Divine Providence

When I was 16 years old I was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. There were many times around that same time of my life that I knew what it was to have a heart of worship.

After I graduated high school I started drinking, doing drugs, sleeping around, and all kinds of other things that went with that lifestyle.

Within two short years I was on a retained jurisdiction program with two felony convictions and over 21 misdemeanor convictions. I had gotten 3 formal disciplinary actions taken against me when I ended up getting a forth. A out that same time I received paperwork that four more felonies were being filed against me.

The main thing the courts wanted to see during this six month retained jurisdiction was that I was rehabilitative. All of my crimes were drug related, I was an I.V. drug user of meth, and so they wanted me to complete a 30 day inpatient class offered while I was incarcerated. I had to attend every class to pass.

My forth disciplinary write up landed me in the hole for 3 days. I went in on a Saturday, and wasn't supposed to get out until Tuesday. The substance abuse class started that Monday. I was going to miss two days of class. I was going to prison if I missed class.

The hole was right next to the Chapel, and I remember hearing the church service that night. I was 20 years old with no kids, no job, no plans, and nothing to lose. I had four new felonies I was facing, and I was about to fail my retained jurisdiction program. I was going to go to prison. I remember I started to sing with the service. I lifted my heart in surrender before my God, and I worshiped Him in complete submission. (I remember that surrendered feeling 11 years later when God determined it was time to reveal His Son in me.)

I went to sleep that night with tears of comfort and peace on my face. I knew God had me. I woke up at 7:30 the next morning to the sergeant opening the cell door. He looked at me and said "Better hurry up McDonald or you are going to be late for class". I looked at him in wonder.

I finished that class, came home and plead guilty to two of the four new felonies, and then was granted probation by all four of the district court judges even though I had four serious disciplinary write ups. Act of God.