Why did one of the Adult Film industry's most successful male pornstars known as "Rocco Reed" leave the porn industry to marry a Christian woman, become a full-time pastor and start a family with three healthy sons. Ex-pornstar Rocco Reed, whose real name is Joshua Broome shares with Paul his remarkable journey out of what Joshua calls a "counterfeit culture." He tells the story of how he moved from a small town to become an actor in Hollywood. He says he, "obtained fame, wealth, and traveled the world all to find out that none of those things would fill the emptiness" of his broken heart. He says, "Then I found Jesus." Joshua explains how a relationship with Jesus healed and restored Joshua's dignity and virtue after working for 6 years performing in over 1,000 pornographic films? He talks speaking on Capital Hill to create legislation called "The Protect Act", which will enforce anyone accessing porn to verify their identification. Paul asks Joshua unique questions Joshua hasn't answered in other interviews. For example, Paul asks, "How do Christians who've been raised in the church and know the love of God and who've become addicted to where it's ruined their life, destroyed their marriage, how do these people change?" This is a remarkable story about how to turn your life around when you feel like there's no hope at all.
How did one of the Adult Film industry's most successful pornstars known as "Rocco Reed" encounter Jesus to become a Christian and full-time pastor? Ex-pornstar Rocco Reed, whose real name is Joshua Broome shares with Paul his remarkable journey out of what Joshua calls a "counterfeit culture." He tells the story of how he moved from a small town to become an actor in Hollywood. He says he, "obtained fame, wealth, and traveled the world all to find out that none of those things would fill the emptiness" of his broken heart. He says, "Then I found Jesus." Joshua explains how a relationship with Jesus healed and restored Joshua's dignity and virtue after working for 6 years performing in over 1,000 pornographic films? He talks speaking on Capital Hill to create legislation called "The Protect Act" that h will enforce anyone accessing porn to verify their identification. Paul asks Joshua unique questions Joshua hasn't answered in other interviews. For example, Paul asks, "How do Christians who've been raised in the church and know the love of God and who've become addicted to where it's ruined their life, destroyed their marriage, how do these people change?" This is a remarkable story about how to turn your life around when you feel like there's no hope at all. Joshua talks about his podcast Counterfeit Culture. Paul asking unique questions Joshua hasn't answered in other interviews.
ABOUT JOSHUA BROOME
Joshua says, "My name is Joshua Broome and there was a 6 year period of my life where I was one of the most successful adult film stars in the world. I obtained fame, wealth, and traveled the world all to find out that none of those would fill the emptiness in my heart.
I have been appearing on podcasts, tv shows, and standing on stages for the last five years telling God’s story In my life. I have overcome depression, battling thoughts of suicide, and the emotional scars that come with doing 1,000+ pornographic films.
Today I am a passionate communicator of a message of restoration. I am healed through the life giving power found in Jesus and spent years replacing lies with God’s truth. Today I have been married for five years, we have three sons, and I have devoted my life to those who feel like their life is over because of a circumstance or situation. It’s never too late to change the course of your life."
Joshua founded Finding Hope- A ministry founding by my wife and I in 2022 and church plant in McKinney, Texas that is launching in February 2023.
Listen to Joshua's podcast Counterfeit Culture.
Visit Joshua's website: https://www.joshuabroome.me/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.broome.7
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjoshuabroome/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamjoshuabroome
ABOUT THE HOST PAUL CARDALL
http://www.facebook.com/paulcardallmusic
http://www.youtube.com/cardall
http://www.instagram.com/paulcardall
LISTEN TO HIS MUSIC
APPLE MUSIC - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/paul-cardall/4312819
SPOTIFY - https://open.spotify.com/artist/7FQRbf8gbKw8KZQZAJWxH2
AMAZON - Ask Alexa to play Peaceful Piano by Paul Cardall
Paul Cardall is an artist who has given a new meaning to the phrase, a change of heart and how he used this radical change to take his music to an unexpected place. Despite being born with a potentially life-threatening heart defect Paul Cardall has become a world recognized pianist. He is even endorsed by Steinway & Sons as one of the finest pianist of our time.
A Dove award winner for his Christmas album, Paul’s recordings have debuted on 11 No. 1 Billboard charts along with 46 other chart debuts. His music has 25 million monthly listeners with more than 3 billion lifetime streams and is often categorized as Classical, Christian, and Holiday. Although most of albums are instrumental, Paul has songs that feature Grammy winning gospel legend CeCe Winans, Matt Hammitt (Sanctus Real), Kristin Chenoweth, Country duo Thompson Square, David Archuleta, Tyler Glenn (Neon Trees), Audrey Assad, Steven Sharp Nelson (The Piano Guys), and more.
Paul has performed for audiences worldwide including the White House. Forbes, American Songwriter, Jesus Calling, Lifestyles Television, Mix Magazine, and countless other media outlets have share his remarkable journey of receiving a life changing heart transplant and using music as a tool to help God heal spiritual, mental, and emotional hearts.
Audio file
Transcript
Narrator
Forbes magazine calls him one of the most listened to recording artists of our time with more than 3 billion streams and 11 #1 albums on top Billboard charts. This is All Heart with Paul Cardall.
Paul Cardall
Welcome to season 5. Welcome to All Heart, I'm your host, Paul Cardall. If you're tuning in for. The first time this podcast is an opportunity. To hear from people I admire. Mainly because of the. God has blessed them with and how? They're using these gifts. To make the world a better place, we get. To the heart. Of why they do what they do in hopes of inspiring and encouraging you to fine tune the gifts God has. Also, given you.
Singer
Because you Show me how to see.
Paul Cardall
Joshua Brown, his stage name is Rocco Reid. He's about to enter the show. I'm going to talk about his career in pornography And how he was able to get out. Of it, after starting over a. 1000 films he just was empty. Nothing could fill the void. Not money, not fame. None of it. So how did he find peace?
Narrator
Welcome to all heart with Paul Cardall.
Paul Cardall
How are you?
Joshua Broome
Buddy, good. How are you?
Paul Cardall
I'm honored to have you on. You've had quite the. Yeah, it's totally wild, man.
Joshua Broome
You say the least.
Paul Cardall
And I just think your story is so unbelievable. I know a lot of people who are addicted to **** and they can't. They can't get out of it. And you were actually in **** and. You got out of. It but to see the photo. Of you, with your wife, Hannah.
Joshua Broome
I've got. I've got 3. I've got three boys.
Paul Cardall
Oh, you've got three boys. You've got three boys. You know the innocence of their faces. You know, in that photo that you have. Because that alone right there, people could look at that and say. That, that, that is what heals. The heart having that but there's so many people that have that, but then they go down. This path. I mean just. People are addicted and people are acting out and it's making their lives miserable and yet the world seems to justify it and say, hey, it's no big deal.
Joshua Broome
Right.
Paul Cardall
It's all part of sexual development. And it's healthy, yeah. Alright, man. Well, let's get into your story. Just you're from South Carolina.
Joshua Broome
I grew up in a small town in South Carolina. My mom had him. She was 16 and grew up without a father and had a very strong high achiever personality, so being in close proximity to to my father yet not have a relationship with him. It was it was challenging as a kid growing up.
Speaker
I'm confusing to.
Joshua Broome
See this person that I knew to be my dad in the grocery store but not have a relationship with him. It caused a lot of confusion, which you know, of course it did. For a young man and didn't really have any mentorship or leadership outside of sports, I had a basketball coach, coach Blakeney, Coach B, who was my guy and he he was pretty much the only person that I. I had any kind of like male role model from my mom had two older brothers. Well, actually a younger brother and an older brother. And they they were still pretty young, you know, like in their 20s. So never had any true leadership in any capacity coming. From a man. And I thought I need to prove myself and I think that's, you know, something that's. That's easy to. Misappropriate if you have a high achiever personality and you have this this feeling of inadequacy that high achiever personality will prompt you to believe that you need to prove yourself in some capacity. And need to earn your worth. And that's what I've tried to do. I tried to do that through scholastics. I tried to do that through sport. Eventually getting the girl that no one no one could get it become this. This really sad roller coaster of me achieving whatever it was and that momentary happiness filled the gap that I had in my heart that I was really desiring. A father and that that continued. So I started modeling when I was 13 or 14 and then getting those jobs became the next thing. You know, if I got cast for the right thing or if I got, I booked the job that was, that was the thing that filled the gap. And when I got when I made it to college, I was studying acting, studying, theater. Same thing, pursuing affirmation. Not not purpose, not a career. Just what I had a passion for, which was creativity. I'm had to pay a passion for speaking. I had a passion for creating anything, whether it be with a basketball, whether it be with my voice, I love, like, right. Being so all these things, I love creating things that impacted people and again misappropriated. I saw that I could use my personality, my aesthetics, to getting the attention of women, and then I misappropriated that where it was conquest after conquest after. And none of those things left me feeling the satisfaction that was really desiring. And as my pursuit for modeling acting grew, I ended up dropping out at college. My second semester, my sophomore year and I moved to Hollywood and I thought if I put myself in closer. Proximity to the industry. I want to be in that would make sense and it did. I I landed an agent started working. Like many people in Hollywood, the cost of living is really high. You're very irresponsible. You're living far beyond your means, and I needed to get a job like other people. So I got a job at a restaurant. I'm go to any restaurant, coffee, house, whatever. You're always a barista and or a waitress and. And that, you know, that was my case as well. So I was working at a restaurant in West Hollywood called Saddle Ranch, which is this. Like Texas themed restaurant that is a steakhouse, but it turns into a bar later in the day and has a mechanical bull in the middle of the restaurant, which is so bizarre in retrospect because I was actually back there about a month ago and it was so surreal to be in there. I was working there and these four girls came and they sat down on this table. And they said, hey, have you ever considered being an actor? And I was like, great, this is my shot. They're gonna invite me to be part of a project. Introduce me to, you know, the casting director or something. And they're talking about ***********. And as someone who has seen a little bit of. It was really. It was really surreal because I saw these people that I'd seen on these magazines in real life. So it's like, OK, this, this, this. Essentially this, this, this fantasy or this fake bit of my imagination is now sitting in front of me inviting. Me to their. And I was curious and. Like I I never really said like, OK, like I'm I'm going to go into this industry. What they were inviting me to do was to meet with their agent. So I was like, sure like, why not like this is so weird. Uhm, how can I? Not see like see it through.
Paul Cardall
You know, you said you'd you'd recognize some of the people.
Joshua Broome
I mean, I I thought I did, but I mean I I like. I didn't know like verb like, I hadn't seen enough that like I knew like, like actresses names or anything like that. I just, you know, I I see this, this narrative or this like, whatever. You would have in. Your head that this person would look like. This these proto. My like it was sitting in front of me, so I I guess that's what I mean. Right. I I don't mean that. I literally knew, like, recognized him. They're specific identity.
Paul Cardall
You were trying to get gigs and here come these beautifully attractive people inviting you to come into their world, which must have been extremely flattering. You know. Let's back up into your childhood because you, your mother, you know, 16 years old, that's got to be really hard. To have some that you're raising, you know, your dad's not really around. Yeah. You're looking for validation. You're looking for approval. Did you look at much **** as a child?
Joshua Broome
Not really, not really, because I mean I. So there was a few magazines that I saw, but like everything else. So this is when. You know you had to download it off of like lime, like limewire or whatever. So, like, we had dial-up Internet at our house and stuff like it would take forever. And it's like trying to. I don't even know how you would go about, like, hiding something like that. Yeah, I mean, it was something that. I didn't. It was. It was almost to, to be honest, Paul, it was almost like I took pride in it, that I didn't. But I was incredible, but I was. But I wasn't. But I was incredibly promiscuous. So promiscuity in, like, *********** consumption, it does the same thing. To your brain, your heart. And I I think like that like even more so the fact that I was so promiscuous, I think like that was that was why it was not like it was incredibly damaging to to me mentally emotionally like being in the industry. But I think that that was why it was. Do something I transitioned to.
Paul Cardall
You're already getting the dopamine released. You were already getting the highs, the thrills and everything in pursuing your your conquest is, you know, as a as a good looking dude. I'm trying to find. Esteem and value.
Joshua Broome
Yeah, I'm just trying to.
Paul Cardall
Did you have much of a religious upbringing? A moral? Was there a moral code in your family? Like, did you ever feel guilty about did? You feel guilty about. Having sex before some type of commitment.
Joshua Broome
Thing number one, I never saw marriage modeled. I never saw like a healthy dynamic between a husband and wife. And the so I did. I did go to church and tell us about 8 years old, but after that my mom ended up in this really unhealthy relationship. And then she was working in a restaurant, you know, then now you got a single mother working 6070 hours a week. Trying to scrape by so I didn't really have. Have religious upbringing outside of very early on, like very early like my my grandparents loved the Lord like they were going to church Wednesday night. Sunday morning, Sunday night, you know, going to vacation Bible school, all that good stuff growing up in the South. But for me personally, once. Umm I moved. Out of my grandmother and grandfather's house with my mom, that consistency and. That this church wasn't something was part of our lives. I think that maybe every once in a while we would like, you know, through the the once a year, the the Easter or the the Christmas. But for the most part, church wasn't a part of my life, and and then also I think I mean that that that plays a part. That's why, like fatherlessness is such a huge deal in this world, where if it's not modeled to you how to operate in certain capacities, you're not going to know what to do. And if you're looking to the world, you know, almost 12 two talks about, you know, we're not to be conformed by the world. Would be to we're we're to be transformed by removing our mind. And for that metamorphosis to take place, there needs to be knowledge and examples seen, and I didn't have either. So I think that had a large part to play in while I so easily transitioned into that field and I didn't feel guilty because I like, I knew that it was wrong. But I there wasn't like this deep, like feeling of guilt of like I'm doing something. That's that's terrible. I knew that I shouldn't be doing it. So like there's you know that that part of your subconscious, that's like, I'm doing something that knows not right. But there was no conviction.
Paul Cardall
OK, so it's basically something you. We learn is well, you're pursuing this from a selfish point anyways. You're pursuing it from the whole reason and and that is what's wrong with the the the going out and the pursuing of all this is is the selfish nature because you're not considering the other person's feelings, the ramifications. Of how this? Would affect people. So let's get then into. These women invite you. You go and you start getting involved in. In this adult film industry.
Joshua Broome
Yeah, it was. It was wild the way it worked because I am. I did one film and I thought like, OK, this was terrible. I would never do it again like whatever would ever be in your mind. Like when you paint a picture of what you think is going to be some you know something's going to be like. It wasn't like that. It was the most impersonal, most exposed, most degrading thing. I I I could possibly imagine. You know, it's like there's there's there's multiple cameras there and there's people just standing in the studio watching. There's probably 30 people on set. Ohh there's you know someone holding. A boom mic by. Your head. There's someone holding a an, uh, an individual light. A sea light, you know, in between your legs there's cameras on your shoulder. There's a director telling you what to do. And there's a girl that you you have not even had a conversation with, nor are you making eye contact with. So it's it's like you. You really see this like, love and lust are so. Opposite of one another, one is self-serving and one is sacrificial and then like intimacy is something that's like there. There's engagement, it's connection. I mean, all these things and *********** is not that. So it's it's, it's a counterfeit. Version of whatever you would think it would be and and and that's just the reality of it. So if you look at like one of my favorite fight scenes is this elevator scene in this movie inception. And you know, they're they're like they're. They're like in between space. You know, they're like a dream inside a dream inside a dream. And there's this fight. Scene where they're. Like they're floating and there's doing all this stuff. But the reality is, when you see a fight scene, you wouldn't think, well, that just happened that way. There's choreography, there's CGI, there's editing, there's a director, there's rehearsals. These people are being compensated to create. Something that that this portrayal of a fight thing is supposed to be so engaging that this fantasy captivates you and you believe that it's happening. And that's the way that *********** is. It's two people that are being paid to compromise, and there's a director telling them what to do. There's a camera there that that, like, the camera is the person. That is receiving the attention, so the the action is for the. Camera not each other. And then there's editing in the background. You know, there's there's makeup, there's cuts, there's, you know, the, the the male counterparts are using erectile dysfunction medication. They're the the females are using this like numbing cream and lubricant all these things and it. And it's like I I say all that to say. It's so not what someone would believe it would be, and if you understood how different it is than the product that you're watching, it wouldn't be as enticing. So that was my experience and I was like, I'm never doing that again. Never doing that again and I leave and within a few days this scene that I did went viral and viral, you know, 1516 years ago was like 100,000 views. This then this gets 100,000 views and then it makes its way to. So somehow, someway. Like my mainstream agent attached me to that. And then that was obviously a breach of code of conduct. So they they they couldn't be associated with my likeness. They cut ties with me and then even worse, a few days later I get a phone call from my mom and she says, hey, my uncle's at work. Her to the Grapevine that you did this thing, and now my mom's asking me did did I? Do a ****. And that was like a really like, that was, I was ashamed I. Knew that it. Was wrong and also my mom was hurt because she had made exponential sacrifices for me to even be able to be in the place that I was because I mean, she drove me to these acting classes. She she paid the money that she didn't have for me to have. Have these these photos for me to get started in modeling. Like drove me all over the place like I had this. You know, my mom had this, like, old beat up car, but she was driving me like 90 minutes to meet with my agent. That was no. Where close to this tiny little town in South Carolina that. I lived in and she she's. Made so many sacrifices time after time after time. And those sacrifices that we both had made, primarily her just kind of blew up in our face and. Being someone that didn't really understand who I was, and I think it's important, I think it's important to paint the picture. That number one, I did not need to do that, that that point I like. I didn't need to do it. There was no reason for me to do it. I was financially secure. I had a job. Working at a restaurant and you know, I was doing OK in modeling and acting like I wasn't killing it, but I was doing OK. I had had multiple agents. I had had jobs that were coming up. I had money in the bank I had free. Since I had a mom who loved me like tremendously, I, you know I that there there was nothing that I needed. But yet this compromise caused this person that didn't have a deep rooted why in their life I didn't have, you know, a grasp of my identity. So I didn't believe that I had the. Really to be real. And I say that to say, like, yes, my life fell apart. You know, modeling. Acting done. My moms upset with me like I'm humiliated. Did I have to say yes when this this agent calls me and says hey that scene? Went really well. It's getting a lot of traction. I would love to sign you to a contract because that's what happened. I could have said no and I could have ended up and and painted it there. There's that to to say that that was the only thing that I could have done would be an absolute lie. But that is the lie that I believe, and if a lie becomes true to you, it you create this plausible reality of how you see the world. Your your worldview is constructed by what you believe. You know that, and that's why it's so important to have the right one. That's why it's so important to have. The right worldview. But my worldview is I don't know who I am. And this happened to me. I don't know what else to do. I don't feel like I have the resilience to do anything else and this opportunities laying here. So I became my behavior. My behavior was bad, so I must be bad. What else am I to do? And I accept this contract and that one compromise that one scene led me to be in the industry. Over 6 years doing over 1000 movies and. And then in that industry, even I thought like, OK, well, this this is the card I've been dealt. So just who I am as a person. So I'll be the best. I'm gonna become the. Best you know that. That's that's me today. Like, you know, if we're eating chicken wings, you're not beating me. You know like. You know, if I'm playing, you know, you know, bags with my kids outside. It's like, you know, I'll, I'll let you get close to winning. But it's it's tough for me to let you win. That's just who I am. And and so I was like, OK, would be the best and and then I I'm very data-driven. So I was like OK, once I make $1,000,000 I'll be happy. I did that, it didn't work. I thought like, OK, once I surf it like all these beaches that I want to surf at, you know, go to Costa Rica and do this and do that. I did that. And and I still didn't feel I'm satisfied. And like you're saying I was nominated for 18 different awards, the time I was in the industry and I was nominated for performer of the year three times and and winning that meant you're the best. You know that the industry as. A whole had voted. You to be the best, and in 2012 I won that award. And when I found out I won it, my world crumbled because I had so many eggs in that basket that I thought that that was gonna be happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment. And it didn't work in this progressive depression and me isolating myself from people who actually cared about me because they were holding me accountable, my mom. Continue saying, you know from start to finish. I love you. But you're better than this. I love you, but you're better than this. And I couldn't hear that. So I pushed her away. Other people in my life, I pushed them away. If they if they did anything other than applaud me and pat me on the back, I pushed them away and that left me living in a very lonely, isolated life. And at the end of it, I won that award and it doesn't work. So I'm asking myself like well. No one's gonna marry me. No, like I'm not. I'm not capable of being a father. And my greatest hope and my joy is creating things that impact people in a positive way. And I knew I wasn't doing that when I laid my head on the pillow. It doesn't matter how much money I had in the bank or how many people followed me on social media, or how many people asked to take pictures of me when I went places. None of those things. It gave me satisfaction at night because I knew at the end of the day I was a. I was a prostitute and I was selling myself and the only value that I truly had on a practical level was having sex for money, and that left me a place where I was going to take my life. I was. I was ready to take my life. And so it was something I thought about for probably six months leading up. To this day. But when I won that award, it really escalated and amplified the depression anxiety I already had. And then after. Just a few. Months after about six months after that, I decided, like, OK, I'm going to take my life and for some reason I thought it made sense. Like, OK, I I got to. Get everything squared away. First I got a I got a check I need to drop into the bank and I go in this bank and. I deposit the. Check in the and I will always do. The drop box. Or ATM because on the checks on the memo it would always say what it was for. Would say that the title. Of the movie. Or something obscene. And I didn't want to hand someone a check and confirm. That I was being compensated for that and I. But this dad didn't care. Like, who cares? Go and I go. And this teller looks at me, and after we make the transaction, she hands me a receipt and I go to walk away and she says she says, hey. Joshua, are you OK? Joshua, is there anything I can do for you and what she didn't know is that that was the first time in about 18 months. That I heard my name. And he wrecked me. He wrecked me, and I was really emotional. I remember, like, hurrying home. And I just was thinking, I got to call my mom. And I call her. We have this really emotional conversation and her total has changed. You know, she's I'm growing up from the South. You know, it went from, you know. Was it Joshua, are you OK? You know, you should have. Called me but.
Speaker
Right.
Joshua Broome
But like Super, Super happy that I was OK number one, but also just say, hey, I love you won't just come home like you sound like so broke and I won't just come home. So I decided that I was going to do that, so I. Picked up. My phone and instead of ending my life, I ended my **** career. My people, my phone and said, you know, call called everyone. I need to call my agent, my PR person, and I quit. And I wish that I did not spend the next two years lying and trying to cover up my, you know, past. But that's what I did. I spent. Two years. Lying to everyone I met until I would. Get found out. I started working at a gym and same thing. It's like OK, I'm going to work in a gym. I'm going to be the best trainer there are, so it's like I work my way up to management pretty quickly in about 18 between 18. Months to two. Years and I'm working. At this gym. And this girl walks in and I ask her out on a date. And she says no, which amplified my interest. And I we we we agree to go on a run. She asked me if I if I want to go on a run and we meet for this run and we go out on this run. And while I'm waiting there I just get so convicted about and just tired. The lying. Because every time I met someone, I was looking over my shoulder because I was just one Google Church away from knowing and then knowing everything I didn't. Want them to? Know and I was like, I'm just so. Tired of it so. I just told her, like, hey, this you just lay it all out there. This is this is, you know, everything I've done. This is the truth about me. This is what you need to know. And she looks at me and she's like. Wow, I I cannot believe. You just told me that.
Paul Cardall
Right, right.
Joshua Broome
And but then she and then she looks me and says, well, I want you to know that a person's not defined by the worst thing they've ever done. A person's not defined. My other greatest thing you'll ever do. I believe that each and every person is defined by God. Do you know who God is? And I was like. Yeah, because for me, I didn't know who I was. So my role or then what I would do is I would put on my, you know, my first date mask where I don't know who I am, but I'm going to be whoever you want me to be because I want you to like me. And I think, yeah, that's that's a lot of people's social media. It's like they're they're they're filters and fake things. And I'm going to portray a facade so that I will get likes, comments and views. And that that was who I was. And I was like, I'm not. I don't know who I am, but I know that I want you to like me. So I was like, yeah, yeah. And I believe, you know, God's real I did. I believe that God was real. And I I probably would have said I was a Christian if you asked me because I thought I was contingent on me believing that God was real and that he created everything. And that's where it stopped. And she was like, OK, well, what's your relationship with Jesus like, what's your prayer life like? You know, are you plugged into community anywhere? And I was like. I can see I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have that. And then she was like, well, you know, I've been Christian since I was in 7th grade. My mom, dad, brother, sister, all Christians. I'm not perfect by any means, but Jesus is the foundation in which I live my life. And then she was like, So what are some of your goals and aspirations? Like, what do? You what do? You like to eat. And I was like. Hold on. I've been lying to people my whole life and being rejected. But I tell you the truth and you don't reject me. That doesn't make it he's.
Paul Cardall
Wow, yeah.
Joshua Broome
Like what? Like and I. I think it's like. A we we see like a real picture of like Colossians 4. It's like, you know, let your speech be gracious and season with salt. So you might know how you. Thought to answer each person because you know, we look at the Ministry of Jesus and his interactions were individualistic in nature, as should ours be and. If we were prepared to. Answer difficult things and circumstances. It's not necessarily having the right answer, but having the right response and her response was. This is true about you, but that's not who you are. And that's the thing that I never believed. And it was my very identity that I gave away was so interesting to look back upon that the the. The initial conversation with the agent where he said I will make your name famous, yet the very first thing was I conceded my name and. I actually lost it. And then the bank teller speaks my name and it shattered the plausible reality that I created based on guilt and shame. And, you know, beautifully enough, I'm Joshua means, you know, God is salvation or God saves just. Yeah. So in retrospect. That we we have that. We have that conversation and then we talk for hours and then we. Talk of that week and then she invites me to church on that weekend and we go to this church and I walk in and there's this giant wooden plaque and it says we want to love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. And I was like. The Jesus God. Awesome, but love me where I'm. At I don't know. About that, there's no way if. You knew. About me. You wouldn't say that. You wouldn't even want me here. And I sit down and worship takes place and it was cool and like. It was. I was feeling the eye, but I mean it was just like I wasn't really expecting. Sleeping and what I remember from church was, you know, I just remembered a guy in a three piece suit saying that your shirt shouldn't be wrinkled. You can't have tattoos and everyone's going to hell is all I remember.
Paul Cardall
That's how so many people connect with God. They confuse church with who God is. They tend to their church experiences their God experience, when in reality what you're discovered, what you discovered, what, what your, you know, your wife. Taught you and her family. Is that you got to stop trying to write your story because God has such a better story to tell, and there's so much joy in in the adventure of watching him write the pages versus you trying to take control, even though. You know all of. Us like you, we want to be the. Best at everything.
Joshua Broome
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3
But but he is.
Paul Cardall
The best of the best.
Joshua Broome
Yeah, 100% a 100. Percent we we sit down and then instead of someone in a in a suit and tie, which there's nothing wrong with preaching a suit and tie. But and this guy, this guy comes up here and he's wearing AT shirt and jeans and. Boots. And he sounds like my grandfather's Southern accent and he steals. He tells the story about my fellow chef in the. In the first scene. You know, and he's talking about how lineage worked, where Jonathan died. And my fellow chef was the last remaining member of his family. But historically, when a new king stepped in and his reign took place, they would kill anyone remaining in that previous family because they didn't want them to have. Access to the Kingdom or think that they had access to the Kingdom. But David was a different type of king. So David sends his guard out to find my Fable chef, and when my fellow chef is found, he knows history. He's hiding. He's expecting to. Death and instead of death, David brought him into his Kingdom, gave him a seat his table, and restored his land. And then you know. The pastor pivoted from there and he. Was like hey. Do you know that we're almost 3? 23 says that we've all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and then Romans 623 says the way. We've seen his death, so we're all guilty and we're all deserving of death. And that our sin has separated us from a holy and perfect God, and we need a bridge to get to God because we're separated from him, but because we're imperfect. We can't build that perfect bridge, but Jesus comes and he lays down in his life not because we deserve it because he loves us. And because of his righteousness, because of his perfection, because of his sacrifice, he pays our debt, and we put our. Faith in him. There's a bit. There's a bridge. That we have access to. Too, and that that was the thing that changed my life because it it changed. Like you were saying, it changed the perspective because I had a human perspective regarding the father. And I think that's why I always lean into the fatherly aspect of my story because so many people with Father Trauma, they put the human perspective. And God and they create this narrative around who God is and who they believe him to be in accordance to their trauma or or their or their lack thereof. That absence of the father. So if you see the Father, God the father, as unreliable. Untrustworthy, unloving. And you you you can't see him for who he is. But this pastor painted this picture of who God is and what Jesus did on my behalf, and the Holy Spirit did something in my heart and I gave my life to Jesus in that moment. And you know that that person that we went on that walk, you know that, that that they confronted. The the most terrible thing that I think I could tell someone I I tell her. This and she said, OK. Whatever. You know, that's not who you are invites me to church. That was eight years ago, and we've been married for six years and we have three boys and we operate A5. 01 C nonprofit called Finding Hope and I Travel and I preach the gospel and I share my story. And like my, my life is different in spite of my failure, and God has not only redeemed and restored me as a person. He's repurposed my influence to the point that, you know, I have this, I've I've spoke at Capitol Hill advocating for the for legislation that not now has legs. It's made his way to Congress and we're going. To see legislation put in place to protect act where there's going to be legitimate age verification which is never happened before. And it's like and like I have this like social media influence for the right like I I had it for the wrong reason and God said, hey, I'm entrusting you with this almost. Like the the gold that was taken from Egypt, like, you know the, the, the, the God delivered these people from Egypt and they they they take all this gold with them and they end up building a golden calf or some type of animal and end up at the bottom while Moses is getting the 10 commandments and then. Later on, we see that goal was part of the Ark of. The Covenant so it's. Like God will give you something he'll entrust you with that you could either use for his glory or your detriment. You can either make it about you or you can make it about him and God. Has entrusted me with this platform with this influence. And I chose that once I knew what my life was about, which is giving him the glory I've I've had the opportunity to repurpose that influence and point people to Jesus. So I used to have a wound, but now it's a scar, and that scar doesn't point to me. It doesn't point to pouring. That it it NASCAR it. Points to Jesus because he. Healed me and he transformed me. And I want other people to experience that.
Paul Cardall
I love it. I think your story is absolutely remarkable. People that are. I guess not fully aware of the relationship they can have with Jesus. That is the drug that is the Jesus Revolution. That is the Jesus movement that that gets. People out of the. Addictions, you know, 12 steps, third step like God. 's incredible experience before. We end because I know you got to go. There are, you know, you're a sponge. I I see the energy in your face. The light of Christ in your eyes. You are passionate and absorbing whatever you can get from from the Father Jesus, revealing all those things to you for the people that have walked with Jesus. And then for. Whatever trauma has resurfaced in their life and they've thought they've chosen to self soothe, you know, there's those that go the alcohol and the drugs around, then there's those that go the sex route and and the addiction to sex.
Speaker
I want.
Paul Cardall
What is your advice to those? Because you seem to come from? Of not knowing to know you, these people knew. How do they go from already knowing to where? It's almost like the devil gets such a chain around their ankle that they start to deconstruct what they knew was so special that you're feeling right now. How do they get that fire back that you're feeling? Is this something you guys are doing? With part of your ministry.
Joshua Broome
Yeah, I'm 100% and. For me the the. Reason that my life is different is because I had an encounter with Jesus. But the reason my that my life stayed different is because three days after that happened, I walked in the church and someone discipled me. So I I spent 15 to 20 hours a week with someone. Being discipled, I got so passionate. About the Bible that I gotta undergrad in Christian ministries and focused on people with theology and like, you know, pursuing a masters in theology. So the the Bible transformed my life because Jesus said that the Bible is real. So I took the Bible seriously and he said Donna dot Donna Iota of his Lord will pass away. Into us all fulfilled. So I use the Bible to destruct and tear down lies that I believe for so long, and I build a foundation of truth. So you see revelation, you know, he tells the Church of Ephesus. Go back to your first love, remember where you started. Remember where that love came from. And you know, like I I just, I love this passage in Titus 211 through 15, but it says for the grace of God has appeared that all for salvation to all people. It teaches us so this is NIV and it teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled. Upright and godly lives in this present age, so God loves us enough to give us the Holy Spirit. And we have the opportunity to live upright in self controlled lives and then if you want the passion that you once had, turn back. That's why it's like every, you know, Peter or anyone repent and turn back to Jesus and you see the life of Peter where he went from. I think I'm a fisherman. Oh, you're a. Fish for a man and the Jesus? Asked Peter. Who am I? He says. You're the son of God. You're the Messiah. He's like, great. You're the rock. You're the OG rock. You're the rock where the rock was the rock. And then 3 verses later, he's calling them Satan, and then he's saying I would never deny you. And then he's denying him. And then he's in this, this place of solitude. And he goes back fishing and then Jesus calls him back to himself. And, he says, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me? And what I love about that passage and Luke, I think it's 22 where? He's when Jesus is talking to him. He says. Do you love me? The Greek word that he uses like OPE, but the the Greek word that Peter responds with is phileo. So it's like. Agape is this ultimate sacrificial love. Phileo is his brotherly love, and then the third time that Jesus asked him do you love me? He says. For live so. Jesus will meet you where you are and take. Take you to a place that. You couldn't get on your own, but where, where, where and how do you do that? It's coming to Jesus coming to his feet and surrendering. Surrender is the access point to purpose. Surrender is the access point to freedom. Surrender is the access point. To happiness, to joy, to everything. And I think so many people try, like, should you take inventory of your life and remove things that are leading you in a way that you shouldn't go? Should you have boundaries in your life? Should you identify triggers so you don't do those things again? Yes, all these things are important all. These things are biblical. I'm sure we have accountability, yes, but really accountability, where if you come to me and say you're struggling and you watched, you know you watch something you said you didn't want to watch for the third time. This month, and I keep saying, man, let us pray about it, man, I'm. Sorry you did that, no. We got to challenge one another. I said, hey, man, you're doing something you said. You didn't want. To do you said that it was ruining your family. You said that you felt terrible because you were disrespecting your life. It's impacting your integrity. It's impacting the way you're living. So we need to be confrontational and love. And when you stab each other in the front, sometimes, instead of stabbing each other in the back and talking about people when you know they're out of sight, be honest with another. Because the reality is you're only as free as you're honest. And accountability only works if it's.
Paul Cardall
Your fellowship is what that is. Fellowship the relationship with God goes up and. Down like the cross. But this way we don't have that. The cross. Joshua, you're amazing. Thank you for being on here. Everybody go to Joshua Broome dot me on there. You've got information on how people. That help links to things your story is on there which. It's an 8 minute, 8 minute video. I encourage everybody to go watch that. It's powerful. Share it with those you love. Share it. With that especially. Young men and young women in your life before the addiction, before they enter into this crazy. They need to feel Christ. They need to feel that. Love and know that there is freedom and.
Joshua Broome
And also like, if you're if you're struggling with it, just know that you're not alone. I mean, if you look at the statistics, if you look at Amazon, Twitter and Netflix all combined, the viewership is that like if you combine Amazon, Twitter and Netflix.
Speaker
Right.
Joshua Broome
How many people visit those sites per day? How many? All those combined? That's how much **** is being consumed in regarding revenue, NFL, Major League Baseball, NBA all those revenues all combined. That's how much *********** is making per year. 35% of all the data transfer on the Internet on a daily basis is ***********. So to say it's a problem. Is an understatement. Average age of exposure is on 11. Years old. We need to love people enough to tell them something is dangerous. I tell my kids that the stove is hot so they don't touch it and they trust me enough to believe me. So don't be in the situation parents. And if you're a parent out there, if you don't tell someone the truth, you going to have to ask two. You're going to answer, you're going to have. To answer. Two questions. Why didn't you tell me? And why is your point of view different? So get in front of that. Have the conversation first. Ask yourself is is what you're going to tell them? Going to make them uncomfortable? Or are you? The one that's uncomfortable having that conversation. Because even if it's uncomfortable protecting someone you love from something that's going to hurt them in. A very real way is worth.
Paul Cardall
It love it. Thanks, Joshua. Appreciate it. Anything else you want to share?
Joshua Broome
I would love if anyone wants to head over to my website. There's a portion on there called unmissable. We're making this journalistic style podcast. It'll be 8 episodes. It's a deep dive into the industry and the totality of my story all the way back to South Carolina when it started. We're doing some stuff in. Florence, SC, where I went to school. Initially, we went back to Hollywood, went back to the same place that I signed the contract. Track interview some people there that are still in the industry, so people have who have just been hurt in a in a very deep way, obtained some really incredible freedom. But yeah, the, the, the totality of my story, unmentionable. I I love the name of it because so many people hold on to this thing that they. I believe is unmentionable and it actually causes them to see the world. As I can never be a wife, I can never be a husband. I can never accomplish XY and Z, and it detriments your worth. And Jesus died on the cross so that you could be free. So if you're free, act like it. If you're not, there's a person named Jesus that desperately wants to meet you.
Paul Cardall
Alright, thanks Joshua. Have a have an amazing day. Give your wife our love and your boys.
Speaker
We'll see you.
Joshua Broome
Will do alright brother.
Paul Cardall
Episode 54 was an incredible conversation and I want to invite you to please subscribe to all Heart with Paul Cardall's. That's me by subscribing which please go subscribe. It basically enables this podcast to be in other locations so people can discover it. I've had incredible guests that you're going to benefit from if you have not already listened to these conversations. I've talked to Grammy winning artist New York Times bestselling authors, actors. Thought provoking people who provide incredible information that really help us in our lives, I interviewed Jonathan Rooney, who plays Jesus from the chosen. I interviewed Dallas Jenkins, the creator of the chosen. I talked to Grammy winning duo Thompson Square about how to become successful in the country music. Business how it's changed? I talked to Ben Fuller about his. Drug addiction recovery he is a popular Christian art musician who used to be a country artist. I talked to Tony Martin about how to write hit songs. He's written all these songs for Tim McGraw. I talked to a Catholic priest, Father Bill Watson. Why would you become a Catholic priest? And what's the deal with celibacy? How do you do that? I talked about mistranslations in the Bible. Is that a reality when it? Comes to homosexuals. Melody Pastor James Duncan helps us with that. I talked to Jay Warner. Wallace, a former homicide detective who basically was an atheist that began to investigate Christianity. What did he find? What did he discover? I talked to Richie Norton, an author who has. He helped a. Lot of other people become successful, he wrote a book called The Power of starting Something Stupid. Talked to country artist Scott Stevens. Also Lindsey L who is on tour right now with Shania Twain. I talked to. Benjamin Hastings last week of Hillsong United talked about some of the challenges with Hillsong and what he is doing in response. His new album Listen, we've got some great guests coming. We've got Antonio Sabato, junior. We've got Grammy winning pianist Peter Kate. Here, of course, next week is Victoria Jackson from Saturday Night Live, so the list goes on and on of incredible people who are contributing to society in a profound way in a diverse way. We had Tyler Glenn from Neon Trees talking about his transformation. Into accepting who he is and who he was born to be, Richard Paul Evans, who wrote the New York Times bestselling author The Christmas Box. Books one of the most successful books ever written, he talks about how to market a novel. Why write a novel? We talked to JD Neto, who wrote my story, the Broken Miracle, a fictional book that is actually sponsoring this podcast. The publisher is sponsoring this podcast. JD Neto is an incredible fantasy writer. But he took on my story because he couldn't believe the fact that doctors with the technology we have now raised me from the dead. The list goes on and on of inspiring people who are making a difference. So again, please subscribe. To the podcast, one of my favorite. Podcast was interviewing my father, who's a retired broadcast journalist. He talks about how journalism has changed on TV over the years. I got a chance to talk to. My mom and have her on the podcast. That is a very personal and amazing story. What it was like to raise eight children, including a son like me, born with congenital heart disease and of course, my brother who suffered from mental illness. I do an episode on how to get better sleep. It's something that I struggle with, so it's very diverse, a lot of topics that you're going to benefit from. So again, this is all heart with Paul Cardall, that's me. Please subscribe wherever you're listening to the podcast. If you want more information, please go to my website paulcardall.com. Most people know me as a pianist. I've got a lot of music that's going to help you create an atmosphere of peace in your home, wherever you are. And that led to interviewing people I find fascinating. So again, thank you for listening. Please subscribe to all heart. With Paul cardall.
Speaker 3
Show me how to feel.
Singer
Broken anymore? #1 billboard pianist Paul Cardall.
Paul Cardall
Do you believe? In miracles and second chances over a decade ago, I was raised from the dead.
Singer
Read Paul's story, the broken miracle by JD Neto.
Paul Cardall
Visit www.thebrokenmiracle.com