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Eletter for Week of January 15, 2004 My dear friend, For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:9-19 NLT) Last week, we wrote about Pete Rose and his new book wherein he “comes clean” about his gambling addiction. He says, in the book, “I’m suppose to act sorry or sad or guilty…but, I’m not built that way.” Press reports indicate that he feels that gambling was never his fault—he blames it on his accusers and a medical condition! Well, it seems that Ole Charlie Hustle and I really disagree on the meaning of “coming clean”! The day I gave my life to Christ, I knew that I had to “come clean”. I had to accept responsibility for all the wrong that I did—I had to acknowledge that wrong—and I had to ask (even beg) forgiveness from my new Savior and those I had hurt. I will never forget that day, September 21, 1990, at the County Jail in Mobile, Alabama. My attorney said, “Jorge, do not worry, you will walk out of here shortly. The government has no evidence against you. All you have to do is go in there and plead not guilty.” My response was, “Alan, I can’t do that. You see, I have given my life over to Christ and I can not go in there and tell these folks that I’m innocent when I am guilty.” Alan looked at me perplexed and said, “Jorge, if you admit your guilt, these people are going to give you a life sentence. Listen to me. You will die in prison!” Alan’s words pierced through me. Yet, I looked at him and uttered the most difficult words I had ever spoken in my life. “Alan, if Jesus is real and He is willing to give me new life, I know one thing – I have to come clean. And if that means dying in Federal Prison, then so be it. Because, you see, if he doesn’t change me, I’m dead anyways.” Life after coming clean has been different for Pete than it was for me. Pete Rose has a $1,000,000 advance on his book, lots of publicity, and a chance to return to baseball and even the Hall of Fame. Things are looking pretty good for Pete! My life, on the other hand, went from bad to horrible. My wife left me. My ex-wife disappeared with my children. My Dad was diagnosed with cancer. I went from a multimillionaire to a pauper. And, the Judge said he had every intention of sentencing me to life in prison. Things were looking pretty bad for me! But, I learned during my incarceration to lean on Christ as I grew in my faith. I finished my undergraduate degree and most of my graduate work. But, most importantly, I developed a personal relationship with a real Jesus who would share with me every moment in that cell. By the way, Pete Rose’s book came out last week. But, if you want to read about really coming clean, my book is still available through our ministry office. Next week, I’ll share with you the perfect formula for Coming Clean. Please continue to pray for us. You are always in our prayers.
Love,
Jorge Valdes, Ph.D.
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