Testimonies
The growing church with room for you!
KEITH GUSTAFSON
My name is Keith Gustafson and I am extremely blessed to lead the
Worship Team at Community Church of God’s Word (my wife, Karen,
runs the soundboard).
I first attended CCGW back in the early 1990’s when a friend invited
me to church. At the time, I was drinking a lot and using drugs. I
rationalized my addictions by the fact that I was still “functional,” which
basically meant that I was still employed.
What I heard at church was something I’d never heard before. Pastor
Mike preached about the love of God, His grace and His forgiveness.
I learned about faith and how to use it, and I learned that I could be
delivered from drugs and alcohol.
I was born again at CCGW over 10 years ago and was completely
delivered from drugs and alcohol. Since that time, I have matured in
my relationship with Jesus Christ. I thank God for my church, for
Pastor Mike, the church staff and everyone who kept the doors open
for me to enter in and receive God’s forgiveness.
Worship Team at Community Church of God’s Word (my wife, Karen,
runs the soundboard).
I first attended CCGW back in the early 1990’s when a friend invited
me to church. At the time, I was drinking a lot and using drugs. I
rationalized my addictions by the fact that I was still “functional,” which
basically meant that I was still employed.
What I heard at church was something I’d never heard before. Pastor
Mike preached about the love of God, His grace and His forgiveness.
I learned about faith and how to use it, and I learned that I could be
delivered from drugs and alcohol.
I was born again at CCGW over 10 years ago and was completely
delivered from drugs and alcohol. Since that time, I have matured in
my relationship with Jesus Christ. I thank God for my church, for
Pastor Mike, the church staff and everyone who kept the doors open
for me to enter in and receive God’s forgiveness.
| COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD'S WORD 9879 HIBERT STREET, SUITE C SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA 92131 858.549.8868 |
| Keith in Wisconsin |
Steve and Duffy Cook have walked with the Lord for over twenty-six years and have been actively involved
in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and visiting the sick and imprisoned (Matthew 25:31-46) for
over twenty years.
Both Steve and Duffy were bound in drugs and alcohol in the summer of 1981. Years of abuse and sin
had taken a toll in their lives. They were both ready for a radical change, but just didn’t know it yet. They
had four failed marriages between them and Duffy had the youngest of her four children, Dolly, living with
her. Her other children had chosen to leave as soon as they could. Because Steve was losing his
eyesight and living a life of drug and alcohol abuse, finding a steady job was nearly impossible. He had
a beautiful singing voice and was a talented musician, but because of his lifestyle, he couldn’t even hold
in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and visiting the sick and imprisoned (Matthew 25:31-46) for
over twenty years.
Both Steve and Duffy were bound in drugs and alcohol in the summer of 1981. Years of abuse and sin
had taken a toll in their lives. They were both ready for a radical change, but just didn’t know it yet. They
had four failed marriages between them and Duffy had the youngest of her four children, Dolly, living with
her. Her other children had chosen to leave as soon as they could. Because Steve was losing his
eyesight and living a life of drug and alcohol abuse, finding a steady job was nearly impossible. He had
a beautiful singing voice and was a talented musician, but because of his lifestyle, he couldn’t even hold
STEVE & DUFFY COOK
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a bar gig in the small, High Desert town of Joshua Tree, California where he and Duffy lived.
Steve and Duffy moved in together some eight months earlier and determined to make their relationship work. Needless to
say, given the mess they were in, nothing worked. The drinking and continual arguments became worse until they finally gave
up on their relationship altogether. Steve moved back in with his grandmother and Duffy moved into a place closer to the bar
where she was employed as a bartender. They thought their relationship was over…BUT GOD HAD A PLAN FOR THEM and
nothing would ever be the same again.
Within one week in that summer of ‘81, Steve, Duffy and Dolly were all saved. In fact, Duffy and Dolly were saved two days
before Steve at the same street revival meeting, but neither of them knew that the other had attended.
A day after Steve received the Lord, he showed up on Duffy’s doorstep with a card that simply said, “I love you and I have come
to know Jesus.” Duffy and Dolly both began to cry and told Steve that they had also received the Lord. The three of them stood
in the front room of Duffy’s small apartment crying and hugging each other for a long while.
After being saved, Steve and Duffy were completely set free from their addiction to drugs and alcohol! To this day, drugs and
alcohol have never again been a temptation for either of them. They were married a week later at a small Bible study by the
pastor who was leading it. Within a few days, Duffy had quit her job at the bar and Steve began playing music with fellow
believers and was starting to write songs again. They both found jobs and volunteered to live on-site and answer phones at a
new mission that had recently been opened by the people in the Bible study. Steve and Duffy even signed the lease for the
building. However, within a few weeks, every person from the Bible study scattered, leaving Steve and Duffy with the
apartment, the mission ministry and the lease! The only thing they knew to do was take the Bible at face value and do what it
said. Because it said to forgive, the first step was to forgive all the people who had left. Then, slowly but surely, they began
their journey with the Lord into faith.
God sent wonderful people to them that first year. Many of those people are involved with the Cooks to this day. In fact, many
of the people who were in that first Bible study group ultimately became part of the ministry that developed several years later.
During that first year, Steve and Duffy discovered that tithing was God’s command and that He promised to bless His people
as a result of their obedience. The Cooks couldn’t understand how tithing worked, but it did and their financial needs were
always met by the grace of God. The rent on the building they had leased was extremely high, but their trust in the awesome
God who had delivered them was even higher! That year the rent was paid on time every month, along with every utility bill.
Soon people began showing up on Steve and Duffy’s doorstep. Some were people that they had known in the bars who were
heavily involved in drugs and alcohol. They wanted to know what amazing thing had happened in Steve and Duffy’s lives.
They told them the simple truth of how God had changed them and many of those people received Jesus.
The Cooks also read in the Bible that they needed to be involved in a church. So they joined a local Free Methodist
congregation with a pastor who was a true Bible scholar. A strong foundation in and a love for the Word of God was deposited
and built on at that time and it continues to this very day. That pastor has since moved on, but what God gave to Steve and
Duffy through his ministry is still bearing fruit.
The Cooks moved on as well. At the end of the mission’s lease, they moved out of the building. They had spent a full year as
baby Christians, walking day-by-day with the Bible as their instruction manual and led many people to the Lord along the
way… including their landlord.
It was several years before The Way Station came into existence. After that first year of miraculous care and truly Divine
intervention on almost every front, it was time to grow up in the things of God. Steve began writing praise and worship songs,
as well as testimonial and evangelist music. He was often invited to sing in different congregations, which brought him and
Duffy into contact with many different parts of the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit anointed Steve’s voice and his Word-filled
songs and used his easy humor to break down mistrust, misunderstanding and many other barriers at that time.
In their own lives, Steve and Duffy were learning to rely on the Lord to heal their individual brokenness so that their marriage
and family could be filled with the blessings of God. It was certainly not easy for a few years, but somewhere in the midst of
that time, they were introduced to the Kenneth Copeland Ministries Believers’ Conventions which are held each summer in
Anaheim, California. They also became financial and prayer partners with the Copelands.
In the early ‘80s the area Steve and Duffy lived had no Christian television programming, but with a coat hanger and some tin
foil, they could pick up a very “snowy” TBN and hear Brother Copeland every Sunday night. They shared tapes with other
believers and attended home Bible studies and prayer meetings as well as their local church fellowship. They believed God
for a Word of Faith church in their High Desert area.
During that time, Steve began to pray that the Lord would raise up someone in the desert to minister to street people and give
them a place to have a meal and a cup of coffee. He believed God would do it. Then one day Steve heard something deep in
his heart say, “You do it.”
Well, the rest is history. Today, twenty-two years later, The Way Station has led thousands of people to Jesus, one at a time.
The mandate Steve received from the Lord early on was to simply “love people into the Kingdom” and that has never
changed. Today, The Way Station serves a continental breakfast, a hot lunch and gives out food boxes to those in need
Monday through Friday. They also have a clothing ministry that supplies hurting families with much needed help.
In addition to his other God-given duties, Pastor Steve has been taking God’s Word into the county jail system for nearly
eighteen years. The Word of Life is given every day at The Way Station and people are trained to be doers of the Word. Many
of the individuals who have come through The Way Station ministry are incapable of going to a regular church…at least, not
right away. The Way Station works closely with area churches and helps people get ready to integrate into the local church. It
is true that nearly every congregation in the area has at least one person who came through The Way Station. In most
fellowships, there are far more.
The desert now has Christian television programming and there are several Word of Faith churches in the area. The Cooks
are still in the ministry of “loving people into the Kingdom” and after moving from one building to another, they finally
purchased their own property in Joshua Tree in 2002. One year later, the Lord paid it off as they stood, believing Him for a
debt-free ministry. The Way Station recently began holding Friday Night services which are an extension of Community
Church of God’s Word in San Diego where Steve and Duffy attend church twice a month. They call it Community Church of
God’s Word Morongo Basin and it is a training ground for new believers.
Additionally, Pastor Steve continues to be “pulpit supply” for many congregations of various denominations in the area. The
Lord has certainly taken the foolish things and confounded the wise. Who but God could turn such a mess into a blessing?
He has certainly shown Himself faithful to Steve and Duffy and their family. In fact, all of Steve and Duffy’s children have
received Jesus with the exception of Duffy’s son, but as she will tell you, it’s only a matter of time until he comes to the Lord.
To learn more about The Way Station and Steve and Duffy's ministry, check out their webpage on our site by clicking here.
Steve and Duffy moved in together some eight months earlier and determined to make their relationship work. Needless to
say, given the mess they were in, nothing worked. The drinking and continual arguments became worse until they finally gave
up on their relationship altogether. Steve moved back in with his grandmother and Duffy moved into a place closer to the bar
where she was employed as a bartender. They thought their relationship was over…BUT GOD HAD A PLAN FOR THEM and
nothing would ever be the same again.
Within one week in that summer of ‘81, Steve, Duffy and Dolly were all saved. In fact, Duffy and Dolly were saved two days
before Steve at the same street revival meeting, but neither of them knew that the other had attended.
A day after Steve received the Lord, he showed up on Duffy’s doorstep with a card that simply said, “I love you and I have come
to know Jesus.” Duffy and Dolly both began to cry and told Steve that they had also received the Lord. The three of them stood
in the front room of Duffy’s small apartment crying and hugging each other for a long while.
After being saved, Steve and Duffy were completely set free from their addiction to drugs and alcohol! To this day, drugs and
alcohol have never again been a temptation for either of them. They were married a week later at a small Bible study by the
pastor who was leading it. Within a few days, Duffy had quit her job at the bar and Steve began playing music with fellow
believers and was starting to write songs again. They both found jobs and volunteered to live on-site and answer phones at a
new mission that had recently been opened by the people in the Bible study. Steve and Duffy even signed the lease for the
building. However, within a few weeks, every person from the Bible study scattered, leaving Steve and Duffy with the
apartment, the mission ministry and the lease! The only thing they knew to do was take the Bible at face value and do what it
said. Because it said to forgive, the first step was to forgive all the people who had left. Then, slowly but surely, they began
their journey with the Lord into faith.
God sent wonderful people to them that first year. Many of those people are involved with the Cooks to this day. In fact, many
of the people who were in that first Bible study group ultimately became part of the ministry that developed several years later.
During that first year, Steve and Duffy discovered that tithing was God’s command and that He promised to bless His people
as a result of their obedience. The Cooks couldn’t understand how tithing worked, but it did and their financial needs were
always met by the grace of God. The rent on the building they had leased was extremely high, but their trust in the awesome
God who had delivered them was even higher! That year the rent was paid on time every month, along with every utility bill.
Soon people began showing up on Steve and Duffy’s doorstep. Some were people that they had known in the bars who were
heavily involved in drugs and alcohol. They wanted to know what amazing thing had happened in Steve and Duffy’s lives.
They told them the simple truth of how God had changed them and many of those people received Jesus.
The Cooks also read in the Bible that they needed to be involved in a church. So they joined a local Free Methodist
congregation with a pastor who was a true Bible scholar. A strong foundation in and a love for the Word of God was deposited
and built on at that time and it continues to this very day. That pastor has since moved on, but what God gave to Steve and
Duffy through his ministry is still bearing fruit.
The Cooks moved on as well. At the end of the mission’s lease, they moved out of the building. They had spent a full year as
baby Christians, walking day-by-day with the Bible as their instruction manual and led many people to the Lord along the
way… including their landlord.
It was several years before The Way Station came into existence. After that first year of miraculous care and truly Divine
intervention on almost every front, it was time to grow up in the things of God. Steve began writing praise and worship songs,
as well as testimonial and evangelist music. He was often invited to sing in different congregations, which brought him and
Duffy into contact with many different parts of the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit anointed Steve’s voice and his Word-filled
songs and used his easy humor to break down mistrust, misunderstanding and many other barriers at that time.
In their own lives, Steve and Duffy were learning to rely on the Lord to heal their individual brokenness so that their marriage
and family could be filled with the blessings of God. It was certainly not easy for a few years, but somewhere in the midst of
that time, they were introduced to the Kenneth Copeland Ministries Believers’ Conventions which are held each summer in
Anaheim, California. They also became financial and prayer partners with the Copelands.
In the early ‘80s the area Steve and Duffy lived had no Christian television programming, but with a coat hanger and some tin
foil, they could pick up a very “snowy” TBN and hear Brother Copeland every Sunday night. They shared tapes with other
believers and attended home Bible studies and prayer meetings as well as their local church fellowship. They believed God
for a Word of Faith church in their High Desert area.
During that time, Steve began to pray that the Lord would raise up someone in the desert to minister to street people and give
them a place to have a meal and a cup of coffee. He believed God would do it. Then one day Steve heard something deep in
his heart say, “You do it.”
Well, the rest is history. Today, twenty-two years later, The Way Station has led thousands of people to Jesus, one at a time.
The mandate Steve received from the Lord early on was to simply “love people into the Kingdom” and that has never
changed. Today, The Way Station serves a continental breakfast, a hot lunch and gives out food boxes to those in need
Monday through Friday. They also have a clothing ministry that supplies hurting families with much needed help.
In addition to his other God-given duties, Pastor Steve has been taking God’s Word into the county jail system for nearly
eighteen years. The Word of Life is given every day at The Way Station and people are trained to be doers of the Word. Many
of the individuals who have come through The Way Station ministry are incapable of going to a regular church…at least, not
right away. The Way Station works closely with area churches and helps people get ready to integrate into the local church. It
is true that nearly every congregation in the area has at least one person who came through The Way Station. In most
fellowships, there are far more.
The desert now has Christian television programming and there are several Word of Faith churches in the area. The Cooks
are still in the ministry of “loving people into the Kingdom” and after moving from one building to another, they finally
purchased their own property in Joshua Tree in 2002. One year later, the Lord paid it off as they stood, believing Him for a
debt-free ministry. The Way Station recently began holding Friday Night services which are an extension of Community
Church of God’s Word in San Diego where Steve and Duffy attend church twice a month. They call it Community Church of
God’s Word Morongo Basin and it is a training ground for new believers.
Additionally, Pastor Steve continues to be “pulpit supply” for many congregations of various denominations in the area. The
Lord has certainly taken the foolish things and confounded the wise. Who but God could turn such a mess into a blessing?
He has certainly shown Himself faithful to Steve and Duffy and their family. In fact, all of Steve and Duffy’s children have
received Jesus with the exception of Duffy’s son, but as she will tell you, it’s only a matter of time until he comes to the Lord.
To learn more about The Way Station and Steve and Duffy's ministry, check out their webpage on our site by clicking here.
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