Story told by Danny Velasco, written by Leah Kullman

Danny Velasco’s dream of being a celebrity stylist propelled him into being the youngest stylist at Bergdorf-Goodman. With this experience under his belt, Danny was styling hair for models that appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine.

Danny had a promising future, expensive homes and famous friends, but beyond the picture perfect façade there was an emptiness. Exploring New Age religions and going after every latest and greatest thing, he found nothing filled the void within. His last resort?  Heroin.

Heroin worked so well that soon Danny couldn’t feel anything but a desire for more heroin. It consumed his life.

One day on a photo shoot, Danny overdosed and had to be rushed to hospital. His credibility went downhill and the industry that he dreamt of being part of no longer wanted him around. People stopped calling Danny to work and he lost some high-paying jobs. Before long Danny lost his expensive home and was living on the streets.

Danny thought all of his friends from his old life had forgotten him, but one never gave up. Wanda, a young model who loved his haircuts, still held out hope. Wanda shared her faith in Christ many times, but Danny just couldn’t accept it.

Danny’s only nourishment on the street came from the drugs. He began hearing voices in his head. All-consuming, the voices would mock Danny and laugh constantly. Only being high seemed to silence them.

Needing money, Danny turned to the one friend that he knew would help him, Wanda. She agreed to help, but with one stipulation. Danny would have to meet her at her church during choir practice. Danny accepted in desperation.

Wanda tried to talk to Danny about God. She even introduced him to a fellow choir mate who had lived on the streets. Wanda told Danny that once he called on the name of the Lord he would be healed. Still, Danny refused to listen. As quickly as the money came from Wanda, it was used up and Danny was worse off than ever.

The mocking voices in his head broke him down so much that Danny wanted to die. He thought death was his only hope for relief. Danny didn’t want to die on the streets, so he went to the hospital.

Strapped to a hospital bed, Danny ached to die. But then there was a lull, and the voice Danny heard was the memory of what Wanda had said: “When you call on the name of the Lord you will be healed.” Wretched and desperate for reprieve, Danny pleaded to God for help. He bargained: if God would stop the noises, he would do whatever He wanted him to do. Then, silence. No mocking voices, just complete silence. Danny was in awe. He knew that it wasn’t a coincidence; he’d experienced a miracle.

Danny wanted to keep his promise to God, so he went into a Christian drug recovery program.
As he took one day at a time, he grew in his relationship with God. Today Danny is free from addiction and is rebuilding his life. He no longer bases his sense of self-worth in what he has. He places his faith in the unmovable foundation of Jesus. As Danny started to rebuild his shattered career, people had a new respect for him, a respect  more fulfilli ng than the highest accolades.

And Danny has found his real voice, his singing voice. As Danny sings in the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir his heart and mind rejoices at God and His amazing love.

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? Perhaps all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to You and ask You to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.