Steve Borden (STING)

STING MOMENT OF TRUTH CHAPTER 14 "The Turn": As my brother Jeff continued to grow in the Lord I watched him closely. When he first got saved our relationship became awkward and sometimes he made me mad. But the more I watched, I began to realize what he had I didn't. I really had not spent much time recognizing the supernatural power of God in any part of my life, but it was there quietly tugging at me, turning me to face my creator in a way I never had before.

Then other wrestlers began to tell me about the truth they knew about God. When I was hanging out with this one guy he told me a what if story which he had heard from his pastor. He said, "IMAGINE YOU ARE FLYING IN A JUMBO JET AND THEN IT STARTS FALLING TO THE EARTH. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?." Most people would say that they would confess their sins and ask God for forgiveness so that they will be ready for eternity. Then another question comes, "WHAT IF THE PILOT SUDDENLY WAS ABLE TO GET CONTROL OF THE PLANE AND LAND SAFELY. WOULD YOU REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE TO GOD? OR WOULD YOU GO BACK TO YOUR OLD WAYS?. When he asked that I told him I had heard enough of it.

God planted another seed in me when I read Ted Dibiases(THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN) book EVERY MAN HAS HIS PRICE. Ted had recounted his journey from wrestlers bad boy to his new life in Christ. I could identify with this story. I am so grateful that God was going to do everything to break me so he could make me new.

  Another time I was walking through a hotel lobby after a big WCW event when this really big guy a couple of his buddies stopped me. He said his name was Simeon Nicks and that he was a friend of Ted Dibiase and also the worship leader at Bell Shoals Baptist Church. He had heard that I had been going to church a little bit lately and he asked, "STING WE WOULD YOU MIND IF WE PRAY WITH YOU" There were standing in a hotel with people everywhere and I was sweating bullets. My mind wasn't really into the prayer that was made but on the elevator doors. I also kept wandering what if Rick Flair or any of the other guys think if they saw this. I also thought to myself, " Im going to punch Ted in the mouth next time I see him." When the prayer was over I scurried right to the elevator. As I did this Simeon called," HEY STING IF THE PLANE GOES DOWN WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?" This time I couldn't shake off the wondering WHAT IF THE PLANE GOES DOWN? Is that all there is or is the message of Christ real? What is God trying to tell me?

On a trip home to California Sue(his wife at the time) and I went with Jeff and his family to a church where Jeff was a elder. When the pastor invited people to receive Christ at the end of the service I got all emotional and both Sue and I raised our hands in acceptance. When we walked out of the church nothing really had changed. When we returned to Atlanta I began think that if I was to get my life together we would need some different influences. It was obvious that Jeff and his family had something we didn't. I figured if we could be near my family who knew the lord maybe it could start rubbing off on Sue and me. I was out of control and desperate for a change. Sue and I moved our family back to California which Sue had been wanting to do for years but I wouldn't allow it. I just couldn't see us raising a family there. I promised again that I would be a better husband because of the influence of my brother and the rest of the family.

Soon after we moved back to California we saw how happy and obedient Jeffs kids were so we asked Jeff what his secret was to raising such great kids. Jeff and his wife taught a parenting class called GROWING KIDS GODS WAY. Jeff offered to give us a class once a week at his house. It became a guideline for Sue and me for raising our kids and we saw immediate results. We were the kind of people who might see the right thing to do in raising our kids but we took none of it in when it came our own lives. About a year later I went with Jeff, my Dad, and my other brother, Mark, to a Promise Keepers event in Los Angeles. I had never seen so many people who were singing together and talking about faith, priorities, and family. It really got under my skin. I had not really been paying attention to my relationship with Sue and there were so many things I had been doing that she didn't know about. The guilt was unbearable. Again I went down to the front to receive Jesus. Something in me had not clicked the first time and I still felt I was not there as far as the Lord was concerned. I kept thinking to myself that it would stick this time. The whole family was freaking out about me going out front to receive Jesus. But my superstar life was no different. The next Monday I was back in Atlanta on Nitro with 20 million people watching.

Chapter 15 MOMENT OF TRUTH: Over the next year God continued to work on me through Jeff, Ted Dibiase, and many others. They were also the biggest times in my career. The truth of the matter is I was more trying to deal with God then give my life to him. My sin made me sick but its not enough to know that sin is wrong; God wants to teach us how to hate sin. Like he does. Our sin sent his son to die in our place. I would die for my kids. I cant imagine the pain of a parent who loses their child- but somehow in Gods plan that is what he did for me. God gave up his only son to pay for the wrong things that I had done. As that truth sunk in I realized that not only did I want to go to Heaven and not Hell but I needed to feel the sorrow that comes from knowing what my sin had done to Jesus.

Soon after we first moved to California we went on a rare family vacation to Hawaii. For the first time ever Sue went through my luggage and she found a large bottle of prescription drugs. I had denied her questions about using drugs before. I had told her that I was having insomnia and she bought me herbal tea and other methods that were suppose to help me sleep. She didn't know anything about me depending on drugs or even alcohol so I could sleep. I was motivated to bring the bottle on the trip by the thought of going for a week without any artificial help. She was shocked and hurt when she found them but now Im glad she did. This was on the first day of the trip and Sue and I barely spoke to each other during the rest of it. My stupidity had created a cold distance between us. I made Sue give me back the bottle and it was empty by the end of the trip. Shortly after we got home the boys were playing in the back yard and Sue and I were alone in the house. Sue confronted me by saying, " You lied to me about the prescription drugs. Is there anything else you have kept a secret from me?" This moment was arranged by God himself. Every MOMENT OF TRUTH takes a different shape for everyone. For me it was admitting that I had betrayed my wife and family for all those years when I was trying to make it big, and when I did my sin kept on going. There was no gratefulness in my heart it was all about what I wanted not what God wanted. "yes" I had answered my wife with. That caused the floodgate of repentance to open that God had been waiting for- being truly sorry for my sin and truly believing that God will save me from all unrighteousness. The truth really does set you free. Suddenly the weight of the world was off my shoulders. I told Sue about my dark past and it filled me with hope with the realization that my sins were forgiven. It was like I had driven a dagger in my wifes heart. She had gotten answers to questions that she had been afraid to ask and I begged her to forgive me.

  Many times during this process the devil kept accusing me of the sins of which I had been forgiven. Discouraging new believers is one of satans big tactics. He wants us to believe that weve done too many bad things that God could never forgive us. But the people God had put in my life reminded me that God was trustworthy and that when he says he forgives us we are forgiven. He means it. Theyre gone. The revelations of that day were Sues worst fears about our relationship and that I had been living a double life for so long. But God had put a fresh love in my heart for Sue and I was willing to do anything to be a husband and father honoring God and win back the family I had treated with such disregard.

The renewal in our relationship did not happen over night. Sue was very hurt and justifiably so. I had believed that God would wave his magic wand and everything would be perfect. But instead my confession created a whirlwind in my home which could only be repaired through the miracle of Gods grace. I begged her to let me stay but Sue shut me out of the house. She actually let me back in the house that first night for the sake of the kids. From that act of grace on her part we began to rebuild our relationship brick by brick and God began his work in healing it. That painful day with all its regret on my part was the step that started Sue on her journey to forgiveness and the full establishment of our marriage on the absolute truth of God and full disclosure.

Not only did I have to face my wife and deal with my sin but I also felt the definite prompting of God to tell the guys at WCW what had happened and that I had become fully devoted follower of Christ. These guys had known me for many years and they clearly understood the dark side of my life. Now I had to tell them what Jesus had done for me and that I was a changed man. I went to guys individually and in small groups. Most of them said they understood and wished me well but others didn't get it at all. They thought I had become a religious nut case. Gods plan is always perfect and he knew that what I needed most was time with Sue and my family. I also needed to develop a whole new circle of relationships with people who believe the Bible is the Word of God and who live by its standards. He had given me a real desire to know his word and share my faith.

CELEBRITY TESTIMONY 13 Jeff Fenholt (Jesus Christ Superstar and Black Sabbath)

Jeff Fenholt FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT Chapter 5: REVIVED REDEEMED RESTORED

One day I came home from Europe as I my limousine was pulling in my driveway my driver started laughing. "Whats so funny." I asked. He answered with, "Remember how your wife was saying she wanted to remodel a wing on the estate? Well look at the pick up trucks over there with Jesus stickers on them. Reenis having a revival. So I got out of the car and went into the house, Im going to tell these bunch of sissies off. As I walked in I pushed the open door and started yelling, "Reeni, we need to get rid of these guys." "Go ahead," she answered. I was actually afraid to enter the part of the house where the men were working. So I went and got drunk and stayed away for the rest of the day.

The next day I woke up at noon and went downstairs to face these guys. I imagined that these Christian carpenters were wearing darling little elf outfits and tapping away with their hammers like the seven dwarfs. Instead when I pushed the door open I was astonished ten bulky men with ripped off t shirts and tattoos. Some of then had long hair. Their was also one with a beard down his chest. "My God", I blurted out. " You guys aren't Christians youre too ugly." " Yeah we are Christians," they answered," Some of us have only been saved for a few weeks but we love the Lord Jesus Christ. We were drug addicts living on the streets of New York. Then Nick Disipio came and witnessed to us. He laid hands on us in Jesus name and we were delivered. Now were working in his construction company. We're earning money to buy a big ranch so those that have been delivered from drugs will have a place to live till we hit the streets again for the glory of God." I thought these guys were nuts. How come these roughneck dudes are allowed to be in Jesus? I had never heard of such a thing. So I decided not to talk to them but to this, Nick Disipio the head contractor. Nick Disipio was a fat little man about 5'8" and weighing 250 pounds. His hair was also greased back and had a very strong Italian accent. As it turned out Nick Disipio was a former Mafia member.

  " I want to talk to you," I said. He walked toward me, jabbed his finger in my face, and said, "No I want to talk to you. Youre some big rock star; you played the part of Jesus Christ Superstar. Now are you ready to meet the real Jesus Christ?" " No," I said. "You've got a lot of nerve coming in here trying to talk to me, Bozo. Nobody asked you noting about Jesus Christ. Get out of my face." The Disipio motioned to his crew asking them to come over here and pray for me. I got back at him with," Don't pray for me. Pray for your mama. You know who your mama is shes a whore!" Nick was obviously wearing the full armor of God because he did not flinch. You have to know that I was heavily possessed by demons. For a skinny little 128 pound rock and roller to yell in the face of an ex mafia construction worker, calling his mother a whore, is sure sign that something wasn't right. After that I spit at Nick and told that my limousine driver had a .38 caliber revolver and I would have him kill anyone who touched me. Since they were on my property I had the right to do that. At the top of his lungs Nick yelled, "Go get your limousine driver." "Yeah" I said, " You want to see Uncle Knuckles and his revolver?" "Yes", said Nick," Go get him and tell him come in here. If he can get past the blood of Jesus Christ, you tell Uncle Knuckles to be my guest. Bring him in and we'll pray for him too." NICK HAD NO FEAR. I had realized that nothing intimidated these guys. I ran out of the room and locked myself in my bedroom. I got on my knees and started shaking. Man I need drugs I thought. I got up and went to the bathroom. As I was taking the drugs out of the medicine cabinet a voice spoke to me. At that point in knew I was right in the middle of spiritual warfare. I believed it was the Lord speaking to me saying, "Go ahead you do need drugs." Startled I put the pills back eventhough I thought that was what I needed. When I look back I realize that the voice was a demon who was trying to finish me off. I was so confused and in such a panic I didn't know who was talking to me. I didn't know the difference between Satans voice and Gods voice. I only knew that I was desperate. Then I thought, I need some whiskey. Ive got to go downstairs and get some. I need something bad. Im hearing voices Im paranoid. Im having panic attacks continuously. I need to be drunk or in bed with another girl, constantly doing something to occupy my mind. If I ever let down for even a minute Ill freak out. If I got on a rocket ship and went to the moon Id still be paranoid. Theres no place to run no place to hide. Im in for the ride. And then I silently screamed from the depths of my soul, "I need something!" After three hours with wrestling with the holy spirit I finally decided to go downstairs and let them pray for me. When I made that decision a voice spoke to me from the depths of hell. A spirit that had been tormenting me for years said to me, " Those are not Christians. You've been in the occult and the devil knows youre about to reach out to God, so satan has sent his men there. I am God and I warn you they have been sent from a satanic church. They don't know where there from. Your wife doesn't really know who they are. Do they look like Christians to you? They have been sent to ask you if you want to receive Jesus as Lord and if you say yes they will kill on the spot. Because you played the part of Jesus the devil does not want to let you go." Talk about being paranoid! All I knew was I was at the end of my rope. I could see that the long wide road I had been following had split in two leading in two different directions. One lead to Heaven the other to Hell. It was time to make a decision. Eventhough I didn't know how to pray I knelt down and cried," GOD WHOEVER YOU ARE TRUE GOD, IM SPEAKING TO YOU NOW. IF THESE MEN ARE SATANISTS AND I GO DOWNSTAIRS AND THEY KILL ME TODAY, THEN WHEN I COME BEFORE YOU I WANT TO REMEMBER THAT I DIED LOOKING FOR YOU." I stood up, locked the door of my bedroom and started down the hall and down the back staircase. As I moved along I felt every muscle in my body become rigid. It seemed like I needed a pill or a drink to take the edge off my nerves. But I refused to give in; I just kept walking. When I approached the door to the back wing of the house I took a deep breath. I thought ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS DOOR IS EITHER LIFE OR DEATH. Then I opened the door When I came in all the men stopped their work and started staring at me. Nick walked up close and said, "PRAISE GOD!" As I looked at him I thought to myself about outsmarting them. I remembered what that voice had told about them being Satanists so I told Nick, "Im not into Jesus and I don't want to be. But of you guys want to pray for me then go ahead. Lets see who your God is. In my heart I was speaking these words: JESUS, IF YOU ARE REAL, HELP ME. Those guys came at me like stampeding buffalos. They laid hands on me and began to pray. "I BIND YOU SATAN IN THE NAME OF JESUS" they said. As they spoke a feeling of terror came upon me. I started to scream and I tried to run. As I turned around a big dude grabbed me and put me in a stronghold. Then he said, "YOU AINT GOING NOWHERE FELLA PRAISE THE LORD! JESUS CHRIST!" That's the last thing I remember The next thing I knew I was down on my knees full of Hell but then I stood up clear minded and washed in the blood of Jesus. I looked up at these men and said, "My God! something has left me something has happened." "How do you feel now," asked Nick. I said that it felt like my back had opened up and an anvil had been lifted out off the inside of my spine. I stared at those men and I began to jump up and down leaping for joy. I began giggling like a school girl. I asked Nick," What has happened? What did you do!" NIck answered, "WE PRAYED FOR YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS AND HE HAS DELIVERED YOU BY HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD. HE HAS SAVED YOU FROM ALL THAT GARBAGE YOUVE BEEN INTO." " If this is Jesus," I answered, " I want him right now! What do I do? I want Jesus! I want more." "PRAY WITH US, " the men said, "AND RECEIEVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR." I got on my knees and prayed the sinners prayer: " FATHER I COME TO YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS. I AM A SINNER. DEAR JESUS THANK YOU FOR DELIVERING ME. THANK YOU FOR SETTING ME FREE. WASH ME IN YOUR PRECIOUS BLOOD. HEAL ME AND CLEAN ME UP. MAKE ME A NEW PERSON. LORD, ILL SERVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER I BELONG TO FATHER, SON, AND THE HOLY GHOST NOW AND FOREVER. JESUS I PRAISE YOU! JESUS, JESUS, JESUS. When I finished with AMEN. Everyone said , "AMEN." It was bringing me joy and peace and power. My mind felt so strong and so clear. I knew that I would never see drugs or alcohol again as long as I served the LORD JESUS CHRIST. I WAS FREE! I WAS FREE INDEED!

CELEBRITY TESTIMONY 12 MICKEY ROONEY

Mickey Rooney LIFE IS TOO SHORT CHAPTER 32 Barbara: Dr Buckley was one of the wisest most compassionate men in the world but he had chosen an indirect way to tell me this awful news. He had just walked into my room, greeted me and my visitors, and then the phone rang. "WHAT! WHAT! BOTH DEAD? BOTH OF THEM?" I heard him say. He finished with "I UNDERSTAND!" and then he hung up. He looked at me sadly as he told me that my fifth wife, Barbara, had been murdered and the man who shot her had also been shot to death in the struggle. I wanted to know about my kids. Once I knew they were alright I began to sob as much in relief for my kids as in my grief for Barbara's death. I asked my friend ,Red Barry, to bring my kids to me. "Oh poor Barabara" and then "My poor babies", I would keep saying. I died too that day in Dr Buckleys arms. It seemed like a steel band had been wrapped around my chest and I didn't take a full breath for 3 years. The preacher who did the funeral was the same one who had made my marriage legal to Barbara in 1960 and had baptized all four of our kids. The body of the murderer was shipped back to his mother in Belgrade. For days I was close to a catatonic state but I was aware enough to care about my kids. When I got out of the hospital I rented a small room in Beverly Hills and gathered in it with all my kids. I stayed close to them until 10 days after Barbara died my attorney, Dermot Long, called and told me that my mother had died. Ever since my life started falling apart she had been drinking. Not long after my friend, Fred Pankey, had also drunk himself to death in a cheap hotel on Sepulveda Boulevard. "Ahh God," I prayed, "when will the sorrow end?" I would learn that it would only end when I stopped running away from God. I had been running from him for days in the ways of a labyrinthine and he still kept following me. And I still didn't know what he was doing or where I was. MICKEY ROONEY LIFE IS TOO SHORT CHAPTER 33 VISIONS: I had many more set backs in the next dozen years but I would survive them as I do the ones nowadays with the help of a faith I had almost forgotten. I got added help from a visitation. It came at an unlikely place: the coffee shop of a casino on the shores of lake Tahoe. I was a last minute fill- in for Judy Garland who was too sick to make it. I was having breakfast at Harrahs with a few friends. We were half-listening to a lot of aimless talk when a busboy came up behind me and whispered my name. I started to get out of my chair thinking someone was paging me on the phone. The busboy leaned over, put his lips to my ear, and said, "MR ROONEY JESUS CHRIST LOVES YOU VERY MUCH." For a minute I couldn't quite believe what I had heard. I turned to look at him. He was wearing a white jacket, had blond curls, a white rose complexion, and shining teeth. He smiled at me and then disappeared into the kitchen. I finished my breakfast then I walked over to the hostess. "I would like to talk to that busboy who was working at our table." I said casually "Which busboy are you talking about?" she asked. "The one with the light blond curls. Sort of surrounds his head like a helmet." I said. She answered with, "WE DONT HAVE A BUSBOY WITH BLOND HAIR." " But I was just talking to him?" I asked impatiently "You can go back into kitchen and look", she offered. When I went back there I saw no boy with hair like a- a halo. Then my flesh started crawling and my hair stood up on my arms. I KNEW I HAD BEEN VISITED BY AN ANGEL. "GOD", I said, "WHO AM I THAT YOU SHOULD SEND ME AN ANGEL? I WHO HAVE BEEN PAYING SO LITTLE ATTENTION?" When my sixth marriage fell apart Barbaras parents started taking care of my kids. I saw them every now and then but I couldn't really be a father to them. I was still addicted to barbiturates and it seemed like no one could do anything for me. I would have been the first one to sign up for Betty Ford clinic if it had existed then. Then quite unconsciously Judy Garland helped with an object lesson of her own. On this particular day in 1967 I kept phoning Judy but was getting no answer either at four in the morning or after noon. I had a hunch Id better go by and see if she was alright. Judy and I were like brother and sister and that kind of relationship sometimes has that sixth sense about each other. I called Dr Buckley asking him to meet me at Judys place. "Something tells me she needs help," I said. When we got there we found the front door locked. We crawled over a wall and found the back door locked as well. Just like in the movies I put a handkerchief around my hand and punched in a window pane. We found Judy naked and unconscious facedown on the pillow. After feeling her pulse Dr Buckley said she was alive and he phoned for an ambulance. "Mickey help me find what shes on." he said. We searched the house and after looking through the likeliest places I found a cache of pills at the bottom of one of Judys boots. After cracking the pill and tasting it Dr Buckley said that it was Percodan As we dressed Judy Buckely explained to me that Percodan was powerful enough to haul a Steinway over the Andes Mountains. This view of Judy and of myself pushed me to an utter cry of the heart. In answer to those prayers Jeri Greene appeared on my doorstep. She made a start by consulting a movie producer and mutual friend named Leo Popkin. The two of them decided they needed to find a specialist for me. I remember Jerri driving me down from my house in Coldwater Canyon one winter morning to where Leo was waiting for us. We waited in my car while Leo talked with another man. Finally he came to my side of the car and said, "DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL?" "Yes I do," I answered, " I don't want to live like this anymore." Two days later I was on the plane to San Francisco with Jeri. She helped check me into a hospital under an assumed name. I was going to get well. It wasn't easy. Doctors didn't really understand addictions as well as they do now. They didn't have all the support groups they do today meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 step programs. These doctors took a very basic common sense approach: "YOU DONT WANT TO BE A DRUG ADDICT? WELL THEN FIRST OF ALL YOU HAVE TO STOP TAKING DRUGS." The doctors kept me in bed and made sure I was eating right. They also gave me back rubs. Besides that they really didn't know what to do. Then one night I made my own breakthrough. I looked to a power higher than myself. "FATHER," I prayed. "COME INTO MY HEART. I HAVE SINNED. I CANNOT MAKE IT WITHOUT YOU. PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE HELP! He did help. From that day on I was a well man. I didn't pass from sick to well in one day. I spent the next 10 years working my way from sick to being completely healed. But that prayer marked a turning point for me.

Celebrity Testimony 11 Phil Robertson (Duck Commander)

P Phil Robertson HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY:

Chapter 5 WHOS A MAN: After I gave up football at Louisiana Tech I started running with a pretty rough crowd. It was during the 1960's when people my age questioned everything about the government and society in general. The Vietnam war was raging I wasn't sure why brother Si had been sent to Southeast Asia to fight in some country we had never heard of. We had parties and everybody got drunk except for Kay who wanted nothing to do with all that nonsense. It went on from when I was 21 or 22 until I was about 28. We got drunk on anything we could get our hands on running wild and duck hunting. It wasn't just beer and whiskey either. It was the 1960s so usually there was a little Marijuana around. We never bought any but wed smoke it if it was available. So between the whiskey, diet pills, and different kinds of medicinal speed we were staying pretty messed up. As far as alcohol it was mostly whiskey beer and wine. Throw in a little Marijuana and pep pills and that was the drug scene as far as I was concerned. I never got any of the serious stuff like LSD or heroin; sticking a needle in my arm was insanity to me. This went on for about 7 or 8 years. I was trying to become an 18th century man who relied on hunting and fishing to make a living. But I lived in the 20th and everything was changing around me. Hunting and fishing was no longer a way to provide food for my family it was competition between me and my buddies and all the rules had been thrown out the window. We were romping stomping and getting drunk. Shooting to many ducks and catching to many fish. We were outlaws. It was all about who could kill the most ducks and catch the most fish.
 We didn't care about anything else. It was a riotous time. By then I had a growing family at my home. Jason and Willie had been born and Kay was at the end of her rope with me. I would go out partying with my buddies and leave Kay alone to raise our children. I was becoming more and more distant from everything I had known and been taught and pulling even farther away from those who loved me the most. Kay felt her entire life was in ruins and that she had failed as a wife. After a while even the school where I had been a teacher and a coach could no longer ignore my public behavior. Students and their parents were making complaints about me being boorish. Sadly my life continued to spiral out of control like a downed duck from the sky.

Chapter 6 HONKY TONK: Before the school board could fire me I resigned my teaching position then I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I rented a Honky-Tonk in the middle of nowhere. where I was the manager, bartender and cook. Occasionally I would have to break up a fight. Kay would often bring one of her great meals but what  I mostly served was fried chicken boiled eggs and pickled pigs feet. Though most us that were usually there, including me, were only there to drink as much beer and whiskey as we could. The bar was a long one story wood building unpainted and yellow.
 Kay and our three sons had moved out to the middle of nowhere with me and our trailer home was roughly attached to the bar making the whole complex look like a regular U shape. That certainly wasn't the proper place to raise my boys. Kay got a job as a barmaid to make sure I stayed out of trouble. Kay never was much of a drinker after she had seen what it had done to her mother but on most nights she was right there with me watching me slowly drink away our lives.

When my parents and brothers and sisters heard about what was happening to me my sister Jan drove out to the bar bringing with her William Smith one of the preachers at Whites Ferry Road Church in West Monroe, Louisiana. Because she lived close by Jan knew more than anyone in my family that I had strayed from the Lord. She was determined to save me and asked Bill to help her. When they walked into the bar I was sitting at my desk with a quart beer bottle in my hand.
"You some kind of preacher?" I asked him. When Smith told me he was I added with, " You ever been drunk?" "I use to drink a few beers" he answered. I got back at him with,"Than whats the difference between you and me? You've been drunk and Im getting drunk right now. There aint a dime difference between you and me Jack. You aint putting any Bible on me. That's the ways I was born."
 At the same time Jan was in the barroom handing out religious tracts. The customers were doing their usual cussing and carrying on as well as getting drunk. She was having an argument with one of the guys when I stepped in to figure out what was going on. "Hey! Hey! Hey",I said then they turned around and looked at me. "This is my sister, I said to them,"Shes handing out religious tracts. Let her hand them out and anyone who messes with her will deal with me." "This is your sister?" one of them asked. "Yes. Shes going to do whatever she does here", I answered, "Leave her alone." Jan went on handing out religious tracts until she had given everyone one.
 I went back to Smith and demanded that he leave. Although Smiths visit had not convinced me, Kay later began to study the Bible with him. She knew our marriage and lives were rapidly deteriorating. A few months later I hit what I believe was rock bottom. The couple that owned the bar came in and told me that my rent was going to be raised. So I decided to hightail it out of the place before the last two months of my rent were over. We started arguing and I threw them both across the bar injuring them pretty badly. By the time the fight was over there were four police cars out front. I went out the back door and jumped in my truck before the police could arrest me.

Before I left I told Kay, "I'm going to the swamps or somewhere. Youre not going to see me in a few months." I had left Kay to clean up my mess. The police had a warrant for my arrest but Kay persuaded them to drop the charges. The plea bargain came with a heavy price the bar owners took all the money we had made while operating the Honky-Tonk. Eventhough Kay paid off the owners I didn't know if there were still arrest warrants out for me. The bar owners had a restraining order against me so I couldn't go anywhere near them. Kay moved our trailer to a spot beside lake D'Arbonne at Farmville Louisiana as we had discussed during a phone conversation. For about the next year I somehow endured though our was marriage under tremendous strain. The incident at the bar didn't keep me from romping, stomping, and ripping with my drinking buddies Kay always had hope that I would change my ways and if we moved to a new location and met new people things would get better. But they never did; things only got worse. One rainy night Kay came home late from work and I accused her of cheating on me which I knew she would never do. It was a life changing event for Kay and she knows the details of the incident and what had happened afterwards better than I do.

KAYS WORDS: Our first year at Louisiana Tech was when Phils problems first began. He was playing football but he had a wife and a baby. It was a lot of grown up responsibility for an 18 year old and he wasn't ready for it. All the time he saw his teammates go out and party and he wanted to go too. I believe that's why he so easily got into the wrong group he wanted to be like the single guys who had all the freedom. Since we married so young he never really experienced the single life. I wanted to go party with him but Alan was only a baby and I couldn't leave him. It just didn't seem right. I never liked drunkenness. I didn't believe it was wrong to have a drink but I didn't like the way it looked.
 When Phil rented the bar people couldn't believe that I went out and stayed with him. I was working as a barmaid and I was respected by everyone. They would tell others, "Don't talk ugly to her. Shes a nice lady even if she doesn't drink." The fact that they were protective of me was surprising. They would always ask why I was in the bar if I didn't drink but when I decided to stay with Phil and remain faithful to him, I felt it was my job to protect him. If I was there he wouldn't get in as much trouble as he would if I wasn't. The year after the bar fight was the worse time of my life. Phil was working offshore and drinking more than ever before. One night when I came home he accused me of having an affair which was stupid. I had never done that and it wasn't because Phils friends werent hitting on me. I just wasn't that kind of person. I always told him, " If I leave you Ill divorce and find someone else if I wanted too. But I would never cheat on you." Ive always thought of myself as a good person. I don't know if it was by personality but Ive always been very serving.
 During Phils troubles I was focusing on the faith my grandmother had instilled in me. I then realized I had to find my own faith. Phil was cursing me and calling me every ugly name possible. For the first time in my life I felt hopeless. No one can live without hope.
 My whole life I wanted to be the best wife and mother I could. I never asked for anything except to have a good loving home for the boys. When Phil accused me of running out on him that was rock bottom for me. I went to the bathroom and cried. For the first time in my life this was a problem I couldn't fix. I had suicidal thoughts as well I just wanted to fall asleep and never wake up. I don't know if I would have actually gone through with it but I wanted Phil to suffer for what he was doing to me. But as I sat there I heard the sound of the boys shoes running down the hall. 9 year Alan 5 year old Jason and 3 year old Willie. Alan knocked on the door and said, "Mama don't cry. Gods going to take care of us. We'll all be alright. One day daddy will stop drinking." I will never forget what he said. Then it was as if a light had gone off in my mind. Thought, " What am I thinking? Ive got three little boys I cant leave them with a drunk." In his condition there was no way Phil could take care of those boys. I started praying to God to bring me peace. Things were not going right and I had three boys to take care of. The next day I started watching LET THE BIBLE SPEAK on TV hosted by Bill Smith. The same preacher Jan brought into the bar. What he was saying were things I needed to hear what and I wanted in my life. He was speaking about obtaining peace and hope so I called the screen number set an appointment. The next day I went to Whites Ferry Road Church. One of the first things Bill asked was, "When you die do you think you'll go to Heaven?" I told him, "I sure do. Let me tell you what Ive been living with." I went into how bad Phil was even though I had been a faithful and loving wife to him. Bill then asked me if I believed I had earned my way to heaven I said that I did. Then he asked me if there was peace or hope in my life. That was my problem. I felt some sort of disconnect because I believed I had earned my way to heaven but there wasn't any peace or hope in my life. Smith shared the gospel with me and I became convinced that my good works couldnt save me. I was a good person but I didn't have Jesus. It wasn't enough. Smith said if I wanted to I could walk out the door with Jesus Christ in my life. I repented and made him the Lord of my life then I was baptized. The best thing Smith said that day was when I got home Phil would be as drunk as usual and still act terrible. But that I would be different because I had Gods spirit living in me. He told me to think about the wonderful life I would have in Heaven when things were bad here on earth. I left his office beginning to develop my own faith as a Christian. I went home and was able to tolerate Phils behavior because I knew God would help me through this. While Phil was drinking and staying out all night I was working at the Howards Brothers Discount Store in West Monroe I again came home late from work one night and again Phil accused me of having an affair. This time he stared at me and said, "You make me sick. Living with you was bad enough before but now youre a holy roller." Then he called me a Bible thumper and goody-two shoes Then he said, " You think youre an angel. I want you to take these three boys and leave." He knew nothing would separate me from my sons. "Are we messing up your bachelor life?", I asked. When he told me yes there was nothing else to do but leave. Our boys began to cry as we left because they loved their father even though he was drunk. The boys and I moved into a low rent apartment and White Ferrys Road Church gave us money for rent and furniture. We stayed away from Phil for three months. We were hiding from him actually. I put everything under my maiden name so he wouldn't be able to find us. One day when I got back to work after having lunch with a girlfriend I saw Phils truck in the parking lot. His head was lying on the steering wheel so I figured he had passed out drunk after driving here. I told a friend to watch by the window and to call the police if Phil was flashing a gun. I didn't want Phil following me into my office and hurting anybody either. I walked up to Phils truck and opened the door. When I saw his face there were big tears streaming down. I had never seen him cry before. He said,"I cant eat I cant sleep I cant do anything. I want my family back." He told me that his drinking and partying days were over. I had heard that before several times but I felt Gods courage inside me and said, " Phil you cant do it yourself. You just cant." Phil told me he needed help and he asked where he could find it. "Theres only one person who can help you," I told him "God?" he asked When I told him yes he answered with "I don't know how to find him." Phil had gone to church and sunday school as a boy but he had been away from God for a long time. I told Phil to be back at my office at 5:30 for did know someone who could help him I called Bill Smith the preacher and told him to be at my apartment at 5:45 "Let me check my calendar." he said Then I said to him, "Whats more important then a lost soul coming back to the Lord? If you have anything else cancel it." "Nothing is more important than a lost soul" ,he said. Smith and his wife met Phil and me at our apartment. The first thing Phil said was, "I don't trust you." Smith said that he could understand why. "Considering those people you've been running around with I wouldn't trust anyone either" ,he stated. "But do you trust this?",he asked holding up his Bible. Phil answered with, "I do trust this book but everything you say Im going to check out. I don't take mans word for anything." While I was in the back room with the boys Phil and Smith studied the Bible for several hours. When they were finished Phil said he was going to check out everything they had discussed and were going to meet again the next day. Phil then moved into our apartment. The next day me and the boys went to the grocery store and when we got home we found a note from Phil telling us to come to Whites Ferry Road Church. When we got there Phil was in the baptistery waiting. Smith had taken Phils repentance and was now going to baptize him. I saw the boys crying. Alan looked up and said, " The devil is gone now." Phil was 28 and our lives were beginning again.

BACK TO PHIL: When I make a decision Im in entirely and theres no second guessing. After I was baptized I went to regular church services three times a week(twice on Sunday). I also studied the Bible with a group or someone five times a week. I went back to teaching and working for the Ouachita Christian School. To get back on my feet spiritually I felt like I needed to spend more time with Christian people. I did it for about two years. Since everything was in Kays maiden name my old friends couldn't find me. After about 3 or 4 months they finally tracked me down, I told them never to come back. This was five years after I got saved and my sinful ways finally stopped. Although I was healing spiritually and my wife and kids trusted me again there still seemed to be something missing. Its funny how things work sometimes. Hunting and fishing had become a training ground for what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Even at my lowest point when I was romping stomping and ripping. I spent as much time as I could doing it. It was in my blood. When I was partying and we would go from the beer joint to the woods or lakes and back. Yet out of all my sinful ways I gained experience for duck hunting and catching fish as well as my dream to build my own duck calls. Even as I sank deeper into that lifestyle and as my values and sense of worth were severely battered there was a core of resilience in me that kept me going.

Celebrity Testimony 10 Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper Welcome to My Nightmare Chapter 13 Whiskey Holds the Lace: He had playfully refered to himself as Jekyll and Hyde character. Killer Alice Cooper by night mild mannered Vincent Furnier by day. Now his friends were finding out how true this theory was but it wasn't the difference between onstage and offstage that brought it to life. It was the fact that he was an autopilot on stage and a mess offstage. It was only Alice himself that didn't realize this. He kept telling himself that drinking wasn't a problem and that nobody was noticing. He pride fully appeared completely normal when he wasn't. Alice himself even says today, " you would never believe I was drunk nobody who was close to me was able to realize how much I was drinking. When I was 16 and dreaming of being a rock star getting money and cars, I never included being an alcoholic. It sneaked up on me. I like drinking and hanging out with the guys. Wed have these long drive in the states and Id have about three beers before and after the show. I started having a beer in the morning too. But I didn't feel like an alcoholic. Then the beers lead to whiskey in the morning and the afternoon. Then there was more before and after the show suddenly the fun was gone. It started tasting like medicine. It didn't change my personality drastically if you knew me then you wouldn't have known I had a problem. I never missed a show or a lyric. I was what you call a functional alcoholic." Yet how functional was he really. He wasn't enjoying the performances or the tours. Writing new songs became like chore and rehearsing became painful. Before a show backstage even the sight of what he was going to wear made him sick, so he would reach for a whiskey drink it up and get dressed. Still he insisted that nobody knew but they did know. Its hard to be unaware that the one youre working for is throwing up blood every morning or that there are whiskey bottles on the table,in the morning, and in the trash in the afternoon. Sheryl and Shep( his wife and manager) often compared notes. The piling up empty cases of beer in the garage, performances becoming less and less spontaneous, and Alice carrying on destroying himself. Alice himself cautioned in 1982, "You hear about the dangers of Heroin and Cocaine but alcohol is the perfect killer. Its the worse drug in the world and I took it to far. It got to such a point that I began to believe that I couldn't live without a drink." Alcohol began to dictate his friends and flavor his career as well. He was also being beaten down by record company politics. Shep Gordon ,his manager, was under no illusions with what Alice was going through though the attempts to balance Alices demands with his concern for Alices health were being shot down by Alice every time he suggested taking it easy. He wanted Alice to take a break but he wouldn't do it. Welcome to My Nightmare Chapter 14 Special Forces: Warner Brothers had assumed that Alice was going to give them the rights to WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE for distribution but he didn't and all promotion from Warner Brothers was dropped. His albums had even been blocked from getting any kind of exposure. There was no co-operation whatsoever. Alices life was falling apart with no contract with Warner Brothers his career was at rock bottom. Some even said it should stop. His only source of comfort was his family. His wife Sheryl and his daughter ,Calico, who was born in 1981. No matter what Alice went through they were always there. Then one day they weren't. Sheryl moved out of the house on September 30, 1983 taking Calico with her. Her life was so shattered by Alices drinking. Six weeks later she filed for divorce. It seemed the marriage was broken with no chance of reconciliation. Sheryl didn't really want to leave though. It would all go away if Alice gave up drinking of his own freewill with nobody forcing him to do it. And he did it. They were in the courthouse about to finalize the divorce when Alice pledged that we would stop drinking without anybody forcing him too. And he was true to his word. It wasn't just his family by his side there was JESUS. Throughout his career Alice had been trying to avoid anything onstage that might embarrass his father or his fathers church;he had often spoken too that his way of entertainment was as harmless as any singer or actor. I was a matter of pride for him but it was also based on deep beliefs that he learned as a child and had always been in the back of his mind. Although he believed it was no ones business but his own Alice himself was as strong a Christian as any faith grounded pastor and probably more honest in his understanding of what faith meant as well. He said about the same time he stopped drinking, "I started thinking about Christianity when the doctors said that if I had been drunk another week I would have died. When you come that close to death you start thinking about something other than limos and mansions. I suppose its not surprising I turned to my Christian faith. My father was a preacher." Alice does not preach and he does not prophecy. He does not put religion in his lyrics. In fact the only time hes outspoken about his faith is when he needs to defend himself against anyone accusing him of Satanism and leading kids astray. That's the cruelest insult to Christians. " You can call me untalented and boring. Ok I can live with that but call me satanic and youre stepping on what I really believe. I spend a lot of time in my lyrcis warning against Satanism because I don't believe in the concept of Satan I believe in Satans being. I believe in the being of God. And I think were in the middle. Were being pulled this way and were being pulled that way... Satan offers us everything we want. God is offering us everything we need. So when people start playing around with the 666 and the upside down crosses and all the blasphemy-I'm at the point in my life where I can go, 'Be careful, youre inviting something in and you dont know what youre playing with. So I do lyrics that say 'Be Careful.' He's here hes right here and hes going for your throat, it doesn't look like it but he wants to own you. That's pretty horrifying, that's real horror when you think of it. If you believe in Satan, then you believe in a real person that's trying to destroy your eternal life. Whats more horrifying than that?" ALICE COOPER

Celebrity Testimony 9 Meadowlark Lemon (Harlem Globetrotters)

Meadowlark Lemon Trust Your Next Shot:Chapter 9 Meeting the Man Who Changed My Life Of all the men who have made me into what I am there one man above all of them "Jesus Christ" Today I am an outspoken non-denominational Christian evangelist. You might say I am a preacher of the Gospel the good news for any group that wants me to speak. I have been invited to mainline churches and independent congregations. I have been to prisons and shelters for the homeless. Weve ministered to Native Americans, gang members, and those with severe addictions. Ive been part of a lot of motivational and spiritual events that team with other ministries, foundations, and celebrity fundraisers for charities. We go to detention centers and lock up facilities and to youth prisons. In every one of these settings my message remains the same: I come to you with a "Ministry of Joy." I was introduced to Jesus Christ by a Jewish Hollywood Costume designer and it changed my life forever. Heres the unlikely story. After playing with the Globetrotters I started my own comedy team: Meadowlarks Lemons Bucketeers. As we were getting it started we were able to arrange several engagements including a special on NBCs Sportsworld. Thus was great because we finally had a chance to show what we could do but we didn't have any uniforms. I was given the name of a costume designer who worked in Hollywood: Heidi Rasnow. I told her about the deadline for the NBC show and asked her if she be able to help with the uniforms. She agreed and performed miracles with her sewing machine. She made the uniforms and they turned out great! We wore them on the David Letterman Show and David said he loved the uniforms. Today you can watch it as a clip on You Tube. I returned from along trip with the Bucketeers and felt I should stop by Heidis studio. She was with a minster friend of hers named John who had gotten there just before I arrived. When Heidi saw me she could tell I had an awful lot on my mind. I had filled my life with everything I thought would make me happy: money,fame, security, work, business. Still I wasn't happy. I was frustrated and disillusioned. In her direct way Heidi said, "Meadowlark, I know what you need. You need Jesus." She knew it and at that moment I realized it to. God had sent John into the studio at the same time and God lead me there because he knew that I needed him. "Im ready," I whispered. John led us in a simple prayer: "Heavenly father, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. The Bible says whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Im calling to you. I pray and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I confess Jesus is Lord and I believe in my heart that he rose from the dead. Thank you that your spirit now lives within me and I am forgiven Amen." After saying the prayer I wish I could say that my life changed completely in the next minute. I was sincere when I prayed I really did want the Lord in my life. My faith grew in the coming weeks and months. I realized God had cleaned me up on the inside and my desires had changed. I wanted to know more about the Lord and his word and anything I could to have a closer relationship with him. In the next year I began to share my testimony about the man who changed my life. As I began to realize who I was I saw that God had known me even when I did not know him and he had been with me all the time. I read in the Bible that God gives us the desires of our heart. When I read that I realized that when I went to the movie theater 11 years ago that God was there too. He gave me the gift of seeing my future with the Globetrotters on that movie screen. God was there when I was frustrated that I had no place to play and God gave me the courage to keep on believing that a little black boy going from home to home, no place to call my own, would have a chance to be on a team known around the world- the Harlem Globetrotters. God was there all the time, guiding, comforting, and encouraging me. He was with me when I thought I was alone practicing for hours while my buddies were away. God was there all the time waiting patiently for me to recognize his presence in my life and run into his arms! What a wonderful place to be: In the arms of God who brings unspeakable joy. I knew, with all my heart that Jesus Christ was the man who changed my life FOREVER Anyone can say the prayer that John taught me and God will change their life as well. When I said I was assured of God's love and of eternal life with him no matter what. If this prayer bothers you and youre not sure about God I challenge you just to pray: "GOD IF YOU ARE REAL REVEAL YOURSELF TO ME." You will be amazed about how God will make himself known to you. When I was a boy I used to sleep with a basketball. Now whenever I get a hotel room while Im traveling the first thing I unpack is my Bible and study notes and put them on my bed. I study Gods word the same way I studied my basketball gane.

Celebrity Testimony 8 Ben Carson (Gifted Hands Neurosurgeon)

Ben Carson Gifted Hands: Chapter 3 Eight Years Old: I had my first religious experience when I was 8 years old. A natural born storyteller, Pastor Ford told of a missionary doctor and his wife being chased by robbers in a far off country. At last gasping with exhaustion the couple stopped short at a cliff. They were trapped. Suddenly, right at the edge of the cliff, they saw a small break in the rock just big enough for them to crawl into and hide. When the robbers reached the end of the cliff seconds later they couldn't find the doctor and his wife. They had just vanished. After screaming and cursing the robbers left. As I listened the picture became so vivid that I felt as if I were being chased. I visualized myself being pursued. My breath became shallow with panic and fear and desperation of that couple. When the bandits finally left I sighed with relief of being safe. Pastor Ford looked over the congregation, "The couple were sheltered and protected," he told us. "They were hidden in the cleft of the rock and God protected them from harm." The sermon over we began to sing the "appeal song" That morning the pastor had selected "He Hides My Soul in the Cleft of the Rock" he built his appeal around the missionary story and explained our need to flee to "the cleft of the rock" to safety that can only be found in Jesus Christ. "If we place our faith in the Lord," he said with a gaze sweeping across the faces of the congregation, "we'll always be safe. Safe in Jesus Christ." As I listened my imagination pictured how wonderfully God had taken care of those people who wanted to serve him. Through my imagination and emotions I lived that story with the couple, and I thought,"Thats exactly what I should do get sheltered in the cleft of the rock." Although I was only eight my decision seemed perfectly natural. Other kids my age were getting baptized and joining the church so when the message and music touched me emotionally, I responded. When Pastor Ford asked if anyone wanted to turn to Jesus Christ Curtis and I both went up to the front of the church. A few weeks later we were both baptized. I was basically a good kid and had never done anything particularly wrong, yet for the first time I knew I needed Gods help. During the next four years I tried to follow the teachings I received at church. That morning set another milestone for me. I decided I wanted to be a doctor, a missionary doctor. Each story of medical missionaries traveling through villages in Africa or India intrigued me. Reports came to us of the physical suffering the doctors relieved and how they helped people to lead happier and healthier lives. "That's what I want to do," I said to my mother as we walked home. "I want to be a doctor. Can I be a doctor, Mother?" "Bennie," she said, "listen to me." We stopped walking and mother stared into my eyes. The laying hands on my shoulders, she said, "If you ask the lord for something and believe he will do it, then it'll happen." "I believe I can be a doctor." "Then, Bennie, you will be a doctor," she said matter of-factly ,and we started to walk again. After mother's word of assurance, I never doubted what I wanted to do with my life. Ben Carson(Gifted Hands Neurosurgeon) Chapter5 A Boys Big Problem: When I was 12 and more mature I realized that although Id been emotionally touched when I was 8 and had been baptized I hadn't understood exactly what it meant to be a Christian. By the time I was 12 we had moved and were attending the Sharon Seventh day Adventist Church in Inkster. After days of thinking about the matter I spoke with Pastor Smith," Although Ive been baptized," I said, "I didn't really grasp the significance of what I was doing." "You do understand now?" "Oh yes Im 12 now," I said," and I believe in Jesus Christ. After all Jesus was 12 when his parents first took him to the temple in Jerusalem. So Id like to be baptized again because I understand and Im ready now." Pastor Smith listened sympathically and having no problem with my request he rebaptized me. Yet in looking back Im not sure when I actually turned to God. Or perhaps it happened so gradually that I had no awareness of the progression. I do know when I was 14 I finally understood how God can change us. Ben Carson(Gifted Hands Neurosurgeon) Chapter 6 A Terrible Temper: I'd dreamed of being a doctor since I was 8 but how could I fulfill the dream with such a terrible temper? When angry I went out of control and had no idea how to stop. Id never make anything of myself if I didn't control my temper. If only I could do something about the rage that burned inside me. I felt sick to my stomach disgusted with myself and ashamed. "Unless I get rid of this temper," I said aloud, "Im not going to make it. If Bob hadn't worn that big buckle hed be dead and Id be on my way to reform school or jail. Misery washed over me. I hated myself but I couldn't help myself so I hated myself even more. From somewhere deep inside my mind came a strong impression. Pray. My mother had taught me to pray. My teachers at the religious school in Boston often told us that God would help us if we'd only ask him. For weeks and months Id been trying to control my temper figuring I could handle it myself. Now in that small hot bathroom I knew that truth. I could not handle my temper alone I felt as though I could never face anyone again. How could I look my mother in the eye? How could I ever see Bob again? How could he help but hate me? How could he ever trust me again? "Lord," I whispered, "You have to take this temper from me. If you don't Ill never be free from it. Ill end up doing things a lot worse than trying to stab my friends." Tears streamed between my fingers. "Lord despite what all the experts tell me, you can change me. You can free me forever from this destructive personality trait." "You've promised that if someone will come to you and ask something in faith, that youll do it. I believe that you can change this in me." I couldn't go on hating myself forever for all the terrible things Id done. I sat down on the toilet sharp mental pictures filling my mind. I saw my anger, clenched my fists against my rage. I wouldn't be any good for everything if I couldn't change. My poor mother I thought. She believes in me. Not even she knows how bad I am. Misery engulfed me in darkness. "If you don't do this for me Lord, Ive got no place else to go." At one point I slipped out of the bathroom long enough to grab a Bible. I opened it and began to read in Proverbs. Immediately I saw a string of verses about angry people and how they get themselves into trouble. Proverbs 16:23 impressed me the most: "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." I felt as if the verses had been written for me. The words of Proverbs condemned me but they also gave me hope. After a while peace began to fill my mind. My hands stopped shaking. The tears stopped During those hours alone in the bathroom something happened to me. God heard my deep cries of anguish. A feeling of lightness flowed over me and I knew a change of heart had taken place. I felt different. I was different. I walked out of the bathroom a changed young man. "My temper will never control me again," I told myself. "Never again I am free." Since that day since those hours of wrestling with myself and crying to God for help I have never had a problem with my temper. That same afternoon I decided to read the Bible everyday. I keep the practice as a daily habit and especially enjoy the book of Proverbs. Even now whenever possible I pick up my Bible and read the first thing everyday. The miracle that took place was incredible when I stop to think about it. Some of my psychologically oriented friends insist that I still have the potential for anger. Maybe there right but it has been more than 20 years since that experience and I have never had another flare up or serious need to control my temper. God had helped me to conquer my terrible temper once and for all. During those hours in the bathroom I also came to realize that if people could make me angry they could also control me. Why should I give someone else such power over my life? Im no better than anyone else but I laugh inside about how foolish people can be trying to make me angry. They don't have any control over me And this is the reason. Since that terrible day my faith in God has been intensely personal and an important part of who I am. About that time I began to sing or hum a song that continues to be my favorite, "Jesus is All the World to Me." Whenever anything irritates me that hymn dissolves my negativity. Ive explained it this way to young people,"I have sunshine in my heart regardless of conditions around me." Im not afraid of anything as long as I think of Jesus Christ and my relationship to him and remember that the one who created the universe can do anything. I also have evidence- my own experience- that God can do anything because he changed me.