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Hope
I have a very long criminal record from in and out of the county jail. I have been to prison twice. I was in jail and I kinda looked in the mirror and it was like the spirit of God said; “ Is this who you want Matthew Thompso...
Really, I wanted to die. I was doing all the things that were killing me anyway. I had so much pain, hurt, and hatred I didn’t know how to process any of it.
I couldn’t find enough drugs to make me happy. I couldn’t find enough alcohol to make me happy. I couldn’t find enough women to make me happy. I had all the money I wanted. I just couldn’t find happiness.
Then they gang raped me. I came close to dying that night.
I didn’t realize that I was chosen until recently, really. When I really learned what it meant to be adopted into God’s family I made the connection of how much my parents really chose me and wanted me.
We have a phrase in Spanish that translates in English as, “If you live by the sword, you will most likely die by the sword.”, or, it could be “...you will die by the gun.”, whichever is your weapon of choice.
I never went to church, so my parents never offered to wake me up. I woke up that morning with such a peace. Something had changed overnight. The feeling of loneliness was gone.
By the time I got to the jail I was already ready to hear the gospel. I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know who. I didn’t know about this whole thing of being born again. I had heard about it, but I had never really inquir...
I used to break into cars quite a bit. Steal radios, speakers, walk out of Lowes with baskets full of chain saws, carts full of chain saws, just crazy things because I could get dope for them. I had to have my dope to keep go...
I had gotten so far down I was eating out of a garbage can. A pastor came to the campsite where I was living and said, ‘Would you like to go to church today?’ I said, “Well, not particularly, not really.” When he said, “We're...