My God Story

My God Story

            This is an essay that pertains to the most important thing to me.  This is my God Story.  My God Story consists of events that has taken place in my life from 1965-Present.  On June 24, 1965 at 7:30PM I was born Anthony Joseph Hopkins to my mother Ms. Mary Hopkins.  My father’s name is Joseph Webb.  Even though his name is not on my birth certificate.  I went through life remembering the times when I was living with my grandparents on the West Side of Dayton, Ohio.  During those times, I had a lot of fun living with my grandparents because my mother at that time was suffering from Post-Partum Depression.  She has made a conscious decision to take me to my grandmother’s house.

            Next, I remember attending Bethel Church of God in Christ in Dayton, Ohio from the time that I was a small child until I turned 14.  Proverbs 22:6 says train up a child in the way he should go, when he gets old, he will not depart from it.  This means that a child will always remember that his or her life they had attended church.  Therefore, when this child gets old, he or she will not depart from the knowledge of the Most High God.

      My mother married a gentleman named Willie Andrew Russell on September 18, 1967.  My mother was happy during the time she was married to her husband.  It is that, I had spent most of my time with my grandmother because my mother’s husband was physically and emotionally abusive.

            Moreover, I want to inform all of you that on Easter Sunday of 1973, my mother shot her husband and had nearly killed him; while they were fighting over a gun.  I saw my mother shoot her husband right in front of me.  This is because he was abusive.  Therefore, I had to go back to my grandmother’s house because my mother went to jail for a short period of time.  My mother was pregnant with my sister Renee at the time when she shot her husband.  My half brothers and sisters do not remember when these events had happened.  My God Story consisted of learning scripture and attending Sunday school.

  I will admit that I was physically and verbally abused by my so called friends.  I went through depression for 9 years because other children were beating me up from 1971 to 1979, while I was a student at Edison Elementary School in Dayton, Ohio.  I remember when I was chased home by other boys and girls in school.  I really did not like to fight during that time because it was not in me to fight and get angry.  My mother and grandmothers did exactly what I wanted them to; especially when it came to obtaining goods and resources.  It is not very easy to deal with people who are angry all of the time.  In the Book of Proverbs, it says it is best to climb on the rooftop than deal with an angry and contentious woman.  I guess I was a person who feared God and my parents. 

However, when I was young, I used to drink and smoke marijuana.  When I first started drinking, I drunk one can of Miller’s Beer in 1972.  This was during the time I was in the 2^nd grade at Edison School.  This is one of the reasons why I started drinking was simply out of curiosity.  My mother found out that I was drinking her beer, so she slapped me to the floor.  This was because I made a big mistake by drinking my mother’s beer.  The summer of 1974, I started smoking marijuana.  A close friend wanted me to try it.  I had put it to my lips and I felt very funny because my head was spinning.  I felt very dizzy and tired from taking a puff of marijuana.  My grandmother told me that the friends that I was hanging with were not my true friends.  Anytime someone gives you a mind altering drug, they are not your friend.

In Addition, I used to get beaten up by my so called friends and even my own sister used to beat me up.  I do remember back in May of 1972, I got into a fist fight with another student at Edison School.  I had hit him in his face so hard that blood started coming out of his eyes.  I had hit him in the face with a roll of quarters.  This is the truth because his own sister tried to break us up, but she was unsuccessful.  It had taken 4 school teachers to break us up from fighting.  I guess this young lady did not like me anyway.  So I had stopped talking to her.  My mother paid for me and my half brothers and sisters to get a membership with the YMCA in Downtown Dayton, Ohio back in 1976.

 I started playing basketball with the YBA League.  I passed the ball more than I shot it.  I also had assists during all of my games.  I even played basketball in the 6^th -8^th Grades at Edison and Franklin School.  I scored points whenever possible.  I remember scoring my first two points against Patterson Kennedy School.  I was on fire afterwards.  I was smiling running up and down the basketball court.  This was also during the time that I was in the Boy Scouts.  I was in Troop 19 in West Dayton, Ohio.  I also remember playing basketball at Riverview Park during the summer of 1976-1979.  Yes, I will admit that I grew up with a famous basketball player.  This young man won 5 NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls.  This young man used to live on Barnett Street on the West Side of Dayton, Ohio. 

Also, I went to high school at Nettie Lee Roth High School from 1979-1983.  I was in NJROTC.  I also smoked marijuana during that time as well.  I was in the Color Guard in High School.  It was an honor and a privilege to engage in military activities in high school.  On June 22, 1983; my mother signed me up for Job Corps in Grand Rapids Michigan.  I had only stayed a few months in Job Corps.  I remember getting into trouble by setting a snare trap for one of the Job Corps Staff members.  I also used to get drunk and high with the other Job Corps Members.  There were members from all over the country.  I then remember getting my nose broken on September 21, 1983 while horse playing.  My peers used to call me Hawk Man because I had worn a splint on my nose for 10 days.  I got my nose broken by a young man who did not like African Americans.

Further, I want all of you to know that my God Story consists of getting baptized a total of 9 times.  I first got baptized at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Toledo, Ohio.  During those times, I kept messing up all of the time.  I was involved in relationships with women without marriage.  I am nothing without God.  I graduated from High School on June 10, 1986 at 7:00PM at Memorial Hall in Dayton, Ohio.  I graduated from high school at the age of 20.  In less than a year later, I was enrolled at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.  I majored in Social Welfare during that time.

 I was involved in my first relationship with a woman who was 11 years older than me.  This young lady was very controlling.  She had used me.  This young lady moved in another man into our apartment.  She even told me on November 21, 1989 in my face that she did not love me.  I remember the day because it was raining outside.  She really used me.  My so called friends used me as well.  They only wanted me to make a complete fool out of myself.  I also remember when my mother’s husband stabbed me in my forearm with a hook knife on November 25, 1985.  He had stabbed me because he tried to kill my half-brother while shooting craps.  After he had stabbed me afterwards that is when I had hit him in his face.  My half-brother called the police.  The Dayton, Police Officers came inside of the apartment and asked me whether or not I wanted to press charges.  I had told the police that my mother’s husband was too old to go to jail.  Therefore, I was transported to St. Elizabeth Medical Center.  I had to get stitched up. 

Subsequently, I also had a seizure on April 2, 1985.  This was on a Tuesday morning when I had a seizure.  I stayed in the hospital for a couple of days for observation.  I also remember praying and attending church at Bethel Church of God in Christ.  My God Story is a process.  I had to turn my life over to the care of God as I had understood Him.  I did this on May 2, 1990.  This was exactly 2 days before I had a hernia operation at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.  I had also enlisted in the United States Marine Corps for a short time as well.  I started staying at my grandmother’s house and I later went to treatment for drugs and alcohol on June 10, 1990.  I stayed in treatment for a total of almost 3 months.  On September 1, 1990; I moved to Toledo, Ohio on a Friday Evening.  It was during the weekend of a big event in Toledo, Ohio.  I stayed in Toledo from September 1, 1990 to June 14, 1996. 

My Toledo years consisted of me getting an education and staying out of trouble.  I enrolled at the University of Toledo on April 1, 1991.  It was on a Monday morning when I attended my classes.  I had earned a total of 235 college credits.  I transferred to the University of Toledo from Central State University with a total of 58 college credits.  They accepted 48 out of 58 credits.  I had a lot of fun in the Toledo, Ohio area.  I used to live at 126 Rosalind Place in Toledo, Ohio.  I also used to live at 945 West Delaware Street in Toledo, Ohio as well as 1115 West Palm wood Avenue.  I graduated twice from the University of Toledo.  I received my Associates Degree long before some of my nieces and nephews were born.  I also earned my Bachelors of Arts degree on June 17, 1995 at the University of Toledo Glass Bowl Stadium at 10:00AM.  I had a lot of fun in Toledo, Ohio.

Also, I worked at the Jerusalem Outreach Center located on 445 Dorr Street in Toledo, Ohio from March 29, 1993-May 8, 1996.  I also had maintained my job as a Library Assistant at the University of Toledo Carlson Library from December 15, 1992-June 14, 1996.  On that faithful day, I graduated from the University of Toledo and I had to relocate back to Dayton, Ohio.  I stayed at my half-sister’s house from June 14, 1996 to June 12, 1997.  I also worked at Sinclair Community College at the Psychology Lab.  I also contracted the scabies on January 12, 1997.  I had the scabies for a total of 49 days.  I also worked at the Kroger Grocery Store during that time.  I was hospitalized for a short time because the scabies were all over my entire body.

Finally, I went to Charlotte, NC on June 15, 1997.  I lived in Charlotte, NC for 12 years.  I had lived at the Men’s Uptown Shelter in Charlotte, NC for the first 8 months of living in the State of North Carolina.  Before I went to Charlotte, NC: I was baptized at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio by Dr. Thompson.  I got baptized again at the Mormon Faith Church in Fairborn, Ohio.  This was during the time that I left Charlotte, NC for a short period of time.  This was also during the time that I was diagnosed with a mental illness on July 15, 1997 while being a patient at the Center for Behavioral Health which was located at 501 Billingsley Road Charlotte, NC 28212.  I had been hospitalized for a total of 23 times in 12 years.  I guess I had a breakdown and things were not going right for me.  I also got baptized again at Plaza Road Baptist Church. 

In Conclusion, I want to tell everyone that I got baptized a total of four more times in Dayton, Ohio.  I got baptized at Shiloh Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio and another time that I got baptized at Fort McKinley Church in Dayton, Ohio.  Therefore, God has never left me nor forsaken me.  I am in the Lambs Book of Life.  I had confessed of all of my sins even though I was court ordered to Probate Court in Montgomery County of Dayton, Ohio.  My life consisted of ups and downs but I love God very much.  I have been through a whole lot in my life from 1965 to Present.  My God Story is a story of events that had taken place in my life.  I read the Bible each day of the week.  I say my prayers every day and night.  I also attend church on a regular basis.  It is God that is doing for me more than I am doing for myself.  I really love Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.  God has always been there when no one else wasn’t.  I really miss my half-sister and my mother a whole lot.  When my mother and half-sister died, I cried a whole lot.  I was extremely depressed and sad.  My mother and half- sister died on June 2, 2017 and July 20, 2017 respectively.

In Summary, this is supposed to be my God Story.  I had went ahead and shared my whole story of my life.  There are so many things that I have went through that it would take a whole year to write my story.  God is doing for me more than I am doing for myself.  It is all God and His Son Jesus Christ who I give the credit for saving my life.  I have completed the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous a total of 7 times.  I have completed the 12 Steps that many times because my AA Sponsor stated to me that I was not honest.  May The Lord God Bless All of You!!  I am very satisfied with my life at this point.  I am too nice.  I am too kind.  I am gullible at times especially when it comes to women.  I will admit that I had been selfish towards other people.  I have done wrong in my whole life.  I feel much better because I can share God’s Message with others.  God is always there.  Please call on Him and He will answer you.  Thank You for reading my God Story.

Faithfully Submitted,

Anthony Joseph Hopkins