A Miracle of Survival, A Miracle of Recovery, and Paying it Forward All Thanks to Jesus - Matthew Anderson's Story Conclusion

The conclusion of Matthew Anderson's amazing story.  It's a happy ending all thanks to Jesus.

Transcript

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Life is great. Life life is so fun sober. Like you saw, you get to live life like, uh, you, you, you sobriety just you really realize what you've been missing.

Phil Shuler: 0:10

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.

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Welcome back to the Safe House Ministries. Renew Restore, rejoice podcast. Thank you so much for being here today. You will hear the conclusion of Matthew Anderson's. Incredible story. And in episode one, if you remember, he shares with us how it all started, the crazy life that he had as a teenager, partying, running a teenage nightclub, bringing 30 people to his house, in the evenings for an after party. Then he shares about his addiction to drugs and how everything came to a crashing halt when he had a crazy accident swerving off the side of the road because he fell asleep. And his truck, uh, flew off a bridge and crashed down in a ravine. He was then in a coma and the doctors didn't even expect him to live, but the Lord did A miracle. Brought him back through multiple surgeries. Uh, he ended up just with full cognitive recovery, But the Lord brought him back multiple surgeries and what an amazing recovery he had. He moved in with his mom. Things then went from getting better to getting worse again, out of control. Drug addiction decided that he needed to get clean, and in the midst of all that. Had a crazy situation when the sheriff's deputies came to his house, he did not want to let them in, Proceeded to email the sheriff a threatening email where he showed a picture of all his guns and gave the threat that if any deputies trespassed on his property again, that he would kill them. As you remember last week, that did not end well. He was able to get out after 19 months and since then has been on a true journey of. Living a better life. He moved back in with his mom for a little bit, but that did not, uh, end well and he was essentially kicked out. the door was opened by the Lord where he had an opportunity to get into Safe House Ministries, men's shelter, the Freedom House, and From there, he has joined the staff at Safe House and is giving back in so many ways. He's driving the van, helping others, paying it forward, continuing on his own journey of just living in sobriety and loving life, being free from the bondage of addiction. He's a coach and a help to so many others at the shelter and others that he interacts with to encourage them to get on a path to recovery and to stay in sobriety for the rest of their lives. You will also hear Matthew mention the one person that has been more influential in his story than anyone else, and that is Jesus to whom Matthew gives all the credit and all the glory and all the praise. You'll love this episode. It's a wonderful conclusion to Matthew's story. He's doing so well. All thanks to Jesus and what a, what an amazing. Blessing that he is now able to be in the lives of so many others. So thank you for listening and enjoy this week's episode. Okay. So you show up at Freedom House and I hate it. Oh, I'm just telling you now. What was the initial. Like showing up. What was that like? I mean, that was fine. They all the, all the, all the people there, there were nice, but I get there during the day and there's a couple guys walking through the hallways who are most of us have mental issues, um, but the ones that don't go out there in the day are a little more severe than the rest of us. Um, so I thought they put me in a crazy hospital. And, and so I did. I didn't know what to think. I'm just like, no, no, no. And then I got a roommate on top of that, so I don't know who the guy is. He ain't home yet. I don't know what's gonna happen. So I just hated it. I, I, I thought it was gonna be awful. Wow. I thought it was gonna be worst experience of my life. But, um, you know, I I, you do the right things and you get your foot in the right doors and things tend to open up and your eyes to open up. And the Freedom House is really a great place to be. Uh, you know, they got rules just like any other place. And as long as you follow the rules, and I have I I, I constantly moving that up at the Freedom House. Within the month I had my own room by myself with a little, little porch area. Um, wow. So you're, you're continuing drug court. That's right. Settling into Freedom House. Mm-hmm. Um, and, and at Freedom House, which is the men's shelter for Safe House, they're, they're taking care of all your living needs. That's right. Food. And, and that's right. All of the things shower, like everything you need. And they're giving you transportation to get to drug court as well. Well, I had my own truck coming outta jail. Okay. I had my job. My job was offered back to me whenever I got out. Um. So you were back working while you were going to drug court? Absolutely. I Okay, so they let you do that? Oh, they, they, they, they want you to do that. Okay. They, they want you to move back and be, be independent as soon as possible, you know, as early as, as early as is good. And I sometimes people do the wrong things and they're getting out for the wrong reason. They're going living on their own in their own apartments. They're getting the wrong jobs, and they'll let you try it, but you do the wrong thing and you'll end up back in jail. But yeah, so I, I had my own truck and I had my, I got out on Thursday. I was back to work on Saturday. Wow. Um, and so I, I'm blessed compared to a lot of people that get in there, a lot of people get in there, they don't have a job, they don't have, they have a vehicle. And it's gotta be a little bit harder on them. So I can't speak for their own experience, but as far as me, you know, I just, I had everything. Put in front of me that I needed to be successful right away. Yeah. Um, so you're working, you're saving, you're going to drug court, you're following the rules that's doing well at Freedom House. Mm-hmm. So much so that the supervisors and leadership at Freedom House noticed. And they started, you started to get, you said you responsibilities. Yeah. Responsibilities and Yeah. Yeah. I, I, I took it. Uh, you're given a chore when you're there. You get to live there, you gotta do chores. So everybody's got, has their own chore. They had me picking on trash in the parking lot, which was stupid simple. Um, I noticed that the landscape and then one really take being taken care of. I was like, look, I said, why don't y'all, I still got some equipment from brand my business. Why don't y'all just let me take care of the landscaping? Um, so that ended up happening. Wow. So I helped them out in the area. So, they appreciated that and they see, saw that I could do more and that I was willing to do more. Yeah. So, uh, I, I end up stepping up to where I'm now working for Safe House Ministries. Wow. So now what was that time period of like how many months? It's been five months I think I've been there. Okay. So you're still in drug court? Yes, sir. Um, staying clean, doing well. I have no, I don't have one sanction with them at all. And most people got several sanctions by now. You know, everything I do is on, on, on the right. You know, I'm early for everything, everywhere I go and I've always been like that anyway. But um, I think they really appreciate me in drug court too'cause they don't have to mess around with me too much. Wow. That's good. So what's your total clean time in sobriety now? 20 months. Okay. I'll be 21 months in two weeks. That's awesome. Yes sir.'cause you had stopped in jail. That's right. And kind of on that right path. That's awesome. So you, so it sounds like you've been at Freedom House, you've shown initiative, you've taken responsibility, you've, you've tried to really give back. Yes, sir. How about in the arena of maybe just, um, encouraging others or, oh, well, you know, it's, uh, there's a no threaten, there's not as impossibly, and that's with in Drug Court and Freedom House. Um, now I got a buddy that I was locked up with in jail. We read the Bible every morning. When I was still in jail, he got released. He got a part, he got into drug court too. Um, but he was not doing good. He come back and forth to jail even when I got out. And we're still, we're in the same program. He's still going to jail every, every couple weeks because you gotta go to court every two weeks. Yeah. Every, every few weeks he's going back to jail for a sanction. Well, he gets put at a free house. He was over at Journey to Recovery with Midtown, but he gets put outta free of mouth'cause he gets kicked out. They put us next door to each other and, uh, he really respected me. He really respected me and he, uh, I started helping him through the program even though I wasn't released, supposed to be fraternized with him. Um, the court saw that it was a benefit to him and saw that I, I could show him how to do the things right. And, uh, they off record, gave me permission to Fraternize. Um, and showed. Showed because he never, he never ended up back in jail. As long as he was, he was running with me. Wow. That's good. So you are helping others? Absolutely. Awesome. things are still going well. You're still at Freedom House. Yes, sir. Um, drug court's going well. Yes, sir. What is next for you? Couldn't really tell you. No, just, uh, I just started with Safe House Ministries and I really love him being there and, um, we'll see what God wants. Now, what, uh, what are your current responsibilities with Safe House? I'm a, I'm the, I'm, I'm a, I'm the, a house manager, which I don't really, honestly do too much as a house manager. I haven't got my schedule with y'all yet. Um, because he's, like I said, I'm brand new to it, but my main responsibility is driving the clients to their classes and to the meetings. Okay. Night and morning. Okay. Alright. So you're driving people drug classes, rehab classes, meetings. That's right. Awesome. Awesome. You enjoy that? I love it. Yeah. I love it. And are you still working your other job now or? I'm not. She actually, she, she asked me if I, she asked me if I wanted to continue working, but. I work from seven 30 in the morning to 9 30, 10 o'clock house at, at Safe house. I really don't have too much time drive you. So you're driving a lot. I mean, not, I'm, I don't actually work that much, honestly. Don't tell Neil that. But, uh, um, no, I mean, but it's, I, I'm, I'm, I gotta be available, so it's, it is, whenever, whenever they get outta their classes need to be taking their classes taken to meetings. Like I said, they gotta be at class at I think 8 45 in the morning. Then their last class, or last meeting is at eight o'clock at night. So, um, I, I drive a few times a day, but I gotta be available for them to be there. Yeah. Now, when, when you take them to classes, like, do you attend a class like an A or NA or anything like that? I do the meetings, but, uh, I, because I'm required to do one meeting, meeting a week with, uh, with drug court. Yeah. But I also am in my, in my own, own IOP class with drug court. I do my therapies with drug court and I'm, I. Voluntarily go to the Midtown classes on Friday.'cause that's the only one I got available. But I'm not required to go. But I love the Midtown classes, so I go anyway. Yeah. Awesome. Tell me how you're feeling right now. Like, uh, I'm assuming still very hopeful. Life. Life is great. Life life is so fun sober. Like you saw, you get to live life like, uh, you, you, you sobriety just you really realize what you've been missing. Yeah. That's awesome. That's awesome. Tell me about your relationship with Jesus. Do you have a personal relationship with him or who, who is he to you? He is my savior. He's, I mean, in all aspects of my life he's given me life so many times. I love, I love Jesus. Jesus is God Jesus. All Jesus is all over me. Literally. I see that literal with the tattoos. Literally. Yeah. Literally. I don't, so looks like it. I think the way over one eye the word over another eye. That's right. That's right. And now do you have the life somewhere else? The life. I, I don't, yeah. But, um, it's, uh, I, yeah. That's awesome. Now, so it sounds like you show your faith on your face. Do you share your faith a lot with others? Always. Every chance I get now we got a, we got the female van driver, Shelly, who, uh, I work with, and we got the same schedule, so we hang out a lot. She's definite good influence on me. Not, not that I was a bad person before meeting her, but this woman goes out of her wages. She, she works the streets a lot and this girl is all over the place. She sees somebody and she pulls'em out and tries to give'em as much as she can. So, uh, I try to, I try to hang and stay by her side as much as possible so I can, I can work with her with Yeah. Like it is, uh, yeah, she's amazing. That's, she's a good influence. Absolutely. Yeah. Do you have other good influences, other good friends that you, that help encourage you in the right way? Honestly, I don't like people, um, like I said, I like my dog, but like I said, she's, she's one person that just stands out to me, you know? Yeah. She's amazing. So she's my only real friend at the moment. Okay. I don't trust too many people, so, uh, yeah. When God puts'em in, we'll, we will, we'll take'em in, if not, yeah. Yeah. How much longer of drug court do you have? I think 13, 14 months. Okay. So a long road. So you Yes, sir. You kind of envision keeping on cruising. Absolutely. Giving back, helping, absolutely. Just growing. Are you going to church at all on the weekends or have you plugged in anywhere? I have. I haven't found, I haven't had a church in over 20 years. Now here's the thing. I just started at Fort in jail. Everybody was telling me, go to Fort the Fort's for you. You need to be at Fort.'cause I tell'em the same thing, that I don't trust churches either. They're all businesses. I don't like it. They do tell me, go to Fort. When I got outta jail, people are telling me, go to Fort Jamie Lee. When I went in for my interview, says, try to fort uh, Shelly. When I first met Shelly, try to fort everybody tell me, try to fort. Well, Shelly, finally, I, I still didn't, I was listening. I heard everybody, but I still did. I I, Jamie Lee calls it Church hurts. Um, which I get it. I've been hurt by the church. I, I don't trust it. But Shelly invited me to church two weeks ago, church for Wow. And, uh, I'm there front row every, every week from here on out. That's awesome. I love it. Oh that's great, man. Yes, sir. That is great. Matthew, think for a second, and I would love for you to share some principles of wisdom that as you think about your journey starting back from the beginning and kind of all that's happened, different points along the way, what kind of wisdom can you offer that others should really think about? If they're maybe at the beginning of a journey that might be like that, or if they're in the midst of just not doing things right? I'd say choose your friends like correctly. Um, make sure they have the same beliefs and same wants that you have. Not even just your friends, your career. Make sure if you're, if you're a Christian, make sure that the people that you work with make sure the people you're around share all these same beliefs.'cause it'll help you just it. You want stray. You want stray if everybody's got the same beliefs as you. Yeah. Um, and it's, that's, that's the biggest thing in life, choosing your friends wisely. That's right. Yeah. If you, if you put yourself around people that are not doing well, not doing good, you're gonna end up in that same way. That's right. And if you choose to put yourself around people who are on a good path, doing good things, that'll influence you significantly. That's awesome. Yeah, that's, that, that wisdom is timeless. And it's been around since the beginning. Right. But it's so crazy that. People just don't listen to it. It's the world. This, this, this world is crazy now. Yeah. It's so tough. I don't know what I'd do if I was a kid right now. It's, uh, I can remember as a kid I'd go play in my neighbor's yard and they, they wouldn't even worry about it. You go play in your neighbor's yard, now you get a, a soda can thrown at you something. Yeah. It is a crazy world. So choosing your friends wisely. Yes, sir. What else would you, would you share, would you offer as by way of wisdom, be one with Christ, pray often, pray, often. Pray. Pray. Pray for his will. You know, I pray for a long time and it's not wrong to pray for specifics. And it, it works sometimes, but when you ask him really to do, do his will, things really start opening up and, uh, the right things start to open up. He starts working through what he wants and now what you want and you realize in the end, really that is what I wanted. Yeah, that's good. So you're really growing in your journey with Christ and you walk with Christ still, which I didn't think was possible, but Yes. Still. That's awesome. Yeah. That's huge. I mean, that, that daily time in the word, reading the Bible, letting the Lord speak to you and, and just, just sitting and trying to think and meditate. Mm-hmm. What are the lessons that Well see, that's the thing too, reading the Bible, like people always wonder how, how they, how you get your answers from God, how you could talk to God, but we can't hear him. Some of us can, but uh, most of you, you read the Bible, that's where you get your answers. Read the Bible daily. It just keeps you grounded in one with God. Yeah. Yeah. That's so good. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, this is a good point. If anybody's listening to this podcast, and if you've never come to the place where you've realized you're a sinner and you've messed up so many things, then today you can ask the Lord's forgiveness. You can trust in Jesus as your savior. He came to this world 2000 years ago, gave his life, died on a cross, was buried, rose again three days later, and is now alive, sitting at the right hand of God. And he did all of that to pay the debt for our sins that we couldn't pay for ourselves. Absolutely. Because we could never, we could never be good enough to get to heaven. Right. But Jesus was perfect and he gave his life as a sacrifice to pay the debt for sin. And so if you're not saved right now, if you've never trusted in Jesus, you can. Receive him as your savior. You can just say a simple prayer, something like, God, I messed up. I'm sorry. I realize I'm a sinner. Please forgive me. And I want to be saved. I wanna trust in Jesus, and I believe in Jesus. And I'm asking you, God, to save my soul. I'm asking you, Jesus, to come into my heart and change my life. And I give it to you as just a simple prayer like that can make all the difference, definitely will, and change your life forever. And as you've heard Matthew speaking his life is a testimony. It's an amazing testimony. Uh, Matthew, thanks for being here this morning. Yes, sir. Thank you. Um, so the, the two key points of wisdom, choosing your friends wisely and. Beginning a relationship with Jesus if you haven't already done that. And then continuing deepening that relationship. That's right. Continuing and, and just walking with him. Mm-hmm. Anything else? Like, and, and it gets easier once you start doing the right things. Like, uh, it's so easy to do the right things at that. Helping, helping other people, like really helping other people. Every opportunity you got don't pass a blessing up. Like it's, uh, I beat myself up if I ever do. Like, wow, I missed out on that. Help other people. Like really just like be, be out there for other people and it's gonna help you. Yeah. Makes you, it'll make you happy. I promise you that. Yeah. That's good. Give back. Give back. That's um, I think it was the apostle Paul that said it is more blessed to give than to receive. Yes. Yes. And it, it it is truth. That's awesome. I'm so excited for you, Matthew. Thank you. I'm so thrilled that you were willing to come and share your story. Really an amazing story. Well, thank you. And you can see the hand of God in your life. And I mean, just to see you sitting here and just you're, you seem fully functioning. I'm sure you've got pains and challenges and, but to be up and around and your mind working and your body working and your just, it's a miracle and it's amazing. It really is. It really is a miracle. Anything else you wanna share? Anything else you want to add? I don't think so. I think I've got it all out. You're like my therapist. Awesome. Um, you mind if I close this in a word of prayer? Absolutely not. Father, thank you for being here with us. Thank you for guiding us. Thank you for your word. Your word is so amazing and it gives us so much instruction and so much guidance. Thank you for Matthew's testimony, for his life, for the words that he shared, and I pray that those who've heard this podcast would receive the words of truth. Lord, if there's any that are discouraged and disheartened, even depressed Lord, bring encouragement. Bring hope. Lord. Matthew started off by saying that he was hopeful. Lord, I pray that those that are listening to this podcast, if they're in a place of discouragement, that you would bring hopefulness to their hearts, no hopefulness that can come in such a powerful way through Jesus. Bless Matthew, bless his path, bless his future. Use him to be a great help to so many others I pray, and a light that would shine in the darkness that many would be able to see. I pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Phil Shuler: 21:39

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: 22:17

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.