When I first met Drew, he was at the shelter recovering from a gunshot wound caused by the point blank firing of a pistol to the back of his neck. The shot should have killed him but he survived it. He was in a coma for several days, and when he woke up he couldn’t move his body from his neck down. The doctors told him there was too much damage to his spinal cord and he would never walk again. The bullet lodged in his cheek, but they were unable to remove it for fear that he would lose his eye. However, there was hope that with much therapy, he would be able to learn to talk and feed himself again. Drew was devastated and “cried like a baby for days” while fervently seeking God and praying for His intervention.
And God spoke to his spirit, Drew said. "He said very clearly, 'Surrender your life back to me and I'll show you who your true friends are. I will make your body better than it was before."
After spending many painful months in therapy, Drew eventually regained some of his living skills and was soon able to take care of himself. He kept working fanatically at recovery, and within months, he was able to stand on his own, despite the doctors predictions. Soon he was able to take a step while holding himself up on the therapy rails. Many more months of grueling therapy and he was eventually able to walk on his own. Today, Drew continues to work out every day, but now at the Lord’s Gym in downtown Cincinnati, where he freely shares his testimony and ministers to those that are trapped in the street life.
Not only has his body been restored, but his daily workouts have produced massive muscles in his arms, legs and chest. His determination paid off and today he serves as a personal trainer and an inspiration to others in ‘the hood’. His passion for keeping his body in great shape is only surpassed by his gratitude and praise for Christ for saving him.
Drew gladly shares his testimony with anyone who will listen. He tells of his roots in California where he was a member of the infamous Crips gang in Los Angeles. He admits he was a thug, selling drugs and committing robberies. He explains, "We called ourselves the Crips because when we get done with you, you would be crippled. We break bones."
Drew says he spent more than 15 years "hurting people." After serving two prison terms in California, he moved to Cincinnati. One day he was watching a boxing match on TV with some "friends" when he found out they had actually been plotting to rob and kill him. While they were watching the fight, Drew got up and leaned over to turn up the volume. As he did, his ‘friend’ walked behind him and shot him at point-blank range with a .22 in the back of the head."
The two robbed him and ran away leaving him for dead. But he was able to get to the phone to call 911. "It was divine intervention that the gun had only one bullet in it, so he shot me only one time, or I would be dead."
The bullet went through his neck and stopped in his cheek just below his right eye. And the bullet stays there as a constant reminder of the life he was living and the mercy God has shown him.
The Cincinnati Enquirer found out about his story and ran an article entitled “From Crip to Christ.” They describe him: “He's gone from gangbanger to working man, from homeless to his own apartment, from thug to anti-crime counselor, from Crip to Christ.”
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
James
One day in Washington Park, I saw a dark-skin husky black man with dreds, sitting on a bench with his friends. He had his brown paper bag beside him and he looked over at me, as if he wanted to ask me something. So I walked over and we started a conversation, and as it turns out, a long friendship. James was drunk when I met him, and later told me he hadn’t been sober in over thirty years. He woke up in the mornings with a pint or two and downed those for breakfast. He kept a pint with him throughout the day. Since he couldn’t hold a job in that condition, he made his living “hustling”, selling items in the park. He was a very quiet man, but everyone in the park knew him from over the years. He stayed in abandoned buildings, or on a bench, or wherever he could find a spot.
We would get together for coffee once in a while, and the conversation would usually turn to spiritual things. He would nod and smile and agree with me, and say what he thought I wanted to hear. But he told me later, that was just because he wanted company, and he really didn’t believe in all that stuff. He had always thought that all that religious stuff was just a way to control the masses. Many of his friends believed but he thought it was only “because they got nothin’ else.” Life was so oppressive that they had to believe there would be something better some day, or else there was no hope at all.
After we began talking, he had been trying to find out the truth and started reading his bible. His motive had actually been so that he could argue with me and show me where I was wrong. But the Holy Spirit was working, and one day he said to me, “It’s true! It’s really true!” He was shocked and excited. I’m not sure why he had such a revelation, but I was excited for him, too. After that, he had a sincere hunger for more truth, and I brought him spiritual books and tapes for him to study.
James was still drinking steadily, but one day he approached me and asked me to get him into a rehab. I agreed, but then he said, “Not today. In a couple of days.” I told him “Whenever you’re ready.” A few days later, he said he was ready, and we headed to a local detox/rehab. On the way there, he asked me to stop at the store. When he came back out, whatever he had purchased he had slipped into his backpack. I was wary of his chances for success, since I suspected he had just bought another pint. But I took him there anyway, and promised I would visit often.
A couple days later I went to visit, prepared for the possibility that he hadn’t made it, and was back on the streets somewhere. But he was there. And he was sober - First time he’d been sober in many years. He told me that he had bought a pint on the way in there, and was intending to sneak a drink once in a while in order to make it through. He had gone into the large dormitory-style restroom and brought the pint out of his backpack, lifted it up to his lips and was about to take a sip, when he glanced over to the wall. There was a portrait of Jesus, staring him in the face. It appeared Jesus was looking right at him and James felt as if he was about to betray Jesus by taking the drink. He felt guilt and sorrow for being so selfish, and he just couldn't drink it. He took the pint and poured the whole thing down the sink, promising Jesus he would try his best to quit. And with God's help, he did quit. That was over five years ago, and he hasn't had a drink since.
Once he got out of the rehab, he got an apartment at one of the most seedy disreputable places downtown. I was afraid with the drugs, prostitutes, crime, alcohol and depravity in that place, that he might relapse into his old life style. But our pastor had bought him a CD player and the bible on tape, and he played it in his room daily.
One day, he noticed a prostitute outside his door, and when he asked what she was doing, she said she was listening to the tapes he was playing. So he began to leave his apartment door open a crack so she could listen. After a while he would go into the hallway and find several people had brought chairs and were sitting in the hall listening. Eventually, they began having a study group in the basement, with drug dealers, prostitutes, and felons with convictions of everything from robbery to murder, all listening to the tapes and having a discussion on the bible.
James has held down a full time maintenance job for four years. I don’t see him as often as I did, since he works on Saturdays when I’d usually be at the park. But he is still my good friend and I know God has a special calling for him.
We would get together for coffee once in a while, and the conversation would usually turn to spiritual things. He would nod and smile and agree with me, and say what he thought I wanted to hear. But he told me later, that was just because he wanted company, and he really didn’t believe in all that stuff. He had always thought that all that religious stuff was just a way to control the masses. Many of his friends believed but he thought it was only “because they got nothin’ else.” Life was so oppressive that they had to believe there would be something better some day, or else there was no hope at all.
After we began talking, he had been trying to find out the truth and started reading his bible. His motive had actually been so that he could argue with me and show me where I was wrong. But the Holy Spirit was working, and one day he said to me, “It’s true! It’s really true!” He was shocked and excited. I’m not sure why he had such a revelation, but I was excited for him, too. After that, he had a sincere hunger for more truth, and I brought him spiritual books and tapes for him to study.
James was still drinking steadily, but one day he approached me and asked me to get him into a rehab. I agreed, but then he said, “Not today. In a couple of days.” I told him “Whenever you’re ready.” A few days later, he said he was ready, and we headed to a local detox/rehab. On the way there, he asked me to stop at the store. When he came back out, whatever he had purchased he had slipped into his backpack. I was wary of his chances for success, since I suspected he had just bought another pint. But I took him there anyway, and promised I would visit often.
A couple days later I went to visit, prepared for the possibility that he hadn’t made it, and was back on the streets somewhere. But he was there. And he was sober - First time he’d been sober in many years. He told me that he had bought a pint on the way in there, and was intending to sneak a drink once in a while in order to make it through. He had gone into the large dormitory-style restroom and brought the pint out of his backpack, lifted it up to his lips and was about to take a sip, when he glanced over to the wall. There was a portrait of Jesus, staring him in the face. It appeared Jesus was looking right at him and James felt as if he was about to betray Jesus by taking the drink. He felt guilt and sorrow for being so selfish, and he just couldn't drink it. He took the pint and poured the whole thing down the sink, promising Jesus he would try his best to quit. And with God's help, he did quit. That was over five years ago, and he hasn't had a drink since.
Once he got out of the rehab, he got an apartment at one of the most seedy disreputable places downtown. I was afraid with the drugs, prostitutes, crime, alcohol and depravity in that place, that he might relapse into his old life style. But our pastor had bought him a CD player and the bible on tape, and he played it in his room daily.
One day, he noticed a prostitute outside his door, and when he asked what she was doing, she said she was listening to the tapes he was playing. So he began to leave his apartment door open a crack so she could listen. After a while he would go into the hallway and find several people had brought chairs and were sitting in the hall listening. Eventually, they began having a study group in the basement, with drug dealers, prostitutes, and felons with convictions of everything from robbery to murder, all listening to the tapes and having a discussion on the bible.
James has held down a full time maintenance job for four years. I don’t see him as often as I did, since he works on Saturdays when I’d usually be at the park. But he is still my good friend and I know God has a special calling for him.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Corey
The day I met Corey was the day he gave his testimony. He's given me a copy to post here:
My story begins as a small town Catholic in northeastern Ohio. By my mid twenties I had successfully become a fun loving, guilt ridden young adult. Drugs, alcohol, and the quest for money had overtaken me to a point I choose not to describe. If life was meant to be enjoyed, I had found a very unhealthy way of enjoying it! I am grateful that my religious upbringing helped to educate me on Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Although I rarely thought about this divinity at the time, my heart always knew who I had become was not who I wanted to be. In my late twenties, God sent me an angel in the form of the most perfect human being I have ever met (now my wife).
As I grew, the drug and alcohol ambitions morphed into a modern day “Corporate America” quest for success. You see, I never went to College as a traditional student right out of high school. During the 90’s there was plenty of prosperity for a young aggressive salesperson willing to work the system. Luckily for me, working a system had always been my specialty!
In July 2000 we moved to Cincinnati. Both with a job & what appeared to be a bright future. Everything seemed to be moving forward just as planned. Then 9-11 struck and for the first time in a very short career I experienced being laid off. This was not a good situation for an ego driven, money hungry, young salesman with little more than the ability to convince other people that I really am everything I say!
So I decided to attend UC and got an accounting degree. Why accounting? Years later I realized that decisions in Corporate America are based in “economic” theory. I thought, if I could understand this aspect of business, perhaps my ability to sell myself would improve! Through all of this selling I had spent 15 years building an image that wasn’t really me at all. Many times I questioned this fact and tried to change these patterns, but I always seemed to steer myself back into the hierarchy of success. Success as I had defined it…more money!
The years between 2005 & 2008 had been a very prosperous time for me and my family. Although I was employed by a proclaimed Christian company, ethics and decisions that were made were far from Christian. The money was good; but I asked myself at what cost? Pastor Tim has said, “God wants your heart. Doesn’t it stand to reason that he will use money to get it?”
Last October, things began to get bad in the economy. In fact, many people had expected the worst economic downturn since the great depression. Having been laid off before, I was intent this wasn’t going to happen to me! So I began to work harder. The more I worked and the more I gave and the more I took from my family, the more I continued to be unfulfilled. I felt stepped on by those working beside me; within my own company! This was a major disappointment to me.
The image that I had spent so many years building didn’t amount to anything. Work became an environment of deception and perception. It became an environment of fear and lies. It was no longer about what people brought to the organization. I saw many good people losing their jobs as superiors painted fraudulent pictures to save themselves. Through the first quarter of this year, I began to be moved to do what was right. Not from a spiritual motivator, but because there were so many people in the world doing so much wrong. I thought, if I could successfully do what was right, I could make more money. Obviously, I was still driven by the dollar!
The layoffs continued and I seemed to be able to keep producing and avoid being included on the latest list. But I wasn’t happy with any of it…and most unhappy with myself. Then it happened. One Thursday in April, while consulting a fellow co-worker my boss overheard me say referring to him “we will never be on the same page as long as he is leading us.” How could I continue to navigate this unhealthy environment? Something took over inside me. There I was…a non religious man…a sinner; saying: “God, it’s in your hands now!”
From Thursday to Sunday was like a rebirth. My wife and daughter had attended Vineyard Westside the weekend before for the first time, and loved it. My wife had a vision a couple of weeks earlier about this little church we passed on our way around town. In her search to “know God” she had come across this wonderful community of people we now call family. Of course, the services are WAY different than those of a traditional Catholic mass so she thought I probably wouldn’t like it. I told her; hey if you both like it I will go with an open mind. I am grateful I did, it changed my life. For the first time, I heard God speaking to me!
As I sat in the pew and listened to the words coming out of Tim’s mouth, it became clear what I needed to do. I needed to resign my position and move my life in a direction that was healthier. As I looked at my wife, she knew something had struck a chord in me. As the service ended, I approached Tim and thanked him for helping put some clarity on a major issue weighing on me. Tim said, “It wasn’t me, it was God.” He was right!
Then he asked, what is it? Perhaps I can pray to help you. I explained that I was going to quit my job the next day because I didn’t like the way my boss treated people. I don’t clearly remember his reaction but I am fairly certain both he and my wife had to pick their jaws up off the floor. What I do clearly remember is the light I saw in my 6 year old daughter’s eyes as she said “you’re quitting your job! Does this mean you can pick me up early from school?” Tim & Traci, I apologize…Cali, Thank you!
The last three months have truly been the best summer of my life. I have enjoyed being in my world with all the gifts God has given me. I have turned my life over to God and he has made an amazing change in me. I have a thirst to understand the word. I have spent the entire summer with the two people who are most important to me. On our eighth wedding anniversary, Ryan was able to accommodate a rare request to renew our wedding vows. Rare because we asked him on Sunday for a Tuesday evening affair. As we listened to the words of God spoken through Ryan we began to internalize Ecclesiastes 4:9, two are better off than one…a rope made of three cords is hard to break. Thank you Ryan. And the best part of the summer happened two weeks ago as I publically pronounced the acceptance of Christ as my savior through baptism.
Although the search for my purpose has just begun, I am much more content waiting for God to show me the way. And he has. Two weeks ago I interviewed with a company that appeared to be everything I was looking for. The company is a small manufacturing business in a specialized industry. There was one problem; the position was originally presented as a job that would involve a lot of travel. I am no longer interested in taking any more time away from my family for money and my career. God did his magic, last week I received a call stating they redesigned the position and it will be based here in Cincinnati…NO TRAVEL! I start Monday August 10!
I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us next; I wait patiently. I look forward to building my relationship with him and his son, Jesus Christ. Recently I read something that stuck with me. The past is history, the future is a mystery, but the present is a gift. Thank you Lord for all the gifts you have given me. God is good!
My story begins as a small town Catholic in northeastern Ohio. By my mid twenties I had successfully become a fun loving, guilt ridden young adult. Drugs, alcohol, and the quest for money had overtaken me to a point I choose not to describe. If life was meant to be enjoyed, I had found a very unhealthy way of enjoying it! I am grateful that my religious upbringing helped to educate me on Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Although I rarely thought about this divinity at the time, my heart always knew who I had become was not who I wanted to be. In my late twenties, God sent me an angel in the form of the most perfect human being I have ever met (now my wife).
As I grew, the drug and alcohol ambitions morphed into a modern day “Corporate America” quest for success. You see, I never went to College as a traditional student right out of high school. During the 90’s there was plenty of prosperity for a young aggressive salesperson willing to work the system. Luckily for me, working a system had always been my specialty!
In July 2000 we moved to Cincinnati. Both with a job & what appeared to be a bright future. Everything seemed to be moving forward just as planned. Then 9-11 struck and for the first time in a very short career I experienced being laid off. This was not a good situation for an ego driven, money hungry, young salesman with little more than the ability to convince other people that I really am everything I say!
So I decided to attend UC and got an accounting degree. Why accounting? Years later I realized that decisions in Corporate America are based in “economic” theory. I thought, if I could understand this aspect of business, perhaps my ability to sell myself would improve! Through all of this selling I had spent 15 years building an image that wasn’t really me at all. Many times I questioned this fact and tried to change these patterns, but I always seemed to steer myself back into the hierarchy of success. Success as I had defined it…more money!
The years between 2005 & 2008 had been a very prosperous time for me and my family. Although I was employed by a proclaimed Christian company, ethics and decisions that were made were far from Christian. The money was good; but I asked myself at what cost? Pastor Tim has said, “God wants your heart. Doesn’t it stand to reason that he will use money to get it?”
Last October, things began to get bad in the economy. In fact, many people had expected the worst economic downturn since the great depression. Having been laid off before, I was intent this wasn’t going to happen to me! So I began to work harder. The more I worked and the more I gave and the more I took from my family, the more I continued to be unfulfilled. I felt stepped on by those working beside me; within my own company! This was a major disappointment to me.
The image that I had spent so many years building didn’t amount to anything. Work became an environment of deception and perception. It became an environment of fear and lies. It was no longer about what people brought to the organization. I saw many good people losing their jobs as superiors painted fraudulent pictures to save themselves. Through the first quarter of this year, I began to be moved to do what was right. Not from a spiritual motivator, but because there were so many people in the world doing so much wrong. I thought, if I could successfully do what was right, I could make more money. Obviously, I was still driven by the dollar!
The layoffs continued and I seemed to be able to keep producing and avoid being included on the latest list. But I wasn’t happy with any of it…and most unhappy with myself. Then it happened. One Thursday in April, while consulting a fellow co-worker my boss overheard me say referring to him “we will never be on the same page as long as he is leading us.” How could I continue to navigate this unhealthy environment? Something took over inside me. There I was…a non religious man…a sinner; saying: “God, it’s in your hands now!”
From Thursday to Sunday was like a rebirth. My wife and daughter had attended Vineyard Westside the weekend before for the first time, and loved it. My wife had a vision a couple of weeks earlier about this little church we passed on our way around town. In her search to “know God” she had come across this wonderful community of people we now call family. Of course, the services are WAY different than those of a traditional Catholic mass so she thought I probably wouldn’t like it. I told her; hey if you both like it I will go with an open mind. I am grateful I did, it changed my life. For the first time, I heard God speaking to me!
As I sat in the pew and listened to the words coming out of Tim’s mouth, it became clear what I needed to do. I needed to resign my position and move my life in a direction that was healthier. As I looked at my wife, she knew something had struck a chord in me. As the service ended, I approached Tim and thanked him for helping put some clarity on a major issue weighing on me. Tim said, “It wasn’t me, it was God.” He was right!
Then he asked, what is it? Perhaps I can pray to help you. I explained that I was going to quit my job the next day because I didn’t like the way my boss treated people. I don’t clearly remember his reaction but I am fairly certain both he and my wife had to pick their jaws up off the floor. What I do clearly remember is the light I saw in my 6 year old daughter’s eyes as she said “you’re quitting your job! Does this mean you can pick me up early from school?” Tim & Traci, I apologize…Cali, Thank you!
The last three months have truly been the best summer of my life. I have enjoyed being in my world with all the gifts God has given me. I have turned my life over to God and he has made an amazing change in me. I have a thirst to understand the word. I have spent the entire summer with the two people who are most important to me. On our eighth wedding anniversary, Ryan was able to accommodate a rare request to renew our wedding vows. Rare because we asked him on Sunday for a Tuesday evening affair. As we listened to the words of God spoken through Ryan we began to internalize Ecclesiastes 4:9, two are better off than one…a rope made of three cords is hard to break. Thank you Ryan. And the best part of the summer happened two weeks ago as I publically pronounced the acceptance of Christ as my savior through baptism.
Although the search for my purpose has just begun, I am much more content waiting for God to show me the way. And he has. Two weeks ago I interviewed with a company that appeared to be everything I was looking for. The company is a small manufacturing business in a specialized industry. There was one problem; the position was originally presented as a job that would involve a lot of travel. I am no longer interested in taking any more time away from my family for money and my career. God did his magic, last week I received a call stating they redesigned the position and it will be based here in Cincinnati…NO TRAVEL! I start Monday August 10!
I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us next; I wait patiently. I look forward to building my relationship with him and his son, Jesus Christ. Recently I read something that stuck with me. The past is history, the future is a mystery, but the present is a gift. Thank you Lord for all the gifts you have given me. God is good!
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