I am grateful for the team of guys God has assembled around me. I appreciate Tim LaFleur, Gus Hernandez, Collin Wood, Jeff Borton, Greg Wilton, Chris Swain, and Dylan Young for reading through the manuscript to strengthen the book. I could not have written this book without your encouragement. It truly is a joy to serve together in ministry.
I am grateful for the three churches I’ve had the privilege of pastoring: Immanuel Baptist, Brainerd Baptist, and Long Hollow Baptist. You have spurred me on to be a better pastor and disciple of Christ. You have taken the challenge to “go make disciples” seriously. For that, I am thankful.
Finally, I could not have written this book without the support of my wife Kandi and our two boys, Rig and Ryder. You have lived the pages of this book with me. I can’t wait to write more in the future together.
Foreword
by David Platt
What do you do when a six-foot-six, 290-pound thieving drug-dealing addict, trained to fight, is standing next to you on a Sunday morning in a church gathering? My thought is that you become that guy’s friend as soon as possible!
I have never forgotten the day I met Robby Gallaty. I haven’t forgotten the privilege of baptizing him, not only because of what a special day it was, but also because this six-foot-six 290-pound man slipped on his way down into the baptistry and fell straight toward me, causing water to splash over onto the choir like a wave pool out of control. I haven’t forgotten weekly lunches at Mr. Wang’s Chinese food where we would talk about God’s Word. I haven’t forgotten early mornings together on our knees, crying out to God in prayerful desperation. And I haven’t forgotten countless memories serving Christ alongside him in the US and around the world.
Yet amidst all that, I haven’t forgotten about Robby. I have never gotten over how God saved him. His story, which he shares in this book, is a story of God’s grace in action, God’s patience in practice, and God’s glory on display. After reading it, I am compelled to pray for two particular groups of people.
One, I pray for countless other Robby Gallatys in the world. Men and women who struggle with addiction in various ways. Men and women who might think they are too far removed from God to ever return. Men and women who try and try and try to overcome the temptations of this world, but they can’t seem to find victory. Robby’s story is a reminder to every single person that victory is possible. But that victory only comes through a personal relationship with God through trust in Jesus. I pray that you will read this book if you struggle with addiction, if you feel like you’re far from God, or if you feel like you just can’t conquer the trials and temptations before you. I pray that you will read it and realize that God loves you so much that he will change your life for you. I pray that you will discover that new life can begin right now for you through trust in Jesus, the only One who has conquered every trial and temptation, and ultimately sin and death.
Second, I pray for countless men and women, family members and friends, pastors and church members, who have Robby Gallatys around them. I pray that our eyes will be open to see them, and that our hearts will be open to love them. To pray for them and with them. To walk alongside them with patience and compassion, pointing them continually to God’s Word as the way to true life. To live for God’s glory in others’ lives by pouring God’s grace into their lives.
In the end, I think that’s the main theme of this book: grace. But not just grace in Robby’s life. As I read this book, I was overwhelmed by God’s grace in my life. Sure, my story is a lot different from Robby’s in many ways; but at the core, it’s essentially the same. I was a sinner running from God, just like Robby. And God came running after me, just like Robby. And the good news is—God runs after people like you, too. So I pray that regardless of who you are or what you’ve done, you would know: new life is available to you now and forever by the grace of Almighty God. So I am compelled to pray that you will know this grace and show this grace, soak in it in your life and spread it all across the world, so that more and more and more stories like this one might be written to the glory of the one true God.
Chapter 1
Two Lives
Saturday night. Bourbon Street. Dinner at Galatoire’s.
If you’ve ever hung out in the legendary French Quarter of New Orleans, you may have heard of our favorite restaurant. The best French-Cajun cooking in the city.
It’s February 2001. I’m enjoying my usual: lamb chops with peas, potatoes, and onions. That’s my favorite. I eat everything but the green-rimmed pattern on the plate. Mom, Dad, and Lori are talking about the movie we’re about to see. Seeing as many movies as we have, you tend to become an amateur critic.
Dinner and a movie has been our family’s go-to weekend outing since I was a kid—I’m now twenty-four. We rotate between Galatoire’s downtown, or maybe Tony Angelo’s, if we’re in the mood for Italian. Or Ralph & Kacoo’s for traditional Cajun seafood. Seafood (any style) is always okay with me—breakfast, lunch, or dinner. My favorite is crawfish and crab omelets. But if Dad gets to choose, it’s going to be Galatoire’s, because they make him feel like a million bucks.
My dad is a solid working-class guy. He runs a body shop nearby in Chalmette. He fixes up cars, puts in long hours, and enjoys being pampered by waiters who know his name. He’s never been into hunting or
