MEET FRANK

Waiting in front of a dope house on a hot Houston afternoon, Frank Medders had been gone for twenty-five days now. Leaving his two sons with their grandmother, as he continued down a path that had become very familiar during his 15-year addiction to crack-cocaine. While waiting to score, he raised his head to examine the surroundings. He could see a school across the street. Not just any school, but the school where his oldest son attended. Other parents were lining up to pick up their children but Frank was waiting outside of his connection buying dope. His son had stopped expecting to see his dad picking him up long ago.

The school bell rang and soon children poured into the schoolyard. The potent reality of the moment set off a whirlwind of emotions that could no longer be ignored. The driver door flung open and Frank bolted out of his vehicle into the street and ran. A sprinting, six-foot, four-inch white man with quite a stride is an unusual sight for a quiet neighborhood street. He wasn’t even sure why he was running or what he was running from but he just ran. Maybe he was ashamed at the man he had become, a deadbeat dad, a thief, and a crack head. Maybe he hoped to out run the misery and despair that had become his life. He ran with the desperation of one fleeing danger until he could run no longer. Collapsing under a tree in the middle of a sprawling urban district sat a man who had been defeated by crack-cocaine. Like Elijah fleeing the wrath of Jezebel under the disappearing shade of the juniper tree, Frank was running from a different spirit. Broken, ashamed and defeated Frank wept. He wept bitterly and painfully over his condition. He needs to change and he wants to change but doesn’t know how.

Fortunately for Frank, his story has a happy ending. He was later picked up by the police and taken to Harris County Jail. In jail he came across a Christian book with the words, “If you’re hooked and need help call Victory Family”. Within days, by the grace of God Frank was released and standing on the front steps of the Victory Family Recovery Center. Many years have passed since that eerie afternoon. Today Frank is happily married, his sons have forgiven their dad and are off working and in college, and he is living a drug-free life and is now director of the Victory Family Men’s Recovery Program. Frank is an example of the amazing, life changing power of Jesus Christ.

The sad reality is that not every story has a happy ending. “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of Americans dying from the abuse of illegal drugs has leaped by 400 percent in the last two decades, reaching a record 28,000 in 2004. The F.B.I. reported that drug arrests reached an all-time high of 1.8 million in 2005. “ Every year in America over 28,000 people die of illegal drug overdose and almost 2 million people are arrested for drugs. It would be impossible to determine the millions upon millions of people whose lives are affected by drugs in this country alone.

Right now there is someone still running from addiction. Maybe they are ashamed of what they have become or maybe they are trying to out run the misery and despair that has become their life. You don’t have to run anymore. There is hope for the addict. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

You can find rest from the uncontrollable urges and cravings. You can find rest from the cycle of failure, depression and anguish. Rest once and for all from addiction. Everyday men and women like Frank are leaving their past behind and embracing a newness of life.

“If you or anyone you know is hooked and needs help call Victory Family”