Jeremee Michael Tyler

Final Thesis, B. Min.

From Tragedy to Triumph: the story of Jeremee Michael Tyler

My story is one of craziness I guess you could say; one of insane results to the human eye
and honestly, I wouldnt want it any other way. My testimony is what has created a story which
I believe has greatly impacted thousands. I do not say this to brag, nor to act as if I am some
superstar who has saved himself; by no means at all. For I have been changed, transformed; and
renewed, by the power of Christ the Kings sweet intervention. Im a musical artist, whose
primary focus is to lead others to Jesus through words spoken have been given the gifts of
speaking, and relational building/coaching along with a creativity bug; that I never want to get
rid of, and I thank God for all of these gifts.

What I have learned overtime is that each of these gifts are to be honed and used strictly
for the glory of God. As 1st Corinthians 10:31 says, whether you eat or drink, or whatever
you do, do all to the glory of God. The aforementioned verse is one that my Father would
constantly quote to me; constantly reminding me Who I am to live for. It excites me to tell this
story because I have often heard many people say that God is not there when we need Him the
most; and it pains me to hear this, but excites me to share the truth; that He is ALWAYS there,
24/7 365. Gods availability has never been limited to mans timeslots, and it never will be.

I was born and raised on Ogden City, Utah. Ogden Utah is a city to itself in a sense; a
city comprised of primarily African-American and Mexican families; keep in mind however, this
is primarily in the Northern and Southern regions of Ogden, while other parts are Caucasian
(known as the richer areas). While race is not always the basis for wealth, unfortunately in
Utah it was common. Mormonism is quite prevalent there, which in-turn caused what I believed
a massive split in cultures. On one side, you have the African-American and Latino community,
primarily made-up of Baptists, Non-Denominational Christianity; and Catholicism. And then on
the other side, you commonly had Mormons, which were predominantly of Caucasian descent.
Although this is not about some disdain for Mormons, I will mention that a big point which drew
us away from such Religion was the belief that those of dark skin (as mentioned in the book of
Mormon) were of the devil. I must say, this was not necessarily a strong draw-in, nor did it
appeal to my family. It was very tough for me to see such a divide, especially knowing that I
have a grandmother who is white and loves us deeply also, she is a strong parental figure to me
not to mention, she married my grandfather who is African-American. Therefore, racism was
NEVER an option in my household, my dad would have knocked me out had I believed such
cold teachings and disgusting nonsense.

I lived in Ogden until I was 14 years old. During my time there (and still to this day); I
had parents who were always consistently there for me, they were consistent in the sense that
they never gave-up, even when I was as my father would say, a knuckle-head! My parents are
people who are, and always will be, extremely close to my heart; someone who loved me deeply
and showed me what it meant to be a true man of God. What my Father showed me is that me

saying, I follow Jesus never solidified me as a true Christian, for there is always a drastic
differential to be found in between saying, and doing.

One of my fondest memories of my father as a young man; or rather a few I should say, is
when I would pass-by his room, and his door would be cracked I would see him on his knees,
praying fervently; praying for his children, for his marriage and for guidance. My father was
and at this very moment still is, a man of great persistence and faith. In Ogden, at one point and
time; we lost our home and were in a sense forced to move into a motorhome. Even during this
time, my father was a prayer warrior; and not only that, he would always make the most out of
our situations. He always told us to tithe, to trust God; and to not lose hope which is why to this
day I truly believe I have lived with the internal refusal to never give-up. Although at this time
we did not have much money on-hand, my dad would still work his late shifts; come home, and
give us one of our favorite sweets Ninja Turtle designed cookies. He has always known how to
make us smile, and would regularly take us out for ice cream at the local Arctic Circle, which
was a place much like a Dairy Queen. Eventually, my father was promoted to one of the top
Hospitals in the country (located in Portland, Oregon); and because of this promotion, we moved
to Washington state. After we moved, it was very hard for my younger brother, my sister and I;
because of the life we had in Ogden and the family who still lived there. I remember a great
deal about our move, partly because it was so tough on my baby brother and sister; but also inpart, because it was very close to the time of the 9/11 attacks in New-York.

My siblings and I have had a very strong bond since day one, and I believe the trials we
have endured have caused such a bond. My mother, who is one of the strongest women I know,

is a beautiful woman (often mistaken as my sister); always reiterated the beliefs of my father,
being that racism is not biblical, nor is it right. Integrity was preached time and time again.
And a line that stuck with me every time before I would leave our home from my mama was,
Jeremee, before you walk out that door, dont you dare forget who you represent and your last
name; when you leave, all that people know is that you are a Tyler, so live your life as such.
To this day, I have not forgotten this statement and it has remained engraved on my heart, for I
realize (and all the more do today), the importance of carrying the mantle with great respect in
my family. My father is the patriarch, and I begin to wonder; if one day it is I who takes this role,
how would I want that to look? Because, at the end of the day this is not only Jeremee Tyler I am
representing, it is the legacy of the Tylers, and the legacy my father has upheld with strong
integrity since I can remember.

I am quite glad that these values were taught, because when we moved to Washington,
racism became all the more prevalent in our daily lives. From kids at school constantly throwing
racial slurs, to random drivers on the road yelling out explicative disrespectful names at us while
walking. Thus, causing my brother and me to protect ourselves from what I believe could have
been a very brutal outcome, due to being jumped and/or attacked regularly. I could not even walk
to the bus after school without hearing a threat thrown my way, and that was extremely hard;
because at least in Ogden we had people who could relate to some degree, with more family; but
in Washington, not so much. It was so bad and eventually was taken to a point that the
Principal requested the NAACP come to town and take notations, while recording us via voicememo and sharing the troubles faced. It was tough, but we made it through; and we had each
other, which as mentioned, made our sibling bond much, much stronger.

I must admit, I have not always upheld Christian values, nor have I remained consistent
in my beliefs. Today, I can honestly say I do, of course, falling short regularly but actually
remaining persistent nonetheless, and paying much closer attention to my convictions; however,
when I hit that 18 year old mark, this is when I truly spiraled out of control. My parents had a
very nasty split during my senior year; one that hit my core so hard, that I will not even attempt
to evaluate, or explain; such feelings are undeniably unexplainable. What caused the divorce,
well one could draw a thousand conclusions, but I am not a man who loves to play the blame
game. And truthfully, I used their divorce as an excuse to feed all temptations often sought out
by man. Addiction is a theme quite prevalent on both sides of my family tree and in my
ignorance, I entertained such evil values.

Although I had a father who provided a godly example, I began ignoring his calls going
to clubs, getting into more fights; attempting to live the gangbanger lifestyle, and eventually
becoming a high-functioning, full blown alcoholic. I was so selfish in my pursuits, and
internally; my spirit was so ugly that it definitely causes great rejoice today realizing how far I
have come, due to the Lords sweet victory presented and so freely given. I sought a lifestyle so
very opposite from that which I had been taught as a young man, and I allowed trials to overtake
my very being and reason for living. Thank God however, this did not restrain my future; the
Lord truly is one of beautiful grace, and today I am aware of this all the more, which is not
something that I could always say with a clean and clear conscience.

I went from place to place, from Washington, to Colorado, back to Northern Washington;

and no matter what I did, I could never find internal peace; that is, until I finally surrendered my
life to Jesus, and met Roxanne Janette, my true love. Roxanne Janette, in my eyes, is the most
beautiful woman I have ever known. She woke me up, and wasn't afraid to tell me what I needed
to do in order to get my life on track. I worship God for her. And although I worship Him
regardless, I still give Him great praise for bringing Roxxi into my life. It was her who told me,
"if you don't get your act together, I'm not sure I can stay with you". We began attending a local
Church - and eventually, we both became fully engaged in God's requests, to live lives full of
surrender (willingly); and to never turn back to our old lives. Roxanne and I have now been
together for eight years - and during this time, we have endured a great deal - however, through
all of the dirt, grime and despair; I know the King is still there.

Over the years, we have faced many trials, a couple I shall expound upon are 1) My Wife
and I losing our first child, and 2) My undiagnosed sickness. Roughly three years ago, we
received the incredible news that Roxxi was to birth our first child. We told friends, and family
alike, that we had a child on the way. We even gave our parents a card calling them, "future
grandparents". 4-5 months into my Wife's pregnancy, she awoke me frantically. I heard her burst
in the room, and she said, "Jeremee, my leg and my side hurts so bad ". And to be honest - this
may have been an understatement, because after her heading to the restroom, I got up to check
on her, and she couldn't even stand. I rushed Roxxi to the hospital, and when we arrived, they
rushed her to the back room of the ER. After running an ultrasound, we were told that there was
no child to be found. They had my Wife on the heaviest drugs there, to take away the pain, but
believe me when I say, no drugs in that hospital could suppress the pain she was feeling during
that moment in-time.

I must say, the paint felt that night and for many days to follow, ran very deep and stung
my heart like salt lathered on an open wound. It wasn't easy in the least ensuring that all of our
baby clothes were put away, I didn't want my Wife being reminded constantly. One night, I was
lying down, and a very clear image was brought to me, one that I still to this day - believe was
given to me by the Lord. It was an image of me holding our beautiful baby in Heaven. A
warmness, and a peace completely surrounded me with great joy, peace, and healing. It was in
that moment that I realized how powerful God is, and I was reminded just how much He loves
me. God's love is absolutely immense, and His arms are so big, big enough to hold the entire
world in them. My Wife has shared with me on several occasions that God has been at work in
her as well too, and that - in His grace, He has been showing her that we will without question
have a child. I truly believe we will have a child, and the beauty out of all of this is that our
testimony can help lead others from a place of brokenness, to a place of true restoration. The
reality is, all of us are facing (or have faced) trials of all sorts, but when it comes to the Kingdom
of God, there is no trial so major that we cannot overcome, for we are more than conquerors!

Lately, I have been facing a serious illness, one that doctors have yet to fully discover
what causes it. I have found however, that through proper nutrition I have been able to bounce
back. Recently, I lost thirty pounds, but by the grace of God- I've been able to regain my strength
and have gotten back up six pounds, and on top of this, I have chronic migraines. What's crazy to
many, is that I have not lost faith in Jesus, and honestly - I refuse to do so. What I see as true
failure is staying down when you fall, rather than getting back up and fighting in the midst of the
storms; while also understanding that we can not do it alone, we need Jesus to win any and all

wars that we face. This is why it has always been God's grace which provides all sufficiency,
never man's. Dependency on ourselves is what leads us into a pit full of pride, and leaves us
buried in despair; Jesus rather, gives us full enjoyment, knowing that we are no longer alone, and
any battles fought from the day we accept Him, can and will be fought by the God of salvation. It
does not get any deeper than the gospel, than what He did for us, and the power He provides us
with.

Redemption - I must say, is quite powerfully beautiful. It breaks off the chains of intense
condemnation, which stems from the stains of sin. I have learned that all I once sought could
only leave me dead, even with my heart beating; and that is a very scary reality. It's hard for me
to wrap my mind around what I once was, but it's easy for me to wrap my mind around giving
Jesus all that I am today. As of late, I have been reading a great deal of Job, and when I read
about his story, I am reminded that there is nothing that God cannot bring man back from,
absolutely nothing. Jesus has given me that which no one in this world ever could, complete
peace.

During my time of running around, from place to place, house party to house party, and
meeting various others, I discovered that one thing's for certain - life without Jesus is undeniably
empty. I have heard people compare Christianity to some type of a vice, but I must correct them
and let them know that Jesus is so much more than some type of thing, which provides
gratifications that man can provide, for He is in a category all by Himself - He is love, and He is
the only solution necessary, for a life that is truly sustainable. Previously, I mentioned me
reading Job lately, and if I am completely honest; he is who I relate most to. I believe this is so
because I know that regardless of the trials I go through, God has a plan for my current life; and

my eternal future as well, which will without question,have a testimony of triumph tagged to it. I
have found that the more I face (with Jesus having my back); the stronger I have become.

You see, at the end of the day, we all have a choice in how we will respond to situations
in this life, that is the free will that God has given to us. God is not one to treat us like a bunch of
robots, controlling our every word, and making us do something, even though He has every right
to do so. Instead, He has allowed us to live our lives, and make decisions ourselves. And even
though I believe that God divinely orchestrates our paths in many ways, I also believe that He
allows us to make choices, and learn from them along the way. What should always be at the
forefront though, is how Jesus would handle a situation we may be facing. And ten times out of
ten, He would do what is right!

I thank you for reading just a snapshot of my story - the older I get, the more eager that i
become to share what Jesus has done in my life. I pray you were encouraged, and hopefully my
story makes it clear, that anyone can be brought back from a place of despair with Jesus as their
guide; because once Christ invades your life, you truly can go - from tragedy to triumph.

References:

The Holy Bible