30: Theresa’s Story-Prayers From Prison

07/03/18 • -1 min

Podcasts Archives - Long Story Short Podcast

Theresa’s story starts in a prison cell. Years of emptiness flowed into a vow never to trust anyone again. Here’s how she describes the very dark place she found herself: “After the things I’d been through, I hated humans. I had no hope in them. I had seen too much. Too much phoniness. Too much hypocrisy. Too much religion.”

Theresa’s father was murdered when she was 7. Her mother died when she was 15. She recalls having to raise herself, losing her childhood and then missing out on seeing her own children grow up. It’s now in this lonely prison cell that Theresa finds herself a very angry person.

“The only thing I could think of to do was pray. When I said that prayer, I was so afraid to think of the memories of my children. I was terrified of looking at the things in my heart.”

God answered Theresa despite her doubts and anger. It wasn’t instantaneous. Nor was it easy. But it was real and beautiful. And it was an answer that brought her to her knees. “He had given me a dream that I was going to prison. That he was going to give me a new life. God sent me to prison and that was basically the best thing that could have happened to me.”

While in prison, Theresa opened up a Bible and poured through it every day. She says, “It was the most beautiful year of my existence. Just reading the Bible in that cell.”

It was a glorious sunny day, the day Theresa walked out of that cell. She soaked in that sunlight and her new freedom. But that wasn’t the end of her story.

In this episode, we leave Theresa sitting on the curb outside prison, enjoying her new freedom. She has just spent 365 days hearing from God. He distinctly answered her cries for help, but there’s still trouble on the horizon. And God’s rescue mission isn’t over. Stay tuned for the next installment of Long Story Short Podcast. Tune back in for part two of Theresa’s story.

Media

Jeff Piecora, Good Day Gravity

The post 30: Theresa’s Story-Prayers From Prison appeared first on Long Story Short Podcast.

“The only thing I could think of to do was pray. When I said that prayer, I was so afraid to think of the memories of my children. I was terrified of looking at the things in my heart.”

While in prison, Theresa opened up a Bible and poured through it every day. She says, “It was the most beautiful year of my existence. Just reading the Bible in that cell.”

It was a glorious sunny day, the day Theresa walked out of that cell. She soaked in that sunlight and her new freedom. But that wasn’t the end of her story.

Media

Jeff Piecora, Good Day Gravity

The post 30: Theresa’s Story-Prayers From Prison appeared first on Long Story Short Podcast.

Previous Episode

29: Miracles are Just Part of the Story

When someone says they saw God provide a miracle, what do you think? Maybe they recount how he rescued them from illness, financial difficulty or job loss. God absolutely does those things all the time. Still, real life is made up of a combination of joy, sorrow, fear, pain, suffering, blessing, reward, provision and disruption. All of these intermix to make up a life. Miracles are just part of the story.

Ken & Muggy’s Miracles

Our uncle Ken is a storyteller, so he can tell you hundreds of interesting accounts that would keep you on the edge of your seat. They include heart breaks, redemption, laughter, danger and some absolutely glorious miracles.

Ken’s experience over many years deepened his faith that God is intricately involved through it all. Ken is also the first to say there have been seasons of struggle and questions left unanswered. Among the many stories he tells is how his first wife, as a young adult, wasn’t supposed to live more than a few years following a diagnosis with lupus. And yet, Muggy and Ken ended up married, had a family and spent many years together as best friends. It was a miracle.

Muggy had a beautiful spirit. You sensed it immediately when you met her. She seemed so full of life even through years of battling illness. At one point, she and Ken visited our home as I laid on the couch, struggling to regain my ability to walk, talk and even breathe due to my own life-threatening illness. I vividly recall Muggy anointing me with oil and heart-felt prayers for healing. With deep gratitude, I count that experience as an integral moment in the miracle that ultimately led me to walk again. Yet, it wasn’t all that much later that Muggy lost her own life to the effects of lupus. Life and death, answered prayer and loss, sickness and recovery – these all danced together in a single life.

Waiting & Watching

Life is mysterious, unpredictable, and sometimes even desperate. But it’s also full of blessings, provision, grace, love and, yes, miracles. As Ken shares in his story, God doesn’t promise us the life we planned. He doesn’t show us everything about how he’s intervening. Just glimpses. Ken recalls just taking it one day at a time, doing his best to be obedient while waiting and watching for God to reveal the next step.

Ken’s story inspires us to want to live in the present. It impresses us not to wait, but pray to hear God’s voice every day, along with the strength to keep walking in his direction.

During a particularly challenging season, Ken received some music that deeply spoke to him. He wants to share it with you:

Media

Jeff Piecora, Good Day Gravity

The post 29: Miracles are Just Part of the Story appeared first on Long Story Short Podcast.