- [Narrator] For many barbers,

clippers are just a tool of the trade.

For Greg Colon, theysymbolize a gesture of love,

a Christmas gift from hisdad when he was 15 years old.

- In my heart, it meant the world.

It did.

- [Narrator] But at thetime, Greg couldn't show it.

- Such a tornado of emotions going on.

I just knew I didn't wantanything to do with him.

- [Narrator] That's because,as long as Greg could remember,

his dad was a drugaddict and rarely around.

And when he was...

- My earliest memories,I remember waking up

one Christmas morningseeing a plate of syringes

where we left the cookiesand milk for Santa.

- [Narrator] At nine,Greg and his siblings

went to live with theirgrandparents in the Bronx.

They had little to offer interms of material things,

but what they could give was love.

But for a kid desperatelyneeding acceptance,

that wasn't enough.

- What attracted me werethe more violent kids,

kids who always had the nicesneakers, the nice clothes.

- [Narrator] Little by little,

Greg was pulled in by the kids he admired.

The only thing keeping him back

was his love and respectfor his grandfather.

Then when Greg was 12,

he watched his grandfatherdie of a heart attack.

(monitor beeps)

- The one person in my life whowas a father figure, mentor,

you know, somebody who really,

somebody who really got me as a kid

and actually cared, now is gone.

And I was just empty inside.

- [Narrator] It wasn't long

before Greg started sellingdrugs, chasing the things

he thought would fill theemptiness in his life.

- I was making money to do things that,

to give myself things peoplecouldn't give to me before.

- [Narrator] By 15, Greg haddropped out of high school.

Not only was he sellingdrugs, he was using them.

It was then he and his brothermoved in with their dad,

who was now drug-free andwanted to build a relationship

with his sons, but Greg couldn't let go

of his hurt and anger.

- I guess I blamed him,

you know, cause like, oh, my grandfather,

you know, he was the one I really wanted.

I have no business being around you.

- [Narrator] But that bitterness

would start to lose its edge.

It was Christmas of that year.

By then, Greg had started cutting hair

for some of the boys in the neighborhood.

- I opened up one of my gifts

and it was like a real good pair,

like a professional pair of clippers.

And he was like, "Oh no, 'causeI know you're into this,"

so, you know, I think he sawhow much I actually enjoyed it.

- [Narrator] It took time, but the rift

between father and son began to close.

Then Greg would suffermore devastating losses.

First, his mom, who died from alcoholism.

Then, two years after comingback into his son's life,

Greg's father died fromAIDS when Greg was 19.

(metal bangs)

- I just feel so guilty

that I didn't have thechance to right any wrongs.

(soft rock music)

- [Narrator] By now, Greg was all in

building his drug business.

He even opened a barbershop to serve as a front.

And while it afforded him thelifestyle he had dreamed of,

it didn't fill his need to be loved

or ease the pain of his losses.

- It was all about me.

It was about money, it was about greed,

and it was about self-indulgence.

- [Narrator] Greg foundsolace through drug addiction.

- I just didn't know how to live

without any sort of substance.

I liked it.

I loved...

I liked it.

I loved it, the way I was living.

I loved what it could do for me.

I loved how it made me feel.

- [Narrator] He made afew attempts at rehab,

but they all failed.

By 2015, Greg, now 34,had lost everything.

Finally, his sister convinced him

to try rehab one more time.

- I was so hardened bywhat I did to myself.

I would look for anybody to blame.

And now it's just like really nobody

left for me to blame but God.

- [Narrator] Aftercompleting a detox program,

he moved into a recoveryhome in Alexandria, Virginia.

There, he meet Pastor Garrett Kell.

- He opens up the Book of John

and right away he startspointing me to Jesus

and he was like, "You know He loves you."

(sighs)

I never thought anybody did.

- [Narrator] Throughchurch and the support

of a Christian community,Greg felt the years

of hurt and anger falling away.

But one day, while havingcoffee with Pastor Garrett,

Greg realized he was a changed man,

loved and accepted by God.

- He looks at me and he goes,

you know, like, "Why are you smiling?"

I was like, "I want to commit to the Lord

because Jesus has doneso much in my life."

I got some sort of freedom.

I got a peace in my heart.

My life has changed.

My world got flipped upside down

and Jesus did all that for me.

I'm a man of the Lord.

I am...

I'm the son of a King.

- [Narrator] Today, Greg isstill a barber and loving it

because every timesomeone sits in his chair,

he sees an opportunity to share his story

and the life-changingpower of Jesus Christ.

- The Word is life.

You know, the gospel is true.

When you accept JesusChrist into your life,

change just happens.

It just happens.

(soft music)