Addiction

By Sveta

October 1, 2017December 6, 2018

Out of the Pit of Sin

Abuse in any form may be the most horrendous and appalling condition that exists in the human family, especially when it is perpetrated against a child, since they will form views of God through the lens of their abuse. As a young child, Sabrine’s abusive alcoholic father set the stage for her descent into sin’s dark pit.

“My dad was very abusive to our family. My mother, a Seventh-day Adventist, gave us Bible studies, taught us to pray, and planted the gospel seed in our hearts. We had learned my mom had a brain tumor while I was in high school.

“I felt so worthless because of my dad’s abuse, so around 18, I left home and rebelled by choice. I chose to smoke, drink, use pot, and became a meth addict. I chose to sleep with the kids that dealt in meth to get my fix, and later to prostitute myself for other reasons. If I survived the night, I was fine; and if I didn’t, I would have welcomed death. To top it off, I found out I had bone cancer, and when my neck broke, they put a lot of metal in there.”

Sabrine was in her late 30s when she learned her mother was very sick, and returned home to care for her during her last years.

After losing her mom she thought, I can’t live like this. I’ll move somewhere and get a new start, so she decided to move to Landers, Wyoming. While there, she checked out a local Seventh-day Adventist church, but felt it just wasn’t time. However, a few weeks later, she found 3ABN. “I knew instantly this was an Adventist station, so stayed at home and contentedly watched 3ABN for three years,” she says. “During one of the programs, Pastor John Bradshaw of It Is Written said we needed fellowship with one another, so I got dressed and went immediately to church. I felt so welcome, and soon I was taking Bible studies from Pastor Jason Logan. I was baptized on August 6 of this year, and I can’t thank 3ABN enough for the way they presented the truth so God could reach deep into my pit of sin to fulfill His promise to me, ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save.’ ”

By Sveta

June 1, 2017November 20, 2017

Sharing Her Joy

Jane Gibbs was raised Catholic, but never really knew the Lord. Growing up with ten siblings, her father’s alcoholism and drug addiction made for a very unhappy childhood, but God made sure she felt His love. “A lovely Jehovah’s Witness family lived across the street, and they were very kind to me,” she says. “However, as I grew up, I began self-medicating, and my addictions kept me trapped for most of my life.

Then, one day, I found a channel I’d never seen before on DISH Network, and as I listened to 3ABN I was hooked! In time, I felt a need to be baptized, so I prayed, Lord, if You’re serious about this, please help me find a church. Then I called 3ABN, and they got in touch with the Oakwood Seventh-day Adventist Church in Taylor, Michigan.

When someone called to ask if I’d like to study the Bible, I was so excited that I blurted out, ‘What I really need is to be baptized!’ They sent Mary Skrobowski, who was also raised Catholic. We had so much in common; and as we studied, I felt so alive and so saved that I wanted to tell everybody!

I remember the day I was baptized. When I came up out of the water, I knew my life was different. I’d quit smoking, drinking, and taking drugs before; but this time it was real. The Lord was holding me up!” Pastor Ariel Roldan had the privilege of baptizing her and says that Jane is a tremendous blessing to his church.
“Just a few months ago I baptized two people who received Bible studies from her,” he says, “and she welcomes and nurtures all of our new members!”

Jane believes that 3ABN is a great tool, since it reaches everywhere. “I know firsthand,” she adds, “because you certainly reached me!”

By Bobby Davis

May 1, 2016April 9, 2026

Searching for God – Tracy and Mary Clayton

By Bobby Davis

Tracy Clayton’s story of how Jesus found and saved him touched our hearts. “For most of my youth and adulthood, my journey led me through a maze of dark, shadowy valleys and foggy mind-altering canyons in a lifestyle dominated by alcoholism and drugs,” he says. “But I am alive in Christ today, and I am a grateful and productive member of my church and community.”

A Troubled Beginning

Things weren’t easy for Tracy in the beginning. “I was born in southern California, and as part of a dysfunctional family, I moved so many times during my childhood that I was barely able to complete a year in any school until I was 14,” he says. “My dad dropped out of the picture when I was still a baby, so I lived with my mom and my older brother. Then Mom had three more children with another man, who also left.

“After all that, I moved back with my dad. He was a janitor for a school, and we’d help him clean classrooms every day. He also had us doing gardening work, mowing yards and all that. It seemed like we were constantly working when we were kids.”

But there were other problems, too. “In my early teens, we all got into marijuana. Soon I was drinking alcoholically and was also a heavy methamphetamine user. I remember feeling desperate, but I didn’t know where to look for help.

“Although we went to church occasionally, I couldn’t tell you what denomination it was. Dad would read the Bible to us on Sundays, and I remember praying to God and believing in Jesus. But none of us really knew who He was.”

In spite of this, Tracy says the Holy Spirit was trying to reach him. “One evening, as I walked along a lonely road in the desert where we lived, I asked God to forgive me for the sins I continued to commit. All of a sudden, I heard the Holy Spirit say, Stop sinning!

“Later in my life, I found myself asking God for a soul mate to share my life with, and the Holy Spirit answered, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you. So I know God heard me, and was trying to reach me through any means possible.”

Failures

As he began the tenth grade, Tracy asked his dad for permission to take a GED test and go into the military. “He said it was fine, and to his surprise, I got my GED and went into the National Guard. I stayed in there for twelve years, and worked on tanks at Ft. Erwin National Training Center. But we only got an average of three days off a month, and I lived 50 miles away; so I was always going and could never relax. Meth quickly became my drug of choice, and when my superiors finally asked me if I had a problem, I admitted it to them.

“At first, they tried to help me, but I kept messing up, so they got me out of their system, and I started doing handyman work.”

A failed marriage, a failed relationship, and three children later, Tracy ended up in a remote area of Northern California.

“I felt a great need to get clean,” he says, “and since this was a new place, I didn’t know where to get drugs. Desperate for work, I began washing dishes in a local café in return for one free meal a day. And that’s where I met Mary. She was the cook who was responsible for giving me that meal. She understood me and loved me, and eventually became my wife.”

Finding Truth

But something was still missing, and there was an insistent yearning for God deep inside. “When I’d get home from work, I would channel surf, looking for truth,” he says. “I know God was urging me to do that, and one day, I came across 3ABN on Dish Network. I didn’t know what 3ABN was, but I knew that what they said matched Scripture. They backed every single message with Bible texts, and after a while, I realized that this was absolute truth.

“I only watched the sermons,” he says, “but for the first time in my life, I saw Jesus more clearly and developed an understanding of how my life should reflect His character. Then, one day, I got a card in the mail asking if I wanted to know what the Mark of the Beast was. I checked the yes box, mailed it back, and in a few days an Adventist woman came to my house and offered to give me Bible studies.

“We studied together, and she helped me understand the Scriptures a lot better. All my questions were answered, and God’s Word came together like a fine weave of spiritual threads—perfectly interlocking with one another. I could finally see God’s love so clearly!”

Cleaning Up the Temple

Tracy says, “As I was watched 3ABN one day, a text came up on the screen that said our body was the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that we should take care of it, and keep it clean. What an awakening! I had never heard a preacher tell me that.

“I started with the meth, then I quit smoking those two packs of cigarettes a day, and finally, I quit drinking alcohol. For me it was one thing at a time, as the Lord took away my desire for those things. My habits changed, and before I knew it, the Lord had taken away all the desire.”

Keeping the Sabbath Holy

When he completed his Bible studies, the lady who studied with him invited him to visit her church. “I’d been going to church on Sundays, but when I asked my pastor why we didn’t keep the Sabbath, he told me it didn’t matter, as long as we kept one day holy. I gave him all the Scriptures in support of keeping the Sabbath, but he would not budge. Suddenly, I had a decision to make, and I walked out of that church for the last time. It was really clear to me: either we follow what God says, or we follow what man says.

“I visited the Sutter Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church, but sat in the back row, because I worked at the grocery store deli on Saturdays and was still in my uniform. (I also figured I could make a quick getaway, in case things got crazy!)

“It was a wonderful service, and when the pastor invited the congregation to come to the Garden of Prayer, I felt a great desire to join those who were kneeling at the front of the church. It was a beautiful experience I will never forget, and I felt so comfortable that I wanted to come back every Sabbath.”

Tracy asked his boss for Saturdays off, but was denied because it was the store’s busiest day. “Then the pastor helped me write a letter explaining my conviction to keep the Sabbath, and my boss finally agreed, but warned me that I would be cut back to part-time. That was okay, though, because I believed that if it was God’s will, then it would only be a blessing.”

And what a blessing it turned out to be! Tracy received new job training and landed a position in food service at the Sutter Amador Hospital—with wonderful pay and benefits, and all his Sabbaths off!

“As I look back, I believe God put me where He could shape my character and build my faith,” Tracy says. “It also gave me the opportunity to share what I learned on 3ABN with my friends and co-workers.”

Mary

When Tracy met his wife Mary at the café, she was already attending church. But when he began worshiping in the Seventh-day Adventist church, she wasn’t very interested. Tracy’s pastor urged him to get baptized, but he kept holding off, hoping Mary would be baptized with him.

“She eventually came to church with me,” he says, “and then she accepted and believed the truths she learned there. I’m happy to say that we were baptized together in 2005 and have been there ever since! We have a wonderful church family here that we’re happy to be a part of. We both have positions in our church, and we’re committed to see it grow.”

Pastor Daniel Yim is enthusiastic. “The Sutter Hill Adventist Church has been blessed by the dedication and love that Tracy and Mary bring to our church family,” he says. “They are both fully committed and dedicated to the message and work of our church, and they serve with their hearts and hands, letting those around them know how much Jesus is Savior and Lord. Not only are they a light to our church family, but also to the community they live and work in. They bring their neighbors to church and care for the well-being of those around them by taking them food baskets. Both Tracy and Mary are sincere Christians, reflecting the love of Christ in their daily lives, and it is an honor and privilege to serve with them here at Sutter Hill!”

Tracy concludes, “I know where I came from, who I was, and where God’s hand has led me. I hear His voice telling me, I will never forsake you, and I know He embraces me with His love and holds my hand as I walk in His guidance and grace. My wife and I feel His love like a river of blessings flowing over us, and our desire is to share this incredible love with others.

“Always turn to Jesus. If you don’t know Him, get to know Him! Your life will change, and you’ll be happy you did. We can’t see the end from the beginning, but once we get down the road, we see the changes—and they’re amazing!”

Sutter Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church

Sutter Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church Website

By Bobby Davis

November 1, 2014April 9, 2026

A Mother’s Prayers – Judy and Colin Marshall

By Bobby Davis

The Holy Spirit moves in marvelous ways upon the hearts of God’s children. Consider how He used 3ABN and a mother’s prayers to reach Colin and Judy Marshall from Salisbury, England.

Difficult Childhood

“I thought I stumbled onto 3ABN in 2003, in my birthplace of Nassau, Bahamas,” Judy begins, “But of course I know better. It was the Holy Spirit leading! I was amazed they weren’t begging for money, like the other religious channels, and as I listened, the Bible seemed to come alive and finally make sense. But this story really started long ago,” she adds.

“My parents were both artists and became Seventh-day Adventists early in their marriage. But by the time I was born, my father had decided to return to the Catholic faith, so that’s how we were raised,” Judy says. “In my early teens I left that religion because I never had any faith in confession, nor did I believe in purgatory. It amazed me that God supposedly loved us so much, but would burn someone in hell forever and ever!”

Although she had eight siblings, Judy says her father never showed interest in anyone but her. “He would return from his long trips abroad, his trunk overflowing with expensive clothes for me—and nothing for my baby sister or anyone else. I truly hated him for those things!” she recalls.

“After a thirty-five-year stormy marriage, my parents divorced—something mother tried to do several times before, but his death threats had always stopped her. Shortly after that, he returned to the house with a shotgun and blasted the walls until all the shells were gone. Miraculously, everyone was spared!”

After a nasty court battle, her Mother obtained custody of Judy and her younger sister, but a year later, Judy’s father convinced her to come study in Miami, Florida.

“Well, you can’t trust the devil,” she says, “because once I was enrolled, he announced that I’d never see my mother again! After many months, I managed to make a collect call to Mother and some people came and took me away from Daddy. But they put me in an orphanage, and all I could think was, How can I be in an orphanage when I have a family? I was there for five months until Mother finally won custody and I was returned to Nassau.”

Unfortunate Choices

“I gave my heart to the Lord in a evangelical church when I was fifteen, and I dreamed of becoming an evangelist,” Judy says. “But I eloped, instead, with my English boss a year later! He was twenty-nine and I was sixteen. He was an atheist, and I didn’t stand a chance!”

The plan was to get married in Mexico and then come back to Nassau in a few days. But soon Judy discovered that he had lied about being divorced and now he planned to fly to his mother’s place in Switzerland and tell everyone they were married.

Racked with guilt and shame, Judy wondered how she would ever face her family again—“And that’s what he was banking on!” she says. “Mother never received the letter I gave him to mail, and it almost killed her. She hardly ate for months!”

Six weeks later, they were in England, and Judy says their first year was fun—but the next seven were hellish. “The lies, gambling, womanizing, and physical abuse were awful, and after he managed to wring out the last drop of love and pity I had, I left him with my five-year-old and three-month-old baby when he was on another one of his ‘business trips.’ ”

Colin

Judy met Colin in 1978 and moved to Hong Kong, where eventually they married. “Colin was a loving and caring husband, and a good father to my daughter. But my ex had whisked my son away to Scotland, and it was killing me,” she says.

“My mother came to visit, and it must have broken her heart to see me smoking, drinking, and living in sin. My seven-year-old told me that Mother spent entire nights on her knees! We’d often sing hymns from her worn hymnal, and then I’d ask her to tell me Bible stories, which I could never get enough of!”

After Hong Kong, the Marshalls moved to Brunei, Saudi Arabia, and England before returning to the Bahamas. But stress was taking a heavy toll on their marriage.

“Recession was creeping in, and with all the stress from my beauty business, I began to enjoy my ice-cold chardonnay and my evening ciggies even more,” Judy says. “I pleaded with God to help my business, and to help me stop drinking and smoking. What is wrong with me? I wondered as I cried myself to sleep so many nights. Why has God turned His back on me?

“I was reading the Bible and going to church on Sundays. I had answered many altar calls, but in my heart I knew I wasn’t saved. I was sure that God had taken His Holy Spirit away from me!”

Back and Forth

“We left the Bahamas again and went to Pakistan, Nepal, Africa, and India, living worldly lives. By now we were both searching, but God seemed so elusive. Then when we moved back to the Bahamas in 2002, I decided it was time to get serious about where I would be spending eternity. My ninety-eight-year-old mother died, and I really wanted to see her again someday, so I decided to attend her church. I knew in my heart that Saturday was the true Sabbath, but I didn’t think I could keep it because it was such a big shopping day!

“I also tried to quit smoking and drinking, but it was impossible. I would throw away a pack in the morning, and by evening I’d be buying another one! It was degrading! I was a strong woman and very health-conscious. Why couldn’t I give it up? I cried to the Lord so many times to help me, but He seemed to stay silent.”

A few weeks after her mother’s death, Judy had a series of vivid dreams about God’s Judgment Day. “I knew He was trying to change my heart, so when an evangelistic series came up, I attended every day for two weeks,” she says. “I was in full battle for my life night after night as the speaker made altar calls. I felt the Holy Spirit pulling me, but I resisted.

“Then, just before the meetings were over, I was on my knees praying for strength to give my heart to Jesus when suddenly those awful dreams flashed before my eyes.

“As I struggled, the pastor who had come to our home several times knelt down beside me and whispered, ‘Sister Judy, don’t grieve away the Holy Spirit. Have courage, sister!’ I am sure the Holy Spirit guided him to my side, since I was among hundreds of people.”

“I got up—and immediately felt as if heavy chains fell away from me! A few days later I was baptized on Sabbath in the beautifully warm Nassau ocean. From that moment on, I had no desire for wine and cigarettes. I was free!

“When I surrendered my cherished sins, God took them from me!

“Psalm 66:18 says, ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.’ But I praise God for Jesus’ promise in John 8:36: ‘If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’ Glory to God!”

Another Victory

By now Judy had been watching 3ABN regularly, and says that Colin’s heart was stirred by the Prophecy Code series with Pastor Doug Batchelor. “It was a three-week series, and I wondered how I’d get him to watch that long,” she admits. “But a week or so before the series began, he came in while Doug was telling his story about how he lived in a cave. He stood and watched for a long time, then sat down and watched it to the end. I knew the Holy Spirit was preparing the way!”

Although he’d shown some interest in the Bible when he was young, Colin had been sidetracked during his university years. But after three weeks with Doug Batchelor, his heart was stirred. He was especially interested in the Proverbs, because the wisdom it contained blended well with his business of arbitration and adjudication.

In 2005, Colin’s business took them to Sri Lanka, where they attended an Adventist church in Colombo. He also watched House Calls on 3ABN, and had many questions answered. “But Colin was a hard nut to crack!” Judy says. “If you look up stubborn in the dictionary, you just might see his face!”

Next, they moved to Georgia in 2008 and found a wonderful church in Canton, outside of Atlanta, where Judy says “a very seasoned English elder and a South African pastor took Colin under their wings and fast forwarded him in deep Bible study. He soaked it up like a sponge, and in a few months he was baptized on my birthday! It was the best birthday present ever!

“Years before, when I suggested tithing, Colin would look at me as if I was barking mad, and said we worked too hard to give away what little profit we made. But now he was ready, and God was true to His promise by blessing us more than we could ever have expected!”

Colin takes every opportunity to share the gospel, especially through his work abroad, settling construction disputes. “It’s amazing that people are so ready to talk about Jesus and the Bible in places like Ethiopia and Eastern Europe,” Judy says. “It gives him much encouragement to do the same back here in the U.K.—even if he draws a blank now and then!

“We both thank God for my mother’s prayers. They reached both of us—even after her death! We pray for our four kids and twelve grandkids, confident that one day they’ll know Jesus like we do! We also thank God for 3ABN and all the pure Bible truth over the years, and we’re thankful we have you here by satellite, since we have no Adventist church nearby! However, we are planning to start a Bible study group, so please pray for us!

“When I look back on how God put us together and how He kept His loving hand on us, I’m in total awe of His long-suffering and deep love for His children!”

By Bobby Davis

June 1, 2014April 9, 2026

A Committed Life – Chris Lane

There’s nothing more powerful than the testimony of someone whose life was spared and transformed by the power of Jesus Christ, and that’s certainly true for Chris Lane!

“My parents were divorced when I was just four years old,” he begins, “and ours was a non-Christian home where we never read the Bible, and we never talked about God.

“It was hard to make friends because we moved around a lot,” Chris continues, “so I started playing sports—and that’s where I found acceptance. But when a friend showed me the drug stash he’d found in the basement, I quickly discovered they would solve all my problems! I used drugs every chance I could, because I was always looking for that good feeling where my mind was clouded and I didn’t have to deal with the reality of my bad life.”

Hitting Bottom

Chris continued using drugs until depression finally caused him to drop out of school. “My mother had kicked me out when I was 13, so I lived with my grandmother for a while. But when that didn’t work out, I began living with friends for a month at a time,” he says. “I enrolled myself in high school and managed to get by for a year. But it was too hard to use drugs and go to school, so I finally dropped out and began selling drugs, instead.”

As his world crashed, Chris finally turned to a friend in desperation. “What should I do with my life?” he asked, and his friend answered, “Why don’t you read your Bible for ten minutes every night?”

“I honestly tried,” Chris says, “but my brain was so fried I couldn’t focus for more than five minutes! Someone told me the Old Testament had been done away with, so I began reading the gospels. When I got to Matthew 7:7 I read, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.’ So I begged God for another chance.

“‘I’ll do what You want me to do!’ I promised—and I instantly knew Someone had heard me and answered me, because I was completely delivered from drugs that day! Immediately the Holy Spirit began showing me the things I was doing wrong, and I had no more desire to do evil!”

Through a series of miracles, Chris was given a place to stay and enrolled in a Christian university. Then he met a young man from Spain who invited him to visit in the summer. “I met his father, who worked across the border in Morocco,” Chris says. “He risked his life every time he talked about Jesus or the Bible, and after that, the Holy Spirit began impressing me every time I prayed that if I wanted to be a Christian, I’d have to do the same! Sometimes I’d go for weeks without praying because I just couldn’t get that thought out of my head!

“Finally, I broke down and said, Okay, Lord, I’ll go anywhere. I don’t care how dangerous or disgusting—I’ll do it! It was a frightened prayer, but it was the prayer He wanted!”

Mexico

Soon Chris found that a non-denominational school in Nava, Mexico, needed a physical education teacher, so he went for a summer, expecting to learn Spanish first. “As soon as I arrived, though, I realized no one spoke English, and that they expected me to start teaching immediately! It was sink or swim, but I managed; and by the time I was supposed to return to the States, I knew this was the life God intended for me.”

Questions—and Answers!

Despite loving his job, Chris was distressed about how things were being managed, and several months later, he returned to his grandmother’s home in Tennessee.

“Then one day I turned on her TV and saw someone preaching on 3ABN, a channel I’d never seen before,” Chris says. “But this guy wasn’t talking all crazy like the people I was used to. He was backing up everything he said with Scripture! So I’d write down all the verses in the morning, study them all day, then watch the repeat at night. Soon I was convicted about the seventh-day Sabbath! And here’s the strange thing,” he adds. “My grandmother was the only one who could pick up 3ABN!” (We’ve heard this before!)

Chris found the friendly Maryville Seventh-day Adventist Church, and a month later, joined it by profession of faith! Excited by new truths, he couldn’t wait to tell his friends in Mexico and soon was back there again, trying to study the Bible with anyone who would sit still long enough!

“There was a huge need for Bibles, so I prayed for God to send us some, then e-mailed my pastor back in the States,” he says. “But when he wrote back saying someone had just walked into the church and donated 1,000 Bibles for Mexico, it blew my mind! That was definitely the Lord!”

Chris began distributing the Bibles immediately, but his excitement about the Sabbath was not shared by the school leaders, who followed him around, telling the people not to listen to him.

Facing an uphill battle, Chris returned to the States and enrolled in a school of evangelism where an anonymous donor helped pay for his studies.The next summer he mentored young people who were learning to conduct evangelistic meetings. Finally, he received a call to be a Bible worker in Wenatchee, Washington, and the next day Chris was flying out west!

“Despite some people’s doubts, the Lord blessed there, too,” Chris says. “I was able to give hundreds of Bible studies in 70 different homes—65 of which didn’t have a Bible—and we gave away hundreds of Bibles, and thousands of books! That just proved to me that the Lord will bless if we show up.”

New Mission Adventure

Currently, Chris works as a missionary to Bangkok, Thailand, a city of 12 million souls—and only 1,200 Seventh-day Adventists. He’s learning the Thai language, teaching English, and making trips daily into the unentered areas of that city.

Chris and Children — Chris enjoys teaching both children and adults English. “I decided to use the Bible as my textbook,” he says, adding that he does his best, and lets the Holy Spirit do the rest. (Photo: Josh Bauder)

In his typical manner, he is upbeat about this new experience. “I’ve been handing out basic Christian literature to taxi and motorcycle taxi drivers,” he says. “A previous missionary painted a mural of the Second Coming of Jesus on the side of a building, so I get a taxi to that mural, give them some literature, and point to the painting. I think I have shown it to all the taxi drivers in my area!” he adds with a laugh.

A mural painted by a previous missionary depicts the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and Chris often stands by it giving out literature. (Photo: Chris Lane)

“I’ve also decided to use the Bible as our textbook in my English classes. The other day we studied salvation, and since I know so little Thai, I tried to explain everything by drawing pictures on the board. When I drew a picture of Jesus being crucified, it really touched the people in my class and they started crying! The mercy of God was revealed to four new Buddhist souls, so I asked them if they wanted to accept Jesus’ free gift of salvation—and two of them did! We knelt together and asked Jesus to forgive us. I’m not exactly sure how much they understood, but I did my best, and I know the Holy Spirit will do the rest.”

Because of the the prayers and financial gifts of our supporters, 3ABN was there when Chris was desperately searching for answers. His heart eagerly embraced the Bible truths, and he immediately responded to the call of the Holy Spirit. We know the Lord will continue to bless Chris, and all those who join us in proclaiming the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 to a lost and dying world!

By Bobby Davis

January 1, 2014April 9, 2026

My Journey With Jesus – Brandon Tygret

The Lord continues to bless this ministry with workers who are passionate about bringing the message of salvation and hope to millions who still don’t know Jesus. But perhaps the most energetic ones are those who have come to know Him through 3ABN’s ministry! That’s the case with Brandon Tygret, a young man who has just joined us in 3ABN’s Product Marketing Department. His story is amazing, and we’re happy to share it with you!

“I grew up in Kingston Springs, Tennessee, where my father was a painting contractor,” he begins. “We were a good-sized family of five children, and I was the oldest of three boys and two girls. I was the type of kid who was nice to everyone, but unfortunately I hung out with the wrong crowd, so through my teenage years I was off and on again with drugs and alcohol.

“My family began attending a nondenominational church when I was about 11, and soon I was involved in the youth group. Our church was very young when we began attending, but it quickly grew from a few hundred members to a megachurch of 4,000! I was baptized when I was 12, but although I believed in God and in His Son Jesus, I didn’t know Him personally. Honestly, I really didn’t learn anything other than simple biblical principles—which are important, but not as life-changing as understanding the Bible. I praise God that He winks at our ignorance.”

Tragedy

Then, when Brandon was 18, something terrible happened. His parents had tickets to watch the Tennessee Titans’ NFL football game, and he was responsible for driving the family home from Christmas dinner at his grandmother’s house. “We’d all had a big meal, and as I was driving home, all of us fell asleep—including me. My two sisters, two brothers, and cousin were in the van when it flipped over four or five times. My cousin was ejected through the sliding door, and landed on it, instead of the rocky roadside. My two sisters were ejected as well, and were laying a few feet away from the van. My brothers were the only ones with seatbelts on, and their injuries were not extensive. But my younger sister broke both arms, and I suffered major injuries, including a broken pelvis. It was a nightmare, but I praise God to this day that all of us survived.”

Under the stress of the accident Brandon began sinking into a deep depression, and by the time he was 20 his use of drugs landed him in a rehabilitation hospital. “I was prescribed depression pills, and for the next four years I self-medicated with those, or by taking other drugs.

“I still called myself a Christian, holding on with what little bit of faith I had. But I’ve come to realize that when we ride the fence and tamper with sin, we damage the effect we can have on others—hurting our ability to witness for Jesus, who gave His life for us.”

A New Beginning

After that scare, Brandon says he began to get his life somewhat together and started his first business, remodeling apartments. “I bought my first home and two nice cars, but by age 24 I was going through another rough time, and self-medicating again,” he says.

“By 2007 I was at a real crossroads in life. I’d finally hit bottom and lost almost everything. That’s when I finally asked God to teach me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about His Bible. I also asked Him to heal me naturally from addiction and depression. I sold my house and paid off my debts. I really wanted to start all over again.

“Soon after that I was on my knees. I don’t want to live unless I can serve You, I prayed. I don’t want to serve Satan anymore. But I had no idea He would answer so quickly. I was searching for Him in different churches—Pentecostal, Baptist… there must be truth somewhere!

“Then a few weeks later, on my birthday, I got a call from someone I’d become friends with on a job. His name was Kevin Bowen, and he turned out to be the best gift I’ve ever gotten! However, I was a little standoffish when he first told me that he’d found ‘The Truth.’

“I listened for a few minutes, but as soon as I hung up, I felt a strong urge to call him back. You see, he’d been talking about what he’d learned about end-time events on 3ABN.

“He invited me over and we watched 3ABN until 3:00 o’clock in the morning. I asked him what religion they were teaching, and he said they were Adventists; so we began attending the Nashville First Seventh-day Adventist Church.”

Ten Commandments Weekend

As Brandon and Kevin watched, they learned that 3ABN’s Ten Commandments Weekend was coming up, and that thousands of Ten Commandments Twice Removed books would be distributed.

“The first week we attend church, the members took us into the library to pray with us. Later, we asked about that book, and pointing to a pile of boxes, they said, ‘We have a bunch right here!’

“We were excited, and since we knew of a large Christian concert taking place on the riverfront in downtown Nashville, we asked if we could pass some out. They gave us 200, and the next day we passed them all out in less than an hour! Mike Hite, one of the church members, had told us that if we needed more we should call him, so we did. Soon they brought 800 more, and we passed all those out that evening, as well!”

A huge event named, “The Call” was taking place on 7/7/07, with an expected crowd of 60,000 Christians. Unwilling to miss out on the opportunity, Mike and several other members gathered 43,000 pieces of literature. “All told, we passed out 10,000 Ten Commandments Twice Removed and 28,000 other pieces that day,” Brandon beams!

A New Life

On October 6, 2007, Brandon was rebaptized and joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “I did this because I felt like I had a whole lot better understanding of the Bible and a closer walk with my Lord,” he says. “Meanwhile, I’d been praying for the Lord to pick a wife for me, because He knew better than I did!”

Four months after he began attending church, he met Dolly—and five months later they were married! “I definitely know she’s the one God wanted for me!” Brandon exclaims. “She’s been with me through the toughest times.”

Soon after, the Tygrets moved to West Virginia to live in the country, and it wasn’t long before they met Ron Davis. “Ron had been in publishing for 40 years and had a literature evangelist program,” Brandon says. “He asked me to join him, and I spent a year in West Virginia before moving to Ohio, where I worked as a literature evangelist for almost two years.

“Then Ron got a call to North Carolina to be their church conference publishing director, and I went with him. I became an assistant publishing director for two years, working with and training other literature evangelists and visiting thousands of homes with truth-filled books. Looking back, I realize the Holy Spirit was training me in public evangelism—and teaching me daily dependence upon God! The program grew from five to 20 workers, but unfortunately the conference decided to downsize their publishing program. However, the same day I found out I was out of a job, my wife told me she’d seen an ad that 3ABN was hiring. I immediately put in for the job, and by God’s grace, I was hired.

The Tygret Family — Brandon and Dolly Tygret with their baby boy Isaac. (Photo: Svetlana Christian)

“Towards the end of 2012, after five years of marriage, Dolly and I had our first baby, Isaac. That time was extra special because, after several years of sharing what God had done for me, my father was baptized on the very day my son was dedicated to the Lord!

“I’m so thankful to work for the same ministry that helped me to learn about God’s love for me,” Brandon concludes, “and I can’t wait to see what He has in store.

“Jesus says, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6). He also told us, ‘If you love Me, keep My commandments’ (John 14:15). I find it interesting that when I became obedient to His Ten Commandments, I began to have more overcoming experiences. I’ve also found that when I give myself in service to others as Jesus did, He provides all I need—and more. What an adventure life has become since I started my journey with Jesus!”

By Sveta

April 1, 2012April 9, 2026

Doing MORE for Jesus

by Bobby Davis

For some, the search for Jesus begins in childhood. A simple love turns into a relentless quest for a closer walk with Him. However, others get started down a different path—until a loving Savior intervenes.

“I was born in South Bend, Indiana, to good parents,” Dennis Fisher begins. “I was one of six kids, and my hard-working father usually held down two and three jobs at a time to provide for us. My mother had been through a lot in her life, but she read and quoted the Scriptures. And although we didn’t attend church regularly, we would visit the Methodist church with our friends sometimes.”

DOWN A WRONG PATH

Young Dennis loved to draw, and did very well at it, but when he was 15 or so he got off on the wrong path. “I began drinking and smoking with my buddies, and I was a little wild in high school,” he admits. “My dad tried his best to straighten me out, but I wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, I quit school during my junior year and joined the Air Force. Then I was sent to Italy—and that’s when I really learned to drink! Soon I began waking up in ditches and rooftops, wondering how I got there. I was even chased by the Italian carabinieri military police, and eventually drank my way out of the service. But when I came home, I brought my drinking problem with me.”

Back in the States, Dennis tended bar for a while, but when he met a fellow who “rode the rails,” he joined him, riding freight trains all over the country.

“Soon I was in bad shape,” he admits, “and I only worked so I could drink. I ended up in Reno, Nevada, tending bar again. They gave me a room and $10 a night—just enough to stay drunk. Eventually I landed in Las Vegas, and that was a whole different fantasy world! I lived to drink, and soon figured out how to get free tokens and coupons I could cash for money and food at the casinos. I didn’t have any living expenses, either, since I lived in an abandoned building. Then one hot July day, after stealing a quart of whiskey, I heard a voice asking me, ‘Denny, what are you doing? If you keep this up you won’t be around much longer!’

“I knew it was God’s voice, and that’s the last time I drank! I walked two miles to a halfway house, convinced that if I didn’t stop drinking I only had jails, institutions, and death to look forward to.”

Dennis sobered and eventually landed a job in the gaming industry where he became quite good at keno, a numbers game. He also met and married his wife Carol, whom he describes as a “very sweet Mormon girl.” But although his life and reputation seemed to be restored, he wasn’t content. “I had a void in my life I couldn’t seem to fill,” he says. “I read history books and painted portraits of the Old West outlaws. I even built a large telescope with a 10-inch mirror, but it wasn’t enough. I didn’t even want to do keno anymore—and that’s when I found 3ABN! I’d always been interested in archeology,” he continues, “and I was interested in both Noah’s ark and the Ark of the Covenant. So when I found 3ABN’s channel 43, I watched all the time.

“I’d watch Danny Shelton on my little black and white TV, and soon noticed that no matter the topic, they’d always go straight to the Bible! I learned what really happens when someone dies, I learned about the Sabbath, and soon my wife and I started attending the Living Waters Seventh-day Adventist Fellowship. We loved it there, but when Carol’s health began to decline, we moved back to Utah, where she was from. There isn’t a Seventh-day Adventist church anywhere near here, so I bought a Dish Network system and 3ABN became my church!”

“THIS IS THE TIME”

After completing Bible studies from Amazing Facts, Dennis received a call asking if he’d like a visit from a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. He said yes, and soon met Pastor Ruben Vincent of the Moab, Utah, church. “I couldn’t believe they would send him from so far away,” he says, “but he kept returning every month or so, and we became very good friends.”

Then tragedy struck. Carol had seemed to be getting better, but one day she complained of a headache and returned to the car. When Dennis returned minutes later, he found that she had passed away from an aneurism. “We never got a chance to grow old together,” Dennis says with deep sadness, “but I know I’ll see her when Jesus returns. I learned that from 3ABN. She is only sleeping in Jesus.”

Dennis says he’s learned most of what he knows about the Bible from 3ABN, and that after listening to Pastor Kenneth Cox talk about baptism, he had the strong impression that he should be baptized, too. “The Holy Spirit really worked on me saying, This is the time,” he says.

By now Pastor Vincent had moved away and Pastor Ryan Hablitzel had taken his place at the Price and Moab churches.

“After learning about Dennis, I drove to Richfield,” he says, “and when I arrived I knew I’d found the right place because the sign on his door read, ‘The Seventh Day is the Sabbath.’ I found a man who was well-prepared for baptism, and that amazed me, since his contact with the church had almost exclusively been through pastoral visits and 3ABN. Dennis knows as much or more about the Bible as the average church member—all because of 3ABN’s influence.”

“I FEEL CLEAN”

December 24, 2011, was an unforgettable day for Dennis and his pastor. “I could see the anticipation on his face as we traveled from Richfield to Price for his baptism,” Pastor Hablitzel says. “Dennis was so excited to worship and fellowship with like-minded believers.”

“Pastor Ryan drove all the way out here to pick me up, and when I got to the church it was a beautiful place,” Dennis recalls. “The people were so warm, and when they introduced themselves I felt like I was home. I remember a lot of their names because they made such an impression on me! After my testimony they all came up to touch me and pray for me. It was almost like being in Heaven! I only wish Carol could have been there and been baptized with me before she went to sleep in the Lord.”

Following his baptism, his pastor says that they met for a moment of private prayer. “That’s when Dennis turned to me and said, ‘Pastor, I feel clean…. I really do!’

“While Dennis can only make the drive from Richfield to Price for church as weather and finances allow, he remains active, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who will listen,” his pastor adds. “He tells me that he’s the only Seventh-day Adventist in Richfield, and he’s probably right. But that doesn’t stop him from sharing his faith with the people of his community. He’s even offered his home for people to come and study the Bible—and watch 3ABN.”

WHERE GOD NEEDS HIM NEXT

“Watching 3ABN has changed my life in so many ways,” Dennis says. “I feel like you’re all my family, and I’ve noticed that I read my Bible more and understand it a lot better now. I feel closer to the Lord, and even learned to thank Him for my food before I eat!

“I’ve also felt impressed that maybe God wants me to return to Las Vegas,” he adds. “I know a lot of people down there, and I want to help them. Although I enjoy my painting now, I’m 71 and want to do more with my life than what I’m doing here. I’d also love to have a church family to work and worship with. I’m so grateful for 3ABN, and would feel lost without it, but I know God has something more for me to do.”

Dennis is busy planting seeds of truth in the minds of those around him, and we believe that wherever God takes him next, he’ll find new ways to share his love for Jesus.