Get High on Life

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 17, 1999

By Harold Keller / L’Observateur / Febuary 17, 1999

In October 1995, as we were closing our regular Saturday night meeting at Fontainebleau Treatment Center, I asked who was going to lead us in the Lord’s Prayer. A young black man, with no front teeth, answered, “The HolySpirit wants me to sing the ‘Our Father.'” Sarcastically, I asked, “Can yousing?” Just as sarcastic as I was when I asked the question, he answered, “The Holy Spirit wouldn’t ask me to sing if I couldn’t!” He sang and sang, he did, as I had never heard before. Jesse was his name.We got to be friends and when he was discharged from the treatment center, he needed a place to go, so I directed him to Teen Challenge in Hot Springs, Ark.

Saturday, I received a letter from Jesse with a picture of himself, smiling. On the back of the picture he wrote, “God even blessed me withteeth!” (Smile) He also shared his testimony and gave me permission to publish it.

Jesse’s Testimony On Oct. 24, 1995, after spending another Friday sin-spent pay day, just asGod suddenly spoke to Saul on the way to Damascus, God spoke to me, saying, “Enough of your foolishness.” God asked me to go and accept thehelp that had been presented to me numerous times before through the anonymous program of AA. Truly, I was sick and tired of being sick andtired. I had spent 22 years out of which was then 37 years living as afunctional addict and alcoholic, but sinking fast.

God had blessed me with a Christian background, being raised by two wonderful parents who did nothing less than shower me with God’s agape love. Dad is an ordained minister, while mother did constantly pulverizeme with Scripture.

My drug use started in a suburb of Chicago, Ill., called Palatine. Evenbefore using drugs at the age of 11, I was living in sin and stealing money from my mothers’ purse, because I could not and would not accept a “no” when she refused me money.

Being the only child and having a father who taught school and a social worker for a mother, I wanted for nothing. Now, as I look back, I know thatI wasn’t happy with who I was, when all the time God was calling me to be myself in Him, created in His image. (Gen. 1:26)I broke my leg three times and once was hit by a truck and told I would never walk again, but God had other plans. I thought about suicide severaltimes.

My road to recovery started in a detox center in Pineville, La. I thank Godfor directing me to this center and then to Fontainebleau Treatment Cente for four months.

Upon completion of the four-month program, it was arranged for me to go to a Christian program called Teen Challenge in Hot Springs, Ark. I stayedthere four months and then went to the second phase of the program for 10 months in Cape Girardeau, Mo. I then chose to go to the beautiful city ofJacksonville, Fla. for 12 months of training for full-time ministry ofpreaching, teaching and counseling others.

Today, I am in the country town of Bonifay, Fla. on a 100-acre farm,preaching, teaching and counseling young men between the ages of 13 to 17.

It’s amazing. Here I am, a 40-year-old young man (smile) who, four yearsago, hung out in vacant houses and buildings sucking on a crack pipe as I searched for any young or old maiden to have ungodly sex with.

Whoever is reading this and says that they do not believe in God, take more inventory using my testimony. It is real, therefore, I tell you that the GodI serve is very real. He walks with me, talks with me, and tells me that Iam His own. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! I suggest that ifyou have problems, try God. He is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34).What He’s done for me, He’ll do for you.

May God bless you! Sincerely, with God’s agape love, Jesse Currin

Harold Keller is a regular columnist for L’Observateur

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