SOLID START
Focusing on life from God's perspective.
SOLID START
The Night I Finally Listened
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What happens when God keeps calling and you keep putting Him off? This week on Solid Start, Greg and Brian are joined by Jacob Elliott as he shares the life-changing moment that finally made him listen. After crying out to God to break his addiction—no matter the cost—God answered in a way Jacob never expected. Discover how God used a devastating turning point to draw Jacob closer to Himself and begin a journey of lasting freedom.
Well, good morning, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Solid Start, a podcast designed to get your week off to a solid start by focusing on life from God's perspective. I'm Greg Reed, life coach with Meryl Bros in the tropical paradise of Cochle, Indiana, joined by my amazing rock star host, Brian Herzog. Brian, good morning.
SPEAKER_01How did you know about my rock career?
SPEAKER_02You know what? I just uh words on the street that uh you were quite the man back in the day. Shaving the mullet off with a oh, don't shave the mullet. Keep the mullet. That's it's wonderful. So how was your weekend?
SPEAKER_01Everything everything good? Yeah, just uh getting everything ready. We're heading to Tennessee and then Virginia this week for uh family reunion. So you know, getting the ready. Okay, yeah. Laundry done, trying to get packed up and heading out tomorrow morning.
SPEAKER_02All right, that's well, thanks for taking time out to to do the podcast today. Appreciate that. And uh, we're so thankful that you are. So well, we pray that that'll be a great week, and we're excited for you to be able to know how much fun it is to get away with family. So um excited for you to do that. So we have a uh another guest today, so I'll have you uh to make the introduction.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this morning we're joined by Jacob Elliott. He's our electrical operations manager, and he uh shared his story this morning at our safety meeting. And I'm so glad, man, that you are that you said yes to be on this podcast because your story is incredible, and uh thanks for being here.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yeah, thank you. I'm just excited to be here. So thank you for the opportunity.
SPEAKER_02And of all the podcasts you've done, how many would that be so far?
SPEAKER_00Uh this will be the first one.
SPEAKER_02This will be the first one. Okay. Well, we're uh we're glad that it is. You know, Jacob, you probably remember about seven weeks ago, we started with one simple question. Are we accidents or designed? And since then, we've explored purpose, we explored order, the human body, our unique design, and whether the designer has spoken. So we've asked a lot of questions, but today I really just want to ask those of you that are listening this one question. What will you do with what you've discovered? So evidence can bring us to the doorstep, but eventually every journey requires a response. A guy named John, who was in the inner circle with Jesus, uh, he wrote a book, uh, a letter, if you will, and in that letter he wrote it so that people might believe in Jesus and have life in his name. So John said, Hey, all of this evidence leads us somewhere. So, Brian, I'll have you uh I'll have you read that passage from John 20, if you will.
SPEAKER_01Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there it is. That word believing, two key words there, believing, is really about trust. It's not just believing like, hey, I know, I know Jesus existed, I know there's a there's a creator, I know there's a designer. It's more than that, it's trust. And then that word life is like life to the max, life to the ultimate, like the best life possible. And so, you know, over these past seven weeks, we explored a lot of evidence, ideas, and questions, but Christianity is more than about ideas, it's also about lives that have been changed. And so, Jacob, that's why we're so excited that you're here today, um, because we want to hear from someone whose life has personally been impacted by Jesus in a very dramatic way, way different than than my um coming to faith in Christ, way different than Brian's. And so we're excited to have you here this morning. So uh welcome and uh tell us a little bit about your story.
SPEAKER_00Well, uh thank you, uh Greg, and thank you, Brian. Um so there's a there's a lot to the story, and I try to condense it.
SPEAKER_02Uh so tell us how long you've been at at Merrill Bros.
SPEAKER_00It's only been uh going on two months. A couple of months. I'm just in the in the infancy around here. Okay.
SPEAKER_02And you have a uh rather large family?
SPEAKER_00Yes, I have seven children uh between me and my wife, so there's nine, there's nine of us total in the house.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Okay. So didn't you say you had to buy a big bus or a medium?
SPEAKER_00We definitely bought a bus. Yeah. We bought a bus.
SPEAKER_02That's what I thought. Yeah. Yeah. So uh tell us about uh how God's been at work in getting you to the place where you are today.
SPEAKER_00Well, there's been a lot of things that happened. Um uh just from culminating from a young child all the way up until now. Uh just really in the last three years that things have started to really explode, and I've seen and accepted him um in my life. Uh just and I like I said earlier um in the meeting, I I had always known that he was there, that he was real, but I just refused a relationship with him. I refused to to explore it.
SPEAKER_02You wanted to run your own show, didn't you? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um I wanted to be that popular kid. Um I I wanted to be the guy that was cool, that was likable, and and Jesus was just wasn't that likable thing. And I'd always had it in the back of my mind that I did not belong in the crowds that I was hanging out with. I'd always had that, and I could never fully dive into what they were doing. And so I was never even the popular kid, anyways. I was just, you know, kind of a kid that hung around. I was chasing something that was never meant to be mine. Yeah, right. Um, and so just fast forward to when I got in my uh my crash from drinking and driving uh just about three years ago, um, that's when I really first heard an audible voice in my I I don't know where it was, but it was in my, it wasn't just in my head, but I could it was almost like I could feel it and hear it everywhere, like surrounding in the room. And it wasn't really a booming voice or anything, it was just like a very stern but calming, like, this is your last chance, this is your last opportunity. Yeah. And in my head was ringing, I just gave you a baby, I just gave you a brand new home. And like, and at the time I had started, I had just really gotten into my other job and I was making really good money. I was living high on the hog. And so all these things were ringing in my head, and um, yeah, so that that was the first moment that I thought, okay, there's he's calling me, and I can't ignore it any longer.
SPEAKER_02Um earlier today that even if even you even said to God, hey, if you need to break me in half, yeah. Yeah, that was it sounds like that's almost what happened.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, that was my cry, that was my plea. I I had uh it gotten to a point where I was comfortable with drinking and driving and on the way to work, and I was just lived I I worked at a place where it wasn't acceptable and it wasn't allowed, but the culture allowed me to to do that. The culture there, it wasn't really any kind of uh stops or checks in place or and then of course with me making the decisions that I made, I just got comfortable and I remember um on several occasions praying about it, but on one powerful occasion, I remember getting pretty buzzed up um putting a putting down a six pack of tall boys, actually it was before I left for work.
SPEAKER_02As opposed to short boys.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean that's that's that's whatever those are. Well, that's almost twice the content. Okay, almost twice the beer. Um and so I was feeling really good, as the as the uh alcoholic world would say. Um I was pretty buzzed up, and on my way, I just felt horribly guilty. I felt horribly ashamed. I've been fighting this addiction for a long time. Of course, my wife is not supporting of it, she doesn't drink at all. And uh it was just, you know, on my way to work that day, I remember crying, like full-blown real tears crying. And I was just crying out to the God that kept trying to call me. And I just was telling him, I'm like, you know, it, you know, I don't have the power to do this on my own. I've tried. Um, I don't care if you have to break me in half. Uh, do whatever you gotta do to me. I was when he was hollering out, take my legs, take my arms, something. Uh you got to do something because I can't keep drinking. I I need you to, and so it was a month later, as I and I told him, I said, I'm just gonna continue drinking because I've I've tried to fight it on my own. Yeah, and I don't get anywhere. So whatever happens, happens. And that's just what I said to him. I lived left it in his hands. And that was a first time I'd heard church say it all the time. I'd heard people say it all the time, just give it to God. And I never could fully understand that.
SPEAKER_02What that meant.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and then in that moment, I didn't even realize that I was just fully giving it to God, and that's what it looked like was just surrendering completely and saying, Look, I don't have power over this, take it from me, and I'm waiting on you. It's on your timing. And the desire's there. Now I just got to let him do what he needs to do. And so it was about a month later. We moved into our house in October, and I was still drinking, and then uh November, mid-November is when I got in the crash. Um, I went to a bar that night for the first time in a couple years, and I thought it was okay. My wife wasn't home that night, and I was like, all right, cool. It's just two miles down the road, no big deal. I'm out here in the middle of the country, and these are all old school guys. I'll be just fine. I'm gonna have a couple and then come back home. And a couple turned into a lot more than that. And then uh that's when my wife and her sister, all of a sudden, they were right next to me telling me, Hey, you need to get in the car with us. And I was like, No way I'm getting in the car with them. I was in a lot of trouble. And so, in my inebriated state, I felt like it was a safer option for me to jump in the truck, and so I did, and I never made it home that night. So um broke a bunch of ribs, uh, my lower back, uh, my pelvis, um uh bashed my head up real bad, um, shook my arms up. I was cut up all over the place. And by the miracle of God, I made it out of there. Sure. Yes. So when the sheriffs finally found that crash about a week later, I crashed into one of those big, huge like they're like 30, 35 feet deep, some of them. These uh big farmer ravines, you know what I'm talking about? Yeah, yeah. So that's what I crashed into, perpendicular to the ravine. So I went straight into the bank, folded the truck in half, and uh I I always said somehow, but I know it was God, that I crawled out of that back window because the doors were welded shut. And then I just walked and walked, and some of it I remember, a lot of it I don't. And um, and so a week later, when they found the crash, then everything started to come down on me. And um uh I they ended up giving me a ticket for driving uninsured and told me that was that was the third miracle that happened out of that whole thing. For sure. Um, and I and literally I went home, and so I ended up going back to try to pay this ticket. I think it's a week or two later, and it was already paid. That was like miracle number four. Okay. That like this happened to me, and I submitted to God that next day. I was like, okay.
SPEAKER_02I think you have my attention.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I said, okay, Lord, that's I'm done for sure. And it wasn't I'm done, I'm gonna take a break. It was I'm done for good. We're done with this. Um, and I just heard him saying, dude, this is your last chance. This is the last one you get. And so uh just after all of that, I felt like God was like, Hey, I mean, I'm gonna break you in half, but I'm gonna restore everything that I gave you before. And so a year later, I fully recovered from everything. Um, I was I'm able to exercise, I'm able to play around with the kids. You you wouldn't be able to tell that it happened, yeah, um, basically, uh now.
SPEAKER_02Which is a miracle in and of itself.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, when I spoke to the sheriff, they told me they said, Jacob, we were looking for a body. They were searching the ditch for a body the way that truck looked. Sure. And so uh yeah. So that's really what solidified my faith. And that started prayer every night with the children. Um, getting into more reading uh the Bible. I started going to fight club groups, um, just getting more and more heavily involved in the church. And it definitely wasn't an overnight, oh, look at me, I'm a perfect person, you know. Um I very much relate to Paul and the way he talks about himself, just being a chief center and and running and dying to himself daily. Yeah. Um, even today there there there are things that that spring up that I've got to push away. Right.
SPEAKER_02You know, and that'll be uh that's a a daily process. Yes. Yes, yes. So if somebody's listening to the podcast, their story's going to be different from yours, but but how would you encourage them to take a next step, Jacob? What's what what's next?
SPEAKER_00Well, you know, we've been talking about evidence um for the past past uh seven weeks. And I think that, like you said, Pastor Greg, it it's overwhelmingly evident that the evidence is there. And so you're saying what should you do with it? Um I think that if if you're somebody that has children, the one thing that I would do is I would look at your child and just try to imagine for a second, if you can, if you haven't, but just try to imagine for a second that they mean nothing. And I don't think that it's possible that you can do that. No. I don't think it's possible for you to look at your child and say, it doesn't really matter if I never get to see them again. Because, you know, we just I think we know in our hearts that that ideology doesn't belong. Um and so if if that's not the case, that your child doesn't mean anything and you love this child, then it came from somewhere. Right. Had to have came from somewhere. And the the next step is to just hit your knees. And I've told people this before, some people may not agree with it, but um the first couple of times I hit my knees, I felt really corny. I felt really weird. Why am I down? What am I doing down here? I hope somebody doesn't walk in the bathroom right now, or you know, hope somebody hope my wife doesn't walk in and see me in here in the bedroom, you know, babbling, uh, talking to this guy. Um it is a weird feeling at first because we don't we don't know him at that moment. And I'm sh I'm telling you, once you make that call, once you pick up that phone and call out to the Lord, um your whole life will change. That's right. And it's not like you're gonna get some, you know, he's it's not like he may, he because he can, but um a lot of people expect some ultra divine experience, and since they don't get that, they run the other way instead of hanging on. Um because the you know, the Bible does say, you know, blessed is he who doesn't see and still believes. Still believes, right. Right, right. And I just I would encourage you to to get rational in your thoughts and stop intentionally running away from what your heart knows is true.
SPEAKER_02Right. So the goal really isn't that everyone takes the same step, but the goal is that everyone takes the next step, whatever that might be. Yeah. Uh Brian, how did you respond as you are as you're hearing that story again now for the second time? Uh what what are your thoughts?
SPEAKER_01How many of us in our lives are exactly where you were right three years ago? Right, stuck in just this rut of life. Like there's no way it may not be alcohol, maybe. Yeah. Yeah. For a lot of men it's it's pornography. For others, it could be drugs and other addictions, or just to that feeling of worthlessness. Like, I don't know what what am I doing in this life. And I think what hit me hardest is when you said when you became a dad the first time and you held your son for the first time. A lot of us have been there too. We're like, when you hold your first child, your world changes. Because you, as a dad are the foundation of your family. And your family will go where you go. And so if you give your life to Christ and you hit your knees and you're reading God's word with yourself and with your children and with your wife, and you're treating her well, the dynamic of your family, the legacy will change.
SPEAKER_02So you've heard about Jacob's decision to accept God's free gift of eternal life, and that's our desire as a company, and that's our uh hope for you is that if you've never made that decision, that today's the day to say yes. God, I I don't want to, I'm tired of doing life on my own. I'm exhausted. It's too much. Life's too difficult to do it by ourselves. And God says, I want to, I want to give you the best life possible. I want to give you life to the max, life to the ultimate. And it really is, Jacob's. I think about your life before and your life now, and same thing for Brian and for me. It's just so much better. It's just like, why did it take me so long? Uh like why couldn't you learn it? But God had his timing and we're so thankful that um he got a hold of your life, and so we are uh extremely grateful that you've taken time out to be on the podcast and share your story because I know that's our desire that everyone comes to that same place that you did. Hopefully not through an accident, but often it takes something pretty traumatic in order for us to say yes, to say, hey, I finally have to give up on myself. I finally have to give up running my own life. And that's really difficult for men in particular to say, hey, I need help. I need direction. Um, and so that's what God offers. So um we're gonna we'll take some time here at the uh as we close out our podcast, but we want to give you an opportunity today. Maybe today's the day that you want to say yes to this free gift. You want to join Jacob and Brian and me in saying, Wow, I I want to live that kind of life. I want I want God to come and take up residence inside of me. I want I want Him to be the one who's directing my life and no longer me, because it's it's too much. Well, Brian and Jacob, I feel like this is kind of a very significant moment uh on this podcast when we um just pause to say if you're listening to this, if you're driving, if you're sitting uh somewhere in a restaurant, if you're listening to this at home, wherever you are, and if you've never yet said yes to God's free gift of eternal life, uh God says he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him wouldn't perish but have eternal life. So we want to pray for you this morning and give you an opportunity to say yes to Jesus. And then I'll uh I think Jacob, I'll have you pray for uh our Merrill Bros families uh that still have children living at home like you do. And then Brian, there are lots of things going on uh here in central Indiana for sure and around the country with farming. And then uh we want to kind of think beyond just ourselves to uh the situation in northern Venezuela. Uh just uh so so tragic that two powerful back-to-back earthquakes struck that uh country on June 24th. And at this point, I think over 1,400 are dead and thousands are injured. So it's just devastating. So um let's uh let's include them in our praying this morning. Eternal God, we just pause to say thank you for this free gift of eternal life. It's not something we can earn, it's not something we qualify for, it's not something that uh we say, Man, if I just worked a little bit harder uh then cleaned up my life, then I would uh I would have this. But Father, today I believe could be a day for some people listening to this podcast that right now they say, God, I I just give my life to you. I've been running my own show. I confess that that's not working, and I want to offer you my life. I pray for Jesus to come and take up residence inside of me by the power of your Holy Spirit. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
unknownAmen.
SPEAKER_00Dear Heavenly Father, I just lift up all of the families to you, Lord, not just here at Merrill Brothers, but across the country, across the world. Lord, we know that, and you've seen that the family has been uh uh attacked for a long time. Um they've tried to tear the family apart. Um, and we just know that your way was better, Lord, and is better. And we just ask, Lord, that you would break down the spirit of pride and the spirit of selfishness that infiltrates our hearts and our families, Lord. Um we just ask that uh especially for the fathers, as they are called to be leaders of their homes, Lord, that you would give them that sword, give them that breastplate of righteousness, Lord, that they could lead their family and and and bring them up in the right direction, Lord, which is you. Uh we we I I ask a hedge of protection over them, Lord, as well as they walk in the real world and and um have to face these uh have to face culture and make decisions on whether or not um they want to be ridiculed or or give their life to you, Lord. I just ask that you would again break down their pride, break down their selfishness, and give them a spirit of courage and not a spirit of fear. That's right, God. And we just thank you, Lord, and I lift up all those families again in your name. Amen.
SPEAKER_02Thanks.
SPEAKER_01Father, I pray for uh Venezuela, they have been rocked by uh just devastation from the earthquakes and the loss of life and the disruption there. I just pray, God uh that you would be very present in the lives of the people that were affected by this earthquake. I pray God that you would uh just intervene and help with the recovery. I pray God that others that have heard about the the destruction there would give uh to help aid those who are suffering in that time or during this time. I just pray for our uh men and women here in Merrill Brothers who are gonna be going out and working in the heat uh here in Indiana and also in Florida and all over the country. Uh God, as we prepare to harvest wheat and do other things outside, we uh just pray for safety. I pray God that you would watch over uh uh men and women of Merrill Brothers as uh they do the work that you've called on them to do. And just so thankful for each one of them that said yes to working here, and we're just praying for those who are saying yes to following you. And God, just uh watch over us and keep us safe. And we just thank you again for this opportunity that we can uh just do this podcast. Uh we work for a company that says yes, but this is important. Um and so we thank you for Merrill Brothers and the leadership here. And God, we love you and give you all the praise and glory in Jesus' name. Amen.
SPEAKER_00Amen. Amen.
SPEAKER_02Well, Brian, if somebody has uh still has questions or if they even want to say, Hey, I want to tell somebody that I said yes to Jesus today, how could they do that?
SPEAKER_01They can get a hold of us at just go to Merrillbrose.com, click on the prayer tab at the top of the page, that goes directly to us when they fill out that little card. That'd be great for him. And if you don't want to reach out to us, reach out to a local church, a local pastor, and just start the conversation. Yep, that's right.
SPEAKER_02Jacob, thanks so much for uh taking time out of your uh busy day to uh hang out with us, and uh we look forward to hearing great things. We pray your faith will continue to be viral and that uh God will use you to lead your family to uh love your wife and love your kids uh like never before. So thanks so much.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you again very much, and uh I just appreciate uh the opportunity and the and the trust that you put in me to to uh be able to deliver that that message and that story this morning. Um and I was pretty nervous, but we got through it.
SPEAKER_01It was beautiful. You did it.
SPEAKER_00You did it again. I appreciate it. You did a great job.
SPEAKER_01I would encourage you to tell your story to more people if you could for sure.
SPEAKER_02Well, have a uh have a good day. It's a start of a great week, and uh we'll look forward to hearing from you and uh talking uh hopefully in a week or so. So take care. Bye.