From a young age, Pete was forced to go to church, dressed in his Sunday best. As soon as the decision was his, he got as far away from it as possible. He didn’t just walk away from church – he ran from everything it stood for.
His journey led deep into addiction. Drugs, alcohol, crime and serious debt became his world. As a functional addict, Pete’s day began with drugs. What kept him going was also what was pulling him apart. Survival and self-destruction became indistinguishable.
One day, after going round to mate’s house, Pete found he had taken his own life. The trauma in his life was piling up. Risk-taking behaviours were straining his relationships – at work, with his partner, with his kids. One day, on the way to a job, Pete just kept driving. Aimlessly. Until the road ran out and he found himself by the sea. He was self-harming. And if not for the thought of his partner and children, he might not have come back.
That moment sent up a distress signal. His boss came and found him. Pete let his family in – not fully, but enough. In desperation, his sister convinced him to come to church.
He went. Not with hope, but with a flicker of need. The minister offered to meet for coffee. Pete wrestled with guilt and shame he couldn’t resolve. But the message of Jesus – one who came to free him from that guilt and shame – comforted and intrigued him.
Pete found hope and peace in Jesus and gave his life to him. It’s a message he refuses to keep to himself – he’s always on the lookout for the next person in need of the hope and restoration that a relationship with Jesus offers in a broken world.