LOXLEY, Ala. — Imagine a man who can bend a steel bar —with his teeth. That and other feats of strength are on tap as members of the “Power Force,” including Jerome “The Bear” King perform at Loxley Church of God on Highway 59, Friday, March 13. Admission to the event, which is billed as a “family” event, is free.

The Power Force uses those feats of strength, “To get people to hear the Gospel,” says George Milam, the youth pastor at Loxley Church of God. The event is sponsored by Ablaze Student Ministries at the church.

Milam knows the group very well.

In fact, he’ll be the guy using his teeth to bend that steel bar.

Milam has been a member of the Power Force team since 1999. He’s not as active now, but still handles some bookings for the team. He’s now the youth pastor at Loxley Church of God.

“My brother-in-law, Herman Knapp, the pastor of the church, asked me if I would serve as youth pastor,” Milam said.

Moving from Prattville to Loxley wasn’t really in Milam’s plans or in those of his wife, Melinda. Melinda was a widow when she married Milam, and had two children Milam considers his own, Andrew and Emily Odom. Andrew is in college and Emily attends Robertsdale High.

“I really wasn’t planning to move,” said Milam. However, his wife and daughter told him that if such a move was God’s will, they would not stand in the way.

Milam became the youth pastor at the church Jan. 1 of this year.

Milam says a relationship with God is like “getting 1,000 pounds off your shoulders”

He knows all about that.

“I drank since the age of 10,” Milam said, explaining that his parent’s divorce led to his drinking. From there, Milam says he progressed to using cocaine and crystal meth. He was also a pro wrestler and participated in water ski shows.

“Crystal meth brought me out of my shyness,” said Milam. “You focus intently on what you are doing.”

“My sister, Melody Horton, kept praying for me,” said Milam.

Then on Aug. 4, 1996, Milam recalls lying on his bed. He’d just taken an overdose of crystal meth.

“I knew I’d go to hell if I died,” he said.

Sick and shaking, he went to church. “There was an altar call,” and Milam. “I ran to the altar. God was healing me. From that day forward, I told God, ‘my life is yours.’”

That change also brought Milam his wife. He says Melinda was singing in the choir that day, and eventually the two got together. Milam adds that through God’s grace his withdrawal from drugs was not as bad as it could have been.

“That encounter with God changed the way I talk and do things,” Milam said. I’m now high on Him.”

Eventually, Milam saw a demonstration by the Power Force. He was hooked. He asked what he had to do to join the team, and was told to gain weight.

Two months later, weight gained and in fighting trim, he joined the team.

“I would spin fire, break bricks,” he said. “But, the show got people to hear the Gospel. I would go to school assemblies and a young person would hand a bullet to me and say that they were planning to use it on themselves. This would happen more than once.”

Sometimes the stunts would hurt. He chipped a tooth, and he ruefully says that breaking bricks with his head hurts. He says he plans to break 10 “scalloped” bricks during the show, which will also feature the Ablaze Band and church youth doing videos and drama.

Still, he hopes the lesson gets through to his young audience.

“Being a Christian is tough,” he said. “the idea (of the Power Force) is to show people you can be tough, bold, cool and still have fun.”