Jeremiah Rosales turns from 'bad side' of skateboarding toward God

When Augusta University senior Jeremiah Rosales became enamored with the skateboarding culture as a child, he fell in love with all of it - even the dark side.

The professional skateboarders he idolized smoked marijuana and partied hard in the skating videos Rosales and his friends watched.

"We idolized that and we wanted to be pro skaters," he said. "Since that was our identity, we fell into the bad side of skateboarding culture. I fell pretty hard into it."

By the time he was a senior, he smoked marijuana every day, sometimes with friends, but often by himself.

Recently, he told his story onThe Real Winning Edge, which aired Feb. 26-28 on WRDW-TV, and on the show's Web site through March 4. The show spotlights young people who have overcome difficult challenges.

Rosales said filming made him nervous because he's not one to put himself out there, but he hopes others will find inspiration in his story.

He said his help came in the form of a longtime friend who had noticed Rosales' downward spiral and invited him to a youth retreat in Alabama.

"That's when I saw for the first time practical Christians being saved," he said. "Just loving God. I saw that and I wanted that. I thought I wasn't good enough to have that yet because I had these addictions."

Rosales, then a senior in high school, said he struggled to overcome his addictions on his own before he went to God, but a month later he was back to smoking pot. Again, his friend invited him to a youth retreat, this time at New Hope Worship Center in Grovetown.

One session during the retreat, called the Cross Session, really struck him.

"It just really put into perspective what God did for you, and that he sent his son to die for you," he said. "I just realized that he already loves me so much. It made me realize there's nothing I can do that would make him love me more than he already does."

Rosales put the marijuana down that weekend in October 2010. He said the hardest part wasn't overcoming the addiction, but breaking ties with his friends.

He said he asked them to drop the drugs and hear about what God has done in his life, but they chose drugs.

"I had to cut ties with them. I did actually receive more genuine friendships at church. That's what really helped me out during times of isolation," he said.

Rosales joined Skateboarders for Christ, a faith-based skateboarding team based in Florida. After graduating from Augusta University with a bachelor's of science in biology in May, he plans to attend Calling All Skaters Skateboarding Ministry. He will attend a three-month discipleship training course, and then spend three months doing skateboarding ministry overseas. He's not sure where yet.

After learning to use skateboarding to reach other youths like himself, he plans to pursue a career as a physician's assistant in orthopedics.

"If I could say something to the kids - God's given you talents, and it's up to you to cultivate those talents and use those talents for God," he said. "Use all of your strength to the glory of God."