought we had lost you for a minute,” because my heart was so hard, I thought I didn’t need the bible studies. I thought that’s not something I need in my life. But now everyday my heart becomes softer, and because it’s softer, I’m able to receive things I couldn’t before.
Debbie: What are some of your favorite hobbies and something you would consider unique about yourself?
Terry: Well some of my favorite hobbies…? Now being a big ole, strong, you know, Military guy, I actually like to walk and take pictures of flowers. Don’t tell nobody that. Don’t tell no- body – that!
Debbie: Really? What is your favorite flower to photograph?
Terry: I walk and I just see it, it jumps out at me. It’s no favorites. I see it. I envision it, and I take pictures of it. According to people who see some of my photographs, they think I have talent. I don’t think I have talent, but I’ve been told that I have talent. It’s amazing. I figured that out through my depression, my anxiety.
So when the times that I’m down, I’m feeling no hope. I can walk and find hope in a flower, or a scenery. I don’t just see a barn sitting up there, I see a beautiful picture there. God revealed something to me that I did not know about myself.
Debbie: Tell me how you were met/invited to the Dallas ICC Church?
Terry: My journey here is amazing. I think the person who really got me…you see, I was losing control of my family. I really love my family, and my son and daughter. I wanted them back in my life. My daughter actually saw me and said “Dad, you need this dad.” I was smart enough and my heart wasn’t so hard, because I received it, and I came here.
Debbie: Describe your relationship with God prior to studying the Bible and how it has changed?
Terry: Well, my relationship prior to this…well, so many things came easy for me. I thought maybe I had powers that I didn’t necessarily have. I took all my soldiers to combat, and although we didn’t get into real fighting– they all came back. I promised them that I would make sure all of you came back, and they all did. Every single person. Not even one scratch. 
None of my soldiers were harmed. I told them “I’m gon’ bring you back here to Fort Hood. Even in spite of you, no matter what you do, I’m still gon’ bring you back.” The day they came back was just a great day for me. I’m thinking now this is mine, these are some deeds for me. Now I know it had nothing to do with me. It was the Lord. I couldn’t see it at the time, because my heart was hardened, and I didn’t see it.
I see a lot clearer now. So my relationship now and my goal is, I’ll take the ICC church as far as it wanna go. I told Tyler just a few minutes ago– Tyler is gonna go places, and wherever he go, I’ma go. So if he go there, I’m going there. I told him you be the Commander, and I’ll be the First Sergeant, and we’ll go together.
Debbie: What are some of your favorite scriptures and why?
Terry: Psalm 94, it sums everything up for me. It says in one of the verses, “If it had not been for the Lord I would already be dead.” And I would have been. I would have been long dead. In the first verse it talks about vengeance, and the Lord says vengeance is mine. I don’t need you Terry. I don’t need you to do this fight for me. I could fight this by myself, I really don’t need you, just in case you don’t know that.
What I needed in my life at the time was rest and peace. It says in one of the verses, rest. I don’t need your help, you just rest, and I’ll take it from here. It resonates with me over, and over again. Every time that I go astray I read Psalms 94, and it puts me back on course.
Debbie: What advice would you give someone who has started studying the Bible or is considering it?
Terry: Come on. That’s all I could say. Don’t hesitate! Don’t let your heart harden, that’s what done Pharaoh in. God allowed Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened, and it killed him. I say if you allow your heart to be hardened, it’ll kill you.
His wife came up “You gon’ let God do this to you? He killed your son.” But it was your heart that killed your son, it was your words that killed your son. And then Pharaoh’s heart became so hard again, he went after them. He said I’m bringing them all back, and then he get in the middle of all that water. You know you have to have a hard heart, to get in the middle of all that water.
There’s no way I would have got in the middle of that water, after nobody. I figure, if you could split it, you could let it go. I’m not getting in all this water. Plus I’m not the best swimmer in the world either. I would have never did it. The devil will do it to you. The devil will take things that you enjoy, things that you’re good at, and turn it against you. 
Like, the devil knew how much I cared about the military and my soldiers. At the end of the day, that was the very thing that the devil turned against me. I should have put my faith and trust in the Lord. I put my faith and trust into military stuff, and that turned against me.
I can’t say I haven’t gotten off the road, but they don’t let me get off the road too far. They put me back on the straight and narrow, and so I’m glad. That process becomes easier, and easier, every time.
Debbie: What do you love about the Kingdom?
Terry: The people, ah Lawd, you young folks. Here’s what I would say, I’m trying to get used to you all saying “C’mon bro! C’mon bro!” I’m just trying to get used to it, don’t hold me accountable for that. It’s so weird. In a southern Baptist church you would never say that. If you said that in a southern Baptist church in North Carolina, where I grew up at– they would throw you out the church.
Every time I hear ya’ll say it, I’m like “no, no, no.” But I’m glad that young people, somehow, the youth of the ICC church makes me a little bit more youthful. It keeps me young, it keeps me in the right place.
The two best days of your life is, the day you was born, and the day you realize why you was born.
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