“Off to a bad start” is a fitting adage to describe Eric’s life. He was born the youngest of three boys to young, poor parents in the city of Atlanta. His household and upbringing can be summarized by the terms broken and dysfunctional. As a result, the bad behaviors that all kids have a tendency toward were only aggravated and cultivated by his upbringing. Unfortunately, when such behaviors are cultivated instead of corrected, those behaviors only worsen in frequency and degree. Eric was no exception. Things such as lying, fighting, shoplifting, and vandalism would end up with him being involved in someone’s death.

On August 25, about 11:30 at night Eric made a decision along with his stepbrother that would forever affect three families and countless lives. At the age of fifteen, and in a drunken state, Eric and his eighteen-year-old stepbrother decided they were going to throw rocks at cars from an interstate overpass near his house. His stepbrother dropped a large rock off the bridge that tragically killed the passenger of a passing car.

The case received a lot of media attention and both Eric and his stepbrother were arrested and charged with felony murder. His stepbrother pled guilty and was sentenced to life. Eric went through a five-day trial and was convicted of felony murder as a party to the crime and was sentenced to life. One can only imagine the damage done in the lives of the victim’s family, the families of Eric and his stepbrother, and, although most people would be completely inconsiderate of it, the lives of Eric and his stepbrother.

It has been said that to have a message one must first have gone through a mess. Eric Waugh has not only been through a mess, but He, unfortunately, took a lot of other people through it with him. The Bible says that “none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” The choices we make affect others and the destructive choices Eric made as a teenager not only altered his life beyond repair in many respects, but it also forever scarred and altered the lives of those affected by his choices. Unfortunately, his past choices could not be changed, but his future ones could. However, God first had to change him.

In the Bible, there were many people who were affected by King David’s decisions. However, God in His mercy, grace, compassion, and wisdom still used David to spiritually affect the lives of many more for the glory and will of God. When King David’s name and character is brought up, most people think about and are reminded of his sin with Bathsheba and how he had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed. Sadly, the choices David made at that time in his life would never be forgotten or overlooked. The Bible even points out, despite David’s other sins, that the matter of Uriah the Hittite was the only time David turned aside from following all that God had commanded him (1Kgs. 15:5).

Thankfully, as with David, when there is confession and repentance in place in a person God forgives, God heals, and God restores. He did those things and so much more in the person and life of Eric Waugh.”