Originally shared on the Higher Ground Men’s Conference blog, January 2016

Having come to faith at the age of 13, Clay Crosse grew up like many young men of faith: he was a good kid who went to church every Sunday and flourished in his church youth group. He got a good college education, married his high school sweetheart, and began building a good life.

Then, in the early 1990s, Clay’s dream was realized as he became one of the decade’s most popular contemporary Christian music artists, winning four GMA Dove Awards including 1994’s “Best New Artist of the Year.” Clay became known for such #1 songs as My Place is With You, His Love Is Strong, Give Him Roots, Saving the World, and I Surrender All.

But underneath it all, he was hiding a dark secret that almost unraveled his life.

At the 2016 Higher Ground Men’s Conference Clay shared his personal journey of brokenness to victory as he came to confess to God, himself, his wife, and the Christian music industry his decent into consuming pornography at the very height of his contemporary Christian music career.

“The first time I experienced pornography I was in the fourth grade. I was at a friend’s house and on their living room coffee table was a basket of magazines: Better Homes and Gardens, Redbook, Sports Illustrated and Playboy. My story is an example of how pornography can lure and consume anyone. But my story is also a testimony of how God’s amazing grace can redeem and restore anyone from its grasp. My journey included some very dark and difficult days in my marriage. But with God’s power and the commitment of my incredible wife Renee, our relationship with God not only ‘transformed us by the renewing of our minds,’ but strengthened us and brought a level of intimacy and joy that we previously didn’t know was possible.”

Currently serving as a Worship Pastor at First Baptist Church, Winter Garden, Florida Clay has become a welcome fixture for several weeks each summer at Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center where he leads worship.

“Everyone who has worked with Clay knows that he is a gifted musician and vocalist who has been successful in the music world,” said CBCC Executive Director Jeff Carlsen. “What we especially appreciate about Clay, however, is how God has shaped and tempered him through life’s challenges to produce a man who truly offers his gifts wholly to the Lord. Clay and his wife Renee are real people who share their story honestly and articulately.”

Below are two 2015 interviews on Relationships with Carrie Abbott.

Clay Crosse Story, Part 1

Clay Crosse Story, Part 2