The Lord continues to bless this ministry with workers who are passionate about bringing the message of salvation and hope to millions who still don’t know Jesus. But perhaps the most energetic ones are those who have come to know Him through 3ABN’s ministry! That’s the case with Brandon Tygret, a young man who has just joined us in 3ABN’s Product Marketing Department. His story is amazing, and we’re happy to share it with you!
“I grew up in Kingston Springs, Tennessee, where my father was a painting contractor,” he begins. “We were a good-sized family of five children, and I was the oldest of three boys and two girls. I was the type of kid who was nice to everyone, but unfortunately I hung out with the wrong crowd, so through my teenage years I was off and on again with drugs and alcohol.
“My family began attending a nondenominational church when I was about 11, and soon I was involved in the youth group. Our church was very young when we began attending, but it quickly grew from a few hundred members to a megachurch of 4,000! I was baptized when I was 12, but although I believed in God and in His Son Jesus, I didn’t know Him personally. Honestly, I really didn’t learn anything other than simple biblical principles—which are important, but not as life-changing as understanding the Bible. I praise God that He winks at our ignorance.”
Tragedy
Then, when Brandon was 18, something terrible happened. His parents had tickets to watch the Tennessee Titans’ NFL football game, and he was responsible for driving the family home from Christmas dinner at his grandmother’s house. “We’d all had a big meal, and as I was driving home, all of us fell asleep—including me. My two sisters, two brothers, and cousin were in the van when it flipped over four or five times. My cousin was ejected through the sliding door, and landed on it, instead of the rocky roadside. My two sisters were ejected as well, and were laying a few feet away from the van. My brothers were the only ones with seatbelts on, and their injuries were not extensive. But my younger sister broke both arms, and I suffered major injuries, including a broken pelvis. It was a nightmare, but I praise God to this day that all of us survived.”
Under the stress of the accident Brandon began sinking into a deep depression, and by the time he was 20 his use of drugs landed him in a rehabilitation hospital. “I was prescribed depression pills, and for the next four years I self-medicated with those, or by taking other drugs.
“I still called myself a Christian, holding on with what little bit of faith I had. But I’ve come to realize that when we ride the fence and tamper with sin, we damage the effect we can have on others—hurting our ability to witness for Jesus, who gave His life for us.”
A New Beginning
After that scare, Brandon says he began to get his life somewhat together and started his first business, remodeling apartments. “I bought my first home and two nice cars, but by age 24 I was going through another rough time, and self-medicating again,” he says.
“By 2007 I was at a real crossroads in life. I’d finally hit bottom and lost almost everything. That’s when I finally asked God to teach me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about His Bible. I also asked Him to heal me naturally from addiction and depression. I sold my house and paid off my debts. I really wanted to start all over again.
“Soon after that I was on my knees. I don’t want to live unless I can serve You, I prayed. I don’t want to serve Satan anymore. But I had no idea He would answer so quickly. I was searching for Him in different churches—Pentecostal, Baptist… there must be truth somewhere!
“Then a few weeks later, on my birthday, I got a call from someone I’d become friends with on a job. His name was Kevin Bowen, and he turned out to be the best gift I’ve ever gotten! However, I was a little standoffish when he first told me that he’d found ‘The Truth.’
“I listened for a few minutes, but as soon as I hung up, I felt a strong urge to call him back. You see, he’d been talking about what he’d learned about end-time events on 3ABN.
“He invited me over and we watched 3ABN until 3:00 o’clock in the morning. I asked him what religion they were teaching, and he said they were Adventists; so we began attending the Nashville First Seventh-day Adventist Church.”
Ten Commandments Weekend
As Brandon and Kevin watched, they learned that 3ABN’s Ten Commandments Weekend was coming up, and that thousands of Ten Commandments Twice Removed books would be distributed.
“The first week we attend church, the members took us into the library to pray with us. Later, we asked about that book, and pointing to a pile of boxes, they said, ‘We have a bunch right here!’
“We were excited, and since we knew of a large Christian concert taking place on the riverfront in downtown Nashville, we asked if we could pass some out. They gave us 200, and the next day we passed them all out in less than an hour! Mike Hite, one of the church members, had told us that if we needed more we should call him, so we did. Soon they brought 800 more, and we passed all those out that evening, as well!”
A huge event named, “The Call” was taking place on 7/7/07, with an expected crowd of 60,000 Christians. Unwilling to miss out on the opportunity, Mike and several other members gathered 43,000 pieces of literature. “All told, we passed out 10,000 Ten Commandments Twice Removed and 28,000 other pieces that day,” Brandon beams!
A New Life
On October 6, 2007, Brandon was rebaptized and joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “I did this because I felt like I had a whole lot better understanding of the Bible and a closer walk with my Lord,” he says. “Meanwhile, I’d been praying for the Lord to pick a wife for me, because He knew better than I did!”
Four months after he began attending church, he met Dolly—and five months later they were married! “I definitely know she’s the one God wanted for me!” Brandon exclaims. “She’s been with me through the toughest times.”
Soon after, the Tygrets moved to West Virginia to live in the country, and it wasn’t long before they met Ron Davis. “Ron had been in publishing for 40 years and had a literature evangelist program,” Brandon says. “He asked me to join him, and I spent a year in West Virginia before moving to Ohio, where I worked as a literature evangelist for almost two years.
“Then Ron got a call to North Carolina to be their church conference publishing director, and I went with him. I became an assistant publishing director for two years, working with and training other literature evangelists and visiting thousands of homes with truth-filled books. Looking back, I realize the Holy Spirit was training me in public evangelism—and teaching me daily dependence upon God! The program grew from five to 20 workers, but unfortunately the conference decided to downsize their publishing program. However, the same day I found out I was out of a job, my wife told me she’d seen an ad that 3ABN was hiring. I immediately put in for the job, and by God’s grace, I was hired.
“Towards the end of 2012, after five years of marriage, Dolly and I had our first baby, Isaac. That time was extra special because, after several years of sharing what God had done for me, my father was baptized on the very day my son was dedicated to the Lord!
“I’m so thankful to work for the same ministry that helped me to learn about God’s love for me,” Brandon concludes, “and I can’t wait to see what He has in store.
“Jesus says, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6). He also told us, ‘If you love Me, keep My commandments’ (John 14:15). I find it interesting that when I became obedient to His Ten Commandments, I began to have more overcoming experiences. I’ve also found that when I give myself in service to others as Jesus did, He provides all I need—and more. What an adventure life has become since I started my journey with Jesus!”