Joe is a 56 year-old man who drank alcohol from the age of 10. As he grew older, 
his alcoholism worsened. It got to the point that he would pawn his most prized 
possessions in order to get more to drink. Once, about ten years ago, he didn't 
have anything to pawn so Joe stole the neighbor's weed eater and pawned it to 
buy a case of beer. The neighbors found out that he stole it and Joe's elderly mother
(a grandmother) had to replace the weed eater from her only source of income, a 
monthly SSI check of 500 dollars.  

Another time, a friend of Joe's found him lying in the snow (on a cold winter night)
beaten and left to die. A "boot-legger's" son had beaten Joe because he didn't make
good on some alcohol he'd bought on credit.  

Yet another time, Joe decided he didn't like living close to his family (we wouldn't 
condone his drinking) so he moved to a friend's home. The friend happened to be 
another "boot legger" who took advantage of Joe, spent Joe's SSI money on himself,
and refused to take Joe to the doctor when he was sick with pneumonia which was 
made worse by his asthma.  

After the last incident, Joe came home again. However, it was conditional this time. 
As we discussed his future, we talked about the Apostle Paul's conversion (Acts 9) 
and Joe promised that he'd go to church and "do what the Lord told him."  

Around 8 and a half months later, God called Joe and walked the aisle at Road Run 
Church and took Jesus Christ as his Savior. There wasn't a dry eye in the house; 
everyone knew how Joe had lived and rejoiced because he finally made his 
reservation in Heaven.  

Written By his niece Amy Bishop