He lost everything…then found real treasure.

Cary is an Arkansas man, born and raised. He has known the heights of wealth and popularity, working in politics for 40 years. Then he lost it all – only to find more peace and enjoyment than ever before.

“I was in church most of my life, more than anyone. Wednesdays and Sundays, morning and evening. And I was doing it all for approval and votes. I wanted people to like me so I could get their vote. I was not a nice person and nothing like a Christian on the inside. I looked good, but it wasn’t real.”

Today, Cary works at the Little Rock Compassion Center. He is a mainstay here, happily doing whatever Pastor Holloway needs him to do. If you visit, you will find him teaching a Bible study or an AA 12-step recovery program. You may see him visit your church group, talking about how God gave him peace after losing it all.

And he lost a great amount.

The newspapers and FBI said he burned through $8 million in three years with the help of his then-girlfriend and never enjoyed a day of it. He drank Jack Daniel’s® every night to go to sleep.  All of this earned him three years in federal prison. After that, he was sitting around feeling sorry for himself when he saw an ad in the paper for a job at the Little Rock Compassion Center.

He came over and talked with Pastor Holloway, even though the job was already taken. In that talk, he began telling Pastor Holloway about the emptiness of his life, and before he knew it, was sobbing his heart out. It was the first time he had cried since he was a child.

Pastor Holloway gave him a job at the Compassion Center. That was January 2013. These have been the best years of his life. Cary says he could see Jesus in Pastor Holloway, loving him and wanting the best for him, even though he was broken and sinful.

It was the love of Jesus coming through the kindness of a pastor that gave Cary a desire to be like Jesus.

Cary thinks back to a time he once hid himself and lived as a sham. No one knew he was an alcoholic. Now he sits and talks with homeless and poor people who come to the Compassion Center and hides nothing from them.

He has made the same mistakes they have. He drank too much and wasted his resources. He has let others down and hurt them. He is no different.

He also knows Jesus forgives and offers a new start regardless of your wealth or status.

God is using Cary, just the way he is, to help suffering people find healing, enjoyment, and peace, no matter what the circumstances. He has tasted the love of God, and now he helps others taste it too. He has never been happier.