margaret hairston
In your life, where have you seen hope emerge from difficulty?
In 1983 I became very ill with an infection. I was down for almost 3 years and Doctors knew of nothing they could do for me. My only hope in that time WAS God. Not only was He ever present with me, but He WAS my healer. I learned not only to trust in Him totally, but also to patiently wait on His timing.
How has God used specific people to bring you to this point in your faith journey?
Have any of these people been unexpected?
A sweet Christian friend that I came to know during this time was also going through a devastating illness. It was through her example of faith that I learned to trust in God's faithfulness and His promises. I learned the importance and value of community in walking through trials.
What has “All My Hope” revealed to you about the nature of church family? How has this challenged some of the “typical” ways we view church community?
We definitely need each other, not only to share in the joys that life brings, but also for support in the hard time. And it is a two way relationship. Not only do I need to receive the support during hard times, but I need to be willing to be available for others when needed.
What has “All My Hope” revealed to you about the nature of church family? How has this challenged some of the “typical” ways we view church community?
In many ways! I'm so glad we are not a church that just comes and listens to sermons, but one that also puts into practice in our lives what we are hearing. I see this being done not only among each other, but also reaching out to our community.
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." James 1:22-25
