Meet the rutherford's

Growing up in Lawrenceville, GA, I was an only child raised by a single mother. I was surrounded by the excitement of playing sports and exploring the outdoors with neighborhood kids. Despite these blessings, something was missing: a father. Although he was occasionally present in my early years, his absence for most of my life left a deep wound—a longing that many may know all too well. This void created what I now understand as an orphan spirit, leading me down some dark and dangerous paths.

In my search for identity and belonging, I turned to everything the world offered. I tried to fill that emptiness with drugs and alcohol, believing for a time that I had found myself in those vices. But in reality, things spiraled out of control, especially during college. I became addicted to drugs for 18 years and spent nearly 6 years in prison. My life was marked by multiple suicide attempts, car wrecks, and overdoses.

Then, on April 30, 2013, everything changed. God met me in the depths of my despair—in a holding cell, of all places—and set me free. My simple prayer was, “God, help me.” In that moment, I surrendered my will to His, and I found true freedom through Christ.

Today, God has blessed me with a beautiful wife and three wonderful children. We serve a God who is faithful through every season, no matter how dark. Now, He has given me a burden to reach back into the same darkness He called me out of, to help those still suffering find the freedom and redemption that only Christ can provide.

There was a time in my life when I felt like I didn't belong. From the very beginning, I was marked by rejection-my biological father didn't want me, and that left a deep wound that followed me as I grew up. My home, instead of being a place of safety, became a place where I endured trauma. The pain was overwhelming, and by the age of 12, I sought comfort in alcohol and hard drugs. I was lost, in and out of trouble, and trapped in a cycle of toxic and abusive relationships. 

I know what it feels like to lose people you love, to see life slip away through the grip of addiction. I've experienced the heartache of losing friends to overdoses and the darkness that makes you feel like there's no way out. There were moments when I didn't want to go on, when life felt too heavy to bear. But in my darkest moment, when I felt most alone, I cried out to Jesus. And He met me-right there, in the middle of my brokenness. 

Over the last 10 years, He has taken every shattered piece of my life and gently put it back together. He's healed the wounds that I thought would never heal. Today, I'm married to an amazing man, and together we have three beautiful children. My life has been completely transformed!