#84 - Drugs, Sex, Theft, Molestation, Domestic Abuse, Infidelity and finding God - Andy Jones Part 2

God's Men of Influence PODCAST

Andy Jones should be locked away in prison, but God saved him. Through a life of molestation, drugs, sex, theft and domestic abuse God was with him, but he refused to listen. Andy has served as a ministry leader at Celebrate Recovery Ministry at Seacoast Grace Church, a ministry that helps broken people find their way back to God through a 12 step Christ based program. This is his amazing testimony.

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” - John 8:7

1. Biggest Weakness - Profanity
2. Biggest Strength - Compassion and empathy
3. Dark Time - Born to an alcoholic mother and father Andy struggled as a child. At 7 years old he was put into a mental institution. He was a wild child that his parents couldn’t handle. If you misbehaved, you were locked into the white room where he saw his mom leave on a visit. Andy stayed there for 16 weeks and then bounced back and forth between his mom and her crazy boyfriend and her dad and his abusive girlfriend. Because he wet the bed, she would beat him regularly. In school he was in special ed classes and fought a lot. Andy was an outcast, but he found adults that he could spend time with.
4. In junior high, Andy ran around with a crew called the River Rats. During this time is when he began stealing and handling guns. In the 8th grade he ran from the cops and ending up in jail for 30 days.
5. Early on he was molested by a babysitter and other older men and women, but it seemed normal. He explored sex for many years in situations he shouldn’t have.
6. In his marriage Andy has learned that the most intimate thing he can do with his wife is pray.
7. During high school, Andy tried to change, but he brought himself wherever he went. He was a drug addict, sex addict and became very violent. He began stealing again, took acid and one night shot up a Toyota Dealership and gas station. 2 credits short of graduation he got 7 class A felonies. They sent him to the penitentiary at 17.
8. Prison was a gladiator school. It’s a University for Felons where he could learn to be a better criminal.
9. His grandmother was a woman of faith that saved his life. She was a prayer warrior for Andy. He always knew God had a plan for him, but he didn’t want to listen.
10. Andy got his girlfriend pregnant and got married. He tried to get sober, began meetings, but it didn’t work.
11. He left his wife and kids and became addicted to smoking cocaine. He couldn’t pay child support and was thrown in jail. His ex-wife bailed him out and they remarried and had twins. Andy still couldn’t stay clean. He confesses that he was a very abusive husband.
12. Andy moved back to California worked at a bar and found his next victim whom he stayed with for 20 years.
13. When he met a stranger who broke down he became addicted to methamphetamines. He was soon asked to deal meth and it became a big deal. Although Andy was making a lot of money he never sent child support. He was again arrested for not paying child support. It was God saving him from a much worse prison sentence.
14. He met a bank robber in prison who he took out on his first night back on the streets. They found him dead in Andy’s car from a heroin overdose.
15. At one point he was very high and snuck into a house to shoot up some guys who stole his stuff. He ended up shooting a man in the chest. He went on the run, but they tracked him down. Nobody died,
16. Andy got on his knees and prayed. He got a deal for 5 years and knows that God had a plan.
17. In prison Andy contracted Hep C from a heroin needle. When his mom died, he couldn’t grieve while he was inside.
18. Once he got out his 15 year old son wanted to have a relationship with him, but he didn’t know how to be a dad.
19. One night a homeless crackhead came to him and said you need to straighten up. This was Andy’s angel.
20. Andy found out that his children had been raped by their stepdad since they were 7, but God had lifted his rage.
21. Andy has held his job now for 15 years.
22. He met his wife Cassie and she took him to Celebrate Recovery. He’s been clean and sober since June 6th, 2003. Feed yourself with scripture. Celebrate Recovery Ministry at Seacoast Grace Church is a ministry that helps broken people find their way back to God through a 12 step Christ based program and Andy became a minister there.