Happy New Year - 2016!

Tonight marks the 23rd anniversary of an accident that could have left me paralyzed or in hell. This is my testimony of how I was born again. 

On New Year's Eve '92, I was involved in the party scene. I thought I was living the good life. I had moved to Shreveport to manage the GNC (General Nutrition Center) at Southpark Mall. I had just bought a 1992 Dodge Dakota Sport. I was twenty-three at this time. Before this,I managed the GNC at Pecanland Mall in Monroe, La. I was into working out with weights. I had lost about 65 pounds through exercising and dieting. My friend, John, helped me with working out. In November, my boss asked me if I could transfer to the Shreveport store. I eagerly told him that I could. I was wanting to move up in the company.

I had met a young woman at one of the clubs where I hung out with my friend, Al. We started dating before I moved. She lived in Ruston. I stopped in to see her one day when I was going back to West Monroe to visit. She broke up with me that day. The day before New Year's Eve, she called me to ask us to hold a place for her at the club where we would be at in Monroe.  We all got to the bar that night with partying on our minds. I started drinking mixed drinks. Sometime after midnight, I blacked-out. I remember just bits and pieces of what was to happen after that. I remember walking out to my truck. After that, I remember shutting the passenger door to the truck. Then, I was walking on the other side of the bridge down Trenton Street in West Monroe. Then, I was at the door of Al's apartment. I woke up at 10:00 on New Year's Day. I told Al that we needed to find my truck. I didn't know where it was! We drove around looking for it in West Monroe and Monroe. I finally called the Monroe Police Department to ask If they had towed the truck. The woman on the line told me that it had been towed to Master's Auto Service in Monroe. I went to see it there. The hood and front was crushed in the middle. The owner of the towing company told me that I was fortunate to be alive. I had hit a utility pole on the corner of Pine and Walnut, which was several blocks from the club. The police had pulled some of my hair from the windshield where I had hit with my head. I had walked one mile from where I had wrecked. The officer that worked the accident called me at midnight on January 1st to ask me about what had happened. I lied about what I did, but they knew that I had been drinking. 
I had to go back to Shreveport without transportation. Over the next several months I was dependent  on my parents to come to bring my back home on most weekends. I walked to work sometimes and got a taxi at other times. One day at work I was talking with a regular customer about some of our products. She and her husband worked for the Shreveport Police Department. We ended up talking about church and Jesus. She asked where I went to church. I told her that I was trying to go back to church. She said "You're not doing anything! You better come back to Jesus now! "
There had been others who had witnessed to me before, but her words made me to think. I didn't write the exact date down, but around March the 15th I repented of my sins, asked for forgiveness, and was saved at my apartment in Kingston Village Apartments on Kingston Road! What a change! I got born-again! I told everyone what had happened to me! I couldn't go back to the clubs anymore!
I couldn't listen to the same music anymore! I didn't have the desire to drink anymore! I was a changed man! 
I was able to move back home and get my old job back in April. I started passing out tracts. I went to church whenever I could. I wanted all that the Lord had for me! I wanted to do His will! I met Todd at a revival one night. We passed out tracts at several bars around town. Later, we preached at some of the bars. I was nervous about street preaching, but I was hooked after I did it a few times! I love to tell the story of how the Lord saved me! 
I am thankful that I have had an extension on my life. I should have died and went to hell that night of my accident, but I am alive! I am saved! 
Happy New Year!

Happy New Year - 2015

Happy New Year! We have many witnessing opportunities waiting for us through this next year. I wanted to re-post my testimony again since it's the anniversary of my accident. I pray that you'll be encouraged by it! 

Twenty-two years ago on New Year's Eve, I was involved in the party scene. I thought I was living the good life. I had moved to Shreveport to manage the GNC at Southpark Mall. I had just bought a 1992 Dodge Dakota Sport. I tried to find a picture of one like I had, but the one in the picture above was the closest. It had row bars and a tarp on the bed. I was twenty-three at this time. Before this, I managed the GNC at Pecanland Mall in Monroe, La. I was into working out. I had lost about 65 pounds through exercising and dieting. My friend, John, helped me with all that I was doing. In November, my district manager asked me if I could transfer to the Shreveport store. I eagerly told him that I would. I was wanting to move up in the company. Previously, I had met a young woman at one of the clubs that I went with my friend named Al. We started dating before I moved. She lived in Ruston. When stopped in see her one day as I was going back to West Monroe to visit, she broke up with me. The day before New Year's Eve, she called me to ask us to hold a place for her at the club where we would be at in Monroe. I had something to prove! We all got to the bar that night with partying on our minds. I started drinking mixed drinks. Sometime after midnight, I blacked-out. I remember just bits and pieces of what was to happen after that. I remember walking out to my truck. After that, I remember shutting the passenger door to the truck. Then, I was walking on the other side of the bridge down Trenton Street in West Monroe. Then, I was at the door of Al's apartment. I woke up at 10:00 on New Year's Day. I told Al that we needed to find my truck. I didn't know where it was! We drove around looking for it in West Monroe and Monroe. I finally called The Monroe Police Department to ask I'd they had towed the truck. The woman on the line told me that it had been towed to Master's Auto Service in Monroe. I went to see it there. The hood and front was crushed in the middle. The owner of the towing company told me that I was fortunate to be alive. I had hit a utility pole on the corner of Pine and Walnut, which was several blocks from the club. The police had pulled some of my hair from the windshield where I had hit with my head. I had walked one mile from where I had wrecked. The officer that worked the accident called me at midnight on January the 1st to ask me about what had happened. I lied about what I did, but they knew that I had been drinking. I had to go back to Shreveport without transportation. Over the next several months, I depended on my parents to pick me up and bring my back home on most weekends. I walked to work sometimes and got a taxi at others. One day at work, I was talking with a regular customer about some of our products. She and her husband worked for the Shreveport Police Department. We ended up talking about church and Jesus. She asked where I went to church. I told her that I was trying to go back to church. She said "You're not doing anything! You better come back to Jesus now!"
There had been others who had witnessed to me before, but her words made me think. I didn't write the exact date down, but around March the 15th I repented of my sins, asked for forgiveness, and was saved at Kingston Village Apartments on Kingston Road! What a change! I was born-again! I was washed in the blood of Jesus! told everyone what had happened to me! I couldn't go back to the clubs anymore! I couldn't listen to the same music anymore! I didn't have the desire to drink anymore! I was a changed man! I was able to move back home and get my old job back in April. I started passing out tracts. I went to church whenever I could. I wanted all that the Lord had for me! I wanted to do His will! I met Todd at a revival one night. We passed out tracts at several bars around town. Later, we preached at some of the bars. I was nervous about street preaching, but I was hooked after I did it a few times! I love to tell the story of how the Lord saved me! 
I am thankful that I have had an extension on my life. I should have died and went to hell that night of my accident, but I am alive! I am saved!
Have a Happy New Year! 

Louisville Ave Evangelism - August 16, 2011

I mentioned in an earlier post about a young man praying at our church. He tagged along with Bro. JJ today as they witnessed on Louisville Ave. His name is David ( also known as Spud ). He had attended our church several years ago. He has been with us preaching and distributing tracts. He helped us one time in Texarkana as we witnessed at a bar that was having a outside rock concert. Later on, we found out that the bar got shut down that night ! Bro. David has been away from the Lord for several years, but now he is back ! We have been praying for more to go out with us. They were out today from around 10:00 am - 11:45. After preaching for a little, they witnessed as they walked for a few blocks down Louisville. Bro. David was able to share his testimony with a few men. I came out around 11:20 on my lunch. Bro. JJ preached for a little longer. I talked to Glenn, who was interested in coming to our church. A friend, who was in my wedding, stopped to talk when he saw me there. Bro. JJ and Bro. David gave out several tracts. Have you witnessed to someone today ? God Bless !
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:5,6

Roadblocks

I found a great definition of a roadblock. It is a barrier that is put up by the police or the military to catch a fugitive. God has his roadblocks. I remember when I ran into one.I was traveling life's highway, thinking that I had everything in control. I lived for myself, following hard after the world. Then one day I crashed. It seemed like the world pulled the rug from under my feet. God had a roadblock set up for me. I was running from Him, but He didn't give up on running after Me. People would try to witness to me, but I would just brush them off. There was a group of young people preaching and witnessing at my favorite club one night. I tried my best to avoid them. Then, on New Year's Eve 1992, I wrecked my truck after leaving that club. I was so drunk that I didn't know what had happened. I woke up at my friends apartment that morning around 10:00. I had to call the police department to find out where my truck was. I had hit a utility pole on a street corner, breaking it into. My truck was totaled. I had the front part of my hair dyed blonde. The police had found some of that hair in the windshield of the truck. The man who had towed my truck said that he hadn't seen many people walk away from an accident like that. Two months later, I was waiting on a customer at work in Shreveport. We were talking about our product when we started talking about Jesus and church. She asked me where I was going to church. I told her that I was trying to go back. She said " You are not doing anything . You better come back to Jesus now ! Those words spoke to me , making me think. God had a roadblock set up ! I got my dad's bible to read. I got saved at my apartment around March 15, 1993 ! What a change God had made in my life !
Three men that we have come in contact with through our street ministry have been arrested lately ! The first one has been arrested three times since we had a meeting with him. He is the one that caused Bro. J.J. To throw his shoes away on the first night we preached at the Tsunami. Another has been arrested twice. I gave a tract to a young man at Walmart. He looked like he would be the type not to take it, but he did and said that he was a member of a certain church. He was booked on a dwi charge this week. Some just try to go right through the roadblocks. I hope that your prayer is that God will use you in His plan to set up roadblocks for those who are fugitives from His mercy !