HOLYROLLERS

"Dear beloved, I’m writing to you on this day to a count the second most greatest story ever told. The testimony of how God has been there for us, and will continue to be with us for eternity. I was born September 4th,1990, Tampa Florida. During my mothers pregnancy, she fell with me in her womb, which made my toe get lodged in her hip. When I was born they had to yank my pinky toe out of my mothers hip. Needless to say, I’m fine but, my pinky toe is crooked. There is a lot of things I don’t really remember from my childhood, whether or not, it was trauma or just lack of memory, I don’t know. I knew I needed glasses in second grade. But God Was There Let’s jump to 1997-2000, my parents get a divorce and then remarry. This means my family went from just my blood sister and I, to now having 4 sisters and 3 brothers. My dad had 2 of my siblings (one being a bastard child from their affair) with his new wife (whom was a pastors wife of a prior marriage). Dad showed more attention to his new son than me. So needless to say I never realy fit in. But God Was There In 2001, I got saved and scripturally baptized, but there was no discipleship from the church members. My discipleship was from my Grandma Kay, she would take us to AWANA and that’s where I learned the foundation of Christ. But God Was There In 2005, my Grandma Kay went home with God. I didn’t know exactly how hard I would fall after that but I did, it wasn’t fast either it was a slow 20 years in the wilderness let me tell you. Hanging with the wrong people going to the wrong places. Saying and doing the wrong things. But God Was There But you see Satan likes us to be comfortable like frogs in a pot of water on a stove, but what you don’t know is he increases the temperature just so slightly you don’t even know your getting boiled alive. He’ll slowly tell you things like have a cigarette it’ll calm your nerves or get drunk take a load off. Treat woman like objects. Ect. In 2009, I got this idea to join the military because I looked at my life and I wasn’t going anywhere, plus a recruiter came to the school and basically was like got any plans for the next 4 years. Naturally, knowing my past, I was willing to change my future for the better. ”So I thought.” You see all my life I thought the government worshipped God, like “in God we trust”, pledges in schools and what not. The military was the ultimate deception for me. We would say God, Country, Corps before bed, I thought they loved Christ like Christ loves us. I thought dying for your country would be the ultimate sacrifice. Boy was I wrong. August 30th I placed my feet on the yellow foot prints for my 3 months of training to become a United States Marine, a month later I fall on my back from 20 feet causing 2 impingements to my lower back, which since then I’ve been in chronic pain. But God Was There In 2010, I find out my mom had cancer, I didn’t take it to well considering I was stationed in Japan and still in pain. So I began to drink to stop feeling, now I’ve drank before but, this was BAD. But God Was There In 2012 or so, my mom started to recover from the cancer, chemo and the radiation. They did however, have to take her inner thigh out, which makes it difficult for her to walk/stand for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world I’m becoming a depressed alcoholic in constant pain. In 2013, I get out of the military but my life just isn’t the same. I come back from doing 4 years service, my mom is in a wheelchair, and my sister is on meth married to a gang member. My nieces allegedly, got “touched” by the gang. My sister Lindsey didn’t take my grandma’s death to well either, Grandma was her hero, and this cancer thing with mom was the icing on the cake for her I guess. But God Was There I start to think, I just get a job and relationship, I’ll just stay busy and I won’t have to think about anything. Remember when I said Satan gradually turns up the heat? Well at this point it was about mid heat. In December 2015, I get a job working on planes, I get a truck, my girlfriend and I get pregnant, married and have our daughter all in that order. Sounds like the makings of a sweet country song right? My daughter was in the NICU for a couple of days because she has spherocytosis (her blood cells are beach balls not life preservers so the spleen dumps it lowering her hemoglobin. So, 1 month later I get laid off, the next month I get in a car accident, luckily it was my ex wife’s pt cruiser and not my truck. So no job, for 2 years, I’d get one, but I couldn’t keep it for long. But God Was There In June 2018 I get a job with a place working on planes in Duluth, MN. It wasn’t that bad but it was cold, I worked nights, and I lived alone. My ex said she’d move up there later with our daughter. Little did I know that this was the makings of a mentally unstable person. Satan had the pot on max. All I did was work and drink, work and drink. Then one day my ex calls me and wants to know if I’m cheating on her, I was but not with a female, I was cheating on her with alcohol. She said she wanted a divorce and I had no way of stopping it. But God Was There In December was my daughters 3rd birthday, I called my ex wife and asked to see/talk to our daughter to wish her a Happy birthday. My ex wife did not let me talk to our daughter, I cried and drank so much to the point I held a gun to my head and wanted to end it all, but then I just passed out. I woke up to the cops banging on my door coming to Baker act me. I was in a mental hospital for 3days and was let out on Christmas. But God Was There 1Corinthians 3:16-18 “ Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. Let no one deceive himself.” In April 2019, I moved back in with my parents (Mom and stepdad). And I have been living there ever since. But through all of this I just still wasn’t feeling complete. It wasn’t until a Pastor, (a regular guy just like you and I). He looked me in the eyes and with the most sincere voice, he told me he loved me and most importantly Jesus does too. It was at this time I knew what it was all about. James 5:19-20 “My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” But God Was There I’ve also been to a mental ward 4 times, and each time I get there, I realize Jesus is really all we need. Ephesians 6:12 “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Love Means Sacrifice. "

- Michael , St. Louis