Audio File
Transcript
My name is Israel Higgins. I’m 16 years old.
My name is Floyd Nichols. I’m 15 years old.
I interviewed…
I interviewed Reverend Murray…
Reverend Michael Murray on June 27th, 2012
I can tell you I’m married, and I’ve been married for 15 years. I’m the fifth child of 10 children. So I’m basically in the middle of my sibling family and was always a very eager type of little guy, caring guy, a responsible guy, school loving type of guy. I loved school. I loved people in general and especially at my early age, I really had a real care for older people. I listened to my parents. I wasn’t a perfect kid. I stayed out of trouble. I just didn’t believe in that. My father was a very disciplinarian and he- so he kind of kept me on the straight and narrow. I loved to work. I was a paper boy at the age of 9, and so I learned how to make money for myself at an early age. Had a good childhood life, loved swimming, lots of sports, lots of friends.
My parents were church related people. They believed in serving God, so they brought me up doing the same. So I attended Sunday school. I was doing that at a very early age, 8-9 years old, and I continued doing that for years. Having to finally, beginning to get my own personal interest in who God is. What does it mean for God to say that he loves me? And what does it mean that I’m supposed to treat my neighbor as myself? Those type of topics is what basically kept my interest in doing that as I continue getting older and continue living in that framework of lifestyle as it relates to pursuing God, things got very, very serious, and I wanted to know on a more serious level those things that I mentioned, and all of a sudden, the more that that happens, the more I found myself getting answers and then the more I found myself realizing, what does it mean to have a relationship. I never pursued the calling of pastoring, but it’s given you that portion of history. It seems like I was headed that way and didn’t even know it. I’m employed by the Pittsburgh Water and the Sewer Authority. That’s the company I work for and 35 years service. I was hired as a laborer. From labor, I went to pipeline repair specialist, the church I pastor is in Mckees Rocks. When I’m responsible to do in some areas as repair, billing repair, I’m responsible in the clerical area. People’s lives are broken. They need repair. When it comes to servicing, as I said, in servicing water to buildings establishments, I am in the service department as the clergy, it is my responsibility to help serve people in their area of need. And when it comes to purity, I am responsible as God’s given me this opportunity that help people realize that the pure lifestyle we live, which we use the word moral, the more moral lifestyle we live, the better it will be for them.
Then I have 20 years of youth sports and I have 10 years of teaching organized baseball for Little League age groups. That’s from 6 to 12 years old. Also, the opportunity to teach the 13-14 year old kids. So in that youth sports area, it has involvement of baseball, football, basketball, and then not only that, but I am also, I have a political office in the community and I’ve been holding a political office for about 11 years now. Been a voice, been an advocate voice for the youth in education, because I’ve been back and forth to the Board of Education trying to see to it that equal opportunity has been distributed for the children in Hazelwood as well as the children abroad.
There is a value system that needs to be lived in life and #1: it can be lived. It’s possible. #2: don’t take this very personal in the wrong direction, but I believe it can’t be done without living a God fearing lifestyle. If you and him and any friends you know by living it yourself will share and live those principles of law, you’ll be as successful than I am if not better. Thank you. I appreciate it because, if I have nobody to share it with, then what’s good is it if it’s only kept to me.