From Addiction to Kingdom Impact

Aug 12, 2026

Last year alone, Heartland Outlet and HEART Response Ministry generated approximately $6 million in revenue, distributed $9 million in donated goods - not including food - and worked with 164 partner organizations across 111 cities. But founder and director Tony Caterina’s story does not begin with business success; it begins with addiction.

Tony started drinking at thirteen. By high school, he was bringing alcohol into school and keeping it in his locker. Drugs followed, college unraveled, and at one point he became so overwhelmed that he considered jumping from a bridge.

At twenty-one, Tony entered treatment and stopped drinking. But while the alcohol addiction ended, the deeper pattern soon resurfaced through gambling.

Even as his private life became increasingly chaotic, his professional life appeared successful. Tony worked hard, received promotions, and eventually became responsible for major operations at Canterbury Park (horse racetrack).

From the outside, he appeared to be advancing. Inside, he was losing control.

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Gambling consumed his money and became his escape from every problem—and his way of celebrating every success. Yet God was already working in circumstances Tony did not understand.

“We Need Something Else in the Middle”

Tony and his estranged partner, Linda, had a daughter together, but their relationship was fractured. Lawyers were involved, communication had broken down, and both were carrying their own pain, shame, and pride.

One evening, Linda reached out and told Tony that she wanted them to become a family.

Tony responded with unexpected clarity:

“We’ve tried this before, and it doesn’t work. We need something else in the middle of this relationship.”

That “something else” would be Jesus.

Linda had started attending church and invited Tony to come. The pastor’s message caught his attention, and he returned. In fact, the message impacted each of them to such a degree that they were inspired to buy a special Christmas gift for one another – without mentioning it beforehand: a Bible!

They began reading together. As they read, the Holy Spirit convicted them. They contacted the church and asked what they should do about their relationship.

Their pastor challenged them to stop leaving an escape route open. So they fired their lawyers, committed fully to the relationship, and married seven months later.

Marriage did not immediately solve everything. There were difficult seasons ahead. But they had made one defining decision:

There would be no Plan B.

Sometimes transformation begins when we go all in and remove the backup plan.

“Help Me, Jesus”

After getting married, Tony stopped gambling for about a year. Then, during a weekend away with friends, he entered a casino.

It was as though he had never stopped.

He began feeding hundred-dollar bills into a video poker machine and quickly lost thousands of dollars. Then he experienced a moment of extraordinary clarity. Tony describes seeing himself from outside the situation - as though God allowed him to recognize what he was doing and what the addiction had made him.

He came to his right mind.

That was the last day Tony gambled.

Years later, he discovered that his sister had been praying for him for ten years.

For anyone praying for a family member, friend or colleague who appears unreachable, Tony’s story carries a simple encouragement:

Do not stop praying.

You may not see what God is doing. You cannot control how or when He will act. But your prayers are not wasted.

Tony’s breakthrough did not come through a sophisticated formula. His prayer was simple:

“Help me, Jesus.”

Help me surrender.

Help me stop hiding.

Help me obey.

Help me become who You created me to be.

Sometimes the most powerful prayer is also the most honest one.

Fired Into His Future

As Tony began growing in faith, he became increasingly uncomfortable working at the racetrack.

Then he had a dream.

He saw a partly open door with a party happening on the other side. He knew it represented the racetrack, and it was calling to him. Rather than walking through the door, Tony closed it.

Three days later, he was fired.

But what looked like rejection became redirection.

Tony received several months of severance pay but entered a season of uncertainty. At forty years old, he found himself doing landscaping work and pushing a wheelbarrow.

His wife gave him some memorable advice:

“Embrace the wheelbarrow.”

There are seasons when the assignment in front of us feels far smaller than what we believe we are capable of doing. We feel overlooked, underused, or forgotten.

But pruning is not punishment.

God was slowing Tony down, rebuilding his identity and teaching him how to live differently.

Eventually, Tony obtained a city job with regular hours. For the first time in years, he had margin. He spent more time with his family, became increasingly involved in church, and intentionally surrounded himself with mature Christian mentors.

Tony was willing to say, “I need help.”

That humility became central to what God would build through him.

A Word, an Assignment and a Continuing Yes

In January 2013, Tony was leading a disaster-relief trip when someone gave him a prophetic word connected to Matthew 7:21–23.

What the person did not know was that Tony had privately prayed from that passage before the trip. He had asked God not to let him become someone who accomplished impressive things but never truly knew Him.

The person told Tony, “The Lord has heard your prayer,” and then described seeing him surrounded by money and materials, distributing them in every direction.

At the time, there was no money, no significant organization, building or business infrastructure.

There was only a word - and Tony’s willingness to keep saying yes.

What began in disaster relief eventually developed into HEART Response Ministry and Heartland Outlet Store. God brought donations, buildings, partnerships, logistics support and opportunities Tony could never have orchestrated alone.

Today, the organizations generate millions in revenue, distribute millions of dollars in goods and serve communities through approximately 150 partner organizations.

Tony does not credit sophisticated business expertise for the outcome.

His posture was simply:

“I don’t know the answer, but I am willing to depend on God.”

Listen. Test. Obey. Build.

Tony’s story is not an argument against planning, systems, or excellent leadership. HEART Response and Heartland Outlet now require all three.

But his story reminds us of the proper order:

Listen.

Test.

Obey.

Build.

Many leaders want the complete blueprint before surrendering. We want certainty before obedience and evidence before movement.

But God often gives enough light for the next step - not the entire journey.

Tony could not have imagined that a young man trapped in addiction would one day lead organizations bringing hope and practical help across an entire region.

But God could.

You Were Never Meant to Build Alone

Tony is also part of the Heaven in Business Growth Path. He describes it as a place where kingdom-minded leaders help one another dream bigger, renew their thinking, and examine whether they are truly building according to God’s ways.

The question is not merely, “Can this make money?”

It is also:

Is this how God is leading?
Does this decision reflect His nature?
Who has God placed around me to help me grow?

Tony describes Growth Path as transformational because it combines practical teaching with a community of people willing to encourage, challenge, and walk alongside one another.

None of us is designed to build alone.

What Could God Do With Your Yes?

Your story may not include addiction, gambling, or disaster relief.

But every leader eventually encounters something beyond their own ability.

Perhaps you are facing an opportunity you do not feel qualified to lead. Perhaps you are navigating a problem you cannot solve. Perhaps you are pushing a wheelbarrow while wondering whether God has forgotten His promise.

Do not despise the current season.

Ask for help.

Embrace the pruning.

Find the people God has placed around you.

Listen. Test. Obey. Build.

Tony’s life demonstrates what God can do when He redeems a person who continues to say yes.

Hear more from Tony at the upcoming Heaven in Business Dallas Conference, where we will go behind the scenes of HEART Response and Heartland Outlet to explore how these organizations operate and how Tony is learning to steward their growing impact.

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And for leaders ready to move beyond inspiration into an intentional journey of transformation, community, and practical application, find out more and jump on a call with the team to learn about how the Heaven in Business Growth Path can help you build with God.

Heaveninbusiness.com/growth-path

You do not have to build alone.

Your history does not get the final word.

God does.

Next Steps: