Student Spotlight-John Skorik

John Skorik is one of the happiest people I have ever met. The peace he carries around cannot be forged.  If you see John without a smile that means that something is seriously wrong.  In fact, I don’t think that I’ve never seen him without one.  John completed the SFT Awareness program at a 2004 church seminar and I was fortunate to meet him about three years later.

I wanted to find out what John’s life was like before SFT Awareness. John used the phrase “out of control” to describe his life before he became a Christian 14 years ago.  However, even after that he still “struggled big time” and was depressed until introduced to SFT where he was trained to remove emotional.  As soon as he first heard the material he was immediately drawn into it.

John noted, “I dealt with a lot of negativity growing up which lead me around the behavior cycle over and over again.  In and out of relationships I was constantly under the illusion of living life on the edge which involved major escape behaviors, anything that took me out of reality and placed me in a state of fantasy.  I had a lot of escape behaviors but the ones I engaged in the most were: anger, verbalization, sex, tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.”

John’s jobs and careers have led him in many directions, much like the majority of people.  He has done everything from working in a bakery, to working as a car porter, to construction, to working in Ace Hardware where his father-in-law was the owner.  Now John and his wife Connie own a successful business, cleaning homes in the Brentwood and Franklin area.

John does have one claim to fame: He was in a rock band with his three brothers where they were on their way to becoming real superstars.  The band played in a lot of clubs in WI (where John is from originally), and brought in some large crowds at summer concerts.  They also traveled to New York and London England and even entertained crowds in TN.  John notes that these were some good times and that he learned a lot from the experience, but he’s glad it’s all over because this is where he “lived on the edge” and engaged in the escape behaviors that left him feeling empty.

Since learning SFT, John is amazed at how clear the big picture is and notes that his “life now leans more on the far side of contentment rather than a world full of emotional pain that drove me down the road to destructive behaviors.”  He loves how the knowledge and tools taught in SFT are directly from Christ Jesus.That is why it works so powerfully!  He points out that the greatest difference for him has been in his ability to communicate with others, such as his family and his customers.

If he had to pick one lesson that was most beneficial to him from SFT, John would say a positive attitude. However, he is quick to point out that they are all essential in removing emotional pain.  He remembers what Ron Wilkins, the founder of SFT, always told him….  “Without one or the other you will not be able to find total contentment in every state of human endeavor.”

John has not only noticed a difference in his own life as a result of SFT.  He’s seen it make a difference in the lives of many people.  The biggest difference he has seen is in the life of his own teenage daughter, Stephanie.  He says “her life before SFT and after SFT have been equivalent to night and day.  I’m so proud of her!”

John will let you know that he now knows Jesus more since learning SFT. Through SFT, a student learns how Jesus was able to suffer all that He did and still find contentment in His life. This is a subject that John likes to talk a lot about. He reminds us that Christ experienced all kinds of emotional pain… everything from being ridiculed because of His hometown to being betrayed by one of his followers to being brutally beaten and mocked and hung on a cross - all for doing nothing wrong.  And Jesus knew all this was going to happen to Him!  In the words of John, “Jesus knew what emotional pain was all about, but He also knew how to process it, He knew how to remove it, and that’s what we have to do if we want peace or contentment in our life.  Christ was content knowing he was going to suffer, knowing He was going to be crucified! How did he do it? He was a master of the attitude and skills.”

John encourages anyone who is thinking about going through the SFT Awareness program to go ahead. There are so many benefits.

To any individual or church thinking about supporting SFT Awareness, John says, “I would tell them that SFT would be such a good program for anyone who struggles with emotional pain. …. There are so many lost souls out there searching for a way that will give them some relief, wouldn’t it be great if they knew about SFT?”

The last words that John would like to leave us with are these: “Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ Learn of His ways, His attitudes and His skills and make them a part of your life and you soon be content in every state of human endeavor.”