Life Above Reproach

By Shawn Alan

My life was in complete utter turmoil until I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.  I was saved, but I kept Jesus in the passenger seat.  That got me nowhere in life fast.  I was very successful as far as my physical being, but I was never happy on the inside spiritually.  Without God, I was nothing.

It took going to jail to reconnect my life to Jesus.  Everything happens for a reason, right?  I truly do believe that God will allow things to happen to us, to not only get your attention, but bring you closer to Him.  And that’s just what He did.  I am never looking back, only growing closer and closer to Him.

I loved being a part of “Life Above Reproach.”  It was the first program I got into when coming here to CSP-Solano.  Being a part of such a God-fearing group of young men, warmed my heart with the Spirit.  It feels good to be a part of something so positive and so organized.  I love the structure of the program, the small groups, and the order in which we read the New Testament.  I loved the openness of the groups and how we were able to have real discussions about what we just read.

Then there was the “accountability” phase, where there was so much “heavy-lifting” going on during this part of the group.  I really learned a lot about each member of our group through this.  We were really able to help and lean on each other during this process.  Plus this gave us a chance to see what others got from the readings, different views and such.  This was a time to ask questions and get to know the Bible, Jesus, and ourselves a little bit better.

Before taking this class, I felt like I must be the best or I will be nothing, that I must be very successful at everything I do.  I got excited and built up in my mind how successful I must be.  I felt that if I didn’t do everything right, I would fail.

I can, and will, honestly say that I am a better man from taking this course.  I am truly blessed to get to know all the great men of this program.  I truly thank Armando V. Muňoz for organizing and putting this program together.  My plan is to continue to take this course as many times as I can.  Now, I strongly believe and am fully confident that I am on the right track and leading a healthier way of life.

Thank you,

Shawn Alan Bradley