Refiner s Fire U-Turn for Christ Freedom from Addiction Men s Ranch Story by Josiah McDonald and Debra Smith Photos by Tom Price Pastor Gerry Brown, founder and director of U-Turn for Christ ranch in Perris, CA, knelt beside Jim Williams lower bunk bed. Pastor, please come pray for me; I am afraid, Jim said in anguish. A new participant in U-Turn for Christ s discipleship program, Jim was experiencing withdrawals from a drug addiction. Gerry quietly assured him, I know what you are going through is terrible right now. We will cry out to Jesus together; put all your trust in Him. God s Word says He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) Gerry took Jim s hand and began to pray. Tears flowed down Jim s face, and his body began to relax from the torment. Afterward, Gerry assured Jim he would feel better soon and that the ranch staff would be with him as he endured this season. Gerry added as he left the room, Maybe someday you ll be the one kneeling beside someone going through withdrawals, and God will help you encourage him! U-Turn for Christ is a two-phase discipleship program meant to replace addiction to drugs, alcohol, or other bondage with new life in Jesus. Begun in 1993 in Perris by Gerry and his wife, Peggy, the family of ranches has since grown to a total of 13 in the U.S. and seven internationally. Plans are underway for two more in Indonesia and Guatemala. Most are only for men, while some have men s and women s sides. The ranches are centered on biblical Staying Close to the Light of Christ Above: At U-Turn for Christ, the day starts early with morning devotions. The men assemble while it is still dark around a roaring fire at The Proverbs Pit at the Perris, CA, ranch. They follow along in their Bibles as the Scriptures are read aloud, which is part of the disciplined spiritual life they are taught to live. 14 Calvary Chapel Magazine 15
teachings that direct strugglers to do more than combat addiction, but to seek to know and follow God. The Lord s call is to imitate Him, explained Gerry. We want to help those who come to us grab hold of and understand that goal: Christlikeness. God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. Ephesians 4:32b-5:1 Freedom s Ripple Effect Before coming to know Christ in 1988, Peggy and I separated for eight months, shared Gerry. During that time, a friend took her to Calvary Chapel Hemet, CA. The friend never went back to church, and Peggy never stopped going. As Gerry and Peggy each reconciled with God through the forgiveness of Christ and then with each other, they overcame their own drug use through God s power. By serving in prison ministry and other venues, they interacted with many struggling with addictions. Gerry recalled, We had nowhere to take them for help. The Lord pricked my heart as I asked Him how to reach those in bondage. He made it clear He was calling us to serve them. The Browns bought the Perris property, which held only a barn. Gerry began sleeping onsite to provide accountability and discipleship to the three initial participants. Peggy sensed God revealing to her that their addiction recovery ministry would be like a pebble thrown into a still pond, creating a long-term ripple effect that reaches shores around the world. One day during this season, Gerry drove past a trailer yard and felt God leading him to stop. Ignoring the feeling, he kept driving but felt it again. Making a U-turn and pulling into the yard, Gerry walked in and asked, Sir, do you believe in destiny? The owner, a southern man from Arkansas, chuckled and replied, What s on your heart, son? Gerry proceeded to share the ministry vision and the need for a building. The man pointed to a youth outside his son, who was addicted to methamphetamines and said that if Gerry helped the young man, Gerry could have any trailer in the yard. Gerry was confident that while he could not deliver the boy, God could. After Gerry shared the message of Christ with them both, the teen surrendered himself to God and agreed to come to the startup ranch for two weeks. The trailer yard owner, upon soon seeing his son sober, loving Jesus, committed to the business, doing things right, Gerry explained, donated three other large mobile homes that are still in use today at the Perris facility. These trailers house the main bunkhouse, the main sanctuary, and the offices, Gerry added. Gerry attributes his verse-by-verse teaching to Senior Pastor Gary Johnson of CC Hemet. Before the Browns joined CC Hemet in 1988, Gerry explained, I had been starved of God s Word. So I began learning, under Gary Johnson, that these verses from Exodus and Matthew and Revelation, for example, all related they had a cohesion that blended to reveal the truth of the Gospel. As Gary taught systematically through the Bible, line upon line, my understanding grew. Meanwhile, an assistant pastor at CC Hemet modeled biblical counseling: Gary Sparks and his wife Billie took on the tedious work of discipling and counseling us. They walked us through so many things, correcting us with compassion using God s Word. It was the process of renewing the mind that God commands. He cited Romans 12:2, which says, And do not be conformed to this world, Above: Pastor Gerry Brown, left, and the men pray for Lance, who is grieving over his father s death. Below: In the morning, U-Turn for Christ residents gather together in a circle formation as they receive their work assignments for that day. The Lord pricked my heart as I asked Him how to reach those in bondage. He made it clear He was calling us to serve them. Pastor Gerry Brown 16 Calvary Chapel Magazine 17
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Gary Sparks now serves on the board for U-Turn for Christ in Kauai. Strength in Interdependence U-Turn for Christ initially cooked outside on a grill, Gerry said. But as we grew, the county wanted us to put in a kitchen. A son of a CC pastor came to the program, gave his life to the Lord, and went into ministry with his dad. He offered to donate the finances to build a kitchen if we had the manpower to build it. We had that in the men [in the program], since serving is a huge component of what we teach. It continued like that, the Lord providing as people saw the need. When Pastor Chuck Smith bought the new Bible College property in Murrieta, CA, he learned from some of our guys helping there that we needed kitchen equipment. He gave us everything: the stove, dishwasher, pots and pans, utensils, refrigerator, serving tables, and more. When you re cooking for 70 people, the equipment is very expensive. So that was an incredible blessing. The entire operation has been a symbiotic relationship with Calvary Chapel churches, Gerry continued. CC Ramona, CA, gave us their bus; their pastor, Rob Hubbard, is a dear friend. Many Calvary Chapels have pitched in at different times to enable us to continue, he commented. Likewise, having the Calvary Chapel pastors know there is a like-minded facility, teaching God s Word and providing opportunity for the Word of God, by the Spirit of God, to penetrate hearts and change people, is mutually beneficial. Overcoming through Submission Todd Wilson, now on staff at the Perris facility, grew up as a pastor s kid in Los Angeles. When he arrived at U-Turn for Christ as a participant in 2014, Todd reflected, I was like most people who come here: shattered. My life had taken so many turns for the worst. I went through college and then six years of seminary, became a pastor, and was still an alcoholic and a drug addict. I knew the theology of how much Jesus loved me, but I had no idea how to Top photos: The men are required to work the ranch farm. Left: Pastor Gerry prays with Jim Williams, who was afraid and suffering withdrawals. Now, Jim is praying with men who are new and going through withdrawals. 18 Calvary Chapel Magazine 19
rely on His love instead of needing to get drunk to make it through a day. I didn t know how to translate the Gospel into real life lessons. In 2002 while pastoring in Indiana, Todd got up to preach drunk one Sunday morning. The congregation was horrified, and he was fired that night. Above: Use of the workout area is a privilege granted to men who have devoted themselves to memorizing Scripture and staying in God s Word. Right: Mario Hernandez and his daughter enjoy spending time together. U-Turn encourages Sunday family visits to help restore relationships. Below: Pete Hooley works in the U-Turn For Christ mechanic shop, changing a vehicle s tire. In the work the hard work, in the long days, in being told what to do you learn that it s about submitting our wills to the Lord s will. Todd Wilson For 12 years, Todd ran from everything relating to Christ and His church. He lived homeless in Southern California for several months, devastating himself and his extended family with his decisions. While he was facing a 16-month prison sentence for his fourth DUI in Santa Barbara, CA, the judge offered Todd a chance to go to U-Turn for Christ instead. When he arrived, he recalled, I was brokenhearted. I was going through a divorce that was crushing me, and I was torn up because I had once again let everybody down people who had thought I would change. I had broken their hearts again. I hated my life, and that translated into how I carried myself. I didn t desire to get to know anybody or for them to know me. For Todd, the key to freedom came through submission. This place is all about submitting to the Lord, he reflected. I don t want to call it mysterious, because there is a clear way it happened, but it s not fully explainable either. It s not exactly something you can be taught; it s something you experience. In the work the hard work, in the long days, in being told what to do you learn that it s about submitting our wills to the Lord s will. I said, I m Yours, Lord. I ve ruined my life with my way of doing things, so now I give it to You. I have no idea how to fix my life, but You do. I had a year for that process; some have only two months here. But through that, the Lord showed me what needed to change. I needed to have the truths of the Bible that I knew in my head walked out, translated into a daily lifestyle of obedience. Be still, and know that I am God; Psalm 46:10a Todd had always been an active person, so stillness before God was challenging. He found peace and restoration as he learned the discipline of pausing to focus on and trust in God: When I was scared, being still and looking to Him was the answer, he explained. When feeling guilty, being still. When frustrated, being still. Recognizing that God is God, and I am not, and I can t fix whatever s wrong, but He can. After finishing U-Turn for Christ s first phase of two months, Todd was invited to be an overseer. This entails a second phase of six months of continued discipleship and learning to lead by serving. 20 Calvary Chapel Magazine 21
He gradually saw God restore his relationship with his parents and brother and later joined the U-Turn staff, overseeing the men s daily activities such as work assignments and discipline. Learning to Love Before being saved by Christ, Mike Knox took a man s life in 2004. After his release from prison, he followed a polytheistic code of blood sacrifices in the mountains of Colorado. I knew something was terribly wrong, Mike recounted. I was running from parole and out of control in every way using drugs and alcohol, womanizing, and involved in gangs. His elderly neighbors, Dawn and Fred, began witnessing to Mike, But it was subtle, he said. I knew they had a relationship with the Lord, but I didn t know what walking with God was all about. One morning Mike called his sister, expecting her to lecture him about growing up and becoming responsible. Instead, she challenged him to get to a church. He immediately called Dawn and Fred, and that morning they explained the Gospel to him. He responded in faith, recognizing his need for freedom through Christ from sin s power. His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. 2 Peter 1:3a Since that day in September 2012, My life has completely changed, Mike said. Has it been easy? No. And of course there s been a process. But the big difference was conviction. Instantly, I began experiencing conviction of sin. Through God s Word and His people and teaching at church, I realized I shouldn t be involved in idolatry and drunkenness. And God showed me how much He loves me, which changes everything. Mike eventually moved nearer to his siblings in Southern California, where he met a young woman whose father is a Calvary Chapel pastor. They quickly started dating, then began premarital counseling. Soon, however, I picked up a drink and knew instantly that this was not good for me, he said. So after a week or two of mistakes and conviction, I let her know I was going down the wrong road. She suggested I go to U-Turn for Christ. After three weeks on the Perris ranch, Mike was lying in his bunk at 4:50 on a July morning. Covered in flies and feeling hopeless and purposeless, he prayed a prayer of surrender and desperation asking God to change him, recognizing he couldn t change himself. He suddenly felt peace. From then on, Mike stated, I was back in premarital counseling, doing things the godly way. Letters from family and my church started to pour in, letters of love, support, and prayers. That really helped. In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil. Proverbs 16:6 I learned at U-Turn for Christ to be obedient to the Lord. He will remove the iniquity from my heart, Mike explained. I m still a mess, but by His mercy and truth, He has purged my iniquities and changed my heart. So I used to have all these issues I don t anymore: anger, depression, anxiety. God has completely renewed my mind and heart. That is only possible through the Lord; the world s greatest minds and philosophers couldn t do that. After completing the initial phase, Mike stayed on for a second phase as an overseer. While here in leadership, Mike continued, one thing has stood out: learning to love. The guys who come through here are not exactly always the easiest to embrace. God is the only source, Mike said, of the strength to love all. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35 In the next issue, the U-Turn for Christ Women s Ranch in Perris, CA, will be featured. Video U-Turn For Christ uturnforchrist.com info@uturnforchrist.com 951-943-7097 Above: The Friday night service is an opportunity for the men to praise God for what He has done in their lives. Below: A familiar sight for the men who reside at the U-Turn for Christ ranch in Perris, this sign serves as a daily reminder of what the program is all about. 22 Calvary Chapel Magazine 23