He Played Pro Basketball and Still Ended Up Hearing Voices in a Meth Haze. Then Corey Found Jesus.
Updated: Aug 6
Corey is a graduate of the Rise Discipleship men's home. He describes the man he used to be in three words.
"I was consistently inconsistent. My yes didn't mean yes. My no didn't mean no. I wasn't faithful to anything."
He didn't even know who he was, a drug dealer, a dad, a basketball player, all of it at once, doing whatever he wanted and letting no one tell him otherwise. Underneath the pride were the real wounds: insecurity, abandonment, and a deep need to be loved. He grew up longing for love from his mother, never knowing his real father, and watching his younger siblings receive an affection he felt he never got. So he learned to isolate.
"The lie I believed was that I wasn't worthy. That nobody loved me. That I had no purpose and would never be anybody."
How Far It Fell
On paper, Corey had done things most people only dream of. He played college basketball, competed professionally in Mexico, even spent time in London. But his unhealed childhood caught up with him and began to poison everything, especially his relationship with the mother of his son.
What came next is the thing Corey most regrets, and he shares it honestly because it shows how far gone he was. One night, drunk and high, while she was carrying their child, he told her he wished their son was dead. Then came the pregnancy complications. His son was born with serious medical needs, one kidney, heart issues, and more. That was Corey's lowest point, and it sent him spiraling deeper into meth, cocaine, pills, and alcohol.
The Night His Uncle Cried
Corey wanted to die. He tried to drown himself in drugs. One night at his uncle's house in Fort Worth, high on meth, he was tormented, hearing voices, following them, unable to be still. When he finally crashed, his uncle knew something was wrong and rushed him to the hospital. Before the bloodwork could even tell the story, Corey admitted the truth. And he watched his uncle break down.
"The only other time I ever saw my uncle cry was when my grandma passed. And I realized right then that I wanted change. I needed change."
From the hospital he went to a psych ward, and not long after, he came to Rise Discipleship. He knew on the drive from Fort Worth to Abilene that he was going to become the man he was supposed to be.
He Planned to Stay 30 Days
There was just one problem. Corey thought it was a 30-day program. When his intake brothers, Dylan and Sheldon, told him it was a full year, he laughed to himself, certain he'd be gone in a month.
"But God okey-doked me. He sent me here. 365 days later, I'm still going."
The home gave him what the streets never could: a stable place, godly leaders, and counsel that told him not what he wanted to hear but what he needed to hear. Brother Belony encouraged him most, along with Pastor AG and Pastor Ray, praying with him day in and day out, seeking God for the words that would help him heal and move forward with his family.
The Gas Station
Corey's first month, God was all over him, confirmation after confirmation. It was almost overwhelming, and he knew he had to surrender. It took about two weeks. Then, on a fundraiser, a woman he'd never met told him she knew he was supposed to be here, that God was going to use him to change and save lives. She handed him a wristband with a verse on it, John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid."
"We were both just crying at the gas station in front of everybody. God completely broke through. I knew He got a hold of my heart, and it was a wrap from there."
The Puzzle
The proof of the change showed up on a visit from his six-year-old daughter. They sat down to do a puzzle together. Corey is task-oriented, the kind of man who likes things done in order. His daughter was flipping the pieces over and throwing them around, and instead of tensing up, he sat back and laughed, just enjoying her.
Across the room, his mom leaned over to Belony, the home director, and said something Corey overheard.
"She said, I know he's changed. Because before, he never would have sat down and done a puzzle with his daughter. And now he's this patient with her."
Corey knew it too. He had spent his life shutting down and running from hard conversations. Now he runs toward them, and toward God first. He came in a believer. He left a follower.
"I was in prison in my mind, anxiety, depression, insecurity. But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Jesus came into this home and set me free."
What He Wants You to Know
Corey knows there are people out there fighting the same things he did, meth, cocaine, pills, alcohol, and the deeper wounds of abandonment and worthlessness, carrying stories they don't believe they can come back from. He is living proof they can.
"I was lost. But because I found Jesus, I'm found. If He did it for me, He can do it for anybody."
If This Is You
Corey had every reason to believe he was too far gone. He wasn't. If that's where you are, or if someone you love is spiraling and you don't know how to reach them, 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. As Corey put it, you're planting seeds that bear good fruit, bringing dads back to their kids and putting families back together.
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.
Comments