Conference yukon::christian_v7

752.0. "Jake "the Saint" Roberts" by N2DEEP::SHALLOW (Subtract L, invert W) Tue Jun 20 1995 12:32

(Moderators, feel free to move this to another note if you like)
    
Last night, while "channel surfing", I stopped for a minute on TBN, where they
were announcing the guests on the "Praise the Lord" show. I was quite surprised
when they announced later in the show they were going to interview professional
wrestler  Jake "the snake" Roberts.

After doing more "channel surfing", I came back to TBN, where Jake was giving
his testimony of how he came to give his life to Jesus. He told stories of his
childhood and growing up, which was filled with abuse, pain, and neglect, which
produced a very angry man, who was prone to violence as a way to vent emotions.

He then talked of "making a pact with the devil" at age 19, asking for help to 
"prove" himself to his father, a 7' 400 lb. wrestler himself. He talked about 
his years of drug and alcohol abuse, especially his addiction to "crack" cocaine
. He also talked about the prescription abuse, with doctors in the dressing 
rooms in every city handing out pain killers to "help" the wrestlers deal with 
the pain of the physical injuries they suffered in the ring. He also admitted 
to using steroids.

He talked about how, after a second time in a de-tox center, in order to get 
his wife to let him back, he told her he would go to church with her on Sunday.
He was especially happy when the preacher said there would be no sermon on this
Sunday, as they were having a play, as it was Easter. He said he did his usual 
thing when in church of counting lights in the ceiling, and counting all the 
"blue haired"  older women. He said he hated blue hair. He said the play was
quite an elaborate production, and was quite taken by the actor portraying Jesus
as he walked by the aisle seat where he was sitting, as "Jesus" walked by him 
carrying a heavy cross. He then said he felt a pain like he's never felt before
in his chest. He wanted to tell his wife he thought he was having a heart attack
but could not speak. After 5 or 6 mintues, the pain subsided, and he said 
nothing about it, until he was home, and told his wife he thought he should
call the doctor, as he thought he had had a heart attack. His wife told him to 
call the preacher. He did, and the preacher said he didn't have a heart attack,
but that The Lord was knocking on the door of his heart. The preacher told him
of God's love for him, and for the first time in his life, Jake cried. He said
you can tell the difference when a man cried for real, because the snot just
poured out of his nose, all over his moustache. The audience got a laugh out of
that comment.

He talked very little about wrestling, except for Wrestlmania drawing a bigger
crowd at The Pontiac Silverdome than the Rolling Stones, and The Pope. He didn't
say anything of present, or future plans. They then closed the show with a 
prayer for all the people addicted to drugs and alcohol, especially the youth
of the cities.

Bob
    
    (Also posted in WWF::WRESTLING)