God’s way

We just completed the website for my new book. You can check it out at WWW.MiracleonLuckiestreet.com and if interested can click on the bottom of the page of the site and be automatically notified when it becomes available. The book chronicles the miraculous events that led to Christ initially transforming my life and beyond right up until today. As I continue to work on this book, I find that my life seems to have progressed and be progressing at an amazing pace. The days have flown by as fast as cards being shuffled at a Las Vegas casino and it almost seems surrealistic as the years go racing by at breakneck casino dealer speed and show no signs of slowing down.

As I have reflected on my life while writing these memoirs, I remember Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra singing their versions of the song, “I did it my way”. I have read quite a bit about those guys and in spite of their tremendous talent, financial success, and fame, by all accounts they were both pretty miserable people right up until the day they died. Hmmm. I wonder if it is because they tried to do it “their” way.

One thing that I have learned in all of these years and my book clearly demonstrates is that whenever I do it “my way”, I make a mess of things. Whenever I do it “God’s way”, things work out. I am glad that I finally learned this and do not have to go to my grave miserable.

As odd as it may seem being penniless and homeless at 24 and going on to become a multi-millionaire is not the most intriguing thing about my life story. Much ado is made of my financial and business success by various media and others, and also about being able to conquer alcoholism, drug addiction and other inner demons in my life, but learning how to be joyful happy and know true peace in spite of the many hardships, tragedy, trials and tribulations that surround us in this tough world is the real story.

The bottom line is that I have learned that real peace and joy are impossible to achieve apart from God. The quintessential definition of success is knowing real peace and joy in one’s life which can only be accomplished through one’s relationship with Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with obtaining wealth or social position in life, or fame.

Don’t think that just because you have accepted Christ as your Savior that it will be sufficient to know peace and joy and thus become successful. That important first step is sufficient to obtain salvation, but in order to truly “succeed” in this life, after accepting the Lord as our Savior, we must continue to do it God’s way and not our way, day in and day out. We learn how to do it God’s way by studying His word the Holy Bible, meeting and fellowshipping with other believers, and through prayer.

If your budget is tight, (or if you are tight), and you cannot afford my book, or if you do not have time to read it, you will miss a few details, but you can still know the summation of what I have learned through the many hard years I have spent in this life. Apart from God there can be no success as defined above.

Psalm 32:10
Many sorrows shall be to the
wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord
mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice
you righteous;
And shout for joy
all you upright in heart.