Always an Alcoholic?

Serenity…. Calmness…. “It is well with my soul…..” That is what you’ll likely notice exuding from Scott Edwards’ presence when you meet him. Scott is clean-cut, friendly and very pleasant to be around. Scott has a peace about him that is genuine and sincere.

You would never know upon meeting Scott that his life was once drastically different. How different was his life before learning to remove emotional pain in the SFT Awareness program? In Scott’s own words, “I had just lost my house, which was after I lost my job, which was after I had lost my family, through divorce. In between those events I had racked up 3 DUI’s and was looking at some jail time…obviously. So I was about as low as a man can go. No hope, no real future. I was thinking of taking my life.” Two of Scott’s DUI’s involved accidents in which he received injuries, but thankfully no one else was hurt. Scott was suffering from moderate to severe depression, and as you might guess, a drinking problem. He had somehow managed to be a functioning alcoholic for 30 something years, but when his wife and children left him he hit rock bottom.

Thankfully, God was at work in Scott’s life. Barry, a good friend, offered to let Scott stay with him until he could get back on his feet. At the time, Scott thought he would never honestly get back on his feet. But something happened one day….. Ron Wilkins, the founder of SFT Awareness, touched Scott’s heart in a television commercial. Scott felt as though Ron was speaking directly to him. He was so intrigued that he took action and called Ron.

As he went through the SFT Awareness course, Scott learned how to remove the emotional pain in his life using the attitudes and skills Ron taught him. Scott soon found himself wanting to be like Ron because of how he mastered the teaching and helped others. Now Scott is working on doing just that. He feels compelled to share this message with others who are in such great need of it so he is beginning a local jail ministry using the SFT Awareness teaching.

After Scott’s completion of the program in the beginning of 2006, he had the best year of his life, even though he spent the summer in jail. Between Ron and Barry’s influence and teaching, his life was making positive turns. Scott recalls how that “if you stay at Barry’s you go to church three times a week.” He was literally surrounded by all kinds of positive influences. In April of ’06 Scott was baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of his sins.

What about Scott’s drinking problem and job loss situation? In Scott’s own words, “Learning the skills of processing pain with accurate thinking made quitting drinking a reality in my life, which I did not think possible. …Even made it easy, I’ve been sober going on 4 years now. After I did my jail time I was able to get my job back.”

“That’s what this program does,” Scott notes. “It lets you start living. No stress, no depression, no worry, you don’t panic. There’s no reason for escape behaviors. It’s a great program, one that everyone can learn from. It’s for everyone I think because of the communication aspect. You learn how to listen…then think accurately….then communicate effectively. Like Ron said, ‘It’s about getting your needs met without offending others.’ As we also learn from Jesus in the gospel accounts, live at peace with yourself and others, helping everyone.”

Scott leaves us with this:

“I think this program not only helps individuals but it will also help the church. If more deacons and elders went through the program, and I’m sure they will, they would see the benefits as well. Like I said before…communication, listening, accurate thinking these are skills I use everyday, at work, at home, it’s automatic once you learn them!”

“We (SFT) need to grow also. I can’t say enough about Gary and his staff. They are doing great work and have BIG plans! I see great things ahead for SFT. I’m very proud to be a part of the young and rapidly growing organization.  If you’d like to join us please let us know! We need Trainers!”

Student Spotlight-Brabara Davis

Before SFT I was not able to deal with all the worries of life and be happy.  Before SFT I could not clearly see why  Jesus would react to circumstance that might arise and not become angry with his followers.  Before SFT I did not see the real Jesus and the way he helps us to deal with stress and worries in our lives.  After talking with Ron Wilkins I could see clearer the example of Christ walking on this earth and how Jesus could face the trials on this earth and be at peace.  Jesus dealt with people where they were at the time. He talked with them in such a way that they wanted to change and become better people.

When I began to study with Ron in 2007, I was going through a difficult time where my whole department at work was being eliminated. I was looking for a way to deal with all the pain of the loss of my fellow workers, of some 20 years together, and a possible job loss of my own. I was still dealing with the recent loss of my dad and struggling with the empty nest of all the children. Yes I was really depressed.  I loved to ruminate and get stuck in the self pity cycle. I needed a better focus for the future.   I was hoping to learn the program so I could deal with my issues and maybe one day, in turn, help others.  Ron had mentioned in Sunday school class that he was looking for a few people to help him spread the good news by the use of SFT, so I plan to become a trainer for ladies.

Thinking errors can trap you into a shell that is hard to break out of by yourself.  SFT allows you to see exactly what you are doing to yourself and others, by using these thinking errors to excuse your behavior.  We all have thinking errors but some people are masters at using them every day.  SFT helps to break that cycle and creates an awareness of each thinking error you use. SFT puts you on the right track to looking for the good in every situation and allows you to glorify God each day.

I am still struggling with some of the escape behaviors from my thinking errors, but I know now what is happening and try to get a handle on them before they take over. Just knowing that part of the pain I caused myself was due to thinking errors helps to prevent these in the future. Food is still my escape from stress and I like to blame others for things, (Steve will agree with this as well).

I have worked at Ingram Book Company, my working career, over the last 30 plus years. I have had various positions with Ingram from Accounts Payable, Transportation and Merchandising and now I am currently a Buyer for the distribution centers. SFT helps me to deal with all different personality types and still be effective in my job.SFT has helped me to see the emotional pain in others and the tools to help.  I try to use the SFT methods to guide others back into a Christ like mind set for dealing with the issues at hand.

When we are faced with an emotional shock or disaster the SFT methods can help you see,” that this too will pass” and it is just another part of life to deal with and go on.  We can learn from our mistakes and start again looking forward and not dwelling in the past.We can deal with the issues one at a time and prepare ourselves for success by taking the extra efforts to give the forgiveness needed.

My vision for SFT would be to take this program to each congregation to use these teaching as an outreach method for non believers.  Everyone has emotional pain and SFT can help remove that pain and lead others to Christ by the Christian example.  I give the program my full financial and emotional support.

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.”

SFT Student Spotlight-Ben Lambeth

Ben is just a real guy like you and me. Before being introduced to SFT Awareness, he was a hard working Tennessee man who was just trying to get by in life He served faithfully as an active leader at the religious body of which he was a part. However, something was missing from Ben’s life…. He was very unsettled. Turmoil pervaded in his life and he was carrying around a lot of emotional pain. Ben was depressed. Peace was lacking and he knew it. He sought it, but couldn’t find it. Like many, Ben was struggling with at least eight out of the top ten escape behaviors or addictions.

Fortunately, Ben believed in the power of prayer. He prayed to God to help him find peace in his life. This is where something great happened in Ben’s life. He was at a gas station in GA and noticed a man there whose presence radiated peace. He was curious and so he talked to the man. This man happened to also be from Tennessee and was none other than Ron Wilkins, the founder of SFT Awareness. Ben asked Ron how he acquired this peace. Since they didn’t live very far apart, Ron said, “Come see me in and I will show you.”

The rest is history as they say. Ben did go to see Ron. He too learned to have that peace that Ron possessed and that he had been seeking. He learned it through mastering the attitudes and skills Ron taught him in the SFT Awareness program. Because of the things that Ben learned in SFT Awareness, he became interested in a Bible study to learn more about the peace that Jesus provides. Ben was soon baptized and he began teaching others what he had been taught. Ron and David Pope guided Ben and let him discover the truth, “and for that I am indebted to them forever,” says Ben.

Ben will be quick to tell you that SFT turned his life around.The most beneficial things he learned were humility and reducing his pride (lowering the “me factor”) and compassion for others. These things can truly turn someone’s life around. Fortunately, though, SFT offers even more!

Ben admits that although he “knew of” Jesus before, he now “knows” Jesus since learning SFT. He did not understand the truth beforehand. Thankfully, He now has a close relationship with his Savior.

Since learning SFT Awareness five years ago, Ben now teaches SFT to others at the Concord Road church Christ and at a local construction company. But that’s not where he wants to keep SFT Awareness. Because of the peace that he has seen it provide for himself and others, Ben has a vision to see SFT spread across the United States and around the globe.

When asked what he would say to someone who was thinking about going through the SFT Awareness program, Ben stated, “Please do not pass the opportunity up. It will change your life.”

When asked what he would say to an individual or congregation that is considering supporting the SFT program, Ben also responded, “Please do not pass up this opportunity. Not only are there many within our own congregations who are hurting and blinded, but there are many in the denominational world who are blinded like I once was. Jesus tells us the harvest field is large and to go into all the world. SFT Awareness provides us a unique way to obey His command.”

A Tribute to a Man of Men

 I never will forget the first time I noticed this man. It was in Bible class at church. He sat as a student in class, but when he opened his mouth to make a comment all I noticed was an emblem of peace and wisdom and a man of God. His presence of peace almost made me melt. I remember thinking, “Who is this man? I have to meet him.” Each comment he made thereafter, each prayer he prayed, each time he spoke, each time I came into his presence, each time I sat at his feet as a student I was in awe of the wisdom and peace that permeated his life and the genuineness of his character. Read more