Fleeing the Devil and Turning to the Lord: Mike Singleton's Story Part 2-Redemption and New Life!

Mike is an amazing man with an amazing story.  In this part two episode he shares some more about his new life, the challenges, the joys, and the fact that he would never go back to his old life!  Mike also shares several helpful lessons for anyone who might be affected by addiction in their own life or in the life of a loved one or friend.

Transcript

Phil Shuler: 0:00

HellO, and welcome to Renew, Restore, Rejoice, the Safe House Ministries podcast, where we share stories of the power of God to change lives through Safe House Ministries. Safe House Ministries is based out of Columbus, Georgia, and we are a ministry that exists to love and serve people who have been affected by addiction, homelessness, and incarceration. I'm your host, Phil Shuler, the Director of Development for Safe House Ministries here in Columbus, Georgia. Safe House serves over 1, 100 people each month as they transition back into our community. Safe House provides an abundance of services including 213 beds for homeless individuals and families, case management for obtaining job skills and long term employment. Over 300 hot meals every day, free clothing, and so much more. One of the most incredible services that Safe House provides is our free 9 12 month intensive outpatient substance abuse program, which is state licensed, CARF accredited, and has no wait list. Almost 100 percent of individuals staying in our shelters who follow our three phase program become fully employed within a few months. And 68 percent of individuals who stay at least one night with us End up finding work and moving into their own home. Thank you for being with us today and listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoy this week's episode.

Mike: 1:12

she got tired of it and said you go clean or I'm not coming back. That's how it was wow. And it took me a while, to, to realize she wasn't coming back and it would never be me and her again unless I left my demons and my drugs alone, so that's what I did.

Phil: 1:32

so your friend Danny. He was the one that encouraged you to maybe try to get out of that and get some help. I encouraged him first, believe it or not.

Mike: 1:39

Yeah? Yeah. I encouraged him to go. He was getting where he couldn't function really. He was losing it, yeah. Paranoid, schizophrenic and stuff, and he was just, didn't have nowhere else to go. He was just burning bridges everywhere, and I seen him down. I didn't know if I have my friend anymore, just the things he was doing. Yeah. And I encouraged him. I was like, look, man, there's places you can go to get help. This is me still in my addiction.

Phil: 2:10

Yeah.

Mike: 2:11

Telling him like, Hey man, you can go get help. Just go get help. Go get your life together. But what he's like, what are you going to do? I said, I guess I'm going to stay here and keep trucking, man. Two months comes around, three months I ain't heard nothing from him, and finally four months comes around, he's pulling up in a brand new car. I was like, where you at? And he's I'm at the safe house. And I said, I'm at the Grace House. I was like, what's the Grace House? And he was like, man, it's where you want to go to get to know God. And he just kept coming back at me. Finally, he's getting ready to graduate and he finally graduate

Phil: 2:45

from the Tomorrow's Hope substance abuse treatment program. He's

Mike: 2:48

getting ready to graduate and he's, the whole time he's been at this place, he's coming to me showing me these nice things, showing me, what I could have and showing me what I could do, how I could change. And it's getting to me every time. And then, I talked to God, even through my addition, I talked to God. And I can hear him through other people saying, get off the drugs, get off the meth, and this is one night right before Danny came back to get me. I was just sitting outside my hotel room and looking down at this sign, it just said office. And I kept looking at it and I kept looking at it and by the time Danny shows up, it's like morning time. I'm staying inside all night. And Danny shows up and I look at his signs like, man, what do you think that sign says? It's telling me something. I'm high. I'm thinking, crazy things. And I looked down and I said, it says off ice. It says off ice. Get off the ice. Then he said, get in the car, man. You're going with me. Wow. So I jumped in the car. I got no shirt on. I show up at the safe house, pastor Eric comes out, and you gotta have a shirt on, man, like that. And I was like, I don't have one. But we gonna find you one, come on they give me a shirt, and I'll go in there and sit down 30 minutes to an hour. Next thing I'm at the Grace House. Which is the men's shelter at the time.

Phil: 4:02

Wow. Man, praise the Lord for the victory he's given. praise the Lord for Danny and for Safe House and tomorrow's hope and just wow.

Mike: 4:14

Yeah, I don't know where I would be today without Safe House Ministries they they opened their doors to me and I knew God again. As soon as I went there, it led me to the fourth church and I knew God again and I haven't let that go. Amen. He never let me go, I walked away from him, but he never left my side.

Phil: 4:35

That's awesome. That's it. Praise the Lord. Let me ask you over the years. What are the key lessons that you would say really stand out, the things that you learned that you feel like could be a help to others?

Mike: 4:51

The key lessons I learned was probably the NA classes, like the 12 steps. Yeah. Actually working your program. Yeah. If you ever get connected with one, actually working it. Cause if you don't, it's not going to work for you. Actually, knowing what the steps mean the first one's admitting you have a problem. That's, that was my main problem. Not admitting I had one. Telling everybody I'm not on the drugs. Telling everybody that, I'm okay. But I really wasn't.

Phil: 5:23

Yeah.

Mike: 5:24

But my main lesson was, to, find a network, find God. Work your program

Phil: 5:30

and it'll work. Yeah. So it sounds like you had to overcome lying to yourself. Exactly. You talk about lying to others, but in the same way, I'm sure there was that lying to yourself. Oh, yes. And that's so true. There's, it's more than just checking the boxes and going through the motions. You have to, I guess you have to just be all in, you have to be all in and really you say, work the program, that's what it is, and I hear that, I've heard that people that have gone through and they'll try the program and then they'll get out and relapse and come back and they'll talk about how maybe initially they just weren't, they weren't serious about it, they were half serious about it. But then when they got serious about it and just really went all in, that's what made all the difference. Yes. So in the darkness what was maybe one of the scariest realizations that you had or things that you saw that just, that maybe shook you to the core?

Mike: 6:35

Man, I seen stuff that wasn't there. I seen some stuff that I would never want to go again. I wouldn't never go back to their life. I seen death, seen it happen right in my hands. Like someone just, a person just died. In your hands. Somebody. Yeah. That was a crazy moment for me knowing. It could have been prevented if not that, to drug mining people were just wanting to get high and didn't care. I could have prevented it and just not did the drugs, overdosing myself just knowing, I wasn't talking to my family much as I should and they didn't deserve to get a call from me saying I was. He's dead in a hotel room. And then again, if it wasn't for Danny, I wouldn't be here today either for that reason. He's the one that gave me Narcan, to save my life. Wow. If it wouldn't be for Danny, I wouldn't be here for that reason too. Yeah, that's another thing I gotta thank him for. There's some things I wouldn't discuss with my mom, but she's probably gonna listen to this and probably break down. It's a lot of dark times out there by yourself when you're, your family's showing you tough love.

Phil: 7:41

Yeah.

Mike: 7:42

Caring from a distance, loving from a distance, and it just makes you feel even more lonely. But it's your fault. It's like you're doing this to yourself. And that's, another lesson I can say I learned had to grow up, had to learn. Yeah. If you're going to do this lifestyle, you're going to, you're going to have to be tough.

Phil: 7:59

Wow is there anything where you are now, knowing where you were, is there anything that maybe your mom or other people could have done that might've helped to get you out of it early on? Was there anything that, that maybe could have? Pulled you. Is there anything you can think of?

Mike: 8:23

She probably could have, with me being at a young age, she probably could have, got the authorities involved a little more. Yeah. Probably put me in like YDC or something.

Phil: 8:34

Yeah, maybe just a little stronger on the consequences side. A little stronger

Mike: 8:37

on the consequences, it's hard. Don't let me be at my free will, as you can say.

Phil: 8:42

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I know we're just speculating, but I know there are people at that place now. And I didn't know if there was some things that maybe they could try, may or may not work. I know sometimes when a person just sets their self on a course, there's nothing you can do to stop them. But other times maybe there are some things that you can do to help prevent them. I feel like in our culture today, there's so much corrective theology, which is good and which we need, helping people that have made bad choices and lived a life of destruction, help them to be restored. And it's such a wonderful thing. But I really wish we could figure out how to emphasize more of the preventative theology and, I'm a youth pastor. And so my heart wants to protect those kids, like whatever I can do to help them on the front end, not take that path, and I know sometimes there's nothing you can do. They, sometimes someone's just going to take a path. But maybe there are others that they're in that gray zone and maybe some things that you could say or do can lead them from ever having going down that path, and I'm just, I'm a thinker. I like, I'm just, thinking of, I don't know, just, I would love to be able to help on the preventative side, and I know it's, it is a recurring theme of, people that have come out of addiction and are in recovery, just giving back, now, are you and Brittany, are you guys still at the fort and doing well there?

Mike: 10:17

Honestly, no, we don't. She works too much. I work too much. Can't never get a really good Sunday off. Which we're working towards trying to get that back into our lives because we really want to be back a part of the Fort Church. Yeah. I really want to be a part of, Safe House. I really want to give back. I'm working online right now to get my certified peer specialist. Yeah. I'm trying to give back that way I can, go to the organization and work for, to to give back my knowledge of how I was in drug addiction and how my life story can probably change, probably change the way other people would think. Yeah. Give a better perspective of life,

Phil: 10:57

yeah. Yeah. I think this podcast is going to do that as well. Just be an encouragement. People listen in. It's not worth it. The going down that path with alcohol, getting into the drugs, the sex, the, it seems like it'll be so much fun, but in the end it's just not worth it. The consequences are too high.

Mike: 11:20

It's not worth it at all I look back on it and if I can, if I got a time machine, I'll go back and change a lot of things.

Phil: 11:28

Yeah.

Mike: 11:29

I'll pull away from that lifestyle quick, in a hurry.

Phil: 11:34

How has all of that affected your kids?

Mike: 11:38

It affected Aiden a lot. And to the point where, he was confused. Always wondering where, we were. Especially when my mom actually took him and wouldn't bring him around, he got to the age where he knew what was causing the problem. And I can't say that for the other kids because they got, by the time they got to the age of knowing we were clean, and I feel bad about that because Aiden had to go through it, yeah. And I just thank God I got it together for he, yeah. I should say y'all going to do that. And I don't want to be a part of y'all's life,

Phil: 12:19

yeah. Now you guys are both in a place where you can be the kind of parents that you need to be, which is good. And your kids are still young. So there's, you've got a lot of time to invest in them. That's good, man. That's praise the Lord. Praise the Lord for bringing you out and just letting you have that opportunity to be the dad that they need and the husband that Brittany needs. Yeah. That's good, man. That's good. Any other lessons that you feel like would be a help to others that you want to share? Lessons, you mean, like? Like things you learned some wisdom that you've gained. Maybe that you could share, that someone, that could help someone else. Either avoid that life, or get out of that life, or, just get back on their feet.

Mike: 13:08

Yeah so like Just stay away from people, places, and things that's,

Phil: 13:13

that's good advice. Yeah,

Mike: 13:15

find God first. Let go, let God. Yeah. Put God first for everything that you do. Before everything that you do. Stay prayed up. Man, just this world's so cold, man. Yeah. It's these days and times you can't go nowhere, all these shootings and the lifestyle is, when I was doing it, it's changed, to me it has, just to, just stay away, just don't do drugs at all, just stay away from, just If you got a family, stay with your family, just don't get caught up in that lifestyle. It's not worth it.

Phil: 13:50

Yeah. It's so true. And it sounds so simple. I mean that, that lesson of wisdom is so prominent in the Bible of being careful who you hang around, being careful who you call friends, who you let influence you, where you go. I'm teaching through Proverbs 7 now in the youth group and that there's such a strong warning to the young man Hey, listen, man, stay away from this place where this woman's going to be, it's going to tempt you. It's so good though. Like it just, it's like common sense, but we don't get it, if you don't go to that place, then you won't get involved in that thing. And we think, just stay away from that place. But. So it's not as easy as you, as it, as we think sometimes, and maybe there's some lessons to parents too, about boundaries and maybe being a little stronger on the boundaries, being a little more involved and not that you're controlling, but maybe have a little more control over who you let your kids hang around and where you let them go. And man, yeah, it's just, I have seven kids and Yeah, it just makes me think a lot about the role of being a dad and how to protect your kids and Just my own self, Yeah. Yeah anything else any other lessons that you want to throw out there? That's pretty much all I got. Yeah So you've got you and Brittany have three of the kids that are with you or four Just two of them. Two of them, okay. And then she's got her son as well, like your stepson is there too? Yeah, he's not there. He's with his father, but he comes

Mike: 15:28

around. Okay. And then, like I said, we got the other two, which is Trendon. He's with my cousin right now. Yeah. But you're involved like you were able To be really it's a long story. Okay. She's in her addiction right now. Oh no. And I gotta figure She

Phil: 15:46

your cousin or your daughter? My cousin. Your cousin is, oh, you're, so your cousin Yeah, the one that's got my son, yeah. Your cousin that has your son, she's in addiction herself. Yes. Oh man.

Mike: 15:59

Just trying to figure out the best way to go about it, yeah. Ever since he was a baby, he's been with her, he's attached to her,

Phil: 16:07

that's hard, man.

Mike: 16:07

So it's I deal with a lot of stuff, about that, and it hurts right here, and trying to figure out a way to go legally about it, and not hurt him at the same time.

Phil: 16:18

And his name is Trendon?

Mike: 16:20

Yeah, Trendon.

Phil: 16:21

How old is he?

Mike: 16:22

He's

Phil: 16:22

five. Oh. He's I am going to be praying for you and for him, and I can't imagine that's a, that is a tough spot, man. You need wisdom and just the guidance of the Lord. And I'll be praying for you about that, man.

Mike: 16:38

I appreciate it.

Phil: 16:39

Yeah. No, that's hard. Wow. Yeah. Wow. Maybe the Lord will work it out to get her connected to safe house and help her out of that

Mike: 16:48

And i'll be willing to help

Phil: 16:50

you know Do you does she have a does she do you and her have a relationship where like you guys are? able to talk and or is it like she's trying to hide she

Mike: 17:00

Hides from it, she Don't want her like I said don't want to admit she's on you know the stuff Yeah, because I guess Saying losing him will be her world, yeah. But at the same time, he has a mom, he has a dad, and they need to be in his life. Yeah. And I know, I pray every night about it and, The Lord, I always think, I always say, always, he's always, he's already came to fight these battles for me. Yeah. And one day, I'll be the one, but it's hand raised, so that's the way I look at it. Wow.

Phil: 17:36

You know what it's like though to, to not, to be at the place where you don't want to admit you have a problem yet. Like you, that's one of your key lessons learned is you, before you can get victory, you have to admit you need help. Gotta surrender. Yeah. Yeah. And the crazy thing is that fear of losing. The things we love keeps us from maybe taking those first steps, but it's so paradoxical because if we don't take that first step, we're going to lose them forever. Like you lost him because of that. And the crazy thing is putting ourself in a place where we surrender to get help and maybe having. Our children taken away for a time, but then we can get clean and get victory that can help get us to a place where we can be restored permanently. That's crazy. It just, but we don't think with clear heads. A lot of times when the devil's got us wrapped up and we're telling ourselves the lies and we're just, it's hard to think clear. Just, and the truth is. Not what we think it is. Exactly. It's just, man, wow yeah, so you are, I think you told me you're working at McDonald's now as a manager? Working at McDonald's,

Mike: 18:52

Store manager. I like it. Yeah. Growed on me. I got a passion for it. Serving.

Phil: 18:56

You will learn some good skills doing that. Oh yeah. Years and years ago, I spent some time working at McDonald's and I've spent time working as a director manager at Chick fil a and the food business, you learn a lot is not an easy business, managing people, especially teenagers it's a lot of work. Yeah, but it's good. It's good experience and it's good. It's good lessons that you can use and take and build on. Yes, sir. How close are you to finishing that CPS certification?

Mike: 19:27

I got a little ways to go. I'm like in the second trimester right now. Okay. Second semester of it. Yeah. I actually learned a lot of things. How to, go about teaching others. The words that I say might trigger, trigger some kind of things with people. Yeah. Learning how to talk to people, learning how to cope with what they're coping with, yeah. But I'd say here in about another three or four months I should be done with it.

Phil: 19:52

Fantastic. I bet you're excited.

Mike: 19:54

I'm really excited.

Phil: 19:54

Is Brittany pretty excited about that? Yeah, she is. She's

Mike: 19:58

my biggest supporter.

Background: 20:00

That's awesome.

Mike: 20:01

She don't like the idea of me going to the police academy, but it's just, I'm doing, I'm exploring all options right now. Yeah. Want to do the CPS thing, want to do the police thing, because the police just getting their drugs in the criminal's office street. Yeah. So in

Phil: 20:17

your dark time period, were you, did you never get arrested and. Yeah, I've been arrested.

Mike: 20:25

But never. For my drug use. Okay, it's always But it was actually my drug use but I got arrested when I was little like younger when did that call started? Yeah, and Then I got arrested one more time for possession appeals Which I just now got

Phil: 20:48

taken care of all this stuff's behind me Awesome. So then, so you got your records been taken care of and you are at the place where you can be a police officer still like you don't have anything that's going to keep you from that.

Mike: 21:01

No,

Phil: 21:01

because I

Mike: 21:02

got to take the math portion of my GED and I have it. That's awesome. Like I said, I'm looking forward to doing that. Praise the

Phil: 21:09

Lord, man. Yeah I'll be praying for you, man, that the Lord will just bless you and guide you and your family and just give you wisdom and help you you have a great story, a great testimony. You've been through a lot, but the Lord brought you out of it and he has got a plan to use you. That's all the light.

Mike: 21:27

Yes. Amen. That's all the light for sure, man. I just think he used Danny to do it, he really did.

Phil: 21:35

Wow. And it's powerful what a good friend can do to help you out. Yes. It's just as powerful as what a bad friend can do to drag you down. Exactly. Just circles us back to that just cliche common truth that we say so often, be careful who your friends are. But it matters so so much, man. Anything else you want to say before we finish up?

Mike: 21:59

Just thank God for Safe House Ministries. They I owe it all to them and the Lord and, of course, Danny. But just if anybody listens to this just letting you know you're not alone. There is help out there. Reach out. Don't keep it bottled in like I did for so long because you never know when it might not be You might not get the chance to reach out. So if you listen to this reach out seek to help work the program And it works.

Phil: 22:29

Amen. Amen. That's such good. That's good. Yeah, please reach out. You are not alone I love that and I've heard so many people say that But maybe someone here in this podcast will be at that place and they'll hear that and it'll sink in and they'll reach out for help. That's good. And if anybody out there wants to be a partner to help safe house ministries in the work that safe house is doing, helping others, please reach out to us in that way as well. We need partners, volunteers, financial support, all of those things. It's a great work that's being done and there's a lot of people in our community that need help. And praise the Lord for what he's doing, man. Mike, can I close this in a word of prayer? Yes, sir. All right. Dear father, I love you and I praise you. You are so amazing, Lord. Just even this morning with the rain out to think of the wisdom that you possess to have created this world and the cycle of evaporation in the clouds, gathering moisture, and then dropping back rain. Just you're amazing. And to think that you love us so much that you would reach down to our lives when we are in a mess of our own creation. You would love us so much to get through, to send us a good friend, to send us others, to lead us by your spirit, to get us to a place where we can be helped and we can get back on our feet. Thank you for doing that for Mike. Bless him, bless Brittany, bless their family, help them to be the kind of husband and wife that they need to be, that you want them to be, help them to be the kind of mother and father that their kids need, that you want them to be, Lord. And just give Mike wisdom, Lord. He's got some really tough decisions that he's trying to navigate through. Help him, Lord. Give him wisdom. We know that you promise that if we ask for wisdom with all our hearts. In faith that you'll give it to us. I'm asking for wisdom from my friend, Mike, give them wisdom, guide his path, help him, or just to be the best that he can be for all of his kids, the ones that is in his house and the ones that are not. And we praise you help him to do well in his certification, to be able to get that CPS, to just help him and guide him in the path. If you want him to be a police officer, just whatever you have for him, guide him. Protect him from pitfalls, Lord. And I just pray that you would protect him from the temptations of the devil. You pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Phil Shuler: 25:05

We look forward to being with you again next week as we share another testimony about the power and the goodness of God to change lives through Safe House Ministries. if you are someone listening to this podcast that loves to hear these stories of the great things that God is doing in changing people's lives for the better, and if you would like to be a part of that work, please reach out to us You can reach us at 2101 Hamilton Road, Columbus, Georgia, 31,904. You can call us at seven oh six three two two. 3 7, 7 3, or you can email us at info@safehouse-ministries.com.

Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone)-2: 25:43

Thank you so much for being with us this week for the renew restore and rejoice podcast of safe house ministries, we pray that God will bless you this week. And we look forward to having you back with us again next week for a new episode.