John Turnipseed, a former gang leader and drug dealer, is a community leader, pastor, speaker, facilitator, and has written parenting curriculum. For more than 15 years, John was the director of the Center for Fathering at Urban Ventures in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was promoted to vice president in 2014. Overcoming the deadly effects of a violent, absent father and the downward spiral of gang life, John is passionate about helping rebuild relationships and successful living. Cecil Murphey has written or co-authored more than one hundred books. He has won a number of awards for his writing, including the 1996 Gold Medallion award for his collaboration on the autobiography of Franklin Graham, Rebel with a Cause. A collaborator on the bestseller Gifted Hands with Dr. Ben Carson, Cecil resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Once a notorious gangster, drug dealer and pimp, John Turnipseed
knows what it's like to feel trapped in sin. Now a licensed
minister, Turnipseed wants those struggling to make a change and to
know God hears their prayers."I always try to tell people to look
for the evidence of God because it's always there and sometimes we
just ignore it. We look past it [because] it doesn't look inviting
to us," he said.In his soon-to-be-released autobiography Bloodline,
Turnipseed tells how his troubled childhood led him into a life of
crime and how surrendering his life to Christ led him to become a
helping hand for others living hard lives.As a young child,
Turnipseed's family attended church every Sunday. Then the family
relocated from Alabama to Minnesota and his father, once a deacon
and a member of the church choir, became a violent drunk who beat
Tunipseed's mother daily.Turnipseed said he prayed five to 10 times
a day for the abuse to stop but it continued. He and his five
brothers eventually stopped praying. He told The Christian Post, "I
just felt that there was no God at that time."But looking back,
Turnipseed said God did intervene. "I see that He actually did send
angels to help but we did not grab the angels' hands." The family
stopped attending church regularly and he said, "Three times I
remember different ministers tried to reach out to us and my mom
wouldn't talk to them." His mother also forbade her sons from
talking to school counselors.Turnipseed rebelled against God by
turning to the local pimps and drug dealers. He began running
errands for pimps in exchange for sex with prostitutes at age 12.
Then he was kicked out of school by age 16 for threatening to kill
his principal while high on drugs.As an adult, Turnipseed became
involved in several illegal activities such as armed robbery,
pimping prostitutes, and selling drugs and was constantly in and
out of prison. His son, Little Johnny, and stepson, Roamel, had
both followed in his footsteps, becoming drug dealers and gang
members.Turnipseed did not begin to seek God again until Little
Johnny was shot outside of a party. Though he was in prison at the
time, he cried out to God.
BY STEPHANIE SAMUEL, CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER September 26, 2014
I am drawn to stories of people overcoming adversity. Stories of
the human spirit rising above and conquering over the struggles,
hardships, and downright hell and we all encounter at some point
during our life's journey. This is what attracted me to John's
story and the reason I wanted to play his part in the Turnipseed
movies. Hearing, reading, and seeing these types of stories
motivate me to keepfighting and to keep the faith when I go through
struggles. If you are at all like me, then just one chapter of
John's life will do the same for you."-- Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.,
American Character Actor and Hollywood Movie Actor
John Turnipseed is a living witness and example of the
transformational power of Jesus Christ. John's life experiences
have made him an excellent candidate to speak into the life and
brokenness of our communities due to the cycle of crime and culture
of rebellion. One of the things that I have come to admire about
John is his commitment to his family. Because John's heart is to
see people restored, his bloodline runs deeper than his family of
origin. Through his work at the Center for Fathering, John has
added members to his family countless beyond number. He has become
a father to many, a brother to others, and a source of inspiration
to all who know him."--Quovadis Marshall, National Director,
Restorative Church Coalition of Prison Fellowship Ministries
John Turnipseed's story shows how a changed heart will shift what
you think of your self and the impact you can have. I thank God for
you, John Turnipseed, for sharing your story, for allowing Jesus to
change your heart, and for you deciding to love and lead others to
be the best they can be. I'm calling all the John Turnipseed, types
forward. Let the shifting begin. It is time to change the world,
your state, your city, your community, your hood, your street, your
family, and your life. But it starts with you. Go all in and finish
the race. We all need you."-- Shaun Alexander, NFL MVP,
award-winning author of Touchdown Alexander and The Walk
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