Street God by Dimas Salaberrios

On the streets of New York, darkness and violence reigned. Dimas “Daylight” Salaberrios began selling drugs when he was eleven years old, and by sixteen he had served his first stint at the notorious Rikers Island prison. Dimas saw only one way to survive: by reigning over the streets. He would be the richest, most powerful ruler in the hood . . . or die trying.

Street God is the true story of one man’s dangerous journey through the underworld of crime, drugs, and almost certain death. It was an encounter with the real God that saved his life—and
then made it even more dangerous. Because that God sent Dimas back down the darkest streets he’d ever known—with others’ lives depending on it. And Dimas had to ask the question: How far am I prepared to go?

A dramatic, compelling memoir full of twists and turns, Street God delves deep into a world from which few ever emerge—and shows how a single spark of light can illuminate even the darkest existence.
Read the First Chapter

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About the Author:

DIMAS SALABERRIOS is pastor of Infinity Bible Church, which he founded in partnership with Tim Keller and Redeemer City to City, in the South Bronx of New York City. Infinity spearheads numerous outreach events. Their impact in the Bronx River Housing projects in particular has been credited with eliminating homicides and reducing drug dealing in that community to an all-time low for over a decade. As a worldwide missionary, church planter, and speaker, Pastor Dimas has shared the gospel on every continent except Antarctica. He is also president of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York, and he holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in the Bronx with their two daughters.

For more information, visit www.pastordimas.com

My Thoughts:

Dimas' (Daylight's) life story is a tough one to read. Fascinating and intriguing, yet emotional and painful. I struggled to get through the first part of the book, not because it wasn't interesting, but because digesting all the violence, drugs, and other content was not easy. It was hard. The world is a harsh place, full of sin and evil. What got me through this story was I knew there was hope at the end. I knew Dimas had changed and I wanted to find out how.

Dimas grew up in NYC in the Queens area. He came from a middle class family, and lived in a decent neighborhood. At age 13 he was already selling drugs on the street. He started even younger than that. His goal - to be a street god. He wanted the money and the power. His story is an impressive tale of how a young boy survives on the street. The violence he not only saw but was a part of is frightening indeed! He was surrounded by drugs, not just mild ones, killings, gangs, and more. He went to jail multiple times, came close to death many times, but none of those things deterred him from his street god goal. Which, by the way, he accomplished, even as a felon on the run. After recognizing that using hard drugs was going to cost him instead of benefit him, and getting a break that helped him clean up, he became strictly a dealer.  He had money and power. 

But God is so merciful, so good, and when we are born He has a plan and a purpose for all of us. God wasn't finished with Daylight. It took a horrifying experience with a witch to bring Dimas to God, but God changed his life. He became a new creature. He is open about his struggles after becoming a believer, and how he consistently had to go to the altar and confess his ways. All that was part of growing in Jesus, and each day Dimas grew stronger in the Lord. God, not man, pointed out the error of his ways, and the Holy Spirit worked in his heart. Slowly he changed, and finally he turned himself in. The result, God's amazing grace. Now, Dimas is working on another dangerous mission to help others, like his old self, find God.

This story is difficult to read, yet full of hope and even a bit of humor. I was so encouraged. Prayer also played a big part in the change that came over Dimas and his conversion. It made my heart desire even more to remember to pray for my lost friends. It gave me hope for the situations that seem impossible for God to change. This man's testimony is amazing. I pray many people read this book and are blessed by it. I pray Dimas continues to allow God to use him and gives him strength and courage to continue serving the Lord and ministering to others. He is living proof that God can take even the most destitute, dark, seemingly hopeless situation and turn it into something beautiful.

I was blessed with this book by the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest opinion.

Here is his testimony

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