Addiction Can Feel Unbreakable | You Are Loved

My name's Ken Swierty, I'm from Knoxville, Tennessee. I grew up there in most of my life, I've traveled around a lot working, but I always came back to Knoxville. Now I'm at True Purpose Ministries, so that's where we're at so far. So tell me what led up to that? What was your wife like? Really wasn't a bunch of awesome stuff, I played a little bit of baseball, but mostly kind of rebuild on that, like Galen Street sprayer, we owned rogues, do-a-drogues, just not going to last out for a minute. Home life was like mom left, we were like horsesh, I guess, and then so it was just my dad, he worked all the time, so he was just on mom, mostly, no, just out of time. So that was a, this is interesting, I thought it was fun at the time, but we all do at time. I'm looking back on it, it's not really that great. See, yeah, so you made some poor choices, very poor choices. And those poor choices led to True Purpose, or like how did you get involved in it? Well I guess what started out when I was younger actually was like, I would go to church pretty much every Wednesday and Sunday was my aunt, and as a kid I knew it really got into it, I ended up in times like 14 and I'm just totally rebelled away from the church, I went on like a path of destruction and that's this way, I went super downhill, and then that went on Tom's like, pretty much Tom's like 27, because I'm 29 now, and then I was whenever like really going to jail all the time, which jail was like an everything other than thing, and once I ate like 27, when I started drinking a bunch, and now on top of it, it might be straight to jail a bunch of times, and really just going to jail this last time was whenever we were like, there's like some time right before I went to jail, I noticed that I like found my childhood in my bowl that I thought was going, because like I was pretty sure like we rolled it up and I smoked it, I can't even say this is terrible, but I don't know how, but it was like gotten like reaching out trying to always say hey, let's go along, we were trying to turn all out here, and so it was just those little signs here and there, I was thinking about it a lot because he was like calling me, and then when I went to jail in

December, was whenever I was like, I got in there and one of my summits was a big Christian, and I was like, you know what, I'm going to, I'm going to have to do this, and ever since then it's been like, like it was like he just called me Matt, he was like, hey, I'm here for you, I know you need me, so that brought me back into Christ, and now the whole time he jailed from then to like August, was one of her, I got the true purpose, and that was like after like I had spent some time in the word, and like really dying me in, and then like I was praying for some sort of like, I don't know, some told me I wanted to do something with like his with God, and like spread his word, but in order to do that, I needed to like, I was almost stuck in like a Bible college kind of thing, but then he figured it out for me, he was like, I got you, and about true purpose, that's kind of almost what it is, like, it's not like no more rehab, you don't go in there and like do your 12 steps, you get closer to Christ, and the my part to that is not true, I didn't work. Right, that's awesome, and what's, what's true purpose like, what do you, you said you grow closer to the Lord, which is awesome, what has that done for your relationship with him, your relationship with others? I mean, it's changed everything like I honestly like, I don't even recognize the person that it was before, and like, I love my life now, I've been before, I didn't really care for it very much, you know, it's brought me so close to the Lord, it's crazy like, just the classes and the community in here, everybody's working there together to help each other, and also just like the foundation of the whole place is based in the Lord. I would pass it up for nothing, I wouldn't believe for nothing, that's for sure. That's awesome, so you've been there since August? Yep. Fantastic. So what are your dreams for the future? What does, what does the future look like for you? Well, I spent like the first 90 days and like anybody that goes in there, I would definitely recommend like, don't worry about what's after your 90 days, really focus on getting closer to God, because like, that's all I did, I just surrendering and said, he's got it. Like, all my life, I've worked like mechanical field to build refrigeration for 10 years and stuff like that. So I had skills, and I knew that like, I knew I was going to use that to further what I was going to do next. And basically, like, I flack him witty towards the point of like, I've started the business, it's going awesome, which normally started a business in December isn't a great idea, but he's made it work out for me. And all the way up to my 90 days, I didn't work for like, work till I planned that out or nothing, I just put it all in the Lord, and I focused on him.

To some, this kept home of me only. I'll take care of his business and take care of mine. place. And it's like, I don't know if he's staring me that way so I can actually be financially able to do a heens me a bit. And it's been a really big thing, like, a lot of no-hone out now for it. I just keep staying in my word and staying faithful to him and distrust the easy eye to control. It's awesome. What kind of business is it? It's a construction. There are actually two sister companies, one is a bike swaggering mechanical and one's the bike swaggering construction. We built, like, decks, homes, all kinds of stuff. And also do the refrigeration and the, like, display is a big H-ray from commercial stuff as well. And this is kind of a personal question. If you don't want to answer it, we can skip it. That's totally fine. But I know a lot of people who had a parent leave when they were young dealt a lot with viewing God as distant, as viewing God as someone who would leave them. Did that affect your walk with him and how have you overcome that? To be completely honest, like, I didn't even, I thought that was normal until, like, here a Ray Selly. Then I found out a lot of stuff that was about life was not vulnerable. But when it came to, like, just the walking of a Christ thing, I never really got connected as a child. And then, and all those other years, like, it was more, like, I was, like, a far broader for the devil, like, the sight. Definitely all the wrong stuff, like, I would not explain it, like, I was definitely doing

the wrong thing, anything that was last in this literal word, like, that's what I was into and, like, so it's been a complete one, and let me tell you one thing, like, "Hey, don't pick your, you don't care about too much sooner." The board does. That's right. That's right. Yeah. I'm fighting for the wrong team. And so, what do you think, was it just opportunity that caused you to go that path, or do you think it was some deeper issue? I don't know. When I look at it nowadays, I almost feel like, I mean, I feel like the Lord's got a plan for me, and the devil just, like, is trying to stop that really early on. Yeah. And he tried his vest, but it didn't work. He didn't. And you're young, 29, you said, so you still had a lot of years that you can be fighting for the right team, doing thanks for God's kingdom. That's amazing. So obviously, the enemy would love to stop that, right? And so, there are other people out there that God also has a plan and a purpose and a vision for that don't know it, that don't realize it, that are living for themselves in the world. What do you wish someone would have said to you when you were doing that, that you could say to those people? I know that there wasn't much you could have said to me, but there's always been, like, that feeling, like, if there's anybody that's ever watching this, or something that, like, has that feeling of, like, you always feel like there's a purpose, like, you had something that you know you're meant to do, it felt really God gone out, and, like, just because you're going through it right now, it's because you're whipping the wrong way.

If you look up, you're going to take off in that path, and you will find your position that you're supposed to be doing. Yeah, that's good, that's good. Defined, at your purpose, that a lot of people felt that same way, that they just felt this drawing that... Absolutely, like, kind of a bunch of buddies that, like, take it back. We all come in, we call it all, got me pretty raw, but it's, like, watching the development of everybody, and not just, like, a couple of people, like, everybody that, they come from so low to, so far up, like, it's amazing watch, and I remember a couple of buddies that you were never believed to make the development they have today. I know the people that know me from before, don't recognize me anymore. It's amazing. Yeah, well, you're a new creation, right? And I love that, and I think there's a lot of people that feel very low, and they don't know that there's hope, and that there's love, and that they can do it, too, with Christ. But, like, is she right? Yeah, that's amazing. So one thing that I want to just chat about for a minute is the word love, because we, the series is called You Are Loved, and that is our goal to let people know that they have a heavenly Father who loves them deeply, regardless of what abandoned men issues they want. They regardless of what choices they made, regardless of the decisions that they made in the past, they are loved by their Father, and there is a plan and a purpose for them. But the world gives us a very different understanding of what love looks like, and what love sounds like, and how to love others. And so I like to always ask everybody, when you were living in the world before you really knew God and the love that He has for you, what did love look like to you, what did it sound like, what did you think it was, and then how was that different today? Love is like it's deep caring like wanting good for just anybody doesn't have to be your significant other just Wanting them to do good and wanting good things for them and like just caring about somebody as well beating

It's way beyond just less. Less is nothing and I get the words in a lot for me in that fashion too because like I'm a daughter. She's two years old now and My significant other Britney we just got engaged which before like when I went to jail all this It was like I would remember it before their lives again Which that was like suddenly done and then somehow throughout the development of this god like Wait on her art like it just like they like brought her back around she's in true purpose now I'm like Now we're back together and about to get married and something that we felt never been a happened Like we would we couldn't speak to each other and now it's like a toll Torah like We're both happy. Jenna's happy. Like it's just it's amazing. That's awesome Did you get engaged on Thanksgiving? I did Okay, I saw A little hidden secret video of that proposal Um from one of the staff members at true purpose They apparently showed out that you were thanksgiving dinner and started recording Yeah, I'm playing the doubt um But you couldn't have playing so much of it used right? Every idea but I was like in this one sure It was like it was awesome. That is so cool. That is awesome. You're both into purpose You're gonna be a family She's an amazing too She died being into her faith and she's got such a gift on her And it's like the more I talk to lord and like she talks to the lords like I just want to be able to All my roles are like he's even amazed to help facilitate to get her And the position she needs to be because we're a team like formalists And like if I can get her into the position to like maybe just speak to that one person Then there

absolutely That's so cool. And so what the enemy meant for evil, right? God that turned it around and he's restoring An entire family that's gonna serve the lord and that little girl is gonna see her mom and dad serving the lord Oh, yeah, that's amazing. Well, she's so happy now. He was just a rough period new into a long rough period And now it's like God's like yeah, oh by the way There's a suit His imagination is way beyond ours and I figured that out the long way like I love when scripture says that he does exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask thinker imagine, right? Like so much more we have what we think is this perfect plan And he I think he just sits up there and giggles sometimes and he was like, is that all you think I can do? Yeah, like this just wait I can't wait to see where you and your wife Will be in five years like I'd love to have you come back and share what you're doing for the kingdom and Everything else. So that's just awesome. Congratulations Thank you for agreeing to share your story and just helping us reach the lost and bring them the hope of Jesus Christ. Absolutely.