Triple 7 soul

my testimony

Born and raised in Riverside county, I am a former Tattoo artist at ink fever in Rubidoux and now a Pastor @ sandals church in Riverside. I am a father of 3 wonderful kids and a husband to one Kim O'Donnell. I had lived a hardcore lifestyle of sex drugs and rock n roll until I was 23. one night my life changed. I ended up at a party in norco getting into it with about 5 oversized drunk idiots. next thing you know I blasted the biggest one in the gut with a 22. revolver. As I put the gun to the head of another one of his buddies and squeezed the trigger 3 times the gun didnt go off??????? by that time the cops were everywhere. So the logical thing to do is RUNNNNNN!!!! While I was jumping through yards I spotted a little white shed in the distance. climbing into the shed I heard cops, helicopters, dogs, and voices all around me. I suddenly had a moment of clarity and began to see my life flash before my eyes. I realized either I was going to die or spend the rest of my life in prison and It freaqked me out. I began to break down and cry. I didnt know what to do, so I lifted my voice to the heavens and said, "God if you are real and can get me out of this mess I will give you my life". The next thing I remember I fell asleep in that little shed, waking up 4 hours later to complete silence. No dogs, no cops, no helicopters...nothing. just a silent dark morning with a memory of an awful night and a real vivid prayer. Now what? Well for the first time in my life I experienced God speaking to me. not in an audible voice, but a burning in my heart telling me no matter what happens God is with me and that I have to turn myself in. So I did. well it just so happens that I had a pretty strong case againts the 5 drunk idiots. The only problem was the judge didnt think I should have been carrying a gun, so he gave me 2 years in the joint for assualt with a firearm. Much better than attempted murder I must say. It was in the hole in the state prison were my cell mate, vinnie brunno, a junkie dying of aids, led me to pray and ask Jesus into my life. From that day on I have never looked back. Though I have made many mistakes and continue to screw up on occasions I continue to love God with all my heart and accept his loving grace in my life. I am eternally Grateful for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and am not ashamed to tell the world.

1977

1977, shag carpet, earth tones, bell bottoms, beads in the doorway, and the pungent smell of incense throughout every room.  A strange time in history to be 5.  Every early memory of my childhood are flooded with these senses.  It seems like a twilight zone when I try to think back to this time in life.  A fog, another place, another time, another reality that seemed to have shaped the person that I am today.  Some may call it the good old days, but for me I would call it a trip.

My first memory of an actual human being is of my Dad, Tim.  Dad was a big guy 6 foot 240 pounds.  He had a huge red mustache and gigantic fore arms.  One of the funnest guys in the world to be around, but also one of the scariest loudest, hot tempered guys I have ever known. we have the same name, same walk, same chin, same jaw, and I remember having matching striped t-shirts.  All I know is that Iwanted to be just like him.  Everywhere he went, I wanted to go.  Everything He did, I wanted to do.  He was the one that introduced me to some of those passions that move me even today. When I was 4 he taught me to ride a bike.  shortly after he taught me to ride a dirt bike.  Every Saturday morning I couldn't wait to wake up in the morning because we rode our bikes to the old circle K store on the corner of troth and jurupa rd.  He was the world to a five year old little boy and nothing in the world could go wrong as long as he was around.

a new mission, or missions?

I have decided to start writing a story about my crazy life.  my goal with this is to reach our culture with the reality that God is real.  Not only is God real, but Jesus Christ is the only way to Gods kingdom.  I was not raised in a religious home and to hear all the amazing things that God has done in my life should give some proof and credibility to the existence of God through Jesus Christ.  I'm not going to stop blogging other posts, so I created a new category called "my story".   I hope to transpose this writing material into a book someday so I would love for you to come along this journey with me and give me input along the way.

I am also in the process of having to write an evangelism strategy manual for Sandals church, and I start school this January.  I feel very overwhelmed by all of this, so please Ask our father in heaven to supernaturally empower me with the same power he gave Samson to kill 1000 Philistines with a jaw bone.  I love that story.  777soles you got my back?