Redeemed Generation

My name is Enrique Rivera and I was born in the summer of 1977 .......... Most of you should know that was the summer of Sam ( son of sam ) and also the year of the great blackout in NYC.... in 1979 after giving birth to my little sister my dad and mom split and would later get a divorce . On my mother's side of the family there is not and has never been to my knowledge anyone who serves the Lord. On my fathers side both my grandparents serve God and have for very long. My dads brother John is a Pastor in Yonkers and many of my cousins and aunts on my dads side serve God and have for quite some time. As it turns out I was raised with my mom and for I would say the first ten to twelve years of my life I probably saw my dad 3 or 4 times that I could remember and my grand parents just as seldom. Needless to say I was raised in a worldly enviornment. When I was about 5 or 6 I was chasing my mom into the bathroom and in an attempt to lock me out she slammed the door and just about severed my pinky finger.( ouch ) . I was rushed to the hospital by a neighbor who drives a taxi and on that day his wife and my mom made friends. His wife was a Christian ( pentecostal ) and she got permission from my mother to take me to church on sundays. I began to hear about God from that day foward , however since my mom was not Christian she did not always see it as so important to get up on time every sunday so alot of times I didnt go. And eventually after about 1 year or so I stopped all together . When I was about 8 years old I was playing outside and I met this boy who lived upstairs from me . We Imediately became friends and it turns out his mom was also Christian ( pentecostal ) and so I started to go to church with them on sundays .. that lasted a couple of years , but for the same reasons as before I eventually stopped going. When I was about 10 years old I met another kid who lived down the block from me , and ofcourse we became good friends and needless to say at this point you should all know............(PRAISE GOD) his mom was christian too and so I started going with them on sundays as well. Eventually after some time I stopped for the same old reasons , lack of encouragement or enforcement . Once again when I was about 14 I made friends with this other kid on the block a new kid , his name was freddy and we kind of became best friends and yes.......... His mom was a tongue talkin , Spirit walking , bible totin' , Blood Bought Christian and ofcourse I started to go to church with them as well. This time however I was a bit older and understood more that it was not up to my mom to get me up on sundays . I got up and made sure I was outside on time to catch that ride to church . I became an active member of the youth society . I went to church more than just sundays and I actually liked it , but I liked it for the wring reasons. I liked it because all my peeps were there . I liked the youth activities like going out to the park , camping , conventions and stuff like that . To make a very long story a little shorter eventually I stopped going . I made it to highschool and met some more friends , and this time their parents were not pentecostal , in fact they were not even Christian . This time the friends I made were the kind that liked to make fast money , selling drugs , robbing people and places , they liked to smoke weed , drink beer , find girls that were willing to have sex and everything contrary to what I was taught in church . I became one of them... or atleast I tried to , and I will never forget this one day that I visited my old church were I had last been a member... The name of that Church was New Life Ministries and it was in Mount Vernon , the Pastor was Dave Waddel and I remember he called me into his office.........he looked at me intently , closed his eyes , and these words I will never forget ...... he said Enrique , son , God is angry with you . God is Angry with you and he is gonna let you go , and you are going to fall , you are going to hit rock bottom , you are going to fall till you cant fall no more ......and then he said , but dont worry son because then he is gonna lift you up . Almost 12 years passed by , and in those years I became a pot head , alcoholic , sex addict , I was stabbed , I robbed people , carried around with guns from the time I was a youth . In the year 2000 I found my self in debt to some of NYC's most notorious drug dealers , people whom were murderers . I was arrested for drug charges and I had just gone thru a very tough break up of a relationship , I was backed into a corner . I called my dad who at the time was in Puerto Rico and hadgiven his life to Jesus Christ... with in hours I had a oneway plane ticket to P.R. Immediately upon my arrival I began to go to church with my grandparents and my dad. I stopped smoking weed but not ciggarettes and occassionally I had my beers . For about six months I played church , fell in love with a beautiful young woman who loved God. She also began to fall for me but was wise enough and had enough discernment to fight her emotions . She married some one eventually and that broke my heart , ( I no longer had any reason to play church ) . I stopped going to church and started to smoke weed again , even almost began to sell drugs in PR... Needless to say my dad wasnt having it , and frankly I got tired of P.R. so I figured I would go back to NYC. Back in NYC for 2 months I found a good Job and everything seemed cool It turns out the dudes I owed money to didnt care after all we did grow up together and it was only 1,000 dollars , I had made way more than that for them . some time passed and in the year 2003 in about February I quit my Job to go and sell drugs in conneticut . Everything went wrong and I was back in NYC within a couple of months . I fell into a depression like never before . From april of 2003 till Nov. 2 , I was in such a state of depression that I wouldnt even shower , I wouldnt brush my teeth or shave , I didnt attemp to find work or sell drugs .. All I did was stay home sit on the couch and watch T.V. and daydream about what things could be like if circumstances were better . 7 months without a shower ( Peew.....) My beard was so thick and long I looked like an old testament character or like an arab or something . I was smoking like 2 to 3 packs of ciggaretes a day ., Yet for those 7 months I didnt brush my teeth either , the only thing left for me to do was to kill my self and I contemplated it . On Nov. 2nd while waiting for a friend of mine to pick me up in order to smoke some free weed and ciggarettes ( that was the only time I went out ) I saw an old aquaintance who invited me to church.... I basicly said no in a polite way.. but I saw him again ten minutes later and my heart trembled . My friend got there and I left to be out all night , because he delivers bagels overnight from 12 AM to about 8 AM . I smoked about 10 ciggarettes in an hour and as I got ready to smoke some weed I heard a voice say to me " what are you doing " , I knew it was God and so I gave my friend the weed and told him I did not feel like smoking yet . ... for the next 6 or 7 hours God continued to speak to me . He told me that no matter what time I got home that morning that I was to go to church , and I said to him , but God I dont want to go to church and come back home to smoke and do the same thing all over again , and He said " From today foward you will never smoke ciggarettes or weed again in your life , you will no longer hang with your friends you will no longer be the same , from today foward you will serve me for the rest of your days . I battled that night and talked to God all night and with an open pack of ciggarettes in my face I did not smoke one .... I told my friend that he was to either get me home by eight or that I would get out of the van and walk home . On the way home he caught a flat in the middle of the highway but was able to make it to my house on time ... The First thing God told me when I got home was , Shave , Brush your teeth , Take a Shower , and Find the cleanest clothes you have , Go to your friends house and tell him you are ready for church. Since that day I have never again Smoked a Ciggarette , Weed , Had a Drink , I stopped listening to worldly music that day , I stopped cursing that day , and To God's Glory and honor three weeks ago I made my one year anniversary serving God . I am a current student at the Bible Institute and The Lord is Preparing me For Ministry.......... It took 12 years but God is never early or late , but always right on time He said I would hit rock bottom , I did , He said he would pick me up , He has Praise be to the Name of Jesus Christ , Forever and Ever ...... Amen God Bless You all If you have read this my prayer is that you can share it with someone who needs it and that you your self may be edified .........