From a Drunkard To a Pastor

In this book, I share my salvation story from the darkest of times to when Jesus brought me into his glorious light and began to navigate me onto a new and brighter path. The first fifty years of my life was a time of overwhelming fear, pain, brokenness, sorrow, addiction and shattered relationships. My rebellious existence was fueled by rage, selfishness, and my complete hatred of God. But God never forgot the little boy who so humbly sought his forgiveness, while squirming nervously in a small Baptist church.

Speaking extensively about spiritual maturity in the book, Rising from ashes, in this book, I want to explore the steps to reach that sought after spiritual maturity. And how to develop the areas of our lives in which we need to strive to be complete, lacking nothing: spiritually mature. It is not so much the reaching of spiritual maturity that transforms us, but it is the continual striving to reach that completeness that is paramount in our spiritual growth. We may never reach this Christ-like perfection in these fleshly bodies but we must keep trying. We must never give up no matter the struggles we encounter. Perseverance is a necessary trait to arrive at our final destination; being perfect, lacking nothing and achieving Christ-likeness.

Being quite honest with you, the more I strive to be like Jesus the more I realize how improbable that is as long as I am in this fleshly and temporary housing. But with God all things are possible! Even though we may never reach complete Christ-likeness, while on earth we must keep striving to reach that goal until the day of Christ’s return, when we will shed these corruptible bodies and appear in our glorious incorruptible spiritual bodies. Then we will truly realize completeness for we will be like him (Jesus).

After giving my life to Christ in February of 2000, I arrived at the all-encompassing conclusion that before Christ became part of my life. I existed in a state of illusion: existing under the false assumption that I was in control of my present and future destiny. Like the sharp pain of a punch in the mouth, I awoke to this truth, that humans are in control of very little when it comes to the circumstances of their life. We do not choose our parents, our gender, when or where we were born, the color of our hair, color of our eyes, or our physical appearance. God controls all of those traits along with all the circumstances of our lives. Scripture teaches us that God formed each individual in the confines of their mother’s womb, “For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed” (Psalm 139: 13, 16a); “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you…” (Jeremiah 1:5).

God controls the very breathe that sustains our life (cf. Genesis 2: 7). God has control over the number the days we have upon this earth. And each day given to us is precious in his eyes, and it is our obligation to make the best of each one of them, “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Samuel 7:12). Time is life’s greatest commodity and time spent with family and friends is times greatest reward--so do not waste time. Time is a precious gift and once used you can never get it back!

God is in control of our children, their children, and the generations that follow. If God chooses he can even prolong the days we have on this earth, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding, For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you” (Proverbs 9:10, 11, italics theirs).

The one thing we are in control of is the choices we make. We can choose to live a life that honors God or we can choose a life that does not honor God. Early in my life I made some really bad decisions, and drinking was only one of those poor decisions. I grew so angry over what I believed were injustices I suffered. I rebelled against God. Because of my anger, I only focused on the past, which blinded me to the wonderful future God wanted to give me. I sprinted as far and as fast from God as I possibly could flee. But glory to God he ran faster than I did and through his grace caught me and redeemed me. There was a time when I thought I had all the answers about life, happiness and the reasons we are here on this earth. Only to discover, I had no right answers at all. I was the lost, of the lost. Are you running from God? If you are, maybe it is time to stop running and turn around--because he is right on you tail.