Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Episode 018 Hope Through Suffering The Loss of a Loved One with Pastor Ferrell Hardison
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Episode 018 Hope Through Suffering The Loss of a Loved One with Pastor Ferrell Hardison
Hope Through Suffering The Loss of a Loved One with Pastor Ferrell Hardison:
Welcome back JP Family! Today we have someone with a genuine heart for helping others. Pastor Ferrell Hardison has 40 years of experience being a pastor. The church he leads is called The Bridge and it has about 2500 people in attendance. Most people feel that The Bridge is a large church with a small church feel. Pastor Ferrell and his church truly care about everyone and wanting to help them.
Pastor Ferrell grew up in a traditional church setting. His father was a minister. At the age of 17, Pastor Ferrell could really sense a pull to go into the field as well. He had always felt a little tug towards being a pastor. His home had Christ and the Word at the center. At age 19, he went for it.
The Bridge has the ability to sincerely care for others. They have such a sincere heart. The church, as a whole, decided that they wanted to be Jesus in the community. Let others see Him through them. They realized that when you are constantly in someone’s face telling them all the wrong things they are doing, they don’t listen. But when you are able to show Jesus and demonstrate His love, people start to ask questions. People don’t want another explanation of the gospel, they want a demonstration.
Like many of our guests, Pastor Ferrell isn’t a stranger to his own adversity. March of 2014, he and his family lost their youngest boy, Mitch, to a drug overdose. Pastor Ferrell was in Atlanta, GA when he heard the news from his wife. He immediately got in his car and drove the 5 hours home. He said that was an incredible time with God. It was just him and God on that car ride home. He was able to come to a certain state of mind so he was able to minister to his wife when he got home.
One of the struggles Pastor Ferrell and his wife faced was guilt. They actually still struggle with it now; it hasn’t been too long ago. They keep asking themselves how they couldn’t see the signs of the addiction. But they are comforted with their walk with Jesus and knowing they will see their son again one day.
Many people feel that once you start your walk with Jesus and accept him as your savior, you will lead a life without struggles and obstacles; that you have to start living a sinless life. God did not promise a painless life. He just simply prepares you for your walk in those struggles. If you are able to walk with Jesus through your struggles, they become much more bearable and you are able to come out the other end of it.
Some people make the mistake of saying that suffering proves there is no God. But there is actually more proof there is a God when someone can walk through their struggles and come out with a smile and joy. You must trust in Him and ask for his guidance. You have to learn to suffer well. Suffering well defines a character. The world is usually looking to see how someone responds to bad things instead of good things. And what better way to help someone go through the same struggle that we already walked through.
No matter who you are, what you’ve done, where you’ve been, we love you. We have all been there one way or another. We have no right to judge anyone. Pastor Ferrell and The Bridge church doesn’t judge and welcomes everyone into their church. That is one of the many things that Pastor Ferrell and The Journey Principles have in common.
Pastor Ferrell leaves us with three steps or principles that we can live by that will help us become fruitful today and help others.
- Our top priority is our intimacy with Jesus. We need to have a personal relationship with him. Someone people might be wondering “but how can I find that?” You just have to ask. You don’t have to say anything specific; you just have to be real with Him.
- We must love people. Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was. His response was first to love Him. And then next was to love your neighbor as yourself. All the other commandments are based from those two.
- We have to be real with people. We must be transparent, vulnerable and honest. People appreciate that.
None of us are processed. We are IN the process. There is always a next step for us.
It is our hope to empower your mind and motivate your heart through today’s podcast with Pastor Ferrell Hardison. You can find out more about him and The Bridge at bridgechurch.cc. You can also follow him on Twitter @pastorferrell.
Make sure to like, share and comment on the show. As always, keep sending in your questions and comments to the team, [email protected]. Until next time be sure to follow us on Facebook, Stephen Scoggins The Journey Principles and on Twitter @stephen_scoggin. We look forward to spending some more time with you on the next Journey Principles.
View all episodes
By The Journey Principles With Stephen ScogginsHope Through Suffering The Loss of a Loved One with Pastor Ferrell Hardison:
Welcome back JP Family! Today we have someone with a genuine heart for helping others. Pastor Ferrell Hardison has 40 years of experience being a pastor. The church he leads is called The Bridge and it has about 2500 people in attendance. Most people feel that The Bridge is a large church with a small church feel. Pastor Ferrell and his church truly care about everyone and wanting to help them.
Pastor Ferrell grew up in a traditional church setting. His father was a minister. At the age of 17, Pastor Ferrell could really sense a pull to go into the field as well. He had always felt a little tug towards being a pastor. His home had Christ and the Word at the center. At age 19, he went for it.
The Bridge has the ability to sincerely care for others. They have such a sincere heart. The church, as a whole, decided that they wanted to be Jesus in the community. Let others see Him through them. They realized that when you are constantly in someone’s face telling them all the wrong things they are doing, they don’t listen. But when you are able to show Jesus and demonstrate His love, people start to ask questions. People don’t want another explanation of the gospel, they want a demonstration.
Like many of our guests, Pastor Ferrell isn’t a stranger to his own adversity. March of 2014, he and his family lost their youngest boy, Mitch, to a drug overdose. Pastor Ferrell was in Atlanta, GA when he heard the news from his wife. He immediately got in his car and drove the 5 hours home. He said that was an incredible time with God. It was just him and God on that car ride home. He was able to come to a certain state of mind so he was able to minister to his wife when he got home.
One of the struggles Pastor Ferrell and his wife faced was guilt. They actually still struggle with it now; it hasn’t been too long ago. They keep asking themselves how they couldn’t see the signs of the addiction. But they are comforted with their walk with Jesus and knowing they will see their son again one day.
Many people feel that once you start your walk with Jesus and accept him as your savior, you will lead a life without struggles and obstacles; that you have to start living a sinless life. God did not promise a painless life. He just simply prepares you for your walk in those struggles. If you are able to walk with Jesus through your struggles, they become much more bearable and you are able to come out the other end of it.
Some people make the mistake of saying that suffering proves there is no God. But there is actually more proof there is a God when someone can walk through their struggles and come out with a smile and joy. You must trust in Him and ask for his guidance. You have to learn to suffer well. Suffering well defines a character. The world is usually looking to see how someone responds to bad things instead of good things. And what better way to help someone go through the same struggle that we already walked through.
No matter who you are, what you’ve done, where you’ve been, we love you. We have all been there one way or another. We have no right to judge anyone. Pastor Ferrell and The Bridge church doesn’t judge and welcomes everyone into their church. That is one of the many things that Pastor Ferrell and The Journey Principles have in common.
Pastor Ferrell leaves us with three steps or principles that we can live by that will help us become fruitful today and help others.
- Our top priority is our intimacy with Jesus. We need to have a personal relationship with him. Someone people might be wondering “but how can I find that?” You just have to ask. You don’t have to say anything specific; you just have to be real with Him.
- We must love people. Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was. His response was first to love Him. And then next was to love your neighbor as yourself. All the other commandments are based from those two.
- We have to be real with people. We must be transparent, vulnerable and honest. People appreciate that.
None of us are processed. We are IN the process. There is always a next step for us.
It is our hope to empower your mind and motivate your heart through today’s podcast with Pastor Ferrell Hardison. You can find out more about him and The Bridge at bridgechurch.cc. You can also follow him on Twitter @pastorferrell.
Make sure to like, share and comment on the show. As always, keep sending in your questions and comments to the team, [email protected]. Until next time be sure to follow us on Facebook, Stephen Scoggins The Journey Principles and on Twitter @stephen_scoggin. We look forward to spending some more time with you on the next Journey Principles.