#46 Molested at 7, Drug Dealer at 13, Ex-con Pastor since 2001 Part 3 - Pastor Pete Cropsey

Pastor Pete Cropsey had a brutal past.  From a violent molestation in Mexico at age 7, to his journey through heroin smuggling, burglary, prison, a motorcycle club and then accepting Jesus at Calvary Church where he became a Pastor.  This is an incredible and inspiring three part story of redemption.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” - Colossians 1:13

Pastor Pete believes he was saved as a kid, but didn’t know what the gospel was and therefore he was a difficult child to the Lord.

Aha - moment - In 1997 Pete had gotten out of prison and had a room providing security for prostitutes at the Carousel Inn.  The special unit busted in on him and found his weapons.  His parole officer said, “if you go to a meeting at 4PM, then I’ll put the weapons away.”  Pete could not account for the time between then and the meeting, but somehow he ended up in Costa Mesa and went in.

Pete always had felt disqualified from being accepted by God, but when he got to the meeting he ran into a guy he knew named Cecil who was doing well and it made him listen.  Everyone in the meeting had been a slave to something and he felt like he belonged.

Although he continued to use drugs Pete attended the meeting for 30 days in a row, he just couldn’t fully commit.

Soon he was caught with a gun and sent back to prison for 2 years.  This was the first time in his life that he didn’t think he belonged.

When he got out he went straight back to the meetings in Costa Mesa and stayed for about a year until his hunger for God outgrew his need to be there.

Pete found Calvary Chapel in Laguna, but was called away and became a rancher in Colorado.

When he returned to Laguna years later, Pastor Joe was preaching and Pete received Christ that day in 1995.

Pete began sweeping floors and cleaning toilets for the church and was happy to be there.

Soon Pete moved to Kuwaii to work on a ranch, but when he was forced to come back to California he went to ministry school for 2 years and became a minister at Calvary Church.

A friend in Kuwaii named Steve asked Pete to come back to Hawaii to set up a Calvary Church with him and after receiving signs from God he did.

After 2 years in Kuwaii, his Pancreas shut down and he again was forced to go back to California.  This time he was angry at God for taking away something he had worked so hard for.  Pete was lost again to drug addiction after many years clean.

When Pastor Pete got clean he ran into the woman he had always loved.  They’ve been married for 14 years and have 2 kids.

She had to teach Pastor Pete how to be a husband and a father and has done so.

www.deadmanwaking.net

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