Growing up in a violent home with an abusive father, Lloyd started drinking at 13 years-old. From there he progressed to cocaine, meth, selling drugs.

In the midst of a broken home the only person that he felt cared for him was his grandfather. When his grandfather passed away Lloyd blamed and hated God for taking him.

Things went from bad to worse as Lloyd continued in his violent nature, was in prison by 19, and eventually assaulted a police officer, telling the officer to, “shoot me!”

Lloyd had the opportunity to turn things around at Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. As Lloyd was coming out of his addictive lifestyle, God used Lloyd’s family to change his heart.

“I felt like if anything was ever going to change my life it was going to be with Jesus. I have a new baby, and I haven’t seen my other one in a while, and she just started being able to come visit me at Teen Challenge, and that’s what I wanted, I wanted my life back.”

George encourages us with the truth that the change God brings about is a process.

“Sometimes we talk to guys who have a ‘white light’ experience, but more often it’s ongoing, an all of a sudden ‘I want this!'”

“There’s hope here, there’s freedom, there’s redemption, there’s forgiveness. God gives us the desires of our heart when we’re focused on Him.”

Lloyd has gone through that process first-hand.

“My pastor always taught me: There’s nothing out there you can do for anybody else until you fix you. Things were just different now. Everything felt different, and I felt like I could actually do the right thing and stay away from everything else.

The process of change