Jasmine's Place Issue No. 7 - September/October 2013 | Page 48

INSPIRATIONAL Through a series of events that God had put together, this atheist of nine years found herself praying. I was praying to the God I wasn’t sure was really there. Life was a mess. I was hurting those I professed to love. Drinking too much and making terrible choices. We drank while rafting, we drank while dancing, we drank with meals, we drank while hiking, we drank and played games, we drank and barbequed. That was just our group. Jim was the one we worried about. Jim was an alcoholic. Jim passed out while playing the piano or in someone’s front yard and didn’t remember how he got there. The rest of us, well, WE didn’t pass out and we, of course, weren’t alcoholics. When we were broke, we bought gallons of Red Mountain wine and had wine coolers. When we were not broke, we drank Bacardi 151 and coke, made mai tais, daquiri’s and ice cream with kalua and brandy in the blender for desert. We drank when we smoked dope to cool our throats. We drank to celebrate, to relax, because the fruity stuff tasted good and to party. We drank when we didn’t even have an excuse. Atheist No More A personal journey from atheism and alcoholism to freedom in Christ. By Marijo Phelps Somewhere in there I began to get glimpses of who I was and how my tongue sliced up those I loved when I JASMINE'S PLACE 48 48