On this episode of The Hope Dealer, Matt welcomes Ben Kibler, whose journey took him from growing up in the church to addiction, drug dealing, incarceration, and ultimately to a life transformed by Jesus Christ.
Ben shares how partying while serving in the National Guard progressed from alcohol and marijuana to cocaine, selling drugs, prescription opioids, and eventually methamphetamine. Living near the Mexican border, the drug world became increasingly dangerous, including threats against his family. Eventually, Ben landed in jail and reached a point of complete exhaustion with the life he was living, even telling friends, “Don’t bail me out.”
While incarcerated, Ben began attending church again, but admits he was still just going through the motions, practicing what he now describes as a kind of “criminal morality” rather than having a genuine relationship with Christ.
In 2005, an invitation from his grandfather brought Ben to Salem with an opportunity to straighten out his life, although Ben candidly admits Oregon’s legal marijuana was part of the attraction. But meeting the woman who would become his wife and starting a family forced him to confront something bigger: it was time to grow up, take responsibility, and become the husband and father his family needed.
It’s another powerful reminder that where someone’s story begins doesn’t have to determine where it ends.
