This is the Truth Network. Our God is the God of the impossible. And sometimes you come across someone. Who is living, breathing proof of that? And that's Dr.
Tommy Watson. I've got him on the phone. Folks, you're not going to believe his story. Dr. Watson, you got a major motion picture coming out about what God's done in your life.
You've written a book about it and It's just great to talk to you, man, and chop it up and share some of this with our listeners. Hey, Stu, great morning. Thanks for having me on. It is a pleasure to be here with you. Did you ever think when you were a little guy, scrambling, running, hustling?
Going through all kinds of mess, that there would be a major motion picture coming out about your testimony and your life. Yeah. You know, Stu, I didn't ever think that possibly I'd make it to become an adult and sit with my right mind because it would be the tension and Trials were so major as a kid. I didn't really think that I was gonna, you know, live beyond a teenager. Unfortunately, yeah.
Well You wrote your book, A Face of Courage, and it really tells the story. Of your life. And now, to tell us how the kind of book came about and how the movie came about from the book. And then. I do want to get into some of your story.
We don't want to tell the whole thing because we want folks to go get your book and check out the movie, but just remarkable what God's doing. But yeah, tell us how what led to this book? What led to the all of a sudden now they're making a big movie about it? The Denver Broncos and all these other people are getting excited about it. Yeah, we you know we're hoping that America will become a Denver fans, at least for the two hours that we watching this movie here.
So that's a big push we're pushing as well. Yes, sir. You know. Absolutely.
So the so the the book uh kind of came about um United Two to go play football for the University of Minnesota. I actually vowed that. Noel's gonna ever know my story. I got to the University of Minnesota. I was only going to be there to play in a play football and go to the NFL and make lots of money, and then life was going to change for me, though, and I was going to be happy.
But what's that saying, but God, right?
So, Uh by my second year of college. I remember I was really struggling at the time. I didn't know that I was dealing with depression. I just knew that I was having these massive headaches and crying myself to sleep. And I remember going into the office of my Academic advisor for the football team, and she was kind of looking at me.
She was saying, Are you okay? And I said, Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. I left her office and I went to the players' lounge. I remember opening up my books, too, and my head just came crashing down into my books. I just started crying.
And all the the years of wait. He kind of came come out in that moment. And I remember she walked to the door and she said, wow, you know, she said, you gotta go talk to someone. I remember Taking a moment, taking a risk. I was always really embarrassed about my story.
It was painful to think about. to talk to one of my teammates and just tell him a little bit of my story and and his response to me, Stu, was he said, Wow, he said, God has been looking out for you and I got angry with him, Stu, in that moment. I said, Hey, don't you ever tell me God has been looking out for me because God has been looking out for me. Tommy Watson wouldn't have went through blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I remember going back home, my third year of college, my mom was out of prison again.
And long story short, we pulled up in front of the house. I was driving my older brother's minivan. She was in the passenger seat. We just picked up his girlfriend. I remember seeing a vehicle at the corner.
Kind of just stopped at the corner. Didn't pay much mind. It came started coming our way. Within seconds, Stu, started hearing gunshots. Pop, pop, pop, boom, boom, boom, boom.
I remember thinking to myself, this is a drive-by shooting, and in that moment the glass star shattered on the van. with my foot on the brake, I remember bending over to the middle of a car and I'm thinking to myself, I'm about to die. And Suddenly, I'm feeling the glass drop on me and everything else, bullets whizzing past my head and the gunshot stopped. And I remember rising up to see if I had been shot and thing got I hadn't been. I turned to my mother.
My mother wasn't moving. I got really uh anxious. She eventually pops up, young looking back pops up. We step from the minivans through The van shot up from front to back, and it was a bullet that was lodging the bottom windows of the driver's door. And at that moment, That statement that God had been looking out to me became looking out for me and became very real in that moment.
I said, Well, you know what? Maybe there's something to this story here.
So I went on and graduated. And started. Part of the book was a healing process for me because I wanted to kind of. kind of explore and find out who Tommy Watson really was. found out in doing the book that it became They booked it, provided a lot of encouragement to a lot of other folks.
And did that for a number of years. And then I decided there were a lot of folks out there that did not read books after it became an award-winning book. best-selling book. And I wanted to tap into the film industry.
So we did a short film that won eight awards, and now we're raising money and getting ready to produce the featured film Resilient.
So appreciate you giving me a year for that moment. Yeah, wow. And so this really goes back. And we don't have to go into to all of it, but it was uh It was pretty rough for you. Like it was, you know, I met you, you and I, our buddy Frank Harrison had this amazing.
A transformation T-Factor event in Raleigh, and there were all these entrepreneurs talking about keeping Jesus first. In everything we do with business. And I'm looking at this guy. I'm like, man, Dr. Tommy Watson, man, this guy's like, he had to play pro football, man.
He's built, he's sharp. He's all dolled up in this amazing suit. I mean, this is this guy. I want to grow and be like him. And we swap cards and we're you know, we've been getting together and all and talking and But like going back like 20, 30 years, I mean, this is 40 years.
I mean, to talk a little bit, can you give us a little snapshot? Because there's a lot of folks out there struggling, and there's a lot of folks out there, Dr. Watson, that are stuck. They just, they feel like, man, there's no hope. There's no way, man.
I'm done. Their head's crashing down on their books, and they don't know who to talk to. Yes. Yes, absolutely. Yeah.
And you're so right about that, Stu. And it's I think having that relationship with God is the piece that is the difference that makes a difference. But you know, I think I go back. There was a It was a kind of a fork and a roll moment. There were several fork and roll moments that I think I look back over the course of my life where I didn't necessarily consciously know that God was guiding me, but.
It's great to know that the Holy Spirit has brought us to a place where we can each of us can look back over the course of our lives and say, hey, you know what, I survived my worst day. And I I think back to now, let me go back and just kind of give people context in terms of my overall story.
So I grew up in a situation where My mom and dad were drug addicts and shoplifters, and they were arrested one hundred and twenty one times by the time I finished high school.
So that was taking place in the household. And then in the 80s, when the Crips and Bloods left at LA, it migrated to my neighborhood in Denver, Colorado.
So we had that element going on outside the household, and the other piece went on inside the household. I remember by third grade, Stu, I lived in numerous foster homes, crisis centers, group homes, motel rooms, everything else. And my mom was in prison, and I was living with my aunt at the time. I remember getting to this crossroad where the gang started to migrate to Denver, Colorado, and start to look very appealing. to me as a third grader.
Um but at the same time My was introducing me to the world of sports through the Recreation Center and It was a tough decision not to go into the gangs because there were so many. kids in my neighborhood that were and my my friends who were choosing an option. But getting involved in sports became a game changer for me.
So by the time I was in third grade, I was all in when it came to basketball. I mean, my goal was to go to the NFL or NBA. I didn't know what that meant. I remember just seeing guys like me on television who were playing NFL or NBA, and I said I wanted that.
So by the time I was in seventh grade, Stu, I was living my seventh motel room. We got kicked out of our house. in front of all of our friends and There was nine of us living in one motel room. And I remember every day seven miles walking from that motel room staying involved in sports. And that sports opportunity ended up giving me a chance to go to one of the top high schools in Denver, Colorado.
Uh, for sports, and my parents were initially against me going out to the school, but they ended up going back to prison again. Um, went out to the school, my grandmother took us in. By the senior of high school, my grandmother developed Alzheimer's disease.
So now I'm back in a tough place again and not quite sure what's going to happen. Being recruited by over 30 D1 schools, student that was struggling academically, didn't know I had dyslexia at the time. And I was just holding on, just hoping. I was saying to myself, I got to get to this school so I can get to the University of Minnesota and I can get out of this environment. Things can be better for me.
And I wasn't quite sure how it was going to happen, but by the grace of God, I was able to leave Denver, get a full scholarship to the University of Minnesota, got there. And that's where things really kind of changed for me as well.
So, again, just, you know, given, I want to tell people out there, you know. No matter what your situation is right now, that you have already survived your toughest days. And part of it is through we have to be able to look back over the course of our lives To see what we have overcome, to serve as a reminder of what God can do in our lives going forward. Because oftentimes we look back, and in fact, The theme song for the movie Resilient Stew, I had to write, and I actually had to rap it. I'm not a good rapper, put it out there to the audience right now.
My one-time rap. But the theme song, the hook, says, My scars tell me that I've survived it over and over. My scars tell me that I'm alive. And I came up with that piece of it because I wanted people to look back on their posted lives and not be sad, but to be thankful. for where God has brought us from.
And those scars, those Challenges, those obstacles have each built us all to be resilient. In the space that we are today, and we need to be able to look back and just say, Thank God for bringing us from that point to where we are today.
So, you know, that the course of your life, you know, the fact that you're here. their reason to have hope. And I use the acronym for hope, have only positive expectations.
So if you've already survived your toughest days, you can definitely survive the days going forward as well. Wow, I want to encourage everyone to pray for the movie. It's not out yet. It's going to be big. It's got some pretty heavy weights behind it, but it's got a powerful redemptive story.
The testimony, the life, the miracles in the life of Dr. Tommy Watson, our special guest today, and the book, A Face of Courage. Truly kind of inspired the movie, and you can get that right now. Hey, Doc, what's the best way folks can connect with you and get your book? Learn more about the movie.
You maybe watch trailer, all that stuff. Absolutely.
Again, Stu, I appreciate you having me on. Appreciate the great work you're doing with your show as well. Folks, can you go to my website, TA Watson. At tawatson.com. My email address is tawatson at tawatson.com.
The book can be found anywhere on Amazon, anywhere else you purchase books. But certainly go to my website, www.tawatson.com. We'd love to stay connected to you and would love to have you follow our efforts with this movie. That's going to be a major film, very similar to The Blind Side and Pursuit of Happiness that's coming out. A family-friendly space adjacent film that's going to be inspiring.
And you know, we're thankful to have the NFL the different Brothers. giving their support behind the movie and as along with the University of Minnesota as well. True to the one. I'm not sure if I can do it.
