Rebirth

The year was 2000. I had just spent 3 years at a low-paying, dead-end job and equally as much time in an increasingly destructive relationship. At this point I was chain-smoking cigarettes, smoking as much weed and drinking as much alcohol as I could afford...I was rarely sober! This was all due to my feeling that I had hit rock-bottom. Things hadn't work out as I'd planned. Actually... I never really had a plan. I dropped out of high school several years before and I never had any real skills. I am an artist and I draw pretty well, but I never truly pursued a career in art.

So there I was, working in a supermarket deli when I met a "man of God". I didn't know it at first, but the new guy they just hired for the seafood department would eventually change my life. His name was David, I called him Dave. He was quiet and unassuming. I was loud and boisterous (mostly due to the liquor). We worked side-by-side and eventually got pretty well acquainted. One day he asked me if I was "saved", I wasn't sure exactly what that meant but whatever it was, I knew it didn't apply to me. He was aware of my lifestyle and made it clear he didn't approve, though he never judged me. 

The question sparked a debate that actually lasted for several days and got a little heated at one point. He was strong in his convictions and beliefs and I was a man of science, determined to prove him wrong. He tried to convince me that I should give my life over to Christ, but I just kept refusing. After several days of going back and forth he finally said something to me that made sense: "Try it, what's it gonna hurt. If it doesn't work, no harm done. Just keep living your life as you have been. But if it does work...".

A couple of weeks later things got really bad for me. I was fighting with my girlfriend on a daily basis now. I was working less hours and making less money but I was drinking more than ever. I was trying to avoid dealing with the depression that was slowly overtaking me, but this time I couldn't. I was walking to the train station on my way home from work when it hit me..."Try it, what's it gonna hurt". 

Genesis

In the beginning I was unaware...I knew nothing of God. I spent the majority of my life with no true belief of the spiritual realm. I had no knowledge of the Bible and no real interest in learning it. This was probably due to a number of things, but mostly I felt like the stories of the Bible were pure fantasy and I couldn't believe anything I heard. On top of that, most of the people that I knew who were "religious" always seemed to be sick and broke and miserable. I didn't see any benefit in religious worship. In fact, it seemed odd to me that these people that talked about righteousness all the time were so corrupt and immoral. It certainly didn't help that every other month some priest/reverend/pastor was being exposed as a fraud. The whole thing seemed like a big scam to brainwash people and take their money. I wanted no part of this. I made up my mind that I was nobody's fool and I was not going to participate.