He’d landed in jail six times in seven years by age 17.
The sixth and final time, while sitting alone in his jail cell, he discovered the Bible. Turning to the gospel of John with fingers trembling from withdrawal, he began a journey that would lead to him becoming the pastor of newhope church in Durham, North Carolina; a multisite church home to over 7,000 people.
“The truth is we are all jacked up,” says Benji Kelley, founding pastor of newhope and author of Wrecked and Redeemed: Finding Hope, Freedom, and Acceptance in Christ, “we all have brokenness or wreckage. God uses it, and I spoke vulnerably about my brokenness because it’s the only way I know how to be. When I lead newhope church, I am a work in progress.”
Within the pages of Wrecked and Redeemed, Pastor Kelley shares stories of his own brokenness, as well as his journey to find “hope, freedom, and acceptance” in marriage, family and the founding and pastoring of his church, all against the backdrop of the life-changing book of John. His genre-bending work pairs memoir with exegetical study to create a unique story which is both engaging and impactful.
When you experience Pastor Kelley’s journey, you will be inspired and encouraged to see that Jesus is our only hope, fall in love with the church and see the gospel of John in a new light.
“It doesn’t matter how hopeless you might feel regarding any area of your life, we serve a God of hope who can come in and redeem that area and take us from hopeless to hope-filled,” says Pastor Kelley.
In his life and in the ministry of newhope church, Pastor Kelley illuminates the power of God to turn our efforts and even our failures toward God’s glory.
Learn more about Wrecked and Redeemed: Finding Hope, Freedom, and Acceptance in Christ at benjikelley.com.
Order your copy at wphstore.com.
