From Desperation to Restoration
For years Patrick looked like he had it all together. He had built up plenty of wealth and had an image of success. He had the career, family, was a youth sports coach, usher at church, and active in his children’s school. He considered himself a checkbox Christian, where if you look at his life, he would check all the boxes and you would look at him and say “Yep he’s a Christian”, but it was just a façade…
His marriage had begun out of lust and not love and the problems began quickly after his children were born. There was lack of emotional connection between mom and the kids and even with Patrick so he tried taking on both parental roles to compensate for what was missing. He also began to use alcohol to numb his pain and drown his emotions and inability to fix his life.
The isolation and emotional separation from his wife grew over time, which led to her affair 10 years into the marriage. Patrick’s heart was broken, but he was determined to make his marriage work because his parents had divorced and he was determined to make his work but not knowing how. Then during Covid Patrick came to find out about a long string of affairs over many years, which brought him to his breaking point and he asked God to remove him from the toxic marriage.
At age 50 Patrick found himself at the end of a 28 year marriage, broken, alone, and hopeless.
Patrick was so desperate for healing. He found himself at a crossroads on December 29, 2020. Sitting on the edge of his bed he pondered his options. He can chase God and his family or he can go to the bar and chase skirts, to try and fill the void in his heart. For the love of his two daughters he chose God but he didn’t know where to start. So, in January 2021 he drug himself into the pavilion at Friends Church for 21 days of prayer and worship. He didn’t know what to do but just kept coming back putting one foot in front of the other. For the first time in his life he began to sense God‘s presence through the power of music with the lyrics just washing over him and God’s Spirit filling him up.
He lost his house, his financial stability, his possessions, his pride, and his ego but was realizing that life is found in God, not those worldly pursuits. His brother gave him a room to stay in and his daughters were with him on the journey. He started praying for godly men in his life, for true companions and God did. God gave him groups or type of faith community every day of the week. He also found his way to our Monday night group and our men’s group. He met others going through similar struggles and realized that he wasn’t alone. Friends in those groups were praying over him, anointing him, and he started praying not for his circumstances to change but just for God to fill him. Remarkably once he just started asking for God, he found his circumstances improving. As he was experiencing the presence of of God it was not just changing his life but was overflowing onto to others around him. He was beginning to pray with other people in gatherings and seeing God work through him and the Body to heal and restore others too!
When Patrick laid down his will and allowed God to have His way, no matter what the cost, everything changed. Once Patrick found life and security in God instead of the world and human relationships everything in his life found its proper place. He now has a new job, a new house, strong connections with his daughters, and he’s engaged. But he knows that even through circumstances have turned around he is still desperately needs God’s presence as much as he did before. Patrick is now putting on the full armor of God each day because he knows just how easily any of us can fall when we don’t choose God’s way and how the enemy increases his attacks on those who are truly following God. But he also knows that he can rely on God’s constant presence and the community of believers God has brought around him to remain in God, his only hope and the only true source of life. Patrick prays that each of us would realize our own desperate need for God each day and seek Him whole heartedly because those that seek Him will find Him.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:7-8
His marriage had begun out of lust and not love and the problems began quickly after his children were born. There was lack of emotional connection between mom and the kids and even with Patrick so he tried taking on both parental roles to compensate for what was missing. He also began to use alcohol to numb his pain and drown his emotions and inability to fix his life.
The isolation and emotional separation from his wife grew over time, which led to her affair 10 years into the marriage. Patrick’s heart was broken, but he was determined to make his marriage work because his parents had divorced and he was determined to make his work but not knowing how. Then during Covid Patrick came to find out about a long string of affairs over many years, which brought him to his breaking point and he asked God to remove him from the toxic marriage.
At age 50 Patrick found himself at the end of a 28 year marriage, broken, alone, and hopeless.
Patrick was so desperate for healing. He found himself at a crossroads on December 29, 2020. Sitting on the edge of his bed he pondered his options. He can chase God and his family or he can go to the bar and chase skirts, to try and fill the void in his heart. For the love of his two daughters he chose God but he didn’t know where to start. So, in January 2021 he drug himself into the pavilion at Friends Church for 21 days of prayer and worship. He didn’t know what to do but just kept coming back putting one foot in front of the other. For the first time in his life he began to sense God‘s presence through the power of music with the lyrics just washing over him and God’s Spirit filling him up.
He lost his house, his financial stability, his possessions, his pride, and his ego but was realizing that life is found in God, not those worldly pursuits. His brother gave him a room to stay in and his daughters were with him on the journey. He started praying for godly men in his life, for true companions and God did. God gave him groups or type of faith community every day of the week. He also found his way to our Monday night group and our men’s group. He met others going through similar struggles and realized that he wasn’t alone. Friends in those groups were praying over him, anointing him, and he started praying not for his circumstances to change but just for God to fill him. Remarkably once he just started asking for God, he found his circumstances improving. As he was experiencing the presence of of God it was not just changing his life but was overflowing onto to others around him. He was beginning to pray with other people in gatherings and seeing God work through him and the Body to heal and restore others too!
When Patrick laid down his will and allowed God to have His way, no matter what the cost, everything changed. Once Patrick found life and security in God instead of the world and human relationships everything in his life found its proper place. He now has a new job, a new house, strong connections with his daughters, and he’s engaged. But he knows that even through circumstances have turned around he is still desperately needs God’s presence as much as he did before. Patrick is now putting on the full armor of God each day because he knows just how easily any of us can fall when we don’t choose God’s way and how the enemy increases his attacks on those who are truly following God. But he also knows that he can rely on God’s constant presence and the community of believers God has brought around him to remain in God, his only hope and the only true source of life. Patrick prays that each of us would realize our own desperate need for God each day and seek Him whole heartedly because those that seek Him will find Him.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:7-8
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