really believe that God is good? I mean, that
he has your best interest in mind? I mean, even
when circumstances and relationships are really,
really hard? Well, stay with me. You won't want
to miss today's message. Welcome to this weekend
edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
Our mission is to inspire Christians to be genuine
followers of Jesus and to empower them to be
active disciple makers in our world. Well, have
you ever found yourself wrestling with a challenging
question Chip posed? Perhaps you faced a painful
experience in the past or are enduring one right
now, which has caused you to ask, God, why me?
Or where are you? Well, if you've been there,
this broadcast will encourage you. Today, we're
re -airing Chip's wife, Teresa Ingram's powerful
testimony from this past week. Now, some of you
may have heard bits and pieces of her story before,
but this program is different. A few years ago,
she sat down with her son, Ryan Ingram, at his
church in San Jose, California, and shared her
entire testimony in a genuine and vulnerable
way. So I think what you're about to hear will
deeply inspire your soul. So without any further
delay, let's dive into today's program, Beauty
from Ashes. You know, As I was studying and wrestling
with the goodness of God, I was talking to a
friend and she said, you know, yes, God is good
even when all evidence points to the contrary.
A .W. Tozer in his classic Knowledge of the Holy,
we've been traveling through that, writes this,
the goodness of God is that which disposes him
to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of
goodwill toward men. He is tenderhearted and
of quick sympathy. By his nature, he is inclined
to bestow blessedness, and he takes holy pleasure
in the happiness of his people. I asked my mom
to join me, which is really fun. And mom, why
don't you come on out today? This is the first
time we've ever gotten to share a stage. Thank
you for welcoming her. I have this. You can go
ahead and grab a seat. A major reason was, as
I thought about the goodness of God, While all
evidence points to the contrary, you can look
back at your life right now and go, wow, God
has been so good. Four amazing kids, I might
add, that you had. All married. One in particular
is really great. Annie, the daughter. You have
12 grandkids. God's using your life. And yet.
The beginning of your story, I would say all
evidence pointed to the contrary. Yes. And I
would love just for you to share your story.
How did you come to know Jesus? What was a little
bit of your background? Well, my life has been
really interesting, and it certainly is a lot
different than I thought it would be. I grew
up in a very small rural area in West Virginia.
My mother didn't drive, so we were stuck at home
all the time, and she was a fearful person. She
was very quiet. She didn't talk very much, and
she was afraid to go out and do things. In fact,
she would send me, when I was old enough, to
go and do some of the things that she didn't
want to do. So she was, she's a sweet, a sweet
mom, and I love her dearly, but she really never
expressed to us. outwardly in her words or with
hugs that she loved us. And I'm not sure why,
because I knew that she did because of the way
she took care of us. And my dad, it was a totally
different story. My dad was an alcoholic. I would
see him drinking as soon as he got up in the
morning. Every morning he had to have a drink
to start the day. He was very strict with all
of us. There were three girls in our family,
and he was very strict. I went through high school
and under such a strict father who I was terribly
afraid of because he would punish us over the
least little thing we did wrong. We felt like
we had to be perfect all the time, and I couldn't
be. No one can be. And so when I graduated from
high school, the first thing that I wanted to
do was get away from there. I really rebelled
in my heart. I wanted more, and I knew that there
was more out there for me, but I couldn't find
it where I was. And so I fought with my dad that
he would allow me to go to college. And so I
won, and I got to go to Fairmont State College.
And while I was there, I started dating a young
man who loved me, or I thought who loved me.
And he was what I built my whole life upon at
that time. But after we got married, I worked
and he finished college. He finished college
and he got a job right away. And I had gotten
pregnant. And about three months after he graduated
from college, we had twin boys. But my husband
just was so self -centered. He was so into his
life, what he wanted, what would make him happy.
And he became very involved in alcohol, just
like my dad. And he became involved in some drugs.
And partying a lot. And he started going out
at night and partying with friends. And I didn't
feel like he really was taking care of us or
that he cared about us. But my dreams were still,
oh, this is going to change. We're just in this
new season and it's going to change and everything's
going to be great. Well, I found out that it
wasn't going to be great. When my little boys
were about six months old, he packed his bags,
took everything out of his closet, and he left
us. He had gotten involved with another woman,
and I found out. He had been lying to me, and
I found out, and I confronted him with it, and
he just left. And it was just really difficult.
I was devastated. My heart was broken, and I
felt like my life was over. I don't have a life
anymore. And I became really, really depressed,
very discouraged. But I look back now, and I
see God was at work, and he was searching for
me and calling me all that time. So I went back
up to the college. And they had a job opening
and I took it and I was able to find childcare
for my little boys because I had to work. I had
no money. I didn't have family that could help
me in that way. And so I went back and I ended
up working with the director of admissions at
this college. And he was a godly man. He loved
the Lord. And I knew nothing about, I knew the
little stories about Jesus. from going to Sunday
school, but I'd never read the Bible. I knew
nothing about the Lord. I didn't even know what
being saved meant. And I went to work and I wanted
to be strong and I didn't share anything to anyone
about what was going on in my life because I
guess I was too proud. I didn't want people to
know that my life was falling apart. So I would
go in his office and one day he asked me how
I was doing. And I just started crying right
in front of him. I thought, this is terrible.
Just boo -hooing right in front of your boss.
And he was so, so loving. And every day after
that, when I would go in, he would tell me about
the love of God. And I heard it over and over.
He was a lay preacher sometimes at a free Methodist
church, and he would go around to some of these
little churches when they needed a pastor, and
he would preach. And he was preaching at this
little church out in the country, and he asked
me, he and his wife asked me if I would go with
them. So we went to church, and I sat through
this church service. It was just a typical free
Methodist church service. And my friend... gave
the message, they sang hymns, they prayed, and
nothing happened. And I was distraught. I just
remember walking out of that building thinking,
this isn't real. There really isn't a God. And
as I was out getting in the car, putting the
boys in the car seats, and a little old lady
out in the parking lot, and I didn't know any
of these people, she came up to me and just said,
do you want to be saved? And I didn't know what
saved meant, but I said yes. And it was, to me,
it's a miracle. She didn't know what was going
on in my life, and God just led her to do that.
And so I went back into the church, and everybody
in the parking lot got out of their cars and
went back in the church and went to the altar
with me, and we prayed, and I came to know Jesus.
that night as my savior. To me, it's just a miracle
of the Lord that he would choose me. And it's
even more of a miracle that I'm up here on this
stage and my son is sitting right here. But that's
what my... early days were like? You know, one
of the Psalms as we're talking about the goodness
of God is taste and see that the Lord is good.
Psalm 34a, blessed is the one who takes refuge.
and him. How in those early days and early years
did you begin to taste and see that the Lord
is good? You know, we're going to sing a song
after this that says you keep on getting better.
And it's not that God's getting better. We've
talked about this, but the more you get to know
God and his goodness, the better he becomes to
you because you're experiencing more fully who
he is. How did you begin to taste and see his
goodness through those next years? I have to
say it's a slow process, but also for some it's
a fast process. And I began real slowly, but
when I really grasped who God is, then that was
all I needed. I really grew spiritually during
that time, but I have to say it was people in
my life that helped me. It was my friends who
helped lead me to Christ, who encouraged me to
go to church. They encouraged me to get in the
Word, and they helped me. They brought things
that I needed, brought food, took care of helping
with my kids. It was people. It was the body
of Christ who really loved me that got me off
in a good way. And just having that reminder,
even when I didn't want to go to church, having
that reminder of someone. calling and saying
you know we'll pick you up we'll we'll help you
but we just want you to be there and so that
would that I would say that was number one and
then I learned to get in the word of God which
was you know God God says that that his word
is a refuge that he is a refuge and his word
is gives us strength and his word gives us hope
and gives us direction. And as I get in the word
of God, it was like a light went on. When you
come to Christ and you're saved, you have the
Holy Spirit. We have Christ living in us. And
it was like my eyes were opened. And when I read
the Bible, it would just jump off the page. And
God would speak to me. And it was such a precious
time for me, especially in those years of being
a single mom and just feeling alone and feeling
desperate. God's Word was my delight. And I'm
very thankful that I learned. Even the people
that helped me just to get going in my Christian
life helped me to get in the Word. And they spent
time with me and they taught me. And I'm very
grateful for that. And I learned how to pray,
the same people. I went through a prayer class
early on, very early in my Christian life with
a group of five ladies in the basement of a free
Methodist church. And I learned to believe. As
I watched them pray and I shared my very first
prayer request, these ladies believed. They believed
that when you pray, God is going to answer. And
he did. And so that was my first introduction
to prayer, which has carried me through my whole
life. Another thing that really helped me was
God just kept showing up. As I was in the Word,
as I would cry out to Him, He just kept showing
up all over the place. I just remember a time
that... I had a car that broke down all the time
and I was driving along and I had the boys in
the back seat and my car broke down and I never
knew what to do. And there just happened to be
a mechanic right behind me. And he got out of
his car and helped fix my car and get me back
on the road. And another time, I was so lonely
on the weekends. I had too much time to myself,
and I liked being busy. I could get through the
weeks, but the weekends were really hard. And
I was sitting on the floor in the living room
one time. I do everything after the boys go to
bed. But I was praying. I said, Lord, I am so
lonely. Will you please send someone to my door?
And it was the most amazing thing. There was
a knock at the door a few minutes later, and
it wasn't my knight in shining armor. It was
my friend, Edith, who was next door. And she
was just a lovely older lady. And she came to
the door, and we sat, and we became the best
of friends. And I had the opportunity later on
to lead her to Christ. And so God just showed
up in just amazing ways. I was praying for a
husband, and my friends were praying that God
would give me a husband. And I wanted my kids
to have a dad. And so as I prayed, my friend
suggested that we go to this Navigator meeting,
which was a college ministry meeting that was
hosted by this Navigator group. And Chip, my
now husband, was leading that group, and so it
was a Bible study. It was singing and worship,
and it was just for college kids, but I went,
and I went just to meet him because my friend
was telling me about him, and so I went to meet
him, and I did. I saw him, and I was really,
really attracted to him, and I thought, oh. Maybe
he's the one. Maybe he's the one God has sent
here for me because I haven't met anyone else.
Literally the only one. The only one. And so
the next week, I thought, well, I'm going to
go back because who knows what God is doing.
And I really believed in the power of prayer.
And so I took my little boys with me. So they
were babies. They were like two years old. And
I took them in their little pajamas with feet
on. I mean, you know, that have the feet. And
so we walk in this rally with all these college
kids. And, you know, I just sat down and act
like I'm a part of it and had these two little
boys. Because I thought if he's the one that's...
God has for me. He needs to know I have kids.
And so then he didn't pay much attention to me.
I think he might have, you know, said hi or something,
but he didn't particularly notice me. And so
I went home that night and I was so distraught
again. And I thought, I'm not going back there.
And that was the first time in my life I surrendered.
something to God and I remember sitting on my
bed that night and I just put out my hands and
I said Lord I'm not going back there and if he's
the one you've brought here for me and see I
still was thinking that then you bring him to
me I'm not going to do anything if you want him
to come to me you bring him to me and so you
know a few weeks went by and nothing happened
and I Just thought, well, you know, nothing is
going to happen. But then one night, Chip called
me. And he had been thinking about me this whole
time. And he went through the pages of the, they
had a roster where people that would come would
put their names and their telephone numbers just
so they could keep track of who was coming. And
he flipped through the pages until he found my
name. And he called me. And that was the beginning.
I was in shock. And that was the beginning of
a relationship that we've shared for the last
43 years. And then he became the father of my
children. And then we had two more children.
And that was just one of the most amazing answers
to prayer that I ever had. You were speaking
about prayer. And I just can tell you that my
mom is a prayer warrior. And one of my fond memories
growing up as a kid is I would wake up in the
early mornings, you know, to go use the bathroom.
And she would always be up and she'd be on the
couch and the lamp would be on and she'd have
a hot cup of coffee and she'd just spend hours
in the morning with Jesus. And, you know, it's
been said that God doesn't have favorites, but
he has intimates. and you are an intimate. And
I think that model, for me, it was always so
powerful in a picture. Sorry, I don't mean to
make you cry. And I love the Psalm, Psalm 73,
where it says, but as for me, the nearness of
God is my good. And then when it's talking about
the goodness of God, you see this repeated, is
that when you really believe that God is good,
you make him your refuge. You make him, he is
the true safe harbor. And so instead of trying
to navigate on your own, you run to him. And
I think that's the story that I've seen over
and over is that the nearness of God is your
good and you've made him your refuge just because
you've learned that intimacy with Jesus. How
did that foster? How did that develop? I think.
I think it happened because I was desperate and
I needed God. At a time when I felt like I had
nothing to give, that he came to me. And I learned
that I could pour out my heart to him. And he's
carried me through all kinds of trials of life,
and we all have those. But he's with us all the
time. And he cares. And I've learned that he
listens. He cares about what we say. He cares
about what we think. And he wants to hear us.
He wants us to talk with him. And he wants to
speak to us through his word and through nature
and through people. And he speaks to us in many
ways to give us hope and encouragement. And so...
I think I was really blessed that it was through
difficulty that I came to know the Lord because
I realized that he was all that I needed. And
one thing I've always thought about is when you
realize that God is all you have, then you realize
that he's all you need in whatever situation
that you're going through. That's how it all
started, and then the hunger for God's Word.
As we're in His Word, that hunger develops, and
you develop a relationship with Him. It's a treasure,
those treasured times to be able to spend in
God's Word and prayer. When I was a single mom
and I was hurting so badly and I was learning
to pray, when I would come home from work, the
first thing I would do, because I was hurting
so much, And I had read in the Bible that, well,
you don't have to do this, but I thought you
did, that you go into your closet and pray. I
took it all literally. And so I would run into
my little closet. There was hardly room for me
to get in it. It was so tiny. But I ran in there
and I'd get on my knees and I'd just pour out
my heart to God. And he met me. And I've spent
my life, fortunately, with a wonderful husband.
to be able to express to other people that God
has the same for you, that when you cry out to
him, he will meet you in your need. It doesn't
mean everything will change, but he's with you,
and he gives you all that you need in that moment.
So I think for me, God became so real that it
was like he was my friend walking beside me.
I just, as we're talking about the goodness of
God, that verse that most of us know is that
all things work together for good to those who
love Him. And I can verify that, that we may
not see it all in this life, but whatever we
go through, that God is working for good in our
lives. An insightful end to this edition of Living
on the Edge. Our guests today were Ryan Ingram
and his mom, Teresa. And if you'd like to learn
more about Teresa's resources that were mentioned
today, go to livingontheedge .org and search
for Precious in His Site. You'll find her book,
the broadcast series she taught, and her affirmation
cards, which is a helpful tool packed with daily
biblical encouragement. Learn more about these
resources when you go to livingontheedge .org
and search for Precious in His Site. Well, from
all of us here, I'm Dave Drewy, thanking you
for listening to this weekend edition of Living
on the Edge, and I hope you'll join us again
next time.