Interview: Amy Hammond Hagberg, Part 2
August 21, 2008 | books, interviews, stories
Suzie and Amy Hammond Hagberg continue conversation from yesterday about How Do You Know God is Real?
Suzie: I love stories. Many times I sit in church, and it’s not the sermon or the music that moves me, but what I see happening in the lives of those around me — simply because of a relationship with Christ. What was your most interesting interview, and why?
Amy: Now, THAT is a tough question! I truly enjoyed speaking with all of the participants in my book series for different reasons. Of the athletes, Dwight Howard from the NBA’s Orlando Magic (also on the dream team at the Beijing Olympics) was probably one of my favorites.
First of all, he is an absolutely amazing athlete—he is currently ranked #1 in the league for both rebounds and blocks. A guy like that could get totally wrapped up in his own success, but he is amazingly humble and grateful, and gives God all the credit for his achievements. God has done some amazing things in his life. Dwight went to a very small Christian high school with a graduating class of only 16! Yet somehow, he was not only drafted by the NBA straight out of high school, but he was the #1overall draft pick.
Of the recording artists, I really enjoyed my conversations with the three Barlow sisters from Barlow Girl. Each of them had a very different story to tell. Lauren shared the challenges unique to growing up as a preacher’s kid and her struggle with finding her identity outside of her family. Becca talked about how God brought her out of an eating disorder and showed her how much He loves her and helped her see how she was destroying her body by constantly purging. Alyssa gave us a mid-blowing example of a miraculous healing that happened when she was a teenager. The Barlow sisters definitely know God is real!
Suzie: Can you share a little bit of your story?
Amy: Here’s just a little taste of my story…
My husband, Craig, and I have been married for nearly 24 years, very happily for about half of that time. Craig went through a serious bout of clinical depression following a disappointing business venture. He medicated himself with drugs and alcohol to ease the pain, only to become more and more depressed. Gradually, the prescribed antidepressant worsened his symptoms. He spent much of the daytime sleeping, and it was hard to hold the family together without him. One day it all came to a head.
In Minnesota, the winters are harsh—so bitterly cold that special engine block heaters are installed to make sure cars will start if exposed to the elements. One such winter day, one of our cars wouldn’t start and the battery needed to be jumpstarted. Craig was the only one who knew how to do it, but he was in bed sleeping….again. At my wits end, I screamed at him to get up and do something! He got out of bed, went outside to start the car, and then promptly disappeared.
Several hours later, there was still no sign of him and I started to panic. When he finally walked through the front door, it was obvious that he’d been crying. When he told me what happened, I understood why. When Craig had left our home, he’d headed to a nearby river. He’d sat in his SUV along the riverbank getting ready to plunge into the frigid waters and commit suicide. Before making that final, irreversible decision, he said a prayer and asked God to send an angel—a visible sign that He is real.
As soon as Craig opened his eyes, he saw a strange sight. A beat up, late model Chevy Impala was lumbering straight for him towing a trailer and snowmobile. It was amazing to see this awkward vehicle fishtailing through the impassable, unplowed snow of the boat landing when Craig’s four-wheel-drive Jeep had barely made it through. The car pulled up alongside him, and behind the wheel Craig saw a scruffy man who looked like he was down on his luck. The man rolled down his window and said, “Are you alright?” Craig wiped away his tears and said, “Yeah, I’m okay.” Without another word, the stranger turned around and drove away. That was it. God answered Craig’s plea and sent him an angel that day. That man saved Craig’s life along a frozen riverbank in rural Minnesota … there is no reasonable explanation how that man found Craig hidden off the beaten path like that.
Craig gave His life to Christ and asked Him to heal his brokenness and pain. On the day he gave control to God, both his addictions and the depression were gone. I witnessed a miracle happen right before my very eyes; a miracle accomplished through the sheer power of faith. I wanted the same peace in my life and accepted Christ myself a short time later. Now, there was no bolt of lightening or crack of thunder that night, but I did sense a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I felt a peace that I’d never before experienced. Life hasn’t been the same since. It is my hope to be able to share the transformational love of God with everyone… because HE IS REAL!
Suzie: Thank you, Amy. Perhaps somebody accidently stumbled on to the site today and this is exactly where they are. If so, I hope you realize that God loves you and sees you.
Amy, will you tell us about your typical writing day?
Amy: LOL – typical…what’s that? I’m almost hesitant to say this, but I have a rather atypical work schedule. I’ve suffered from insomnia for nearly 25 years, so my best work is done between about 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. My family accuses me of working all the time… I start at about 9 a.m. and spend most of the day and night behind the computer. I’m always juggling a variety of projects at a given time; right now I am writing a website, editing a magazine, doing a book doctoring project on another author’s historical novel, writing three book proposals—all for collaborative efforts with other authors, editing the book manuscript of a famous drummer, writing three or four magazine articles that are due in the next week and trying to produce a radio show.
I’m also getting ready for a few women’s retreats I’ll be leading in the coming months. Somehow I have to sneak in some time for interviews and marketing. But the nice thing about being self-employed as a writer is that I can work my own hours. I spend lots of quality time with my family, love to cook, and am a crazy soccer mom. If I want to take a nap in the afternoon and work until midnight I can do that! And I can work in my jammies all day if I want to…
Suzie: Will you pray for the people reading this today?
Amy: I would be honored to! But before I do that, I’d love to offer some encouragement to your readers. You’ve just heard about all kinds of reasons why Jesus Christ is real. Maybe you’re thinking a little bit about your own salvation and life situation. What most of these stories have in common is that these miracles and wonderful things happened after the subjects submitted their lives to Jesus. His impact on their lives is unmistakable.
The best way to know He’s real is to find out for yourself. Just over ten years ago I gave my life to the Lord … In my wildest dreams I couldn’t have imagined what He had in store for me. Perhaps this is the perfect moment for your rebirth as well. Whether you are already a follower of Christ or have just met him for the first time, you can be assured of where you will spend eternity. If you don’t know Him, understand that Jesus has been waiting for you your whole life – standing patiently right beside you.
The Holy Spirit might be knocking on your door right now … go ahead and open it. Today you have an opportunity to secure your salvation and know the peace of having Christ in your life. All you need to do is say this simple prayer and allow Jesus Christ to move into the driver’s seat.
Heavenly Father, I come to you asking for the forgiveness of my sins, sins that have separated me from you. I believe that Jesus is your son, and that he died on the cross at Calvary, was resurrected and is alive again so I might be forgiven and have eternal life with you in Heaven. I ask you right now to come into my life and be my personal Lord and Savior from this day forward. Because of the promises in your Word, I am a new creation, born again and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. In the holy name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
Suzie: Thank you so much, Amy. If anyone is interested in your book, they can find it here. If they want to get in touch with you, they can contact you at:
Website: www.amyhagberg.com
Radio Talk Show: www.blogtalkradio.com/GodUnplugged
MySpace: www.myspace.com/amyhagberg
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