My Story
In 1997, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. For the next six months, I put my life on hold. I was blessed to have a job with a boss, who said if he needed me he’d beep. So during the day, I tried to spend time with Mom. She lived for six months and passed away. After she died, I felt a release to do short term missionary work and I did. I was no longer with the poultry company, I was driving a truck. Because I was able to, I visited five countries from August-December. It was great and I was overwhelmed. In December 1997, my pastor asked me to take over the youth. After much prayer, and a strategy given to me by the Holy Spirit, I said yes. So in January, I became a forty-two year old youth pastor. The strategy I was given, was quite simple.
The following is a short version-
When we began, we had twenty-two youth. Our first year was dedicated to growth and grow we did.
We went from twenty-two to forty- five! It was amazing to stand back and see God work!
The second year was even more amazing!
We had a Drama team, Street ministry and a dance team. My hometown only has fifteen-hundred population, We saw one hundred-twenty six people make a decision for Christ! I told you it was amazing! All I did was let the youth take charge and set back to watch. That’s when trouble started. I knew to take the youth to another level, I had to spend more time with them.
I was working three jobs, one full-time and two part-time. I knew to be able to spend time, the part-time jobs had to go. So, I went to my pastor and talked to him, about taking up a love offering once a month; to supplement my income. He said, all I needed was help. The more he talked, the madder I got. When I left his office, I knew I was going to leave the church and start my own! That’s what we do, we get mad at the man of God IN CHARGE and either run him off or leave. Well, I left! That’s when we started Grace Fellowship. We started with twenty-two and our first year grew to sixty-five. I had taken a night job to supplement my income. I should have been satisfied, the church was growing and I would soon be full-time.
But, I was depressed unfulfilled and angry. I was really depressed, I asked the Elders to let me step down. They said let them pray for a week and see what the Lord says. The next Sunday, they cane back and told me the following, since the church was new and had been started because of my vision; they asked me to stay until May eleventh and they would close the church. I agreed and then we agreed on the closing of the church.
It was hard to preach those last three months, my depression only got worse. Finally the day came and we shut the doors, that’s when depression really hit. That was in 2003. By mid 2004 I was smoking dipping and hooked on porn. I was cold toward my family and friends. I had made secret plans to leave my family. I felt they would be better off without me. The job I had lined up would not start until September 2005. In December 2004, my best friend told me he and his wife had a big surprise for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. They gave us an all expense paid trip to Hawaii.
So in June, we flew to Hawaii. We arrived on June eighteen. We loved Hawaii, did not want to leave. On the way back the blinding headaches start, when we got home they got worse. I had landed a teaching job and was going to give my two week notice but on June twenty-six at work, I had a stroke.
My wife and oldest daughter drove like speedsters coming to my place of work, it only took her ten minutes, by the time they arrived; I could not walk and barely mumble. My wife is a nurse and knew seconds were precious. She took me straight to the hospital. She had called ahead, they met us at the emergency room; with a gurney!
The rest of the story I don’t remember, it was told to me by my family. When I got there, they immediately ran a CAT scan and a MRI. Three hours later, they came back and told my family, he’ll be okay; he just had a light stroke. That was late Monday night Tuesday morning their speech therapist came in and worked with me.
After she took Paula out of the room and told her, get prepared it’s not over. That was Tuesday morning. By Wednesday evening I could not breath or swallow. They put in a trache and a feeding tube. By Wednesday afternoon, I was in ice. I could not move, I could only blink my eyes. The doctors told my family I would not live and if I did; I would be in a wheelchair and on a ventilator the rest of my life.
My oldest daughter screamed out, I DON’T BELIEVE YOU, GOD WILL BE TRIUMPHANT! Paula got on the phone and called my old pastor’s wife and told her. As soon as Paula hung up, she got on the phone. By Wednesday night, the waiting area was filled with people with pillows, they came to pray all night. I was laying in ice knowing things looked pretty grim I prayed.
Later that night I was asleep and dreamed of 1982. Paula and I lived in Cedar Hill Texas. Paula drove to Mississippi, to see her parents and I was home alone. It was Saturday night and I had dug in to watch a Doctor Who marathon. I was in the rocking chair setting in front of the TV. I was in the marathon thirty minutes, when I heard an audible voice. I thought someone was in the house so I took my bat and went looking. No one was in the house, so I went back to my marathon. Not five minutes later, I heard the voice say clearly, "I will never let you go". I knew then the voice was God!
I fell on my knees crying and shaking. You see, I had been working so much, Sunday had become my sleep day. I stayed on the floor crying for what seemed like hours but, when I got up I knew I had been visited. I went to church, from then on no matter how I felt. That night in ice, I did not know how close to death I was but, I knew I was going to be alright. I stayed in ice for two weeks, then they transferred me to another hospital specializing in weaning you off the ventilator.
When the drugs had worn off, I no longer had desires for smoking, dipping or porn. My old pastor and I were reconciled miraculously and still are to this day.
RL
In 1997, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. For the next six months, I put my life on hold. I was blessed to have a job with a boss, who said if he needed me he’d beep. So during the day, I tried to spend time with Mom. She lived for six months and passed away. After she died, I felt a release to do short term missionary work and I did. I was no longer with the poultry company, I was driving a truck. Because I was able to, I visited five countries from August-December. It was great and I was overwhelmed. In December 1997, my pastor asked me to take over the youth. After much prayer, and a strategy given to me by the Holy Spirit, I said yes. So in January, I became a forty-two year old youth pastor. The strategy I was given, was quite simple.
The following is a short version-
- Growth
- Ministry
- Leadership
When we began, we had twenty-two youth. Our first year was dedicated to growth and grow we did.
We went from twenty-two to forty- five! It was amazing to stand back and see God work!
The second year was even more amazing!
We had a Drama team, Street ministry and a dance team. My hometown only has fifteen-hundred population, We saw one hundred-twenty six people make a decision for Christ! I told you it was amazing! All I did was let the youth take charge and set back to watch. That’s when trouble started. I knew to take the youth to another level, I had to spend more time with them.
I was working three jobs, one full-time and two part-time. I knew to be able to spend time, the part-time jobs had to go. So, I went to my pastor and talked to him, about taking up a love offering once a month; to supplement my income. He said, all I needed was help. The more he talked, the madder I got. When I left his office, I knew I was going to leave the church and start my own! That’s what we do, we get mad at the man of God IN CHARGE and either run him off or leave. Well, I left! That’s when we started Grace Fellowship. We started with twenty-two and our first year grew to sixty-five. I had taken a night job to supplement my income. I should have been satisfied, the church was growing and I would soon be full-time.
But, I was depressed unfulfilled and angry. I was really depressed, I asked the Elders to let me step down. They said let them pray for a week and see what the Lord says. The next Sunday, they cane back and told me the following, since the church was new and had been started because of my vision; they asked me to stay until May eleventh and they would close the church. I agreed and then we agreed on the closing of the church.
It was hard to preach those last three months, my depression only got worse. Finally the day came and we shut the doors, that’s when depression really hit. That was in 2003. By mid 2004 I was smoking dipping and hooked on porn. I was cold toward my family and friends. I had made secret plans to leave my family. I felt they would be better off without me. The job I had lined up would not start until September 2005. In December 2004, my best friend told me he and his wife had a big surprise for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. They gave us an all expense paid trip to Hawaii.
So in June, we flew to Hawaii. We arrived on June eighteen. We loved Hawaii, did not want to leave. On the way back the blinding headaches start, when we got home they got worse. I had landed a teaching job and was going to give my two week notice but on June twenty-six at work, I had a stroke.
My wife and oldest daughter drove like speedsters coming to my place of work, it only took her ten minutes, by the time they arrived; I could not walk and barely mumble. My wife is a nurse and knew seconds were precious. She took me straight to the hospital. She had called ahead, they met us at the emergency room; with a gurney!
The rest of the story I don’t remember, it was told to me by my family. When I got there, they immediately ran a CAT scan and a MRI. Three hours later, they came back and told my family, he’ll be okay; he just had a light stroke. That was late Monday night Tuesday morning their speech therapist came in and worked with me.
After she took Paula out of the room and told her, get prepared it’s not over. That was Tuesday morning. By Wednesday evening I could not breath or swallow. They put in a trache and a feeding tube. By Wednesday afternoon, I was in ice. I could not move, I could only blink my eyes. The doctors told my family I would not live and if I did; I would be in a wheelchair and on a ventilator the rest of my life.
My oldest daughter screamed out, I DON’T BELIEVE YOU, GOD WILL BE TRIUMPHANT! Paula got on the phone and called my old pastor’s wife and told her. As soon as Paula hung up, she got on the phone. By Wednesday night, the waiting area was filled with people with pillows, they came to pray all night. I was laying in ice knowing things looked pretty grim I prayed.
Later that night I was asleep and dreamed of 1982. Paula and I lived in Cedar Hill Texas. Paula drove to Mississippi, to see her parents and I was home alone. It was Saturday night and I had dug in to watch a Doctor Who marathon. I was in the rocking chair setting in front of the TV. I was in the marathon thirty minutes, when I heard an audible voice. I thought someone was in the house so I took my bat and went looking. No one was in the house, so I went back to my marathon. Not five minutes later, I heard the voice say clearly, "I will never let you go". I knew then the voice was God!
I fell on my knees crying and shaking. You see, I had been working so much, Sunday had become my sleep day. I stayed on the floor crying for what seemed like hours but, when I got up I knew I had been visited. I went to church, from then on no matter how I felt. That night in ice, I did not know how close to death I was but, I knew I was going to be alright. I stayed in ice for two weeks, then they transferred me to another hospital specializing in weaning you off the ventilator.
When the drugs had worn off, I no longer had desires for smoking, dipping or porn. My old pastor and I were reconciled miraculously and still are to this day.
RL
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