The Author

Road to Jesus

John's happy childhood included academic success, playing with his big sister Margaret and family vacations with his parents. 

  • "I have been drawn to the faith since I was 10 years old, when an elementary school classmate, Mark invited me to his mom's after school Bible class."

When John's parents moved at the end of 5th grade to the the country, he didn't fit in, was bullied and developed obsessive compulsive disorder. A good student thru the 8th grade, he began to slip academically in high school, where he gave in to the pressures of life and began experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Little did he know that this destructive behavior would continue for the next 18 years. John quit attending church, studied eastern religions, and was fascinated by the power of belief. 

Entering university, John's drinking and using became more serious. 

  • "I needed to hide my drinking because no one seemed to approve of it, so I drank at odd times by myself, like in the morning before class."  

An aspiring alcoholic on a students budget, John became adept at crashing parties.

  • "The first time I swore off, I was a Junior and moved into a Christian fellowship house. Eventually drinking and wrecking my dad's car; it was the first, but not the last place I was asked to leave."

Dark forces were drawn to John. 

  • "I can count multiple times I received an unspoken invitation to join the dark side by people who were unknown to each other. A meeting of minds in power followed by a flash of a contractual agreement. However, I was just there to get high, and knew there was no safety in numbers. It didn't matter how many people rebel, a Holy God would condemn them all." 

Later, John realized he was putting out a signal that he wasn't happy with his circumstances, and wished to change his situation. 

Be careful what you wish for.

  • "My most vivid memory of an invitation to serve the devil happened in the woods north of Granville, with my, then friend, Jim. We both ate a large quantity of LSD. I experienced astral projection, where I was looking down at myself in ever changing clothing, and had a realization of my past lives, where I had been a witch in Atlantis. I knew it wasn't real, because we die once, and then face judgment. I never considered crossing a boundary where there was no way back, but I knew there was a seat waiting for me on that boat, if I choose to get on board. Jim and I knew each other's thoughts and shared each other's hallucinations." 

Something was about to happen, and John made a pointing gesture to heaven from his waist, and said, 

Instantly, John saw what he described as, 

The stakes got much higher as John realized the value of his soul. For a moment, he sat on a fence of indecision. He knew nothing could match the value of his soul, and that pleasure and fame couldn't easily be defined; he would get ripped off. 

  • "This was a hot sweaty day in August, and I remember when I called on the name of the Lord the insects began biting me. As my thoughts turned back toward darkness the biting insects flew away, and as I returned to the light the bugs began biting again. I discovered I was able to control their movement, and in a moment they were flying in tight circles."

This fence of indecision kept getting sharper and sharper and John knew he couldn't remain there long, he would fall off; to go to hell or to perhaps go insane. 

  • "Jim turned to me and said, what he practiced was white, but what I was doing was black."

Clearly, Jim could not understand the Holy Spirit that he had just recoiled from; his 'white' (magic) was really a dirty shade of grey. John was rescued and given insight, but was not ready to die to himself and develop a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ; essential steps to being filled with and lead by the Holy Spirit.

Refusing to serve the devil or God, John went home. A disappointment to himself and by then, many others. When he was a senior, John ripped off some drugs from a friend and got caught.

  • "I felt so ashamed about what I had done, and had bad dreams for a long time, but in the end I realized that I was only sorry I got caught. I dropped out of school and moved home." 

Though he went to church, and eventually completed his degree, John's sobriety only lasted few short months. His drinking and using continued for the next 9 years. John believed his addictions would stop if he had a car, a girl friend, or a nice place of his own, but all those things happened and, of course, his drinking and using continued. 

At the age of 33, John, by the grace of God, the help of his loving family, the police and the fellowship of other recovering people, got clean and sober. An important turning point. After 33 years of sobriety, John is praying for Jesus to quicken hearts, and draw all people to faith in Him. 

The Past, the Eternal Who Was