my story
I have a past, and sharing it is important to me. I believe it helps others see they can change their own path, no matter where they are in life. The tattoo on my right forearm is an old Irish proverb, written in Gaelic. It says, “There is no wise man without fault.”
Growing up Methodist, I turned my back on the church after high school when I came out as gay. I felt the church had turned its back on me. I thought God had done the same. I turned to drugs and alcohol, diving head-first into a dark world full of people I thought cared about me.
After being arrested and released, I ran. I found myself in a dirty trailer, hundreds of miles from Chattanooga, with people I didn’t even know. I was scared, terrified actually. Days later, I came home and faced my demons.
As years have passed, I have slowly been strengthening my relationship with God. It took some time, but I know now He has never turned His back on me. He was always there, just waiting on me to turn around and see Him.
My tattoo is my Romans 3:23-24, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemptionthat came by Christ Jesus.” It’s my reminder that by God’s grace, I am redeemed.