When a Good Kid Goes Bad...and How One Was Redeemed...

My name is Adam Gurley and I was born in North Carolina to two wonderful and adoring parents. I was raised in church and was the kid during Sunday School who knew all the answers. A wonderful childhood, from any angle. Then the enemy came in. A pornographic magazine was shown to me by a "friend" in first grade, and it altered my life forever. I began battling with these thoughts and images at a very early age and it continued into my adult life. Fueling this was a desperate desire to be liked by my peers. I felt this urgent need to be exactly what they wanted me to be. When I was rejected by girls, I would turn to images of girls that would not reject me. Rejection fueled depression and by age 16, I was in counseling on a regular basis. Having been diagnosed ADHD at an early age, my counselor added on other buzzwords MDD, OCD, Severe clinical depression, etc. I went through high school struggling with the image I saw, and the image I wanted others to see. Good grades and my well mannered speech got along well with teachers, but I was desperate and hurting inside. I entered into my hometown community college after graduating and things kept spiraling down. My mom began a desperate search for help elsewhere. She found Hope 4 Teens and mentioned it to me. I was uninterested at the time.
A few months later my horrendous condition was revealed to me. A showdown occurred in my psychiatrist's office. "I do these things because I want to! I can stop! Watch me!!" I shouted at him. I was utterly convinced that my life was my own and that I had complete control of it. I was out to prove to him that this was the case. I swore my oath on a Monday. By Wednesday of that week, I realized I was a hopeless mess. I talked to my mom about Hope 4 Teens. I came out on May 14, 2003, a decision that inexorably altered my life. I went through the program in 7 months and came out a changed man. But God wasn't done with me.
I entered into Elijah Generation (EG). I thought I grew while in Hope 4 Teens, but that was nothing compared with what happened in EG. I was stretched, I was taught, I was discipled. It was an eye-opening experience. Then as the year progressed, I taught bible studies, I preached sermons, I memorized scripture. And God was moving in my life. I came back for a second year and was a leader in the home. I began to realize God was pulling me more. Learning about confronting in love, management, delegation: the necessary elements of leadership, they were all there. Then, my time in EG was up. I felt God calling me into the workforce, and off I went.
It was a hard decision, EG had been my life for two years, but as I entered the Accountability Homes I realized God was starting another phase. I was learning life skills: paying bills, managing a checking account, and so much more. The guys I lived with in the home were a huge help as well. They constantly encouraged me, and I them, in our walks with God. And my jobs added a new dynamic, learning to seek God with life's responsibilities coming down on my shoulders. I worked a job for 3 years before coming back to full-time ministry.
And here I am today. Nearly 6 years after moving out here I am a completely changed individual. A responsible, integrous man stands where a reckless, apathetic youth once sat. The call of God is evident in my life and I have a restored relationship with my parents. I no longer need to seek approval, the Creator of the Universe has given me His.

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