From the Incubator to the Kingdom: The Story of a Young Man’S Journey to Fulfill His God-Given Purpose

By Dr. Duane E. Mangum

This book was written to share the story of a young mans desire to fulfill his God-given purpose. This journey puts on display the fragileness of his life that began in his childhood, which reveals traumatic experiences like homelessness and being blood poisoned as well as physical and emotional abuse. It also shows how he chose, through his incredible desire and determination, not to quit or allow those difficulties to define his life but chose to let his faith in God be the bridge that transforms him. Through it all, he learns the value of pushing past the pain to pursue his God-given purpose. He has realized that everyone that reaches greatness in God will experience measure of challenges, but he has also grown to realize the key to overcoming many of lifes troubles can be turned around in a positive way by possessing the proper perspective that releases ones potential that provides the energy to be persistent in pursuing your purpose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512753479

Dr. Duane E. Mangum

Dr. Duane E. Mangum is the author of the book entitled, “Blending To Make It: Ingredients For A Successful Blended Family.” He is a graduate of Trinity College of the Bible and Trinity Theological Seminary with a Ph.D. in Christian Counseling. He is a Presidential Member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, A Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapist, and Certified Professional Pastoral Therapist. He is also a Blended Family Expert, Certified Saving Your Marriage Before Its Starts (SYMBIS) Facilitator, Motivational Speaker, Seminar Facilitator and Mentor. Originally from Alexandria, Virginia, Dr. Mangum and his wife Michele reside in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 Dr. Duane E. Mangum.

Cover Design: Tiffanie Pulley/TAPdesignz

Editor: Terry Pate

Photo of Dr. Mangum by Damon A. Mace

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Many of the personal stories of the individuals in this book are taken from actual accounts and interviews I conducted for this project. Each person played a significant role in making this project a success. Therefore, many of the names and other identifying details have been changed to protect their identities and privacy.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5348-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5350-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5347-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016913910

WestBow Press rev. date: 9/9/2016

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction: The Journey Begins

Chapter 1 The Incubator: Where It All Started

Chapter 2 The Tree House And The ‘57 Chevy

Chapter 3 1616 Suter Street: My Rescue And Re-Connection

Chapter 4 The Corner Club

Chapter 5 Grandma Dee-Dee: The Family Matriarch

Chapter 6 Delray’s: Gym On Stilts

Chapter 7 Francis C. Hammond: An Unforgettable Experience

Chapter 8 T.c. Williams Senior High School: The Class Of 1978

Chapter 9 Two Branches

Chapter 10 A Young Caretaker

Chapter 11 The Crown Jewel

Chapter 12 Lsw: It’s Prime Time

Chapter 13 The Great 8: Winning It All

Chapter 14 Desire-Effort-Excellence: A Season For The Ages

Chapter 15 The K.o.g.b.c. Experience

Chapter 16 The Forgiveness Factor

Chapter 17 True Friends: They Really Do Exist

Chapter 18 The Place Of My Restoration: Eastern Connecticut

Chapter 19 The Crème In My Coffee: A Sweet Connection

Chapter 20 Clear Talk

Chapter 21 The Crossroad To Promotion

Chapter 22 Dreams Do Come True: Earning My Phd

Chapter 23 Retirement: Faith Personified

Chapter 24 Finding My Niche

Chapter 25 The Kingdom: Pursuing My God-Given Purpose

Conclusion

Notes And Bible Credits

FOREWORD

From The Incubator To The Kingdom tells a heartfelt, raw, yet victorious story of one man’s journey through a painful childhood, to an adulthood of undeniable purpose. Each page of pain was countered with favor; each disappointment countered with expectation; each shortcoming countered with self-reformation.

Dr. Mangum’s story encourages spiritual fine-tuning for all who read it. In fact, [sic] it demands it. Never before have I read a book that so clearly demonstrates how God has architected one person’s life, even in the midst of a sometimes-complicated blueprint. It was a gift to witness with each passing page, the fulfillment of Dr. Mangum’s grandmother’s prophetic words.

It’s abundantly clear after reading his story that Dr. Mangum’s life has rendered him uniquely qualified to perform the work that he does. As a reader I’m inspired to have the courage of the 9-year-old Duane, just three weeks shy of his 10th birthday; and I aspire to have the determination and commitment that Dr. Mangum continues to exhibit to this very day. This was an amazing read.

-Nichole Hodge,

CEO Spedient, Inc., and Author

PREFACE

This book was written to share the story of a young man’s desire to fulfill his God-given purpose. Beginning with his childhood, this journey puts on display the fragileness of his life, revealing traumatic experiences, such as homelessness, blood poisoning, physical and emotional abuse. It also demonstrates his incredible desire and determination not to quit or allow those difficulties to define his life but how he, instead, chooses to let his faith in God be the bridge that transforms him. Through it all, he learns the value of pushing past the pain in pursuit of his God-given purpose. Recognizing that everyone who reaches greatness in God will experience measures of challenge, he has also grown to realize the key to overcoming many of life’s troubles. By possessing the proper perspective that releases one’s potential, this provides the energy to be persistent in pursuing your purpose, thus turning those troubles around in a positive way.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Lord for giving me the courage to write this book. Of the many memories and experiences that I had put into the recesses of my mind, reviving some of them has been bittersweet. I recognize that to successfully do this project and (hopefully) be an instrumental tool for God’s use in helping all those who read it, I had to be willing to relive some of the most painful encounters of my life. I also realized that God’s amazing grace and His unlimited ability to heal and make me whole made this project worth it all!

I also want to express my sincere appreciation to my beautiful wife Michele, for her unwavering patience, comfort and love as I returned to some of the places in my life that were emotional and gut wrenching at times.

Finally, I want to salute all the people written about in this book, who have passed on all of their incredible inspiration which helped me to realize that I wasn’t born a mistake; that my birth into this earth was on purpose so that I could be one of God’s children having the passion for making a positive impact on the lives of others.

INTRODUCTION

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

O n September 7, 1888, Edith Eleanor McLean held the distinction of being the first premature baby born in America, to be treated in an incubator. Although she weighed only two and a half pounds, she was nursed to health at State Emigrant Hospital in New York in a 3-ft square by 4-ft high box called a hatching cradle. That made sense because the device, first used in France a few years earlier, was modeled after a chicken incubator being used at the Parisian zoo. Incubators were relatively expensive and hospitals were reluctant to invest in them. Furthermore, it was not a common practice among doctors (at the time) to allocate many hours trying to help what were known as weak infants. Nonetheless, a few French doctors came up with the idea of charging the public to look at the babies inside of what was promoted as the Amazing Mechanical Mom. A German physician named Martin Couney took it a step further creating a preemie baby exhibit at the Berlin Exposition in 1896. These exhibits were referred to as child hatcheries, and the idea eventually crossed into the United States. Dr. Couney toured fairs, finding a more permanent home in the amusement parks of Coney Island in New York.

Dr. Couney, with the excitement and fanfare of these exhibits, wanted to pursue his interest in working with premature babies; however, at the time, the babies had terrifyingly low survival rates and there wasn’t much special equipment developed for them. The idea of incubators had been suggested previously, but who had the time and the money to care for them? Couney, playing on the notion that people liked to look at the unusual, get their heartstrings tugged, and show support in the name of doing a good thing, came up with an idea.

He built an exhibit in which premature babies were displayed at amusement parks and fairs! Hence, the Baby Incubator exhibit started in 1903 in Dreamland, the more sedate amusement park on the island.

The attraction resembled a typical hospital ward, with babies, nurses providing specialized care, and the doctor as the overseer of everything. The only difference was that one side of the ward was glass and all day long people paid their dime (or as the years wore on and the prices increased to fifteen cents) to troop through and look at the babies. The healthier and older babies were placed in incubators along an open hallway, separated from the public by railing.

Now let’s divert the subject of incubation and move towards a discussion about a kingdom. A kingdom is a governing impact of a king’s will over a territory or domain. The king has influence over a people and leads the government. Every kingdom must have a king, but it is also true that every king is automatically a lord. It is this quality of lordship that distinguishes a king from a president, a prime minister, a mayor or a governor. In fact, a king’s lordship makes him different from any other kind of human leader. Lordship makes the king unique. The most common word in scripture is the word Lord. Keep in mind that this word does not exist in a democracy, socialist society or a republic except for the word landlord, one who owns and rents land to others. A landlord is the only common remnant of kingdoms in modern government and Western societies, but this concept of lord is one of the fundamental principles of a kingdom.

Now let us address and speak about a king. A king’s sovereignty is absolute. He isn’t voted into or out of office or power. His sovereignty is by birthright or should I say a right of birth. The same is true of a king’s lordship. All kings are automatically lords. Bear in mind, a king relates to dominion while a lord relates to a domain. The word dominion refers to the king’s authority and power.

The word domain refers to the territory, property and the geographical area over which his authority extends. A king exercises his authority over a specific geographic area. Recall that I mentioned a dominion refers to a king’s authority and a domain refers to his geographical territory. Remember also that kings personally own the physical domain over which they reign. That makes them not only kings but also lords. Kings and property go together!

CHAPTER 1

THE INCUBATOR: WHERE IT ALL STARTED

I t all started on November 9, 1959, at Freedman’s Hospital, which was founded in 1862 in Washington, DC. It is known as the first hospital of its kind to aid in the medical treatment of former minorities from Western America. My twin brother, Wayne and I were born prematurely in the seventh month. Wayne was the firstborn, weighing in at three pounds six ounces and I, Duane, weighed three pounds four ounces. I was later informed that the incubator my brother and I were placed in was solely for the purpose of keeping us warm, monitoring our oxygen levels, our cardiac function and brain activity, along with shielding us from contracting infections. Our birth would signal the beginning of the Mangum boys’ legacy. We were the first boys born to Mom and Dad, who later would become parents to four more boys in succeeding years. Because of our prematurity, Wayne and I were unable to leave the hospital right away. My sister shared with me that my twin came home in about three weeks; however, I was not released until about a month later. I remain in awe of having to spend my first month on earth in an incubator that kept me warm, protecting me from the environment; however, I am so thankful that medical science was at a place in history to sustain life for my brother and me until we were able to do it on our own.

Little did I know that being born prematurely would be the beginning of a journey that would catapult me into some of the most challenging, yet rewarding experiences in shaping my human existence. Being born as a premature infant and having to stay in an incubator for a month, correlates with my journey of being a born again Christian. I had to go through an incubation process of being developed first as a spiritual infant, which required me to be in God’s incubator. This allowed my faith and trust in His Word to strengthen me as a believer. As I grew to the point of no longer needing incubation, I became ready to walk in my purpose as a mature Christian. I am reminded of a passage of scripture that describes the believer’s infancy and the need to grow in God. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment and know that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. (1 Peter 2: 2–3, NLT)¹ All I can say is that God had an amazing plan for me, unknown even to my mother, for the Bible speaks clearly of what God has in store for us as His children. Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee and ordained thee a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5, KJV)² So for all of those who have contemplated labeling themselves as a mistake, regardless of the way you arrived here on earth – whether you were born out of wedlock or within a marriage; conceived in the back seat of an automobile or in your mom and dad’s house; whether your mother or father abused drugs or one another; born to parents with or without an education, money, or big house – God knew you and had a plan for you!

CHAPTER 2

THE TREE HOUSE AND THE ‘57 CHEVY

M y parents were divorced in 1965. My mother, moving out of our spacious house on the northwest side of the city, took my oldest sister and four brothers to go live in Alexandria, Virginia. For some reason, my father felt it would be best for my brother Wayne and me to remain with him. If my memory serves me well, we lived in the house my parents purchased for another two years. During that time, my father’s behavior began to change. He seemed agitated about things that often had nothing to do with neither my brother nor me, but he would take it out on us. Then one day my father came home and said we were leaving the house and moving to live elsewhere. When I asked him why we were moving from such a nice house and he indicated it was no longer our house; it had been sold. I didn’t understand why he would sell the house that he and my mother bought together, but he did. I honestly didn’t want to move and leave my friends, the neighborhood, nor school, and especially Mrs. Washington. She lived across the street from us and was so nice to my brother and me. She would often bake us cakes and pies, always making sure we had something to eat when Daddy had to work late. I felt that it wasn’t fair for us to have to leave such a great place and move somewhere and not have Mrs. Washington or our friends to care for us. Sadly, in a couple of weeks, we moved out and moved into an apartment.

Little did I know that moving from our house would only be the beginning of us moving at least four more times to different places, which meant that we had to change schools each time. When we moved again, it was into another apartment but this time we moved in with a lady named Mrs. Deloise and her daughter, neither of whom my brother nor I knew. Apparently, my dad and this little girl’s mother were dating. After a couple of weeks, I felt she didn’t like my brother or me because of how she spoke to us when my dad wasn’t around. One time I was playing outside and didn’t hear her call me to come in for dinner. So she came outside with a belt and began to hit me, insisting that I was ignoring her on purpose. That was her justification for whipping me. I told her that I didn’t hear her and that was why I didn’t answer. I also let her know that since she wasn’t my mother, she had no right to hit me. When my father got home, I told him of the incident and he said that he would handle it. The next thing I knew we were moving again. So the cycle of leaving my friends and changing schools began once again.

We moved into an apartment in the northwest of the city near a place called Kennedy Playground. This apartment had no bedrooms and everything would be in the open. In modern terms it’s called a Studio apartment, where everything is in the same room. The location of this apartment building wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods. As I was coming home from school one day, I decided to take the shortcut that my brother and his friend Buster would normally take to get home. Suddenly I was approached by this strange person who asked me if I had any money. I quickly responded to him no but he got closer and grabbed me, trying to take me into this abandoned building. When I tried to pull away from him, he struck me in the face. Somehow I got loose and began to run as fast as I could.

Fortunately, I was able to get away from him but only after I had gotten home did I realize how badly my mouth was bleeding. I applied some ice to my mouth, but it wouldn’t be until later that I noticed he had hit me so hard, my front teeth were damaged. I told my brother what happened and that I was grateful that he wasn’t able to pull me into that building. From that day forward I made a promise to myself (and encouraged my brother) to never walk home alone. When my father came home, I told him what happened and he said that I shouldn’t have been walking home