Rock Church Pastor Miles McPherson Highlights 7 Moms in His Life on Mother's Day
Debbie explained that by the time she was 16, she was already holding down two jobs while attending school at the same time. She was soon able to save enough money to buy a car and start her journey out of poverty at the age of 19.
"A couple years later met this guy and that's a whole 'nother story for another day," she said, laughing about her husband. "Four years later we got married and immediately started having kids."
McPherson's sister, Margaret Diggs, who serves as Rock Church's design director, said she struggled as a young mother, especially because her husband was a police officer and worked different shifts.
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"It was not easy because he had a lot of crazy hours and just like every new family, we struggled to live the way we wanted to live, and pay the bills and get out of debt. And he wasn't around a lot because he worked so many jobs," she said.
"I had some bitterness [back] then that I had to work through. And I just want to encourage young moms, single or not, if the other maker of your children is not around, just stay in prayer. Pray for just patience."
"What I do here is another testament to us with God just being graceful in how we live our lives and how we listen to Him. I do the interior design here and never in a million years would I think that I would be able to use my gifts for the church. If you have a gift that you think may not be impressive or important, just keep on with the gift that God has given you and He'll help you use it in a great way," Diggs added.
Pastor McPherson's niece, Margaret's daughter Leah Newberry, talked about how God delivered her from a destructive relationship into a healthy marriage.
"I am a new mom. My daughter is 3 months old. … I was in a relationship that was very destructive and God delivered me from that relationship. I decided to continue and get a career in nursing, so I was able to meet my now husband, get engaged, get married, have a baby and then graduate from nursing school. And then once she was here, I took my boards and I'm now employed as a full-time nurse in a local emergency room," she said.
Karen Shine, the mother of McPherson's daughter-in-law, also talked about how bad relationships affected her life as a mother.
"I am the Irish-Portuguese lady that ended up in their Christmas card in case any of you are wondering, it was me," she began.
"I've known Pastor Miles and Debbie since 1991. My ex-husband was arrested for a series of crimes. … God sent Pastor Miles. Long story short, he (ex-husband) pled guilty and is serving 56 years," she said.
"During our marriage I was abused, and the really hard part for me is that I stayed quiet. So as you're listening to all of our stories, if you have something brooding, brewing, whatever the right word is, shout it to the rooftops 'cause there are a ton of resources here to help you. Please don't do what I did and stay quiet," she cautioned.
"As I said, my husband pled guilty to 56 years. At the snap of a hat, I'm a single mom. I went from having a dual income to a single income. I worked over 70 hours a week. I had to take care of this one right here," she said, pointing to her daughter.
"Fast forward to 2008 and unfortunately, I found myself in another relationship. He also pled guilty ... and served five years in prison."
