June 22, 2023 • 29 mins
How often do we find ourselves in a dark place, feeling hopeless and desperate for change? Today's episode brings you the inspiring stories of Blaine Landrum, who faced the harrowing reality of addiction and emerged with newfound hope through faith and determination. Blain shares his journey from a middle-class upbringing to the depths of substance abuse, homelessness, and eating out of dumpsters, before discovering a path to recovery and redemption at the Home of Grace.
As we continue our exploration of overcoming addiction, Blaine takes over the conversation and opens up about his own struggles and the challenges he faced when he began walking with the Lord. Learn how the support of pastors, mentors, and peers played a crucial role in Blaine's recovery, and how prayer, faith, and surrounding yourself with a new group of people can make all the difference in finding hope and maintaining sobriety. Get ready to be inspired and empowered by Blain Landrum incredible story of transformation and renewal.
- 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.
Ron Meyers (00:00):
Is Jesus a gimmick Today?
on Get the Hell Out of YourLife.
Announcer (00:05):
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, RonMeyers.
The Promoter
Ron Meyers (00:27):
Hello my friends.
It is so good to be with you.
Is Jesus a gimmick?
No, he's no gimmick, but I'lltalk about that more in my
monologue.
In the meantime, in the studiosis my friend, Blain Landrum.
Blaine, how you doing, brother,Doing good, how you doing?
Hey, I'm glad you came in toshare your story.
So, Blain, what's your story?
(00:49):
Well, ron, i grew up here inGulfport, mississippi, grew up
in a middle class family, didn'thave everything in life, but
never did without anythingeither.
So my dad worked out at theshipyard for years.
I eventually got to high schooland started dabbing and
drinking a little bit And I wasan athlete.
(01:12):
So you know that kind of comeswith territory, especially in
high school.
But after high school I marriedmy high school sweetheart and
had my first son, travis, at theage of 20.
After that, me and my wife andmy son, we moved down to Orlando
, florida, to go to work for mywife's family.
(01:32):
We stayed down there for, ithink, 13, 14 years.
Of course, when I got downthere excuse me the drinking
kind of led to other things, tomarijuana and then eventually
cocaine.
I had a pretty substantialdrinking slash cocaine habit for
(01:54):
probably 12 or 13 years that Iwas down there.
You know the drinking anddrugging it kind of took its
toll on my marriage And we movedback up to the coast in 2010,.
We had three kids by thenTravis, hunter and Haley.
And you know my marriage isstill in a pretty rocky place
(02:16):
And when I get back up here I'vestill got a.
I've not only got a drinkingcocaine habit, but by the time I
got back I had a pretty seriousopiate addiction also.
I moved back from Florida uphere to try to get away from all
that And of course, when I getback up here with all that on
top of me, i was introduced toCrystal Meth.
Wow, that was a game changer.
(02:37):
There.
You're lucky to be alive.
Yes, no doubt, no doubt I am.
I am that for sure.
I was smoking it and snortingit when I first started doing it
.
I did that for a couple ofyears.
By this time the state hadtaken away all three of my
children And after abusing themeth the way I was doing, after
(02:57):
a couple of years I eventuallystarted shooting it.
And that right there, ron, wasa day that I wish I could have
back, because after that it wasgame over for me.
Then What do you mean game over?
I lost?
I just lost everything.
I lost all hope as far as ofever repairing my marriage or
repairing my life or anything.
It just took every, every bitof hope away from me of ever,
(03:20):
you know, prospering again orever having any.
Well, who wants to do anything or have hope when
you're high all the time?
Blaine Landrum (03:25):
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt, wow.
So you know.
eventually, like I said, thestate had taken my kids by.
that point Were you stillmarried.
I was, me and my wife hadseparated at that time.
Was she doing drugs?
She was Yes, we were bothaddicts of our whole marriage.
We were married for 20 plusyears.
Wow, and of course, eventuallywe separated and, and at this
(03:50):
time my kids were in custody ofthe state And I found myself
homeless, nowhere to go.
I'd burn every bridge that I'dever had.
I had no one I could turn to.
And it came to.
All came to a head one night,ron, when I found myself eating
out of a dumpster in the veryneighborhood that I grew up in.
(04:13):
Wow, and, and that's that was anight that I got down on my
knees and and I and I and Iasked God to help me.
You know, i didn't have anyanywhere else to turn and have
anybody to turn to.
I didn't grow up in church.
I didn't know anything aboutGod.
All I knew was that Jesus hungon a cross.
I didn't know why he had beenput up there.
(04:35):
I didn't know anything exceptthat that was the only thing
about God that I had known atthat point.
But I knew that God was God,always heard that God was good.
So I got down on my knees and Iasked God to help me, And that
was.
That was a night that that Ifully believed that I got saved.
So I stayed in my addiction foranother year after that night,
(05:00):
because you know, everything'son God's time.
You know what I mean.
You know, a year or anotheryear went by and I had come
across a friend of mine who Iwho I used to use with.
I came across his picture onFacebook one night and he looked
like a totally different guy.
He didn't look anything likethe guy that I had, that I had
known from the street.
(05:21):
I searched him on Facebook andI got a hold of him and he was
at the home of grace And I got alittle bit of glimmer of hope
because I saw somebody that thatwas in the same position I was,
that had changed their life Andall of a sudden it seemed
possible.
You know what I mean.
So I reached out to him.
I got a hold of him and he putme in contact with with Miss
(05:42):
Becky out at the home of graceat the time, when I found out
there was a possibility for meto to actually to get somewhere
to, where all I wanted was help.
I just wanted somebody to helpme.
So she got back back in touchwith me about three days later
and told me that that they hadfound the money for me to come
because I didn't have any way topay for anything like that.
You know, it was all there.
(06:03):
Every bit of that was was wasdue to God's grace and mercy and
favor over it.
You know, in my life I didn'thave any clue what kind of place
it was.
I didn't know that it was faithbased.
All I knew was that it was aplace where I'd seen you know
their tagline is where miracleshappen.
Amen, but I didn't know that.
You know, growing up down here,you'd figured that I, that I
(06:25):
would have heard that placebefore, but I never have.
You know, i got out there andthey gave me a couple days to
where I could kind of get mywits back about me and stuff
like that.
And and when I woke up, i thinkI slept for three or four days
when I first got out there Andwhen I, when I woke up, i was so
thankful to be somewhere that Ididn't have to worry anymore
about what I was going to eat orwhat you know, or where I was
(06:46):
going to stay or anything likethat, so just so happy to be
somewhere safe.
So, you know, as time went on,a couple weeks went by and I,
you know, i started to startedeating and started, you know,
putting a little weight on andgot me some decent clothes and,
you know, you felt like a humanagain.
I did, i did, ron, i really did.
Let me tell you what.
(07:06):
There was a guy out there I waswith.
His name is Andrew Neely.
He made a remark.
He said Blaine man, you looklike a different person than you
were when you got here.
That was a game changer there,ron.
I realized at that point thatall this was possible.
Ron Meyers (07:20):
You were getting ready to get the hell out of
your life.
I was.
Blaine Landrum (07:23):
I was definitely Amen, brother.
And let me tell you what Afterthat moment, i dug my claws into
that place as hard and as deepas I could.
You know.
I started going to class, whichthey have classes out there
every day.
I started going to class and Istarted learning about God, the
God that I had, that I had askeda year prior to help me with my
(07:44):
situation.
And the more I started learningabout him, the more, the more I
wanted to learn more about him.
Amen, i made it through theinitial program, which is three
months, and then, and then Istayed an extra three months And
, of course, all during thisthree months, god is just just
changing me and changing me andchanging me.
Changing, you know, the thingsthat I think about and the
(08:07):
things that I he was changingthe desires of my heart is what
he was doing.
You know, as I spent my wholelife, you know living a certain
way and acting a certain way,and and and wanting certain
things.
And through this whole sixmonths, god is just changing me
and changing me and changing me.
So, about the fifth month, aguy that I was in a program with
(08:29):
he was, he was making his, hisexit plan And I didn't really
have one at the time.
But he told me about a place hewas going to here in Godford
called, called Joseph home.
So I prayed about that a coupleweeks and my counselor, my
counselor Sam P Shea, kepttelling me that you know, this
might be a God thing.
This might be a God thing Ithink you might.
You know, should maybe go overthere with him.
(08:50):
And I said I'll tell you what Isaid, i'll put the application
in and I'll see where God leadsme.
When I graduated the six monthsprogram, me and this and this
other fellow, we went.
We went to Joseph's phone,joseph's home, i'm sorry And we,
you know, got under thetutelage of, of, of, of, of Jeff
York, who runs the place.
Joseph's home is a ministry ofMichael Memorial Baptist Church.
(09:13):
Those guys showed me what it,what it means to be a man and
how to be a man, which at thetime I didn't know.
That all those prior years Iwas not acting like a man, you
know, i was acting like a child.
And then, once I startedsetting up under them guys and
started learning and you know,pastor Tony Carnes over there is
(09:33):
, you know, just just one of thegodliest men I've ever met,
that all them guys over thereare.
I know it sounds cliche a lot,but you know, if you don't
surround yourself with goodgodly people, you're in trouble.
You've got.
You have zero chance of success.
Ron Meyers (09:51):
Now, how long ago was this?
Blaine Landrum (09:54):
That was, let's see, i left.
I left the home of GraysonMarch of 2019.
And I stayed at Joseph's homefor six months.
When I got to Joseph's home, iwas battling this battle with
the, with the state trying toget, trying to get him back, and
I eventually got him back,praise the Lord, yeah.
Ron Meyers (10:13):
In fact, he's sitting in here with you right
now He is.
He's listening to his dad Tellthe story.
Blaine Landrum (10:18):
No doubt I'm very proud of him.
He's he's done wonderful thingsAnd it's all due to God's, to
God's grace and love and God'shand on my life.
Ron Meyers (10:28):
Well, listen, we're going to take a break and then,
when we come back, we want tohear what's life like now.
You look great.
I believe you're a truck driver, aren't you?
And you're telling people aboutJesus.
Announcer (10:39):
So as soon as we come back, we'll talk about that,
okay, You're listening to getthe hell out of your life with
your host, ron Myers.
Real stories, real strugglesand real hope.
What's your story?
We're looking for stories ofhope and overcoming life
struggles with God's grace.
(11:00):
Your story validates God's love, mercy, restoration and
forgiveness.
We want to help you share yourstory with the world.
Visit our website, thepromoterorg, and click on the
share your story link and submityour story.
Your testimony of God's amazinggrace will change a person's
(11:20):
destiny for eternity.
Getting encouragement isimportant and it helps us
overcome our fears and gives usthe courage to face life's
challenges.
To receive weekly messages ofencouragement, all you need to
do is text INSPIRE to888-527-1223.
That's 888-527-1223.
(11:44):
Our messages are intended toinspire and empower you on your
life journey.
Remember, life is moreenjoyable when you're inspired.
Blaine Landrum (11:54):
You tell me how your living will change it.
Announcer (12:00):
You don't like where you're headed.
rearranging You sink a feelingthat now you want to turn your
life around.
If you want to start livingright, get the hell out of your
life.
Ron Meyers (12:16):
Listeners, welcome back In the studios.
with me is Blaine Landrum, andBlaine, you were talking about
your addiction and now you areon a.
you have a whole new life infront of you.
So after 20 years of bondage,it had to be hard to get used to
.
wow, i'm actually free, i candream, i can hope, i can talk to
people.
(12:36):
I don't have to be looking formy next fix, absolutely.
What was that like?
Blaine Landrum (12:41):
It was.
it was, um, it was foreign, ron, to be honest with you, because
I'd lived a certain way for somany years that when I started
walking with the Lord, it wasespecially when I, when I left
Joseph's home, havingresponsibilities, really was
foreign.
It was foreign to me.
but God led me through it allAnd, and you know, if I sat here
(13:04):
and told you that I haven't hadstruggles since then, i'd be
lying to you.
I have had my struggles, don'tget me wrong, but it's the
things that I learned while Iwas at the home of grace and the
things that I have learned frommy pastors and my mentors and
guys that have walked with methrough this.
(13:24):
So what is life like now?
Well, you know, i have awonderful job.
I have.
I have my son, my son back.
I actually am about to getmarried to a wonderful,
beautiful, godly woman,cassandra May, that I met at a
celebrate recovery meeting aweek after I left the home of
grace, amen.
Ron Meyers (13:45):
I asked you that because it's important for
people to know that there ishope after addiction.
Blaine Landrum (13:50):
And there is.
there is one of the things thatI've had to learn over the past
four years, since I've been inrecovery, is that is that God's
going to do, do his part.
You know, but, but, but if you,if we don't do our part, he's
not going to do it all for us.
We have to put in our, our, ourwill with his to be able to
accomplish his will.
ultimately You know what I meanHe's not going to.
(14:11):
He's not going to.
He's not going to come downhere and keep me 100% from using
.
I have to put in the work, ihave to stay in church and what
the Bible talks about therenewing of the mind.
Ron Meyers (14:21):
Absolutely, jesus wants to do life with us each
and every day, absolutely.
You reached out to me to shareyour story and I really, really
appreciate that.
But you know, right now, blaine, you know somebody listening is
either dealing with addictionthemselves or they know somebody
in their family and they'relosing hope.
(14:42):
What would you tell that person?
Blaine Landrum (14:44):
I would tell that person to do exactly what I
did Get down on your knees andask God Almighty to put his hand
on your life and on you To helpyou get out of out of what
you're in Now.
Now your story may not be thesame as mine.
He may do it for youimmediately.
He may wait a year, like he didwith me.
(15:05):
It's on his timing, but but.
But.
The Bible says if you you youcall on his name, he will save
you.
Thank you.
Ron Meyers (15:14):
This is a real battle out there.
It sure is.
It sure is.
As you said, the enemy is outthere to kill, steal and destroy
and take away our livelihood,our destiny, all of our hopes.
There really is a good life outthere.
We can have fun, we can smileagain, we can laugh again.
Most people that I interviewnever meet Jesus in church.
They meet Jesus at the end ofthemselves, just like you did,
(15:36):
just like me.
Yep, somebody that's listeningright now can meet with Jesus
right this minute, absolutelyThe only thing that Jesus is
asking.
Blaine Landrum (15:44):
Will you pray right now for somebody out there
listening?
Absolutely, i sure will.
Dear Heavenly Father.
I ask for anybody who's outthere that is still struggling,
lord, the way that I was.
Please put your hand on them,god.
Please give them the knowledgeto let them know that you are
there and that you will savethem if they ask you.
Lord, again, put your hand onwhoever's out there struggling.
(16:06):
Let them know who you are andthat you are sovereign over
everything.
Lord, i ask all this in thename of Christ, amen.
Ron Meyers (16:13):
We go way back.
I didn't even know this untilyou called.
I don't remember meeting you.
I guess what?
20, 25 years ago, but you wentto high school or junior high or
something with my daughterJunior high and high school
actually Dawn, Yep.
And when you told me that acouple of weeks ago, I said, wow
, you know, God is so amazing.
(16:34):
And right now it is a veryimportant that anybody out there
listening that is strugglingwith anything in life They ask
for help.
Blaine Landrum (16:41):
It's it's really that simple.
You know, for anybody out there, that's, that's, that's in
recovery right now.
Yeah, i said a minute ago, youknow, if you leave recovery and
just go back to you know, it'slike I said, it's cliche, it's
you cannot go back to samepeople, same places and the same
things.
you want, you want you.
you know your chance of successis little to none.
Ron Meyers (17:02):
Yeah, i've had people tell me that what they
did is they had to make surethey got rid of their cell phone
when they left home and grazedwith all their phone numbers So
none of their dealers and nobodycould ever call them again.
You're right, you've got to bearound a whole new group of
people, for sure.
Blaine Landrum (17:19):
You know.
I mentioned, you know, all thepeople at Michael Memorial and
Jeff and Tisha over Joseph'sphone.
But I'm now a member over atCampground Baptist Church me and
my me and my fiance Cassandra.
We've been over what she's beenover their years.
Now.
I've been over there I thinkfor about two and a half years
now, and people over there areawesome too.
Ron Meyers (17:36):
There is life after addiction.
There is, and God is good, heis all in, god answers prayer
Absolutely, and that he has nofavorites, that he treats all of
us.
Announcer (17:47):
He's an equal opportunity?
Ron Meyers (17:48):
God no doubt.
So it doesn't matter wherewe've lived, what we've done,
what color our skin is.
God just wants us to say helpme, absolutely, absolutely, i
love it.
And you brought Hunter with you.
And Hunter, you're a nice youngman and you're hearing this
testimony from your dad.
What do you think of when youhear your dad sharing some of
(18:11):
the struggles and things thathe's done?
Blaine's Son (18:13):
It's a beautiful story and he really showed that
you're never too far gone.
You can always change.
Amen.
Ron Meyers (18:22):
Yeah, you're proud of your dad, huh.
Blaine's Son (18:25):
Very proud Actually.
Yes, He slipped up a few times,but he always bounces back and
he always has God in his life tolead him in the right direction
.
Amen.
Ron Meyers (18:40):
And you are on your way hopefully soon to the Air
Force.
That is correct.
Blaine's Son (18:45):
I can't wait.
Ron Meyers (18:46):
Okay, well, thank you for coming in with your dad,
blaine.
Thank you, thank you, and Ialways ask my guests and both of
you can answer.
This is, if you want is how doyou get the hell out of?
Blaine Landrum (18:59):
your life.
I don't have a clue how to doit.
I'll let the Lord guide me toget me to that place.
Ron Meyers (19:05):
That's a good answer .
What do you think, Hunter?
How does a person get the hellout of their life?
Blaine's Son (19:10):
I honestly have no clue.
Ron Meyers (19:14):
Well, I think your dad said it best Call on the
name of Jesus and he will saveus all.
All right, Thank you both forcoming in.
God bless you.
Thank you, Listers.
When I return my monologue isJesus a gimmick?
Announcer (19:28):
You're listening to Get the Hell Out of Your Life
with your host, ron Myers.
Real stories, real strugglesand real hope.
A pastor friend in Chicagotaught me one difference between
religion and a personalrelationship with God is the way
they're spelled.
That's right.
Religion is spelled D-O, hesaid, because in every religion
(19:51):
in the world you've got to dothis or do that in order to
please God.
Christianity, however, isspelled D-O-N-E Because when
Jesus Christ was stretched outon that cross for you and me,
his last words continue to echothrough the pages of time.
It is finished, finished, done,completed.
(20:13):
You see, that's whatChristianity is all about and
that's what God's love is about.
Do you want a personalrelationship with Jesus Christ?
Then call us today at1-888-NEED-HIM.
Ron Meyers (20:36):
In the mail today I received this giant postcard
that said see what you have won.
And they have a little pillsticker on it.
You peel it off And, accordingto this, i'm a winner.
I won $700 in cash.
I know what you're saying.
The same thing I did.
(20:56):
Oh, ron, that's just a gimmick.
They're just trying to get youin the store to buy a car.
Yeah, it probably is, but Ihave looked all over this fine
print to see where that $700cash will come from.
I'll let you know in a futureepisode if I actually walk into
(21:17):
the dealer.
And so today, is Jesus a gimmick?
is the message of grace agimmick?
is just too good to be true?
Well, not in my life it hasn'tbeen.
You know, grace is God'swonderful, awesome gift to us.
You heard Blaine.
(21:37):
He got tired of himself, he gottired of the addiction and
after a buffet of garbage in adumpster, he went to his knees
and he asked God for help.
He shared his problem with God.
He chose to share his problemwith God.
(21:57):
Jesus is not a gimmick.
I'll tell you what's a gimmickis thinking that we can do
performance-based works andthings we can do for God to be
pleased.
No, there is nothing we can dothat will earn us salvation.
Jesus did it all at the crossand I want to tell you today
(22:19):
that if you're tired of gimmicks, you're tired of feeling the
guilt and the condemnation A lotof people.
They walk into a church and theythink, well, i, i'm gonna sit
down and all my problems will begone today.
But they end up leaving andthey live a life like a car,
(22:42):
stuck in the mud.
The tires are spinning and theyaren't going anywhere.
Because one of the things theyhave not done is they have not
made a choice.
They did not get tired, likeBlaine did, of the the hell in
his life.
He made a decision to choose abetter life.
(23:06):
I did the same thing 23 yearsago.
I made a choice.
I didn't like the hell in mylife, i chose Jesus.
And when we choose to make adecision to change the
circumstances in our life, thenthat can be done outside of a
(23:28):
dumpster, in a hotel room, inyour car, on the beach, in your
bed, wherever.
Jesus loves to hear people say Igive up, i have chosen the
wrong things for my life andthey have gotten me in trouble.
Jesus, help me.
(23:49):
That is no gimmick.
And then he pours his graceinto you.
What is grace?
Well, grace is his love for you, the forgiveness of all your
sins the past, present and theones that you will continue to
commit.
Yes, people still do sin.
When they come to Jesus, theyjust don't like it anymore and
(24:12):
he washes us clean.
He gives us a new heart.
The old, wicked heart is gone,replaced with his heart, and now
we have the Holy Spirit thatresides in us.
I made a choice to wake upevery day and say Jesus, thank
you for being in my life.
(24:33):
I made a choice to remindmyself that I am forgiven, i am
right with God.
There's nothing that I can dothat will erase his love.
It is the foundation of whatgrace is when we believe that we
are right with God.
(24:53):
It's not a performance basedworks, friends, there's
something about that.
No condemnation.
There is no rejection by Christ.
He's not walking around with aclipboard grading you and I on
our performance.
No, he's saying go girl, go guy, let's go, let's be yourself.
(25:14):
It's now a vine branchrelationship.
He's the branch, we are thevine, and we begin to have good
things happen in our life.
It's really that simple, it's nogimmick, and that same message
that I just told you would workin the jungles of Africa or
India or wherever.
(25:36):
It's not where you go, it's notwhat you do, it's not all the
performance based religiousactivities that so many churches
have you going through.
It's all been done.
Jesus says last words where itis finished.
So today I want to ask you areyou tired of religion?
(25:58):
Are you tired of works basedreligion?
Are you stuck in the mud?
We'll make a choice today.
When you give Jesus your heart,he will give you the grace to
not only keep the hell out ofyour life, but to begin to laugh
again, smile again and live theabundant life through the
(26:23):
finished works of Jesus Christ.
And, my friends, that is nogimmick.
That is the only way to live.
Announcer (26:34):
Ron will be back in a moment to wrap up today's
conversation.
Did you know what Ron didbefore he discovered his destiny
?
He was a promoter of secularentertainment and, by his own
admission, he promoted anythinghe could make a buck at.
At the pinnacle of his success,he walked away from it all so
he could follow Jesus anddiscover his God-given destiny.
(26:54):
That was over 20 years ago andhe has never looked back.
Today he's an inspirationalspeaker on a mission to empower
individuals just like you todiscover their God-given destiny
.
Ron put his story in a novelentitled The Promoter and he
wants to give you a copy.
Here's what a few readers havesaid.
(27:15):
I could not put it down.
I cried, giggled, gasped andlaughed out loud.
Ron has written a novel andself-help book all in one.
This book is a message of hope.
To request your free copy,visit our website at
ThePromoterorg.
Ron Meyers (27:33):
Now back to Ron, i would love to send you a copy of
my book And, listeners, here'sa little homework.
With your coffee with Jesus,remind yourself every day that
you are a child of God, you areloved, you have been forgiven.
You cannot lose yourrelationship with Jesus.
(27:56):
Friends, when you reallybelieve that from the inner
fiber of everything you have,that is the solid foundation to
build a solid relationship withJesus.
And then world watch out.
Here she or here he comes.
Friends, this is our time.
(28:17):
We must embrace it, enjoy itand live the life that God
created us to live.
I'll be back next week withanother great episode of Get the
Hell Out of Your Life.
In the meantime, remember thisthat I love you, god loves you
and, yes, when you get the hellout of your life, you will have
(28:40):
freedom.
Get the hell out, get the hellout.
Announcer (28:51):
Get the hell out of your life is underwritten by the
Christmas City Gift Show.
We invite you to come shop withover 260 vendors from all over
the United States, November 10ththrough the 12th inside the
Coast Convention Center locatedon the beach in Biloxi,
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You can find more informationat ChristmasCityGiftShow.
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If you would like to share yourstory of God's amazing grace or
(29:14):
listen to previous episodes,please visit our website,
thepromoter.
org.
Join us next week for anotherepisode of Get the Hell Out of
Your Life real stories, realstruggles and real hope.
Is Jesus a gimmick Today?
on Get the Hell Out of YourLife.
Announcer (00:05):
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, RonMeyers.
The Promoter
Ron Meyers (00:27):
Hello my friends.
It is so good to be with you.
Is Jesus a gimmick?
No, he's no gimmick, but I'lltalk about that more in my
monologue.
In the meantime, in the studiosis my friend, Blain Landrum.
Blaine, how you doing, brother,Doing good, how you doing?
Hey, I'm glad you came in toshare your story.
So, Blain, what's your story?
(00:49):
Well, ron, i grew up here inGulfport, mississippi, grew up
in a middle class family, didn'thave everything in life, but
never did without anythingeither.
So my dad worked out at theshipyard for years.
I eventually got to high schooland started dabbing and
drinking a little bit And I wasan athlete.
(01:12):
So you know that kind of comeswith territory, especially in
high school.
But after high school I marriedmy high school sweetheart and
had my first son, travis, at theage of 20.
After that, me and my wife andmy son, we moved down to Orlando
, florida, to go to work for mywife's family.
(01:32):
We stayed down there for, ithink, 13, 14 years.
Of course, when I got downthere excuse me the drinking
kind of led to other things, tomarijuana and then eventually
cocaine.
I had a pretty substantialdrinking slash cocaine habit for
(01:54):
probably 12 or 13 years that Iwas down there.
You know the drinking anddrugging it kind of took its
toll on my marriage And we movedback up to the coast in 2010,.
We had three kids by thenTravis, hunter and Haley.
And you know my marriage isstill in a pretty rocky place
(02:16):
And when I get back up here I'vestill got a.
I've not only got a drinkingcocaine habit, but by the time I
got back I had a pretty seriousopiate addiction also.
I moved back from Florida uphere to try to get away from all
that And of course, when I getback up here with all that on
top of me, i was introduced toCrystal Meth.
Wow, that was a game changer.
(02:37):
There.
You're lucky to be alive.
Yes, no doubt, no doubt I am.
I am that for sure.
I was smoking it and snortingit when I first started doing it
.
I did that for a couple ofyears.
By this time the state hadtaken away all three of my
children And after abusing themeth the way I was doing, after
(02:57):
a couple of years I eventuallystarted shooting it.
And that right there, ron, wasa day that I wish I could have
back, because after that it wasgame over for me.
Then What do you mean game over?
I lost?
I just lost everything.
I lost all hope as far as ofever repairing my marriage or
repairing my life or anything.
It just took every, every bitof hope away from me of ever,
(03:20):
you know, prospering again orever having any.
Well, who wants to do anything or have hope when
you're high all the time?
Blaine Landrum (03:25):
Yeah, no doubt, no doubt, wow.
So you know.
eventually, like I said, thestate had taken my kids by.
that point Were you stillmarried.
I was, me and my wife hadseparated at that time.
Was she doing drugs?
She was Yes, we were bothaddicts of our whole marriage.
We were married for 20 plusyears.
Wow, and of course, eventuallywe separated and, and at this
(03:50):
time my kids were in custody ofthe state And I found myself
homeless, nowhere to go.
I'd burn every bridge that I'dever had.
I had no one I could turn to.
And it came to.
All came to a head one night,ron, when I found myself eating
out of a dumpster in the veryneighborhood that I grew up in.
(04:13):
Wow, and, and that's that was anight that I got down on my
knees and and I and I and Iasked God to help me.
You know, i didn't have anyanywhere else to turn and have
anybody to turn to.
I didn't grow up in church.
I didn't know anything aboutGod.
All I knew was that Jesus hungon a cross.
I didn't know why he had beenput up there.
(04:35):
I didn't know anything exceptthat that was the only thing
about God that I had known atthat point.
But I knew that God was God,always heard that God was good.
So I got down on my knees and Iasked God to help me, And that
was.
That was a night that that Ifully believed that I got saved.
So I stayed in my addiction foranother year after that night,
(05:00):
because you know, everything'son God's time.
You know what I mean.
You know, a year or anotheryear went by and I had come
across a friend of mine who Iwho I used to use with.
I came across his picture onFacebook one night and he looked
like a totally different guy.
He didn't look anything likethe guy that I had, that I had
known from the street.
(05:21):
I searched him on Facebook andI got a hold of him and he was
at the home of grace And I got alittle bit of glimmer of hope
because I saw somebody that thatwas in the same position I was,
that had changed their life Andall of a sudden it seemed
possible.
You know what I mean.
So I reached out to him.
I got a hold of him and he putme in contact with with Miss
(05:42):
Becky out at the home of graceat the time, when I found out
there was a possibility for meto to actually to get somewhere
to, where all I wanted was help.
I just wanted somebody to helpme.
So she got back back in touchwith me about three days later
and told me that that they hadfound the money for me to come
because I didn't have any way topay for anything like that.
You know, it was all there.
(06:03):
Every bit of that was was wasdue to God's grace and mercy and
favor over it.
You know, in my life I didn'thave any clue what kind of place
it was.
I didn't know that it was faithbased.
All I knew was that it was aplace where I'd seen you know
their tagline is where miracleshappen.
Amen, but I didn't know that.
You know, growing up down here,you'd figured that I, that I
(06:25):
would have heard that placebefore, but I never have.
You know, i got out there andthey gave me a couple days to
where I could kind of get mywits back about me and stuff
like that.
And and when I woke up, i thinkI slept for three or four days
when I first got out there Andwhen I, when I woke up, i was so
thankful to be somewhere that Ididn't have to worry anymore
about what I was going to eat orwhat you know, or where I was
(06:46):
going to stay or anything likethat, so just so happy to be
somewhere safe.
So, you know, as time went on,a couple weeks went by and I,
you know, i started to startedeating and started, you know,
putting a little weight on andgot me some decent clothes and,
you know, you felt like a humanagain.
I did, i did, ron, i really did.
Let me tell you what.
(07:06):
There was a guy out there I waswith.
His name is Andrew Neely.
He made a remark.
He said Blaine man, you looklike a different person than you
were when you got here.
That was a game changer there,ron.
I realized at that point thatall this was possible.
Ron Meyers (07:20):
You were getting ready to get the hell out of
your life.
I was.
Blaine Landrum (07:23):
I was definitely Amen, brother.
And let me tell you what Afterthat moment, i dug my claws into
that place as hard and as deepas I could.
You know.
I started going to class, whichthey have classes out there
every day.
I started going to class and Istarted learning about God, the
God that I had, that I had askeda year prior to help me with my
(07:44):
situation.
And the more I started learningabout him, the more, the more I
wanted to learn more about him.
Amen, i made it through theinitial program, which is three
months, and then, and then Istayed an extra three months And
, of course, all during thisthree months, god is just just
changing me and changing me andchanging me.
Changing, you know, the thingsthat I think about and the
(08:07):
things that I he was changingthe desires of my heart is what
he was doing.
You know, as I spent my wholelife, you know living a certain
way and acting a certain way,and and and wanting certain
things.
And through this whole sixmonths, god is just changing me
and changing me and changing me.
So, about the fifth month, aguy that I was in a program with
(08:29):
he was, he was making his, hisexit plan And I didn't really
have one at the time.
But he told me about a place hewas going to here in Godford
called, called Joseph home.
So I prayed about that a coupleweeks and my counselor, my
counselor Sam P Shea, kepttelling me that you know, this
might be a God thing.
This might be a God thing Ithink you might.
You know, should maybe go overthere with him.
(08:50):
And I said I'll tell you what Isaid, i'll put the application
in and I'll see where God leadsme.
When I graduated the six monthsprogram, me and this and this
other fellow, we went.
We went to Joseph's phone,joseph's home, i'm sorry And we,
you know, got under thetutelage of, of, of, of, of Jeff
York, who runs the place.
Joseph's home is a ministry ofMichael Memorial Baptist Church.
(09:13):
Those guys showed me what it,what it means to be a man and
how to be a man, which at thetime I didn't know.
That all those prior years Iwas not acting like a man, you
know, i was acting like a child.
And then, once I startedsetting up under them guys and
started learning and you know,pastor Tony Carnes over there is
(09:33):
, you know, just just one of thegodliest men I've ever met,
that all them guys over thereare.
I know it sounds cliche a lot,but you know, if you don't
surround yourself with goodgodly people, you're in trouble.
You've got.
You have zero chance of success.
Ron Meyers (09:51):
Now, how long ago was this?
Blaine Landrum (09:54):
That was, let's see, i left.
I left the home of GraysonMarch of 2019.
And I stayed at Joseph's homefor six months.
When I got to Joseph's home, iwas battling this battle with
the, with the state trying toget, trying to get him back, and
I eventually got him back,praise the Lord, yeah.
Ron Meyers (10:13):
In fact, he's sitting in here with you right
now He is.
He's listening to his dad Tellthe story.
Blaine Landrum (10:18):
No doubt I'm very proud of him.
He's he's done wonderful thingsAnd it's all due to God's, to
God's grace and love and God'shand on my life.
Ron Meyers (10:28):
Well, listen, we're going to take a break and then,
when we come back, we want tohear what's life like now.
You look great.
I believe you're a truck driver, aren't you?
And you're telling people aboutJesus.
Announcer (10:39):
So as soon as we come back, we'll talk about that,
okay, You're listening to getthe hell out of your life with
your host, ron Myers.
Real stories, real strugglesand real hope.
What's your story?
We're looking for stories ofhope and overcoming life
struggles with God's grace.
(11:00):
Your story validates God's love, mercy, restoration and
forgiveness.
We want to help you share yourstory with the world.
Visit our website, thepromoterorg, and click on the
share your story link and submityour story.
Your testimony of God's amazinggrace will change a person's
(11:20):
destiny for eternity.
Getting encouragement isimportant and it helps us
overcome our fears and gives usthe courage to face life's
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To receive weekly messages ofencouragement, all you need to
do is text INSPIRE to888-527-1223.
That's 888-527-1223.
(11:44):
Our messages are intended toinspire and empower you on your
life journey.
Remember, life is moreenjoyable when you're inspired.
Blaine Landrum (11:54):
You tell me how your living will change it.
Announcer (12:00):
You don't like where you're headed.
rearranging You sink a feelingthat now you want to turn your
life around.
If you want to start livingright, get the hell out of your
life.
Ron Meyers (12:16):
Listeners, welcome back In the studios.
with me is Blaine Landrum, andBlaine, you were talking about
your addiction and now you areon a.
you have a whole new life infront of you.
So after 20 years of bondage,it had to be hard to get used to
.
wow, i'm actually free, i candream, i can hope, i can talk to
people.
(12:36):
I don't have to be looking formy next fix, absolutely.
What was that like?
Blaine Landrum (12:41):
It was.
it was, um, it was foreign, ron, to be honest with you, because
I'd lived a certain way for somany years that when I started
walking with the Lord, it wasespecially when I, when I left
Joseph's home, havingresponsibilities, really was
foreign.
It was foreign to me.
but God led me through it allAnd, and you know, if I sat here
(13:04):
and told you that I haven't hadstruggles since then, i'd be
lying to you.
I have had my struggles, don'tget me wrong, but it's the
things that I learned while Iwas at the home of grace and the
things that I have learned frommy pastors and my mentors and
guys that have walked with methrough this.
(13:24):
So what is life like now?
Well, you know, i have awonderful job.
I have.
I have my son, my son back.
I actually am about to getmarried to a wonderful,
beautiful, godly woman,cassandra May, that I met at a
celebrate recovery meeting aweek after I left the home of
grace, amen.
Ron Meyers (13:45):
I asked you that because it's important for
people to know that there ishope after addiction.
Blaine Landrum (13:50):
And there is.
there is one of the things thatI've had to learn over the past
four years, since I've been inrecovery, is that is that God's
going to do, do his part.
You know, but, but, but if you,if we don't do our part, he's
not going to do it all for us.
We have to put in our, our, ourwill with his to be able to
accomplish his will.
ultimately You know what I meanHe's not going to.
(14:11):
He's not going to.
He's not going to come downhere and keep me 100% from using
.
I have to put in the work, ihave to stay in church and what
the Bible talks about therenewing of the mind.
Ron Meyers (14:21):
Absolutely, jesus wants to do life with us each
and every day, absolutely.
You reached out to me to shareyour story and I really, really
appreciate that.
But you know, right now, blaine, you know somebody listening is
either dealing with addictionthemselves or they know somebody
in their family and they'relosing hope.
(14:42):
What would you tell that person?
Blaine Landrum (14:44):
I would tell that person to do exactly what I
did Get down on your knees andask God Almighty to put his hand
on your life and on you To helpyou get out of out of what
you're in Now.
Now your story may not be thesame as mine.
He may do it for youimmediately.
He may wait a year, like he didwith me.
(15:05):
It's on his timing, but but.
But.
The Bible says if you you youcall on his name, he will save
you.
Thank you.
Ron Meyers (15:14):
This is a real battle out there.
It sure is.
It sure is.
As you said, the enemy is outthere to kill, steal and destroy
and take away our livelihood,our destiny, all of our hopes.
There really is a good life outthere.
We can have fun, we can smileagain, we can laugh again.
Most people that I interviewnever meet Jesus in church.
They meet Jesus at the end ofthemselves, just like you did,
(15:36):
just like me.
Yep, somebody that's listeningright now can meet with Jesus
right this minute, absolutelyThe only thing that Jesus is
asking.
Blaine Landrum (15:44):
Will you pray right now for somebody out there
listening?
Absolutely, i sure will.
Dear Heavenly Father.
I ask for anybody who's outthere that is still struggling,
lord, the way that I was.
Please put your hand on them,god.
Please give them the knowledgeto let them know that you are
there and that you will savethem if they ask you.
Lord, again, put your hand onwhoever's out there struggling.
(16:06):
Let them know who you are andthat you are sovereign over
everything.
Lord, i ask all this in thename of Christ, amen.
Ron Meyers (16:13):
We go way back.
I didn't even know this untilyou called.
I don't remember meeting you.
I guess what?
20, 25 years ago, but you wentto high school or junior high or
something with my daughterJunior high and high school
actually Dawn, Yep.
And when you told me that acouple of weeks ago, I said, wow
, you know, God is so amazing.
(16:34):
And right now it is a veryimportant that anybody out there
listening that is strugglingwith anything in life They ask
for help.
Blaine Landrum (16:41):
It's it's really that simple.
You know, for anybody out there, that's, that's, that's in
recovery right now.
Yeah, i said a minute ago, youknow, if you leave recovery and
just go back to you know, it'slike I said, it's cliche, it's
you cannot go back to samepeople, same places and the same
things.
you want, you want you.
you know your chance of successis little to none.
Ron Meyers (17:02):
Yeah, i've had people tell me that what they
did is they had to make surethey got rid of their cell phone
when they left home and grazedwith all their phone numbers So
none of their dealers and nobodycould ever call them again.
You're right, you've got to bearound a whole new group of
people, for sure.
Blaine Landrum (17:19):
You know.
I mentioned, you know, all thepeople at Michael Memorial and
Jeff and Tisha over Joseph'sphone.
But I'm now a member over atCampground Baptist Church me and
my me and my fiance Cassandra.
We've been over what she's beenover their years.
Now.
I've been over there I thinkfor about two and a half years
now, and people over there areawesome too.
Ron Meyers (17:36):
There is life after addiction.
There is, and God is good, heis all in, god answers prayer
Absolutely, and that he has nofavorites, that he treats all of
us.
Announcer (17:47):
He's an equal opportunity?
Ron Meyers (17:48):
God no doubt.
So it doesn't matter wherewe've lived, what we've done,
what color our skin is.
God just wants us to say helpme, absolutely, absolutely, i
love it.
And you brought Hunter with you.
And Hunter, you're a nice youngman and you're hearing this
testimony from your dad.
What do you think of when youhear your dad sharing some of
(18:11):
the struggles and things thathe's done?
Blaine's Son (18:13):
It's a beautiful story and he really showed that
you're never too far gone.
You can always change.
Amen.
Ron Meyers (18:22):
Yeah, you're proud of your dad, huh.
Blaine's Son (18:25):
Very proud Actually.
Yes, He slipped up a few times,but he always bounces back and
he always has God in his life tolead him in the right direction
.
Amen.
Ron Meyers (18:40):
And you are on your way hopefully soon to the Air
Force.
That is correct.
Blaine's Son (18:45):
I can't wait.
Ron Meyers (18:46):
Okay, well, thank you for coming in with your dad,
blaine.
Thank you, thank you, and Ialways ask my guests and both of
you can answer.
This is, if you want is how doyou get the hell out of?
Blaine Landrum (18:59):
your life.
I don't have a clue how to doit.
I'll let the Lord guide me toget me to that place.
Ron Meyers (19:05):
That's a good answer .
What do you think, Hunter?
How does a person get the hellout of their life?
Blaine's Son (19:10):
I honestly have no clue.
Ron Meyers (19:14):
Well, I think your dad said it best Call on the
name of Jesus and he will saveus all.
All right, Thank you both forcoming in.
God bless you.
Thank you, Listers.
When I return my monologue isJesus a gimmick?
Announcer (19:28):
You're listening to Get the Hell Out of Your Life
with your host, ron Myers.
Real stories, real strugglesand real hope.
A pastor friend in Chicagotaught me one difference between
religion and a personalrelationship with God is the way
they're spelled.
That's right.
Religion is spelled D-O, hesaid, because in every religion
(19:51):
in the world you've got to dothis or do that in order to
please God.
Christianity, however, isspelled D-O-N-E Because when
Jesus Christ was stretched outon that cross for you and me,
his last words continue to echothrough the pages of time.
It is finished, finished, done,completed.
(20:13):
You see, that's whatChristianity is all about and
that's what God's love is about.
Do you want a personalrelationship with Jesus Christ?
Then call us today at1-888-NEED-HIM.
Ron Meyers (20:36):
In the mail today I received this giant postcard
that said see what you have won.
And they have a little pillsticker on it.
You peel it off And, accordingto this, i'm a winner.
I won $700 in cash.
I know what you're saying.
The same thing I did.
(20:56):
Oh, ron, that's just a gimmick.
They're just trying to get youin the store to buy a car.
Yeah, it probably is, but Ihave looked all over this fine
print to see where that $700cash will come from.
I'll let you know in a futureepisode if I actually walk into
(21:17):
the dealer.
And so today, is Jesus a gimmick?
is the message of grace agimmick?
is just too good to be true?
Well, not in my life it hasn'tbeen.
You know, grace is God'swonderful, awesome gift to us.
You heard Blaine.
(21:37):
He got tired of himself, he gottired of the addiction and
after a buffet of garbage in adumpster, he went to his knees
and he asked God for help.
He shared his problem with God.
He chose to share his problemwith God.
(21:57):
Jesus is not a gimmick.
I'll tell you what's a gimmickis thinking that we can do
performance-based works andthings we can do for God to be
pleased.
No, there is nothing we can dothat will earn us salvation.
Jesus did it all at the crossand I want to tell you today
(22:19):
that if you're tired of gimmicks, you're tired of feeling the
guilt and the condemnation A lotof people.
They walk into a church and theythink, well, i, i'm gonna sit
down and all my problems will begone today.
But they end up leaving andthey live a life like a car,
(22:42):
stuck in the mud.
The tires are spinning and theyaren't going anywhere.
Because one of the things theyhave not done is they have not
made a choice.
They did not get tired, likeBlaine did, of the the hell in
his life.
He made a decision to choose abetter life.
(23:06):
I did the same thing 23 yearsago.
I made a choice.
I didn't like the hell in mylife, i chose Jesus.
And when we choose to make adecision to change the
circumstances in our life, thenthat can be done outside of a
(23:28):
dumpster, in a hotel room, inyour car, on the beach, in your
bed, wherever.
Jesus loves to hear people say Igive up, i have chosen the
wrong things for my life andthey have gotten me in trouble.
Jesus, help me.
(23:49):
That is no gimmick.
And then he pours his graceinto you.
What is grace?
Well, grace is his love for you, the forgiveness of all your
sins the past, present and theones that you will continue to
commit.
Yes, people still do sin.
When they come to Jesus, theyjust don't like it anymore and
(24:12):
he washes us clean.
He gives us a new heart.
The old, wicked heart is gone,replaced with his heart, and now
we have the Holy Spirit thatresides in us.
I made a choice to wake upevery day and say Jesus, thank
you for being in my life.
(24:33):
I made a choice to remindmyself that I am forgiven, i am
right with God.
There's nothing that I can dothat will erase his love.
It is the foundation of whatgrace is when we believe that we
are right with God.
(24:53):
It's not a performance basedworks, friends, there's
something about that.
No condemnation.
There is no rejection by Christ.
He's not walking around with aclipboard grading you and I on
our performance.
No, he's saying go girl, go guy, let's go, let's be yourself.
(25:14):
It's now a vine branchrelationship.
He's the branch, we are thevine, and we begin to have good
things happen in our life.
It's really that simple, it's nogimmick, and that same message
that I just told you would workin the jungles of Africa or
India or wherever.
(25:36):
It's not where you go, it's notwhat you do, it's not all the
performance based religiousactivities that so many churches
have you going through.
It's all been done.
Jesus says last words where itis finished.
So today I want to ask you areyou tired of religion?
(25:58):
Are you tired of works basedreligion?
Are you stuck in the mud?
We'll make a choice today.
When you give Jesus your heart,he will give you the grace to
not only keep the hell out ofyour life, but to begin to laugh
again, smile again and live theabundant life through the
(26:23):
finished works of Jesus Christ.
And, my friends, that is nogimmick.
That is the only way to live.
Announcer (26:34):
Ron will be back in a moment to wrap up today's
conversation.
Did you know what Ron didbefore he discovered his destiny
?
He was a promoter of secularentertainment and, by his own
admission, he promoted anythinghe could make a buck at.
At the pinnacle of his success,he walked away from it all so
he could follow Jesus anddiscover his God-given destiny.
(26:54):
That was over 20 years ago andhe has never looked back.
Today he's an inspirationalspeaker on a mission to empower
individuals just like you todiscover their God-given destiny
.
Ron put his story in a novelentitled The Promoter and he
wants to give you a copy.
Here's what a few readers havesaid.
(27:15):
I could not put it down.
I cried, giggled, gasped andlaughed out loud.
Ron has written a novel andself-help book all in one.
This book is a message of hope.
To request your free copy,visit our website at
ThePromoterorg.
Ron Meyers (27:33):
Now back to Ron, i would love to send you a copy of
my book And, listeners, here'sa little homework.
With your coffee with Jesus,remind yourself every day that
you are a child of God, you areloved, you have been forgiven.
You cannot lose yourrelationship with Jesus.
(27:56):
Friends, when you reallybelieve that from the inner
fiber of everything you have,that is the solid foundation to
build a solid relationship withJesus.
And then world watch out.
Here she or here he comes.
Friends, this is our time.
(28:17):
We must embrace it, enjoy itand live the life that God
created us to live.
I'll be back next week withanother great episode of Get the
Hell Out of Your Life.
In the meantime, remember thisthat I love you, god loves you
and, yes, when you get the hellout of your life, you will have
(28:40):
freedom.
Get the hell out, get the hellout.
Announcer (28:51):
Get the hell out of your life is underwritten by the
Christmas City Gift Show.
We invite you to come shop withover 260 vendors from all over
the United States, November 10ththrough the 12th inside the
Coast Convention Center locatedon the beach in Biloxi,
Mississippi.
You can find more informationat ChristmasCityGiftShow.
com.
If you would like to share yourstory of God's amazing grace or
(29:14):
listen to previous episodes,please visit our website,
thepromoter.
org.
Join us next week for anotherepisode of Get the Hell Out of
Your Life real stories, realstruggles and real hope.
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