Every new year begins quietly. No fireworks in the soul — just a soft moment where you realize you’re still here. Still breathing. Still choosing. And sometimes, that alone is a miracle. ✨

This year, I’m choosing to begin with light. Not the kind you see with your eyes, but the kind that reaches the places inside you that haven’t seen daylight in a long time.

A few days ago, I watched a video of people living in storm drains beneath a major city. Deep tunnels. Pitch black. The kind of darkness that feels alive. When the man filming turned on his flashlight, the beam landed on a woman sitting alone, surrounded by piles of trash. She didn’t move. She didn’t react. She just sat there… swallowed by a darkness she didn’t choose. 💔

And my heart broke.

Because I know that darkness. Not the tunnels — but the feeling. The spiritual kind. The emotional kind. The addiction kind.

The kind where you don’t know if you’ll ever see daylight again.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” — John 1:5

I’ve lived in places where hope felt impossible. I’ve walked through seasons where I didn’t think I’d make it out. I’ve been homeless, addicted, lost, and spiritually blind. And yet… somehow… God reached into that darkness and pulled me out. 🙌

Not because I was strong. Not because I had discipline. Not because I had a plan.

But because He is a rescuer.

“He brought me out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke away my chains.” — Psalm 107:14

Staying sober? That’s not my strength either. I don’t wake up craving alcohol. I don’t fight that battle every day. That’s not willpower — that’s a God thing. A mercy thing. A miracle thing. ✨

But many people are still in the tunnels.

Some literally. Some emotionally. Some spiritually. Some sitting in the middle of their own storm drain, surrounded by the debris of a life that fell apart.

And that’s why The66Voice exists. ❤️‍🩹

This year, I want to speak directly to the ones who feel forgotten. The ones who think they’ve gone too far. The ones who believe they’re too broken, too addicted, too ashamed, too lost.

You’re not.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18

If God can pull me out of darkness — a darkness I created, fed, and lived in — He can pull you out too. And He can do it quietly, gently, one step at a time.

This year, The66Voice will focus even more on:

• ❤️ Recovery that feels human, not impossible
• 🔥 Hope for people who think they’ve run out of chances
• 🤝 Stories that remind you you’re not alone
• 🛠️ Practical steps for rebuilding a life from the ground up
• 🌅 Light — real light — for people still living in tunnels

If you’re reading this and you’re still in the dark, hear me: You are not beyond rescue. You are not beyond healing. You are not beyond hope.

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts.” — 2 Corinthians 4:6

I wish I could physically rescue every person living in those tunnels. I wish I could pull each one out with my own hands. But what I can do is pray, write, encourage, and keep shining light into places where darkness thinks it owns the lease. 🕯️

This year, let’s walk together — out of the tunnels, into the light, one honest step at a time.

— Calvin Dodson, B.Min Founder, The66Voice Ministries

🔥 Call to Action: “One Step Out of the Tunnel”

If you’re reading this and you feel like you’re still in the tunnel — emotionally, spiritually, or physically — I want to invite you to take one small step today. Not ten steps. Not a whole plan. Just one.

Recovery doesn’t begin with perfection. It begins with permission — permission to hope again.

Here are three simple steps you can take today, right where you are:

1️⃣ Speak One Honest Sentence

You don’t need a speech. You don’t need to explain everything. Just one sentence.

Something like:

• “God, I don’t want to live like this anymore.”
• “I need help.”
• “I’m tired of the darkness.”
• “Show me the next step.”

He hears the small prayers. He honors the whispered ones.

“Call to Me and I will answer you.” — Jeremiah 33:3

2️⃣ Tell One Safe Person

You don’t have to tell your whole story. Just tell someone you trust that you’re struggling or that you want to change.

A friend. A pastor. A recovery group leader. A family member. A hotline. Anyone safe.

Darkness loses power the moment you stop hiding.

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” — James 5:16

3️⃣ Take One Practical Step

Not a giant leap — a step.

• Pour out the alcohol
• Throw away the drugs
• Delete the dealer’s number
• Walk into a meeting
• Open your Bible
• Step outside and breathe
• Take a shower
• Clean one corner of the room
• Ask for prayer
• Read one Psalm

One step is enough for today.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105

A lamp doesn’t light the whole tunnel. It lights the next step. That’s all you need right now.

💛 You Are Not Alone

If you’re fighting for your life, your sobriety, your sanity, or your future — I’m praying for you. I’ve been where you are. I know the darkness. I know the fear. I know the shame.

But I also know the God who rescues.

And I believe with everything in me that He can pull you out too.

This year, let’s walk together — one step, one prayer, one sunrise at a time.

If you need encouragement, prayer, or a place to start, you’re welcome here at The66Voice. You matter. Your story matters. Your healing matters.

And your light is coming.