G.M.D.'s 1995 HYUNDAI SCOUPE

SOME USE THE BROAD WELL WORN "SLIDE" TO REACH THEIR ULTIMATE DESTINATION. OTHERS USE THE NARROW "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" TO REACH THEIRS. I USED THE WORD "SLIDE" (INSTEAD OF ROAD OR PATH); CAUSE IF YOU'VE EVER PLAYED ON ONE AT THE PLAYGROUND..."IT'S HARD TO CLIMB YOUR WAY UP; BUT, IT'S REAL EASY TO SLIDE DOWN". MANY PEOPLE TRAVEL BY CAR & PLANE (OR SOME OTHER MODE OF TRANSPORTATION) TO GET THERE. BUT A TRUE CHRISTIAN TRAVELS BY FOOT!!! NOW YOU MIGHT BE THINKING...IF YOU TRAVEL BY FOOT, IT'S GOING TO BE AN IMPOSSIBLE & EVERLASTING JOURNEY. EVERLASTING...YES, DEFINITELY; IMPOSSIBLE...I WOULDN'T SAY THAT. YOU SEE...WHEN YOU WALK WITH GOD ***NOTHING'S IMPOSSIBLE***!!!

BUT, I DIDN'T ALWAYS THINK THIS WAY. SURE, WHEN I WAS LITTLE; I'D GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL & CHURCH. BUT IT WAS MAINLY CAUSE ALL MY FRIENDS DECIDED...WE'D RUN AROUND, PLAY TAG, PICK ON THE GIRLS AND GET CANDY. AS I GOT OLDER, I GOT INVOLVED IN SPORTS, GIRLS, WORKING AND MARTIAL ARTS; AND I THOUGHT..."I JUST DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ANYTHING ELSE". THEN CAME THE MILITARY; WELL, I WAS JUST TOO BUSY TRAINING AND SEEING THE WORLD...OR SO I THOUGHT. AFTER THE MILITARY, THE REAL WORLD STARTED TO SETTLE IN. THE BILLS STARTED TO COME, THE COST OF OWNING A CAR STARTED APPEARING. AND BY BEING OLDER NOW, THE DINNERS & GIFTS FOR THE GIRLS STARTED TO COST MORE. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, LIFE'S EVERYDAY STRUGGLES STARTING POPPING UP. THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD STARTED WEIGHING DOWN MY SHOULDERS. BUT I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, "I'M A FIGHTER, I CAN HANDLE THIS-I CAN HANDLE ANYTHING". HOW WRONG WAS I!!! THE WEIGHT ON MY SHOULDERS KEPT GETTING HEAVIER, THE PRESSURE KEPT GETTING BIGGER; AND WITH IT, THE FUSTRATION KEPT GROWING.

SEE, ALL THROUGH OUT MY LIFE; I THOUGHT I COULD MAKE IT ON TALENT, STRENGTH, ABILITY AND OTHER SUCH SKILLS. BUT, IT WASN'T UNTIL I MET MY WIFE, TAMI; THAT I REALIZED I HAD BEEN MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL...JESUS!!! TAMI WAS RAISED IN AN EXCEPTIONAL HOME, WITH STRONG RELIGOUS VALUES; AND SHE EVEN WENT ON TO GRADUATE FROM EASTERN NAZARENE COLLEGE. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND, THAT JESUS, BROUGHT HER INTO MY LIFE FOR A REASON!!! AFTER WE MET, WE TALKED ABOUT IT EVERY NOW AND THEN. BUT, I STILL WASN'T READY TO MAKE THAT STEP. CAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD MAKE ME SOFT AND I'D LOSE THAT "BAD BOY" IMAGE. NOT TO MENTION, THAT I WOULD LOOK LIKE A "SELL OUT" TO ALL MY BOYS. EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T SAVED & COMMITTED TO THE LORD; TAMI AND HER FAMILY NEVER GAVE UP ON ME.

THEN THE LORD SENT AN EVEN STRONGER GROUP OF MESSENGERS TO HELP THEM OUT..."JOHN JACOBS AND THE POWER TEAM". THEY WERE COMING TO RICHMOND, VA; SO, I DECIDED TO GO SEE THEM. LITTLE DID I KNOW, THAT JAN. 26th, 2002; WOULD CHANGE THE REST OF MY LIFE. AS I WATCHED "THE POWER TEAM"; I KEPT THINKING..."THERE'S NO WAY THESE PEOPLE ARE SOFT OR WEAK". THEIR DEDICATION AND FAITH IN THE LORD WAS UNBELIEVABLE. TOWARDS THE END OF THEIR SHOW; JOHN JACOBS READ A SCRIPTURE. IT WAS ABOUT...A RICH YOUNG RULER ASKING JESUS, HOW TO GET ETERNAL LIFE. HE FOLLOWED THE SCRIPTURE WITH A STATEMENT (TO THE AUDIENCE), THAT I'LL NEVER FORGET. HE SAID..."DON'T LEAVE HERE TONIGHT, THE SAME WAY YOU CAME IN". CAUSE IF YOU WALK AWAY FROM JESUS TONIGHT (LIKE THE RICH RULER DID); YOU MIGHT NOT GET ANOTHER CHANCE. I MADE UP MY MIND RIGHT THEN, TO ASK JESUS TO COME INTO MY LIFE.

AS I REPEATED AFTER HIM (ASKING JESUS TO COME INTO MY LIFE); A GREAT WARMTH CAME OVER MY BODY, AND I FELT VERY CALM AND RELAXED. IT WASN'T UNTIL LATER, THAT I FOUND OUT WHAT THAT "WARMTH" FEELING REALLY WAS. IT WAS JESUS COMING INTO MY BODY AND PUSHING THE DEVIL OUT. THANK GOD FOR "THE POWER TEAM"!!!

WHICH BRINGS ME TO TODAY. IT'S BEEN EXACTLY 1YR.-5 1/2 MONTHS, SINCE I WAS SAVED. IT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN AN EASY JOURNEY; BUT, THEN AGAIN, THE "NARROW, LESS TRAVELED PATH" NEVER IS. BUT, I'M REACHING FOR THE NEXT LEVEL AND TAKING THE STEP IN BECOMING A ***WARRIOR FOR GOD***!!! TO ANYONE OUT THERE THAT ISN'T SAVED; I PLEAD TO YOU...JESUS, IS WAITING FOR YOU TO LET HIM IN. DON'T BE LIKE THAT RICH RULER AND TURN YOUR BACK ON JESUS...

***TOMORROW COULD BE JUDGEMENT DAY!!!***

THANK YOU JESUS FOR COMING INTO MY LIFE!!! ***AMEN***