I recently had an opportunity to share testimony at a Missouri House committee hearing in support of House Bill 1706. This bill would make it a felony to purchase sex in the state of Missouri, as well as using fines of those convicted to provide financial resources for victim restitution. Here is my complete testimony.
In between the highs of Saturday morning and Sunday evening, there was a miserable low. I was attacked by the enemy in the form of spiritual warfare on Saturday night.
I almost missed this anniversary. This week marks two years since I publicly committed my life to Jesus Christ. I have to give Facebook credit for reminding me by popping up the picture of my baptism in my timeline. Chalk a rare victory up to social media.
Matthew is a popular Christian singer and I used his music as encouragement and inspiration for my own soul on my journey to discovering Jesus over the past year. West recently released a new song, “Modest is Hottest,” a song written for his daughters to encourage them to, well, dress modestly. One line says, “A little more Amish, a little less Kardashian.”
Hi, I’m so glad you are found this page and I would love for you to join me as I continue to build a relationship with God and share my story in an effort to help others. Let me share a little bit about how I got here.
It was one year ago today, April 14, 2020. This was the day I turned my life over to Jesus. Typing these words still feels strange to me. I grew up in a Jewish family and considered myself an atheist most of my life. As Jerry Seinfeld said, we are pretty much in the religion for the food and the comedy. Jews simply do not talk about Jesus. That’s just the rule. At least that’s what I was told. For my family, the Bible stopped at the Old Testament. That’s what makes my transformation nothing short of a miracle.
We were one month into a pandemic that left most of the world locked down alone. Just a few weeks earlier, I was blackmailed by a prostitute that I had visited in Chicago on a business trip. By the time I left her hotel room, this woman and her partner had already found my wife’s contact info. Several hundred dollars later, I made it out of that room and was able to carry on with my day. But once the money dried up, this couple had no use for me and hit the nuclear button - they called Amy and told them about my visit. Did I mention they also had proof to share? This set off a wild chain of events in the weeks ahead that ultimately led me to confess all of my sins to God - and to Amy. The good news in all of this - as big of a sinner that I was, God was still waiting for me with open arms.
One year after my unmaking, my old life is gone. God absolutely helped me walk away from it. I picked up my cross and followed Jesus. God helped me cancel my OWN sinful culture and replaced it with one that is full of the Holy Spirit. I read and listened to the ENTIRE Bible. I started going to church. I saved my marriage. I stopped drinking, stopped smoking pot. Lost 30 pounds and ran a half marathon. Most importantly, I broke free from my addiction to porn and everything that went along with it and I haven’t looked back. I know that sounds hard to believe. And frankly, it still amazes me. I understand that for a lot of people, turning away from your sins is a constant struggle.
No matter what you are struggling with - pornography, sexual deviance, drugs, alcohol, gambling - it is possible to defeat your sins and transform your life. Trust me, if someone like me can get saved, I promise there is hope for you too. The first step is pretty easy. Ask God for help.
Let’s go on this journey together.
