JFRWGN's 1998 Honda Orthia

I grew up leading a life like most other Heathen teens, Drinking, Drugs, Cigarettes, and trying to find love in the wrong places. Finished High School and for 5 months was unemployed and living at home with my Dad (Mum and Dad had split). Friends were hassling me for being jobless, I lost my girlfriend, my Dad was on my case, and I just gave up. Dad was a hunter, so one afternoon, I loaded up a 303, and sat on the back porch wallowing in my own misery for 2 hours with a rifle in my mouth. My older brother was on his way home (could hear his car coming down the hill) and I figured it was now or not at all. So I gave up, switched the safety off and pulled the trigger. I didn't understand back then what happened, and just put it down to my snot and dribble from crying so much went down the barrel and stopped the gun from going off. I ran inside and hid the gun. I continued to spend my spare time drinking, smoking etc, and generally had no regard for what I was doing to myself and what sort of lifestyle I was living. My Dad (who also happened to be a great friend aswell) died five years ago racing in the Superbike Series here, and my life went to an alltime low. I also met a Christian girl at a party once, and ending up having a on-off-on-off relationship with her for 6 years, which wasn't very Christian at all. It drained me mentally and I eventually stood up to her and walked away from her (and unfortunately Jesus for about 12months). But I have the utmost admiration for her, as she is the one person who led me to the Lord. I realised that my old drinking buddies were not "real" friends, and my REAL friends were much more closer to home. I guy I met through my ex years ago who was a Christian started up a Club called Jesus Fish Racing Team (www.jfrt.com) and when he came round my old drinking buddies used to hassle him because of his front window banner and huge darwin fish on the back of his AE86. My old friends have slowly faded away and this mate and I have have grown closer and closer though Jesus Christ and our love for motorsport. This friend has been a blessing to me from the Lord and his blatant unashamed Christianity has been a beacon of light.
I believe the Lord has used my past as a tool to show me that nothing in this world matters more than a personal relationship with Him.
If I give him everything, He will give me even more ...and He has.
My favourite scripture is Philippians chapter 3 verse 7 to 14:
"But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ, and to know that I belong to Him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised Him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, so that somehow I also may be raised to life. I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. My friends I dont feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. I run towards the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done."