What if all you knew as a teenager was abandonment, abuse and drug dealing? How would that shape your perspective and choices? Paul Ybarra takes us right into his home and his life as a teenage drug dealer in California in the 80’s. You will hear how his life spiraled out of control, as the stakes got bigger and bigger. He also shares the beautiful way the Lord stopped him in his tracks, called him out of that life and put him on a new path.

Psalm 1:2-3 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

**Special Note: Because this is a family-friendly podcast I want to take just a moment to let you know this podcast contains some sensitive content that might not be safe for young ears. If you have young kids listening, please take note and consider putting in earbuds.
Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3R3EZ5J

Topics Shared:

Low rider truck club parents, San Jose in the 70’s

Charismatic stepfather, big strong partying family

Learned class in the hood

Raised Jehovah’s Witness, stepdad was in leadership and nice at home

Light switch to narcissism and major abuse, molestation

Shame and guilt as a family

Elders didn’t believe the family, coverup ensued

Premeditated evil and double life

Jailed

Fresh start in Yakima, Wa. & Mabton

Mom spirals down, with cocaine

Created a cool image

Loved by a family

14 yrs old, feeling abandoned by his mom

She chooses another man over her children

Given a ticket back to Ca

LIVING THE GANGSTER LIFESTYLE, GANG BANGER:

His Mom moves back and becomes a secret Taco Bell madam, with a prostitute ring.

Even the high school counselor gives up on him

So he goes hard into the lifestyle

High rolling, living the Snoop Dog Video life

Starts tweaking, and going hard on drugs

Loses everything, and loses trust on the streets, depression sets in, and he tries to forget everything

Gets sober for a minute, finds a girlfriend who he wants to help and gets right back in

A String of jobs, and refuses rehab

Two thirty day stints in county jail

CHANGED BY THE LORD:

Mike Williams and his help

Suicidal

Binging, and doing a paper route

A Cry out to God

Quitting cold turkey, no uppers, no weed, and starting a New sales job

Affair with a young Christian woman

Reputation lost

Gets sober

His boss invites him to church, first man he respects since the age of 12.

1/09/2005 goes to the altar, salvation

New life, and then backsliding begins, back in California

A friend helps bring him back and repentance

A year of purification

Meets his wife at church

Three months later married

Sold out for God

MINISTRY:

Set Free Ministries

Live-streaming on Periscope

Recovery is for everyone

Coaching ministry begins

Kingdom Linked Network

Spiritual Father to Many

THE P.S. Questions Answered:

The Importance of Discipleship

How The Pandemic Has Changed Him

Paul Ybarra Links:

Website: Kingdom Lined Network, Connecting Community, Building the Kingdom https://www.kingdomlinkednetwork.com/

Facebook Group: We Are Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/wearecommunitygroup

Podcasts to check out: Activate Your Next Level Mindset Podcast with Coach Paul, Coach’s Corner with Paul Ybarra, On The Go Podcast With Paul Ybarra

Paul’s Book: 100 Power Tips to Set You Free: https://www.amazon.com/100-Power-Tips-Set-Free/dp/1513686631

Resources:

The Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 & Website: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Paul Ybarra Quotes:

“I just found the easy route, because my brother was out there in the streets. The lifestyle was selling dope, making some money, sell a whole lot of weed and have fun, and smoke weed. Right about that time is when gangster rap had just hit the market, in the late 80’s early 90’s, and you just live the lifestyle. The lifestyle soon became by the time I was 17 in high school, selling dope in school.”

“My mom had a job at Taco Bell, and along the way, she actually became a madam for this secret prostitute ring that was in Taco Bell. So it was part of the franchise, and she was making a huge amount of money, rolls of money was coming home every night. At 16 years old, I thought ‘I guess this is how we do life. So I was slinging dope in school. We would go to Taco Bell and get 5 to 10 bags of free food. It was like this junior mafia basically, all my home boys making money, doing the things.”

“I was a senior. One day I went to school and my counselor called me into the office and he said ‘Paul, what do you plan on doing with your life? All you do is come here and sell dope. Why don’t you just drop out. And I was sitting there thinking, ‘But you are my counselor, really?”

“We lived it, we spent it, boats, cars parties, like a Snoop Dog video, that’s what we lived. And through that, built a lot of respect in the streets. I was never in a gang, p erse, just gang-banged, always wearing red, a northerner, the whole nine, that’s who I was.”

“So basically, you have two different roles in the street. You have the thug and you have the money makers. I was part of the money maker crews, but we didn’t do the dirt.”

“I turned a crazy leaf and lost everything.”

“I was no longer the dope addict. I was no longer the home boy that sells dope. I was no longer the connection. I was Paul Ybarra.”

“Back then I was a home boy. I’m surrounded by nothing but white boys. I thought they were narcs. I thought it was a set up, because I was high, I was tripping. Then I found my little crew, they were all from Lodi, little Mexican homeboys and white boys that were cool homeboys. We all thought we were surrounded by narcs.”

I quit cold Turkey. That was my only escape. So we get on a sales crew. I know all the spots. I learned how to sell cleaner, and I learned it well.”

“I I got kicked out of my apartment. I moved in with a friend of mine who lived out in the country, but that trailer that was out there was infested with rats. I literally had to cover myself with a blanket like a cocoon to go to sleep. And one Saturday morning I said ‘God whoever you are, if you just give me a better job, I promise to serve you however you see fit. And that same day….”

“Recovery is for everyone. So how do I brand this to where I can reach people that aren’t in recovery, but help them deal with the abandonment, the mindset, the rejection, the spirituality?”

Related Episodes:

Ep. 31- “All Joking Aside” BIG Dave Ebert

https://lettersfromhomepodcast.com/podcast/all-joking-aside-big-dave-ebert/

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