Recovery Resources

Articles, testimonies, and updates to help families navigate recovery with hope.

Rocco shares his testimony of rebuilding after relapse, proving that setbacks don't have to be the end of the story.

Rocco's Story: Destroyed it all in 30 days

Rocco spent 17 years in addiction. He built 3.5 years of recovery, lost it in 30 days, then found his way back.

A small anchor rests on a wooden dock extending into a stormy sea, with golden light breaking through dark clouds on the horizon.

How to Help an Addict Without Losing Yourself

When someone you love is drowning in addiction, your first instinct is to jump in after them. But here's what nobody tells you: you can drown trying to save someone. After 20 years in recovery ministry, I've learned that empathy means "I understand," not "I'll fix it." You can love someone deeply without losing yourself in the process.

SVTC.info homepage showing the headline "Your Family Doesn't Have to Face Addiction Alone" with Get Help and Give Monthly buttons, over an image of a church worship service.

ARTICLE

For the People Who Make the Call

80% of the calls we received at our residential program came from families, not the person struggling. So we rebuilt everything around that truth. Here's what's new at SVTC.info and JustinFranich.com.

Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge announcing a transition from residential programs to a community-based recovery model

ARTICLE

The Future Of Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge

Over two decades after its founding, Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge is transitioning from residential programming back to a community-based recovery model rooted in its original mission.

Young Black man standing alone on empty football field at dusk, quiet determination, sense of defying low expectations

ARTICLE

Aaron Gordon: Finding Identity, Overcoming Low Expectations

Aaron Gordon grew up in Washington, DC when it was known as the murder capital of the world-and he wasn't "supposed" to make it. Instead, he defied every expectation, graduated from West Point, and built a military career. At 54, he's still discovering the layers of identity and purpose God placed in him.

Portrait of Rev. John Franich seated at a table in a warm studio setting

ARTICLE

My Father Helped a Few People Get Their Lives Back

A tribute to my father, Rev. John Franich founder of Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge and the quiet, faithful obedience that helped break a cycle in our family and restore hundreds of lives.

Person sitting alone on park bench at dawn, quiet unrest beneath outward calm, fog lifting

ARTICLE

God's Peace vs. World's Peace: Why Sobriety Feels Restless

You did the hard work-got clean, rebuilt trust, started making progress. So why do you still feel anxious and restless? This post breaks down the difference between the world's peace and God's peace, and why only one can actually restore your soul.

Man walking alone on empty road toward mountains, looking back, sense of journey continuing

ARTICLE

I Got Clean, But That Wasn't the Hard Part

A personal account of early addiction, the moment of collapse that led to help, and how identity and discipleship shaped life after getting clean.

Man standing in morning light with broken chains at his feet, posture of freedom after shame, contemplative mood

ARTICLE

Breaking Free From Pornography Addiction: Wade’s Story

Wade shares his journey from childhood exposure to pornography through years of bondage and into lasting freedom through Scripture, fasting, and spiritual warfare.

Hands placing stone on wall being rebuilt in field, morning light, sense of careful restoration

ARTICLE

Rebuilding Life After Addiction: A Guide to Freedom

An overview of the Rebuilding Life After Addiction framework and the Prodigal Son roadmap of identity, authority, and mission beyond sobriety.

Matt Colvin discussing the journey from sobriety to freedom in Christ, moving from willpower to surrender and grace

ARTICLE

WHEN SOBRIETY ISN'T ENOUGH: THE JOURNEY FROM CLEAN TO FREE

Many people reach sobriety yet remain trapped in shame, performance, and spiritual exhaustion. This article explores the deeper journey from being clean to experiencing true freedom through grace, surrender, and relationship with Christ.

Person sitting in dark room during early recovery experiencing physical and emotional pain of withdrawal and healing

ARTICLE

When Recovery Hurts More Than Addiction

Nobody told me recovery might hurt worse than addiction. At 3 AM with drug dreams and racing thoughts, I was mad at myself, mad at everyone, and angry at God. The pain almost broke me before I realized it was actually healing me.

Two people on opposite sides of wooden fence, hand reaching but not crossing, love within boundaries

ARTICLE

Setting Boundaries for Recovering Addicts: A Family Guide

How to welcome your loved one home from treatment without enabling them-practical wisdom on communication, trust, and treating your adult child like an adult

Person standing in doorway watching celebration inside, arms crossed, caught between resentment and longing

ARTICLE

Grace For The Older Brother In Recovery

A reflection on the older brother in Luke 15 and how faithfulness, resentment, and grace often collide in recovery families.

TESTIMONY

Shane's Story: Alone in the Woods, Then Found

D1 athlete Shane Curtis hit rock bottom alone in the woods. Then Teen Challenge changed everything.

Man standing at a workbench in morning light, symbolizing the intentional daily work of building systems for long-term recovery.

ARTICLE

The Systems That Keep You Free: 33 Years of Recovery

Discover the practical systems that sustain long-term freedom after addiction. 33 years of combined recovery experience reveals what actually works.

Father and adult son walking together down a sunlit tree-lined path, father's hand on son's shoulder

ARTICLE

Your Past Wasn't Wasted: God Redeems Your Story

What you lost to addiction, God can restore through your children. Here is how your story becomes their inheritance.

Life after rehab concept showing a man walking forward into light, symbolizing the journey from sobriety to lasting freedom and restored identity

ARTICLE

Life After Rehab: What Happens When Treatment Ends

Most people relapse after treatment, not during it. This article explores what the first year of life after rehab actually looks like and why sobriety is only the starting point.

ohn Selby shares how faith, obedience, and making restitution for his past helped him rebuild his life after Teen Challenge.

TESTIMONY

John's Story: Paying Back What Was Stolen

After felony charges, a car wreck, and $56,000 in restitution, John Selby rebuilt his life one act of obedience at a time.

Parent standing at window looking out at children playing, bathed in soft light, contemplating the right moment

ARTICLE

When NOT to Tell Your Kids About Your Addiction

Sometimes sharing your addiction story with your kids does more harm than good. Here is how to know if you are ready, and what to do if you are not.

Father and teenage daughter sitting together on porch steps in golden afternoon light, having a quiet conversation

ARTICLE

Should You Tell Your Kids About Your Addiction?

How much should you tell your kids about your past? A guide for parents in recovery on sharing your story wisely, protecting innocence, and building trust.

A worried middle-aged mom searches late at night on her laptop in a cozy home office, looking for faith-based recovery program options with hope and determination

ARTICLE

How to Choose a Faith-Based Recovery Program: Questions Families Should Ask

When your family is in crisis, choosing the right faith-based recovery program feels overwhelming. This guide shares the key questions to ask and red flags to watch for, based on 20+ years of real experience helping families in Virginia.

A young man stands on a porch at golden hour in a quiet Virginia backyard, looking ahead with quiet hope and reflection after recovery

ARTICLE

What Happens After Teen Challenge? Life After Graduation

Graduation from Teen Challenge is a huge milestone, but it's just the beginning. Learn what families can realistically expect in the months and years after-reintegration challenges, building new rhythms, handling relapse with grace, and long-term hope.

One person seated on a bench while another walks away in the distance, an empty path between them suggesting words left unspoken

ARTICLE

Why Avoiding Conflict Isn't Keeping the Peace

Silence isn't peace. It's permission. Learn why confronting sin in your brother is the most loving thing you can do.

A woman standing calmly at a doorway, her hand on the frame, choosing not to step through—representing boundaries held with grace

ARTICLE

Forgiveness Doesn't Mean Tolerance: What Christians Miss

You can forgive someone and still set boundaries. Understanding the difference between releasing bitterness and inviting harm back in.

Two silhouetted figures facing each other across a table, warm light between them suggesting a difficult but necessary conversation

ARTICLE

Why Forgiveness Without Confrontation Isn't Love

Real forgiveness requires uncomfortable conversations. Learn why avoiding confrontation keeps both you and your brother stuck in sin.

A thoughtful young woman sits on her couch in a warm Virginia living room, reading on her phone with a soft smile of realization, surrounded by family photos

ARTICLE

Common Myths About Teen Challenge Programs

Families hear the same myths about Teen Challenge programs again and again. Here's the honest truth behind the most common ones-from "it's only for teens" to "graduates always relapse"-based on decades of real experience.

Woman sitting alone at a kitchen table with coffee, looking out the window in quiet reflection about family decisions.

ARTICLE

What Does Enabling Mean?

What does enabling mean? Learn how to recognize enabling behaviors and redirect your love toward support that actually helps.

Two people reconciling or person extending forgiveness, representing overcoming offense through biblical forgiveness and seeing God's bigger picture

ARTICLE

How to Overcome Offenses

When your loved one breaks their promise again, how do you avoid bitterness? Learn why offenses are inevitable but being offended is a choice-and how Joseph's story shows us the path to forgiveness.

Ben Fuller Christian worship leader and recording artist sharing testimony of freedom from cocaine addiction on Rebuilding Life After Addiction podcast

ARTICLE

Ben Fuller Testimony: From Cocaine Addiction to Worship

On paper, Ben Fuller had everything going for him. Captain of the football team. A work ethic that could outpace anyone his age. A childhood on a beautiful Vermont dairy farm surrounded by mountains, early mornings, and honest labor. But inside, he was drowning.

Men sitting in an outdoor circle with Bibles during a morning study session at a faith-based recovery program.

ARTICLE

Christian Rehab Centers

Exploring Christian rehab centers? Learn what to look for, questions to ask, and how to find a program that actually works.

Ben Fuller on stage with arms outstretched during a worship concert in Winchester, Virginia

ARTICLE

Ben Fuller at Winchester Church of God: More Than a Concert

750 people packed Winchester Church of God for a night with Ben Fuller. The altar stayed open from the first song to the last. This wasn't a concert-it was ministry.

Two women sitting close together on a couch, holding hands during a serious family conversation about addiction recovery.

ARTICLE

What Is an Intervention? Meaning, Definition & Family Guide

What is an intervention? Learn what really happens, when your family needs one, and how to approach it with wisdom and love.

A concerned older couple sits at their kitchen table in warm evening light, reviewing a printed checklist of questions together with focus and care

ARTICLE

Questions to Ask Before Enrolling in a Teen Challenge Program

Choosing a Teen Challenge program is a big decision. Use this practical checklist of 30 essential questions-covering program length, faith integration, family involvement, costs, and aftercare-to help families make an informed choice.

A split kitchen counter comparing whole foods on the left with processed junk food scattered on the right, illustrating the contrast between healthy and addictive eating patterns.

ARTICLE

Food Addiction Is Real. Here's How to Fight Back.

We'll preach about alcohol and warn our kids about drugs. But food? That's the third rail nobody wants to touch. Except your brain can't tell the difference between sugar and cocaine. Here's how to break the cycle.

Open Bible on wooden table with morning light, representing hope and guidance for those struggling with addiction

ARTICLE

What Does the Bible Say About Addiction?

The Bible doesn't use the word "addiction," but it has a lot to say about bondage, idolatry, and freedom. Here's what Scripture teaches about substance abuse and the path to real transformation.

A room full of people standing in worship during a chapel service at a faith-based recovery program

ARTICLE

Faith-Based Recovery Programs: What Families Need to Know

Faith-based recovery programs approach addiction differently than secular options. Learn what makes them unique, what to expect, and how to find the right program for your loved one.

ARTICLE

Teen Challenge for Women in Virginia: What to Know

A firsthand account of launching and leading a Teen Challenge women's home in Virginia, including daily life, challenges, and long-term impact on families.

Blake Koteita, owner of Harvest Table Dayton coffee shop, shares his testimony of faith-based recovery from addiction

ARTICLE

Eight Years Between the Encounter and the Freedom

Blake Koteita had a life-changing encounter with the Holy Spirit in 2009. He didn't get fully free from porn until 2017. His story tells a truth we don't hear enough: deliverance and discipleship are not the same thing.

Josh Baldwin leading worship at Destiny Family Center with screens displaying "There is no sound louder than a captive set free"

ARTICLE

Two Nights with Josh Baldwin: A Shenandoah Valley Worship Experience

Two churches. Two nights. Nearly 1,000 people. Josh Baldwin led worship across the Shenandoah Valley-and one of those nights brought me back to the church where I was baptized twenty years ago.

A man studying with a book open during a class at Teen Challenge

ARTICLE

Adult Teen Challenge

Don't let the name fool you-most Teen Challenge residents are adults. Learn how Adult Teen Challenge works, who it serves, and how it compares to other rehab options.

Justin and Ashley Franich standing together representing their return to ministry leadership at Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge

ARTICLE

Returning to Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge

After years away, Ashley and I are returning to Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge as Directors. The place where we served from 2007-2019 shaped us, and now God is bringing us full circle to continue the legacy my father built.

A man sitting on a rock ledge overlooking the Shenandoah Valley mountains

ARTICLE

Setbacks in Recovery: What to Do When Progress Stalls

Setbacks happen in recovery. A setback doesn't mean failure-it means you're human. Here's what to do when progress stalls, whether you're the one struggling or the one watching someone you love.

Couple walking hand in hand on gravel path near country church, golden hour, sense of partnership

ARTICLE

Marriage in Recovery Ministry: Ashley Franich’s Story

Can a marriage thrive when one spouse comes from addiction and the other doesn't? Ashley Franich shares 15 years of saying "yes" to God-from marrying someone fresh out of Teen Challenge to leading women through recovery to foster care and beyond

ARTICLE

Biblical Steps to Restore Broken Relationships

Addiction leaves deep relational wounds, but Scripture offers a clear path toward healing. This article outlines five biblical steps for restoring broken relationships through humility, boundaries, forgiveness, and patient faithfulness.

Person standing in hopeful posture looking toward light, representing moving beyond broken past through faith and God's restoration

ARTICLE

How to Move Beyond Your Broken Past

Struggling with a lack of hope while dealing with a loved one's addiction? Discover how God can transform your broken pieces into a beautiful masterpiece and why accepting Christ's forgiveness is the first step toward moving forward.

Jordan and Charlcie Robinson, both Teen Challenge graduates, now married and serving together in ministry.

TESTIMONY

Jordan and Charlcie's Story

Jordan and Charlcie both graduated SVTC, got married, and now serve in ministry together. A redemption love story.

A father holds his young child's hand as they walk together down a dirt path toward a sunset, symbolizing the journey of fatherhood and generational legacy.

ARTICLE

Being the Dad You Never Had

Nobody teaches you how to be a father when you never had one. You're building the plane while flying it. But your kids don't need a perfect dad. They need a present one. Here's how to break the cycle.

Two women sitting together on a porch swing, one comforting the other during a difficult conversation about a family member's addiction.

ARTICLE

How to Help a Loved One with Addiction

A practical guide for families navigating a loved one's addiction. Learn what helps, what hurts, and how to find support.

A middle-aged couple stands beside their car on a peaceful Virginia countryside road at sunrise, looking toward the horizon with quiet hope and relief

ARTICLE

Faith-Based Recovery in Virginia: Options and How SVTC Helps

Virginia offers strong faith-based recovery programs, especially through Adult & Teen Challenge centers. Learn about the options across the state and how SVTC provides honest referrals, family support, and guidance-no pressure, no beds to fill.

Rob Reynolds sharing his testimony of freedom from addiction

ARTICLE

How to Prevent Relapse: The Real Secret Nobody Talks About

Rob Reynolds was a 17-year addict until a prison encounter with Jesus changed everything. Fourteen years later he has never relapsed. This is the real secret most recovery conversations avoid: identity, renewal, and a living relationship with Christ.

Parent reviewing options for Teen Challenge cost and admission

ARTICLE

Teen Challenge Cost in Virginia: Is It Free?

Teen Challenge doesn't cost what rehab costs. Some centers are free, most are heavily donor-supported, and many families pay far less than they expect. Here's what to know about monthly fees, scholarships, insurance, and what you're actually signing up for.

Open Bible beside a lined notebook on a wooden table in soft natural light, with a pen and minimal background space.

ARTICLE

Teen Challenge Virginia: Programs, Cost & How to Get In (2026 Guide)

Teen Challenge Virginia programs for men and women. Learn about cost, locations, admissions, and how SVTC helps families find the right faith-based recovery option.

Grandparent caring for grandchildren while navigating the challenges and emotional weight of a child’s addiction

ARTICLE

Raising Grandchildren When Your Child Is Addicted

You didn't sign up for this. But here you are, raising your grandchildren while your child battles addiction. Here's how to find strength, hope, and grace for the journey.

Split scene showing a dark prison cell with bars and harsh lighting on the left, transitioning to warm golden sunlight streaming through a window onto an open Bible and coffee mug on a wooden table on the right.

ARTICLE

Adult Teen Challenge vs Prison: Why Faith-Based Recovery Works

Prison punishes addiction. It doesn't heal it. With a 60-70% recidivism rate, incarceration fails to address the spiritual brokenness at the root of substance abuse. Adult & Teen Challenge offers a different path-one that transforms lives through faith, community, and long-term support.

Young ministry team members in honest conversation around a table, warm lighting, contemplative mood

ARTICLE

A Conversation with Eddie Jame Minsistries

A raw and honest conversation with the team from Eddie James Ministries about calling, obedience, addiction, trauma, and the real cost of following God. This episode explores why sobriety is only the beginning, how accountability and submission lead to lasting freedom, and how God redeems brokenness into purpose.

Crushed cigarette on ground with person walking toward light representing decisive break from old patterns

ARTICLE

Six Months Without Smoking… Then I Blew It

Two pulls off a cigarette after six months clean. It wasn't about nicotine-it was about breaking agreement with a master that had ruled my life for years. Confession brought mercy. And I've never smoked since.

Person emerging from narrow space into wide landscape representing hope renewed through expanded perspective

ARTICLE

How to Renew Your Hope After Losing It

Hope deferred makes the heart sick-not discouraged, sick. When all your energy funnels into one person who keeps rejecting help, hope drains away. Sometimes God restores hope not by changing them, but by widening your world again.

Peaceful vacation scene with subtle disruption representing interrupted rest from addiction's intrusion

ARTICLE

When Your Loved One’s Addiction Ruins Your Summer Vacation

You were counting down the days. Then it happened-a broken promise, that familiar look. What was meant to restore you now feels stolen. Speaking truth in love means holding hope and honesty at the same time.

A man kneeling in surrender on a prison chapel floor with a cross on the wall behind him

ARTICLE

Cookies With Christ: How God Met Me in Prison

I went for the free food. I stayed because for the first time in my life, I felt the weight lift off my chest and I could finally breathe.

A man sitting alone and isolated in the back pew of a church while the congregation faces forward

ARTICLE

The Church Didn't Know What to Do With Me

I showed up high. I showed up hungover. I showed up for ten years on Christmas and Easter. And not once did anyone tell me there was an answer.

Person offering supportive presence to another representing believing for someone who has lost hope

ARTICLE

How to Help a Recovering Addict

You've tried everything. Talked, pleaded, set boundaries, prayed. The most powerful help isn't fixing the problem-it's believing for them when they can't believe for themselves, restoring their purpose, and helping them release guilt.

Person standing with dignified strength and open hands representing grace with firm boundaries

ARTICLE

How to Handle Addicts Who Only Care About Themselves

There's a particular exhaustion that comes from loving someone who can't see past themselves. You try to help and still end up being the problem. The answer isn't rescuing harder-it's leading with strength.

Person standing calmly behind boundary line with chaos on other side representing protection after confrontation

ARTICLE

When the Confrontation Goes South

You finally said something. And it exploded. Anger, blame, withdrawal-different reactions, same purpose: control. When intervention blows up, you need boundaries. And boundaries require clarity about what's yours to carry.

Person at crossroads considering two paths representing timing and wisdom in recovery relationships

ARTICLE

Should I Date During Recovery?

No one wants to be alone. But a good thing at the wrong time can become destructive. Dating in recovery comes down to two questions: who and when. Get them both right, and relationships become gift instead of risk.

Person stepping through doorway from shadows into structured light representing exchange of old life for new

ARTICLE

Sustaining Sobriety Beyond Rehab

The two hardest words for someone leaving rehab aren't "drugs" or "temptation"-they're "what now?" Long-term sobriety isn't sustained by rules alone. It requires exchange: old habits for new, old goals for new, old activities for new.

Holiday family gathering with empty chair representing a loved one struggling with addiction

ARTICLE

How to Tell If My Loved One Needs a Program

The holidays can make addiction impossible to ignore. But knowing when a program is necessary-and when it's actually possible-requires asking the right questions about both need and timing.

Person resting peacefully by window with morning light representing self-care during a loved one's rehab

ARTICLE

How to Take Care of Yourself When a Loved One Is in Rehab

When the person you love enters a program, you finally have margin. For the first time in a long time, you're not fighting fires. What you do with that space matters-because they're not the only one who needs healing.

Visual representing two types of distance physical separation and emotional disconnection in the same space

ARTICLE

How to Cope with Being Apart from My Loved One

Distance hurts-whether it's miles of separation or the emotional absence of someone living under the same roof. Both situations ache deeply. But neither one is hopeless.

Person standing firm on rock amid persistent waves representing faithful endurance in loving an addict

ARTICLE

Am I Crazy for Supporting the Addict I Love?

Friends say to quit. Family says to move on. They call you crazy for still hoping. But holding onto faith, hope, and love-the things Scripture says last forever-isn't foolish. It's foundation.

Open hands releasing flowing light representing grace that is free true and authentically given

ARTICLE

The Hidden Meaning of Grace

We use the word "grace" so often it loses weight. But understanding what grace actually contains-free, true, and authentic-changes how we love someone through addiction without enabling destruction.

Edgar's transformation through Teen Challenge - from addiction to recovery over several years

TESTIMONY

Edgar's Story: From 26 Detoxes to Overseeing 350 Men in Recovery

After 26 detoxes, 6 inpatient programs, and state prison, Edgar found Shenandoah Valley Adult & Teen Challenge. Today he oversees 350 men as Disciplinarian and Intake Manager at Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge.

Person in light pushing away pointing shadows representing rejection of false blame for addiction

ARTICLE

Whose Fault Is Their Addiction, Anyway?

When an addict says "you made me do this," they're using guilt as leverage. But accusation does not equal truth. You are not responsible for another person's decision to use-and you never were.

An empty chair at the head of a family dinner table, representing an absent father

ARTICLE

The Fatherlessness Crisis Is Fueling Everything Else

Behind the addiction epidemic, the identity confusion, and the rise of young men looking for answers in all the wrong places, there's one common thread: missing fathers.

A young man sitting alone on a park bench at dusk, isolated and disconnected

ARTICLE

Weak Men Are More Dangerous Than Strong Men

We've been told that toxic masculinity is the problem. But the real threat isn't the strong man. It's the man with no identity, no confidence, and no one speaking into his life.

Lifejacket on water with reaching hand symbolizing hope available during the struggle not just after

ARTICLE

To Testify or Not to Testify?

Should you wait until the struggle is over to share your story? Like a drowning person being thrown a lifejacket, sometimes testimony isn't the reward for victory-it's part of how victory comes.

Three men in Teen Challenge Freedom From Addiction shirts standing outside the Shenandoah Valley facility

ARTICLE

Teen Challenge for Men: What Families Need to Know

Looking for a faith-based recovery program for men? Learn what Teen Challenge offers, how it works, and how to know if it's right for your son, husband, or loved one.

A person sitting alone in a quiet church sanctuary with afternoon light streaming through stained glass windows

ARTICLE

Why the Church Should Be the Safest Place to Struggle

The church was meant to be a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. So why are so many believers terrified to admit they're not okay?

Hands holding a glowing smartphone in the dark while a Bible sits unused nearby

ARTICLE

Social Media Discipleship Is Making Us Shallow

We have more Christian content at our fingertips than any generation in history. And it might be making us spiritually weaker, not stronger.

Two people sharing a meaningful conversation with light representing hope being passed between them

ARTICLE

The Win-Win Testimony

When we share the freedom we found in Christ from addiction, something powerful happens-not just for the person hearing it, but for us too. Testimony gives meaning to our pain and restores purpose to our story.

A man sitting vulnerably on church steps while a friend offers support with a hand on his shoulder

ARTICLE

We're Only As Sick As Our Secrets: Why Transparency Sets You Free

The things we hide hold power over us. But when we drag our struggles into the light with people we trust, shame loses its grip and real healing begins.

A young man places cash into a donation box in a softly lit church setting, with jars of coins nearby and a warm, hopeful background.

ARTICLE

Teen Challenge Donations: Where Your Money Goes

Teen Challenge donations fund time. Time for someone to stabilize, for truth to take root, for discipleship to form a real man or woman of God.

A solitary figure sits in an empty church pew, head bowed, as colored light from a stained glass window falls across the sanctuary, representing the isolation of church hurt and the possibility of healing.

ARTICLE

What Healing From Church Hurt Actually Looks Like

Church is supposed to be the safest place to struggle. So what happens when the church becomes the wound? Healing requires naming what happened, getting outside help, and the terrifying decision to trust again.

Woman walking toward golden light leaving broken chains behind symbolizing freedom from addiction identity

ARTICLE

The Most Dangerous Thing We Say About Addiction

The phrase "once an addict, always an addict" gets repeated so often it's treated like settled fact. But what does that statement actually do to someone trying to rebuild their life-and does it line up with Scripture?

Courtney's before and after photos showing her transformation through Teen Challenge and faith in God.

TESTIMONY

Courtney's Story: 23 Felonies Dismissed

Courtney went from 23 felony charges and a jail cell to freedom. Her story proves God can restore what addiction destroys.

Justin Hurst and Justin Franich after recording a podcast episode

TESTIMONY

Justin's Story: How Teen Challenge Restored My Life

After addiction destroyed his family and left him homeless, Justin called his mom and entered Teen Challenge. Now he's married with three daughters, living the life God paved for him.