What a Lucky Boy

Jeremy was almost not born.

Somewhere between conception and birth his father was arrested and sent to the state penitentiary for a felony charge. The first five years of his life Jeremy never saw his father. Lucky for Jeremy his grandma had an empty room in her apartment.

This was his life for five years, just growing up in an apartment with his mom, grandma, uncle and a Dalmatian named "Princess". Outside he sometimes heard car window smashes or loud music from the cars passing by on the street, but besides that Jeremy was pretty much an ordinary boy.

Lucky for Jeremy his dad came back and remembered him. His dad got a job in a machine shop and bought a nice house in the suburbs. Jeremy's uncle lived nearby and bought toys for Jeremy and took him to the movies sometimes. But daily life was difficult because his father was exhausted from work and was super sensitive.

His father had an Olympic weight set in one of the bedrooms that Jeremy was not allowed to enter. One day Jeremey walked in when his dad was doing squats.

His dad got so angry that Jeremey peed in his pants.

Although his dad got out on good behavior all he had done for the past five years was lift weights and read books. Inside his dad was still a frustrated kid. His friends from the State pen would sometimes come over. One of them was tall and had a head like a bowling ball. The other one had a beard like Grizzly Adams.

The house was often suddenly filled with electronics. There were giant speakers, mics, amps, VCRs, etc. They would just sit there for a few days in a room and then would be gone just as soon as they came in. Jeremy had no idea what was going on, but he didn't like the strange men in the house.

Then it happened. The machining company his dad worked for went bankrupt and they had to move back to the city. His dad had to take a job for less pay and find a much smaller house. Luckily they lived far from his dad's old friends and they did not come to visit anymore.

Jeremy was often bored in the new neighborhood because he could not go outside and play freely. There were too many cars and strangers outside. He felt lonely and sad and most of the time he hung his head down as if he had no energy. But one day coming home from school he saw a little piece of paper. On the paper it said:

"Fun, crafts, stories, snacks and prizes. Come to Vacation Bible School."

Jeremy asked his mom and found the church was only two blocks down the street. He had the time of his life. The church was mostly college students and they treated Jeremy like their little brother. Each day there were stories. He heard about David and Goliath and Jonah and stories of how Jesus welcomes anybody and everybody.

Mostly he liked the crafts and the snacks. He was not allowed to eat snacks with sugar at home, but here they gave him Oreo cookies and Kool-Aid. Jeremy didn't realize that part of the secret of his happiness was the rush he was getting from the sugar high.

Jeremy found a new love called "floor hockey". Under the sanctuary they was a huge basement. They just gave the kids some sticks and a ball and they were off. For Jeremy this was like heaven on earth. He loved to whip the ball across the floor and watch it slide across the room.

Like every good thing it had an end. The vacation Bible school was only for one week and on Friday the points were added him. His team won.

There were prizes just like they promised. The youth leader spoke up:

"This is our last day of vacation Bible school."

All the kids sighed.

"But don't be sad. We do this every Sunday. Tomorrow is parents' night. Ask your parents to come tomorrow night and you can have Sunday school every week."

Jeremy didn't like school, but this was different. This was special and there were cookies and Kool-Aid and floor hockey. Jeremy was hooked and convinced his mom and dad to come the next night.

You can guess how lucky Jeremy's parents were. Their lives were completely turned around. They met a couple who understood them well and prayed with them and showed them the truth of God's love. Many of Jeremy's father's addictions went away. A spirit of anger was replaced with a spirit of peace and a spirit of giving.

Jeremy's whole family was changed. Instead of making devious plans, his father spent his energy after work teaching teenagers in the neighborhood and holding floor hockey tournaments. He gave away his own possessions as prizes and helped the kids in the neighborhood in ways they needed it.

Jeremy was changed too. He no longer held his head down or hid in unusual places in the house in fear of his dad. He became friends with his dad and shared the same heart and passion. He became a very lucky man. His family was blessed and the more they gave the more was returned.

One day years later, Jeremy almost lost his father. At a gas station off Interstate 65 he was filling up with gas when two young men came up to him with guns. They asked him for all his money and the keys to his car.

His dad was a lucky man and he was old, but he was not afraid of some punk kids with guns. He yelled at those kids,