"I need my 'Higher Power'"
I sat with Dave on Thursday. He asked for a Bible so I gave him one. He said he knew he needed to get more "spiritual."
[Short shameless plug follows: If anybody is interested in donating Bibles or money for Bibles, I know the chaplains would greatly appreciate it. Good News Jail and Prison Ministry receives no government money, like some chaplain programs. This way they can preach the gospel without worrying about church-state issues. If you want to specifically help out the ministry in Monroe County, New York (USA), contact Chaplain Lou.]
"Things were going pretty well for me," Dave said. "I had a legitimate business making $120,000 year. I had a 3000 sq. ft. home on a beautiful lot. And then it happened. While my wife and I were on vacation in the Caribbean, I thought I'd reward myself for staying away from alcohol for 14 years: I tried one of the mixed drinks. I liked it so much, I tried another...and another. I was like a kid in a candy shop. I couldn't stop. That led me spiralling downhill fast. I couldn't control it.
"Eventually, my wife left me. She found another guy. One thing led to another and I got picked up on a felony charge."
"Were you a part of a church when you on the outside, Dave?"
"Yeah. I went to -------- Church with my wife and kids." (I knew the church to be a solid church in the area.) "It was hard to get the kids there," Dave continued. "They never wanted to go."
Dave talked for a long time about his life, his struggles with alcohol, his hurt and anger towards his wife from whom he is now separated, and his need for a "higher power." Afterward, he thanked me for listening and said he felt better getting stuff off his chest.
"Dave, has anyone ever told you how you can have a right relationship with God?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Do you know why Jesus came?"
"Well, I don't really want to talk about that right now." Dave was open to me suggesting where in his new Bible he could start reading. I told him to start in the book of Mark to learn about who Jesus is.
Pray that Dave's quest for his "higher power" would end at the feet of the Highest Power in all the universe: the Lord Jesus Christ.
[Short shameless plug follows: If anybody is interested in donating Bibles or money for Bibles, I know the chaplains would greatly appreciate it. Good News Jail and Prison Ministry receives no government money, like some chaplain programs. This way they can preach the gospel without worrying about church-state issues. If you want to specifically help out the ministry in Monroe County, New York (USA), contact Chaplain Lou.]
"Things were going pretty well for me," Dave said. "I had a legitimate business making $120,000 year. I had a 3000 sq. ft. home on a beautiful lot. And then it happened. While my wife and I were on vacation in the Caribbean, I thought I'd reward myself for staying away from alcohol for 14 years: I tried one of the mixed drinks. I liked it so much, I tried another...and another. I was like a kid in a candy shop. I couldn't stop. That led me spiralling downhill fast. I couldn't control it.
"Eventually, my wife left me. She found another guy. One thing led to another and I got picked up on a felony charge."
"Were you a part of a church when you on the outside, Dave?"
"Yeah. I went to -------- Church with my wife and kids." (I knew the church to be a solid church in the area.) "It was hard to get the kids there," Dave continued. "They never wanted to go."
Dave talked for a long time about his life, his struggles with alcohol, his hurt and anger towards his wife from whom he is now separated, and his need for a "higher power." Afterward, he thanked me for listening and said he felt better getting stuff off his chest.
"Dave, has anyone ever told you how you can have a right relationship with God?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Do you know why Jesus came?"
"Well, I don't really want to talk about that right now." Dave was open to me suggesting where in his new Bible he could start reading. I told him to start in the book of Mark to learn about who Jesus is.
Pray that Dave's quest for his "higher power" would end at the feet of the Highest Power in all the universe: the Lord Jesus Christ.
posted by Brian at 8:52 AM
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