In this episode James shares how the amazing hand of God was working in his life to do miracles he never imagined. James' story has turned out so different than the story of so many others who've gone to prison...and Jesus gets all the glory!
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James (00:00):
I had to better myself because if I survived this
(00:03):
prison sentence and I got out, Icouldn't come out the same
person that I went in.
I couldn't because where wasthat leading?
Where was all that gonna go?
Even though I'd quit the drugs,even though I'd quit all that,
but I hadn't quit thewomanizing, I hadn't quit the
abusive, I hadn't quit all theother stuff.
Phil Shuler (00:18):
HellO, and welcome to Renew, Restore, Rejoice, the
Safe House Ministries podcast,where we share stories of the
power of God to change livesthrough Safe House Ministries.
Safe House Ministries is basedout of Columbus, Georgia, and we
are a ministry that exists tolove and serve people who have
been affected by addiction,homelessness, and incarceration.
I'm your host, Phil Shuler, theDirector of Development for Safe
(00:40):
House Ministries here inColumbus, Georgia.
Safe House serves over 1, 100people each month as they
transition back into ourcommunity.
Safe House provides an abundanceof services including 213 beds
for homeless individuals andfamilies, case management for
obtaining job skills and longterm employment.
Over 300 hot meals every day,free clothing, and so much more.
(01:01):
One of the most incredibleservices that Safe House
provides is our free 9 12 monthintensive outpatient substance
abuse program, which is statelicensed, CARF accredited, and
has no wait list.
Almost 100 percent ofindividuals staying in our
shelters who follow our threephase program become fully
employed within a few months.
And 68 percent of individualswho stay at least one night with
(01:22):
us End up finding work andmoving into their own home.
Thank you for being with ustoday and listening to our
podcast.
We hope you enjoy this week'sepisode.
James (01:31):
Wednesday after that, my life ended as I knew it.
Oh, wow long story short, April2nd, they arrested me for a sex
offense.
Something that was from back
No, something that she alleged happened.
Between me and her.
Okay.
And, when I went to trial, Iwound up getting a hundred and
(01:51):
forty years.
Wow.
That's what the judge sentencedme to serve.
A hundred and forty years.
Wow.
To serve.
That's a lot.
That must have been a seriouscharge,
it was.
Very serious.
But 22 years and 22 days later.
Wow.
I got out.
Or I was going to get out.
I didn't have nowhere to go.
(02:11):
I'd been banished from thecounty that I'm from.
That's where all my familylived.
So I had nowhere I could go.
When you were getting out?
Come time for me to get out.
They're like, we need anaddress.
So from the time that you wentin, Twenty two years and eight
months, you said?
Twenty two years, twenty two days.
Wow.
What, when that first happened,how did that shake you?
(02:35):
Did that was it something thatwas a possibility of sending you
back into the darkness?
Or was it something that, thatyou just, you knew you was wrong
and you wanted to, you just, Idon't know, like, how did that
hit you and What did you do fromthat?
And then, I don't know how, I'msure it was a long court
proceedings time, but then beingin prison what did that do to
(02:59):
you?
It almost destroyed me.
It almost completely destroyedme.
But, I wasn't like your averageindividual in prison.
I took advantage of everyopportunity and everything the
state of Georgia had to offer, Itook.
You had a, something inside youthat you wanted to do better and
have a better life and so ifthere was resources offered you
(03:23):
were going to take advantage ofit.
Exactly.
I even took classes that didn'teven apply to me.
I took them just so I could havethem.
Yeah.
To grow and
to build your knowledge base.
Exactly.
Knowledge.
I love knowledge.
Now, I love knowledge, but whileI was in prison, like I said, I
took advantage of everythingthey had to offer.
Like I said, I got locked up.
April 2nd, 2019, I was inprison, I took every class.
(03:49):
They said, this class don'tapply to you.
Is there a reason why I can'tgo?
No.
Then sign me up.
Then sign me up.
But in that time, I got myelectrician certification with
mobile construction and in thattime, remember I told you I got
thrown out of school.
I studied for my GED with avengeance.
(04:12):
Wow.
With a vengeance.
When I took my test, when I tookmy pre test, I was one of ten in
the state of Georgia to get aperfect score.
On science and social studies.
Wow.
I passed my You had a
serious commitment anddedication to being better.
(04:32):
I had to better myself because if I survived this
prison sentence and I got out, Icouldn't come out the same
person that I went in.
I couldn't because where wasthat leading?
Where was all that gonna go?
Even though I'd quit the drugs,even though I'd quit all that,
but I hadn't quit thewomanizing, I hadn't quit the
abusive, I hadn't quit all theother stuff.
But I took a course.
(04:52):
Corrective thinking.
Miss Vickers.
Phil (04:54):
Oh.
James (04:55):
That class, if you've never took that class, and
you've never heard about it,take it.
It's a long class, but it's aneye opener.
Wow.
And you learn about the rippleeffect.
The ripple effect.
You may not realize, justbecause you hurt that
individual, you didn't just hurtthat individual, you hurt
everybody that loves thatindividual.
Not only did you hurt thatindividual, you hurt yourself
(05:17):
and everybody that cares aboutyou everybody's hurt somewhere
along the way.
You may think it's an isolatedincident.
It's not.
Nowhere close is it an isolatedincident.
That's true.
But I got all the knowledge Icould.
I made sure that when I comeout, when and if I did get out,
I wasn't going to be the sameperson.
I was not going to be the sameperson that I went in.
(05:39):
Wow.
Now what's Was that a gift fromthe Lord that he put inside you,
that desire?
People come to me, believe it or not, when I was in
prison, people come to me andthey would ask me, Do you want?
Do you want?
Oh, of course I want.
This guy come to me, and he wasa real nice guy, and he said,
Would you like to sign up forour faith based program?
(06:01):
And at first, I was like, nah.
I shunned it, shied away fromit, because their dorm was a
strict dorm.
It was a strict process, astrict program.
And I got to thinking aboutthat's what you need.
You need that more thananything.
So I went back to him and hesaid come to the chaplain's
(06:22):
office and sit down and talk tothe chaplain Neal.
This was
chaplain Neal?
It's another chaplain.
Oh, another chaplain Neal.
What are the odds?
Mr.
Richard.
What are
none (2) (06:31):
the odds?
James (06:32):
Wow.
It is.
But I went up there and I talkedto him and he had a little
reservation about Let me in, Ithink he could see it that, I
was rebellious that I may not bea good fit.
But, needless to say, in theend, he smiled when he handed me
the diploma when I graduatedfrom the face to face program.
He patted me on the back, hesaid,
Phil (06:53):
you
James (06:53):
proved me wrong, and he handed me my certificate.
I've still got pictures of that,as a matter of fact.
But
And was that kind of your firstintroduction to who Jesus was,
or was that?
I had been in church in my younger days when my
grandparents, my papaespecially, but I had never
grasped it.
I had never, like I said, Ihadn't had that aha moment.
(07:15):
I was young.
Yeah.
Some people realize, that's thework of God right there.
You didn't do none of that.
You can't take credit for noneof that.
You don't realize that at thatyoung age.
Phil (07:27):
Yeah.
James (07:27):
But, as I got older, and like I said, when I was in the
program, I got to thinking abouthow many times he stepped in,
and saved me, and I pushed hishand away.
Not real, not literally, butwhen I thought about it.
mixed (07:43):
Yeah.
James (07:44):
How many times he reached out to me, and I pushed his hand
away.
How many times were the drugs?
mixed (07:50):
Yeah.
James (07:51):
He saved my life.
mixed (07:52):
Yeah.
James (07:52):
He literally saved my life.
And he gave me another chance.
But I pushed his hand away.
I started to womanize him.
I let something else in.
Instead of cleaning it, keepingit clean, I let something else
in I pushed his hand away.
Phil (08:05):
Wow.
James (08:06):
But when I finished that course, actually before I even
finished the course, I knew thenwhat I had to do.
I had to just let it go.
I had to let You wanna You don'tthink God's got a sense of
humor?
Tell him your plan.
Tell him your plan.
You'll hear him laugh then.
But I know what I had to let myplan go.
(08:29):
I had to let my plan go and giveit to God.
Once I did that, everythingchanged.
Everything changed.
You surrendered.
I surrendered.
They called me, and this wasbefore I knew I was getting out.
I thought I really, I wouldn'texpect to ever get out.
And one day they called me, theysaid Sanders, we need an
address.
And I'm like, for what?
(08:50):
They said, you're going homewhat?
When am I going home?
Ain't nobody told me nothing.
I ain't been to no parolehearing, ain't been to none of
that.
End of.
They said we need an address onhim.
So I went to my counselor, and Iwas in the dog program then,
training second chancegreyhounds.
Really?
Yeah.
You really did take advantage ofeverything.
Everything.
I'm telling you, if you offeredit, and I've stood benefit from
(09:13):
it, Oh, I've got to have it.
I've got to have it.
If I'm going to gain knowledgefrom it, and I'm going to get
some kind of what do you callit?
Love from it.
And dogs.
Oh my God.
I love dogs.
I love dogs, but I come out ofthe counselor's office and I was
bad because I didn't havenowhere to go.
I was banished from the countythat I'm from.
That's where all my familylives.
(09:34):
So I couldn't go there.
I couldn't go to no otherhalfway house, no diversion
center, none of that.
I didn't have nowhere to go.
So I come out of the office andI had my head down and the lady
over the dog program, she said,Sanders, what's wrong with you?
So I told her.
She said, hang on just a minute.
She said, come to my office in30 minutes.
And she walked out to thecontrol tower and she told the
(09:54):
guard, she said, send Jack, sendSanders to my office in 30
minutes.
Exactly 30 minutes.
30 minutes rolled around andthey said, Sanders, you need to
go to the office.
So I go up out of the office,she said, and you know who's had
on the phone
none (2) (10:08):
mike?
Mike.
Ha.
James (10:11):
She had Mike on the phone.
none (2) (10:13):
Good ol Mike.
James (10:14):
Good ol Mike, saving grace.
He was my saving grace.
But she had Mike on the phoneand Mike said Yeah, he said I
got a bed for him.
Send him on.
Phil (10:22):
Wow.
James (10:23):
And I was like, You gotta be kidding me.
I'm going home.
Wow.
You've got to be kidding me.
This is after 22 years and 22days.
Wow.
And that was when he was running
the Beacon House.
Beacon House, here in Columbus.
He said, send him, I got a bed for him.
She calls down there, her nameis Ms.
Coleman.
She calls down there and tellsmy counselor, he's got a bed,
give her the address, give herall that.
She says, okay, you're goinghome Friday.
(10:43):
Wow.
And that
is amazing.
Just seemingly out of nowhere.
Nowhere.
We know where it was from.
It was from the Lord.
Yeah.
But just so unexpected and
He said, my prodigal son, I'm going to give you one more
chance, one more chance.
That's
a miracle.
Just wow.
That God was working behind thescenes again.
(11:05):
That's just amazing.
Again.
It reminds me of how Jonah'srebellion against the Lord and
running away.
And God knew that it was goingto come to Jonah getting thrown
in the ocean, and God hadalready been preparing a fish to
be ready to come, because itwouldn't take him long and he'd
drown.
And God had worked it behind thescenes to get that fish ready.
Exactly.
(11:26):
Sounds like what he was doing,working behind the scenes, and
you had no idea that he wasgoing to save you and bring you
out and
Mike was my fish.
Wow.
A big fish.
Oh man, I can see thecorrelation.
But, I just I didn't, I was in awe.
I was in awe that, who is Mikeand who is anybody?
They don't know me.
They don't, why would he giveanybody give me a chance?
The person I used to be, whywould anybody, and God's like my
(11:50):
prodigal son, I give you onemore chance, one more chance,
777.
He said, you've used up quite afew of them.
Phil (11:56):
God is so good.
James (11:57):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Blessed beyond all measure.
But.
I think it was a Wednesdaymorning and they said Sander,
let's go.
And I'm still not believing it.
I'm not believing it.
You're just in shock.
I'm thinking cause it's April, April, I think, I'm gonna
get to the gate and I'm goinglike, April's fro, carry
yourself back in there and sitdown, but they get me out there,
(12:18):
they put me on the van, carry meto the bus station to get on the
bus.
Take the bus to Columbus.
Ain't never been to Columbusbefore.
Ain't never been even close tohere.
I have no crew, no clue who MikeKrug is.
I have no clue who the ColumbusBaptist Association brother Don
will, Jim Black don't know whoany of them people.
But on my lens, they turned outto be Wow.
(12:39):
They turned out to be some ofthe best things that's ever
happened to me.
But I got on the bus, sitting atthe bus station, and a lot of
people don't believe me when Itell them this, but I believe
there's angels that walk amongus.
And a lot of people don'tbelieve me when I tell them what
happened.
But I was sitting at the busstation, and I couldn't get a
hold of Mike because thecounselor had given me the
number to his fax machine.
(13:01):
Oh no.
So every time we tried to callit, it went to the fax machine.
So I'm stuck at the bus stationand I have no idea where the
Beacon House is or what theBeacon House even is and
everybody asks about it.
Nobody knows.
Even the bus station manager, hehad tried.
I'm just sitting there and hereI am, I'm fixing to give up on
(13:21):
everything and just take off,I'm out.
Oh no, that could have been bad.
It
could have been very bad.
Very bad.
All of a sudden, the door flungopen.
And guess who was standingthere?
Mike.
none (2) (13:35):
At the bus stop.
James (13:36):
He come to the bus station and he pulled the door
and he said, Are you looking forme?
And I turned around.
And what I saw when I looked atMike, on everything, there was a
halo above his head.
Wow.
Mike was, I don't want him tohear
(13:56):
that.
Yeah.
I don't know.
It might not be good for me.
I don't know if he should hearthat.
Yeah.
But Mike is an angel among us.
You know what the people believeabout him.
I don't know.
I'll see Mike this afternoon.
I'm not sure how that'llresonate with the leadership
team.
But like I said Mike, when I got to the Beacon house,
(14:19):
He told me, he said, it's theend of the month, money's tight
don't have nothing.
All we got is 25 in the budget.
I was just glad to be out.
I was just glad to sleepsomewhere that I wasn't
confined.
Phil (14:30):
Wow.
James (14:31):
But to make a long story short, about a week at the
Beacon House, like I said, Mikewas hard at first.
He was really hard on us.
mixed (14:39):
Yeah.
James (14:40):
And he was real strict.
It wasn't that he was hard, hewas just by the book kind of
guy.
Yeah.
He had rules he had to adhereto.
And all that because of theBeacon House.
But He came around.
After a while, he came
around.
He softened up a little bit.
Yeah,
he softened up a lot.
A lot?
Alright,
did you have something to dowith that?
Or was that just the Lord'sdoing?
All of the above.
(15:01):
I thank God worked through me totry to get that little stiffness
out of him.
But, I took advantage ofeverything that the Beacon
House, the Columbus Association,just like when I was in prison.
Yeah.
You offered it, and I'm gonnabenefit from it.
Yeah.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna takeadvantage of it.
So they helped you with justmaybe getting a job and
everything.
Worked on everything.
Okay.
Everything.
(15:22):
If it wasn't for them three menin the Columbus Baptist
Association, I wouldn't be hereright now.
Wow.
I wouldn't be here right now.
Wow.
Wow.
But.
Mike gave me my first job, likeI said, working with IMG.
Yeah.
Wasn't making minimum wage.
7.
25 an hour then.
It wasn't but about three weeks,I jumped up to 10 an hour
(15:44):
because I was giving it my all,my 100%.
I'm gonna make it or it's gonnakill me, one or the other.
I'm gonna take advantage of thisopportunity.
I'm not gonna let the peopledown that helped me and I'm not
gonna let him down again.
That is that is another truth.
In illustration that you'vegiven this just the fact that
you really stood out it soundslike from the other workers and
(16:05):
just your diligence yourdedication giving it your best
and That's noticed.
I mean I've managed people andthere's a difference when
someone You can tell they'regiving their all, and you can
tell when they're not.
Yeah, you've got to.
You've got to.
If you want something, you'regoing to get out of it what you
put in it.
(16:25):
That's
great.
That's great.
Wow.
Praise the Lord.
So that bump up to 10 an hour inabout three weeks.
And then what, so things kepton, keep
going.
It just kept going.
It just kept getting better.
And I kept thinking back onthat.
One more now.
One more.
Don't mess this one up.
Wow.
I'm going to open this door foryou, don't mess this one up.
(16:45):
Wow.
Like I said, I went from makingminimum wage, 7.
25 to three weeks, making 10 anhour.
Now what?
I'm saving every dime I can.
That's good.
Mike actually walked into my room and was like, James, you
can't have this kind of moneylaying around.
You can't do, you got to open abank account.
I can't be responsible for that.
(17:06):
Ain't nobody going to botherjust laying around there?
And, not bragging or nothing,there's 3, 000 laying there that
I've saved up.
I'm eating bologna sandwiches.
I don't go out and eat.
I don't do nothing.
Everybody's talking about, Oh,I'm going to go here.
I'm going to get me this.
I'm going to do that.
No, I'm not.
I'm going to try to You werereally
thinking ahead and trying to,yeah.
I had to, I had to make the best of this chance that I
was given.
(17:27):
I had to, because like I saidGod had many times opened the
door for me and me and my wayskick it shut.
mixed (17:38):
Yeah.
James (17:38):
I couldn't do it again.
I couldn't do it again.
Wow.
Because a lot of people don'tbelieve me when I tell them
this.
God will smite you.
He will smite you.
People go, oh, he's not, no, hewon't.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
I have I felt the chastening ofthe Lord when I was not in line
where I needed to be.
You will.
It's
no fun.
You will.
You'll look at me and you'll belike, why me?
(17:59):
I'm
thankful that His mercy and Hisgrace Abundantly outweighs his
judgment and wrath a thousandtimes over,
but
it's still there.
It is there.
Like in the end.
That's what hell is.
If you just reject his grace andhis mercy for your whole life
and you don't receive Jesus asyour savior, you have to
experience his wrath.
(18:19):
So how long was it before soyou're at the beacon house.
How long was it before?
You were introduced to SafeHouse Ministries and the Beacon
House became a part of SafeHouse Ministries.
For one, I wanted to give back.
Yeah.
If you do something for me, I'mgoing to be twice for you.
Because I, I've got to, I've gotto pay my tithes.
(18:41):
Even, to me, tithes is not onlyto a church, tithes is to the
ones that help me.
If you help me, I'm going tohelp you.
mixed (18:47):
Yeah.
James (18:48):
If you help me, I'm going to help you twice.
But, Jimmy Blanton, Don Wilhiteand all them, they're associated
with Safe House.
So they're in and out of theBeacon House, so you pretty much
will meet them and but startingpretty much well then, I've got
over 780 hours of volunteerservice for the Safe House
(19:09):
Ministries to date, just to tryto give back.
Because they helped me, I've gotto help them.
But let me tell you, let me tellyou this little story you're
talking about.
The seven minimum wage to theten.
mixed (19:22):
Yeah.
James (19:23):
Remember I told you I got my electrician certification
when I was in prison?
While I was working and I toldMike, I said, Mike, I thank you
and I appreciate this job, butthis is not what I'm about.
I did this in prison so I coulddo this, because I knew the pay
was going to be different.
He said, I understand, Icompletely understand.
(19:44):
He said, this is just to getyou, help you get to where you
need to be.
I went and applied for threedifferent electrical companies.
About a month into it, one ofthem called me.
And they said, is there any wayyou can come in for an
interview?
I was like, yeah, sure, I'llcome in.
And I told Mike, I need to go tothis interview.
And he said, I completelyunderstand.
I completely understand, go tothe interview.
(20:05):
They said can you starttomorrow?
I said, I need to work out a twoweek notice, with a job I'm
working on now.
They said we appreciate yourloyalty and all that, but the
position may not be open.
So I called Mike, talked toMike, he called Mr.
Waller and talked to Mr.
Waller about it and they said,sure, no hard feelings.
Wow.
That was, that's good.
(20:25):
It's good that you were up frontand communicating and it's good
that they showed grace andunderstood that they cared about
you.
It's, that's the reality.
Yeah.
They, it's, they cared aboutyou.
If they didn't care about youthey'd had a different response,
but that's good.
That's encouraging.
But it's all the doors that was open.
And I told you, 725 to 10.
(20:47):
18.
Wow.
Within two months.
Wow.
Within two months.
Just wow.
Excuse me.
Another avenue for ColumbusBaptist Association safe house.
All of it together.
Mike says.
You was in business for yourselfat one point in time, right?
I was like, yeah, but thatwasn't a good time.
(21:07):
That's when I was doing drugs.
I was working more so I couldbuy more drugs, so I could work
more, so I could buy more drugsand all that.
He said we'll help you get yourLLC if you would like to try it
again.
I'm working for Rich Electricthen.
Miss Bessie, she knowed about mypast.
She knew about everything and Iexplained it to her, was honest
with her.
She said, We'll give you achance.
And she's the one that gave memy first electrical job in
(21:29):
Columbus after I got out ofprison.
But Mike and Safe House andColumbus Pipes Associates helped
me get my LLC, my businesslicense, and I started JLS
Superior Interiors.
And started my own business.
Phil (21:44):
Wow.
James (21:45):
So now, I'm an electrician and I'm the owner,
sole owner of JLS SuperiorResidential Interior.
Phil (21:53):
Wow, that's awesome.
So now, and you were still atthe shelter at that time.
Okay, and started your businessup and just.
Continuing to grow and save and
James (22:03):
right.
And then Mike told me one day,he said, look, you got to get
out of here.
We need to free up some spacefor somebody else who needs it.
That's basically what he said.
You're doing good.
Keep on going.
Let's get somebody else in hereto help.
That's exactly what he said.
He said, you can pay rent now.
We, you got to go.
That sounds, that's the plan.
That's the goal.
(22:24):
That is exactly what it was.
Mike said, you exceeded all ofour expectations.
You're good to go.
Bye and it was a blessing.
Like I said, he said that onemore and he just poured it out
and poured it out and poured itout and poured it out on me.
Beyond all measure
And that is the end of part twoof James's story.
James started with 140 yearprison sentence and how amazing
(22:46):
the providence and the workingof God.
That brought that down to only22 and a half years.
And during that time, used histime in prison to rebuild and
remake his life, and the Lordgot a hold of James' heart.
I love how he talks about.
That class that he took when hiseyes were opened and he
(23:06):
realized, just like that story,when the demon was cast out of
the possessed individual in thegospels.
And the Bible describes that theheart was swept clean, but
nothing came in to fill it.
And then even worse, demons camein.
James describes how he came tothe realization in his own life.
(23:28):
That he needed to replace theemptiness with something good,
and I love.
That his relationship with Jesuswas rebuilt and reborn.
Next week he's gonna talk evenmore about his relationship with
Jesus.
He's gonna also talk about hisrelationship with his children,
and he's gonna share somereally, really amazing and
(23:51):
insightful wisdom that will be ahelp to anyone out there who
might be dealing with addiction.
But also a help to anyone outthere who may have some loved
ones or friends that are dealingwith addiction and can learn how
to be a better help to them.
God bless you, and we lookforward to being with you again
next week.
Phil Shuler (24:12):
We look forward to being with you again next week
as we share another testimonyabout the power and the goodness
of God to change lives throughSafe House Ministries.
if you are someone listening tothis podcast that loves to hear
these stories of the greatthings that God is doing in
changing people's lives for thebetter, and if you would like to
be a part of that work, pleasereach out to us You can reach us
(24:35):
at 2101 Hamilton Road, Columbus,Georgia, 31,904.
You can call us at seven oh sixthree two two.
3 7, 7 3, or you can email us atinfo@safehouse-ministries.com.
Microphone (Samson Q2U Mi (24:50):
Thank you so much for being with us
this week for the renew restoreand rejoice podcast of safe
house ministries, we pray thatGod will bless you this week.
And we look forward to havingyou back with us again next week
for a new episode.
I had to better myself because if I survived this
(00:03):
prison sentence and I got out, Icouldn't come out the same
person that I went in.
I couldn't because where wasthat leading?
Where was all that gonna go?
Even though I'd quit the drugs,even though I'd quit all that,
but I hadn't quit thewomanizing, I hadn't quit the
abusive, I hadn't quit all theother stuff.
Phil Shuler (00:18):
HellO, and welcome to Renew, Restore, Rejoice, the
Safe House Ministries podcast,where we share stories of the
power of God to change livesthrough Safe House Ministries.
Safe House Ministries is basedout of Columbus, Georgia, and we
are a ministry that exists tolove and serve people who have
been affected by addiction,homelessness, and incarceration.
I'm your host, Phil Shuler, theDirector of Development for Safe
(00:40):
House Ministries here inColumbus, Georgia.
Safe House serves over 1, 100people each month as they
transition back into ourcommunity.
Safe House provides an abundanceof services including 213 beds
for homeless individuals andfamilies, case management for
obtaining job skills and longterm employment.
Over 300 hot meals every day,free clothing, and so much more.
(01:01):
One of the most incredibleservices that Safe House
provides is our free 9 12 monthintensive outpatient substance
abuse program, which is statelicensed, CARF accredited, and
has no wait list.
Almost 100 percent ofindividuals staying in our
shelters who follow our threephase program become fully
employed within a few months.
And 68 percent of individualswho stay at least one night with
(01:22):
us End up finding work andmoving into their own home.
Thank you for being with ustoday and listening to our
podcast.
We hope you enjoy this week'sepisode.
James (01:31):
Wednesday after that, my life ended as I knew it.
Oh, wow long story short, April2nd, they arrested me for a sex
offense.
Something that was from back
No, something that she alleged happened.
Between me and her.
Okay.
And, when I went to trial, Iwound up getting a hundred and
(01:51):
forty years.
Wow.
That's what the judge sentencedme to serve.
A hundred and forty years.
Wow.
To serve.
That's a lot.
That must have been a seriouscharge,
it was.
Very serious.
But 22 years and 22 days later.
Wow.
I got out.
Or I was going to get out.
I didn't have nowhere to go.
(02:11):
I'd been banished from thecounty that I'm from.
That's where all my familylived.
So I had nowhere I could go.
When you were getting out?
Come time for me to get out.
They're like, we need anaddress.
So from the time that you wentin, Twenty two years and eight
months, you said?
Twenty two years, twenty two days.
Wow.
What, when that first happened,how did that shake you?
(02:35):
Did that was it something thatwas a possibility of sending you
back into the darkness?
Or was it something that, thatyou just, you knew you was wrong
and you wanted to, you just, Idon't know, like, how did that
hit you and What did you do fromthat?
And then, I don't know how, I'msure it was a long court
proceedings time, but then beingin prison what did that do to
(02:59):
you?
It almost destroyed me.
It almost completely destroyedme.
But, I wasn't like your averageindividual in prison.
I took advantage of everyopportunity and everything the
state of Georgia had to offer, Itook.
You had a, something inside youthat you wanted to do better and
have a better life and so ifthere was resources offered you
(03:23):
were going to take advantage ofit.
Exactly.
I even took classes that didn'teven apply to me.
I took them just so I could havethem.
Yeah.
To grow and
to build your knowledge base.
Exactly.
Knowledge.
I love knowledge.
Now, I love knowledge, but whileI was in prison, like I said, I
took advantage of everythingthey had to offer.
Like I said, I got locked up.
April 2nd, 2019, I was inprison, I took every class.
(03:49):
They said, this class don'tapply to you.
Is there a reason why I can'tgo?
No.
Then sign me up.
Then sign me up.
But in that time, I got myelectrician certification with
mobile construction and in thattime, remember I told you I got
thrown out of school.
I studied for my GED with avengeance.
(04:12):
Wow.
With a vengeance.
When I took my test, when I tookmy pre test, I was one of ten in
the state of Georgia to get aperfect score.
On science and social studies.
Wow.
I passed my You had a
serious commitment anddedication to being better.
(04:32):
I had to better myself because if I survived this
prison sentence and I got out, Icouldn't come out the same
person that I went in.
I couldn't because where wasthat leading?
Where was all that gonna go?
Even though I'd quit the drugs,even though I'd quit all that,
but I hadn't quit thewomanizing, I hadn't quit the
abusive, I hadn't quit all theother stuff.
But I took a course.
(04:52):
Corrective thinking.
Miss Vickers.
Phil (04:54):
Oh.
James (04:55):
That class, if you've never took that class, and
you've never heard about it,take it.
It's a long class, but it's aneye opener.
Wow.
And you learn about the rippleeffect.
The ripple effect.
You may not realize, justbecause you hurt that
individual, you didn't just hurtthat individual, you hurt
everybody that loves thatindividual.
Not only did you hurt thatindividual, you hurt yourself
(05:17):
and everybody that cares aboutyou everybody's hurt somewhere
along the way.
You may think it's an isolatedincident.
It's not.
Nowhere close is it an isolatedincident.
That's true.
But I got all the knowledge Icould.
I made sure that when I comeout, when and if I did get out,
I wasn't going to be the sameperson.
I was not going to be the sameperson that I went in.
(05:39):
Wow.
Now what's Was that a gift fromthe Lord that he put inside you,
that desire?
People come to me, believe it or not, when I was in
prison, people come to me andthey would ask me, Do you want?
Do you want?
Oh, of course I want.
This guy come to me, and he wasa real nice guy, and he said,
Would you like to sign up forour faith based program?
(06:01):
And at first, I was like, nah.
I shunned it, shied away fromit, because their dorm was a
strict dorm.
It was a strict process, astrict program.
And I got to thinking aboutthat's what you need.
You need that more thananything.
So I went back to him and hesaid come to the chaplain's
(06:22):
office and sit down and talk tothe chaplain Neal.
This was
chaplain Neal?
It's another chaplain.
Oh, another chaplain Neal.
What are the odds?
Mr.
Richard.
What are
none (2) (06:31):
the odds?
James (06:32):
Wow.
It is.
But I went up there and I talkedto him and he had a little
reservation about Let me in, Ithink he could see it that, I
was rebellious that I may not bea good fit.
But, needless to say, in theend, he smiled when he handed me
the diploma when I graduatedfrom the face to face program.
He patted me on the back, hesaid,
Phil (06:53):
you
James (06:53):
proved me wrong, and he handed me my certificate.
I've still got pictures of that,as a matter of fact.
But
And was that kind of your firstintroduction to who Jesus was,
or was that?
I had been in church in my younger days when my
grandparents, my papaespecially, but I had never
grasped it.
I had never, like I said, Ihadn't had that aha moment.
(07:15):
I was young.
Yeah.
Some people realize, that's thework of God right there.
You didn't do none of that.
You can't take credit for noneof that.
You don't realize that at thatyoung age.
Phil (07:27):
Yeah.
James (07:27):
But, as I got older, and like I said, when I was in the
program, I got to thinking abouthow many times he stepped in,
and saved me, and I pushed hishand away.
Not real, not literally, butwhen I thought about it.
mixed (07:43):
Yeah.
James (07:44):
How many times he reached out to me, and I pushed his hand
away.
How many times were the drugs?
mixed (07:50):
Yeah.
James (07:51):
He saved my life.
mixed (07:52):
Yeah.
James (07:52):
He literally saved my life.
And he gave me another chance.
But I pushed his hand away.
I started to womanize him.
I let something else in.
Instead of cleaning it, keepingit clean, I let something else
in I pushed his hand away.
Phil (08:05):
Wow.
James (08:06):
But when I finished that course, actually before I even
finished the course, I knew thenwhat I had to do.
I had to just let it go.
I had to let You wanna You don'tthink God's got a sense of
humor?
Tell him your plan.
Tell him your plan.
You'll hear him laugh then.
But I know what I had to let myplan go.
(08:29):
I had to let my plan go and giveit to God.
Once I did that, everythingchanged.
Everything changed.
You surrendered.
I surrendered.
They called me, and this wasbefore I knew I was getting out.
I thought I really, I wouldn'texpect to ever get out.
And one day they called me, theysaid Sanders, we need an
address.
And I'm like, for what?
(08:50):
They said, you're going homewhat?
When am I going home?
Ain't nobody told me nothing.
I ain't been to no parolehearing, ain't been to none of
that.
End of.
They said we need an address onhim.
So I went to my counselor, and Iwas in the dog program then,
training second chancegreyhounds.
Really?
Yeah.
You really did take advantage ofeverything.
Everything.
I'm telling you, if you offeredit, and I've stood benefit from
(09:13):
it, Oh, I've got to have it.
I've got to have it.
If I'm going to gain knowledgefrom it, and I'm going to get
some kind of what do you callit?
Love from it.
And dogs.
Oh my God.
I love dogs.
I love dogs, but I come out ofthe counselor's office and I was
bad because I didn't havenowhere to go.
I was banished from the countythat I'm from.
That's where all my familylives.
(09:34):
So I couldn't go there.
I couldn't go to no otherhalfway house, no diversion
center, none of that.
I didn't have nowhere to go.
So I come out of the office andI had my head down and the lady
over the dog program, she said,Sanders, what's wrong with you?
So I told her.
She said, hang on just a minute.
She said, come to my office in30 minutes.
And she walked out to thecontrol tower and she told the
(09:54):
guard, she said, send Jack, sendSanders to my office in 30
minutes.
Exactly 30 minutes.
30 minutes rolled around andthey said, Sanders, you need to
go to the office.
So I go up out of the office,she said, and you know who's had
on the phone
none (2) (10:08):
mike?
Mike.
Ha.
James (10:11):
She had Mike on the phone.
none (2) (10:13):
Good ol Mike.
James (10:14):
Good ol Mike, saving grace.
He was my saving grace.
But she had Mike on the phoneand Mike said Yeah, he said I
got a bed for him.
Send him on.
Phil (10:22):
Wow.
James (10:23):
And I was like, You gotta be kidding me.
I'm going home.
Wow.
You've got to be kidding me.
This is after 22 years and 22days.
Wow.
And that was when he was running
the Beacon House.
Beacon House, here in Columbus.
He said, send him, I got a bed for him.
She calls down there, her nameis Ms.
Coleman.
She calls down there and tellsmy counselor, he's got a bed,
give her the address, give herall that.
She says, okay, you're goinghome Friday.
(10:43):
Wow.
And that
is amazing.
Just seemingly out of nowhere.
Nowhere.
We know where it was from.
It was from the Lord.
Yeah.
But just so unexpected and
He said, my prodigal son, I'm going to give you one more
chance, one more chance.
That's
a miracle.
Just wow.
That God was working behind thescenes again.
(11:05):
That's just amazing.
Again.
It reminds me of how Jonah'srebellion against the Lord and
running away.
And God knew that it was goingto come to Jonah getting thrown
in the ocean, and God hadalready been preparing a fish to
be ready to come, because itwouldn't take him long and he'd
drown.
And God had worked it behind thescenes to get that fish ready.
Exactly.
(11:26):
Sounds like what he was doing,working behind the scenes, and
you had no idea that he wasgoing to save you and bring you
out and
Mike was my fish.
Wow.
A big fish.
Oh man, I can see thecorrelation.
But, I just I didn't, I was in awe.
I was in awe that, who is Mikeand who is anybody?
They don't know me.
They don't, why would he giveanybody give me a chance?
The person I used to be, whywould anybody, and God's like my
(11:50):
prodigal son, I give you onemore chance, one more chance,
777.
He said, you've used up quite afew of them.
Phil (11:56):
God is so good.
James (11:57):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Blessed beyond all measure.
But.
I think it was a Wednesdaymorning and they said Sander,
let's go.
And I'm still not believing it.
I'm not believing it.
You're just in shock.
I'm thinking cause it's April, April, I think, I'm gonna
get to the gate and I'm goinglike, April's fro, carry
yourself back in there and sitdown, but they get me out there,
(12:18):
they put me on the van, carry meto the bus station to get on the
bus.
Take the bus to Columbus.
Ain't never been to Columbusbefore.
Ain't never been even close tohere.
I have no crew, no clue who MikeKrug is.
I have no clue who the ColumbusBaptist Association brother Don
will, Jim Black don't know whoany of them people.
But on my lens, they turned outto be Wow.
(12:39):
They turned out to be some ofthe best things that's ever
happened to me.
But I got on the bus, sitting atthe bus station, and a lot of
people don't believe me when Itell them this, but I believe
there's angels that walk amongus.
And a lot of people don'tbelieve me when I tell them what
happened.
But I was sitting at the busstation, and I couldn't get a
hold of Mike because thecounselor had given me the
number to his fax machine.
(13:01):
Oh no.
So every time we tried to callit, it went to the fax machine.
So I'm stuck at the bus stationand I have no idea where the
Beacon House is or what theBeacon House even is and
everybody asks about it.
Nobody knows.
Even the bus station manager, hehad tried.
I'm just sitting there and hereI am, I'm fixing to give up on
(13:21):
everything and just take off,I'm out.
Oh no, that could have been bad.
It
could have been very bad.
Very bad.
All of a sudden, the door flungopen.
And guess who was standingthere?
Mike.
none (2) (13:35):
At the bus stop.
James (13:36):
He come to the bus station and he pulled the door
and he said, Are you looking forme?
And I turned around.
And what I saw when I looked atMike, on everything, there was a
halo above his head.
Wow.
Mike was, I don't want him tohear
(13:56):
that.
Yeah.
I don't know.
It might not be good for me.
I don't know if he should hearthat.
Yeah.
But Mike is an angel among us.
You know what the people believeabout him.
I don't know.
I'll see Mike this afternoon.
I'm not sure how that'llresonate with the leadership
team.
But like I said Mike, when I got to the Beacon house,
(14:19):
He told me, he said, it's theend of the month, money's tight
don't have nothing.
All we got is 25 in the budget.
I was just glad to be out.
I was just glad to sleepsomewhere that I wasn't
confined.
Phil (14:30):
Wow.
James (14:31):
But to make a long story short, about a week at the
Beacon House, like I said, Mikewas hard at first.
He was really hard on us.
mixed (14:39):
Yeah.
James (14:40):
And he was real strict.
It wasn't that he was hard, hewas just by the book kind of
guy.
Yeah.
He had rules he had to adhereto.
And all that because of theBeacon House.
But He came around.
After a while, he came
around.
He softened up a little bit.
Yeah,
he softened up a lot.
A lot?
Alright,
did you have something to dowith that?
Or was that just the Lord'sdoing?
All of the above.
(15:01):
I thank God worked through me totry to get that little stiffness
out of him.
But, I took advantage ofeverything that the Beacon
House, the Columbus Association,just like when I was in prison.
Yeah.
You offered it, and I'm gonnabenefit from it.
Yeah.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna takeadvantage of it.
So they helped you with justmaybe getting a job and
everything.
Worked on everything.
Okay.
Everything.
(15:22):
If it wasn't for them three menin the Columbus Baptist
Association, I wouldn't be hereright now.
Wow.
I wouldn't be here right now.
Wow.
Wow.
But.
Mike gave me my first job, likeI said, working with IMG.
Yeah.
Wasn't making minimum wage.
7.
25 an hour then.
It wasn't but about three weeks,I jumped up to 10 an hour
(15:44):
because I was giving it my all,my 100%.
I'm gonna make it or it's gonnakill me, one or the other.
I'm gonna take advantage of thisopportunity.
I'm not gonna let the peopledown that helped me and I'm not
gonna let him down again.
That is that is another truth.
In illustration that you'vegiven this just the fact that
you really stood out it soundslike from the other workers and
(16:05):
just your diligence yourdedication giving it your best
and That's noticed.
I mean I've managed people andthere's a difference when
someone You can tell they'regiving their all, and you can
tell when they're not.
Yeah, you've got to.
You've got to.
If you want something, you'regoing to get out of it what you
put in it.
(16:25):
That's
great.
That's great.
Wow.
Praise the Lord.
So that bump up to 10 an hour inabout three weeks.
And then what, so things kepton, keep
going.
It just kept going.
It just kept getting better.
And I kept thinking back onthat.
One more now.
One more.
Don't mess this one up.
Wow.
I'm going to open this door foryou, don't mess this one up.
(16:45):
Wow.
Like I said, I went from makingminimum wage, 7.
25 to three weeks, making 10 anhour.
Now what?
I'm saving every dime I can.
That's good.
Mike actually walked into my room and was like, James, you
can't have this kind of moneylaying around.
You can't do, you got to open abank account.
I can't be responsible for that.
(17:06):
Ain't nobody going to botherjust laying around there?
And, not bragging or nothing,there's 3, 000 laying there that
I've saved up.
I'm eating bologna sandwiches.
I don't go out and eat.
I don't do nothing.
Everybody's talking about, Oh,I'm going to go here.
I'm going to get me this.
I'm going to do that.
No, I'm not.
I'm going to try to You werereally
thinking ahead and trying to,yeah.
I had to, I had to make the best of this chance that I
was given.
(17:27):
I had to, because like I saidGod had many times opened the
door for me and me and my wayskick it shut.
mixed (17:38):
Yeah.
James (17:38):
I couldn't do it again.
I couldn't do it again.
Wow.
Because a lot of people don'tbelieve me when I tell them
this.
God will smite you.
He will smite you.
People go, oh, he's not, no, hewon't.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
I have I felt the chastening ofthe Lord when I was not in line
where I needed to be.
You will.
It's
no fun.
You will.
You'll look at me and you'll belike, why me?
(17:59):
I'm
thankful that His mercy and Hisgrace Abundantly outweighs his
judgment and wrath a thousandtimes over,
but
it's still there.
It is there.
Like in the end.
That's what hell is.
If you just reject his grace andhis mercy for your whole life
and you don't receive Jesus asyour savior, you have to
experience his wrath.
(18:19):
So how long was it before soyou're at the beacon house.
How long was it before?
You were introduced to SafeHouse Ministries and the Beacon
House became a part of SafeHouse Ministries.
For one, I wanted to give back.
Yeah.
If you do something for me, I'mgoing to be twice for you.
Because I, I've got to, I've gotto pay my tithes.
(18:41):
Even, to me, tithes is not onlyto a church, tithes is to the
ones that help me.
If you help me, I'm going tohelp you.
mixed (18:47):
Yeah.
James (18:48):
If you help me, I'm going to help you twice.
But, Jimmy Blanton, Don Wilhiteand all them, they're associated
with Safe House.
So they're in and out of theBeacon House, so you pretty much
will meet them and but startingpretty much well then, I've got
over 780 hours of volunteerservice for the Safe House
(19:09):
Ministries to date, just to tryto give back.
Because they helped me, I've gotto help them.
But let me tell you, let me tellyou this little story you're
talking about.
The seven minimum wage to theten.
mixed (19:22):
Yeah.
James (19:23):
Remember I told you I got my electrician certification
when I was in prison?
While I was working and I toldMike, I said, Mike, I thank you
and I appreciate this job, butthis is not what I'm about.
I did this in prison so I coulddo this, because I knew the pay
was going to be different.
He said, I understand, Icompletely understand.
(19:44):
He said, this is just to getyou, help you get to where you
need to be.
I went and applied for threedifferent electrical companies.
About a month into it, one ofthem called me.
And they said, is there any wayyou can come in for an
interview?
I was like, yeah, sure, I'llcome in.
And I told Mike, I need to go tothis interview.
And he said, I completelyunderstand.
I completely understand, go tothe interview.
(20:05):
They said can you starttomorrow?
I said, I need to work out a twoweek notice, with a job I'm
working on now.
They said we appreciate yourloyalty and all that, but the
position may not be open.
So I called Mike, talked toMike, he called Mr.
Waller and talked to Mr.
Waller about it and they said,sure, no hard feelings.
Wow.
That was, that's good.
(20:25):
It's good that you were up frontand communicating and it's good
that they showed grace andunderstood that they cared about
you.
It's, that's the reality.
Yeah.
They, it's, they cared aboutyou.
If they didn't care about youthey'd had a different response,
but that's good.
That's encouraging.
But it's all the doors that was open.
And I told you, 725 to 10.
(20:47):
18.
Wow.
Within two months.
Wow.
Within two months.
Just wow.
Excuse me.
Another avenue for ColumbusBaptist Association safe house.
All of it together.
Mike says.
You was in business for yourselfat one point in time, right?
I was like, yeah, but thatwasn't a good time.
(21:07):
That's when I was doing drugs.
I was working more so I couldbuy more drugs, so I could work
more, so I could buy more drugsand all that.
He said we'll help you get yourLLC if you would like to try it
again.
I'm working for Rich Electricthen.
Miss Bessie, she knowed about mypast.
She knew about everything and Iexplained it to her, was honest
with her.
She said, We'll give you achance.
And she's the one that gave memy first electrical job in
(21:29):
Columbus after I got out ofprison.
But Mike and Safe House andColumbus Pipes Associates helped
me get my LLC, my businesslicense, and I started JLS
Superior Interiors.
And started my own business.
Phil (21:44):
Wow.
James (21:45):
So now, I'm an electrician and I'm the owner,
sole owner of JLS SuperiorResidential Interior.
Phil (21:53):
Wow, that's awesome.
So now, and you were still atthe shelter at that time.
Okay, and started your businessup and just.
Continuing to grow and save and
James (22:03):
right.
And then Mike told me one day,he said, look, you got to get
out of here.
We need to free up some spacefor somebody else who needs it.
That's basically what he said.
You're doing good.
Keep on going.
Let's get somebody else in hereto help.
That's exactly what he said.
He said, you can pay rent now.
We, you got to go.
That sounds, that's the plan.
That's the goal.
(22:24):
That is exactly what it was.
Mike said, you exceeded all ofour expectations.
You're good to go.
Bye and it was a blessing.
Like I said, he said that onemore and he just poured it out
and poured it out and poured itout and poured it out on me.
Beyond all measure
And that is the end of part twoof James's story.
James started with 140 yearprison sentence and how amazing
(22:46):
the providence and the workingof God.
That brought that down to only22 and a half years.
And during that time, used histime in prison to rebuild and
remake his life, and the Lordgot a hold of James' heart.
I love how he talks about.
That class that he took when hiseyes were opened and he
(23:06):
realized, just like that story,when the demon was cast out of
the possessed individual in thegospels.
And the Bible describes that theheart was swept clean, but
nothing came in to fill it.
And then even worse, demons camein.
James describes how he came tothe realization in his own life.
(23:28):
That he needed to replace theemptiness with something good,
and I love.
That his relationship with Jesuswas rebuilt and reborn.
Next week he's gonna talk evenmore about his relationship with
Jesus.
He's gonna also talk about hisrelationship with his children,
and he's gonna share somereally, really amazing and
(23:51):
insightful wisdom that will be ahelp to anyone out there who
might be dealing with addiction.
But also a help to anyone outthere who may have some loved
ones or friends that are dealingwith addiction and can learn how
to be a better help to them.
God bless you, and we lookforward to being with you again
next week.
Phil Shuler (24:12):
We look forward to being with you again next week
as we share another testimonyabout the power and the goodness
of God to change lives throughSafe House Ministries.
if you are someone listening tothis podcast that loves to hear
these stories of the greatthings that God is doing in
changing people's lives for thebetter, and if you would like to
be a part of that work, pleasereach out to us You can reach us
(24:35):
at 2101 Hamilton Road, Columbus,Georgia, 31,904.
You can call us at seven oh sixthree two two.
3 7, 7 3, or you can email us atinfo@safehouse-ministries.com.
Microphone (Samson Q2U Mi (24:50):
Thank you so much for being with us
this week for the renew restoreand rejoice podcast of safe
house ministries, we pray thatGod will bless you this week.
And we look forward to havingyou back with us again next week
for a new episode.
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