My name is Steven Gledhill, founder and author of FREEdom from MEdom Project. I am married, a stepfather with three grown sons and two grandsons. I have been counseling adults and kids for more nearly 30 years. My Bachelor’s Degree is in Psychology from Judson University. I am certified by the state of Illinois as an alcohol and drug counselor (CADC). I am also ordained for Christian ministry by the Churches of God General Conference.
I love that I get to do what I do. My joy is in serving our Lord as he sees fit to use me to advance and enrich His people. I don’t really know who reads all the stuff God has directed me to write and post here. I believe that God has either given me the words in the articles I’ve written, or has allowed me to write them under the conviction of his sovereign presence in my life and mind. I trust his words are ministering to people around the world in some way. I can only hope and pray how God is using this ministry. It is when I receive feedback from readers that I can gauge how effective it really is.
With that said, please feel free to comment in the section provided beneath each page.
You can contact me directly by email at ‘smgledhill@yahoo.com’ or click on this Facebook link.
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38 (NKJV)
Since November 2015, I’ve been counseling primarily adolescent youth in the AMITA Health network at a Chicago-area behavioral health facility. These kids are wounded and hurting to the point that they become stuck in patterns of self-harm and are often profoundly serious about suicide as a remedy for their pain and stress. It cannot be understated. It seems that the most important I thing attempt to do with young people is help them to recognize that there is a stark contrast between the negative forces fueled by emotion that drives at-risk behavior, and what they know logically and reasonably—rationally—makes the most sense. I have been afforded the opportunity to develop the curriculum that was implemented in 2018. The patients usually tell me it has been beneficial to stabilizing their recovery.
When those feeling hopeless give up, they often consider suicide as their most viable option to remedy their painful suffering. Those feeling helpless, wanting to give up, can stop trying to fix what is broken on their own and seek help. Perhaps then they can take suicide and self-harm off the table altogether as a “coping” tool.
As human beings, we tend to experience, embrace, and trust our feelings until we are held captive by them. What is essential is that we filter our emotions through what we understand makes the most sense to our intellect—our capacity to reason. I don’t know about you, but I tend to feel entitled and need God’s help with that. I write a great deal more about this in something I call, Hopeless to Healed… Pain to Peace. It’s a running theme throughout this site.
For almost five years before my current position, I worked at an Illinois correctional facility that doubled as a rehabilitation center for convicted felons. Men in prison don’t usually find God in prison, they return to God in prison. Many are searching for truth about who God really is and what it really is to experience relationship with Him. The men are looking for God who is compassionate, forgiving, and wanting so much more for them.
For six years until 2010, I developed curriculum and provided intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment. Utilizing these same Christ-centered FREEdom from MEdom principles and steps, we were able to consistently document success rates better than 80 percent at a time when studies of secular cognitive behavioral treatment approaches indicated success rates ranging from 50 percent down to as low as 8 percent (we tracked clients over three years… the follow-up data included clients who left treatment before its conclusion). My Bachelor’s Degree is in Psychology from Judson University.
In the early 1990s, God set me on a course that would lead me into the field of counseling people struggling with addiction. In 2005, He birthed in me the vision for FREEdom from MEdom Project. Addiction recovery counseling has become my passion. God has taught me more recently that this issue of recovery is not only for a select group abusing and dependent on alcohol and drugs, or people with gambling problems or sexual addictions; recovery is intended for every single one of us through a relationship with God in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that we all have a problem with addiction to our selfishness (John 8:34).
When I took to heart this revelation that I truly believe is inspired by God and supported by Scripture, it radically changed how I did, and do, counseling. No one is exempt from the need for authentic revolutionary recovery. Even while working for secular 12-step agencies, the most relevant and applicable tool that I stressed to my clients was consistent prayer. As I counseled clients to pray as their first option to effectively combat dysfunction in their lives, amazing things happened. Even clients that did not enter therapy believing in God, left therapy knowing that their new-found faith was realized in their tangible real-life experiences of healing and recovery. Their faith was in what they came to understand is true and real. Prayer is not a new concept, but for some it was being experienced for the first time as access to the truth and experience of God’s transformative power in their lives. The recovery revolution in a person’s life means that his or her self-soothing behavioral remedies that clearly did not work has changed—even transformed—into something new and wonderful.
Then, a funny thing happened. If it works for those recovery approach I contributed to and supported is working for them, then maybe it will work for me too. I have a tendency to struggle with what I know God can do versus what I believe (really believe) God will do in my life. As I have been honest with God about my flaws and my sin, and been more willing to readily forgive rather than hold on to resentments, I have been released in so many ways to experience the transforming power of God’s love in my own life. I believe it has made me a much more effective counselor.
FREEdom from MEdom Project came to life in 2010. After completing the manuscript FREEdom from MEdom: A Sensible Strategy for Recovery that Works in 2008, it became increasingly clear that securing a publisher for a work of nonfiction as an author without a built-in audience, would be quite challenging. I would have to self-publish my work, which would get too costly; especially for editing the material therefore, I self-published as a blogsite, warts and all.
I believe God led me to Dee Wilson, a retired information technology specialist who worked incredibly long hours to launch this website, FREEdom from MEdom Project. I have been self-publishing on this site ever since.
FREEdom from MEdom Project began from the question, “Is addiction a disease or a choice?” I began writing in 2005 about what I believe the Bible has to say about addiction into recovery. Much of that original writing is in the article, “Disease Debate: Is Addiction a Disease or a Decision?”. From that came the manuscript “FREEdom from MEdom: A Sensible Strategy for Authentic Recovery” completed (though unedited) in 2009. In today’s age of technology, FREEdom from MEdom Project has been more than million times by people from almost every country in the world.
Thank you for your interest in this work. Please join me on this blessed road to freedom through recovery God’s way.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:19-21 (NIV)
* Steven’s ordination for ministry is through LifeSpring Community Church (Plainfield, IL) and The Churches of God General Conference.
Blessings,
Steven
FREEdom from MEdom Project Team:
Dee Wilson, Website Developer
Jeri Wickersham, Editor
Steven Gledhill, Founder/Author
I just stumbled upon your website because I was drawn by the image of Christ carrying a lamb and had hoped to discover the artist and perhaps find a print for my office. I love the story of the wayward lamb through brokenness bonding with the shepherd. After reading through your letter above, I realized I may have met a kindred spirit in Christ. I have also believed for many years, that everyone needs to be healed from the brokenness caused by self abuse. That would include all chemical abuse, relational abuse (with self and others), physical abuse, emotional abuse, mental abuse, etc. All of which can be stacked neatly under the title: Selfishness. We are called to listen to and follow Him as He leads, not as our self demands. Only Christ can take our wounds and bind them for good and glory. Thank you for sharing John 8:34. May God bless your ministry!