Back From the Road to Hell

by Chuck (aka: Shotgun)

© 00-12 Chuck

An ex-Outlaw biker becomes a Police Narcotics Officer working undercover busting drug deals. Then he has a visit from the Lord Jesus Christ who offers a different deal, one he just wouldn't refuse. A powerful biker's salvation testimony of God's faithfulness and mercy.

I am sitting in a car with four black males, trying to make a deal for a quarter ounce of crack-cocaine. The man sitting behind grins, and shows me a small calibre semi-automatic pistol. The grin is not a nice one, and his friends start to laugh.

He wants to know how much cocaine I have, and if it is worth it... meaning, he wants my money as well as the crack, and would I be willing to fight for it.

I'm scared. But all of a sudden a peaceful sensation comes over me, and I think "Why am I feeling this way?" I just grin back, and show the guy in the front seat my Colt 45 Auto, and get him to tell his friends it's time to leave, and you know what? To my amazement, they do.

I was working as an undercover Narcotics Officer, and these guys had injured several people in the course of two months stealing drugs and money. They'd never given up without a fight before. But this time for some unknown reason, they simply looked at me, got out of the car, and left.

There were many other perilous episodes, yet something would always happen to bring me safely through. Coincidence? Happenstance? A guardian angel?

He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Psalm 91:11-12 (Holy Bible, KJV)

Let's start at the beginning.

I have an uncle who is a Freewill Baptist preacher in West Virginia. My cousins and I grew up on the ol' time Gospel and hymns. I was more or less raised in Church, and kinda took it for granted. Because my father was in the Marine Corps, my two sisters and I grew up on military installations around the United States. The Church sermons we heard on our travels were a watered-down version of what I was used to, so they didn't make an impact on my young life. It became a chore to get ready for the occasional service my sisters and I were made to go to.

The bike I ride today. 1995 Harley Davidson Softail Custom

One summer, when I was eleven years old, I stayed with my uncle and aunt for a couple of months. This thrilled me because I loved the mountains and being with these relatives. I remember one Sunday morning when my uncle preached on Hell. I can't give the sermon exactly - but you know what? I literally 'got the Hell scared out of me'. I knew that there was a real place called Hell, and that I was condemned to go there. I remember crying, and went to the front to talk to my uncle. I believed I was saved then, but don't recall much of it. I found out later that I didn't know all I needed to. What a pity! I knew I was doomed, I prayed a prayer, and was baptized in a pond at a neighbour's place with some other folks later in the week. I understood from what my uncle told me that I was saved from Hell, but at that young age, I didn't really have the depth of revelation or joy I do now.

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 1 Jn. 1:4 KJV

Life went on normally, we grew up not destitute, just struggling a little. Pretty much what you would call a typical American family.

I went through the normal adolescent things. By the time the late sixties rolled around, I was in Junior High School, and deeply into drugs and rock n'roll. I played drums for a garage band, and got pretty good. We were even playing bars and such (although I was under age, 16 years old). I got into the High School band, and found that I had a talent for music. I learned to play all the instruments that I could find. By the time I was a senior in High School, I'd received a scholarship for music. I was playing some pretty hard rock at that time, and fascinated by the percussion aspects of music.

Part of my college course covered the musical background and origins of the different instruments. It was at this time that I got involved with a local motorcycle gang. Not the ones who do charity runs, or wear colours to witness for Jesus, the others, you know their names. I don't like to repeat them nowadays, they just make me sick.

My father retired from the Marine Corps, and began working for the local Sheriff's Department. Naturally, he didn't know his own son was riding loud motorcycles with bikers who caused trouble, sold drugs, stole, and were completely anti-establishment.

I never was invited to join as a full member (they called me a 'prospect'), but was allowed to party and hang out. During all the time I was having fun, something kept nagging. There was part of me that kept telling me that I was in the wrong place with the wrong people. I put it down to parental hassling, and thought I would out-grow the 'voice at the back of my head', but it didn't go away.

My parents planned to move from Southern California in 1976. I rebelled, but it turned out to be the right decision for our family. We moved to a small country town, and I found life incredibly boring, to say the least.

As time passed, I got married, and started a family. When I turned twenty one, I decided that I wanted to join the Police Department. I had never been arrested for anything, so I made it into the Department. After several years, and a lot of water under the bridge, some of the supervisors found out I knew the Outlaw biker lifestyle, and I was invited to join the Narcotics Task Force. This consisted of several agencies from two states. I trained, as an undercover agent working in the biker gangs. You can't go into a situation like that and be a 'goody-goody'. You have to live the lifestyle, or be exposed as a phony. If that happens, you can lose your life real quick. Many times God watched over me, when I should have died or been beaten to a pulp of quivering flesh.

My marriage of seventeen years ended bitterly. I kept the four children, and everything else. I was only three years from the minimum retirement. A couple of months after my divorce, I met a woman who did not want anything from me, but my friendship. This I found unbelievable. Everybody I had ever come in contact with seemed to want something from me that was going to cost something. This friendship endured, and flourished for another year and a half.

One night I had a visit. I wasn't expecting company, but I found myself on the floor crying like a little lost puppy. It was an uncontrollable soul wrenching experience. I couldn't understand why. I just knew that I had hit rock bottom in my life.

As clear as anything, I heard a Voice in my head asking, "Enough?". What is this? Am I going crazy? Or having a nervous breakdown? No, I knew Who the Voice was. It was the Holy Spirit of God, reminding me it was time to come back home. I rededicated my life to God right then, that night. The joy I felt in my heart and soul was incredible. My backslidden life was reconditioned to the will of God.

If ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. Le. 26:14-17 KJV

I found out the hard way that when you try to go against God and His law, you're fighting a losing battle. Everything you do goes backwards. I tell ya, if you get off the path God has set, nothing goes right. Oh sure, small things seem to go well, but you think that you did them on your own. Then pride sets in, and down you go, even faster. It's kinda like a 'snitch' I recruited used to say. (A snitch works for the police for money or favours)

"You can't beat the man, 'cause He'll get you in the end."

He meant the justice system. I'm talking about God.

Check that Scripture again, does it fit your life?

This is where I was in my backslidden condition. But that night I discovered Jesus never quits on anybody and:

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ro. 10:13 KJV

I was so excited I phoned my friend, and woke her up. She was as thrilled as I was. Wow! Wake somebody in the small hours of the morning, and not get chewed out for it.

I realized that my lifestyle was totally against God. So from then on, I gradually bent my will to the Father's. I visited several Churches in the area to find the place where God wanted me. Over the next three years I cleaned my house of all the things I knew were wrong. The music went (a big part of my life, and another story altogether), the movies, and any reading material that I felt was taking my family and me away from God. It was at this time that my friend and I decided to marry. What a change from the first time. After I retired, I opened my own construction and painting company. I found a small country Baptist Church where the preacher takes his text straight from God's Word, and the people are Spirit-filled, loving, and dedicated to the Lord. My soul's desire was to be always in the middle of God's will for my life. I dived into the Bible that my parents had given me years ago. I think they gave it in the hope that 'one day' I would pick it up. I started reading and praying as if my soul depended on it. I had a hunger that couldn't be satisfied. I came across;

1 Corinthians 12:28-31 KJV, verse 31 particularly caught my attention.

But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Well, preaching was top of the list. I felt the need to spread the Word of God to others in the same shape I was in. So I took God at His Word, and prayed earnestly. I have started preaching and teaching a little, as God allows. After reading the Bible, I realized that I can not be an officially ordained minister in my fellowship, but God still works to bring His message to a lost and dying world. He says to "Go tell it!". And as a born again child of God, I feel compelled to do just that.

I look back now on the many times I should have died or suffered serious injury, but God was looking out for His own. For example, as a young police officer, I received a call to check out a disturbance at a residence. I approached the scene, and saw a man standing in his yard with a pistol, pointing it at the head of another man. The one being threatened was on his knees in front of the man holding the weapon. I walked up to them, and asked what was going on. I got a disjointed story from both, but the man on the ground clearly wasn't wanted there. The one holding the gun was drunk, and waved the gun back and forth between the other man and me. I had not drawn my weapon as taught, but looked at him and said something about just giving me the gun and going inside. He did. After the man on the ground ran off, the one that was holding the gun gave it to me, and walked into his house, I got into my patrol car and drove away. About four blocks down the road, it hit me! I could have, and probably should have, been hurt or killed! That house was notorious for shootings. I trembled and shook for the rest of the shift. But for some unknown reason I felt safe during the incident.

There were many other occasions when I was in danger of losing my life or being seriously injured. The two I have related are common to most police officers, as are vehicle accidents, and trips to the hospital for minor injuries while on the job. There's also the psychological trauma you face in heart breaking situations like, a child dying in car a wreck, a mother beaten, or children abused. Most police officers develop a shield or wall to insulate themselves from such tragedies. I've discovered from personal experience that Jesus Christ allows you to take care of business in the world, but still be separated from the world and let you keep your sanity and self-control.

It took me hitting bottom before I looked up to see the grace of God. When I couldn't go any further down, all I could do was look up, and there was my Saviour holding His hands out to me, waiting for me to call and reach up to Him. He is patient and kind. Praise God! One of my favorite Bible verses is;

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. 2:8-9 KJV

Oh what a blessing! We can't work our way into Heaven or the presence of God, He gives it freely, when we realize that salvation is a gift for the asking. If we admit that we're lost and heading for Hell, and look to our Heavenly Father and stretch our arms to Him, He is faithful and kind to reach down and lift us up to Him.

II Corinthians 6:2 says; I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Have you ever been in the situation I've described? Where you have been saved, but strayed from God for some reason? It's never too late to return to Jesus, He's waiting and watching for you to come home.
Perhaps you've never known the love and care God gives to His own? Do you want to? It's not too late to find the joy and peace of His love. And the best part is... it's free. It's there for the asking. But you must ask. No one else can do it for you, and you can't earn it. Make Sure Now.

My wife Connie, and me

If you have any questions please feel free to Email us and we'll be glad to answer you.

Read Biker-Bob's Story

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