"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new." II Corinthians 5:17
I was raised in a typical middle class home, I had parents that loved me and gave me every opportunity to better myself. I was just a knucklehead and wanted to run my life like I saw fit. We went to a Catholic church, so I had no idea that I needed a relationship with Jesus, or that I had to ask Him to be the Lord of my life in order to spend life in Heaven with Him. I was just the typical country boy. I drank and did drugs every occasion I could. At the age of 18 I heard the Gospel for the first time at a Christian camp and asked Jesus into my heart. But when I went home, I did not ground myself in a Bible teaching church, I kept the same friends I grew up with, and only occasionally went to church. Some years went by and I was getting into using crystal meth more and more. I had gone to several rehabs and been going to A.A. and N.A. meetings for years, but could never stop my drug use. I always knew that what I neeed was to get right with God, but had a hard time doing it. I needed help. Through a friend I found out about U-Turn for Christ. Since coming to U-Turn for Christ I have learned to cast my cares upon Jesus instead of trying to do it myself. Ever since I surrendered and started serving God, I have had the privilege of living in several different states, and have even spent some time in Mexico. God has given me a heart to go to the mission field and I have had the privilege of going to the Philippians and Thailand. It has been a tough battle, but as long as I kept my faith in the Lord and in His promise that He will never let me go through any temptation that I can not handle, and that He will always give me a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13), I have been able to endure numerous trials. Even to the point of being put in jail as Paul was for the sake of the Gospel. God does not always give us everything we want, but He does give us the desire of our hearts. He has never let me down. I have never felt alone since I gave my life totally up to Him, and His blessings keep coming everyday.
