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"How might acknowledging our weakness open the door to strength through faith-centered transformation? Today James Serpico will tell us how God transformed him from broken addict into THE America’s Keswick’s “Director of Fun”!"

James Serpico never expected to become the "Director of Fun" at America's Keswick. Six years ago, he was just another broken man entering their addiction recovery program, assigned to Room 18, top bunk. Today, he leads programming at the very place that transformed his life.

With raw honesty, James shares how childhood instability and his father's death when he was 13 left him desperately insecure. By 15, he discovered alcohol could temporarily erase his social anxiety. "I don't have those fears anymore," he thought, setting him on a dangerous path of substance exploration. In college, he found prescription painkillers particularly effective: "I didn't have a broken bone," James explains, "I had a broken heart, and it felt like it healed."

The facade crumbled after a car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike became his wake-up call. At America's Keswick — a 127-year-old faith-based recovery program in the Pine Barrens — James encountered a radically different approach to healing. "We are 100% believers that the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what changes a person, period," he explains. With no phones, TV, or outside distractions for four months, residents immerse themselves in Scripture and community.

Through trauma counseling, James began replacing destructive lies with God's truth that he is "accepted, approved, loved" regardless of circumstances. This ongoing transformation exemplifies a profound spiritual paradox: "The weaker that we understand ourselves to be, the stronger and more confident we actually become," because our strength comes not from ourselves but from Christ within.

For those struggling with addiction or supporting loved ones on their journey, James's testimony offers tangible hope that lasting change is possible not through willpower alone, but through heart transformation. Learn more about America's Keswick's men's and women's programs, or support their work by joining the Family Freedom Walk fundraiser on May 10th (11am-2pm).

Addiction Recovery at Keswick - https://addictionrecovery.org/
Barbara's Place - https://addictionrecovery.org/barbarasplace/relaunch/
America's Keswick - https://americaskeswick.org/

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