Hello, my name is Jeff, I am a believer in recovery from drug addiction.

I’ll start by saying I come from as normal a family as everyone else. In other words, completely screwed up. Most of my family life growing up was great but my father was an alcoholic who’d fought in Korea and Vietnam and that presented problems of its own. When my father drank he was physically abusive to my mother and mentally abusive to us kids. I have a brother and I did have two sisters, but one passed away in 2001, and they are nothing like me. They all went to college and into the business world. I grew up as a heavy kid that was picked on and scared. In the summer of 1976, at 13 years old, I drank my first beer and smoked marijuana for the first time. At last I was accepted by some cool kids so I started getting high on a regular basis. I also got into weightlifting and boxing in high school and decided that I’d never be picked on again. Fighting, drinking, and getting high became normal for me in my teenage years.

At nineteen I joined the Army and learned that drinking alcohol and fighting were all I wanted to do when I wasn’t working. Soon I was shot in the leg in a bar fight and this took me off my feet for quite a while. As I recuperated, I again put on weight.

At 5’8” and over 300 lbs I didn’t fit in with the other soldiers but I had bought a motorcycle for cheap transportation to work and spent a lot of time in the biker bars. Before long I realized the bike clubs accepted anyone, especially violent drug and alcohol abusers.

I had finally found a place where I fit in. I was big, I was angry, I was violent and in the biker world, the meanest, nastiest guy in the bunch was in charge. I worked at being that guy. I physically abused my wife and would get into bloody fights with my dad anytime we drank together. I was involved in drug dealing, stabbings, and shootings. It wasn’t long before I became the president of the club. I soon went AWOL from the Army and ended up with a dishonorable discharge. I spent the next fifteen years leading as an outlaw motorcycle club president.

In 1993 I met my second wife. She had a six-month-old daughter. I fell in love with both of them and slowly became more responsible eventually adopting her. When my daughter was around four years old I decided that I needed to leave the motorcycle club because I didn’t want to die in some stupid bar fight and cause her to grow up without a father. Unfortunately, I left the club but didn’t leave the lifestyle.

Alcohol, Drugs, and Violence consumed me. In 98, my daughter was 5, and my wife finally had enough. She was done and filed for divorce.

At this point, I got worse and the only thing that kept me from slipping off the deep end completely was a misplaced sense of responsibility to my daughter.

I thought I was a good dad, spending every other weekend with her. I took her to the bars with me and at 6 years old she was forced to experience violent behavior that would have been disturbing to most adults. I used her to meet and pick up women.

I even rode her around, on the interstate, on my motorcycle when I was drunk. I can remember thinking how cute she was carrying around an empty Jim Beam bottle and a cigarette, acting like daddy.

I bragged about how I spent so much time with her but in reality, I was completely unfit and should have been put in jail. At this time in my life, I was a functioning addict. I owned a successful business, I had a beach house, boats, trucks, trailers, and motorcycles… I thought I was living the dream.

Finally, Christmas 2001, the first Christmas after my sister died. I tried crack cocaine and I was almost instantly addicted. As I started going through all the money in the bank I was able to convince my parents that my business was failing and that I needed financial help. They thought they were helping me by loaning me money and credit cards. But within another year I caused them to go into bankruptcy.

​I had lost it all, including my daughter, her mother had moved and taken her and wouldn’t let me or my family know where she was. One of my last memories of my daughter as a little girl was her buying me an eight-pack of cigarette lighters for my birthday. It would be six years before I spoke to her again.

Even my outlaw biker friends wanted nothing to do with me. In the outlaw world, we had a saying, “you have to be really honest to be an outlaw” and they couldn’t even trust me.

At this point I came back to Fayetteville, NC where my parents lived, I continued to lie, steal, cheat and do anything else I needed to do to get dope. I robbed drug dealers quite often and soon there were a lot of people that wanted me dead. My parents finally convinced me to enter a treatment facility. I only did it to please them. Soon I was having drugs delivered to me, in the rehab. It wasn’t long before I was found out and kicked out.

Finally, at Christmas, I snuck into my parent’s house and stole the 100.00 dollar bills my mother intended as Christmas gifts for all the family members. This was not discovered until Christmas morning when they all opened the empty envelopes.

When my mother realized what I had done she wanted nothing more to do with me and told me that she would buy me a one-way ticket anywhere in the country but she did not want me in Fayetteville any longer.

I’ll never forget before I got on the train to Miami. My mother gave me a card to carry in my pocket with her contact information so she would at least be notified when my body was found.

At this point, I was on the street in Miami and I realized I would soon be dead or in prison, after a month I called my parents again. They made a deal with me that if I would commit to a year and a half rehab program they would let me come back to Fayetteville.

I entered the rehab again for all the wrong reasons however it was impossible to get drugs into this place so I soon resigned myself to the fact that I was going to quit using….. at least while I was there. This was a Christian rehab but I was not buying into any of that Jesus stuff, I was way too smart for that.

About four months into my stay my old girlfriend called me and told me she had inherited quite a bit of money and wanted me to come to Minnesota.

I left the rehab more than a year early, never having taken my recovery seriously, never finding a sponsor, never working the 12 steps but feeling as though I was cured from my crack addiction and it would be OK to drink and use other drugs.

I left the rehab and got on a train. Within 12 hours I was drunk.

When I got to Minnesota we decided to travel the country. We did this for about six months, partying the entire time. As we were traveling we stopped in Nashville, TN, and being the smart guy that I am, I came up with the idea of buying a bar.

Now here is some good advice, never leave the rehab and buy a bar! Big mistake!

We opened the Filling Station, a biker bar and again, I truly thought I was living the dream. Booze, dope, prostitutes, gambling, violence, everything I loved and it would all lead me down one of the darkest paths in my life. As I was in this dark place literally one ray of light shone through, Doc Ray.

The one thing I never expected to find in the bar was a preacher. Isaiah 59:1 says Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear to dull to hear.

Doc rode a motorcycle and hung out at the biker bars ministering to us as we needed him. He was very careful to not force religion on us, he just made sure we knew that he loved us and he was always there, loving us, in times of crisis offering prayer and friendship. Doc became a good friend of mine although I wasn’t buying into any of his Jesus talk either. However it was clear that he really cared about me and so many of the bikers in the bar.

Within 6 months of buying the bar, I lost everything else and became a homeless, crack addict. My girlfriend left, I lost contact with Doc Ray and every other decent person in my life. For two and a half years I was homeless. I ate out of dumpsters, slept under bridges, in abandon cars, and even in the crawl spaces under houses.

I was in and out of jail. In fact in 2006 I was arrested over 30 times. I stole cars, robbed people, wrote worthless checks, shoplifted, and was always able to lie to my father and talk him into sending me money behind my mother’s back which almost caused them to divorce.

March 1st of 2007 I had been on a binge for days. It was about 3:00 in the morning and I ran out of drugs but I still had money in my pocket. I had to have more. At 3:00 in the morning in a ragged, falling apart, borrowed truck with expired tags, knowing there were warrants for my arrest, and driving with no license I headed into one of the worst drug areas in town. Of course I was pulled over and arrested.

By the way, when I was arrested I weighed 108 pounds and was covered with open sores due to staph infection. You can still see the white scars on my face, neck, and arms.

Going to jail that morning was one of the best things that ever happened to me in my life. I was arrested on a probation violation. Because of the nature of this charge my father couldn’t bail me out this time. I was going to have to sit in jail and wait to see a judge. When I did finally get out my father had come to Nashville to help me again. I had nothing except the clothes I was wearing. My father helped me get a vehicle, a place to live, clothes. I was just waiting for him to leave so I could get high. When he left it hit me that what if next time he didn’t help, what if next time I got out of jail and he was done with me. I had, what we call in recovery, a moment of clarity and I made a decision to quit getting high.

I now see that the first time my father didn’t bail me out, I hit bottom. I often wonder how much sooner I might have had this moment of clarity if I were not being enabled by my parents. They thought they were keeping me from dying. It was all done in love but, they almost loved me to death!

As I made this decision to quit using I tried to think of anyone I knew in Nashville, TN that didn’t use dope. The only person I could think of was that biker Preacher, Doc Ray. I looked up his number and called him. He was happy to hear from me and invited me to church.

I accepted, still believing that church was just a weekly inconvenience where “holy” people went to talk about how good they were and how bad everyone else was. However, I knew I needed to meet more people that didn’t get high.

I showed up the next Sunday. Hair down to my waist, white t-shirt, jeans, I was waiting for the judgment but it never came. These people were actually nice to me, they showed me love and respect, and I decided to come back.

The next week I had no idea what was in store for me. I can’t really describe what happened but I can tell you April 22, 2007 I had an experience with Jesus Christ and I was changed forever.

Psalm 40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

​I’m so very grateful to Doc Ray for his ministry to me. He made sure I got home safely when I was too drunk to stand. He picked me up from jail when I was released. He was my friend when I didn’t know how to be anyone’s friend. He loved on me when I was unloveable and he prayed with me when I was hurting. Doc accepted me right where I was, flaws and all, without judgment, without condemnation, without beating me over the head with a Bible. He was simply kind and caring and I’m not sure that God could have used anyone else to get through to me.

Within three weeks of my salvation, I attended a church dinner. I sat by a couple that I had never met, Jim and Deb, and we began to talk.

I told them a little bit about my story and wanting to meet other Christians my age they told me about a ministry they went to on Friday Nights at another church called Celebrate Recovery. They invited me the following Friday. I remember telling them how Jesus had delivered me from addiction and I really didn’t need a recovery program. They convinced me that I would be able to make some Christian friends there and I finally agreed to go.

I was terrified to walk in to that place but once inside I was amazed. I remember how freeing it was to attend a share group and listen to others like me. I realized I wasn’t alone in my struggle and I was able to be honest about myself without shame or embarrassment. I realized I didn’t have to be perfect to be a Christian.

The love, acceptance, and freedom I felt were beyond comparison. I can remember leaving CR and thinking only about being back there the next Friday.

Within two months of attending, I began working the Christ-centered twelve steps and found a sponsor. I committed fully to the program. I realized the Lord had delivered me from the dope but there was much more to recovery than to stop using.

The 12 steps took me through a healing process, taught me how to live sober, how to handle this world, as it is, not as I would have it. I did what my sponsor told me to do, I was accountable, I was honest, and I took correction well. I began to work the 12 steps and to apply the principles to my life on a daily basis.

Wow, what a change in my life! I began passing out Bibles in drug neighborhoods, helping feed the homeless, volunteering at my Church, and any other service work I could find to do.

Finally, Christmas of 2007, I had been sober for eight months and my mother wanted to see me for the first time in four years. After a short visit, my mother asked me to come home.

I can’t express my gratitude to God for giving me this time, as a sober Christian, with my parents. Finally being the son God intended me to be.

Shortly after moving back to NC, with a year of sobriety, the Lord opened up a door for me to feed the homeless and needy and to be able to share the Gospel with them! I formed Jeff Stultz Ministries and was able to secure chairs, canopies, coolers, and funding for food. I set up dinner and church in crack motel parking lots.

I began attending a church, Destiny Now, and shortly after I met the Senior Pastor. He was excited about what I was doing and what I wanted to do so I began seeking others to help me start CR at Destiny Now. Leading this ministry is truly one of the things that God has called me to do. I came to know my wife at Celebrate Recovery.

My daughter showed up at my wedding and I was able to hug her for the first time in six years. I’ve made friendships that I know will last a lifetime. I’ve had people I’ve grown up with whom I had not seen in years find healing and recovery. I’ve had damaged relationships restored and repaired. I’ve seen changed lives. I’ve learned that it’s not about me, and the blessings that come from doing for others.

Remember all that “stuff” I lost, Glory to God, we serve a Lord of restoration. God has given me back my family.

I was able to comfort my father daily during a long hospital stay that ended with his death in September 2009, I was also able to pray with him to receive Christ before he died.

I enjoyed 8 years of sobriety, loving on my mother and being there for her until she took her last breath. In fact, I’ll never forget the day she told me how proud she was of the man that I’d become.​

My daughter. Her mother died tragically while I was in my addiction but now she has a father. God has restored our relationship and she has forgiven me. She even brags about me being her daddy.

I have a beautiful, Christian wife with a wonderful new family that loves me, I have incredible friends, I own a successful business. And yes, Glory to God, I have a Harley Davidson!

God has used me in many ways over the last 9 years

• In 2008 I started CR at Destiny now and served as the ministry leader for 7 years.
• 2010 I came on board the CR Southeastern Team as a NC State Rep.
• In 2011 I was ordained as a Pastor and served as the Campus Pastor of Destiny Now ministries for 4 years
• 2015 I joined John Eklund, the CR Eastern National Director, in starting and co-leading CR at Temple Church in Selma, NC.
• I am currently connecting with Celebrate Recovery at Freedom Biker Church in Fayetteville, NC, my new home church and I plan to serve in their CR ministry as needed.

I’ve come to realize my decision to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior has changed not only my life but the lives of my family, my friends, and many others.​

God has turned my mess into His message and I have been blessed to be able to share my testimony all over the country. In the fall of 2011, I entered a casting call contest for a role in the movie “Home Run”. I won the contest and appear in the movie as a little league umpire.

Through that experience, God has opened a new door of ministry for me in the acting world. I have appeared in several other movies, tv shows, and commercials. God is using me as a witness both in front of and behind the cameras.

Since accepting Christ, life is truly incredible but not perfect. In April 2013 my wife and I separated because we could not seem to get along. You see, we married soon after meeting, and then realized we weren’t much alike. Although we had separated we weren’t ready to give up on our marriage. We may not have made the right choice in getting married so soon but now we had to work towards making the choice right. I am so grateful for my CR forever family who loved and encouraged us through all of this. We sought professional help by the way of a Christian Counsellor. It took more than prayer, it took work, determination, and commitment. We weren’t willing to give up.

​We began to apply the principles of recovery to our marriage and CR showed me that I couldn’t fix or blame Pamela, I could only work on my part, my character defects. God began to heal areas of our relationship and after a year I was able to come home.​

God did a work of healing and restoration in our marriage as we both began to take responsibility rather than blaming one another. Today, we still have issues but we’re learning to accept the things in each other that we cannot change, and to change the things in ourselves that we can.

This year, after putting the biker lifestyle behind me for nine years, associated that lifestyle with all my bad behavior. God told me that it’s ok to be a biker as long as I do it for His Glory. In July, some of us CR Bikers talked about starting a club. During the following weeks, I was able to help start the Broken Chains Motorcycle Ministry, bikers who have found hope and healing in Jesus Christ through CR. I’m honored to serve as the President and in just 4 months we have grown to include members in 16 states. God is using my past and my passion for His Glory.

I’m a motorcycle missionary and God is using me to reach people that others might not be able to reach. Glory to God!

The Lord has changed my life and used me to touch the lives of others through many different avenues, but Celebrate Recovery, the Twelve Steps, and Eight Principles are the greatest tools that I have.​

I am grateful to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for my salvation, and I’m grateful for Celebrate Recovery which helps me to grow closer to my full potential by applying the principles I’ve learned to my life every day. 9 years later you can still find me at CR every Friday night, why ……….because I still need to be here!

Recovery is a decision followed by a process.

Since I made the decision to quit using I’ve gone through the illness and death of my father and my mother, I’ve gone through a marriage separation, and I’ve been hurt in many other ways but I’m sober today……. Because of the process.​

I’m going to be OK because no matter what, I no longer have to turn to drugs or alcohol to deal with my problems, I have all of you, a forever family, and Jesus meets me in every smile, every hug, every encouraging word.

​WOW! Today, I’m living the dream one day at a time! 3,564 days ago all I wanted was to quit using dope……I could never have planned or dreamed what God has done in my life since!

I’d like to share my life verse with you. Psalms 3:3 you, Oh Lord, are a shield for me, you are my glory and the lifter of my head.

​If you are reading this for the first time, I want to encourage you to get involved in the process of recovery and let God do a miracle in your life. I promise the miracles are just ahead. I know, it happened to me!

Thanks for letting me share.