Page 37 of True Stories of the Members of the
Seed Of Abraham Motorcycle Club
Updated 3/15/05, lots more to come!

Testimony of

     "The Life of a Bear Saved by Grace" Have you ever seen life do a complete three hundred and sixty degree (360*) turn around? Most of us, especially those of us in the biker world, have seen exactly what I am talking about. This story is not that different from many others out there. If you're reading this now, then I'm sure God has changed your life by grace or at least I pray that what you read here will help you find your way home.

    My birth name given to me by my parents is Eugene W. Strickland and in the beginning, as I can remember it, life was full of love and happiness. I was raised up in a predominant family of a small South Georgia town. My life seemed normal until I reached the age of eight. It was at this time I found that I had been adopted at the age of 9 months. Something about the way this news came out did something to me. At this time in my life I began to feel different from all the other kids around me. At this early age anger began to creep into my life. At this time in my life I started to sneak alcohol out of my fathers bar. The one thing that has always stuck in my mind was what my mother told me, when one day I asked her why she picked me if there were so many babies at the hospital. Her response was that as she looked across the room there was one baby that had stars in his eyes, so she took me home.

    From then until I was around fifteen years old life was bearable, only drinking booze when we could break in somewhere and steal it and cigarettes. My mother tried to raise me up in a Christian home. I grew up in a Methodist church around a lot of good Christian families. I was allowed to go to church camps and study music and participate in all areas of sports. During this time however, I came to believe that my father didn't love me because he never had time to be at my athletic events and when he did show up all I ever heard from him was what I messed up on. I also came to believe that my father did not want me around any more, because he now had a daughter of his own. Teammates on my football team began to make jokes about the miss - shape of my back. My mother began to take me to doctors all over the place looking for help to make my pain and hurt go away. We found a doctor in Atlanta, GA who said I had what people would call "humpback". He gave me two choices, either have surgery or have my ribs burst my lungs by the time I was thirty years of age. I had the surgery and have to this day had no trouble. After this I began to experiment with drugs. During the rest of my school years I took any kind of drug that you told me would change my way of thinking. I even got kicked out of a church camp for smoking pot. I began to sell drugs at school and turn the other kids on to all kinds of mind-altering drugs. My life went on without any serious consequences. I realize now that God was watching over me even though I had forgotten who He was, or how much He had loved me.

    After graduation I had decided to get married to a beautiful girl that I was dating at the time. Through the drinking and the drugging this marriage lasted only about five years. I did however, have a very wonderful and beautiful daughter. Then shortly before her second Christmas my sorry no-good self got up and walked out on the both of them. After the divorce I went in to rehab twice with no success. Then I left Georgia and moved up north and continued in the career I had chosen. Truck driving had become a way for me to make very good money so I could buy drugs on the road, while also allowing me to chase women from all over the country having one night stands. I began to forget everything behind me and began to hate the person I had become. Then I met my second wife and tried to start over back home in Georgia. This marriage lasted about five years. Are you starting to see a pattern forming here? Have you noticed that I have not talked of God lately? Have you noticed I have already made a one hundred and eighty (180*) degree turn?

    During this time in my life I got to know my daughter again and I had also had a son with my second wife. I learned how to hate others so I would not see myself looking so bad. During this time of my life I started thinking of ending my life as it was, but once again God stepped in and sent an Angel to save me. I met a wonderful woman who was going through some very dramatic marital problems herself. We became best friends with no hanky-panky. We would meet in public places to talk over problems. I learned to comfort someone other than myself and started getting off the harder drugs. In 1995 my best friend and I left Georgia to find a new and happy life together. We got to Indiana and started over. I quit all drugs, except smoking a little pot and drinking every once and a while. In 1996, I got married to my best friend and today she is still my best friend. It was during 1999 that my Sunday morning beer drinking, pot smoking, golfing partner started going to church and got saved. I did what I thought was the right thing to do and quit going around him, but he came looking for me. He wanted to know why I wasn't coming around and I told him that I did not want to quit what I was doing. He said that would be my choice, but he still loved me and wanted to continue to be my friend. He never pushed church on me, but he always invited me to go visit at the church. I thought of 100,000 excuses of why I couldn't go to church with him. One day I gave up telling lies and making excuses, so I went as his guest. He introduced me to God through love!

    He loved me no matter how I lived my life, but he always prayed for my salvation. On January 26, 2000 I ran to the front of the church, fell on my face and asked God to come into my heart. I acknowledged Him as Lord and Savior. I acknowledged His life, His death and His resurrection for me. At this time I became a Believer.

    Today God has taken me back to the bike rallies as a minister. He has guided me safely into many situations and back again. He has Blessed the union between my wife and I and He brought all of our children back to us. He has paved a path for us to travel down together and made us a team together.

    This is my life rolled up, but I love to share what God had done for me, my family and my wife. We give him all the praise and glory for He is an awesome God. Everyday we pray for His guidance while at the same time I give Him thanks for His grace in sparing my life long enough to serve Him.

May God Bless you as He has my family!   "Bear"
 

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please share it with others as God has instructed us to do.

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