January 31, 2025 • 28 mins
When Bill Downs from Saucier, Mississippi, opens up about the shattering loss from a drunk driving accident, the weight of his words carries a raw, transformative power. His compelling journey, marked by profound grief, anger at God, and eventual reconciliation with faith, is a testament to the human spirit's capacity to seek light amidst the darkest times. Joined by Dr. Andrew Farley, we explore the steadfastness of God's love and the path to healing that can begin with one pivotal moment of forgiveness.
My own narrative intertwines with Bill's as we consider what it means to look at life through 'grace eyes' rather than 'religious eyes.' The transition from living in fear of condemnation to embracing the freedom and love offered by Jesus Christ is not just personal; it's a universal shift that can redefine your existence. Through my story, I invite you to reflect on the joy and liberation that come from laying down your burdens and opening your heart to the transformative power of grace.
This episode isn't simply a collection of stories; it's a mosaic of hope, love, and the enduring presence of Jesus in our lives. Whether you're searching for meaning in the midst of loss, yearning to shed the shackles of religious expectations, or seeking a deeper, more authentic connection with your faith, our candid conversations aim to support and inspire. We encourage you to share your experiences, drawing strength from the resilience and love that bind us in our collective journey toward a life filled with purpose and divine guidance.
- If you would like to be a guest and share your story, click this link: https://thepromoter.org/story/
Thanks for Listening, and subscribe to hear a new episode each week!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's time now to get the hell out of your life.
A weekly broadcast with realpeople sharing real struggles
and offering real hope.
Today's show will encourage,inspire and empower you to face
life's challenges with a boldconfidence and renewed hope.
Now let's join our host, ronMyers.
The Provider.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Hello, my friends, it is so good to be with you.
Well, if you are living in thecold part of the country and
you're freezing, I can relate toit.
Man, it got cold here in SouthMississippi, but it didn't stop
me from having my conversationswith Jesus.
And I know one thing that ifI'm freezing to death like my
(00:45):
brother up in Iowa who told meit was over 20 below zero, 18
inches of snow, I know, then I'dhave to say, Lord, I need some
spiritual anaphories, I need towarm up with you.
And you know what it works.
Jesus is with us in the cold,in the hot.
(01:05):
Have you ever thought of that?
Can you walk away from Jesus?
Is Jesus always with you, evenin the bad times, the good times
?
What about when you stumble?
What about when you fall?
Does he leave you and say assoon as you straighten up, Ron,
I'm coming back?
Well, right after you heartoday's story, Dr Andrew Farley
(01:26):
will answer that question.
What if you walk away from God?
But first let's listen totoday's story.
The story is from a gentlemanthat he and his wife received
the dreaded phone call the oneyou know that no parent wants to
receive.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
My name is Bill Downs and I'm from social Mississippi
.
On October the 6th 2007.
My son and his wife of threeand a half months their best
friend that lived with us andthat we had grown to love as a
son were going to the movies,driving down Highway 53 and they
were struck and killed by adrunk driver and her passenger.
(02:08):
The drunk driver was alsokilled.
It was a head on collision Bradand Samantha, which, Brad, is
my son.
They were killed instantly andthe young man that was with them
, chris, died in route to thehospital.
I came up on the roadblock, ohmy goodness.
And when the county sheriffdeputy deterred everybody down
(02:34):
county farm, when I turned himdown county farm, I called my
wife and told her that there wasa big wreck and it's right
there in that big curve and ithealed just past Canal Road
going west.
Had no idea it was the kids andin the process of driving
around taking the detour thatthey were directing us.
(02:55):
I actually received a phonecall from my wife saying that
she could not talk to the kidson the phone.
Be it intuition, whatever, Itried to get back to the crash.
I had that gut feeling thatthere was something wrong.
And in the process of goingback I turned down 53.
When I come off of county farmand when I got to the little
(03:16):
airport there I ran into ahighway patrolman who then told
me you know, I need to go back.
Did they know who you were?
I don't know if I imagined itor if it actually happened, but
I remember him saying Mr Downs,you need to go home.
But I've never showed him my IDso I don't know that he.
You know, I don't know thatthat actually happened, but he
(03:38):
told me to leave the area.
When I got back to county farm,my wife called back again and
said that she couldn't get holdof the kids, for whatever reason
.
I backtracked, so you do,something was up.
I just had this fear that itmight be the kids.
I went back to the roadblockwhere I started and Gulfport PD
(04:00):
had joined the county share andthey even threatened to arrest
me if I didn't leave the area.
And I chose that time to go tothe movie theater with which
they were going to the movies,to make sure that Brad's car was
in the parking lot, and Icouldn't find his car.
So I went back to 53 to waitfor the orders from the wife.
In the meantime, she was on thephone with dispatch and you
(04:22):
know highway patrol people likethat trying to find out what was
going on, and it wasn't untilshe told me that there was two
victims transported to GardenPark.
I went to Garden Park trying tofind out something there, and
that's when I received the phonecall from her.
Wow É, simply said, cath,inherently out of patience in
alcohol addiction, were you anactive member in church?
Did you believe in God?
(04:42):
Yes, I believed in God.
I believed that I was aChristian.
I was pretty active.
Your normal job blow.
You know, I was an elder in thechurch.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And I asked that because my first reaction would
be I'd be kind of mad at God.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Well, at first I was in shock.
I do remember calling the headelder and telling him I don't
need nobody down here, I justneed to let y'all know what
happened.
I don't think I was really.
I don't want to say I wasn't aChristian, but I don't think I
was an acting Christian at thetime.
You know, I was talking thewalk, but I wasn't walking the
(05:21):
walking, fortunately.
But my first initial feelingwas shock, and it wasn't
actually until we got theautopsy report and all this
stuff back.
You know, we found out that shewas a drunk driver.
Not only was she drunk, but shehad drugs in her system, plus
she was texting.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Did you turn to God during this for comfort, or did
you get angry at God?
Speaker 4 (05:44):
I think I was more concerned and comforting my wife
.
She basically had a breakdownand I think, together, you know,
we comforted each other and,unfortunately, instead of
turning to God, I turned againstGod.
I became very angry with God.
I felt that these two kids werejust starting off in life.
(06:06):
They'd only been married threeand a half months.
Why would God destroy them, soto speak?
And it wasn't until I had abreakdown.
You know, like I said, I turnedagainst God.
I left the church, I left God,I emotionally left my wife.
I had never actually grieved myson, but instead of turning to
(06:30):
God, I felt like it was hisfault that my son and
daughter-in-law, and a young manthat I loved as a son, was
killed.
I wanted to hurt God.
I couldn't get it, god, so Iturned to my wife.
I put that poor woman throughhell, here, I mean, but she
never gave up on me.
She'd never stopped praying.
The turning point in my life wasat the four-year mark when, I
(06:55):
guess, I suddenly realized I hadnever grieved my son and
instead of turning to God, Ithrust all that anger at God, at
my wife, and on December, the6th of 2012, she had enough.
You know she doesn't believe indivorce.
Neither one of us do.
But she said that's it, I can'ttake it no more.
The pastor was.
(07:17):
I was dealing with my pastor.
You know he was trying toconvince me that.
You know that God was not theenemy.
You know he was our friend andon December the 6th, like I said
, she basically threw me out ofthe house.
I tried to commit suicide.
I was over it, I wanted to endit.
So what was the turning point?
(07:37):
The turning point was and whenI think of this I think of Moses
and his experience with God.
You know, he actually met Godthrough the burning bush and I
came home back home that nightand basically curled up on the
couch she had locked the bedroomdoor and I don't know if I
(07:58):
passed out, went into soemotionally fatigued and I mean
it was like two o'clock in themorning We'd been, you know,
fighting all afternoon and shewas one of the ones saying she
was, you know, begging me to tryGod, to get help, to go
marriage counseling, to go togrief counseling, and then
(08:19):
somehow you had a God moment.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
In my life it was.
You know.
I dreamed, had a vision,whatever, me blaming God,
telling him I wanted nothing todo with him, and he's like are
you sure this is what you want?
I say, yes, I want you out ofmy life.
And in my mind he turned hisback on me.
Oh, my goodness.
And for I don't know how long.
It seemed like a lifetime, butyou know, I've been in.
(08:45):
I used to do cabin when I wasyounger and I'd go into these
caves and you could actuallyfeel it.
It was so dark.
You could feel the darkness.
That night I felt like I hadbecome the darkness and I heard
him tell me this is what everycenter that denies my name will
experience at judgment was theeternal separation from God.
(09:06):
And I don't know how long itlasted, but I felt like I was
experiencing that eternalseparation.
From that eternal separationand, wow, thank God, my wife
never stopped praying for me andfinally he answered her prayers
and somewhere in the spec ofall that hurt and pain and hate,
(09:26):
her prayers were answered.
When I woke up, she was alreadysitting there beside me.
Oh, wow.
So God prepared her.
Oh, yeah, I looked at her.
I said please forgive me.
I have been a fool.
I literally begged her toforgive me.
I told her call a counselortoday.
I need help, we need help.
(09:46):
Praise God, we started going tocounseling.
We started going to griefcounseling.
On February the ninth, I stoodbefore my church and I was
rebaptized.
She rededicated herself throughfaith and then that night we
renewed our vows.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
You took a tragedy and you turned it into good.
Tell the listeners what you'redoing.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I have volunteered for mad mothers against drunk
driving.
Being a volunteer for mad givesme a voice for the victims, Not
only my three kids, but thevictims that are here on the
Gulf Coast.
They have lost loved ones dueto a drunk driver and I give my
testimony once a month to a roomfull of people that have been
(10:29):
arrested the first time fordrunk driving and I try to
appeal to them as a father thathas been through the fire Amen.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
You were at the gravesite of your children.
Share with the listeners whatyou had told me.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
I stood there at my son's gravesite and after I, I
guess, apologized for not beingwhat I felt was a better father,
I told him that until the day Idie I will be his voice and if
I can just talk to one personand convince one person not to
(11:05):
drink and drive, that I'veaccomplished my task.
But now that I have given mylife to Christ because on
December the 7th I acceptedChrist I feel for the first time
as my savior.
I have got this hunger to knowmore about Christ, to know more
about God.
My wife and I pray togetherevery single day.
(11:27):
We read the Bible together.
We're very active in church.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
You know, you went through a season in that valley
and in the shadow of death andeven though God was with you,
you didn't know it.
God doesn't want any of us togo through any struggle by
ourselves.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
That's the thing I have learned in the last year is
that everything is choice.
Everything that God deals withis our choice.
Do we choose to reach out andtake what he's offering, or do
we choose to turn it inward anddo it by ourselves?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Boy.
What a powerful story.
I could just feel the pain thatBill was going through.
So there was a part in hisstory that he said that he
imagined that God turned hisback on him.
Will God turn his back on us?
(12:26):
Can Jesus walk away from us ifwe walk away from him?
Well, I turn to one of myfavorite teachers, dr Andrew
Farley from the Grace Church inDallas, texas, and he will
answer that question right now.
What if we walk away from God?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
So what if you walk away from God?
Did you know the reality is,wherever you go, there he is
Because Christ lives in you.
And if you're one with JesusChrist, no matter what, then you
can't go anywhere that's awayfrom his presence.
You house the presence ofChrist himself in the person of
(13:15):
the Holy Spirit.
Christ in you, your only hopeof glory.
Just think about it.
God has already made you somany promises.
I'll never leave you.
I'll never forsake you.
Nobody can snatch you out of myhand.
You're a slave of righteousness.
Does a slave of righteousnessever really want to walk away
from God?
(13:35):
Sure, you might get sick ofchurch and church people.
You might get sick ofreligiosity.
You may be hurt by a particularcongregation or group, and so
you want to walk away from themand get away from the pain.
Well, who wouldn't?
But that's not walking awayfrom God.
Do you realize?
You're a person of God's ownpossession.
(13:56):
It's impossible to walk awayfrom God if Christ lives in you.
Remember what salvation is.
He took out your heart of stone.
He gave you a new heart, arighteous heart, a heart that is
in agreement with him.
So you're never going to wantto walk away from God himself.
We're told in the scripturesthat at salvation, god poured
(14:19):
out his love in your heart.
That means that you have a lovefor God and a love for other
people that God himself putthere.
It's a finished work.
Ephesians 6, verse 24, says youhave an undying love for Jesus.
How could a person who has alove for Jesus that will never
(14:39):
die and never fade away, howcould that person walk away from
God?
The reality is, god has thisrigged.
He knew exactly what he wasdoing.
Remember, in the Old Testament,the Israelites.
Well, they betrayed the Lord.
They walked away from the Lord.
They certainly weren't faithfulto him.
But today God has everythingrigged.
(15:01):
The New Covenant is thesolution to those old covenant
issues.
Through the New Covenant wediscover that we have something
unshakable and unbreakable andyou will never walk away from
God because you're the temple ofGod.
Wherever you go there, he isChrist in you, your only hope of
(15:23):
glory.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
I just love Dr Andrew Farley.
If you have a Bible question,go to his website
BibleQuestionscom and type inyour question.
When I return, I'll give you aspiritual eye exam.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
You're listening to Get the Hell Out of your Life
with your host, ron Myers.
Real stories, real strugglesand real hope.
Speaker 5 (15:55):
Does God speak to us today?
If so, what does he sound like?
Thundering roars, crashingwaves, a booming megaphone?
Maybe, sometimes, but maybeit's not quite as Hollywood,
dramatic as all that.
Maybe it's a little more simple.
John 10, 27 says my sheep hearmy voice, I know them and they
(16:18):
follow me.
In the midst of all the noiseand questions, god is speaking
and we can hear his voice.
We just need to learn torecognize it.
So what does he sound like?
He sounds like love, likereconciliation, like kindness,
wisdom, hope, truth.
(16:38):
Do you know those sounds Then?
Maybe you hear his voice moreoften than you think.
Maybe you're being led by himmore than you realize.
Maybe God is speaking to youand you actually are listening.
You just didn't know it.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
I love that song.
Let me tell you about my Jesus,and if you haven't listened to
this show very long, that's whatthis show is all about Myself
and others sharing what Jesushas done in our life.
Because, friends, when youreally understand what Jesus
(17:39):
wants to do and will do in yourlife, it changes everything.
And sometimes it's theteachings that we've been taught
that never really Introduces tofull grace 100% grace, no law,
no additives.
It's all about Jesus.
So, thinking about that, beforetoday's show, I want to give
(18:03):
you a spiritual eye exam.
Now, this spiritual eye exam isone I took a few years ago and
I Failed it.
I failed it.
I I Was looking throughreligious eyes instead of grace
eyes.
So here let me give you thetest and let you make your own
(18:24):
decision of what your eyesightis.
Now you might have religiouseyes if you See shame,
condemnation, you look at otherpeople and find their faults.
You feel like you're never goodenough.
You lack trust.
You really don't know if God isfor you or against you.
(18:47):
You may think that God is outto get you and you see doom and
gloom around every corner.
You can't wait to be with Jesusone day when you leave this
world and all you see is theworld going to hell in a hand
basket.
That is religious eyes.
Those were my eyes a few yearsago.
(19:09):
Now you may be looking at lifethrough with grace eyes if you
see love, freedom, compassion,right standing with God, close
intimate personal relationshipwith Jesus.
He's your savior, but he isalso your friend, your confidant
.
You trust him.
(19:29):
You don't fear him.
You know that he will neverleave you or forsake you.
He's not against you, he's foryou.
You anticipate life.
You don't worry about whatmight come in your way because
he goes before you to prepareyou for the difficulties of life
(19:49):
.
Gray size celebrate life Tototally different perspectives
of doing life with Jesus.
Both will take you to heaven,both will have you saved, as
long as you've asked Jesus inyour heart.
The problem with religious eyesyou can never Achieve what
(20:13):
you're after.
You can never Not stop sinning.
You can never not Become goodenough for God.
You're always trying to dosomething and if you fail or
stumble, you have so much shame,so much Condemnation that you
basically stunt your growth as aChristian because you finally
(20:37):
just say to yourself Maybenobody else, I can't do this.
And, friends, that's whathappened to me.
I Was duped.
I really felt duped all theyears that these people told me
that if I did this, god would becloser and I could do this and
everything would be hunky-dory.
But that isn't true.
(20:57):
That is not the gospel thatPaul talks about of the new
covenant.
Grace takes in account the wordsthat Jesus said on the cross,
his last words.
It is finished.
We are not under Moses, we areunder the new covenant.
We have the freedom To becomewho he created us to be.
(21:21):
We have total forgiveness whenChrist comes into our heart.
There is no shame, there is nocondemnation.
So let me ask you, who do youthink would have more fun in
life?
A person with gray size orreligious eyes?
I know a lot of you are sayingwell that grace, it just makes
(21:42):
you sin and do this.
No, it doesn't, because themore you understand what Jesus
does for us and will do for us,we become allergic to sin and
addicted to Jesus because wedon't want to do things to
disappoint him.
We will stumble, we will fall,we will still make mistakes, but
(22:04):
we are not graded by a reportcard from Jesus.
He has our best interestsalways in mind and, friends, we
are living at a time, right now,where the world really does
need to see Jesus.
They don't need to see religion.
They have that in all the otherteachings.
(22:26):
Christianity is the only thingthat gives us freedom.
Christ dwells within us and hegives us his Holy Spirit to do
life, because he needs us tobecome ourselves.
If you don't become you, whowill Nobody?
(22:49):
The world misses out on yourgifts, your talents, your skills
, because you're trying toperform like a circus animal all
these rituals and you make 10steps forward, but then one day
you make one step backward andyou can't even.
You cuss yourself.
Maybe not bad words, but youjust realize that I'm a
(23:11):
worthless, goofy Christian and Ican't keep up with what God has
for me.
Well, he never told you to.
He wants you to trust him,believe in him.
He will never leave you.
He will never forsake you.
You can't walk away from him.
He is yours and he has seen thehurts in this world, the pains
in this world, and people prayevery day Lord, if you love us,
(23:34):
you wouldn't do this.
No, he's saying listen, I cameto give you life, and life more
abundantly.
He also said if you these wordsare very powerful come to me
all who are weary and burdened,and I will give you rest, for my
yoke is easy and my burden islight.
In other words, let's rest inthe finished works of Jesus.
(23:56):
Let's become who he created usto be.
Do you think God wants you towalk around with doom and gloom
and building bomb sheltersbecause you're worried the
world's gonna come to an end andyou're gonna be trapped?
You need to store up on food.
I can't even imagine livinglife like that.
But hey if that's what you do,that's that's your thing, go do
(24:16):
it.
My thing is I'm here to do whatI can to help a hurting world,
encourage someone.
If I touch one person a week,then I've accomplished what I've
set out to do, because we'reall in this together.
So again, like Ann Wilsonstarted off with that that
bumper music, let me tell youabout my Jesus in his head.
(24:37):
He has some freedom for youtoday.
All you have to do is ask him,have him reveal to you more
about this loving, awesome gracethat is available to anyone
that will ask.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
You're listening to.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Get the.
Speaker 4 (24:56):
Halal of your.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
Life with your host.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Ron Myers Real stories, real struggles and real
hope.
Speaker 6 (25:03):
We would like to express our gratitude to Coffee
News for their support of thisprogram.
Are you tired of scrollingthrough the same old news feeds
every morning?
Then switch things up withCoffee News.
Our publication is filled withinteresting stories, brain
teasers and uplifting quotesthat are sure to brighten your
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And now you can access CoffeeNews anytime, anywhere, by
(25:24):
visiting our website.
So, whether you're sipping yourmorning coffee at your favorite
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Start your day off right withCoffee News at
ReadCoffeeNewsOnlinecom.
Ron will be back in a minute toclose out today's show.
We want to remind you today ofthe last words of Jesus it is
(25:46):
finished.
What is finished?
The finished work of Jesusrefers to the complete and final
accomplishment of salvationthrough his death and
resurrection.
It means that Jesus has doneeverything necessary for our
forgiveness, redemption andreconciliation with God.
Through his sacrifice on thecross, jesus paid the price for
(26:07):
our sins once and for all,providing total forgiveness and
cleansing.
This finished work of Jesusmeans that we no longer need to
strive or work to earn God'sfavor or forgiveness.
We can rest in the assurancethat our salvation is secure and
that we are fully accepted byGod because of what Jesus has
(26:27):
done for us.
Now back to Ron.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
Well, friends, my time is up and I have been so
blessed that I have been able tospend a few minutes with you
today.
I hope you've been encouraged,empowered and inspired, because
God has something so wonderfulfor you.
If you would like moreinformation about Dr Andrew
Farley and the Grace Church,just do a google search.
(26:54):
His message of grace and noadditives is liberating.
It is freedom Until next week.
This is Ron Meyers, remindingyou that I love you, jesus loves
you, and when you give him yourheart, he will give you your
destiny.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Get the hell out of your life is underwritten by the
Christmas City Gift Show.
We invite you to come shop withover 255 vendors from all over
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You can find more informationat ChristmasCityGiftShowcom.
Thanks for listening, and ifyou would like to share your
(27:43):
story of what God has done inyour life or listened to
previous episodes, please visitour website, thepromoterorg.
Join us next week for anotherepisode of Get the Hell Out of
your Life Real stories, realstruggles and real hope.
It's time now to get the hell out of your life.
A weekly broadcast with realpeople sharing real struggles
and offering real hope.
Today's show will encourage,inspire and empower you to face
life's challenges with a boldconfidence and renewed hope.
Now let's join our host, ronMyers.
The Provider.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Hello, my friends, it is so good to be with you.
Well, if you are living in thecold part of the country and
you're freezing, I can relate toit.
Man, it got cold here in SouthMississippi, but it didn't stop
me from having my conversationswith Jesus.
And I know one thing that ifI'm freezing to death like my
(00:45):
brother up in Iowa who told meit was over 20 below zero, 18
inches of snow, I know, then I'dhave to say, Lord, I need some
spiritual anaphories, I need towarm up with you.
And you know what it works.
Jesus is with us in the cold,in the hot.
(01:05):
Have you ever thought of that?
Can you walk away from Jesus?
Is Jesus always with you, evenin the bad times, the good times
?
What about when you stumble?
What about when you fall?
Does he leave you and say assoon as you straighten up, Ron,
I'm coming back?
Well, right after you heartoday's story, Dr Andrew Farley
(01:26):
will answer that question.
What if you walk away from God?
But first let's listen totoday's story.
The story is from a gentlemanthat he and his wife received
the dreaded phone call the oneyou know that no parent wants to
receive.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
My name is Bill Downs and I'm from social Mississippi
.
On October the 6th 2007.
My son and his wife of threeand a half months their best
friend that lived with us andthat we had grown to love as a
son were going to the movies,driving down Highway 53 and they
were struck and killed by adrunk driver and her passenger.
(02:08):
The drunk driver was alsokilled.
It was a head on collision Bradand Samantha, which, Brad, is
my son.
They were killed instantly andthe young man that was with them
, chris, died in route to thehospital.
I came up on the roadblock, ohmy goodness.
And when the county sheriffdeputy deterred everybody down
(02:34):
county farm, when I turned himdown county farm, I called my
wife and told her that there wasa big wreck and it's right
there in that big curve and ithealed just past Canal Road
going west.
Had no idea it was the kids andin the process of driving
around taking the detour thatthey were directing us.
(02:55):
I actually received a phonecall from my wife saying that
she could not talk to the kidson the phone.
Be it intuition, whatever, Itried to get back to the crash.
I had that gut feeling thatthere was something wrong.
And in the process of goingback I turned down 53.
When I come off of county farmand when I got to the little
(03:16):
airport there I ran into ahighway patrolman who then told
me you know, I need to go back.
Did they know who you were?
I don't know if I imagined itor if it actually happened, but
I remember him saying Mr Downs,you need to go home.
But I've never showed him my IDso I don't know that he.
You know, I don't know thatthat actually happened, but he
(03:38):
told me to leave the area.
When I got back to county farm,my wife called back again and
said that she couldn't get holdof the kids, for whatever reason
.
I backtracked, so you do,something was up.
I just had this fear that itmight be the kids.
I went back to the roadblockwhere I started and Gulfport PD
(04:00):
had joined the county share andthey even threatened to arrest
me if I didn't leave the area.
And I chose that time to go tothe movie theater with which
they were going to the movies,to make sure that Brad's car was
in the parking lot, and Icouldn't find his car.
So I went back to 53 to waitfor the orders from the wife.
In the meantime, she was on thephone with dispatch and you
(04:22):
know highway patrol people likethat trying to find out what was
going on, and it wasn't untilshe told me that there was two
victims transported to GardenPark.
I went to Garden Park trying tofind out something there, and
that's when I received the phonecall from her.
Wow É, simply said, cath,inherently out of patience in
alcohol addiction, were you anactive member in church?
Did you believe in God?
(04:42):
Yes, I believed in God.
I believed that I was aChristian.
I was pretty active.
Your normal job blow.
You know, I was an elder in thechurch.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And I asked that because my first reaction would
be I'd be kind of mad at God.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Well, at first I was in shock.
I do remember calling the headelder and telling him I don't
need nobody down here, I justneed to let y'all know what
happened.
I don't think I was really.
I don't want to say I wasn't aChristian, but I don't think I
was an acting Christian at thetime.
You know, I was talking thewalk, but I wasn't walking the
(05:21):
walking, fortunately.
But my first initial feelingwas shock, and it wasn't
actually until we got theautopsy report and all this
stuff back.
You know, we found out that shewas a drunk driver.
Not only was she drunk, but shehad drugs in her system, plus
she was texting.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Did you turn to God during this for comfort, or did
you get angry at God?
Speaker 4 (05:44):
I think I was more concerned and comforting my wife
.
She basically had a breakdownand I think, together, you know,
we comforted each other and,unfortunately, instead of
turning to God, I turned againstGod.
I became very angry with God.
I felt that these two kids werejust starting off in life.
(06:06):
They'd only been married threeand a half months.
Why would God destroy them, soto speak?
And it wasn't until I had abreakdown.
You know, like I said, I turnedagainst God.
I left the church, I left God,I emotionally left my wife.
I had never actually grieved myson, but instead of turning to
(06:30):
God, I felt like it was hisfault that my son and
daughter-in-law, and a young manthat I loved as a son, was
killed.
I wanted to hurt God.
I couldn't get it, god, so Iturned to my wife.
I put that poor woman throughhell, here, I mean, but she
never gave up on me.
She'd never stopped praying.
The turning point in my life wasat the four-year mark when, I
(06:55):
guess, I suddenly realized I hadnever grieved my son and
instead of turning to God, Ithrust all that anger at God, at
my wife, and on December, the6th of 2012, she had enough.
You know she doesn't believe indivorce.
Neither one of us do.
But she said that's it, I can'ttake it no more.
The pastor was.
(07:17):
I was dealing with my pastor.
You know he was trying toconvince me that.
You know that God was not theenemy.
You know he was our friend andon December the 6th, like I said
, she basically threw me out ofthe house.
I tried to commit suicide.
I was over it, I wanted to endit.
So what was the turning point?
(07:37):
The turning point was and whenI think of this I think of Moses
and his experience with God.
You know, he actually met Godthrough the burning bush and I
came home back home that nightand basically curled up on the
couch she had locked the bedroomdoor and I don't know if I
(07:58):
passed out, went into soemotionally fatigued and I mean
it was like two o'clock in themorning We'd been, you know,
fighting all afternoon and shewas one of the ones saying she
was, you know, begging me to tryGod, to get help, to go
marriage counseling, to go togrief counseling, and then
(08:19):
somehow you had a God moment.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
In my life it was.
You know.
I dreamed, had a vision,whatever, me blaming God,
telling him I wanted nothing todo with him, and he's like are
you sure this is what you want?
I say, yes, I want you out ofmy life.
And in my mind he turned hisback on me.
Oh, my goodness.
And for I don't know how long.
It seemed like a lifetime, butyou know, I've been in.
(08:45):
I used to do cabin when I wasyounger and I'd go into these
caves and you could actuallyfeel it.
It was so dark.
You could feel the darkness.
That night I felt like I hadbecome the darkness and I heard
him tell me this is what everycenter that denies my name will
experience at judgment was theeternal separation from God.
(09:06):
And I don't know how long itlasted, but I felt like I was
experiencing that eternalseparation.
From that eternal separationand, wow, thank God, my wife
never stopped praying for me andfinally he answered her prayers
and somewhere in the spec ofall that hurt and pain and hate,
(09:26):
her prayers were answered.
When I woke up, she was alreadysitting there beside me.
Oh, wow.
So God prepared her.
Oh, yeah, I looked at her.
I said please forgive me.
I have been a fool.
I literally begged her toforgive me.
I told her call a counselortoday.
I need help, we need help.
(09:46):
Praise God, we started going tocounseling.
We started going to griefcounseling.
On February the ninth, I stoodbefore my church and I was
rebaptized.
She rededicated herself throughfaith and then that night we
renewed our vows.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
You took a tragedy and you turned it into good.
Tell the listeners what you'redoing.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
I have volunteered for mad mothers against drunk
driving.
Being a volunteer for mad givesme a voice for the victims, Not
only my three kids, but thevictims that are here on the
Gulf Coast.
They have lost loved ones dueto a drunk driver and I give my
testimony once a month to a roomfull of people that have been
(10:29):
arrested the first time fordrunk driving and I try to
appeal to them as a father thathas been through the fire Amen.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
You were at the gravesite of your children.
Share with the listeners whatyou had told me.
Speaker 4 (10:44):
I stood there at my son's gravesite and after I, I
guess, apologized for not beingwhat I felt was a better father,
I told him that until the day Idie I will be his voice and if
I can just talk to one personand convince one person not to
(11:05):
drink and drive, that I'veaccomplished my task.
But now that I have given mylife to Christ because on
December the 7th I acceptedChrist I feel for the first time
as my savior.
I have got this hunger to knowmore about Christ, to know more
about God.
My wife and I pray togetherevery single day.
(11:27):
We read the Bible together.
We're very active in church.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
You know, you went through a season in that valley
and in the shadow of death andeven though God was with you,
you didn't know it.
God doesn't want any of us togo through any struggle by
ourselves.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
That's the thing I have learned in the last year is
that everything is choice.
Everything that God deals withis our choice.
Do we choose to reach out andtake what he's offering, or do
we choose to turn it inward anddo it by ourselves?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Boy.
What a powerful story.
I could just feel the pain thatBill was going through.
So there was a part in hisstory that he said that he
imagined that God turned hisback on him.
Will God turn his back on us?
(12:26):
Can Jesus walk away from us ifwe walk away from him?
Well, I turn to one of myfavorite teachers, dr Andrew
Farley from the Grace Church inDallas, texas, and he will
answer that question right now.
What if we walk away from God?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
So what if you walk away from God?
Did you know the reality is,wherever you go, there he is
Because Christ lives in you.
And if you're one with JesusChrist, no matter what, then you
can't go anywhere that's awayfrom his presence.
You house the presence ofChrist himself in the person of
(13:15):
the Holy Spirit.
Christ in you, your only hopeof glory.
Just think about it.
God has already made you somany promises.
I'll never leave you.
I'll never forsake you.
Nobody can snatch you out of myhand.
You're a slave of righteousness.
Does a slave of righteousnessever really want to walk away
from God?
(13:35):
Sure, you might get sick ofchurch and church people.
You might get sick ofreligiosity.
You may be hurt by a particularcongregation or group, and so
you want to walk away from themand get away from the pain.
Well, who wouldn't?
But that's not walking awayfrom God.
Do you realize?
You're a person of God's ownpossession.
(13:56):
It's impossible to walk awayfrom God if Christ lives in you.
Remember what salvation is.
He took out your heart of stone.
He gave you a new heart, arighteous heart, a heart that is
in agreement with him.
So you're never going to wantto walk away from God himself.
We're told in the scripturesthat at salvation, god poured
(14:19):
out his love in your heart.
That means that you have a lovefor God and a love for other
people that God himself putthere.
It's a finished work.
Ephesians 6, verse 24, says youhave an undying love for Jesus.
How could a person who has alove for Jesus that will never
(14:39):
die and never fade away, howcould that person walk away from
God?
The reality is, god has thisrigged.
He knew exactly what he wasdoing.
Remember, in the Old Testament,the Israelites.
Well, they betrayed the Lord.
They walked away from the Lord.
They certainly weren't faithfulto him.
But today God has everythingrigged.
(15:01):
The New Covenant is thesolution to those old covenant
issues.
Through the New Covenant wediscover that we have something
unshakable and unbreakable andyou will never walk away from
God because you're the temple ofGod.
Wherever you go there, he isChrist in you, your only hope of
(15:23):
glory.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
I just love Dr Andrew Farley.
If you have a Bible question,go to his website
BibleQuestionscom and type inyour question.
When I return, I'll give you aspiritual eye exam.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
You're listening to Get the Hell Out of your Life
with your host, ron Myers.
Real stories, real strugglesand real hope.
Speaker 5 (15:55):
Does God speak to us today?
If so, what does he sound like?
Thundering roars, crashingwaves, a booming megaphone?
Maybe, sometimes, but maybeit's not quite as Hollywood,
dramatic as all that.
Maybe it's a little more simple.
John 10, 27 says my sheep hearmy voice, I know them and they
(16:18):
follow me.
In the midst of all the noiseand questions, god is speaking
and we can hear his voice.
We just need to learn torecognize it.
So what does he sound like?
He sounds like love, likereconciliation, like kindness,
wisdom, hope, truth.
(16:38):
Do you know those sounds Then?
Maybe you hear his voice moreoften than you think.
Maybe you're being led by himmore than you realize.
Maybe God is speaking to youand you actually are listening.
You just didn't know it.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
I love that song.
Let me tell you about my Jesus,and if you haven't listened to
this show very long, that's whatthis show is all about Myself
and others sharing what Jesushas done in our life.
Because, friends, when youreally understand what Jesus
(17:39):
wants to do and will do in yourlife, it changes everything.
And sometimes it's theteachings that we've been taught
that never really Introduces tofull grace 100% grace, no law,
no additives.
It's all about Jesus.
So, thinking about that, beforetoday's show, I want to give
(18:03):
you a spiritual eye exam.
Now, this spiritual eye exam isone I took a few years ago and
I Failed it.
I failed it.
I I Was looking throughreligious eyes instead of grace
eyes.
So here let me give you thetest and let you make your own
(18:24):
decision of what your eyesightis.
Now you might have religiouseyes if you See shame,
condemnation, you look at otherpeople and find their faults.
You feel like you're never goodenough.
You lack trust.
You really don't know if God isfor you or against you.
(18:47):
You may think that God is outto get you and you see doom and
gloom around every corner.
You can't wait to be with Jesusone day when you leave this
world and all you see is theworld going to hell in a hand
basket.
That is religious eyes.
Those were my eyes a few yearsago.
(19:09):
Now you may be looking at lifethrough with grace eyes if you
see love, freedom, compassion,right standing with God, close
intimate personal relationshipwith Jesus.
He's your savior, but he isalso your friend, your confidant
.
You trust him.
(19:29):
You don't fear him.
You know that he will neverleave you or forsake you.
He's not against you, he's foryou.
You anticipate life.
You don't worry about whatmight come in your way because
he goes before you to prepareyou for the difficulties of life
(19:49):
.
Gray size celebrate life Tototally different perspectives
of doing life with Jesus.
Both will take you to heaven,both will have you saved, as
long as you've asked Jesus inyour heart.
The problem with religious eyesyou can never Achieve what
(20:13):
you're after.
You can never Not stop sinning.
You can never not Become goodenough for God.
You're always trying to dosomething and if you fail or
stumble, you have so much shame,so much Condemnation that you
basically stunt your growth as aChristian because you finally
(20:37):
just say to yourself Maybenobody else, I can't do this.
And, friends, that's whathappened to me.
I Was duped.
I really felt duped all theyears that these people told me
that if I did this, god would becloser and I could do this and
everything would be hunky-dory.
But that isn't true.
(20:57):
That is not the gospel thatPaul talks about of the new
covenant.
Grace takes in account the wordsthat Jesus said on the cross,
his last words.
It is finished.
We are not under Moses, we areunder the new covenant.
We have the freedom To becomewho he created us to be.
(21:21):
We have total forgiveness whenChrist comes into our heart.
There is no shame, there is nocondemnation.
So let me ask you, who do youthink would have more fun in
life?
A person with gray size orreligious eyes?
I know a lot of you are sayingwell that grace, it just makes
(21:42):
you sin and do this.
No, it doesn't, because themore you understand what Jesus
does for us and will do for us,we become allergic to sin and
addicted to Jesus because wedon't want to do things to
disappoint him.
We will stumble, we will fall,we will still make mistakes, but
(22:04):
we are not graded by a reportcard from Jesus.
He has our best interestsalways in mind and, friends, we
are living at a time, right now,where the world really does
need to see Jesus.
They don't need to see religion.
They have that in all the otherteachings.
(22:26):
Christianity is the only thingthat gives us freedom.
Christ dwells within us and hegives us his Holy Spirit to do
life, because he needs us tobecome ourselves.
If you don't become you, whowill Nobody?
(22:49):
The world misses out on yourgifts, your talents, your skills
, because you're trying toperform like a circus animal all
these rituals and you make 10steps forward, but then one day
you make one step backward andyou can't even.
You cuss yourself.
Maybe not bad words, but youjust realize that I'm a
(23:11):
worthless, goofy Christian and Ican't keep up with what God has
for me.
Well, he never told you to.
He wants you to trust him,believe in him.
He will never leave you.
He will never forsake you.
You can't walk away from him.
He is yours and he has seen thehurts in this world, the pains
in this world, and people prayevery day Lord, if you love us,
(23:34):
you wouldn't do this.
No, he's saying listen, I cameto give you life, and life more
abundantly.
He also said if you these wordsare very powerful come to me
all who are weary and burdened,and I will give you rest, for my
yoke is easy and my burden islight.
In other words, let's rest inthe finished works of Jesus.
(23:56):
Let's become who he created usto be.
Do you think God wants you towalk around with doom and gloom
and building bomb sheltersbecause you're worried the
world's gonna come to an end andyou're gonna be trapped?
You need to store up on food.
I can't even imagine livinglife like that.
But hey if that's what you do,that's that's your thing, go do
(24:16):
it.
My thing is I'm here to do whatI can to help a hurting world,
encourage someone.
If I touch one person a week,then I've accomplished what I've
set out to do, because we'reall in this together.
So again, like Ann Wilsonstarted off with that that
bumper music, let me tell youabout my Jesus in his head.
(24:37):
He has some freedom for youtoday.
All you have to do is ask him,have him reveal to you more
about this loving, awesome gracethat is available to anyone
that will ask.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
You're listening to.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Get the.
Speaker 4 (24:56):
Halal of your.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
Life with your host.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Ron Myers Real stories, real struggles and real
hope.
Speaker 6 (25:03):
We would like to express our gratitude to Coffee
News for their support of thisprogram.
Are you tired of scrollingthrough the same old news feeds
every morning?
Then switch things up withCoffee News.
Our publication is filled withinteresting stories, brain
teasers and uplifting quotesthat are sure to brighten your
day.
And now you can access CoffeeNews anytime, anywhere, by
(25:24):
visiting our website.
So, whether you're sipping yourmorning coffee at your favorite
cafe or browsing online fromyour desk, we've got you covered
.
Start your day off right withCoffee News at
ReadCoffeeNewsOnlinecom.
Ron will be back in a minute toclose out today's show.
We want to remind you today ofthe last words of Jesus it is
(25:46):
finished.
What is finished?
The finished work of Jesusrefers to the complete and final
accomplishment of salvationthrough his death and
resurrection.
It means that Jesus has doneeverything necessary for our
forgiveness, redemption andreconciliation with God.
Through his sacrifice on thecross, jesus paid the price for
(26:07):
our sins once and for all,providing total forgiveness and
cleansing.
This finished work of Jesusmeans that we no longer need to
strive or work to earn God'sfavor or forgiveness.
We can rest in the assurancethat our salvation is secure and
that we are fully accepted byGod because of what Jesus has
(26:27):
done for us.
Now back to Ron.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
Well, friends, my time is up and I have been so
blessed that I have been able tospend a few minutes with you
today.
I hope you've been encouraged,empowered and inspired, because
God has something so wonderfulfor you.
If you would like moreinformation about Dr Andrew
Farley and the Grace Church,just do a google search.
(26:54):
His message of grace and noadditives is liberating.
It is freedom Until next week.
This is Ron Meyers, remindingyou that I love you, jesus loves
you, and when you give him yourheart, he will give you your
destiny.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Get the hell out of your life is underwritten by the
Christmas City Gift Show.
We invite you to come shop withover 255 vendors from all over
the United States from November8th through the 10th inside the
Coast Convention Center locatedon the beach in Biloxi,
Mississippi.
You can find more informationat ChristmasCityGiftShowcom.
Thanks for listening, and ifyou would like to share your
(27:43):
story of what God has done inyour life or listened to
previous episodes, please visitour website, thepromoterorg.
Join us next week for anotherepisode of Get the Hell Out of
your Life Real stories, realstruggles and real hope.
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