Living Hope – Gerard Long pt 1

Life is full of unexpected things. Some good. Many bad. But through it all – God is still God! Amen!

Sometimes we, as humans, have a hard time remembering that. It seems like we want to take responsibility in some things and leave God out of the equation. It seems we know what is best for our life, family and business or ministry – and we TELL God what it is that needs to happen.

What happens though, when the bottom falls out. Not just in business, but in life. When such tragedy happens that it makes you reexamine your Faith walk. It is often in times like this, when you are not just at the “bottom of the barrel” but “under the barrel looking up.” It is at times like that, when God can finally get it through our head and down into our heart, that HE IS STILL GOD.

My guest today has had numerous events in his life that has shaped his life, business and ministry. He has written a short book that explains the “seasons of life” that he has experienced.

Gerard Long calls himself a “professor of life and death.” He is an author, a business leader, pastor, founder of “Awakening to God Ministries” and the former director of Alpha USA. He is now experiencing a blessed life, but it hasn’t always been that way.

The darkest valley of suffering he experienced happened all in a period of eight years. His youngest son committed suicide; this almost caused the break-up of his marriage; then the unbelievable death of his beautiful daughter. As if this wasn’t enough pain, in the same eight-year period, his sister and brother also died, as did a nephew!

As he was trying to rise from the ashes of those horrible things, he faced financial ruin at the hand of a “friend.” Then, he suffered a heart attack and was dead for almost 30 minutes! By a miraculous move of God, he was brought back to life and then faced an exorbitant amount of medical bills, only to face additional bills when his wife was diagnosed with bladder cancer!

Gerard has documented much of his journey from this deep despair to triumph in Christ, in his book, titled, “Living Hope: Awakening to Faith, Peace and Purpose in Tough Times.”

The first question I always ask is this… Other than that brief information I just shared, can you tell us in your own words, “Who is Gerard Long?”

Gerard, I want our audience to get an understanding of the kind of pressure you were under. Prior to your heart attack, the pressures of losing both, your son and you daughter, to me that seems almost unbearable. Can you talk a little bit about this time in your life, as I believe, from what I’ve read, this was the mounting pressure that may have triggered your cardiac arrest. Can you go over that time for us, briefly?

In your book, you describe the night your wife experienced the presence of the Lord. I can relate to that 100%. I had made the decision to take my life and the Lord’s presence just absolutely enveloped me in the room I was in. I was there, singing, laughing and all of that. What she described as the sparkling, etc. – yeah…when I read that, I was like “AMEN!”

CONTACT INFORMATION

 

Email: long@awakeningtogod.org

Website: http://www.livinghopebook.com/

Book: “Living Hope: Awakening to Faith, Peace, and Purpose in Tough Times” – on Amazon

 

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