When Faith Comes to Town: How Broken Became Unbreakable

By Jerry Essary Jr.

WHEN YOU FEEL LOST, HOPELESS, AND HAVE HIT ROCK BOTTOM, THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO GO, AND THAT'S UP.

When confronted with adversity and trauma, Christian faith is an anchor that helps overcome these challenges. It teaches valuable lessons, such as seeking God's help, giving thanks for small blessings, and forgiving

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Oct 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890412874

Jerry Essary Jr.

Jerry Essary Jr. is a Christian disabled veteran and proud father of four children. With heightened perseverance and enduring faith, he has overcome many obstacles in his military career, healthcare needs, and personal life. His unwavering commitment to his family and his beliefs has been a guiding light, inspiring him to face his challenges head-on. Through determination and hope, Jerry Essary Jr. continues to build a legacy of resilience and service to others.

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When Faith Comes

to

Town

How Broken

Became

Unbreakable

Jerry Essary Jr.

When Faith Comes to Town

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2023 by Jerry Essary

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For information, address Trilogy Christian Publishing

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 979-8-89041-286-7

ISBN (ebook) 979-8-89041-287-4

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my father, Jerry Essary Sr. Not only was he a good man, but also a Godly one. Thank you, Dad, for showing me the way. Although admittedly, I rarely followed your advice.

I dedicate this book to my children. You have been my best-undeserved blessing. Thank you for giving me a reason to live.

I dedicate this book to my mother. I am so proud of what you have become. After this tragedy, you indeed show me strength through Christ Jesus.

Acknowledgment

I want to thank my dad for showing me how to be a man by instilling in me the character, work ethic, and the resolve that makes me who I am.

I want to thank my mother for instilling in me strength and the fire that has kept me motivated to continue the good fight in this crazy life. I want to thank my children for giving me the reason and ability to love so deeply. I understand the depth of God’s love through my love for you.

I want to thank my best friend, Lauren Mendenhall, for always being there when I needed someone. You blessed me with tough love and hard truths, brother.

After my conversion, I would like to thank my first pastor, Rusty McMullen, for igniting a fire in me to seek out the Kingdom and its purpose for me.

I want to thank my brothers for being there when I needed them the most; even though we don’t talk much, I love you immensely.

I want to thank the mothers of my children for blessing me with such incredible babies.

I want to thank Alicia Korbel, my sister in Christ, who possibly saved me years after everything went down and the enemy attacked me, almost defeating me one average day without warning.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Chapter One: Family: In the Beginning

Chapter Two: Adolescence

Chapter Three: Drug Abuse

Chapter Four: After High School

Chapter Five: New Path

Chapter Six: First Marriage

Chapter Seven: Second Engagement

Chapter Eight: Second Marriage

Chapter Nine: The Layoff

Chapter Ten: Father’s Murder

Chapter Eleven: Salvation

Chapter Twelve: Being Found

Chapter Thirteen: Rebellion < Salvation,

Good > Evil, Punishment ≠ Chastisement

Chapter Fourteen: Brokenness, Forgiveness,

the Human Condition, and Final Thoughts

Introduction

Adversity is a common experience for people from all walks of life. It may come in hardship, failure, loss, or tragedy. Facing it can be a challenging experience, but it is an opportunity for growth, maturity, and learning; for many people like me, faith provides comfort, strength, and a source of hope during trying times.

Faith is a fundamental aspect of the Christian experience, and if you let it, it plays an essential role in helping to navigate adversity. At its core, faith is a belief in a power greater than oneself, and it provides people with a sense of purpose, meaning, and hope. In trying times, faith can be a source of comfort and strength to overcome the struggles of our existence. Faith can help you emerge stronger, wiser, and even more fulfilled on the other side.

The Bible contains stories of people facing adversity and overcoming hardship through faith. The Book of Job is a classic example of how faith can help individuals overcome adversity. In this story, Job’s faith is tested as he experiences multiple tragedies, including the loss of his children, his wealth, and his health. Despite these challenges, Job remained steadfast in his faith, and through his faith, he was able to overcome all that he endured.

Similarly, the New Testament tells stories of how Jesus and His disciples faced adversity and persecution and were martyred. Through the apostles’ and disciples’ faith, they had the strength and resilience to spread the Good News worldwide.

Another way that faith can help individuals is through the support of faith communities. Christian communities can provide emotional and spiritual support during times of need. Additionally, they can offer support through encouragement, prayers, and practical assistance. These faith communities can also provide a sense of belonging and purpose, which can be particularly beneficial for those who feel isolated or alone during difficult times.

In this book, I will tell you about my spiritual journey. I was so rebellious, like the children of Israel in the Old Testament. I sought after the riches of the world and the desires of the flesh and paid little attention to the things in life that mattered. I gained more than I could have ever hoped, like my eternal salvation, after enduring a series of traumatic events and losing everything.

The following book is going to describe my journey and have book breakdowns and stories of the Bible at the end of the chapters to further educate you on the awesome Word of God.

Chapter One

Family:

In the Beginning

No matter what the years have given us, the world continues to be complicated. Time makes us very weary, and we may feel nothing but darkness all around. We lose the ones we love, friends come and go, and relationships fall apart.

We may lose our dream job and struggle to make ends meet, or our health may fail us. There are many possibilities! There is one thing I can say with conviction; it is that for all our problems, faith is indeed one way to get through the most challenging of times.

It may sound clichéd, but I’ve not only seen others get through such awful situations through faith, but I, too, have endured tremendous hardships and come out on the other side. Without finding faith and God, my life would have perhaps met an end many years back. Sometimes when trials enter our lives, the things that genuinely matter finally reveal themselves. I realized this when I took responsibility for my actions and needed to take accountability for my circumstances.

We must return to my younger days to understand how it began and where I am now. It all started with hard times, which led to challenging circumstances. Despite all odds, things worked out eventually.

I was born and raised not poor but underprivileged. As a child, financial matters didn’t always make sense, but you notice how others have things you don’t. Sometimes, circumstances at home make that obvious, such as your parents arguing over money-related matters. There were times when my brothers and I would notice tension in the air or a worried look on our parents’ faces. Yet, they did their best to ensure we had what we needed.

Yes, my grandparents certainly had their hands full. My mother was the youngest of thirteen children. Her father worked in the oil field for about twenty years and thirty-six on the railroad.

My dad was one of six children born to a welder and mechanic father. My paternal grandmother was not an average religious woman. She was a deeply devout Christian that played piano for the church. Her love and dedication led my father to become an ordained minister. My dad was in the oil field for thirty-three years and was a devout Christian.

There is some truth when people talk about the sins of the fathers or inheriting our parents’ demons. In my situation, it came from my father’s end. Before my birth, he was a recovering addict. It’s easy to blame a person for letting themselves sink into temptation, but not many understand how difficult it is to break away from it. My dad was abused as a child, which would explain the pain he was trying to escape. He worked hard on becoming sober and started praying for a child. He told me he got clean and asked God to bless him with a namesake. See, Mom and Dad had tried before and were unable to conceive. I was his firstborn, and my birth gave him the dedication he needed to stay clean.

My dad didn’t have it easy growing up. His biological father left him and the family when he was only two. I never met my biological grandfather but became pen pals with him before graduating high school. In his absence, another man became my dad’s stepfather. The biological grandfather joined the Army, and this is where he remained for most of the rest of his life. It wasn’t until I was fifteen that I noticed a different last name on Dad’s driver’s license. Later, Dad changed his last name to match mine and his stepfather’s.

Since my family had financial constraints during my childhood, my dad worked in the oil field to support his family. His line of work, unfortunately, didn’t pay much, so my mother would help by selling marijuana. It was a risk, but when it comes to family, one is willing to do whatever it takes.

It gives me hope that people can change for the better for the sake of their families. We tend to view our parents as ideal role models, but it is essential to remember that they are human too. Like everyone else, they will make mistakes. Forgiving them for their mistakes is better than holding it against them. God emphasizes forgiveness often in the Bible. I wasn’t alone growing up. Three years later, my parents brought home twin brothers. It didn’t have to be said, but I was no longer the only child, so my parents would focus more on those two. I didn’t mind it. It was the first time I was responsible for helping take care of someone else. Like most brothers, we played as much as we fought. However, the eldest child status drew more sternness from my parents.

I started as a small, intelligent, awkward, kindhearted, and sweet child. Other parents took a shine to me, and I was always respectful. I could relate with adults far easier than with other children and hold adult conversations at a very young age. For awhile, things had some consistency, but we didn’t get to see our dad much. He was always away at work, and we had to handle matters of the house on our own.

Despite this, I was close to Dad my whole life. He was my best friend. My mom loved me tremendously but often had difficulty showing it back then. Now we’re closer than we have ever been. Like my father, she, too, had difficulties growing up. Mom was subject to abuse when she was a child. The trauma and scars of those years affected her in ways that we could not fully fathom. This made her a bit disconnected. For a child, affection is all they seek from their parents, but looking back, my siblings and I somewhat missed out on it because of our mother’s intermittent detachment.

Working in the oil field is no walk in the park. A person must have physical durability and a certain temperament to outlast the noise and chaos. My father had shown his strength repeatedly, but with a stroke of bad luck, he sustained a terrible injury while working. The wound was so severe that it resulted in many surgeries, which also caused a tremendous financial strain. Things took a more negative turn in the years to come.

Dad couldn’t work for over a year, and as the family patriarch, the