Back Seat Preacher

The most compelling statements about God’s Amazing Grace are straight-forward and unedited, like Stevie Davis’ email to me, which I share with his permission.  

For those of us who might take for granted the power of God’s Love to heal the human heart, Stevie’s words convey the transforming power of the Divine Presence to provide hope to the hopeless and strength to the weak.  Theological sophistication and erudite religious explanations gratefully take a back seat to the beauty of words like these:

“i firmly beleive the day i stepped up to the front of highland and you said "are you ready to give it to god" was the day my life began changing. my clean date is aug 10 2009 and will not change come hell or high water. god working thru the program of narcotics anonymous combined with hbc has completely removed the desire to use and to be quite honest i havent struggled since i was 42 days clean. yesterday was 5 months and although it has not been along time i am a different person today. i am responsible and trusted and it feels better than anything i can remember. my hvac books will be in this week and i have set may 26 as my goal to have my ky hvac liscense and be down to 250 again. 

“everyday before the sun comes up i am on my knees on the 7th floor of the y asking god to give me the strength to walk thru another day and do everything i can do to be a better person. remember i am the guy who came here to go to detox and treatment and was denied both. but god knew my heart and knew i wanted a better life and he carried me. 

“i put a bottle in the trashcan at nashville with 600 in my pocket and walked out the front door to go get high and something said wait till you get to louisville. i got off the bus and was immediatley approached but during my bus ride from nash to lou my twisted mind became willing to fight the dealers and the devil himself. and five months later i cry out of joy everytime i think about how god has carried me thru. when the healing place denied me god said fight. when jadac told me i exceeded the insurance companys weight limit and denied me i walked out the front door and looked to the sky and wanted to pray but was too ashamed. god knew my heart and carried me anyway. when i thought i was getting a job and found out that i could not even get a chance from the people who are supposed to be in the business of second chances god said keep walking and dont give in. 

“i know i cry alot and some people dont understand but what i am here to tell you is that hatred and anger have been replaced by love and a faith that is so much deeper than i could ever express. god and only god has saved my life. and i will not return from where he has brought me.”

Preach it, brother.  And don’t stop.