A former addict showed the power and possibility of redemption after being baptized at the church he attempted to vandalize six months ago.

Brenton Winn entered Central Baptist Church (CBC) in Arkansas on February 28 with the intention of causing significant damage. High on meth during relapse after completing a faith-based recovery program, the 23-year-old "felt desperate" to lash out at God.

That feeling resulted in $100,000 worth of damage caused by Winn, reports Faithwire.

Last month, Winn was baptized in the very church he had destroyed by Associate Pastor Mike Lefler. Winn says that he believes the entire situation came as part of God's plan and that God is responsible for bringing him to CBC.

“As I’m starting to understand how God works, I’ve realized I didn’t pick the church that night. God picked me,” Winn shared, adding that had he vandalized a different church, he might be in jail instead of free in Christ.

Despite being raised in a Christian home, Winn was abusing drugs by age 16. He says his life during this period was "nothing but chaos, suicide attempts, and brokenness."

Winn's relapse, he believes, began in September 2017, following his cousin's death by suicide. He had completed a two-week recovery program in 2016 to combat his addictions and remained sober for a year, even leading to a regular job.

After relapsing, Winn became homeless and angry towards God.

His acts of vandalism, however, did not lead to the experience he might have expected. Following the incident, CBC Senior Pastor Don Chandler met with the prosecutor involved in Winn's case to talk forgiveness.

"This was not a hardened criminal. This was a young man who had made some mistakes. He was on drugs and alcohol when he did what he did. But he was redeemable," Chandler says. "You can’t preach something for 50 years without practicing it, especially in front of your whole church."

Chandler and Winn both believe the grace shown to Winn resulted in an outcome much more favorable than the path the young man was heading down at the time.

"Had we not shown some grace to him, everything we’ve talked about and encouraged, would have gone by the wayside. It was simply the right thing to do," says Chandler.

Chandler decided to offer an opportunity for Winn to pursue rehabilitation and connected him to Christian residential recovery ministry Renewal Ranch. The former addict was given a choice by the judge presiding over his case between Renewal Ranch and up to 20 years imprisonment.

After six months of the faith-based recovery program, Winn became a Christian and decided to be baptized at CBC.

“I gave my heart to Christ that night,” says Winn, who added that he feels he knows of God's reality through the way He has guided Winn's path.

Five months remain in Winn's program, and as he continues to pursue the path to rehabilitation, Lefler and other leaders at the church look forward to walking step-by-step with the young man.

“We’re challenging our members to continue praying for this man because his story is not over," Lefler says.