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Postcards from the Roads to Heaven and Hell
by Al Boyce POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD TO HEAVEN Dear Joe: I just arrived. My neighbors are heavy duty Christians, but they seem pretty nice. I'll just have to make sure I keep the conversation off religion (grin). Take care Bill --- Hi Joe: I've started hanging out with the Jesus freaks next door. Really nice folks, and they don't push their agenda at all. They are so happy, I kinda wish they would talk more about it. See ya Bill --- Joe: You gotta check out the Bible. You know all that stuff I was going through over Angie and kicking my cocaine habit? There's passages from 2,000 years ago that talk to me like God was watching me the whole time! Catch you later Bill --- Dear Joe: I've given my life to Jesus. I said this prayer and handed over all my junk to Him. It's only been a couple of days. They say He lives THROUGH you, kinda reworks all the old parts so they make sense and stop hurting. I'm already feeling it. The idea of hunting up coke or cruising bars doesn't interest me. Weird, huh? Take care Bill --- Hey Joe: Just finished reading through the Bible. Amazing. I've just got to share Jesus with other people. I've started working with disabled kids out here (yeah, me, who joked about knocking down old ladies to get their purses for my next fix). I hardly do anything, just show up, and God does totally amazing things through me! Sometimes it's scary. I'm on this slippery slope, every day doing more for God and less for me. I'd worry I was losing myself, but what is happening is so much BETTER! Does this make any sense? Love you (hey, in a Christian brotherly way) Bill --- Hi Joe: Just wanted to tell you mom died last week. I've been sending her post cards too. She never was much on religion, but towards the end she started reading a big-print Bible I got her. Last week, she told me she'd seen Jesus in her hospital room and gave her life to Him. And she said, "I'm not afraid to die, Bill. Isn't that amazing?" All I could do was nod. Bill --- POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD TO HELL Hi Joe: We made it to LA and already scored some primo weed and coke. Looks like the job is going to pay really well, so I can't gripe about all the hours. Hey, work hard, play hard, right buddy? See ya Jack --- Hi Joe: Met a guy at work who is way cool. Think he's from Hungary or Yugoslavia or someplace. Weird name. Everyone just calls him Bub. Anyway, he's THE MAN at getting drugs and finding the best places to party. He's showing me the ropes to make like twice the commissions I was making before. Won't be long 'til I get that BMW! Catch ya later Jack --- Hi Joe: Life is good! I got that new condo in the hills, a maxed out BMW convertible and a girlfriend you won't believe. I'll send you a snapshot. Still pulling down a lot of hours, but I'll need money for a speedboat Bub and me are gonna share. I got a third credit card to take up some of the slack while I'm waiting on my Christmas bonus. Check ya Jack --- Hey Joe: Just finished reading some self-actualization stuff Bub gave me. We need to grab all we can out of life. You know, sometimes it's scary though. It's like this slippery slope, where every time you buy something or have a great experience, it's that much harder to get to the next thing. Weird, huh? See ya Jack --- Hey Joe: Man, everything is GONE! The boss found out we were doing drugs on the job and blew a gasket. Fired me and somehow Bub got away with it! Turns out some of the money making schemes weren't exactly on the up and up, so some auditors are looking for me. I'm laying low in a tent up in the woods, but cool weather ain't far off. Monica died last week of an overdose. Not even sure what she was taking. I was pretty far gone myself and skipped out so the cops wouldn't think I had anything to do with it. Last thing I remember her saying was, "This is a hell of a way to go." All I could do was nod. Jack Al Boyce is a former writer and reporter for The Associated Press. He lives in Raleigh, NC, where he now writes for God. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |