April 10, 2026 • 27 mins
A dad sits up in a coffin and starts talking about heaven and suddenly you can’t stay numb. That moment launches a bigger story with our guest, Scottie McLeod, whose life runs straight through addiction, jail, and homelessness before it finally turns toward surrender, healing, and purpose. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’ve crossed a line you can’t come back from, Scottie’s Christian testimony meets that fear head-on with one clear message: you are not too far gone.
We talk about the legacy behind Broken Stone Ministries and Our Father’s Arms in Jacksonville, Alabama, including men’s homes that support recovery and prison reentry, plus a free medical clinic. Scottie shares what it’s like to carry ministry forward after the death of a father who served people quietly and relentlessly, and how trust grows when resources feel uncertain. The theme keeps coming back to grace over performance and surrender over control, not as religious slogans but as lived experience.
Then the episode lands in the everyday miracle zone: one car ride, one open door, and a man living in a powerless lawnmower shed gets a chance to rebuild. That single act of love leads to a reunion with his daughter and a restored family. We also touch on Scottie’s international connections and support for families affected by the war in Ukraine, proving that hope can travel further than we expect.
If this story lights something up in you, share the episode with someone who feels stuck, subscribe for more real stories of faith-based recovery and restoration, and leave a review so more people can find hope when they need it most.
Thank you for listening! Please help us by sharing this podcast with your friends and telling someone about what Jesus has done for you. If you would like to share your story, visit our website https://thepromoter.org/
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Announcer (00:01):
It's time now to get the How 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 fullconfidence and renewed hope.
Now let's join our host, RonMyers, the promoter.
Ron Meyers (00:22):
What does it take to wake someone up?
Is it painful, lost, rockbottom?
Or does it take something soreal, so undeniable that you can
never go back to who you usedto be?
Because today you're going tohear a story that crosses that
line.
Hello, my friends.
It is so good to be with youtoday.
My name is Ron Myers, and thisis Get the Hell Out of Your
(00:44):
Life, where we share realstories, real struggles, and
real hope.
And my goal is simple toencourage, inspire, and empower
you, and maybe, just maybe, helpyou take one step closer to the
life God created you to live.
And this show is for you.
This show is for the one whodoesn't go to church, the one
(01:04):
who's been hurt by church, andthe one who thinks God might be
done with you.
Let me tell you something, myfriend.
God is never finished with anyof us.
And today I need you to lean inand pay attention to this
story.
Because what if I told you aman sat up in a coffin and
(01:25):
started talking about heaven?
Yeah, you heard that right.
But this isn't about a moment.
This is about a life, a lifethat went from childhood faith
to drugs, to jail, tohomelessness, and somewhere and
all that chaos, God didn't justshow up.
He rescued him, not throughwillpower, not through trying
(01:46):
harder, not through religion,but through one word, surrender.
And today's guest, ScottieMcLeod, is living proof that no
matter how far you've gone,you're never too far gone.
Let me repeat that.
You are never too far gone.
So wherever you are right now,I don't believe you're here by
(02:09):
accident.
I believe this moment is foryou.
It's rigged, my friend.
So let's get into it.
Scotty, take us back.
How does a life go from faithto brokenness and somehow back
again?
Scotty McLeod (02:22):
When I was ten years old, I was I gave my heart
and life to Jesus.
I was young, then I got alittle bit older, and I got off
the path.
So I come from a long line ofpreachers.
Actually, what they were allSouthern Baptists, and until my
dad, which he was a SouthernBaptist too, but he kind of went
(02:43):
off in a little bit of adifferent direction.
But there and I I got into theworld, I got to doing drugs,
drinking, and at one time Iended up homeless, and I was on
bottom, and there was hell in mylife.
And that hell just kept pilingup and piling up and piling up
until finally I gave up andsurrendered.
(03:03):
And when I did, it was thegreatest thing could have
possibly happened.
So my dad had started aministry.
The name of the ministry is uhBroken Stone Ministries.
And there's been a lot ofshootoffs from that.
And one of those is called OurFather's Arms.
And we have two homes for men,and we have a free medical
clinic located in Jacksonville,Alabama.
(03:25):
And my dad was building allthis up, ended up with a music
hall, had Christian martists onthere.
It's called Duggar MountainMusic Hall.
It played public television andactually, I think, 80 stations
across the world.
And it's just been one thingafter another how God has
blessed this and kept it allgoing.
So in the back of my mind, evenwhen I was living wild and in
(03:49):
my sin, I knew God had a plan.
So I found out my dad had ananeurysm, and they said it was
inoperable.
So I started going to churchwith him, and then God just
started working on me a littlebit at a time.
And when I'd go to familydinner, I'd say I'd say
something about Jesus, and I'dsee Daddy turn and look at me.
See, Daddy knew he was about topass.
(04:11):
And I had told myself that I hecould have had this for years,
you know.
But Daddy knew better thanthat.
And he comes to my house and hebrings me his Bible and my
granddad's Bible.
And I thought, well, that'scool, you know.
And then he leaves.
And within a week, he had astroke and passed preaching a
graveside service.
(04:32):
He went down right there besidethe grave while he was
consoling the family.
And uh and I was thinking, wow,that's amazing, you know, that
that God would allow him to goserving.
And I was sitting, it was hardon me.
You know, the first week or twoI was in a fog, and then it
dawned on me that Daddy had toldme 15 years before that, that
(04:54):
when he passed, a friend of hisin Tennessee had some stuff for
me.
So I got in touch with a friendin Tennessee and I drove up
there and and the friend gave mea a bunch of teaching tapes,
teaching CDs and tapes, and hegave me a DVD.
And I wasn't sure what the DVDwas, but when I got back, I put
it in the DVD player.
(05:15):
And there's a little funeralhome close to here.
It's called K.
L.
Brown's funeral home.
And Daddy would always preachfunerals for people that didn't
have money.
They could always call Daddyand he would come in there and
do it.
So all of a sudden the cameracomes in the front door at K.L.
Brown, and there's this musicplaying like funeral music.
The camera comes in and it goesto the coffin, and a preacher
(05:38):
in a suit opens the coffin, andthen Daddy sits up in the coffin
and starts talking about howawesome it is to be in heaven.
unknown (05:47):
Wow.
Ron Meyers (05:51):
Well, I bet you did I bet you did a little two-step.
You all you see that on the TVDean, you see your dad pop up
out of a coffin.
Scotty McLeod (06:00):
I did it at first.
I started crying, and then Istarted uh shouting, you know,
and uh we ended up playing thatat his celebration of life.
And when they first opened, itwas during COVID, but there was
a lot of people there.
And when the coffin firstopened, everybody went, oh.
But then when he smiled andstarted talking about heaven,
everybody started cheering.
(06:21):
And it was amazing.
Ron Meyers (06:22):
And I know he hadn't gone too far.
What did he tell the audienceabout heaven?
Scotty McLeod (06:27):
As always, we try to keep our focus completely on
Jesus.
He just started talking abouthow great it is, we'll see
everybody again.
And he had a song calledChristians Never Say Goodbye,
just so long for a little while.
And he was quoting that songand just talking about the love
of Jesus.
And you know, 1 Corinthians 13,8 tells us love never fails.
(06:52):
And that's just the motto helived by, and that's the motto
we're living by.
Amen.
Now, sometimes sometimes Ithink he's still here with us.
You know, I started going tothe juvenile detention center
close to here and playing andsinging songs for the kids down
there.
And Daddy had gone down thereand done it years ago, and they
called us in at Christmas, andthey were gonna give us this
(07:14):
little award and certificate,you know.
And it was all the daytime I goat night, and all the daytime
people were the ones giving outthe certificates.
So I'm sitting there andthey're calling people up and
they're asking their name.
You know, they're calling thename out, and the person goes up
and gets their award, and theycall my dad's name out, and I
look at my friend, and my friendlooks at me, and they call
(07:35):
daddy's name out again, and I goget his awards.
You know, it's those little Godwinks.
You know, God talks to you, andif you're looking, you can hear
it.
Ron Meyers (07:44):
He sure does.
So you've picked up the mantleof his legacy of in my father's
arms, your ministry.
So you're running the show now,right?
Scotty McLeod (07:54):
I'm one of them.
My uh mother and my cousin,there's several of us that work
with the ministry, and you know,through the years there's been
a constant flow of healthycommunity coming through to work
with the guys, the guys whohave either been in prison or on
drugs or on the streets.
And God just keeps sending theright people at the right time,
and and it's just amazing towatch what he does.
(08:16):
You know, we've never had afundraiser or asked for money at
all.
Wow.
And God's just kept supplyingthe money and the funds to keep
it going.
And he can close it downanytime he wants to.
You know, we're not it's notlike we're out trying to make
money or anything like that.
Matter of fact, we're all mostof us are volunteers, but he
just keeps supplying the funds.
(08:38):
You know, when I first tookover the part I'm taking I took
over, I was praying to God and Iwas thinking, Lord, do you want
to keep it going without daddyhere?
And I was nervous and I wasfearful, and that fear will
it'll completely mess you up.
So the first thing God did, Iasked him for a sign.
And the first thing he did washe almost immediately pulled
(09:01):
some resources from us.
And I was thinking, Lord, I doyou want to shut it down?
But in my heart I knew hedidn't.
And then I went and played andsang up in Tennessee at a
retreat.
And when I got back from theretreat, there was enough money
to keep it going for a few moremonths.
So it was just God put it onsomebody's heart, and there it
was.
Ron Meyers (09:20):
Wow.
God's never late and he's neverearly, but he's always on time,
isn't he?
Scotty McLeod (09:24):
That's right.
It's it's an uncomfortablepiece, you know.
You you gotta trust him.
And if you trust him, you canwalk in peace and joy.
But if you're trusting inyourself, it's never gonna work.
Ron Meyers (09:35):
Well, Scotty, it is obvious.
Your love, the calling on yourlife to love the hell out of
other people, it is contagious.
Right now, we have a lot ofstruggling people in this world,
don't we?
Scotty McLeod (09:50):
It's amazing how many there are.
You know, used to back in the90s when we first started the
men's homes, you know, there waspeople that had problems and
there were people that werestruggling, but now it has
touched every family.
Like every family you talk to,there has been a member of that
family that has suffered onaccount of drugs or, you know,
(10:12):
different reasons.
And God came and he said, Hey,you know, I'll bless you even
despite what you've been throughor whatever you've done.
It does not matter.
I love you and I came to make away for you.
And man, when somebody gets agrasp of that, how much Jesus
loves them, it turns everythingaround.
Ron Meyers (10:31):
And I'm sure you've seen so many stories and and
people's lives change.
Can you give an example ofmaybe one of your favorite I
know they're all your favorite,but is there one that really
stands out of somebody that justwent from a lot of hell in
their life to, you know,whatever?
Scotty McLeod (10:48):
Yes, sir.
I'll tell you, back, you know,in in the very beginning, I was
telling myself, you know, well,maybe God doesn't want me to do
this.
You know how the enemy willsend out.
And a fellow walked up to myhouse on foot, and he was
yellow.
And I had met him years before,twenty-five years before, and
he was, you know, a stocky guy.
(11:09):
And he was shriveled up tonothing.
He was yellow, his eyes wereyellow, he was jaundice.
And he asked me for a ride, andI gave him a ride, and I went
home and I was praying about it.
And I felt like God was tellingme that I was gonna see this
fella again.
So I was coming home away I donot usually come home, maybe a
month later.
(11:29):
And I come around the curve,and there's there's that guy
standing on the side of theroad.
And I stopped and I said, Areyou doing okay, man?
And he said, No.
And I said, Do you need a ride?
And he said, I do.
And he got in the car and Istarted taking him to town,
wherever it was, he told me hewanted to go.
And I asked him, I said,Friend, have you ever decided to
(11:51):
try to get help?
Or have you ever wanted to gethelp?
And he started crying and hesaid, If I only had a chance.
And I said, Well, God can giveyou a chance.
Would you consider coming andstaying with us at our father's
arms?
And he teared up and he said,Please.
And I took him back to thelawnmower shed he had been
living in.
The lawnmower shed didn't havepower.
(12:11):
There was just a bunch of junkin there.
We got what little bitty had.
We took him out to our father'sarms.
He was telling me about how hiskids told him, told him they
didn't want anything to do withhim anymore.
Come to find out, my wife hadtaught his daughter in Sunday
school and newer.
So this is amazing.
This is amazing.
(12:32):
So I go to the house one dayand I say, Hey man, you want to
go ride with me to my house?
And he was like, sure.
But what I didn't tell him wasthat his daughter knew how good
he'd been doing and how he'd putsome weight back on and his
color had come back.
And we were riding back to myhouse, and I seen her van, his
daughter's van sitting at thehouse.
(12:53):
My wife had lined it up whereshe was at our house and she was
waiting on him to come and seeher.
But I didn't tell him that whatwas about to happen.
So we get to the house, I got asplit level house.
He walks up the stairs, theysee each other, and they run and
hug each other and startcrying.
That's been over two years ago,and they're on the phone 30
(13:15):
minutes to an hour every day.
Wow.
I mean, that's what God does.
He restores families.
Ron Meyers (13:20):
You know, I just get goosebumps when you say that
story.
You know, obviously you are theman to take over what your
father has done.
You have a love and a passionthat I can just hear it in your
voice, Scotty.
And somebody right now islistening and can relate to the
story you just told, but theyhave no hope.
(13:40):
They don't think it can everhappen to them.
Would you give that listenersome hope right now?
Scotty McLeod (13:45):
God is bigger than.
God is bigger than the bigbang.
He's bigger than the big bomb,he's bigger than all our
problems.
God is bigger than.
And you just gotta let him loveyou.
Get yourself out of the way.
It never was about us anyway.
It's about him.
And when we surrender ourkingdom over to him and we start
(14:09):
living in his kingdom, then hestarts speaking to us, and our
life starts transforming, and webecome a light to other people.
We're no longer in darkness,and he just loves us.
Ron Meyers (14:20):
He loves the hell out of us.
He sure does, he sure does,Scotty.
And while you are, I am excitedabout your ministry.
I'm excited that I have thepleasure, the honor to talk to
someone like you that is in thetrenches and you've learned from
a legacy of grandfathers,fathers, and your mom, and all
these people around you, and youjust love the hell out of
(14:43):
people.
And isn't that all Jesus wantsus to do?
Because if was it, love bringsa person to repentance?
It's the love that draws peopleto Christ.
Scotty McLeod (14:53):
Yes, sir.
And uh actually, you know, yougot to be attitudes.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,blessed are the poor, blessed
are those when they mourn.
And that it turns everythingthe world thinks upside down.
So God uses the bad, he takesthe cross and he makes makes it
a plus.
He takes a minus and he makesit a plus.
When bad things happen to us,if they bring us back to God,
(15:17):
then they're the greatest thingthat ever could have happened to
us.
I I never I never would havemade it.
Like I had to go through allthat.
The drugs, the jail, you know,I had to go through that to be
able to get to a point to whereI was willing to surrender to
God.
Those bad things can can begood.
(15:37):
He uses them for the good.
Romans 8 28.
Ron Meyers (15:40):
Yeah, he sure does.
For the listeners out there,tell them how they could find
some information about ourfather's arms.
Scotty McLeod (15:48):
Our father's arms is in Jacksonville, Alabama.
We're on Facebook.
We're actually, we have awebsite that we're going to be
updating pretty soon.
Or you can write us at 45Pinewood Street, Jacksonville,
Alabama, 36265.
Or you can write us at 389Dogwood Lane, Jacksonville,
Alabama, 36265.
Ron Meyers (16:10):
That's amazing.
And it made me think that theremight be somebody out there now
that just wants to send a cardor some encouragement to some of
the folks that are there.
And I'm sure you would love tohave things like that, right?
Amen.
Well, that's that'd bewonderful.
Hey, Scotty, tell us about yourinternational ministry.
You are doing work all over theworld.
Scotty McLeod (16:32):
There's a preacher from Southampton,
England, named Vic Jacobson.
And back in the 80s, when mydad first turned his life
around, Vic was coming to thislittle country church once a
year by the house.
And Daddy was fired up forJesus, you know.
So he started calling Vic longdistance over in England, and
Vic was kind of his mentor.
(16:52):
And anyway, you know, Daddywrote these songs, and Daddy's
songs have played in England,Ukraine, but Vic and Daddy's
friendship blossomed, and Vicran a ministry out of Ukraine in
England called Hope Now.
Well, Vic knows all thesepeople in Ukraine.
So Daddy starts going overthere and sharing and
(17:13):
ministering to the people inUkraine.
And him and Vic started workingtogether.
So when Daddy passed away, Viccalled me, and Vic became my
mentor.
And we've ended up going tovisit Ukraine before the war,
visiting the orphanages there,and now we raise money to send
the families of woundedsoldiers.
And we still have a hand, alittle church here by the house.
(17:36):
They helped build a church inUkraine, Cherkassi, Ukraine.
And we just we just got stuffgoing all over.
Ron Meyers (17:43):
God's hands all in it.
God's on the move.
Scotty, the name of the show isGet the Hell Out of Your Life.
And I want to ask you, how doyou get the hell out of your
life?
Scotty McLeod (17:54):
By surrendering all that you have, all that you
are, and all that you hope to beinto the arms of our loving
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Ron Meyers (18:05):
Amen.
Now, as we conclude ourconversation, would you close us
out in a prayer to thelisteners listening?
Scotty McLeod (18:13):
Yes, sir.
I would.
Lord, thank you for all you'vedone for us.
Thank you for loving us inspite of all we've done.
Thank you for loving us inspite of the sin that's in us,
Lord.
Thank you for loving the hellout of us.
Lord, we thank you, we loveyou, and we praise you.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Ron Meyers (18:36):
Wow.
Stories like that just don'tinspire.
They interrupt you.
They make you stop and think.
Wow, what about me?
And here are some things I wantyou to take away from Scotty's
story.
Number one, you can't outrunGrace.
Scotty didn't clean himself upand then find God.
(18:57):
He hit bottom hard and God wasalready there.
That means your worst momentdoesn't disqualify you.
It might actually be where yourstory begins.
Number two, surrender beatswillpower.
We've been taught try harder,do better, fix yourself up.
But Scotty's life provessomething different.
(19:20):
The breakthrough didn't comewhen he got stronger.
It came when he gave upcontrol.
Surrender isn't losing, it'sfinally winning the right fight.
Number three, legacy lives onthrough action.
His father didn't just talkabout faith, he lived it.
And even in death, whileserving others, that legacy kept
(19:42):
speaking.
Now Scotty is carrying thatforward through broken stone
ministries, our father's arms,men's homes, prison re-entry,
and a free medical clinic.
That's not religion.
That's love in motion.
Number four, one act of lovecan change everything.
(20:03):
The man in the lawnmower shed,don't miss that.
One ride, one opportunity, andone person who cared.
And now a father restored, adaughter reunited, a family
rebuilt.
You never know, my friend, whatis on the other side of one
(20:24):
yes.
And number five, trust is adaily discipline.
Scotty talked about leadingwithout chasing money.
Now that takes faith becausefear will always whisper, what
if it doesn't work?
But trust says confidently, Goddidn't bring me this far to
(20:45):
leave me now.
Friends, he will never leaveyou.
And when I return, we'll closeout the show with some
encouragement for the upcomingweek.
Announcer (20:55):
You're listening to Get the Hell Out of Your Life
with your host, Ron Myers.
Real stories, real struggles,and real hope.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Here's a refreshing word from the book of Ephesians,
chapter 5, verse 8.
For you were once darkness, butnow you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light.
Announcer (21:20):
What's your story?
We're looking for stories ofhope and overcoming life's
struggles with God's grace.
Your story validates God'slove, mercy, restoration, and
forgiveness.
We want to help you share yourstory with the world.
Visit our website,thepromoter.org, and click on
the share your story link toyour story.
(21:43):
Your testimony of God's amazinggrace or change a person's
testimony for eternity.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
His name is Willie A.
He's a pretty imperfect guy,but sometimes Changed the oil in
his car on time, he hasn'tgotten around to fix the toaster
his wife asked him to fix twomonths ago.
He even missed church a fewSundays ago to play golf.
An ordinary imperfect guy, thatWillie Ames.
But despite his imperfections,he's got something really going
for him.
The guy loves God a lot.
He loves to study the word, heloves his family, and he loves
(22:19):
to praise the Lord.
Boy, does he love to praise theLord.
It goes to show that God isn'tlooking for perfect people to
follow him.
He just needs people who lovehim with all their heart.
Someone who has a heart for Godis more pleasing to God than
someone who looks squeaky cleanbut has no real passion for God.
The Bible says that love coversa multitude of sins.
(22:40):
So get the love part done.
God can cover all the otherlittle imperfections.
unknown (23:12):
Get the hell out of your life.
Ron Meyers (23:15):
So let me ask you something.
What part of your life are youstill trying to control?
That God is asking you tosurrender?
Because here's the truth, myfriend.
You don't need a coughingmoment to wake up.
You don't have to loseeverything to find your purpose.
You don't have to hit rockbottom to start a brand new
(23:37):
life.
You just have to respond.
Right now, not someday, notwhen it's convenient, right now.
And maybe you're listeningthinking, Ron, I've gone too
far.
No, you haven't.
If Scotty can go from addictionto jail to homelessness to
helping others find freedom,then your story isn't over.
(23:59):
Not even close to being over.
And if this episode spoke toyou, don't keep it to yourself.
Share it with someone who needshope.
Send it to someone who feelsstuck.
Be the reason someone elsehears this message.
Because friends, we're all inthis together, encouraging,
(24:19):
empowering, and inspiring peopleto discover their God ordained
destiny.
And I'll leave you with thiswhat line, what moment, what
truth from today are you goingto pass on?
Let's take a moment and pray.
God, some of us are tired,tired of trying to hold it all
(24:43):
together, tired of carryingthings we were never meant to
carry, tired of pretending we'reokay when we're not.
And maybe for the first time ina long time, we're being
honest.
God, you see every personlistening right now.
You see the one who feels toofar gone, the one who feels
(25:04):
forgotten to the one who's onestep away from giving up.
And I ask you right now, meetthem, not with judgment, not
with shame, but your beautiful,extravagant grace.
Remind them they are notdisqualified, they are not
alone, and they are notfinished.
(25:24):
God, give them the courage tostop trying to fix everything on
their own and the strength tosurrender, not as a last resort,
but as a first step towardsfreedom.
Heal what's broken, restorewhat's been lost, and begin
something new today.
And God, just like Scotty'sstory, take the mess, take the
(25:47):
pain, take the past, and turn itinto purpose.
We trust you even when we don'tunderstand, even when we're
afraid.
And we all say this together.
Amen.
Now, my friend, if that prayermeant something to you, hold on
to it.
Don't walk your life out alone.
(26:08):
Invite Jesus to walk with you.
This is Ron Myers reminding youdon't live on the island of
regrets with villages calledshould've, would've, and
could've.
It's never too late, my friend,for a new beginning.
Why do you think you'relistening today?
Because God is sending you amessage.
(26:30):
I will be back next week withanother grace-filled episode of
Get the Hell Out of Your Life.
Available wherever you listento podcasts.
And remember, I love you.
Jesus loves you.
And when you give Jesus yourheart, you not only get the hell
out of your life, but lifebegins to start making sense.
Announcer (27:04):
Today's show was produced by Ron Myers
Ministries, a listener-supportedministry.
For a copy of today'sbroadcast, please visit our
website, thepromoter.org.
And would you prayerfullyconsider making a tax-deductible
donation so that we maycontinue to share stories of
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(27:26):
Hell Out of Your Life.
Real people, sharing realstruggles, and offering real
hope.
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It's time now to get the How 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 fullconfidence and renewed hope.
Now let's join our host, RonMyers, the promoter.
Ron Meyers (00:22):
What does it take to wake someone up?
Is it painful, lost, rockbottom?
Or does it take something soreal, so undeniable that you can
never go back to who you usedto be?
Because today you're going tohear a story that crosses that
line.
Hello, my friends.
It is so good to be with youtoday.
My name is Ron Myers, and thisis Get the Hell Out of Your
(00:44):
Life, where we share realstories, real struggles, and
real hope.
And my goal is simple toencourage, inspire, and empower
you, and maybe, just maybe, helpyou take one step closer to the
life God created you to live.
And this show is for you.
This show is for the one whodoesn't go to church, the one
(01:04):
who's been hurt by church, andthe one who thinks God might be
done with you.
Let me tell you something, myfriend.
God is never finished with anyof us.
And today I need you to lean inand pay attention to this
story.
Because what if I told you aman sat up in a coffin and
(01:25):
started talking about heaven?
Yeah, you heard that right.
But this isn't about a moment.
This is about a life, a lifethat went from childhood faith
to drugs, to jail, tohomelessness, and somewhere and
all that chaos, God didn't justshow up.
He rescued him, not throughwillpower, not through trying
(01:46):
harder, not through religion,but through one word, surrender.
And today's guest, ScottieMcLeod, is living proof that no
matter how far you've gone,you're never too far gone.
Let me repeat that.
You are never too far gone.
So wherever you are right now,I don't believe you're here by
(02:09):
accident.
I believe this moment is foryou.
It's rigged, my friend.
So let's get into it.
Scotty, take us back.
How does a life go from faithto brokenness and somehow back
again?
Scotty McLeod (02:22):
When I was ten years old, I was I gave my heart
and life to Jesus.
I was young, then I got alittle bit older, and I got off
the path.
So I come from a long line ofpreachers.
Actually, what they were allSouthern Baptists, and until my
dad, which he was a SouthernBaptist too, but he kind of went
(02:43):
off in a little bit of adifferent direction.
But there and I I got into theworld, I got to doing drugs,
drinking, and at one time Iended up homeless, and I was on
bottom, and there was hell in mylife.
And that hell just kept pilingup and piling up and piling up
until finally I gave up andsurrendered.
(03:03):
And when I did, it was thegreatest thing could have
possibly happened.
So my dad had started aministry.
The name of the ministry is uhBroken Stone Ministries.
And there's been a lot ofshootoffs from that.
And one of those is called OurFather's Arms.
And we have two homes for men,and we have a free medical
clinic located in Jacksonville,Alabama.
(03:25):
And my dad was building allthis up, ended up with a music
hall, had Christian martists onthere.
It's called Duggar MountainMusic Hall.
It played public television andactually, I think, 80 stations
across the world.
And it's just been one thingafter another how God has
blessed this and kept it allgoing.
So in the back of my mind, evenwhen I was living wild and in
(03:49):
my sin, I knew God had a plan.
So I found out my dad had ananeurysm, and they said it was
inoperable.
So I started going to churchwith him, and then God just
started working on me a littlebit at a time.
And when I'd go to familydinner, I'd say I'd say
something about Jesus, and I'dsee Daddy turn and look at me.
See, Daddy knew he was about topass.
(04:11):
And I had told myself that I hecould have had this for years,
you know.
But Daddy knew better thanthat.
And he comes to my house and hebrings me his Bible and my
granddad's Bible.
And I thought, well, that'scool, you know.
And then he leaves.
And within a week, he had astroke and passed preaching a
graveside service.
(04:32):
He went down right there besidethe grave while he was
consoling the family.
And uh and I was thinking, wow,that's amazing, you know, that
that God would allow him to goserving.
And I was sitting, it was hardon me.
You know, the first week or twoI was in a fog, and then it
dawned on me that Daddy had toldme 15 years before that, that
(04:54):
when he passed, a friend of hisin Tennessee had some stuff for
me.
So I got in touch with a friendin Tennessee and I drove up
there and and the friend gave mea a bunch of teaching tapes,
teaching CDs and tapes, and hegave me a DVD.
And I wasn't sure what the DVDwas, but when I got back, I put
it in the DVD player.
(05:15):
And there's a little funeralhome close to here.
It's called K.
L.
Brown's funeral home.
And Daddy would always preachfunerals for people that didn't
have money.
They could always call Daddyand he would come in there and
do it.
So all of a sudden the cameracomes in the front door at K.L.
Brown, and there's this musicplaying like funeral music.
The camera comes in and it goesto the coffin, and a preacher
(05:38):
in a suit opens the coffin, andthen Daddy sits up in the coffin
and starts talking about howawesome it is to be in heaven.
unknown (05:47):
Wow.
Ron Meyers (05:51):
Well, I bet you did I bet you did a little two-step.
You all you see that on the TVDean, you see your dad pop up
out of a coffin.
Scotty McLeod (06:00):
I did it at first.
I started crying, and then Istarted uh shouting, you know,
and uh we ended up playing thatat his celebration of life.
And when they first opened, itwas during COVID, but there was
a lot of people there.
And when the coffin firstopened, everybody went, oh.
But then when he smiled andstarted talking about heaven,
everybody started cheering.
(06:21):
And it was amazing.
Ron Meyers (06:22):
And I know he hadn't gone too far.
What did he tell the audienceabout heaven?
Scotty McLeod (06:27):
As always, we try to keep our focus completely on
Jesus.
He just started talking abouthow great it is, we'll see
everybody again.
And he had a song calledChristians Never Say Goodbye,
just so long for a little while.
And he was quoting that songand just talking about the love
of Jesus.
And you know, 1 Corinthians 13,8 tells us love never fails.
(06:52):
And that's just the motto helived by, and that's the motto
we're living by.
Amen.
Now, sometimes sometimes Ithink he's still here with us.
You know, I started going tothe juvenile detention center
close to here and playing andsinging songs for the kids down
there.
And Daddy had gone down thereand done it years ago, and they
called us in at Christmas, andthey were gonna give us this
(07:14):
little award and certificate,you know.
And it was all the daytime I goat night, and all the daytime
people were the ones giving outthe certificates.
So I'm sitting there andthey're calling people up and
they're asking their name.
You know, they're calling thename out, and the person goes up
and gets their award, and theycall my dad's name out, and I
look at my friend, and my friendlooks at me, and they call
(07:35):
daddy's name out again, and I goget his awards.
You know, it's those little Godwinks.
You know, God talks to you, andif you're looking, you can hear
it.
Ron Meyers (07:44):
He sure does.
So you've picked up the mantleof his legacy of in my father's
arms, your ministry.
So you're running the show now,right?
Scotty McLeod (07:54):
I'm one of them.
My uh mother and my cousin,there's several of us that work
with the ministry, and you know,through the years there's been
a constant flow of healthycommunity coming through to work
with the guys, the guys whohave either been in prison or on
drugs or on the streets.
And God just keeps sending theright people at the right time,
and and it's just amazing towatch what he does.
(08:16):
You know, we've never had afundraiser or asked for money at
all.
Wow.
And God's just kept supplyingthe money and the funds to keep
it going.
And he can close it downanytime he wants to.
You know, we're not it's notlike we're out trying to make
money or anything like that.
Matter of fact, we're all mostof us are volunteers, but he
just keeps supplying the funds.
(08:38):
You know, when I first tookover the part I'm taking I took
over, I was praying to God and Iwas thinking, Lord, do you want
to keep it going without daddyhere?
And I was nervous and I wasfearful, and that fear will
it'll completely mess you up.
So the first thing God did, Iasked him for a sign.
And the first thing he did washe almost immediately pulled
(09:01):
some resources from us.
And I was thinking, Lord, I doyou want to shut it down?
But in my heart I knew hedidn't.
And then I went and played andsang up in Tennessee at a
retreat.
And when I got back from theretreat, there was enough money
to keep it going for a few moremonths.
So it was just God put it onsomebody's heart, and there it
was.
Ron Meyers (09:20):
Wow.
God's never late and he's neverearly, but he's always on time,
isn't he?
Scotty McLeod (09:24):
That's right.
It's it's an uncomfortablepiece, you know.
You you gotta trust him.
And if you trust him, you canwalk in peace and joy.
But if you're trusting inyourself, it's never gonna work.
Ron Meyers (09:35):
Well, Scotty, it is obvious.
Your love, the calling on yourlife to love the hell out of
other people, it is contagious.
Right now, we have a lot ofstruggling people in this world,
don't we?
Scotty McLeod (09:50):
It's amazing how many there are.
You know, used to back in the90s when we first started the
men's homes, you know, there waspeople that had problems and
there were people that werestruggling, but now it has
touched every family.
Like every family you talk to,there has been a member of that
family that has suffered onaccount of drugs or, you know,
(10:12):
different reasons.
And God came and he said, Hey,you know, I'll bless you even
despite what you've been throughor whatever you've done.
It does not matter.
I love you and I came to make away for you.
And man, when somebody gets agrasp of that, how much Jesus
loves them, it turns everythingaround.
Ron Meyers (10:31):
And I'm sure you've seen so many stories and and
people's lives change.
Can you give an example ofmaybe one of your favorite I
know they're all your favorite,but is there one that really
stands out of somebody that justwent from a lot of hell in
their life to, you know,whatever?
Scotty McLeod (10:48):
Yes, sir.
I'll tell you, back, you know,in in the very beginning, I was
telling myself, you know, well,maybe God doesn't want me to do
this.
You know how the enemy willsend out.
And a fellow walked up to myhouse on foot, and he was
yellow.
And I had met him years before,twenty-five years before, and
he was, you know, a stocky guy.
(11:09):
And he was shriveled up tonothing.
He was yellow, his eyes wereyellow, he was jaundice.
And he asked me for a ride, andI gave him a ride, and I went
home and I was praying about it.
And I felt like God was tellingme that I was gonna see this
fella again.
So I was coming home away I donot usually come home, maybe a
month later.
(11:29):
And I come around the curve,and there's there's that guy
standing on the side of theroad.
And I stopped and I said, Areyou doing okay, man?
And he said, No.
And I said, Do you need a ride?
And he said, I do.
And he got in the car and Istarted taking him to town,
wherever it was, he told me hewanted to go.
And I asked him, I said,Friend, have you ever decided to
(11:51):
try to get help?
Or have you ever wanted to gethelp?
And he started crying and hesaid, If I only had a chance.
And I said, Well, God can giveyou a chance.
Would you consider coming andstaying with us at our father's
arms?
And he teared up and he said,Please.
And I took him back to thelawnmower shed he had been
living in.
The lawnmower shed didn't havepower.
(12:11):
There was just a bunch of junkin there.
We got what little bitty had.
We took him out to our father'sarms.
He was telling me about how hiskids told him, told him they
didn't want anything to do withhim anymore.
Come to find out, my wife hadtaught his daughter in Sunday
school and newer.
So this is amazing.
This is amazing.
(12:32):
So I go to the house one dayand I say, Hey man, you want to
go ride with me to my house?
And he was like, sure.
But what I didn't tell him wasthat his daughter knew how good
he'd been doing and how he'd putsome weight back on and his
color had come back.
And we were riding back to myhouse, and I seen her van, his
daughter's van sitting at thehouse.
(12:53):
My wife had lined it up whereshe was at our house and she was
waiting on him to come and seeher.
But I didn't tell him that whatwas about to happen.
So we get to the house, I got asplit level house.
He walks up the stairs, theysee each other, and they run and
hug each other and startcrying.
That's been over two years ago,and they're on the phone 30
(13:15):
minutes to an hour every day.
Wow.
I mean, that's what God does.
He restores families.
Ron Meyers (13:20):
You know, I just get goosebumps when you say that
story.
You know, obviously you are theman to take over what your
father has done.
You have a love and a passionthat I can just hear it in your
voice, Scotty.
And somebody right now islistening and can relate to the
story you just told, but theyhave no hope.
(13:40):
They don't think it can everhappen to them.
Would you give that listenersome hope right now?
Scotty McLeod (13:45):
God is bigger than.
God is bigger than the bigbang.
He's bigger than the big bomb,he's bigger than all our
problems.
God is bigger than.
And you just gotta let him loveyou.
Get yourself out of the way.
It never was about us anyway.
It's about him.
And when we surrender ourkingdom over to him and we start
(14:09):
living in his kingdom, then hestarts speaking to us, and our
life starts transforming, and webecome a light to other people.
We're no longer in darkness,and he just loves us.
Ron Meyers (14:20):
He loves the hell out of us.
He sure does, he sure does,Scotty.
And while you are, I am excitedabout your ministry.
I'm excited that I have thepleasure, the honor to talk to
someone like you that is in thetrenches and you've learned from
a legacy of grandfathers,fathers, and your mom, and all
these people around you, and youjust love the hell out of
(14:43):
people.
And isn't that all Jesus wantsus to do?
Because if was it, love bringsa person to repentance?
It's the love that draws peopleto Christ.
Scotty McLeod (14:53):
Yes, sir.
And uh actually, you know, yougot to be attitudes.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,blessed are the poor, blessed
are those when they mourn.
And that it turns everythingthe world thinks upside down.
So God uses the bad, he takesthe cross and he makes makes it
a plus.
He takes a minus and he makesit a plus.
When bad things happen to us,if they bring us back to God,
(15:17):
then they're the greatest thingthat ever could have happened to
us.
I I never I never would havemade it.
Like I had to go through allthat.
The drugs, the jail, you know,I had to go through that to be
able to get to a point to whereI was willing to surrender to
God.
Those bad things can can begood.
(15:37):
He uses them for the good.
Romans 8 28.
Ron Meyers (15:40):
Yeah, he sure does.
For the listeners out there,tell them how they could find
some information about ourfather's arms.
Scotty McLeod (15:48):
Our father's arms is in Jacksonville, Alabama.
We're on Facebook.
We're actually, we have awebsite that we're going to be
updating pretty soon.
Or you can write us at 45Pinewood Street, Jacksonville,
Alabama, 36265.
Or you can write us at 389Dogwood Lane, Jacksonville,
Alabama, 36265.
Ron Meyers (16:10):
That's amazing.
And it made me think that theremight be somebody out there now
that just wants to send a cardor some encouragement to some of
the folks that are there.
And I'm sure you would love tohave things like that, right?
Amen.
Well, that's that'd bewonderful.
Hey, Scotty, tell us about yourinternational ministry.
You are doing work all over theworld.
Scotty McLeod (16:32):
There's a preacher from Southampton,
England, named Vic Jacobson.
And back in the 80s, when mydad first turned his life
around, Vic was coming to thislittle country church once a
year by the house.
And Daddy was fired up forJesus, you know.
So he started calling Vic longdistance over in England, and
Vic was kind of his mentor.
(16:52):
And anyway, you know, Daddywrote these songs, and Daddy's
songs have played in England,Ukraine, but Vic and Daddy's
friendship blossomed, and Vicran a ministry out of Ukraine in
England called Hope Now.
Well, Vic knows all thesepeople in Ukraine.
So Daddy starts going overthere and sharing and
(17:13):
ministering to the people inUkraine.
And him and Vic started workingtogether.
So when Daddy passed away, Viccalled me, and Vic became my
mentor.
And we've ended up going tovisit Ukraine before the war,
visiting the orphanages there,and now we raise money to send
the families of woundedsoldiers.
And we still have a hand, alittle church here by the house.
(17:36):
They helped build a church inUkraine, Cherkassi, Ukraine.
And we just we just got stuffgoing all over.
Ron Meyers (17:43):
God's hands all in it.
God's on the move.
Scotty, the name of the show isGet the Hell Out of Your Life.
And I want to ask you, how doyou get the hell out of your
life?
Scotty McLeod (17:54):
By surrendering all that you have, all that you
are, and all that you hope to beinto the arms of our loving
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Ron Meyers (18:05):
Amen.
Now, as we conclude ourconversation, would you close us
out in a prayer to thelisteners listening?
Scotty McLeod (18:13):
Yes, sir.
I would.
Lord, thank you for all you'vedone for us.
Thank you for loving us inspite of all we've done.
Thank you for loving us inspite of the sin that's in us,
Lord.
Thank you for loving the hellout of us.
Lord, we thank you, we loveyou, and we praise you.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Ron Meyers (18:36):
Wow.
Stories like that just don'tinspire.
They interrupt you.
They make you stop and think.
Wow, what about me?
And here are some things I wantyou to take away from Scotty's
story.
Number one, you can't outrunGrace.
Scotty didn't clean himself upand then find God.
(18:57):
He hit bottom hard and God wasalready there.
That means your worst momentdoesn't disqualify you.
It might actually be where yourstory begins.
Number two, surrender beatswillpower.
We've been taught try harder,do better, fix yourself up.
But Scotty's life provessomething different.
(19:20):
The breakthrough didn't comewhen he got stronger.
It came when he gave upcontrol.
Surrender isn't losing, it'sfinally winning the right fight.
Number three, legacy lives onthrough action.
His father didn't just talkabout faith, he lived it.
And even in death, whileserving others, that legacy kept
(19:42):
speaking.
Now Scotty is carrying thatforward through broken stone
ministries, our father's arms,men's homes, prison re-entry,
and a free medical clinic.
That's not religion.
That's love in motion.
Number four, one act of lovecan change everything.
(20:03):
The man in the lawnmower shed,don't miss that.
One ride, one opportunity, andone person who cared.
And now a father restored, adaughter reunited, a family
rebuilt.
You never know, my friend, whatis on the other side of one
(20:24):
yes.
And number five, trust is adaily discipline.
Scotty talked about leadingwithout chasing money.
Now that takes faith becausefear will always whisper, what
if it doesn't work?
But trust says confidently, Goddidn't bring me this far to
(20:45):
leave me now.
Friends, he will never leaveyou.
And when I return, we'll closeout the show with some
encouragement for the upcomingweek.
Announcer (20:55):
You're listening to Get the Hell Out of Your Life
with your host, Ron Myers.
Real stories, real struggles,and real hope.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Here's a refreshing word from the book of Ephesians,
chapter 5, verse 8.
For you were once darkness, butnow you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light.
Announcer (21:20):
What's your story?
We're looking for stories ofhope and overcoming life's
struggles with God's grace.
Your story validates God'slove, mercy, restoration, and
forgiveness.
We want to help you share yourstory with the world.
Visit our website,thepromoter.org, and click on
the share your story link toyour story.
(21:43):
Your testimony of God's amazinggrace or change a person's
testimony for eternity.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
His name is Willie A.
He's a pretty imperfect guy,but sometimes Changed the oil in
his car on time, he hasn'tgotten around to fix the toaster
his wife asked him to fix twomonths ago.
He even missed church a fewSundays ago to play golf.
An ordinary imperfect guy, thatWillie Ames.
But despite his imperfections,he's got something really going
for him.
The guy loves God a lot.
He loves to study the word, heloves his family, and he loves
(22:19):
to praise the Lord.
Boy, does he love to praise theLord.
It goes to show that God isn'tlooking for perfect people to
follow him.
He just needs people who lovehim with all their heart.
Someone who has a heart for Godis more pleasing to God than
someone who looks squeaky cleanbut has no real passion for God.
The Bible says that love coversa multitude of sins.
(22:40):
So get the love part done.
God can cover all the otherlittle imperfections.
unknown (23:12):
Get the hell out of your life.
Ron Meyers (23:15):
So let me ask you something.
What part of your life are youstill trying to control?
That God is asking you tosurrender?
Because here's the truth, myfriend.
You don't need a coughingmoment to wake up.
You don't have to loseeverything to find your purpose.
You don't have to hit rockbottom to start a brand new
(23:37):
life.
You just have to respond.
Right now, not someday, notwhen it's convenient, right now.
And maybe you're listeningthinking, Ron, I've gone too
far.
No, you haven't.
If Scotty can go from addictionto jail to homelessness to
helping others find freedom,then your story isn't over.
(23:59):
Not even close to being over.
And if this episode spoke toyou, don't keep it to yourself.
Share it with someone who needshope.
Send it to someone who feelsstuck.
Be the reason someone elsehears this message.
Because friends, we're all inthis together, encouraging,
(24:19):
empowering, and inspiring peopleto discover their God ordained
destiny.
And I'll leave you with thiswhat line, what moment, what
truth from today are you goingto pass on?
Let's take a moment and pray.
God, some of us are tired,tired of trying to hold it all
(24:43):
together, tired of carryingthings we were never meant to
carry, tired of pretending we'reokay when we're not.
And maybe for the first time ina long time, we're being
honest.
God, you see every personlistening right now.
You see the one who feels toofar gone, the one who feels
(25:04):
forgotten to the one who's onestep away from giving up.
And I ask you right now, meetthem, not with judgment, not
with shame, but your beautiful,extravagant grace.
Remind them they are notdisqualified, they are not
alone, and they are notfinished.
(25:24):
God, give them the courage tostop trying to fix everything on
their own and the strength tosurrender, not as a last resort,
but as a first step towardsfreedom.
Heal what's broken, restorewhat's been lost, and begin
something new today.
And God, just like Scotty'sstory, take the mess, take the
(25:47):
pain, take the past, and turn itinto purpose.
We trust you even when we don'tunderstand, even when we're
afraid.
And we all say this together.
Amen.
Now, my friend, if that prayermeant something to you, hold on
to it.
Don't walk your life out alone.
(26:08):
Invite Jesus to walk with you.
This is Ron Myers reminding youdon't live on the island of
regrets with villages calledshould've, would've, and
could've.
It's never too late, my friend,for a new beginning.
Why do you think you'relistening today?
Because God is sending you amessage.
(26:30):
I will be back next week withanother grace-filled episode of
Get the Hell Out of Your Life.
Available wherever you listento podcasts.
And remember, I love you.
Jesus loves you.
And when you give Jesus yourheart, you not only get the hell
out of your life, but lifebegins to start making sense.
Announcer (27:04):
Today's show was produced by Ron Myers
Ministries, a listener-supportedministry.
For a copy of today'sbroadcast, please visit our
website, thepromoter.org.
And would you prayerfullyconsider making a tax-deductible
donation so that we maycontinue to share stories of
God's amazing grace with theworld?
And join us next week foranother broadcast of Get the
(27:26):
Hell Out of Your Life.
Real people, sharing realstruggles, and offering real
hope.
Speaker (27:32):
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
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And now you can access CoffeeNews anytime, anywhere by
(27:53):
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