Why?

So the big question is why did I start this blog, and why did I decide to tell my story. Well there are a few reasons, and its complicated.  Firstly I feel that I have a story to tell, and I hope that by telling my story it helps someone else.  Secondly, I’ve wanted to write a book for a while and had a different story to tell.  And thirdly, while I was in jail, I met three incredible people who greatly influenced who I am and how I tell my story.  So I guess now I need to explain a little more.  Pull up a soft chair, get comfortable, and let me open up to you.

When I started my blog a few months back, I took a very great risk and stepped way far outside my comfort zone.  There were many people in my life who didn’t know about my checkered past and by starting my blog and revealing the fact that I’d been in jail to them opened me up to possible consequences, but I was willing to take that risk and put my trust in God.  The trust really began last July when I attended Church Camp and got baptized.  During that week at camp, I met many people and when I revealed that I’d been in jail, the reaction was 100% positive and not one negative comment was made.  People focused on the now and not the then.  My wife noticed that I wasn’t afraid to reveal the information and it became a weight off my chest.

Fast-forward a few months, and in a conversation at work with two of my co-workers, it was pointed out to me that I was different than the other drivers.  I didn’t get angry, I didn’t swear, and I was generally in a good mood.  I told the two that I’d had a spiritual awakening and put all my trust in God.  I was then asked what caused my awakening, and after a few seconds of pause, I revealed that I’d spent time in jail just prior to coming to work for the company.

The reaction again surprised me, as they both, although surprised, didn’t react in a negative manner, and although they didn’t know it then, and probably don’t until now, that was a major turning point for me in my life.  I was no longer afraid to speak of my past, because that’s exactly what it is, the past!  We cannot change it, we can only learn from it.  Since then I’ve had no negative comments from anyone in relation to my past, except for one Twitter troll who doesn’t count!

Secondly, I’ve always wanted to write a book, and hopefully someday I will.  But for now, I concentrate on my blog, and my church presentations.  Prior to my arrest in 2011, I had a book underway but it got lost for various reasons.  The name of the book (in draft form) was Shiny Side Up, but it had a whole different meaning and plot to it.  The book was about my exploits as a truck driver and the challenges that I faced as a rookie driver and the places I had been.  I’ve driven in 38 US States and 6 Canadian Provinces, through most major cities in the US, and through the Rocky Mountains too many times to count.  I felt that it would make a great book, but obviously God had different plans and He needed the title to be available for a greater purpose, so that book was taken from me and this blog was born.  The title of my blog is a reference to my trucking background, and the shiny side that God gives me.

And thirdly, I met three people while I was in jail, who greatly influenced me.  Those three people were Marty Lewis, Ernie Holland, and David Brenn.  Now actually I didn’t meet them in person, I wished I had, but I met them through the books they had written that told the stories of their lives of crime and ultimate redemption while incarcerated. Sadly Marty Lewis and Ernie Holland are no longer alive, but when I last heard, David Brenn was conducting a prison ministry in Ontario, Canada.  I plan a blog posting about these three people and their books at a later date, but suffice to say, that even the lowest of the low can be converted and saved through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

After I began the blog, I heard from many people thanking me for being so open and sharing my experiences.  I speak openly about my past without fear now.  I speak regularly at our church and by revealing my sins, it helps others to understand that there is always hope.  And remember that it is not our place to judge our brothers and sisters, that is left to the one judge, God.

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