From Felon to Forbes

Jerald Lewis

Description

Whether your dreams have been derailed by self-inflicted choices or second-hand circumstances, From Felon To Forbes, delivers a fresh breath of possibility for what a person can achieve with their life. Coach Jae's ability to connect, coach, and empower with a mix of relevant analogies, shameless transparency and results-based strategies truly makes him a '1-of-1' amongst today's personal success coaches. The gift, you are now holding, is simply your unique opportunity to know how his Transformation To Greatness was achieved.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Memoir

Informations

• Publié par: Spirit Reign Communication
• Date de parution: 22 août 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781940002743
• Langue: English

Extrait

FROM FELON
TO FORBES
A TRANSFORMATION TO GREATNESS!

JERALD “COACH JAE” LEWIS
Author: Jerald “Coach Jae” Lewis
Cover design: Daryl S. Anderson, Sr.
Page design & layout: OA.Blueprints, LLC
Editor: Spring Hawk Publications
© 2015 Jerald “Coach Jae” Lewis. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN PB: 978-1-940002-73-6
ISBN ePUB: 978-1-940002-74-3
ISBN ePDF: 978-1-940002-75-0
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
Chapter 2 JESUS WAS A CARPENTER
Chapter 3 THE CROSSROADS
Chapter 4 THE PRISON CHRONICLES
Chapter 5 ALWAYS LISTEN TO MOMMA!
Chapter 6 THE FIRST MEAL
Chapter 7 DA BLOCK IS HOT
Chapter 8 GET BIG
Chapter 9 THE RIDE
Chapter 10 CON-AIR
Chapter 11 THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS (OKLAHOMA)
Chapter 12 INCARCERATION 2.0
Chapter 13 THE CIGARETTE KING!
Chapter 14 INTRODUCING: JAMES E. CROW II, ESQUIRE
Chapter 15 THE BIG HOUSE
Chapter 16 LEWISBURG LIVING
Chapter 17 ALL THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON
Chapter 18 BRING THE PAIN!
Chapter 19 SHOCK AND AWE!
Chapter 20 GOOD MORNING PAIN!
Chapter 21 D-DAY
Chapter 22 CLOSURE
Chapter 23 M-TOWN BOUND
Chapter 24 LAST STOP TO FREEDOM
Chapter 25 RECONNECTED & RECHARGED
Chapter 26 THE BASE
Chapter 27 GAME TIME!
Chapter 28 A NEW REALITY
Chapter 29 DARK DAYS
Chapter 30 THE CATALYST FOR CHANGE IS DISCOMFORT!
Chapter 31 THE BULLIED YEARS
Chapter 32 THE SYMBOL
Chapter 33 THE FINAL EXAM
“The most intense fight a human will ever have is between the person they are and the person they are capable of becoming!”
- Coach Jae -
DEDICATION & SHOUT-OUTS
This book is dedicated to my spirit, my ace, my Lord and Savior. Thank you God for NEVER leaving me! Thank you for your voice in my head that was, and will forever remain, my source of comfort, correction and guidance. You are the ULTIMATE Coach and Mentor!
To my wife, Veronica ‘Nikki’ Lewis. You get one true love in life and I am honored that I have found that love with you! I would be nothing if it wasn’t for the strength God gave you to endure and to assist me while I was “becoming”. I love you so much, Sweetie. May your ‘Get into Heaven Free’ card be officially stamped and validated.
To my beautiful children, Elijah and Gabrielle. Daddy loves you more than you could ever imagine. I set a new bar for our family, not for you to reach it, but for you to surpass it. Remember, when you finally reach that star…leap for another one!
To my mom, you have given me your love, unconditionally, no matter how high or how low my life has been. While “Thank you” and “I Love You” aren’t strong enough phrases to tell you how I truly feel, my true hope is that I continue to make you proud of the man that I am, the son I have become, and the awesome husband and father I’m determined to be.
To my dad, while you aren’t physically here to see this book, I tear with the memory that you witnessed the actual journey. Dad, I pray that I made you proud. I thank you for the qualities and character of a real man that you instilled in me, with and without words. I miss you and I enjoy our memories daily.
Thank you to all my grandparents, great-aunts / uncles, I am so thankful for the example and the road your sacrifice paved for me. Your wisdom is gone but never forgotten.
To my brothers Jonathan Lewis and John Lewis II, thank you both for your love and support throughout my life. The entire Lewis family, near and far, thank you for the love of family.
My brother, Parco ‘Ko-Ko’ Upchurch, we have come a LONG way, bro. While both of our lives are an awesome testimony, I am so thankful that I had you in my life while I was ‘becoming’ and still in my life while we both continue to evolve.
To the two men who poured almost endlessly into my life, yet gone too soon. Cornelius (Pop) Harris, Sr. and Patrick Henry, Sr. I miss you both immensely!
To the James /Thompson Family, your acceptance, love and support are never taken for granted, thank you.
To Lt. Wright, I hope I polished up to be that ‘solider’ you knew I could be. Thank you doesn’t seem strong enough.
Dr. Carolyn Bibbs (Creative Life, Memphis TN). Dr. B, you saw the vision for my life before I did. XOXO!
Shay Streetman, I am honored to call you my friend.
To the entire Shelby County Department of Corrections staff and all the men and women who reside there ‘temporarily’. Thank you for allowing me to do what I LOVE to do.
To Dennis Norfleet, you were the first person who taught me the meaning of an unconditional friend. Though my immaturity, disrespected our friendship and I have not been able to find you to tell you, again, how truly sorry I am, I live daily, as a better man, because of you.
To (the SYMBOL)…much love baby! Continue Just Doing It and I’m FOREVER loyal for the opportunity you gave me! Thank you to the entire city of Memphis (The Great, The Good, and the Prospering).
To the various people, groups and organizations who have allowed me to do what I love to do around the world. Thank you.
Lastly,
To all those who believed they couldn’t make it, who were told they wouldn’t make it, who felt they shouldn’t make it, this memoir is forever dedicated to you!
Always coaching, always humble, and forever grateful,
-Coach Jae #DieEmpty
FOREWORD
Hello, allow me to introduce myself. I am someone who has known Jerald Lewis (you may know him as Coach Jae) his entire life. Yes, his entire life. When he took his first step(s), learned to ride a bike, stole his first piece of candy, went on his first date, and planned and succeeded at his first burglary, I was there to experience it firsthand. I watched him grow from a small child to a teenager to an adult. I witnessed every single event that took place in his life.
Now, I could itemize all my personal credentials that qualify me to write this foreword, but I believe it’s more important that you know the reason I’m writing it rather than what entitles me to do so. This could possibly be the single most important piece of advice I have ever given.
Don’t Read This Book!
Books are a great resource—full of information, and one of the best tools on the planet for increasing a person’s knowledge. However, this book, From Felon to Forbes , should not be considered a great resource. There’s an old saying that if you really want to hide knowledge and wisdom from a person, put it in a book. Unfortunately, this book doesn’t contain knowledge or wisdom, it’s worthless material.
Coach Jae is neither a coach nor a good author; he’s a liar, a cheat, and a thief. He has low self-esteem, he doesn’t finish anything he starts, he gets bullied and never takes up for himself. Oh yes, and let’s not forget he’s also a Convicted Felon! Now, is that the type of “Coach” you would listen to? Does he sound like the kind of person who could lead other people? I think not! From page one, he amuses us with stories of his life that reek with lies and get progressively worse with each sentence. By now, I probably sound like a hater, I’m not. I’m simply trying to keep you from wasting your time, because if you’re looking for encouragement to achieve a better life, this isn’t the book and he’s not the messenger. Besides, who would want to change their life anyway? You are perfect just the way you are. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a broken person. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with living a sad, unfulfilled, depressed life. I’m just here to encourage you to be proud of who you are and how you are. Just look at your life like the job that no one wants. At the end of the day, someone has to do it.
Someone has to be the criminal, or the addict, or the lifetime welfare recipient. Someone has to be that sad person working that dead-end job, living paycheck to paycheck. There is nothing wrong with being the person who makes all the wrong choices. Some people just aren’t born lucky enough or with the right kind of spoon in their mouth to have dreams and reach goals, and no half-wit, wannabe coach or his book can do anything to change that, right? It will always be as it is now…hopeless. I leave you with a REAL inspirational quote: Be as you are, stay as you are, and be thankful for the consequences.
With sincerity,
The “Old” Jerald
PREFACE
My name is Jerald Lewis (the “New” Jerald Lewis by the way) and despite what you just read about me, much of which I will not even dignify with a response, one thing is accurate: I am not a good writer. Even though you’re now holding a book that I authored, I still don’t consider myself a writer. I am merely a coach who chronicled his personal journey with the hope that you, the reader, would look at your life—the good, the bad and the ugly and see it for what it truly is. Your life is an amazing gift with which you can still create and achieve just about anything if you’re willing to go through just about anything to achieve it.
I wrote this narrative because it is the most important season of my transformation, and represents a slice of time that changed everything about my life. This transformation is the foundation for which my life, following these events, is now built and based upon. Understand this, From Felon to Forbes , was not authored so you could be engulfed in some beautifully written journey about personal struggle, transformation and breakthrough. It was written for you to examine your own life’s journey through the lens of my experiences.
This is not a watch-from-the-sideline or sit-on-the-bench type of story. This is a story that invites you to become involved in transforming your own life as you witness the transformation of mine. Let me reiterate, I am neither a great writer nor a wordsmith. I will, however, do my very best to illustrate my state of mind in each situation, and