Jun 5 • Testimony
My Story
For most of my life, I chased whatever felt good in the moment. I liked having fun, making people laugh, being the guy everybody wanted around. Toward the end of high school that kind of became my identity, and honestly, it followed me well into adulthood. Drinking, partying, late nights, always looking for a laugh or a good time. That was normal for me. Even after getting married and having kids, a lot of that mindset stayed with me. I loved my family deeply, but I still lived like I could balance one foot in the world and one foot in faith. As long as I wasn’t “hurting anybody,” I convinced myself I was doing alright. As seasons of life came and went, life became a struggle. Deployments took a lot out of me mentally. Between 2019 and 2021 I was gone for 18 months. During COVID I had to watch my family struggle from a distance and there’s something about not being able to help the people you love that changes you.
Watching my family go through hard seasons honestly, specifically my children, broke me. I got angry. Bitter. I remember sitting there one day saying with complete confidence that God didn’t exist. My wife looked at me and with just as much confidence, but way more grace, said: “God does exist, and you’re missing all the good He’s already given you.” My wife has lived through things that would destroy a lot of people, and somehow, she still held onto her faith. Seeing her faith forced me to take a hard look at myself. Not long after that I remember sitting alone in my car one night completely defeated. The drinking wasn’t helping. The distractions weren’t helping. Trying to be a good person wasn’t helping. None of it fixed anything. That was the first time in my life I felt I truly surrendered. I not so politely demanded God to show me He was real. I begged Him to protect my family. I told Him I would give anything for them to be okay. I prayed the dangerous prayer. “God, whatever you want of me, I’ll do it.” And no, lightning didn’t strike the car and my whole life didn’t magically change overnight. But slowly, things started changing.
My wife and I started going back to church again. One day they announced the Heritage Fitness Project. I’d already been a certified personal trainer for years and I’ve always loved coaching people, especially kids. My wife uncomfortably elbowed me and told me to go talk to them. I felt unqualified, I hadn’t trained anyone in years, I was out of shape and over weight. But God spoke to me through my wife once again and pushed me to make the connection. A few weeks later I was helping teach in the church gym, and looking back now, I can see God was already rebuilding parts of me before I even understood what He was doing.
The more I leaned into serving, mentorship, discipleship, and being around strong believers, the more real my faith became. My purpose changed. I realized I was always at my best when I was serving people instead of serving myself. That didn’t mean my life suddenly became easy. I still struggle. I still fail. I still have moments where I need correction, and growth. But now I know where to turn first. That’s a big reason why programs like We Are Redeemed, the Heritage Fitness Project, and WARpath Disciples exist. To help the person stuck in middle between a spirit filled and worldly life.
I know what it feels like to be lukewarm. I know what it feels like to think being a “good person” is enough. I know what it feels like to look strong on the outside while slowly falling apart internally. And I know there are a lot of people living there right now. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this; God remains faithful even when we aren’t, and that He love us so much that he gave his Son to pay a price we could never pay, for an eternal gift we don’t deserve I learned to follow God’s lead, now I lead others to follow Him!
Everything good that’s come from my life points back to Him, not me.
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My Story
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