Renew. Restore. Rejoice. A SafeHouse Ministries Podcast

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 th...

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...

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!

Shannon shares it all, she opens up about being raped at age 14 and about the trajectory of tragedy her life took from that point on.  She shares about multiple abusive and failed relationships, severe drug addiction, and how she came to the place where she felt that suicide was the answer.  But God had other plans for Shannon!!!!!

Shannon exposes so many of the lies our Enemy (Satan) uses to lead us into darkness and try to trap us there forever.  Too many of us follow those lies on a path that leads only to heartache and sor...

Jasmine's Mom loved her, but so often was not the mother that Jasmine needed, especially when her brother Duncan died in a car accident.  Jasmine concludes her story by sharing some of the darkest times of her life, but the story does not end there, because God came in and brought light to dispel the darkness.  God turned everything upside down and created a beautifully restored relationship between Jasmine and her mom Christy, who is now also an amazing grandmother to little Hendrix!

(Be sure to listen to part 1 of Jasmine's story before diving into this one, we...

Jasmine shares what life was like growing up with a Mom who was an addict.  One of the craziest times of her life was when she was 17 and working in a bar and her mom would embarrass her by coming to the same bar and getting totally wasted.  Jasmine has a perspective that is so helpful for understanding what so many people live with growing up, a perspective that should help those who have had a more advantageous upbringing learn how important it is to show compassion instead of condemnation for others who are often simply doing the best th...

I just love Mike's spirit of humility, joy, and life!  In this conclusion episode of Mike's story, Mike shares how he finally grabbed hold of the Lord's hand and allowed him to pull him up out of the darkness for good.  Mike offers some truly profound wisdom about the power of unconditional love and how to help others without enabling them.  Mike's transformational story is a powerful testament to a God who truly loves us more than we could ever understand!

Mike's Dad was too often away at sea, and Mike's Mom let him get away with too much, but Mike's problems were of his own making, and he owns up to them as he shares his incredible story on today's podcast.  There are so many powerful lessons to ponder as you listen to Mike's story, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!  I'd love to hear what you thought if you'd be willing to shoot me an email at Phil@safehouse-ministries.com!

This episode begins with multiple clips from the first two episodes to give a summary of Jame's entire incredible story, and then James brings us up to where he is today, and how incredibly blessed his life is now.  To many James' life might seem like a broken and scattered mess, but when you look at how God was there all along pursuing James with his unwavering mercy and you hear James' profession of the greatness and goodness of God, you realize that his life is an illustration of such a beautiful tapestry that only God could create.  The me...

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!

James started down a dark path at a young age, but when Christmas of 1987 came around God gave him a serious wake up call.  James woke to find his kids running into the living room where the Christmas tree was only to realize that there were no presents for them under the tree because their dad had spent all his money on drugs instead.  This shocked James into the realization that drugs had overtaken his life, and he got clean for good.  But as James cleaned up his life from drugs there was another, deeper darkness that began to tak...

This is the part of Tracy's story where Jesus turns the darkness into life and brings tremendous beauty from the ashes of sorrow and hardship.  When Tracy had finally had enough and surrendered her heart and her life to Jesus...that is when everything changed forever.

Tracy's story is a powerful illustration of how the enemy works to destroy so many people's lives.  Tracy lived what she learned, and that led to great sorrow and heartache.  But as Tracy states more than once in this interview, God was there all along, and He had a plan to redeem and restore her.  One of the most tragic things Tracy experienced was the death of her 5-year-old son when an old farm tractor rolled on top of him and crushed his lungs, but Tracy has found healing from God even for this.  What a powerful testimony she has...

Mike is an amazing man with an amazing story.  In this part two episode he shares some more about his new life, the challenges, the joys, and the fact that he would never go back to his old life!  Mike also shares several helpful lessons for anyone who might be affected by addiction in their own life or in the life of a loved one or friend.

Mike shares his regret in choosing the wrong friends as a teenager and how that led him down a path of great pain.  There are so many amazing anecdotes and emotional stories with powerful lessons.  As is true in all our lives, God was there working all along the way to bring Mike back from the destruction he had bound himself to.  On a night when God was working in Mike's heart and he was sensitive to listen, he had a friend that brought him to SafeHouse Ministries where God got hold of Mike's heart and turned his feet on...

We left the story last week when Josh had been medically detoxed and "freed" from his opiate addiction, only to dive deep into another destructive addiction to gambling.  Hear how Sammy God got brought someone into Josh's life who was finally able to break through and get Josh to face the lies he had not yet faced, and learn how God redeemed Josh and restored Sammy and Josh's relationship to the place where they could build a solid and wonderful life together.

The deepest darkness of Sammy and Josh's relationship.  Sammy came to the place where she was not blind to the evil reality of what Josh had become and she did everything she could to call him out, hold him accountable, and push him towards sobriety and victory...but none of us can change another person, no matter how much we love them.  Josh would have to come face to face with his demons personally and slay them forever if he wanted any hope of a future with Sammy.  This episode ends with a crazy plot twist and cliffhanger, and nex...

Sammy was drawn to "the bad boy" and the particular boy she found was like a tornado of trouble from the beginning.  Sammy was not an addict herself but was deeply affected by addiction because the person she loved was an addict.  The boy turned man she will be speaking of is Josh Pezold, and if you haven't heard his story it aired on our podcast in four parts during October of 2024.  You'll love this episode with Sammy even if you haven't already heard Josh's story from last October, but if you go back and listen to the episodes wit...

In this conclusion of Christy's story, she shares how her life becomes utterly and entirely unhinged.  Tragedy strikes and her self-destructive behavior goes into overdrive and nearly kills her.  But when she collapses at the point of death, Jesus catches her in his arms and carries her on a path of beautiful redemption and restoration.

Christy grew up in a very unstable home (her mom was married 7 times and had many other unstable relationships), and Christy learned from an early age to make self-destructive decisions, decisions which brought her much pain and tragedy.

Part 2 of Grace's Story!  When Grace was nearing the point of giving up on her mom forever, Kristie found SafeHouse Ministries and Tomorrow's Hope.  Kristie was Redeemed from her addiction and Grace's relationship with her mom was Restored!  This is an amazing conclusion and Grace shares even more helpful insight into the struggles that so many children face in our communities!

This episode is the first of its kind for us, where someone shares their story about growing up with a parent who was a drug addict.  Grace shares some very powerful and emotional memories, and she gives some great insight into what it's like for kids who grow up with parents dealing with addiction and incarceration.  

Today's podcast will be Kristi sharing her story of Addiction and Pain from the perspective of a parent.  Next week Grace, Kristi's daughter will be sharing her story from the perspective of a daughter who grew up with a parent that struggled desperately with addiction.  If you listen to both perspectives, you'll come away with a deepened understanding of the struggle of pain and destruction that addiction brings into the lives of so many.  May God use these episodes to speak to us and help us to grow into the kind of people who can make a bigger difference to...

Part 2 of William's Story is like finishing of a nice warm hot cup of cocoa, it will leave you with a warm and joyful feeling inside and a smile on your face.  William dives deeper into some of the crazy things he did in his darkness... (SPOILER ALERT-stealing a Hurse was one of them).  William also speaks more at length about the love of God through the lives of human vessels that finally brought him out of the darkness and the many lessons he learned that can help others who are struggling to get out of their own darkness.

William is such a nice guy, and his story is truly incredible.  He shares some crazy stories and some amazing insight into the world of homelessness.  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!  This episode is all about the reason we do what we do, the reason for the season, the reason for hope-Jesus.  We hope you enjoy this special episode and we pray that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!

From the time I started volunteering at SafeHouse Ministries and preaching on Saturdays, Lilian had an amazing spirit about her.  She was so full of boldness for good, love for others, and a strong desire to help and serve.  I saw these qualities even through the darkness of her struggles with cocaine, and I always loved seeing Lilian help recruit others to come to the chapel service and hear me preach the Word of God.  It fills my heart with joy to see Lilian now clean and sober and living a life in which God can use her many gif...

Freda had to grow up when she was just a kid, taking care of her siblings before she was even a teenager.  Freda had her first baby at age 15 and couldn't take care of her because she was too deep in the darkness of addiction.  She faced death after death of loved ones who died at such young ages, and not knowing how to deal with these deaths chose to dive deeper into drugs, thinking naively that they would numb her pain.  But God knew Freda from the time she was born, and he had a plan to renew her...

Andrea's Story is a beautiful picture of growth over time and of how God walks with us through the sorrow in our lives, even when much of it is of our own making.  Andrea has faced some crazy and life-threatening situations, but God has brought her through, answered her prayers, and given her a renewed hope and restored opportunity to pour her life into her children as well as into so many others she meets along the way.

Andrea's story is a wild roller coaster ride which was often a nightmare lived out in real life.  But through her patience and God's Grace she has come through to get out of the nightmare and live in the light!  You'll hear her modern-day testimony about how God never leaves us nor forsakes us but loves us and is always there for us when we recognize our folly and cry out to Him for salvation and help!

To God be the Glory Great things He has done!  Listen as Neil Richardson shares tribute to what God has done these last 15 years through SafeHouse Ministries and consider partnering with us for the next 15!

SafeHouse Ministries is celebrating 15 years of work in the Columbus, GA area and 15 years of amazing miracles in thousands and thousands of people's lives!  You may not be able to bring homeless people into your personal home and feed them meals in your kitchen, but if you'd like to help in a more practical way please consider partnering with SafeHouse Ministries by giving $15 a month to support us so that you can be a part of the miracles that are yet to come.  Today's podcast episode gives just a few testimonials of the blessing that SafeHouse Ministries is in th...

The Monster of Addiction was in full rage mode, but nothing would stand in God's way...He wanted to redeem Jennifer and set her feet on the rock of victory, the rock of Jesus!  You will love hearing the incredible conclusion to Jennifer's amazing life story!

Jennifer's story is a chilling tale of evil within our society that is kept hidden and overlooked.  Her Dad, Rick Rice, was a famous regional Radio Host who was encouraged to party, drink, and ensure that others had a good time at events.  This lifestyle encouraged him on a path to deep alcoholism.  When Jennifer was trying to deal with life and started dabbling with marijuana and pain pills, her physician prescribed stronger doses and told Jennifer to her face that "we don't drug test here."  This physician abused their power to prescribe medicines and pushed Jennifer into a much...

The final wave of Chaos in Josh's Life before the light of God brakes through and brings him to his senses.  Josh recounts the love of God, the mercy of God, and the people God used in his life to bring him finally to the place of victory over addiction.  Stick with him to the end, because he shares some amazing lessons learned when he sums up all four parts in this episode series.

This episode continues Josh's story in the midst of some of the darkest days he has lived, and it brings us to the place where Josh finally became broken and surrendered, and that's when God began to change everything.

Attempted infanticide, attempted suicide, and more in this second part of Josh Pezold's story.  The darkness grows and Josh comes to a place of utter despair and hopelessness as he shares about what happens after a daughter enters his life and insanity enters his marriage.  But this episode is not the end, come back next week as Josh continues his story and things begin to take a turn for the better.