UNDENIABLY,
INDESCRIBABLY
GOD!
James E. Dill
O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.
Psalm 40:5 (NLT)
Copyright Page
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other — except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are taken from the New King James version of the Bible.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my wonderful wife, Linda, whose daily walk with Christ ministered to me more than she ever knew. Words will never fully express my love and appreciation for her. She stood by my side through thick and thin.
It is also dedicated to all my family — my children, Denise, Bob, Susan, and Michelle, my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren. I can never thank God enough for each of you.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to Margaret Roark for editing the manuscript and to Michelle Westbrook for typing the original draft. Also, thanks to Jim and Margaret Roark and Aaron and Michelle Westbrook who encouraged me through this process and for convincing me that I should write it.
In addition to all of the people mentioned in this book who lived the story with me, special thanks go to Rocky and Carrie Gill, Jim and Kathy Wheatley, Jim and Carrie Gillen, Drs. John and Grace English, Dr. Leland and Fran Paris, Jack and Sarah Peters, Roy and Shirly Takahashi, Dr. Ron and Beth Wells, and Lee and Sandy Smith who have always encouraged me to pursue the ministry of Shepherd’s Heart and have remained close friends throughout the years, and to Dr. Terry and Lynn Davis who, for many years, have provided office space to Shepherd’s Heart Ministry at no cost.
FOREWORD
It was the year 1976 when I met Pastor James Dill and he told me he had been assigned as pastor of the Church of God in Tyler, Texas, where I was a member. I was very impressed with him and for the next 25 years, under his incredible leadership, we saw our church grow and go farther than we could have ever imagined.
He faced many challenges but he always stayed the course. Under his guidance, and with God’s blessings, we quickly outgrew the church and built a new multi-purpose building that accommodated both church services and activities. Within a few months we had outgrown that as well and purchased 23 acres near the University of Texas at Tyler. Known today as “Rose Heights Church of God”, we grew to be one of the largest congregations in Tyler and the East Texas area.
With Pastor Dill’s vision, we established several churches in East Texas, all while fulfilling the great commission through satellite churches and building missionary churches all over the world. (Matthew 28:19)
Pastor Dill is a very special person and, with God’s help, he has been instrumental in seeing thousands of souls saved. May God continue to bless this good pastor and his companion Linda for their great work over the years.
What I shared above are only a few words regarding who James Dill is and what he has done. I could have written much more but for now, this will suffice. This wonderful book is a wealth of information; not only for those called to fulfill the great commission, but also serves as a source of hope and encouragement for every person facing the daily challenges that life brings. I highly recommend it to any pastor or layman who desires to be used by God.
Herbert C. Buie
PREFACE
UNDENIABLY, INDESCRIBABLY GOD is a book that is filled with bits and pieces that helped shape my life. It isn’t just one particular story that crescendos in the last chapter. It’s a collection of stories about ordinary people who entered my life for a season. It’s also about myself, both good and bad and if you don’t zoom through the pages, somewhere in this book you may find yourself. But ALL the way through, you will see God.
I hear lots of people say, “If I had my life to live over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.” Not me. I would pray more, forgive more and love more. I would strive to be a better husband and a more loving father. On the flip side, If I had been all the above, I may not have had these stories to tell about God’s love and amazing grace. So it is what it is and I’m glad that it is.
My bottom line is summed up in Psalm 103:1-3: Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
And that’s why I declare that You are undeniably, and indescribably ̶ God.
Bless the Lord!
The Bridge Builder
An old man going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm vast and deep and wide.
Through which was flowing a sullen tide
The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day,
You never again will pass this way;
You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build this bridge at evening tide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head;
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followed after me to-day
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”
The Early Years
Growing up as a child in West Texas, when the sun was setting, the neighborhood children would congregate for a game called hide-and-seek. If you’ve never played this game, you’ve missed out on lots of fun!
I am the youngest of four children with two brothers and one sister ranging from three to seven years older than myself. Ages three to six were wonderful years for me. After supper we would play outside with neighborhood kids until our mothers called for us to come home.
Saturday evenings were the best of all. Our family would move onto the front porch with a tall pitcher of iced tea. Mother would lift the living room window with enough space for our RCA table radio that was pre-tuned to 1080 KRLD Dallas. Precisely at 7 p.m., with a drum roll, “The Hit Parade” came on offering the nation’s top 10 songs for that week.
On Saturday mornings, my siblings and I would listen to The Adventures of Superman. When the movie Superman came to the Palace Theater, I think every kid in the neighborhood showed up. It cost a dime but was worth every penny! Then instead of just hearing about Superman’s adventures on the radio, we actually saw him on the big screen, flying like a speeding bullet and stopping trains with one hand!
After that movie showed at our theater, our neighborhood changed. Whenever children six and under came out to play, we had capes made of large bath towels that were wrapped around our shoulders, held together with safety pins.
Many of us honestly believed Superman could really fly, and if he could, so could we! Some of us put our newfound powers to the test by jumping out of small trees and off rooftops of small barns, myself included. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, except for a few bruises and loss of pride.
At dusk, moms and dads would stand at the doorways calling for their children to come home. Usually by the third call, parents’ voice volumes were elevated and included the child’s full name, at which time we all got the message and reluctantly bid each other “goodnight” until the next evening.
That was always the highlight of my week. In fact, beyond those times, I recall only a few other times in my childhood that were actually pleasant.
You see, I was born and raised in a dysfunctional home. I stopped counting, but I believe we moved on an average of every six months, moving back and forth between California and Texas. My father was an alcoholic and a womanizer who progressed into a child abuser. Unfortunately, as a pastor, I’ve witnessed this scenario play out over and over again, placing innocent children into a world of darkness and uncertainty.
One of the best children’s stories I remember from my childhood was about a little engine who was trying to make it to the top of a huge mountain. The small engine began saying, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” Then somewhere his mindset changed. Instead of saying, “I think I can”, he began saying the words “I know I can, I know I can!”, and he succeeded! I’ve never forgotten that story.
The moral of that story is that a right attitude conquers every mountain. I believe in the power of positive thinking. In the past, this phrase has received a lot of mixed responses from the Christian community. I feel one reason is because it has often been twisted for personal gain; however, the Bible is clear regarding this. Philippians 4:8 says, “…whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens me (emphasis mine).”
Consequently, if God has placed a dream in your heart, He will enable you to fulfill it. God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called. But God’s Word does say, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). He does expect us to prepare for what He has called us to do.
I was born in Quanah, Texas, into a very poor family. As I said, we never stayed in one place long enough to settle down. As a child, except for one time, I don’t recall ever receiving any Christmas gifts. After Christmas break, the teacher would always go around the room having each child name off items they had gotten for Christmas. All the children would share while I would make things up that I had received.
During the fall of each year, my mother, sister, two brothers and I would go to the cotton patch, pulling cotton, often all day. At the end of each day, we turned over all we had made to my father to feed his drinking habit. After one of our many moves, I started selling papers. I did pretty well, especially when I sold a paper to someone who had been drinking and couldn’t recognize a dollar bill from a five-dollar bill. However, I was never allowed to keep the money, but had to turn it over to my father.
When I was a young adult pastoring in East Los Angeles, our church had an excellent bus ministry picking up the less fortunate children who seldom or never attended church. Often, as the buses would roll onto the church grounds, I would greet them as they exited the bus and welcome them to our church.
I will never forget one child’s response when I asked if he attended church anywhere. Pausing for a moment, he said, “No sir, I’m a heatheron!” Although he mispronounced the word, I got his gist. “Heathen” is defined in the dictionary as “lacking in morals and/or principals.” Our buses were usually filled with self-proclaimed “little heathens.” On several occasions growing up, I recall some of our neighbors placing my siblings and me in that category.
Before proceeding, I want to say that my precious mother did all she could to keep us on the straight and narrow, but with little help from my father, it was almost impossible.
Grandma Barnes (my maternal grandmother) was a faithful member in good standing at the First Baptist Church in Quanah, Texas. On occasion, she would pay us a visit in Childress and spend the weekend. We were definitely not a religious family; however, when Grandma Barnes came to town, everything changed. In fact, we became very religious. Yes, even my father.
On Sunday morning, we would pretend that we were regular church goers. We would wake up, eat breakfast and march in line to the First Baptist Church in Childress. Grandma Barnes seemed immensely proud and pleased that we were a church-going family. I don’t think she had a clue that we were faking it.
As we walked in, we were greeted by a special person who ushered us to the very front row. One time, while we were being seated, my brother Kenneth who was three years older than me, slipped through the crowd and went up into the balcony. I knew he was up to some mischief because that’s the way he was wired. Mother couldn’t trust Kenneth out of her sight.
We had sung a couple of songs, then the inevitable happened. Suddenly every light in the building began going off and coming on again. Kenneth had discovered the light switch for the main auditorium located in the stairwell.
The ushers scrambled toward the switch and there he was. They quickly brought him to where we were seated and placed him next to Grandma Barnes, asking that she please watch him. The rest of the service proceeded without incident.
The preacher’s sermon that morning was on Heaven and Hell. I was around six years old and, to my knowledge, this was the first time I had heard about eternity. I recall almost every word the preacher spoke that morning. He told us we could be saved from Hell by accepting Jesus Christ into our hearts. He then gave an invitation for anyone who wanted to be saved to please come to the front and he would pray for them.
Something was churning deep inside me. I had listened intently to every word. I wanted to run to the altar and get saved but, because no one else in my family responded, I felt embarrassed going down to the altar alone. I left church that day knowing I had missed out on something incredibly significant.
Not going forward troubled me all day. I played the preacher’s words over and over again in my mind. When I went to bed that night, I began to cry so hard that my mother came into our room asking me what was wrong. I told her that I didn’t want to go to Hell. My Mother didn’t know how to respond. I remember her trying to comfort me, placing her hand on mine, and saying, “Don’t you worry. You’re going to be OK.” I finally fell asleep, but I never forgot that initial experience when the Holy Spirit tugged on my heartstrings.
One year in school when I was around ten, there were several girls in my class who attended the local Foursquare Church. I told my brother Kenneth that the girls were really cute and perhaps we could get Mother to go with us to that church. She agreed and the following Sunday when we walked in the doors, I spotted the girls and tried to sit as close to them as I could.
Even today, I can recall the preacher’s name — Brother Meyers. During the meet-and-greet session, he came to where we were seated, introduced himself and welcomed us to church. He didn’t have a clue that we had ulterior motives for being there. At the close, he gave an invitation for people to be saved and, for some unknown reason, he came to me, calling me by name saying, “Jimmy, why don’t you and Kenneth come up to the front and be saved!” I have no idea how he remembered our names, but he did. Like lambs to the slaughter, Ken and I walked to the front and knelt at the altar.
Almost immediately, several ladies and the pastor were kneeling beside us, all of them weeping and crying out our names for us to find Jesus and that we would be saved!
I wasn’t familiar with any of this and, to be honest, I was becoming a little scared. I lifted my face just enough to see those around me and something registered in my mind. Maybe if I was able to bring up some tears, they would let me go back to my chair!
Without the preacher noticing, I started rubbing my eyes so hard that tears began to form. I looked up at him with the tears in my eyes. It worked! He smiled and said, “Jimmy, welcome to the family of God!” and I was able to go back to my seat!
As we sat down, he pointed us out once again, telling my mother, “Mrs. Dill, you have two changed boys! They are now Christians and they’ll never be the same!” I thought to myself, “Baloney! If he only knew!” At the close of the service, we got out of there as fast as we could and never returned to that church again.
As I speak of this event, perhaps in a lighthearted manner, the true sincerity of the pastor and those who prayed for us helped lay the pathway for my eventual turning to Jesus Christ. Today you may know someone (young or old) who has yet to come to Christ, perhaps someone who is unaccustomed to church or how the Spirit of God moves. Please don’t give up on them. Just pray and ask God to complete His work in them.
Early 1950
After one of our moves to California when I was around eleven, a group of eight to ten of us, ages ten to thirteen, would ride our bicycles to a nearby beach. On one occasion, we decided to build a raft with whatever debris the tide brought in and we used seaweed to tie it all together. All things considered, it looked pretty decent! Then without life preservers, and with only one of us knowing how to swim, we fearlessly launched into the deep. For about an hour everything seemed to go perfect, but when we began losing sight of the shoreline, reality set in. We could die!
The youngest on board, Richard, started hopping over and around everyone screaming, “We’re going to die! We’re going to die!” Within a few seconds, we all believed him and pandemonium broke loose! I was the first to follow Richard’s lead and started hopping over bodies, with yells and screams! Unfortunately, on a trip across the raft, we arrived at the same end, catapulting everyone on board into the ocean. At this time in my life, I wasn’t a church attender or a person who prayed; however, inside of me, something said, “Pray!”
Please note, because I seldom prayed, I didn’t know how, so in ignorance, I said, “God, if you will save me from drowning, I will serve you!” Immediately, someone grabbed me by my hair and pulled me onto the raft. Within a matter of seconds, James, the only swimmer, had saved all our lives. Arriving back at the shore, we thanked him, then pooled our resources and gave him about fifty cents.
We didn’t do much talking as we rode home that day. Summer quickly passed and life moved on. I all but forgot the words I prayed during my moment of crisis.
Later 1950
There are several years in my childhood that are blank in my memory. I believe God caused this to happen for my benefit. However, I can recall when I was about eleven that we lived in the small town of Borger in the panhandle of Texas.
Our home consisted of a large room with a table, four chairs, a stove, a refrigerator, two small beds and one bathroom. My brothers and I slept on the floor.
With the exception of Lompoc, California, and Childress, Texas, as I said before, we rarely stayed anywhere longer than six months. I’m uncertain how long we were in Borger, Texas. My dad went to work as a delivery man for a dry cleaner and my mother worked at the same place pressing clothes. I had been in school for about three weeks when a child in my class asked if I would like to visit his church that night. He said they were roasting marshmallows and had all the hotdogs we could eat. It sounded good to me, but I had no way to get there. Besides if someone was able to pick me up, I would be embarrassed because we lived in the poorest area of Borger. Even at my young age, I was ashamed for people to see where I lived.
He understood and said, “My Sunday School teacher will pick you up around 5:30. Does that sound OK?” I agreed and that afternoon I asked my mom if I could go. I told her that the Sunday School teacher would pick me up and bring me home. As 5:20 came and I was looking out the window waiting for someone I didn’t know to pick me up, my mother came over by the window and said, “Jimmy, he is not coming.” But I insisted that he was and kept watching.
Suddenly one of the most beautiful cars I had ever seen pulled up in front of our home. A man wearing a full-dress suit stepped out and came to the door. He introduced himself as the junior boys’ teacher at the Methodist Church and said that he had come to pick Jimmy up for the midweek church service. When I got into the car, I felt so proud to be just sitting there. I recall I was so short my feet couldn’t reach the floorboard.
When we got to the church, I don’t remember the class or the lesson, but I vividly remember the hot dogs and roasted marshmallows. It was a wonderful evening. I believe I ate five hotdogs and dozens of roasted marshmallows!
When the time came, the man took me home, telling me how glad he was that I attended church that evening. I never understood until after my conversion how someone could care about a small child who lived on the wrong side of the tracks enough to pick him up and bring him home, but he did. I look back on that event and realize this was another moment when the Holy Spirit dealt with my young life. Someday when I get to Heaven, I will look that person up and thank him personally for caring for a child who had very little confidence in himself.
One morning I woke up with a severe pain in my stomach. I began to vomit, and because the pain was so severe, I had to keep my right leg drawn in towards my stomach. During those days, because we had no funds, we never went to the doctor, so Dad gave me castor oil. In those days people considered it a cure-all for whatever ailed you. I stayed home alone for three days. What no one knew was that my appendix had ruptured, and gangrene had begun to set in. I probably would have died if my uncle had not come by to see how I was doing. He saw the condition I was in and took me straight to the hospital. The doctor examined me and gave my uncle little hope that I would survive.
Following surgery, a new drug called penicillin which had just been approved, was given to me. The doctor said there was about a fifty-percent chance I would live, but God was merciful. I awoke after being unconscious for three days to see my father and a nurse in the room. The nurse quickly left the room to get the doctor, overjoyed because I had survived. My Father came closer to my bedside and, after making sure no one was close enough to hear, said, “I want you to know, James Earl, every day you’re in this damn hospital you’re costing me money.” I never forgot those words. That was the day I truly began to hate my father.
Shortly after my surgery, we moved back to California. For all of us, life became almost unbearable. My two brothers joined the army, with one lying about his age to enlist. Because of my father’s sexual abuse, my sister moved out and got married at sixteen, leaving just my mom and me with my father.
One evening, for no apparent reason except my father’s drinking, things went completely out of control. My father decided he was going to kill both my mother and me with a large kitchen knife. Fortunately, God spared us. Fleeing from the house, we hid behind a neighbor’s barn for the rest of the evening.
Shortly after that time, my father left my mother again.
1954
By the time I was fifteen, I had to quit school and find a job to help my mother pay the bills. She was working in a laundry while the only job available for me was working in the lettuce fields. Today when a person tells me that they are going through depression, I can truly empathize because, at that time, depression had become my lifestyle.
When the lettuce season ended, I was no longer employed. There were no jobs available, so I returned to school. My mother was still employed at the laundry but, because of her small salary, we couldn’t afford to pay rent. Then God stepped in! When all hope seemed lost, the Lord placed a godly woman to work alongside my mother at the laundry. She told my mother that she had a son named Don who was near my age and that she would make sure that he would watch for me at school.
I will never forget the first time her son and I met. It was in one of my classes. He introduced himself, and then let me know that his mother worked with mine at the laundry. At the close of the school day as I was walking to the bicycle rack, Don was waiting for me! I had no idea how he knew I had a bicycle and to wait for me there, but he was there.
Spiritual warfare began vying for my soul, beginning with a simple invitation to church. I looked at him and said, “I don’t go to church.” He seemed to brush my words aside, making a good defense, and responded, “We have a youth night this evening and there’s lots of young people there. Just try to come.”
The weekend passed and on Monday Don was as determined as ever to seek me out. As I was walking to the bicycle rack, Don was waiting for me, but with reinforcements! His cousin, Art Stinson, was now with him and both were saying basically the same words, “We would sure love to have you come to church.” Knowing what I know today, this was spiritual warfare at its best and, at the time, I thought myself quite good at dodging their requests.
For my mother, the bills were beginning to be too much and one day, during her break-time, she confided in her new friend at work (Don’s mom) about our hopeless situation. Her friend’s immediate response was, “Why don’t you and Jimmy come and live with us?” Just think, this type of miracle doesn’t occur unless God is in the arrangements!
Even today, as I reflect on that season of my life, I realize that even at that time, God was preparing my destiny. He had placed me on the path leading to the Potter’s house. The Potter’s wheel experiences are never comfortable or convenient, but they are necessary! So when God invites us, we must be willing to crawl onto His wheel, permitting Him to push, smash and prod, forming the vessel He wants us to be.
The greatest challenge for me has always been that just when I feel I’m prepared for whatever God has for me to do, He says, “There is just one more thing. If you obey, it will bring completeness, making you become all that you were intended to be. How you handle this will ultimately determine your destiny. I’m going to place you in the fire.”
“I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” (Zechariah 13:9 NLT).
Fire strengthens us. It removes and reveals our flaws that we didn’t know existed. There will be times when some of us break in the fire. When this happens, the Master Potter lovingly picks up our brokenness and starts over again. You may ask, “What value is a bunch of broken pieces?” God’s answer is that they are of great value.
You see, when fresh clay is placed on the wheel, the Master Potter places the remnants of your brokenness into the fresh clay. Those broken pieces will offer strength and bonding. Some will call the process cruel and unjust, but those who have surrendered call it “life-changing”!
Let me be totally transparent. For me to say that I understand every mountain or valley in the Christ-walk, I would be deceiving myself. The good news is, I don’t have to understand everything! My only responsibility is to obey. God tells me in Proverbs 3:5 that I’m to trust in the Lord with all my heart and not to lean on my own understanding. I should put Him first in all that I do, and He will direct my path (paraphrased).
My personal thoughts regarding destiny and success remain the same today. The fact that I have accepted Christ as my Savior does not change the fact that I am the one who determines my outcome, primarily by the choices I make, and they determine my destiny. But God’s plans are always perfect!
Now back to where I left off. Without knowing it, God was pushing me toward my destiny. Don was just fifteen, but spiritually he was an adult who loved God with all his heart. He prayed about everything. I mean everything!
One evening, while we were listening to the local baseball game, our team was losing badly! Don said, “Jim, I’m going to pray right now for them to win!” He knelt and started praying. To my amazement, the more he prayed the better they got. Then in the last inning, our team rallied and won! For me, this was very strange, but it worked!
Within a month, an affordable apartment became available next door to the Prices. Mom said if we counted our pennies, we could rent it. I promised her that whatever was necessary, I would do it! I just wanted to move. God was using Don to bring me to Him, and it was making me uncomfortable. What I didn’t realize was that it was the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
You would think that moving would bring an end to all this, but afterwards it only intensified. Both Don and Art would wait for me after school with a united purpose ̶ to invite me to church. They never cussed or told inappropriate jokes. So one day I came up with a great plan to get them off my back. I thought that just maybe, if I began using these words and jokes, they would possibly leave me alone. Well, it didn’t work. They were back the next day with an even greater determination. After a few months, we moved several miles away from the Prices.
Don and Art’s determination never wavered. One evening I began to consider that maybe Don’s parents let him drive the family car to church! With that thought in mind, I was ready to accept their invitation. The following Monday they were back so I said, “I’ll go with you to church if you pick me up.” Don replied, “I’ll be there at 5:30.”
I was hanging on every word and when he responded, “I will be there”, it had to mean that he was coming alone and, if that was the case, he was driving!
That evening, as I was waiting for him to drive up in a car, thoughts of grandeur flooded my mind. They all vanished in a flash of smoke when I saw Don pulling up on his bicycle. I backed away from the window, telling my mother there was no way I was going to ride on the handlebars of Don’s bike to church but, because my mother had initiated our friendship, she said, “Yes, you are!”
I did not realize until then that he had ridden about five miles to pick me up and it was another five miles to the church! When I got on the handlebars, I began to think of all the bad words in my vocabulary. I would use every one of them and perhaps he would say, “Get off my bicycle! I don’t want you to go to church!” But it didn’t happen. He just kept saying how glad he was that I was going. We finally arrived and when I entered, everyone at the front welcomed me.
That evening there was a young evangelist preaching on Hell. I was sitting on the back row, wanting so badly for church to be over, when suddenly something reached deep into my heart. All the love and personal concern these young men showed me began to pay off. For the first time in my life, I felt I was really loved. Then right in the middle of the young preacher’s message, he paused and pointed his finger toward me and said, “God loves you and wants you to be saved!”
But isn’t it amazing how the devil plays with our minds? I am sitting in church without a penny in my pocket, with cardboard in my shoes to fill in the holes, and was brought to church on the handlebars of a bicycle, yet I maintained my pride. Something was telling me, “Don’t do it. Don’t go up to the front! You’re too cool for this. Stay calm. This will soon be over! You don’t want to lose what you’ve got, do you?” Now isn’t that the height of dumb? I bought into Satan’s lie that night and didn’t go forward.
When I left church that evening, I stepped into the lowest time of my young life. Later I realized that the devil is very real and is the author of deception. To prevent me from accepting Christ, he filled my mind with false securities. The truth was I had nothing, but he convinced me that I had everything. I had bought into his lie and now he was making me pay.
He convinced me that because I had rejected God, God had rejected me. I also bought into the lie that my two friends, Don and Art, would never give me another chance for friendship. His words were so convincing that I honestly considered ending my life. During this dark time, I saved up enough money to travel on a Greyhound bus to where my sister lived. I was truly running away from God.
Jonah 1:3 says, “But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish, so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
I was doing everything possible to run from God’s presence. I truly loved Don and Art because I knew their motives were pure, but the carnal man inside me said to run, “Run, Jimmy! Run!” My world was being turned upside down and their constant witnessing to me was taking its toll. When I arrived at my sister’s home, I was prepared to relax and enjoy my visit with family and old friends.
My sister and her husband lived out in the country. Directly behind their home was a small creek named Miguelito Creek. Nestled behind the creek were the Santa Ynez Mountains. It was such a restful place.
I would get up early each morning and spend time at the creek. Please keep in mind that during this season, the Holy Spirit was on a mission of bringing me to Christ, so instead of experiencing comfort, I felt miserable. I know all this sounds strange, but this is how the Holy Spirit deals with all of us at one time or another. He knew that I was so close to accepting Jesus as Lord and He was not going to let my running away, groaning and complaining interfere with His mission.
I would stand near the creek finding smooth stones, toss them and watch them skip to the other side. Afterward, I would go back home, spend the rest of the day with my sister and then go to bed.
One morning after throwing several stones, I looked up and noticed a cave near the top of the mountain. Without asking permission, I began to trek up the mountain. It took almost an hour to get there and when I got to the cave, I sat exhausted looking down over the valley. The truth is that in all of this, I was trying to get away from God’s presence and His conviction.
After a few minutes, again the Holy spirit began to deal with me. Years later I came across a scripture that exactly fit my circumstance. Psalm 139:8 says, “If I ascend into heaven You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold You are there.”
Time passed and it was New Year’s Eve. I was sitting, waiting to go with my friends to an all-night movie when suddenly my chest began to ache and my jaw began to hurt. I had no idea what it was, but I knew something was wrong and I was sick — very sick.
I fell to the floor and crawled to my sister’s bedroom, telling her something was wrong and I needed to go to the hospital. She and her husband quickly put on their clothes and rushed me to the hospital. The hospital was so small they didn’t have an emergency room. In fact, the door to the hospital was locked and we had to bang hard on the door for anyone to come and open it.
When we got inside, a doctor came to look at me. He told my sister that I had experienced a heart attack. Now remember, I was only 15 years old. I spent the next seven days in intensive care. The doctor would come by to see me each day. My mother could not come because she had no transportation, so it was just my sister who visited with me.
Two days before I was released, the doctor shared with me the bad news. He asked me, “Are you active in sports or any physical activities?” I told him that sports were my life. He responded, saying, “Young man, I’m sorry to tell you this, but not anymore. Your heart has been damaged and you will never be the same again.” For a 15-year-old boy, that basically destroyed any and everything I was living for!
Within a few days my sister took me to the greyhound bus depot and put me on the bus home. Over the next several weeks, I went to the emergency room with chest pains and doctors gave me all sorts of medication, none of which helped. I could walk only 30 to 40 steps at a time and then I would have to sit down and rest. People drove me back and forth to school. Every sport I had participated in, I could participate in no more.
Several weeks passed and nothing was getting better, but all the time the wonderful Holy Spirit was dealing with me. I remember that at night I would raise the window so I could breathe. I would long for the sunrise because that would mean I had lived another night.
In the third week of January, a knock came at our door. I opened the door and found a young couple who were evangelists at the church where Don and his cousin attended. They introduced themselves and asked if they could come in and visit with me. I said, “Yes”, not knowing that that day would change everything for me for eternity. We did small talk to begin with and then the wife of the evangelist spoke up, saying, “I understand that you are having heart trouble.” I denied it saying, “No, it’s only indigestion.” She paused for a moment and then said, “We’ve come here to invite you to come to Jesus Christ. He wants you to be saved.”
I never felt what I felt at that moment. When she asked if I wanted to be saved, I did not fully understand the meaning, but I saw her heart and said, “Yes ma’am. I want to be saved.” When I knelt at the wooden chair, my mother pulled another chair beside mine and together, we prayed the sinner’s prayer. Throughout my life, my dad had told me that men don’t cry, so I never allowed myself to cry, even in the worst circumstances. But in that moment, I cried and cried until the seat of the chair was filled with tears.
There was such an awesome peace that flooded my insides. I didn’t fully understand what happened, but I knew that something wonderful and miraculous had taken place. When I got up, I had been born again! That evening for the first time, I asked to go to church with Don and Art. That night my sleep was peaceful. In spite of this, there was still the challenge that I was very ill. I had no idea that the Word of God promised that I could be healed through the name of Jesus Christ.
Prior to this time, I knew very little about the Bible; consequently, I was ignorant about God’s love and His wonderful promises. There were revival services at the church, and each night I would sit near the front, basking in Christ’s love. I couldn’t get enough! I believe I would have slept there if my mother would have permitted.
Several days passed and one evening after church, Don spoke with me about God’s wonderful ability to heal people. He said, “Jim, God wants to heal you.” I could not wrap my mind around that part. Everything was so new to me, so I didn’t fully understand exactly what he was saying. I think he realized this so he said, “You know, like your heart! He can heal that!”
Over the next few days, he shared several scriptures with me in the Bible about healing and then prayed a simple prayer, asking God to heal me. That was about it. Nothing deep or complicated, just right to the point. I remember the night I got it. I understood, as sure as the Lord saved my soul, He promised He wanted to heal my body.
Please know, I am keenly aware that some of the strongest Christians are not healed and sometimes God chooses to call them home. Some things we will never understand until we see Him face to face. However, that evening, someway, I knew God was using Don to speak directly into my heart.
At that time, I was taking five different medications for my heart. When I got home that night, I shared with my mother this wonderful revelation that God heals people! Then I shared with her my feelings about the medication I was taking. First it was costing lots of money that we didn’t have, and secondly, the medication wasn’t working! So I told my mom, “With your permission, after you pray with me, this is what I’m going to do. I’m going to throw away the medication because I don’t want to live like this any longer. And if I die, it’s okay. I will be with the Lord.” I went into the bathroom, flushed the medication, and came back into the living room.
At that moment, the presence of God overwhelmed me. I knew that I knew I was healed. The next morning, instead of someone taking me to school, I chose to ride my bicycle. I went to the teachers and coaches and told them that I was able to play and participate normally in all activities again. From that day forward, I never had another problem with my heart. God honors His Word. Whatever the Word says, if we hold fast to its promises, God will intervene and cause it to happen.
Because of everything that had happened in my life, and where I was, I knew God was preparing me for something far greater than I could imagine. Consequently, in everything, I chose to follow His lead.
After conversion, everything changed! Some have probably told you that when they accepted Jesus Christ, colors became brighter and birds sang sweeter. Well, for myself that was true. You see, when a person lives in darkness his entire life and suddenly steps into perfect light, everything changes.
Paul, in II Corinthians 5:17 (KJV), expressed it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.” I Peter 2:9 says that He called us out of darkness into His marvelous light! Have you ever searched out the various definitions for the word marvelous? I have, and here they are: “amazing, astounding, awesome, breathtaking, sensational, remarkable, outstanding, stupendous, staggering and stunning”! The dictionary goes on to say this is only a portion of the words defining its meaning. For the first time in my life, I actually got it! GOD personally loved and cared about me! When you truly buy into this concept, you become unstoppable!
From that time forward, I was a man on a mission with a destiny. Some evenings when I was walking home, an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and satisfaction would come over me because in my heart, I knew I was walking in His perfect will and that He was preparing me for something great.
Linda!
Something very significant happened in my life when I was eighteen — I would meet the girl who would one day become my wife.
One Friday night, I was standing on the front steps of the church, welcoming people to the service when Linda Moniz and her friend arrived. From the moment I saw her, I knew there was something special about her.
Linda had attended Sunday School since she was in kindergarten but at fourteen, she asked Christ to be her Savior. One day as she was in choir at school, the girl sitting next to her asked her to go to a youth service at her church, which also happened to be my church (that girl, Pat Casey, would later become my sister-in-law).
Linda, who was almost fifteen at the time, became more involved in the youth group and we became friends. We dated for the first time on her graduation from junior high. It was an afternoon double-date with Don Price and Betty Scott (Price). At the time, I didn’t have a car so we continued to go on double-dates.
When Linda graduated from high school, we married — I was 21 and she was almost 18 — and, as they say, the rest is history. She’s been my companion, the mother of my children, and my partner in ministry for all these years and I have been so blessed to have her by my side.
As I said, I knew there was something special about her the first time I saw her and I was right!
1955-1958
I’ve had many mentors throughout my life, but my first mentor was my first pastor. Much of my spiritual growth was attributed to this amazing man of God. All of us need this accountability in our lives. I can’t recall a day when he wasn’t there for me. Consequently, I am convinced that today’s great leaders had great mentors in their lives.
My pastor shared his faith by the lifestyle he lived. He would never close out a visit without his unique benediction, “Keep looking up!” Later in life, those words would serve as a spiritual compass, encouraging me to look to God for direction in life.
Often I would spend my Saturdays cleaning and straightening the church for Sunday services. Then after church I would remain, picking up trash, placing church hymnals back in their holders, locking doors and turning off lights. After a few months, the pastor saw my passion and invited me to teach the junior boys’ class. A short time later, he asked me to serve as youth pastor. These were some of the most enjoyable seasons of my life.
When I turned eighteen, the Lord began speaking to me about surrendering my life to full-time ministry. I took every opportunity offered me to speak at services in my church and youth services in other churches while I continued to work. God’s calling on my heart often became so heavy that on Fridays after work, I would spend the night at the church, waiting for Him to give me direction. There is nothing as peaceful and gratifying as spending time alone in His presence.
Several months passed, and because our church didn’t have services on Thursday evening, I decided to visit another youth gathering. I’m so glad I did because God, in His infinite wisdom, had planned for me to meet another young man named Bill who would become a dear friend and would ultimately help fulfill God’s destiny for my life. Without my knowledge, God was also speaking to him about moving into full-time ministry.
I will never forget the moment when everything came together. It was about three in the morning. With our minds made up, we were determined not to leave the church where we were praying until God gave us directions. Until this day, I don’t know what we were expecting God to do. We had been at the church for almost six hours and it seemed that God was silent. Nothing remotely resembled any manifestation of His presence.
I walked onto the platform with my Thompson Chain Reference Bible in hand and prayed, “God, I don’t know if this is right or wrong, but here goes. I’m going to close my eyes and open your word, then I’m going to place my index finger wherever you direct. Then whatever it says, I’m going to obey! In Jesus name, amen.”
When I opened my eyes, my finger was in the center reference section. You talk about embarrassment! Bill, with great excitement, asked me, “What did God say to you, Jim?” Before I could respond, the Holy Spirit spoke into my spirit saying, “Look again.” Directly above my index finger were two words “GO PREACH”! In those early morning hours, we had church!
Please know, I am not recommending what I did to anyone; however, that night it worked for me. Sometimes, desperate situations require desperate measures.
Without realizing it, God was now preparing us for the refining experience. Because of our youth (just 19 years old!) and inexperience, and without consulting our mentor, within a few weeks, we had quit our jobs and launched out into uncharted waters.
After weeks of sleeping in the car, our big break came! A large church in the Los Angeles area had contacted our pastor, asking him if we would be interested in conducting a revival. Hallelujah!! We were now moving from the desert to the land that flows with milk and honey! I could almost see it written in the heavenlies! “Come join Jimmy and Billy, great international evangelists, preaching God’s Word of deliverance by message and song!”
Two weeks later we loaded our ‘57 Ford Coupe with the basics and headed south to Los Angeles. After traveling all night, our wealth had diminished to thirty-three cents which was enough to purchase two gallons of gasoline with a little left over. After changing clothes and freshening up, we arrived at the church as Sunday School was in progress. Because we had no funds and had not eaten, we were hungry. The parsonage was located next door to the church. Now in those days, it was customary for evangelists to stay with the pastor who invited them, so, presumably being invited, we walked over to the parsonage and began looking for an unlocked door.
Preachers in those days seldom locked their doors. Sure enough, the back door was unlocked. We went in to freshen up before meeting the pastor. As we were leaving the house, we noticed a buffet of half-eaten breakfast left on several plates. We quickly consumed everything that was left for the garbage disposal. Cold eggs and pancakes never tasted so good!
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, for just as we were stepping onto the parking lot, the pastor and his entourage were walking out of the church! Wow! What a feeling! We were about ready to be introduced to God’s man of power for the hour! With open arms, and bated breath we almost ran to him. Well, when we got there, he didn’t even recognize us.
After formal greetings with hugs, we said: “Well, Pastor, we believe God is going to use us this evening!” We could almost see a huge question mark rise above his head. Pausing a moment, he said, “Boys, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” So, again, we went through our rehearsed speech. Pausing again, he replied, “I vaguely remember the call, but it was never confirmed. I’m sorry but tonight’s service is already set.” Our heads spun with embarrassment and disappointment. We had traveled 300 miles, spending almost all of what little money we had to come to this church.
Now try to place yourself in the position of these two young men. You have done everything you know to walk in His will, you’re nineteen, you’re over three hundred miles away from home, and you have exactly twenty-three cents and three gallons of gas left in the tank.
The pastor eventually broke the silence. Sensing our disappointment, he said, “Why don’t you boys join us for lunch?” We accepted his invitation; however (maybe due to the surprise of the cancellation), we were under the naive impression that the pastor was buying our meal. All that changed when the pastor told the server that we would be on separate checks. We were on our own.
Talk about embarrassing! The server began taking people’s orders. Fortunately, we were at the other end of the table. Slowly, the server moved toward us to take our order. I whispered to my friend that we needed to excuse ourselves and run. My friend responded “Hold on Jim, I have a plan. Look at what’s on the table.” I responded, “What?” He said “Our meal. Jim, just follow my lead, okay?”
Finally it was Bill’s turn. “May I have a large bowl of hot water?” The waitress looked dumbfounded, asking him “Is that all?’ He said “Yes, thank you.” As a lamb to the slaughter, I followed his lead. “I’ll have the same.” Confused as I was, the waitress left, shaking her head.
She soon returned with the food for the others, and our bowls of hot water. Like an experienced chef, Bill went into action, retrieving crackers, ketchup, and hot sauce from the surrounding tables.
Then I understood! We both began to empty out several bottles of ketchup, crumbled crackers and a little Tabasco into the hot water and there we had tomato soup! All in all, it was a pretty decent meal, and we still had our twenty-three cents!
After we finished eating, with tongue in cheek, we thanked the pastor for inviting us to eat, then politely, and quickly, left the restaurant. As we got to our car, we laughed so hard that we cried! We had not only made ourselves a poor man’s tomato soup, but we had unintentionally broken into the pastor’s home and had eaten his table scraps!
Afterwards there was silence. Reality set in and we knew we were thinking the same thing. We barely had a cent to our name and nowhere to stay for the night. In times like this, it’s easy to feel you’ve missed it completely. But God’s plan never misses the mark.
Together, without conferring with each other, we began to pray. After a period of silence, Bill spoke up and said, “I think I’ve got the answer.” He had met a young lady at a church conference who lived in the area and he thought possibly her parents could put us up for the night.
In my mind that was as dumb as ordering a bowl of hot water! We didn’t even know these people and Bill was going to ask this eighteen-year-old girl to ask her daddy to let two nineteen-year-old young men sleep and eat in their home! Because I wasn’t the one making the call, I encouraged him saying, “Go for it” and “What can we lose?!”
Bill went to the payphone and invested twenty of our twenty-three cents to make the call and again, God came through! Within thirty minutes we were at their house where her father and mother graciously welcomed us. They showed us to our room, saying supper would be ready in about an hour and invited us to attend the Sunday night service with them. This precious family later became some of our best friends. It’s important to note here that submission and success run parallel with each other. As we remain in God’s will, our needs will always be met.
That evening we were introduced to their pastor and following the service, the pastor asked if we would stay in town and speak the following Wednesday! Without reservation, we accepted.
That Wednesday evening God showed up, moving in a special and mighty way! The pastor asked if we would stay in town a few more days to speak during the Sunday morning service. We graciously accepted.
It was at that time that our ministry significantly changed! We began receiving invitations all throughout the Los Angeles area! I have often wondered where I would be today if I had given up and walked away when everything seemed like it was falling apart. During this time, I learned many wonderful lessons. Remember, whenever God invites us to partner with Him, He clears a path for the journey.
I’m reminded of about two thousand years ago when Jesus’ ministry was launched. It was at a supper where he turned water into wine. In my life, it was at lunch when He turned water into a meal for two young men who were in desperate need of a miracle.
Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP) says, “For I know the plans and thoughts I have for you, says the Lord. Plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster; To give you a future and a hope.”
As we continued to move toward our destiny, God was revealing to us more of our inadequacies. Although we were experiencing a degree of success, we both realized that, in addition to God’s blessings, there was another distinct reason for this success. During those days, most of the evangelists were married, middle-aged and had children. We were young, single and fairly nice looking. The challenge lay in the fact that whenever revivals would go beyond two weeks, we ran out of messages!
Consequently, we would share our testimonies again and again. It doesn’t matter how great a testimonial is, after the third time around, it loses its effect. So my friend and I agreed that it would be wise for us to enroll in a Christian college. We never regretted that decision. Bill and I would hold weekend church services and at the close, because we had no classes on Monday, we would travel to Salinas to spend time with two wonderful young ladies who would later become our wives. After marriage, I continued pursuing my education, while my dear friend stepped back into his calling, preaching and ministering throughout the state of California.
1960
On November 24, 1960, fresh out of Bible College, Linda and I were asked to pastor our first congregation. It was a small church worshipping in an old schoolhouse in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The church had a parsonage; however, it wasn’t furnished. We discovered later that the previous pastor had burned the furniture for firewood.
We were also informed that the church’s total income was seventeen dollars a week, and that we would be responsible for our moving expenses. Being 22 years old, eager to be world changers, and without the guidance of my mentor, we accepted the challenge, launching into the great unknown without a clue of what we were about to face.
Our first Sunday was wonderful! As I was leaving that morning, I was singing under my breath, “Oh, this is like heaven to me.” This was a song we sang years ago in church.
The following Sunday we were again treated like royalty, being invited to join some wonderful and Godly saints at their home for lunch. Because we were expecting our first child, the ladies of the church graciously volunteered to prepare and serve supper for a solid week! Wow! I thought I had died and gone to heaven!
Then something went terribly wrong. Suddenly it seemed like no one liked us! For no apparent reason, the lady who was over the church’s prayer team came to our home and said, “What I am going to tell you is directly from God. Get out of town! If you don’t, we will starve you out and if that doesn’t work, my husband is going to whip you like you’ve never been whipped before.” Then, as she was leaving, she said, “And we’re not paying for your baby that’s coming!”
After prayer, but no pastoral experience or guidance from a mentor, we decided to stay. Then everything she had prophesied began to happen. Yes, everything, even regarding her husband attempting to do me harm. The good news was, during all the turmoil, our small church was growing! Each Sunday the building was packed with children and young people.
Because our church was located five miles from the city and most of the parents were not believers, we would make several trips picking up the children and youth and bringing them home. One morning, with no forewarning, the car’s engine died. Because we had no funds to repair it, the children and youth could no longer be picked up. Unfortunately, the church began to die.
I did everything possible to find employment. The challenge was that the only jobs available were in the lumber industry and if you didn’t have experience, they wouldn’t hire you. From then on, it was necessary for me to hitch a ride to church on Sundays.
One afternoon as I was out visiting door to door, a person walked onto the sidewalk and introduced himself as a deacon from the Baptist church. He said, “Preacher, I see you walking. Don’t you have a car?” I explained my circumstances about my car. He paused a few seconds and said, “Maybe I can help. I have a forklift engine in my garage and believe it could possibly work. That is, if you don’t mind if we can’t put your hood back on. The engine might be too big for it to close.” My answer was, “No problem!” Within three weeks my car was running again. It didn’t have a hood, but it ran perfectly!
During this same time period, our food pantry was running low. But whenever we place God in charge, He covers all the bases. One morning around ten o’clock, a lady I knew only as Sister Mary came to our door. She lived with her son in a house made of cardboard, pitched with tar and a dirt floor.
When I opened the door she said, “Brother Dill, can you and sister Dill come over for supper tonight?” Without hesitation, I told her we could, and asked what time! When we walked in, we saw more food than we had seen in quite a while.
After we prayed, we ate and ate and ate! After the meal, Sister Mary said, “Brother Dill, God spoke to me last night and told me what was going on and that I’m supposed to take care of you and Sister Dill. So, from now on, as long as you are here, you won’t go hungry.”
Then she added, “When I go to the store, I go to the dented can section. They are placed in one cart and the labels are removed so I don’t know what I’m getting. Sometimes it’s tuna and sometimes it’s vegetables. I usually buy a pound of hamburger. From now on I’m going to pick up one can for myself and one can for the Dills and a pound of hamburger for both of us until I run out of money.” Sister Mary honored her word until the day we moved.
When seasons like this occur, some may question if they were in God’s will at all or wonder if it was a waste of time. Not on your life!
A few weeks before we resigned, two small children showed up on our doorsteps. They asked “Mister, are you a preacher?”, to which I replied that I was. “Well, me and my brother would like to go to church. Can you take us?” The next morning, they were waiting on our front steps and, with their parents’ consent, we took them to church. Somewhere during the church service, they accepted Jesus into their hearts! Several weeks later we moved.
By this time, everything the sister had previously told us had come to pass, even to her husband attempting to physically harm me, so we resigned.
Twenty-five years passed and I was pastoring in Tyler when I received a phone call from the oldest boy! He began to tell me about how after we left, both he and his brother became members of the church. He continued by saying that when he was 20 and his brother 18, they both surrendered to preach the Gospel and that he was now pastoring a thriving congregation in that city! A few weeks later, he flew out to Tyler where we rejoiced together in the faith, encouraging one another in how Romans 8:28 had come to fruition in our lives: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
God uses failures, and sinners, but He can’t use quitters, so I encourage you to never lose sight of the shore in the midst of the storm.
It never ceases to amaze me the wonderful people God places in our lives. I am confident that God has a special place in heaven for Sister Mary and the Baptist deacon. Both served as momentary mentors showing by their example how to help those around them. For Linda and me, they represented the purest form of Christianity. So until we meet again, thank you, Sister Mary. Thank you, Baptist deacon. Someday we will have the pleasure of thanking you personally.
Our brief time pastoring our first congregation was, at best, miserable and lonely. Several years ago, I heard a story which shares many of my feelings. A young preacher once asked a pastor if he could think of anything worse than being lost. He paused for a moment and said, “I can! Being lost and no one is looking for you!”
For me, that statement rang true. I felt I had fallen into a bottomless pit and no one was looking for me. I had bought into Satan’s lie that no one cared. Over several years and different cities, we ended up in a small community in southern California. Over time, the wounds began to heal, eventually turning into scars. During this time, we were blessed with two more wonderful children and life was good again. Both Linda and I had landed good-paying jobs. That, in turn, produced a better lifestyle. All this created an open door for Satan to walk through. Ignorantly, I had boarded a ship bound for Tarshish and was almost there.
Then God showed up! It was Saturday afternoon and I was closing shop when I caught a glimpse of someone familiar entering the business. Then there wasn’t a doubt. It was him – my first pastor who was also my mentor! I went to him as quickly as I could and embraced him. Then I asked him, “What are you doing here?” He responded saying, “I came to see you!”
The Pastor and his wife had somehow found out where we were living and traveled over three hundred miles round trip to see us! When I asked why, he replied, “God told me you needed help so here I am.” It seemed as though he knew everything, yet we had not seen each other in the past six years. Over supper that evening, I was able to lay out all the sordid details. Without condemnation in his voice he said, “God called you into ministry, and that’s where you belong. And If you want me to help you, I will.”
I want to pause here to get across the fact that all of us, somewhere in life, will need a friend, confidant, and mentor. Somebody who knows everything about you and still loves you. Someone who cares enough to correct you when you’re wrong. Someone who is still around when everyone else has gone. My dear friend met all these criteria.
On his invitation, I moved our family to where he was pastoring. Both Linda and I found full-time work and volunteered at the church. Each day, the pastor would give me assignments and my responsibility was to follow them to completion.
A series of events took place that eventually placed me back into ministry! One afternoon my mentor called, telling me he had spoken to the state director who had asked how I was progressing. The director told him that, should the pastor feel comfortable, he would call me regarding a small church that had come available.
Unlike the first time, because of my mentor, I was prepared to stay the course. Within a few days, we had accepted the challenge and I was the proud pastor over a congregation of nineteen wonderful people. I stayed in that position for four years before God released me. In some ways, the challenges in this church were even greater than my first pastorate. The difference lay in the fact that I had a mentor — someone who stood shoulder to shoulder with love and wisdom, only wanting the very best for me and my family. Within this time frame, God helped me raise up the church to become one of the strongest congregations within our denomination in central California.
We will all come across momentary mentors throughout our lives. Each of their actions will leave an imprint on our hearts and minds. Consequently, we should also keep our eyes open for opportunities to serve and be a “momentary mentor” to others. As wonderful as “momentary mentors” are, I cannot stress enough the importance of having a dedicated mentor in your life. Many of the problems we face could easily be avoided if we were to take the counsel of a mentor.
Through the years, I have come to understand what a mentor expects from his students and what a student can expect from his mentor. A true mentor expects loyalty. A true mentor makes sure you follow through with assignments given. A true mentor gives you the tools needed, physically and mentally, to complete the task. A true mentor won’t let you fail — not completely. A true mentor has the answers to the tasks he has asked you to perform. A true mentor has a predetermined course for you to travel which will lead to your success.
“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.”
– John Crosby
Later 1960s
Satan never sleeps and once we’ve fallen into one of his schemes, he looks again for another opportunity to trip us. In the mid 60’s when I rededicated my life and returned to ministry, a feeling of freedom and wholeness overwhelmed me. Everything my mentor asked of me I did without hesitation.
Each day I began with a prayer something like this: “God, I’ve learned a lot from my past mistakes and I promise that with Your help, I will carefully guard my steps so I will never fall into a pit again.” In most cases, I stayed the course. Unfortunately, Satan never waves a white flag of surrender over a believer’s life. Satan is a creative foe. It doesn’t matter to Him that you conquered a weakness. Diabolically he replaces a failed attempt with something or someone potentially as fatal.
When Linda and I arrived at our mentor’s church, we were not aware of the division it was experiencing. Until this day, I don’t know exactly all that was involved. Regardless, the lines had been drawn between the pastor and a small group of people within the church. For about three months, Linda and I were able to remain neutral, but one day this changed.
At the close of the service, a couple asked if they could speak with me for a moment. We moved into a side Sunday School room and they began by saying, “Brother Jim, we really love Pastor, but we believe for you to effectively pray and be a leader in our church.”
Basically, they were wanting me to take sides on several issues where they disagreed with the pastor. Throughout the meeting, they were gracious and seemingly concerned for the overall wellbeing of the church. I thanked them for their input, saying I would definitely pray about what was said and get back with them soon. They seemed so kind during the meeting and it appeared that all they were wanting was my honest appraisal of the situation. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case.
I was not prepared for what happened next. I gave my opinion, saying that they should lay aside their differences and stand by the pastor and work as hard as they could to maintain the unity of the church. Being the spiritual giants they seemed, I felt certain they would say, “Thank you for your insight, Brother Jim. It’s going to be tough for all of us, but you’re right — a house divided against itself cannot stand, so we’ll lay aside our feelings for Jesus’ sake and move forward.”
That evening at church it was obvious that was not going to happen. The usual hugs, handshakes and smiles were things of the past. I had become their number one enemy. It didn’t matter how hard I tried. The wall had been built and the line had been drawn.
One of the greatest battles a believer will face is to be placed in the middle of a church fight. The words “church” and “fight” are oxymorons in my book. A church is a sending station to reach the lost, a place where the wounded and hurting find refuge and are healed and restored. Prior to this encounter, I was growing so well spiritually, and then this happened. Without any notice, I was thrown into the midst of the battle.
Being angry and unforgiving has never been my nature. Certainly, I’ve experienced them both, but they have never been my nature. But the enemy knew exactly what buttons to push so I would permit these issues to integrate my life. It is true, Satan cannot read our minds; however, he can certainly gauge our thoughts by our reactions. Within a week or so I caved to the enemy’s game plan. Becoming hard hearted, just like them, I assumed their attitudes.
There was an older couple who was relentless in their pursuit to destroy us. Because it seemed to be working for them, I began responding in the same manner. It’s interesting, isn’t it, that we experience temporary gratification through retaliation? My principal objectives were discovering new ways to seek and destroy. Isn’t that sick? But it was being played out exactly to the devil’s game plan.
Because this was not my nature and I was deliberately going against God’s will, I became physically ill. There was little doubt how I was reacting had caused an ulcer. I was now playing the role of a hypocrite in church. After I had performed my assignments, I would move towards the back of the church, sit and be critical until church was over. This continued for several weeks. One evening during service I began experiencing severe pain in my abdomen. The Holy Spirit gently spoke to my heart saying, “Just let it go.” What he spoke next into my spirit was almost unthinkable: “If you’re wanting to get past this, at the close of the service, find the person who hurt you. Go to her and ask for her to pray for you to be healed.”
This was the very last thing the Adam man in me wanted to do. Foremost, I would lose my pride in front of the church and they would perceive that this action proved I was wrong and that they were right. I hesitated momentarily, then slowly began moving toward the front. When I saw her, I spoke some of the most difficult words I ever had to say in my life, asking for prayer. As the words were being spoken the Holy Spirit took control. She began to weep, saying, “I’m so sorry about how I have acted. Please forgive me.” Then when she prayed from a pure heart, l was healed!
What Satan had planned for harm, God reversed and made it for good! That evening for the first time in weeks I experienced great peace and a full stomach. Psalm 73:2 (NIV): “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.”
Psalm 18:30 states: “As for God, his ways are perfect. All of the Lord’s promises prove true. And he is a shield for all who are looking to him for protection.”
Idyllwild Pines
One of the greatest delights for Linda and me was working with summer youth and children’s camps during our early years of ministry. For several years, the camps were held at a beautiful place called Idyllwild Pines located at an elevation of about nine thousand feet in the upper San Jacinto mountains.
Idyllwild was, and is today, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen; however, the journey up and down the mountain was never looked forward to due to the isolated roads with sharp turns and few guard rails.
It was Saturday morning and the campers and counselors were on the parking lot saying our last farewells, preparing to make the trek down the mountain. As Linda and I were loading the last of the luggage, our three children began to beg us, asking us to let them ride in the church van with the older kids down the mountain. We almost gave in but, feeling a check in our spirit, we told them they had to ride with us.
With the luggage loaded, we all joined hands in prayer, thanking God for a good week, and God willing, we would see each other again the next year. Did you know God’s Word is clear in James 4:14 that we’re not promised even the next minute? Because of this, our lives should remain focused on Him in everything we do.
The church van left a few minutes before us with plans to regroup at the base of the mountain. As we were driving around a sharp curve, we saw the unthinkable. With horror, we saw that the church van had tumbled down the side of the mountain about two hundred yards. From where we were, it looked like a toy-sized car, resembling something Mattel would sell.
I got out of the car as quickly as I could and raced down the mountain. About halfway down I came across one of our youth who had been thrown out of the van, seemingly lifeless and face down in the sand. Standing there I could hear the cries coming from the other children still inside the van. Everything inside me wanted to run down and help, but I was afraid if I didn’t do something quickly for this young man, he would suffocate.
At that point, I didn’t know what to do. It seemed as though I was living everything in slow motion. Have you ever been in a situation where you had no idea what to do? I was at that point. I immediately fell to my knees and began to cry out to God.
In Romans 8:26, the scripture lets us know that during these times when we don’t know what to say or do, the Holy Spirit will intercede for us with words that are beyond our comprehension.
As I was praying in the spirit, I felt someone touch my shoulder. I turned to see a man standing there. He said, “I’m a doctor. This boy is in critical condition.” He reached down and gently turned the boy’s head so he could breathe and, before I could even speak, he was gone.
Other people were now arriving from the camp and were moving down the side of the mountain toward the church van. Miraculously, none of the other children were seriously injured, and they were transported to a non-trauma hospital in Hemet, located at the bottom of the mountain.
After the paramedics examined the young man, they agreed he was in critical condition and needed to be transported to the nearest trauma hospital located about fifty miles away. I told Linda I was going to ride in the ambulance and asked her to follow.
Praying all the way in what seemed to be an eternity, we finally arrived where immediately the young man was rushed into a triage room. As I walked into the hospital, my favorite hymn was being played over the public address system. Are you ready for this? Amazing Grace!
Soon the room was filled with campers and counselors who had learned of the accident. Weeping and broken, we joined hands and began to sing with the music. I cannot count the times I’ve read the second chapter of Acts, the part when everyone present was praying in one accord and God’s presence filled the room. This was exactly what was happening in the hospital waiting room! It was as though wherever we were, God was present.
Some time had passed when the doctor walked into the room, asking if I was the young man’s father or the person in authority. I told him I was the young man’s pastor and that his parents couldn’t be reached. He asked me to come to a side room so we could talk. While speaking, he placed an X-ray of the boy’s wrist on a screen, showing that it had been shattered. He then placed beside it another X-ray of the same wrist, asking if I noticed anything different. It was obvious! One picture showed a shattered wrist, while the other showed it to be normal. The doctor paused a moment and then said, “This is what prayer can do!”
He further stated that when the young man arrived, it appeared that one of his lungs was punctured and there was severe trauma to his head. Then the doctor stated, “The good news is he’s conscious and seems to be improving in all areas.” I thanked him and then rushed out into the waiting room, sharing the news.
Within an hour, and after several extensive examinations, they reported that they could not find anything severe enough to warrant placing him in ICU, so they were sending him to a regular room to observe him overnight. I was privileged to sit with him throughout the evening, watching him improve by the minute!
The young man’s parents had left the camp much earlier and were finally reached after they arrived home. Around seven the next morning his family arrived, expecting the worst but saw God’s best! The young man, except for a couple of bruises and being sore, was normal in every way!
Within several hours the hospital released him, stating that when they arrived home, he needed a follow up with his family doctor!
The following Sunday he and his family were in church, along with the other children who were on the bus. The next year we went back to the site and spoke with the police department. After sharing what had happened, they remembered the accident well, stating that several vehicles go off the mountain each year, but they couldn’t recall a time when riders survived after rolling that distance. They further stated that most vehicles caught fire and burned on impact.
The only way I can explain what happened was that it was a miracle-driven day. To my knowledge, I’ve never visibly seen an angel but who was the doctor who appeared on that isolated road and where did he go? How can a broken wrist be fixed without the help of a doctor and how could any child not incur extensive injuries in a van that rolled down the side of a mountain carrying amplifiers, guitars and other sound equipment that wasn’t secured. This was also before seat belts were enforced like they are today.
I’m convinced that if God had not protected us that day, instead of celebrating, we would have been preparing for several funerals.
Hebrews 1:14 says that angels are only servants, spirits sent out to care for people who will inherit salvation, and Psalm 103:2 admonishes us to never forget God’s benefits.
In closing, I must go back to my favorite scripture in the New Testament that has become so personal to me, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).
The Great Exchange
Several years ago, a young lady walked into our church service. She was unkempt, wearing shorts, a sleeveless shirt, and flip flops. Not wanting to be recognized, she quickly seated herself at the back, leaving as soon as we closed with prayer. Unfortunately, no one had the opportunity to speak with her; however, that evening she returned. During the closing prayer I moved to the back of the church so I could introduce myself.
As we spoke, I realized she was a troubled seventeen-year-old with problems only God could handle. When she left, I noticed she walked past the parking lot heading toward the street. I caught up with her and asked if we could give her a ride home, to which she graciously declined.
The following Wednesday she visited again, this time bringing her twelve-year old sister. In closing the service, I invited anyone who wished to come forward for prayer. She and her sister were the first to respond with several of our ladies praying with them. They stayed at the altar only for a moment and then quietly moved toward the door. Everyone could see they were struggling. I told them how happy we were to have them both and told them if we could help in any way, we would.
That comment seemed to grab the elder sister’s attention and she asked if she could speak with me for a moment. The moment stretched into an hour as she shared her story. One morning she woke to find that her parents had deserted them. Without any finances, she had to quit school to provide housing and food, and to keep her younger sister in school. With little to no work experience, she began selling drugs, which led to prostitution.
As we spoke, she said, “I know this is wrong, but if I change, where would I go or who could I turn to? If I stop selling drugs or working for my pimp, we could be beaten or even killed. If we lived, the authorities would take my sister and I would probably never see her again!” Deception and fear were ruling her life.
In II Thessalonians 2:4, the Bible forewarns that when we buy into Satan’s deception, we’ve given him an open door to our minds, moving from room to room until his takeover is complete. He had deceived this young lady into believing there was no hope. I did my best to explain that if she would bring her brokenness to God, He would take it and make something beautiful from it, but the decision was ultimately hers.
The devil works with all of us this way, doesn’t he? He lies and tells us there is no hope, not even with God. That’s exactly how Satan dealt with King David in Psalm 3 as he fled for his life. In this Psalm, David openly prays his feelings, saying that his life is over. The good news is that before the chapter closes, David readjusts his thinking and ultimately overcomes! I encourage everyone to read this short psalm. It gives hope in times of hopelessness.
Linda asked if we could drive them home, but she again declined. As they were leaving, I said, “Remember, God loves you and He’s ready when you are.” We went to bed that evening with heavy hearts, committing both of these children into God’s care.
In the first chapter of John Stott’s book Why I Am a Christian, he confesses he is a Christian, not because of the influence of his parents and teachers, nor to his own personal decision, but to being relentlessly pursued by the Hound of Heaven, that is Jesus Christ Himself. How true this is! Whenever we feel that hope is gone, the Hound of Heaven relentlessly pursues us! He sifts through our despair and brokenness until He finds us, then gently places us on his shoulder and carries us home.
Around 2:00 a.m., our doorbell rang. Looking through the small peephole, I saw the young woman holding a large grocery bag. When I opened the door, she pushed the grocery bag into my hands. It was filled with bags of colored pills and marijuana. Then she said, “I’m giving everything I have to God. I’ve decided to trust Him! Please pray for me.”
Together with our youth pastor who was staying with us for the summer, we walked across the lawn to the church. The youth pastor went to the piano as we knelt at the altar. Andre Crouch had just released a song titled “To God Be the Glory.”
While our youth pastor sang the song, our young friend, with tears of joy, was praying the words of the song, which begin:
How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me
Things so undeserved yet You gave to prove Your love for me
The voices of a million angels cannot express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be I owe it all to You.
The room was filled with God’s awesome presence; however, we still had no clue how He was going to put all this together. We only knew that He was!
Are you ready for this? In a matter of weeks, the young woman enrolled back into school, the authorities made arrangements that allowed her and her sister to stay together, and the pimp and drug lords miraculously disappeared! Our church reached out, purchasing clothes and food for them and, within a few weeks, they became members of our children and youth group! It was nothing short of a miracle!
Here’s my conviction: The miracle began falling into place when she began walking across the Los Angeles basin at 2:00 a.m., then giving to God a grocery bag filled with all that she owned. E. Stanley Jones succinctly placed this in perspective, saying, “If you don’t make up your mind, then your unmade mind will unmake you.” How true! However, like the young lady in this story, there are some things in life we can’t change. So, we just lay them at the cross and move on!
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14 KJV).
I pray this story has blessed you in some way and if you have been challenged by it, that’s wonderful. However, before you begin your journey, I have two questions; What’s in your bag and are you ready to give it to God? Today? Right now, He is offering to turn your failures into fresh hopes and awesome dreams and it will all come together when He opens the door and you give it all to Him. In exchange, He will give you life above anything you can possibly imagine!
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10 AMP).
If God can miraculously transform a seventeen-year-old who was dealt a life sentence without hope into a life of abundance, He can do the same for you!
For I know the plans I have for you declares the lord; Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).
A Made-up Mind
During our past years of ministry, Saturdays have always been good for Linda and me because our to-do list is complete. We would usually reward ourselves with breakfast at a favorite restaurant. Before technology made the Bible available by phone, I took my Bible with me everywhere I went. It’s amazing the opportunities I’ve had to witness because of its presence.
One Saturday, Linda couldn’t join me so I went alone. I ordered breakfast and was settling in for a time of eating and reading when the server approached, asking, “Sir are you a preacher?” I said that I was, to which she responded, “I felt you were because you always have a Bible.” Pausing, she said, “I was really hoping you would come today. I need to talk.” Taking a deep breath, she blurted out, “I need to get right with God. I’m single, have two kids, I’m a prostitute, and I hate what I’m doing but my job here doesn’t pay enough for us to live!” She said all this in just one breath.
Afterwards, relief was written all over her face, knowing that she had taken her first step toward freedom. Continuing, she further stated, “This morning, I’ve decided I’m changing my lifestyle. Will you pray with me?”
Please note, preachers seldom get these awesome opportunities. Gaining my composure, I said, “I sure will!” Bowing our heads, we began to pray. With my eyes closed, I could hear a woman, between sobs, praying a sinner’s prayer, accompanied by dead silence throughout the restaurant. I opened my eyes and saw the young lady on her knees. The restaurant was filled with customers who had reverently stopped what they were doing to show respect. When she stood, it was obvious God had done a work in her life! With humble gratitude, she thanked me and then asked for directions to our church, stating that she would be there on Sunday morning.
We should never underestimate the diverse ways God uses when we commit everything to Him. With a single touch, He will change a restaurant into a place of worship and a dining table into an altar!
The next morning, she and her children were among the first to arrive at the church. Within a few weeks, she was baptized and became a member of our fellowship. From that time forward, she never looked back.
In reflection, I probably could write an entire book on “living an overcoming life” with her as the only character. I would call it “The Committed Life.” The first chapter would be named, “The Power of a Made-Up Mind.” Without a doubt, the first steps of our Christ-walk are the most crucial we will ever take. For you who are reading this, especially if you are a new believer, please take note. Until you’re determined to make it, you won’t! Psalm 37:5 succinctly offers two words we must hang onto as if our life depended on them: commit and trust! Both of them command action and are totally dependent on how we individually put them into effect.
Several months passed and we realized this season of our life was closing and we would soon be moving to another assignment. Shortly afterwards, things fell into place (see Romans 8:28), and within a few weeks we accepted a church in East Texas. It is never easy to leave people you’ve grown to love and respect; however, God always knows best. For several months, we stayed in touch, but time and distance took its toll and our time there became a fond memory and is to this day.
Two years had passed, and we were vacationing in California. It was Wednesday and we were close to our previous church, so we decided to join them for mid-week service. We pulled onto the church parking lot and made our way into the sanctuary. The service had not started so people were still moving freely in the aisles. At the front of the building stood our dear friend. Our eyes meeting at the exact time, she began pressing toward us. Embracing us with tears and joy, she spoke four words I will never forget, “I made it, Pastor!” She continued saying, “After that morning, I never looked back!” She further stated how God had blessed her with a wonderful job and she was actually involved in assisting wherever needed.
We left church that evening with our spiritual cup overflowing and with a greater understanding that all God needs from us is our obedience and availability, and He will do the rest.
Someday, when this life is over and we’re standing in the presence of God and the heavenly host, I’m sure I will see her again! When I do, I will cry aloud to God, exclaiming, “Thank you for the wonderful opportunity you extended me to lead her to you!” Then I believe all of Heaven’s host will join me in singing hallelujah and amen! Luke 15:10 (AMP) says, “In the same way I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (that is who changes his inner self - his old way of thinking, regrets past sins, lives his life in a way that proves repentance; and seeks God’s purpose for his life).”
When God Orders Your Steps
In 1971 Linda and I accepted the pastorate of a small church in the San Joaquin valley and, from the onset, we knew that God had placed us there. Our church began to grow immediately and within six months, we had birthed a mission church. Within three years, God helped us birth three thriving churches and during this time, God continued to bless our congregation. As I reflect, His blessings were directly in proportion to reaching beyond ourselves. In 15 months, we were out of space, causing us to move classes outdoors on Sundays.
Prior to this, we had never considered borrowing money, but we were at a place where we had to act or lose our momentum. I asked our elders on several occasions to help find a solution. They were always cordial, but seldom offered suggestions. One of the most dangerous places a church can be is becoming content with the status quo, and we were at that point.
Because circumstances seemed hopeless, during a Sunday morning service, I announced we were stepping down as senior pastor. Immediately, people began standing, asking why. My response was that our church had run out of space and there were no finances available for building. During the meeting one of the elders asked if they found the financing, would we consider staying? Without hesitation, I said yes! With an unanimous vote, our church agreed to secure a loan. Then one of the elders voiced, “Pastor, we should be frugal with God’s money. Could you find a builder who would let us use their license? It could save us a lot of money.”
Everyone, including myself, felt that it was a good idea! The problem was I had never secured a church loan and didn’t know a single building contractor in the county. Regardless, the following morning with faith — and ignorance — I launched out.
I first met with a loan officer and when we finished, he said he would be happy to help. We would need to bring him the necessary information and he would take it from there. “Wow, that was easy,” I thought. Now to find a builder who will let us use his license.
I began searching through the yellow pages and found a name and I’ll refer to him as Mr. C. Walking into the building, I introduced myself and asked his receptionist if I could visit with him. She asked if I had an appointment. I said I didn’t but promised her the meeting wouldn’t last long. She then proceeded to ask my purpose for meeting. As I was going over the details, her facial expressions were letting me know she was confused. When I finished, she asked if I would be seated, saying she would check Mr. C’s availability.
After speaking over the phone, she said, “Mr. Dill, he’s tied up at the moment. I’m sorry.” I responded, “Well I’m free for the rest of the afternoon, so can I just wait and see if he has an opening?” At this point, I realized she was enjoying the moment. She picked up the phone again. Hanging up, she said with a smile, “He’s still tied up. However, if you would care to stay around, he may be available later.”
At this time, I wasn’t aware that his office had only one exit that opened into her office where I was sitting. In a few hours, Mr. C opened his door and said reluctantly, “Are you Mr. Dill? Please come in.” For about 20 minutes, I explained the circumstances that led to our meeting, closing with, “So do you think you could let our church use your license?”
I could actually see his frustration. He responded by saying, “I don’t know who you are, Mr. Dill. Who told you to come here?” Explaining that no one had, but that I had prayed that morning asking God to help me find the right builder in the yellow pages. He interrupted saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t help you. Good afternoon.”
If I hadn’t known with certainty that God was ordering my steps, I would have simply thanked him and left the building. Instead, I heard the Holy Spirit speak saying, “Pray with him.” I responded by saying, “Mr. C before I go, may I pray for you?” Without any hesitation, he said, “Yes.” I didn’t know exactly what or how to pray, so I prayed over his family, his business and everything in his future.
When I finished, I thanked him for his time and was walking toward the door when he asked me to be seated. At that moment everything made sense. It all came together. He said, “When I was a child, I was raised in church and my mother was a holiness preacher, but over the years I turned away from God and haven’t been in church for years.” He paused and then said, “Mr. Dill, I can’t let your church use my license because I could get in a lot of trouble, but what if I built the church for you at my cost?” His response caught me totally off guard! But isn’t that how God works? (see Jeremiah 33:3) That afternoon I witnessed God’s promises all come together. This always happens when we stay His course.
Within four months, the church addition was finished, costing less than half of what we would normally have paid. And when God begins something, He always finishes first class. Before the building was completed, Mr. C and his entire family began attending church and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord! I believe Ephesians 3:20 succinctly describes the story I’ve just shared: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
WHAT A SAVIOR AND LORD!
Forgiveness — My Life Lesson
When I turned sixteen, God mercifully saved me. Then, shortly afterward, my father left for good. With him gone, coupled with God entering my life, I walked out of the darkness! The moment I accepted Him, the love I never experienced as a child was more than compensated for in a moment’s time!
A few years passed and I surrendered to the call of ministry. During this time God blessed me in ways I never dreamed possible. However, while ministering to others, I couldn’t release the negative feelings I held toward my father.
From the world’s perspective, because of the injustices that were placed on me, I would probably be given a pass. But not from God! I could defend my case, sharing the time when my mother miscarried and had to bury her stillborn child in a shoebox in the backyard, while my father was at a bar with another woman.
I could defend my position even further by stating how he had molested my sister, causing her to leave home at the age of sixteen. There were days I would let unforgiveness occupy my life, but each day became increasingly difficult because I was living a double standard.
One afternoon my phone rang. It was a hospital in Oklahoma City. The party asked my name and then proceeded to tell me that my father was dying and, as far as they knew, I was the only relative and that if I wanted to see him alive, I must come now.
I thanked her and hung up the phone. My first thought was, “Good riddance! He’s out of my life!” But then the Holy Spirit spoke to my spirit saying, “You must go.”
With my emotions out of control, I called my wife to let her know the situation and told her that I was going to go. Within thirty minutes, I was on my way to Oklahoma City.
About twenty minutes into my journey, I began crying to the point that I had to pull off to the side of the road. Speaking between sobs, asking God, “What are you wanting from me?” In my spirit, I distinctly heard him say, “Forgive him, then invite him to accept Me as his Lord.” I then knew my assignment. I just didn’t know how to do it.
When I arrived, I went directly to my father’s room. He was conscious but he couldn’t speak. Instantly I opened my heart, sharing in detail the hurts and the pain that he had inflicted on his family. When I finished, I said, “Dad, I know you’re dying and I want you to know I forgive you for all you have done and if you want me to, I would like to help lead you to Jesus Christ. If that’s ok, nod your head.”
Big tears formed in his eyes and then began to roll out onto the pillow. He nodded yes and at that moment, two miraculous things happened! First, a sinner among sinners had come home to God, and second, an unforgiving spirit was removed out of my life. Within a few moments, I bid him goodbye saying I would see him again in Heaven.
As I was walking into my home, the phone was ringing. It was the hospital calling to let me know that my father had passed away and, because he had died a pauper, they asked who would be responsible for his funeral expenses. Without hesitation, I said I would. Over the next few days, I picked out the casket, the burial site, the clothes he would be buried in, and found a preacher to conduct the service.
So dear friend, if you are living with unforgiveness in your life, I want you to know that two thousand years ago Jesus Christ built a bridge over the chasm of unforgiveness. It’s called the cross. All you have to do is step onto it. When you do, He will take your hand and guide you safely to the other side.
Philippians 3:13-14 (AMP) brings all that I’ve shared into its proper perspective: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Sam’s Story
A few years ago, a Christian composer wrote the lyrics to the song “He Knows My Name.” The words grab for our attention, shouting with affirmation that God really does care! At some time, most of us have or will experience a season where we are spiritually down, but when we let these words become a part of us, we will move through each day with a better feeling toward ourselves.
It was Saturday in East Los Angeles; I was 34 years old and life was good. I was in my office putting the finishing touches on Sunday’s sermon when, unannounced, my dear friend Sam walked in. Sam was our faithful bus driver who for 20 years picked up small children throughout a drug-infested area of East Los Angeles. Each Sunday he and his female assistant would go out armed with washcloths, soap, donuts, and orange juice, prepared for almost any circumstance. For Sam, this was more than a responsibility; it was his passion.
This morning, however, it seemed Sam had lost his zeal. Without greeting, he said, “Pastor, God no longer cares for me. I’ve given Him my life and He’s offered back nothing in return. My wife is an invalid, and for me to just be here, I had to pay someone to sit with her. On Sundays when I do my bus route, I pay a sitter to stay with her. I’ve lived this way for over 20 years and I’m just tired!” Sam started crying and, between tears, he said, “I won’t be here tomorrow; you’ll have to get another driver.”
I was silent for a moment then asked, “Where are you going, Sam?” He started crying again saying, “I have no idea, but I’m out of here.” As he was leaving, I asked when he thought he would return. He replied, “I don’t know” and was gone. This was truly a sad moment for both of us. I was witnessing how Satan, during a weak moment, can manipulate our minds.
I had just read in the Bible about a similar situation that took place in the life of a man named Elijah, who was on Mount Carmel. He had just called fire down from heaven but, in a moment’s time, he caved under the circumstances and ran away from the greatest victory in his life. The interesting thing about both stories was that God had already prepared their replacements.
Sunday came and passed almost without incident. The bus picked up the children and delivered them home safely. Overall, the day went smoothly. This never ceases to amaze me! Over and over again, I’ve watched as God’s plan advances, even when conditions seem almost impossible.
So I’ve come to this conclusion: Great churches may crumble, and strong leaders might stumble, but Gods plan will succeed! This should not be taken personally, but as a reminder that we need God much more than He needs us!
Two days had passed and there was no sign of Sam. His wife said she had not heard from him since he left. Then Tuesday morning came, my office door swung open and there stood Sam. Almost shouting, he said, “God loves me, pastor! Can we talk?” I had been agonizing over him for almost three days and he wanted to know if I had time to talk!
From there, he began to unfold “a God story” of how much God loves and cares for each of us. He began by saying, “Pastor, when I left Saturday, it was the lowest time of my life. I left without any sense of direction, driving until around 1:00 a.m. I was getting low on gasoline, so I pulled into the first station I saw open. I was so confused I didn’t even know what city I was in. When the station’s attendant came out, I asked him to fill it up.
“As he was cleaning my windshield, I noticed that his eyes stayed fixed on me. When I started to pay, he asked, ‘Sir, is your name Samuel ————?’ I responded that it was. The young man started crying, and shared his story. ‘When I was six years old, my parents moved to East Los Angeles. I didn’t know anyone my age, so my friends became the children I met on the Sunday School bus you drove. Every Sunday the bus would pick me up and offer me orange juice and donuts. One Sunday I asked Jesus into my heart. I didn’t understand everything, but I knew it was the right thing for me to do. From that day forward, my life changed. Today I’m married with two wonderful children, and I serve as a bi-vocational pastor in this city.’”
Coincidence? I don’t think so. Sam had traveled approximately 225 miles to the community of Tehachapi. There he randomly stopped at a gas station where the attendant accepted Jesus Christ at the age of six because Sam picked him up on a church bus in East Los Angeles! Also, without his awareness, this young pastor was being used by God to help direct his old mentor back to his passion of busing small children to church in East Los Angeles!
The next time you’re feeling down, ask God to bring to your remembrance the extreme measures Jesus took to make Sam feel significant again!
The Rocking Chair
We arrived at our new assignment, quickly realizing the truth in Psalm 127:1 that says if God doesn’t build the house, our labor will be in vain. So God’s first assignment was to look beyond our circumstances. For example, we were told there was a parsonage. Actually, that was misrepresented. It was only a small wooden framed annex that had been previously used for storage.
For some reason we couldn’t get its door to budge. There was obviously an unknown immovable object blocking it. Giving it our best shot, the door flung open, hurling out pieces of asbestos and plumes of smoke. The culprit was a portion of the ceiling which, still attached, had partially fallen. When the dust cleared, Linda and I would both laugh and tear up by what we were seeing! Many of the windows were broken, giving opportunity for wild cats, moles and other varmints to come and go, claiming ownership.
The floor was bare concrete with a huge crack extending the length and width of the building with grass growing about two inches high. With the Lords help and several volunteers, things became decent enough to live in and hold Sunday School. The church itself was small but clean with about 900 sq feet.
Our first Sunday consisted of our family, two elderly couples and 8 children with mental disabilities. The total income for the church came to approximately $100 per month. Our inventory for hymnals was between 10 and 15. Most of them were used by our special needs children who couldn’t read but they needed to feel significant so we let them hold the hymnals.
Before I proceed, I want to reiterate that we never regretted this stretching season in our lives! In order to provide a living, I was able to find work on the “graveyard shift” at the Hunts distribution plant. This time was perfect because I could perform my pastoral duties during the day. Linda found work as an executive secretary for Gallo wines. On Saturdays, Linda and other ladies would rise early making peanut brittle and then they would spend the afternoon selling it in front of several stores.
When you are pastoring a new work or a very small congregation, the modus operandi will probably change almost daily. Everything will not flow as you would like and concessions will be necessary. If they’re not sins, just let them run their course. Example, one Sunday an elderly gentleman arrived early to church saying he was interested in attending our church with one condition ̶ his rocking chair had to be included and, because He was hard of hearing, he requested that it be placed at the front next to the heater. For a year, he and his rocking chair were permanent fixtures in our church. It wasn’t normal but because we were small and in the growing stages, it was acceptable. Then one day after church he picked up his rocking chair and simply left.
Then things began changing. Young couples with small children began attending. In four years, our small church grew to become the largest church within our denomination in central California.
Bakersfield
I can’t leave this chapter in my life without telling you a wonderful story of just one of the ways God helped grow this young pastor into a seasoned warrior. I had pastored the church in Bakersfield for several years and we had experienced, as I’ve shared before, tremendous growth.
I was placed on the youth board of our denomination and was at a meeting in Los Angeles when I got a call from a member in our church who told me that her mother, Livie Jackson, was dying. Sister Livie had long been a member of our congregation and was very special to the entire church. In fact, she began the church in her home!
Sister Livie was asking for me to be by her bedside for the last days of her life. This was very concerning for me, not because of my lack of love for her, but because of my inexperience with death. I had never actually been in the room when a person died. I had visited the sick and had gone to countless funerals, but seeing someone pass away was foreign and the thought made me uncomfortable.
I quickly pushed away my thoughts of discomfort and dismissed myself from the meeting. I traveled over the mountain and, within three hours, I arrived at the hospital where Sister Livie was. When I walked into the room, it was filled with relatives from the old to the young. There was no place for me to sit and almost no place for me to stand! I located a spot that was directly in front of her bed and sat on the floor, watching her slowly die.
It was a situation that made me, a young pastor who was inexperienced in death, uncomfortable. Sister Livie had a lung disorder which caused her breath to be shallow and troubled. Every hour that passed accentuated her illness. You could tell her life was coming to a close.
Suddenly, she regained her composure and began to breathe normally! This caught all of us off guard. She looked around the room and, one by one, began to call each person by name to her bedside. Her voice was still quiet, so each person bent their ear to her lips so she could speak with them personally.
Going around the room to each person took about 45 minutes. No one knows what she said to them except the person to whom she was speaking. Then she looked at me and invited me to come to her bedside. I bent my ear over to her lips and she said the most marvelous words this young preacher had ever heard. She said, “Brother Dill, keep preaching the Word! Jesus is coming soon!”
I went back to where I was sitting and her breathing once again became labored. An hour passed and suddenly she became alert in every way. Her eyes opened wide and excitement was written on her face. She looked up to the ceiling and then slowly placed her fingertips to her lips and threw a kiss toward the ceiling. Her daughter said, “Mama, what are you doing?” Sister Jackson replied, “Don’t you see Him? He’s coming to take me home!”
Right after she said those words, she went to be with the Lord. I remember this moment as if it were yesterday. God showed me on that afternoon that in the midst of our storm, God is with us and that death, for the believer, is nothing to fear.
Bakersfield, CA – 1972
“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance” (Psalm 16:6 NIV).
While pastoring in Bakersfield, California, I was introduced to a person who later became one of my closest friends. He was saved in his mid-50’s and called to preach. Carl was like a sponge, soaking in everything that I was doing. Carl wanted to become the very best he could be for God. On Saturdays he would spend most of the day knocking on doors, praying with the sick and visiting those who had attended our church the week before.
For almost a year, he remained faithful to this call. One day I was contacted by our state director, letting me know of a church that had come available and, should Carl be interested, he would appoint him there. It was a small congregation, but Carl was excited to be placed in any church as pastor. His only reservation was he had been working with his brother, Wayne, who was not saved, and Carl felt that Wayne was almost ready to surrender his life to Jesus Christ.
Wayne lived approximately 20 miles from Bakersfield. The week before Carl left, he asked a special favor of me. He said, “I feel Wayne is on the verge of accepting Jesus Christ. It’s a huge request but would you please follow up where I’m leaving off with my brother? If you can, would you visit him each week?” Because Carl had been so faithful, I agreed that I would do my best to visit his brother regularly.
The week after Carl moved, I began my quest to honor my promise. Early each Saturday, I would travel to visit with his brother, always about 9:30 in the morning. The first several times, I was received graciously by Wayne and Betty. Before I left, they always promised they would be in church the next morning, but their promises never materialized.
Because I had promised Carl, I continued visiting every Saturday morning. Six weeks passed. I rang the doorbell, and no one answered, so I left my card on their door. The following Saturday I returned and as I was ringing the doorbell, I could smell coffee brewing and bacon frying. I looked briefly through the window and saw Betty leaning against the wall trying to hide from me! She didn’t know I could see her reflection in the mirror in front of her. I didn’t say anything. I just left my card. This continued for several months until I accepted a pastorate in Los Angeles, California.
I left the area knowing that I had kept my word to Carl and had done everything he asked me to do. It’s such a good feeling when you honor your word to someone. Ecclesiastes 5-5 (NOG) says, “It is better not to make a promise than to make one and not keep it”, so I left the city without guilt.
Two summers later, our state convention was being held in Bakersfield at the city’s convention center. We had approximately 3000 in attendance. During our break time between services, I was standing in the foyer and heard a scream come from the far side of the building, “Pastor Dill! Pastor Dill!” A lady was weaving in and around the crowd. As she drew closer, I realized that it was Betty! When she reached me, she embraced me and began to sob. I told her how good it was to see her, but in my mind, things were not adding up.
Why was Betty at a church convention? I asked and she responded, “Pastor Dill, a few months after you left, God placed us under strong conviction. We saw your faithfulness toward us by constantly coming on Saturdays and inviting us to church. One Sunday the Holy Spirit said, “It’s time. You need to get your lives straightened out.” We knelt in our home and accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
The following Sunday we went to church and, within a few months, we joined its fellowship. During this time God placed the call to ministry on our lives and last week Wayne and I accepted the pastorate of the church in Arvin. Brother Dill, had it not been for your faithfulness, I don’t know where we would be today!”
I’m sharing this story to encourage everyone to never give up on anyone. Seated deep in everyone’s heart is a vacuum that is waiting to be filled by the Holy Spirit. Our responsibility is to stay faithful, praying, loving and nurturing so that when the time is right, the Holy Spirit can step in and deal with their hearts. We cannot save anyone, but as we remain faithful to tend the soil, someday at the appropriate time the Holy Spirit steps in. This happens because we have remained faithful. Wayne and his family later moved to Oklahoma to pastor. I wonder how many people whom I never knew were led to Christ because I stayed the course with Wayne and Betty. To my knowledge, they are still in ministry, faithfully serving the Lord. God is good.
Hindsight is 20/20
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” What a powerful promise! I’m reminded of the words of the old gospel song, What a Friend We Have In Jesus:
Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
Please indulge me so I may linger here a moment. I’m convinced that a believer can only lose his way when he walks away from God’s counsel. At one time or another, we’ve all been guilty, haven’t we? There’s an old saying that still rings true today, “Hindsight is 20/20.” In retrospect, we can clearly see where we missed the mark. All we can do is ask God to forgive us for running ahead of Him. When we truly repent, His response is always the same, “I forgive you, and if you will stay My course, I will do a new thing in you.”
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19 NIV).
This is what happened to Linda and me in Bakersfield. We had worked so hard establishing the church and were just beginning to enjoy the fruit of our labor. All was well. Early one Monday, I received a call from our denominational leader. We spoke for a while and then he asked if I had an interest in relocating to a church in Los Angeles. When he told me the location, I was overwhelmed! All of my ministry I had heard about this great church. I felt this was an opportunity of a lifetime and we would be foolish if we declined the invitation. I don’t recall seriously praying about the move.
Later that day I called to let him know we would accept. All the time and hard work we had invested into the Bakersfield church was being turned over to another family, also never taking into consideration how faithful this precious congregation had been toward us.
The following Sunday at the close of the service I announced that the following week would be our last Sunday. Basically, I was saying to God and this faithful church, “I feel good about this opportunity. This is the moment I’ve been waiting and praying about for years. No, I haven’t consulted with God but it just feels right so I’m going to do it.” Free will is a gift from God but when we make decisions without prayer, we walk out from under God’s covering and will ultimately face the consequences of our decision.
It was a Saturday afternoon when we arrived at the church. I was awestruck at how beautiful the building was and how elegant the parsonage was. Within five years, we had gone from living in Sunday School rooms to elegance! To my amazement, there was a welcoming party standing in the driveway of the parsonage. I thought to myself, “Now, this is how it should be!” The only thing lacking was a band! As we stepped from our car, we were greeted by five or six people, many of whom were leaders in the church.
After a quick handshake and smile, each of them told us they had come to resign from their positions in the church and would no longer be attending. I was confused. First, I had never met these folks but all of them were angry with me. Somehow, it was perceived by the greeting party that I had forced the previous pastor to resign. I tried to explain that wasn’t the case, but their minds were made up. We stood on the lawn for almost two hours. Finally, most of them agreed that they would remain in their positions until I found replacements for them.
Unbeknownst to Linda and me, the church had experienced a split the week before and the total attendees had dwindled to less than 70 people, with much of the finances leaving with those who left. That evening when we got into the parsonage I began to pray and ask God how in the world I got into this mess. My prayer lasted but a minute when the Holy Spirit reminded me that He was not included in the decision-making process.
The next morning my family walked into a huge building that was three-fourths empty and many of those who were there were angry. I preached that morning, knowing that no one was listening to a word I was saying.
The next week I prayed harder than I had prayed in years. I realized I had made a tremendous mistake in not consulting God, but the damage was done and there was nothing I could do to change that fact. After the third Sunday, I got alone with God asking His forgiveness and asking Him to please make something good from this mess. I promised that every step I took from then on, I would ask Him before I made it.
For the first six months my family lived in the valley of dry bones, trying to keep the remaining people together. On several occasions I had to separate people in the hallways who were on the verge of throwing punches at each other. I know God never wanted me or my family to be hurt, but unfortunately, bad things happen when we decide to run ahead of God.
When I acknowledged my mistakes and asked forgiveness, He honored my request by moving me into plan B for my life. It was in this place that He walked beside me as I walked through the debris of a failed church, placing all the broken pieces back together again. A series of things began to take place, miraculously changing the spiritual landscape of that church. We stayed only two years, and they were possibly some of the most difficult times in all of our ministry, but God honored my repentant heart and helped grow the church into one of the strongest congregations in Southern California.
Moving to Tyler, Texas
John Dawson, the evangelist and writer, commented, “As we press in to know God, He unfolds to us revelations about our personal destiny and spiritual authority. We all have places to go and people to bless. Each believer has been given a gift, a promise and a territory to take.”
I never dreamed I would leave California, the state where I accepted Christ and the only place I had ever pastored. However, after many positive indicators, in August 1976 we decided to uproot our family and move to Tyler, Texas.
My ministry, prior to coming to Tyler, consisted primarily of mentoring people and growing churches. God has always remained faithful, honoring His call on my life. The large church we were leaving, within two years under our pastorate, had tripled in number with several hundred new converts. I considered my new assignment (Tyler) a great opportunity to prove God’s faithfulness once again.
We accepted a church we had never seen in a town we knew little about. God blessed our simple act of obedience and 26 wonderful years later, the small congregation, originally with about 75 people, had grown into one of the strongest churches within our denomination. However, it didn’t come easy! In fact, every step of our journey was difficult, at best.
From the onset, we were welcomed by our wonderful new church family. The week following our first Sunday, I had the opportunity to meet over lunch with the Sunday School superintendent. During our visit, he shared with me helpful information regarding the congregation, such as the year the church was birthed, monies that were owed and general challenges they had faced through the years. Overall, it was a good meeting. I felt a good camaraderie between us and was honored that he felt comfortable sharing these particulars.
As lunch progressed, he asked if I felt the church could really grow. With no hesitation, I said that within a year, we could easily double our attendance and many would find Jesus Christ. I noticed as I was speaking that he was taking notes, writing them in his Bible. Through the years, he became one of my greatest advocates who, along with two special friends, would meet with me each week with encouragement.
Part of our strategy to make the community aware of our church was to canvass the area. We began by mapping out where we would go each evening. We would cover one block at a time until the neighborhood was canvassed. However, even with all the effort, prayers and support, the church didn’t begin growing quickly.
A year passed and we increased by about 25 people, most of whom were from nursing home ministries who were included in our total attendance. At the close of the year, the Sunday School superintendent again invited me to lunch. As we spoke, he pulled out his small Bible, reading what I said would happen the following year. He wasn’t vindictive but just wanted to figure out what was wrong. I was speechless because I honestly felt we should have superseded these goals. He ended the visit by encouraging me, saying, “No worries. We’re doing the best we can, and God will take care of the rest.” During the next year we doubled down on our commitments, working harder than we ever had before.
The second year passed with little change, then the third. Still nothing significant was happening. I realize now that every church is uniquely different. Churches are not created from cookie cutters but are distinctly formed by God. I believe this is one reason churches never grow into their greatness. Greatness and success do not necessarily mean increasing numerically, but growth also includes how they are involved in winning souls, reaching the community and sharing the love of Christ with others. Greatness and success are not taught but caught and God was revealing this truth in ways I will never forget.
Linda and I were into our fourth year pastoring the church in Tyler and we had worked harder than we had ever worked before. We felt we knew what it took to grow a church, but as we learned along the journey, the needs of each church are unique.
In the 70’s our church’s denomination voted on lead pastors every two years. Consequently, those whom the pastor had upset during this time, should they desire, could vent their feelings with their vote. The dreaded day had arrived. Ballots were handed out, and then placed in a designated envelope which was sealed and mailed to our state office.
Several weeks passed and our State Director called to inform me that I had received a good vote, but that it wasn’t unanimous. The enemy knows exactly when and where to attack, doesn’t he? After the conversation, an overwhelming feeling of discouragement set in. Satan was having a field day with my mind. He just kept saying, “Who do suppose voted against you? Probably most of your council. They’re tired of your dull preaching and a stagnated church.”
If you are in ministry and Satan hasn’t tried a trick like this with you, please trust me, he will. Unfortunately, hundreds of pastors fall prey to this, as the results of the George Barna Institute survey mentioned earlier indicates.
The following Wednesday after church, I was turning off the lights when two young men from the council, Larry and Lanny, came to me asking if I could go with them for pizza. I said, “Sure”, thinking this would be a good time to tell them that I was resigning. After we ordered and were seated, Larry spoke up and said, “Pastor, we know the outcome of the vote.”
I responded, “That’s why I’m here. You’re both friends, so I want you to be some of the first to know that this Sunday I’m resigning.” I further stated that I felt I had done all that I could do for the church.
There was a brief silence, then something came over both of them as they simultaneously said, “Pastor, you’re only concerned about your feelings without considering the Church. Most of us have invested time and finances in the church for four years and, because a few didn’t vote for you, you’re offended!” As we were leaving the restaurant, they said, “We love you, but just get over it!”
I could have been offended, but I saw it for what it was — an open rebuke from two close friends. As it says in Proverbs, “Open rebuke is better than than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:5-6) .
Before that moment, I had been attacked by Satan with a feeling of inadequacy for the job God had called me to do.
In the 70’s there was a Mennen aftershave commercial. It showed a man experiencing a confused moment and then someone slaps the person on both sides of his face with Mennen aftershave. The man regains his composure and says, “Thanks, I needed that!” That’s what it was like for me!
The following Sunday came and went without incident, without the congregation knowing of my previous plan to resign from the church.
After that second lunch with the Sunday School superintendent, a few months passed and it was time for our general convention in Dallas, Texas. To be honest, I vaguely remember the convention or the events. My focus was, “Dear God, what am I doing wrong? Why aren’t we winning our city?”
We left early from the convention, coming directly home on a Saturday afternoon. I dropped my wife off at the parsonage and told her I was going to the church to pray. I was so frustrated with myself because of the lack of results our church was experiencing. I felt incapable of leading this church into greatness. I want to take a moment and say that if a pastor continues to feel this way, he could easily wind up a statistic — a casualty of spiritual warfare.
I unlocked the door of the church and walked directly to the front of the building to an old-fashioned mourners’ bench. I stood there for a while, praying silently. I then moved to the right side of the building, lifting one of the windows to get some relief from the heat. When I did, I observed all the traffic passing by and began to cry, saying to the Lord that each person that is in every vehicle will spend eternity somewhere and I hadn’t led a person to Him in six years!
Emotion set in and I began to weep uncontrollably. Then, seemingly from nowhere, God spoke to my spirit and said, “What would you do if I brought them in to you?” It wasn’t an audible voice but there was no doubt it was the voice of God! I pondered a few moments on what He said, then intentionally forming every word, I replied with these words, “God, if you will give me the chance, I will do everything you tell me to do.” At that moment, the battle was over inside me. I surrendered myself and His church into His control!
Over the next several weeks, under God’s direction, several adjustments were made in the church, but it seemed like nothing had changed. Then one Sunday morning, right in the middle of my sermon, a young lady in her 30’s walked into the church. I knew she was a visitor because I knew everyone and even knew where they sat.
She went directly toward the front and sat on the third pew on the right-hand side of the building. When I gave the altar call, she came forward and knelt at the altar. She cried for nearly half an hour while everyone left except for my wife, the Sunday School superintendent, his wife and me. The young lady had cried so hard that the altar where she knelt was filled with tears. Finally, she looked up at me. I immediately responded, telling her how happy we were to have her visit us. She replied, “Pastor, when I tell you who I am, and where I’ve been, you probably won’t feel that way anymore.” She didn’t know that she was our first convert in over six years and for myself, whatever she had done in her past, I could deal with it.
She spent about 45 minutes sharing every sordid detail, saying she had just moved from the Houston area where, during the daytime, she worked as a flight attendant but in the evenings, she was a high-rise prostitute. During that time, she was living with a bouncer who worked at a large bar in the city. Both decided they wanted to move from the big city and get a fresh start. They married and moved to Whitehouse, Texas.
I told her that I could understand her emotions but, more importantly, that God understood. I promised her on the authority of God’s Word that what was past, God said was over and He would never bring it up to her again.
Afterwards, we took her to lunch and during the meal, I asked if I could visit with her husband. Her response was immediate, “Pastor, NO! Not my husband. He is one of the meanest men I have ever known. He would never speak with you!” But I knew that was the game changer.
God had met me at the window, promising me that if I would follow His leading, He would give me the desires of my heart. I didn’t tell her this but only asked that she trust me and give me an opportunity. I asked for her address and told her I would visit him that afternoon.
Around 3 o’clock, I drove to Whitehouse, following the directions she gave. As I started to get out of the car, I heard screaming and curse words that I had not heard in years coming from open windows! My physical man said, “Crawl back in your car and get out of here”, but my spiritual man said, “Pursue and I will direct you!”
I went to the door and rang the doorbell. A man who stood about 6’5” answered the door. He had a bald head and a beeswax mustache and he looked down at me gruffly, saying, “What do you want?” At that moment, the Holy Spirit took charge and gave me the exact words to say.
John had a big ego and wanted to be in charge. So I centered my response around him and told him who I was and how grateful I was that he had permitted his wife to visit our church that morning. Presenting it to him in this way broke down a wall of pride because he was again in control. He replied saying, “No problem. She can do anything she wants to do.”
I asked, “Sir, can I come in just for a moment?”
He said “Preacher, I was raised as an altar boy in church. I know everything there is to know about God and I don’t want to have anything to do with God or church.”
I told him I understood but if I could just visit for a moment, I would leave without hesitation. Somehow, with God’s help, I got into the house. From there I don’t recall anything I said. All I remember was at the end of our conversation he asked, “What time does your church begin tonight?” I told him 7:00 p.m.
That evening, as the service began, John and his wife came through the church doors. She led him to the same pew where she had sat that morning. I honestly don’t recall the sermon I preached. I suppose many of the congregation thought I was rambling; however, when I gave an invitation to come forward, she took John’s hand and led him to the altar where they both knelt. I watched once again — twice in the same day — as God transformed another person’s life! John was not a crier like his wife, but just suddenly began to speak loudly saying, “What is happening to me? What am I feeling?”
He would look at me and then he would look back at his wife and then he would bow his head. This went on for about 20 minutes.
When he got up, he said, “Preacher, I don’t know what you did to me, but I know a lot of people who need it. When is the next church time?” I told him it was Wednesday evening and he said, “I’ll be here and bring four other people just like me!” That Wednesday night John honored his word and brought four people, basically just like him, to church.
As I was giving the invitation, he came up to me and said, “I have a plan, preacher. I will go back to each one of these men and bring them to you, then you do to them what you did to me.”
One by one he brought them forward and every one of them truly found Jesus Christ that evening! At the end of the service, he said, “I will see you next Sunday, and this time I’m bringing an entire row of people just like me!”
The following Sunday he was there, and the pew was filled with other men just like him. This went on week after week. What I had prayed for happened. The congregation caught the vision. With excitement, others began to invite friends and loved ones.
1980s
In the early 80s, the church hired a music/youth leader and, shortly thereafter, a children’s pastor. Month by month, we grew to the point that our building was overflowing! The people John brought in were not the clean-cut people of our city, but many were the unacceptable, the alcoholic, the drug addict, and ex-convicts, but our wonderful church welcomed them all!
The music/youth pastor worked to build a music and drama department program as well as a youth choir and an unbelievable adult choir. Our adult choir was invited to sing at numerous venues across the city, including the city’s annual Fourth of July gathering at the stadium, and putting on a musical every year based on the life of Christ. Soon people in Tyler who had never heard of Rose Heights were coming just to check out the church that had that wonderful choir.
Our youth department also grew by leaps and bounds. Young people began inviting their friends and soon the youth choir had more than thirty members and was winning state and national competitions.
The children’s pastor filled the children’s department which caused many parents to attend and many unsaved parents to accept Christ. The children’s pastor utilized many unfamiliar (to the Tyler area) methods of reaching children for Christ, including black-light puppets, hand puppets, ventriloquism and music.
One of the things that helped the children’s department to grow exponentially was the annual Kids Krusade, which was designed to be fun for the kids but also to make sure they heard the plan of salvation. The Kids Krusade drew families from all over the city, as well as many neighboring cities. Soon the children’s department was bursting at the seams.
I have to inject that not everyone could accept change. Unfortunately, some left the church and moved on. These were all good people. There are always people who aren’t comfortable with change and will leave. We remain friends with the majority of them and they have adjusted to new surroundings. A word of caution — never let differences of opinion divide a church.
Soon a gymnasium was constructed to provide a place for activities for the young people and, as the church congregation outgrew the facilities, the youth began using the gym for their youth services on Wednesday nights. In order to provide space for people to park on Sunday mornings, we rented part of the parking lot of a church next door which was running so few people that they didn’t need much parking. But our amazing God began to bless that congregation as well — people would see all those cars in their parking lot and it gave a boost to their attendance. Today that church is thriving.
Within a couple years, we needed a bigger facility to accommodate the almost 600 people who were attending our Sunday morning services. The decision was made to convert the gym to a multipurpose facility that could be utilized as a sanctuary on Sunday mornings and still provide a place for youth activities the rest of the week. The congregation grew so swiftly that we had to move into the gym before the renovations were completely finished and within a very short time, we were having two Sunday morning services!
God was blessing and opening doors like we never dreamed. As we were transitioning into our new gym/worship center, we were also renovating our old church building to accommodate for the influx of children we were experiencing.
I want to pause here and say I have been blessed with many wonderful children’s pastors. But with regards to teamwork and passion, Doug and Gina Anderson were the best team I ever served with. They never ran short of creative ways to bring children to Christ. One Saturday morning at a local high school track, Doug raised several thousand dollars in pledges for children’s ministry by riding his unicycle around the track for almost three hours.
Once when the children’s department was nearing capacity, Doug commented how the children around the church were not being reached. So in a few weeks, he and Gina put together a small parade. They borrowed a member’s pickup truck and placed a piano and a set of drums inside its bed, asking several parents if they could follow behind them in their cars. They weaved throughout the community, singing and throwing candy to the children watching. I don’t know if their effort added children to the church. What I do know is I saw a couple, through their actions say, “God, whatever it takes to bring children to Christ, we will do it.”
During this time, the church wasn’t able to pay them the salary they needed, but they never complained. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized this couple’s sacrifice. Without my knowing, Doug held down two separate part-time jobs, and in the early morning hours he would deliver papers and bake donuts.
During this same time, we received a letter from the National Association of Evangelicals saying that we had been recognized among the top 100 fastest growing Sunday Schools in America. We had just completed our multipurpose building and were quickly outgrowing both facilities. Because our finances were maxed out, we used volunteer labor wherever we could for renovating the old building. We were changing it into a state-of-the-art children’s department.
It was during this season that I became keenly aware of two things about Satan. He hates churches that (1) have unity in their fellowship and (2) are progressing and moving forward with what God has called them to be. Both were happening simultaneously in our congregation.
One Sunday a man visited our church and at the close of the service he introduced himself as Curtis, telling us that he had worked with many growing churches, helping where needed, especially with renovation. He said that because he was temporarily unemployed, he would be happy to help
We joyfully exclaimed, “What a Godsend you are, brother! We’ll see you tomorrow!” The next morning, he was there. All week when the church doors opened, Curtis was there. During the day it was just Doug, Curtis and myself. The rest of the volunteers joined us in the evening.
The area we were renovating had two retainer walls. For those who don’t know, retainer walls hold the weight of the building, so they should never be knocked down. On both walls in bold print we wrote, “Retainer wall. Do not tear down!”
One day Doug was working in one section while Curtis was in another, and I was working in the office. Suddenly Doug burst into my office saying, “We need to pray now!” Explaining, he said, “I just walked over to the side where Curtis is working. He had a sledgehammer and was tearing down a retainer wall! I yelled ‘Stop! That’s a retainer wall!’ Curtis put down the hammer and walked over to where I was. He lifted me up and pinned me against the wall saying, ‘I’ve been assigned to destroy this church and to kill you and the white-headed old man!’ Then he walked out!”
I’ve read about similar things happening in third-world countries, but I’ve never personally experienced them. Doug had walked in on Curtis at the exact moment he was fulfilling his “assignment.” In the office, Doug and I knelt and began making intercessory prayer to God. I don’t know how long we prayed, but when we were finished, we felt that God had interceded.
The next day Curtis didn’t show. We later learned he had moved that same evening to another city. I never want to experience anything like that again, but I’m grateful I witnessed with my own eyes that “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world” (see 1 John 4:4).
Mid 80s
This was the beginning of a series of things Satan attacked us with. We had purchased 23 acres on Old Omen Road to build a new church. I want to reiterate, Satan is not pleased when God’s children work together in harmony.
Several months passed and we learned of a person who was coming to one of the large auditoriums in Tyler. I won’t mention his name; however, if I did, I feel certain you would recognize it. Wherever he went, he drew huge crowds, especially teenagers, not only in the United States but around the world. He thrived on doing bizarre things on stage and the teens loved it! Like biting off the heads of bats and saying things that were offensive.
We had no intention of trying to prevent him from coming to the city. We only wanted to inform the parents and the school system about who he was and what he did. Most people, especially adults, were not aware of this.
Doug and I made an appointment to visit with the leadership of the PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) to inform them of what their children could expect if they attended his performance. Again, it was not our intention to close or to stop his event. As we met with the PTA, letting them know what the children would experience, they immediately set up meetings to find ways they could prevent him from coming. Within a month, the entire city was aware of every detail. Several national newspapers and television outlets began to reach out to us, even Paul Harvey.
We chose not to pursue it any further. We had done our job by turning the information over to the right people; however, Satan is vindictive. In the process, Satan reached out against us with vengeance, creating an almost out-of-control mob-like environment throughout our city. The people who were wanting to go to his event became angry and threatened violence. This continued for over a month.
Because of threats on his life, Doug and his family left the area for several weeks. The Sheriff’s Department visited my office, letting me hear the recorded threats which said they were going to blow up our church. Several crosses were burned on our lawns. Eventually things subsided.
Occasionally people would still say, “Weren’t you the pastor of that church who stopped So and So, and they would name the entertainer, from coming to Tyler?” I would just smile and change the subject. We were not looking for the national spotlight, but we got it anyway. And in many cases, it was tough at best.
Our small church was mentioned on major radio and television networks around the world. This was never our intention, but because it happened, God reversed it and made it good.
On a Sunday afternoon I received a phone call from the promoter for the event. He wasn’t mean-spirited but wanted to share with me that he had lost approximately $100,000 because the performer could not come to the city. We spoke for about an hour. I did my best to explain that we had no intention of stopping the performer from coming and that we had spoken with the schools’ PTA informing them that, should our children attend this, what they could expect. I really believe he got it.
He then told me the reason for his call saying, “Because this is a predominantly Christian community, we’re trying to bring Christian entertainers in, but because we are not a Christian organization, we cannot promote our events over the Christian radio stations in the area.” He further stated that he had secured the Christian artist Sandi Patti to come but, because Christians listened to Christian radio, there was little communication with the Christian community about her coming. He then asked if I could contact the Christian radio stations and ask them to promote the concert.
I went to each station, explaining the circumstances, and asked if they could honor his request. At the time, only approximately 200 tickets had been sold within several weeks. Because of the advertising on Christian radio, the building was full to capacity!
I encourage anyone who is working in kingdom work to pursue God’s will and do what He places in your heart to do. Through those tough seasons, our church stood firm. Instead of failing, it helped us reach heights we never dreamed were possible.
During this time, we felt a great burden to take the good news into all of East Texas. During one of our planning sessions, we agreed that the right way for us to accomplish this was to have a play portraying Christ’s life from His birth to His resurrection, so we named it just that “The Life of Christ.” There were many challenges during this time but also many indicators that God was well pleased. Our first presentation was inside our small sanctuary that seated only about 300 people. Every person on staff was a visionary. When I would run out of ideas, a staff member would come up with an even better idea.
Every inch of space in that sanctuary was used. One of our greatest challenges was to find a place for the Archangel at the nativity scene. Doug and some of the men built a scaffold inside the baptistery for the angel to stand on, covering most of its ugliness with sheets. Naturally, it was not extremely solid, since it just basically sat in the baptistry, not really attached to anything. To pull this off, it would have to be God. When the evening arrived, we had standing room only; however, people could only stand behind the last two pews because the center aisle was reserved for the sheep, a donkey for Jesus to ride on during his entrance into Jerusalem and for Jesus to walk while carrying the cross.
Things were coming together perfectly, even though Jim, our archangel who was to stand on the not-so-solid scaffold, had a bad case of acrophobia (an extreme fear of heights). However, God came through and Jim was able to stand on the scaffold, say his lines and even raise his arms at the appointed time!
By the second year, renovations on the gym had been completed and it would seat about 600 people. We expanded the scenes and held the event for two evenings, with a packed house both evenings. However, in this building, a scaffold wouldn’t work for the archangel to stand on, so we rented a small scissor lift. This nearly gave Jim, our archangel, a heart attack. You see, small lifts tend to sway or jerk. I honestly lost it. Most people probably thought I was crying but I was actually laughing, watching Jim ascend! The great news was he made it!
We realized God’s wonderful favor was resting heavily on us and, by the third year, was wanting us to take a leap of faith to lease the largest building in the city, Caldwell Auditorium. This would also require renting the gymnasium next to the auditorium as well for two weeks, costing a whopping $30,000. Our church was so hungry to do God’s will and we felt that if we were going to reach everyone, we couldn’t charge anyone who wanted to attend. We decided to just pass the offering buckets during a short break for a scene change, knowing whatever we received, it would be enough.
For 12 years, we held Life of Christ, usually having five evening performances and a Saturday afternoon matinee. When a church or person is obedient to God’s will, they will never be disappointed. For twelve consecutive years, we averaged almost $50,000 with a total attendance of almost ten thousand a year.
The good news was that the poorest of the poor were welcomed to sit next to the middle class and the wealthy, watching the good news unfold. We never dismissed without extending an invitation and all total, hundreds responded. We had no idea how God would bless this effort.
From there, in the same auditorium, we launched an annual event called, “Say No to Drugs.” God helped us with six school districts and five private schools participating. It was a fast-paced program geared expressly for grades 3-6. We had no idea how the children would be transported, but in a matter of weeks, every participating school district and private school provided transportation to take the children to and from the event at no cost to us. This program was successful for three years, drawing just over ten thousand children annually.
One year we felt God impressing us to have an Octoberfest-type crusade for children which we called “Kids Crusade.” We met with the city officials and they agreed to work with us to use Harvey Convention Center which was the largest building in Smith County. We set up games in several rooms and did hayrides for the children outside. One evening the attendance was approximately 3000 children! We had a special room where we presented a 15-minute gospel story of Jesus Christ. When we extended the invitation, hundreds of little children raised their hands to accept Jesus Christ.
During this time, the city was so gracious. They permitted us to place a large banner over the busiest street in Tyler — Broadway Avenue — that said “Kids Crusade” along with the date and location. So many wonderful things happened during this season of our church’s life, some good and some not so good. But through it all, we saw God’s handiwork on the city of Tyler and throughout East Texas. Also during this season, our church had the pleasure of birthing five churches in separate communities.
Our first Sunday in the renovated gym, we had two services with a total of approximately 800 people in attendance. The gym was sufficient for a while, but the congregation kept growing until we had to have three services with just over 1,000 in total attendance.
Our people quickly responded to the need and purchased 23 acres on Old Omen Road and began building a new facility. In the process of building our new church, John, who was now a carpenter, came to me one day after the service saying, “Brother Dill, I’m running out of work here in Tyler. I have to move back to Houston, not because I want to but because I can’t find work here.” I said, “John, I understand but please be careful. Guard your heart and your personal testimony.” He promised me he would.
The following Sunday was their last in Tyler. We bid them farewell, praying God’s best over their lives. We didn’t hear much from them, but enough to know they were doing well.
Years later, around 6 o’clock on a Monday morning, I received a phone call from John’s wife. I realized something was wrong because of the time of the call. When she spoke, I immediately recognized her voice and asked if there was something wrong. She paused a moment and then said, “Late last evening John was killed. He was trimming a tree in the backyard with a chain saw. Somehow, he tripped and fell from the tree. With the chain saw still going, it fell on him tearing his chest open. I called the ambulance but before they could arrive, he died. The reason I am calling, Brother Dill, is to tell you that just before John passed, he said, “Tell Pastor Dill it is well with my soul.” John will never be forgotten.
Years come and go, and many wonderful people will pass through Rose Heights Church in Tyler, but I can truthfully say the salvation of John and his wife was where the great revival began.
One hot August afternoon, God spoke to a man at a window who was desperately discouraged and disappointed in himself. God told him that if he would make changes in his life and in the church, He would bring people to him and God honored His Word.
The Four-way Stop in Tyler
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).
Children are one of the many blessings God gives us. The Lord has blessed Linda and me with three wonderful children. I’m not saying they were perfect, but each of them, in their own way, has been a blessing to us. Several years ago when my oldest daughter, Denise, was a teenager, like many that age, she was in a stage of rebellion, doing things that were contrary to the way she was raised. One evening she went with a friend to a neighboring city.
Around 10 o’clock, after we were in bed, I felt an overwhelming urge that I should pray for Denise. So while lying in bed, Linda and I prayed, asking God’s protection to cover her, closing with the name of Jesus Christ. A few moments later, the Holy Spirit spoke again to my spirit with urgency saying, “Pray for Denise!” This time I slipped out of bed and, while kneeling, began offering an intercessory prayer for her.
Within a few minutes I felt a peace in my spirit and knew that, whatever the problem was, it had safely passed. Several hours later I heard the front door open. It was Denise. In a matter of seconds, she was standing in front of our bed saying, “I was almost killed tonight.”
I asked what happened, and she emotionally began to explain to us how they had decided to take back roads to get home. They were on a dark road out in the country when they came across a four-way stop. Her friend who was driving stopped and, seeing there was no one, began to travel through the intersection. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, her friend slammed on the brakes. Just as he did, a car with no lights on, raced through the four-way stop, passing right in front of them.
“Dad!” she exclaimed, “We never saw the car coming! I asked my friend who was driving, ‘Why did you stop the second time?’ He paused for a moment and said, ‘I have no idea! I just did.’”
At that moment, the Lord gave me an awesome opportunity to share Jesus with my daughter, emphasizing that God had spared her life! I explained further how the Lord instructed us to intercede for her.
My precious daughter has never forgotten that evening and, even today, she speaks about it saying, “I will never forget the night I was almost killed, when you and Mom prayed and God spared my life!” That evening definitely helped in getting her back on the right path in pursuit of God!
Perhaps you have a family member or close friend who is away from the Lord. Or, maybe you are going through a situation that looks hopeless. Well, let me tell you, prayer changes things. Do not give up. He hears you.
God’s Word says to trust in Him with ALL that we are and not to lean on our own understanding; to acknowledge Him in ALL that we do, and that He will direct our paths (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
James 5:16 (TPT) says “…tremendous power is released through the passionate heartfelt prayer of a godly believer.”
Descending from Heaven
And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. (Joel 2:28)
One night after completing my devotions and prayers, hoping for a good night’s sleep, I turned off the lamp and closed my eyes. But this night turned out to be different than most.
In my dream, I was brought to a place I’ve never been before — in the middle of a freshly plowed field, and my wife was there with me. Looking to the north, I could see a storm approaching. It was moving rapidly toward us with large dark clouds spinning as if with anger. It seemed we would surely be killed by the storm, but then I noticed a small house in the distance at the end of the field.
Grabbing my wife’s hand, I told her we would be safe if we could reach that little house. Racing the storm, we ran to the house and slammed the door behind us. However, our relief quickly vanished upon seeing that the roof of the house was missing!
As the storm closed in and swirled about us, we felt doomed. But then we noticed doves descending from heaven one by one. They kept coming and, huddling together, until they formed a roof for the house. They settled over us, the storm subsided and sunlight began to break through the clouds.
The meaning of that dream unfolded a few months later when my physician reported that he was 90% sure that I had cancer. I clung to the outcome of that dream. The cancer was the storm I had seen coming and the field and house were my life. The doves represented divine protection. I had the assurance that God’s Holy Spirit was covering and protecting me. This gave me peace, and my peace turned to joy when, after the third visit to my physician, what had at first been diagnosed as cancer had disappeared. The storm had passed!
God, by the outpouring of his Spirit, has brought to pass His promise: “Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” We can thank our Heavenly Father for pouring out the Holy Spirit on us and for the Dove from Heaven who comes to give us peace in the storm!
Laborers Together
Every pastor needs a Joshua. They don’t have to be a preacher, an evangelist or a teacher. Their only requirements are to be an encourager and a prayerful supporter. They don’t have to always agree with the pastor; they only need to follow his vision. During my tenure at Rose Heights, I was blessed with several Joshuas. Larry, Lanny, Doug, Weldon and Herbert, just to name a few. I am convinced the pastor’s greatest weapon in his arsenal is a Joshua. When the going gets tough, a Joshua will be the last man standing.
I could always depend on each of them and I was never disappointed. Although I respected them equally, Herbert for this season was my Joshua. There was seldom a week that passed in which Herbert would not call to see how I was doing. Each morning he would get up around 5 a.m., offering a prayer vigil for hundreds on a list he had written through the years.
When I would go out canvassing the neighborhood, Herbert was always available. When prayer meetings were called, Herbert was present. On Sundays after preaching, good or not so good, he never failed to call to let me know what a good job I had done. Somehow, he always found something good about the message.
When I asked, per his availability, we would travel throughout the country teaching classes on church growth. I personally believe that because of his ongoing faithfulness, God blessed him with almost perfect health. The enemy hates people like this because he realizes they are the pastor’s first line of defense and if he can penetrate that line of defense, he wins that battle.
In September 1984 our church was experiencing phenomenal growth spiritually, financially and numerically. God was changing our church into a unified army of believers who were determined to take our city for God. Herbert was leading the charge.
So here’s the story. Each day Melvina (Herbert’s wife), would begin her daily workout routine after Herbert left for work. Suddenly one day without warning, a severe pain struck her head causing her to fall to the floor. She was barely able to crawl to the phone to tell him to come home immediately, because something terrible had gone wrong inside her head.
Within minutes, he arrived and immediately called their family physician. He then picked her up, placed her in the car and drove directly to the doctor’s office. Because the pain was so severe, she remained in the car. The doctor examined her and said, “Take her directly to the hospital. She is experiencing a brain aneurysm.”
Because the doctor called ahead, several medical professionals were waiting for her. Herbert called to let me know and I met them there.
By the time I arrived Melvina was already in a room. They had placed a small towel over her eyes because she was unable to tolerate the light. It wasn’t long until several specialists arrived and, after running multiple tests, all came to the same conclusion. Melvina had indeed experienced a brain aneurysm and would need surgery. As they were moving Melvina from her room, Herbert asked if I would pray. With heads bowed, we all joined in. When we closed, the Doctors informed us the tests would take about an hour and if we had something that needed to be done, this was a good time.
I don’t recall what it was but remember it had something to do with Melvina’s parents’ home. So together Herbert and I left for him to take care of the situation. As we were traveling, Herbert calmly said, “Pastor, Melvina is the love of my life. Should she die, I don’t know how I could make it. But I want you to know that whatever happens, if she lives or dies, I will say it was God’s will and not become angry with Him.”
When we got back to the hospital the medical team had returned. The neurosurgeon said, “Before we did the MRI, we performed a battery of tests on Melvina’s brain and located the aneurysm. But when we did the MRI scan, it showed that the brain was perfectly normal! We performed another spinal tap and it too was normal.” He further stated, “Herbert, we know it’s there, so we want to do another scan on her brain.” Herbert consented and in about an hour the medical team came back cautiously smiling and said, “Preacher, we need you here all the time to pray before every surgery. We just don’t understand. The aneurysm was there but it’s gone!”
Within 24 hours, Melvina was released to go home and back to her normal activities. To this day, I’m still amazed! However, I know the exact moment when the Lord intervened and healed her. It was when Herbert surrendered Melvina into God’s safe keeping saying, “Lord, whatever you choose, life or death is okay and Lord if you take her, I promise I will accept it as your will. Amen.”
I have no doubt Herbert left the hospital that day with a song in his heart. Perhaps like this:
“Great is Thy faithfulness oh God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changeth not, Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou has been, Thou forever will be.
Tyler, Texas: “I love you”
Several years ago, Linda and I had the privilege of meeting one of the most dedicated Christians I have ever known. She had married at an early age and, although her spouse was a good provider, he was a poor husband. He loved his children but found it difficult to remain faithful to his wife. On several occasions I met with them for counseling. One afternoon, she asked if she could meet with me at my office. When she came in, she shared the sordid details regarding her husband and his life.
As I recall, this is the story she shared with me. When her husband was a child approximately five years of age, his family was without money and could no longer afford to take care of him. They were driving down the freeway when they pulled into a rest stop and pinned a note on the little child’s shirt. He could not yet read but the note said, “My mommy and daddy cannot afford to take care of me any longer. They told me to come to someone and give them this note that is on my shirt.”
The parents told the child when he got out of the car to run as quickly as he could to a couple that was at the rest stop and ask them to read the note. He ran directly to the couple as his parents drove away, never to see him again. The couple at the rest stop contacted authorities and eventually he was adopted.
Unfortunately, he grew up to believe no one loved him. Because of this, he was constantly out to prove to himself that he could make it in the business world, and he succeeded. But, no matter his success, he never could get over the feeling of desertion from his parents. It haunted him all of his adult life.
Crises have different ways of working in people’s lives. For him to feel loved, he would have many extra-marital affairs in his life. In many cases, he would come back to his wife, crying uncontrollably, expressing his sorrow and asking her to forgive him. She was one of the most dedicated wives, mothers, and Christians I’ve ever met. Every time he would come and confess, she forgave him. It would happen again and again throughout their entire marriage.
Several years later, he went to the doctor for a general checkup. The doctor examined him thoroughly and came back with a report that he had cancer in his back. They began to treat the cancer but eventually, it travelled all throughout his body. In the last stages of his cancer, he was constantly in the hospital. His wife remained faithful in praying for his body and soul.
One day when trying to move, his back broke due to the cancer and he could no longer get out of bed. From there it was just a matter of weeks for him to live unless God intervened. One evening his wife called me from the hospital. She had maintained a constant vigil, watching and serving him, almost without leaving the room. That evening she called saying that he was critically ill and unless God healed him, he wouldn’t make it through the night. “However,” she said, “I am trusting God to heal him.” I volunteered to go to the hospital, but she said it wasn’t necessary and that she was OK.
Early the next morning she called to tell me that her husband had passed away around five o’clock that morning. She went on to say that she wanted to share the wonderful thing that had transpired. About three o’clock that morning, her husband opened his eyes and told her he saw the room filling up with people he knew who had died who were believers. He mentioned and called each one by name. Please note, I want to state that the cancer had not gone to his brain. It was only in his back and bones, so his mind was completely coherent.
“Suddenly,” she continued, “he said, ‘Jesus is in the room.’ I could not see anything except the four walls but his eyes were glowing and filled with excitement. I watched his eyes as he began to move them from one side of the room to his bedside, saying ‘Jesus is coming to my bed.’ At that moment, I was under the impression that God was going to speak healing to his body. A few moments passed and I watched as he slowly began to cry. I walked over to him and said, ‘Did Jesus talk to you?’ He paused for a moment, then said ‘Yes. He did.’
“I asked, ‘What did He say to you?’ He looked at me said, ‘Jesus told me that He loves me and then He walked on past my bed.’”
That was all that he needed. In those early morning hours, the perfect healing came. Within a few moments, he passed from this life and went to be with the Lord. His entire life had been spent on the premise that he was unlovable and questioning how God could ever love a mind and body like his, but during the last moments of his life, Jesus did the miraculous. He came to a man who was without hope and said to him, “I love you and you are forgiven. You are my child.” Within a few days, his wife spoke at his funeral and told this story, all the while keeping her composure. She knew that eternity is far greater than life on this earth.
Sure, at times she wished life would’ve been different, but now that is all behind her, and today she is looking forward to a wonderful reunion in Heaven with her husband. The Lord truly never forgets anyone in the darkest hours of life. When we feel we’re all alone, Jesus walks into our spiritual room and speaks to us saying, “I love you.” What a Savior! What a Lord! (see John 3:16).
Finder of Lost Things
One Sunday a woman visited our church service. It was apparent by the way she was dressed and the small dot on her forehead that she was Hindu. When the service came to a close, she lingered near the front, making it obvious that she was wanting to speak with me. When I introduced myself, she asked if there was a private place we could talk. Because most of the church had gone, we sat comfortably on one of the front pews. Immediately she began to share her reason for being there.
That morning she had come across a Christian television program and the speaker said if you are needing help, find the nearest Bible-believing church and go to it! She said, “You’re the nearest church and I have a problem. My husband and I were recently married and in the Hindu religion, it is part of our custom at the wedding for the bride and groom to exchange family heirlooms. Several months have passed and somewhere in the process, I misplaced the heirloom necklace I was given.”
In tears she said, “I haven’t told my husband because I don’t know how he would react. I’m a devout Hindu. I don’t believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah, but I listened to what you said this morning, that through Jesus Christ you can do anything. So if Jesus is really the Messiah, and you pray in the name of Jesus Christ that I will find the heirloom and if I find it, I will believe that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
I prayed with her a simple prayer asking that in Jesus’ name she would find the necklace. She thanked me and left. Early the following week she came to my office. She opened her purse and showed me the lost heirloom! Then, with tears flowing, she asked if I would pray with her to invite Christ into her life.
After we prayed, she shared one of the most amazing stories about discovering God I have ever heard. “When I got home and was alone, I began to look everywhere for the heirloom necklace. I was about to give up hope of ever seeing it again when something inside said, ‘Have you prayed in the name of Jesus?’ So, I said, ‘Jesus, if you are real, will you help me find the necklace?’ Then the same voice told me to look down on the bottom shelf of my library. There I found a Bible we had picked up from a hotel room where we had once stayed. I pulled the Bible from the shelf and when I opened it, there was the heirloom! Tonight, I will tell my husband everything and next Sunday he will come with me to church!”
The following Sunday they both were at church and when I gave the invitation, he came forward. Together we prayed a simple prayer of repentance and he was miraculously born again. The couple remained faithful to the church as long as they lived in the Tyler area.
Many years ago, I read a book on the Holy Spirit, labeling Him as the Hound of Heaven. Just think what lengths the Holy Spirit went to, to search for this lady until He found her. We are hearing many wonderful testimonials today of how Muslims are coming to Christ through dreams and visions. Joel 2:28 speaks of this saying, “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.” I am convinced that the Lord Who commissioned us to reach a world, will make available to every person whatever it takes to reach them.
In Luke 15, the parable of the lost sheep is a story about a shepherd, Jesus Christ, who left his flock of ninety-nine to find the one which was lost. I thank God each day for the promise found in John 3:16, “… whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” I proudly confess that I’m a “whosoever”!
Trip to Russia 1995
My life has been blessed! I’ve been privileged to have traveled to over 30 countries preaching and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. God has permitted me to serve our denomination on the World Missions Board and the Executive Council, the highest level of leadership within our denomination.
Through the years, I’ve had the opportunity to pastor many great churches with wonderful people. I’m confident that God blesses certain people and churches whose central reason for existing is to help fulfill the great commission stated in Mark 16:15 to “go into all the world and preach the gospel.”
In 1995 the country of Russia had swung open for the gospel. Immediately I began seeking ways for our church to participate in this great move of God. I had traveled to Russia one time with the World Missions Board gaining insight and respect for the people of that country. I met with our local missions board and asked that if there was an opportunity, would they be interested in sponsoring and helping send a group from our church to Russia.
During our initial visit to Russia, Linda and I met over lunch with the leaders from the underground churches. Almost 25 years later, I vividly recall the people I sat across the table from. I was later told they were the overseers of the underground churches in Russia, approximately 100,000 strong. As I was sitting across from them, I asked my interpreter who they were and where they came from. He began to individually point them out, telling some of the challenges they encountered as they led the underground churches through turbulent times. Several of them had spent over 20 years in prison for preaching the gospel. Most of them had lost their health and their teeth were rotted away.
It was obvious they had experienced many hardships in life. But it was also apparent they were a proud people because they had laid down their lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and, because they had maintained their faith, churches from all over the world were now coming to their country to work alongside them.
When I returned to the United States, I began to seek ways that our church could become a part of this great move. I’ve always maintained the conviction that if you want something, reach out to the highest sources in government. I knew that if I could get a foothold with the government leadership, things could become a lot easier.
I reached out to the Mayor’s office in St. Petersburg, Russia, finally getting to his administrative assistant. I explained who we were and our interest in doing a goodwill tour representing East Texas. I stated that, should we have the opportunity, fifty people from our area were wanting to make the trip. I further shared that we would ship two containers of food to distribute to the less fortunate in their city. I told her that we would also love to meet with their mayor. Impossible? Not with God! James tells us in chapter 4 that we don’t have because we don’t ask. Please note, Saint Petersburg was a city of just over seven million people at the time.
The assistant paused and then said that we needed to place this request in letter form. We followed through and several weeks passed. The assistant called again saying that the only way this could be considered was if I sent them a letter from our mayor stating that we were indeed on a goodwill tour representing Tyler, Texas.
Kevin Eltife was our mayor at that time. He graciously gave us a letter stating that we were indeed goodwill ambassadors from East Texas. In less than two weeks, I received a response from the administrative assistant of the mayor of St. Petersburg stating that our request had been honored and asked when were we planning our trip! Within a few months, a total of 49 people from Rose Heights Church boarded a plane to Russia. We hired Russian guides and interpreters, planning out every detail of the journey. The day following our arrival in St. Petersburg, all 49 of us boarded the bus to the mayor’s office. The building was magnificent with guards situated all around the facilities. As I stepped from the bus, I told everyone to pray and I would see if everything was still good to go.
I didn’t get five steps until an armed guard stopped me. After showing him our papers and our official letter of invitation, he said, “Wait here.” He was gone a few minutes and when he returned, he said, “Yes, you can visit with him. He is expecting you.” I stepped back onto the bus and told everyone it was OK for them to just follow me! Immediately the guard came to the front of the bus saying, “No, no, no! Only you can visit with the mayor. Not everyone!” I told him that was not our understanding, but that everyone together would have an audience with the mayor. I further stated that we had traveled thousands and thousands of miles for this visit. He looked puzzled and then said, “Let me check.”
Within a few moments he came back to the bus and said, “You may go but you can only stay 15 minutes and no more!” All 49 of us walked up the large stairway and were led to a huge beautiful room. A guard informed us that when the mayor came in, everyone in the room must stand. Within a few minutes the mayor entered with an interpreter. He sat down and his interpreter introduced him to us. He cordially asked, “What can I do for you?” I told him that we were Christians and were wanting to start a new church in St. Petersburg and also that we had brought him and his wife several special gifts from East Texas. He seemed very pleased with our gifts, then spoke to his interpreter. She left for a moment, returning with beautiful etchings of St. Petersburg. The meeting lasted for over an hour! God had given us favor!
I told the mayor that we also had containers of food for the city’s less fortunate and, if possible, we would like to visit some of their schools. He pulled out of his drawer a beautiful card that was uniquely designed and said, “This is the key to the city. When you show this to anyone, they will immediately recognize that it is from me and wherever you and your group are wanting to visit, just show them this card and you will be accepted.” Yes, even schools!
With card in hand, we had access to visit and teach at any school of our choosing. We openly shared the story of Jesus Christ without any opposition at all! From there we located a movie theater to do a three-day crusade, with the thought of possibly starting a church. The only building that was available was an X-rated theater building but we could use it in the early afternoon because at 8 o’clock, it would be open to the public for X-rated movies.
We had prepared tracts to pass out all over the city about the crusade. Because Christianity was now permitted, we were able to distribute them at businesses and apartments, saturating the entire area. That evening we had no idea what would happen or if anyone would show up. An hour before the service began, a line started to form outside the building with hundreds waiting to get in.
The theater would hold just over 1,200 people. The first night of the crusade we had to close the doors almost immediately because 1,200 people had come early and filled the building. I never saw anything like this in my life! We hired some Russian Christian singers to do praise and worship.
The building was filled with mostly young people and young marrieds. Through an interpreter, we preached a simple ten-minute message on how to be born again. Then we gave a simple altar call asking, “If you would like to have Jesus Christ come into your hearts, when we give the invitation, please raise your hands.” When we did, everyone in the building stood and lifted their hands! I felt surely, they had misunderstood me, so again I asked everyone who would like to accept Jesus Christ into their lives to please lift their hands again. Everyone stood, raising their hands.
Because the front of the building was too small for the crowd, we asked that they step into the aisles and we would come to them. Because we only had around 50 interpreters most of the conversation was done in sign language from the stage. For example, I would place my hand over my heart and have them do the same. Then with the other hand I would point toward heaven. They got it! I watched as the Holy Spirit intervened through those simple hand gestures! God was honoring our effort because He knew we were doing it for His glory.
Someway, somehow the Holy Spirit came into that auditorium and young adults began to cry uncontrollably, understanding that something supernatural was taking place in their lives. The following two evenings were identically the same. Both evenings the building was filled to capacity. We had to guard the front doors to prevent an overflow that could become dangerous.
Again, by a simple message and invitation, everyone in the building came forward. At the close of each service, we would pass out cans of food or whatever we had brought over in the containers. I was totally caught off guard when many of those attending would not accept the food, saying they came only to know more about Jesus Christ.
Within a few days we packed up and boarded the bus for the airport. We met at the theater where the crusade had been held at 7 a.m. When we arrived, to our surprise there were probably 100 people standing by the bus. Most of them were holding hand-painted banners written in the Russian language with big hearts on them that said, “Thank you” and “We love you!” Through the bus windows we waved goodbye.
As we were leaving, I particularly remember one elderly lady carrying a banner. As our bus pulled away, she began to run alongside of it, waving. I watched her trip and fall but she quickly got up to her knees and continued to wave the banner until we were out of sight. I’ve never forgotten a single detail of that experience.
Today there’s a hurting world just waiting for someone to share with them the never-grows-old, wonderful, saving grace of Jesus Christ! I don’t think anyone in that group will ever forget the time we spent with them. The moments, emotions, and precious faces of those who had now become our brothers and sisters in Christ will remain with us all forever. God always has a plan and if we are faithful to it, the best is yet to come! The crusade wound up with approximately 3,000 converts and 25 churches birthed in the St. Petersburg and Moscow area. God blessed us with other Christian groups who later came alongside us, adding greater success to all that was accomplished.
Hawaii 2002-2003
There is nothing better than knowing you are in God’s will. After 25 wonderful years, I felt the Lord was moving me from my pastorate in Tyler. It had been a wonderful journey. Linda and I both, till this day, are so grateful for the years we spent there. On my resignation, the church graciously gave me a year’s salary saying, “We’re praying during this time that God will show you His will.”
One of my greatest desires was to serve in missions. Because I served on our denomination’s Missions Board of Directors, I was blessed with opportunities to travel to over 30 countries. Each country has been indelibly imprinted on my heart. During this time, I traveled with the Missions Board to England to do some conferences. I was still uncertain where God was wanting to place me.
While there, I received a call from our international director saying that there were several countries in Europe that needed an overseer and, should I be interested in the position, it was mine. That evening I called Linda and told her about the invitation. During our conversation, I could feel an uneasiness in her voice. Because we had always worked as a team, I accepted her reservation as a “no” from the Lord. That evening I respectfully declined his invitation.
Later that day, a friend and I decided to go to a local coffee shop. He happened to serve as the State Bishop of Hawaii and had joined the Missions Board for this tour. As I was sharing my indecisiveness on what my next step would be, he became emotional, stating, “Jim, I know that transitioning is difficult. I also know you have a love for missions. Jim, Hawaii is a mission field! I don’t have much to offer you. The largest church we have averages about 100. But if you would just pray about coming to Hawaii, we could work something out.”
I saw his passion and went back to where I was staying. That evening I began to seek God regarding his request. There was a peace that had settled over the room, and I felt that this could be the next door God was opening for us. When I returned home, I shared with Linda what had transpired and the passion the overseer had about the Islands.
Within a few days, both of us felt that this was God’s will. I called the overseer to let him know of our decision. He said he would immediately begin working on our assignment. Within a month or so, he called to let us know of a small church in Hilo, Hawaii, sharing every detail and saying that the congregation was approximately 70, most of the parking lot was grass, and the building had not been refurbished since the mid-50s. In spite of all that he said, there was a peace, knowing this was going to be my next assignment. A month later I attended our quarterly Executive Council meeting in Tennessee. From there I purchased a ticket to Hawaii so I could see the church and visit with the pastor and congregation. Because of our ages, I knew we had to get this one right.
As I boarded the plane in Chattanooga, I prayed for God’s perfect peace and direction regarding this new assignment. When we landed in Dallas, the airline informed me that my flight was being rerouted to the Houston airport and from there to Hawaii. At that time, I didn’t think much of it. When we arrived in Houston, I was directed to a section for overseas flights into Asia.
It was a large waiting room with people from all over Asia waiting to board their planes. The room was packed. I could hear different languages spoken throughout the building. I saw a chair available next to an individual. Hoping she could speak English, I asked if the seat next to her was taken. She responded in perfect English saying that no one was seated there.
For the next several hours we were able to converse and get to know each other. During the course of our conversation, she asked my destination. I told her Hawaii. Her response was immediate, saying, “That’s where I’m going! I’ve lived there all my life!” Then the conversation got interesting. She said “Can I ask what island you’re traveling to?” I told her the Big Island and she said “That’s the island I live on!”
Each time she would ask a question and I responded, I saw more excitement on her face. Then she said, “Can I ask you what city?” I told her Hilo. She said, “That’s where I live!” She asked further, “Why are you going there?” I explained to her that I had accepted a pastorate in that city and was to live in the parsonage. She responded, “I work for the city of Hilo. I know everything about it. Tell me the location of the church.” I told her and she almost leaped from her chair saying, “I am very familiar with that church! In fact, my next-door neighbor is the pastor! His name is David Bishop.” I paused for a moment and then said, “Well, hello neighbor! That’s the home that we are moving into!”
As you’re reading this, just pause and think about what had transpired. In Chattanooga as I boarded, I prayed “God, I’m getting old. Please let me know if this move is your will.” I was then diverted from Dallas to Houston to travel to Hawaii, and out of a large room of people, I sat next to the person who would become my next-door neighbor in the city that I was planning to pastor in! Within a few weeks, my family made the move and we embarked on one of the most exciting journeys I had ever experienced.
Now, for the next few minutes, follow along. I promise you will see just how much God cares about those who pursue His will. Ready? Here goes!
God was creating a radical change in me. Throughout my ministry, I aspired to be number one. Certainly, salvation for the lost was my priority, but the way I would reach them was being radically challenged. I would no longer be afforded the opportunity to have a large building or the finances to build one. Land to build on was premium in Hawaii and totally out of our reach. With the exception of a few things, everything we purchased to beautify or enlarge the church cost twice as much as it cost on the mainland. The price for gasoline at that time was four dollars a gallon. To ship our two cars over there cost almost $2,000. So large church buildings with elegant furniture were out of the picture, but in this personal transition, I knew we were going to witness a great revival!
Two of the people who were extremely valuable to us during our time in Hawaii were our youth pastor, Allen, and his wife, Julie. Julie became our volunteer secretary and they were both so involved in the ministry of the church and such an encouragement to me.
Within several months, we began the renovation of the church. This had to be done for us to stay in the building. So with God’s help, we figured out a way! I reached out to our international offices asking for physical help. They quickly responded by sending a group of men and women — “Men and Women of Action” — to tear down and renovate the inside of the church. We were about three weeks from finishing and, until renovations were complete, we would have to find somewhere else for our church to meet. Everything in Hilo that could seat 100+ people wasn’t available. I had no idea where we were going to worship, but God did! Because of several new families attending, He knew we desperately needed a building to maintain the momentum.
One afternoon as I was sitting in my office, a neighbor who was in leadership at the University of Hawaii stopped by, saying he had heard that we had no place to worship for three weeks and he felt like he should make the University available to us at no cost! As you know, especially in Hawaii, they never mix religion with education but somehow God made the arrangements for this to happen. Please note, I had never met this man. He began to attend many of the services.
When we moved back into our newly renovated building, we began to pray every Tuesday morning at 6 o’clock. I stated that I was not necessarily looking to grow a huge church but to make a huge spiritual difference in our community. One morning as I was praying, I asked God to send a few more seasoned Christians — some who would help me make the right choices.
The doors and windows of the church were all open that Tuesday morning. It was so beautiful I felt that someone was standing behind me. I’m sure you’ve experienced that at one time or another, and when I turned around, I saw an elderly gentleman leaning on a cane. He introduced himself as David Shotwell. He began to tell me that he had been in leadership of a particular denomination throughout all of the islands of Hawaii and that month, he had just retired from his position. He further stated that God had awakened him that morning telling him that he should come and introduce himself to me. He went on to tell me that would he get me acquainted with all the leadership in the city of Hilo and throughout the Big Island. He also said, “I own the only Christian radio station on the Big Island. I feel impressed by God to give you a time on Sunday evening to broadcast your service and if you want, you could emcee on Thursday mornings from 6:00 to 8:00.”
Now please push the pause button. I had never met this gentleman in all of my life! But God woke him up, instructing him to work alongside me as long as I lived on the island! David honored his word! As we were spiritually progressing, the church was growing, but very slowly. In all sincerity, it was not bothering me. I was not in competition with anyone and had no quota to meet. My heart was to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. So my prayer every day went something like this: “God I don’t know how You’re going to do it today, but I would love an opportunity to win a person to You!”
One evening just before the service began, I stood at the door to welcome people. Before I returned to the front, I looked out over where the homes were situated and noticed that the people who lived in the homes that surrounded the church had brought out their lawn chairs waiting for church to begin. When we would sing, I could see them joining in. When we would say “Amen” many of them said “Amen!” Much of Hilo was made up of Mormons, Buddhists and Catholics. I could never get these folks into a church building, but it really didn’t matter. They were hearing the story of Jesus while sitting on lawn chairs in their front yard! I honestly don’t know how many people were listening. There were houses both across the street and down the road. When we are willing, God will cause barriers to become opportunities. God works and moves in ways we never thought of.
Our church was situated next to a state prison. Between the church and the prison was a row of large banana plants that hid the prison from our view. One evening as I was preaching, our church members began hearing laughter and amens coming from the direction of the prison. The following Sunday evening it happened again. We checked it out and, to our amazement, the officers in charge of the prison had permitted the prisoners to stand close by the fenced wall to hear the preaching and singing of God’s word.
The prisoners may have been listening for several weeks, but if they were, I was unaware of it until that night. When I realized what was happening, I began giving alter calls that were expressly directed to them. I will never know how many people were converted by hearing the gospel through a chained fence, but God does and that’s all that matters.
On Thursday mornings, the radio broadcast generally consisted of speaking and playing music. One morning as we were leading into another song, the Lord impressed heavily on my heart that there was someone listening who was going to take their life. I spoke those words over the air saying, “Folks, you know we don’t usually do this, but I feel there is someone listening who is on the verge of taking their life. So whenever I go into the next song, here’s the number I want you to call and I will pray for you.”
Immediately when the music began, the phone rang. It was a woman. She shared with me that she was standing at the ocean’s edge, and she had on earphones listening to the broadcast. She told me that her marriage was in shambles and that she was ready to walk into the water to end her life, “but” she said “you told me that God saw me and there was still hope and He doesn’t want me to die.” I listened and then prayed with her.
The next Sunday morning she and her husband came to the church service. At the close of the service, she came up to me and handed me an envelope with a six-page handwritten letter. In the letter she explained every detail of how God had miraculously spared her life because of a 6:30 a.m. radio broadcast telling the story of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness He brings.
Our congregation eventually grew to where there was no room. We had an awesome young man to direct the youth department which grew to capacity. We were able to do commercials on television and our youth pastor was given permission to do outreach programs through our city. God truly blessed us for the duration of the time we were there. When we left, we turned it over to our youth pastor who brought the church to even greater heights that we could only imagine.
We left with our cup overflowing. We didn’t build a new facility but we were able, in very unique ways, to reach out to the city of Hilo and make a difference for the Lord Jesus Christ. Only eternity will reveal how many people were saved through the broadcast or while listening behind the walls of the prison. Even today when I pray, I still express great gratitude for the Lord permitting me to travel to the islands of Hawaii and uniquely share the good news that Jesus saves.
2003-2006
During our appointment in Hawaii, Rose Heights Church remained faithful with their financial support. Their finances were the primary way we were able to pay a salary to our youth pastor. However, during this time, Rose Heights was going through some changes, and regretfully let us know they would have to drop our monthly allotment. I fully understood, accepting their reasons.
Around this time, I received a call from the lead pastor of the Longview church whom I had appointed years before. He said he was experiencing some physical problems and asked if I would consider moving to Longview to serve with him as co-pastor of the church. At the time, the Longview church had grown to over thirteen hundred in attendance. Within a month we accepted his invitation.
The Longview pastor was basically a good man; however, several significant things transpired, causing us to reach out to our international offices requesting a change. A few days later they responded saying that a position had come open in Canada and asked if we were interested. I would go as Consultant of Church Ministries in Western Canada, doing classes throughout the region on church growth and pastoring a small church in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. We would be fully supported from our International Offices. This was one of the most wonderful seasons for Linda and me. It held many challenges, but also many blessings and opportunities.
The church had basically closed its doors with only around 30 still attending. It was a beautiful facility, just slowly dying. I drove onto the premises with the overseer. He said, “If you can help us, we would greatly appreciate it.” He then stated, “It was once the strongest church in the region and we don’t want to lose it.” We felt honored by how he presented his request, telling him we would do everything possible to reestablish and grow the church to health.
The first thing we did was to go looking for a need within the city so that we could help to fill it. It wasn’t long until we found it. In the eyes of most people, it may have seemed insignificant, but any time parents and children are involved, it becomes significant. We discovered that on the evening of Halloween, the children from grades six and upward had places to gather but the smaller children had no structured activities. In October, it is extremely cold in Canada, so door-to-door trick or treating was eliminated. We met with the church’s leadership and decided to have a program designed expressly for this age and called it “Kids Harvest Festival.” It would be held in our church and gymnasium.
We were blessed to have a man in our church who was very highly regarded in the community. He seemed to know everyone within a radius of 200 miles. He had a Christian radio broadcast that had aired throughout Saskatchewan for over 20 years. Everyone called him Brother John. His personality was such that no one could turn down almost any request he asked.
He went to hundreds of businesses in the city asking if they would donate gifts for this special children’s event. We wound up with over 100 businesses participating. The night of the event, Halloween, the gymnasium had been turned into a huge game room for the children of almost every age. Candy, snow cones and prizes of all sorts were drawn every five minutes. The province’s hockey team mascot was also present. Hockey was, and still is, the biggest sport in Canada. The children were thrilled as they were greeted by the team’s mascot!
Because there were so many children, we had to divide the crowd in half. While half would play games, the other half would go into the sanctuary to hear the story of Jesus. For many, this was the first time they had heard about Him. Doug Anderson from Tyler, who is an accomplished ventriloquist, graciously accepted our invitation to come and bring his dummy, John. The principals from every elementary school were present, letting the children throw pies filled with shaving cream in their faces. The mayor and the city councilmen agreed to it as well. Almost all the media was present to cover the event. When the invitation to be saved was extended, practically every child raised their hand to be saved. The altar was filled.
A few weeks following the event, we received a notice from the leadership in the province stating that, because of the success of the program, our church was being registered in their 100th year anniversary commemorative edition. Alpine Church was the only church in the province that was recognized. Our tenure was for only one year but during this period, the church grew to overflowing. We felt humbled that God had used us in the great nation of Canada to reestablish a church that was on the verge of closing. When we left, we stayed in contact with many of the people. They continued Kids Harvest Festival for the next six years. Each year the numbers grew with many children being led to Christ. Thank you, Alpine Church, for accepting us, loving us and working alongside of us! (See Hebrews 6:10)
From there we were assigned to serve as President of International Bible College in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Both Linda and I were excited about the appointment. It was a beautiful campus and the school was fully accredited.
During our first year the Lord gave us favor in almost every way and with the funds we had, we were able to purchase an eighteen-passenger school bus, renovate the president’s home and furnish new mattresses for each bed in the dormitories. With the funds we had, we were able to finish the dormitories, but the tables and chairs that the students were using in the cafeteria were over 20 years old and were falling apart. After taking it to God, He laid it on my heart to reach out to friends of ours about the need. Within 24 hours, they responded saying they had prayed about it and would be happy to cover the cost for new tables and chairs. Our students were elated! God is always faithful.
Approximately six months into our appointment, I received a call from the government of Canada stating that our visa only stipulated that we could pastor a church and could not, without prior consent, serve in any other capacity. They informed us that we could stay on the college premises but couldn’t serve in any capacity. Our international offices in Tennessee hired several attorneys in Canada and the United States trying to reverse this decision. A month later we received a fax from the government of Canada stating they had made their final decision and we had to vacate International Bible College within seventy-two hours. We packed what we could in our car and left Canada.
This was a season in life I never fully understood. Everything seemed to be going so well and ended so abruptly. However, when things happen that we don’t understand, as believers we must lean on God, placing the outcome into His hands. We moved back to Tyler with no place to pastor or serve.
We had always had our eyes on the community of Lindale, Texas, believing there was a golden opportunity to build a great church there. It had now been six years since we had left Rose Heights Church in Tyler and because Lindale was located 16 miles north of Tyler, we felt comfortable in beginning a new work there. Before beginning, we conferred with our state Director to say that if there was any reservation from any of our denominational churches in Tyler, we would hold off until another time. It was okay with everyone and we began reaching out to the Lindale community.
This time we were financially on our own, without financial support from anyone. Within the first five months we relocated five times. Each time we moved, we outgrew the building. None of the buildings we rented could seat over seventy-five people. After five months of searching for a building, we began to feel that perhaps we had missed God on this one. There was a young couple (Keith and Shannon) living in Lindale who had previously attended Rose Heights, Tyler. They were well established in one of the local churches. As much as I wanted to invite them to church, if I did, I would go against what I had preached all my ministry.
One morning as we were going to church, I prayed this prayer: “Dear Lord, I’ve been in Lindale for five months now. I can’t find a building and I’m getting awfully discouraged. If it’s your will for us to build a church in Lindale, would You please speak to Keith and tell him to visit our church this morning and then this would be a sign that we’re supposed to stay. In Jesus name, Amen.” I realize this is unorthodox and I’ve rarely put a fleece before God throughout my ministry.
Precisely at eleven o’clock Keith walked into the church. He stayed a few minutes after church letting me know he was going to his church that morning but that God had spoken to him and told him to come visit us. He stated that he would most likely start attending our church. That was all I needed.
The next day we again searched throughout the city for a place to worship. As we were driving home to Tyler, I noticed a “For Rent” sign on a vacated video store. It was not there when we drove by earlier that day. We called the number on the sign. The person said she had just placed it up within the hour. Without hesitation we rented the facility for $1,200 a month.
It’s interesting how Satan attempts to work in every area of our lives. A few weeks later, after we had announced to our small church that we had signed a contract with the video store and were renovating the inside, I received a call from our Director of World Missions telling me that a large church in the Bahamas had opened up. He knew I was interested in world missions and that if I wanted the church, it was mine. I realized that accepting his invitation was impossible, explaining to him that I had committed to the church in Lindale and had just leased a building for 6 months. I truly grieved over this, because all my life I had wanted to serve on the mission field in some capacity.
Later we were able to rent a small office space and we named the new church Christ Central. If I had it to do over, I would probably have named it Linda Memorial Church in honor of my precious wife. Every step of the journey, she has stood beside me with many 12- to 14-hour days.
Neither of us received financial assistance for almost the first year. Eventually we purchased 12 acres on Highway 16 just east