When I'm 18 years old, I'm at a friend's house. And his uncle looks me in me eye - you know, by this time I'm an over achiever, a pretty good student, etc. And he said I have the answer to your problems. I have the solution to your pain. And he held up this book. It's a bible. I didn't know what it was.

It was a moment [when I had found God] that so transformed my life. And I say this is so corny, but it was like the grass was green, the sky was blue. And I can't begin to articulate - as much as they say I'm a wordsmith - what really happened.

When a person feels so trapped and no options, they become desperate and in the middle of desperation.

One of the things is that I've been very comfortable in every situation starting ministry in the inner city and ministering in places - Washington, D.C., feeding the homeless, the hurting, going to broken boys and girls. So culturally I understood all different aspects of life - from extremely wealthy to extreme poverty, socioeconomic differences, ethnic differences.

I didn't grow up in church. I had no concept of God - existence, I - the name Jesus was synonymous with tooth fairy and Santa Claus.

I don't sit down and say, boy, I'm thinking about getting a great deal of money or I'm not going to have any money.

I said God, I want to spend the rest of my life helping people, and felt a real call through a divine moment, an encounter with God. I went to my pastor and said I have a call of God to preach. He put a broom in my hand, and I began to sweep the church.