It’s all a true story. I was 16 years old. I had taken enough hallucinogenic drugs for 30 people. And I thought I was losing my mind. It was one in the morning. I was in the neighborhood where I grew up. I was sitting by the side of the road then I said, “I’m burning in hell!” I thought this is just terrible! I felt like I was thought I was losing my mind, all these drugs in my system. Way too much for a human being to take. And I decided I’m going to end it all. I’m going to do like they do in the movies. I’m going to jump out in the road and I’m going to throw myself in front of a car. And I’m going to end it.
So I saw a car coming around the corner. I jumped out in front of the car, threw my hands in the air. The car came to a screeching halt! It was my parents. Someone had seen me on the road. They got worried. They went and told my parents what was going on. My parents were looking for me. If not for them being the ones coming around that corner I wouldn’t be here telling you my story more than 46 years later.
You say, “But, weren’t you a good Jewish kid?” Yeah! My dad was the senior lawyer in the New York Supreme Court, Bar Mitzvah’d 13 years old. I was basically a good normal kid, playing sports with my friends, going to school, but, you know the big event for me when I was 13? It wasn’t my Bar Mitzvah, I have to be honest. The big event for me, I saw Jimi Hendrix in concert! Yeah, I went to the rock concerts. I was playing drums in a rock band. I had long hair. I was a hippie kid and it was the whole culture of the 60s and break all the rules. And I wanted to be like these rock stars so I started smoking pot, one thing lead to another before you knew it, I was doing heavy drugs.
Before you knew it I was doing so many drugs that became my nickname: drug bear, iron man. Because I could do more drugs than anybody. Well this night I took too many. But, you know, the next day I thought look at me. I did it. I survived. Look at how much drugs I can take and live to talk about it. But I had friends who were praying for me. They’d had a new spiritual experience. They had come to know God personally. This one called Jesus, Yeshu, Yeshua. He had radically changed their lives and they started praying for me and God started to work in my life. I didn’t want to change. I liked the lifestyle I was leading. I wanted to be a rock star, I wanted to be a drummer. I wanted to get high.
But God showed me I was sinning against Him. And God showed me that Jesus died to take my place. And when I cried out to Yeshua, when I asked God to forgive me, he set me free. December 17th, 1971. I said I will never put a needle in my arm again and from that day on I’ve been free. Oh, not just that, my whole life is changed, filled with joy, filled with love. I know God personally. I live 24/7 without guilt, without shame. That’s what Jesus, Yeshua, did in my life. He wants to do the same for you. If you’ll ask God to change you. He’ll meet you. He’ll have mercy on you. He’ll give you a new heart.
