Hey y'all, my name is Darryl (no, I don't have another brother Darryl [ha!ha!]). I live about 35 miles north of Panama City, Florida, out in the woods, with very few neighbors (not including the deer and rabbits), and I live on 5 acres of planted pine trees. There is a cow pasture across the road from me, and pretty much woods everywhere else, save for the Bee-man forty acres to my east. I am married to Brenda (16 years, now) and have two teenagers, Ashley, my oldest at 15, and Jordan, my youngest, at 13. Jordan is all boy, and loves huntin' and fishin'. Ashley is the typical Daddy's girl, and is spoiled pretty much rotten.
I have been roofing houses for almost 31 years, now. All the guys that I "grew up" with in the business, do not actually do any installing anymore, but not me! It is hard work, but I guess it's in my blood......
I was born in 1961 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and yes, my dad WAS a steel worker! How did you know? I came from a broken home, as so many kids did, back then. Our house was always grand central for the neighborhood kids, since my mom and step-dad of any given year were always at work, or at play......
We came to Florida in 1974. Wow, what a change! St. Pete, Fla. - the kids there always said it was the home of the newlyweds and the nearly-deads. Never really had any strict church upbringing. My mom drank, and worked the bar scene. She did have a friend of hers come and do Bible studies with us for a while when we were young. I didn't know what a Jehovah's Witness was until then.......... good thing, I reckon.
In 1977, my mom re-married for the fourth time, and we found ourselves being transplanted again; this time to Panama City, Florida, where her new husband was born and raised. Ahhhhhh, the Redneck Riviera! Trucker songs were all the rage, on the radio, and Ted Bundy wasn't a household name, yet.......
I started roofing with my new stepdad, because I had quit school. He figured roofing would send me packing, back to school. Here I still am, roofing houses at almost 50 years old! And they all said I was hard-headed!
I had been in a couple Southern Baptist churches by this time, and Brenda and I were married by a Southern Baptist pastor. He handled all the newcomers to Sunday School. Just couldn't seem to ever get out of his class..........
I had been a party animal for years, too! I drank a 12 pack of beer after work every day, and bought 1/2 gallon of whiskey a week, sometimes buying a second, before the week was out. I grew marijuana, so I smoked it, too. A lot...........
Then something happened that I didn't plan on: God drew me to seek Christ. I prayed about the things that I was doing to myself, and after much trouble in the most intimate areas of my life, God answered my prayers, and Christ strengthened me, and I am now healed of these things. Three years clean from the pot, and over two years clean from the drinking and the tobacco. No desire for it, anymore, Praise God!! I must have quit at least 10 times before this.......
Now, here I am, learning all over again! Christine was answering questions on the Amazon dot com threads, and I felt drawn to what she said, although that old devil was kinda whispering in my ear, trying to make me doubt and filling me with pride in what I THOUGHT I already knew! Y'all be patient with this "good ol' boy", OK?
Love in Christ to you all.
Darryl
Grace Teacher Ministries
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