From Crack to Christ is a powerful Christian testimony of addiction, deliverance, discipleship, redemption, and the transforming grace of Jesus Christ.
Wayne Shemwell knows what it means to feel trapped by addiction, shame, brokenness, and hopelessness. Once caught in the grip of crack addiction and convinced that he had gone too far for God to use him, Wayne reached a breaking point. His recovery became more than freedom from substances. It became the beginning of a deeper journey of repentance, restoration, and surrender. However, deliverance was only the beginning.
As Wayne rebuilt his life through faith and recovery, he began asking deeper questions about Scripture, obedience, and what it truly means to follow Christ. His search eventually led him away from the Baptist tradition and into the Church of Christ.
Along the way, God surrounded him with people who would sharpen and strengthen him, including his close friend and accountability partner, Ken Burns. Through brotherhood, accountability, prayer, and honest relationships, Wayne learned that no one is meant to walk the road of recovery or ministry alone.
His testimony eventually became ministry. Through CASA-Christians Against Substance Abuse, Wayne combined his recovery experience with biblical teaching to reach people struggling with addiction and brokenness. Partnerships with recovery houses opened new opportunities to witness lives restored, families renewed, and people coming to Christ.
This is more than a story about surviving addiction. It is a story about what God can do with a surrendered life.
