SONSHIP STORIES:
JACOB JOHNSON
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
“My father was a pastor for the first half of my life, and my mother always did everything right, a very Bible Belt, high-performance Christian. But my dad had a lot of trauma, and under the surface, there was a lot of dysfunction and carnage. A lot of secrecy. Ultimately he was arrested and put in prison as I was leaving for college. Confusion and anger were some of the root themes during those years.”
“In my early twenties, I walked through a journey with a faithful counselor at our church to forgive and to let go of the anger. And so I finally got to the point of being able to forgive my dad. I haven't talked with him or seen him since his arrest but there's forgiveness there and that's been very freeing.”
“Noel and I got to know each other and he started to invite me to Canyon Pathways retreats. It took a couple of years for me to say ‘yes’. And as soon as I went to that first retreat and started spiritual direction, wow, it's been life changing. I think exhaustion and desire for spontaneity drew me to the retreat. I love the theme of ‘find your way here at this general time and we'll take care of the rest’. That's what a guy like me needs to hear. CP has allowed me to rest. It’s been transformative.”
“I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit since birth. Always wheeling and dealing and finding creative ways to start enterprises of some sort. In college that developed more fully. Law enforcement was my first career choice, but when that door didn’t open we launched Calyan Wax Co. in 2017. Now we’re in major retail outlets and have donated almost $900,000 to combat human trafficking.”
“My Canyon word is ‘Light’. Noel shared how it is not just the idea of spreading light but also this idea of living light, how God's burden and yoke are light. That was very freeing for me to hear. There's a lot of guilt and shame in my story, in my father’s, and I needed that invitation to brush that aside and to rest under a perfect Father's love.”
“I'm on this mission to not be like my dad, right? So when I have lapses, or I fail, the guilt and shame pile up fast, but relationships and conversations with Canyon brothers have been so freeing. It’s not minimizing sin, but reminding me that the Father is still your Father. You are in this family. You’re welcome at this table. It’s been so life-giving.”
