“Prodigal Father’s Journey Part One: The Downfall” Show Description: In a world that has become increasing lawless, we find a redeeming story of an Italian family from New York, who engaged in practices that at the time were criminal, but subsequently became legal. This story is fascinating in all the scenarios that played out. In fact, it is great material for a movie. Nonetheless, through all the excitement of drug running marijuana in the late 60’s and throughout the decade of the 70’s the DeLisi crime family found themselves devastated as the father’s criminal activities destroyed his family. Thankfully, God is in the restoration business. Come listen to our podcast in Part One as we find Ted Sr., the father, being an absentee father who never spent any time with his son or daughter as he pursued the high life of “drugs, women and song”. Ted Jr. as a sixteen-year-old son wanted to become just like his father, taking over the drug business when his father went to jail. From a teenager’s perspective, even though they were estranged, his father’s life looked very attractive. But God had something else in mind. The family moved from NY to Florida to pursue a car repair business after their home was burned down in NY. Lack of business led them to repair Volkswagens, the car of choice of hippies in the 1960’s. Hippies smoked a lot of pot. One thing led to another, and the head of the family Ted Sr. worked with his brother to create one of the largest marijuana smuggling operations in history. The demand was enormous and the supply low. Come listen to how the logistics of this drug business blossomed only to come crashing down.  So, from Jamaican pot to Columbian Gold, the family prospered financially, while the inter family relationships crumbled. Until one day God sent an angel in the form of Brother Ron to the Big House where he called out the head of the DeLisi Gang by name, Theodore DeLisi. Ted Sr. stepped forward in front of his whole gang as they watched him surrender his life to Christ in a dramatic moment that had rippling effects throughout the jail. Part One of this podcast describes the backstory when we pick up the story beginning in the late 1960’s to 1979 when Ted Sr. was caught and went to jail for the first time. He eventually served 31 years in prison. He would still be in prison if his second 90-year sentence had not been curtailed. Part Two picks up our story from jail to the restoration of his relationship with his son, Ted Jr., daughter Gina, and his grandchildren. This is a heartwarming story of restoration and redemption of family relationships. The father/son and father/daughter relationships were restored. We decided to title this podcast The Prodigal Father as he was the one who left the family and engaged in profligate living. As we have always contended if you want to have a father’s heart and become a good father, you need to learn what it means to become a son of the Father. Ted Sr. found his way back to God the Father and we give the Father all the glory for his return. His story fulfills our mission: bringing the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Ted Jr. and Gina are rejoicing in the glory of their father's return. Enjoy his story! Come and listen, enjoy, and connect with God Your Father! Show Notes: Come follow Papa Tom on social media on both YouTube and Facebook at www.YouTube.com/thefathersheartmedia  and www.FaceBook.com/papatomstales. Help us distribute our media content by donating to the Father’s Heart Media on our websites or www.Patreon.com/thefathersheart. We will be looking for people who will want to become part of our launch team to re-launch Book One and then Book Two and Book Three on Amazon in the first quarter of 2023. Become part of our community by subscribing at our   website:www.thefathersheartmedia.com and enjoy all our media: podcasts, articles, blogs and Children’s Books.