My name is Tom Law

          and this is my story....

I believe musicians write lyrics that define periods of their lives. The following lyrics sum up my life at young age, "I found the simple life ain't so simple. When I jumped out on that road I got no love, no love you'd call real. Ain't got nobody waiting at home. Runnin' with the devil."

I was only 12 years old and in seventh grade when I first felt the void inside of me. I began to try to fill this void. Yes, I went to church and I listened to what I was taught. But I felt no one understood me.
 
I set out to find peace but came to my first road block. A road block is like walking up to an intersection where you are forced to make a choice. What lies beyond the road block is a path that can be traveled but is going to be much more difficult. The detour is a clear path but appears to take you way out of the way. Despite the DO NOT ENTER warning, I chose to go over the road block for a short-cut. It was easy to jump but I encountered a few bumps during my journey.

I was on a mission to fill the void to and to fill now. Girls and substance abuse - Wow - I thought I had found the answer. In a very short period of time, the temporary pleasure from the substance abuse was gone as well as any feelings of peace. The addiction cycle began. It became harder and harder to achieve the same high that I felt the first time I drank a six-pack of beer. So down the road I traveled – thinking I would find the answer around one more bend.

Bend after bend, the new road blocks became harder to climb. With different kinds of drugs and more alcohol, the drug-induced highs required heavier doses. When my mind cleared, the feelings of guilt became more intense. I began to drink every day. The battle inside was beginning to rage. I was becoming more confused. More roadblocks, tougher climbs - the cycle was getting out of control. My high school sweetheart gave me a choice of drugs or her. No one tells me what to do. Good-bye high school sweetheart - hello substance abuse. I had no money to buy drugs so I decided to sell them. My parents found out. I quit school to get a job to have money to feed my habit.

On one of my many construction jobs, God extended his hand to me. A man told me about Jesus Christ and how Jesus wanted to have a personal relationship with me. I will never forget that day. On a roof, reading a prayer, I made a decision to accept that relationship. Looking down upon the mountain range of the Colorado Rockies that day, I believed in Jesus.

I threw my pot away and called all my buddies to tell them. I wish that this had been the end of my story but it was not. Three days later I was back to drugs. The road not only became much more difficult, it became lonely. Some of my friends took the detours, and some died. I continued my journey and felt I didn't need anyone's help. Besides, I had God on my side and my friend told me that God forgives all. My dad, however, did not see it that way and after many warnings, my clothes were on the porch. It suddenly became a long and lonely road. And I was only 19 years old.

Battling the void was becoming overpowering. I had no where to go. My relationships had been destroyed. I joined the army and off I went - never changing, just maneuvering. Years later, I found myself wishing for death. I prayed for God to take my life. But as I was sitting alone in a bar planning my death, God was opening a path to my new life.

That night, on August 11, 1985 at the age of 27, I finally chose to detour around the danger and follow the path. I was within blocks of an AA meeting. Here I learned to live one day at a time. At the end of each day I thanked God, and every morning when I woke, I asked for the strength to carry through the next day. With these principles I started back on the road. It was not easy. There were many nights I would fall asleep on my knees praying for guidance. Sometimes it came quickly and sometimes slowly.

My life began to take on new shape. I took a new job which carried me to Pittsburgh, even though I am still a Bronco fan - sorry. AA was giving me peace but I needed to go deeper. The 12-step program led me to reading more, which led me to the Bible, which led me back to church.

I walked into Orchard Hill when we were still meeting in the Chapel. The messages had a real gift of tying the Bible into life. I really liked the church and my relationships here.

I continued to work hard and found financial security I met Dina and we were soon married. We were blessed with our daughter, Sara. Dina was not comfortable at Orchard Hill so we tried returning to her church, but I was not comfortable there. Soon church was not attended at all. I was the number one salesman in the nation, I had a beautiful wife, a wonderful daughter and a magnificent home. It would appear that life could not have been better. But being distant from God began to put a real strain on our marriage.

One Wednesday night, Sara's first grade teacher invited Dina to church. Unknown to me, they came to Orchard Hill. The message touched Dina in such a way that she recommitted her life to Jesus. My heart leapt with joy when she asked if I wanted to go back to Orchard Hill. I was amazed at how the church had grown yet people still remembered me from my days at the Chapel.

I wanted to become involved, so I took a trip to a Young Life camp in Colorado. At the end of that trip I found myself on my knees asking for forgiveness I felt like I had turned my back on God that He had carried me for all of these years, yet I hadn't given anything back. I got involved with Student Ministry. Sara began in KidsQuest. As she got older, she also attended summer camp and began a relationship with Jesus Christ. It was so exciting to look into her eyes as she expressed her faith for the first time and I am thrilled as I continue to watch her grow closer to God.

At last my void was filled and I felt the battle was at rest. There could not be a more blessed man in the world because I was able to watch the two most important people in my life begin to walk with God. To deepen my own journey, I spent two years meeting weekly with a group of 11 other men and was given an irreplaceable spiritual growth. I have started to give back by serving for three years as a Young Life leader in the Allegheny Valley. I am forever indebted to Jesus Christ and what he has done in my life.

Matthew 11:28 says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." This will always be on my heart. I have felt the agony of straying far from God and I know the peace that comes from drawing close to Him. My name is Tom Law and that is my story