I grew up in a very secular home, I didn't go to church, and I never saw my parents read the Bible. I thought that if I just did whatever I wanted, without any rules or restrictions, then I would be happy. That's what my friends did, and they seemed to be having a lot of fun. I saw no point in God, and instead of going to church, I would go to the local tattoo shop. The money I earned went towards my tattoos, alcohol and pot. By the time I was 22, my parents had disowned me and I was… Read More
“I don't think I believe in God anymore and I no longer want to be married." What happens when the life you've built turns to complete dust? These are the devastating words I heard from my high school sweetheart and husband. He had been wrestling with his faith and had finally told me. Even though we were in ministry, he had been on his own quiet journey through addiction, doubts, and deconstruction. It is normal to wrestle with faith and fight to find truth, but his journey took him down a path that nearly destroyed us. After our painful divorce, he continued… Read More
My life has been in shambles on a number of occasions. But Jesus, and my grandfather, have rescued me from the depths of depravity to make me the Christ follower that I am today. My father was a truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel and died in a collision when I was four, and my mom was eight months pregnant with my little sister. That was the first time my maternal grandfather stepped in to help guide my life and become our surrogate father. He was a solid Christian who became the anchor in our lives. From time to time,… Read More
I had a heart attack at age 39 and doctors in the hospital told me my heart stopped beating for 45 minutes. I was dead. But those amazing doctors worked hard to bring me back to life by performing CPR for that entire time. Doctors placed me in an induced coma for nine days. When I was awakened, my life was substantially different. I now have to live with a pacemaker that keeps my heart beating properly. A lot of my memories were gone. But fortunately, I remembered my beautiful wife, Tanya, who never left my hospital bedside for the entire… Read More
When I was 16, I lived a life full of alcohol and drugs. I went through physical and sexual abuse, dealt drugs, faced self-harm, and honestly have no idea how I made it through alive. The year I turned 19, I was put in jail for the possession of multiple narcotics, and my mom put her house deed on the line to get me out of jail. I was only there for three days, but it was enough to shake me and show me what I needed to do to get out of this spiral. When I turned 20, I left my… Read More
I had a secret that I hid for almost two decades. It was awful and I was ashamed. But I learned that what the enemy intended for evil, God can use for His glory. I had graduated from college and wanted to be an occupational therapist. I was working in a rehab facility and praying that God would help me get into graduate school. But I’m a person that does not do well on standardized tests. I took the GRE six different times and could never get the necessary score. My dream was shattered and I was left without a plan. What… Read More
