I HAD BEEN UP THREE OR FOUR

DAYS.

IT WAS SUBTLE ON THE RIDE HOME

MOMENT IT JUST DAWNED ON ME.

I SAID WOW, OKAY, THIS IS IT.

I AM GOING TO DIE.

THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO KILL

ME.

BUT IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO SCARE ME

INTO QUITTING.

WHEN I WAS 13, I GOT INTO

BANDS, I STARTED PLAYING MUSIC.

WHEN I WAS 16 OR 17, I WAS A

HOUSE BAND FOR A DIVE BAR.

I STARTED TURNING TO THE

CIGARETTES, THEN ALCOHOL.

ESCALATED TO SMOKING MARIJUANA

TO SELLING MARIJUANA.

YOU WOULD END UP IN PLACES WHERE

SOMEBODY WOULD BE LIKE HEY,

SMOKE THAT WITH ME AND I'LL

SHARE THIS WITH YOU.

NEXT THING YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN A

ROOM AND DOING A DRUG YOU HAVE

NEVER DONE BEFORE.

THEN IT BECAME WHO I AM.

JUST BECAME WHAT I DO.

THE DAY SOMEBODY SAID TRY THIS,

IT WAS CRYSTAL METH.

THAT WAS ALL SHE WROTE.

I WAS LIKE THIS, I LOVE THIS.

GOOD.E

úúxRYTHING SEEM8ñ8ñ

EXCITING.

MADE EVERYTHING SEEM LIKE IT WAS

THOUGH YOU KNEW IT

WAS.

IT TOOK OVER AGGRESSIVELY TOOK

OVER.

I STOPPED CARING ABOUT MUSIC AND

THINGS THAT MEANT A LOT.

PEOPLE WOULD SAY MAN, YOU ARE

LIKE SKIN AND BONES, WHAT IS

GOING ON.

I WEIGHED UNDER 100 POUNDS.

I WAS LITERALLY A WALKING

SKELETON.

EVER A POINT I WAS NOT HIGH AND

HAD ANY MOMENT OF CLARITY, IT

WAS HORRIFYING.

I JUST INSTANTLY QUICKLY WANTED

TO GET HIGH AGAIN.

WITH THE DRUG YOU START

DETERIORATING.

YOU DON'T REALIZE IT UNTIL YOU

LOOK UP, EVERYTHING IS DARK AND

FALLING APART AROUND ME.

I CAN'T STOP DOING THIS.

IT WAS JUST A SUBTLE MOMENT, IT

DAWNED ON ME.

I SAID WOW, OKAY.

THIS IS IT.

I AM GOING TO DIE.

THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO KILL

ME.

MY SISTER WAS INTENSELY BURDENED

TO PRAY FOR ME.

A GREAT DEAL OF PRAYER.

MY BROTHER-IN-LAW CAME TO ME AND

GAVE ME THIS BOOK "A CASE FOR

CHRIST"

BY LEE STROEBL.

I ACCEPTED IT.

IT WAS 3:00 A.M. I WAS READING

THIS BOOK.

I FELT, THE TRUTH, I FELT THE

PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE ROOM.

THE FALSE JOY AND HAPPINESS I

WAS TRYING TO FILL FOR ALL THOSE

YEARS ON CRYSTAL METH, I FELT

THAT NIGHT IN THE PRESENCE OF

GOD.

IN THAT MOMENT I SAID, OKAY,

GOD, IF YOU ARE REAL, I BELIEVE

YOU ARE REAL, I AM GOING TO GO

AS FAR AS TO SAY YOU ARE REAL,

JESUS IS FOR REAL, I WILL GIVE

YOU MY ENTIRE LIFE.

I WILL STOP EVERYTHING.

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO QUIT ALL

THIS.

THIS IS ALL I HAVE EVER BEEN.

I CAN'T IMAGINE ME A PART FROM

IT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW I AM GOING TO

DO IT.

AND I THOUGHT MORE POWERFUL THAN

WORDS.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO I WILL.

I KNEW IT WAS LIKE HE IS GOING

TO DO THIS.

THIS IS REAL.

HE CAN REALLY SAVE ME.

THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

I KNEW I KNEW.

I QUIT EVERYTHING OVERNIGHT.

WHAT HAD BEEN A DRIVE TO FIND MY

NEXT HIGH HAD NOW BECOME A DRIVE

FOR GOD.

I WANTED TO MEAT HIM AND KEEP

GOING AFTER HIM.

I STARTED WANTING TO EXPRESS

MYSELF AND THIS JOY AND THIS

THING I AM REALIZING.

ABILITY TO GIFT THE LOVE FOR

MUSIC.

HE BROUGHT IT BACK AND STARTED

ALLOWING ME TO WRITE MUSIC.

I GET TO WRITE CHRISTIAN MUSIC

FULL TIME.

I GET TO LEAD WORSHIP ALL THE

TIME TRAVELING AROUND.

YONL GOD COULD HAVE DONE THAT.

I CAN'T TAKE NO CREDIT FOR ANY

OF THAT.

*

*

*

I EXPERIENCE D ZEPHANIAH 3:17,

THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU,

HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE, HE

DELIGHTS IN YOU GREATLY AND

REJOICES OVER YOU SINGING.

FROM THAT NIGHT, I REALIZED GOD

WAS ABLE TO PULL ME OUT OF THE

WRECKAGE, THIS GOD.

THE GOD THAT SAVES.

*

SO AS I READ THAT LINE HE

REJOICES OVER YOU, HE IS SO

POWERFUL TO ME.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO

FAR FROM GOD.