You may be asking who I am and what qualifies me to bring you this offer of a free gift. Well, it's a long story but to make it brief, I received the gift of Salvation when I was 13 years old. It was at a crusade here in my home town that I realized that I was a sinner and needed God to forgive me of my sins. I'd like to tell you I've lived a perfect life ever since. But that wouldn't be the truth, Far from it...
Unfortunately my dad died in a boating accident when I was 11. I grew up with a serious misconception of what it meant to be a man. I made many wrong choices about the things I got involved in and things I did. The first time I had used drugs was the day my grandmother died of a heart attack... I've always felt that the two were somehow related.
I began drinking at about 16 and spent much of my last year in high school either drunk or high. After high school, not feeling like college was the place for me, I joined the Army, there I experimented with drugs and continued drinking.
In May of 1982 I married a beautiful lady I'd known and dated in high school, and surprisingly she's been with me ever since. We had our first child in July of 87, a beautiful and healthy daughter, who captured my heart from the moment I laid eyes on her. By this time I'd at least gathered enough sense to give up drugs, though I was still drinking heavily. Our second child was born in Feb. of 1989, a son who perfectly rounded out our family. Unfortunately complications soon arose in his health, and within five days of his birth he was back in the hospital fighting for his life.
Spending many days at the hospital at my sons bedside, and wondering if he was going to make it, I found myself drawn to the chapel regularly to pray and ask God to heal my son. Things kept looking bad, the doctors weren't sure what was wrong and he wasn't getting better. Once again I found myself in the chapel, but this time something was different. I didn't ask God to heal my son, but instead offered myself and my son to God. I told God that regardless of the outcome that I was rededicating my life to Him and would serve Him the rest of my life. That moment seemed like the turning point in our sons health. Within a few days he went home with us again. Now, he's a healthy 9 year old, he's got a slight case of cerebral palsy, and a scar on his left ankle that will always remind me of his rough beginning. It's amazing the love God has for us and the length he'll let us go to before he gives up on us.
I see the whole ordeal with our son as the direct results of my sins against God and am grateful that he was able to use it to turn my life around.