Lighthouse Ministries Graduate & Staff Member

Robert Lord is a timid man – quiet and purposeful in his actions. When he talks about his time before Lighthouse, it’s often with an obvious face of pain and shame.

Robert hails from Central Illinois. He started taking drugs at 13 years of age. He ran away from his parents and strict Christian upbringing at 14 to live with a friend that enabled his addictions. He got caught with drugs in his teens and was sent to an early form on rehab. That rehab showed him that there was always help available, even if he wasn’t ready to take it yet.

Robert quit smoking pot in his twenties, mostly because he didn’t like the way it made him feel. Alcohol became his main addiction, but most days he wasn’t happy with just drinking. He needed an extra stimulus, so he began chasing the alcohol with cocaine.

He married for the first time in 1994 to Charlotte. The relationship ended in divorce in 2002 as a result of his alcohol addiction. After the divorce, he lost control. He moved to Lakeland in 2003 to try and reconcile with her, but when it didn’t work out, he was homeless for about a year.

Robert came to Lighthouse in October 2008. He has worked through a lot of issues through Jesus’ strength, but his journey at Lighthouse hasn’t been perfect. In February 2009, he abruptly left the program. He had made money, but lost perspective. He came back 2 weeks later asking for a second chance. Since then, he has worked to make the Lord’s will, not his own, the focus of his journey.

Robert has no desire to touch drugs or alcohol again. “I hate to put it this way, but Jesus ruined my drinking. It’s just not the same. Nothing that I do can quench the Holy Spirit.”

Robert completed the residential program in early 2010, and continues to live and work on-campus. He is currently a full-time staff member at the Men’s Gospel Rescue Mission, where he assists new residents and overnight guests as they work to pull their lives back together.

He’s also enrolled as a part-time student at Polk State College, where he’s majoring in History. He hopes to one day become a history professor.

His life is now completely rooted in Jesus. “In the past five years, I’ve never been very far from Jesus or a Christian ministry of some kind.” It’s the key to his success. Forgoing his own will to serve the will of the Lord has taught him true fulfillment, purpose, and peace.