I WAS IN CONVULSIONS.

I FELT LIKE MY SOUL WAS

LEAVING MY BODY AND GOING

INTO THIS TERRIBLE, DARK

VOID.

I CAME RIGHT UP TO THE EDGE

OF DEATH AND SOMEHOW CAME

BACK AGAIN.

IT CHANGED MY PERSPECTIVE IN

LIFE.

I WAS RAISED AS A ROMAN

CATHOLIC AND WAS VERY

DEVOTED, BUT I NEVER HAD AN

ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.

WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER, I

BECAME A ROCK MUSICIAN, AND

THE LIFESTYLE THAT WENT

ALONG WITH THAT LED ME INTO

DRUG USE.

I MOVED AWAY FROM RELIGION

ALL TOGETHER.

AT THE AGE OF 19, I HAD A

TERRIBLE DRUG OVERDOSE

EXPERIENCE.

I THOUGHT I WAS DYING.

I DECIDED, I'VE GOT TO FIND

OUT WHAT IS ON THE OTHER

SIDE OF THIS EXPERIENCE

CALLED DEATH.

I MET AN INDIAN GURU, AND I

DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL IN

ORDER TO STUDY YOGA ALL

DAY.

I WOULD START AT 3:30 EVERY

MORNING WITH MEDITATION, AND

I WOULD SPEND HOURS AND

HOURS READING ABOUT THE GIDA

AND THE BIBLE, AND ANY BOOK

THAT WAS SACRED AND

INSPIRED.

AND THEN AT NIGHT I WAS

TEACHING AT FOUR

UNIVERSITIES.

ONE OF THE PRIMARY BELIEFS

OF THAT VIE WORLD VIEW IS

THAT ALL RELIGIONS LEAD TO

THE PATH TO GOD.

THAT A HINDU CAN GET THERE

THROUGH HIS PRACTICES AND

ACHIEVE SAMATI, OR A

CHRISTIAN CAN BE BORN

AGAIN.

SO IT BLENDS ALL OF THEM

TOGETHER AS IF ALL OF THE

EXPERIENCE ARE ONE IN THE

SAME.

THE TRIBUNE NEWSPAPER DID A

BIG HALF-PAGE ARTICLE ON

ME.

I HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WOULD

ALERT THIS PRAYER GROUP IN

TOWN TO START PRAYING FOR ME

ON A CONSISTENT BASIS.

THEY HAD A 24-HOUR PRAYER

CHAIN AND HA THEY ASSIGNED

SOMEBODY TO BE PRAYING AND

FASTING FOR ME EVERY HOUR OF

EVERY DAY.

AN OLD FRIEND FROM COLLEGE

WROTE ME A LETTER.

LARRY AND I BOTH DROPPED OUT

OF SCHOOL IN ORDER TO STUDY

UNDER DIFFERENT GURUS.

I GET THIS SURPRISING LETTER

FROM LARRY, WHERE HE SAID HE

MADE JESUS THE SAVIOR OF HIS

LIFE AND THE LORD OF HIS

LIFE.

AND THAT WAS TOO HEAVY FOR

ME TO HANDLE AT FIRST.

FINALLY ONE DAY I DECIDED,

MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING

ABOUT JESUS THAT I HAVE

MISINTERPRETED.

SO I THOUGHT, IF I'M GOING

TO BE A TRUE SEEKER AND BE

OPEN-MINDED, I NEED TO AT

LEAST DEDICATE ONE DAY TO

JESUS.

THAT MORNING, INSTEAD OF

DOING MANTRA YO YOGA, I

STARTED READING THE BIBLE

AND PRAYING.

AND I PRAYED SIMPLE PRAYERS,

LIKE, JESUS, IF YOU REALLY

DIED ON THE CROSS FOR

HUMANITY, IF YOU REALLY ROSE

FROM THE DEATH, IF YOU'RE

THE ONLY SAVIOR, GIVE ME A

SUPER NATURAL SIGN TODAY.

I KEPT CONVERSING WITH THE

LORD, EXPECTING I WOULD HAVE

A VISION OR HEAR A VOICE.

THAT AFTERNOON I HAD TO GO

TEACH A YOGA CLASS, AND I

HAD TO HITCH HIKE THERE.

ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE

PRAYER GROUP WAS A FORMER

YOGA STUDENT WHO HAD BECOME

A CHRISTIAN, AND GOD LED HIM

TO THE VERY SPOT WHERE I WAS

HITCHHIKING.

I WAS STILL PRAYING, JESUS,

IF YOU'RE THE ANSWER, GIVE

ME A SIGN.

WHEN HE PULLED OVER, I

OPENED THE DOOR TO THE VAN

AND MY HEART STARTED RACING

BECAUSE ON THE CEILING OF

THIS VAN, HE TAPED A PICTURE

OF THE LORD JESUS.

AND I KNEW, THIS IS IT.

A FEW MINUTES DOWN THE ROAD,

HE BROKE THE SILENCE AND

SAID, FRIEND, CAN I ASK YOU

A QUESTION?

HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED

JESUS CHRIST COMING INTO

YOUR HEART.

SO HE PULLED OVER TO THE

SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WE

DISCUSSED A FEW BIBLICAL

THINGS FOR A FEW MINUTES,

AND JUST PRAYED A SIMPLE

PRAYER.

I HAD THAT ENCOUNTER I HAD

BEEN SEEKING FOR MY ENTIRE

LIFE, FROM MY EARLY YEARS IN

CATHOLICISM, AND ALL OF THE

YEARS I SPENT IN NEW-AGE

SPIRITUALITY, I FINALLY

REACHED WHAT I WAS SEARCHING

FOR WHEN I FOUND THE LORD

JESUS CHRIST.

THAT WEEK I WENT BACK TO ALL

OF MY YOGA CLASSES AND TOLD

THEM ALL THAT I FOUND THE

LORD AND I WOULD NO LONGER

BE TEACHING YOGA.

SOME WERE VERY CONFUSED, AND

MOST OF MY MAIN STUDENTS

BECAME CHRISTIANS, ALSO.

I CAN SEE HOW GOD USED THE

TIME I SPENT IN EASTERN

RELIGIONS FOR A POSITIVE

PERSON.

I WITNESS TO EVERY HINDU

PERSON I COME ACROSS.

I HAVE A CONNECTION WITH

THEM.

I KNOW HOW TO TALK TO THEM

AND SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH

THEM IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT

IS NOT OFFENSIVE.

GOD CAN TAKE YOUR PAST AND

REDEEM IT AND MAKE IT USEFUL

TO HIS PURPOSES.

IF YOU EVER COME OUT OF ANY

KIND OF DARKNESS, YOU EARN

THE RIGHT TO REACH BACK AND

DRAW SOMEBODY ELSE OUT OF

THE SAME DILEMMA.