Richard’s Story

When he was just 19, two of Richard’s uncles got into a heated argument over a piece of family land. “The uncle who was sitting across the table from me jumped up and shot my other uncle in the head and killed him — right beside me.”

The trauma from witnessing the murder was a traumatic event that Richard had difficulty processing. “I had dabbled as a teenager with alcohol and pot, but things really took a change then. My recreational use became a full-blown addiction.”

Richard’s grandmother raised him with a good spiritual foundation. “I always desired to serve the Lord, but my addiction was a big hindrance. I never felt I was worthy or good enough…
there was no way I could live up to those expectations.”

“But then there came a time when God really spoke to me. The Scripture verse came to mind, ‘We all fall short of the glory of God.’ And that changed everything. I started to learn about grace and about a relationship with Jesus, versus trying to earn his grace and his love.”

Richard went on to become a certified peer support specialist and quit using. But an injury sent him back down. “I thought I could drink a little to relieve the anxiety and trauma.” When he realized his drinking had gotten “out of hand,” Richard went back into treatment, and it was there he heard about the Mission and our discipleship program at The Potter’s House.

“It’s been a life-changing experience.”

What’s different about being here? Richard says, “The uniqueness here is love. We can’t recover without love. People can teach us all the clinical stuff, and we can learn some things from that. But truly someone who is broken and down on their luck can never recover without love.

That’s what you find here that you don’t find in these secular programs. This place is about loving you back to health and teaching you spiritually.”

“Without Jesus, we can’t do it. We just can’t. Recovery means healing, right? And He’s the ultimate healer. That’s what they promote here, and that’s what I like most about it. They teach the love of Jesus by showing it to us.”