Craig’s change speaks from the heart
Lockyer Valley corps officer Lieutenant Craig Harlum has found freedom through The Salvation Army (Credit: Photo courtesy of Lieutenant Craig Harlum).
On Good Friday in 2001, Craig Harlum finally realised he had a serious addiction problem.
He spent the day calling rehabilitation centres, but each one he tried to contact was closed, until he reached the last on the list – William Booth House. The phone answered and Craig began a challenging journey that led to Salvation Army officership.
Although he doesn’t use it as an excuse, Craig believes his struggles with self-image and addiction started after years of violent bullying when he returned to Australia after being at school in the United States for three years.
At 16, Craig finally found acceptance with a group of older guys who smoked marijuana.
Craig later became addicted to gambling, marijuana and even heroin. By his late 20s, his weight had plummeted to less than 40 kilograms.
Unable to sleep because of the amphetamines, and working impossibly long hours in hospitality, he began to suffer from drug-induced psychosis. Craig’s employer eventually called his parents.
Craig says he was still in denial about his addiction. But when he overheard a conversation between his parents, he realised the pain he was causing, and he contacted William Booth House.
His voice still chokes as he talks of his time in Salvos recovery. “I was so ashamed and guilty about who I had become, but they just loved me anyway!” he says.
Determined to find the source of that love, Craig says he slowly came to recognise it was Jesus.
In his third week in recovery, he was given a copy of the New Testament, and read it all.
Craig was later invited to an Alpha Course run by Major Colin Maxwell and Captain Sandra Edge, who was a soldier at that time.
It was at the Alpha ‘Holy Spirit weekend’ that Craig accepted Jesus as his saviour and asked for prayer to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
“I started shaking profusely, almost convulsing. It was a full on conversion experience!” he says.
Craig graduated from recovery and eventually, in 2004, became a Salvation Army soldier. The moment he saw himself in uniform, a powerful memory hit him.
“I remembered when I had only been three weeks at William Booth House, seeing these people in Salvation Army uniforms,” he says. “And I remember clearly in my heart hearing the words ‘you are going to be doing that one day’.
“And I had no idea at the time what that meant. I didn’t know anything about The Salvation Army.”
Craig met his wife Katie after graduating. He finished his schooling and his cooking apprenticeship, married and moved on to training college.
Amazingly, Katie also had her first experience of The Salvation Army on the Easter 2001 weekend – while having a drink in a pub – and also became a soldier in 2004.
The birth of a much-loved daughter followed, joining Katie’s two older children.
Craig, now a corps officer in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley, says he is very aware God has more baggage to deal with.
“I know I’m not perfect, but I really believe that as an officer I have to lead by example. So, if I stay close allow God to continue to sanctify my life, and if I become a different person than I was six months ago, then I am fulfilling my calling,” he says.
“And hopefully people look at my life, and think ‘if this guy can be changed so radically, then God can change me too’”.
July 31 is a National Day of Prayer for Salvation Army Recovery Services. To find out how to get involved click here.
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