The ABSOLUTE Life - Winter

Staff & Member Spotlight

Idaho Women’s Campus Director 

Former program member and graduate, Renee Westberg grew up in a home that appeared stable but lacked emotional connection and healthy examples of love. As a teenager, she struggled with her sense of worth and direction, which later led to unhealthy relationships. Though she was introduced to church and Bible study as a child, faith eventually faded from her life. 

At age 22, Renee married after a short relationship, but the marriage quickly fell apart. When her husband lost his job, she turned to friends and was introduced to methamphetamine, beginning a ten-year struggle with addiction. Later, her relationship with her daughter’s father deepened her involvement with pills and eventually heroin. During that time, she faced homelessness and deep despair, yet always held a desire to be a mother and find stability. 

When her daughter Harlyn was born, Renee tried to stay clean but ended up relapsing. Harlyn went to live with Renee’s parents, who became her strongest support system. After repeated attempts at treatment, Renee faced losing parental rights. The urgency of that moment drove her to surrender and seek lasting change. She entered a year-long faith-based residential recovery program. 

Renee stayed nine months in the program and then transitioned to ABSOLUTE Ministries, where she and her daughter could begin rebuilding their life together. At ABSOLUTE, Renee developed strong accountability, financial responsibility, and a spiritual foundation that continues to guide her. Her parent’s faith has deepened as they’ve witnessed her transformation, and her journey has even inspired her sister-in-law to return to church gatherings. 

On January 16th, 2024, Renee recieved full-time custody of her daughter Harlyn, and uncoincidentally that special date happens to be her birthday. Today, Renee attends Lake City Church in Coeur d’Alene and serves as the Idaho Women’s Campus Director for ABSOLUTE Ministries. She continues to mentor women through the same process that saved her life. Her favorite verse, Jeremiah 29:11, reminds her to not be afraid and that God’s plans bring hope and a future. 

When Travis looks back on his journey, he sees not just the mistakes and pain of his past, but the unmistakable grace of God that brought him to where he is today. Growing up, he describes his childhood as good, though marked by loneliness. His mother worked two jobs to provide for the family, leaving him much of the time with cousins and older relatives who introduced him to drugs and alcohol at an early age. By sixteen, Travis had already faced legal trouble, and by adulthood, his life had spiraled into addiction. 

Years of substance use, loss, and heartbreak followed. After the death of his brother, Travis turned even more heavily to alcohol, resulting in multiple DUIs and time in prison. Yet even in those dark seasons, God was at work, softening his heart and preparing him for change. While serving time, Travis chose to enter a rehabilitation program and began to take responsibility for his future. Upon release, his employer, Kevin, reached out, offering not only a job but encouragement and a path forward. Kevin’s connection to ABSOLUTE Ministries opened the door that would change Travis’s life. 

Today, Travis has been a member of ABSOLUTE Ministries for one year and eight months at the Men’s Campus in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Through community, accountability, and faith-centered guidance, he has found stability and purpose. He attends All of Life Church in Post Falls, serves on the AV tech team, and meets weekly with his small group for fellowship and growth. What once felt like an endless cycle of defeat has become a story of restoration and hope. 

Travis often reflects on the transformation that has taken place since joining ABSOLUTE. “I’ve learned that I don’t have to try so hard,” he says. “I’m saved, I’m loved, and I’m accepted.” Surrounded by people who genuinely care, mentors, church family, and his community at ABSOLUTE, Travis continues to rebuild his life and relationship with his 6 year old daughter, Anaelle. His journey is a reminder that redemption is possible, and that through God’s grace and the support of ministries like ABSOLUTE, lives can truly be made new. 

A Night of Hope, Ending the Cycle of Addiction!

This past October, almost three hundred friends and supporters gathered at Real Life Ministries in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, for our Fall REDEEMED Fundraising Event. We are still in awe of what God did that night. Thank you to everyone who came and thank you to those who prayed. Thank you to those who gave and celebrated with us. The presence of God filled the room. Each testimony reminded us that even when life feels dark, His light always can break through. 

Every story shared by our members proved that redemption is real. God’s goodness never fails. Your support shows the heart and mission of ABSOLUTE Ministries, “to provide housing and comprehensive services in a structured environment for individuals who want to live in a new way.” Our members are walking in that new life and they are choosing hope and freedom each day! 

We stepped out in faith with a goal to raise $100,000. We are thankful to have received $83,500! From all of us at ABSOLUTE Ministries, thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for standing with us as we watch lives redeemed and restored through Jesus Christ. 

What's New at ABSOLUTE? 

We are excited to announce the release of a brand-new resource designed especially for mentors and those walking alongside individuals in recovery, ABSOLUTE Ministries Mentor Field Manual. This manual was thoughtfully created to equip mentors and faithful friends with practical tools, biblical guidance, and meaningful ways to walk closely with someone on their journey of recovery. 

Inside, you’ll find helpful conversation starters to build trust, insights to deepen understanding of your mentee, gentle ways to consistently point to Christ, and guidance on how to be an intentional and supportive friend. There is also dedicated space for personal notes and prayer journaling, allowing you to reflect and document the journey together. 

At ABSOLUTE Ministries, we believe that healing happens through God focused relationships, and that mentorship is one of the most powerful places where God’s presence and transformation are experienced. Our prayer is that this manual will encourage and equip you as you love, lead, and listen to the one God has placed in your life. 

Get your copy on AMAZON here: https://a.co/d/bXrwjs6 

Our team is grateful for you. We continue on our mission of ending the cycle of addiction and teaching people how to live, because of Jesus. We pray you are blessed with His presence this Christmas season. We’re excited to welcome Noah Gottfred as a new full time staff member with ABSOLUTE Ministries and to share that we have an opening for a Stability Behavioral Health Administrative Manager position. 

I am grateful for a kind of faith that builds something strong for every day of the week, because that’s what our society needs. Many of you know my story. I came out of total brokenness and addiction. God met me, forgave me, and then equipped me to help others find the same freedom. Amy and I have said “yes” again and again, and over time, the Lord has surrounded us with an incredible team who carry that same heart. It is what it takes.

Years ago, God opened a door I never expected. Faith International University offered me a full scholarship. But I was the guy who had fled high school; school was a painful memory. After serious deliberation, I said yes, one class at a time. I finished a bachelor’s in leadership and nonprofit administration, then a master’s in leadership and counseling that meets the state’s educational requirements for licensure as a therapist. Only God could have written that plan. Now I’m working toward state licensure, and looking back, I can see how He was preparing every piece for what’s next.

Over those last seven years, our team has heard the same cry from the people we serve: We need more mental health resources! We need a true continuum of care, so people don’t fall through the cracks between programs! Every week, families call us desperate for help. Do you do detox? Do you have residential inpatient? Where can I send my son or daughter? I can’t find any bed space for them. For years, our answer had to be, not yet.

This year, that answer began to change.

By God’s hand, we founded Stability Behavioral Health (SBH), a wholly owned subsidiary of ABSOLUTE Ministries. SBH is a licensed behavioral health agency designed to provide therapy, counseling, case management, peer support, psychiatric care, and, in time, residential treatment and medical detox¹. SBH has already achieved national Joint Commission accreditation, the same accrediting body that evaluates hospitals. It is in the final stages of the Department of Health licensure process in Washington, and then in Idaho.

Practically, this means that when the vision is fully built, we believe this will be the only Christ-centered continuum of care of its kind in the nation, where a person can go from severe active addiction, to medical physician led detox, to residential treatment, to ABSOLUTE Life Housing, and ultimately be grafted into the local church for a sustainable new way of life: grace and structure. All of it through our full continuum of care that is clinically excellent and Christ-centered.

This will also bless and strengthen our staff and mentors. They’re incredible, faithful, gritty, and relentless, and SBH brings the medical and therapeutic layers alongside their discipleship. It will also open the door for insurance reimbursement for eligible services, helping the ministry stabilize and remain sustainable for generations to come.

Here’s the vision (see image). A person can step into this continuum at any point where their need begins: medical detox, residential rehab, or ABSOLUTE Life Housing and discipleship. But this time, they won’t fall through the cracks. No more bouncing between programs. No more starting over five times. No more going from high structure to zero support overnight. This is one coordinated and integrated journey of healing in Jesus’ name.

It’s a big vision, but it’s doable.

If you’re a licensed counselor, SUD professional, psychiatric prescriber, or case manager who wants your talents and gifts to serve God’s purposes, let’s talk. Visit www.stabilitybh.com. If you’re one of our prayer partners or donors, thank you. It will take big faith and big resources to build this, and you are already part of the miracle. Seventeen homes in sixteen years and thousands of transformed lives are the fruit of your obedience. You are a conduit of God’s provision and restoration. Our collective faith in action is changing lives 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Let’s go!

¹Few people realize that severe withdrawals from alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and sometimes opioids can be fatal. When the central nervous system destabilizes during withdrawal, the brain and heart can stop functioning properly. That is why physician oversight during detox isn’t optional; it is critical and life-saving.

Dear Friends, 

This Christmas and year-end, I’m reminded of one of the most powerful truths in the gospel: God offers us an eternal path that is infinitely better than we deserve. In turn, that’s the heart of everything we do at ABSOLUTE. We live it. We give it away. It’s our culture. 

As I reflect on the past twelve months, I see a pattern of faith, reward, grit, and grace. From launching our new Behavioral Health Agency to hiring graduates like Hector, Noella, and Noah into full-time staff roles, this has been a season of building. God is expanding His influence, and in the process, He’s developing a deeper character and stronger resolve in our team. 

Our staff continues to pour out like never before. They don’t just have jobs, they have God-defined missions. Every week, they say “yes” to ANOTHER NEW INDIVIDUAL they’ve never met. They go out of their way to bend over backward and help navigate complicated pasts into redemptive futures. The people God is sending feel hand-picked, not just hired. It’s a rolling snowball of discipleship. 

Thanks to your support, we raised over $183,000 at our 2025 in-person fundraisers, helping us move significantly closer to meeting our $1.5 million annual budget. Thank you. We’ve hired graduates, sought wise counsel, and launched Stability Behavioral Health, our new licensed clinical program. It’s all grace. Not one thing has been easy. But every step has been God-given. He keeps showing up. 

And the more I reflect, the more I see this clearly: God’s kindness fuels ours. His patience with us shapes our patience with others. His undeserved forgiveness becomes the pattern we live by. That’s what sets ABSOLUTE apart. We’re not transactional, we’re relational. We believe in long-term, gospel-centered transformation. 

This Christmas, I want to say thank you to our donors, mentors, volunteers, LIFT Committee members, prayer warriors, business sponsors, and employment partners. You are part of this story. You are part of this process. You are giving away what you’ve been given and trusting God’s goodness in real, tangible ways. Because of your faith response, dozens of men, women, and children are being changed. 

And that’s really what Christmas is. God gave everything. Freely. Generously. To the undeserving. To us. That’s our template, grace upon grace, passed forward. 

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas. Please consider helping us finish this year strong as we stay anchored in the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and He is ABSOLUTE. 

All our best, 

Cameron Birk 

Founder 

Cell: 425-306-8280