Eddie Mansfield's Journey from Addiction to Ministry

"God takes what they've been through and turns it to good." These powerful words from Eddie Mansfield capture the essence of his extraordinary transformation story shared on Road to Redemption.

Eddie's journey begins in Owensboro, Kentucky, where despite a loving Christian upbringing, he veered into substance abuse at age 15. What followed was a 23-year descent through addiction, wasted opportunities, and escalating legal troubles. By age 38, Eddie found himself in an Atlanta jail cell facing a potential 10-year sentence for methamphetamine possession. It was here, at his lowest point, that something unexpected happened—he reconnected with faith through a fellow inmate who knew the Bible intimately.

While Eddie studied Scripture behind bars, his mother began having recurring dreams that her son would someday lead a faith-based recovery program—visions that seemed impossible given his circumstances. Then came what Eddie can only describe as divine intervention: three days before Christmas 2006, through an unexpected act of mercy from a retiring district attorney, Eddie was released directly to a rehab facility in Destin, Florida. Christmas Eve became his sobriety date, marking the beginning of a radical life transformation.

Today, Eddie serves as director of Path of Grace, a thriving women's recovery ministry with 54 residents and 12 graduates in transition. His personal experience with addiction fuels his compassion and effectiveness in helping others find freedom. With his wife Kayla (herself a recovery success story) by his side, Eddie's life stands as powerful testimony that no one is beyond redemption and that our deepest pain can become our most powerful platform for helping others.

For more info on Path of Grace in Miramar Beach FL goto https://www.pathofgrace.net or reach them at:

Mailing Address \ PO Box 9261, Miramar Beach, FL 32550

email: [e-mail] \ Tel. [phone]

For more information contact us at
[e-mail]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Road to Redemption, a show sharing
powerful life testimonies,giving hope to those on their
own road to redemption.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
I have Eddie Mansfield, the director of Path
of Grace, here with us.
He's an amazing man of God andhis testimony is powerful.
So I'm going to start and canyou just share about.
Let's start.
Can you share about the Path ofGrace first of all?

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Well, sure, Path of Grace first of all.
Well, sure Path of Graceoriginated in 2008.
We started out with, like fourwomen in Freeport and we have
grown.
Now we have several locations.
Our residential program has 54women residing in it right now
and we have 12 graduates livingin transition with three

(00:44):
children at this moment.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
It's exciting times and there's two more children
coming soon to the transitionalvillage, so it's amazing to
think about the number of womenthat the Path of Grace and Eddie
is the director over it ishelping.
It's just amazing to thinkabout all the graduates through
the years and what they're doingnow in the community and beyond

(01:09):
.
So thank you for what you doand thank you for being here
with us today.
And can you?
You know you have an amazingtestimony and you are an example
of God taking someone's painand making it their purpose or
their platform.
Can you share about your story?

Speaker 3 (01:28):
Sure, well, I am from Owensboro, kentucky originally,
and I was raised by twowonderful parents.
They were both, you know.
We had a Christian household.
I, unfortunately Iunfortunately kind of veered
away from anything that lookedlike Christianity in my early

(01:49):
age of about 15.
I had, I guess, a little bit ofa rebellion in me for some
reason and I started hangingaround the wrong kinds of people
at an early age.
I raced bikes and I played iceice hockey and I swam on the
swim team and there was somepeople that I gravitated to at a

(02:10):
very early age that drank andsmoked pot, and so I started
doing that at like 15 or 16.
And unfortunately, from thereuntil about age 38, my whole
from there until about age 38, Ijust had a progressing drug
problem and I went to sevenrehabs.

(02:33):
I moved all over the country todifferent.
After high school I went tofour different colleges and
wasted time at these collegesbecause I was partying and doing
things I shouldn't be.
So I wasted a lot of myparents' money and also had a

(02:54):
very messed up life, kind of inand out of trouble all the way
to age 38.
I'll kind of tell you whathappened to me at 38.
I was in Atlanta.
I'll kind of tell you whathappened to me at 38.
I was in Atlanta, I'd gotten insome, I'd gotten arrested and
they had found some drugs in mycar and I was very tired of

(03:14):
being on drugs and running.
It was methamphetamine that Iwas on at the time mostly, and
they had put me in the back ofthe police car and out of my
mouth I pretty much yelled thankyou, jesus, and I remember I
was like where did that comefrom?
I was sitting back there, I wasunder distress, but those words

(03:37):
came out and when they did, Ireally just was kind of
dumbfounded that I said it.
But I ended up in jail and Ihad already been on probation
for another problem, moretrouble that I'd been in.
So when I went to jail I knew Iwas in serious trouble because

(03:59):
I had enough drugs that weregoing to send me away for like
10 years.
So it was really scary.
And when I got to jail I knewone person in the jail and he
actually had a bunk where Iwould be sleeping, because when
I got there that was the onlybunk left and this guy was

(04:20):
someone from the outsides thatused to be my friend in the drug
world, but he knew the Bibleinside and out.
And so he and I, he said, look,let me, let me, let's do some
Bible studies while we're inhere.
And it just kind of, I guess Iwas at my at the my end, you

(04:40):
know, and I was at my end, youknow, and I was at my rock
bottom and I said, well, sure,let's do it.
And um, he told me to get intoMark.
And when I did um, we were, wewere studying Mark and I kind of
gravitated to Mark 11, um 1124.
And um, anyways, I stood on thatscripture, it was um.

(05:03):
Therefore, I tell you, whateveryou ask for in prayer, believe
that you have received it and itwill be yours.
And what I was asking the Lordto do for me again was to help
me not go to prison and getanother chance at recovery.
And I'd already been torecovery in six rehabs, so it

(05:25):
would be my seventh.
But anyways, I was in jail forseven months and I stayed
focused on prayer in there and Istarted really standing on that
particular scripture and Ibelieve that somehow God was
going to take me out of jail andgive me another chance.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
That is so powerful and would you share the piece
that here you had a praying momand what she came and what she
told you why you were in jail.
It's so powerful.

Speaker 3 (05:58):
My mom kept.
When I would come home, my momwould tell me she started at
about four months in there.
She said, look, I've beenhaving these dreams and you are
running a faith-based program tohelp people with recovery.
And I would say, mom, that's aweird dream.
I would tell her that's, that'sa weird, a weird dream.
You.
I would like tell her that's,that's probably not going to

(06:20):
happen, but do be praying for meto get out of here, because I
was really worried that I wasgoing away for 10 years and um
and we but she had thisreoccurring dream, like probably
four times, I would say, whileI was in jail.
And she kept telling me likekeep praying, because I believe
that God's going to do somethingin you, he's going to change

(06:41):
you, he's going to get you outof this trouble.
Well, anyways, it was like twoor three days before Christmas,
I'd already made peace that Iwas going to be there.
This is in 2006.
I made peace that I was goingto be there through Christmas
and through 2006.
I made peace that I was goingto be there through Christmas
and through the new year.
I didn't feel like that I wasgoing to get a chance.

(07:01):
But three days before Christmas,my attorney came without notice
to the jail and they said youhave a visitor.
And I went down there to thelittle area where you meet with
your attorney, the little areawhere you meet with your
attorney and he said the DA isgoing to be quitting this year.
And he gave me a favor and hesaid who would you like for me

(07:33):
to get out of jail and give achance at a new life for?
And anyways, he said, well,I've got this guy that I really
think he's a good guy.
I think he he needs help.
Will you let me take him out ofjail and put him into rehab and
give him a chance at and?
So, anyways, and the next day Iwas out of jail and I was on my
way.
I was on my way to Destin,florida, to go to rehab at Haven

(07:53):
House and I was there, wasthere on the day before
Christmas Eve.
So I call Christmas Eve mysobriety day, because that's the
day that I really like, gothere and picked up a white chip
in AA and decided to change mylife forever.
So anyways, it's been a journey.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
And, anyways, it's been a journey.
You know once again, you knowyour pain has become your
platform.
You know, as you were talking,I was thinking about the verses
in Joel 2 that I'll restore theyears the locust has eaten.
And I look at you and therestoration, eddie, is just
amazing.
And now you have this beautifulwife and your children and

(08:37):
grandchildren right Along withthis wonderful ministry.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
I do.
I found my calling.
I realized my mother was right.
I didn't realize it until about2009, that she is or no.
2011 is when I realized thatshe's right, that this is my
call is when I realized thatshe's right, that this is my
call, because I came on board atPath of Grace in November of
2010.
By 2011, I was starting to seethe vision that my mom had, and

(09:09):
then it's just progressed overthe years.
I've realized that the Lord,he's given me this opportunity
to help people like me, and nowI wouldn't change it for
anything.
No matter if I hit the lotterytoday, the jackpot powerball, I
would stay working at Path ofGrace and doing what I do there.

(09:29):
I love helping people andhelping others in recovery.
So it's just I realized thatGod wants me here.

Speaker 2 (09:37):
So you know, as you were talking, I was thinking of
behind the scenes.
He had a praying mom.
You had a praying mom and asyou were talking, I was thinking
of the book of the Power of thePraying Parent by Stormy
O'Martin.
I think some of our listenersmaybe need to hear this today
that there is power.
The fervent, effectual prayerof a righteous person brings

(09:58):
forth much.
It's an example.
Your mom prayed for you for along time and look at where
you're at today.
It's awesome.
So let's all keep praying right, even praying dads.

Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yes, it's a beautiful thing to see prayer and how God
works in people's lives and hetakes somebody that's so, so
stricken or, so you know, somessed up like I was and even
like my wife was and the othersthat we see through Path of
Grace and then he takes whatthey've been through and he

(10:32):
turns it to good.
And I'm a firm believer thatGod has done all this for us and
for me and my family, and hehas restored the years that the
locust has eaten, and even waymore than I could have ever
expected.
It's beautiful.

Speaker 2 (10:51):
You know, in Romans 8 , 28,.
It says all things worktogether for good for those that
love the Lord and are calledaccording to his purpose.
It doesn't say all things aregood.
And you look back on your lifeand no, no, no, it wasn't good.
But he has weaved it into sucha beautiful testimony and, like
you said, and your wife Kaylatoo, it's just amazing what God

(11:15):
has done.
What would you say to theperson listening that today
they're in active addiction?

Speaker 3 (11:24):
I would say to them there is such a better life.
And I would say, you know, giveGod a chance to change you and
help you.
And help you because being highand drunk you're in another

(11:47):
world and you don't reallyrealize until you've been free
for a little bit.
You're hurting and then you domore drugs or you drink more to
get out of that pain.
But there is freedom on theother side.
And I just say, you know, like,reach out to somebody, go to
detox, but get into a Christcentered program when you go to
rehab, because God is the key,yeah.

Speaker 2 (12:09):
And he is our healer right.

Speaker 3 (12:11):
Amen.
I absolutely believe that.

Speaker 2 (12:13):
You know we always like to close out a show.
Absolutely believe that.
You know we always like toclose out a show, eddie, and
just say, and kind of like whatwe're talking about, the
importance of havingaccountability for all of us,
right, and having aChrist-centered church that you
can be fed.
There's something about thatcorporate anointing when you go
to church, but also there'ssomething about a small group

(12:36):
being accountable to otherpeople once again, and we do
want people to hear theimportance of that.
Once you know, as you look atgetting out of addiction, that
can be a source of help.
Right Is to have those thingsin your life.

Speaker 3 (12:53):
I totally agree.
You need the church, the smallgroups, you need other people to
help.
You know your support group,it's your support and really
there's such a happiness and joythat comes with all those
things too.
And so we, you know we totallybelieve at Path of Grace that

(13:17):
God is the key and the more youfollow God and the deeper you
dive in, the more you're goingto get.

Speaker 1 (13:25):
You've been listening to Road to Redemption, sharing
powerful life testimonies,giving hope to those on their
own road to redemption.
If you have any comments orquestions, we would love to
connect with you.
You can reach out to us atdestiny radio dot live.
Thank you for listening andwe'll see you next week on road
to redemption.