Jordan Jeske—How a Hurting Man Found Compassion for the Lost

Growing up in California, Jordan Jeske had a difficult childhood. His dysfunctional family was physically and verbally abusive, and Jordan was an angry child.

"I didn't like who I was," he says. "I didn't like my family."

On Sundays, the Jeske family would attend church services. The family was very good at "pretending."

"We'd go to church and pretend to be these Christians," Jordan remembers, "and then [we'd] come home into a violent family."

BURNING BRIDGES

Such violence and hypocrisy discouraged the young Jordan's faith. He pushed God away and went in search of something else to fill the void in his soul: drugs.

"I turned to drugs at an early age,” he says.

A very early age. By fifth grade, Jordan was smoking marijuana, and by sixth grade, he was drinking. He abused prescription drugs in high school.

"One thing led to another," Jordan says, "and [I] ended up with a meth addiction for multiple years."

In order to supply his drug habits, Jordan began stealing. Soon he was behind bars.

"I burned all my bridges with my family," he says. "No one wanted anything to do with me anymore."

Except God.

BIGGER PLANS

In 2010, Jordan was released from prison. His parole officers had little hope for him; Jordan was considered "incorrigible" and "a menace to society."

But "God has bigger plans for individuals like us," Jordan says. Through a friend, he found a side job landscaping. After picking up the trade from those willing to look past his criminal record, Jordan began to wonder if he could try his hand at his own landscaping business.

"I looked for work, and it was very difficult for me," he says. "Nobody wanted to hire an ex-felon."

But perhaps Jordan could be his own boss. And maybe he could even help those who had once been lost just like himself.

A HEART FOR THE LOST

In 2015, Jordan opened Cornerstone New Hope Ministry. At the same time, he launched Cornerstone Hauling and Gardening, a landscaping business offshoot of the ministry.

"I thought [Cornerstone Hauling and Gardening] was just going to be a like a side business, you know," he explains, "making some passive income here and there."

Instead, Cornerstone Hauling and Gardening grew substantially. At the start, the company employed just two individuals. Today, they have 14 men and women. Many of the employees are former prisoners. Just like Jordan.  

And just like Jordan, they've experienced a powerful change in their lives by the grace of God.