Hogan
On Friday morning, March 26, 2004 at 5:00 a.m., Jon Hogan woke up to find two men with handcuffs in his bedroom. They told him to get out of bed and get dressed. Minutes later they put the suitcase his parents had packed for him in the car. Jon got in the back seat, still groggy from sleep. His parents called after him, "Just remember, we love you." He leaned back against the seat and thought, "Whatever. At least I got out of that school project that was due today."
What led up to this day? Jon remembers having fun with his parents during his childhood. He and his dad would "hang out and play puppets," his dad making voices for them. His mom bought him a Zorro outfit, which he would wear while he sat on the arm of the couch (his horse) watching old Zorro movies. His faith in Christ was important to him. He had grown up in church. In fourth grade he made a cross necklace in Sunday School, wore it to school everyday, and shared his faith with those who would ask.
Sometime in the 6th grade Jon's life began to change. An 8th grade bully cut the cross necklace off his neck one day. At this point Jon became afraid of the world, fearful of evil. However, instead of withdrawing he decided that blending in would be the better strategy. It was about this time that he and his family started to attend Grace Church. Although he was hearing the gospel preached and seeing it lived out, he felt that God was distant from him. The love of God seemed very unreal. His heart became hard. By the ninth grade he was eager to begin experimenting with drugs. The opportunity came in March. Using a county fair as their cover, he and some friends smoked pot in a field on the way to the fair. He was hooked from the first try.
Two years later, he had moved on to harder drugs, taking them with increasing frequency. At home he tried to act normal. His parents suspected that he was leading a double life, but he became a master of deception, sometimes tearfully repenting, at other times charming and persuasive. Finally they learned the truth. After attempting to help their son at home and through the church, they took desperate measures. Jon would be taken against his will and without prior knowledge to a residential program for kids addicted to drugs.
How did God meet him in the midst of these distressing circumstances? Jon saw God's grace even before he left for Utah. Twice he was caught by the police, but not arrested. These incidents sobered him for a time, but through God's mercy, didn't leave him with a police record. Shortly before he left home, he went to see The Passion of Christ. He was grieved to see how Jesus had suffered for the very sins he was committing. God used that movie to convict him and begin to soften his heart.
After arriving at the program God helped him to persevere. Early on Jon planned to use his wits to sweet talk his way out of the program. This had worked for him in the past. The first night he went to bed feeling as if he would go crazy if he couldn't get out soon. The next morning, mysteriously, he felt calmer and thought that he could stay the nine months until his eighteenth birthday. He began to submit to the process.
God used other means to reach his heart as well. Jon met with a therapist once a week, a nice man who genuinely cared for him. He also had regular contact with a family representative, a woman Jon described as a "human lie detector." She wouldn't let him get away with lying. When he finally broke and began speaking honestly, she began encouraging him. His parents sent him a Bible. He began reading it every day. For the first time he realized how little he knew or understood about the faith he had professed. Another life-changing book that he read was Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. With Lewis, Jon felt that nothing was assumed. His faith began to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Jon had always considered himself a Christian. He never doubted the existence of God. He knew how to give the right answers in Sunday School. He just didn't like God's plan for his life; in fact he had been fighting it for over five years. During the nine months before his eighteenth birthday, God continued to soften his heart and plant His truth there. When his birthday came, Jon had a decision to make. It was then that he gave his life over to God's plan. He decided to stay and finish the program, however long it would take. Just at the time when he could have demanded and received his freedom, he decided to stay. God had shown him that he still needed help and had convinced him that He was there to help him every step of the way until he was ready to leave. He knew that God loved him. Jon was returned home to his family and friends at Grace Church on October 30, 2005.