An Alpha House Story
May 18, 2004
Tom was kicked out of his home in 1984 at age 17 because of poor performance at school, a consistently rebellious attitude and a father who was unbending in his discipline. He joined the Marines where he learned to drink and drug. His drug use resulted in a dishonorable discharge, and he returned home. But his discharge drove a deeper wedge between Tom and his ex-Marine drill instructor father. Tom decided that life was too tough to face – so he took off for a life on the streets.
For the next twenty years Tom lived on the streets. He moved from place to place, always hooking up with others addicts. Sometimes he lived with an acquaintance. Other times he slept under bridges. For long periods of time his family – Mom, Dad, two brothers and a sister – knew nothing of his whereabouts - whether he was dead or alive. Then he would surface and call them – only to return to the streets. In 1986 he was arrested in Texas and did some prison time. Released on probation, he fled the state---returning to life on the streets.
By 1998 he had migrated to New Hampshire. Winter was coming and he did not want another bitter cold winter living under a bridge. Tom remembers it well: “I had a moment of clarity and realized that if I died, there would be no evidence that I ever lived on this earth. So, I cried out to God for help, and He gave it. It was not the kind of help I wanted, but it did turn out to be help.”
The next day Tom was arrested. The police discovered his probation violation, and extradited him to Texas to serve the remaining 4 years on his prison term.
Upon release in 2002, Tom paroled to Houston and moved into a half-way house. He shared a room with Art C., a Harbor Church regular. Art invited Tom to come. Tom says: “I wasn’t really interested in Jesus, but Art said they were serving good food, and I was hungry for some home cooking.” Tom returned to Harbor again and again. He says, “I was attracted by the food, but the authenticity and the unconditional love that I experienced captured me.”
Tom came to Christ and was baptized on Easter Sunday morning 2002. He moved into Alpha House – a series of two bedroom apartments with housing four men and a team leader in a small apartment complex.
Tom lived in Alpha House for 14 months and participated in the discipleship process. He developed a hunger for Jesus that was noticeable. He was assigned to a mentor. His discipleship experience included getting and keeping the same job for one year and taking initiative to be reconciled to his family. It also included memorizing large portions of Scripture – Tom developed a love for God’s Word – and learning to connect and tell his story to unchurched people. He also participated in some very intensive training in prayer ministry. We rejoiced as Tom learned to do simple things like write a check and balance a check book and complex things like working out conflict with housemates
During this time Tom identified and faced some serious wounding around authority issues. This helped immensely as he reconnected to his father. (He and his family are fully reconciled today.) Within six months Tom was given leadership of one of the Alpha houses. There he delved deeper into his authority issues and learned how to exercise authority like a servant in the lives of three other men entrusted to his care.
In the fall of 2003, Todd McCombs, a Christian leader in Houston, contacted Jim Herrington, Harbor’s Pastor. Todd was opening a ministry similar to Alpha House focusing on ex-offenders. He asked if someone from Alpha House might lead that ministry. Tom Murphy accepted that call and today gives oversight to a ministry involving 15 ex-offenders. When asked to consider this assignment he said: “I’m totally terrified but am absolutely sure that God is calling me to do this.”
Hope House stretched Tom immensely but his credibility with ex-offenders is clear. He knows where they have been and he connects with an uncommon authenticity. He still attends Harbor Church on Saturday nights while leading a house church at Hope House on Sundays. And he meets with the Alpha House leaders for encouragement and sharing of learning. Tom says: “Many guys never get off the streets. I don’t know where I might be if the Alpha House ministry had not provided clear, practical, daily guidance in a loving community. It’s incredible that today God allows me to make a real difference in the lives of men like me.”
For more information about Alpha House you can contact Josh Wood, Executive Director, at 832-465-1431.