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It is not often that people find their real calling in life after age 70. But Turhan Tirana did. After leaving his Wall Street-related job for retirement, he returned to school, only this time it was to the New York City-based General Seminary, where he earned a Masters degree in Biblical Studies at age 77.
Although he initially took these courses just for the purpose of learning, suddenly, Turhan says, “a calling, Old Testament-style, had come and smacked me on the head.” He knew he had to use his new knowledge to help others. So he did, beginning a new career with Pivot Ministries in Bridgeport, Connecticut, assisting men to control their drug addictions and return to a normal life. Pivot’s Mission Statement is “to return the men to their families and communities.”
Now, after training hundreds of addicts, teaching them how to use the Psalms and other parts of the Bible to control their addictions, Turhan, now almost 88 years old, says about his Pivot students,
“They are blessed to be there. So am I.”
Tune in this week to hear the inspiring story of how an octogenarian started a new life and is helping so many men start their new lives.
References relevant to this program:
- “Saving Lost Souls; The Story of Turhan Tirana,” published in America Out Loud, by Dr. Jay Lehr and Tom Harris
- Pivot Ministries, Bridgeport, Connecticut
- The General Theological Seminary, New York City