My Brother Robbie, by Roy Parker

M y B r o t h e r , R o b b i e

by Roy Parker

I have a younger brother, Robert. From early in his teens he was a troubled child, and grew into a troubled man. As most of you know there was constant friction and separation in the Parker siblings.

Rob started in the post hippie era smoking pot, then sniffing stuff, then doing other things with drugs. He also started drinking beer, then wine, then hard stuff. He got to a point that he could not have fun unless he was high, then evolved to a point that he could not survive without the aid of some substance. Eventually his lungs got ruined. He was in bad shape.

Some of you have read my testimony. For reference, my Grandfather Parker was one of the founders of the Keene New Hampshire Assembly of God church in Keene NH. He was also the spiritual head of the family with the gift of prophecy as enumerated in 1st Corinthians 12. In his major prophecy period in the late 50's (or early 60's) he was given a word:

that all his seed had to do was to call on the name of the Lord and they would be saved! (That is an awesome statement in itself).

Our mother died of cancer at 67 in 1991. Rob left Florida where he was working and headed north, with the intent of going to the funeral, and possibly relocating in our home area. He missed the funeral but after taking one look at "home turf" he decided to return to Florida. He ended up in the Shenandoah area of Virginia, south of Harrisonburg. His wife went to work as a store manager for the company she worked for in Florida. Rob continued to deteriorate and to abuse substances.

A couple of years later, (I do not know the date) in 1993, he attended a series of AA meetings, but they did no good. One night after a meeting, he went to his car and as he had a stash of drugs and alcohol in his car, decided to get "high", not knowing what would happen that night.

He got home in the wee hours of the morning, stoned and drunk. He had "tried church", but they all had the stipulation, "To find God, you have to sow your money into this church because we are God's chosen vessel" and it turned him off. Now this night he actually had a fear of dying if he went to sleep. He stumbled into the house, and something kept his wife from coming to his aid. He sat on the couch, then slumped onto the floor, and cried out. "God I know you are there, but I don't want the God who will only love me if I give You money . . . I want the God that Grandpa Parker had!"

Next thing he knew, he was vibrating all around the living room floor and up against the walls. Suddenly he was thrown face down in the middle of the room, and lay there, but he realized at the same time that he was awake AND SOBER. He slowly stood up, and then realized that he was NOT STONED. He was wide awake, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He had the urge to go to his car and all around the house. He flushed and poured. Then he went upstairs and slept until long after his wife went to work. He woke up sober, and has to this day, never had the desire for a toxic substance of any kind.

He is in the band at a small country church he attends. He goes to church four times a week: three services and one praise and worship practice, and has been clean and dry since 1993. In the AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) book, he told me there are ten things you must do to stay sober. The last one is that you have to keep it up for the rest of your life, because in the end AA cannot dry you out and keep you dry, only God can, if He will.

For Robbie, he did!

Roy A. Parker
Ordained Minister
703-447-7261
8665 Sudley Road #340
Manassas, Va. 20110

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