"I sentence you to a total of eighty years in the Department of Corrections." The judge struck the desk with his gavel.

Considered a criminal by the court system and labeled as a threat to society, Dixie Pebworth-a twenty-four year old convicted drug dealer-was sent to a prison that was known as a "gladiator school" in the 1980s. Raised by the streets from the age of nine, his heart turned cold and he ruled the streets as an infamous drug dealer. Lost in the cycle of drug abuse, drug dealing, and crime, the odds were that he would never get out of prison alive.

But God had a different plan when the cell door slammed open and one unexpected night changed everything.

A plan that no man-except a praying grandmother-could have ever expected. In Death Was My Next Step, you will experience a series of miracles as God transforms a young drug dealer's life from inside the prison walls. God began to do what authority figures could not do: disarm Dixie by showing him something he'd never experienced before-unyielding love.

Decades after his conversion, thousands of addicted, homeless, and incarcerated individuals have found their way to Jesus through the message of this heart-healing pastor. Dixie Pebworth's transformation from death to fresh life will give you new hope.

Dixie's story is vital because it mirrors the relentless headlines on today's news of drug abuse and overdose. City officials and law enforcement looking for solutions to the opiate crisis, homelessness, and hopelessness that are ravaging their communities seek him out as a guide.

If you feel that you or someone you love is in a hopeless situation, this book will change everything. If you feel abandoned, this book will help you know that you're not alone. If you wonder if people can ever really change, this book will surprise and inspire you to believe that God can find anyone wherever they are-even on a dark, cold cell floor-and give them a brand-new start.