I Felt Trapped…with No Way Out.
For 60 years God has used Teen Challenge to demonstrate the truth of what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth almost 2,000 years ago. If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away, the new has come. (2 Cor. 5:17)
For James, the transformation to a new creation followed a 20-year addiction. It came when he began to read the Bible after coming to Teen Challenge and he discovered that his image of God was all wrong.
“I’d always thought that God was angry with me, He was looking down on me, ready to pounce on me. But as I read I kept seeing words like love, grace, forgiveness, and patience. I started to understand God’s character and I came to realize that He didn’t want to condemn me but to save me.”
“In the worst moments of my life I was so addicted to OxyContin that I couldn’t function without it. I felt trapped, absolutely trapped. I had no idea how to get out.” Then he came to Teen Challenge and found the answer…Jesus.
James graduated from Teen Challenge in 2012 and for two and a half years worked as a Student Advisor in Riverside. Then he left for a staff position at a church in the Central Valley where he still serves. Married with two small boys and expecting a baby girl in June, James is evidence that no one is beyond Christ’s redemption, that the Lord has plans to prosper and not to harm. (Jeremiah 29:11)
When James needed Teen Challenge, its doors were open because of the faithful support of people like you. Here he was introduced to Jesus and taught how to follow Him. That makes the difference. You make it possible.