Forward TABLE OF CONTENTS Forward by Steve Hill Introduction:5

Why do I want to read this booklet?

Chapter 1: 8
A Chaplains Story: From the Edge of Hell and Back

Every once and awhile I have the opportunity to be a part of a true miracle. I know the following pages are true because I lived through Brian's nightmare with him. I am his cousin. The story you hold in your hand is not 'reality TV, but rather real life. Brian was so deep into drugs and alcohol that everyone was certain he would never make it out. How wrong they were! His story is a beacon of hope to anyone living in the dark, dangerous world of rebellion. Brian found the way out and now dedicates his life to 'lighting the way' for others. Remember, the story you hold in your hand is true. Perhaps there are skeptics who question whether or not a life can truly be changed by the love of God. Well, it is pointless to argue with someone who has had a genuine experience. Brian has indeed had that experience. Allow his story to challenge and change you. Steve Hill, Evangelist

Chapter 2: .....16
Finding Hope in the Midst of Prison Darkness

Chapter 3:..28
There is One Way: His Name is Jesus

Conclusion:35
Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Final Word:37
By Dr. Ted Traylor

Contact Information:39

Ardent Press One Way Out A Prison Chaplains View By Chaplain Brian Eskelinen Cover artwork: Luis Lopez Edited by: Veronica Rosas Assistant Editor: Sheila Copenhaver

Acknowledgements Special thanks to: Pastor / Evangelist Steve Hill and Dr Ted Traylor for their uncompromising leadership. (Steve, thanks again for saving my life on an Alabama mountain that day long ago!) To my wife Cheryl: Special, special thanks to you for teaching me what it means to love God and to love others.

Copyright Info: All rights reserved. Under International Copyright Law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means- electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopy), recording, or otherwise- without written permission from the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America ISBN 978-1-4507-2371-8

Introduction: Why do I want to read this booklet? In October of 1987, Americans across our land were riveted to their television sets. They watched in horror as men and women tried to rescue little Jessica McClure. The eighteenmonth-old toddler had fallen twenty-two feet into a dry well. To say that the rescue attempt was treacherous would be a great understatement, as one wrong move could have cost the precious child her life. The objective was to make their way under her and hoist her back up. Baby Jessica, as she would become known to the world, was alone, scared, and trapped! Hundreds of volunteers worked to the point of exhaustion as the world looked on. Would the ground cave in? Would the machinery crush her? All these questions and more filled the minds of any onlookers gathered around, as well as those listening to news reports on TV. There was one thing that we all agreed upon. When it was all said and done, there was in reality only one way out.

You may have picked up this small booklet for no other reason then simple curiosity. As you began to read about Baby Jessicas nightmare, you couldnt help but see a parallel between her life and yours or maybe the life of a loved one. While you may never have been wedged in a twenty-two-foot hole, you know all too well what it feels like to be trapped! You feel as though you cant go on. You keep looking for light at the end of the tunnel, but all you see are the faint lights of another oncoming train. The following pages are designed to give you hope. They are intended to show you that no matter how desperate things appear, there is always hope and sunlight at the end of the tunnel. Although little Jessica McClure was wedged twenty-two feet beneath the earth, she was miraculously lifted to safety. This, my friend, is precisely what God wants to do for you and me. You may or may not identify with the following stories, but I will guarantee you that through them you will see three things. #1: No matter how far down we may have fallen or how deeply entrenched we may be there is always hope.

#2: Like Baby Jessica it is imperative that we do two things: believe and trust. #3: Philosophies, fads and trends may come and go, and many opinions abound. But Gods truth never changes. His love and power to rescue remains unchanged. If you are trapped in a deep hole and cannot get out, there is hope, but there is only one way out.

Chapter 1 A CHAPLAINS STORY: FROM THE EDGE OF HELL AND BACK

If you have not experienced a New England autumn, you have missed out on some of Gods most beautiful handiwork. Red, yellow, orange, and green leaves grace the hillsides with an occasional New England farm tossed in for good measure. It was in this world that I was born and would live for some thirty-five years. Ice-cold, snow-filled winters would finally give way to a glorious spring thaw; a flower-blooming, birdchirping wonderland of green. I can almost smell those crisp, fresh spring days after a hard New England winter. In some ways growing up in the North East was probably not very different than a lot

of other kids. Being brought up in a blue collar, middle class home my younger years would be filled with little league baseball, basketball clinics, and the occasional fight as a reminder that boys will be boys. From this description it would be easy to conclude that the only child born to Eno and Lorreta Eskelinen in the summer of 1954 lived like a typical kid. If there is one thing that I have come to understand it is this: not everything in peoples lives is really as it might appear to be. This certainly would prove to be the case in my life. For example, there are some specific life lessons that were planted deeply in my soul from a very young age. I was taught that life was primarily made up of two basic activities. Where I came from people worked hard, and they drank hard. At least that seemed to be the way of life that surrounded me in the midst of that beautiful New England backdrop. Of course, being a child of the 1960s and 70s certainly did not dispel that idea. Experimenting with drugs and alcohol only seemed to make sense as I would become an early bloomer. After all getting drunk on Boonsfarm wine and smoking a little pot seems innocent enough. Who was I hurting? I certainly

could not end up as an alcoholic or drug addict from a little fun. What I did not understand was what started out as a little fun soon became a fulltime solution in a quest to fill an empty hole in my life. Each of us is born with a void in our soul, an empty hole inside that gets darker and deeper as we suffer abuses or choose a life of rebellion. The only one qualified to fill that hole is our Creator, but many of us have either not been taught about who God truly is, or we reject the notion. Not only do we reject it, but also we scheme and find ways to fill it ourselves. Often this comes in the form of money and power. Sometimes its sex or harmful relationships, and other times its drugs and alcohol. With me it was the drugs and alcohol, and what started as a little fun soon became my greatest nightmare. It did not take long for me to graduate from a little pot and wine to anything I could get my hands on. If you could smoke it, swallow it, snort it, or shoot it, then I wanted it. Surviving those years was nothing short of a miracle. My young mind was being polluted and damaged by the poison. It was now consuming and filling me completely. Bouts

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with depression and paranoia were knocking hard on my door as I tried to make sense of it all. Out of all the dark memories for me during that period in my life, the two saddest ones are still vivid in my mind. The first is of me standing in my mother and fathers kitchen with a knife to my chest, wishing I had the guts to plunge it in. The second memory is an argument I had with my mom. I was furious because she had flushed my dope. I remember telling my sweet mother that now she would have to pay when my dealer caught up with her. Mom replied, Bring em on. Oh, what I put her through. Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll were destroying my life. Strangely enough, if I had not been swayed to join a cult from 1974 to 1977, I may not have survived. I was searching, wanting to find true meaning and purpose, so I decided to follow one of the religious groups out there who claimed to have all the answers. By 1978, I was disillusioned with cult living, and the old life was once again calling. As I gravitated back into the old life, alcohol was now on the top of my list as the drug of choice as others would make me

paranoid. Of course there was plenty of cocaine for balance. For the next eighteen years I would experience little sobriety. Alcohol would become my very best friend. Booze would see me through as I tore through a marriage, destroying my wife and two kids. There would be car accidents, bankruptcy and I wound up losing my family home. There was a host of sexual encounters that only left me lonely and sad. My best friend, alcohol, was more important than God, family, home, financial ruin, or anything else on the face of the earth or beyond. You could take just about anything from me except for one thing: my alcohol! It was my god, my boss, my lover, and the glue that held this pitiful skeleton of a man together. It was a poison that was killing me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not stop drinking it. In and out of the rooms of AA I would go. Brief periods of sobriety were followed by more blackouts and uncontrollable urges to pour more alcohol down my throat. Looking back, I actually had more control over diarrhea than I did over alcohol! I could no longer face life with a drink, and I could no

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longer face life without a drink. That, my friend, is full-blown insanity. Death was before my very eyes, and I could not stop. Little did I know that my miserable life was about to take a turn that would forever change my destiny. It was 1997, during yet another attempt at abstinence, when I was informed that my cousin Steve Hill was preaching revival services in Pensacola, Florida. This was the same Steve that I ran with in my younger years. Steve was the one that encouraged me many years earlier to join him in an armed robbery in our quest for drugs. All I really knew about the new Steve was that many years earlier he was set free from the same misery I was trying to escape. Whatever he had it was undeniable that God had performed a miracle in his very troubled life. Was there hope for me, or was it too late for a miracle in my life? As I sat through those meetings, I heard a message that was vaguely familiar, but I never heard messages accompanied with the power that I was experiencing. The message was simple, but it penetrated my very core. For the very first time, I began to realize just how real God was.

The words of Steves message pierced my battered heart. God loved me and had a plan for my life! He sent His Son to this earth to show me the way to real life. His Son, Jesus died on a cross to pay the price for every one of my detestable sins, and when the price was paid, not even the grave could hold Him! That same power was now available to transform my broken, battered life if I would simply believe this and then repent and ask Jesus to forgive me and become my Savior and best friend. As I reached out to this loving God and surrendered my life to Him, He did something I never dreamed possible. The drug and alcohol obsession was gone. I was truly free for the first time in my life! All I wanted was more of God and all He had for me. The Lord did what doctors, meetings, and well-meaning friends and family could never accomplish. He set me free! What I discovered for the very first time was that there truly was a way out, and I had found it. Since those days God has called me to ministry and provided an education so I would be prepared. He restored my broken life and has given me a wonderful wife and family. He has blessed me to be in a relationship with my kids

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and has me serving as a prison chaplain. I do not know where you are or what youre going through, but I do know my God is able to find you and bring you the help you need. If He can do it for me, He can do it for you! Please remember that while there are many roads and paths we can try in life, in reality there is only one way out. You can find it today. There are some simple, basic actions to take on your part: 1. Admit youre lost and a sinner. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 2. Believe that Jesus not only died for your sins but rose again to ensure your confidence. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9b 3. Confess your sins to Him and ask Him for His forgiveness. Then ask Him to be both your Lord and Savior. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. (1 John 1:9a)

Chapter 2: FINDING HOPE IN THE MIDST OF PRISON DARKNESS

It is irrelevant whether you find yourself reading this from a dark, damp segregation unit or from the comfort of your own home. To some of you the following paragraphs will be a mere mirror that reflects your present reality, while others will catch their first glimpse into the horrors of prison darkness. At the time of this writing, approximately 2 million people in the United States alone are now confined behind prison walls. In order to form a clear understanding of what prison offers the incarcerated, let me encourage you to shut your eyes for just a moment. Picture yourself locked up in a small room with one hundred people that hate your guts.

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For those who say that prison is no more than three hots and a cot, I would respond by saying that they never spent time in a hard-core state prison. Its a place where a life can be taken in less than a New York minute for doing no more than glancing at another inmates candy bar! Its a place where the sounds of electronic gates can send shivers down the spine of the toughest of street kids who now find themselves in its grips. As we journey past the tall armed towers and the razor wire, we get a clear view into this sea of hopelessness. A first-time visitor can be visibly shaken as they walk through our many warehouses of human carnage. Take it from one who has spent many days in these human warehouses. PRISON IS NOT NICE. It is a dungeon filled with perversion, hatred, violence, and racism, and that is one of the better days. Some of the people we watch on the 5 oclock news may now find themselves becoming the victim within these cages of violence. It is this place we call prison that the weak are preyed upon, and a young persons life can be ruined in the matter of fifteen minutes. A captain once recalled the scene in a

maximum security camp when a mans head was severed from his shoulders and rolled down the hall like a bowling ball. His crime was disrespect. From this brief yet graphic description of prison life one may quickly conclude that fear alone must be the hardest threshold to cross in prison life. While fear is probably an emotion that ranks pretty high, I do believe that most inmates reading this would quickly agree that it runs a distant second to hopelessness, despair, loneliness, and grief. While one may be able to dodge fear now and then, how does one deal with the prospect of never getting out of this deep dark hole? What does it feel like to lose contact with an entire family? How do you cope when you do not receive a card or a visit for more than ten years? How does a human being keep his head up when the years roll by and their family members live and die on the outside, without them? Who does one turn to when their health deteriorates to the edge of no return? If there was ever a place on the face of the earth that cries out for hope, it is prison. Of course there will be those who are quick to remind us that these people have made

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their beds and now its time for them to lay in them. It is not my intent to debate crime and punishment; there is no doubt that there are those who have lost the right to ever walk our streets again. It should be noted, however, that while some of us have never committed some of the crimes of the incarcerated, there still is not one of us who will be able to stand pure before God on our own righteousness. It is also important to understand that of the 2 million or more that are locked up in this country approximately 80 percent will one day walk our streets again and just might be our neighbors. Do we really want the prisoner returned to our streets void of hope? I would much rather see a man or woman reenter society with solid hope and purpose in their lives. The question that now confronts us is: Where can real hope be found? Are nice, affirming, encouraging words going to be enough? Is the answer to this problem to be found in a better education or a self-help book? Possibly a well-paid psychiatrist will be able to help them get in touch with their inner joy. Most of us will agree that a miracle is needed to restore hope to the hopeless. In all of my years, I have only met one who had the

power to take a broken, battered, twisted, and bruised life and make it whole again. His name is Jesus! Not only does the Lord have the power to restore hope, but also His Word, the Holy Bible, declares He desires to. Listen to these words from Psalm 102:19-20. For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary, from heaven the Lord viewed the earth. To hear the groaning of the prisoner to release those appointed to death. When I hear these words, I cant help but remember Earnies story. Years had passed. Many birthdays, Christmases, and Fathers Days came and went without a card or a visit when he was suddenly summoned to the prisons classification department. What he was about to hear was going to change his life forever. The classification specialist informed him that his twenty-three-year-old daughter was making arrangements to visit him. The news literally dropped Earnie to his knees. He had not seen his baby girl since she was four years old! For those of us that are not mathematicians, that adds up to nineteen long years without so much as a word from his child. As the tears rolled, hope was restored to a heart

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that lost almost all hope. Earnie would now be the first to say, When you think that all hope is gone, think again because there is always hope with God! It was obvious that the Lord was saying that what is impossible with man is not impossible with Him. As Earnie slowly reconnected with his long-lost daughter, he is now also connecting with his beautiful grandchildren. Yes, grandchildren. Maybe reading this story brings back heartbreaking memories, causing you to feel as if no one knows what youre going through. The Lord would tell you that He knows exactly what youre going through, and He wants to bring both light and hope to your darkness. This little booklet that you now hold in your hands is no more than a flashing arrow pointing to the only one who can restore hope. As Proverbs counsels, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). As a prison chaplain, Ive been privileged to see God restore hope to literally countless people who were once severely battered and bruised. He wants nothing more than to fill you

with the same hope and is now waiting for you to trust Him. Yes, the Lord can bring hope to the darkest of situations, but one might question if He can really turn a man or woman around whose life is bent on self-destruction. Can he really take the coldest of the cold and the liar of the liars and change their hearts? Is it possible for this same God to take a hardened, bitter, nonproductive human being and transform him into a warm, productive human being that now has purpose and hope? Throughout the years I have seen story after story of changed lives, but there is one that will forever be etched in my mind and heart. It is the story of Brian. I first met Brian when he transferred from another facility, and requested a meeting with me and another state chaplain who was from the maximum security camp. I would soon discover that Brian was a highly intelligent young man. He also had an analytical, legal mind, and was quick to bring lawsuits against the state if they crossed him or his sense of justice. He was a conniving and calculating individual, deeply entrenched in his minority-hating, white-supremacist religion and extremely well versed as to why.

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The young man before me was definitely a leader, not a follower, but most of all he was a hater. In fact, he had taken hatred to a new level. After this brief meeting, I was informed by the other state chaplain that Brian was the real deal. I knew exactly what that meant. He was not just a mouth but a man that would back up his words with action. People like Brian didnt get caught up in religious games like some. He was standing firmly on his witchcraft, hatred, and violence. What Brian did not know was that an appointment with God awaited him. Some time went by after our first meeting, but the next conversation between Brian and me would forever hold a place in my mind and heart. It must have been just about noon one day when I exited my office wanting nothing more than a break and some food. There stood Brian and I hurried past him, giving him no more than a glance. What happened next stopped me in my tracks. I felt inclined to ask what I could do for him. He informed me that he had a Change of Religion Form to fill out, and he didnt know what to change it to. Suddenly lunch was not that important as I invited him back into my

office. I asked him what was going on. He told me that he had heard a voice, and it concerned him. My natural response was a question, What did the voice say? He simply stated that the voice said, Come to me! Looking directly at him, I said that the voice he heard was the voice of Jesus, and He was trying to get his attention. There was a sense in my spirit that God was doing something very special in this mans life, and the last thing I wanted to do was force him into a premature decision. In my heart, I knew that God had this under control as He always does. After a brief conversation, I invited him to my Thursday night service. When Thursday rolled around, Brian was in attendance. As the service came to an end and the men returned to their dorms, my ministry partner George and I were preparing to leave the penitentiary. It was at that time I saw a lone inmate coming towards us. It was Brian who was now standing before us. As he looked at me, Bible in hand, he simply said, Im ready! Yes, he was ready to make Jesus both his Lord and Savior. As we prayed together that

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night, the Lord did for him what no book or philosophy could do. God had changed his heart from one of hatred and rebellion to a restored and renewed heart of flesh. This selfproclaimed guru did not have words to explain it. He just knew that he was different. You see my friend, you can argue a theology, but you can not argue a God experience! No, he could not argue, debate, intellectualize, or figure out what just happened! What Brian discovered that night was that in reality there is one way out! What followed was the evidence of a changed heart! First Brian forgave the man who killed his father. Then there was the apology to a black minister. Tears filled the ministers eyes as we prayed together acknowledging Gods greatness and mercy. Brian dropped the lawsuit he had filed earlier, and followed up with letters of apology to two wardens. What I personally will never forget is the shock that was experienced as inmates looked on as Brian helped us pass out Christmas bags to 1,240 men! Yes, the man who once worshipped the devil was now working hand in hand with his black brothers and sisters celebrating the birth of our Savior. As if that

was not enough to show the power and greatness of God, Brian felt led by the Lord to reach out to a fellow inmate. This other inmate was a black man with deep roots of hatred towards white men, but Brian got to spend time speaking to this other inmate. Gods love proved so powerful in this meeting that Brian was able to introduce him to the Lord! My friend let me ask you a question. If God can lead a daughter back to her dad after nineteen years and can save a man that was lost beyond comprehension, then what can He do for you? The Lord wants to give you renewed hope. He also wants to take twisted, broken, bruised lives and make them lives filled with new hope and purpose. It is my prayer and desire that you or your loved ones experience this hope and purpose first hand. How awesome it would be to add your name to His list of miracles. There is one way out and this is it! 1. Admit youre lost and a sinner. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) 2. Believe that Jesus not only died for your sins but rose again to ensure your confidence. If

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you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. -(Romans 10:9b) 3. Confess your sins to Him and ask Him for His forgiveness. Then ask Him to be both your Lord and Savior. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. (1 John 1:9a) If you took this step, please inform a pastor or chaplain. You may also write and share the great news with me!

Chapter 3 THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY OUT. HIS NAME IS JESUS!

With nineteen major religions and thousands of hopefuls, one can safely conclude that the quest for God is alive and well. If anyone knows this it is a state prison chaplain. On any given day he or she feels like a good number of these religions have knocked on their door. Big ones, small ones, and even weird ones are thriving behind prison walls. As one might imagine, lawsuits concerning religious rights are quite common in the penitentiary. Every now and then you discover one that brings crazy to a new level. Such was the case with a guy I heard about who

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was suing the state on behalf of Jack Daniels. He believed that he should be allowed to drink Jack Daniels daily, as it was part of his worship service. Can someone say lost? Yes, religious practices can bring pressure to a chaplain. Even worse, it can bring confusion to the masses. I have often joked about writing a book entitled: So You Think Your Church Has Problems?! Each and every religious representative stands strong on his or her religious rights platform and reminds you in no uncertain terms that they are there. I, along with countless other chaplains, am quick to say amen to that right. The nation, the state, and even God Himself afford each and every person the right to believe and practice the religion of their choice. Yes, religious rights should be afforded to all, but please permit me to ask a couple of questions concerning religion. Should we believe that all religions regardless of what they believe are right? Do they all lead to the same God? For one to believe that they do would lead one to believe that God must be schizophrenic-a god without neither purpose or plan, one that encourages everyone to go in the direction that best suits them regardless of the effects on

others. In reality we can no more believe that every religion is right any more than we can believe every religion is good. I think that most of us would agree that all religions are not right or all good after we watched planes fly into buildings on September 11, 2001. How can you and I know then if the religion we are practicing is pleasing to our Creator? What people need is a guide; that is exactly what God has given us in the form of the Holy Bible. Allow me to give you just a taste of why the Bible is the most trustworthy of guides. This Masterpiece, a collection of sixtysix books, was written by approximately forty different writers, and compiled over fifteen to sixteen hundred years. Each book in the Bible not only confirms and compliments the others, but they all point to one specific conclusion in perfect harmony. In it you will find answers to questions that no other source can answer. Questions like: who created the universe? Where did life begin? Why are you and I here? Why do we get sick, and why do we die? You will also discover the history of the human race, and within its pages you will be

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privy to some of the saddest mistakes people have ever made, alongside some of the greatest victories known to mankind. If that is not enough, you will also discover who God is and the purpose and plan He has for your life. After close examination of this incredible book, you too will conclude with the Apostle Paul when he said, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). You can even compare todays Bible with scrolls penned over two thousand years ago. Yes, the Bible is a trusted guide from the beginning to end. Through its pages you will not only get a peek into the past, but also it will provide help in your present and guide you into a secure eternal future. As you begin to explore this amazing book, you will also discover an extraordinary fact about religion--its rituals, practices, tradition, and philosophies. You will find that Almighty God is not the least bit interested in religion. Hes interested in a personal relationship with you, with me, with all of

mankind. You will discover that God cares about you deeply, and He and He alone can make something beautiful and purposeful out of the most battered, bruised, scarred life (Romans 15:4). Yes, He has provided everything you and I need to be healed, restored, and replenished for a purposeful life. You will also discover that the Lord not only wants a relationship with you, but also He wants you to spend eternity with Him. If you have read this booklet from the beginning, then you know that there has been one consistent theme. To receive all that God has for you and me, we must understand one basic thing. There is but one way out. As this chapter concludes, this theme continues. While you and I are made in the image of God, the Bible reveals that it was and continues to be rebellion that separates us from God. Due to that rebellion we now live in a very broken world with hurt, pain, sadness, addiction, and death. Gods Word also makes it clear that He loves us and wants a relationship with us. The problem is a broken, rebellious people cannot connect with a 100% Holy God. That is why God sent Jesus to the earth--to pay the price for

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our sin (John 3:16). He is the only way to reconnect with Almighty God. If you have not done so, let me encourage you to stop right now and let God know how sorry you are for any sins you may have committed. Then ask Jesus to be both your Lord and Savior and forgive you for your sins. Let Him know that you believe that Jesus not only died for your sins but that He rose again. Then determine to follow Him and His path by the strength of His Spirit with the guidance of the Holy Bible. If you have taken this step, then prepare to experience the peace, joy, and grace that only a loving God can bring. Please be sure to let another Christian know of your decision. Let me be the first to congratulate you on the greatest decision you have ever made and finding the one and only way out. 1. Admit youre lost and a sinner. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 2. Believe that Jesus not only died for your sins but rose again to ensure your confidence. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised

Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9b 3. Confess your sins to Him and ask Him for His forgiveness. Then ask Him to be both your Lord and Savior. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. (1 John 1:9a)

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Conclusion The stories contained in this booklet have been ones of hopelessness, addiction, grief, despair, and confusion. Maybe you identify with one, two, or all three of them. Maybe you dont identify with any of them, but there is one thing we all identify with and that is time. Each one of us, regardless of where we come from, all have the same amount of time in a day; 24 hours, no more, no less. As a child it felt as if Saturday would never arrive. Now fifty-five years have come and gone, and I barely know where it went. Yes, time marches on for each and every one of us. Where is your time marching to? The Word of God tells us that it is marching quickly to one of two events. The first is the return of our Lord. The second is the day when we close our eyes for the last time and open them again before the Creator of the universe. Today I can safely say that I am prepared for either of those events. The question that I now pose to you is this: Are you ready? It is one of my deepest desires that you

are ready and count yourself as one who has found the one and only way out. You dont have as much time as you might think. Time is wastingtick, tock, tick, tock.

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Final Word Brian Eskelinen knows what it is like to be without hope. He has walked that road and lived in the hole of defeat and despair. Jesus radically changed him. Brian has learned to put his hope in God (Psalm 42:5). The same Jesus Who delivered him will do that for you. The hope of Jesus will not disappoint you. He will set you free. There is urgency in this issue. Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation. Its high time for us to seek after God (Hosea 10:12). I encourage you to look up NOW unto the Father of all hope. Jesus died for you on the cross. He took your sin and paid the price. Do not delay: call out to Jesus this moment. On Sunday, Oct 8, 1871, D.L. Moody preached in Chicago. He asked his congregation to evaluate their relationships with Christ and return next week to make their decisions for Him. That was the day the Great Chicago Fire burned the city. Moody could hear the distant fire alarms as he finished church. It haunted him

that people whom he had not called to repentance died in the fire. I urge you not to delay. Seek the Lord this very moment. You have heard the Gospel. Now act upon it. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. That includes you. Pastor Ted Traylor, Senior Pastor Pensacola, Florida

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Contact information: Chaplain Brian Eskelinen PO Box 356 Cantonment Fl 32533 chaplainbrianeskelinen@gmail.com

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