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Henry hit bottom. Perhaps what made the situation worse was that he knew he hit bottom. "Before the night was out," he stated matter of factly, "I knew I would either be in jail or dead."

Serious problems do not crop up overnight and neither did Henry's. As soon as Henry and Nancy were married they begin receiving applications for credit cards. In just a couple of months they had credit cards from every department store in the county as well as several national cards. It did not take them too long before they were in debt over their heads. "At the time," Henry explains, "Nancy was working part-time earning $150 a week and spending $300." The hole kept getting deeper and deeper, making it harder and harder to climb out.

Their financial problems soon led to marital problems. Henry and Nancy had known each other for five years before they got married. During their courtship they very seldom argued. Once they were married the arguing began. Their credit problems certainly did not help the situation.

One thing led to another, their financial problems led to problems in their relationship which led Henry to drink. When he finished working he did not want to go home, so he would stop off for a couple of drinks. At first he would be an hour late coming home. Nancy would be waiting for him with dinner. It made her mad when Henry came home late, especially when he never called her. As the weeks passed Henry came home later and later. There were nights when Henry did not come home until the bar closed at 2:00 a.m.

One day everything came to a head. The credit offices of the department stores began calling every day wanting an explanation of why they were late with their payments. Henry's boss did not actually say it -- he didn't have to -- if Henry's productivity did not soon improve he would have to look for someone else. Late that night when Henry finally made it home he found Nancy still awake. It was obvious that she had been crying as she waited for him. She told him if he didn't soon straighten out she would leave him. "She meant every word," Henry said.

After hearing that, Henry went back out to drive through he dark streets of their town. He was so upset he did not know what he would do. He needed to blow off steam but was unable to find any release for his anxiety. So he drove and drove through the quiet streets of one neighborhood after another. In his drunken state he soon became lost, which upset him all the more. He was cussing loudly out the window at no one but himself.

Henry is a little fuzzy about what happened next. He does not remember driving into a church parking lot.
Somehow he managed to park and soon fell asleep. A couple of hours later he woke up and realized he was in a church parking lot. The only light was shining through a large stained glass window. He stared at the window for the longest time until he recognized that it was Jesus. Jesus with his arms stretched out as if wanting to embrace him. It was then, at that moment, that Henry realized that he needed to make some radical changes in his life. It was in that church parking lot that he realized he needed help.

Henry spent the rest of the night there, thinking about his life and praying to God that somehow he could turn his life around. He startled the church secretary and pastor as they arrived the next morning. He told the pastor what had happened to him, seeking help and guidance. They prayed together. Henry made some promises to God that morning: from that moment on he would be a Christian, he would be a better husband, a better worker, and a better person. He knew it might take a while for him to straighten out his life, but he was committed and confident to begin.