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Mike Santos
Joseph A. Robison
Alice Cooper
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Joseph A. Robison
Hello, my name is Joe, and I live in Chatsworth, Ga. At 17, I
asked
Jesus to come into my heart, and I believe He did. But I never
understood
how to get Him into my LIFE until over 20 years later, at the
age of
40. All those years I had been telling God what I wanted Him
to do, and
all that time, He'd been waitng for me to ask Him what He
wanted ME to
do. Oh, all the waisted years; the broken dreams, hearts, and
shattered
lives. The family and children whom I loved SO much (and
likewise)...GONE. How many times I had begged God to take the
drug addiction. How
many times I had begged for the return of my children. How
many times I
had flirted with the thought of suicide. But I never got what
I wanted; I
only got worse.Then one day, in an act of total desperation, I
fell
down in the floor of my lonely home, and began to plead with
God, with my
whole being (all I had left),"Lord, what do You want from me?
What do
You want me to do? I don't really want to die, but I can't
live like
this anymore! PLEASE help me! PLEASE tell me what You would
have me to do-
I'll do ANYTHING"!!! Well, it was just that simple. He wanted
me; not
just my problems. And so, now we have a personal and very
loving
relationship, instead of just an affair! Now I know that He is
MUCH MORE than
just some jennie in a bottle that you let out to grant a wish,
and then
put back on a shelf; no,HE'S GOD!!! And the more I seek to
know His
will for me, the more I learn to serve and please Him. And the
more I
serve and please Him, the more I learn to worship Him. And the
more I
worship Him, the more and more He pleases me and blesses me,
day after day,
time and again, over and over; with much more than I would
have ever
dared to ask for !!!The terrible oppression of over 20 years
of accute
drug addiction and alchoholism... COMPLETELY GONE!!! Now I'm
laughing and
ENJOYING LIFE again; much more than ever before! And I now
have a
purpose in life; "TELL OTHERS"!!! One day, I was painting the
outside of the
church where I was employed, and I was thinking that alot of
people
were going to be slow to except me, because of my terrible
past; when I
very distinctly heard a voice say to me: "You will be a
POWERFUL WITNESS"
!!! WOAH, I almost fell off the ladder! And so now, I go to
the local
jail...as a MINISTER; where I spent MUCH of my life (behind
bars), and I
encourage others to try giving themselves WHOLLY over to
JESUS!!! Many
of the inmates know me; many were once some of my closest
friends, back
when I was "Joey the Junkie" (or Joey "Jones", mockingly, as I
would do
just about anything for another dose), and they are AMAZED at
the
complete turn around - the difference that the presence of God
has made in
my life, and what God is doing in and through me! Many of them
tell me
over and over how proud they are of me! But I am quick to tell
them it
was certainly nothing that I did; I could never do ANYTHING
right! All I
did was call on God, and submit my will to Him, and He did
(and still
does) the rest!!! I tell them that He will be just as sure to
do the
same for them - if only they will freely allow Him to do so!
But they have
to be willing to give it all up - a life of misery, total
failure, and
slow but sure death...for a life of JOY, COUNTLESS BLESSINGS,
and
ETERNAL LIFE WITH GOD as our FATHER !!! I have seen 3 guys
saved -IN JAIL -
in ONE MONTH...HALLELUJAH WHAT A SAVIOR: GOD IS SO
AWESOME!!! And I am
proof that there is REALLY hope; a SURE way to break that last
needle,
ONCE AND FOR ALL; and live a MUCH better life in Christ Jesus,
and all
the benefits that come with being a "SON OF GOD" !!! Listen,
maybe
someone, somewhere, at sometime will read this, who is
standing in the same
shoes I use to walk in. My father died at the age of 32, with
scirosis
of the liver, from a life of accute alcholism. I was 10 years
old.Then
my mother, who had been a pharmaceutical drug addict most of
her life
(and in and out of Milledgeville state hospital), died less
than 2 years
later, at 33; I was 12. I was so confused. I felt unloved,
unwanted,
and so alone... believing the lies of satan. In reality, I had
family who
loved me and wanted (and tried) to help me, and even more so,
I now
know that God wanted to help me, but I wouldn't let anyone
close to me. I
felt that anyone I loved, DIED! I became very rebellious
against family
AND God. So I started doing drugs other than pot, which I had
already
been smoking since 10. At 15, I began to fire "T" (thc), and
then it was
coke, and then crank, and it ended up being anything that
would break
down, if it made me feel different (if it numbed my senses). I
had been
court ordered to a Christian drug rehabilitation center in
Corpus
Christi, Tx. for one year, when I was 17, where I had asked
Jesus to save
me, and I even stayed on another year, as a staff member. And
I thank God
for Roloff Enterprises, and the Lighthouse, where I learned to
love
God's word, and some very important values, but I had never
totally
surrendered my life to Christ.I held on to my rebel pride
(proud of what, I
may never understand), and that old liar began to whisper once
again:
"You're a rebel and an outcast; live hard and die fast" !!! So
I left
(before God said to),and there I went again. The choices I
made drew me
away from God.The deception of satan made me believe that I
would always
be just like my parents, and that I would die by the age of 32
or 33; I
believed it was my destiny! BUT... when I was STILL ALIVE at
35,
realizing I had outlived them, I decided that I might live
awhile longer,
after all. But I had SO destroyed my life by then;though I had
never been
legally married, I had 3 children by 2 different women who had
lived
with me, and had been divorced 2 times (there use to be a
common law
marriage in Ga.; no more); but the youngest 2's mom shot and
killed a man
when Tiffany was 10-1/2 months old, and Joseph was only a
month old! She
was in prison, and after raising these 2 by myself for 3-1/2
years, the
state took them from me (though I loved all my children with
all my
heart; and vice-versa), because I was jail prone, and had no
one else to
help with them, when I got into trouble with the law. Then my
oldest,
Candy, who's mom was remarried (twice),was mad at me for
losing her half
brother and sister, and she stopped coming around. There was
nothing
left to live for... or, so I thought. But, FINALLY, all the
wrong choices
and the long hard roads led me RIGHT BACK TO JESUS; like I had
walked
around the world, on burning sand and frozen seas, until I
came back to
my REASON FOR LIVING; it was JESUS, ready to HEAL and FORGIVE
!!! So,
it wasn't too late for me after all.Several of my past friends
are now
dead. Others are in prison (some for killing the others); one
of my
friends died from an overdose of crystal meth he did at my
home, while I
was in jail. Others blew their own brains out. At least 1 is
now demon
possessed, but doesn't realize it, or else can't except it, in
order to
deal with it. I am lucky to still be alive, and have my
sanity; much
less all the benefits that have now come from turning to God.
Oh, but to
think of how sweet my life could have been, if I had simply
trusted God
to begin with. None the less, life is great, because God is SO
GOOD!!!
So LOVING and FORGIVING !!! People, please don't ever walk
away from
God. Believe me, His way is SO MUCH BETTER! And if You have
left God's
will, please come back, right now; today! Each day seperated
from God
produces destruction, ruin, and death.But each day in His
presence adds to
life, and that more and more abundant, as each new day
unfolds! May God
bless You more and more, as You seek to please Him. "Thank
You, God;
for loving us SO MUCH" !!! "For
God didn't send His Son into the
world to condemn the world, but to save it." John 3:17
Joseph A. Robison, Joroco Ministries
^
Alice Cooper
 Rock
star Alice Cooper shocked the world in the 1970s with an
alcohol-fueled stage show that explored taboos ranging from
murder to necrophilia. Years later he shocked the rock world
by quietly embracing Christianity.
Cooper has rarely talked about his faith, but in an exclusive
October, 2000 interview with Lonn Friend, editor of the
on-line rock magazine KNAC.COM, Cooper spoke at length about
his drinking days, faith in God, and views on the
shock-rockers who are following in his footsteps.
Cooper said he was introduced to alcohol when he began his
music career, and drank heavily for the next 15 years. "I
Rocker Christian, Alice Cooper was a totally functional
alcoholic, probably the most functional alcoholic ever. I
never missed a show. I never stumbled. I never slurred a word.
I mean I was the Dean Martin of rock n' roll," he told
KNAC.COM. Cooper said divine intervention is what broke his
drinking habit in the mid-1980s. "I honestly think I was
simply and completely healed," he said. "I guess you can call
it a miracle. It's the only way I can explain it. It was
absolutely eliminated from my life."
Cooper has often been called the model for today's
shock-rockers, including Marilyn Manson. While he doesn't
criticize Manson for his on-stage theatrics, Cooper takes
issue with Manson's anti-Christian stance.
"He's very vocal about it," Cooper told KNAC.COM. "I believe
[the Manson album] AntiChrist Superstar was pointed right
directly at me. I didn't volley the first shots in this whole
thing. His whole anti-Christian thing, and I'm like 'Hey, I'm
Christian, and I'm not going to denounce what I believe.' I
can be a rock 'n' roll star, a Christian and Alice Cooper."
Cooper continued, "I think Marilyn had a really bad Christian
experience when he was younger. My guess is he got involved
with some less-than-Christian-Christians and that really,
forgive the expression, nailed him. You know, he's one of the
greatest button pushers I've ever met. And I know that game
because I invented that game...Manson clicked because he found
a whole new set of buttons to push, he even pushed my buttons,
which is pretty impressive since I was pushing buttons before
he was born."
Cooper's embrace of Christianity was more a return to faith
than a coming to faith. "I was pretty much convinced all my
life that there was just one God and there was Jesus Christ
and there was the Devil," he said.
"You couldn't believe in God without believing in the Devil. I
always tell bands that the most dangerous thing you can do is
to believe in the concept of the Devil or the concept of God,
because you're not giving them full credit. When you believe
in God, you've got to believe in the all-powerful God. He's
not just God, He's the all-powerful God and He has total
control over everyone's life. The Devil, on the other hand, is
a real character that's trying his hardest to tear your life
apart. If you believe that this is just mythology, you're a
prime target because you know that's exactly what Satan wants:
To be a myth. But he's not a myth, of this I'm totally
convinced. More than anything in the world, I'm convinced of
that."
Cooper continued, "We have to make a choice. And everybody, at
some point in their lives, has to make that choice. When
people say, 'How do you believe this? Why do you believe
this?' I just say nothing else speaks to my heart. This
doesn't speak to my intellect, it doesn't speak to my logic -
it speaks right to my heart and right to my soul, deeper than
anything I've ever thought of. And I totally believe it. That
being said, I'm not a very good Christian. I mean, none of us
are ever 'good' Christians. That's not the point. When you're
a Christian, it doesn't mean you're gonna be good, it means
you've got a harder road to pull."
Though some have questioned combining his faith in God with
his rock-and-roll background, Cooper doesn't see a conflict.
"I'm the first one to rock as loud as I can, but when it comes
to what I believe, I'm the first one to defend it too," he
said. "It has also gotten me in trouble with the staunch
Christians who believe that in order to be a Christian you
have to be on your knees 24 hours a day in a closet somewhere.
Hey, maybe some people can live like that, but I don't think
that's the way God expected us to live. When Christ came back,
He hung out with the whores, the drunks and miscreants because
they were people that needed Him. Christ never spent His time
with the Pharisees."
But while Cooper may still speak to some of his old themes, he
has a new message today.
"I used to celebrate moral decay, the decadence of it," he
admitted. "I can look back on what I did then and what I'm
doing now and they're two different things. But at the time I
was the poster boy for moral decay, you know. So yeah, I've
got a lot to be forgiven for...out of ignorance, I thought I
was doing the right thing. I was totally in agreement that
every guy should sleep with every girl and drink as much as
they can. I don't believe that now. I don't believe in it,
because I see how destructive it is."
Spiritual awakening is happening around the world, Cooper
believes. "It's obvious humanity is craving for answers
directly born of awareness," he said. "That's the healthiest
thing I've seen in a long time because there is something
better and everybody's gotta find it in their own way. People
aren't feeling fulfilled by how many cars they own or the size
of their stock portfolio.
Even the addicts are saying, 'It doesn't matter how many drugs
I take, I'm not fulfilled. This isn't satisfying.' There's a
spiritual hunger going on. Everybody feels it. If you don't
feel it now, you will. Trust me. You will."
The Solid Rock Foundation - Christian Youth Organization
founded by Alice Cooper
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