But God: A Story of Redemption and Grace
J Neil Daniel
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he speaks to those who have come out of deep darkness and into the light of Christ. He writes, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11). I find myself deeply connected to those words. Such were some of you. That was me.
I started down the wrong path early in life. By the time I was 9 or 10, I was already experimenting with inhalants. Between the ages of 13 and 14, I began using narcotics, drinking hard liquor, running away, and became sexually active. My teen years were spent in and out of juvenile facilities. By the time I was 18, I was arrested—and nearly three decades later, I have been incarcerated ever since.
I was lost. I was hopeless. I was trapped in a life that had no future, no direction, no hope. But God.
But God, in His incredible mercy and grace, found me, redeemed me, and gave me a new life. God has done more than just pull me out of the pit I had dug for myself—He has transformed my life completely. In prison, He opened doors I never imagined possible. He gave me the opportunity to pursue an education, to study His Word, and to minister to others who are on the same dark path I once walked.
Today, I mentor men, I fellowship with people both here and beyond these walls, and God has blessed me with ministry opportunities that far exceed anything I could have dreamed of. Among these opportunities are writing and publishing a half dozen books in theology and working closely with the publishing arm of an international Christian ministry.
Paul was right: such were some of you. But God.
No matter how far gone you think you are, no matter how deep into darkness you’ve fallen, remember this: there is always hope, because But God changes everything. He redeems. He restores. He saves—to the uttermost.
But God: A Story of Redemption and Grace
J Neil Daniel
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he speaks to those who have come out of deep darkness and into the light of Christ. He writes, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11). I find myself deeply connected to those words. Such were some of you. That was me.
I started down the wrong path early in life. By the time I was 9 or 10, I was already experimenting with inhalants. Between the ages of 13 and 14, I began using narcotics, drinking hard liquor, running away, and became sexually active. My teen years were spent in and out of juvenile facilities. By the time I was 18, I was arrested—and nearly three decades later, I have been incarcerated ever since.
I was lost. I was hopeless. I was trapped in a life that had no future, no direction, no hope. But God.
But God, in His incredible mercy and grace, found me, redeemed me, and gave me a new life. God has done more than just pull me out of the pit I had dug for myself—He has transformed my life completely. In prison, He opened doors I never imagined possible. He gave me the opportunity to pursue an education, to study His Word, and to minister to others who are on the same dark path I once walked.
Today, I mentor men, I fellowship with people both here and beyond these walls, and God has blessed me with ministry opportunities that far exceed anything I could have dreamed of. Among these opportunities are writing and publishing a half dozen books in theology and working closely with the publishing arm of an international Christian ministry.
Paul was right: such were some of you. But God.
No matter how far gone you think you are, no matter how deep into darkness you’ve fallen, remember this: there is always hope, because But God changes everything. He redeems. He restores. He saves—to the uttermost.
