Jeremy Ledgewood’s life has not been an easy one, but one would be hard-pressed to find a more inspiring individual.
Ledgewood was born with unilateral retinoblastoma — cancer in the eye — and at the age of 2, had to have one of his eyes removed.
Add to this the fact that he had to deal with the effects of an abusive father and numerous drug addictions in his teen years and into his 20s and the result is an individual with numerous obstacles to overcome.
According to Ledge-wood, this only made him stronger.
“I was no longer me,” he said, reflecting on his drug use. “I looked in the mirror and I knew if I didn’t change my life, I was going to die.”
And change his life he did.
Ledgewood moved to Greenville to receive help from his mother and best friend, and in the process met his wife, Randi.
A year later, the couple moved closer to the Dallas area.
“The partying kind of stepped up for a while,” admitted Ledgewood. “We kind of fell into that lifestyle. “We were drug and drinking buddies. We were so lost.”
It wasn’t too long after the pair were married that they found themselves pregnant with twins that, unfortunately, were lost. It wasn’t until Ledgewood’s daughter was born that his wife started to change.
She began attending bible study and started going to church.
“That must have planted the seed in her,” said Ledgewood. “Months after the bible study had ended she came to me and told me she had been getting up after I’d gone to sleep and doing bible studies on her own.”
After that, Ledgewood says, things started slowly changing.
The pair began attending church regularly, though Ledgewood admits that he was only going through the motions. His wife was baptized in January 2009.
“I had been fighting God through all of this,” said Ledgewood. “Fighting with Him, my music, my creativity, my wife... I was haphazardly putting together songs and saying that someday I would put together an album, but I couldn’t really create. Then, He was there.”
Ledgewood was practicing a song for the youth group at his church and that’s when he broke.
“I hit my knees and started crying,” he said. “I promised Him that if He gave me a mountain top to praise His name from, I would … and I am.”
Ledgewood was baptized in April 2009. He says he still messes up, but tries not to. He feels guilt every time he lets God down, but thanks God for His grace.
“He has made a time in my life that was so dark into something that has produced true, everlasting fruit,” said Ledgewood. “I give thanks to Him for everything. All of this has been from Him and it is all for Him.”
Ledgewood will be playing at the Greenville Municipal Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door the night of the concert. For tickets go to www.jeremyledgwood.com or contact Jan Hazelip at 903-456-2054 or Halie Braley at 903-449-2058. The purpose of the event, sponsored by the Old Concord Baptist Church, is to raise funds for a new building, as the church’s current one is 166 years old and is considered to be the oldest church in North Central Texas.
To learn more about Ledgewood’s mission, hear all of his music from his album “Reflection”, and read his testimony, visit www.JeremyLedgewood.com
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