The license plate on the 1964 AC Cobra said it all: SNAKE. The owner was fast and clever. Shrewdly and relentlessly, he pursued the all-American goal: The Good Life.

"Love Things and Use People" -- Tom Umberger was a master of both. He accumulated a fortune in possessions and surrounded himself with many friends.

His expectations were always met. Tom's drive, ambition, intelligence and passion paid off in every way. Whatever he set out to achieve, he accomplished. Money, possessions and women were all his in abundance.
By Hollywood's standards, he was victorious. He conquered life.
Consider his passion for automobiles. Relishing the notice his car received in high school, Tom acquired an AC Cobra, America's fastest production sports car. Then he picked up a Porsche, went through 2 BMW's, and tried a Cadillac limousine.

"I was like a drug addict," admits Tom. "I needed more and more to gain the same level of satisfaction. Finally, I went for the ultimate, a red Ferrari."

Careers changed as fast as cars. Always seeking higher income, Tom moved from engineer to management consultant to stock broker. Making money proved no problem. Spending it was even easier. An added benefit was that Tom discovered many women are attracted to a man that has both money and possessions.

Tom's story truly begins at age 40. Sitting in his office, he observed several people who had more money than he could ever hope to acquire. They were quite a bit older than he, and each had something in common. They were exceedingly unhappy. Despite great wealth, each was anxious. Some were too feeble ever to enjoy their money.

Why did they do it? Why did they spend their lives pursuing money that they could never use? They were not happy, so what was the purpose?
A frightening thought entered Tom's mind, a thought that would not leave him alone: "I am becoming like them. I am no different than they are -- only younger." He began to see his lifelong pursuit of money as utterly meaningless.

Then there was the red Ferrari. It no longer satisfied his passion for cars. Seeking new thrills, Tom turned to vintage car racing in his favorite possession, the Cobra.

At a race track in Pueblo, Colorado, screaming past the grandstand at 100 miles per hour, the Cobra gave no indication of a mechanical problem. As Tom shifted into fourth gear, the flywheel exploded, blowing the engine into pieces, cutting out the brakes and shearing off the hood. A ball of flame flashed over the windshield as the car shot down the track, driver and passenger at the mercy of the shattered race car.

Miraculously, even though Tom's foot was smashed and broken and his rider's leg sliced open, neither man was seriously injured.
But Tom was again haunted. His favorite possession had almost taken his life.

Money and things, two of Tom's three lifelong pursuits, were troubling him greatly. He was left with only one potential source for comfort -- women.
At 40, Tom was no longer interested in short-term relationships. He was ready to settle down, to establish a family. While his envious, married friends were sighing, "Man, you've got it made," Tom could not deny the emptiness inside. He was looking for love and living a lie.

After considering the women he had known, Tom met with one in whom he thought he could invest his life. After 40 years of being single, he devoted his life to her.

"Then, she tore out my heart."

That haunting, again. First, the bitter, unhappy, lonely people trapped with their money. Second, the beloved car that almost became his coffin. Third, the love given freely that resulted in deep, deep ache. All in space of a few months.

"I had been a highly manipulative, silver-tongued devil. I lived my life by the motto, 'Love Things and Use People.' I had tried everything I knew in my life that would bring happiness and fulfillment. Everything I touched was successful, yet I was rushing down dead-end streets.

"I was confused and despairing. Where could I turn? What was left?
"Then it struck me 'I'd never truly examined spiritual matters'. I thought, 'What do I have to lose? I'll look for a while, and if it doesn't work, fine. I'll be no worse off than I am now.' So, acting once again on my own strength, I explored self-help techniques and affirmations. They got me nowhere. Then I thought, 'Well, other people pray and read the Bible. Maybe I should try that.'

"At first I thought, 'This is great! I can go to Jesus, He will free me from the consequences of my sin, and I can continue to rebel. If this is religion, I'll take it!'

"As I look back, I realize God was beginning to open doors for me. One day I found myself at a singles conference. A man there could tell I was searching and invited me to attend a men's luncheon.

"I attended and encountered men just like me. While they were struggling with life, they had inner peace and a quiet contentment that gave life meaning. I wanted what they had. Dick, the CFO of a fortune 500 company, helped me understand a simple truth: Jesus is who He claimed to be - God himself became a man.

"I listened to the other men and observed their changed lives. As I read the Bible, God's words rang true, cutting deep into my heart, exposing all those areas that I had tried to hide. The Bible's practical insights jumped out.

"'What does it profit a man if he gains the world and loses his soul?'
'The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.'
'Yes, all have sinned and fall short of God's glorious ideal.'
'The wages of sin is death...'

"That last verse was speaking about me. I was a dead man! The car accident was no accident, it was a warning shot.

"I gave my heart to Jesus Christ and asked him to come into my life. Now he is my Lord and Savior." Tom has been restored and is a completely new man. "I have a new motto now: Love People and Use Things. Every day I ask God, 'What do you want me to do today?' My days are numbered, and I want them to count for something that will last."

Once his desires were yielded to Christ, Tom began to realize the contentment that he had always sought. Financial pursuits and material possessions came under control.

Only in his relationships with women did he continue to struggle. Relating to them from God's perspective - with trust, honor and commitment - was his next battle.

"The answer, I discovered, was letting go, just as I had done with money and possessions. I willingly gave my relationships with women over to God's control.

"Now the irony is humorous. 'I searched for a woman unsuccessfully, looking in all the wrong places,' muses Tom. 'Then I found my wife while teaching a class at church.'" Tom has learned that every time he honors God, God honors him.

Knowing the truth is Tom's new pursuit. He now realizes that the truth is found only in Jesus Christ. As Jesus said in John 8:31-32, "If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." Tom has realized freedom through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

By the way, like its owner, the Cobra has also been restored. It was rebuilt after the crash. The old license plate, "SNAKE," no longer mirrors Tom's heart and has been discarded. The new plate reflects the owner's passion : "1TRUTH."