“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered”
Psalm 32:1 ESV
Today I had the opportunity to share my story of redemption during our Saturday afternoon's Spanish worship service in the chapel…
Psalm 32:1 ESV
Today I had the opportunity to share my story of redemption during our Saturday afternoon's Spanish worship service in the chapel…
With about twenty men present, I stood in the pulpit alongside my translator and shared an abbreviated version of my story of God's forgiveness. Many were hearing it for the first time.
I spoke for almost twenty minutes, talking about my growing up in New York City. I was, for the most part, a wild and rebellious kid, as well as a poor student who could not sit still in class. I was your typical “problem child.” And as time went on, my parents would see just how serious my emotional and behavioral issues were. I was a challenge for them, and I put them through much grief and heartache. Yet their love for me, their only child, never ceased.
Yet I made it to adulthood. I graduated high school, just barely. I joined the Army right after my eighteenth birthday. I served my country for three years and was honorably discharged. I found work and tried to make a life for myself. But unfortunately, the bottom dropped out. My mind slipped into demonic madness. Innocent lives were lost, and I ended up in prison with a life sentence.
And now, after being locked up for forty-eight years, I am better able to look back over my life with a combination of regret and remorse for my crimes, and for the tragic loss of innocent lives. In my then deluded state of mind, the killings were meant to be human sacrifices for Satan, and for a high-ranking demon by the name of Samhain, the chief deity of the Druids. I was convinced these beings wanted innocent blood. Sadly, I was deceived.
I also spoke about everything from riding my bicycle recklessly through traffic where I had some close calls, to running across rooftops as an adventurous adolescent. I also battled thoughts of suicide throughout my childhood and teenage years. I had a “death wish,” but was oblivious to it back then.
Then in 1977, I had guns pointed at me from every direction, when I was arrested. And later in 1979 my throat was slashed open by another prisoner when I was housed at the infamous Attica Prison.
I concluded my talk by explaining how it came about that I would eventually end up repenting of my sins, and placing my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How it was the best decision I ever made. “My life was like a wild adventure,” I told the men. But it was also a life of “pain, shame, and regret.” At times, it was a nightmare.
I then shared what my life is like today. It's one of peace and joy in the Lord, mingled with the daily hardships of prison life, which the Lord always allows me to overcome by faith.
Finally, I ended my testimony by giving my personal rendition of one of my favorite verses in the Scriptures. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, in God's eyes He has become a new creation. His old life of sin and crime, and rebellion, has been washed away. And now a new life has begun with Jesus as his Savior and Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
D.B.
I spoke for almost twenty minutes, talking about my growing up in New York City. I was, for the most part, a wild and rebellious kid, as well as a poor student who could not sit still in class. I was your typical “problem child.” And as time went on, my parents would see just how serious my emotional and behavioral issues were. I was a challenge for them, and I put them through much grief and heartache. Yet their love for me, their only child, never ceased.
Yet I made it to adulthood. I graduated high school, just barely. I joined the Army right after my eighteenth birthday. I served my country for three years and was honorably discharged. I found work and tried to make a life for myself. But unfortunately, the bottom dropped out. My mind slipped into demonic madness. Innocent lives were lost, and I ended up in prison with a life sentence.
And now, after being locked up for forty-eight years, I am better able to look back over my life with a combination of regret and remorse for my crimes, and for the tragic loss of innocent lives. In my then deluded state of mind, the killings were meant to be human sacrifices for Satan, and for a high-ranking demon by the name of Samhain, the chief deity of the Druids. I was convinced these beings wanted innocent blood. Sadly, I was deceived.
I also spoke about everything from riding my bicycle recklessly through traffic where I had some close calls, to running across rooftops as an adventurous adolescent. I also battled thoughts of suicide throughout my childhood and teenage years. I had a “death wish,” but was oblivious to it back then.
Then in 1977, I had guns pointed at me from every direction, when I was arrested. And later in 1979 my throat was slashed open by another prisoner when I was housed at the infamous Attica Prison.
I concluded my talk by explaining how it came about that I would eventually end up repenting of my sins, and placing my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How it was the best decision I ever made. “My life was like a wild adventure,” I told the men. But it was also a life of “pain, shame, and regret.” At times, it was a nightmare.
I then shared what my life is like today. It's one of peace and joy in the Lord, mingled with the daily hardships of prison life, which the Lord always allows me to overcome by faith.
Finally, I ended my testimony by giving my personal rendition of one of my favorite verses in the Scriptures. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, in God's eyes He has become a new creation. His old life of sin and crime, and rebellion, has been washed away. And now a new life has begun with Jesus as his Savior and Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
D.B.