UNSHACKLED! Audio Dramas

<p>When he is a baby, Max Forman’s father dies in Russia, so his mother brings the children to Philadelphia to live near her Orthodox Jewish parents. Proud but poor, Max becomes a coppersmith in the Naval shipyards when World War II comes. He marries Evelyn and they have a daughter. He rides to work with Tony, a Christian who witnesses constantly. Then Max changes jobs and the rides end. After he gets a car they drive past Tony’s house, stop by and hear more scripture. The next week Max and Evelyn stop by and end up praying for salvation.</p>

<p>Martha’s father leads her to Christ when she is ten. Like him, she learns to take a stand for her faith and commits to being a missionary as a teenager. She travels as a soloist with an evangelist, then goes to Wheaton College where she meets Don, a pastor. They marry and go to Japan as missionaries in 1952 with their two sons. In spite of much illness, they stay and Don helps found a Christian Bible College. After 22 years they go to Lausanne to help with world evangelism. Their faith never falters even when their oldest son is killed in a plane crash. Still serving the Lord in retirement.</p>

<p>Dave grows up with an alcoholic father and a mother who prays, reads the Bible and takes him to church. He fakes a conversion at age nine to please her. At thirteen he lives with a farmer for three years and learns many valuable lessons. Dave goes home and takes up drinking with friends. He joins the army and marries, but his drinking destroys his work and his marriage. The army gives him a less-than honorable discharge. His marriage ends and he’s arrested for writing bad checks. His nephew’s sudden death leads Dave to call a Christian cousin, then he prays for salvation. He quit drinking, meets and marries Mary, but the anger persists until pastors help him use scripture to root out the past.</p>

<p>When he is three, David’s life is saved by the family dog. His mother takes him to church and he learns about God. He prays for peace after he argues too much as a teenager, and sees his father recover from a heart attack. But he turns away from God, Who doesn’t seem to answer his prayers. He drinks, joins the army, and realizes that God did answer his prayer for peace. But drugs and rock music lure him away again. When a fellow soldier is murdered, David once again is jarred into reality. He marries his girlfriend, gets out of the army and goes home. There he goes to church with his parents and finally surrenders to Christ. Still in the national guard, he witnesses to other soldiers.</p>

<p>Chuck grows us with an alcoholic dad and learns to fight. He joins the Marines and marries Lenora two months after they meet. She is horrified by his drinking and fighting. He becomes an officer, trains in counterintelligence and goes to Vietnam. In Hue he survives the Tet Offensive, escaping several traps for eight days. Finally he is rescued. Back home he debriefs POWs when the war ends and their horror stories break him. Lenora has received Christ and prays for him as he weeps for days. She leads him to Christ and Chuck declares his salvation in church. He retires from the Marine Corps and becomes a preacher. Now in evangelism.</p>

<p>Terrson’s dad has a mistress, causing turmoil in the home. Shy and fearful, Terrson turns to alcohol as a teenager. She tries drugs but prefers alcohol. An alcoholic in her twenties, she struggles against drinking. She marries another alcoholic and they have two children. She manages to quit while she’s pregnant. She reads Leviticus and tries to follow God’s law so she’ll go to heaven but can’t. Her sister-in-law’s dad tells her how to get saved and Terrson prays and is born again that night. Her husband rejects Jesus and divorces her. Terrson learns to forgive him and the other woman. She remarries and she and her husband are serving the Lord.</p>

<p>When she’s sixteen her mother dies and Bette becomes pregnant. She marries but is divorced after two years. Irresponsible, she becomes addicted to pot and parties, smuggles drugs from Mexico and is busted. She spends 30 days in jail but returns to drugs. She has a friend, Tracy, who parties with her and they try heroin and get mixed up with bikers. Trying to kick the habit, they go to church and Bette goes forward for salvation but doesn’t turn from her sin. She falls for a convict, Zack, in San Quentin and falls away from God. She and the biker marry but he is unfaithful and cruel. She leaves him after fifteen years. The first part ends when Tracy ends their friendship to kick drugs and Bette tries Meth.</p>

<p>Bret has a grand mal seizure at age four that leaves him with a learning disability. A sister’s interest in the occult brings evil spirits into his life and he sets fires and steals. He is beaten for something his brother did. In high school friends try to lead him astray but with special help Bret graduates. He goes to church and is baptized but doesn’t understand the gospel until he’s 19 when he prays for salvation. He serves in the Navy where he volunteers to be the lay religious leader. Afterward he graduates Bible college. His brother writes a letter asking forgiveness for letting Bret take his punishment.</p>

<p>Dallas is an Army brat whose mother prays for her family. Dallas worships his volatile, hard-drinking father who has fought in three wars and was shot four times. His dad retires and goes to college with Dallas who is using and selling drugs. They drink together in bars; but during a trip with friends, his drunken dad shoots Dallas at close range as they argue. Miraculously, the bullet doesn’t kill Dallas. But his love turns to hatred and both men continue to feud. His older brother invites him to Louisiana where his brother witnesses to Dallas who prays to receive Christ. The first part ends as he refuses to forgive his father.</p>

<p>As an only child, Mary grows up with a negative, protective mother, who sends her to church alone. Mary longs for acceptance. She marries Jim, joins his church and they go to Spain for two years, where Mary has a miscarriage and the marriage deteriorates as he spends time at bars. Back home, they got college degrees and have three sons. Mary suffers from chronic colitis and nearly dies in childbirth. She is hospitalized in a psychiatric ward where a friend visits and invites her to Bible study. After two years she prays to receive Christ. The first part ends as she tell her husband she is leaving his church.</p>

<p>Anne grows up with a repressive mother, a kind stepfather and a grandmother who reads the Bible and takes her to church. Anne wants to be a missionary but secular teachers destroy her faith and she goes to business college instead. Her mother quashes successive attempts to date and then sends Anne to a delinquent girl’s school. Embittered, Anne lives to have fun. During the Depression she learns the grocery business, dates Fred, and marries him before he goes off to the war. Her Aunt is saved. When Fred comes home, their marriage falters because of Anne’s willfulness. But they remarry and continue to struggle. The first part ends when Anne comes to Christ.</p>

<p>Bombs destroy Kazuo’s home during the war but he to goes to high school where he learns English, becoming a translator after graduation. Asked to translate sermons for a missionary pastor, he is convicted and receives Christ. A chaplain sponsors him to Bible college where he meets Hisako and they marry after he graduates. He works for Pacific Broadcasting Association, producing radio programs, then is called to Quito, Ecuador to translate and produce Japanese programs. He and Hisako serve for nearly four decades until her death in 2006. He is still in ministry.</p>

<p>Earl’s mother takes him to church but his dad, a Navy deep sea diver, is mean and Earl fears him. His mother and several pastors have Earl pray for salvation but don’t mention Jesus Christ. He grows up fearing God but Jesus is a curse to him. He dates Shirlee but they break up when he goes into the Navy where he does well. Various people have him pray, asking God’s forgiveness for his sins without mentioning Christ. He goes to church with his boss, goes forward, and again doesn’t hear about Jesus. Finally, a co-worker urges him to attend church where, after several months, Earl stops resisting and surrenders to Christ. Now in several outreach ministries.</p>

<p>Bobby, the youngest child, adores his mother and fears his drunken father, who is kind when sober. When he’s sixteen, Bobby confronts his dad who backs down. Bobby’s musical talent is developed by a voice trainer and he’s accepted in Chicago’s Lyric Opera. His mother takes him to church and he avoids drugs, but he is morally loose, fathering various children. At 28 he signs a record contract, getting a financial bonus that he spends on himself and his mother’s house. Six months later she dies, leaving him bereft as the first part ends.</p>

<p>Dar grows up in poverty. He helps his dad make beer and teaches his friends to do the same. His mother takes him to church once when he is five. He cooks dinner and irons for his younger sister because his parents work. He caddies at age eleven with Johnny, a boy who is faithful in church. Dar has a gift of humor and enters a contest that he wins over thousands; but he turns down a contract to go to Hollywood. Too poor for college, he works at the battery factory where his dad works and Dar is made the manager. Then he buys a gas station. Johnny invites him to church where Dar gives his life to Christ. The first part ends after he leads his sister to the Lord.</p>

<p>Ashish is born into a Hindu family in Bombay. He idolizes first cricket, then a rock star. He is selected for a near-professional cricket team that goes to England; but when he fails to make his college team, he despairs, drinks alcohol and tries hashish. Then he and a friend volunteer at a blind organization and Ashish goes to a camp for the blind in North Carolina. There he meets Emily and is introduced to Christ, Whom he rejects. He works on his Master’s degree in the U.S., finally receives Christ and marries Emily. Getting his Master’s in Bible, hoping to go back to India to share Christ.</p>

<p>Susan goes forward at five and is baptized but doesn’t remember and grows up doubting her salvation although her father is a pastor. She quietly rebels, lying to her parents and sneaking out to movies. She goes to Bible college but her true nature lurks near the surface. She cheats once in college. She marries Larry who becomes a pastor. Home-schooling their four children, her angry outbursts increase and she fears death. She confides in a prayer partner who gives her a book, and as Susan studies the Bible, she realizes she is a sinner and repents.</p>

<p>After his arrest, Tim becomes an F.B.I. informant, going undercover. He serves time in jail, then goes to drug treatment. While on probation he goes to church on Mother’s Day where he meets Hylea. She befriends him, writing to him in jail. After the indictments are served, he proposes to Hylea and they marry before he is sentenced to prison for 30 months. Kept in isolation, he weeps and reads the Bible, then after a fit of rage, he experiences God’s presence. He’s moved to a prison in Texas where he meets a believer who mentors him. After release he reunites with friend, Steve, in ministry before becoming an evangelist and then returning to a secular job and serving his church as a devoted layman.</p>

<p>Tim and his older brother are molested by their stepfather who dies when Tim is 12. Both boys get into drugs and after his brother attempts suicide, Tim rebels and is expelled from school twice. His mother turns to Christ and puts him in a Christian reform school where he continues to rebel. His real father dies and Tim feels yet more alienated. Although he has professed faith in Christ several times, he doesn’t deal with the pain of his past. He becomes addicted to cocaine in college, drops out, gets in trouble with the law and threatens suicide. Then he slips into dealing cocaine. The first part ends when he is arrested.</p>

<p>Pat’s dad abandons the family and his mother is a drunk. He and his brother live with uncles or in foster homes. His brother teaches him to drink and use drugs; then his brother goes to prison for robbery and Pat drops out of school at 13. He meets Terry, an undercover cop who talks to him about God and the Bible. But Terry smokes pot and leaves town after a drug bust. Pat goes back to drugs. When Terry returns, he’s addicted to cocaine and ends up killing himself in front of Pat, who becomes suicidal. He marries Deanna but can’t quit drugs, so she leaves him, and their pastor sends Pat to a rescue mission. He surrenders to Christ, quits drugs and witnesses to his dying father. Pat is preparing for full time ministry</p>

<p>Adopted as an infant, Mel joins the church to please his Mother. In high school and college he cares more about girls than studies. He joins the Air Force after Pearl Harbor and trains as a bombardier; but the war ends before he goes overseas. Back in college he marries Marj, parties with friends but doesn’t commit adultery. He re-enlists in the Air Force to fight in Korea, where he again womanizes and has several close calls. Back home he and Marj become active in church, but Mel realizes that the church teaches falsehoods about the Bible, and they seek a new church, where the pastor leads him to Christ. He & Marj help missionaries; their daughter is a missionary in Mexico.</p>

<p>Dave grows up an only child with asthma. His parents move to the Southwest for Dave’s health. They send him to a private boys’ school where he learns to cuss and drink. He races a hotrod and breaks many driving laws. Then he buys a motorcycle and risks his life. He flunks out of college because of parties, crashes a friend’s car, then decides to go back to college to study agriculture. He goes to church, hoping God will help him graduate. He and a drunken farmer crash a pickup with trailer but aren’t hurt badly. He marries a Mormon who leaves him after nine months, and Dave threatens suicide. Then he talks with a pastor who leads him to Christ. Dave goes to Bible college where he meets Bev and they marry.</p>

<p>As the youngest in a family of five, Jack grows up feeling like a loser. When he gains too much weight, a doctor puts him on amphetamines, launching fifteen years of drug addiction. He often fakes illness to get morphine at hospitals. He forms a music group at fourteen and in college, then strikes out on his own, moving to Colorado. But his drug abuse ends his music career, and he works at a publishing house where he meets a Christian. After numerous accidents, his brother’s witness and then a near-fatal time of wandering in a blizzard, he calls his friend who leads him to Christ in 1971. Jack is still an evangelist.</p>

<p>Earl’s dad doesn’t drink but his mother drinks and uses drugs daily. She won’t let him join Cub Scouts because she doesn’t believe in God. At age eleven he begins listening to heavy metal music and the lyrics lead him astray. He cuts school, hangs out in bars and leads a degenerate life, quitting school at 16. He attempts suicide and hates his life and himself. He meets Amy and they live together. She urges him to quit drinking & drugs. A friend invites him to church and he goes. Then a man from church comes to his job and leads him to Christ. His family ridicules him, but Earl is still in ministry.</p>

<p>Her father’s murder when she is seven leads to her mother’s mental breakdown and the dispersion of the four sisters. Several uncles try to molest Mary. She and a younger sister end up with their maternal grandmother, who is poor but firm and loving. Mary longs to kill the murderer. Her sister runs away but Mary does well in school, graduating salutatorian. Her grandmother dies that day, and Mary weds her high school sweetheart who is abusive. Finally, Mary takes their two children and divorces him. She drinks to ease the pain, meets Jay and they marry. After he quits drinking, she talks with his sister, who leads her to Christ. She is able to forgive the murderer and serve.</p>

<p>Sam is raised on a North Carolina farm near a godly grandmother. He goes forward at age thirteen during revival but no one explains how to follow Christ. At fifteen he abandons godly efforts and drinks with friends. At seventeen he and a cousin leave home and don’t tell their parents for eight weeks. He is drafted, goes to the Korean War and when his girlfriend breaks their engagement, he drinks harder. His sergeant and captain warn him, and he promises God during a fierce artillery battle that he will live for Him. He doesn’t. He comes home, drinks too much and has an accident, then lives with his sister who is saved. He falls in love with Shirley, whose family he helps one day. Finally, he surrenders to Christ, marries Shirley and goes to Bible college. Still in ministry.</p>

<p>Jim quits school in 6th grade to work. Age 20 he’s sent to fight in the Korean War where he learns of his dad’s death. His mom gets him a hardship discharge. He joins the Air Force, learns to drink hard with another airman. His C.O. punishes him but Jim still drinks. Finally, he is sent to Guam where he gets drunk, wears an officer’s rank and then breaks into a shoe store while drunk. He feigns mental illness, is shipped home and given a Dishonorable Discharge. He fails to show up for his own wedding because he’s drunk. His Mama gives up on him and he sells his blood to buy wine. Goes to a rescue mission, hears the gospel but not saved as the first part ends.</p>

<p>Gil meets Nancy, a Jew, and they elope, living with her parents until he graduates. He works for a print shop whose owner pays poorly, and the men try to unionize but lose their jobs. They plot to kill him; then Gil is diverted to Atlanta where he works and takes his wife and four children. He goes overboard with drinking and drug use. Some church ladies come to the door, inviting them to church. Gil slams the door on them three Thursdays in a row. Then he overdoses and spends a week in the hospital after which he takes his family to church and is saved. He goes to Bible college, Nancy is saved and they go to Brazil as missionaries. Now in ministry to Jews.</p>

<p>Phyllis has many disappointments in life. She is born with a heart defect. Her father is a master weaver in a large textile mill that provides heart surgery when she is fifteen. She is gifted at the piano and her mother teaches her, but her father can’t afford college and sends her to secretarial school. She marries Gil but they can’t have children so they adopt. Gil secretly drinks, sending Phyllis into despair. She goes to a hospital where the chaplain encourages her to play the piano again. She leaves her husband to get alone with God, listens to Christian radio and prays to receive Christ; then she goes back to Gil. God delivers him from alcohol, but a year later he develops cancer, lives ten years, then dies. Phyllis now plays piano and witnesses to others.</p>

<p>Harvey is one of ten children, the only one to graduate from high school in his family. He surrenders to full-time ministry and manages to work his way through a Christian college. He marries Norma but isn’t accepted at seminary, so he becomes a lay minister in his church then is ordained – with difficulty – through equivalency ordination. As a pastor of several churches, he reluctantly visits relatives of church members in prison and thus begins a jail ministry to which he devotes himself.</p>

<p>Larry tries alcohol at fourteen, gets drunk and becomes an alcoholic. As a chef, working at country clubs and hotels, he learns the art of ice sculpture. During the war he serves as a cook, stays on in France, drinking. He goes to Korea as a government employee, meets Ethel and then becomes ill. Paralyzed and blind, he is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and deemed incurable. But his mother and Ethel pray and he is miraculously healed. He and Ethel marry, but he degenerates, unable to hold a job and depressed. Ethel gives him books to read and he meets Jesus in the Bible. After salvation they plan to be missionaries but he can’t raise support until he begins using ice sculpture with his testimony. Now missionaries in France.</p>

<p>His harsh dad causes Jay’s heart to harden. At ten he begins using alcohol and drugs. He has a bad motorcycle accident at thirteen, but rides motocross and does well. A friend’s drug overdose causes him to quit school at sixteen and run away to Florida. Life from then on is downhill. He steals, gets in trouble and goes home. He marries, has a son and they split. He goes berserk and trashes his mother’s house. He lives with Joan, but is involved in the beating and rape of a girl, and is sentenced to prison. Joan stands by him, but after prison he continues to drink, and they marry but divorce. He lives with his brother and they make crystal meth, burning their trailer. More jail time where a chaplain leads him to Christ. He stumbles on parole, returns to prison where he commits to Christ. Now in jail ministry, remarried to Joan.</p>

<p>Neil grows up with a godly mother who dies when he is twelve. In despair he quits going to church but prays for forgiveness for his worldly lifestyle. After hearing an evangelist he believes God and is called to Japan as a missionary. His girlfriend drops him and he vows to stay single. In Japan he meets Peggy and regrets his vow; but God releases him to marry. They launch a ministry, Japan Mission; then switch to hospital evangelism to reach the millions of TB patients. The first part ends as they decide to begin a radio ministry through the Pacific Broadcasting Association.</p>

<p>After being shot in the throat, Bob is rescued by fellow Marines. He is taken by hospital ship to San Francisco where he and the lieutenant are reunited; then he goes to Idaho where his father visits and is offended by Bob’s faith in Christ. Bob then goes to Philadelphia for specialist surgery where he spends a year. He returns to Salem to work for a Christian missionary, cares for his terminally ill father. God calls him to go to Japan but Bob resists until he hears the testimony of a veteran who learned to forgive. Bob decides to go to Japan, asks Jean to marry him and they serve 33 years as missionaries.</p>

<p>Ron’s mother abandons the family when he is four. His grandma takes him to church and prays with him, so Ron asks God to spare grandma as she is dying of heart failure. Grandma dies leaving Ron disillusioned with God. He joins a gang, then joins the army to fight in Vietnam, becoming an Airborne. A black soldier witnesses to him. Ron is wounded by mortar, and the black soldier saves his life. Ron marries but the marriage ends in divorce. He is disillusioned at America’s treatment of Vietnam vets and becomes a hermit. After eight years, he marries Glenda. Her brother invites them to church, and after a nephew witnesses to Ron, he finally receives Christ.</p>

<p>Suzanne suffers dizzy spells from age two. Her parents’ lack of love leads to hiding her feelings. Seven deaths, including her father’s from cancer, during her teenage years harden her to loss. She rebels, meets Kyle and they are forced to marry when she becomes pregnant. The baby needs surgery for deformities, and she doesn’t bond. She commits adultery several times, meets Russ and files for divorce when she becomes pregnant again. Her second marriage doesn’t fill the void in her life, so she works in the hospital, then is laid off. Both her sons leave because of her temper, and the estrangement sends her into depression. She visits her brother, where riding horses brings joy but parting brings rage. Her sister-in-law quotes Bible verses. When her husband threatens to leave her, she cries out for release and is saved. God heals the marriage, the dizziness and her sons’ relationship.</p>

<p>Tom’s first rebellion is poaching a deer at age eleven. His beloved grandfather dies when he is thirteen. Six months later his older brother is killed, and Tom quits going to church. His anger is aggravated by drinking, and he picks fights, has accidents and starts using marijuana. But he hates himself for hurting his parents, and prays for salvation after hearing an evangelist on television. He struggles, can’t change his lifestyle, so he goes to Houston where he meets a false prophet, prays and returns home to Wisconsin. He keeps reading the Bible, finally talks with the pastor and a counselor and has the assurance of salvation. Now a pastor with a ministry to hunters and fisherman.</p>

<p>Premature Deb needs oxygen that leaves her blind at two months. She attends public school, prays for salvation at ten and again at fourteen when she is raped by her sister’s fiancé. She and her father quarrel so much, she goes away to a school for the blind but a bad housemother leaves her bitter. She graduates and attends a vocational school for the blind. But the rape secret leads to emotional illness and anorexia. She is hospitalized for four months. Afterward, she goes to another school for the blind where she meets Don, also blind, and they live together before marriage. He is abusive, beating her often. A pastor comes to their home and they recommit their lives to Christ. Don dies of an epileptic seizure and heart failure as the first part ends.</p>

<p>Patricia struggles in school because of buck teeth and is ridiculed. After she gets braces, she does better and dates. After graduation she meets Geoff who divorces his unfaithful wife. Pati and Geoff marry and have a son. But he persuades her to get an abortion the second time she gets pregnant. After a second son is born, he demands two more abortions and they begin to fight, separate and then reconcile. Both use drugs and get into a biker group. She tries to fulfill a dream of rock music fame but her son gets into drugs and crime; so Geoff moves the family to Florida, where during rehab for the son, they meet a couple who lead them to Christ. Pati is now in a crisis pregnancy ministry.</p>

<p>Merlyn pretends to be saved when he is fifteen just to impress his girlfriend. He likes to drink and surf and does poorly in school. He works in a grocery store where a Christian witnesses to him, but Merlyn disdains the gospel. He meets Joyce and they marry while both are in different high schools. His drinking drives her away after their daughter is born, but they reunite. He works at a paper mill and goes out drinking after his shift. Through her job at a bank, Joyce meets a preacher having revival, and Joyce persuades Merlyn to attend. On the last day he is saved. He’s now in prison ministry.</p>

<p>Doris and Pete marry and have five children in four and a half years. But Pete’s family doesn’t accept her, and she becomes increasingly stressed and bitter at his demands and indifference. Christian women invite her to Bible study, but she is so “works” oriented, that she’s unable to grasp the gospel. In despair she runs away to her sister where a doctor puts her on anti-depressants. She and Pete return home where another Christian helps lead Doris to the Lord. A few years later Pete is saved. Twenty-one years later Doris learns to forgive the man who molested her and she now shares her testimony.</p>

<p>Shawn’s parents receive Christ when he is nine and put him in Christian schools. He hears rock music on the bus, gets mixed up with school rebels and begins smoking pot in public high school. His stressed-out mother has a nervous breakdown and he rebels even more. He drops out of school to drink and do drugs, hanging out with evil kids who threaten to harm him. Accidents, violence and overdose fill his life until his mother helps him go to a Christian drug center where he encounters Christ. Now an evangelist.</p>

<p>Patricia is molested by her stepfather and others throughout her childhood. Her mother works too hard to notice. In high school Patricia works, improves her appearance and dates Steve. They marry and have three sons. They give their lives to Christ and decide to go to Bible school, where Pat grows depressed and even talks of suicide. A friend stops by and Pat confides the past. The friend gives her Christian books to read, and Pat begins to dig out the roots of her depression by clinging to God’s Word. She forgives her stepfather and writes songs about her journey of faith. Both she and Steve are in ministry.</p>

<p>Ernie’s parents are Auschwitz survivors. Ernie rebels against his Orthodox Judaism after his Bar Mitzvah. He marries a Jew and has two sons, then divorces. Five years later he marries a Christian. His mother dies of Alzheimer’s. His father suffers three heart attacks, dying after the last one. When Ernie sees the look of terror on his father’s face, he knows there is a hell and begins a search for God. He comes to faith through the witness of believers, a radio preacher, and Bible reading. Listening to a Christian song while driving, he prays for salvation. He ministers to the church now by giving his testimony.</p>

<p>As the oldest child of six, Bonnie grows up feeling rejected by her dad. Her grandmother is the only source of faith. At twelve she’s molested by a family friend and feels betrayed. Hooked on LSD at 14, she drinks at 16, passes out and her boyfriend molests her. She gets pregnant and they marry but party and fight. They divorce, and she takes their son. She continues to shoplift and deal drugs. Then a pimp gets her hooked on heroine and drags her into prostitution. He throws a knife at her, cutting an artery and their relationship. The first part ends as she comes home from the hospital and her grandmother calls, urging her to accept Christ.</p>

<p>Tommy learns to play guitar. His parents divorce when he is twelve, and he doesn’t see his dad for fourteen years. A buddy entices him to smoke, drink and use drugs, but Tommy gives up beer when he sees the consequences in his friends. His older brothers go their own way and Tommy’s girlfriend dumps him. He has a panic attack during a performance and says the name “Jesus”, which ends the attack. He goes to Los Angeles and joins a rock band but prays the sinners prayer while watching a televangelist. He goes to church, reads the Bible and his brother asks him to leave. Tommy quits the band, goes back to Virginia to see his dad. Now married and in ministry.</p>

<p>When Tommy’s dad nearly dies of a heart attack, he receives Christ as Savior and begins taking the family to church. Tommy rebels as a teenager, smokes, drinks with friends and cuts class. He falls in love at thirteen but the girl doesn’t love him. Disappointed at love and denied the chance to play basketball in high school, Tommy drops out. He steals, gambles and has several close calls with death as his parents continue to exhort him. Finally, Tommy cries out to God, goes to church and gives his life to Christ at 22. Still single at 38 but with a ministry to nursing homes.</p>

<p>Norval grows up on an isolated farm and never meets his father, who suffers from Parkinson’s. He likes to live on the edge, gets in trouble with the law as a senior in high school. He goes to college, graduates and dates a girl. When they get carried away and she becomes pregnant, her family won’t let Norval see her, and she gives up the baby for adoption. He loses his job because of drinking and takes a job as a banker. Then he meets Jane and they marry, have children and he settles into a job teaching wrestling. After his mother dies, he contacts his father’s family. Retired but serving in the Gideon Ministry.</p>

<p>Dennis grows up in a permissive family. His parents send him to church, but he rebels, tries drugs in his dad’s pharmacy. Drops out of school and hitchhikes to Mexico. He goes to San Francisco and is arrested for drug possession. Back in Phoenix he gets hooked on heroin and resorts to burglary. Third arrest leads to drug rehab. He returns to San Francisco, marries and has children. He quits drugs, but his wife doesn’t. They split and he takes the children. He falls in with the Manson family, commits armed robbery to help the leader get out of jail, but is arrested and sent to San Quentin. Hears “Unshackled!” After numerous paroles and breaking parole, he prays to receive Christ. Now in prison ministry.</p>

<p>“Hafiz” is born into an Orthodox Muslim family and memorizes the Quran. At fifteen he finds a Christian pamphlet and compares the Bible to the Quran. He believes in Jesus and his family throws him out. The persecution continues; he goes to a Christian tech school, returns to his home town and his family tries to kill him with poison. He recovers and begins traveling from one country to another—is jailed in Syria for possessing Bibles. There he helps a fellow prisoner who has converted to Islam out of fear. The first part ends as Hafiz travels to Iran.</p>