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Abe Brown's Words Of Wisdom

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 23, 2007

On race relations: "We've come a long way. I don't think we'll ever be perfect because race relations has to do with your spiritual growth."

On regrets: Just two - his mama never saw him become a preacher, and his divorce from his first wife. "I was young and foolish. I didn't know Christ then."

On growing up poor: The black community was close-knit back then. "When we didn't have anything, we had everything. You could go to sleep at night with shutting nothing but the screen doors. We were there for each other."

On Tampa's progress: He thinks Tampa is one of the finest cities in the nation. "We've gone from riding in the back of the bus, to driving the bus, to owning the bus."

On prison ministry: It's not the most popular outreach, but: "We found if you lock up a dog and let him go a period of time, ... he's worse than what he was. The same thing happens to human beings."

On education: It's the ladder to success. You can't make it without it. "The prisons are full of young black men because they took another route."

On sports: Another important way to open doors that may otherwise be closed. It has always been more than just a game to Brown. "You should know both offense and defense. That's the way it is in life, too."

On raising kids: Both parents need to be on the same page. Teach your children principles; teach them about character. "And not just with words," he says. "But by example."

On God: "I can gracefully say that God can do anything but fail."

On a Bible verse to live by: Philippians 4:11: "... for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."

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