It is no secret that fourteen years ago on December 16, 2000 I ended up at a Christian facility for men with life controlling issues, primarily drugs and alcohol called Transformation Life Center (TLC911.org). But what happen to me on this date, January 8, 2001 is an experience that surpasses any kind of drug. The night before leaving Chicago on December 15, 2000 I met with a dear friend, Paul Braoudakis for a last minute ‘good bye’ and to wish me well. As we were talking he handed me a Bible, my immediate thought was, my decision to get help was based on my desire to be rid of this vicious cycle of cocaine addiction, not to study the Bible. The very first page he writes: “Remember, one prayer offered up in faith can change the world.” I had been to four different 30 day programs before this, therefore I had an idea of what to expect. But I was so wrong, I was so far off base, little did I understand the power of a prayer offered up to God.

Between August and November of 2000, my mother, along with some very close family friends were looking for treatment centers for me to attend. My request was a long term facility, preferably one year, and it had to be out-of-state. Well, those kind of places cost anywhere between ten thousand and fifteen thousand dollars a month. This was a financial impossibility. It took a while before my heart hit rock bottom, leading me to cry out for “mercy” from an invisible God that I knew about, but did not know personally. In November of 2000 I was in the back of the restaurant where I worked and I actually prayed: “If you are real, please have mercy on my mother, and then have mercy on me, I don’t want to die.” I was raised in the Greek Orthodox Church, I knew of Jesus, but I was not aware of the possibility of having a “relationship” with Him. In that moment of brokenness I felt a connection, something that cannot be described in words. It is something that every person has the potential of experiencing, God revealed Himself to me. Just three days after I said that prayer, my mother went to our family doctor and found out about a Christian facility for men with life controlling issues stemming from drugs and alcohol through the Braoudakis family, and the cost was a fraction of that for other treatment centers

I kept reading Paul’s words over and over for the first 2-3 weeks at TLC, they were very inspirational to me and I truly believe that his note in the front of this Bible, which I still cherish by the way, gave me the courage to open it up. After being at TLC for one month I finally opened up the Bible for the first time in my life, and it opened to Psalm 40, and read verses 1-3. God speaks to us in various ways through His word being one of them, I know that everyone one has the potential to experience what I experienced. I read these words:

¹I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. ² He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry
clay

(I saw my past). I thought of that prayer I offered up in faith that afternoon in the back of the restaurant in November 2000. I thought “He did hear my cry!” I thought of that pit I was stuck in, that vicious cycle of cocaine addiction and how through that prayer God lifted me up from that self-destructive pattern.

And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

(I saw my present). I understood in that moment how God answered my prayer by providing a safe haven for me through the Christian facility, that rock He set my feet on which saved my life.

³ He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD.

(I saw my future). I thought how great it would be if one day I could tell others how I overcame cocaine addiction. How wonderful it would be if I had the opportunity to tell others how powerful prayers are when offered up in faith? I thought how remarkable it would be if everyone put their trust in God. In that moment I saw my future, I saw what I am doing to today with LIFEiLEAD.

My intention was to read all of Psalm 40, but I stopped at verse 3 because I knew in that moment that God is real. Perhaps my prayer two months earlier in the back of that restaurant did not convince me, nor all the other events in my journey, because I believed in coincidences not in God. But now I believe in God and the appetite I had for cocaine was replaced with a passion to know the God I grew up with in the Greek Orthodox Church. In that moment I shut the Bible and closed my eyes and accepted Christ into my heart. I knew that I wanted to live my life according to Scripture and Jesus’ teachings. No one at TLC brainwashed me, my experience happened when I was all alone in the dorm by myself, just me, the Bible, and God. The old “me” was on his way out, the new “me” was on his way in, and the healing process of covering up that pit of destruction was beginning. 

Our LIFEiLEAD™ Support Groups are volunteer-driven and the group leaders are committed to working with the group members to help guide them along the path of recovery. Many of our group leaders have been through addiction and recovery themselves, and all of them have been through our training and development program. Our goal is to plant multiple LIFEiLEAD™ Support Group Programs in communities, churches, transitional homes, and prisons for those struggling with drugs and alcohol.

 While our groups are free for those who attend, there are upfront and ongoing costs to provide the necessary training and materials to effectively plant, lead, and sustain the LSG Programs. Not every location where we plant our program has the finances to fully cover the cost of our Program.

 Please consider partnering with us with a monthly or one-time donation for 2015 to help reach our goal of $25,000. Your generous donations will go towards helping communities, churches, transitional homes, and prisons in need of the

LIFEiLEAD™ Support Group Program. This effort to generate support for the LIFEiLEAD™ program will allow us to continue to provide help to individuals and families

 With your help, we can continue to play a significant role to ensure the continuation and success of these vital services.

LIFEiLEAD

PO Box 633

Warrington Pa 18976-0633

LIFE@riversideconnect.com

1-877-269-9590