Keith Repult seemingly had it all: cars, money, a wife and kids. But deep down in his heart he knew that something was missing.
Just seven years ago, Repult, 52, was living what appeared to be a pretty privileged life as the owner of America’s second largest porn distribution company — and one of the biggest smut manufacturing companies in the world.
Repult, author of the new book, “Just Breathe: All Stories Redeemable, All Brokenness Repairable, All Addictions Breakable,” told Faithwire on Monday about how his path came to radically divert from mass porn distributor to spirit-filled recovery pastor.
And the story, as you can imagine, is pretty remarkable.
Repult’s entrance into the adult industry is a long and complicated story, one that involves a difficult childhood and a life filled with addiction. It was in the 1980s that he ended up heading to California on a Greyhound bus with just $3 in his pocket. Once he arrived there, Repult worked odd construction jobs to pay the bills and eventually started selling drugs.
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“With addictions comes needing more money, so I thought I would sell drugs, kind of on the side,” he said, though he admitted that he was never great at turning that into a profitable endeavor.
Then, something dramatically changed one day when Repult was in a bar and noticed a man wearing a fur coat and gold chains. Repult went up to the guy thinking he might be able to sell him some drugs, but what happened next was likely much more than he had bargained for.
During their conversations, Repult told the guy that he was a carpenter and was looking for work. The man, who owned a small porn store, invited Repult to hang some shelves for him the next day and Repult took him up on the offer.
Before long, Repult found himself enamored by the business.
“It was all about pipes and porn and novelty items for pleasure,” Repult said. “I thought it was alluring. I built shelves for the guy and that was my beginning into the industry.”
Over time, Repult went from building shelves with his newfound friend and employer to becoming a shipper and eventually taking on more and more responsibility. Over time, Repult said he was practically running the business and, when his friend wouldn’t give him a raise, he eventually moved on and started his own porn company.
Before long, Repult found financial success and became a giant of sorts in the industry. Still, addiction plagued him.
While he was able to kick drugs and alcohol at one point for a 12-year period amid these successes, he admitted that his “new addiction was making money.”
At points, he said he knew deep down inside that making a living by selling porn wasn’t right, but that didn’t stop him.
“I believe we’re all designed by God and there is a small part inside of all of us [that knows right from wrong],” he said. “A very small, small part of me … would say, ‘This isn’t right.'” Money, though, continued to flow in and overshadow that tiny voice.
As for Repult’s own personal reaction to his profession, he said it really differed depending on whom he was speaking with. At moments, there was shame; at other times, there was boasting, though Repult said he did try to conceal his career from many of the people around him.
“I was hiding the truth from my neighbors, from society, of course,” he said.
Things started to change, though, when Repult and his family bought a small beach house in a seaside community in California — an effort to find happiness and essentially start anew.
“I started to feel like no one knew me there,” he said.
Repult still owned his porn business at the time, but he decided to also start a small yogurt shop in his local community. Before the shop’s doors opened, someone found out about his career and painted the words “Porn Producer” on the building — a painful moment that forced Repult to think deeper about the fact that he was “living a double life.”
Still, he forged on with his plans to pursue a relatively new beginning outside of his already robust porn successes.
“The night before we opened this guy comes up, him and his son. He had this twinkle in his eye. He had this glow,” Repult said. “And he walks in and he says he wanted a cup of yogurt.”
Repult obliged and later heard from other locals that the man who had come into his shop was looking to start up a local church and, when the customer later returned, Repult asked if he wanted to grab coffee with him, to which the man obliged.
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“We met down at Starbucks and I told him my story, and at the end I said, ‘Hey, what do you think? Do you still like me?” Repult recalled. “And he said, ‘Can I pray for you?” and I said, “No! Right here in Starbucks? I can’t be seen praying.'”
Looking back, Repult said he now realizes how “mixed up” his priorities were. “You could know I was in the porn industry, but you can’t see my praying,” he said with a reflective chuckle.
Repult and his new friend ended up heading to his car and it was there — 6 and a half years ago — that Repult accepted Jesus into his life. It took some time for everything to take root, but he’s now been fully out of the porn business for the past three years and serves as a recovery pastor at a local church. Eventually, his wife also became a Christian.
“People gently held my hand and waited for God to do the work,” he said of his spiritual transformation.
And it wasn’t easy, considering that he was making $40,000 per week take-home while pedaling smut. Still, Repult allowed God to change him from the inside out, writing about his experiences in “Just Breathe.”
”If God could change me, what are you waiting for?” Repult said.