09/25/2026
Say Hello to Vernon Herbst Vernon has been a resident with inspiration, and now has come on staff as a Case Manager!
I want to share my testimony today, not because I am proud of the person I used to be, but because I am incredibly grateful for the person God has allowed me to become.
Because of childhood abuse and trauma, I spent much of my life struggling with anxiety, depression, and trying to find my worth in other people. Around the age of 15, I began using alcohol to numb the pain. Eventually, alcohol led to drugs, and I became trapped in the destructive cycle of addiction.
I tried many times to break free. I went through rehabilitation programs, counseling, medications, and made countless promises to quit. But I continued going back to the same life. Addiction cost me jobs, vehicles, relationships, freedom, and eventually left me homeless. I reached a place of complete spiritual bankruptcy. I was broken, exhausted, hopeless, and no longer wanted to live.
Then God intervened.
The very morning I had made the decision to end my life, I received a phone call from Inspiration Ministries. Looking back, I know that call was not a coincidence. It was God reaching into my darkest moment and giving me another opportunity to live.
I entered the nine-month program at Inspiration Ministries, and my life began to change. Through Inspiration, I was introduced to an incredible church family at The Church at Garrett, where I encountered the love and grace of Jesus Christ in a way I never had before. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, repented of my old life, was baptized, and began a relationship with Christ that continues to transform me today.
For years, I had tried to overcome addiction in my own strength. God showed me I did not have to do it alone. Through His grace and power, He broke the bo***ge of drugs and alcohol from my life.
Today, I understand that recovery is about more than simply staying sober. It is about becoming a new creation in Christ. I stay connected to my church family, study God’s Word, pray, continue in discipleship, and have the privilege of helping facilitate Celebrate Recovery so I can encourage others who are still struggling.
By the grace of God, I have now been sober for four years. I do not take credit for those years. My sobriety is a testimony to God’s grace, mercy, strength, and faithfulness.
God has also given me the incredible opportunity to become part of the Inspiration Ministries team. Now I get to serve God by serving men who are walking through many of the same struggles I once faced. The things I once considered my greatest failures have become part of the testimony God uses to bring hope to others.
I used to believe my identity was defined by my trauma, addiction, failures, and mistakes. Today, I know my identity is found in Jesus Christ. My past is part of my story, but it does not determine my future.
God gave me hope when I had none, purpose when I was lost, and life when I wanted to die.
My testimony is proof that no one is too broken, too lost, or too far gone for the grace of God. I am forever grateful for Inspiration Ministries, The Church at Garrett, my brothers and sisters in Christ, and every person God has placed along my journey.
But above all, I am grateful to Jesus Christ.
I am not standing here today because I was strong enough to save myself. I am standing here because Jesus Christ saved me, restored me, gave me new life, and gave me purpose.
All glory, honor, and praise belong to Him.
