From Church to the rum bar
PORT ANTONIO, Portland: SIDE-TRACKED BY what he described as weakness of the flesh, Michael Gordon, a backslidden Seventh-day Adventist, still harbours hope of returning to the Church.
Gordon, who told Family and Religion earlier this week that he surrendered his life to God at 11 years old, recounted that his childhood days were spent going to church.
“My life took a dramatic turn in the 1970s. By then, I got attracted to females, and it came as no surprise that it actually led to my demise. I just couldn’t help it, and before long, I fell from grace. It got worse in the 1980s as I started working on the cruise ship, travelling to various countries including Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Russia, France, and Finland, where I had multiple sex partners. While on the cruise ship, I was selling the booze and enjoying the cruise,” he said.
Now a bartender at Shadows restaurant in Port Antonio, after spending 19 years on the cruise ship, Gordon, a former student of Kingston College and Titchfield High school, continues to reflect on where he went wrong, but has admitted that he still needs time to make a decision as it relates to returning to the Church.
According to Gordon, who claims that he still remembers the 10 Commandments and the need to observe the Sabbath, he is caught up in two minds, noting that life is a challenge.
“I don’t believe that I have drifted into forbidden territory, however, all is not well with my soul. Smoking, drinking, gambling, and chasing the girls have basically taken over my life. I have had a failed marriage, but one thing is certain, and if time allows, I will light a candle, sing a song, and find my way back to church. As bad as it is, I don’t want to gain this world and lose my soul.”