Faith without works is dead
20 years ago I was a broken man, addicted to methamphetamines and hopelessly alcoholic. In jail again for my 10th DUI I was to be sent to prison. I was 30 years old and had estranged everyone from me in my life. As I stared into the piece of tin that serves as a jail house mirror I suddenly realized that I no longer knew this person staring back at me. I got on my knees, and said the only prayer I could at the time, “God help me.”
Things began to change immediately. My cellmate kept inviting me to the AA meetings and until that day I never wanted to attend. The meeting started with a very short man who was not in jail jumping up on a table and shouting, “If you guys keep on doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting!” It was the shortest AA meeting I have ever attended because that was all I heard. I began reading the AA Big Book, and attending the meetings along with the Christian Overcomers Outreach program.
After a few weeks, I went for my prison sentencing, but my Public Defender did not show up. 2 weeks later I went again to be sentenced and the Prosecutor did not show up. It would be 6 more weeks in the jail before I would be sentenced to prison. I stayed active in AA and in the Christian fellowship. When I finally went to court to be sentenced, there was a different judge on the bench and he shared a letter that was written on my behalf by an anonymous member of AA telling him I was changing and asking him to give me a chance at a rehab program instead of prison. The judge stopped the sentencing and asked me if I would like to spend 6 months at the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Sacramento. I knew that God had heard my cry for help and that I needed to keep following Him!
I willingly went to the Salvation Army. They loved me until I could learn to love myself. I threw myself into learning about God and became active in AA and in serving the homeless and addicted. I entered their Adjutant Program and earned my Pastoral certificate. I was awarded a scholarship to go back to college and got my Human Services as well as my CADC counseling certificates for drugs and alcohol. I began running the Phase 1 recovery programs for Salvation Army and helped to manage the homeless shelter. Through my quest for lasting sobriety in AA I met my beautiful angel Tami, who allowed this strange man with a pony tail who worked at the homeless shelter and rode a bicycle to fall in love with her and eventually marry her.
For the past 20 years I have lived one day at a time looking to serve and help. God saved me from alcoholism and addiction and taught me to be free through serving others. This Saturday, December 17, I am going back to Salvation Army in Sacramento to personally thank them for saving my life and to share my experience, strength and hope with others. I will be celebrating 20 blessed years of sobriety and receiving a 20 year chip at the AA meeting I used to attend.
I believe in and truly try to live what the Bible promises that it is through giving to others that we receive. God has given me more than I ever deserved. The Big Book has taught me that Faith without works is dead. The least I can do is to try daily to pay Him back through serving others. Thanks to my volunteer position as Director of Care and Support Services at Mountain Park Community Church, I get the opportunity continue to grow and deepen my faith in Jesus as I help others daily! Thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank God for the Salvation Army and Alcoholics Anonymous!
