Renew. Restore. Rejoice. A SafeHouse Ministries Podcast

Jennifer describes how gambling was a more powerful and destructive addiction than even the drugs were.  This should be a wake up call for anyone dabbling in gambling, and a warning for legislators who want to more fully legalize this destructive industry.

Jennifer shares about the great love her mother gave her and the powerful influence for good it had on her life.  She also shares about the unexpected and disastrous side effects of the COVID pandemic that had nothing to do with actually getting COVID...Happy Mother's Day to all the Mother's out there!  We appreciate all that you do!

Jennifer has a hard story, yet even in the darkness there is such a powerful and clear illustration of the goodness and mercy of God watching over her.  God truly does treat every one of us so much better than we deserve, praise God for his mercy and grace.

You'll love this resurrection reboot!

Jamielea's story is one of our all time most downloaded podcast episodes.  Her story is an amazing testimony to the resurrection power of Jesus to transform lives and bring life out of death.  If you haven't already given us a 5 star review and shared some comments about what you love about our podcast, please do that and thanks!

A happy ending to a difficult journey!  Aaron shares some great lessons of wisdom learned and also expresses deep gratitude for the many people at SafeHouse Ministries who helped him along the way.Please reach out to us with if you have questions, need help, or would like to partner with us financially to help others.Phone at 706-322-3773Email at [email protected] at 7200 Manor Rd. Columbus, GA 31907

Aaron shares how he got back on his feet and on the path to stability and success.SafeHouse Ministries can be reached at:phone 706-322-3773email [email protected] 

Aaron has not had a problem with alcohol or with drugs, but yet his circumstances still led to him becoming homeless.  Aaron share's his journey, and how he ended up finding SafeHouse Ministries to get the help he needed out of homelessness.

Big Picture Topics today which offer great insight on how we can truly help others.  What can we do as individuals?  What role does SafeHouse Ministries play?  What role can business owners play?  What can and should government do?  How does our culture impact the behaviors of individuals?  Answers to these questions an so much more!

This episode teaches about on one of the biggest reasons for the success SafeHouse Ministries' clients are able to see.  Ultimately, every person has to take personal responsibility for their own life and take action to improve it, but this is extremely hard to do when you find yourself at rock bottom with absolutely nothing.  It is huge when SafeHouse is able to step in and provide all the basic necessities of life such shelter, food, clothing, etc. so that people can focus on following the program of getting sober, learning how to work and be dependable, and save up money to launch the next phase of their life.There is so much to learn from this episode, including topics such as the role of government and welfare entitlements, and how government can play a positive role in helping people rather than strengthening a system that is holding people back.Please give us a 5 star review on the podcast platform you listen on and leave some positive comments about what you learn!

Such a great discussion on how just a few simple and fundamental qualities can make all the difference in our lives.  This episode is a great one to learn about what so often separates those who forge ahead and excel, and those who flounder and fail.

Partnerships with business owners are a huge part of the long term success ramp for the clients we serve at SafeHouse Ministries.  Business owners who partner with us not only provide jobs for our many clients upon their graduation from our programs, but they also provide continuing training to help them keep developing the character and skills they need to be able to succeed long term.  John Anker is one of those business owners who has partnered with SafeHouse Ministries for many years.  In this episode we get to know a little bit about John and his father, whose example of overcoming tremendous obstacles deeply influenced John.  John shares about how important the right mindset is to be able to survive and overcome the many immense obstacles that our clients often have to face.

So much to learn from Garron's story.  Alcohol is a deceptive and destructive tool used by the enemy to hurt so many people around us.  Let Garron's tale of sorrow be a warning and let his example of rising from the ashes give you hope!

Part 2 of Garron's Story

Garron's story is a powerful testimony to the disadvantage a child has when they don't have two parents to love, train, and keep them on the right path.

Shun's backslide into darkness left him ultimately homeless and living out of his truck.  After ultimately coming back to Columbus, Shun got connected with SafeHouse Ministries and was able to get into Freedom House (the men's shelter) and into the housing program so that he now has his own place and able to plan a path for a bright future for the rest of his life.

Shun began making changes and walking a better path after getting out of prison, but he failed to address some very powerful root habits that ended up derailing him again.  He fell back into drugs and ended up with a failed marriage after 13 years being together with his wife.  So many powerful stories and lessons to learn in this episode.

Shun's personality from a young age drove him to pursue what he wanted with extreme diligence and without caution.  At the age of 13 years old he was drawn by the allure of obtaining power over others to join the Crips gang, and he committed extreme violence on his path to gain that power.  He would come to find out though, that when you serve the devil, you pay a high price.

Twiggy shares more about how her faith and her gratefulness to God led her to give back and be an encouragement to others during her time at Grace House.  Her testimony is a powerful example about the power of giving back and about what really matters in the end.  Twiggy testifies that it was the Word of God that carried her through her darkest days.

Twiggy has an amazing spirit and exudes the quality of gratefulness.  She has a powerful story of falling on hard times and trusting in the Lord to see her through!

A special Christmas episode.  Merry Christmas!

This conclusion episode of George Jackson's story opens up with George getting shot two times on one day, and still not taking that as a wakeup call to change his life.  It was only a couple years later when his daughter came to him with some choice words that it struck his heart and led him to seek out the Lord and change his life.

George continues his story and shares about his transition from Crack to Meth and tells some crazy stories about how easy it was to commit identity theft crimes...until he got caught.

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.

The spiritual darkness that engulfed Brandy from childhood culminated in a path of abuse that caused her to experience deep drug addiction, homelessness, and to eventually lose her eyesight due to being beaten so badly that her retinas detached from her eyes.  In this conclusion to Brandy's story she shares how she found the love of God through SafeHouse Ministries and others at Mental Health Court, and how she came back to the place where she could have her physical sight restored, and even more importantly, her spiritual sight restored.  Brandy's story is educational and inspirational.

This episode gives a powerful glimpse into the reality that domestic abuse victims face, and it gives deep insight into why it is so difficult for those victims to leave their abusers.  This is an episode that will deepen your understanding and give you valuable insight that you can use to be a help to others.  Please share this episode and help us spread this knowledge that can be a help to many others.

Brandy's story has a heartbreaking beginning with trauma and abuse during her childhood years. She eventually dropped out of high school and began a path from her teenage years into adulthood that turned out to be a road filled with even more failed relationships and children lost to DFCS.  There is much to learn from in this beginning episode of Brandy's life.

There are ~14,000 children in need of childcare in Columbus, GA and roughly ~7,000 available slots.  SafeHouse Ministries has just launched a new support service, Bright Futures Childcare, to help meet this need.  Even more crucial is the need for childcare when single parents are struggling to get out of homelessness or addiction and need childcare so they can work through a sobriety program or a job to save up money.  Bright Futures Childcare goes even further by providing care for sick children, and for children with mental or social disabilities.

Keir wraps up his story and shares how amazing his life is now because of the redemptive love and grace of God!  He also recalls and shares some of the craziest memories he has about living homeless and in the woods.

Keir shares some amazing miracles that God did on his road to recovery!  It is truly amazing to hear stories such as Keir's where you can see the hand of God at work all along the way, even when things look darkest.

Keir is soft spoken, but he's had a hard story.  His life fell apart after a simple decision one Friday night to buy a six pack of beer...

Ginger's story has such an incredible ending, God works so many miracles, rebuilds so many relationships, and restores deep joy in Ginger's heart.  Praise the Lord for his goodness and mercy!

Ginger shares some crazy stories this week, including a time when she and her trap house gang were making shake and bake in a tiny shed and someone through a bottle at the door of the shed which became an instant blaze of fire in the door!  If you enjoy listening to this episode, please share and give us a 5-star review!  Thanks so much!

Ginger was born into a loving family and brought up in a good environment, but struggled with her self image from an early age.  Ginger's story is one that will resonate with anyone who has a child with ADHD or has struggled with ADHD themselves personally.  Her story is powerful, tragic, and beautiful in so many ways.  The Devil is a part of her story, but he is the defeated part, and Jesus is the victor.

A powerhouse of an episode with the Mayor of Columbus, GA, Skip Henderson!  Mayor Henderson shares great insight into what it will really take for us to overcome the challenges of homelessness and addiction in our communities.  The discussion covers crime, the economy, and the roles of City Government, Businesses, Churches, and Citizens.  This is an episode you'll want to save/bookmark to go back and listen to a second time!

I so enjoyed this conversation with Mayor Skip Henderson of Columbus, GA!  This episode and the conclusion episode next week will dive deep into the bigger picture of homelessness and the many challenges that are so often connected with it (mental illness, substance abuse, etc.).  We'll talk about the impact of homelessness on crime and the economy, the role of city government, the role of private citizens, and so much more!

The conclusion of Matthew Anderson's amazing story.  It's a happy ending all thanks to Jesus.

After a tragic truck accident, doctors thought Matthew would be a vegetable and encouraged his parents to pull the plug, but God had other plans and worked a great miracle of healing!  Then along the difficult journey of physical recovery, he started down a path of meth addiction...and which culminated in emailing a photo of all his guns to the sheriff's office with a threat to kill any of them that trespassed on his property again!

Matthew bounced around a lot as a kid with his dad being in the Navy, but after settling in Columbus things started getting crazy his senior year of high school when he began running a teenage night club full time and selling drugs part time.

I love this phrase that Matt uses as he talks about when things turned around for his own life, and the only way things till turn around for the better for any of us.  Better choices means a better life, and there are no better choices any of us could ever make than the choices that align with God's truth.  This is what led Matt and Toni both out of the darkness, and what has given them a wonderful marriage and blessed life today.

Matt talks about the many years when he lived out of a backpack he could grab at a moment's notice to bolt out the back if a bounty hunter busted through the front. Toni also begins to share how she reconnected with Matt's family and became his pen pal in prison.  This is a great episode, and we'd love to hear what you think!  If you like our podcast please share it with your friends, and if you have any thoughts or comments, we'd love to hear them at [email protected]!

Part 2 of Matt's story dives deeper into the many years he spent in County Jail and Federal Prison.  So much to learn and enjoyable to listen to!  Please share the podcast with others and help us spread the word of hope!

Matt and Toni are happily married and doing well now, but before they ever met, each of them as individuals became trapped in the devil's playground where their lives nearly ended before they ever even met.  This first episode begins with Matt's story.Matt had a decent home life as a child, even with his dad being in a wheelchair and his mom working two jobs to try and pay the bills.  But when his dad died the family began to fall apart, and when Red Phosphorous Meth entered the picture, everything began to disintegrate all around him, and he couldn't see any farther than getting the next hit.  The Devil hooked him from the very first "hit" and Matt had no idea of the tailspin his life was about to take.

Shelley's story comes to a beautiful conclusion and is a powerful illustration of the grace of God and the power of God to work miracles!  Shelley shares some powerful lessons and godly wisdom from the crazy journey she has had in life, first with the devil and now with Jesus alone!

A High-Speed Police Chase through two states, navigating the heartache of a daughter that followed in her bad footsteps, and surrendering to the chastening hand of God so that He could remake her into something amazing for his glory and his purposes!

Shelley's life got off track as a young teenager when she began seeking the approval of others and hanging out with the wrong crowd.  By the age of 17 she was pregnant and addicted to methamphetamine.  Somehow, by the age of 18 she had gotten hired as a corrections officer in the county jail, where she was more comfortable with the inmates than she was with the other guards.  Things get crazier from there.

In this final episode, Adam shares how the love of Jesus shown through SafeHouse Ministries, and the encounter with Jesus he had through his own personal surrender changed the trajectory of his life forever.  Adam shares great truth about the fact that none of us really has the right to judge or condemn others, and that instead we should follow the example of Jesus and show grace and love instead.  His story is a great example of how SafeHouse Ministries endeavors to first love and accept people wherever they are and then help lead them to the better place that God desires for them to be.  

In this episode Adam continues his story and shares a time in his life when he became increasingly desperate and hopeless.  He shares about a time when he was homeless for several years and describes how the enemy sneaks up on you in an attempt to steal away your life right from under your nose.  Adam also shares how God brought him to a place in his heart, and to a place here in Columbus Georgia, where everything began to change.

Adam is the son of former Muscogee County Sherriff Ralph Johnson.  Adam's family was hit with much hardship throughout his childhood, and Adam did not deal with it well.  As a teenager heard his dad talk about undercover work and drug gang life, which held a strong allure for Adam, so strong in fact that he dove headfirst into that world.  Adam shares his story, and it is intense, including a period of time when he had to get far away from Columbus because a hit had been taken out on his life.  I hope you enjoy Part 1 of Adam's story!

Shannon shares in great detail about the demonic oppression she faced before she finally surrendered to the Lord and He brought her out of the darkness, but she still had to face the consequence of several years in one of the deadliest prisons in the state of Georgia.  Shannon's story in this episode is intense, but through it all God's grace is on display.  This is definitely an episode you will not want to miss!