For years, this pastor would not reveal his opioid addiction for fear that people would turn away. Now more than ever, he sees why he must share his story
I SAT IN MY OFFICE AT A CHRISTIAN camp west of Seattle. Outside, rain dripped from fir trees. The day was dark and gloomy. Through the window, I could see the fields and woods where I’d worked and lived with my wife, Deb, and four kids for the past three years. I was the camp director, leading a year-round program of camps and retreats for church groups. It was a dream job for me and my family. What could be better for kids than growing up in the woods surrounded by good people?
I was about to lose it all.
In a few minutes, two executives from the camp’s parent company would be sitting on the other side of my desk. They’d requested a meeting earlier that day. They didn’t give a reason, but I knew. I’d been using the camp’s credit card to buy prescription pain pills online. Thousands of pills. Pills to feed my 30-a-day habit. The habit I’d been battling—and hiding—for more than a decade. The habit that had drained my bank account and nearly ruined my marriage.
Up to now, I’d managed to hide my addiction from all but a few people. I prayed I was wrong, that the executives wanted to meet for some other reason. In my gut, I knew I was caught.
The executives arrived and calmly took out a notebook filled with credit card records. They read off pill purchase after pill purchase. There was nothing I could say. They told me that what I had done amounted to a crime. I would have to resign immediately and move out of the camp in two weeks.
Bu hikaye Guideposts dergisinin January 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Guideposts dergisinin January 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
What prayer can do
POWER IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES
Rejoice in All Things
My husband and I had an annual tradition of celebrating the high points of the year. This time, he wanted to try something different
Special Delivery
A month after my wife died and my life felt so empty, the only thing I had to look forward to was Amazon
A Prayer for Cullen
Even in a family crisis, I had trouble quieting my mind enough to listen for God
Blackie & Rosebud
What would happen to my friend's cats now that she was gone?
The Kids Are Alright
My twin boys and I had always been close. I thought they needed me. Now I wasn't so sure
Kindred Spirits
I thought the nose ring gave it away—she was just another teenager. I couldn't imagine how she could help me
A Boy Named Sue
In 1969, Johnny Cash and his wife, June, threw a party at their house in Hendersonville, Tennessee, a “guitar pull,” where guests passed around a guitar and tried out new songs.
Active Duty
I'd tried everything for my knee - physical therapy, gel injections, a cumbersome brace. Everything except prayer
Living an Abundant Life
A conversation with spirituality and health researcher Harold G. Koenig, M.D., on what makes people truly happy