Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. You're listening to the Greg Laurie podcast. And my objective is to

deliver, hopefully, compelling practical insights and faith, culture, and current events from a

biblical perspective to find out more about our ministry. Just go to our website, harvest.org.

So thanks for joining me for this podcast. All that you went through, you know, with your mom

neglecting you, having to find your own way, all the drinking, all the fighting. Did you know

what was missing in your life or had it just become kind of an alternate normal in the Charlene

household? I knew life was wacky, but deep down inside, I felt it was going to get better.

And I was an optimist. And I would even say something of a romantic, strangely enough. And by

romantic, I mean, I thought there was going to be a better life, a better world. And things were

going to improve one day. I just didn't know when optimism, I think is the word. Pastor Greg's wife,

Kathy, you would think a kid like that would just be discouraged and feel like life had just

dealt him a really bad hand. And, you know, all the rest of it. But they're in the midst of that.

There was this incredible bright outlook on life. But I always had a sense that my life was going

to change. And it was going to get better. I just didn't know how or when. And as I was sort of

coming to the point where I ultimately gave my life to the Lord, it was like process of elimination.

I was trying all these things that the world had to offer. Next thing I know there I am with the

drinking one hand, a cigarette in the other, party in with the gang, and I'm thinking, wait a

second, isn't this my mom's life? Isn't this a life I said I never wanted to live? How did I end

up here? So I decided I should change my life. So around this time, the whole, you know, the

60s drug thing is in full swing. And, you know, and in a whole generation of young people

are rebelling against the upbringing they've had. And they're saying that drugs will expand

your consciousness. And so I tried marijuana. And I was hoping that I could sort of change my life.

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