Guns to God: My journey from drug dealing to deliverance

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I never imagined I’d enjoy being a mentor when I first agreed to do it — I just knew it was a great cover-up. I was sure that the world around me is filled with predators – I was surrounded by terrible, inhuman things.

Claud hero-worshipped his brother, who left home in his early teens to become a violent drug dealer and was in prison by the time Claud was 7. Now I serve in the church, and therefore, if God permits, I will become a priest in the Church of England. Whether you read it in a day or take your time over it, there is a challenge in these pages to see the work of God in one man's life, and the hand of God over all our lives.In working with them, he recognised many of his own struggles as a young adult with issues of identity, self-worth, confidence, and need to belong, and the urgent need for positive role models. Though exceptional in parts, Claud's journey is remarkably relatable: it is one of being shaped by circumstance and formed through faith, of losing yourself only to be found.

When Claud was approached about becoming a mentor for high-risk young offenders for the local council, it initially seemed like a handy ‘respectable’ cover for his drug-dealing activities. I had no idea then that I was about to become both stronger and more vulnerable than I’d ever been in my life. RT Kendall, author and pastor of Westminster Chapel for over 25 years, presents some of his favourite messages from his many years in ministry. Meanwhile the family were living in poverty and had to move house regularly – at one point, Claud slept on the floor under the stairs.

When Claud was 6 years old, he held a gun for the first time – a 9mm handgun belonging to his older brother. Claud’s passion for football and his natural talent led to him being invited for a trial at Wimbledon football club at the age of 13. And then this fella stood up with his chinos on, walked out in front of 100 people and produced the cross.

He really looked forward to the sessions and, one evening, ‘my heart dared Jesus to come into my life and make a change’, giving him a sense of deep joy and peace. Speaking to them, I cast my mind back to the times when I was a child facing poverty with my family. After a few years, I realized that a cover would be good for my “way of making money,” so I started volunteering to mentor juvenile delinquents.I remember on one occasion getting pulled over in my car for speeding and, with the ID around my neck, I stepped out of the car before the police officers could get out of theirs. It was around this time that an opportunity arose for me to volunteer within my local council, mentoring high-risk young offenders. So I prayed and said: “I dare you to come into my life, Jesus, and do what these people say you can do. Once ordained, he would love to plant a church and to work with young people to decrease gang culture and knife crime.