The Story of Tom Dean

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

For much of my life, walking in the light was completely foreign to me. Throughout my youth and into adulthood, I hid my dark, lustful desires behind a facade of being a “fine Christian man.” This contradiction—being involved in church while being captivated by sin—led me into hopelessness and despair. I hated who I had become.

As life spiraled downward, I grew increasingly angry and detached at home. In public, I kept my relationships superficial. I was miserable. In a moment of desperation, I confessed my lifelong sin to my wife. This act sparked a journey toward freedom. God brought various people and resources into my life to facilitate breakthroughs. During the COVID lockdowns, I spoke with a pastor about my struggles, who directed us to Pure Life Ministries. I started by downloading their app and immersed myself in PLM podcasts during my daily commutes. Through these teachings, God opened my eyes to the reality that I wasn’t a “good guy”—I had a serious sin problem.

What I was reading and listening to made me hungry for more. As a result, my wife and I enrolled in the At-Home Programs. Then, in 2021 we attended the PLM Annual Conference where God confirmed that I needed to enter the Residential Program.

On July 10th, 2021, I arrived on campus filled with anticipation for help and hope. God began revealing my selfishness, self-reliance and self-righteousness. I realized I had been living like a Pharisee, wearing my denomination as a badge of honor. Despite being active in church, studying the Bible, praying and leading groups, I had been trying to live a Christian life in my own strength apart from Christ.

These revelations gave me true godly sorrow and led me to repentance. Because of God’s mercy and grace, I received His forgiveness and freedom from the penalty and the power of sin.

God’s work in my heart produced a brand-new spiritual life. Now, I am sensitive to God’s presence in my life. I genuinely want to please Him and not just live to please myself. I no longer walk in darkness, and the sins that once imprisoned me no longer control me. I have purpose and hope. My value is no longer in what I drive, what I can accomplish or what I can accumulate. My value is found in Christ, who gave His life for me.

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Transforming Lives,

Strengthening Families

At our Residential Program, we often remind the men that God brought them to Pure Life to do far more than just tweak their behavior;He brought them here to revolutionize their lives! Similarly, we’ve seen time and time again that God has much more in mind than just transforming the life of the man himself. He wants to do a radical work in his entire family! And over the past few months, we have been so blessed to see the Lord giving us greater opportunities to minister to couples.

Our Latest Podcast Series

If one spouse is wholeheartedly committed to following Christ while the other remains distracted or wavering, the marriage will not be healthy, and it won’t fulfill its God-given mission to reflect His glory. How different it is when a husband and wife are spiritually united and on the same side—God’s side! In our latest podcast series, On the Same Team, we interviewed six couples who have fought their way out of the ordeal of sexual sin and are now pursuing Christ together as a single unit. Each interview highlights a crucial aspect of the Christian life, demonstrating how remaining in sync profoundly benefits both spouses in their spiritual journey.

A Testament to Transformation:

Our Testimony “Marathon”

When Nate Danser, Vice President for Ministry Outreach, began talking with the couples who would be interviewed for the series, On the Same Team, he was floored by how powerfully God had worked in each of their lives. It was clear that what God had done was too special to be contained in just a few podcast episodes. These stories needed to be filmed so that thousands could witness the power of God to transform even the most hopeless situations. Soon, our media team was hard at work preparing for a “marathon” of filming:not one, not two but THREE major video projects. Each testimony required two full days of filming, plus three to four additional days of prep work. We will release these as soon as we can, sometime within the next year. In the meantime, check out our YouTube channel playlist to see other testimonies of lives that have been transformed.

A Growing Ministry to Couples

Our At-Home Programs have experienced staggering growth in 2024. So far, we have ministered to 462 men and women—numbers we’ve never seen before, and we give all the glory to God for this growth! The greatest blessing, however, is a hidden gem within that number:of those 462 individuals, 73 couples received counseling side by side. As these couples implement the counsel they receive and allow the Lord to take His rightful place at the center of their marriage, they will find themselves truly on the same team. This will enable them to raise godly families, serve their churches, and fully embrace the call God has for them!

Welcoming Families at the Hannah House

What sets our Residential Program apart is the profound presence of God that fills our 45-acre campus, especially during our impactful services held twice a week in our chapel. And our great hope is that our students’ wives will be able to experience this spiritual atmosphere while their loved ones are in the program. But rising lodging costs often make it difficult for wives and families to afford visits. Recognizing this need, God provided a solution by enabling us to acquire a neighboring property with a two-story house, which we’ve transformed into the Hannah House. The Hannah House is exclusively available for the families of our students, allowing them a place to stay during visits. Although the supply does not nearly meet the demand, we are blessed to be able to help defray the costs for visiting wives and children on a first-come, first served basis. The Hannah House is booked nearly every weekend, and now students’ families can come and enjoy for themselves the life-transforming presence of our great God!

While the Lord certainly does not want any man to fall into sexual sin, in His mercy He is always willing to use this difficult situation to do an incredible work in both the husband and the wife. Through the pain of the husband’s sin, God can bring the couple to a place where they both realize their great need for Him. In that place of need, God sweeps in and does above and beyond what either of them ever hoped for or expected. We are grateful for the opportunity to be vessels of His mercy in this process and for the ways He is moving in this ministry!

Our New Sermon Series

From our Founder, Pastor Steve Gallagher

Back in September, we wrapped up our Come Unto Me series which we began in January 2022. For the past 3 years, we have covered nearly every incident in the life of Christ recorded in the gospels. Each week, Jesus Christ was magnified as our students developed a greater biblical understanding of His character and the role He should play in their lives.

On October 13th we continued in the same vein as our speaking team launched a new series, Unveiling Yahweh, where we will be considering who this God is that we serve.

We believe this is a vital subject to address simply because what a person believes about the Lord will largely shape the direction his life will take. If a person holds the low view of God so prevalent in our day, then he will not be inclined to trust Him, respect Him, much less obey Him.

For instance, just think about Yahweh’s infinitude. He is boundless and measureless! And if He is infinite, then His love is infinite, His power is infinite, His holiness is infinite. We greatly need to see Him as the mighty God portrayed in Scripture!

One train of thought we will pursue will be to consider His attributes. Have you ever contemplated the hand of God at work in your life? Have you ever thought about the eyes of the Lord searching out your inward being? Have you spent much time seeking the face of God? These are a few of the anthropomorphic scriptural expressions that describe this spiritual Being through human features.

Something else we’ll delve into will be the various aspects of God’s character. We know that God is love, but that concept must always be balanced with His thrice holy nature. The sovereignty of God speaks of the immensity of His involvement in human affairs, but we must also keep in mind that He is greatly concerned with the individual.

Lastly, we’ll reflect on the ways the Lord deals with humankind. How does one encounter the fire of God? How do His good intentions toward His people play out in everyday life? And how does the judgment of God affect the life of a believer? It seems that the Personhood of God provides a limitless range of meaningful subjects to consider.

We will use biblical accounts, teachings and poetic passages to help us glimpse into the great realm of God Himself. We hope you will join us on this exciting journey as we attempt to unveil Yahweh!