Article #7 — The Story Behind January 1, 1987
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January 1, 1987, is a date I will never forget.
I was 20 years old when my life changed in a way I could never have anticipated.
That day, in a parking lot of a hamburger fast-food restaurant in Los Angeles County, I was shot three times.
What happened that day became more than a memory of survival. It became a turning point in my life and the beginning of an encounter with God that I would carry with me for decades.
A Day That Changed Everything
Being faced with death changes the way you look at life.
On January 1, 1987, I experienced something that forced me to confront the reality that life is not guaranteed. I survived being shot three times, but the physical survival was only part of the story.
What followed became deeply spiritual.
Through that experience, I encountered God in a way that changed the direction of my life.
The Bible says:
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being.”
— Acts 17:28 (KJV)
Those words became especially meaningful to me after January 1, 1987.
From Survival to Purpose
Years later, the significance of that experience continued to unfold.
In 1994, I was inspired to write a prophetic soundtrack called “Living in the Last Days.”
The soundtrack grew out of the message of Scripture concerning the last days and the return of Christ, including the warnings Jesus gave in Matthew 24.
What began with a life-changing experience in 1987 eventually became part of a larger purpose: creating work that points people toward God, His Word, and Jesus Christ.
God Can Use a Life-Changing Moment
Scripture repeatedly shows that God can work through circumstances that people may not understand at the time.
Romans 8:28 says:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
This does not mean that everything that happens is good.
It means God is able to work through our circumstances and bring purpose from them.
January 1, 1987, was a painful and life-changing day in my story.
But it did not become the end of my story.
It became part of the story God continued to write.
Why I Tell the Story
I share this testimony because life can change in a moment.
None of us knows what tomorrow will bring.
The Bible says:
“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
— James 4:14 (KJV)
My purpose in telling what happened is not to glorify the violence or the circumstances surrounding that day.
It is to testify that God is real, life is precious, and our time on earth has purpose.
January 1, 1987, changed my life.
And the story that came from that day continues.
Christ Above. All Things. Always.