Lenny's StoryI was born in 1948 and raised in a small town in southwest Minnesota. I had 10 brothers and sisters of which 2 have passed away. My father died at the age of 57 and my mother is still living in our hometown. I attended 1st grade through 12th grade at Catholic School. My father was an alcoholic but was in recovery for the last 24 years of his life. I believe my father had repented and asked Christ into his life but he was not one to share much. He did not display his Bible, but I remember him reading it nearly every day in the early morning hours. We attended church every Sunday as well as every morning, Monday through Friday. This was required because I attended Catholic School and that was how we started every day.
I graduated high school in 1966 and went to Minneapolis to work. I was
blessed with a very good job with excellent pay but I did not believe God
had anything to do with it. I did it on my own, or so I thought. After 2
years in Minneapolis, I decided to go to vocational school. I married Donna
in August, 1968 and In 1974 I opened my own accounting office and again things went great. By then we had a second child. We built a new home in 1975 and had many of the nicest and newest things to impress others. I had started drinking more and more by this time. In 1976 we had our third child and decided that was enough. The marital relationship was going downhill fast. We separated the first time in 1980 after I came home drunk. I felt horrible the next day but was too prideful to admit I was wrong. We got back together but my drinking continued. In August of 1981 I went to treatment and remained sober for 6 years. I replaced my addiction to alcohol by working more and more. I put my efforts and energy in the business and the children, not doing much about my marriage. We separated twice from 1981 to 1986 but got back together again. In 1987 we got divorced because my wife “could not get her thing right”, or so I convinced myself. I had already been in a relationship with another woman who did things my way. I began drinking again because now I could do it normally and just socially. Within a month I was drinking more than ever. The last 13 years of my life have been miserable but I refused to admit it. Even with all the church and religious education, I still did not have an understanding of God. To me, He was One to fear. I knew my life was contrary to His ways and blessing but I made the choice to follow myself. I believed that by the things I had already done, there was no forgiveness or solution possible. I have spent years going in and out of treatment but not understanding the unlimited power of God through Jesus Christ. I have spent years going in and out of jails and prison being hateful towards authorities and the system. By 1991 my children and family wanted nothing to do with me. I had sucked all the forgiveness they could find right out of them. In 1992 they had me committed to a locked treatment facility for 6 months.
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began
school in September, 1968. I had gotten a taste of how good life went with
money and this good life continued. I graduated in 1970 and went to work for
a CPA firm. We had our first child in October 1970, and things were going
well. In 1973 we moved to Litchfield, Minnesota, where I worked as an office
manager while making plans to begin my own business.