The Transformation of Jim Bering
Today, we have the inspiring story of Jim Bering.
THE TRANSFORMATION:
It was on November 24, 2019, my moms 69th birthday. I had release conditions not be at her address because I previously smashed the window out of her ex husbands/stepdads window while in the parking lot of her apartment. I called to ask her if I could come to her birthday dinner but she told me I wasn’t allowed to and that the police were looking for me. So, I rode my bicycle to the OPP Station and turned myself in.
I got into the Southwest Detention Centre and immediately began writing my story. After two days in, I was pacing back and forth on range when a guy named Chris yelled down at me and said, “Hey Jimmy! Throw this book back on the bookshelf for me.”
A book fell into my hands from the sky. I caught it with ease as the title looked me straight in the eye:
DRUGS! DEALED! DELIVERED!
“I think I might read this instead”, I said.
Right away, I was called out to the yard, where I ended up getting into a fight. I swung at him and I slipped out on the freshly mopped floor, where he was able to punch me directly in the nose, which broke it. We fought until I was tackled by the guards and thrown into handcuffs. I was taken to solitary confinement where I was told that I would stay until I was adjudicated. It wasn’t until the next evening that the guards brought my stuff to me: my papers and that book.
December 01, 2019 in solitary confinement, I began to read the second story in the book. It was the story of Cal Maskery. This man had a lot of similarities to me. A lot of dad issues as I had. I was always chasing my father for a relationship and kept getting turned away time and time again. I thought to myself that I wanted to write Cal.
Around 11pm, halfway through Cal’s story, I put the book down and got onto my knees and said, “God I need you to save me. I am at the end of my rope, the bottom of the barrel. God save me now… I am yours.”
Tears began to roll down my cheeks and hit the concrete floor. As the tears hit the concrete floor, the waves of goosebumps through my knees and to the tips of my fingers and top of my head. Every tear hit the floor sent a separate wave of goosebumps through my body. I was so overwhelmed by this occurrence, I began losing my breath with happiness. I knew it was the Lord. My tears stopped as I began to smile.
I stood to my feet while wiping away my tears. For the first time in my life alone in solitary confinement at 37 years old, I felt I had been saved. There was no other explanation. I asked God for a sign. When I looked at the book again, I found an address that I could reach out to Cal Maskery.
After 3 long years of life in addictions ending with a heavy fentanyl addiction, I spent the last $350 I had to take a 36hr train ride to Moncton NB to finally meet the man who was in the book. He picked me up and invited me into his home for Thanksgiving dinner with his family. After supper, Cal drove me over to my new home at ShekinahGO to enter his 12-Step Recovery Program.
After one week in the program I have been welcomed with love and open arms to enter the body of Christ and it has miraculously changed my whole perspective on life.
Thank you Cal, Rose, Jamie Newman, Charles, Matt and the rest of my new families for bringing me into the light of Jesus to overcome my weakness , having the spirit of the Lord with me now.
God bless Everyone!
What motivated me to share my story with others?
I want to participate because I want to better understand the Lord and overcome my last few years to addiction. The story of Cal Maskery was the initial motivation for me to share my story with others but ultimately God is my strength to carry on the success with my journey and to share my story with others. My goal is to eventually write a screenplay for Netflix to reach and inspire as many in the world as possible to show them that God is very real and the Spirit shall come alive to as many people around the world once and for all.