Transformation builds faith

Recently a friend and I were talking about faith in God. He mentioned that I seem to have an unusually strong faith in God and wanted to know my “secret”. I told him that I would have to say that it would be the transformation of my life. Although I am far from perfect now, it is nothing short of a miracle that I am not in an insane asylum, or in prison, or even alive, much less in the position that I am in.

In 1970 when I hitch-hiked into Atlanta I was penniless with a pillowcase suitcase and one change of clothes as my only possessions literally! I did not have a single friend or family member (that would acknowledge being related to me), nor did I know a single person in Atlanta. I did not have a job or college education. I was dirty with long greasy hair and skinny as a rail. I was hedonistic, deeply addicted to the most serious hard core drugs, abused alcohol at every opportunity, I was a criminal, suicidal, paranoid, a sociopath filled with hate for everything and everybody with a psychotic passion for fighting anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Most importantly I was atheistic/agnostic and often stated that if there was a God he had to be mean and I wanted no part of him. In fact I hated God. My favorite saying was: “I wish that I had been born dead” and I did mean every word of it.

I came to Atlanta at the age of 24 to try and straighten out my life and get off drugs or commit suicide. I was leaning towards suicide. A series of events including a serious car accident landed me in the hospital for an extended stay where I decided to read the Bible cover to cover, more to disprove it than for anything else and because it was the number one best selling book in the world. I read it by first reading the New Testament and then the Old Testament and finally all of the way through the Bible cover to cover. I became a believer after reading the Bible. I asked God to forgive me and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I tried the best I knew how to begin turning my life around from that moment on. I have read the Bible cover to cover many times since.

God has been steadily transforming my life beginning way back then right up until now. I was a baby Christian after becoming born again and accepting Christ. I cannot say I was a model Christian in those early years after accepting Christ. In fact I still messed up regularly and did not discard my Hellion ways easily. I believe satan fought to regain my soul with all he had and continues to do so today. As a baby Christian I began “crawling” and finally took a couple of baby steps as I straightened out and removed sin after sin after sin from my life. No I was not perfect, nor am I perfect now, but God worked with me. When I failed Him, He forgave me, lifted me up, dusted me off, and gave me another chance. As a baby Christian I first crawled and later walked, and perhaps today as a more mature Christian will be up and running before long.

Today I love the Lord more than anyone will ever truly know. He has blessed me with a wonderful wife of thirty six years, wonderful children and grandchildren, reunification with my family members, and I have good friends all over the country. I have financial success beyond my wildest dreams and more material possessions than anyone could really need. I do not hate anyone or anything aside from satan and his works. I am exceedingly happy.

I have been called a successful “self-made multi-millionaire” by many well-meaning people, but I always correct them and state that God gets the credit. There is nothing “self-made” about me in any shape, form, or fashion. He is the difference in my life, pure and simple. Without Him I was a disaster. With Him I have a wonderful life. Plain and simple, God is real and God is overflowing with love in spite of my weaknesses. No matter what you have done, God is willing to forgive and to forget, (believe me it will not be as easy for you to forget or forgive yourself, but He forgives unconditionally)

I think I can relate to how the Apostle Paul must have felt. He was persecuting Christians and was even responsible for martyring them including Stephen. Then Jesus Christ wonderfully saved him, forgave his sins and then used him to lead others to Christ. He was completely transformed by the love of God and was eventually martyred himself in the service of Jesus Christ. God looks beyond our sins and sees what we can be if we are willing to allow Him to work in our lives. The bottom line is no matter how bad we are or think we are, or how far gone we may be in human terms, God can transform us. You can have what I have today by simply asking God to come into your life. Today you can start taking those baby steps and soon you will be up and running.


One last important thought. I have learned that being a Christian does not assure a blissful life free from all trouble; however when sadness, sickness, tragedy, and injustice invariably descend upon us with dark vengeance, God makes it bearable. My life since becoming a Christian has not been all bliss. I have seen my share of tragedy including the nearly unbearable suicide death of my brother whom I loved with all my heart. I experienced the sudden unexpected death of my loving mother to brain cancer and a multitude of other difficult and dark times too numerous to relate. But to tell you the truth, it is at the darkest hours when God draws closest to me and vice versa and I can feel His loving presence surrounding me and comforting me. Rather than being alone, God is always right there consoling me and has enabled me to remain steadfast in my faith through the worst of the worst. I can “feel” His wonderful presence and it is peaceful beyond understanding even in the darkest hours.


That my good friends is why my faith is so strong. I am living proof of the grace of God.


Ephesians 2:4
But God who is rich in mercy,
because of His great love with
which He loved us,
even when we were dead in
trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been
saved)…