Past Debt
When we launched this blog, our commitment was simple: share ministry and life updates with you every other week. We wanted to keep you close to the work God is doing through Greenhouse Project—not just the good, but also the hard and humbling parts.
Recently, I was confronted with one of those humbling moments.
Most of you know my story: years of addiction and incarceration left a trail of pain for the people who loved me—and for society as a whole. Rehabs, prisons, and courts are part of my past. It’s a past I don’t glorify, but I’ve learned to respect, because God has redeemed it. Out of deep brokenness, He has allowed me to help others wrestling with the same battles.
But redemption doesn’t mean our past disappears.
An Unexpected Call
Not long ago, as we prepared to close on a new discipleship recovery house, the closing agent called me.
“John, did you know you owe fines to Delaware County?”
I was shocked. My last court date was in 2006, probation ended in 2009. How could this be? Yet as they read me the case numbers, the truth hit: I owed court fines from 2002 and 2005—over 20 years ago—adding up to thousands of dollars.
I guess I thought things just… disappeared.
Faced With Past Choices
In that moment, I had two options:
Pretend it wasn’t happening, justify my actions, or shift blame.
Take ownership of my past, even when it was inconvenient and costly.
Emily and I prayed, then made the decision to pay the debt in full. It was disappointing to discover, but I knew what needed to be done.
A Kingdom Lesson
This whole experience reminded me of Jesus’ words in Luke 18:9–14.
Two men went up to the Temple to pray: a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee stood tall, thanking God that he was better than others. The tax collector stood far off, unable to lift his eyes, and simply prayed: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Jesus tells us it was the tax collector—the humble one—who went home justified before God.
Why? Because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
What I Learned
That unexpected phone call was more than a financial issue—it was a spiritual reminder. A reminder that my past doesn’t vanish, but God’s mercy is greater than any debt.
I’m not thankful for the fines, but I am thankful for the witness. My children, our church, our recovery guys, and our community get to see what it means to live out humility and integrity in real time.
And I am reminded again: God’s grace is not just for my past, but for my present and future too.
A Word to the Next Generation
Here’s the lesson I hope you take from this:
Be moved by the Gospel in your past, your present, and your future. Godly behavior doesn’t earn the Gospel—it reflects it. Our humility, patience, self-control, and integrity are not the root of salvation, but the evidence of it.
At the end of the day, our calling in Chester is to witness life transformation in Jesus Christ. And every step—even the humbling ones—are opportunities to glorify Him.
Reflection Questions:
What “old debt” is God bringing to your attention—not just financial, but spiritual, emotional, or relational—that He wants to redeem for His glory?
👉 Take a moment today to pray: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Restore me, and help me walk humbly in Your grace.”
There is freedom when “old debts” are paid! Sometimes it’s small things we keep hidden, or wrongs we don’t feel like making right, or promptings from the Lord we keep ignoring.
👉 Ask God to reveal action steps: What can you do, in partnership with the Lord, to make right any “old debts” being revealed to you as you reflect on your own story?