Renew. Restore. Rejoice. A SafeHouse Ministries Podcast

Getting Shot Didn't Change His Course, but a Word from His Daughter (and From the Lord) Finally Did - The Turnaround Conclusion of George Jackson's Story!

• Phil Shuler • Season 3 • Episode 22

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This conclusion episode of George Jackson's story opens up with George getting shot two times on one day, and still not taking that as a wakeup call to change his life.  It was only a couple years later when his daughter came to him with some choice words that it struck his heart and led him to seek out the Lord and change his life.

Phil Shuler:

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.

George:

So I get off from work. Two weeks later I'm thinking, it's gone. Two weeks later, guess what? Him and his friend came back. I had just walked in the house, got in there about nine o'clock, sitting around. They getting high, so why not? Mess around. I see the truck. I said, wow. Y'all got a good truck out here. So we sat there. Next thing you know I heard two doors. Boom, boom. So I'm in the bathroom. Huh? They came in, they said, where Jap? Ain't nobody say nothing. They said, I know. Y'all heard me. What Jap? I said, shoot, I'm in the bathroom.

Phil:

They called you Jap?

George:

Jack.

Phil:

Jack,

George:

yeah.

Phil:

Jack. J Oh, JAP. That's your nickname? Yeah. Yeah. Street name.

George:

They came in the bathroom, man, and he opened the door and I seen the gun. Yeah, I seen the gun, so I didn't run. He said, now when you had that, now what? You supposed to deal with it? I said, I told you, thank God that a god. He pointed at my leg and it snapped. Yeah, it was on safety. So he passed it back to the guy. He said, take it off safety. So I'm standing there. I'm standing there.

Phil:

So he You're standing in the bathroom? Yeah. I ain't trying to move. He tries to shoot you, but it was on safety.

George:

Yeah. So he turned around and got the gun. He said, now what you did when you had that knife? I said, thank God that's a guard. He shot me Pow

Phil:

right here.

George:

Yeah.

Phil:

And you just, you didn't try to

George:

no. When he shot me, I grabbed him right here, pushed him straight back out that door, throw him down that arm and grabbed that gun. By that time I looked up, the guy had that nine pointed right here. Oh yeah. And I told him, I said, Hey, I don't think you better do that. I said, thank God, that's a guard. Got up, limped back, went behind the door. The door was up about like that. The light was shining.

Phil:

So the guy was pointing a gun at your

George:

chest? He didn't shoot. He didn't shoot me. Like he let me got up, walked behind that door and the light was shining like this. So the door had a crack up on it, but I had locked it. They came up to the door and tried to open it. They couldn't open it. They looked up under there because of the crack like that and shot scraped between the door. That's when they hit me with the nine in the side.

Phil:

Now what door was it? Was it the bathroom door or the No, it was

George:

the bathroom door.

Phil:

It was the So you went back into the bathroom? No, no.

George:

It was the bedroom door. The

Phil:

bedroom. So you got shot in the I

George:

got shot in the bathroom, then came out the hallway. Yeah.

Phil:

And then t with

George:

him, with the, with the 22 and then went behind the bedroom though and that's when they shot through the door and hit me in the side. Wow. Yeah.

Phil:

Yep. What happened then?

George:

Uh, man, they took off. Then I got up, man, I was so, I was so in a rage, man. My adrenaline was pumping. I walked to the door, asked Kevin, I said, Hey, did you call them folks? I ain't gonna say what I told them. He said, yeah, sit down, don't you hear I'm coming. And man, I got to the hospital. I lost so much blood.

Phil:

The ambulance, they called someone called 9 1 1. Yeah. Yeah.

George:

My partner, the cabin, the same guy that stopped me from Must the same guy called the ambulance. Lost so much blood took me there. I had two operation, major operation. First they sliced me from here to there to relieve the pressure because when the 22 hit me, it hit the fibia. It came out the fib, and it hit the Pope tear. When it hit the Pope tear, it came out and closed. So that mean I bled to the inside. Pope tears the main artery. Yeah. It bled to the inside and the more it started a lot of swelling. They had to hurry up and get me there because it was killing a lot of nerves. I have a lot of nerves, a lot of nerve damage in this right leg from here, all the way down here. From right here, from my ankle to my two toes, it's numb. Wow. Yes. And right here, by the way, they shot me since I was bent over. The nine came in. In your stomach or in your waist? In the, in the side. In the side. I was bent over. So when it hit me by the impact from the door, slowed it down. So when it hit, I was able to see when it hit and it came out and vibrated, but it never went out. Oh, no. They had to do immediately surgery and take off four inches of my intestine to try to find the bullet. No, the bullet, they couldn't find the bullet'cause they thought it had ed it out because of the way my, this right here had split.

Phil:

Yeah.

George:

No, the bullet landed down here. Wow. Yeah. The 20, the nine millimeter landed down by, on the left side of my inusal. Wow. Yeah,

Phil:

man. Yes. Did they said they have to go back again to try to find the bullet later then, since they didn't. Well,

George:

That was in the op the two main, uh, operation. What they did, they took off four inch of my intestines. Sewed that back up. They split this, huh? Redid my pope tear, but they didn't do the the fibia, that's the small bone to the side because it was cracked that automatic heal. Wow. Yeah. I was saying, I see you by the grace of God. You know, when they shot me, only thing I can tell the Lord was, Hey, comfort me. I'm not ready to go comfort me. Yes. So when I got there, they say, when you about to die, that's what I hear. That you got cold. That you get real cold. I remember that because when I told that nurse, Hey, it's so cold up in here. I don't remember nothing else till that Tuesday morning about 12 o'clock. Wow. Yes. That's when I had a brace on my leg. Two running down my throat. Me on morphine. Need us over here? Need us over here? Wow. And it was rough, but by the grace of God, I stayed in. I see you two days. They put me in a private room.'cause you know, when you get a gunshot wound, GWS, when you get a GWS, you know, they put you as a, uh, as a, uh, what do they call it? They don't let nobody know who you is.

Phil:

Yeah, yeah.

George:

They don't know. No. And uh, so when they put me in my private room, the third day I was up walking

Phil:

the third day,

George:

the third day by the grace of God For real? Yep. So is that a wake up call for you? No. That wasn't a wake up call right then? No, no, no.'cause as soon it took me eight months. Then, you know, my family, my ba my oldest brother think I, I love him a lot. He mess around and, you know, he had a house here, then he had a house up there in Newton and he let me stay in the house down here until I got my life back together too. Two years. She let me stayed in the house rent free two years, two more years after

Phil:

that. Yeah.

George:

So I thought I was good. Feel. Wow. No drugs, no nothing. Got my kids, got my grandkids and everything. And as soon as I got disability I went right back to the place that I got shot at during drugs. So

Phil:

you was Yeah. Clean

George:

for two years. Two years. But see, the problem with that, I wasn't into my Bible. Yeah. I was clean for two years.

Phil:

But you didn't replace it with something? I didn't replace it to take my kids. You didn't renew the My grandkid. I

George:

didn't renew the mind. Yeah. cause I, soon as that money came in, I went right back to the place that I got shot at. Wow. Yeah. Right back. Doing the same thing. Yeah. But by the grace of God, what really broke me downdrugs was my daughter, my baby. My baby broke me down, but, and again, I got tired and sick and tired. Yeah. I had moved over there in the shed.

Phil:

In the shed

George:

In a shed on two 80 Bypass. With just

Phil:

with someone That was a friend? No, no. There was a shed.

George:

You've been on two 80 bypass. Yeah. You know where it is. Okay. You know where Mr. Chase cashier used to be? You know, BA Automotive? Yeah. You know, time you go past that, that's the place. Say Mr. Chase, cashier used to be a shed right behind there. That's where I lived. Wow. Yes. I was living back there and then, starting to get clean.'cause my daughter had broke me down. Fear. She broke me down. She said, I ain't never did nothing in a day in her life. Oh. How, how old was she? Oh, my daughter. My daughter's grown. That just happened, uh, last year. So she, before I started getting clean, she called you out and she upset. That hurts. I said, Lord, that's it. That's. And I quit My my, my clean time started the ninth, the 17th, 24. Ain't looked back since I'm

Phil:

for real.

George:

9

Phil:

17 24. Yeah. Yeah. After your daughter said, you ain't never done nothing for me in your life. Just got a year that woke you up.

George:

Yeah. Just got a year clean, man. Praise the Lord.

Phil:

Yes.

George:

Praise the Lord. Yes. You're clean. I ain't looked back at it yet. Wow. Don't have no desire. But now I can renew the mind because what I'm dealing with the Bible. But look, skip just a little bit. Pastor Eric. Minister Tony. Yeah. And pastor with Safe House Ministries. Yeah. Yes. They minister a lot to me because when I was coming through on my clean time, it was rough because I didn't know that. I didn't know nothing about all them demons, you know them spirits. Because like after I had stopped doing the drugs for two years. Was telling me about how, the one comes that aggravate you. Yeah, that's that guy. The one where you get aggravated a lot. Man, God, I was aggravated a lot, man. Somebody walk up to me, I already snapped. Yeah. Even though I was on, I already snap. We was gone. Wow. And I was waiting. Wow. But that's, man, you know, it was rough. But now life is great. Life is great for you, I'm telling you.

Phil:

So what was that process of, of going from there? Uhhuh? I know getting clean was a part of it, but Yeah. What turned around in your heart and your mind, and what did you start doing that was different so that you wouldn't go back to that?

George:

When I started getting clean before, I was, you know, I was doing volunteer work at the Safe house.

Phil:

Okay. Yes.

George:

I was riding a bicycle. I didn't, I wanted a job. I told'em I was coming in the name of the Lord. And Pastor Eric gave me, I had got into it down there, the safe harbor. He punished me when I was getting into it. I, that's what I tell the fellas out there, the freedom I get punished. Pastor Paul and pastor, uh, Mr. Tony. They were taught, but pastor, oh God. Pastor Eric, you, oh, look, you pull that knife on that guy. I'm gonna give you three months. That's what he gave me.

Phil:

Kicked you out for three months. Yeah. Kicked

George:

me out for three months. But I, I went back and talked to him. He said, well, you know, I gave you three months. I said, yeah. I said, well, you got anything I can read? And he gave me a devotion book and it sit right in my room right now. Yeah. Pastor in the meantime, you know, I was mainly in the kitchen washing dishes, so I had a lot of time with Pastor Paul and Minister Tony, and they was telling me what was going on with me. They would always tell me what to read and stuff like that.

Phil:

Like where in the Bible to read and how it,

George:

yeah. Yeah, man. And it started growing from there. You know, I, I get him all the praise, because like I said, if it wasn't for Safe House was ministry. I know. I been still out there in the streets. Wow.

Phil:

Yeah. So what, growing up at some point Yeah. Had you trusted Jesus as your savior along the way?

George:

Well, I seen my mother there, did that. I, I got baptized, uh, November, November the 14th, 1995 on a Saturday evening at seven o'clock at Beth, at Bethlehem Crossroad Baptist Church down there in Fort Beach, Alabama.

Phil:

Wow. So you had asked Jesus to come into your heart and save you. Yes. But you never really developed a relationship with him by getting the word exactly. And that's what the difference was. Yes. Now, with that relationship at with Safe House and Pastor Eric. And Pastor Paul and Tony, yeah. They began to encouraging you began to read your Bible Yes. To grow. Mm-hmm. To have you had a devotional book and Yes. And you, that's when you started renewing your mind.

George:

Oh yes. And man, what? It was nice because things started happening and every time I talked to Pastor Eric, he say, oh yeah, that's the Holy Spirit talk to you. I'm like, what? That's what I used. What is he talking about? The holy Yeah. That's the Holy Spirit talking to you. And I never forget, man. You know, I kept on, kept on working down there and everything started to make it sense. Where he started blessed me at first. That was a young lady by Juliana Wells. She's an artist here. Well known artist. Yeah. Yes. Wow. She painted me. Yes. And it played second. So it went up there to the New York audits association. It hung in they museum as matter of fact, I think it's still up there. Wow. Yeah. That was a blessing then Yeah. And then, you know, pastor Eric said, you know, my sister Lord have mercy. My sister you know how they do that. Like, I was receiving my SSI, and you live in somebody house and they you say, well, he's not paying rent, and they would pay her outta your check. That was going on for a while and I didn't even know. Where were you living at? I went back to my sister house. I would go by there. She had gonna kick me out. So what happened? She was still receiving the,

Phil:

so you were getting disability, but Yeah, they were taking some out automatically to give to her for rent, food, and shelter. Because you didn't even know. I,

George:

I didn't even know, man. I was wondering what was going on there for about three years. Until I went up one day to try to get my social security card. And so I told the lady, I said, Hey, I wanna put in a change address. She say, what? I said, yeah, while I'm here. She said, okay. She said, where you stay at now? I said, I stay in the shed, but I'm, I need you to, I I need, I'm gonna put, I'm gonna give the safe house, uh, address. That's why I need to go. They stay. What? So you must tell me you've been away from here six months? I said, yeah. I said, wow. All right. Come back tomorrow. Came back tomorrow. So the lady printed up, I said, Hey ma'am, can you tell me what that man meant by they gonna gimme back pay for six months? She said, yeah, whoever was getting that money on you outta your check at that address, they gonna be getting it no more. You'll be getting your full check. I said, wow. That's what I said. That's what I said, Phil. I said, wow. So look, I jumped on my bicycle from out there and rode it all the way back down to the state house. You're talking about the shed on two 80? No, no. I was out at the social security office. Oh, you were? When they told me this. I had rode my bicycle out there. I can ride a bicycle.

Phil:

So when, so but before that, you were living in the shed for that six months? Yeah. How'd you get back and forth to the safe house? Riding my bicycle

George:

every morning. Wow. Wow. I come, I get up. Wouldn't be late. Yeah. Yeah. I get up. Wouldn't be late. Wow. Ride the bicycle back and forth, huh? Okay. I got so used to it. I wouldn't get all, when I started riding. I won't stop till I get home. Wow. Yeah. I can ride pretty good best, so, yeah. Yeah. Um, I got, I rode out to the social good office, so the lady told me that, I said, she said, you'll be getting back paid by what,$1,200? I say, what I got on that bicycle? I rode back down to that safe. I, here we go. Whenever I, when there was things like that happen, I talked to Pastor Eric. I said, pastor Eric, he said, what? I said, man, D man, I came to find out my sister ain't getting that money for three years. He said, I said, but I ain't, I said, I told them folk, I ain't lived in the house for about six months. And, uh, they gonna gimme back. Say, he said, that's the Holy Spirit, don't you go back on. I said, what? He said, well, come here and, and man, it was a blessing. He said, come here. I said, what? He said, I got some more good news. I said, what is that? We gonna hire you. I said, what? He said, yeah, come here. Fill out the application. I said, oh man, I said this, this can't be happening. He said, yeah, it is. That's the way the Holy Spirit works. That's the way the God bless you. Evidently you've been doing some good. So I feel like the paper. And guess what he said? I got some more Good to you. He said, Sean gonna take you after you get out here and move you outta that shed out here to the Freedom House. Yeah. Wow. Yeah,

Phil:

yeah. So you got your full amount coming back from Social Security. Yes. You got a job with Safe House. Yes. And now you got a place to live. You're gonna be in the men's shelter, A Freedom house.

George:

Oh man. He said, as long as you work for this, uh, it's a triple crown. Yeah. It was you getting blessed all over the place. One day. One day. But it didn't stop there. Didn't stop there. No. The blessing didn't stop. So look what I think God did for me is that put me in a place now. Where I can look back.'cause he said in Escalade you can always look back as ancient and strengthen yourself from it. That's what the father said in Escalade. So I'm looking back at the people that's coming through. There was just, it's a lot of'em just like me,

Phil:

the people that were coming through the program at Safe House and the Freedom House. I know. Yes.

George:

The both, he put me in a place where I can look back and strengthen. You know? It don't even bother me. I, I love talking to'em.

Phil:

Yeah.

George:

You know, a lot of people respect me for that because I'm able to sit down and talk to'em one-on-one conversation. Yeah. Yeah. And I never know, you know what it was like, I know what it was like. You used to be in that place. I used to be worser. Yeah. Which is a good thing. Wow. By the grace of God.

Phil:

I bet you're able to encourage a lot of them. Yes, I

George:

am.

Phil:

I am. That's good. A lot of folks

George:

got a lot of jobs doing well. Some, like I said, we can't change all of'em, but if we can just touch one. Yeah. It would be good.

Phil:

And that's where, and that's, that's where you are still at Freedom House? Yes. And just trying to be an encouragement Yes. Working and helping folks.

George:

Oh, yes. Which is a good thing.

Phil:

Yeah.

George:

Yep. Lot of, a lot of'em. A lot of'em, A lot of'em respect me a lot. Yeah.'cause I'm always talking, like I tell'em, I don't, I'm not here to force the Bible on you. I'm just going to hear, tell you about what happened to me. Yeah. Yes. And you know, it's gonna changed a lot of man.

Phil:

Wow. Yeah. How's your relationship with your kids now? Oh

George:

man. My son, he just got married. He went to Korea, uh, South Korea. And got married. Yeah. He just got back. Yes.

Phil:

Wow. So he's met a, he married someone from South Korea. Yeah. My

George:

baby daughter. Oh man. The relationship went grown. I'm back with my grandkids. We spent a lot of time, me and the girls, a lot of people ask me, well, you in a relationship? I say, yeah, I got two girls. What? Yeah. My daughter and my granddaughter, they always there. They're always there. I'm serious. They always, I'm somebody you by every weekend they come in.

Phil:

Is this the daughter that called you out? Yes. The same

George:

one Lord can bring her back. Wow. And that relationship is better. She want me to move in with her? I told her, nah, not right now. I'm still going through my addiction. See, I'm early stage. Just one year. Yeah. You know, give us time. Let us meet on this mutual ground right here. Yeah. Until we just continue to strengthen this. That's Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Phil:

That's good. Oh,

George:

yes it is. Phil. I'm talking about, it's been a rough journey.

Phil:

Oh

George:

yes. Yes.

Phil:

Wow. It sounds like it's been a rough journey.

George:

It is. Phil. Praise 30 so years, Lord. Praise the Lord For 20 year round. God is good. God is good.

Phil:

Yeah.

George:

One year clean. I join the group. Easy. Does it go to it every Friday? Narcotic Anonymous.

Phil:

Yeah.

George:

Thanks to Pastor Eric. He wanted me to go twice. It's kind of hard way my work, but I do do it once. It's a volunteer thing. Yeah. And so I joined the group one year clean, which is good. It is great. Yeah. Still working on me. Yeah. Yes. Good. He's still working on me, the father.

Phil:

Yeah. Amen. He's working on all of us. I, I know. We don't, we really would all be lost without him. I already know. I mean, I know. Yeah, I know.

George:

But it took all of that for me to get here. But now I know that at, at, when I was coming through, he was there all the time when I was doing bad and good. I just didn't realize it. But I don't look back and say, well, I wish I coulda did this. That's in the past. Yeah. You know, I have to take it, like I say, one day at a time. Yeah.

Phil:

Wow.

George:

One day at a time.

Phil:

Do you ever, uh, do you ever have any situations where it was just. Oh, just crazy. And like you might like demonic or anything like that with the drugs or like was,

George:

yes. I had one experience. Oh man, Phil, I was, I was up under the two 80 bypass bridge. You know the one you go across to Walmart? Yeah. I was right up under there by the chip factory. I was sitting there, that spirit, Lord have mercy. That spirit had me so scared. I walked from right there all the way to Olac on the railroad track. Yeah. I can walk to Olac about four.

Phil:

So you

George:

saw something? Yeah. Yeah. All the way. I tell'em all the time. It gone been three times since I walked from there. All the way to OB Laika.

Phil:

Yeah.

George:

And get up there and realize it daylight and gotta turn around and walk all the way back on that railroad track. Yeah. Wow. Yes.

Phil:

So you, because you were so scared. You just got a room. I was so

George:

scared. Phil.

Phil:

That was when you was on the meth?

George:

Yeah. Yeah. Right up under that bridge.

Phil:

Wow. Yeah. Someone shared on a podcast, uh, yes. That meth even more than than other drugs. It's like a demonic. It is just, uh, it is just a, it's very messed up. Horrible. Yeah, it's very messed up.

George:

I'm serious, man. Serious. Wow. It had me, man. I didn't want to believe I did that. I looked back, I said three times to ob like him. I know some people saying ob likeer, but to walk up there scared on the railroad track at night. Yeah. Oh yeah.

Phil:

That must've been scary. Oh,

George:

it was scary. But trust me, I had, I was scared. Wow.

Phil:

That was,

George:

that, that was the

Phil:

fear. Yeah. Yeah. Any other, uh, crazy story or two that you wanna share? Mm, some something that just stands out, like, man. Uh, and maybe a, a warning story that's like, Hey, this is what happened. I can tell you

George:

this, that male, please don't mess with it. Because I almost had a scary moment. Also there was one more. I was over there doing grove with these people that I thought I could trust and there was this other person over there sitting back and when I turned my back, he had put some fentanyl in it. And by that time that guy seen it. He told me, George, don't touch that. Yeah.

Phil:

Wow. Yes.

George:

Like

Phil:

trying to kill you, I

George:

guess. Yeah. Yeah. I can, I can seen a lot of swap like that where Pope just pass out. Yeah.

Phil:

cause someone, someone sneaks and puts fentanyl. Mm-hmm. Why

George:

did

Phil:

they do that? Or why would someone do that? No. Feel just evil. The enemy. The, the demons and the, the

George:

money. Yeah. I'm serious. Seen a lot of crazy stuff, man. I do not wish to show up on tv, but yeah. Wow. Yeah. Wow. I've been through it a lot, man. But I thank God for where I'm at now.

Phil:

Amen. Serious. Amen. George, take a second and share some of the key lessons that you really stand out to you from what you've learned along the way and the key lessons that maybe could be a help for others to know.

George:

Me first, I'm gonna tell you, don't do drugs. Try not to let your friends encourage you to do anything. And I can say that's and that I tell everybody, if you don't give your life to God, cause he's gonna be there, that's your only family you got. If you thank them folks out there in them streets, your family, no, you dead wrong. That's your enemy. I'm serious because if you got, somebody can come up and say, Hey, that's wrong. That's the guy you need to trust. But if you got those that's gonna let you do it, then they should not your friends. Period. Wow. Yeah, I know that a lot. Yeah. Yes. I ain't even got no friends. I got my heavily family. But far as now, safe House, freedom House, those are the people that I can really trust'cause they've been there. Yeah. You see? Yeah. But outside of that, I'm a close network with my family now.'cause see, I got everything I need back. My brothers, my sisters, my kids, my grandkids. I got that back where I had lost it and it took me a while to get it back. cause I tell them, I said, look, if you are here at the Freedom House, guess what? Here's where you can renew the mind, restore the body, and rejoice back to the Lord. I said, but he gonna bring all that back to you. I said, it took me 30 years to get all this back. It may not take you longer. I'm telling you about my trials and tribulation, how long it took me. But you can't get that back. See, a lot of'em don't have families. You see they have them, but they say they don't have'em.

Phil:

Yeah.

George:

I told'em if you trust in the love and believe in him,'cause they always now my main thing is proverb three five, trust in God, believe in him and not your own understanding.'cause your own understanding will get you in a lot of trouble.

Phil:

You're right about that.

George:

Yes. Your own understanding will. Yeah. Yes. And like I said, I always give it to him no matter what it is. And I always like to stay happy. I'm trying to do me feel, it been a long time since I feel

Phil:

good, but when you're walking close with the Lord, there is a joy that you have in that

George:

it's, it is. Now I'm able to smile. I'm able to have fun. I'm able to keep money in my pocket. That's awesome. I'm able to spend time with my kids. What more can I ask for? Yeah. Yes. Relationship I, and that's on the back burner. Yeah. Yes.'cause right now I'm still young and doing me see, yeah. I may joke, I may talk, but relationship, no, I'm not interested in that yet because I'm still trying to get close to the Lord. I'm still learning. I'm still growing.

Phil:

That's a powerful lesson. Yes. That I think a lot of people would do well to remember. Yeah. So many people try to get into and pursue relationships with others. Yeah, exactly.

George:

And

Phil:

they're not

George:

ready. No, I'm

Phil:

not ready. No, I know. You gotta get yourself right. Thank

George:

you.

Phil:

First. First. Yes. Yeah.

George:

Because in our class, narcotic nine will tell you if you jump into a relationship that's real early in your addiction, you can easily fall back into, you have to watch it. So you know, I'm learning how to do me first to build me stronger. I'm just an I year clean. So. I'm not ready for none of that. But I got my family back. He gave me that

Phil:

praise the Lord. Yes.

George:

He gave me that back, which I thank him a lot. Praise him for

Phil:

Yes. Wow. Yes. That's good. So don't, don't take the first step. No, don't take that first step. You never end up in the, in the train wreck in the darkness, in the, none of that on the streets. If you don't take the first step. Yeah. If you don't pick up, you won't use. If only, if only we could get that message into the minds of people that are on the verge, you know? Yes. cause we don't, we don't think about it. I know. Like we just, it's carefree living lives. Yes. You know? Yeah. And then some, someone says, Hey come try this out with us. That's what it was with me. And then all of sudden, sudden we had no idea of where it would lead to. Yes. Where it would lead to that dog side. Yeah. The devil is, yeah. Oh, he is a hateful enemy. Yes. Tricks you and brings you in and deceives you. And then he puts his claws in you and he drags you down.

George:

Yes. And also the father said, you can get so far in darkness. You can't come back to the light. Darkness. We will consume your soul. I have seen a lot of that. Yes. Darkness consumed their soul. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Some of my peoples that I know dead, why overdose? Yeah. Fentanyl shooting up. Yeah. Gone. Yeah. Wow. Some of them real clean. Doing good. I look up to them. They, I look up to my oldest brother, sister, and them. They're doing good. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They're really Christian. I got a baby brother who's a minister that I can talk to too. Yes.

Phil:

That's awesome.

George:

Yes. And when I need'em, they're there.

Phil:

Praise the Lord. Yes. Anything else you wanna share?

George:

Yeah. I want to thank Pastor Paul, pastor Eric, chaplain Neil, miss Jamie Lee Ton. For giving me the opportunity, gimme this job. Yes. I really enjoy and I wanna try to encourage many more of them guys there too. That's good. Because they need it serious. Yeah. So I can look back at them and see me in there. Yeah. Yeah. I was once like that too. They praise the Lord. Somebody gave me a chance. Yes. Praise the Lord. Yes.

Phil:

Yeah. And there's so many more every day Yes. That are coming to the safe house. I know. I see. That are looking for that chance. And I see it all the time. I

George:

feel, well we gonna fill up and we don't have the bedroom. And they be telling me, man, I can been out here three, four months. I ain't got nowhere to go. Wow. You know, that night turning a person away. Wow. Saying, I don't have idea. That need is so

Phil:

great. Yes. There's so many people. Yes. I think a lot of us don't realize that I know it like that, that it's just as many people as Yes. We're able to house and help and get into the program. Yes. And. But there's just, they

George:

instead coming so many Oh man. They instead coming and you know, some of'em I have seen cry because they say they have nowhere to go.

Phil:

So yeah. We, we still got the women's shelter. The men's shelter. The family shelter. Yes. And those are staying full? Yes. And the, the Substance Abuse Treatment program? Yes. All of it. Yeah. Yes. It's still going strong, but there's Yes. There's just so many. Yes. So many still are coming. Yeah. I appreciate you being here, George. Yes, sir. Appreciate you sharing your story. No problem. It is a blessing and an encouragement to hear a story like yours. Yes. Of just how God brought you out of that

George:

and to my out of

Phil:

it. Um, and I hope Thank you. I hope that it's an encouragement to, to all the people that partner with Safe House Yes. That come and volunteer, that give financially to help the program. Yes. Because. What that partnership does is help, yeah. Allows us to help more folks Yes. That are coming out of that darkness, helping them to turn the things around Yes. And exactly. To walk in the light. Yes. And then they go on to help just like you're doing. Yes. Helping other people. Helping other people because there's so many more that need help. True. Yeah. Yes, man. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord God is

George:

good all the time. Yeah.

Phil:

Thank you for being here, George. Yes sir. Phil, thank you to all of you who are listening who do partner with Safe House, who come and volunteer, or who give financially to help this ministry. The need is great and it just continues to grow, but it's because of partnerships of others that are working with us that we're able to help so many. George, you mind if I close this in a word of prayer? Yes. Father, I love you and I thank you for George. Thank you for what you've done in his life, Lord. Thank you for restoring him to his family. I just, what a blessing it is that he gets to spend time with his kids and, and his grandkids. Lord, thank you for that. Help him to, to stay faithful to you. Help him to be a godly and a good example for his kids and his grandkids, Lord. Uh, help him to be able to be such an encouragement to so many men that are there at Freedom House. Use George to help maybe those who might be considering just giving up. Use him to encourage them to stay the course. And I just pray you would bless George's future in so many ways and use him to do your will and in the lives of many people. To show your mercy and your grace, I pray. Amen.

06-21-23 SAFEHOUSE-CH2:

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:

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.