DID YOU KNOW DENZEL WASHINGTON IS A PASTOR'S KID?

Denzel Washington, an admired Oscar winning actor has revealed a role that supersedes any of those for which he has won accolades or awards; the role that he plays in God's Kingdom.

This God fearing man was raised in a Christian home by his father, a COGIC Pastor for 60 years and his mother, a beautician until he was 14 years old, when his parents divorced. Denzel was devastated and his already academic deficiency only worsened as he struggled to overcome his broken heart.

Spiraling out of control, he started rebelling against his mother; staying out all night, fighting and moving quickly toward a life of despair. Desperation propelled his mother to do something that would ultimately change the trajectory of his life. She and God had other plans for him.

She enrolled him in Oakland Military Academy, a private preparatory school in New York. And in Denzel's own words " that decision changed my life". He still struggled academically, but he wasn't running the streets with his friends who unfortunately, ended up in prison.

Washington, ultimately flunked out of school with a 1.7 grade point average and as a result, unlike most Hollywood actors, he never had aspirations of grandeur. Until one day, a woman from church approached him and gave him just the encouragement he needed. She simply told him, "you are going to preach."

Her simple words instilled a new found hope in the young 20 year old Denzel who enrolled in Fordham University, once again changing the course of his life; upward and onward, and the rest is history. He became an actor after studying medicine and realizing that it wasn't his passion. He met and married his wife Paula of 33 years and in the interim received accolades, Academy awards, Golden Globes and more.

Washington admits that his deepest struggles in life are what caused him to turn to God, as is the case with many people. And he has maintained and shared his Christian faith throughout his career, taking every opportunity to share it. In fact, he publicly stated in 2015, that he would no longer simply let his work speak for him, but he was making a conscious effort to stand up and speak about what God has done for him.

He is unashamed of his faith in Jesus Christ, crediting the prayers of his mother for his success. At a commencement speech he admonished graduates to "put God first in everything you do. Everything you think you see in me and everything you think I've accomplished, everything I have is by the Grace of God, understand that. It's a gift. Don't aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference." All praises to God!