Claire Thomas
“You can’t go buck-wild 24/7 and expect anything to come from it,” Claire Thomas said with the conviction of a man who’s tried to do it.
Raised in Cherokee County, people in the area either knew him and his twin brother, or knew him by reputation. He’s been on his own since he was 15. One night, due to his own irresponsibility, his dad locked him out of the house. “He told me, ‘You want to be grown, then be grown. Pay your own bills.’”
While eventually getting married and having three boys, the partying, drinking, fighting, and philandering continued to progress. Even a DUI and possession of marijuana conviction along with a probation violation didn’t slow him down. Claire remembers thinking at the time, “This isn’t going to end well if I keep this up.”
Claire doesn’t remember the exact day or the circumstance that led him to God.
“I was drunk when I went to the altar. I knew I needed to get right. I realized that we live in a spiritual battle every day and it’s up to us to make the choices on what we’re doing.” That’s when things began to change for the better. He did his jail time and spent time on probation. While he was locked up, he went thru a 90-day Christian-based recovery program. Even after going through that, like many people, he still struggles.
Claire remembers Wendy Graham and The House of Hope.
“When I was having my issues and legal troubles, trying to work but still carrying on, there were times we were struggling just for groceries. They were a blessing. I wouldn’t have had anything to feed the kids if it wasn’t for The House of Hope. They already knew me from growing up in the area. They already knew all about the Thomas brothers.”
That they knew him, who he was, and what he was all about, didn’t matter. “It’s a good group of people. Every time we went there, they tried to help us.”
The House of Hope has been in operation since 2016 and started with 16 families in need. Today they have served over 2,400 families a year. Wendy Graham, the executive director of The House of Hope, also remembers the first time she met Claire.
“I was a little intimidated by him, to be honest. He’s a big guy. But when he smiled, I saw the teddy bear in him. At first, it was just him coming by. Then I met his wife and three adorable kids. And after a while, Claire wasn’t showing up just for groceries, he was volunteering with us.”
Pastor Josh also knows Claire and talks to him weekly, either by phone or thru social media. He knows about his big heart.“Claire has offered to give to different things in either church efforts or outreach ideas. He definitely has a heart for people and a heart for God.”
Claire and his family now live in Milledgeville. He tries to teach others – especially the teenagers – the lessons he learned by serving with the Rebel Saints Motorcycle Ministry.
“We do a lot of benefit rides for people who have lost a loved one or lost their job or are going through some kind of medical issue. I like to help people because I’ve been there. I’m really open. I don’t mind telling people anything. Nothing to hide. We’re all sinners.”
Claire’s philosophy is to “‘Do people the way I want to be done.’ If I’m out riding and meeting people, it leads to other doors. I tell people, you never know what the next man is walking through. Or the girl who’s counting change at the gas station, what is she dealing with. What goes around, comes around. Life’s a big circle. If you do people right, it will come back to you. if you do people wrong, it will also come back to you. Learning to do that was the biggest thing. Not being self-centered. I did a lot of Bible study during rehab and jail and realizing that the things you do affect other people. The more I got into the Scripture, the more I started applying it to my life. It wasn’t just a book.”
Still, in counseling for anger, Claire sounds like a guy who’s getting it figured out. At 25 years old, he’s been through a lot. Maybe that’s why he has the wisdom of someone much older. I still get worried and upset at things I can’t control. Let God be in control of it. God knows what’s going on. We might not know but He knows. If you can’t change it or do anything about it if it’s totally out of your control then to heck with it. Let it roll on down. Everything happens for a reason. God has a plan.”
“We’re all here to do one thing. To spread God’s word and God’s love and try to help each other.”