Sometimes life is overwhelming – sickness, death, divorce, mental anguish,  … We have been through life’s tough times too and know you need something to help get you through.

Hangin’ on Faith is here to provide hope and encouragement during those times. We are reaching out to help in various ways.  On this website are stories from real people who may have gone through similar situations. Sometimes reading about how someone else has prevailed will give you the strength and encouragement to make it through too. Read our stories to gain hope for yourself or share with another.  Most storytellers are even available for contact for more personal help and sharing. 

 Knowing there is a way to make it through a difficult time may provide a ray of hope...  

Newsletters Archive

Newsletter - September 2010

God talked to me twice ...

By Jerry, Lubbock




My story always starts out with the question, "Have you ever noticed how God sends the right person at the right place at the right time with the right message?" It's amazing; how does He do that?

It was on a Friday night, so I knew I would not see a doctor until the next week. I went on the internet looking for information and I found the "dreaded" Autoimmune disease Alopecia. When I saw a doctor, my research was confirmed. At the time, I had not been saved, but I did believe in God.

They say there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I'm not sure if I ever got past the denial part. It never crossed my mind I wouldn't get through it. I'm an optimistic person who's always looked forward to the future. I guess my wife went through all the stages for me.

Doctors gave me a 5.6 percent chance of surviving esophageal cancer. Therefore I'm a walking miracle in everyone's opinion. They never told me what my chances were; I read about it later. I think it was a good thing; it kept me positive.

My first sign I had cancer was when I couldn't swallow - the food wouldn't go down. It started happening once a week, but it got to the point of happening every day. I went to the doctor, who said, "We better get you scoped." That's how they discovered the cancer.

I had surgery to take out the esophagus and about a third of my stomach. They did what they call a pull-through, in which they bring the stomach up and connect it to the remaining esophagus. So my stomach dumps directly into the small intestine. The surgeons went in through the front of my torso and then through the back, cutting through muscle.

I was raised in a Christian family and was always a church-goer, but I'm not a religious fanatic. I've always thought people who said God talked to them are a little weird. Then God talked to me twice. So I guess I'm a little weird. When I was in the hospital for surgery, I asked God, "Why are you keeping me alive? What's my purpose?" In a clear voice I heard, "Follow Me I will lead," and "Don't get in a hurry."

Rest of Jerry's story.

"...God has so composed the (Church) body...that the members may have concern for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it"

1 Corinthian 12:24-26

The Power of Your Story

That's what we believe here at Hangin on Faith - that each of our stories have worth and power to help others. It is one of the core beliefs of this ministry and why we started it 2 years ago. We didn't originate the concept; we only claim that God placed it in our hearts to do something with it. And the concept is catching on.
We see people put stories into practice all over. Several radio stations want your story. Recently, I visited a church that spent a month focusing on people within the congregation sharing their stories as the basis for the sermon. That has been an annual series for a number of years there. It was a great way to show how God is with us at all times - a truth straight from the Bible, and a great encouragement for all of us.

Recently I was blessed to see one of Matthew West's concerts who shared some of the songs from his new CD, "The Story of Your Life." WOW - he definitely has the story concept in the heart of that CD!

He started work on the CD by first asking people to send him their stories. Then he took the 10,000 stories he received and went off to a secluded cabin for 2 months to read them and compose songs. You can read his About page at: www.matthewwest.com where he shares what it was like. The result was great songs and for me, a night of hearing some of those stories. It was awesome as he read the story, shared their name, pictures or video and talked about the people who were the basis of each song. The songs will be on the new CD (Oct 5th release). If his tour goes near where you live, try to catch it.

To bring it home and send my heart soaring, his final message of the night was that our stories are important and God wants us to share them with others. Now if only he could just have followed it up with "one way to do that is through Hangin' on Faith!," that would have been really great!

"The Power of Your Story," also happens to be the name of the workshop Hangin on Faith offers and we are now offering it to small groups and churches. The workshop helps to explain why it is important to share your story, helps you compose it and then share it in a safe environment. It also helps you find other ways to share it. Check our flyer (click here) that you can now use to get the word out. If you are interested in your small group or church hosting the workshop, send me an email.

I'm also very thankful that Jerry shared his story about hearing from God twice, which is our feature story this month.

To God be all the Glory!!
Kathy Wood

Stories are a Powerful Thing...

What's Happening

Hangin' on Faith has been busy these last days of summer as I am sure you have too. We hosted a post-party for our Relay for life teammates. Yes, it was very delayed but when it comes to a party - does it matter? Last month the local Hangin on Faith team went together to a Motivation seminar. We all got something positive but different out of that day-long event.

What is on the horizon, you may ask? One thing is we are expanding our story workshop outreach for churches and small groups on how to discover your story. In a few hours we help you learn how to develop and share your story with others and to ultimately share Christ's story

We also have new products just in time for the holidays! We have some new ribbon colors for our crosses: teal and grey. We redesigned our large magnets and are offering those and as well as stickers in both pink and purple. Also, we have lapel pins now for the men or ladies to wear. Look for updates on our website at www.HanginOnFaith.org/catalog.html

We have other projects that we'd like to get underway but need more volunteers. If you have a passion for helping people by providing hope to others and can provide a few hours a month or even just quarterly, we'd love to talk with you. Our very immediate needs include administrative help and web support. If you can give some time, please send me an email.

And of course, we need stories. That is the heart blood of our ministry. This month, I'd like to request stories about how someone survived the passing of a spouse. There must be someone with tips and encouragement about how you go on day-after-day by Hangin' On your Faith. You can submit your stories on the website or email them to me. I look forward to hearing from you!

Kathy Wood
Founder