When George went to tell his friends the great news about the full ride baseball scholarship he was offered for college, they invited him to celebrate by trying out some cocaine. George became hooked and decided to reject the baseball scholarship to stay home and keep doing cocaine instead.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to the Safe HouseMinistries podcast for this
week.
Thank you so much for being withus this week, and if you are
with us every week, thank you somuch for being a regular
listener.
We appreciate you listening tothe podcast.
I hope you really enjoy thesestories.
I know, I really do, and Ilearned so much from them.
I hope you guys had.
A wonderful Thanksgivingrecently.
(00:22):
I hope you're able to spend sometime with family and friends and
just enjoy the blessings thatGod has given us.
Even though life is toughsometimes, there are always
things that we can be thankfulfor, and Thanksgiving is such a
wonderful time to remember that.
Today we are airing this podcaston this year's Giving Tuesday.
(00:44):
And I don't know if you'refamiliar with giving Tuesday,
but it is one Tuesday every yearwhere across the country there
is a focus on giving to helpothers.
And so if you are someone thatenjoys these stories, if you're
someone that appreciates thework that Safe House Ministries
does and helping to restore thelives of people who are affected
(01:05):
by homelessness and addiction,then I wanna encourage you and
ask you.
Invite you to make a donationtoday on Giving Tuesday to
support the work that Safe HouseMinistries does, you can go
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www.safehouse-ministries.com andyou can find right there on the
(01:26):
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and the work that we do helpingso many people's lives around
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I think this year so far we havehelped roughly 184 people get
(01:46):
off the streets into their ownhousing and many of them coming
from a life of addiction wherethey are now clean and living in
sobriety as well.
So thank you for being here.
Thank you for consideringpartnering in the work with us
and God bless you today.
Phil Shuler (02:02):
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
(02:25):
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.
(02:45):
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
(03:07):
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.
Phil (03:15):
Hello and welcome to this Morning's Safe House Ministries
podcast, or maybe this afternoondepending on when you're
listening.
I've got George Jackson herewith me today, and I have been
told by my friend Eric, who Iwork with at Safe House that
George has an amazing testimonyand I'm excited for you to be
here today.
George, thank you for beinghere.
You're welcome.
George.
I would love to, start off byasking you the question I often
(03:38):
ask my guests.
If you had to pick one word thatwould best describe you, what
would that word be?
Nice.
Nice.
Yes.
Do people tell you that all thetime?
Yep.
What do you do that, that peoplesay, man, you're so nice,
George.
George (03:51):
I like helping people.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I like to be treated.
I, I like to be treated.
I like to treat people the way Itreat myself.
Phil (03:58):
Yes.
Nice.
George (03:59):
Yes.
Phil (04:00):
Compassion.
Oh yes.
Kindness.
Yes.
Yes.
That's awesome, man.
Mm-hmm.
I'm sure we'll see a lot ofexamples of that, yes.
Throughout your story.
Yes.
Well, George, this first timeI've met you and I'm excited to
hear your story.
Tell me where did you grow upand what did early life and what
was childhood like for you?
Oh,
George (04:19):
life was good.
Yeah.
You know, I grew up in Seale,Alabama.
Okay.
Small town.
Yeah.
Outside of Fort Mitchell.
Mom, dad.
Four siblings, good life.
Phil (04:28):
Where'd you fall in the mix of those four siblings?
George (04:30):
Oh man, I'm the knee baby.
I'm next to the baby.
Phil (04:33):
All right.
Yes, yes.
George (04:35):
As they called me.
Mama, baby.
Ah, yeah.
I went to my high school, playedbaseball.
Basketball was pretty good.
Phil (04:42):
You an
George (04:42):
athlete?
Yes, very much so.
Very much so.
But, um, as year went on, myoldest brother next to me, uh,
we was like twins.
Yeah.
Wherever you seen him.
I was there.
I, wherever you seen him, I wasthere.
We played basketball together.
Same team baseball.
And then as years went on, whenhe graduated, he went to college
(05:04):
for baseball.
Oh, wow.
So I figured, yes, I wanted togo to the same college he was, I
was hoping for that.
By the time I got ready tograduate, he went to Army.
So my long lost buddy was gone.
So I got a job, you know,working and Wow, it was great.
First met my girl that I thoughtI was gonna marry.
Yeah.
(05:24):
You know, had, had potential andwe started having kids smoothed
out and the relationship startedto get rocky.
And all of a sudden, man, youknow, pressure started hanging
out with my friends and startedin addiction.
Phil (05:38):
Wow.
This was in college?
Or, or no,
George (05:41):
no, this was before I went to college.
Phil (05:44):
Before you went to college?
Yes.
So you
George (05:45):
didn't never even got to
Phil (05:46):
college?
No, I never got there
George (05:47):
yet.
Okay.
The Lord.
So when I got there, man, youknow, I left because I had
started my addiction.
Phil (05:54):
Yes.
So you, you were, you startednow, what was the thing that
hooked you at first?
Like, what did you start?
When I
George (06:00):
started my d Yeah.
Was crack.
Phil (06:02):
You just jumped right into it?
George (06:03):
No, I had some friends doing it.
Wow.
Phil (06:06):
Yes,
George (06:06):
man.
Phil (06:07):
And I didn't.
Had you, did you drink alcoholor smoke cigarettes or do
anything before that?
I was in that country.
George (06:11):
I didn't know nothing.
And
Phil (06:13):
you,
George (06:13):
I know my momma smoked cigarettes.
Phil (06:15):
Yeah.
George (06:15):
But far as me hanging out, they wouldn't let us hang
out.
Phil (06:18):
So you just, where'd you meet these friends?
George (06:20):
Oh man.
They was friends from back down,by the way.
I went to visit the college,talked to the coach.
He told me, you know, goodschool, lost State Community
College, Birmingham, AlabamaJunior College.
Junior College, yes.
Phil (06:33):
This is where you went to, you were wanting to go to
college there?
Yes.
George (06:36):
Was gonna get the scholarship.
Wow.
Yes.
And started, came back home,talked to my mama.
I said, where I'm gonna go?
Where my brother went.
She said, well boy, that's good.
Get away from where?
From around here.
So I went and told my friends.
Then they said, Hey, you evergot high before?
I said, no.
They said, ain't gonna donothing to you.
It make you feel a little funny.
I said, what is that?
(06:57):
They said, this is crack.
I ain't never heard of that.
That's the first thing I said.
Phil (07:01):
Really?
So you, you had not been in anycircles that No.
You were just totally innocentand you didn't have any idea.
I
George (07:08):
grew up in a family that with a mom, dad, sisters,
brothers, going to church,playing ball coming home.
That didn't hang out none ofthat until I got in my senior
year.
Phil (07:21):
Yeah.
Yeah.
George (07:22):
That's when I got, wow.
Oh
Phil (07:24):
wow, man.
So you came to tell your, yourquote friends about how excited
you were about the scholarshipand the college.
Yes.
And they invited you to
George (07:34):
girls was hanging around.
You know, lot of'em was doingit, but I was in the wrong place
at the wrong time trying to tell'em, because a lot of folk was
getting high.
Phil (07:43):
Yeah.
George (07:44):
And I didn't know nothing about getting high, so
he said, try.
So I tried it.
Trust me.
Wasn't nobody around.
Oh, I ain't, did you like it?
I said, what you supposed to do?
Tried it again.
I said, wow, this high.
He said, you want some more?
I said, nah, not right now.
I gotta go home.
Gotta go home.
He said, well come back aroundand boy, there go.
(08:05):
Did I not coming back aroundfirst?
It started out being free.
Oh man.
By the time I got ready to go tocollege, I didn't go.
I lost that.
Phil (08:14):
That's heartbreaking.
You, did you know yourself thatyou'd never make it and pull
yourself out?
Or did they find out and say,we're not offering you a
scholarship anymore?
Well, what was
George (08:24):
happening by the time I graduated and I had the
scholarship.
Phil (08:29):
By the
George (08:29):
time I graduated and the time I spoke and went, I didn't
go back.
I told my mom, my uncle ne frommy uncle from Chicago and
California came down and wantedto beat my butts.
Yes.
Came to so my So you just said,mom,
Phil (08:44):
I'm not going to that college.
I don't wanna bother with it.
Yeah.
George (08:46):
She didn't, I didn't explain why.
She said, well boy, I'm notgonna pressure you, period.
Not to go or none of that.
She
Phil (08:52):
had no idea.
Baseball scholarship.
Yes.
Baseball.
She didn't know you was Shedidn't have no idea being
addicted to crack.
George (08:57):
The way I had started acting around the house when I
come back, she knew somethingwas wrong.
Yeah.
Then I met my, met my kids andthem.
Uh, so I slacked up.
She didn't know, so we gottogether.
Got me a good job.
Good job.
You working just good.
And my mama said, Hey, I got toask you something, son.
You know, she'll pull me away.
(09:17):
She said, are you on drugs?
Phil (09:19):
She just straight out asked you?
George (09:20):
No, somebody had told her.
Oh.
Because she was found out roundand about.
Phil (09:24):
Yeah.
George (09:25):
She said, son, are you on drugs?
I said, no, mom, I don't.
I'm not doing nothing.
She said, are you sure?
I said, yes.
Are you sure?
Are you sure?
I said, yes.
I'm sure oh, weeks went by,weeks went by.
She said, son, I got that.
Ask you again.
Are you on drugs?
I said, mama, I would've toldyou if I was doing something
like that.
She said, well, the reason whyI'm asking, I can have two
(09:48):
people came to me.
Neither one know each other,telling me the same thing.
Wow.
That's exactly what she said.
I never forget that was in 90,91.
Yeah.
So she came back the third time.
She said, son, now I can havethree different peoples told me
that you was doing drugs.
Now neither one of'em know eachother.
(10:09):
But they told me, she said, nah,son.
I can put you in the hand of theLord.
She said, if you are, whateveryou doing, only thing you gotta
keep doing because what you doin the dog, we'll come to the
light and trust me it did.
Phil (10:22):
Sounds like you got a good mama.
Yeah.
Oh yes.
And, and I praying mother and abunch of people that was Yes.
Cared about you and maybe waslooking out for you to tell your
mom?
Yes, they did.
Wow.
George (10:33):
So, um, man, it kept on, it kept on, were you
Phil (10:36):
living at home still?
Yes.
You were living, okay.
So you were living home.
You were working Yes.
Having kids?
Yes.
Was the, your girlfriend livingat your house with your mom too,
too?
No, we were still
George (10:45):
separated.
We was still, she was at her momhouse and I was at my mom
Phil (10:48):
house.
Okay.
And had you had any kids yet atthis point?
George (10:50):
Not right then.
Okay.
Not right then.
So look kept on, I end up, whenmy mama caught me, I was right
beside her mother house when shecaught me
Phil (11:00):
because
George (11:00):
she kept on saying, what you doing, the dog will come to
the light.
And I was doing it in the dark.
I never could understand thatconcept.
Phil (11:06):
But I understand it well now, uh, that's, I say, uh, a
good lesson.
I think we'll probably circleback to what you do in the dark
will come.
The light.
We come to
George (11:15):
the light.
In other words, when you'redoing it in the dark, you are
sneaking.
But when you, when it come tothe light, see you being got
real comfortable and your brainstraight to the light.
Phil (11:22):
Yeah.
That's what happened.
That makes me think about ayouth pastor I had when I was a
teenager.
Yes.
One of the things he wouldalways tell us, he would say to
us, he would say, listen, I wantyou guys to understand this.
If you ever have to sneak to dosomething, yeah.
It's wrong.
It's, and that stuck with me.
Yeah.
It's right.
'cause if you're sneaking, youknow, in the back of your mind
there's something Yes.
Something you, it's not rightabout it.
(11:42):
'cause you don't want no folksto know about it.
Exactly.
George (11:44):
And that's what I did for the longest in the dog.
And when it came to the light,now came, now
Phil (11:48):
your mama saw you now my saw me.
George (11:50):
Oh boy.
She said, boy, you going torehab?
I said, no, I ain't.
She said, yes, you are.
And then she got the wholefamily together and told'em what
was going on, where theysupported me to go.
But I told'em no, I don't have ahabit.
I can break it.
Phil (12:02):
You was in denial?
George (12:03):
Yeah, I was in denial.
Yeah.
So she said, okay.
She said, but if anything gomissing, you're gonna go to
rehab.
So I kept my job.
I kept working.
So I told her.
So
Phil (12:12):
you were able To keep my job function in life for a
little while still,
George (12:16):
because addiction wasn't that
Phil (12:18):
bad.
George (12:19):
Yes.
I thought I could handle it.
That's what I thought.
But Phil, did it not get worse?
Phil (12:24):
It always does, doesn't it?
Wow.
George (12:26):
Me and my ex finally got together, started having kids,
and we got a house.
Her mother paid the down paymentfor a house.
Oh.
We
Phil (12:34):
looked like it was going good.
Wow.
Was she doing drugs too?
No.
No, no, no.
No.
She was Did she know that youwere doing drugs?
Nope.
George (12:41):
She didn't know?
No,
Phil (12:42):
never
George (12:42):
told her.
Phil (12:43):
And she never suspected, never thought she was acting a
little strange.
George (12:47):
No, because what I had started doing, Phil, I was
working at Southern Phoenix atnight, and she was working at
State Farm in the.
You know, we was barely seeingone another.
Oh, you know, I was working from11 to seven.
She was working from eight tofive.
So when she come home, you know,I been, did what I had to do and
she went, she was in love.
(13:08):
All of a sudden the kids startedcoming, kept the bills up.
But my habits start growingslowly.
It start processing growing.
Man.
Before I know that man, she sayssomething ain't right.
She said, something wastes yourmoney.
And then she started talking tomy mother, man.
My mother ended up telling herwhat was going on with me.
Wow.
By that time, I hadn't lost alot of weight.
Phil (13:30):
How long had y'all been together?
George (13:31):
Ooh, man, from, I met her in 84.
Until 91.
Phil (13:37):
Six years.
Yeah.
Or seven years.
Seven years.
Yeah.
George (13:40):
Very sweet young lady.
Wow.
What's
Phil (13:42):
her
George (13:42):
name?
Karen Johnson.
Phil (13:44):
Okay.
Yeah.
So how many kids did you guyshave at that point when she
found out?
George (13:49):
Oh man, that was Ashley first.
Phil (13:51):
After the first kid?
George (13:52):
Yeah.
Phil (13:53):
Who was
George (13:53):
Ashley?
That was Derek, and then thatwas Brittany.
Phil (13:56):
three kids.
Three.
You had three kids?
Yes.
Before she found out?
Yes.
And then she said something'snot right.
And she talked to your mama?
George (14:01):
Yes.
Phil (14:02):
Three kids.
Wow.
How old were the kids?
George (14:04):
Oh man.
Actually was born in 86.
Derrick was born in 88 andBrittany was born in 90.
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah.
Yeah, man, I'm talking about,man, I destroyed that
relationship,
Phil (14:17):
so what happened when she called you out and she said, oh
George (14:19):
man, you know, she couldn't pay for the house.
She couldn't pay for the housebecause my addiction had grown.
Phil (14:25):
All your money was going to drugs.
Yeah,
George (14:27):
on a Friday.
Normally I give her the check.
I would wait till she leave, gocash my check, go hang out with
the fellas, blow all my money.
By the time she get in no money,it kept on for a while till she
got tired?
Yes.
And then I left'cause she donewanted me there around.
She done wanted the kids to knowwhat was happening.
Phil (14:47):
So you just walked out and just No, she kicked me out.
Oh yes.
George (14:51):
I got to give her that.
I thank her for it though.
Yeah.
But, uh, yeah man, so her mothercried to help her the best she
can, you know, but we lost herhouse.
Phil (15:00):
So what'd you do then?
She's got, I went back
George (15:02):
home.
She put me on child support, butI was still working.
Now don't get it wrong, I wasstill working.
Phil (15:08):
Yeah.
Were you
George (15:08):
paying the child support?
Yes.
They took it, they startedtaking it out.
My shapes, they started.
You didn't have a
Phil (15:12):
choice.
You couldn't blow that money.
I, I couldn't blow that
George (15:14):
money there.
'cause took, it was coming outmy shape and then my addiction
got worse.
Yes.
Oh man, I lost my car.
I lost my motorcycle.
I lost a lot of things.
Pride, dignity, all that mankept on job started, I started
losing my job.
I was working at Southern Finnfirst.
Got the job there, left there,went to build they fired me at
(15:36):
Southern Finn.
It wasn't no problem to get whenit built because my mother was
working there.
I went up there, used my mothername.
Cool.
Got a job just like that.
Phil (15:44):
She had a good testimony.
George (15:45):
Yes.
Got a job there.
And then there is uptown.
I didn't know nothing aboutuptown until I got the job up
there in Bibb City.
Yeah.
And so I met some guys thatworked there and you know me
started doing pretty good atfirst, and then I met there is
always finding that crowd waswrong.
(16:07):
And then it was right down thestreet.
They had A-C-B-N-T up there.
I cashed my check, get off inthe morning.
Go to the CB T and walk rightdown the street and get whatever
I need.
Phil (16:16):
So you had moved across town?
No, I had moved back to seal.
You had moved back to Seal?
Yes.
Yes.
Getting back to working in, inBebb City.
Yeah.
And that's where you found somemore folks to get some more
drugs?
Yes.
George (16:27):
Oh man, it got even worser, years went by man drugs.
You know, my addiction got sobad.
Feel to the point that, I wasn'tgiving my mother nothing.
Huh?
So I thought I was being smart,huh?
Because I felt like they wastaking out too much for child
support.
I swapped jobs
Phil (16:46):
to make less money.
George (16:47):
To make more money because I didn't tell the DA
that I had swapped jobs, so theyweren't taking it out.
So I was getting my whole check.
Phil (16:55):
So you got, you made, you started making more money and
they took the same amount out,which was a smaller percentage.
No.
George (17:01):
See, when you change jobs.
You have to notify the da
Phil (17:04):
and you didn't do that.
And I
George (17:05):
didn't do that.
Phil (17:06):
So now you're, you probably are building up charges
of not paying the child support.
Yes ma'am.
'cause you didn't tell'em.
Yeah.
Said they're going, they'regonna find you.
They're gonna find you.
What you do in the dark.
We'll come into the light.
They
George (17:16):
come into the light.
There it is.
And asked me.
Then it did.
'cause she went back and toldthem and they summoning me back
to court.
Then I went to jail
Phil (17:23):
for
George (17:24):
child support.
Phil (17:25):
Okay.
Yes.
Did they, so did the drugs comeup in jail at all?
Like in, in the court at thatpoint?
Did the drugs come up at all?
George (17:31):
Nope.
Nope, Nope.
She never told them.
They asked me why did I report?
Did they let'em know?
So I just then
Phil (17:36):
so jail.
So how long were you in jail?
George (17:38):
Uh, about six months.
Russell County.
Yes.
Thank God I have a good frienddown there.
Phil (17:43):
You know
George (17:44):
what we still are.
Wow.
But man, like I said,
Phil (17:48):
what happened?
What happened from there?
So you six months in
George (17:50):
jail.
Lost my job.
Everything.
So look, six months.
Oh man.
Came weight back looking good.
Come out.
Phil (17:57):
Were you.
Not using drugs while you werein jail?
George (18:00):
No, no.
I was straight.
Didn't, couldn't get nothing inRussell County?
No.
Phil (18:03):
All right.
They
George (18:04):
put me in trustees, got out, worked, you know, side the
road, whatever.
Oh man.
Got out looking good.
Wake back up.
Hey, went back to the samecrowd.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I used drugs drugs.
To be honest, I used Grove from91 till my, my, my clean date
came, my really, really cleandate came the seven the ninth.
(18:27):
The ninth, the 17th, 24th.
Phil (18:29):
Yeah.
Wow.
That's a long time.
Uh, so
George (18:32):
in between them a lot of things happened.
Phil (18:35):
How tell me about some of those things.
Okay, so it went from the pointwhen you get outta jail.
Yeah.
I'm, you've got some crazystories.
Oh man.
George (18:40):
I got some for you.
Like, tell
Phil (18:42):
us, tell us what that looked like for you.
George (18:44):
My mother, she always go to church.
My mother grew up in the church.
So she was a praying woman.
Yeah.
My dad, he went every now andthen, so you know, on a Sunday
we get dressed, go to church.
I believed in the church, but Iwasn't read in the Bible.
That was the main thing.
Listen to the pastor.
Ooh, that was good enough, yeah,I heard, but I didn't accept the
(19:04):
word.
I didn't, happy to be at church,but I, but the pastor always
said, you need to reach a Bibleto understand that instead of
listening at me preach.
Always said it.
Then Look, seen that Bible gethome, put it down.
Go on back out there.
Yes.
Straight from church, leavingchurch.
Oh mama, can I borrow your car?
(19:25):
Yeah.
Gone.
Going straight back to thestreets.
Wow.
Yeah, man, it was rough.
My addiction was rough as thatwent on.
Left.
Bill.
Now I know some folks uptown.
Were
Phil (19:35):
you back working
George (19:36):
anywhere or were you Yes.
When I left Bill, I wentstraight to the city of Phoenix
City and got a.
I was a level two track off.
So
Phil (19:42):
did you, you didn't have to do drug tests Yes.
To get these
George (19:44):
jobs.
Phil (19:45):
How
George (19:45):
you, but you gotta understand drugs.
When I got outta jail, I wasclean.
So when I went for the job, Iwent, I wasn't in no drugs, no.
Wasn't nothing in my So you
Phil (19:54):
passed the test'cause passed had been off and then you
got the job and you started backon the drugs.
Mag
George (19:58):
started rap back when the money started.
That's when it started back.
As long as I didn't have a job,I was fine.
That's something I didn't neverhave a job in 86.
In 96, I was working for thecity of Finn City.
11, two tracked operator.
Got that.
I think its last about what?
About eight, nine months.
Wow.
They came with a urine test.
(20:19):
Oh, I failed.
Phil (20:21):
Oh.
George (20:21):
I left there and got a, and got went to a temporary
company.
One of those temporary companythat's higher your day labor.
Phil (20:29):
Yeah.
George (20:29):
And got uh, day labor job at Continental Carbon Off
State Dock Road.
I worked down there for abouteight weeks.
My cousin worked down there too,because I'm a good worker.
You know, they end up hiring meat Continental Carbon.
Good pay now.
Working good.
Working good.
You know, within six months.
I lost that job too.
Oh yeah.
(20:49):
Oh yeah.
Had some good job drugs.
Phil (20:51):
So you, is that another drug test that they did?
Or, or no.
Were you just,
George (20:55):
I was doing so much drugs, I just didn't go to work.
Phil (20:57):
Oh.
And
George (20:58):
by the time they got ready to fire me, I told them
IWI, I, uh, resigned.
Yeah.
I left.
Oh, I left.
Phil (21:04):
Yeah.
You were, your mind was just,I'm talking about cloudy.
You went crazy land.
I'm serious.
George (21:08):
Now here we go.
Coming up to 2000 here where itget real rough.
Ugh.
Okay.
2000.
I started working for, uh, staffZone when they was downtown.
Phil (21:19):
Yeah.
I
George (21:20):
was working up on the, I was working for Philip a Philip.
Phillip Construction Company.
They was building that hotel upthere off of veteran Parkway,
right behind that McDonough.
And I was working temporary forstaff.
So this man named Mr.
Caraway outta Louisville,Alabama.
He had a, a steel company where,what town?
Rebar.
(21:40):
So I asked the guy, I said, Heyman, it's that hard to do.
He said, no.
He said, but it's hard work.
I said, I would like to trythat.
He said, for real?
He said, okay.
And uh, so I was working forPhilip, pouring the concrete,
just like that.
And then in 2000, I'll neverforget it, July the 18th, 2000,
that's when I got hired with CalCaraway Steel outta Lewisville,
(22:04):
Alabama.
And man, that's when the, by thetime that hotel was going up,
right?
Associate had the jail downhere, that six story new
addition that they have on theMuskogee County.
Yeah.
I helped put the steel in that.
Wow.
That's my first job learninghow.
But he had guys been times steelfor about 14, 15 years and, uh,
didn't nobody know how to readthe blueprint.
(22:25):
And before that jail got built,I learned how to read the
blueprints.
My first job as a supervisor,learning how to tie steel and
putting the blueprint wasNorthside High School 2002 when
North High High School startedgetting built?
Yeah.
Yes.
Phil (22:40):
Wow.
I
George (22:40):
ran that job in drugs at the same time.
I was still in my addiction.
My DOC was cracked.
I was going to work doing that.
So me and my ex, probably aroundabout 2003, we got back
together.
Yes, man.
By the grace of God, we gotback.
But I was still in my addictiondrugs.
Hold up.
She didn't know.
Phil (22:58):
She thought she was clean at that point.
Yeah, she
George (22:59):
thought I was clean.
'cause man, Phil, you know, Iwas doing,
Phil (23:02):
huh?
George (23:03):
I was eating and I was always going to work.
I maintained a job and she seenthat because the kids had gone
start, you know, she neverstopped the kids from seeing it.
Never stopped.
Phil (23:13):
Wow.
George (23:13):
But
Phil (23:14):
man, so you, you had a relationship all throughout
these, all throughout years with
George (23:17):
the
Phil (23:17):
kids?
George (23:18):
We, we, we got a relationship.
We, I tell you about that partas we go through.
But the worst part happenedafter we got back together of
folks there help us got anotherhouse.
I had two house.
I done lost about eight cars.
Wow.
Two motorcycles.
Yes.
Wow.
Yes.
Phil (23:33):
All of'em.
Getting repoed and repoed.
George (23:35):
Repoed.
Phil (23:35):
You keeping the repo man in business.
Yeah, I
George (23:37):
kept him in business.
Phil (23:38):
Wow.
I
George (23:39):
kept him in business and they money, they mother, her
mother lost a lot of moneybehind me, you know what I'm
saying?
Yeah.
Yeah.
They was well off, you know whatI'm saying?
But anyway, uh, I was tiredstill, and when we got the
house, man, it wasn't nothingbecause she said, look, now
every Friday your money willcome here.
And I agreed to it.
(23:59):
We was doing good for abouteight months.
I got back strong on myaddiction.
I was already still in myaddiction, but it got stronger.
Yes man, I, ooh, it alwaysgrows, doesn't it?
It grows bad.
Just always, man.
My mama used to tell me, shesaid, boy, I pray, boy, I pray.
Ask the Lord to take it awayfrom you.
And you know, Phil, 2005, thepeople that I hung around got
(24:24):
clean and I couldn't figure out,they had been doing it longer
than me.
If they could stop, I can stop.
But I never stopped.
Wow.
Yeah, they stopped.
They got clean, got they lifetogether.
Got families doing good.
Now watch this.
I'm still in my addiction.
They done got clean Now guesswhat?
They don't want to hang with me.
No.
(24:44):
These was the people that I hungwith that got started with.
Now, they done got clean.
They don't want nothing to dowith me because I'm in my
addiction.
Yeah.
Wow.
Yes, it was bad.
Yeah.
Phil (24:55):
So you're kind of isolated
George (24:57):
and alone?
I'm isolated now.
All the guys, all the peoplethat I once hung around, they
clean.
I'm the only one out there, soI, I went and made new friends,
as my mama said, not newfriends.
Bought friends.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Because I bought them to sellaround me.
Yeah.
Wow.
It was rough.
Now my addiction got so bad.
2007, no, 2006 when we lost herhouse, I moved back with my mom.
Phil (25:23):
So you, this is, you split up again with your again?
Yes.
Your kids' mom.
Oh, mom.
She got the house now.
She still got the house.
I'm out of it.
And then you went back to yourmama's house?
George (25:31):
Yes.
My addiction got so bad.
2007 my dad died.
Yeah.
Phil (25:38):
And that they sent you off a cliff even more?
George (25:40):
No, no.
I'm in my addiction.
No, he died.
He passed.
Went to the funeral after thefuneral.
Stayed with the family for awhile.
Went back out there, go get highagain.
Yes.
Now, here's the worst part.
2008, December the 14th, 2000,2008, my mom passed.
Mm.
If you back up to the 13th,which was a th no, which was a
(26:02):
Friday.
Never forget it.
Remember the date?
The 13th was a Friday, Decemberthe 13th, because she died that
Saturday on the, no, nope.
Let me get it right.
She died December the 14th,which was a Saturday, December
the 13th.
Oh eight was on a Friday.
That's when I left her and wentto job, went back to my job.
When I got paid, I stayed outall night.
(26:24):
Didn't know my mother hadpassed.
Wow.
No, no, no, no.
Didn't know.
I came home to my, I came overthere, back to the house.
My, the only way I know I hadjust came off my house, headed
home, got to the house, anddidn't have the key.
My nephew came down there and hesaid, uncle Boot.
I said, what?
He said, you didn't heard?
Heard what grandma passed?
(26:46):
I said, boy, you tripping.
I said, I just left her.
He said, no, everybody's at thehospital or now they looking for
you.
Oh yes, I was the last one toknow.
Yeah, but did you thought thatstopped my addiction?
No.
No it didn't.
And that is the end of part oneof George's story.
Things get even crazier as hecontinues his story next week.
(27:10):
Thanks for being with us thisweek and we look forward to
being back with you again nextweek.
06-21-23 SAFEHOUSE-CH2 (27:15):
We look forward to being with you again
next week as we share anothertestimony about the power and
the goodness of God to changelives through Safe 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
(27:37):
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 (27:52):
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.
Welcome to the Safe HouseMinistries podcast for this
week.
Thank you so much for being withus this week, and if you are
with us every week, thank you somuch for being a regular
listener.
We appreciate you listening tothe podcast.
I hope you really enjoy thesestories.
I know, I really do, and Ilearned so much from them.
I hope you guys had.
A wonderful Thanksgivingrecently.
(00:22):
I hope you're able to spend sometime with family and friends and
just enjoy the blessings thatGod has given us.
Even though life is toughsometimes, there are always
things that we can be thankfulfor, and Thanksgiving is such a
wonderful time to remember that.
Today we are airing this podcaston this year's Giving Tuesday.
(00:44):
And I don't know if you'refamiliar with giving Tuesday,
but it is one Tuesday every yearwhere across the country there
is a focus on giving to helpothers.
And so if you are someone thatenjoys these stories, if you're
someone that appreciates thework that Safe House Ministries
does and helping to restore thelives of people who are affected
(01:05):
by homelessness and addiction,then I wanna encourage you and
ask you.
Invite you to make a donationtoday on Giving Tuesday to
support the work that Safe HouseMinistries does, you can go
straight to our website.
www.safehouse-ministries.com andyou can find right there on the
(01:26):
webpage a donate button and youcan just click that and make a
donation.
Uh, you can make a onetimedonation or you can go ahead and
set up a monthly donation andbecome a monthly partner with us
and the work that we do helpingso many people's lives around
Columbus.
I think this year so far we havehelped roughly 184 people get
(01:46):
off the streets into their ownhousing and many of them coming
from a life of addiction wherethey are now clean and living in
sobriety as well.
So thank you for being here.
Thank you for consideringpartnering in the work with us
and God bless you today.
Phil Shuler (02:02):
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
(02:25):
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.
(02:45):
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
(03:07):
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.
Phil (03:15):
Hello and welcome to this Morning's Safe House Ministries
podcast, or maybe this afternoondepending on when you're
listening.
I've got George Jackson herewith me today, and I have been
told by my friend Eric, who Iwork with at Safe House that
George has an amazing testimonyand I'm excited for you to be
here today.
George, thank you for beinghere.
You're welcome.
George.
I would love to, start off byasking you the question I often
(03:38):
ask my guests.
If you had to pick one word thatwould best describe you, what
would that word be?
Nice.
Nice.
Yes.
Do people tell you that all thetime?
Yep.
What do you do that, that peoplesay, man, you're so nice,
George.
George (03:51):
I like helping people.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I like to be treated.
I, I like to be treated.
I like to treat people the way Itreat myself.
Phil (03:58):
Yes.
Nice.
George (03:59):
Yes.
Phil (04:00):
Compassion.
Oh yes.
Kindness.
Yes.
Yes.
That's awesome, man.
Mm-hmm.
I'm sure we'll see a lot ofexamples of that, yes.
Throughout your story.
Yes.
Well, George, this first timeI've met you and I'm excited to
hear your story.
Tell me where did you grow upand what did early life and what
was childhood like for you?
Oh,
George (04:19):
life was good.
Yeah.
You know, I grew up in Seale,Alabama.
Okay.
Small town.
Yeah.
Outside of Fort Mitchell.
Mom, dad.
Four siblings, good life.
Phil (04:28):
Where'd you fall in the mix of those four siblings?
George (04:30):
Oh man, I'm the knee baby.
I'm next to the baby.
Phil (04:33):
All right.
Yes, yes.
George (04:35):
As they called me.
Mama, baby.
Ah, yeah.
I went to my high school, playedbaseball.
Basketball was pretty good.
Phil (04:42):
You an
George (04:42):
athlete?
Yes, very much so.
Very much so.
But, um, as year went on, myoldest brother next to me, uh,
we was like twins.
Yeah.
Wherever you seen him.
I was there.
I, wherever you seen him, I wasthere.
We played basketball together.
Same team baseball.
And then as years went on, whenhe graduated, he went to college
(05:04):
for baseball.
Oh, wow.
So I figured, yes, I wanted togo to the same college he was, I
was hoping for that.
By the time I got ready tograduate, he went to Army.
So my long lost buddy was gone.
So I got a job, you know,working and Wow, it was great.
First met my girl that I thoughtI was gonna marry.
Yeah.
(05:24):
You know, had, had potential andwe started having kids smoothed
out and the relationship startedto get rocky.
And all of a sudden, man, youknow, pressure started hanging
out with my friends and startedin addiction.
Phil (05:38):
Wow.
This was in college?
Or, or no,
George (05:41):
no, this was before I went to college.
Phil (05:44):
Before you went to college?
Yes.
So you
George (05:45):
didn't never even got to
Phil (05:46):
college?
No, I never got there
George (05:47):
yet.
Okay.
The Lord.
So when I got there, man, youknow, I left because I had
started my addiction.
Phil (05:54):
Yes.
So you, you were, you startednow, what was the thing that
hooked you at first?
Like, what did you start?
When I
George (06:00):
started my d Yeah.
Was crack.
Phil (06:02):
You just jumped right into it?
George (06:03):
No, I had some friends doing it.
Wow.
Phil (06:06):
Yes,
George (06:06):
man.
Phil (06:07):
And I didn't.
Had you, did you drink alcoholor smoke cigarettes or do
anything before that?
I was in that country.
George (06:11):
I didn't know nothing.
And
Phil (06:13):
you,
George (06:13):
I know my momma smoked cigarettes.
Phil (06:15):
Yeah.
George (06:15):
But far as me hanging out, they wouldn't let us hang
out.
Phil (06:18):
So you just, where'd you meet these friends?
George (06:20):
Oh man.
They was friends from back down,by the way.
I went to visit the college,talked to the coach.
He told me, you know, goodschool, lost State Community
College, Birmingham, AlabamaJunior College.
Junior College, yes.
Phil (06:33):
This is where you went to, you were wanting to go to
college there?
Yes.
George (06:36):
Was gonna get the scholarship.
Wow.
Yes.
And started, came back home,talked to my mama.
I said, where I'm gonna go?
Where my brother went.
She said, well boy, that's good.
Get away from where?
From around here.
So I went and told my friends.
Then they said, Hey, you evergot high before?
I said, no.
They said, ain't gonna donothing to you.
It make you feel a little funny.
I said, what is that?
(06:57):
They said, this is crack.
I ain't never heard of that.
That's the first thing I said.
Phil (07:01):
Really?
So you, you had not been in anycircles that No.
You were just totally innocentand you didn't have any idea.
I
George (07:08):
grew up in a family that with a mom, dad, sisters,
brothers, going to church,playing ball coming home.
That didn't hang out none ofthat until I got in my senior
year.
Phil (07:21):
Yeah.
Yeah.
George (07:22):
That's when I got, wow.
Oh
Phil (07:24):
wow, man.
So you came to tell your, yourquote friends about how excited
you were about the scholarshipand the college.
Yes.
And they invited you to
George (07:34):
girls was hanging around.
You know, lot of'em was doingit, but I was in the wrong place
at the wrong time trying to tell'em, because a lot of folk was
getting high.
Phil (07:43):
Yeah.
George (07:44):
And I didn't know nothing about getting high, so
he said, try.
So I tried it.
Trust me.
Wasn't nobody around.
Oh, I ain't, did you like it?
I said, what you supposed to do?
Tried it again.
I said, wow, this high.
He said, you want some more?
I said, nah, not right now.
I gotta go home.
Gotta go home.
He said, well come back aroundand boy, there go.
(08:05):
Did I not coming back aroundfirst?
It started out being free.
Oh man.
By the time I got ready to go tocollege, I didn't go.
I lost that.
Phil (08:14):
That's heartbreaking.
You, did you know yourself thatyou'd never make it and pull
yourself out?
Or did they find out and say,we're not offering you a
scholarship anymore?
Well, what was
George (08:24):
happening by the time I graduated and I had the
scholarship.
Phil (08:29):
By the
George (08:29):
time I graduated and the time I spoke and went, I didn't
go back.
I told my mom, my uncle ne frommy uncle from Chicago and
California came down and wantedto beat my butts.
Yes.
Came to so my So you just said,mom,
Phil (08:44):
I'm not going to that college.
I don't wanna bother with it.
Yeah.
George (08:46):
She didn't, I didn't explain why.
She said, well boy, I'm notgonna pressure you, period.
Not to go or none of that.
She
Phil (08:52):
had no idea.
Baseball scholarship.
Yes.
Baseball.
She didn't know you was Shedidn't have no idea being
addicted to crack.
George (08:57):
The way I had started acting around the house when I
come back, she knew somethingwas wrong.
Yeah.
Then I met my, met my kids andthem.
Uh, so I slacked up.
She didn't know, so we gottogether.
Got me a good job.
Good job.
You working just good.
And my mama said, Hey, I got toask you something, son.
You know, she'll pull me away.
(09:17):
She said, are you on drugs?
Phil (09:19):
She just straight out asked you?
George (09:20):
No, somebody had told her.
Oh.
Because she was found out roundand about.
Phil (09:24):
Yeah.
George (09:25):
She said, son, are you on drugs?
I said, no, mom, I don't.
I'm not doing nothing.
She said, are you sure?
I said, yes.
Are you sure?
Are you sure?
I said, yes.
I'm sure oh, weeks went by,weeks went by.
She said, son, I got that.
Ask you again.
Are you on drugs?
I said, mama, I would've toldyou if I was doing something
like that.
She said, well, the reason whyI'm asking, I can have two
(09:48):
people came to me.
Neither one know each other,telling me the same thing.
Wow.
That's exactly what she said.
I never forget that was in 90,91.
Yeah.
So she came back the third time.
She said, son, now I can havethree different peoples told me
that you was doing drugs.
Now neither one of'em know eachother.
(10:09):
But they told me, she said, nah,son.
I can put you in the hand of theLord.
She said, if you are, whateveryou doing, only thing you gotta
keep doing because what you doin the dog, we'll come to the
light and trust me it did.
Phil (10:22):
Sounds like you got a good mama.
Yeah.
Oh yes.
And, and I praying mother and abunch of people that was Yes.
Cared about you and maybe waslooking out for you to tell your
mom?
Yes, they did.
Wow.
George (10:33):
So, um, man, it kept on, it kept on, were you
Phil (10:36):
living at home still?
Yes.
You were living, okay.
So you were living home.
You were working Yes.
Having kids?
Yes.
Was the, your girlfriend livingat your house with your mom too,
too?
No, we were still
George (10:45):
separated.
We was still, she was at her momhouse and I was at my mom
Phil (10:48):
house.
Okay.
And had you had any kids yet atthis point?
George (10:50):
Not right then.
Okay.
Not right then.
So look kept on, I end up, whenmy mama caught me, I was right
beside her mother house when shecaught me
Phil (11:00):
because
George (11:00):
she kept on saying, what you doing, the dog will come to
the light.
And I was doing it in the dark.
I never could understand thatconcept.
Phil (11:06):
But I understand it well now, uh, that's, I say, uh, a
good lesson.
I think we'll probably circleback to what you do in the dark
will come.
The light.
We come to
George (11:15):
the light.
In other words, when you'redoing it in the dark, you are
sneaking.
But when you, when it come tothe light, see you being got
real comfortable and your brainstraight to the light.
Phil (11:22):
Yeah.
That's what happened.
That makes me think about ayouth pastor I had when I was a
teenager.
Yes.
One of the things he wouldalways tell us, he would say to
us, he would say, listen, I wantyou guys to understand this.
If you ever have to sneak to dosomething, yeah.
It's wrong.
It's, and that stuck with me.
Yeah.
It's right.
'cause if you're sneaking, youknow, in the back of your mind
there's something Yes.
Something you, it's not rightabout it.
(11:42):
'cause you don't want no folksto know about it.
Exactly.
George (11:44):
And that's what I did for the longest in the dog.
And when it came to the light,now came, now
Phil (11:48):
your mama saw you now my saw me.
George (11:50):
Oh boy.
She said, boy, you going torehab?
I said, no, I ain't.
She said, yes, you are.
And then she got the wholefamily together and told'em what
was going on, where theysupported me to go.
But I told'em no, I don't have ahabit.
I can break it.
Phil (12:02):
You was in denial?
George (12:03):
Yeah, I was in denial.
Yeah.
So she said, okay.
She said, but if anything gomissing, you're gonna go to
rehab.
So I kept my job.
I kept working.
So I told her.
So
Phil (12:12):
you were able To keep my job function in life for a
little while still,
George (12:16):
because addiction wasn't that
Phil (12:18):
bad.
George (12:19):
Yes.
I thought I could handle it.
That's what I thought.
But Phil, did it not get worse?
Phil (12:24):
It always does, doesn't it?
Wow.
George (12:26):
Me and my ex finally got together, started having kids,
and we got a house.
Her mother paid the down paymentfor a house.
Oh.
We
Phil (12:34):
looked like it was going good.
Wow.
Was she doing drugs too?
No.
No, no, no.
No.
She was Did she know that youwere doing drugs?
Nope.
George (12:41):
She didn't know?
No,
Phil (12:42):
never
George (12:42):
told her.
Phil (12:43):
And she never suspected, never thought she was acting a
little strange.
George (12:47):
No, because what I had started doing, Phil, I was
working at Southern Phoenix atnight, and she was working at
State Farm in the.
You know, we was barely seeingone another.
Oh, you know, I was working from11 to seven.
She was working from eight tofive.
So when she come home, you know,I been, did what I had to do and
she went, she was in love.
(13:08):
All of a sudden the kids startedcoming, kept the bills up.
But my habits start growingslowly.
It start processing growing.
Man.
Before I know that man, she sayssomething ain't right.
She said, something wastes yourmoney.
And then she started talking tomy mother, man.
My mother ended up telling herwhat was going on with me.
Wow.
By that time, I hadn't lost alot of weight.
Phil (13:30):
How long had y'all been together?
George (13:31):
Ooh, man, from, I met her in 84.
Until 91.
Phil (13:37):
Six years.
Yeah.
Or seven years.
Seven years.
Yeah.
George (13:40):
Very sweet young lady.
Wow.
What's
Phil (13:42):
her
George (13:42):
name?
Karen Johnson.
Phil (13:44):
Okay.
Yeah.
So how many kids did you guyshave at that point when she
found out?
George (13:49):
Oh man, that was Ashley first.
Phil (13:51):
After the first kid?
George (13:52):
Yeah.
Phil (13:53):
Who was
George (13:53):
Ashley?
That was Derek, and then thatwas Brittany.
Phil (13:56):
three kids.
Three.
You had three kids?
Yes.
Before she found out?
Yes.
And then she said something'snot right.
And she talked to your mama?
George (14:01):
Yes.
Phil (14:02):
Three kids.
Wow.
How old were the kids?
George (14:04):
Oh man.
Actually was born in 86.
Derrick was born in 88 andBrittany was born in 90.
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah.
Yeah, man, I'm talking about,man, I destroyed that
relationship,
Phil (14:17):
so what happened when she called you out and she said, oh
George (14:19):
man, you know, she couldn't pay for the house.
She couldn't pay for the housebecause my addiction had grown.
Phil (14:25):
All your money was going to drugs.
Yeah,
George (14:27):
on a Friday.
Normally I give her the check.
I would wait till she leave, gocash my check, go hang out with
the fellas, blow all my money.
By the time she get in no money,it kept on for a while till she
got tired?
Yes.
And then I left'cause she donewanted me there around.
She done wanted the kids to knowwhat was happening.
Phil (14:47):
So you just walked out and just No, she kicked me out.
Oh yes.
George (14:51):
I got to give her that.
I thank her for it though.
Yeah.
But, uh, yeah man, so her mothercried to help her the best she
can, you know, but we lost herhouse.
Phil (15:00):
So what'd you do then?
She's got, I went back
George (15:02):
home.
She put me on child support, butI was still working.
Now don't get it wrong, I wasstill working.
Phil (15:08):
Yeah.
Were you
George (15:08):
paying the child support?
Yes.
They took it, they startedtaking it out.
My shapes, they started.
You didn't have a
Phil (15:12):
choice.
You couldn't blow that money.
I, I couldn't blow that
George (15:14):
money there.
'cause took, it was coming outmy shape and then my addiction
got worse.
Yes.
Oh man, I lost my car.
I lost my motorcycle.
I lost a lot of things.
Pride, dignity, all that mankept on job started, I started
losing my job.
I was working at Southern Finnfirst.
Got the job there, left there,went to build they fired me at
(15:36):
Southern Finn.
It wasn't no problem to get whenit built because my mother was
working there.
I went up there, used my mothername.
Cool.
Got a job just like that.
Phil (15:44):
She had a good testimony.
George (15:45):
Yes.
Got a job there.
And then there is uptown.
I didn't know nothing aboutuptown until I got the job up
there in Bibb City.
Yeah.
And so I met some guys thatworked there and you know me
started doing pretty good atfirst, and then I met there is
always finding that crowd waswrong.
(16:07):
And then it was right down thestreet.
They had A-C-B-N-T up there.
I cashed my check, get off inthe morning.
Go to the CB T and walk rightdown the street and get whatever
I need.
Phil (16:16):
So you had moved across town?
No, I had moved back to seal.
You had moved back to Seal?
Yes.
Yes.
Getting back to working in, inBebb City.
Yeah.
And that's where you found somemore folks to get some more
drugs?
Yes.
George (16:27):
Oh man, it got even worser, years went by man drugs.
You know, my addiction got sobad.
Feel to the point that, I wasn'tgiving my mother nothing.
Huh?
So I thought I was being smart,huh?
Because I felt like they wastaking out too much for child
support.
I swapped jobs
Phil (16:46):
to make less money.
George (16:47):
To make more money because I didn't tell the DA
that I had swapped jobs, so theyweren't taking it out.
So I was getting my whole check.
Phil (16:55):
So you got, you made, you started making more money and
they took the same amount out,which was a smaller percentage.
No.
George (17:01):
See, when you change jobs.
You have to notify the da
Phil (17:04):
and you didn't do that.
And I
George (17:05):
didn't do that.
Phil (17:06):
So now you're, you probably are building up charges
of not paying the child support.
Yes ma'am.
'cause you didn't tell'em.
Yeah.
Said they're going, they'regonna find you.
They're gonna find you.
What you do in the dark.
We'll come into the light.
They
George (17:16):
come into the light.
There it is.
And asked me.
Then it did.
'cause she went back and toldthem and they summoning me back
to court.
Then I went to jail
Phil (17:23):
for
George (17:24):
child support.
Phil (17:25):
Okay.
Yes.
Did they, so did the drugs comeup in jail at all?
Like in, in the court at thatpoint?
Did the drugs come up at all?
George (17:31):
Nope.
Nope, Nope.
She never told them.
They asked me why did I report?
Did they let'em know?
So I just then
Phil (17:36):
so jail.
So how long were you in jail?
George (17:38):
Uh, about six months.
Russell County.
Yes.
Thank God I have a good frienddown there.
Phil (17:43):
You know
George (17:44):
what we still are.
Wow.
But man, like I said,
Phil (17:48):
what happened?
What happened from there?
So you six months in
George (17:50):
jail.
Lost my job.
Everything.
So look, six months.
Oh man.
Came weight back looking good.
Come out.
Phil (17:57):
Were you.
Not using drugs while you werein jail?
George (18:00):
No, no.
I was straight.
Didn't, couldn't get nothing inRussell County?
No.
Phil (18:03):
All right.
They
George (18:04):
put me in trustees, got out, worked, you know, side the
road, whatever.
Oh man.
Got out looking good.
Wake back up.
Hey, went back to the samecrowd.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I used drugs drugs.
To be honest, I used Grove from91 till my, my, my clean date
came, my really, really cleandate came the seven the ninth.
(18:27):
The ninth, the 17th, 24th.
Phil (18:29):
Yeah.
Wow.
That's a long time.
Uh, so
George (18:32):
in between them a lot of things happened.
Phil (18:35):
How tell me about some of those things.
Okay, so it went from the pointwhen you get outta jail.
Yeah.
I'm, you've got some crazystories.
Oh man.
George (18:40):
I got some for you.
Like, tell
Phil (18:42):
us, tell us what that looked like for you.
George (18:44):
My mother, she always go to church.
My mother grew up in the church.
So she was a praying woman.
Yeah.
My dad, he went every now andthen, so you know, on a Sunday
we get dressed, go to church.
I believed in the church, but Iwasn't read in the Bible.
That was the main thing.
Listen to the pastor.
Ooh, that was good enough, yeah,I heard, but I didn't accept the
(19:04):
word.
I didn't, happy to be at church,but I, but the pastor always
said, you need to reach a Bibleto understand that instead of
listening at me preach.
Always said it.
Then Look, seen that Bible gethome, put it down.
Go on back out there.
Yes.
Straight from church, leavingchurch.
Oh mama, can I borrow your car?
(19:25):
Yeah.
Gone.
Going straight back to thestreets.
Wow.
Yeah, man, it was rough.
My addiction was rough as thatwent on.
Left.
Bill.
Now I know some folks uptown.
Were
Phil (19:35):
you back working
George (19:36):
anywhere or were you Yes.
When I left Bill, I wentstraight to the city of Phoenix
City and got a.
I was a level two track off.
So
Phil (19:42):
did you, you didn't have to do drug tests Yes.
To get these
George (19:44):
jobs.
Phil (19:45):
How
George (19:45):
you, but you gotta understand drugs.
When I got outta jail, I wasclean.
So when I went for the job, Iwent, I wasn't in no drugs, no.
Wasn't nothing in my So you
Phil (19:54):
passed the test'cause passed had been off and then you
got the job and you started backon the drugs.
Mag
George (19:58):
started rap back when the money started.
That's when it started back.
As long as I didn't have a job,I was fine.
That's something I didn't neverhave a job in 86.
In 96, I was working for thecity of Finn City.
11, two tracked operator.
Got that.
I think its last about what?
About eight, nine months.
Wow.
They came with a urine test.
(20:19):
Oh, I failed.
Phil (20:21):
Oh.
George (20:21):
I left there and got a, and got went to a temporary
company.
One of those temporary companythat's higher your day labor.
Phil (20:29):
Yeah.
George (20:29):
And got uh, day labor job at Continental Carbon Off
State Dock Road.
I worked down there for abouteight weeks.
My cousin worked down there too,because I'm a good worker.
You know, they end up hiring meat Continental Carbon.
Good pay now.
Working good.
Working good.
You know, within six months.
I lost that job too.
Oh yeah.
(20:49):
Oh yeah.
Had some good job drugs.
Phil (20:51):
So you, is that another drug test that they did?
Or, or no.
Were you just,
George (20:55):
I was doing so much drugs, I just didn't go to work.
Phil (20:57):
Oh.
And
George (20:58):
by the time they got ready to fire me, I told them
IWI, I, uh, resigned.
Yeah.
I left.
Oh, I left.
Phil (21:04):
Yeah.
You were, your mind was just,I'm talking about cloudy.
You went crazy land.
I'm serious.
George (21:08):
Now here we go.
Coming up to 2000 here where itget real rough.
Ugh.
Okay.
2000.
I started working for, uh, staffZone when they was downtown.
Phil (21:19):
Yeah.
I
George (21:20):
was working up on the, I was working for Philip a Philip.
Phillip Construction Company.
They was building that hotel upthere off of veteran Parkway,
right behind that McDonough.
And I was working temporary forstaff.
So this man named Mr.
Caraway outta Louisville,Alabama.
He had a, a steel company where,what town?
Rebar.
(21:40):
So I asked the guy, I said, Heyman, it's that hard to do.
He said, no.
He said, but it's hard work.
I said, I would like to trythat.
He said, for real?
He said, okay.
And uh, so I was working forPhilip, pouring the concrete,
just like that.
And then in 2000, I'll neverforget it, July the 18th, 2000,
that's when I got hired with CalCaraway Steel outta Lewisville,
(22:04):
Alabama.
And man, that's when the, by thetime that hotel was going up,
right?
Associate had the jail downhere, that six story new
addition that they have on theMuskogee County.
Yeah.
I helped put the steel in that.
Wow.
That's my first job learninghow.
But he had guys been times steelfor about 14, 15 years and, uh,
didn't nobody know how to readthe blueprint.
(22:25):
And before that jail got built,I learned how to read the
blueprints.
My first job as a supervisor,learning how to tie steel and
putting the blueprint wasNorthside High School 2002 when
North High High School startedgetting built?
Yeah.
Yes.
Phil (22:40):
Wow.
I
George (22:40):
ran that job in drugs at the same time.
I was still in my addiction.
My DOC was cracked.
I was going to work doing that.
So me and my ex, probably aroundabout 2003, we got back
together.
Yes, man.
By the grace of God, we gotback.
But I was still in my addictiondrugs.
Hold up.
She didn't know.
Phil (22:58):
She thought she was clean at that point.
Yeah, she
George (22:59):
thought I was clean.
'cause man, Phil, you know, Iwas doing,
Phil (23:02):
huh?
George (23:03):
I was eating and I was always going to work.
I maintained a job and she seenthat because the kids had gone
start, you know, she neverstopped the kids from seeing it.
Never stopped.
Phil (23:13):
Wow.
George (23:13):
But
Phil (23:14):
man, so you, you had a relationship all throughout
these, all throughout years with
George (23:17):
the
Phil (23:17):
kids?
George (23:18):
We, we, we got a relationship.
We, I tell you about that partas we go through.
But the worst part happenedafter we got back together of
folks there help us got anotherhouse.
I had two house.
I done lost about eight cars.
Wow.
Two motorcycles.
Yes.
Wow.
Yes.
Phil (23:33):
All of'em.
Getting repoed and repoed.
George (23:35):
Repoed.
Phil (23:35):
You keeping the repo man in business.
Yeah, I
George (23:37):
kept him in business.
Phil (23:38):
Wow.
I
George (23:39):
kept him in business and they money, they mother, her
mother lost a lot of moneybehind me, you know what I'm
saying?
Yeah.
Yeah.
They was well off, you know whatI'm saying?
But anyway, uh, I was tiredstill, and when we got the
house, man, it wasn't nothingbecause she said, look, now
every Friday your money willcome here.
And I agreed to it.
(23:59):
We was doing good for abouteight months.
I got back strong on myaddiction.
I was already still in myaddiction, but it got stronger.
Yes man, I, ooh, it alwaysgrows, doesn't it?
It grows bad.
Just always, man.
My mama used to tell me, shesaid, boy, I pray, boy, I pray.
Ask the Lord to take it awayfrom you.
And you know, Phil, 2005, thepeople that I hung around got
(24:24):
clean and I couldn't figure out,they had been doing it longer
than me.
If they could stop, I can stop.
But I never stopped.
Wow.
Yeah, they stopped.
They got clean, got they lifetogether.
Got families doing good.
Now watch this.
I'm still in my addiction.
They done got clean Now guesswhat?
They don't want to hang with me.
No.
(24:44):
These was the people that I hungwith that got started with.
Now, they done got clean.
They don't want nothing to dowith me because I'm in my
addiction.
Yeah.
Wow.
Yes, it was bad.
Yeah.
Phil (24:55):
So you're kind of isolated
George (24:57):
and alone?
I'm isolated now.
All the guys, all the peoplethat I once hung around, they
clean.
I'm the only one out there, soI, I went and made new friends,
as my mama said, not newfriends.
Bought friends.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Because I bought them to sellaround me.
Yeah.
Wow.
It was rough.
Now my addiction got so bad.
2007, no, 2006 when we lost herhouse, I moved back with my mom.
Phil (25:23):
So you, this is, you split up again with your again?
Yes.
Your kids' mom.
Oh, mom.
She got the house now.
She still got the house.
I'm out of it.
And then you went back to yourmama's house?
George (25:31):
Yes.
My addiction got so bad.
2007 my dad died.
Yeah.
Phil (25:38):
And that they sent you off a cliff even more?
George (25:40):
No, no.
I'm in my addiction.
No, he died.
He passed.
Went to the funeral after thefuneral.
Stayed with the family for awhile.
Went back out there, go get highagain.
Yes.
Now, here's the worst part.
2008, December the 14th, 2000,2008, my mom passed.
Mm.
If you back up to the 13th,which was a th no, which was a
(26:02):
Friday.
Never forget it.
Remember the date?
The 13th was a Friday, Decemberthe 13th, because she died that
Saturday on the, no, nope.
Let me get it right.
She died December the 14th,which was a Saturday, December
the 13th.
Oh eight was on a Friday.
That's when I left her and wentto job, went back to my job.
When I got paid, I stayed outall night.
(26:24):
Didn't know my mother hadpassed.
Wow.
No, no, no, no.
Didn't know.
I came home to my, I came overthere, back to the house.
My, the only way I know I hadjust came off my house, headed
home, got to the house, anddidn't have the key.
My nephew came down there and hesaid, uncle Boot.
I said, what?
He said, you didn't heard?
Heard what grandma passed?
(26:46):
I said, boy, you tripping.
I said, I just left her.
He said, no, everybody's at thehospital or now they looking for
you.
Oh yes, I was the last one toknow.
Yeah, but did you thought thatstopped my addiction?
No.
No it didn't.
And that is the end of part oneof George's story.
Things get even crazier as hecontinues his story next week.
(27:10):
Thanks for being with us thisweek and we look forward to
being back with you again nextweek.
06-21-23 SAFEHOUSE-CH2 (27:15):
We look forward to being with you again
next week as we share anothertestimony about the power and
the goodness of God to changelives through Safe 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
(27:37):
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 (27:52):
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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