"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

R.W.'s Story

"I first heard about AVENUE at East Bay Fellowship's Men's Retreat. Up until then, my life had become unmanageable. I had distanced myself from my wife and family. My drinking and addiction to sex had become uncontrollable, and, I did not see a way out of my addictive cycles. I had little, if any, hope of ever finding happiness. The men in my AVENUE group surrounded me with love, support, accountability, and prayer. I learned that Christ is the source for healing and growth. I learned about the cycles of my addiction, my rituals, the roots of my pain, and what the cure is. Because of AVENUE and the grace of Christ, I have my family back. My daughter tells her friends, 'I have my Daddy back.' My marriage has been restarted as if new. My wife has commented on many occasions how much I've changed. My whole outlook on life and how I deal with life is different, thanks to the ministry and men of AVENUE. Praise God!" ...R.W.

S.C.'s Story

"I am so thankful for everything that the Lord has done for me. He has truly blessed me! My marriage is healed. My beautiful, wonderful wife has forgiven me. My children are awesome. I attend a great church. My job is doing well. We are financially blessed. I am growing as a Christian. Thank you Jesus!

I have been involved with the AVENUE program for about three years as a member as well as a group leader. When I started AVENUE...I used pornography, masturbated many times per week, frequently went to strip bars, and committed adultery with several prostitutes. My breaking point was when I had enough.' God convicted me to confess my sins to my wife. Naturally, she was extremely upset, and she gave serious consideration to ending our marriage.

Today, my life is changed... I consistently win my many battles as I face sexual temptation. I am experiencing freedom because I have been obedient and disciplined to what God has told me to do through the AVENUE program and other godly men that I am submitted to.

I continue to be very open and honest with her as new temptations or problems arise. I love my wife more than ever. God has given me a very precious, special gift in my wife, of which, I do not deserve. I am very thankful that the AVENUE program exists. Through it, Jesus saved my soul, my marriage, and my family!" ...S.C.

M.M.'s Story

"After five plus years of maintaining a 'secret' love affair with my assistant at work, which led to a deteriorated marriage filled with lies and deceit, I started attending a secular men's group on a weekly basis to talk about something called 'sex addiction.' It was something that I could do to show my wife that I really did want to try to save our marriage, which only by the grace of God had not already ended in divorce.

I attended this secular men's group for several months before I started to really 'buy in' to the seriousness of my problem. The group promoted supporting each other outside of the weekly meetings through regular telephone contact. In my head that made sense, but in actuality I felt no real bond with the other men even though we shared a common, deep seated addiction. Thus, it was difficult for me to make the telephone calls with consistency. I knew that what was missing for me was a connection with God. I had allowed myself to feel so removed from God's presence (even though I went through the motions of looking like God was my best friend) that I was afraid I would never be able to get back in His presence.

I kept attending the weekly secular men's group, but I was also happy to have found the AVENUE men's group which always included God so that I could begin to feed my starving spiritual needs. Among other things, AVENUE promoted transparency and compassion, two things that I really wanted in my life, but that I had allowed to be replaced by lies, deceit and selfishness. I found the strength to 'come clean' with my wife and tell her all of my secrets. Actually, she had already found out about the affair through God's revelation to her. With the AVENUE groups and a lot of prayer, we began the path to real recovery together.

AVENUE for Men continues to be a big part of my life...Today, when the telephone rings at home, there is a good chance that it is for me from another man who really cares and is willing to share and pray with me about the struggles of the day. My wife and I know that we have a long way to go, but we also know that because of God's grace we have come a long way in a relatively short period of time. I have learned that it is a daily walk with God that keeps me strong in my transparency and in my ability to be honest with others as well as myself. It is really so simple, because that is what God has wanted for me all along ... to surrender to Him ... to trust Him ... to let go and let God ... He's given me so much to be thankful for and so much hope to look forward to. Thank you Jesus for AVENUE! ...M.M.

J.L.'s Story

"I learned about AVENUE from my sister. (Her church led groups, there were none in my area). I was separated from my wife and in desperate need of help. I was in agony. I had been hooked on pornography and sex for many years and didn't know how to change, or that change was even possible. I moved over 500 miles for the sole reason to attend the AVENUE group meetings on a weekly basis. I was eager to learn that change was possible for me. I never missed a meeting and tried to always show up early. The intense caring, support, and accountability I experienced from the men was like nothing I had ever experienced. It was truly God's grace being poured out on me. I studied, prayed and cried through this program. I am so thankful that God healed and saved me! I'm now back with my wife and have a new life with her. God gave me a new heart through the AVENUE program and I'm thankful for the program and the great guys who I got to know in the group!"...J.L.

C.D.'s Story

"Recently, after living a life full of lies, deceit, selfishness and shame, I gave my life to Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. Shortly thereafter, I began the AVENUE program at East Bay Fellowship in Danville.

I used to be a pretty good salesman before I accepted the Lord. I could sell myself anywhere, and get away with about anything. And, why not? I had been doing this all my life and 'had it perfected.' I had it down so cold, and convinced that I was invincible. After fifteen years, the masquerade was over. I had accumulated so much hurt and pain that my life was busting out at the seams. My marriage was ending, business was failing and debt was growing out of control. Along the way I picked up some bad habits. But the truth is, I was addicted. Crack (cocaine), alcohol, nicotine, masturbation, and pornography just to name a few. Living with the guilt and of having been unfaithful to my wife became unbearable.

I can still remember my very first AVENUE meeting. I remember sitting there scared and frightened like most of the other men. We sang a few songs, held hands and prayed. I remember praying for Jesus to open our hearts and to help us in the healing of our broken lives, to show us a better, more fulfilling and meaningful life, and, to restore relationships with those we have hurt. There were some tears in that room early Saturday morning. I know I had a river flowing myself.

The AVENUE program has been a tremendous blessing. It has taught me how I can have freedom from my addictions through Jesus Christ. It showed me how the emptiness of my life can be filled by His unfailing love. AVENUE helped me to heal the hurt and pain from my childhood by accepting the forgiveness Jesus Christ has freely offered. And most importantly, it taught me how to be a father to my children, a real husband to my wife, and a servant for the Lord.

From salesman to servant. Now that's a title to a best seller." ...C.D.

C.A.'s Story

"I first described the AVENUE manual as a bull's eye from a thousand paces. Once I had completed the program, I described it as delicate surgery from a thousand paces. Literally, it was my brain downloaded on paper as to why I do the things I hated to do, and why I didn't do the things I wanted so very much to do. Jesus gave me the answers through the AVENUE program as to how to be healed from pursuing my lustful thoughts and habits, from pornography to all out affairs with those I both knew and didn't know. How to have a genuinely rich life through Jesus' promises and healing power.

The AVENUE program, the AVENUE for Women program for my wife, and the AVENUE for Couples couples group we attend have literally saved our marriage and the marriages of many couples that we know.

Jesus used these programs, and the men and women involved in them to breathe life back into me, my wife, my family, my occupation, and my ability to communicate God's truths about life and sex to other men. The AVENUE program also enabled me to confront, deal with, and achieve victory through Jesus Christ over many other addictive areas of my life. Literally, my entire life has been changed for the better as God spoke to me through this program and those involved with it. With all of my new heart, thank you Jesus!"...C.A.