Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Today we speak with author, counselor, and teacher John Eldridge.

John has written numerous books including the bestseller Wild at Heart.

John is devoted to helping people through their recovery process and shares how he himself was

crying out for help as a young boy, looking for hope wherever he could find it.

I'm John Eldridge and I am first off husband, Stacey Eldridge,

been married 34 years this year, glad I remembered that, and a father of three sons, married sons now and therefore newly grandpa or puppy as they call me but probably more

widely known as author of a number of books while at heart and beautiful outlaw and captivating with my wife Stacy.

Raised in the suburbs of LA born into kind of a traditional American home.

Dad worked mom stayed at home in the early additional American home, dad,

were to mom stayed at home in the early years,

but not a believing home.

It was not raised in any faith, kind of popular American agnosticism.

And then our family was pretty much blown apart

by my father's alcoholism.

And that was a very defining thing for me, that wounding abandonment and betrayal and all of that that got in in a young boy's heart.

And I actually became a pretty wild kid.

I was kicked out of high school, had a police record,

and all of that was just this cry for help.

And I think some of those early years, some of the wounding experiences,

and then the rescue actually came through my grandfather's ranch. Every summer I was shipped

off to my grandfather's ranch when I was

young and we had this precious relationship and he had a faith and and those those

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