Introduction
From drugs and alcohol to bodybuilding, career building, and back to dangerous addictions, Dave had tried it all. Yet none of these pursuits filled the sense of spiritual emptiness that seemed to occupy him. Finally, Dave decided to give the Bible a chance, reading it with an open mind. His search ended as he discovered the truth within God's Word, and the fulfillment he had long pursued.
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Dave's Pursuit of God
I was born Peter Louis-Dominic Fachini on December 10, 1969, in Detroit, Michigan. I'm an Italian-American, raised Roman Catholic. Although our family of five loved each other very much, I always felt I was missing something.
I remember always trying to improve myself to earn love and respect from everyone around me. Ever since I can remember, I've been fascinated with searching for "the meaning of life." Growing up I attended St. Michael's Catholic Church almost every Sunday. I also read hundreds of books, including the entire Bible; but I didn't really understand it. And since I was taught evolution and humanism in public school, I didn't even believe God existed.
Good Boy
I was an above-average student throughout my public education and attended Henry Ford II High School in Sterling Heights, Michigan. My studies included Honors English, Physics and Pre-Calculus.
Teen Rebel
At age 15, I tried to fill the spiritual emptiness I felt inside with sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. I started smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. This soon led to smoking marijuana and taking many other harmful drugs such as cocaine, mescaline and LSD. At age 16, I shaved my head into a Mohawk haircut. I thought I was so cool. But in reality I was mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually unhealthy. At 6-feet-2-inches tall, I only weighed 135 pounds.
Body-Centered
After being sick in bed for about two weeks, I read a book called,
Arnold's Bodybuilding for Men by Arnold Schwarzenegger. So in 1987 I decided to try a new drug - bodybuilding steroids. I read everything I could about scientific bodybuilding. I was working out almost everyday and quickly gained about 60 pounds of muscle in only one year. Since I weighed a ripped 195 pounds, I entered two bodybuilding contests in Michigan and won fifth place in both competitions.
Respect-Centered
I thought I had discovered the answer to all my problems. As I became stronger, women became more attracted to me. Everyone started liking me and wanted to be my friend. It was a dream-come-true. I was finally popular! But for some strange reason I still felt empty inside. I soon found myself not only addicted to steroids, but also addicted to cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs again.
Money-Centered
Around age 20, I wanted "money and success," so I started studying self-help books like crazy. By age 24, I had read more than 500 books by authors such as Tony Robbins, Steven Covey, Deepak Chopra, John Gray, Barbara D'Angelis, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar and Jay Abraham.
Continue reading page 2 of "Dave's Pursuit of God"
