Along the Way Life's Journey

In this episode, Carl interviews legendary Cuban-born jazz drummer Ignacio Berroa who spent over a decade alongside the great Dizzy Gillespie and has performed with icons like McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Clark Terry, and Jaco Pastorius. Born into a distinguished Cuban musical family, Ignacio fell in love with jazz at age 11 after his father brought home a Glenn Miller Orchestra record, and he never let go of the dream, even when the regime he lived under made loving American music a punishable offense. Ignacio opens up about what life was really like inside Castro's Cuba: the state surveillance, the religious suppression, the secret nights spent tuning his radio toward Key West to catch Willis Conover and the Voice of America Jazz Hour. He shares the heartbreak of tasting freedom on tours through Spain and knowing he had to return to a country that felt like a prison, and the impossible loyalty that kept him from defecting because two people he loved would have paid the price. When the Port of Mariel finally opened in 1980, his cousin flew from New York and waited in the harbor for a month to bring him home. The conversation moves from the personal to the prophetic as Carl and Ignacio discuss the truth about Marxist regimes that today's young Americans never learned in school, the lessons of the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie, the four and a half years Ignacio's wife and son were held in Cuba as hostages while he tried to make it in New York, and why he believes the Cuban people deserve nothing less than full freedom. With his memoir The Path I Chose: My Story now available on Amazon, Ignacio offers a powerful testimony of resilience, faith, and the unstoppable pursuit of a dream. 🎙️ In this episode: ➡️ Tasting Freedom and Going Back to Prison  ➡️ The Mariel Boatlift and the Angel Who Brought Him Home  ➡️ Becoming Dizzy Gillespie's Drummer and What Freedom Really Means   Connect with Ignacio: Book Facebook Instagram   Connect with Carl: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Produced by: Social Chameleon

In this episode, Carl interviews Pastor Rob Pacienza, Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and a leading voice for faith and cultural renewal in America. From a lost teenager who walked into Coral Ridge through a neighbor's invitation, to becoming the third senior pastor in the historic pulpit once held by his mentor Dr. D. James Kennedy, Pastor Rob's story is one of grace, calling, and conviction. Pastor Rob opens up about the moment that reshaped his ministry forever: the loss of his three-year-old daughter Lily to an immune disorder seven years ago. He shares how grief either pushes you into despair or propels you to make every moment count, and how God used that valley to transform his preaching, deepen his empathy, and ignite a fire in the belly to lead boldly in this cultural moment. The conversation moves from the personal to the prophetic as Carl and Pastor Rob discuss the Great Awakening of the 1730s, the Black Robe Regiment, the urgent need for Christians to vote and engage, and the three myths about America's founding that have eroded our national soul. With the 250th anniversary of the United States approaching, Pastor Rob unveils the Celebrate America initiative, his role as co-chair of the National Day of Prayer on May 7th, and a vision to reclaim what made America great in the first place. 🎙️ In this episode:  ➡️ From Lost Teenager to Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge  ➡️ Losing Lily: Grief, Grace, and a Father's Faith  ➡️ The Black Robe Regiment, Then and Now  ➡️ Three Myths About America's Christian Founding  ➡️ Why the Church Must Lead in This Cultural Moment  ➡️ Celebrate America and the 250th Anniversary   Connect with Pastor: Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church  CRM TV / City of God Podcast  Celebrate America   Connect with Carl: Instagram  Facebook  LinkedIn  YouTube  Website Produced by: Social Chameleon