‘Sanctified Recovery’ Conference Call Helps Men Overcome Addictions, Secret Struggles

By Tom Campisi

Legacy Minded Men celebrated a significant milestone on Monday night with the 150^th  edition of its Sanctified Recovery conference call show.

On the second and fourth Monday of the month at 8:30 p.m., men call in to a conference line where host Raun Barretto and a guest talk about overcoming various addictions and self-destructive behaviors, including pornography, alcohol, gambling, and other strongholds. Sanctified Recovery was launched four years ago by Joe Pellegrino, the founder of Legacy Minded Men, which, among other outreaches, hosts conferences, weekly prayer calls, discipleship events, and the annual Good Friday Prayer Breakfast.

With Sanctified Recovery, Barretto and Pellegrino are providing a safe place for men to hear good news and encouragement when it comes to addictions. They have seen the statistics and know that a large percentage of men struggle with pornography and other vices.

“More and more, men today experience issues with things such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, or the like. Others may not have those particular struggles – but they do find themselves watching sexualized images on a frequent basis. We understand,” the Legacy Minded Men website states.

“My goal is to help men who struggle in this area, as I struggled, over 30 years ago, with my behavior causing devastating results to friends, to family, and to my church, at that time,” Barretto said. “God has used groups like the New Canaan Society and Legacy Minded Men to impact my own life in a great way. I want to see that impact extended to other men, especially those that have secret struggles.”

On the Sanctified Recovery calls, guests have included a wide variety of men, including “Wall Street guys, pastors, men who have serious time in prison, and just about everyone in between,” Barretto said.

Monday’s call featured Jayson Graves, a Christian counselor and coach who specializes in sexual integrity recovery and unwanted attractions. Graves shared his testimony, which included growing up in a dysfunctional family and the being the victim of sexual abuse from a female babysitter and male Boy Scout leader.

Barretto guided the discussion and Q and A session at the end and also read passages from 1 Corinthians 6, which stresses sexual purity, “Flee from sexual immorality… do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (verses 18-20).”

The ministry of Legacy Minded Men is seeking to help men break the chains of addictions, not only with these bi-weekly calls, but also through conferences and discipleship training.

“Addictions need to be healed by the unconditional love of Jesus Christ,” Barretto said. “Christian men, just like other men, experience internal conflict and unresolved issues, often from childhood, that have not been fully dealt with.”

The Sanctified Recovery call is based on a familiar Bible verse found in Joel 2:25, “God will restore the years that have been eaten away.”

“There is hope!” Barretto says. “These calls will encourage men and give them new strength to break any of chain in their lives.”

The Sanctified Recovery conference call is held every second and fourth Monday of the month from 8:30-9:30 p.m. The number is (712) 451-0542; enter code 294647# when prompted. For more information about Legacy Minded Men, visit www.LegacyMindedMen.org.