Bishop Julius C. Trimble is the Resident Bishop of the Indiana Area of the United Methodist Church.

Bishop Trimble has the personal mission to encourage all people with the love of Jesus Christ to rise to their highest potential. It is his commitment to his personal mission that led Bishop Trimble to create the “To Be Encouraged” Podcast along with co-host Rev.Dr. Brad MIller.

Bishop Trimble says, “I am compelled by Jesus to share with you an encouraging word or two about Jesus, theology, the Bible, the pandemic, the environment, racism, voting rights, human sexuality, and the state of the United Methodist Church.”

To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble is to be published weekly and is available at www.tobeencouraged.com and all the podcast directories.

https://www.inumc.org/bishop/office-of-the-bishop/

In this episode of "To Be Encouraged," hosts Bishop Julius C. Trimble and Reverend Dr. Brad Miller sit down with special guest Reverend Randy Davis. Reverend Davis is the founder and executive director of Better Life Brianna's Hope, an organization dedicated to providing help and hope to those seeking recovery from addiction.

https://www.ablbh.org/about

Throughout the episode, Reverend Davis shares his incredible journey and the inspiration behind his organization. He emphasizes the importance of finding peace of mind, heart, and a relationship with Christ in order to move forward in recovery. Here are three key takeaways from the episode:

1. Empowering Leaders: Better Life Brianna's Hope not only provides support and resources for individuals struggling with addiction but also focuses on empowering qualified leaders within the community. They offer training several times a year, allowing individuals to gain the necessary skills to effectively help others on their recovery journey.

2. Lessons from Personal Experience: Many of the leaders within Better Life Brianna's Hope have personal experience with addiction. However, Reverend Davis himself does not come from an addiction background. Instead, he has a deep compassion and experience supporting family members who have lost loved ones. This highlights the power of empathy and understanding in making a difference in the lives of those affected by addiction.

3. The Prayer of Brianna: Reverend Davis introduces the powerful and widely shared prayer of Brianna, the prayer that has become a foundational document for Brianna's Hope. This heartfelt prayer asks for strength, guidance, and forgiveness, acknowledging the struggles and desire for a better life. Reverend Davis relates this prayer to a biblical verse, emphasizing the faith and hope that can be found in the midst of addiction.

In addition to these takeaways, Reverend Davis shares the inspiring story of how Better Life Brianna's Hope began, the challenges they have faced, and their dedication to mental health and the recovery community. He also invites listeners to check out his book, "Recovery Conversations with Randy Davis," as well as their podcast, which airs every Friday at 6 AM on major podcast platforms.

Join Bishop Trimble, Reverend Dr. Miller, and Reverend Randy Davis in this enlightening and encouraging episode of "To Be Encouraged," as they share stories of hope, transformation, and the power of community in the face of addiction.

https://www.ablbh.org/about

And hello again. Good people. This is the

to be encouraged podcast with Bishop Julia

See, Trimble, the podcast where we look to offer an encouraging word

to an often discouraged world. I'm your co host, reverend, Doctor Brad

Miller. Our guest, today is reverend

Randy Davis, retired a pastor in Indiana conference with United Methodist

Church. He is the founder and executive director of a

better life Briannas Hope. He's a ball state university

graduate, a US army veteran, Vietnam war vet. We sent thank you for

your service. And, and but his present passion,

what we're talking about here today is involvement in the recovery

community. He's the founder and executive director of

recovery movement, the particular program of Better Life, Briannas

Hope. And among the other things he's been involved with is

over, a 100 celebrations of life service

for those who died from overdoses or other things

related to substance abuse, and he is devoted to mental

health. We thank you for being our guest here today with us. Randy

welcome to, to be encouraged. Thank you very much to

both of you. I appreciate this opportunity to share what we

are, what we're about. and just to spend this time with

both of you. Much appreciated. Bishop, can you give us a welcome

and any thoughts you wanna have about Randy before we jump into his story here?

Yeah. Welcome, pastor, Randy Davis, and thank you. we've talked before.

It's been a little while, and I I really wanted to connect and get our

listeners on the podcast to to know that there are

people who are actually engaging,

in in our community regarding addiction and that there

is indeed, opportunity for people to live a better

life and to not to struggle by themselves. I think too

often there are too many people in our communities, feeling that they're

facing challenges by themselves. And I think that

you will be able to not only share share some

stories, but also share how this ministry got started

and, and how how how we still are grieving

the loss of so many people, so many people, too

soon. due to addiction.

Well, Randy is a part of what we like to kinda say context a little

bit. We just like to hear a bit about your faith story just touch of

that, just a kind of an abridged version of it. How you came to Christ

and how that eventually has led you into this

mission and ministry that you're involved in right now. I'll try to

keep it short. There's nothing simple about it, though. It's

just been an incredible ride up to this point, incredible

relationship, having Christ by my

side and getting to walk with him. I was not

raised in what we would call a Christian home. But

again, lady that I became very attracted

did 2 ended up maryngs. It'll be

52 years ago. This August clean 1. Good for you. Take

up. -- at work. We're proud of that. Absolutely.

We she once Sunday morning, we hadn't been

married long. I have a military And she said,

I'm going to church this morning. If you wanna be with me, why don't you

come along? Otherwise, you can stay home. I decide

I'd rather be with her than being a home watching TV.

I went and the story goes on from there.

I found Christ in the Dunkirk of Bethel,

United Methodist Church, north of Dunkirk,

Briannas. and I was a late

leader there. A liter just highly involved with the

youth would fill in on occasion. And at the age of

thirty 3. I was bivocational in construction,

and god spoke to me one night, and I knew that

instruction had to go and the ministry had to come. I

sat in tears for quite some time just trying to sort it out.

but I know now I made the right decision.

And at our wedding, we had used the

scripture. My wife had repeated

it. The story of Ruth, whether thou goest

I will go and she has been dearly

alongside all the way. I know there are ministers who don't

have that support, and I feel for that but I could

not ask her to be a better minister's line. Phone would

ring at 2 AM. She'd have my clothes out. before I

got off the phone, and she just always been a vital part of

it came from a solid Chris and family. We've been

able to raise our boys that way, getting grandchildren.

We're thankful to god for the blessings he's provided

opportunities he's given. And that's led you eventually

to starting and being part of Brianna's Hope. So tell us

gives a little context here about how that got started?

Sure. I was an active ministry for,

let's see, 35, 37 years before

I tired as a licensed local pastor most of

that time. And upon my retirement, I wonder

what is gonna do with life. I don't have woodworking skills.

I don't have mechanical skills. My skills are

between my nose and my chin. and

and I can speak out in many different ways. Good matter. Right.

I didn't say it was always the best, but that's what my skills lie.

and through ministry, through a young

lady in our area disappearing just 2 years before

4. I retired. I contacted the family

when on board. That was June of

2014. And since that time,

we've taken better life, Briannas hope would tell ourselves

a participant driven

Christ fit no. Excuse me. A

participant driven Christled

compassion movement for those battling in battle with substance

use disorder. And we've, you know, raised

that flag. We push through. We've touched lives, changed lives,

saved lives. We've lost lives too, unfortunately. I

don't like to mention that, but the facts, the fact we've done our

best. but I realized not every lawyer is gonna win every

case, not every doctor is gonna win every battle with cancer,

but that doesn't stop us that just increases our

resolve to continue to fight for those who want a better life, who

wanna get out of that time of addiction. So this November will

be nine years old, and we're going strong and continuing to

celebrate. And, you know, following along

those words of Christ just to follow him in it. I

love the title of this podcast my spiritual

gift has always been edification or

encouragement. So I feel like this is a good fit to be

here, and that's a it's a comfortable moment for

me. It's quite quite a story of, mission and ministry right

there at Bishop, and I know you got some things you Trimble I had to

have have we engaged you about this ministry? Yep.

Yep. Pastor Randy, thank you again for being on the

podcast and And I've shared some of the story before

in other venues about, the better life Brianna Hopes. Can you

can you tell us Brianna's story if you're willing to share that

I know it's it's kind of a sad, but there's a redemptive part of her

story as well. And what what really began

to this ministry to take to take hold and then

to multiply. It's actually a ministry that's based upon

been growing so more people can be reached, more people can be

helped, to become to live to live free

lives free free of addiction, eventually. Yes.

Actually, on June 16 2014, Brianna

Debit Keith of Dunkirk, Briannas, was reported

as missing. And for the next

10 weeks. There was a county wide multi county statewide

multi statewide search for her, not

knowing how she'd be found the family made it

clear they recognized and realized that,

she had addiction issues and that was probably gonna lead to

her being found or at least with that

that knowledge, people wouldn't know the kind of places might be

seen. It was 10 weeks later that her body was fattling

atop the ground covered over with brush and abandoned

cemetery. in Jay County, Indiana.

And at that point after having walked with her family,

they welcomed me on board gave me carte blanche

with anything I ever wanted to say or do with with

her story because they didn't want anybody else to face or deal

with they had dealt with. That time and despair,

her mom attending church and the pain on her

face and her body and her past her. I mean, I

I can't imagine her being any different than she was, but

that allowed me some very intimate moments with her family.

It helped me to understand Brianna's

need and in turn allowed me to come into

connection with many folks who struggled with the same issues,

be it alcohol or drugs. And from there, there was a

little bit of money left over from a go fund we paid for her

burial expenses. They gave me that $25100

to start a program like a better life, Breanna's hope,

And from there, when we had our first meeting, November

5 2014 at the Red Key

United Methodist Church, We moved

from there to a to a bank, and then we

moved back to the church. And we've just You

know, we've been able to stretch out to, like, 45 chapters

with another new one starting soon or restart in

Huntington, Indiana. at the United Messer's church

there. I count the United Messer's church because that's my

background. But I understand we've got about 17 different

denominations involved either in leadership

or location. And, yeah, I always tell folks, you go to a town

besides of Indianapolis, and you're not gonna find me the ecumenical

groups that are gonna have 17 different denominations

and you're getting it all. It's I think it's because we're

not we're not worried about theology. We're worried about helping

people. I've always been one who believes

I want to be the total me that god created me to

be, and I would have helped you do the same thing. I'm not

asking you to be like me or to follow me by any

means, but if you can become the you that you were created

to be, man, we're gonna be whole lot better community,

family, church, world. So that's gotten

us to where we are today. as I said, we've got

45, 46 chapters. We're in 4 different

states, including Indiana, Ohio,

Virginia, and South Carolina. Our South

Carolina chapter is real near Myrtle Beach. I'd love to go there a

couple three times this summer or, excuse me, this

winter and give them an update on training. So we'll see if we can

get in there and make that happen. but, we've

sent over 2000 individuals to treatment.

We've been able, as I said earlier, to touch change and

save lives to bring healing to to hurting

hearts, hurting families. We've been able to offer help

in many different ways, and we're excited about where we are and

what's going on today. And I just wonder what god's gonna do

next or how he will direct us. You're one of the most

energetic, enthusiastic leaders that I've met in my

41 years of ministry, Randy, and I I I

get charged and excited just here and you talk. Can you say a

word about Brianna's prayer? I it's become a

prayer. I I think it was a letter maybe she left.

and and I know it's got widespread circulation, but some people may

have never heard that maybe give us a little background to that

and and how that's how that's been utilized

because what she expresses It's it's the it's the it's

the heart of a lot of people. Yes. This is what

we call in a better life Briannas hope our foundational

document. we require that this be used at

every meeting where the group is together,

use the prayer. I go into the jail each

Thursday here in our local county. We used the prayer

there, wherever we're together. This prayer

was found by her mother in Brianna's

handwriting 3 days before her body was located.

So this is Brianna's heart in a nutshell, but,

man, it's a large nutshell. Here's how it reads.

Please, lord, look after me and my family. Please

help me to do the right thing and to show people I'm not a bad

person inside or out and help me the lord to get

through this disappointment again. and know I make

mistakes, but who doesn't? I don't do it to do wrong.

I do it because I feel I have no other choice.

I want a better life lord. I do. Please help

me. Due to me is what you feel is best. I

surrender to you in Jesus name.

To me, that's pretty powerful prayer. And it's it's a

blatant reminder of one of the verses

I always like to use, which is Genesis 5020.

You intended to harm me but god intended it for

good to accomplish what has now done

the saving of many lives. So Brianna's

prayer has been read over TV, the radio, the

internet, every one of our meetings. It's a

posed her her heart, as you

said, and it is the cry of many who are in the center

that struggle with addiction. So that's

that's what a prayer is about. Well, she mentions in that

prayer, Randy, a better life. So can you say

a word about the organization of a better life?

is that not what we all want? a better life so so

say. Yeah. I believe that's all my heart. That's where our

title came from. Was from her words

and her hope, Brianna's hope for those

words. I, you know, I I see people

fight through this battle all the time. We've dealt with thousands.

it's just a fact trying to be arrogant there are many

groups who deal with folks who are struggling with addiction,

but the fact to me, the addiction starts

with a choice I believe a better life starts with a choice

too. sometimes we don't know how to make that choice. So where

to make that choice? people come to us very raw,

very real, kind of in a sloppy state of life, but we

respect that. and try to help them find

their pieces, P IECESs

and their piece, PEACE.

And I know for a fact you do that through Christ.

we're we're a Christ led organization, as I

said, We don't force feed that to anyone, but we're

going to live our witness before you. We'll

use our words. We'll use our style. We're gonna hope pray you come

on board and we can get you in his fold as well.

So so tell me how is how are the meetings

organized? Who leads the group? I mean, obviously, you're not in

46 different places running these running these

chapter, these groups, So so what what's required? Do you need

a location? Do what do churches do that that that

sponsor a group or host a group? And who who keeps that

that how do people fan out about? Find out about this?

Or -- Well, we're we're very active on social

media. and the word in the addiction

community travels as fast as the word in

the drug using community. when they find

success, they find help, they find hope. They're ready to bring

a friend on board. And that friend may live several miles

away. They may wanna attend the meeting for a while, but then the drive

and the time element gets beyond them. So we

probably at least 3, maybe even four times a

year, have a training that we invite

perspective, leaders to. We'll

explain who we are what we're about, we'll give them

guidelines, we'll provide materials,

and that's how we're able to you know, to spread

out as we have to get us qualified in

leadership as we can many times. It's people who've been there and

done that and have the scars to prove it. I do not

come from an addiction background. but I come from a

background of compassion where I've dealt with those

family members who have lost a loved one, and it's become very

real to I know how to hurt with them. I may not

know what the true meaning of using that drug or

alcohol is. but I know about your heart. And

I want you to have peace of mind, peace of heart

relationship with Christ and be able to move forward

from there. Randy, my understanding is you've got

some some different rules that maybe some groups, other

groups have. in terms of whether people can participate. I, for

example, if a person is what if a person is inebriated

and still comes to a meeting. Are they welcome? What if a person is

still using and they've been invited by someone who's maybe further along

the recovery process so would they be

in the same crowd or the same gathering? How does that, you

know, some programs you can't stay in the housing transitional

housing if you're if you're using or you can't come to the

group session while you're high and, I I'm just

curious. I'm speaking as a person who who doesn't really

know. I understand.

We tried to To somewhat be the

church to people. My understanding is church is that door is

open to anybody who will walk through it. you

come in the best or the worst of sitters. I don't

know if there's a difference between the two. Okay? Or you

come in that you know, that that Christian

disciple who was who was fallen in the last

week. the out pretty word you use there

is still. Yeah. Regardless of what's

going on in your life, we still want you at the meeting because we live,

we can have an impact. You're still using. We've had

so many people tell us if you to kick me out of this

meeting, the first six times I came when you knew I was

high, I wouldn't be in recovery today.

And one of the keys to our meetings has been. We offer

a meal before most every meeting. That brings

folks in. Some of them get to best meal they'll have all

week because they're just they're in a situation to

where they just can't take proper care of

themselves. But then if that meal will keep you

coming back, you keep coming back until you find

something that old you even stronger again. Absolutely.

So what's been the are are you keeping you know, everybody talks

about metrics and measurements. And how do you know it's making a

difference? what's the answer when people ask you, oh,

funders, that they wanna provide funding and say, well, how how

do you know it's making a difference? Is there a way

of tracking that? It it's a very difficult

thing to do to truly track it as you could

with some situations. because what

is success? What is the measurement in this? Another

day being sober is a success as far as I'm concerned

for our folks another day of being clean or staying out of

jail. Is there a failure if you go to jail?

what how do we look at that? but we've gotten to the

point where we have enough testimonials,

enough stories, enough names. We can bring

people I could bring a list onto this show. I

could bring a screen of people that would far go

beyond your your abilities to sit there

comfortably and listen. we put help

to lead people out of the dark some others

out of the fire, and we just recently,

I've gotta go ahead and plug this now

we just recently created this book.

Recovery conversations with Randy Davis.

We have a podcast that airs every

Friday on all leading podcast

stations It comes on at 6 AM on Fridays. We're

now into about podcast 93. And again,

it's called Faith in your recovery.

and we have taken some of our most

listened to stories from that experience

and put them in written form to where somebody

who will never listen to a podcast, somebody who will

never attend a meeting can have almost a

manual. For success, a manual

for hope, be it for yourself, your

child who's struggling with addiction, your parent

who's going through the battle, a brother or sister, a friend, or

a family member of any time. And it's

got stories in there of a young lady who was a full blown

alcoholic at the age of fourteen. She's now

found sobriety. It's got one of a fellow in there

from the Decatur area who lost the entirety

of his 20s to incarceration.

And now he's leading a major recovery group, and

He will tell you his his favorite three words

are god's got this, and he lives

that. He has that that faith and that

belief. So we can give you a string of -- And

then just if there's also just those anecdotal stores are

great, but there is some some some metrics on the,

a blbh.org website 45

chapters, 39, 4 in Ohio, 1 in

Virginia, South Carolina, over 900 in attendance.

a 1750 people assisted in treatment,

eighty people employed by recovery organizations,

700 commitments to Christ, 27,000

people served from k through 12. I think those are

pretty impressive statistics, right there. And we know where

it started with one small community in Northern Indiana, and it

spread pretty far. So I think we've got

good anecdotal, anecdotal stories in the

book and in the podcast and what we're sharing here today, but also some good