James

I'm the youngest of 5 boys and 2 Girls. I grew up on a loving Family Not a church

family. Even though my mother read the bible all the time I myself didn't, nor did I desire too. So Needless to say I never opened the Bible a day in my life until I got to the Mott. I had hit rock bottom as many times before but this time I decided I needed God in my life and my way won't work.

My drug of choice was all of them. As I got older, the addiction worsened. In 1977 I dropped out of school at 15 and went to work with my oldest brother in Atlanta. Now that I had a source of money my addiction worsened.

It was around this time I met my ex wife and at 17 I became a father.

My name is James. I’m 63 years old. I was born in Sand Mountain, Alabama, and raised in Loganville, Georgia. I’m the youngest of five boys and two girls. I grew up in a loving family, but we were not a church-going family. Even though my mother read the Bible all the time, I didn’t read it myself, nor did I have any desire to. Needless to say, I had never opened a Bible in my life until I came to the Mott Center.

I had hit rock bottom many times before, but this time was different. I finally decided that I needed God in my life. I realized that my way simply didn’t work.

I didn’t really have one drug of choice—I used them all, along with alcohol. At the age of 13, I began drinking and experimenting with drugs, and as time passed, it only got worse. At 15, I quit school, left home and moved in with my oldest brother in Alabama. I went to work for him driving a dump truck at the Atlanta Airport. This was in 1977. We stayed in a motel during the week and went back home to Alabama some weekends.

Now I was working and making money, but my drug and alcohol use continued to get worse. When I was 16, I met my now ex wife. She was 20. At 17, I was a father. By the time I was 20 I had two sons. At 21, I was in prison because of the life I was living with drugs and alcohol. Without going into all the details, I ended up going to prison six times and losing nearly 30 years of my life. Every time I got out, I went right back to drugs and alcohol. The truth is, I never really stopped—not even while I was in prison.

Eventually, I hit rock bottom again, just as I had many times before. I found myself homeless and staying at a shelter in LaGrange, Georgia, where I finally asked for help. Thankfully, two of the ladies working there had been through Valley Rescue Mission. They reached out on my behalf and helped me get here, so I owe a special thank-you to Christian and Brittany.

I came to Valley Rescue Mission on November 18, 2025. I was withdrawing so badly that I couldn’t even write my own name, much less fill out the rest of the intake paperwork. “Big B,” as we call him—Brian—asked me, “Do you need to go to detox?”

I told him no because I had been through withdrawal many times before. I made it through intake, went to my bed, sat down, and prayed, “God, if You are real, get me through this.”

A couple of days later, I pulled out the Bible that Big B had given me and started looking through it. I didn’t know anything about the Bible, but the Book of James caught my attention—of course, my name being James.

Then I came across James 4:7: “Humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

That was exactly what I needed to hear.

Mark also told me to read Proverbs every day and see what I could get out of it. So many of those verses touch my heart, and the journal we keep helps guide my days and keeps my focus on the Lord.

The first time I read Proverbs 30, it really hit home with me: “I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out.” Boy, was I ever. Then I read, “I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense.” That made me look back over my life and realize how badly I had messed things up and how desperately I needed God and His plan for my life.

Since coming here, God has softened my heart. He has taken away the sinful person I once was and has begun making me new. Through my time here at Crossroads, I’ve had the opportunity to examine myself, my heart, and my purpose in life. God is teaching me to become a more loving, kind, gentle, and forgiving person. Every day, I find His guidance, mercy, and love through His Word, through the teachers who pour into us, and through the staff and leaders here at Crossroads.

One passage has become a focus for my life—Romans 12:11–12: “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”

On December 21, 2025, I gave my life to the Lord. I was saved and baptized at Second Baptist Church.

The necklace I wear is more than just a necklace to me. It is a simple reminder that Christ died so that I could have eternal life. It isn’t magic, and I don’t wear it for protection. I wear it as a reminder to be thankful for my blessings, to serve Him better every day, and to remain committed to my faith. Most importantly, it reminds me to seek Him daily.

Today, I give thanks to God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the new life I have been given.