Recently, I fished in the Minnesota Fishing Challenge event. It’s an annual fundraiser for a nonprofit, faith-based addiction recovery program—Mn Adult & Teen Challenge (MnTC). The nonprofit is based in Minnesota but is part of a larger organization throughout the U.S. and Canada. Beyond that, it’s part of an international treatment program with a presence in about 130 nations. Amazing!
My life has been impacted by addiction in many ways. The devastation and broken relationships it has brought are horrific. I’ve learned from experience that addiction has one job: to destroy lives—and it succeeds far too often.
But there is a more powerful force than addiction: love. This might sound lofty to some, but that love is manifested in faith, hope, and the power of people who believe change is possible. These individuals are working tirelessly to help lift others out of the pit of addiction. It is within this love that recovery happens—with the help of people who have hearts for others and the sheer determination of those caught in addiction.
Lives Are Being Set Free
In addiction recovery, people are doing God’s work in one of the darkest and most stubborn places on earth: the human heart.
Although I’ve been around and affected by addiction throughout my life, I truly know very little about how it works. Why do some fall into it? How is it that some find freedom while others don’t? I have no answers to these questions. What I do know is that a life transformed and released from the grip of addiction is a beautiful thing—and I was honored to support a cause that is working to set people free.
My Small Part
I’m going to be honest. When I entered the fishing tournament, I was drawn in by the opportunity to go fishing. It’s a sport I love, and a friend at work asked me if I wanted to partner with him in the event. I didn’t hesitate to say yes.
The night before fishing, there was a dinner and program. The excitement in the air was electric. Then, a group of men who were part of MnTC’s recovery program gave testimonies and sang for the crowd. It was powerful. It was heart-wrenching to hear the stories of addiction and devastation.
I experienced my own heart transformation as I sat and listened. I wasn’t there to fish—I was there to witness something miraculous and beautiful.
Changed lives.
On Gull Lake in Minnesota
The next day, my fishing buddy and I hit Gull Lake and had a great time. But I never lost sight of what we were doing. We were participating in a greater good, and I felt like a small part of something meaningful. It was humbling, inspiring, and filled with hope.
And yes, we caught fish.
But the true “catch of the day” was the people whose lives are being changed—and the many there who were working to help them reclaim freedom.
The Minnesota Fishing Challenge raised—wait for it—$700,000 for MnTC. Unfathomable! While it seemed that the generosity came from loving people who donated to a worthy cause, I believe there was a deeper force behind the giving. There was an unseen hand guiding each dollar removed from a wallet, each check written, each card swiped, and each heart opened and willing.
It was the hand of God.
He holds the power to replace the lie of addiction with the truth. He has the power to transform live. He has the power to set people free.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” —John 8:32
