Stories of Changed Lives

Anthony Burrows and his wife had been through a lot in 27 years. They'd raised a daughter and son, held each other through family deaths and traveled the country together. But the couple also shared a drug addiction that eventually tore them apart.

“Mama was religious and dad was a drunk,” Steve Lane, 57, says flatly. “My dad beat me all the time. There was always liquor in the house and I started drinking when I was 11.”

Jerry Bridges dragged his 98-pound frame out of his chair and tottered across the floor.  Three steps later he collapsed from exhaustion.  Frightened, he called a friend who took him to the hospital.  Later, a doctor told him, “God must really love you.  You had about three more days to live.”

Sharry sat in the midst of her family, breathing in the smell of her new grandbaby.  The conversation revolved around her sister’s teaching, her brother’s writing, her son’s growing family.  As Sharry listened, she prayed silently, “Help me God or let me die.”