‘From Addicted to Redeemed’ by Dawn Sanchez

This is my testimony — which, by definition, means to tell the story of how one came to Christ. But, more than that, this is my journey from death to life, from ashes to beauty, from a sinner to a saint! This is my story of redemption through Jesus Christ!

I grew up in Taylor, TX, and attended church since I was a baby. My parents ensured that I was raised in the church and that I was familiar with God. I didn’t know it at the time, but this would be vital in helping me find my way to Jesus. They laid that foundation for me. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). For me, that would prove to be true. 

I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 9 years old, in Sunday school. I thought I knew what it meant, and part of me did comprehend some things, but I didn’t really know what being a believer was all about, and wouldn’t for a long time. The older I got, the more rebellious I became. Not only in the way I lived, but also in the way I treated my parents and others who were close to me. When I was 16, I ended up getting pregnant, which was a consequence that I couldn’t just pretend didn’t happen and sweep under the rug; however, it did turn out to be a blessing in disguise. It was not ideal, being a teen mother, but I was immensely blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Shortly after I had my son, I was diagnosed with severe clinical depression, which led to self-medicating with drugs and alcohol; it led to a multitude of destructive behaviors. Although my focus was on my new son, the depression still produced thoughts of suicide, but I couldn’t leave my baby without a mother. Looking back, I do believe that God sent my son to me as a way to reveal to me that life was (in fact) precious, and because I loved him so much, I turned away from my own selfish desires to focus on nurturing and loving him. God knew what He was doing. Even in my struggle, I remembered the scripture which says, “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).   

Somewhere along the way, I lost my ability to cope with life on life’s terms. So, I began using and drinking as my coping mechanism. During my drinking and drugging career, I became the kind of person that I didn’t want to be. I remember one time when I was drinking, I got so drunk that I rolled down a hill, threw up in a taxi — which cost me $100 — tripped on concrete stairs, and hit my face so hard that I had a black eye for about three weeks … and I don’t remember any of it. I was in a blackout. That didn’t stop me. I continued drinking heavily. That’s how firm the grip of alcoholism had on me. I also remember a time when I was drugging, that I went out of town with some friends, and right before I left, my pills got stolen. I had put a stash away so that I had enough to last me the whole weekend. I had to spend the entire trip withdrawing, and I was so sick I could not participate in anything that my friends were doing. So, one of the girls there mentioned that she had some pain pills, and I offered to pay her for some. She told my friend, we got into a massive argument, and I spent the entire night in tears. I couldn’t wait to get home so I could get my fix. The experience traumatized me. 

I have many, many stories like the ones I just shared.  It became a way of life for me. I also lost a lot of friends along the way. I wore them out. They couldn’t keep taking responsibility for me while I was consumed by a selfish, relentless need to shut down my emotions. There were many times I probably should have ended up in jail or dead, but God had other plans for my life. After approximately 10 years of trying multiple substances and getting addicted to them all, switching back and forth between drugs and alcohol for years, 30 days in rehab, and one relapse, I got to the point where I was ready to give up the pursuit of trying to do this thing on my own and turned to Jesus, the only one who can enact lasting change and freedom from addiction. My journey to this point was definitely not an overnight process; however, I had finally hit my rock bottom and decided that enough was enough. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.

My husband was instrumental in helping bring me to my knees before the cross. He threatened to leave me, and he had every right to do so. I was not the girl he married. I know that God used him to get through to me because nothing else was working. I got sober one year before he got home from the Army. He was stationed in Germany for three years. We were both completely different people by the time he got home, but I think I needed that time without him to get myself together. We were strangers when he came home, but through hard work, the decision to choose each other daily, and loving each other through the hardest parts, we fell in love all over again. We had to get to know each other again, and it was very difficult, but it’s a part of our story that I wouldn’t change. It made us the couple we are today.

The thing about taking what this world has to offer to cope with life is that it’s only temporarily satisfying. The feel-good feeling always passed, and not only did it leave me wanting more, but it also left me with suffocating feelings of guilt and shame. On November 16, 2011, I hit my knees and pleaded with God to completely remove the desire for drugs and alcohol. I needed Jesus, NOT the things of this world. It was in that moment that I let go of trying to control the direction of my life and began trusting Jesus, so He could lead and guide me to the right path, because I was running down a road of eventual total self-destruction. The Bible says, “Don’t love this evil world or the things in it. If you love the world, you do not have the love of the father in you” (1 John 2:15). I had sought solace in the things of this world and finally understood why God said not to. After I hit my knees and literally cried out to my heavenly Father, my tears immediately stopped, and a peace like nothing I had ever felt before washed over me and covered me like a warm blanket. 

To this day, I remain sober, ONLY by the grace of God. I know that he can use the experiences that I’ve been through to help others. He gave me the spiritual gift of Mercy, and I intend to utilize that gift to the best of my ability — to help others who are suffering, just like I suffered.

When I accepted Christ as a young girl, I didn’t really understand much about what that meant, but today I do. God transformed my heart, exchanging my inclination for worldly things for a deep longing for Him. Jesus made a way where there seemed to be no way, and He continues to do so. I have a passion in my heart for the things of Christ. I yearn to learn and grow in my knowledge of the truth of the Word of God. I seek to build lasting relationships with like-minded believers, and have done so since I began faithfully attending my home church — Foundation Christian Ministries in Bastrop, TX. I have met so many brothers and sisters in Christ who not only counsel me but encourage and pray for me in my time of need.  

It’s almost like the Lord “activated” my heart to want to go deeper in relationship with Him. That’s the only way I know how to describe the change I felt. Now, I want to read God’s Word, I want to attend church and be involved in discipleship, I want to serve! I don’t have to, I get to! The old me is gone, and the new me rejoices for what Christ has done in my heart and life. He has given me everything I need for living a godly life! He brought me out of darkness, out of the pit of my own personal hell, into a new freedom I’ve never known. As a Christian, is my performance perfect? Absolutely not!  But the righteousness of Christ now lives in me!Hebrews 10:10 says, “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” My new desire is to submit to Christ daily and trust Him fully in all things.

I used to struggle with my identity, but now I know that my identity is IN Christ. I am loved by the Creator of the universe! The Bible says that I’m a member of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:27), I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child (Eph. 1:3-8), I have been redeemed and forgiven of all of my sins (past, present, and future) (Col. 1:13-14), I am complete in Christ (Col. 2:9-10)!

Complete. That word holds a lot of meaning to me. When I was in the world, I was trying to fill a void that only Jesus can fill. Now, I’m complete. I’m whole. There is a God-shaped void in each of us, and Jesus is the only one who can fill it. The world offers many things, but none of them are adequate. Christ is sufficient. He is enough. 

I used to be lost in the identity I got from what the world had to say about me, but in Christ, I am a NEW creation (2 Cor. 5:17)! If you want what I have, it’s as simple as believing in the one who can change your heart and your life; Jesus! He came so that we might have freedom from this world and from the ensnaring traps of the enemy. The Bible plainly says that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9). It’s not through our own efforts that we are saved. It’s through the finished work on the cross — it’s a free gift that we are given, received by faith. Salvation is obtained by simply believing in Jesus (who came as God in the flesh, lived a perfect and sinless life, sacrificed Himself in our place on the cross, and resurrected on the third day, defeating death), along with repentance from sin, (which is having a sincere change of heart, mind, and action; turning away from wrongdoing to follow Christ) resulting in a guaranteed permanent place in His presence.

You can KNOW that you are saved! It says in Romans 8:38-39, “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Thank the Lord that we can be completely forgiven of all sin and can be made whole in Christ! What a gift! Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

As for me, I know that Jesus is alive and living through me, putting on display the fruits of the spirit that He has given me: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). He has a plan and a purpose for my life. My favorite verse in the Bible states, “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). I used to believe that I had no purpose, but I now know that it was a lie from the enemy. I have freedom in Christ – freedom from the grip of addiction and freedom from the grip of the world. I am forgiven for my past, and therefore do not need to dwell on who I used to be because that’s not who I am today. 

Today, I am a child of God! I am a wife, a mother, a Nana, and my heart is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving for the chains that have been broken in my life. Looking back, I can see where God protected me from harm. He used my husband to get to the heart of the matter with me and to bring me to my knees.  I didn’t want to lose my family, my husband, my children. I thank God for restoring my marriage and continuing to work in me to make me a better wife and mother. My hope is to live in such a way that my life reflects the character of Jesus and points others to Him.

The Lord is my strength and salvation! He is my protector, provider, and healer! All glory to the most-high God, my King and redeemer of my soul!  I praise the Lord for all He has done in my life, and I look forward to all that He has in store for me.

Abiding in Him

A prayer by Dawn Sanchez: Jesus, help us to surrender our will and control of our lives over to you. I pray that you bless all who read my testimony, that it might touch the hearts of many still suffering. Thank you for your grace that we do not deserve, but which You give so freely. Amen!

Are you searching for God?

Onward christian voters.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

#SundaySchool #AntichristTrump

Charles Borromeo

We’re delving into Charles Borromeo because there’s a church named after him in our founder’s hometown. We hope you enjoy this read.

His name in Italian is: Carlo Borromeo. In Latin, his name: Carolus Borromeus. He was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Milan from 1564-1584. He became a cardinal in 1560. A prelate is a high-ranking cleric with special jurisdiction or authority, essentially anyone exercising public power or holding a position of prominence above ordinary clergy.

Charles founded the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine together with St. Ignatius of Loyola & St. Philip Neri. In this role, he was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church. Including the founding of seminaries for the education of priests. He was canonized in 1610 & his feast day is November 4.

Charles was a descendant of nobility. The Borromeo family was 1 of the most ancient & wealthiest in Lombardy. The family coat of arms included the Borromean rings, sometimes taken to symbolize the Holy Trinity.

Charles’ dad, Gilbert, was the Count of Arona. His mom, Margaret, was a member of the Milanese branch of the House of Medici. He was the 2nd son in a family of 6 kids. He was born in the castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore 36 miles from Milan on October 2, 1538.

Charles received the tonsure when he was about 12 years old. At this time, his paternal uncle (dad’s brother), Giulio Cesare Borromeo turned over to him the income from the rich Benedictine abbey of Saints Gratinian & Felin, 1 of the ancient requirements of the family.

Charles let his dad know on no uncertain terms that all revenues from the abbey beyond what was required to prepare him for a career in the church belonged to the poor & couldn’t be applied to secular use.

Charles went to the University of Pavia. He applied himself to the study of civil & canon law. Because of a slight speech impediment, he was thought of as slow but his thoroughness & industry meant that he made fast progress.

In 1554, his dad died. Although he had an older brother, Count Federico, he was requested by the family to take the management of their domestic affairs. After a time, he restarted his studies. On December 6, 1559, he earned a doctorate in canon & civil law.

On December 25, 1559, Charles’ uncle, Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Medici, was elected as Pope Pius IV. The newly elected Pope requested his nephew to go to Rome. On January 13, 1560, Pope Pius IV appointed him as protonotary apostolic. Protonotary apostolic is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in Roman Curia, or outside Rome.

Shortly after, on January 31, 1560, the Pope made him a cardinal. This made Charles a cardinal-nephew. He was entrusted with both the public & the privy seal of the ecclesiastical state. A cardinal-nephew was a high-ranking Cardinal in the Catholic Church. Usually the pope’s actual nephew or another close relative(s), who served as the pontiff’s chief assistant & confidant. He was also brought into the government of Papal States & appointed a supervisor of the Franciscans, Carmelites, & Knights of Malta.

During his 4 years in Rome, Charles lived in austerity, required the Roman Curia to wear black (The Roman Curia is the administrative arm of the Holy See.), & established an academy of learned persons, the Academy of the Vatican Knights.

Charles organized the 3rd, & last, session of the Council of Trent, in 1562-63. He had a large hand in making the Tridentine Catechism (Catechismus Romanus). In 1561, Charles founded & endowed a college at Pavia. Today the college is known as Almo Collegio Borromeo. Charles dedicated the college to Justina of Padua.

On November 19, 1562, Charles’ older brother, Federico, suddenly died. His family urged Charles to seek permission to return to the laity (laicization), to marry & have kids so that the family name wouldn’t become extinct. But he decided not to leave the ecclesiastic state.

His brother’s death, along with his contacts (with the Jesuits, the Theatines, & the example of bishops such as Bartholomew of Braga) were causes of the conversion Charles towards a more strict & operative Christian life. His aim became to put into practice the dignity & duties of the bishop as drafted by the Council of Trent.

After the death of his uncle, Pope Pius IV (1566), Charles sent a galley (a type of ship) to get Cardinal Ugo Boncompagni, the Nuncio of Spain. The nuncio (or apostolic nuncio) is the Pope’s personal ambassador (like an embassy’s ambassador) to a country & plays a key role in appointing bishops.

But the Cardinal didn’t arrive in time to be considered at the conclave. Charles reached an agreement with Alessandro Farnese, who held a significant number of conclave votes, to support Antonio Ghislieri (who was rumored to have the support of King Philip II of Spain). Ghislieri was elected Pope & took the name: Pius V.

He devoted himself to the reformation of his diocese which had deteriorated in practice owing to the 80-year absence of previous archbishops. Milan was the largest archdiocese in Italy at the time, with more than 3,000 clergy & 800,000 people. Both its clergy & laity had drifted from church teaching. The selling of indulgences & ecclesiastical positions was prevalent.

Charles believed that abuses in the church arose from ignorant clergy. His emphasis on Catholic learning greatly increased the preparation of men for the priesthood & benefited their congregations.

He founded the fraternity of Oblates of St. Ambrose (a society of secular men who didn’t take orders), but devoted themselves to the church & followed a discipline of monastic prayers & study. The new archbishop’s efforts for catechesis & the instruction of youth included the initiation of the 1st Sunday School classes & the work of the Confraternity for Christian Doctrine.

Charles’ diocesan reforms faced opposition from several religious orders. Particularly that of the Humiliati (Brothers of Humility), a penitential order which owned some 90 monasteries. Some members of that society formed a conspiracy against his life.

A shot was fired at him with an arquebus in the archepiscopal chapel. His survival was considered miraculous.

Even though the Diet of Ilanz of 1524 & 1526 had proclaimed freedom of worship in the 3 Leagues, Charles repressed Protestantism in the Swiss valleys. During his pastoral visit to the region, 150 people were arrested for practicing witchcraft. 11 women & the provost were condemned by the civil authorities to be burned alive.

Reacting to the pressure of the Protestant Reformation, Charles encouraged Ludwig Pfyffer in his development of the “Golden League” but didn’t live to see its formation in 1586.

Based in Lucerne, the organization (also called the Borromean League) linked activities of several Swiss Catholic cantons of Switzerland. This became the center of Catholic Counter-Reformation efforts & caused the break-up of Appenzell canton along religious lines.

Following his departure from this mortal coil, devotion to Charles grew quickly & continued to grow. The Milanese memorializes his anniversary as though he were already a saint. Supporters in a number of cities collected documentation to support his canonization.

In 1602, Pope Clement VIII beatified Charles. 2 years later, his “case” was sent to the Congregation of Rites. On November 1, 1610, Pope Paul V canonized Charles. 3 years later, the church added his feast day to the General Roman Calendar for celebration on November 4.

Along with Guarinus of Palestrina & Anselm of Lucca, he’s 1 of only 2-3 cardinal-nephews to have been canonized. Charles Borromeo is the patron saint of bishops; catechists; seminarians; against ulcers; apple orchards; bishops; catechumens; colic; intestinal disorders; Lombardy, Italy; Monterey, California; cardinals; seminarians; spiritual directors; spiritual leaders; starch makers; stomach diseases; & Sao Carlos (Brazil).

Charles’ emblem is the Latin word humilitas (humility), which is a portion of the Borromeo shield. He’s usually represented in art in his robes, barefoot, carrying the cross as archbishop, a rope around his neck and 1 hand raised in blessing. Thus recalling his work during the plague.

A large number of churches dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo exist in: Austria; Sheffield, England; Scotland; Belgium; Italy; Serbia; Poland; Switzerland; Vienna; Ireland; England; Indiana; Louisiana; Canada, California; Florida; Illinois; New York; Texas; Missouri; Minnesota; North Dakota; Ohio; Maryland; Massachusetts; Nebraska; New Jersey; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; Virginia; Washington; Oklahoma; New Hampshire; Argentina; Brazil; Peru; Uruguay; Venezuela; & Chile.

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