Young man contemplating

Sinner to Saint

I started down the wrong path at a very young age. I was in and out of trouble a lot, but I always got slaps on the wrist because the judge was friends with my grandpa, or the judge’s wife was my first-grade teacher, so I began to think that because I never got in any serious trouble, that what I was doing was ok.

In 2002, I got into a fight with a guy over money and a girl, and I received 10 years’ probation because I took ten dollars from him. In 2004, my grandma passed away which led me down a path that consisted only of drugs and drinking.

In 2005, when I found out that Xanth was pregnant with Trinity, I decided that I was going to quit using drugs after just one last time. Well, that one last time really was just that because I got arrested immediately after I made the purchase. 4 days later, I made bond, and 20 days after that my probation was revoked and I got locked up. While I was in Williamson county jail, they seemed pretty intent on giving me as much time as they could. 30 years to be exact. 30 years I thought I didn’t kill anybody; I got in a fight and took ten dollars.

Everyone else that was having their probation revoked had been given 2 options. go see what the District Attorney had to offer on Tuesday and either a; accept it and go to prison or b; leave it up to judge to decide, but you couldn’t go back if the da s offer was better. That was it; 3 days to decide what could be the rest of your life. By the grace of GOD, my attorney kept getting my court date reset. For 4 months I would go in and they would say 30 years, that’s as good as its going to get, and for 4 months I kept getting new court dates.

I went in on like December 18 or something; I don’t really remember what day it was. But, the DA had just come down to twenty. She said that if I didn’t take the 20, it’d go back up to thirty so once again, my court date was reset. I went back to the pod and called Xanth on the phone.

I remember being very distraught and telling her that if she wanted to leave me now might be a good time and fighting with her. I was crying pretty tough cause I knew that if I took 20 years id be doing half of it and ten years in prison is a long time for a first prison term especially with a baby on the way. Anyway, I went slowly through the day room, everybody knew, they could see it on my face. I had a “now isn’t a good time” tattoo on my forehead, so they all pretty much got out of my way. I went to my bunk and lay down on my stomach. I must have laid there for an hour or so just thoughts racing thru my mind, every possible scenario, all bad. So in tears, at my all time, rock bottom, low, I did something I never thought that I would do in a million years; I prayed. I must have lay there crying to GOD for 10 minutes and I didn’t care if anyone else heard. I don’t remember everything that I said, but I remember saying:

 “GOD, I don’t know you, I don’t even know if you’re real, but if you are I need you more than I’ve ever needed anything in my entire life. If you can rescue me, I’ll live for you. I’ll do what you want me to do, go where you want me to go, and I’ll tell whomever you want me to tell, exactly what you did for me. Please help me.”

At the exact moment I finished with an Amen, I fell into the most peaceful, serene sleep I’d ever known. I began dreaming immediately. Maybe it was more like a vision, I don’t know, but I know that it was so simple yet astonishing.

Instead of lying down on my bunk I was sitting up, holding my bible open, one hand on the front and my other hand on the back. The funny thing about it though was that there was a third hand turning the pages, coming down right over my shoulder, and I felt more loved by whoever was standing behind me than I’d ever felt in my entire life. I know now who HE was. He paged quickly to PSALM 66: 10 and in the most powerful, amazing voice I had ever heard HE read to me: PSALM 66:10 -THE END

I woke up and grabbed my bible and I must’ve read that passage 6 times. I started to go to the pod prayer circle every time they had one because I was hungry. I couldn’t get enough. Three days later, the DA used those famous GOD intervention words, “I don’t know why, BUT”. She Said I don’t know why but I’m so tired of hearing his name I’m willing to give him 10, but I don’t have time to see him this week so you just tell him to be ready to take 10 next Tuesday. I praised God all the way back to my cell. I called Xanth and my mom and told them what GOD had done for me. But GOD wasn’t finished yet. When I went back to court, the DA was even madder than she was before. I went ready to sign for 10 years, BUT GOD gave me eight. I did 4 years and 10 months on that 8 year sentence, but GOD got a hold of me, and was there with me every step of the way. I had the joy of the LORD in my heart and a smile on my face every day. They told me I’d never be minimum security and after 20 months, I was moved to minimum. Thank you JESUS.

GOD is an awesome GOD indeed. I was on the praise and worship team for 2 and a half years and went to church almost every day. I was working at the water treatment plant at the Ferguson unit when GOD did more amazing. For some “strange” reason, while I was working there they decided to do something that had never been done before. They decided that anyone who worked in water or wastewater treatment had to be licensed by tceq. It’s funny, that I made parole, but wasn’t given a date to go home until after I had finished training classes and passed the license exam. GOD is just so awesome.

3 Comments

  1. faithmyvictory 1/25/2014
  2. Unbehaun77 1/25/2014
  3. joshua 2/15/2014

Leave a Reply