Jett

"I grew up in a devout Catholic family. I went to Catholic school. Starting in seventh grade, my parents couldn't afford to send me to private school anymore. My father had a really bad gambling addiction and was also an alcoholic. My dad passed away in 2022.

I went from private school to public school. I started hanging out with people that I shouldn't have been hanging out with. I got expelled my senior year of high school. Thankfully, I was allowed to graduate and walk with my class. After that, I just started floundering. I was a carny for a little while. I liked drugs, they had a lot of drugs. I was intravenously using Oxycontin at that point and was snorting every Xanax bar I could find. I was pretty much never sober. I got very sick. I ended up homeless in Louisiana. It wasn't good. I came back home to Mississippi. I was about to go do some time. My neighbor across the street was actually an FBI agent. He ended up going to the courtroom with my father. They asked me to go to Teen Challenge, I agreed. I pretty much went kicking and screaming against my will 

I came to know Christ when I was in Teen Challenge.  I gave my life to Him in April of 2011. It was one of those moments where I genuinely have never thought about drugs or alcohol again. I've got over 15 years clean. I've been on Adult & Teen Challenge staff for almost 14 years. When I teach the guys in Adult/Teen Challenge, I tell them that the Christian life isn’t easier. It actually gets harder because now you are accountable for your attitude and conduct.  1 John 2:4-6 says “Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.” There's really no gray area when it comes to how your life should look if you're a Christian. We like to make a lot of gray areas.  It’s really simple. Do you live and walk like Jesus did? If not, 1 John's pretty black and white about whether you are living in Him or not. That offends some people to talk that way. Their problems are not with me or my stance; their problem is with what the scripture says. It says: “Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”

When my son Levi was two weeks old, he had a massive stroke.  He lost half his brain and developed meningitis. He was on a ventilator for six to eight weeks and wasn't supposed to live. They said he would have no quality of life and that he would remain in a vegetative state forever. They said he'll never be able to walk or talk.  I remember feeling very overwhelmed with sadness that Levi would never play with his brothers in the yard. I was praying while driving to work: ‘Lord, I want to see my little boy run.’ You know those rare times when you hear God speak to you? It wasn't like some booming voice, but it was God speaking to me. He promised me in my car that one day Levi would run and not grow weary. I was like: ‘Wow, all right, I gotcha!’ God radically transformed it to be one of the most comforting moments of my life. Not long after that, Levi started walking. That little boy now runs around our yard! It's a great story of God's miracle working power. He absolutely moved mightily in Levi's life!

The main argument I hear against Christ and the Lord is people doubt His goodness.

We have to remember that our definition of good, and God's definition of good, don't always line up. It's our job in those moments to remember that His definition of good supersedes what my definition of good might be. The Bible tells us in Romans that He works everything out “for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” I have to remember at the end of the day, that the negative and overwhelming things produce an ultimate good for my life. I find that what maintains and sustains my faith is just focusing on the goodness of God. My name is Jett, I'm human, and I surrender."

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