This is a story from 2012 that I felt was to be shared again.  A story of God’s saving grace, unfailing love and radical redemption.

Virgil and I were unloading the van when we looked up to the top of our driveway at Bridge of Hope, and there was a man who was violently jerking, shaking, stumbling, crying. It was if he had cerebral palsy, but we could tell by his eyes that it was drug related.  He yelled down to us, “Can you help me? I am a serious alcoholic and strung out on drugs. I am trying to get to detox, but can’t, don’t know where to go. Can you help me?” We went to him as he came to us. I asked if we could pray for him. He said yes as his body convulsed.  We laid our hands on him and with boldness and authority in the mighty name of Jesus, we commanded, “Every Spirit that does not worship the Lord Jesus Christ must leave. Release him in Jesus name. Let him go.” Suddenly, he looked up and fell straight over onto the gravel driveway. We did not realize that was going to happen so quickly and with such force, or we would of caught him. He layed there like a dead man. Virgil, stretched out over him, his hand on his head praying and travailing for him, I sat next to his head, with my hand on his heart, crying out to Jesus. He opened his eyes after a few moments, with a shocked look, he looked at his hands and his arms filled with sores, and said, “what did you do? what just happened? Look at me, I am not shaking. Who are you?” Tammy came out of the building and saw us all on the ground and began to pray. We just kept saying the name of Jesus. We told him to say, “Jesus.” He said, “Jesus!”  He laid still, as the peace of God then flooded his whole body. It was done!  We sat in the Lord’s presence, in awe of the deliverance that just took place. He kept looking at his arms, blown away that he was still and not shaking. We told him, “Jesus did this for you. He came to set the captives free!” We helped him up off the ground. Virgil and him hugged as Virgil said, “I was just like you. But Jesus set me free too. It is you and me brother.” Here a former admitted white supremacist embracing a African American, sobbing with thankfulness. The walls were down. Jesus took all that away. We gave him a chair and a glass of water. He said, “I feel fine. I have been so sick, vomiting all day, but now I feel fine. “He began to cry. His eyes searching to understand. I told him about Jesus. I pointed to what had just happened and explained,” that is our LORD and you can know him.” He stood up from his seat crying, with arms up to heaven as he repeated my words, asking Jesus to be Lord and savior of his life. He told us he could not read well, so we grabbed him a children’s Bible.  He  began to tell us how he ended up at Bridge of Hope. He was walking down the street, he heard a voice (which he says he hears voices all the time but they are not good ones) This voice said, “Go ask them for help.” He then saw as sign on our fence for a upcoming Christmas event. On the sign it said ALL ARE WELCOME. So, he decided to hope those words were true, and approach us. What a blessing, that we were there! That the gate was open and above all, that God is the great Shepherd. I told him, “See that is how much God loves you. Even when you were shooting up, wanting to die, dealing, stealing, lying, fighting, the Lord saw you and brought you to Salvation! That is our JESUS!! Just like the scripture says, “He came to set the captive FREE! Michael cried in amazement, as he could not deny the deliverance and healing that had just taken place in his body and mind.  He then got up and asked to help us load our van. Here the man could  barely walk minutes before, he is now wanting to work. Amazing!! He went in and out of tears as he would say, “I am o.k. Look at me!” We would continue to tell him about the radical love and power of Jesus.  Virgil took him to detox.
The next day, I was out delivering furniture to a new Afghanistan family when Tammy called and said, “Michael is here. They would not let him stay in detox. He came and was so excited to show us his Grandfather’s Bible that he had found. He has not had one withdrawal symptom (answer to prayer) He slept in the canyon last night to avoid going to his house (he is a dealer, a serious addict and all that goes along with that). He does not know where he will go.” I quickly hung up and called  Set Free San Diego, a Christian recovery program. They said they had a spot for him but I would need to get him there by 4:00 and no later.  I rushed back to Bridge of Hope and gave Michael a big hug. He looked great! Quiet, calm, FREE! We all held hands and prayed. I told him about the year long commitment at Set Free- 3 months of blackout in Delzura (no phone, TV, no visitors etc.) then onto the next two phases at Set Free in El Cajon. Are you willing? “Yes, I will go,” he said With only 30 minutes to spare before having to get on the road to make it by 4:00, he asked if he could go and get his clothes. We agreed as this was a test to see if he was truly ready.  He left. We all prayed for protection and nervously waited for his return. At 3:30, I heard Virgil yell. Tammy and I ran outside and there was Michael with his duffle bag. We grabbed him and thanked God for his return. Virgil, Michael and I all jumped in my truck and headed out to El Cajon. I began to tell him about Virgil and his testimony. I met Virgil in 2008, at the old Bridge of Hope building on 38th st. He was a walking dead man. Years of crack cocaine addiction. He was strung out, sick and tired. We prayed as he knelt on our driveway with his arms up to heaven, crying, wanting to come back home to Jesus. We told the beautiful love story of how Virgil was set free from drugs, and given his life back. That he is alive, when he should of been dead and all the details in between, and how he had just been honored as Usher of the Year with the Baptist Church and Volunteer of the Year at Bridge of Hope. Michael sat in the back seat sobbing as his heart was being touched again by the love and redemption of our Savior Jesus. We began to tell him of the Cross, the beatings, abuse and humiliation that Jesus took for him to be free. That there is no reason, no sin, that separates him from the Father. He sobbed and sobbed as he received truth about the radical love and grace of Jesus. He opened his Grandfather’s Bible to a card of verses that was in it. He began to read scriptures of deliverance to us! It was so beautiful. We arrived at 3:55 p.m. Just in time!!!! They greeted Michael and asked what brought him there. He did not go on and on about his drug and alcohol abuse, but shared the powerful testimony of how God spoke to him, touched him, and set him free, right on our driveway!!!  Virgil and I hugged him and said good-bye for now. He asked when we will see him again. We told him, “We are family now. You will see us.”