The following is the remarkable, true story of Jim Adams, in his own words:

Growing up, I remember my mother telling me about Jesus and urging me to surrender my life to Him.  Though I joined the church and was baptized at age nine, I never met the Living Savior, Jesus Christ.  The moment I grew big enough that my mother couldn’t make me go to church anymore, I chose to go the other way, and my life became filled with drugs, alcohol, and crime.

In 1964 I was discharged from the Navy due to bad conduct.  I traveled back and forth across the country and stayed in one place only long enough to get into trouble and move on again.  I couldn’t stop.  I didn’t really want to stop the bad life I was living.

In my mid 30s, I learned how to operate drug labs, after which I had all the speed, cocaine and heroine I thought I would ever need.  But God had other plans.  When one of my labs blew up in my face, I was almost killed and had critical wounds all over.  My throat was cut, my leg mangled, and I had to be Life-flighted to a hospital where I was sewed back up with many stitches.  All this was done without pain medications because they could see my track from drug needles.

The explosion landed me in a seven to ten-year jail sentence as well.  But as soon as I got out of jail, I went straight back to manufacturing drugs.  For years I daily used 20 to 30 shots of speed and cocaine laced with heroine.  I was on a runaway train heading to a crash, and I couldn’t get off.

Though sinning like crazy, all the time God had His hand on me.  I should have died many times.  Lucky?  No, God was working His plan!

I lived in a severe state of paranoia.  It is only by the grace of God that I didn’t kill anyone, including myself.  Many times during a state of depression, I have put a gun against my head.

I entered the bar business with a partner and thought I was set for life when we co-owned three clubs in Houston.  But God took all the fun out of owning the bar.  I didn’t want to go to the bar anymore.  I was tired of drugs and lying, stealing, and cheating.  I had nowhere to go since I already “tried God”… or so I thought.

At this point I decided to commit suicide.  I even made all the arrangements, told my wife and brother what I was going to do and how they should handle it.  I did not want to live.

That morning I got up, I drove to my bar to leave some money bags.  I was confused.  I couldn’t even open my safe or remember the code for the alarm system.  So I drove home.

There, God was waiting for me.  I could not get into my house either.  Instead, I ended up next door at my neighbor’s house, a retired preacher.  When he opened the door and saw me crying, he immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”  I didn’t know.  He told me, “Get on your knees, Jim, you need Jesus!”

I told him I had already done all of that, and it didn’t work.

His response was, “You’ve tried religion.  This time try Jesus, and He will help you.”

I thank God that the preacher didn’t try to “comfort me.”  He just kept telling me to get on my knees and to ask Jesus for help.  It was on that very glorious day, May 1, 1989, Jesus saved my soul and life!!!  I AM SAVED!!!

The rest of Jim’s story tomorrow…