puricarexfiles: DEPRESSION - Candy Hemphill Christmas Overcomes Depression by Ministering to Homeless. She found healing under the Jefferson Street Bridge in Nashville, Tenn.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

DEPRESSION - Candy Hemphill Christmas Overcomes Depression by Ministering to Homeless. She found healing under the Jefferson Street Bridge in Nashville, Tenn.

Candy Hemphill Christmas Overcomes Depression by Ministering to Homeless

NASHVILLE, TN - Weighing about 100 pounds and facing hospitalization, award-winning vocalist Candy Christmas, former member of southern gospel group The Hemphills, says she hit rock bottom.

In 2004 her doctor, seeing Christmas’ depression was winning the war inside and out, suggested medication or admittance to a hospital. But deep inside, Christmas knew there was another way to overcome the darkness in her life.

“I knew that the Word of God says that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, and so I told my doctor ... either my religion works for me or it doesn’t, and I’m just not going to go that direction,” Christmas says.

Rather, she found healing under the Jefferson Street Bridge in Nashville, Tenn.

When asked to help feed the homeless under the bridge one chilly night, Christmas decided she had nothing to lose. Raised in Louisiana, Christmas knew she could at least make a pot of jambalaya.

“The first night I went was just life-changing,” Christmas says. Though there were only a handful of homeless people there, Christmas noticed most had no socks and gloves. She began to shop for clothing and toiletry items to hand out once a week.

“From there on out, the homeless people started telling their friends ... and I started telling my friends ... and so right now we serve somewhere between 300 and 500 homeless people every Tuesday night,” Christmas says.

And so was born The Bridge Ministry.

The Bridge aims to first address people’s physical hunger, but there is also a time of worship and ministering. Christmas says new believers are born each week.

Today it’s not unusual for Christmas to run into people she met under the bridge who have since turned their lives around. They thank her for what she did for them.

For Christmas, however, the homeless did as much for her as she did for them: “I literally gave my way out of depression, and so it has totally changed my life.” by Sarah Stegall, Charisma Online

Over the past 40 years, the name "Hemphill" has become established as one of the most recognized names in the world of gospel music.

A powerful ministry and a catalog of classic gospel songs bear the name "Hemphill" and their ministry is continuing and new classics are being written.

All a tribute to the faithfulness of God and a man and wife's devotion to their Savior and tenacious desire to serve Him at all costs and in the face of dire circumstances. This man and wife are Joel & LaBreeska Hemphill and their ministry, having been tried by fire and found worthy, is as vibrant now as it ever has been.

Joel and LaBreeska Hemphill began their ministry as an evangelistic preaching and singing team. Starting with just the two of them, the team added new members and eventually included their children, Joey, Trent and Candy.

This family became one of the foremost mixed groups in gospel music and the Hemphills became famous for the talent of their personnel and for the quality of the material they sang, most of it written by Joel.

They received six Dove Awards for their efforts and Joel was nominated ten times by the Gospel Music Association as song writer of the year.

"He's Still Workin' On Me," "Every Need Supplied," "Master of the Wind," "Consider the Lilies," "I Claim the Blood," "Let's Have a Revival" and over 350 more were all penned by the skillful hand of Joel Hemphill.

The years the Hemphills traveled with their children forever enriched gospel music.

In 1990, the Hemphills children decided to pursue other interests and the group disbanded. Joel and LaBreeska's ministry had come full circle and it was just the two of them once again, yet they were excited and looked forward to the challenges and opportunities this presented.

However, just as they were about to start their new ministry in earnest, the greatest trial of their lives began. Joel was diagnosed with colon cancer and their ministry was suspended pending Joel's recovery.

The surgery was successful but prolonged complications began to take their toll and plummeted him into severe clinical depression, totally disabling him for over two years from his normal life and ministry.

Had this depression continued it no doubt would have led to the most tragic conclusion, however, God intervened.

Joel and LaBreeska had sought God for months, along with their many friends everywhere who knew of his illness, and on Sunday morning, November 8, 1992, while being prayed for by his Pastor and church, Joel received his complete healing.

Crediting God for the miracle, Joel's doctor says, "Prayer lifted his depression." Although having written the song "Master of the Wind" years before, the lyrics now took on new meaning. "I know the Master of the Wind, I know the maker of the rain, He can calm the storm, Make the sun shine again, I know the Master of the Wind."

The Master of the Wind calmed Joel and LaBreeska's storm and restored their ministry, empowering them with an awareness of His presence as never before.

RELATED POSTS: