What does it take to make it out from the trappings of the ghetto? Is it a state of mind? Is it an aggressive push by those who raised you? Is it a divine move of God? All of these questions are addressed as I live and continue my journey in life.The Bible says "it's better to give then to receive" I couldn't agree more. Somewhere in my life's journey I found another statement to be just as profound, and that is "it's better to be obedient then disobedient." We all must reap the rewards and consequences of every decision we make. The statements I just mentioned were a major influence to my successful sojourn out of the ghetto.When I look back at my life I know that God was involved every step of the way, through the good, the bad and the ugly. Travel with me "From the Ashes of the Ghetto."BIODarryl T. Jefferson has been a minister for seven years and was involved in ministry for over twenty years. He has been the guest speaker at a number of churches in North Carolina, Washington, DC, and Maryland. He and his wife are members of First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. In 1978, he received his B.B.A. degree from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. Darryl and his wife Patricia have been married over 36 years; they have two children and two grand children.