Footsteps Toward Grace

By Jodi Hammann

Life may throw us many curves, and sometimes it feels as if we missed one and ended up over the edge. Thank goodness that we have a big God who picks us up dusts us off and helps us to see that we did not miss it after all; we just misjudged it a little and only swerved. I often wonder if I am the only one that ever feels that way. Sometimes it seems that we are the only ones with a particular problem and are ashamed of the life we have been dealt.

Through all of the hardships, abuse, depression, and bullyingthrough losing my father and almost losing everything I had come to know and loveI found the Lord. It is through his grace that I am now free from all the bondage I was held in for so many years.

I can choose to be lost, or choose to be found. I choose to be found. I have a peace about me and, for the first time in my life, am truly happy.

This book is a collection of stories from my life. You will read about the ups, the downs, the tears, and the laughter. You will learn how I went for thirty-nine years of my life without the Lord and see how these stories are my Footsteps toward Grace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490804613

Jodi Hammann

Jodi Hammann is the mother of two boys and is married to her best friend. She is the CEO and founder of Footsteps for Grace, a nonprofit charitable organization. She is also a teacher who works in both the educational system and in the church, assisting with the children’s ministries. Through many hardships Jodi has come to a relationship with Jesus, and was able to save her marriage of more than twenty years. She and her husband now reside in Boaz, Alabama.

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FOOTSTEPS

toward

GRACE

JODI HAMMANN

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Copyright © 2013 Jodi Hammann.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com  The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

All Scripture quotations in this publications are from The Message. Copyright (c) by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-0460-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-0462-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-0461-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013914222

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/06/2013

CONTENTS

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1 Better, Not Bitter

Chapter 2 My Superhero

Chapter 3 Forever Love

Chapter 4 My Precious Miracle

Chapter 5 Angel in Disguise

Chapter 6 The Accident

Chapter 7 Daddy

Chapter 8 Finding My Way Back Home

Chapter 9 Kept Promises

Chapter 10 Stepping Out in Faith

Chapter 11 Blessings

Chapter 12 Grace

Chapter 13 Falling on My Knees

DEDICATION

T his book is dedicated to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; my husband, Joe; my children, Eric and Robbie; my family; and my church families at the First Church of the Open Bible in Ottumwa and Open Bible Church in Belvidere. I thank you for always being there.

INTRODUCTION

W e come across many curves in life, and sometimes it feels as if we have missed one and tumbled over the edge of a cliff. Thank goodness we have a big God to pick us up, dust us off, and help us see that we did not miss it after all. He simply puts us on back on the road in the right direction. My road has had plenty of curves to it, and I missed a lot of them, but God was there to set me straight, even when I didn’t know it.

I was born in August of 1969. I lived on a farm in rural Iowa, where my family raised cows, chickens, and, early in my life, sheep. My grandfather and father would plant crops in the fields, and my grandmother and mother had a very large garden. Most of our food came from the farm, and our milk was delivered to our door. Sometimes my parents would go to the Amish farm close to us and get our milk there.

I grew up with two sisters and one brother in our small, three-bedroom ranch home surrounded by timber. We spent a lot of time playing outside, fishing, playing in the creek, riding our bikes, and spending time at our grandparents’ house. Our neighbors were all very close, and we were less than a mile from most, so we played with the neighbor kids once in a while.

We lived in Davis County, and the grade schools at that time were spread throughout the county. I attended the grade school in Pulaski. It was ten miles from my home, so we were bused to school. I attended Pulaski Elementary through fifth grade. The sixth grade had been moved to the middle school, which, like the high school, was in Bloomfield. We were bused there as well, and I attended Davis County Middle School. Later we moved to Milton, where I went to Fox Valley High School and made lifelong friends.

My mom and dad divorced in 1985, and my mom remarried in 1987. In addition to my biological brother and sisters, I have three stepbrothers and two stepsisters. I met my husband in Milton in 1986. We were married in 1987 and have two boys.

I lived most of my childhood and adult life without the Lord. In 2009 my husband and I accepted Christ and became new. My husband and I are now in love with Jesus and have an amazing relationship with him. Our marriage is very strong. At the time I am writing this book, we have been married for twenty-five years and are very much in love with one another. We are now one in our marriage, which is how marriage was intended