In 1981, Doug Stringer was a fitness instructor running his own exercise studio. He knew there was a God...but he lived as if God didn't exist. Tired of his hypocrisy and disgusted with his life, he sat down one night and prayed, "Lord, if You can use someone like me after all I have done to wound Your heart, I make myself available to You."
God listened and immediately started to send needy people to Doug. Runaways. Strippers. Drug addicts. Homeless people. And Doug's ministry, Somebody Cares, was born.
Mending the Net: Bringing Hope in a Hurting World is the story of how one man with a servant's heart was led to help others with the basic necessities of life while sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Doug's ministry has grown exponentially from its humble beginnings, now reaching tens of thousands of people around the world who are dealing with personal crises or disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, or floods. Through it all, what has not changed was Doug's firm belief that we are all called to show the lost and hurting that Somebody Cares and be part of the mended net that saves souls with love and compassion.
DOUG STRINGER is founder and president of Turning Point Ministries International, which birthed an international movement known as Somebody Cares. Doug's previous books include In Search of a Father's Blessing, Somebody Cares, and Born to Die. He is published in numerous magazines and websites, including the Houston Chronicle, New Man, Charisma, Decision, National Religious Broadcasters magazine, Christian Single, and www.crosswalk.com. Doug is considered a bridge-builder and an ambassador of reconciliation amongst various ethnic and religious groups.
Jack Hayford is the founding pastor of the Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California, and currently the chancellor of the King's College and Seminary in Los Angeles. A bestselling author and songwriter, Pastor Hayford has penned more than four dozen books and 600 hymns and choruses, including "Majesty." He and his wife, Anna, have four children and eleven grandchildren.