12/10/2025
🕊️ TESTIMONY — REMNANT DISCIPLESHIP, COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA
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From Chains to Christ
I wore handcuffs for the first time at fifteen years old, and from that point forward my life spiraled. I have been to prison five different times and carry thirteen felonies on my record. I lived addicted to the worst addiction of all — myself. That addiction opened the door to every other kind: drugs, s*x, gambling, drama, and thievery. I lived exactly how I wanted, when I wanted, with no concern for anyone or anything but my own desires.
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A New Beginning
In August of 2024, when I was released on parole, something changed for the first time in my entire life. I decided I would no longer live my way. I walked into The Remnant Discipleship Program determined, surrendered, and fully dedicated. I turned everything over to the Lord, and He met me in ways I could never have imagined.
Right out of prison I began working immediately, and I still hold that same job today. In February of 2025, when I graduated from the program, I picked up a second job. Upon graduating, I didn’t run back to my old ways — I committed to stay. In August of 2025 I became a house manager in one of the three Remnant houses.
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Restoration With Gratitude
God is also restoring what I once destroyed. I thank Him deeply for Melinda and her husband Chris — far more than words can express. For 8 to 10 years of my absence, they carried a weight that I had placed on their shoulders. They loved my sons through seasons when I should have been there. They gave them stability, support, and a home when I was lost in darkness. Their patience, grace, and compassion during my failures is something I will never forget. I am humbled by the forgiveness they have extended to me and overwhelmed with gratitude for the way they protected, raised, and cared for my boys when I could not. I thank the Lord for their hearts and their endurance. I will always be grateful for what they did.
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Brothers in the Lord
Fellowship and discipleship have been foundational in my transformation. The Word of God commands us to give, forgive, and love one another. Scriptures about unity, accountability, and brotherhood have shaped me. The Lord directs every step I take, and the only reason I am still standing today is because He has me exactly where He wants me.
Pastor Chad Bostwick prayed over me before I even came into the program. More than once he told me that the Lord had big plans for me, and that I needed to be patient, wait, and listen. His obedience, his prayer life, and the authority he walks in have had a powerful impact on me.
I give a special thanks to Kathy and Loren Culley for their tremendous contributions to this program. I also thank Chris and Cindy Campbell, John Reddish, and Pastor Keith for their guidance and the way they pointed me toward the Lord. I am thankful for the entire congregation of Remnant Church and the Refuge Church for their support and acceptance.
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A Love Sent by God
In September of 2023, while I was sitting in county jail waiting to be transferred to prison for the fifth time, Michele reached out to me. Her message lit a spark in me that I never expected. Since then, she has shown me a never-ending love that I do not deserve. The Lord works through her into me in ways that humble me daily. Her patience, her grace, and her unwavering belief in who God is shaping me to become have carried me through some of my hardest moments. She stands by my side even when I fall short, and I thank God for her every day.
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My Sons — My Blessings
After all these years, my two sons — Johnny (20) and Gage (17) — continue to show me patience, grace, and a never-ending love that humbles me. I am no longer just “around” — I am present, fully available to them any day, any time. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to be the father I should have always been.
My immediate family is also finally seeing, after all these years, the real me again — the man they always knew I could be, and the man God is shaping me into.
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A New Life of Joy
Both of my employers gave me a chance when I had done nothing to earn one. I have done everything in my power to make sure they never regret hiring me. Their trust in me pushed me to become a better man.
In November of 2025 I was released from parole. My parole officer was a man of God who encouraged me in my walk and pushed me toward success. God placed the right people around me at the right times.
My past cannot be held against me because the Lord has already forgiven me. I live freely today because my old life is dead.
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Restored and Standing Proud
I am restored, renewed, and walking confidently in the plan God has for my life.
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The Importance of Giving
Giving and tithing into programs like The Remnant truly matters. Your giving helps men like me — men who were completely lost, broken, addicted, imprisoned, and hopeless — become men who are now found, restored, healed, and walking in the purpose God always had for them.
I am living proof of what God can do.
To give click the link below.
https://app.easytithe.com/app/giving/remnantcb
