DIVINE INTERVENTIONS: "Flat Broke and No Hope"

On this episode, Nancy Ogle shares her powerful journey from deep poverty and personal trauma to a life transformed by faith and divine intervention. Abandoned by her husband and left in dire financial straits, Nancy recounts her struggles with an abusive father, bullying, and multiple suicide attempts.

Despite these hardships, she found solace and strength in her faith, leading to a pivotal moment of spiritual renewal during a prayer meeting. This transformation empowered her to pursue higher education, eventually becoming a public school administrator.

Today, Nancy is a compliance analyst and director for the Secondary Virtual Academy at Sand Springs Public School District, a worship team member, and a devoted mother and grandmother. Her story is a testament to resilience, the power of community support, and unwavering faith.

Transcript

DINIVINE INTERVENTIONS: Flat Broke and No Hope
GUEST: Nancy Ogle
S3, E43

Nancy Ogle (00:00):

And then he left. He disappeared on myself and my kids. And he took, when I say he took everything, he emptied all the checking accounts, the savings accounts left us with a house that was falling apart and that's when we were in deep poverty.

Ric Shields (00:24):

You are listening to the DoorWays® Ministry Network podcast. My name is Ric Shields. Thanks for joining us today as I speak with my friend Nancy Ogle, about how God divinely intervened in her life.

(00:37):

It was my honor to officiate the marriage ceremony for Nancy and her husband, Jamie, some 27 years ago. Today Nancy is the compliance analyst and the director for the Secondary Virtual Academy for the Sand Springs Public School District. She serves on the worship team at her church, plus she's a mother and a grandmother. I'm certain that there are other important areas of responsibility where you've served Nancy and I hope you'll forgive me for failing to mention them all. But thank you for taking the time to chat with me today.

Nancy Ogle (01:07):

Thank you so much. I appreciate you inviting me to do this. And I remember that wedding ceremony, it was quite special.

Ric Shields (01:14):

Well, when I initially considered the idea of doing a podcast series on divine interventions, you were one of the first people that came to my mind. I recall some pretty difficult days when we first met, but I am also amazed at how far God has brought you. It's your story to tell. It's not mine, and I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable in any way. So, feel free to share what you can hold onto what you must.

(01:38):

I first came to know about you, Nancy, when you were a divorced single mother living in poverty. And when we're talking about poverty, we're talking about poverty. There was always more month than money. You had two young children and that's where my story with you starts. But your story has an even more difficult beginning. What can you share with us about that?

Nancy Ogle (02:01):

I'd like to start by just framing something about my life. Ric, I've known since I was little, before I even knew why, I knew that Jesus loved me and that I loved him. There is some lyrics to a song that really speak this quite clearly. It's called “No One Beside” is the name of the song, and it says, “within my heart is a melody that was not taught. But in the darkest night, it still goes on the anthem of my God.”

(02:32):

So, I believe that's how my life started was Jesus in my heart. Absolutely. And then I had an alcoholic, violent, abusive. I want to make a point to say not physically abusive father. Many have called him evil. I was just going to kind of give a couple of examples to show what it was like to live with someone who's but not physically abusive.

(03:02):

 One of them is from when I was a teenager and I had to earn the right to get furniture for my bedroom by keeping my bedroom completely clean for a year, which he of course thought I could not do. And when I did, he got so mad he went into my bedroom, he tore it all up and did everything he could to find something wrong with me. So, I wouldn't make that goal.

(03:29):

There's also, he just, he did not like me. Okay. I know that lots of kids think that. But the night before my sister passed away, Ric, she shared something with me quite poignant. She said that she'd been scared of our dad all of her life, which I knew that okay, but that she used to put little Post-it® notes up around that would say. “It's not Nancy's fault.” She had to remind herself it wasn't my fault that my dad got explosive and angry. He hated me and he hated that I loved Jesus and that I loved people, and that I gave people grace and mercy. That's just a small tidbit.

(04:10):

And then just a small example, he would tell me when I was a little kid, like maybe I'd be singing a song about Jesus or going around talking to Jesus. And he'd say that he believed there was a God, but that he believed it was sitting up there laughing at us, and that someday I was going to pay for believing in him.

(04:30):

So that's just a small example of what it was like to grow up with my dad.

Ric Shields (04:35):

That's crazy. Let me just say, that's crazy.

Nancy Ogle (04:40):

Yeah.

Ric Shields (04:40):

Nancy, your teenage years brought compounded hurt and trauma. Where do you think that shift began?

Nancy Ogle (04:48):

Well, I'm going to be honest with you, Ric. I can remember something, some specific incidents that made that a little worse. I had been going to a church in my local community, and I was in middle school. It didn't quite fit in because everyone else, you know, their mom and dad went to church and they had all these little perfect families. You know, as it looked to me, they were, and there were some pretty mean girls. There were mean girls back then in what was called Girls Auxiliary. And there was this kind of a dark hallway outside, and they jumped me and beat me up. That just started this.

(05:27):

I went to a different church. I started doing things differently. I retreated. I started having headaches, I started having suicidal thoughts. And then that was when I was in eighth grade. And then when I was in high school, one of the young men at my church sexually assaulted me. And it wasn't too long after that that I attempted suicide for the first time.

Ric Shields (05:52):

As if all of these issues and trauma weren't enough, you finally escaped your home. But that escape didn't bring health and healing. It seems as if you thought maybe marriage was the bridge to a new life and a wonderful new beginning. But is that how it really went?

Nancy Ogle (06:09):

No. No. Not at all. First of all, I do want to say in any marriage when there's a problem, there's two sides to every story. I had a terrible temper when I moved out from my house. I didn't know how to control who I was or what I was, or I didn't even know what I was. I married a man that in the end, I discovered really didn't like me. I, and I know that's weird to say, but he didn't like me. He didn't talk to me. He would go for days without even talking to me. So, I lived a very lonely life.

(06:41):

He was a very selfish man in the fact that, and, and I just lived with it. It was just what I was taught to do is to live with not being accepted. We had a car that was falling apart. We had a van that we bought that was in good order, and the car door fell off of it, and I had to tie it on and crawl through to get into the driver's side. He wouldn't let me use the van that was working. I took the car that was falling apart with the kids, just stuff like that. You what I'm saying? Just constant.

(07:18):

And I just never realized yet that being treated that way was not okay. It just felt like the norm. He also had multiple affairs, which I knew about in one of his bigger episodes of multiple affairs. I will let you know that I did have a second attempt at suicide, of which at this point, no one knew about either one of them. And God kept me alive and here I am today.

(07:45):

And then he left. He disappeared on myself and my kids. And he took, when I say he took everything, he, he emptied all the checking accounts, the savings accounts left us with a house that was falling apart. And that's when we were in deep poverty and having to struggle through. And the loneliness and the abandonment were quite strong.

Ric Shields (08:08):

I don't know how…I’m sorry for the pause, <laugh>.

Nancy Ogle (08:14):

That's okay.

Ric Shields (08:15):

My heart's broken. These are parts of the story that if I ever heard over the past 30 years, they've kind of diminished in my mind. That's horrible. I'm sorry.

Nancy Ogle (08:29):

It was I'll, I'll tell you that. There was a lady in church that I'll, I'm going to tell you that later on, something great happened with God, something amazing, a miracle. And she told me that I always looked so depressed and so downtrodden, and that finally I didn't look that way anymore. So, when you met me, I was downtrodden and oppressed in living, trying to just make it through life with my kids and take care of my children.

Ric Shields (09:01):

You're listening to the DoorWays® Ministry Network podcast. My name is Ric Shields, and I'm joined on this episode of my friend Nancy Ogle. When I met her nearly 30 years ago, her life was, well, I say difficult, way more than difficult. She was a divorced single mother of two children. She was beyond broke and seemed to have run out of hope. But things started to change. There came a new sense of determination and direction. Nancy, are you able to put a finger on what happened to bring about this change in your life and in your situation?

Nancy Ogle (09:37):

Oh, absolutely. Ric, I can tell you the place and the night and what happened. It was a Monday night prayer meeting. I was watching other people going up and getting prayer and getting healing. And I just, I talk to, I'm, I talk all the time, so I just talk to God. You know what I mean? So, I said, “Lord, when's my turn? When is it going to be my turn not to be so broken?” And he told me, “This is tonight. This is your turn.”

(10:07):

So, I went down front, talked to Pastor Phil spoke to him about my suicide attempts in my life and how I was living under that umbrella. When you've tried to commit suicide, Ric, it just follows you wherever you go. And I told the truth to the whole church. Everyone prayed for me, put a hedge of protection around me, and I was filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues for the first time ever. It literally, literally is like the song that, and I'm sorry, I'm a song reference person, but he saved me. He raised me, he filled me with the Holy Ghost. He healed me to the uttermost. He picked me up and he turned me around. And that night he set my feet on solid ground.

Ric Shields (10:58):

He really did. I mean, you're a changed person and, and there's so much in between here, okay? I don't, I wish we had more time. Sorry, we don't.

Nancy Ogle (11:09):

Yes.

Ric Shields (11:09):

There's so much in between. But it wasn't long after this that you decided to pursue a college degree. You're a single mother, you're broke now. You're a student and a single mother. How did you do that?

Nancy Ogle (11:23):

Well, with, by the grace of God, Ric, I will tell you I was sitting in the closet one night, whining to God again. You know, a friend of mine had graduated from college. And I was like, I always wanted to go to college. And I know I heard God tell me, “Well then go to college.” My ex-husband would never allow me to.

(11:43):

So, I went to college. I mean, I know God, I know he sat there in that closet and told me, “then go to college If it’s what I want you to do.” So, I did. I started at TCC and got finished out. What? I had a few classes finished out. My associates went to NSU, did. What I'd always wanted to do was to be a teacher and changed my life, because God knew that, that, I mean, God leads you where you're supposed to go. You just got to listen to him and you got to ask him. And he knew that that would build my confidence. It was, it was something I was good at and it was something I had a desire to do, it was to help children learn

Ric Shields (12:21):

God places desires in our heart. But we also know this, God wants to fulfill the desires in our heart, but the desires he puts in us anyway, you knew all along this is where you wanted to go, and he knew it's where he wanted you to go.

Nancy Ogle (12:34):

Yep.

Ric Shields (12:35):

So, this story doesn't end. You didn't just receive your bachelor's degree, which is what one would expect. You decided to go further.

Nancy Ogle (12:43):

I did. After about five years of teaching, I felt like he was calling me to become a public school administrator. And so, I went back to school and got my master's, and I was the principal for 19 years.

Ric Shields (12:59):

And this is just, I, if you're listening…obviously. if you're listening to the podcast, you're listening. I just, I, I have to say, it's so crazy. This woman who is without hope, who is flat broke, who has no prospect of a future picks up, goes to school, thinks, oh wow, this is really good, goes and gets her master's degree.

(13:23):

This is absolutely amazing, Nancy. I mean, what a tremendous difference this has made in your life.

(13:30):

So, tell us about today. How is your life different than it was almost 40 years ago?

Nancy Ogle (13:36):

That is a, a tough question to answer because there are so many wonderful things through all of that. I prayed for the Lord to send me someone, and Ric, I'm going to say this. You know, people pray for God to send him someone who loves him. Oh, I wanted someone who loves him, but I wanted someone who liked me because I grew up knowing I could not be liked.

(13:58):

And God sent me a wonderful man who likes him, who likes me just the way I am, and supports me and supported my kids. We had been friends and it was just the best thing ever.

(14:12):

 I have more confidence now. I'm not going to lie now, it's gotten better over the years, but sometimes I still struggle with feeling like I'm not liked and accepted. So, I want everyone to know that what you have to do is, is know that that's the, that is the lies of Satan. God taught me through his Holy Spirit to recognize the lies of Satan.

(14:36):

So if I do struggle with maybe a suicidal thought or not feeling acceptance or feeling like I'm not worthy, then I now know to recognize that that's the lies of Satan, my husband helps me remember sometimes, and that he is with me daily, every day, all of my life. And so, I just...

Ric Shields (14:57):

And a shout out to Jamie, by the way.

Nancy Ogle (14:59):

No kidding. A shout out to Jamie. He, he went through some struggles with me and helped me because it, God changed me that night. But it's a process that you trust and you have faith and you believe, or even when you don't have faith, you just have a tiny little bit of faith. God's there for you.

Ric Shields (15:19):

Kinda like he changes your mindset. However,

Nancy Ogle (15:21):

Yes,

Ric Shields (15:22):

All these behaviors, these past behaviors that still haunt you, that are still there, those also have to come in line with this changed mindset and this changed heart.

(15:31):

So, but I want to say a shout out to Jamie, the world's best church drummer. I've heard a lot of church drummers, by the way,

Nancy Ogle (15:39):

Amen <laugh>.

Ric Shields (15:40):

And he is absolutely fabulous. This guy, this guy is, is the best church drummer in a nutshell.

(15:48):

Tell us how the Holy Spirit invaded and impacted your life and do you believe it was a divine intervention?

Nancy Ogle (15:55):

Absolutely. I, I, I have to tell you, we, I'm going to, I'm going to quote, I got to find it. I have it here. Oh, here it is. So, I have to tell you that we started singing this song, Ric in church called “No One Beside.” And I listened to this first verse, “Within my heart is a melody that was not taught in the darkest night. It still goes on the anthem of my God.”

(16:23):

Remember how I started this by framin

g that since I was little, I always knew Jesus loved me and I loved him. And I'm telling you, that has been the anthem of my heart. And even in the darkest time of my life, the Holy Spirit has been there for me to give me hope to send me, oh, my church family, I haven't even mentioned that. And how they took care of me, sent me good, solid friends that believed in me, supported me, and never gave up on me. And then filling me with the Holy Ghost changed my life forever.

Ric Shields (16:58):

You know, this sense of knowing that God wants to dwell in you is what this happens with, this feeling of the Holy Spirit, that hey, God's really here. He's not just out there. He's in me. That's a pretty cool

Nancy Ogle (17:11):

Deal. He's, yeah, absolutely. It's, it's all right in my heart. I mean, like that little kid's song, it's right there. He's in my heart.

Ric Shields (17:20):

Nancy, your life has been impacted by the goodness and the grace of God. Would you please pray for those who are waiting and believing for God to come into their space and miraculously work in their situation?

Nancy Ogle (17:32):

Absolutely. And, and I first want to say that no matter where you're at or what you're dealing with there, there is hope. Even when you don't feel like it. Listen for that voice of God, even when you feel like you don't have any faith.

(17:47):

So, Lord Jesus, for anyone, anyone who feels like they are alone, they are depressed, they are suicidal, they are trapped in something they shouldn't be trapped in, who needs you desperately Heavenly Father. Go to that place in their heart. You feel them with your spirit. You let them know you. Let them know that you are holding them in the palm of your hand forever, and that you are faithful to them forever, and that you will lead them through all situations.

(18:25):

Lord Jesus, give them the courage to speak the truth and get help if they need it. Lord Jesus, give them grace and mercy. Let them have the feeling of your love wrapped around them and let them know that they are not alone. You are their friend. You are their Father. You are their redeemer. You are their savior. You are all they need in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ric Shields (19:02):

It is an understatement to say there has been a big change in Nancy Ogle's life. It's more like a monumental change only possible by God's divine intervention. She went from abuse, depression, and attempted suicide to one who understands the schemes of the enemy, who Jesus tells us comes to steal, kill, and destroy. She still finds herself struggling at times, but she knows she's loved by Jesus, by her husband, her family, and her friends.

(19:31):

I hope you've been encouraged by her story and I'd like to know if you were, drop me a note at info at doorways.cc. Also, feel free to let me know if there are other topics you'd like for us to explore together.

(19:42):

Until next time, may the grace and peace of the Holy Spirit surround you, your family, and those you love in the days ahead.