My name is Jeremy Crowe. I am taking tuition free Bible classes at the Christian Leaders Institute to learn the Bible (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here). I grew up in a middle-class suburb of Minneapolis, the oldest of two boys. So, I did not really fit in anywhere. Our family was poor compared to most in our community. Being the kid with the K-Mart clothes and the bowl haircut that my mom specialized in, I did not fit in at school. My parents and brother were big into sports, while I explored and figured out how things worked. So, I did not really fit in at home either.
Struggles
So, I spent most of my adolescent life looking for somewhere to belong and for someone to accept me. Around 10, I started hanging around who I thought were the cool kids. I soon started smoking and sneaking out at night. Then one night, I tried smoking marijuana. That was the first time in my life I had ever felt comfortable in my own skin. This progressed along the typical path: weed, to alcohol, to hallucinogens, to cocaine. Until one day, my friend used a needle to inject cocaine. That was when things changed from what seemed like innocent fun to a dark, ugly addiction.
It did not take long using a needle before I was introduced to heroin. That was the second time in my life that I thought I found what I was looking for. As long as I was high, nothing could hurt me. I devoted my next 22 years to the god (little g) named heroin. I followed my god anywhere he asked me to go and did anything to never be without him. So, I was a liar, a cheat, and a thief. My morals were so messed up that I did not feel bad about it. In fact, I took pride in it and was very good at it. I learned how to crack safes and used this skill to fuel my addiction.
Despair
Soon, I was in and out of treatments and jails for years. One of those “treatments” was to Teen Challenge. There, I met the one true God and began a relationship with Jesus Christ. However, the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entered in and choked out the Word. I was not willing to get rid of my old friends. So, it did not take long for me to be hopelessly lost in heroin again. But, this time, I added meth into the equation. For two years, I tried to get high enough to numb myself to the conviction I felt for trading Jesus for lies and death. The scary thing is I think I almost numbed myself enough to feel it no longer anymore. My heart was almost completely hardened.
God Stepped In
God gave me one last chance to turn to Him, and he used a second trip to prison. I was sentenced to 56 months for a burglary I committed. I was finally ready to give it all to God and trust Him with my life. It was clear that my best efforts could only bring pain, misery, and death. I got plugged into a Bible-teaching church and surrounded myself with good God-fearing men. They were not afraid to ask hard questions and hold me accountable.
Also, I met my wife at the church. We recently moved into a tiny house and are preparing to travel and spread Jesus. I will be giving the company I work for my notice that I am going to be leaving in the fall. This is a huge step for me. I really love this job, and it pays well. However, I tend to put my job first, and I would never have put a job before the god of heroin. So, we will trust God, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth, to provide for us as we move on to this next chapter of our lives in which we go where our God says go and do whatever He says do.
Studying tuition free Bible courses at the Christian Leaders Institute to prepare for this journey is a blessing for me. The tuition free Bible classes at CLI put me on a firm foundation, equipped to share Jesus Christ. Thank you, CLI!
