My name is Gabriel Cannon, I am a script writing, public speaking, rap artist, filmmaking child of the most, High King, Jesus Christ. I'm on a mission to use all my gifts for His glory, so I don't end up like the guy who hid all his gifts in the parable of the talents. (Matthew 25:14-30)
Raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, I am the middle child of my father's five sons. Shaped under the influence of my father's love for Dr Martin Luther King and Bruce Lee, and he and my mother's shared love for Jesus Christ and Michael Jackson, our daily life somehow always ended with a living room Gospel concert/karate tournament.
Growing up, my father always had some form of a youth group whether it was called "High Achievers" in their unforgettable blue and yellow matching tee-shirts or "Drug-Free Youth" in the era where my brothers and I were old enough to participate, my dad would always create some reason to bring all the inner city boys together and teach them entrepreneur skills; how to make money selling candy (Door to door sales)
At any given night between the early 90s to the early 2000s, you could see vans full of young urban boys hopping out, not to commit crimes but to make sales. I'll never forget the speech I crafted through the years that my young mind thought was perfect, "Hi, my name is Gabriel Cannon, I'm with this amazing organization by the name of Drug-Free Youth entrepreneur, it's designed to help young men like me stay in school, stay off the streets and earn an income. By purchasing one of these delicious varieties of boxes of candy, you would really be helping our cause and also a personal goal of mine of becoming the highest seller." After many door slams, people pretending they are not home and dog chases, this was the best presentation, sweet and to the point.
My salvation story, how it all started:
I remember clearly after a long day of being out, my father's partner, Ravon Nichols, who was driving the van that day was ready to turn in and was disappointed in me because I hadn't sold a single box of candy which was strange because I usually competed for 1st. It was around the time cell phones came out and I figured he thought I was playing on my mind all day. I begged Ravon to let me out just one more time and promised I would sell them all. Ravon refused many times as we drove through various neighbourhoods picking up the other boys. I guess my ambition or maybe because he was getting tired of me begging caused him to let me out on one more street. He sent my best friend at the time, Jimmy out with me.
I prayed to God before I stepped out of the Van because I didn't believe he would actually let me out and now that he did, I was actually in a situation where I needed a miracle. I knew about faith in God and I used it many times but never in such a physical trying time where I needed faith to become proof. I headed up the street and I took the side where it looked like more people would be home judging by the lights that were on inside. On getting to the first house, I made a few knocks and there was no answer. The moment I turned around, I saw my best friend, Jimmy crossing to my side of the street, taking on the house I would have been headed to next. I looked to his side of the street and there was nothing but dark houses, oh great.
I could have taken the little time I had to fight with him or accept my fate which I did. I proceeded to the dark houses across the road and I began to pray again, "Well God, at least let them go easy on me when I get back in the van because there is no way I could talk my way out of this after all that noise I was making. "I thanked Him and rang the doorbell. A woman who appeared to be in her early 40s answered the door while she was on the phone. People on the phone hate interruptions. She looked at me and said, "I know that's not candy!" She told the person on the phone to hold on. I prepared for the worst. I mean it was already dark, she was busy and I'm black… Lol.
She said, "I'm having an event at my job tomorrow, it's gotten too late for me to go to the store, but there is no way I can show up empty-handed, I would have to get up earlier or something. How many do you have?" Without my signature speech or anything, I was at the point of sale. The next problem was the answer to her question... 18, I mumbled. She bought them all. Jimmy might have cried in the back seat that night and Ravon thought I hid all 18 boxes in the bushes, but the whole van worshipped God as we prayed in front of McDonald's knowing that what just happened was bigger than any person, sales pitch, or job event that needed snacks, but having faith to believe that God will intervene in any situation if you call on Him was demonstrated to us all.
It's crazy because that same faith is what I depended on when walking on the edges of life later on in my Hollywood years. Praying before popping a pill, my mom would kill me if she knew or a quick prayer before sleeping with a girl fresh from the Wild ‘N' Out audience and no one having protection. When my elder brother, Nick Cannon got famous, we joined him in Hollywood and everything came in excess, mainly women, parties and a loss of true self-image.
Truth is… who I was created to be had to take a back seat to what everyone wanted to see. To live up to the expectations of strangers but also being strong enough to declare the truth you know inside becomes a life of mistargeted potential and double-mindedness. God allowed me to get to the point where I became sick of myself. I got tired of my own show, hated my 'same song and dance'. From being signed to Def Jam Records in a group called Rydaznrtist (writers and artist) to touring with Mariah Carey or having a baby by a reality star, everything but my daughter was empty.
I knew I didn't have the strength to let go, I didn't even know how to, so I called my brother Caleb and told him I don't know how to surrender. He was like, "that's right where you need to be" we started taking walks up this mountain. He showed me how to spend time with God alone. Just like he walked me through private time with the Father, Lol... Like an older brother who knew his dad just a little bit better and showed me how to hear him. I began to just not show up for things.
At the time, I was running a radio show and I just left with no explanation, moved to Malibu and was just on the beach every day reading my bible. Of course, my daughter loved it. I ended up going to Bible College about 4months later and just left it all. I stayed on campus in the dorms at Calvary Chapel Bible College for 2 years. Met my wife while I was there and got married the day after I graduated.
Today, I'm back in Hollywood, just stronger this time. You know, God always send us through a preparation process before the mission, just the build-up to the blessing. He has to tune our hearts to be used for his purposes. The First single, “Bow My Head†is everywhere you can find music. I'm just trying to use the thing I was taught to glorify the Name of the King, who no matter where my head was, His heart was always for me and fixed on showing me His Love for me, no matter how close I got to the edge and dared if He would catch me. His Love is overwhelming. It's truly underserved and if we look at our lives, we'll see how selfish we can be. How great of a Love it has to be for Him to still say "Come to me", so every day I'm trying to just simply say thank you through every form of expression I know-how.
I would like to encourage anyone reading not to be discouraged by the weakness in ourselves that continues to show up every day. When we see ourselves falling short, we shouldn't give up but continue to press onto the Father and diving into the world of God, although we know we are not worthy when we open the Bible, always remember that He loves us so much and we are part of the chosen ones the Creator of the universe has picked to show forth His unending love, to pour His grace upon, that no matter the challenges we face, that by placing our trials at the feet of Jesus, He will then give to us peace and understanding. You will see that the reality of your situation will begin to bend in your favour according to the will of God to produce the outcome of destiny He placed in your heart before He formed you in the womb, He loved you and through His love, we will be made whole.
Many thanks for reading.
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