The Road to Hell

There is some brief rough language on the front end and the back end of this youtube video. The Road to Hell ~ Beyond the Law Embedding was disabled on request, but it still sets the theme for today's post if you choose to take a look and listen.



This movie is based on a true story of an undercover cop that infiltrated a biker gang. It is rated "R" and has some pretty rough content, strong language, violence, drug use, one sexuality scene, and some overall pretty coarse and ugly content. Other than that it shows the degree of depravity humans can sometimes all too easily gravitate to.

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken." Isaiah 7:14-16

Just the other day the thought occurred to me that every bad thing I have ever done is because I was influenced by someone or something. That does not excuse me, but it does provide a reason for the error of my past ways. And, unfortunately I did not know enough to refuse evil and choose good. Fortunately I would not always remain in that condition.

Life has taught me that it is one thing to be able to discern good from evil and it is quite another thing to have the strength and wisdom to choose the good and refuse the evil. Depending on how you live your life the difference between the two can also become cloudy. Only a serious personal relationship with the one referred to above in Isaiah 7:14-16 and His consistent and diligent discipline when necessary after I became born again has helped me to change my ways.

I've heard many people say that if they had to do it all over again they wouldn't change a thing. There is plenty I would change. I would gladly go back to an 18 year old body or younger, if I could retain what I have learned along the way so I could do things differently and not return to the pit my savior helped me to climb out of.

Becoming a Recreational Drunk

I started drinking at a young age. I was born into a good family with good and responsible parents, but the time I was born into this world left many cracks for a kid to slip through. My dad has always had a booze cabinet, which I never paid any attention to until I read my first western novel.

"Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, And valiant men in mixing strong drink" Isaiah 5:22

The heroes in this western novel were also valiant men at handling their whiskey. That made this young kid look at his daddy's booze cabinet in a whole new way. "Hmmmm" I thought, "I'm going to have to figure that stuff out." It was a locked cabinet, but I figured out how to get into it and started experimenting with drinking at the tender age of 13. I helped myself at will. If I thought I reduced any levels in any of the bottles too a noticeably lower level I just added a little water to bring it back up.

I learned that it wasn't hard to purchase booze out on the street either. You could easily get an older person to buy you a bottle and some places would even sell it to you. By the time I was 15 I always had a fake ID. The legal drinking age was only 18 back then.

There was a black bar a few miles down the road from my house called the Dew Drop Inn. A couple of times I rode my bicycle there and purchased one or two quarts of beer to take home. The second time I went there it was pretty packed. I approached the bar and purchased two quarts of beer. Before I made it out the door a black man invited me over to his table. There was one white man at the table and in the bar. Everyone else was black. I sat down. The black man that called me over took one of my quarts and opened it saying, "Share this stuff". He passed my bottle around the table. Then the music started up and people were getting up to dance. The big black man that invited me over said, "Have fun. Get up and dance. Do what you want." This little white boy got up with his other quart and danced his way out the door, hopped on his bicycle and rode home and never went back to the Dew Drop Inn.

Another time a few years later and a little older, but still not 18 yet I was in a bar on the white side of town drinking and playing pool. A stranger from out of town came in about closing time and shot some pool,then the bar closed.

The stranger said he still wanted to play some pool.

I said, "Everything is closing. Time to go home."

He persisted about wanting to still play more pool.

I said, "Well I know a place we can go if you're serious."

He said, "Okay."

So I hopped in the stranger's car and navigated as he drove. I guided him to the back side of the quarters where there was a black bar called "the James Brown" that stayed open all night.

As we approached the bar showed up on the right side of the road and I said, "Here it is." and I waved my hand toward it.

He said, "Here?"

I said, "Yeah".

He turned without looking and pulled into a big ditch right in front of the club. Here we were, two little white boys stuck in a ditch in front of a black club in the middle of the quarter."

I said, "Oh man, what did you do that for? Ah, don't worry about it. I'll go get us some help to get us out of this ditch and then we can buy them a bottle of wine to thank them and then play your pool."

I got out of the car and approached about five blacks congregated out front. One in the group had an attitude, so I just ignored him while I told the other ones what was going on."

They were in no hurry, but they finally got around to helping us out of the ditch. The stranger was still sitting behind the wheel. These black men looked like they might have worked in the pulpwood industry. They were built pretty stout. They did not push that car out of the ditch. They laid their hands on it, lifted it up, and set it back on the road.

I pointed out the driveway and the parking lot to the stranger and told him, "Go park your car. I'll be thanking these guys. When you catch up with us, we'll buy them a bottle of wine to thank them and then you can play all the pool you want."

He made it to the driveway and pulled into the parking lot. I was visiting with the men who had helped us get out of the ditch. After a little while I started thinking that the stranger was sure taking a long time to catch up with us. I then looked around and saw his car back out on the road. The same time I saw his car he put the pedal to the metal and peeled out heading deeper into the quarter leaving this poor little white boy stranded.

I told those black men that had helped us, "That honkey must be scared. Come on an I'll buy y'all a bottle of wine for helping us."

We went into the club. I purchased a bottle of wine. After getting the bottle they pointed out the pool table. I said, "I didn't really want to play. It was the other guy that wanted to play." I visited until one left to head down town. I caught a ride with him and we went to an all night restaurant my mom managed at the time where I bought him some supper or breakfast to thank him for the ride.

Oh my, inappropriate drinking can sure get you into some predicaments...

In many ways it is just a miracle I managed to make it through those years intact. I've had some close calls. The Lord showed me mercy for some reason...
It would be several years later and even a few years after having a born again experience before He cured me completely from any desire to ever be drunk again.

And, I was a get drunk drinker. That was the only reason I drank. Many times to a blackout drunk condition where friends would have to tell me about the excitement of the previous evening. I managed my drinking to not allow it to interfere with other responsibilities such as school and jobs, except for once. But, that's a story for another time.



"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11


Well, that's the tall tale for today...ciao!

ps. Fortunately a Road to Hell can turn into a journey to redemption.