| Anthony Thomas Autobiography&Testimony |
| I was Born in 1966 in Chicago,On a tuesday I am the only child my father that I never knew he was killed trying to rob someone, when I was nine months old . Leaving my mom a teenage widow at 16 yrs old. Until my mother started going out with this guy that had five kids of his own and they became step brothers and sisters from my mom's relationship with him . I guess I was in the third grade at this time. Well three to four years later he died from cancer did I mention he was a drug dealer from the south side of Chicago, and their mom came to the wake my mother was taking care of the kids until he died .After he died they went back with to New Orleans, with their birth mother. We still keep in touch to this day they call my mom ,and I talk to them when I can from time to time. I was a only child again, after being a middle child. I lived a some what unusal childhood being in a family that was in the music industry I was in nite clubs on school nights and seeing things that a young boy shoudn't have seen stripers ,fights. shootings ect. I was also a part of the family band my first instrument was the congas. This went on until I was about 12 years old not to mention during all this I was being molested by one of male cousins who played in the band. By the time I reached high school I was bitter& angry and kinda stayed to my self a select group of friends.The in crowd I spent most of my spare time in learning to play other instruments, dee-jaying to find a way out of the pain ,also I gave parties in the basement of our house on weekends from the time I was 14 to 17 after a few years I deciced to start recording demos by my self. Now I was popular all in my neighborhood because the parties. But I was still an introvent . I put togather a band and we played outside our house on hoildays and at school functions around the neighborhood. By the time I was 21 I had been in three relationships with females and was now dealing with the feelings from the(the seed of the devil) molestation.Wondering why I was interested in guys saying it's a phalse that I'm going threw it will pass this is what I was telling my self I'll grow out of it. I was working as a messenger and a co worker who I knew was gay invited me to a party. I went and decided to see what these feelings was I was having about guys was. After the pain of the break up from my natural realtionship with my child hood sweetheart About two years later.I found my self in a strange relationship with a male who was a recent freind. I was recording demo's and being sent to California to produce and demo for someone who heard one of my tracks. Through production company called T.O.M.A This was August 11th 1990 I decided to be a resident of Cailfornia. After I saw the oppertuninty I was 24 years old and Not knowing Jesus was setting the stage for his will in my life. I was successfull in the music bizness making a name for my self and for the group I was producing meeting people and the whole hollywood thing but every time right as I was at the door (the contract the opening of the door) something out of my control happen to prevent it . Now I know it was the lord so after four years of trial and filure and drugs. I got hooked on drugs real bad to the point where I was pawning my eqiupment for a high. With this came the feeling of wanting to be with someone lonesome. I was 28 yrs old and never really was in a quote gay realtionship until my last friend and I moved togther, in one the worst parts of L.A. Crenshaw and Adams a drug infested area What the devil was using to destroy me the Lord used that very thing to save me. Not knowing the lord had set us help to be bless. So three years go by the devil stole those years because I did nothing with my life. But get high day after day from time to timeI still helped a friend that had a gospel duet group, with tracks who has a studio in hollywood but the desire was gone. To be any thing I guess it was depression and low self esteem or just the devil. ( seeing this was the hole reason I came to L.A.) So I thought . Drugs had became my moitvation my desire and everything else was second. Day after day, after day, afer week, after month, after month befour I knew it, years had pass two to be exact, And the lord used my freind who has the studio to keep talking to me about getting off and getting help because he use to be homless on skidrow sleeping in a box living in a box and he at that time had eight years clean from drugs and kept at me. So one day after my lover had left, I payed him no attention because all day all I did was get high drink and smoke. He would leave and come back he was gone for about 2-3 weeks his bother and sister had came by to take him to Longbeach. I was still at home with this other guy that I let move in so we could continue to get high, he didn't have a place to stay. So we was getting high this day and he said he was not going to share his drugs with me, seeing he was homeless and I took him in. I felt he owed me, suddenly at once all the pain that I was going threw hit me at once and at that moment my heart began to break I coundn't belive the level I had sunk too. I heard a voice ( the Lord) say why won't you leave this place. I went to the phone called my freind and told him I was going to rehab and I was ready to give it up so after a few days he came we started selling stuff and making arrangments to move . I knew I was tried of that life style and it took two weeks to get away from that place and thats leaving my furniture behide.The important stuff I was blessed to have someone hold on to it for me, like papers It was a rude awaking finding my self in gas sations begging to wash windows or pump gas for change , I also even cleaned windows at the exit of the freeway of Crenshaw and Adams. I stayed in hollywood at my friend that had the studio for two weeks during this time I saw what he devil had stole from me. One thing that trouble me most was the time I lost doing drugs. The years has passed me by so fast I was 30 yrs old and I came to L.A. when I was 24 .After another two weeks I found my self in LongBeach getting ready to go to las vegas thats the only reason I was in Long Beach to get on this bus that was either real real cheap or free to Las Vegas. Because I didn't feel right going into a rehab the stories I heard just made me run . I truly wanted help thats when I got it. My friend Ralph and his sister told me about a chruch in Riverside ( Tree of Life International) that they brother went to. I was staying back and fougth between L.A.and Long Beach with a freind in L. A. and Ralph's sister in Long beach so one sunday I came to the chruch with them and the power of God was their it was so refreshing . So I went back two weeks later and I rember hearing Jesus has paid the price of sin and if I belive I can be forgiven for all my sins I heard this before but this time it had power because of the spirit of God was thier and in my heart I belived because of the power that was with the preachingof the word that was a blessing .That day I decided in my heart to serve God and be a part of the ministry. Now today I am still a part of Tree of life International and God has done so many things for us here at Tree of life Interantional it's a blessing . I 've seen God move in my life and the lives of others around me .God saved me my lover who is now my brother in Christ, his sister, they younger sister the, brother that was first with the ministy. I thank God that none of those record deals worked out . If they did their is no way I would have gave my life to the Lord . If I had the power and money to do what I wanted to do and I've seen what me running my life can do. There is no way I could have been saved I was not serving God I would be hell bound. This I know because I knew what was in my heart driving to be that producer, recording artis, and sucess and it's all vain (Click Below to see the end of how God saved me from me) it will not and it can not save my soul just lead me toward death in misery of the sucess that come with that life sytle. Thank you Jesus Bless you Lord Amen |