Testimony of Denis L

Born 1934, parents were Catholic. So I was brought up in that faith. My mother was fairly devout. My father I don’t remember much about, only what I was told about him. I was 6 years old, the eldest of 4 and 1 on the way when he was killed in an accident while under the influence of drink. My childhood was ok, but all my adult life I had no doubt about the fact that I was a sinner. I tried different ways to come to terms with it so like so many more I enjoyed it but could not get the victory over it. I dabbled in Yoga from the age of 16 years on and off until I was 40 years of age. In that time i also spent 12 years drinking which was not a good time for me, or anyone related to me, especially my wife who had to put up with all kinds of abuse with me and my drunken tantrums. In 1966 and 1967, I had 2 trips to the mental hospital. I came out early in 1967 and was drinking until 17th August 1967. Up to that date and after I was full of self hate and disgust because of my lifestyle even though I had stopped drinking and was trying to get my life together. There was an emptiness inside me at that time and I tried eastern religions for about 7 years. I went to a festival in Texas USA in 1973 to see the guru and was not happy with what took place and returned home freaked out and this was a very dark time in my life. For some reason I started reading the BIBLE and couldn’t make much sense of it. In Sept. 1973, in the Mansion House in Dublin, at satsang the guru brother made a statement that the Comforter the LORD JESUS spoke about in John 14:26 was his brother, the guru. I could not accept that statement at all and felt uneasy about it and it stuck with me. I was disillusioned with it. Later on I came across a book in the second hand book shop called Christianity According To JESUS CHRIST. I decided to look at the book and on doing so there was the verse from John 14:26, and on that I bought the book and read it a number of times. After that I could no get enough of the LORD JESUS. THANK GOD for HIS mercy to me. For the first time I felt clean. At that time I would not have been familiar with the word “saved”, because it was not widely known.

                                    Denis