My Call pt. 2

Last time I blogged, I began to share with you a little about my testimony and how I ended up in ministry. Well, I skipped around a little bit so let me back track somewhat to when my dad and I went to Rhema's "Get Acquainted Weekend." This weekend was during my senior year of high school and I knew I was called but I didn't know how to begin. If you remember I had said as a kid that I wanted to go to Rhema. So here I am a senior in high school and my grades were the pits. I got by with C's, however it wasn't good enough to go to college to become a history teacher so that was out. Well, the Lord reminded me about Rhema and dropped it into my heart about going. So I spoke with my folks about this and we decided that maybe we needed to visit the Rhema to find out more; maybe I would get a leading or a witness about it.

So my dad and I registered to go to the Get Acquainted Weekend. As soon as we landed in Tulsa, I got a witness that I was making a right decision. What that decision was exactly, I didn't know. So here we are in Oklahoma, a place I knew not. In this weekend I was able to attend 3 classes as well as meet the Hagin's and as well as attend other functions. Sitting in the classes, the Lord began to speak to me again and I knew that Rhema was the place for me. It seemed that way because the favor of God was all over me. God was placing me into situations and opportunities to meet and speak with individuals that normally I wouldn't have had any contact with.

For example while in Tulsa, I attended "The Hour of Healing " that Oral Roberts Ministries televises from the Maybee Center. Dad and I were sitting way in the back when a gentleman motioned to us to follow him. We did and ended up sitting with him on the FRONT ROW. Come to find out, this man was the producer of the program. That night Richard and Lindsay Roberts(hosts) had their board of regents on (School and Ministry Advisors). This included: Creflo Dollar; Jesse and Cathy DuPlantis; Jerry Savelle and Marilyn Hickey. Talk about favor. Sitting within inches of these giants of faith.

At the conclusion of this weekend I told my dad that I felt that I needed to be at Rhema. Well, he still wasn't sure and he wanted to talk to mom about it. Anyways they felt that I wasn't ready and told me to wait a year. I was disappointed, but I waited the one year. In that year I worked and was miserable. I ended up around people and places that were so ungodly that my heart was grieving. I had 3 jobs and no I wasn't fired from any of them. The first one I had was doing construction with my brother. I hated it simply because I did all the back breaking qwork while he stood around smoking doing nothing. I understand that I was the grunt, but he bossed me around. He wasn't even the boss, he thought he was. So I quit, qhy bust your but when you aren't making much and there's no room for promotion. My next job was at a grocery store which wasn't bad, but it robbed me of even attending church, my spirit man suffered because of it.

Just to let you know: construction lasted from June '99-August '99. Grocery Store lasted from August '99- October '99. In the grocery business I hated it because I was paid peanuts while doing the job of the whole store, whenever there was a problem in frozen foods, call dry stock(me). What does dry stock and frozen foods have in common? NOTHING!!! So I left there only making $6.35/hr. I'm not a quitter, I just knew that these two previous jobs where taking me nowhere. Really in my heart I knew the Lord didn't want me at these places. I only was after the money. Yes, I missed it.

Finally I ended up at a place called Interforest which makes veneer for counters and whatnot. I got the job just a few days before my 19th birthday. I was here from November '99-July '00. Interforest wasn't a bad place to work. I got along with my co-workers even though they ribbed me for my faith. I was here for a purpose and I feel that I fulfilled it. I worked in the warehouse doing everything from loading trucks; to working in the showroom as well as working mainly in the warehouse doing other jobs. I started to gain favor with my bosses as well as the big muckety-mucks of the corporation. I did the job to the best of my ability and I was rewarded for it. I received loads of overtime plus many benefits not normally given. This my friend is the favor of God in action. I started at $7.25/hr and finished up making $8.60. Not long after I left, the corporation started to face hard times and of the many factories all over the globe, the one I worked for closed.

While working at Interforest I sent in my application to attend Rhema. All those months of waiting I was nervous and worried that maybe I wouldn't get accepted. One day after coming home from work on a Saturday, mom handed me an envelop from Rhema that was addressed to me. this was in April of 2000. Inside was a letter from the dean informing me that I was accepted. Hallelujah!!! I was on cloud nine after that. So here I am, a 19 year old young man with a call on his life and an acceptance letter to attend the greatest Bible School in the world.

I continued to work and work hard all the way up to my final day. They were sad to see me leave because of the influence and joy that followed me. So I left Interforest just a few weeks before my trek to Oklahoma to go to Bible School.

I wrote enough for one day.....I thought I would have finished!!!! lol....maybe next time

My Call pt.1

Some of you have asked me to share my testimony and how I received my call into the ministry. To begin, let me take you back a year or so before I was born. My folks were unable to have kids and so my older brother was adopted. Now not long after they adopted him they became saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. They learned about the promises of God and what the Word has to say about children. So in 1979, just 3 years after getting saved, they attended Kenneth Hagin Ministries yearly campmeeting that was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In one of the afternoon sessions, John Osteen (Joel Osteen's dad) was ministering on "Having An Unshakable Confidence In God." As he was ministering, he had a Word of Knowledge about women who were unable to have kids; mom being one of them. Anyway, to make a long story short, she received that Word for herself and believed for a child. I was born November 12, 1980 the following year.

I was raised on the Word. I heard it night and day because my parents have a hunger for the things of God. I heard preachers such as Kenneth Hagin, Fred Price, Kenneth Copeland and many others preaching about faith and how to act on the Word. This didn't register with me, but I heard it. I can remember my parents receiving "The Word of Faith " magazine from Kenneth Hagin ministries and inside it would talk about Rhema Bible Training Center. I would often tell my parents, "Someday I will go there." I was little at the time and ended up forgetting about that. I ended up with one foot in the Church and the other foot in the world. This wasn't a good thing, but it's what drew me closer to the Lord.

Skipping ahead, it's now May of 1997, I am 16 years old and my life is slowly turning around. I had been saved as a kid and so I rededicated my life and eventually got filled with the Holy Spirit in 1996. During May of '97, I was at a youth retreat with my church's youth group and the last night of the service, the minister had a call for those that felt called to ministry. I wasn't one of them, at least I didn't think so. Many kids went up and I was happy for them. My plans were to go to college and get a degree in history and become a teacher. Notice I said, "MY PLANS".

As the speaker was laying hands on the kids, I heard and audible voice say, "Go to the platform and have him lay hands on you." I thought I was hearing things and so I ignored it. Maybe it was my friend trying to be funny. A minute or so later, I heard the voice again, "Go and have hands laid on you." I looked at my friend and said, "That isn't funny, I'm not called to ministry and I don't want to go." He looked at me like I was nuts and said, "I didn't say a word." Maybe I was nuts. I heard the voice a third time, this time it was more direct and forceful, "Get your butt to the platform." I knew that couldn't be my friend and so I went. (1) because I was scared and (2) What did I have to lose? As I was walking I was questioning myself, "Why am I going, I'm not called?" I reached the platform and heard these words, "I called you and I've anointed you to be a voice in the last days." I wasn't stupid and so I figured it had to be God.

Why me Lord? Why not? was the answer I got. From that day my life began to change for the better. I got hungrier for God and His Word and things began to fall in place. I graduated from high school near the bottom of my class and so, I didn't go to college. I went straight to work making a little above minimum wage doing manual labor; Yes, I was a ditch digger...lol

Before I forget, let me add that during my junior year in high school and even in my Senior year, Rhema Bible Training Center kept rising up from my heart. Was I to go there? So during my Sr. year, dad and I traveled to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma for Rhema's "Get Aquainted Weekend." I sat in on 3 classes and got to meet the instructors. During this visit, I knew this was it. I was to go there. Like I said earlier I worked a year to save money. During this year, I worked in a factory making 8.60/hr which isn't much, but counting the favor I had with the company plus working overtime a lot, I managed to save enough to pay the whole tuition my first year. Not only that, but money came rolling in from many different avenues.

God had a plan for me and He knew what it would take for me to get there. The training aspect of the plan, that is.

Ok, it's getting late, I'll continue this soon......

Don't Stress Out: Trust God!!

Have you ever had one of those moments where you were working on something and yet after you put it together, the thing wouldn't work; so you take it apart and put it together according to the instructions and still it wouldn't work?

Well, something like that happened to me last night. I was putting my ministry packet together and all that was left was to print right on the cd and yet the Express Labeler wasn't working. I kept getting a message saying that the Data Execution Process has shut down this program. The program was working fine before and then all of a sudden!! I was getting pretty annoyed and rather stressed out over the whole thing. I contacted Dell who created my computer and I contacted the publisher that made Express Labeler. I got nowhere. really what I got was a headache and stress.

Late last night I went to the Lord about it and I said, "This is stressing me out, help me!! Give me the wisdom to figure out what I'm doing wrong and how to get this to work." I then reminded Him of His Word and then I reminded myself about what God has to say about wisdom and how to deal with stress a.k.a. "Casting Your Care Upon Him".

Well I went to bed and said, I put this into His hands, I need sleep and I can't afford to get uptight about this. So I woke up this morning and after checking my emails and whatnot, I said, "Let's give it another shot." My printer is an HP which prints directly unto the disk. I have the ink jet kind. So what I was going to do was contact HP about the matter and when I clicked onto the Program, the Express Labeler came up and to make a long story short, I got the cd's printed.

Don't ask how it happened, God fixed the problem and He gave me the wisdom to go through this problem another way which resulted in finding the answer... Hallelujah.

So, are you a little stressed about something going on in your life? Maybe it's something more serious than a computer glitch. Whatever it is, be assured that God is on your side and He wants so desperately to help you. He'll give you the wisdom and skill needed to rise up victorious and to come out on top.

First you need to recognize that the enemy first of all may be satan or it could just be your mind which needs renewed, Secondly, instead of worrying, ask the Lord to give you the wisdom needed to solve the problem; He'll do it do.. :-) Finally, cast all your worries and anxieties over on Him, He can handle things better than we can.

1. Recognize the source of your stress
2. Ask God for wisdom
3. Cast your care over on Him
4. Get into an attitude of thanksgiving