Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Childress.
Hi Danny, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was blessed to be raised in a Christian home by parents who loved me deeply and
cared about my relationship with God. But at a young age, pornography entered my
life and became the foothold the enemy used to twist my thoughts. Shame and
secrecy marked my early years. From ages 10–13, I began sneaking cigarettes,
quietly building a rebellion in the shadows.
At 14, I left homeschooling and stepped into the culture shock of high school. Craving
acceptance, I turned toward partying, drugs, alcohol, and sex. I didn’t just drift from
God—I openly rejected Him. I spit in His face and chased the darkness of addiction.
By 15, I had run away and was living in a crack house in Pasco, Washington,
surrounded by brokenness and pain, where I experienced abuse that only deepened
my spiral.
I attempted suicide twice, drowning myself daily in rum, ecstasy, and amphetamines.
At 18, after a violent altercation, I moved to Portland and quickly fell into meth
addiction. Ashamed of my past and terrified of my future, I used harder and faster. My
life became defined by jail time, identity theft, credit fraud, and betrayal of everyone I
knew. Eventually, I racked up five felonies and reached the point of complete
hopelessness.
One night, I found myself collapsed next to a toilet—115 pounds, sores all over my
body, teeth rotting out, a used needle in my hand, and blood pooling where I couldn’t
find a vein. I was the living dead. And in that moment, I heard the still small voice of
Jesus, the Savior I had once known: “I’m faithful to meet you where you’re at, but I’m
just as faithful not to leave you there.” Right there, He confronted me with the truth: if I
died, my legacy would be nothing more than a junkie on the floor. That next day, I
walked into Adult & Teen Challenge, and my life was forever changed.
Since surrendering to Jesus in 2008, God has written a redemption story only He
could write. I’ve served as Intake Coordinator for Central Oregon Adult & Teen
Challenge, helped launch a children’s and family nonprofit, opened a Community Pay
It Forward program, and pastored at Mission Church. On January 1st, 2020, with
nothing more than faith and the little money in our pockets, my wife and I launched Rock Bottom
Hope—a ministry dedicated to bringing hope to the furthest heart.
Today, I serve full-time in this calling, watching God redeem lives the way He redeemed mine.
In 2020, after years of walking faithfully with Him, I received a letter saying every
felony had been expunged—as if they had never happened. Isn’t that just like God?
The same way He erases our sins, He erased my record. He is faithful to rescue,
restore, and redeem. If I’ve learned anything, it’s this: no one is ever too far gone, and
every story matters.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running Rock Bottom Hope comes with both incredible rewards and real challenges. One of the biggest hurdles is balancing the urgent needs of the people we serve with the limited resources we have available. Every week, we’re face-to-face with individuals who are in crisis—whether it’s addiction, broken relationships, financial hardship, or simply losing hope altogether. Meeting those needs while ensuring our staff and volunteers don’t burn out requires wisdom, boundaries, and constant prayerful discernment.
Another challenge is sustainability. We’re always working to secure funding—not just for today’s needs, but for long-term initiatives like Reset Homes, job training, and the Hope Center we envision for the future. Fundraising is more than asking for money; it’s about telling the story of lives being transformed, and inviting others to invest in that mission. Still, it can feel like a constant tension between vision and resources.
Lastly, there’s the challenge of growth. As we expand into new areas, we have to maintain the DNA of RBH—the culture of hope, compassion, and Christ-centered care—while adapting to different communities and building healthy leadership structures. It’s a delicate balance of dreaming big, staying faithful to God’s leading, and not moving faster than the foundation we’re laying can support.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have the privilege of leading Rock Bottom Hope, a nonprofit I launched in 2020 with nothing but the money in our pockets and hearts full of faith. We exist to bring hope to the furthest heart—the people who feel forgotten, discarded, or beyond redemption. Through hope coaching, resources, pay-it-forward scholarships, and now the vision of Reset Homes, we walk with people who are at rock bottom and remind them that their story isn’t over.
I specialize in creating spaces where people can be honest about their struggles without shame, and where the power of the Gospel meets them in their darkest places. What I’m most proud of isn’t a program or an initiative, but the fact that every week I get to see lives transformed—men and women choosing hope over despair, restoration over destruction, and freedom over addiction.
What sets Rock Bottom Hope apart is that we don’t just talk about hope; we live it. My story proves that no one is too far gone for Jesus, and that makes our message deeply personal. We don’t come from a place of theory—we come from lived experience, and that authenticity resonates. Every story matters, and we exist to make sure people know that truth.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Yes—Rock Bottom Hope is more than an organization, it’s a movement. Every day we step into the trenches with people who are hurting, addicted, broken, and ready to give up. And every day we see God prove that no one is too far gone. That’s the heartbeat of what we do.
Right now, Rock Bottom Hope is focused on meeting people exactly where they are—listening to their stories, walking with them through their next steps, and connecting them to resources that bring real change. But we’re also dreaming bigger. Our vision is to one day open long-term recovery programs and sober living homes, safe places where men and women can rebuild their lives with community, accountability, and the hope of Christ at the center. We believe these homes will be a launching pad for lasting freedom and restoration.
If you’re reading this, there are three powerful ways you can be part of this story. You can pray—covering our team and the people we serve as they fight for freedom. You can give—investing your resources so we can expand and launch Reset Homes, fund scholarships, and keep hope alive in desperate places. And you can serve—whether that’s mentoring, volunteering, or simply showing up to remind someone that their story matters.
We launched this mission with nothing but faith, and today we’re seeing lives transformed that the world had written off. But we can’t do it alone. If you want your time, treasure, and prayers to count for eternity, Rock Bottom Hope is fertile ground. Together, we can bring hope to the furthest heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rockbottomhope.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rock_bottom_hope
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockBottomHope?
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rock-bottom-hope/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rockbottomhope
Image Credits
RBH images Abby Grace McDougal
Family Image Amanda Lawrence
