..". Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant-dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him ..."Philippians 3:7-9 (The Message)The process of being transformed from an immature, self-centered child into a humble, yet powerful servant of the living God can be a long and tedious journey. For some, it is relatively short and painless. For others, it may take a little longer with incidental periods of growing pains. However, for a select few of us, such as me, it can take an entire lifetime, with oftentimes seemingly unbearable pain.My Odyssey included drug abuse, pornography, alcoholism, bankruptcy, foreclosure, divorce, IRS garnishments, losing custody of my daughters, child support, unemployment, the loss of everything of any materialistic value, rage, and failed suicide attempts. The ultimate goal of this life-long odyssey was to manifest, test, and develop my faithfulness to Adonai, and to conform me into the image of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour.May this book be an encouragement to everyone who reads it, wherever your odyssey may be at this point in time, to not give up, but instead to cry out to our heavenly Abba, not only for the strength to endure those times of spiritual surgery as He molds our lives, but also for His protection from our own self-destructive lifestyles.