Todd Strayhorn

Todd Strayhorn
Assistant Director,
Head Coach, Boys
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My Life Lived on Edge

Todd E. Strayhorn was born and raised in Fifth Ward Houston Texas by a single parent mother. My early years were spent fatherless and fearful. Two assets which I believe every child needs to develop properly are fathers and no fear. But, where fatherhood fell short, the loving hand of God made up the difference through the out reached arms of my mother who refused to abort me as a baby. I had one sibling and that, collectively with mom was called 'family'. Where I grew up was called the Bloody Fifth, it was a war zone of survival. Many of my days were filled with fighting, drugs, stealing and shooting. I tried my best to stay out of harms way. Walks to school in the morning were like combat zones. We used hide and seek techniques just to avoid from getting jumped on the way. God's hand was on me even as a young lad. My home life was filled with responsibilities. We washed our clothes in the bath tub on what is now an instrument used in the Zydeco clubs today called a scrub board. We hung our clothes on the clothes line, and then watched them dry to prevent them from being stolen. My young life was lived on the edge, but God's hand was on me .

Fighting For Acceptance

My life changed in April 1968. It was the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. I was sitting in the first row fourth set when my fourth grade teacher came in the room crying after he was pronounced dead. A few weeks later I was bussed across town to benefit from what was known as desegregation. The first day of school I had to fight for acceptance and my place in society. My white brothers and sisters were having a difficult time excepting a new race of people on their territory. It seems like I've been fighting for something every sense, but God's hand was still on me.

High school was on its way after leaving elementary Atherton, Pugh, Nat Q Henderson and Elliot. Then, it was on to the big house of the hood, Phyllis Wheatley High. At the age of 15 my life issues doubled when it came to doubt. I had no clue who I was and what I wanted to do. Living in the Bloody Fifth made it tough. I was still searching for my identity in my teen years. Mom did the best she could with my brother and me, but we were in an environment where there was no male, no man, no masculinity and no mentor. We were at risk and high risk youth. The chances of getting caught-up were great, and I did just that. I got caught-up in everything from drugs to alcohol, but God's hand was still on me.

The Red Rooster Rendition

The last thing I remembered was throwing up in the parking after closing. It was Wet Wednesday, pay five dollars and drink all night at The Red Rooster in one of Houston's top ghetto areas. My friend, Von, and I had gone to the Red Rooster to drink up every bottle of booze in da' house just after having hung out and smoked Mary Jane (old school). Von asked me if I wanted him to drive me home and I had replied, "I'm tight. I'm okay." The next thing I remembered was the sun coming up and I was lifting my head up off the steering wheel of my car in my drive way at home with the gate locked behind me.

I got out of my vehicle and walked around it to see if I had any dents from hitting something or someone. There was not one dent on the car. That was the day I was sure God had a purpose for my life. You don't understand, let me help you out. The journey from the club to my house would have taken me over the 610 bridge which is at least 150 feet high and at least 30 miles from house. I could have gone over board and drowned. You still don't get it? At all of the red lights that required me to stop, I stopped. At the green lights I kept going. At the stop signs, I stopped. At the turns that were needed to be made, they were made, no head on collisions. Without question God intervened on my behalf. You still don't get it? Let me rap it up. I was driven from the Red Rooster drunk, buzzing, and bent. In short I was blasted and unconscious.

There was a message in the miracle. If there were dents on my car that would have been a sign that I had some control but not total control. There were no dents, proving that someone else had total control. My question to God was why did you do it? God simply said, "I took care of you because I have a plan for your life." A week later I was back on the cut banging Bo, Acapulco gold, Red bud and Hawaiian Ses (Marijuana), but God still had his hand on me.

Collaboration

I have been blessed to work my way through high school and college. Graduating from Lamar University in Industrial Technology was a major accomplishment me. It reminded me of the same environment that I tried to escape as a young child in the Bloody Fifth. College provided me with a priceless lesson in being dependant on myself. By any means necessary - go to college. Years later after being called to the ministry of serving and proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to others, I reentered the field of higher learning (College of Biblical Studies) to equip myself in areas where I was limited and weak. Obtaining my Bachelors in Leadership took me to another level in ministry. Without question I recommend every leader in any capacity of serving reevaluate their skills and abilities. It was on the parking lot of that same school in May of 1995 I meet Steven Holloway.

We began to flourish and collaborate as friends and accountability partners. Accountability is allowing that one appointed person to engage you in the dark side areas of your life. It's that one person who aides in preventing you from floating alone at the top especially as a leader. Youth and prison ministry was the mission and message of our lives. Ministry has taken us from the little house (TYC), to the big house (TDCS) to death row. The rest is history. We don't eat or sleep until we make an impact in the lives of others. God has truly blessed both of us to bring our gifts and talents together. The objective is to impact the churched and unchurched, saved and unsaved through the PACE Youth Program. The hand of God is on us.

Make No Mistake ...

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do .
(Eph 2:8-10)