On Being A Jewish Tax Collector and Meeting Jesus At The Beach

I grew up in a Jewish home, a mosh-pit of damaged emotions....

After college, I worked for the U.S. Customs Service in the World Trade Center in New York City. My job was the appraisement and classification of imported merchandise, determining the amount of tariffs and duties that importers would pay the government. I advanced quickly through the ranks and had friends with whom I socialized after work.

On the outside, life seemed good. Inside, the questions and insecurities kept growing. As Charles Dickens said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

In the summer of 1979, I rented a house in the Hamptons, Long Island, with three girlfriends. Just a converted two-room garage, it was home to us. Despite many rainy weekends, we had a blast. We’d arrive late on Friday night, drink and dance in the bars all night, then sleep on the beach the next day.

Please visit me at Circles of Faith for my testimony about how I came to Jesus.