He Walked Into Court Facing 99 Years. He Walked Out Headed to Rise.

Adam Moreno has been part of the Rise Discipleship family for eleven years now, ever since he graduated in March of 2015. But the life he came out of was, in his words, all over the place.

He worked in clubs as a bartender, and the nightlife came with an after-hours life of its own. He was drinking every day, partying, using multiple drugs. He had grown up in church, which he says is what made it so senseless.

"I had no reason to even be on drugs. I was just really rebellious and running far from the Lord."

Before long he was selling drugs, unstable in every part of who he was, including his identity, which he says had become defined by his sexuality. Then came the DWIs, the drug possession charges, a wrecked car, a lost job. In 2013 he was arrested four or five times in a two-month span, one of those a first-degree felony that changed everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI_MQ1UB2bY

Forty-Four to Ninety-Nine Years

On May 26, 2014, Adam stood in front of a judge facing 44 to 99 years in prison.

Before that court date, he had reached out to Pastor Ray, a dear friend from before Ray himself got saved and went through the home. Ray sent someone from the men's home to explain to the judge what the program was. And standing there, broken and lost, with nothing left, Adam prayed a raw, desperate prayer, half a bargain with God, the kind only a man at the end of himself would pray.

"Sure enough, God showed up in the courtroom."

Instead of a lifetime behind bars, Adam was sentenced to seven years of probation and the men's home. From 44 to 99 years, to a doorway that would change his life.

He Fell in Love With It

Walking through the doors of the home was monumental. Adam felt an overwhelming peace and knew, without a doubt, that this was where God was calling him.

"I fell in love with the order. I fell in love with the stability. I fell in love with the discipline. And I fell in love with God all over again."

The chains of addiction broke. And the deeper instability, the identity crisis he had carried for years, began to change too. His faith grew, not just from being told what to do, but from what he did next: applying the discipline and self-control, praying, staying connected to the church, serving, keeping a godly circle and real accountability.

What the Enemy Meant for Harm

Adam came to see his whole past differently. He had been a chameleon, able to move through many different worlds. And he watched God take that very thing and use it.

"What the enemy thought was for bad, God used for the better, for His kingdom."

Over the last eleven years, people you might never expect have reached out to him for prayer, people far from God, people in addiction, people in prison. Adam gets to meet them right where they are, because he has been there. He found his identity in Christ, and he no longer needs drugs or alcohol to fill a void.

"I have Jesus Christ himself for everything I need. He's the center of my life."

A Vision, and a Pair of Clippers

Years after graduating, the home inspired Adam to do something he never saw coming. He felt the Lord tug at his heart to drop what he was doing and start barber school, even though he had never cut hair in his life.

He believes God gave him a vision of a men's boutique with a barber shop and a gym attached, a place where men with no sense of style or confidence could get a fresh cut, get dressed up, and get in shape. Today he's working toward that dream, and he traces all of it back to the home.

What He Wants You to Know

"It doesn't matter how far you think you are from God. You're never too far. He loves you right where you're at, with all the baggage, all the ugly, all the mess."

Adam knows for a fact that a mess like his can be painted into a beautiful picture. His is proof.

If This Is You

Adam was one arrest away from spending his life in prison and certain he was too far gone. He wasn't. If that's where you are, or if someone you love seems past reaching, don't wait. It's free, a real person answers day or night, and it starts with one call.

Ready to reach out? Get help now. Freedom really is just one phone call away. (325) 232-5449.

And it's all free because of people like you. Adam knows the fundraising side firsthand, the guys out on the street, hot and sweaty, selling banana bread and crosses and keychains. As he puts it: "I'm one of the guys who walked in all sweaty, been on drugs, and God saved my life. It's not a scam. It's real life."

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or thoughts of suicide, you are not alone and help is available. Rise Discipleship's 24/7 helpline is (325) 232-5449.