It’s a big white house...but it doesn’t compare to the mansion Larry Hancock has waiting for him in Heaven. It seems like an improbable ending to his story but Larry is quick to tell you, “it ain’t me, it’s Jesus”.

Arriving too late that evening to gain admittance to the mission, Larry took
his few possessions and camped out with the ants and mosquitoes until morning. “How did I get here?” he asked himself although the answer was quite evident. A serious drug habit topped by a string of poor choices had bought him 10 days in jail and cost him a family, a home, a vehicle, a job and any hope of a decent life. "I pretty lost everything I had in a matter of ten days" Larry recalled.

Larry reluctantly attended the daily Bible Studies offered at the mission. God used the Word shared by different speakers to work on Larry’s life hardened heart.One of the teachers in particular caught Larry’s attention. His direct presentation of truth had the hope that this young man desperately wanted. Linnie’s message not only addressed fallen man’s physical condition but also his spiritual. Larry was learning about the beginning of wisdom and the fear of God.

"I wanted rest because I was so tired and there was a verse in Matthew 11:28 that said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". I needed that promise because I was so so burned out by the loss of my marriage and kids and the life I had tried to build." That comforted me. 

Linnie’s genuine concern and straight forward approach helped Larry come to a hard realization. Everything that had happened to Larry was the  fault  of Larry…no one else.  Once he took that responsibility and realized what a mess he had made of his life, he was ready to allow someone else to take charge.  

At the constant urging of Linnie and others, Larry spent time in God’s Word. He began diligently searching the Scriptures and found his own story in the pages of the Bible.  He found the rest he had been looking for.  

"I realized two really important things as I began to open the Word of God.  One, God had forgiven me even while I was a sinner.  Now I needed to learn to forgive others.  I also needed somebody who would always be there.  Someone who would not forsake as in the past.  I found the passage from Hebrews 13:5 that said, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." I knew that was true and that this was a God I could trust for all eternity." During Larry’s desperate search, Jesus found him and took the fractured pieces of this man’s life and created a mosaic of grace and redemption.

January of 2008 was different.  I lost any desire to curse and while I had opportunities to sin and make wrong choices, I always obeyed the Lord and refrained. I was not the same person and I knew it”. Others around Larry knew it too. Many of his “old buddies” now resented him and cast him off.

Life was new but challenges kept coming. Larry got a job with a former drug buddy and was fired because his boss was tired of the “Jesus talk.” Nevertheless, he kept trusting and obeying. Days later, the employer of the “boss” that fired him rehired Larry with a raise and a promise of steady work.



Donnie, Larry and Bobby of Hanccock Custom Design Painting

In a step of faith, Larry left the mission, moved in with his sister and eventually, with Linnie.  Still reading his Bible and making Godly choices, Larry was walking out his new found faith in the Lord.  He had seen God work and began to cling to each promise that he found in his Bible. At each step of his journey, he found God faithful. He was now volunteering his time at The Shepherd's Staff and assisting Linnie with odd jobs al the while reading, watching and learning what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ. 

Larry had not really spoken with his father for over two years. Slowly, restoration began. They would share church services together. They shared past hurts and began the process of re-establishing what had been lost in all the years of separation. No longer estranged, Larry and his Dad are now business partners in Hancock Custom Design Painting Company.

His Dad, like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son has blessed Larry’s life and this son in turn has become a joy to his Dad.

"I learned in this whole process that God really does have a plan for my life but it requires me to trust Him.  It is His desire that I live that abundant life He talks about in Scripture and while living daily with Him on earth, He's also granted me eternity in heaven.  That's just awesome"!  He has blessed me so much and now it's my turn to bless others".

Larry Hancock’s life exemplifies the matchless love of God. He has a restored relationship with his earthly father, a new business underway and a wonderful church family. With the   constant support of Pastor Chad Harrison and the entire congregation at EastLake Community Church, Larry Hancock is still growing in his walk with Christ. “It’s all about trusting Jesus”, says Larry. “After making a mess of it myself, He has made all the difference in my life. He has placed people like  Linnie in my path to encourage and be there for me.  At a time when I did not deserve it, Linnie loved me with the love of Christ and it made a huge difference.  He kept pointing me to Jesus and still does to this day.”

With paint roller in hand, the beads of sweat on Larry’s reddened forehead are evidence that he is no stranger to hard work. To his relief, an occasional cloud hides the sun and brings a short respite from the heat but it’s impossible to hide the “Son”  that beams from this contented man. Like the specks of white paint on his busy hands, “ It’s Jesus”, is all over Larry Hancock.


  The Shepherd's Staff Ministry, Inc  .  P.O. Box 201203  .  Montgomery, AL  .  36120  .  334.281.0683