#SaturdayStories: Kenny 

Throughout October we'll be sharing stories of people whose lives changed when they met Jesus. 

My religious upbringing was fairly typical in that it was driven by my mom - my brother and I were kind of forced to go to church every Sunday but I never truly believed. When I went off to college I decided church wasn’t for me. 

My 20s and early 30s were marked by a successful career and marriage to my college sweetheart. Things really looked like they were happening for me but this couldn’t be further from the truth. 

To fuel my frenetic lifestyle I turned to a cocktail of prescription pills, to get me fired up in the morning or to bring myself down when I got back from work. I eventually got addicted to pornography and even started soliciting escorts. 

Eventually I got divorced. Around the same time my dad got diagnosed with cancer. I experienced a lot of depression and anxiety and a deep feeling of inadequacy. I’d wake up every morning telling myself that the world would be better off if I just ended my life. 

And it was in this darkness that I decided to revisit my faith from my childhood. 

I left New York seeking a healthier and different path and I moved to Los Angeles where I started attending Pacific Crossroads Church. Here I joined the Life Explored group where I found a wonderful community of folks led by one of the pastors. 

I was really seeking to intellectualise Christianity and understand what it was all about. The group discussions allowed me to voice all of my questions, concerns and issues I had with Christianity. 

Through the Life Explored series God revealed the truth that he had sent his son to die for me, that he knew all of my sins, my insecurities and feelings of inadequacy. He saw them and he sent his son to die for them. The reality of that, of the cross, really shook me. I was able to understand and see for the first time what the gospel is all about. 

If you are struggling with finding fulfilment and meaning in your life, this is a great place to begin that journey. 

I couldn’t be more thankful for Life Explored. I no longer feel that sense of inadequacy that I used to try to fill with drugs and alcohol. I no longer feel the need to be more than I am. And it’s really a freedom I can only thank God for. 

We're humbled that Life Explored played a part in Kenny's story. Now we're asking if you can play a part too - if we reach our £100,000 fundraising target this year, we estimate 200,000 more people like Kenny could be introduced to Jesus through our ministry.