Success came easy for John Mandeville, a Dove-award nominated songwriter. When he hit bottom, his life became a journey of redemption for the whole family.

John Mandeville, on the shade of things

Music springs from John Mandeville as naturally as the waves roll in from the sea. By the age of twelve, he was playing with professional musicians. His range of musical talent was massive. Everything from country, to jazz, to reggae sounded from Mandeville’s converted garage. In a candid interview, Mandeville said, “Music was my life, my diary, my ability to process.”  That was only the beginning for this gifted artist.

John Mandeville shooting music video for the song

Mandeville lived and breathed recording and songwriting. He built a solid reputation in the Christian music industry that came with awards and accolades, including multiple Gold records. At the height of his success he was writing, recording and producing music for noted Christian artists like Point of Grace, 4 Him, Avalon, Clay Crosse and Tammy Trent. Mandeville has had eleven top ten singles, multiple number ones, and three Dove Award nominations for Song of the Year. Two of the nominations were for the song that put Point of Grace “on the map” entitled, Jesus Will Still Be There. But no one knew of his inner turmoil.

While his songwriting was gaining acclaim, Mandeville’s personal life was tumultuous; wrought with struggle and pain. Pornography was more than a struggle, while drinking alcohol became a habit. His marriage to his wife Shelli was falling apart. “We’ve been through addiction drama, we’ve been through marriage trouble … we’ve been through death of dreams,” he confessed. Mandeville didn’t realize how emotionally detached he had become until he held his firstborn in his arms eleven years ago. At that crucial moment he made the decision to confess to his wife his secret sin. “I had been drinking on a regular basis, and stuck in a revolving door with pornography, and working like a fiend to try to build a life I could be proud of,” Mandeville said. “At the same time, provide for my family and live the American male dream, which is to be a superhero.”

The Mandeville tribe: (L to R) Anna Grace, Elijah, John, Micah, Shelli, Ellie

Today, Mandeville speaks pointedly about growing up in a broken home, and his own rocky start in life. He never really had a relationship with his birth father. The man he calls “dad” is his mother’s third husband, who adopted him at age four. “Brokenness produces brokenness,” he explained. He did not develop the tools necessary to have a healthy family life. “I’m wondering if I had better tools, if I may have made better choices or managed my life better than I did,” Mandeville mused. Although he made “inner vows” that he would not make the same mistakes he saw growing up, it just wasn’t enough. Addictions to pornography and alcohol became Mandeville’s way of dealing with stress and disappointment. It took a career crisis to break the cycle. Just as a “highly influential” label was about to sign a deal with Mandeville, and make him a household name, corporate changes left him in the dust. “I fell from thirty thousand feet to zero,” he said.

With this “death of a dream,” true redemption began. Making good money gave way to having no income. Cars were being towed from his driveway while the Sheriff was delivering another lawsuit. His business, his marriage, and his life were all crumbling, along with his pride. Mandeville and his family learned how to rely on God to meet all physical needs, including their next meal. “All we lived on was provision of miracles from people being obedient to God,” he explained. One night the cupboard was bare, so the family gathered to pray for the next day’s food. In the morning, a large box appeared on the doorway. It was the food they had prayed for! The Mandeville kids still remember the “God-food.”

 

At ease on the piano, John Mandeville prepares to play

They worshipped God in the morning and worshipped Him at night … and miracles kept happening. Someone would come to the door with $6,000 they needed; another day it was $1,000. Just enough money for the heat bill would show up in a zip lock bag. One time, Mandeville was handed the keys to a van when they had no transportation. They lived out the verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight,” Proverbs 3: 5, 6.

John Mandeville went from the fantasy of fame, to the realities of addiction, to a new life in Christ. After months of declaring God’s love in the morning and his faithfulness at night, seeing miracles and having communion at home together, Mandeville and his wife were enlightened to the new life they were living. “We said it’s incredible what God is doing. Our nights used to be full of drinking and fighting, and now we are living this whole lifestyle of worship. That’s what we’re called to do,” said Mandeville. “Worship is what brought me out of addiction. Worship is what put my broken heart together.” Eventually, Mandeville’s stirring to worship collided with his need for income, when the Lord caused his path to cross with Rick Goad at a Nashville breakfast. That morning changed the course of Mandeville’s life forever. Rick saw God’s hand on the Mandeville’s, and moved them to Orlando in 2005 as leaders of Giving Hope Church. God later provided a “Divine setup”, which moved Mandeville into his current role as Worship Pastor for Church in the Son, in Orlando, Florida.

John Madeville, living his worship outside the walls philosophy

In 2005, Mandeville collaborated with Steve Siler, founder of Music for the Soul ministries, to produce the CD Somebody’s Daughter. This CD is designed specifically for those struggling with pornography. Eighteen tracks feature testimonies and songs, all meant to act as a healing agent for people entrenched in the hold of pornography. This CD is meant to change lives, and it seems to be working. One testimony comes from a man who said, “You’ve given me my wife back, and my life back.”

Whatever your life problem, Mandeville can say first-hand that “God is for you.” During the time of wrestling with his addictions, he said “the whole time it was just breaking God’s heart.” He shares his own road to redemption for the sake of giving others hope amidst their personal battle. The Truth of Christ’s love set him free, because his identity in Christ defied the facts of his own life. “I’m going to defy the facts of my life with the Truth of God, which is eternal,” Mandeville exclaimed. “We have to war for the Truth.”

The Mandeville's in blue and azure

The fight to overcome an addictive lifestyle is a fight for family. Generations of addictions are very common today. “My hope is that my children will see what I fought for. They will see a man who was willing to lay out all of his failures on the page … they will see in my life that I drew the line. This is where it stops,” stated Mandeville. “We believe God’s Word that says, Behold, I make all things new.” This is the legacy he wants to pass to his children. It’s a legacy of faith.

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

For more information on John Mandeville and his latest worship CD “We Belong to Heaven,” check out his website: www.lifestyleofworship.com.