Ballistic (Government Name: Manuel Tellez) lived all of his childhood, and most of his adolescent life in Central Texas, in the Austin Area. He was born and raised in Taylor, a small, yet active community, known for its gang violence, teen pregnancy, & drug infestation. One of the greatest tragedies in his life, losing his oldest brother to murder, killed by his best friends, set him on a path of destruction & betrayal.  Music became a release of the hatred dwelling within him.

With no father, or father figure in his life, the Streets & his mother’s crazy lifestyle, played a major role in molding him into someone, he himself did not recognize. Flying under the radar of his siblings & peers, many never saw the anger or lifestyle that was hidden for so many years.

  At the young age of 21, suicide was quickly becoming the antidote to all of his problems. After binging all night on crystal meth & cocaine, not to mention the voices in his head, telling him to murder his sister & her family, whom he found himself living with, death seemed like the exit out of this false reality. As he readied the knife at his wrist, pondering which song to die to, he ran across a WOW 2002 CD he had, from a brief experience with Believers from his former youth group. While thinking the whole time, “What is this Cd doing with the Rest”, the music of track 4 caught his attention. The Song playing in the background that morning was, Mark Shultz, Back in His Arms Again.

Crying that morning, after years of hardening his own life, led to the words that forever changed him. Right there, in that 8 x 8 Cubical Room, he uttered these words, to someone, he imagined never existed, “If you can make something of this life, use it. If not, I’m a die either way”! Instantaneously he was delivered from alcohol, 2 packs of Newport shorts in a box, marijuana, cocaine, & crystal meth.

Soon after his transformation, following the call of God became the fire that fueled his soul. He soon found himself in the DFW for a year, slowly becoming the man he is today. He & His Spiritual family moved at the end of ’06 to New Orleans, Louisiana, to help rebuild the City after Hurricane Katrina. There he served with Victory Fellowship, as an Urban Missionary, on Canal & Broad. He later met his wife, got married & was hired for pastoral staff, for Victory Fellowship’s Inner City location.  After Years of serving the Greater New Orleans Area, he & his wife felt led to help rebuild a Church, in the Greater Tampa Area. He is Currently the Worship Director at New Testament Church, in Brandon, FL.

 

   The Words He Lives By – John 12:24

Unless a Seed falls to the Ground & Dies, It Will not Produce any Life.  Our Lives were Chosen to Be a Life of,  “Death By Design”!

When we die, He Lives!!!