I was born and raised in Endicott, New York, where I came from a relatively large family (4 brothers and 1 sister).  My mother and father were not religious people and consequently, Christianity was not practiced in our home.  I remember my mom as the rock of our family, the glue that kept our family together.  My Father worked diligently to provide for the needs of his family.  Unfortunately, he was also an alcoholic and I remember the adverse affects that it had on our entire family.  I vowed that I would never grow up to be like him.  Regrettably, I became the byproduct of my father and followed in his footsteps.  It was in March, 1981, at the ripe old age of 20, when I decided to move in another direction with my life and joined the United States Army.  Shortly after, I met my future wife Karen in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and we were married in March, 1983, which began the life process of raising a family together. 

          As the years went by, my drinking became worse and worse, until it became unmanageable.  I literally lived and breathed for that next drink, as alcohol had completely consumed me and taken over my life.  For nearly 13 years, my family had to endure the adverse affects of an alcoholic husband and father.  The things that I did while under the influence of alcohol were truly unimaginable.  I was a completely wretched man!  My wife, who had accepted Jesus into her life early in our marriage, could have conceivably given up on me but she truly believed that Jesus was going to change me.  She had a tremendous faith in a God whom I had not yet discovered. 

          It was 1996, while stationed at Fort Drum, New York when we received word from my mom that my brother Dan was terribly sick.  He had acquired full blown aids and was literally on his death bed.  I was completely devastated at the news but  little did I know that this would turn out to be the best day of my life!  That night, after my mom's phone call, I cried out to the Lord and surrendered everything to Him.  Sobbing and weeping, I asked Jesus to forgive me of all my sins and to come live inside of me.  I prayed that He would give me the strength to resist the temptations of alcohol and that He would have mercy on my brother and spare his life.  I vowed that I would never look back and that I would follow Him all the days of my life.

          That night, I received two miracles, as Jesus freed me from this bondage to alcohol and my brother Dan began to make a miraculous recovery.  This was the beginning of my journey of faith and I have been living my life for Jesus ever since.  No, this does not mean that the storms of life are not going to come my way or that I am some kind of a living saint.  On the contrary, I am a completely imperfect man who falls short of God's glorious standards everyday of my life.  However, Jesus is always there to pick me up when I stumble and fall.  Alcohol is no longer the master of my life, for there is only one Master and that is Jesus Christ, God's Son!