I grew up in a good home, but not a Christian home.
I grew up in a culture (music, tv, video games, stories) that prized mischief.
In middle school, I realized that getting in trouble got me a lot of attention. I took boxing and was a decent fighter, and winning fights at school made me feel like the man.
As a young teenager, I was already experimenting with alcohol and drugs.
By the time I was 17, I had been arrested 17 times and in the Department of Juvenile justice 3x.
I was released just before my 17th birthday with the promise that my next step would be adult prison if I got in any more trouble.
3 months later, I shot a drug dealer during an armed robbery.
