By Mark Ellis —
He was a hard-living, death-defying biker from Wales on a road trip across America. When his brakes failed on a steep mountain curve, God’s miraculous intervention changed his life forever.
“I was born on a kitchen table in Wales,” says Reg Hyde. The midwife assisting his mother promptly dropped him on the floor, which his family viewed as an omen.
He sustained numerous physical beatings at the hand of his mother and extended “time-outs” locked in a closet naked. His says his father failed to intervene.
Later, he discovered he had a brother who died a few days after birth. “You’re not the son we wanted,” his mother coldly informed him.
Other traumas unfolded in his youth. Reg took a job at 15-years-old delivering groceries, but the grocer sexually assaulted him. The next year his best friend was stabbed to death by a rival gang.
When his mother attempted another beating for an unidentified indiscretion, he grabbed her and pinned her down by the throat. “If you lay another hand on me, I’ll kill you,” he said. She never touched him again.
He got fired from a job with an electrical wholesaler after he stole money from them. “I didn’t know the difference between their money and mine,” he confesses.
The Royal Air Force trained Reg as an electrician. He got married during his service with the RAF, but the relationship ended abruptly after his wife was arrested for prostitution. His relationships with women had always been rocky. “I spent most of my life beating the women I was with,” he admits.
After he left the RAF, he joined a bike gang and became addicted to amphetamine sulfate. “I was a steady drug user,” he says, “and also willing to use a knife.”
Despondent about his life, he attempted suicide twice. A friend suggested counseling. “I had one year of psychological help,” he says, “but it didn’t help.” When the counselors brought up the idea of reconciling with his mother he said,”If I saw her walking down the road I would drive over her.”
Trained as an electrical engineer, the scientific bent to his mind confirmed a budding atheism. “I could prove to you God didn’t exist,” he recalls. Still, somewhere in the inner recesses of his soul he wanted to believe in something.
“Lord, prove to me you exist and I will believe in you,” he said at several weak moments. But when he failed to hear or see any evidence for God, he shrunk back into unbelief.
In 1990, he wrote a poem to the devil published by the English magazine “Backstreet Heroes.”
“I tried just about everything,” he reports. “I believed in black magic and crystals. I was not a nice person.”
He met and married a second wife, but again this ended in divorce after she tried to stab him and he beat her. Drugs and violence still ruled his life.
Bike trip across America
One day a biker friend named Paul announced a plan to travel across the U.S. to buy an Indian Motorcycle in Gilroy, California. Reg warmed immediately to the idea and the two spent the next six weeks riding across the U.S.
“We did 4700 miles in six weeks,” Reg says. When they crossed from Nevada to California, they spent a morning fishing at Lake Tahoe, then rode up in the mountains surrounding the Alpine jewel.
As they descended from the mountains on a steep, windy road, an oil leak caused Reg’s brakes to fail. “Every 200 yards there’s a hairpin turn,” he recalls. He couldn’t downshift because of a problem with his gearbox.
“I burned out my front brakes and my back brake wasn’t working,” he says. His girlfriend was on the back of the bike, along with their luggage.
He sped past Paul, going faster and faster. “I saw the corner coming I would not get around.” He prepared to bail out, which involves an attempt to push away from the bike as it goes down.
“When it hits, you don’t want to be a sandwich,” he says.
At a critical point in the turn, with the bike leaning over to a degree that it was impossible to keep from sliding out, he yelled to his girlfriend, “Bail!”
But then something very unusual happened. He couldn’t let go of his handlebars. “It happened in two seconds but it felt like five minutes,” he says.
Suddenly, defying speed and gravity, the bike mysteriously stood upright on its own, slowed down, and pulled into the only run-off on the mountain.
His friend Paul, with his girlfriend Annie on the back, pulled in behind them. “How did you stop it?” he shouted.
“I didn’t,” Reg replied, with a dazed expression on his face. He knew he didn’t stop the bike. Several witnesses said the impossible just happened.
“On that mountain God showed me I had lost control,” Reg says. He suddenly recognized that God answered his earlier prayers in a dramatic, miraculous fashion. “I should have died on that mountain. There was a steep drop-off.”
“I went up that mountain an atheist. When I came off the mountain I believed.”
When Reg went to get his motorcycle repaired, he let it be known he had nowhere to stay. The repairman, Dave, let him and his girlfriend stay at his home during the repairs.
As they sat on the veranda together and Reg told about the miracle that happened, Reg discovered that Dave and his wife were born again Christians.
Invitation to church
“Why don’t you come to church with us?” Dave suggested.
The following Sunday, the pastor asked “Is there anybody here who wants to give their life to Christ?” Reg’s hand shot up from the back of the church.
He went forward and told his story to the congregation. The pastor held him and prayed over him, then the tears began to fall.
“I’m a big hairy idiot of a biker and I don’t cry very often,” he recalls. “I felt like somebody poured hot water through me. The place that was empty inside me wasn’t empty anymore.”
After Reg returned to England, he didn’t attend church for several years. “I had the internet, my Bible, and my absolute belief God existed that was unshakable.”
Reg met his third wife, Christine, on the internet. A strong Christian, she introduced him to Emmanuel Church in Durham, where they’ve attended the last several years.
When Reg was baptized in the Wear River in Durham in 2010, he changed his name. “I went in the water as Reg, and I came out as Christopher, newly born and newly created. From that day on my life has been utterly different.”
Christopher and Christine – known as ‘Chris & Kris at their church – sold off all their possessions and donated the proceeds to a boy’s home in India.
They know God called them to India as missionaries after selling their worldly goods. Christopher is teaching English and computer science to young men. Christine teaches art as a way to encourage people to use health services in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
‘It says in Matthew to give up everything and follow Jesus, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Christopher has written a book about his journey, “A long and windy road,” by C.R. Hyde.
If you want to know more about a personal relationship with God, go here
God is good!!! all the time!!!
AssistNews published my testimony recently. Same road as yours. Total miracle of God’s grace. Went from “Streetwise to Godwise” 47 years ago. Never looked back.
Go Christopher,
the places and things jesus will take you,You will look back and be amazed,
Tell the world my friend,Jesus has kept the best till last.
God let’s us ripen , then picks us
I love that adage, for lack of a more accurate term…it speaks to another truth as well: that we can’t rot on the vine. God Bless you and yours.
Dear partner
May GOD use you for his glory and teach the all you have how GOD changed your life to better life so bring many souls intot he body of christ,you are welcome to visits us in Hyderabad India shalom shalom shalom, Ashua love john Ebenezer shalom
GOD bless you my brother what you are doing is truely GOD work and you make JESUS smile daily my bro I will pray for you and kris and all of you efforts GOD bless love tom nesbitt bikers for CHRIST santa cruz chapter lookme up if you ever back in cali
Bro thank you and the bikers for Christ. It was great to read your comment and know that other bikers were spreading the word of the Lord.
I will be glad to visit if I ever make it back that way, God bless you all and thank you.
Chris
Brother Christopher,
Thank you for sharing your encouraging story. May God bless and protect you and your wife as you share His love in India.
Your brother in Christ, Shane
Praise the LORD!. GOD IS GOOD! 😀
Just found your story …Just rambling around the internet…
God always works in mysterious ways his wonders to behold.
God bless and keep you both safe and well and may all that you are doing and giving multiply 10 fold. It certainly made an impression on me and Thank you for sharing your blessing.
What a wonderful God we have!
Great article, nicely written.
Welcome home Christopher! I am joyful with you.
@ Don Campbell, I hope you don’t mind. I’m stealing your line to use as one of my tag lines on my emails. I will credit it to you, however. It’s one of the best explanations for God’s Mercy I’ve seen in a while.
the Mercy of the Lord is amazing! Praise the Merciful Savior! God Hero!
THANK YOU GOD!
What a joyful new beginning……May God Bless You Always.
cool
GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. HE SENT JESUS TO US. HE LOVES YOU .I LOVE YOU TWO. MY SON IS KRIST . WE LIVE IN INDIA THANE NEAR MUMBAI. I AM 70 YEARS YOUNG. SHARE OUR HOME AS LONG AS YOU WANT. JESUS INVITES YOU.
MY ADDRESS
ASHAR RESIDENCY IMPERIAL B WING FLAT 103
GLADYS ALVARES MARG
THANE WEST 400610
MAHARASHTRA INDIA
Thank you so much and may God bless you. If we come to Thane we WILL visit you.
Chris and Kris
Praise God for His gift of mercy and love! When you explore India, I would encourage you to look for the sisters of (Blessed) Mother Teresa, and the convert descendants of the incredible St. Francis Xavier (16th century) and the Apostle St. Thomas (1st century). If you have questions about their Catholic faith, catholic.com is a great resource for answers. May God bless you on your journey of faith!
I have just read all the wonderful comments, thank you all so much. All my life I denied Jesus until as Don Campbell puts it ‘he picked me’ since then my life has been so very different, now my wife and I are on the point of leaving for India to do His work. Isnt God amazing!
Lord yoshua , more commonly known as Jesus Christ is and will always be your most present hope in all areas of lifes trials. Lord of shalom fill the earth with your Glory thank you for saving us from our sick and evil thoughts and ways .
This may not be the best place to ask this, but I want to know if I’m eligible for a personal injury claim and I have no idea how to find a good, local lawyer… have you ever heard of this lawyer? They’re listed in the city of Stockton, CA in the same city as me and I can’t find reviews on them – Law Offices of David Barzaga, 1151 West Robinhood Drive Stockton, CA 95207 (209) 474-3710.
This happened to me. Although a believer it was a “wilderness”period in my life where the knowledge of GOD’S power was non existent.i was on a back country road in Tennessee and forgot the sharp elbow turn ahead. I was going far too fast to make the turn and the brakes we
reminded me also of a testimony from a former atheist that’s featured on the website I included in my sign on, AmazingDiscoveries.tv
& the video series in there titled “Total Onslaught”
Chris’ story illustrates that saying, “God is seldom early but is never late”
Let’s prepare to meet each other in heaven
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