She said, “I understand that you did all those things, but that’s not who you are.” That reaction was “so loving,” said Broome. “She approached me with such grace and elevated me at a time when I thought I deserved to be on the ground.” Hope also asked him, “Do you know who God is?” Broome said he knew that God had created everything. She asked, “Do you have a relationship with him?” He wasn’t sure what that meant.
But he did agree to go to church with Hope and as the pastor preached on the story of Mephibosheth, Broome realized that Jesus loved him despite his brokenness. Broome had longed for his father’s love his whole life; now he realized he did have a Father who loves him. Because of God’s love, he was able to let go of his shame and the burdens he had been carrying, “not just from the porn, but from my whole life.”
Joshua Broome married Hope and they now have two sons. The family lives in Ely, Iowa, where Broome is the lead pastor of KNWN Church. In an Instagram post last week, he wrote,
What an incredible God. Thank you for those who prayed for me when I was lost years ago. Thank you for those who poured into my life and gave me opportunities I didn’t deserve. Thank you mom for never seeing me less than how God sees me. Thank you God for relentlessly pursuing me. My prayer is that God allows me to be the culmination of the grace that many has [sic] shown me and to be the light that He gives me to point many to Himself. Thank you Jesus for giving me new life. Death has no hold on me because of YOU!
Correction: A previous version of this article said that Joshua Broome was in the porn industry for five years, not six.
