Fred Barker's Testimony

[Evangelist Denise Dove]

Fred Barker January 24 at 7:07pm Report
I grew up in a dysfunctional christian home my mom was a minister/missionary on a Indian Reservation in Kettle Point, Ontario. My dad was a whole other story but he was not the good christian role model. For a while I followed in my moms footsteps and when she would preach in different churches I would preach at youth meetings. Then like they say PK (Preachers Kids) are usually the worse and I lived that too the fullest. I was into speed, valiums, and weed and even messed around with the occult a little. I knew I was playing with fire because I was called into the ministry at a very young age and I was told at least twice that God would strike me down or put me on a bed of affliction that I would not rise up from unless I did what God has planned for my life. Because of a loving girlfriend and God almighty I got cleaned up but because I did not honor God for helping me it was not an easy life. I relapsed several times and eventually began to mess with alcohol. I always said I was a strong willed person and could never get addicted again, that the only time I drank was with friends and family I could handle my drinking. Then in 1992 after too many years as a mechanic I really tore up my back really bad. Then a few days after my back began to hurt I was walking down the hallway in my home and suddenly I was picking myself up off the floor. My legs were like rubber and my left leg had this unreal pain shooting down it so off to the ER I went. I had herniated some disc in my lower back and the sciatic nerve to my left leg was pinched they wanted to do surgery but I said no way. They put me on pain pills muscle relaxers, sedatives, anti depressants and the journey to addiction began.
I thought I had it all handled when I rededicated my life in 1994 and began to work on becoming an Ordained Minister. I was even given an associated pastor position but still continued to use the pills. My brain had fooled my heart into thinking it was okay to do pain pills & preach since one can get into some pain after a while on ones feet. Then in 1996 after several years of being in a problem marriage I decided to split up with my first wife. Once again I began to drink to help give me courage to get through this trying time in my life. By 1997 my nights started out with a 12 pack of beer, a bottle of hydrocodone 7.50es, and some muscle relaxers, my night only stopped when I would pass out.
My marriage ended in April 1997and I was already seeing someone else but the drinking and drugs continued. I was playing games with church and God I would always stop drinking but the painkillers and muscle relaxers continued. When I would move to a new town I would always find me a doctor that would continue prescribing pain pills & muscle relaxers because of my back. In 1998 they discovered that my disc went from herniated to diginitive disc disease and went from my lower back all the way down to my tailbone area. By the year 2000 I was so busted up I could no longer work, bad knees, bad shoulders my insides were not in good shape either. I was moving up the pain killer ladder I was now up to hydrocodone 10/6.50 and soma 350mg muscle relaxers. I experimented with taking two or three pain pills and breaking them in half then taking with cocoa cola to make them dissolve quicker and doing the same with my muscle relaxers. I had realized that if I could fight the first ten or fifteen minutes when they first would hit after 15 minutes or so the drugs would turn into speed and I could stay up as long as I wanted to. I loved it.
In 2002 my health began to go down hill and I had like six or seven surgeries in one year alone. Then in 2007 I had to have a total knee replacement on my right side. I was put on Oxycotin for that surgery and then the very next year I had to give in and have back surgery the doctors said if I didn’t have it I would be in a wheel chair within two years the degenitive disc disease was getting worse. After my back surgery I needed stronger pills and more pills, so my doctor put me on 90 day supplies with endless refills. Now my prescriptions were coming through a mail in pharmacy so I was getting 90 day supplies, plus I had three local pharmacies I was using with cash and no insurance eventhough I had prescription insurance this way I could get extra pills and not get found out.
By January 2009 I was doing Oxycotin, Hydrocodone 10/750, Soma 350mg, Valium & Xanex. My wife & me would play hide & seek she would hide my pills and I would seek them out and always found her stash spot like a bloodhound. I was taking sometimes five or ten pain pills at a time plus my other meds, plus I was drinking again. I had several bouts of appendicitis because of all the medicines I was taking. Because of my health problems I had given my wife Medical Power of Attorney.
On Feb.12, 2009 as I lay under 3 comforters in my bed and still freezing because I was out of pills and was beginning to detoxify at home which is very dangerous.
Note; From this point was told to me by my wife because of loss of memory.
As I lock myself in my room and I began to literally trash our bedroom my wife contacted my doctor because she was scared to death and did not really know what to do. I was under a CPS investigation for Neglect, excessive drug usage and alcoholism unbeknownst to me I was about to loose my wife, my children, and my home. My wife had come to the decision that if I did not get some kind of help then she was going to ask that I pack my stuff and leave, eventhough it would tear her heart out to loose me. When she contacted my doctor he asked her what my “mental status” was like. She told my doctor how I was under 3 comforters still freezing and that I was trashing our bedroom basically I was going nuts. My doctor told her that her Medical Power Of attorney just kicked in and that she could do with me whatsoever she wished. My wife and doctor had an ambulance come to the house with police back up and I was taken to Baylor All Saints Hospital in Fort Worth TX where I was committed by my wife to the eighth floor lock down rehab unit. I was committed for 30 days inpatient and 30 days outpatient. End of note
When I got out of the lock down unit as I walk through the parking garage with my wife and a friend my wife reached out and stopped me to ask where I was going I told her I was looking for our van she replied it is right there. I looked around and did not see the van I was looking for so my wife walked me to a Red Van and said this is our van. I told her no way that our van was two tone brown Astro Van and she told me “Honey we got rid of that van two years ago and got this one to replace it”. Then I saw that the mirror on the passenger was broken and when I inquired about that I was told another story of how I put my family in danger because of the pills.
Because of the CPS & Police investigation I was not allowed to stay at home with my family when I got out of the rehab hospital. I had to stay with a friend and just go visit my family for like 60days after I got out of the hospital. After about a week one time when I was visiting my family my wife took me to our bedroom. She wanted me to see just how bad and how destructive the pills had made me. When I saw our bedroom and just how badly I trashed the room I was devastated, but I was really shook up when I saw a pair of needle nose pliers sticking out from the wall. I thought to myself that could have very well been my wife or one of my girls instead of a wall, I just shook and cried, then turn to my wife and asked if she sould ever forgive me she said Honey I already did. One of the first times that I came over to my house to spend time with my wife & kids my youngest daughter ran up to me, gave me a great big hug and looked up at me and said Ya know what daddy? I said what, she replied it is so good to have my daddy back again
There is no way I could ever let God know just how much I Love Him for standing by my side even when I was not worthy. I was cleared of all charges and the CPS case was also closed.


I attend Ignite Flint Gospel Church in Flint MI and work as an usher. On Feb 12, 2011 it will be 24 months clean & sober. When I sing No More Chains No More Bondage I AM FREE!!! It comes from my heart because I know without God and God giving my wife the strength to do her own intervention I would have surely lost my wife, my kids, my home, my freedom and eventually my life. I so thank God every day of my sobriety for being the god of more than a second chance. This is my anthem
Please Come Down To Me~~~~~~~~~The Crabb Family
I know that I'm not worthy to call upon your name
All my life I've been a sinner and for that I am ashamed
But I heard that you would listen to I'm giving you my plea
I'm too unworthy Lord, to come to you
Could you please come down to me?
I guess I must be reaping from the seeds that I have sown
Lord, you owe me nothing, we haven't spoken for so long
If you could spare some mercy I'll pledge my life to thee
I'm too unworthy, Lord, to come to you
Could you please come down to me?
I know that there are others who could offer more than I
I promise you I'd understand if for me you had no time
I think I've just hit bottom and I'm looking up to see
I'm too unworthy, Lord, to come to you
Could you please come down to me? Denise Dove January 24 at 8:41pm
FRED, YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH HELL AND BACK. I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU WENT THROUGH ALL THE THINGS IN YOUR LIFE, THAT YOU FELT THAT GOD WAS NOT THERE. BUT, NO MATTER WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH, HE WAS STILL REACHING OUT TO YOU. IT'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH HELL THAT APPRECIATE GOD'S LOVE. AND APPRECIATE THE PRICE JESUS CHRIST PAID ON THE CROSS WITH HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD. YOU ARE PRECIOUS DEAR BROTHER TO JESUS, AND TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. YOU ARE A MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, HIGHLY FAVORED OF GOD, SET A PART. BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY YOU ARE SPECIAL. THERE IS A MAJOR PART YOU HAVE TO PLAY IN THIS HARVEST. I LOVE YA BROTHER. JESUS HAS NEVER LEFT YOU BROTHER, NOR WILL HE. GOD IS NOT WASTING ANYTHING YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH, GOD IS USING YOUR LIFE & TESTIMONY FOR HIS GLORY. WHAT SATAN MEANT FOR EVIL IN YOUR LIFE, GOD IS USING FOR HIS GOOD. YOUR TESTIMONY FRED IS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO SATAN! YOU HAVE OVER COME SATAN FRED, BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB & THE WORD OF YOUR TESTIMONY~REVELATION 12:11~

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