Brother Richard:
Thank's for the request from you to share my personal testomony:
I was born August 29 th out of wed-lock in Center Ala. in a lottle old country town at a clinic there.
No disrespect to my Mother, Her Father was a Pastor of a Church in Gailsville Ala. and would not allow my Mon to date the Man she loved so have to date a man that was in church there where my Grandfather Preached.
The very first time my Mom went out with him she was raped and there I was. But to no surprise to God i came into this world for what purpose ? For a year to year and a half we lived with my Grandfather in Center. My Mon meet another man for Atlanta Ga. that was in the service. Thay begain to date but before thay could He had to go to church with Mom at my Grandfather's Church and did.
This man begain to be very good to me and to my Mon in the begaining and shortly latter my Grandfather Married them. When He got out of the service we moved to Atlanta, i was around 3 years old at that time. Everyone was hopeing for the best but to my surprise thing's begain to get very bad for me. My Mon concived again a gave birth to my 1 st sister. She was born with a bad heart and lived allmost a year. I remimber at 4 laying Her to rest and then thing's begain to get very bad for me. He bagain to drink even more than before and as He did i begain to suffer for His action's. He begain to curse me and beat me for no reason as the best that i could remimber. He and Mom would get into fight's from time to time and Mom and i moved back to Ala. He promised Mom that he would stop drinking and adopted me so we moved back to Atlanta.
I was 5 and my Mon needed to enroll me in school and went ahead and listed me under His name. We were very poor and of course i was very week, i was sick alot the first year of school and had to repeat the first year all over again. He begain to call me name's and tell me how stuped i was. He was a mechanic and had to bring car's and truck's home to work on them for extra money, I remimber have to help Him clean part's and when i did'nt do them just right He would slape me around and call me name's.
We lost our house in Decator and had to move to College Park, He was very bitter and begain to back-hand me across my face. I would have to go to school with black eye's and busted lip's. It was'nt enought for Him to be abouseiff to me but even the kid at school would begain to pick fight's with me and beat me up.
Every year when school was out thay would send be back to my Grandfather's for the summer. That was a very big releaf for me to say the less and have a chance to get away form His abouse. I was around 11 to 12 year's old and My uncle's would begain to teach me how to fight. At 13 i beagin to take marshelatr's in College Park, my instrector was very good and begain to take me under his wing and give me lesson for free. He would allow me to come into other classes and spar with upper belt's. I was young and fast and begaining to get very strong. My hole life begain to change,I was begaining to be able to take care of my self. At 15 my Mon enrolled me in high school, Yes the bullies from my other school was there as well but odes were some what in my favor. I could'nt beat them up but could hold my own with them.
Another year turned and more training under my belt, i return back to school and kick butt and take name's. After another year of training i begain to take revinge on not just one of the guy's but all of them one by one. By the time i got to Sr. High i was allow my temper to get the best of me and i did'nt care if i hurt someone else or not.
I was tired of being hurt by other,. My fighting was getting out of had and i wa expelled form school and thay would not allow me to return the folling year. We had to sale our house and move to McDonough.
Yes You gussed it ! the very first day i got expelled from school before the very first class. Thing's begain to get worse and worse that same year after i stuck one guy's face in the wall and another guy's head thrue a gless windo. Yep kicked out of school and on the way to jail for the first time. Thing's begain to get even worse after that.
Bad new's travel's fast, other guy's from other school's and from other town's begain to come looking for me and as you can guss it i did'nt turn them away at lease untill thay recived something thay did'nt expect ! And becouse of that i was blessed with more time in country hotel with free room and bord. Thing's were so bad there i even fought my way out of there when the other jail mate's wonted a peace of the rock, i gave it to them.
One of my uncle in Atlanta Paid me to come up there and take care of a guy that would not leave his douther alone and after that other's would do the same. I begain to get paid large sum's of money to take care of other people's dirty work. but i did'nt care. I was one of the fue guy that drove a car but not only a car but a new car to school.
I made it thrue school but it was'nt becouse of my passing grade's ( I think thay were glad to get ride of me ) I went thrue school not knowing how to read, made it by the skin of my teath, had to do extra thing's to get credit and even go to summer school to pass. You see I was told all my like that i was stupid and i belived it, but was good with what i did with my hand's my feet and my head if you understand what i'm trying to say.
I had begain to drink very heavy and even tamper with drug's, I drank so bad i became an alkee. I never intended to go that far but before i know what hit me i was an alcohalic
I meet a girl my last year of school and fell in love, i had tryed to quiet drinking but was not able to stop completly. She invited me to go to Church with Her so I did.
I had gotten into drag raceing and was doing very well at it, so i want to the strip instead of Church. The track was closed for 3 week so i had promised her that i would go with her to Church someday so i did. I have allway's been a man of my word and i did promise i would some day so there i was. For 3 week's i went in and lisson to the preaching. at the end of all 3 Sunday morning service's thay would give an invotation. Something was stering in my spirit but i did'nt know what it was. after Church we would go to Her family's house for lunch and Her mon would ask me all type's of question's about each service. The food was great but all i wonted to do was eat and get out of there.
The 4 th Sunday the track opened back up and there i was running my car. It was on a Sunday Jan 31 st 1971, every thing was going wrong, the car was'nt running as well as it had in the past, i left my slick at home and did'nt have any to drink if you know what i mean. I reminber sitting around with all my other friend and all thay could do was rage me about my car not doing so well, thay keep telling to relax and have a drink. but it had been 4 week and no alcohal and to be honest it felt good but down inside i was craving a drink. i told myself i could do it and i did. it was one of the hardest thing i had ever done not to drink.
That same afternoon after the track i went by Her house, havent eaten all day and getting hungey let there and went up town to get something before going home. as i went around the square there was some friend there so i pulled in and talked to them. As we were sitting there my sister and her boy friend came around waved and road on. I pulled out a fue min.'s latter to go get something to eat and go home.
At 9:20 i pulled away from the square leaving my friend behind, around 9:25 pm I came up behind a black car going very slow, when i got a chance to pass i did. The other car speeded up and so did i. I passed the car but a very high rate of speed. When i pulled over in front my car fished tailed. I could see light's on the bank ahead, there way another auto comming around the curve at me. I was going to fast for the curve with another car comming my way. I did'nt wont to hit the oncomming auto so i fully excelorated and headed for the bank. I could tell i cleared the oncomming auto and then all hell broke loose. As i hit the bank everything got dark, I could see but i knew what was going on, I could fill my car as it begain to roll end over end and then a very hard hit and then side over side. As the car came to rest i was faceing the street and the car was on fire. I was traped in the car, my right foot under the driverseat and my right hand mashed between the dash and console. The hole left side of the car was riped off. All I could think of was the car's on fire, I'm traped and I'm going to die and burn even before i get to Hell !
Buy the Grace Of God I was able to brake free and pull myself from the burning car out the side of the car where the driver door use to be onto the groung into the gas and oil from the wreckage and pull myself ith my upper body across the ditch into the edge of the street. At that time i did'nt know anything was going on, it was very dark i had cut down a telephone lite pole in the crash. By that time another auto was comming at me and almost ranover me there in the street, I layed my head back down on the street and expected to be ran over. Once again by the Grace of God the auto suddly cut around me and as thay did'nt I could see that the two car's that i had passed had rain into eachother it seemed to be headon. I could see very clearly with all the blood in my eye's but i could see there was another wreck. Still not knowing who was in the other auto's thay were able to get me loaded up and off to the hospital. Before my Mon could get there thay were trying to keep me alive. Some of my faimly begain to show up at the hospital and the doctor's were trying to get them to allow the hospital to cut off my right leg in order to save my life. I had lost so mutch blood and was still looseing more. for hour's thay worked on me trying to get me to a stable point. I had recived over 1400 stiches and over 140 broken boan's both my feet and leg's crushed and about to die. I was so druged up in the hospital thay said i was laffing. I could'nt remimber a lot but it seemed as thow my family was up set and mad with me and i could'nt understand why thay were there if that were mad at me. Once the hospital was able to get me stable thay allow my cousin to come in and she asked me if i knew who she was. then then begain to tell me what she knew about the wreck, she also begain to tell me there were some people killed in the wreck, She begain to ask me if she could tell me something and begain to do so. With tear's in her eye's my cousing begain to tell me that my sister was in one of the other car's. Where is She ? Is She here ? then the answer came ( no Shes did'nt make it ) I begain to cry of to the top of my voice, I begain to pull all the tub's out of my body, I begain to try to get up, I begain to fight but there was nothing i could do. 3 people lost there life that nite and i beged that it had been me insteed of them. I begain to curse God and ask why God why my sister ? She was a good girl She was saves, She loved you. over and over i cryed out and then hour's latter my Mon came in. O my God She looked like death as my family helped Her to the bed side. The doctor's begain to tell Her that she need to sign to have my leg remove, No She screemed back to them. The doctor told Mon that I would never be able to us it ever again. Mon scremed back again " You Don't Know My Son " he's not a quiter, he never give up. do what you can and I have Him moved to another hospital but you will not cut My Son's Leg Off !
No: I have nevered given up before but that was one time a begged my Mon to let me die. I spent the next 3 mo.'s in the bed flat of my back and 2 1/2 mo's in a wheel chair and then 1 1/2 to 2 mo's on walking stick's. We had severial call come to the house telling us that i was going to pay, my life was throuthen and our home was as well and thay were going to burn it to the gouund with me in it. My Mon sent me out of state to protect me from all the call's untill She could get thing's undercontrol.
Not only did i loose my sister, the one who loved me if anybody ever did i losssed my home as well and my family. Over and over I wished i was dead. Did'nt have any reason to live anylonger. My Aint could see the depression i was in and invited my to go to Church with Her one Sunday nite. As i set there in all my pity and wonting to die, i do not remimber a what the message was about, all i could fill was that same tug on my heart i felt 3 time's before. When the Pracher gave the invotaction i grabed my walking stick's picked myself up and made my way to the center I'll. As i make the very first step to the alter with teared filled eye's thay say i never used the stick's anymore, thay say taht when i fell down at the alter and begain to cryout and beg God to forgive me i was confessing thing's thing's that cleared out over half the church.
God forgave me and wright there He Saved Me.
A fue week latter i was able to return home, back to the same house i shared with my Sister. It was still hard for me, I could hear Him and my Mon off in another room with Him telling her that it all my falt. if it was'nt for me that thay would still have there Douther. That went on over and over and over. I could'nt waite to get out of there eventhow i was unable to take care of my self.
My Gril friend was in a bad invirment as well, Her Dad was an alkee as well and beat Her Mon. We got married and moved out, we got involed in Church, we begain to sing togather and people would ask us to come all over the southern state's to sing. A couple of year's i felt the call to preach. being i could'nt read that well and did'nt know that mutch about the Bible our Pastor got me into a Bible College and for 3 yr's I worked 10 to 12 hr's day's and went to school 3 to 4 knight's a week. Fail every calss for 3 yr's and begain to ask God : What am I doing here. I passed 1 subject the hole time i was in school. Evangelisom the only class out of 3 year's.
We traveled allarounf preaching and singing for 12 yr's than was asked to be a youth minister at a Church near Porterdale. After 3 yr's service there my Wife and i had some problem. We spent too mutch time with the paster there. Traveling around at revial's and vacation's too. when I could'nt go due to work thay would. She fell in love with Him, She left me and He left His Wife and I was esscorted out the door when i went there to expose them. thay then had me put out of my house and took away my son. could'nt win for loosing but would give up. Shortly after we devorced, i bought my house back from Her ( or them ) and they build a new house next door to me.
Boy I was so mad I tryed 3 time's to kill Him but God would'nt allow me to complete the job.
I got out of Church alltogather and begain to get back into drinking. begain to run the bar's, meet the wemon and do the drug's, I drank so mutch it ate my stomic liner up and almost died. Thay had to take 1/2 my stomick away, then i could'nt drink so i got deeper into drug's till one nite after 3 day's of coke my vessel's gave way in my nose and almost bleed todeath on the was to the Hospital. where thay patched me up and after 12 yr's of being away from the lord and hated every day i lived i way going to take my own like and give up this wourld here below. One more time God's Love and Mericy came over me and i asked my God to for give me.
I do not pratice any type of Church name ,I try to live Salvaction. to live every day as thow it is my last day here on earth for no man or woman is promised tomarrow.
Not here anyway. I find my self living each day to my fullest, and even lately have once been hurt but not stoped by another ministry. I said that to say this. People are inportent, But God is First, We need the Church to drow hope for tomarrow, We need to fellowship to drow stright and encurragement one to another, we need out reach to help other in time of need regardless of how you think or fill about them. Not everybody won't to except someone like me but there are people who do. Judge not less you be judge, You who is with out sin cast the first store. If you find a perfect church stay out of it are you'll mess it up.
God Loves You wright where you are at, so mutch He sent His ONLY SON JESUS to pay the surprime price for our sin's
Jesus Love's you so mutch He Gave His Life Just For Your, Where ever you are or where ever you've been, He's there for you
( If ) God can change some one like me ! Just think of what He can do for You, If you will just ask Him
Yes: I find myself haveing to die daily and repent of my wrong and ask forgivness from my Father.
and work daily on my own salvation thrue God Word
I Praise God I'm still here becouse even if you don't like me and not everyone will. The most inporent thing is He Love's Me
There is no name attached to this other than His Name
Prince of Piece King of King's Lord of Lord's
Abba Father, Counserler, The Begaining and the End
Alfo and Amago Johova, Jiria Jesus
the people asked who sent You
He answered and said
" I AM " sent Me
Here I am! Where are You ?
