He grew up in a Christian home. His family attended church regularly. But when a bad breakup with his high school girlfriend took Nate by surprise, he blamed God for his misfortune and turned toward achievement to find meaning. For the next 10 years he chose his own path, sacrificing everything, including his morals and convictions, to accomplish his aspirations.
Nate remembers, “I had a ‘SCREW YOU, GOD’ mentality. In my eyes I knew what was best for me and I was going to do whatever I wanted to do whenever I wanted to do it.”
Nate quickly found out that through hard work and determination, the world can lead you to great heights. But instead of finding peace and contentment at the top, he found something he never expected…
A cliff.
Nate worked hard during the day, at times holding three jobs simultaneously – but he played even harder. For 10 years, he drank every night and partied till the early hours of the morning. He looked for meaning and escape where he could find it – whether that was in the arms of a woman or under the influence of drugs like cocaine and ecstasy.
Nate admits, “For the last 2 years of the 10 year debacle, I was abusing painkillers and did whatever I had to do to get them. I would wake up in the morning and drink a few shots just to calm my nerves and get rid of the shakes that I was having due to not drinking for a few short hours while I would sleep.”
Side effects aside, Nate’s business life continued to climb. Then one day he got the big break he had been searching for. He landed a job as the vice president of sales for a large marketing company. It was all paying off; the deals he had lined up would guarantee him a six-figure salary annually. Nate had finally realized his dream.
Then the floor dropped out.
Nate tells us, “After a trip to Vegas, all of the deals that I had lined up fell through. I lost my job. The thought of starting over made me severely depressed and I didn’t want to live anymore. I didn’t leave my room for 2 weeks and drank heavily every day. I attempted suicide one night in my room by cutting my wrist but I stopped because the Lord spoke to my heart and told me that He was not done with me yet.”
His family urged him to find help and that’s when Nate found himself at the Phoenix Rescue Mission. Here he found counselors and staff ready to direct him back to the true path he had left 10 years ago. Thanks to the support of friends like you, he’s found tools and techniques through the Mission’s Transformation Program that have enabled him to renew his mind, to deal with the past, and to move forward transformed.
But Nate didn’t stop at sobriety. After graduating from our recovery program, he made the decision to take his faith to the next level by applying for our Ministry Training program. This 12-month leadership program is designed for those who want to dedicate their lives to recovery ministry. Enrollees in the Ministry Traning program are mentored under senior staff members, culminating in a leadership position as an employee of the Phoenix Rescue Mission.
“It has been an incredible journey,” says Nate. “So many people have impacted my life through this program, I can never say ‘thank you’ enough! My relationship with Christ is now first and foremost. I’ve even received certification as a Chaplain. God has restored my life!”
“I’m married to the woman of my dreams, Randi, and I’ve become the father to a beautiful 2-year-old little girl, Annabelle, all in the same day,” Nate says with a smile. God has given me my life and now a family. To anyone out there who is holding out on God I would say, ‘Just let it go. Surrender. Give it up. It’s time. Don’t be that guy saying he’ll change five years from now… 10 years… We’re not promised tomorrow. Do it today.’”God’s blessings didn’t end there. During his training to become a Chaplain, Nate also found true love.
