On my first day in the executive seat at UGM, I experienced the reality of our work in all its soberness.
Reading the testimony of one of the new men who has joined our program, I found my soul moved deeply. I know what man is by nature, but when it comes to nurture there is great diversity and in many cases much sorrow.
In his own words, this man spoke of being born to a drug-addicted mother who encouraged him to start taking meth when he was seven. Yes, seven!
He grew up in a gang-infested neighborhood here In CA and has been in and out of prison regularly for many years. He believes that he has recently come to faith in Christ and has come seeking help for his addiction with us at UGM.
It’s easy to look at the homeless without compassion and without considering why some are on our streets. It’s easy to look at an addict and say they made their choices.
We are all morally responsible for our lives and are, by nature, accountable to God. However, when you hear of the nurture of some whose lives from the earliest of days are marked by difficulty and tragedy, it is a reminder that there are those who were harmed from the beginning and whose lives are peculiarly marked by it.
I am hopeful that the young man I met today is turning his life around by the grace of God. This is why UGM exists, to see the least, the last, and the lost saved from destruction, added to the church, and living healthy lives again in society.
I am totally convinced that the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, and the compassionate heart of the Christian labors to make it effective in the lives of all men, including those whose nurture is heartbreaking and harmful.
-Pastor Robert Briggs
