Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1273649
they bought a bar. There, Jeff met an unusual customer, a sober biker who brought his Bible to t he bar with him. "This biker preacher named Ray Elder (they called him 'Doc') would come in. Of course, I thought he was crazy, with all the Jesus talk and all that, but he was just a really nice guy." Jeff's addiction eventually caused him to lose the bar and the girlfriend. He wound up homeless, living under a bridge in Nashville, and was arrested over 30 times for crimes related to his drug use. When his father bailed him out one last time, Jeff knew he had to get help. The one person he knew in Nashville who didn't do drugs was Doc Ray. "I looked up his phone number and gave him a call, and he invited me to church," Jeff says. "The first Sunday I went, people were really nice to me. I hadn't experienced that from total strangers before. I had hair down to my waist, and was rough looking with tattoos and everything. But I had an experience with Christ that day. It was as though he were on the pew right next to me, speaking to me. I can remember him telling me that it was time to give my life over." That day, Jeff was de livered from a six - year crack addiction. He became active in Celebrate Recovery. He moved back to North Carolina, remarried, and is now on staff at a church in Fayetteville. In 2008, Jeff received an extra special Christmas present. "I was coming to my parents' house for their annual Christmas party, just prior to my wedding, and I walked in the door. And there was my daughter. I was able to hug her for the first time in six years. She had forgiven me completely , and now she is proud to tell people that I'm her dad." But Jeff had one more piece of unfinished business to tend to. In 2008, his father was hospitalized for congestive heart failure. "He told me that he didn't know if he was right wit h God, so I told him that we needed to pray together," Jeff fondly remembers. "He prayed to receive Christ that day. And that was probably two months before he passed away." Today, in addition to his position on staff at the church, Jeff is a regional director for Celebrate Recovery and God has even opened doors for him in the movie business, where he's had several small parts in faith - based films. But most of all, he wants to share with others the hope he has found in Christ. "If you thi nk that you're not worth anything, if you think you are garbage — I'm telling you -- I was garbage, but God recycles garbage. There's hope, there's freedom, there's a better life. There aren't words big enough for me to tell you what God has done in my life," Jeff proclaims. "I can only imagine the destiny that he has planned for me." https://www1.cbn.com/700club/biker - gang - leader - meets - jesus - bar SHEEP SHORTS BSHDFC now has its own phone app! Look for it at the App Store on your hone and down load it for free! On this app you are instantly in touch with our other media resources including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our Website. where you will have at your fingertips, o ur history (to share with others), how BSHDFC began, where are chapters are and more! We are praying for you every Tuesday morning at 10am PST. There is a small group of 6 - 10 Black Sheep at the office in Murrieta (and more around the country) who pray fo r your requests week. Send prayer requests to vicki@bshdfc.org BSHDFC E - MAG MAY 2020 / PAGE 7