Repurposed: How God Turns Your Mess into His Message

By Noe Garcia

Have you ever thought your life is beyond repair? Perhaps you asked, “How could God possibly use my brokenness for good?”
 
We all tend to look for purpose in our pain. We are broken people living in a broken world. Depression, anxiety, hurting relationships, unmet expectations, and just that constant feeling of unease and discouragement make us question God, wondering if there is even a purpose to be found.
 
In Repurposed, Noe Garcia takes readers on a journey through Romans 8, which many have called “The Greatest Chapter in the Bible.” Noe shares his life story, including abuse, depression, and overwhelming hopelessness. He reveals how God has redeemed him, repaired his brokenness, and restored him to new life.
 
Whether your life is like Noe's was, or your brokenness looks different, this book will meet you where you are, and:

• Provide hope for your future.
• Remind you of the promise that God is for you.
• Lead you to surrender your brokenness to God.
• Help you see how God is using all things together for your good.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BH Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087740508

Book preview

Table of Contents

Introduction: Broken

Chapter 1: Shame

Chapter 2: Battle

Chapter 3: Philophobia

Chapter 4: Suffering

Chapter 5: Purpose

Chapter 6: Trust

Chapter 7: Separation Anxiety

Chapter 8: Conquer

Notes

In Repurposed, Pastor Noe talks about the realities of living in a broken world while clinging to the promises of God. This book walks through Romans 8, maybe my favorite chapter in the Bible. As Noe shows you, purpose begins by discovering who Christ is, what He’s done for you, and what He intends for you. No one is the same after reading Romans 8. You won’t be the same after reading this book.

J.D. Greear, Ph.D., pastor, The Summit Church, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and author of Just Ask

Many Christians have wondered how to experience victory in Christ when doubts, fears, sins, and guilt of the old self plague and assault their thought life every day. In Noe Garcia’s new book Repurposed, he takes the reader on an unflinching journey through Romans 8 to look at how God can repurpose our failures, our pain, and our sin for His glory and our good. Repurposed is a discipleship resource for anyone desiring to mature as a Christian.

Robby Gallaty, pastor, Long Hollow Church and author of Replicate and Recovered

Noe Garcia is a pastor’s pastor. I love his honesty and candor of his personal life that is grounded with biblically based insights. In a season where we have all questioned God’s purpose, Pastor Noe helps to recenter and prepare us for the new normal. I’m excited to endorse this book, it will bless your soul!

Dhati Lewis, lead pastor, Blueprint Church

This isn’t a clever book; it’s a true story of our God who can turn messes into messages. Just like God repurposed Noe’s story, I believe God will use this book to help bring restoration, healing, and hope to so many.

Brad Jones, Atlanta city pastor, Passion City Church

Noe’s story of God’s redemptive power is a great reminder of how God can take our mess and turn it into His message. This story is real, raw, and filled with God’s grace.

Miles McPherson, pastor, Rock Church and former NFL player

God can speak so powerfully to others when we open our hearts and honestly share our struggles. I am grateful that my friend Noe Garcia has done that in Repurposed. He bares his soul and the most vulnerable places in his journey, which ultimately leads to healing and hope. If you are walking a similar path or want to minister more effectively to those who are, this is a book you will want to read and refer to often.

Kevin Ezell, president, North American Mission Board, SBC

I have seen up close the life-changing power of Christ in and through Noe Garcia. You’ll find Noe’s story engaging and his biblical application personally helpful. This book is the outpouring of a man who walks intimately with Christ.

Dr. Nick Floyd, senior pastor, Cross Church

Every Christian at some point has wondered, How will God use this in my story . . . for His glory? Often we see our struggles different than God sees them. In this book, Noe gives us a front row seat into God’s redemptive power using Romans 8 to show us that God never wastes any experiences in our life, whether good or bad.

Marcus Hayes, lead pastor, Crossroads Baptist Church

Repurposed

Copyright © 2021 by Noe Garcia

All rights reserved.

978-1-0877-4050-8

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 234.3

Subject Heading: BIBLE. N.T. ROMANS 8 / GRACE (THEOLOGY) / SALVATION

All Scripture is taken from the English Standard Version, ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Cover design by Jeff Miller, FaceOut Studio. Cover background image by Reddavebatcave/shutterstock. Author photo by AmberJoy Photography.

It is the Publisher’s goal to minimize disruption caused by technical errors or invalid websites. While all links are active at the time of publication, because of the dynamic nature of the internet, some web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed and may no longer be valid. B&H Publishing Group bears no responsibility for the continuity or content of the external site, nor for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.

To my beautiful wife, Clancey, and my children, Baylen, Mamie, Hallie, and Fallon.

Your lives have brought sweet healing to my soul.

INTRODUCTION

Broken

Having Been Fractured or Damaged and No Longer in One Piece or in Working Order

Broken . That’s a word we can all relate to.

It means something is damaged, not in one piece, no longer in working order.

You have probably been there. It’s more than a broken heart; it’s a shattered one. Brokenness shatters your hopes and dreams and leaves you in a desolate place. Your soul feels empty, and your life’s purpose seems to be lost. You feel like you’re at the point of no return, beyond repair.

This is how I felt for most of my life.

In high school I was seen as a highly relational, charismatic guy. I was a football and basketball star, homecoming king, and voted class favorite. Pretty cool for a high schooler, huh? But the picture painted on the outside was very different from what was going on inside. If you were to peel back the layers of my soul, you would find a broken and shattered young man. I was depressed, hopeless, and simply tired of living. I wasn’t in one piece, and I certainly wasn’t in working order. I was damaged and dysfunctional. I felt like my life was so broken that there was no possible way for me to be put back together. I was damaged beyond repair.

My coping mechanisms became drugs, sex, and alcohol. Did they ever really fill me? No, but they numbed me enough that I wouldn’t feel the pain. But eventually, even drugs, sex, and alcohol couldn’t numb what I was feeling. They were simply Band-Aids on a much deeper wound.

At the age of eighteen, I completely hit rock bottom. I was a year out of high school, not attending college, living in a duplex with two other friends, and partying every night. To be frank, I felt like a loser. I was sinking deeper and deeper and thought there was only one way out.

Suicide.

My Mess

I can remember this day as if it were yesterday. There I was, drunk and drugged. Sitting in a room filled with laughter and impaired people. Everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives, except for me. My ship was sinking, and it was time for me to jump.

I was tired of it all. I was tired of trying to fix the mess I had made of my life. A trail of abuse and broken relationships was all I knew. Hopelessness and depression were the only stable things in my life.

I was tired of it all. I was tired of trying to fix the mess I had made of my life. A trail of abuse and broken relationships was all I knew. Hopelessness and depression were the only stable things in my life. I was done.

I went outside about midnight and looked up into the sky. The moon was bright, and the stars were so clear it was almost as if God was showing off His creation. I looked up and prayed what may sound like a silly prayer, but it was one last desperate attempt for love. I told God I wouldn’t commit suicide if He showed me that He was here for me. I asked Him for a shooting star. I said, God, if you are out there and if you are God, then would You please show me a shooting star? Then I will know that You are real. If You do this for me, I will know that You hear me and love me, and I promise I won’t commit suicide, and I’ll change my life.

I was looking for hope. Something that would tell me there is a reason to live. I sat there for about thirty minutes, and anger began to boil within me because I felt like God could have quickly shown me a shooting star, but He didn’t. It was almost as if He were telling me, Do it. I don’t have plans for you. It was a slap in the face and almost proved my worst fear that I was beyond repair, and He didn’t want me either. Tears streamed down my face because I knew what this meant for me. If the God of the universe didn’t want me, then there was no point in living. I went inside and carried out my suicide plan. Tears streamed down my face.

I went into a bedroom while the party continued, and I closed the door behind me. I will spare you the details, but a friend happened to notice that I was gone from the party and went looking for me. He came into the room and found me with a belt around my neck. He became hysterical and yelled out to me, running toward me and hugging me. He held me as we both shed tears of despair. I wanted to escape the pain, and this seemed like the best option at the time. At eighteen, I was ready to throw my life away because I believed a lie from the enemy that I was too far gone and too broken.

His Message

My suicide attempt was a sobering moment for me. I was at the end of my rope and realized just how broken I was. I moved in with my grandmother and slept on her couch to try to escape the life I was involved in. My days consisted of working out, playing basketball, and working double shifts as a waiter.

Every Friday night I would attend the open gym at the Salvation Army. The chaplain let us play basketball for hours as long as we stayed to listen to a short devotion. I had attended in the past, but never really listened to the gospel message. I typically ignored it and ridiculed his teachings. I thought it was for the other people listening. But this particular Friday night was different.

It was weeks after my suicide attempt, and my soul was fragile. I was discouraged and knew I needed to change my life. That night I heard the gospel in a way that I had never heard it before. The gospel was shared, the invitation was given, and there I was—crying in my seat and finally realizing that I was a sinner in need of a savior.

The chaplain gave the invitation, and I walked the aisle, broken and ashamed. I prayed a simple prayer: God, I am not sure if You can hear me, but if You forgive me, I promise to do my best to follow You the rest of my life. I felt free, forgiven, and hopeful.

After that night everything changed! I put down the drugs, drinking, and immorality. I was eager to serve Jesus. I felt like I needed a fresh start and new beginning, so that’s exactly what I did. I decided to attend East Texas Baptist University—a Christian university where no one would know about my past. I would be seen as Noe the Christian, not Noe the wild party guy.

Attending college was something I thought I would never do. My idea of a life after high school was getting a full-time job and starting a family. My mother and father dropped out of school at an early age, so I didn’t have any pressure to attend college, but God had other plans for me. I can remember the day I packed up my car with the excitement of a new beginning. My desire was to leave it all behind and enter a new world where no one knew about the damaged areas of my life. I was starting a new chapter in my life, and the page was completely blank!

I was eighteen years old and a new follower