From the Corner to Calling. Brother Jamie’s Testimony on Deliverance, Identity, and the Power Within
- Brother Levon X
- Feb 11
- 5 min read
BLXCR Editorial Note : Places of worship remain a vital pillar in our communities. When guided with sincerity, wisdom, and true purpose, the church — along with every house of faith — can be a powerful force for healing, growth, and transformation. Brother Jamie’s story reminds us that faith is not about labels, but about connection, discipline, and the courage to seek God as our foundation.
When Faith Meets Action: A Story of Healing, Identity, and Renewal.
Some conversations don’t feel like interviews. They feel like appointments—set by God. That’s exactly what this one felt like. Over the past year, a group of brothers has been coming together for a simple, consistent practice: walking, exercising, and building.
The program—organized by Brother Smitty—has become more than fitness. It’s become a moving circle of accountability, reflection, and brotherhood. And that’s where we met Brother Jamie.
At first glance, you see a man who carries himself with calm clarity. But as he began to speak, it became clear: this wasn’t just a story of “recovery.” This was a testimony of deliverance—and a blueprint for how many of us can confront the vices that quietly damage our health, our families, and our future. Brother Jamie’s message was direct: addiction may wear different faces, but the formula for overcoming is the same—a made-up mind, a deeper understanding of self, and a willingness to reach for God.
“My Name Means I Was Appointed to Teach From Experience.”
Brother Jamie introduced himself as Jamie Tolliver, also known by his African name Ronde Kamara, meaning “one appointed by God to teach from experience.” And experience, he has. He shared that for 30 years, he lived inside what he called “a culture”—the drug culture—one that is universal, not limited by race, yet devastating in its impact. Today, he is a young man in his early 70s, and has worked in the counseling field since 2002. This coming July marks 23 years since he came out of treatment.
But what made the conversation unique wasn’t just his years clean—it was his philosophy. Brother Jamie doesn’t describe his transformation as a lifelong sentence to a label. He rejects the idea that people must stay trapped under language like “once an addict, always an addict.” He said those phrases always felt like a spiritual limitation dressed up as a clinical conclusion. Instead, he anchored his path in one word: deliverance. “The prayer says ‘deliver me’—not ‘put me in recovery.’ I started believing I could be delivered.”
The Basement That Built a Man
Brother Jamie credits much of his internal shift to a place many would overlook: the basement of Union Temple Baptist Church, under the leadership of Reverend Willie Wilson. That basement, he explained, wasn’t just a place for meetings—it was a place for identity restoration. It was there that Brother Jamie said he was challenged to think beyond survival, beyond the streets, and beyond the labels that keep people psychologically trapped.
Through Reverend Wilson’s guidance—and teachings from powerful thinkers like Dr. Na’im Akbar, alongside influences including Minister Louis Farrakhan—Brother Jamie said he began to rebuild the foundation of his mind. A scripture that reshaped his perspective was Psalms 82, which speaks on the concept that we are “gods,” in the sense of carrying divine potential within us. For Brother Jamie, that wasn’t a poetic idea—it was a confrontation. “If I’m made by the Most High, how does that line up with the way I’m living?”
The “Emotional High” That Replaced the Old One
One of the most striking parts of the interview came when Brother Jamie described the moment he realized there was something stronger than the high he used to chase. He recalled sitting in a treatment setting when Reverend Wilson came to speak about the “diamond in the rough”—how coal under pressure becomes a diamond. That day, the room was filled. Men who normally struggled to focus sat upright, leaned in, and paid attention. Brother Jamie said what hit him next was difficult to describe—but unforgettable.
He called it an emotional high. Not a drug-induced feeling, but a spiritual surge—something rooted in truth, clarity, and hope. He said it felt “twenty times greater” than anything he used to chase, and it rewired his understanding of what people are truly seeking. Because when you break it down, the addiction isn’t always to the substance. Sometimes it’s addiction to escape. To numbness. To forgetting. To not feeling. Brother Jamie’s insight was simple and deep: people chase highs because they’re trying to feel better—but many have never been taught how to access that “better” from within.
“What’s Up, Greatness?”
In his counseling work today, Brother Jamie said he leads with identity. One phrase he repeats—especially to brothers who feel broken—is: “What’s up, greatness?”
He said he got it from a brother known as Hawk, who promotes the message G.I.M. — Greatness In Motion. Brother Jamie explained that when someone is sitting in treatment, ashamed, defeated, or disconnected, the worst thing you can do is reinforce the image they already hate. So he speaks to who they are—before they even believe it. “There isn’t a person at a bus stop who isn’t God’s state-of-the-art creation. They just don’t know it yet.”
Family: “The Last to Believe—Because They Hurt the Most”
Brother Jamie didn’t romanticize the rebuilding process. He said family is often the last to accept change—not because they’re cold, but because they’ve endured the deepest damage. He spoke about his children—two daughters and a son—who saw him at his lowest. He shared one moment that hit hard: his son, as a three-year-old, moved furniture into a circle because he didn’t want his father to fall and hurt himself when he came home. That child took pain to protect a grown man.
Brother Jamie said that memory remains one of his deepest awakenings.
“The children are always watching you. ”And for parents trying to “get their children back,” he offered a line that carried weight: “You can’t get your children back until you get yourself back.”
The Church, the Spirit, and the Work of Restoration
The interview also addressed a real conversation happening today: people criticizing churches and places of worship because of hypocrisy or bad leadership. Brother Jamie didn’t deny those realities—but he emphasized something important: we should not throw away the entire institution because of the failures of a few. He said the church, when led with sincerity, can become a refuge for people who are spiritually wounded and mentally exhausted.
In his words, religion is not about performance—it’s about reconnection to the Source. And if a person has to reconnect, it means they once knew what it felt like to be aligned.
Final Words: Look in the Mirror
As the conversation closed, Brother Jamie gave practical and spiritual direction. Before you run to a program, a person, or even a plan—go to the mirror. Look at yourself long enough to tell yourself the truth. Long enough to say “I love you.” Long enough to stop running from what you know.
Because the decision to change doesn’t begin in a building. It begins in the mind. And it begins when a person finally says: I’m not doing this anymore.
If this conversation spoke to you, share it with somebody. Not as gossip. Not as content. As a lifeline. Because every story like this is proof: help is real, change is possible, and deliverance is still available. And sometimes, the greatest miracle isn’t that someone fell— it’s that they got back up with a made-up mind.
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