Fighting Addiction with the Power of the Gospel

Kingdom pursuits where you hear from ordinary people instilled with an extraordinary passion together we explore the stories of men and women who take what they love and let God turn their passion into the kingdom pursuits now live from the truth. Your host Robbie Gilmore all right, good morning everyone. Welcome to the kingdom pursuits.

My name is Danny Trenton and I'll be sitting in for Robbie today.

Rob is taking some well-deserved time off to be with his family and he deserves it. So we wishing the best. I'm very excited to be with you today. I think we have a very interesting show will be talking about addiction and the real effects on people and their families and their friends and now were going to be giving you some some great resources and I have some really fascinating statistics to give you as well with me today is an old friend of mine from church Danny damn Ron good morning Danny good morning, Danny graduated from and is an advocate for teen challenge and celebrate recovery find that just awesome and I also served with the Salvation Army night watch and he ministered to homeless on the streets. I think that takes a special person to be able to go out in the streets and minister to folks, but it's so important.

It also served with the rocking ham rescue mission ministries and administered to those folks with physical and mental and financial needs eyes been a guest speaker at various churches throughout the triad and I've had the pleasure of talking with him on many occasions, I Danny, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me. I'm certainly thrilled to be here certainly thrilled me. Great.

Before we get started, though Robbie always reads a little and he asked me to put together a little for today and I am awful awful riddles and I am so awful that I wrote this little and I don't even know the answer to it is not true, but only because I okay look this this riddle is from the NIV Bible okay. The reason I tell you that is because there's certain words in this time.

Okay, remind mine so I know to be reading this rhyme in the first person so your job is to just who it is it's somebody from the Bible is from the New Testament. The NIV Bible okay so here we go. I heard a voice I recognized, but didn't let him in Iran like a crazy person and exclaimed to the man they told me I was out of my mind, but I insisted anyway. So when they chose to leading man. It turned out I wasn't crazy Craig that's right in front don't know what Craig Craig means it means crazy but crazy doesn't rhyme with way. So I said Craig okay I'm only normal time I heard a voice I recognized, but didn't let him in Iran like a crazy person and exclaimed to all the man they told me I was out of my mind, but I insisted anyway. So when they chose to let him in. It turned out I wasn't Craig Craig.

Okay so please call in at 866-348-7884. You can also call in and speak with me and speak with Danny when we get going, but this is the number to call in with the first answer to this riddle wins a set of 12 audio message CD set. It's free yourself. Be yourself to find the power to escape your past, it's really a nice nice get those 12 messages in this sent so the first correct answer will win for yourself. Be yourself.

The 12 audio messages and so call in at 8663.

Foray 87884 letter number give you a hint that I read this to about four people only one person just it, so I'm going to help you out here the hint of the person. The person that you, the person in this riddle shares the name with the person in this hint in the hint is I had my own sitcom in the 1970s my own sitcom in the 1970s.

So call in with your answer first correct answer wins the 12 audio message CD. So good luck everybody okay so Danny let's get on the road this thing want to want to tell me and and tell her listeners a little bit about yourself and what brought you to the place that you are in your life today be happy to Danny.

I was, started out my life. You know, everything looked like it was going really well and I did the typical unit graduated, went to the start a family. Everything seemed like it was going good and I had you know we were talking about this Bible here a few minutes again about how Reagan worn it looks right now for about 20 some years that model sat on our coffee table and I picked it up, probably about once a month maybe did just that. Off but anyhow there's some trouble started in my life, and addiction kicked in and took over, and it destroyed me pretty much destroyed me in a matter of a couple years. The problem was. I turned, I did not have the foundation of Christ under me to support me. I turned to alcohol makes such a difference. You guys so I did not have that foundation to stand on and literally destroyed me. I found myself basically on the verge of being homeless. I was in massive debt I'm sure you've heard of people that would that have blacked out before you went through a nine-day blackout at the time I was drinking about 1/2 gallon of vodka a day. Okay which is pretty much a death wish. You don't survive drinking that much and so anyhow I did my little blackout and ended up in the hospital and I had a dollar come to that little trouble with this one back in 1/2 dollar. Come to me after I came out with and I got $3.11 very dearly and my daughter told me she said that there's going to come a day when I meet the right man not plan on having children when a day. If you're alive, and something hasn't changed. You will not know your grandchildren. That was what brought me at this point I had two DWIs I was facing for years without my license I had nothing I was on the verge of the I was living in my parents basement and frankly they were getting tired and set out anyhow.

That was when I cried out to God message you know what, I'm not ready to die and I don't know how to do this I can't do it on my on I need your help. And that's when I finally surrendered.

That was my is William addiction will collect the rock-bottom you can't go any lower.

But I have learned through this experience, there is no rock-bottom in life other than death. Without Christ answer. I have one a great point now so that's when it led me to teen challenge teen challenge. I consider that sort of the Marine boot camp of recovery programs.

It's a very strict program. I voluntarily went the state because the DWIs wanted me to do a 28 day program and I knew that what I was in too deep for that.

So I voluntarily went to a 14 month program and so anyhow it led him anyhow that hold that thought. All I want you to keep on that when we come back with. We have to take a short break three minutes. Very important break you guys stick around and will be answered without a couple of folks that have answer to the little what I think is causing the top of the Danny right if we come back around everyone all right welcome back 15% everyone, I'm Danny Trogdon I'm sitting in for Robbie today. He's enjoying some time off with his family were talking with Danny Damron today about addiction about recovery about the process about the Hertz about the victories and organically talking to Danny about that first were going to take it.

We got a couple folks that are going to try to solve the riddle's outlook were going to go to David in Greensboro hey David, welcome to the show. You got to you got an answer for the riddle morning good morning like like Lord well that's a great guess but that's not correct but is a great guess.

Thanks for calling and David okay right.

I want to go to Chuck Chuck, how are you today welcome to the show. I won't tell a soul, and promise you got an answer for my brother were talking about route 13, she came into the gate and she went and told and they thought she was crazy but well done my friend, that's correct. Rhoda is the answer. She also had her own sitcom, and the 70 students. He wrote was congratulations Chuck you want to free yourself.

Be yourself.

It's a 12 audio message CD box set if I will put you back to Jasper. Our producer he's going to get your information and will get this out to you as quick as we can. All right. Thank you. Thank you Conan all right, that was fun with it. I like that. Very good. I also lastly not the same Rhoda same road I know that that probably wouldn't even help me answer about riddles okay listen also want to mention there is terrific thing going on tomorrow, Sunday, October 6 at Charlotte North Carolina at the spectrum center. David Jeremiah is going to be speaking there. It's at 7 o'clock at spectrum center at 33333 E. Trade St., Charlotte and it's free to attend. So first come first serve. As far as the doors go, but David Jeremiah is going to be speaking there. It is everything you need to everything you need, which is Jesus. And I guarantee that's the answer that question everything you need is Jesus and David Jeremiah tomorrow night at 7 o'clock.

It's from center in Charlotte, 333 E. Trade St. to get a chance got there okay I Danny you were talking and telling man, it's so touching story you told me that story before about your daughter just coming to you and and giving you some truth man that just opened your eyes open your heart opened everything that needed to be open for you to see truth and for you to see the answer because he saw the answer was God right absolutely, absolutely.

And you know I mentioned that I went to teen challenge program in one of the Scriptures that I found that I just I still rely on tremendously as James one it says consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters when ever doesn't cite if, whenever you face trials of many, never. That's right because you know the testing your faith produces perseverance and let that perseverance finish work so that you may be mature and complete, and I feel now like this addiction that I went through was a gift from God. It was not a curse that was placed upon me like I see other people that in the secular world. You know they feel like they were cursed with an addiction feel like God gave that to me as a gift to Jean Raymond relation to be able to work with other people now and try to help other people that have aggression problems are and it got so much deeper than just alcohol addiction or drug addiction) and you can bring to the table and experience that you had from from rock-bottom to victory right and so you know, encouragement is something that's very important to me as I was coming up as a Christian.

It was through encouragement in my life from various people, mostly men encouraging me enabled me to to make the biggest growth spurts in my walk with Christ and like you I have.

I have seen the whole spectrum of off after it with addiction and I talked about. Yeah. And so our experiences your experience. Danny you bring to the table and you can encourage folks there in the midst of it by saying hey look, I've been right where you are. I have walked in those shoes you have on your feet right now and guess what brother, there is victory. And so you you've experienced that till just tell me some some experiences that that time. Let me ask you question first. You know people have heard the term drinking problem something. So I have a drinking problem.

But I'm not an alcoholic. So my question is is there a difference between a drinking problem and alcoholism Daniel were getting Danny will get into a situation here to where this is my personal opinion sure locate different people have different differences of opinion and I respect everybody else's. Something such as some people consider addiction.

The disease personally, I don't okay, but that's irrelevant to the ultimate goal of recovery your nine but my sort of look to the Scripture for a lot of answers. Okay, Proverbs 1 says want is a marker strong drink is a brawler and whoever's led astray is not what is not wise. Galatians talks about you know the things that you know are obvious that are against the flesh impurity debacle real barley idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, drunkenness, okay ironically there's a difference in drunkenness.

Then again, there's the point that I'm going okay you not when it starts to affect your daily life in your mental judgment and your cognitive skills. It is becoming a problem you not for that. I don't have an issue with that person that can order a drink and sit in one drink have one drink and set it down and be done now and it doesn't start to impair their judgment or their physical, cognitive skills and things like that, you know, it's when you start you don't know when to stop and it continues on and suddenly you're pursing your family. You know you're doing things that you would normally day and all of these things that listing Galatians are exactly the things that alcohol leads you today because you're not using the right judgment. You and I suddenly yeah you might all of a sudden decide, hey, I'm only that waitress $100 tip. The next morning wondering today and so suddenly you're making these decisions that alcohols impairing what you would do and in Romans it says very clearly let us behave decently as in the daytime not count, carousing and drunkenness and sexual immorality in the Berkeley and not in dissension and jealousy, and alcohol and addiction tends to lead you to do a lot of these things, yet it it just opens the door for you to do things that you normally write it. It removes a lot of inhibition say exactly where again which which makes which can make life very difficult. The next morning, you know.

Trust me, and I live. I mean what you say to someone who clearly somebody that you're close to that because a certain circumstance is that it's just not appropriate for you to intervene or to say something but for someone who you close to a family member or friend. What you say when they clearly have an addiction but they're not ready to admit it. I mean ultimately, it is always up to the individual to accept the fact that they have it." You're trying to do along the way is hopefully plant seeds that's going to get them to understand hey, do you not remember what you said to me last night because it doesn't it doesn't help to keep getting in her face saying you're not volunteer alcoholic.

Typically, in my experience, nine get on her face and scream in Adam and preaching to him does not does a Johnny think it's you know they may matter more and more rebellious. In the large case, and a lot of guys because yeah yeah because people living there on the defensive units of what you're wanting today is show love to show concern, it's about them.

It's not about you it's not about hate you hurt my feelings. It's about hate you are killing yourself.

You and I want you to be with me for the rest of my life or I want to remain to be your friend yeah you and I go back to let you know what did Jesus tell the disciples they will know you are my disciples by the love you share phone not by getting in my faith, not by getting people's face.

Not all of them.

All you're doing is wrong right now it right. Eight. What were talking with Danny Damron about addiction recovery. Once you call 786634878848663487884 if you have a question for Danny question for myself to come back in three minutes when I have a little more story and would have some stats and I have some resources for you to seek help and and hopefully make a difference today. Okay everyone stick around. Okay, welcome back thinking and pursuits.

I'm Danny Trogdon I'm sitting in for Robbie today. Robbie's taken some well-deserved time off to be with family. We wish him well with talking with Danny Damron on is affiliated or he's an advocate for teen challenge and celebrate celebrate recovery and he was telling a story about his life in his victory and I wanted to share a short story because they shared something with me. One time I was dealing with a friend of mine that was dealing with a severe alcohol problem and God putting in my life and you know I was burdened, and I don't mean that in about that way. My heartfelt, the need to to to help this friend of mine in any way that I could and so I kept trying to encourage him to get help. I even offered to take him in and he was drinking to the point of blacking out.

He was falling down.

He did not see him one day is his whole side of his face would be completely bruised from falling down in his house. I wake up drink from the bottle until he passed out at the end of the day and so sad and I didn't know how to help the man and I was getting frustrated and I was you know were all guilty or were all suffering from human condition and part of that was, you know, I just didn't want to do with it. It makes me uncomfortable. Text me on my comfort zone absolutely and so I was feeling the guilt because of the way I was feeling inside that I'm not helping him as much as God wants me to help him. I'm not doing the things God really wants me to do and ultimately a Danny I called you and I asked you to to intervene and help. And by this time, he was already in the hospital he was in the hospital and the nurses basically told me he's gone, he's gotten done for mentally mentally he is still alive. Yes, Don had damaged his brain. Yeah, from from this fall and he said he would probably never recover mentally and he hasn't. He still in a wheelchair and he's living in a assisted living facility.

But the thing I was dealing with. I was experiencing guilt because I was questioning myself, have I done enough.

Have I am done everything goggles me to do and if if I haven't is that the reason that that this friend of mine is now in the hospital because as I didn't do it all and you share the story with me. Danny that changed everything and allowed me to have peace in and know that I did. I obeyed and did what God asked me to do share that story a lot less to say about to Danny and you know I've seen how you know you've been affected by the situation with this gentleman and I see your heart for wanting to to encourage other people.

Another man specifically and I just I'm amazed that what I've seen with you, but the story goes back to teen challenge.

I was 400 miles away from home and it was the first year I had ever been without my parents or my children for Christmas and I was 400 miles away from home and I was serving on a program called storefront in a storefront. What I was supposed to do stand out in front of a store very similar to the little store like if anybody knows what bough right is in Stoke jail just a little in CLO independent type grocery store and we had a table that sows this one right here in hello box on it for raising funds, but ultimately it was in training for teaching us how to witness the people on how to communicate with total strangers and what ideas that I was really it was the it had to be the month of December when they assign this to sick this particular month for me today and so I was standing out here. I was regretting not being at home I was really wanting to go home. There was of course Christmas music playing and people dressed in their inner outfits and Everett Christmas outfits and everything in it was really just really just turning this grace on my like in this about not being with my family for Christmas. But anyhow, and I've actually written a little short story about this with anybody listening is what I called & I was really doubting. Because of this being the Christmas holidays and people being lonely and sometimes depressed were they really listening to what I had to say. Or were they just enough to talk to her rock if it would talk back to you and I seven how this particular lady came in.

She spoke with me for. We talked for probably 3040 minutes and as she left, she had told me that she wanted to start getting closer to God and she felt like that was some of the problems I don't remember this day, what the problems were that she was having. She felt like getting closer to God was in the first step was going back to church and start to be around other Christians and so she went in and she came back out.

About 3040 minutes later and she called me over to the side and she said Danny I just want to tell you some I guess you noticed I didn't donate any money and I explained to her that that was not my purpose and being that that's okay. I don't have a problem with that you now I just hope it enough what we talked about Sergio in some way and she said now I want you to understand while I was in there I was standing in line at the grocery at the checkout counter enters a man and his child standing in front of me trying to bother groceries with food stamps and they had they didn't have enough food stamps to buy. They were trying to decide what to put back and I'll never forget what she said. She said Danny when I talk about beer, pretzels and ice cream were talking about the basic necessities. So rather than you getting the money I got my credit card about their groceries and I let them keep their food stamps, and as she was walking across the parking lot. The start that before that the flesh and me was thinking it has to try and make yourself feel better.

She's getting seasick.

Thanks. Doing this one little act you nine and is she going to go home and day and it was like God tapped me on the shoulder and he said Danny I want you to understand quick questioning.

This is how I work on the puzzle master, you're just a piece of the person you may never know some of the people that I asked you to deal with.

You may never know what the results going to be and sometimes you have to let go and let me take care yes don't take on that responsibility that each and every person is your responsibility yeah and I tell you what that that made such a difference to me in dealing with my friend and I sure do appreciate that but hey look work and take a call will quick up say we got Triston in Raleigh has a recovery story what you got Tristan called afternoon or morning on the Lord had to learn through called struggle and Gail I I cleaned back in Cape Town. I I've been cleaning out and got my line. I couldn't done it.

I tried to learn the hard way that the Lord make friends and family tried to intervene to help me, Lord, that they are actually hurting. Let me go for it. Like you dearly love you. Between you and God.

Your life, I had to come to the point my life in recovery. I just had to completely surrender out the window my life and the one that God meant that surrender to the prompt that right-handed alignment that help me in recovery and you just talk just a second, let me put on hold.

Going into a breakneck pace. I want to start again I come back right take a three minute break listening to kingdom pursuits were here with any damn Ron and stick around the end of the show when we come back everyone to kingdom pursuits on Danny Trenton. I'm sitting for Robbie today taken some well deserved time off to be with his family when we when we left we were talking to Triston Raleigh will illustrate okay right well I wanted to Danny if if you could you say you've got a resource of some resources for folks with addictions and folks of family and friends but can seek some help. Absolutely there's thousands and thousands of and there's no saying seek and you shall fine I think technology wise today. It should be Google and you shall find is simply no addiction recovery and you're going to find hundreds upon hundreds of resources. My main thing that I want to say about the resources is you gotta find what's right for you. Okay of course there's the Christian side at it. And then there's some people that would prefer to have the secular side. You know you got like AA meetings and things like that and then you go into you go into an out some of the long-term care's 28 day programs. I wanted a 14 month program. I'm hearing a lot of good things about a program called pierced ministries ever in High Point I seen people that have come out of that that an outgoing and the mission fields and thanks you. Note the Christ centered, you know, depending on how severe the addiction is you not that's really what it but the main thing is if you're dealing with somebody that is dealing with the addiction, like you are asking how do you talk to them or whatever.

I suggest getting involved with a program called Al-Anon Al-Anon is a program for people that don't have an addiction, but at a spouse or family member or loved one.

That is, and it's for them to get together and share ideas and you know there's a structured environment like a website Al-Anon actually meetings this just like an AA meeting okay okay and they sit around and I discussed, you know, and I have a structured environment on how do you deal with the addictive spouse or the addictive child SO that's for the family gel that's for the families of the addict okay so now also for the person that's looking for something I've gotten involved with the program called celebrate recovery and I've absolutely fall on the in love with it.

Okay I'm actually starting some training next week to go into that. James five says therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. Okay now the thing is so nice about this, and even the AA program is that you are around other people that can empathize with you. Your around other people that understand for you then you around other people that are right now going through the program for the process of trying to get recovery and you've got people that have been sober or clean for 10, 15 years you've got people that are there to help you through every step of the way and they can guide you to do. You need to go to a 28 day program, a nine-month program locket pierced ministries are a 14 month program unit.

So get involved with those people that you have the resources they have, that you know experience to help guide you through that. But in the meantime, celebrate recovery, the one that I go to is a Triad church over on 68 near the airport. I understand there's also one here in Winston, I think it's time day or something a Christian church and I know there's one up and rocking ham County unit. Great way for us to spend Friday night you go and 6 o'clock you have a dinner they have a praise and worship. They have a short sermon. Typically, it's something about recovery and then they have the small group breakouts you now, but it's a great way to get to know people in the thing I like about celebrate is it's not just for addiction to drugs or alcohol. It doesn't matter. It could be for you. The anxiety like it could be eons of RSN and Jake could be financial problems, it is anything your and it gives you a Christ basis to deal with your daily problems. You know there's there's 21 million Americans who struggle with substance addictions, which is one and seven according to the Surgeon General, 17 and alcohol and drug addiction cost the US economy over 600 billion a year and this is the really fascinating statistic 88,000 people died as a result of alcohol every year of the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte only holds 75,412 people so that's one Stadium +13,000 people dying every year from alcohol related deaths. So sad.

Danny man I want to thank you so much for coming in and not helping me with this some great information. Man I love you I love your story and you know I just want to encourage you to continue moving forward. Continue doing the work you're doing, you know, and an that's what the this shows about kingdom pursuits, is taken a passion and internment toward the kingdom of God. And that's what you do and I thank you for that. So I thank you for the opportunity to come and speak and to share my story.

I know that you were there the day that a soldier in church when they prayed over me and set me up thing that was not home from a different person say man with new purpose in writing new visions and miraculous healing from God folks. Thank you for part of this today.

Thank you for listening but not put up with me and I want to thank Robbie for let me do this today. Thanks, folks enjoy the rest of your day.

Peace