7-11-CRAPS
PAIR-A-DICE FOUND
THE HERBIE UNDERWOOD STORY
Dedicated to God, and all the other people who had patience and prayed for me until I came home.
ABOUT THE TITLE
God put many people in my life with special numbers. Now I am not into numerology, but my dad, brother and myself were all born on 7-11, and my best friend’s birthday is on 11-7, hence the title 7-11 about the craps, my life without God was crap, going to prison three times. Pair-A-Dice Found is a play on words about the dice, but it means that Jesus found me and turned my life around.
Hello, my name is Herbert Alan Underwood. My friends call me Herbie; you can call me Mr. Underwood! I was born on July 11, 1960. This came as quite a surprise to my brother who was born on the 11th of July three years prior; this really freaked my dad out, because he was born on the 11th of July as well! My best friend, Bruce Gross’s birthday is 11-7-60. We were arrested together once and the police thought that we were messing with them because our birth dates are 7-11-60 and 11-7-60. My mother drank a bottle of mineral oil to induce labor a week early to have me. I don’t know if you could consider that a drug, but a few months after I was born, I swallowed a bottle of my Godfather’s heart medication. Thirteen years later, I became a drug addict; was that prophetic? I have overdosed many times since then that I should have died dozens of times over, but God is merciful. He saved my life over and over again.
I grew up as normal as possible in my early years. I went to school. I did well. I did have some migraine headaches and was prescribed Benadryl, so I was around drugs at an early age. We are now skipping ahead to my teenage years where everything started to change. I was a little over twelve and my mom gave me the choice to go to church or not (before then it was mandatory). I was into baseball around that time and I thought that I had been disrespected so I quit the team. I wish I had stayed with it. I was still okay at that time of my life, but then we moved. We moved to Morris Street where I met the girl next door. Her name was Diane and she was very beautiful. Diane, her niece Sharon, my friend Bobby, Diane’s boyfriend, and I went to a drive-in movie one night. I lost my virginity to Sharon that night as well as getting drunk and smoking pot for the first time in my life. I discovered, sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. I had been baptized a few months earlier (I think so; the time is approximate). My brother Rawland and I went under water at the same time. I believe that I was too young to fully understand what it truly meant. Three years later, I had my first experience with GOD. My best friend, Greg, was leaving for Hawaii for the summer, so we were out being kids. We were riding our bikes and wound up in a park by a church. We decided to climb a tree for kicks. We were all the way to the top and I was reaching for a walnut when Greg said,”You are going to fall”. I said, “No, I’m noooooooot.” I was falling as I said the words. I knew I was in big trouble so I started to grab some branches to save my life. I had tried to grab some and was being tossed and turned from my stomach to my back. I was out of control and I knew I was going to die. I gave up. I let my hands fall to my side and said, “GOD” I was ready to join Him in Heaven, but I guess He was not ready for me, because the next thing that happened was I caught the last branch just like I was crucified on the cross! I looked down and saw that I was okay. I was about 15 feet from the ground and landed like you would if you jumped out of an airplane. I was out of breath and scratched up from the limbs, but I was all right. GOD had just saved my life again! I stayed straight for about three months because of that.
Around this time period, I met a man whom I believe led me into the pits of hell! He gave me drugs and led me to commit crimes. I first stuck a needle in my arm with him. I had definitely turned from the bad to the worst with no signs of turning back to GOD.
I had done a lot of crimes to help pay for my drug habit. I sold drugs to the police so I went to prison for the first time at the age of 18. Before I went in, I had shot my best friend at that time. It’s a long story to get into; he was wrong and so was I. It ended up that he forgave me and asked the judge to let me have another chance, so I didn’t get in any trouble. I had also taken my
sister’s car without her permission and the police saw me speeding a couple of blocks from her house. So we had a chase, I lost! I ran into a brick wall at 100 mph. It took them 2 ½ hours to cut me out of the car. The doctor told me that if I hadn’t been drunk I would have died. I broke my foot and the engine was right next to me, but GOD saved me again.
Another time I was driving home from the drive-in and got lost. I was so high on Valium that I did not know what I was doing and should not have been driving. I hit a parked truck at 60 mph and went through the windshield. I walked out of the hospital a couple hours later with a scar on my chin. GOD saved my life again. I have three scars on my chin from more than three windshields.
A year later or so, I was selling some hash and the police came to my house to arrest me. They did not find any, but they did find some Quaaludes. They wanted me to snitch on somebody, so I said, “Let me make bond, and I will do it.” I went to Florida the next day, on the run from the cops. I ended up in Houston, TX where I met a man who led me to the mother of his church, The People’s Home and Foreign Mission. They really saved me for that time of my life.
I got back into GOD and was doing pretty good. Then another couple needed a place to stay, so they moved in with me. The guy had a bottle of Valium, one of my favorite drugs. I stole three of them from him and got real high. I thought to myself I better steal the rest of them or I would never get any more when he sees that they are missing. So I stole them and that night I ate ten more. Ten 10mg pills are enough to knock out a horse. So you know that I was higher than a kite. I knew I had church that night so I got dressed up, but I was so high that I could not go anywhere. One of the ladies of the church came and got me; she held my hand and walked me across the street to the church. She led me up the aisle to the guest preacher. He prayed and laid hands on me, and the next thing I knew, I was sober and looking around and wondering how I got there and why I was no longer high. About thirty seconds later, I was speaking in tongues and still do to this day.
Satan lured me from there with the promise of a great job as a salesman. I was good at the job and after nine months of parties and sex, I got promoted. The promotion came with a car and on the way to our destination; I was receiving oral sex from a girl, driving through the mountains saying, ” This is too good to be true.” A minute later, I was pulled over for speeding and sent to Indiana for the drug charge. Even though I didn’t know it, GOD was not going to allow me to keep sinning. I pled guilty and was sent to prison for the second time. I was blessed that I did not have to do that much time, seven months and I was out on the streets again, doing the same old stuff as before. I was out forty-four days when I ended up robbing and killing Kerry.
I always felt in my heart that I did not have the intention to do this. I was higher than a kite and drinking as well, no excuse, just facts. I do know that when I came out of my drunken stupor, that I told my co-defendant, we needed to go back and see if the guy was okay. That does not sound like a murderer’s heart to me, but we did not stop.
I was sentenced to death and two hundred sixty years. I was twenty-three when I was arrested and now they wanted to kill me. I ran to GOD at the beginning. He took away the nightmares and forgave me, but I did not live for Him. I got high on death row on a daily basis for ten years. Although I did not live for GOD, whenever the subject came up, I would say, “I did not come all this way for GOD to kill me in this place.” I finally got to the breaking point and decided to end my life. I had already failed twice at suicide, so I decided to waive my appeals and let the state murder me. That is when things started to change.
GOD has blessed me with a reversal of my case and a new trial. I was hinting about going back to GOD, but I didn’t want to be a hypocrite. I had made a deal, or so I thought, with GOD to let me learn the law and get out of this mess on my own; then I would turn to Him when I had no baggage hanging over my head. He had other plans, “His ways are not our ways.” I did not trust in Him and started the new trial. It is too long to get into, but GOD sent a woman, Julie, who was the foreman of the jury. After four days of deliberation they found me not guilty of three of the five charges. I did not realize at the time, because I was not living for GOD, but He had sent Julie into my life just so I would end up coming back to GOD, because I was scared and did not want to lose her. After the trial was over, Julie wrote me and fell in love. I gave my life back to GOD so He would get me out of prison and I could be with her. My third trial started and I was found guilty and was sentenced to sixty years. I lost Julie, but I still have GOD!
I was sent back to prison so I could stay on the potter’s wheel and grow in the love of the Lord. I received my G.E.D., and became a math tutor. I was allowed to move into the honor dorm while I was waiting on the courts to let me go home due to the mistakes of my trial, however it is actually God’s mercy and grace because He is the Supreme Court. I attended college and shared this story with the world.
While I reflect on my life, I realized that I omitted something. The first time that I was arrested was on June 6, 1976. In case you missed that that is 6-6-6. The case I am on now is 6-6-6.
The devil desired to sift me as wheat, but thank GOD, He prayed for me! I was a chief sinner, broke every Commandment in the Bible, I was a drug addict, a thief, a robber, a murderer, a womanizer, every low life ting that you can think of; but thank GOD for His mercy and grace. Now I am an heir to the throne, a teacher, a leader in the church, healed of asthma and bronchitis, forgiven for my past, filled with the Holy Spirit, praise be to GOD! Amen.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” If youï are not saved and would like to be, just repeat this, ” Lord Jesus, I am a sinner, please forgive me and come live into my heart.” If you just said that and meant it, you are now a child of GOD; congratulations!! Quick, go tell someone; join a church and grow in the Lord.
Love & Peace,
Herbie Underwood