Episode 104: What love really is; finding Jesus and freedom from addiction with Randy Donithan

 We are excited to welcome our friend and ministry leader Randy Donithan to the podcast today!

⚠️ Before you listen, we do want to give you a trigger warning for this episode. Pornography and sex addiction is discussed throughout this conversation. ⚠️ 

Randy was born and raised in Arizona growing up in the 50s and 60s. His family life was very difficult as his father was an alcoholic, and this caused many fights between his parents. As a child he felt he was in survival mode and didn't want anyone around to know what was going on in his home. At age 11 a friend showed him a stash of Playboy magazines. This unfortunately led to years and years of addiction. Randy describes it as being in a never-ending cycle of shame and low self-worth among other things. Growing up he had heard confusing messages about Jesus and though he called himself a Christian he didn't really know what that meant. As he grew up into his young adult life his pornography addiction only continued, and it affected how he viewed relationships and even caused struggles in pursuing higher education. At one point he thought a fresh start in California would solve his problems, but he soon found that the struggles followed him. We appreciated Randy being so open in walking us through this time of his life. At age 28 Randy found himself back in Arizona running his own flooring business. He reconnected with a friend who knew Christ and this relationship led Randy to a true understanding of who Jesus. He placed his faith in him for the first time and finally understood what love really is. There were still steps to be taken to work on healing his addiction, but he finally had hope for his life. Randy was soon introduced to a woman named Becky who would become his wife. Together they raised adopted special needs children together while also having children of their own.  Life had taken an amazing turn! Years later, Randy was once again faced with his addictions and struggles. Now being a husband and father, he knew he had to take purposeful steps towards healing. Listen in to hear about how support groups and Christian relationships helped him to heal and begin recovery. It eventually led Randy to leading Celebrate Recovery groups across the valley, including the group we offer here at DSCC. Don't miss this incredible story of God's healing! Remember that you are not alone. God is ready for you with open arms.

Celebrate Recovery at DSCC - https://dscchurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1946954

Care & Support Groups at DSCC - https://dscchurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1882239

Connect with Randy - radonithan@yahoo.com

Connect with Pastor Trevor - trevor@dscchurch.com

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