DAYS
OF
GLORY
By
Carla Reed
Preface
January 2009
Recently, the Lord has been
bringing to my remembrance a series of events that happened ten years ago. As I
have contemplated these last ten years of travel, I realized how several key
events served as catalysts to launch me into a whirlwind cross-country
traveling ministry I would never have imagined or even asked for.
My friend, David Van
Koevering teaches about the 'Power of Ten'. I have written the following true and
accurate accounts believing that the labor of love and sacrifice over the past
ten years of ministry will multiply exponentially as His Glory and Grace
explode in manifestations across America and around the world.
It is good for us to recall
the events of our lives that we might see the Hand of the Lord leading us
faithfully, and thereby, we know that He will surely continue to direct our
steps. With this in mind, I will be weaving several beautiful story sequences
as a means of encouragement to you as I thank the Lord for His Hand upon my
life. It is an honest look into the struggle to be birthed by faith into the
invisible realms of His Glory and Grace.
How we long to see, taste and touch, yet we are required to endure the
painful pressure of birth-like contractions that propel us forward through a
narrow passageway to bring us out of darkness and into His Glorious Light.
The true stories told in
this book are meant to serve as a record of my memoirs as I endeavor to
chronicle the legacy of the Faithfulness of God to my children and
grandchildren. Included are my
eyewitness and personal accounts of being in Ashland, Virginia
in 1999 when the gold dust manifestations began to appear. I have used the real
names of real people in real places to authenticate a very real story.
Therefore, I lovingly
dedicate this writing to my family, and especially to my youngest son, Joshua,
who traveled faithfully at my side.
A special thanks to the many friends, hosts, leaders, pastors, and intercessors
whose lives have been intricately woven into my own since the year 1999. You have graced me with your friendship,
generosity, and hospitality and deeply enriched my life.
And to the rest of you, new
to the ever-widening circle of family and friends, I offer a realistic peek
into the precious and precarious thing we call ministry.
May you each hear my heart,
bear with my candid accounting, and yearn for the miracles of God to be
released upon His people once again in ever increasing waves of Glory and Grace. It is not my intention to offend or
expose anyone, but an honest look can benefit us all. Please be patient with me. You just had
to be there.
My kindest regards and love
to all of you.
Ten Years Ago…
Ten years ago, in January
1999, I was facing a dilemma. I was
renting a small farmhouse near Freeman, SD that belonged to friends who had moved to Colorado Springs. It was a mutually beneficial for both of
us. I was renting cheaply, and in
turn, they had someone living in their house keeping watch on the farmyard and tool
shed. I had moved to that little homestead in September 1997, following a
whirlwind summer in Ashland,
Virginia that had culminated with
my ordination into the ministry by the late Ruth Ward Heflin. That is told more fully in my booklet
called “ My Story”, which you can read online or call me to
order. It is a wonderful gripping
story of the unexpected call of the Lord upon my life and the unlikely people
the Lord chose to link me to.
I’ve had many wonderful responses to this funny and candid story
of how the Lord loves to call and qualify ordinary people to our own chagrin
and that of the uppity.
In March and April of the
year 1998, Josh and I had made a unforgettable six week trip to Israel
and then spent the summer doing some light travel. While in Israel,
we had met some people who were from Pensacola, Florida where the great revival at Brownsville Assembly was taking place.
Something deep in me stirred whenever we talked about it, and I really wanted
to attend 'someday'. That fall, I
learned that a major ladies conference called “Arise Deborah” would
be held at the Brownsville
church in January 1999, and that Ruth Heflin would be one of the speakers. How
I wanted to go! But… I had no
money. The cost of registration was
$80, and I just couldn’t see putting $80 on a credit card even if
I’d had one, or sending in the money if I had it, when I was about 1500
miles away. I didn’t know if I would even be able to get there. Besides
that, it was winter and travel is precarious at best. When you’re sitting
in a small farmhouse in South Dakota and
thinking of driving to Florida
for a three-day conference, it seems more than abit unrealistic. Still, the deep yearning to go gnawed at
my soul and defied my reason.
Not only did I not have $80
for registration, but also I had no extra funds for gas money or hotels. At that time I was living primarily on
small offerings and child support for Joshua which made for a slim-line budget. We had what we needed, but no frills,
and if the child support was late, I was in a pinch. So how could I even begin to think of a
trip to Pensacola, Florida,
and possibly going to the camp in Ashland,
Virginia afterwards? Impossible! And, that was that, or so I thought.
About late November, I was
sitting at my Roland keyboard, looking out the window onto the snow-covered
frozen ground. I decide to worship
the Lord and just thank Him for the wonderful place we had to be safe and warm. I was already fighting the blues and
wondering how I’d endure a long winter on the farm, ten miles from the
closest town. Florida surely sounded better. While I was worshipping, I received a
phone call and an invitation to speak at the December meeting in Fairmont,
Minnesota hosted by my ever since dear friend, Theresa. She would rent the armory once a month,
invite a speaker and worshippers to come, and pray for the entire region. I was excited to be asked for the very
next month, and after that meeting, I linked up with many wonderful people who
are still good friends these ten years later. I remember I was fretting over the
month’s bills. Without their knowing of my concern, Theresa and her husband felt they were
supposed to pay my December van payment. At the time, I had an old white Plymouth Voyager with
payments of about $165 a month. An
offering helped me through the month, but would not cover a trip to Florida. However the longing was increasing and
growing incessantly louder inside of me.
Around Christmas, I remember
praying and praying about how impossible the trip seemed. At the time I was writing out prophetic
words the Lord would give me. I
will be sharing several key journal entries that will give you insight into my
world.
As the year 1998 ended on a
cold December 31, ten years ago, I wrote:
“I stand
ready at the gate; the gate of 1998. Not to open it, nay, but to close it.
And enter a
new gate; a gate so fine as the Year of His Glory in 1999.
The year to
Arise, the year to Shine, The Year of His Glory upon me, the year 1999.
‘This
year 1999 will be the year of Glory manifested upon His people.
The year for a
revealing to His saints; and the revealing of His saints;
Those hidden
and tucked away will arise from their grave clothes and say,
“I am changed from death to
life. I am changed and delivered
from strife”.
I’m not
alone, nor left to die without purpose;
I’m
resurrected by His power and ready to fly.
Up and away
from the grave He arose and I am hidden in Him and so I too will arise.
With Glory on
my skin and in my hair, and His shine coming forth from within.
To go forth to
do the works He’s called me to do;
To see with
His eyes and His compassion too.
To go in His
Name, To carry His grace,
To speak out
His words to every tribe and race;
To go and
never be afraid of the face that taunts and haunts and disparages me;
To preach His
Word and be totally free -
To administer
His healing, His resurrection power,
To know His
anointing hour after hour;
To go to every
place He shall call,
To preach the
gospel to one and all.
O Lord, is it
truly possible to walk in such a place, such an anointing, to walk so confident
in the works of my God, that I am not afraid, not intimidated, not in need, not
weary in body or soul?
How shall I
learn to lean upon my beloved? How
shall I come out of the wilderness, leaning and learning?
As the year
passes, how can I not trust Him who was so faithful in provision and
protection? Yes, He Who is, Who was,
and Who is to come.
Lead me Holy
Spirit, as you do; let me know the Wind of Yourself. Pick me up and carry me into the new
places. Like a natural wind that
lifts and carries so may you carry me into the new year - into new places of your leading. Lift me, carry me when I am weak and
unable to go, when I know not the direction; may Your Holy Wind blow me into
the right direction, propel me forward and lift me out of lethargy.
You will understand the
importance of those prayers and words as I unfold many stories before you.
While the Holy Spirit faithfully kept prodding me to drive to Florida by faith, I kept hesitating and
waiting. “Why Lord? Are You really telling me to do
that?” On the morning of January 2, 1999, ten years ago, I spontaneously
began to sing a song. Later, I
wrote the Lord’s response to me.
The Song:
“I will
arise and go forth in the Name of the Lord of Hosts for He has conquered every
foe by His Name, by His Name.
I will
declare, He is the Lord, I will trust and not be afraid, I will arise and go
forth in His Name.”
And the Lord’s word to me that I recorded:
Have you not
sung the answer, O my Daughter?
Arise and Go forth.
Have you not
already felt the tug of My Spirit to come to Brownsville; have ye not longed to meet me
there? Then listen now to the
command to “Go Forth”.
The call and the command have been spoken. Yea, arise, then and make yourself
ready. For thy enemy and thy carnal mind shall find reason to stay put, to stay
down, to stay out.
Arise to new
heights of faith. As ye prepare, I
shall equip. Still the voice of fear, it is not of me, fear of lack, fear of
travel. Nay, I give thee not the spirit of fear nor timidity, but power to
perform, love to cover, and soundness of mind and flesh to accomplish.
Arise and go
forth in the Name of the Lord of Lords, for He has conquered every foe, and ye need only to walk in My victory
and enforce it into the spirit realm that seeks to discredit thee, even to
yourself.
March on then,
as one marches in victory. Let thy steps be confident, that thy God is able to
keep thee, provide for thy every need and yea, even able to stop thee, should
it be needful. March to the tune of the song;
“I will
arise and go forth in the Name of the Lord of Hosts, for He has conquered every
foe, by His Name, by His Name.
I will declare
He is the Lord; I will trust and not be afraid. I will arise and go forth in
His Name!
Learn to trust
not in the provision, but in the Provider.
Many times it is easy to
look at those who have ventured forth and think they didn’t have a fear
or problem in doing so. We do not
know or see the hidden struggles of those whom we admire or realize that all of
us are of like nature and will have to overcome our own fears and
timidity. That is why the stories
of the Faithfulness of the Lord are so important as a declaration of what has
already been done and as a comforting exhortation to those ready to try their
wings.
Even when we’ve had
wonderful prophetic words and promises, our fearful nature rises up. The facts were hard to ignore. I could scrape together about $150-200 to
drive to Florida,
and I had no idea how or when or if any money would come in. At that time I didn’t even have a
credit card. I had told the Lord I
should have $1000 before I started out.
But, He seemed to tell me not to worry about it, and that I would have
what I needed when I needed it. In
other words, most of us want all that is needed BEFORE the journey and He says
I’ll give it to you IN the journey.
Have you noticed He really does think differently than we do?
One afternoon, the battle
raged in my soul. I was getting
down to wire on when I needed to leave in order to get to Brownsville
Assembly in Pensacola
for the Women’s Conference.
My hope was that I could still get registered. I reasoned if not, I’d still be
able to attend the revival meetings.
I had already been given the name of a lady name Heidi who hosted people
coming from out of state for the revival meetings. I had called her and she had
a room available for Josh and I. We
just needed to get there. As I lay
down to rest and think about what to do, the torment of fear and anxiety
gripped my soul. I remember looking
out the small bedroom window. Snow covered the cold ground and the dreariness
and weariness of winter were already threatening to suffocate me. Suddenly, I cried out, “I’m going to die here, if I
stay. And then the resolve,
“Well, if I’m going to die, I might as well die on the road”.
That may sound rather
gruesome, but between the oppressive fear of going and the heaviness of the
Lord’s dealings with me, it was enough to think I really might die one
way or the other. With that I threw
off the covers and my feet hit the floor running. I began to pack and prepare to leave
within a day. I called my mother to
tell her I would be leaving, and she said she wanted to come out and say
goodbye to us before we left the next morning. Josh and I began to load the van in the
bitter cold. I was beginning to
really like the idea of going to Florida
after all. Josh was 12 years old at
the time and quick and ready to go anytime. He didn’t ever seem to worry about
the things I did, and I always marveled at the faith he seemed to have in his
mother. It would really challenge me to have that kind of faith in my Heavenly
Father if Josh could have such trust in me.
The evening before we left,
my mother who lived in Menno, about 10 miles away, came to tell us goodbye. She
had become very supportive of my going into the ministry even though she
didn’t know how to explain my unusual calling to some of the
relatives. It had made for some
tense times between us previously, but her mother’s heart and belief in
me would bring me great comfort as I took my first faltering steps. How we need someone to believe in us
when we can’t believe in ourselves, and how grateful I am to my very own
mother for her love and support.
After explaining my desire
and purpose in going to Florida,
she wished us well and handed me a small bank envelope with $300 cash towards
the trip. Hooray! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I was already on my way
to that $1000 I thought I needed.
I’ve noticed the provision of God in our lives is never truly
activated until we step out in faith.
Have you noticed that yet?
Florida
With a growing confidence
and a smile on our faces, Josh and I finished loading that old white Plymouth Voyager van
which I had affectionately dubbed my “White Horse (power)". The
weather was bitter cold as we headed south. We drove down I-29 through Sioux City, IA and on
towards Kansas City, MO.
At the time my daughter, Anne, was a student at Central
Bible College
in Springfield, MO.
We had planned to stop and see her and spend our first night. Our plans
would take us to Brownsville
Assembly by January 15 to attend an evening service. I had called to confirm our room at the
host home only to find out that the Arise Deborah Ladies Conference was
completely sold out. I was really
disappointed and upset with myself that I hadn’t registered earlier that
fall when I first felt the unction to go.
My hostess, Heidi assured me she would ask around and see if she could
find a registration bracelet that would serve as a ticket for me. She worked at Dr. Michael Brown’s
book table and felt she might be able to secure an extra or available bracelet. I relaxed knowing I had an inside
tracking agent.
After leaving Springfield, Missouri,
we began our southeastern trek. In spite of the fact that the weather was still
very cold, I decided to pull into a rest stop somewhere in Mississippi so we could sleep awhile and
keep driving thus avoiding the hotel expense. I was eager to get to Pensacola so we could find our host home and
clean up for the evening service.
Josh and I snuggled into our winter coats and then shared a blanket for
a few hours before I started driving again. The weeks of cold had left a nasty grimy
film of snow, slush and dirt all over my white van that didn’t look white
at all. It was so good to find a
carwash that morning, step out into the warm sunshine, and wash away all the
filth and grime that had caked itself on my vehicle. It seemed like that spray
wash cleaned me off too, from all the anxiety that had smeared my soul and made
it less than white as well.
We used our maps and found
our way to the home in Gulf Breeze where we would be staying. It was a lovely home that had been
rented by a generous and hospitable couple named Woody and Heidi to host people
who wanted to come to the revival.
They charged a nominal fee or received free will offerings. A few other ladies were staying there
who wanted to attend the conference.
Heidi informed me regretfully she had not been able to find a bracelet
for me and that the Arise Deborah Conference was sold out to the maximum and seating
was tight for the coming attendance already. Of course, I was disappointed, but I
determined to be glad to attend the evening revival services even if I could
not get into the conference. The
other disappointment was that I found out Ruth Heflin would not be speaking
after all.
A funny side note that I
remember was the name of one of the ladies who was staying at the house. I don’t know why I remember such
things, but oddities seem to stick with me. The lady was from the Indianapolis area and her
name was Penny. What was funny was
that she had married a man whose last name was Money. So her name was Penny Money. It may not tickle your funny bone, but I
thought if was rather cute and certainly unforgettable these 10 years later. In
fact, I still have her name and address in my bulging black book.
The beautiful Florida breezes were already balmy for January, and it
was a great blessing to the dozens of people who would wait outside the Brownsville Assembly of
God church for hours to be able to get a seat in the main sanctuary. By then
they had already build a huge building addition with large viewing screens for
the overflow crowds. As it was,
Josh and I came early enough to stand in line and get into the main building just
before they closed the doors and required the massive crowds waiting to go to
the new annex.
I was eager with
anticipation as I had heard so much about the revival and had never before been
to Pensacola.
Since, we were at the tail end of the crowds entering the building, I sent
Joshua on into the main sanctuary to scout out a couple of seats for us. At age 12, he was young and wiry and
could easily slip through the crowd to find two seats somewhere. I waited toward the back surveying the
mass of people and wondering if and when I’d find him in there
again. Pretty soon, he waved at me
from the far right side area, and I made my way towards him. We were seated close to an inner aisle
near the back. A pretty petite lady
sat on the end of the pew as Josh and I slid in beside her. We introduced
ourselves and found out her name was Susan. She was among several ladies that
had come together from Aurora,
Colorado for the conference. She asked me if I had also come for the
conference. I explained to her that
I had wanted to attend, but had not registered due to the distance and concern
over not being able to come. Then I had learned the conference was sold out and
nothing seemed to be available, so I was planning just to attend the evening
revival meetings. The conference
was being held in the new building addition, while some regularly scheduled
meetings would continue in the main sanctuary that week for people who had come
great distances to attend the revival.
Steve Hill was preaching every night, and Dr Michael Brown often taught
during the day.
After a few minutes of small
talk, Susan looked at me with a funny look and grinned. She explained that her daughter had
registered to come with her and the group, but had not been able to come at the
last minute. She told me she had
come with the extra 'bracelet' that had been her daughter's, and she had
considered giving it to an usher.
She realized as she was sitting next to me in those precious few minutes
that she was to give it to me. She
didn’t have it with her at the moment, but promised to meet me at the
registration desk the next morning. I offered to pay her for it, and she refused,
saying she felt the Lord wanted her to give it to me.
Imagine that! I was ecstatic! Josh and I have just
entered an auditorium teaming with nearly 2500 people. I have sent him ahead to scout out two
seats, any two seats that will allow us to sit together in the main sanctuary.
And to my astonishment, the Lord has just seated me next to probably the only
woman in the place who 'just so happened' to have an extra bracelet for the
conference with her. And it was
free to me! I was so happy. It touched my heart so deeply to think
the Lord had kept tugging at my heart to drive all that way to Florida, and HE
had truly met me there to arrange a FREE bracelet allowing me entry to the
conference. He really had gone
before me. My only other concern
was what to do with Josh while I was attending the conference. When I got back to the house that night,
I was very excited to tell Heidi that the Lord had provided a bracelet after
all. She was really excited as well
as she had earnestly tried to find one for me. She assured me Josh could stay with
them. In addition, another lady who
I had met through my friends in Israel
offered to have him come to her home and be with her children during the
conference days. The Lord was
handling every detail. Now,
let’s see, what was I worried about?
The Arise Deborah Conference
was truly an inspirational and challenging time of interaction and meeting new
friends. The messages stirred us all and I would sit in awe in the building
wondering, “How’d this happen?” It gave me a great sense of
comfort and destiny that the Lord had so purposed my going on the trip.
Susan, the precious lady who
gave me the bracelet and I exchanged addresses and phone numbers. The next year
in 2000, on my first trip to the West Coast, I stopped in Aurora, Colorado
at the invitation of Susan and her husband, Bruce. I spoke with their home group, and they
graciously covered my hotel expenses, blessed me with a love offering, and
treated me to wonderful meals and fellowship. I went back more than once. We have since stayed in touch although I
haven’t been back to Colorado
in several years. They called me
their “Glory Lady” and I loved it.
We spent several days in Florida, enjoying the
wonderful warm sunshine and attending all the revival meetings we could. I remember the wonderful feel of the gulf
air and the breezes and birds singing in the tall pine trees. How glad I was I had listened to the
Lord and wasn’t buried in the snow and cold dreary weather back home. While there, Josh and I visited the Blue Angels
Aviation Museum. He had always loved airplanes and walked
around in wonder and awe at the beautiful vintage airplanes while I sat out and
let him wander the display halls.
How gracious was the Lord’s hand on us to let him see and enjoy
what he loved as we traveled.
North
Carolina
From there we were on our
way to the coast of North Carolina.
In the summer of 1998 while staying at Calvary Pentecostal Campground, I had
met a wonderful new friend, Ellen Day, who lived in Morehead City, NC. While visiting, we had discovered to our
astonishment that we had the very same day of birth, month, day, and year. You can’t help but be good friends
when you’re 'birth sisters'.
Ellen had been the connective link to Heidi in Pensacola where I had just stayed, and she
wanted to invite Josh and I to stay with her a few days. She was attending a
small Church of God of Prophecy in a town nearby and
wanted me to attend some revival meetings there with her. Josh and I had driven all day up
the South and North Carolina coastlines and by following her directions, we
pulled into the church parking after the evening service started. The evangelist was a small framed man
who reminded me of a little bandy rooster.
He was your stereotyped Pentecostal preacher with the lifting lilt in
his voice at the end of his sentences that punctuated his point. He was the type who struts across the
front, waving his arms, and shouting and spitting on you if you’re in his
way. I watched his actions with a
sense of amused bewilderment and the nagging sinking feeling I might be
obligated to attend his meetings.
As I watched him strut and shout, I thought to myself; if you were on
TV, I’d shut you off.
Ellen had spoken to the
pastor about my coming to the area, letting him know I led worship and did
special music. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be part of any of those meetings,
but when they asked me to do 'special music' one night, I agreed out of my
sense of obligation to Ellen. I had
no idea how what I did would blend with what the evangelist did, but an idea
came to me. Ellen had been sharing
with them about Israel
and that Josh and I had just returned from a 6-week trip in April 1998. She suggested I sing some Jewish songs
and go into deeper worship. She was
going to be sharing more with the church in the days ahead concerning Israel and she felt
it would prepare the way for her.
I suggested I start the
evening first. I knew my style was
not going to be very compatible with that flamboyant evangelist and I hoped
I’d just get my part out of the way and get out of his way before the
spit and fire started to fly again.
During those years, Joshua
would play his violin along side me, and I would play my Roland electronic
keyboard. One of the songs that deeply touched many hearts was "Shalom Jerusalem", a song recorded by Paul Wilbur. The two of us, as mother and son, flowed
in a beautiful harmony of sound and spirit that caused many to comment on the
doubled anointing of our worship. I
played a few other songs for about 20 minutes hoping to draw the people into a
deeper expression of worship, and many were touched by it. As I closed, I turned the music back to a worship team
who finished with typical Pentecostal flair and blare. Then I made myself listen and watch the
evangelist relieved to know it was my last night there.
Later that evening as Josh
and I were packing up the violin, keyboard, and music, a lady approached me in
tearful gratitude telling me how much she enjoyed my worship. She said she wanted to bless my ministry
and handed me what looked like at first glance a wadded up $20 bill. I thanked
her as I quietly slipped it into the side pocket of my purse and we continued
to pack up the instruments and leave the church. I didn’t even think to
look at it when I got to Ellen’s house.
The next day, Ellen and I
decided to go to the store. I remembered the money and went to look for it in
my purse. I couldn’t find it.
I looked in every pocket, even checking my torn lining in case it had been lost
down inside between the purse and the lining. I finally gave up, wondering if
I’d just imagined someone had given me money. As we were preparing to leave, it began
to rain, so I decided to quickly go to the van and get my umbrella. As I opened the van door, I saw the
money lying in the console mid section between the two front seats, and I was
wonderfully surprised at what I saw.
Evidently in the dark the night before I had pulled it out of my purse
when I pulled out my keys. There to
my surprise in broad daylight were not one, but two $100 bills. I had to wonder
if I was in the right van. What
appeared to be a folded $20 at first glance was in fact $200. That was a great return on that 20
minutes of playing and singing!
Wow! The Lord was bringing
in more of that $1000 I needed, but it was coming IN the journey.
I shared with Ellen my joy
and asked if she knew the lady so I could call and thank her. She found a phone number for me and I
made the call. The lady laughed when I told her I was so surprised. She explained that it was her 'mad”
money'. She would tuck away extra
money in her billfold and once in awhile, the Lord would speak to her and ask
her to give it away. Then she
added, "It would make me mad".
After hearing that, I must have gotten very quiet on the other end as
she quickly assured me she had been more than happy to give it away to me, and
she really did enjoy my music.
While staying with Ellen,
she suggested we take the time to drive up the outer banks of North
Carolina and catch the ferries towards Virginia Beach. Since Josh had such an avid interest in
aviation, I felt it would be a wonderful opportunity to visit Kitty
Hawk and see the model of the first airplane ever flown by the
Wright Brothers. We left early that
morning to make the ferry and worked our way up the outer banks amidst the
seagulls, stopping to see the historic lighthouses on the way. By the time we left Kitty Hawk, we were
pushing the time limits to get to Calvary Pentecostal Campground in Ashland, Virginia
that night for the evening service.
I had hoped a room would be available to us when we arrived as at that
time their policy was first come, first served. Wallace, Sr. and Edith Heflin,
Sis Ruth’s parents founded the campground and wanted to be able to
accommodate all the people and serve meals to them free of charge. That is
still the camp policy today, over 50 years later. Many offerings are taken,
however, with great pressure, flair, and flamboyance to cover the many expenses
of being “free” to the people.
Glory Encounter
The traffic in Virginia
Beach, Newport News, and Richmond was heavy, and
as I had not yet driven much in that kind of traffic, I found it very nerve
wracking and difficult. I was more
than tense, tired, and tearful when we finally arrived at the campground late
for the service. We walked
into the dining hall area that serves as the meeting place during winter camp
meetings held in February each year.
The place was completely packed out, and we sat all the way at the back
straining to see and find out what had just happened. Excitement was tangible as the
guest speaker, Silvania Machado of Brazil had just shaken out her
short blond hair full of gold dust into a Bible held by Ruth Heflin, who was
standing next to her. The
atmosphere was electric with radiant joy and glory as people worshipped and marveled
at the amazing sign and wonder. I had heard of it the summer before in 1998,
but I don’t think I fully realized I would be arriving just in time to
attend the meetings and experience the Glory of the Lord in such beauty. As we waited at the back of the room,
someone explained what was happening.
At the end of the meeting streams of people hurried into a line so she
could pray for them and anoint them with the Glory dust and the beautiful
fragrant oil that flowed from her hands.
I don’t remember getting in line that night. I think Josh and I probably made our way
out after the meeting to hopefully get settled into a room. It had been a very long day.
My friends, Brad and
Adrienne, had hoped to help us secure a place to stay. Because the usual guest
rooms were completely packed out, we were taken 'down camp' to a vacated room
in a row building called Green Doors that was used to house the staff. Brad
tried to find us a mattress for the empty bed frame, and we settled into a less
than cleanly prepared room. We were tired but happy to have a place to sleep
for the night. We ended up cleaning
that dingy room and bathroom ourselves and spending about 2 weeks in cramped
quarters as the Lord transformed that simple room into a place of His
Glory. I was able to bring my
keyboard inside and set it up to
worship and record a beautiful song that I then re-played many times as I
ministered over people in the glory meetings that followed that year. It was birthed in the glory of that camp
meeting in Ashland, Virginia in February 1999. I called it
“He Turned the Water into Wine” and it is available upon request.
The next morning, I hurried
over to the large dining hall that was serving as the main auditorium for the
Winter Camp Meeting that February 1999.
The area had long been cleared of tables, and in their place were
folding chairs lined up neatly in crowded rows attempting to accommodate the
bulging crowds. Word had spread that Silvania Machado of Brazil was at
the meetings and that signs and wonders were manifesting through her and on
many of the people. Waiting in line for the 11:00 morning service, many stood outside
the building in the chilly damp air, excited and expectant as the doors finally
opened allowing the heavy stream of people to flow gracefully and eagerly into
the cramped seating. All of us
wanted as close to the front as possible to catch a glimpse of the miracle when
it happened.
As praise and worship
started with the unique beat and sound of campground musicians, many made their
way to the front to forms wavy lines of praising, dancing people. Ruth Heflin always saved room at the
front for people to come forward and dance and the space needed to be anointed
during ministry times. Many would join hands and form lines that caused them to
come together in a pattern and steady rhythm of dancing feet forwards and
backwards similar to the waves of an ocean. Occasionally, someone would get so
filled with the Holy Spirit that they’d fall out under the Power of the
God, and people would simply dance around them. It always seemed dangerously perilous to
watch, as people would step around and over them. Sometimes the ushers would
drag the slain off to the side allowing greater freedom to the worshipping and exuberant
dancers. Ruth had a great love for
praise and worship and felt it prepared the people’s hearts to receive
the Word and ministry. She became
well known for her statement, “Praise until the Spirit of Worship
Comes; Worship until the Glory comes; then Stand in the Glory.”
Many also danced in the
aisles and along the sides of the room filling up nearly every space
available. I too had made my way
along a side aisle to dance with a banner I had brought along. I was caught up in the sheer joy of having
arrived there safely after three weeks of travel, the joyful relief of having a
place to stay, and the joy of corporate expectancy that buzzed through the room
like a live electrical current. As
I lifted my feet in response to the beat and rhythm of the drums and music, I
swirled the banner around me. It
was then that I had a most unusual thought. I
should get a state flag from South
Dakota and bring it into this meeting and wave it in
this Glorious atmosphere. I should
pray that there will be an impartation of Glory to follow me home and be
released into the Midwest where so little ever seems to happen. I wondered how and when I could
get a state flag sent to Virginia. Then an idea came to me, but it would
have to wait until after the meeting.
If you have never heard the
story of Silvania Machado or seen the miracle, it is very hard and difficult to
explain. The critics always kept a safe distance, crying foul, wringing their
hands worried over deceptive signs and wonders. For those who saw, heard, and experienced
the Glory of those precious days, the greater deception was in the denial. As
someone once wryly commented, De’nial is more than a river in Egypt.
In the atmosphere of worshipping crescendos, Silvania would nod to Ruth Heflin
to let her know that the gold dust had come into her hair. She later would explain that she saw
many angels in the room, and that an angel would bring it during worship.
Having been completely checked over before the meeting, she entered the room
without any purse or article that could have lent itself to suspicion, and then
simply graced the platform with the most beautiful timid smile. She was not a public speaker and had
been thrust into the limelight because of the unusual sign and wonder that had
occurred following her miraculous healing in Brazil. Her story and videos are available
through the campground in Ashland,
Virginia. I, myself, was an eyewitness
in nearly 15 meetings and shared my video with many others. Because she would get nervous, sometimes
she would chew gum to ease her tension.
Some misinterpreted that as being too casual or irreverent, but those
who knew her understood.
When the gold dust had
manifested in her short blond hair, Ruth Heflin would take the microphone and
explain the sign and wonder to the people. Then Silvania would shake what
looked like a flowing golden stream into an opened Bible held in Ruth’s
hands. People would rush to the
front for a glimpse, to touch it, and smear the tiny oil-like flakes upon their
faces and hands. Once the manifestation happened, the shimmering fine particles
would be everywhere on the people around her and on the carpet. People would
come with scotch tape to capture the tiny brilliant fine flakes that glittered
and sparkled with a heavenly radiance.
I wonder if this is what King David meant by fine gold in Psalms
19:10. When speaking of the
precepts and ordinances of the Lord he wrote: “More to be desired are
they than gold, yea than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and the honeycomb.”
That first morning I
attended, Silvania shared several miracle stories and then prayed for the
people. Most of us lined up at
after every meeting to catch a glimpse of the gold dust smeared all over her
face and glittering on her clothes, the clothes of Ruth Heflin, nearby staff,
and sprinkled all over the carpet. She would often lovingly hug each person and
then lay her hands on the patiently waiting people. She had a patience kindness of her own
that denied her aching feet and allowed her to stand and minister for several
hours. In that Realm of Glory, the
physical aches and pains seemed to vanish and indeed as people were touched by
the Golden Glory, many were instantly healed of affliction and disease. The other amazing manifestation and sign
and wonder was the exquisitely fragrant oil that she used to anoint the
people. It had come within the year
after her miraculous healing while at a prayer vigil in Brazil. It covered her entirely and afterwards
would flow profusely from her hands daily while she was in prayer. So much came
that bottles of it were being filled and sent to those in need worldwide. She would open a fragrant bottle
of the oil of heaven and with gold dust and shimmering oil all over her hands
she anointed and touched every waiting person. People were overwhelmed physically and
emotionally in that Beautiful Glory and wept deeply as the profound sense of
His Fragrant Presence wafted over their hungry hurting bodies and souls. Ushers and ‘catchers’ stood
as reverent vigilant guards over the people to gently help them to their feet,
or a chair, or pull them aside to an area where they could safely encounter the
Lover of their Souls. I heard the sounds of weeping and deep utterances of
spirit that caused my soul to shudder in respectful reverence and awe at the
profound sight of people embraced by their God. You cannot stay the same.
My first experience of being
anointed was beautiful and profound as well. Because the Lord had been speaking to me
from Isaiah 60: 1-2, I opened my well worn Amplified Bible to that passage and
carried it to the front of the room with me, hugging it close to my heart. When Silvania saw me, she hugged
me, and then shook her hair into the open pages. Then she anointed me with the most
wonderful smelling oil of joy from heaven. When I returned to my seat, golden
dust shimmered off the pages and stayed in and on my Bible for many
months. Surely the Glory of the
Lord was being seen upon us all.
Isaiah 60: 1-2
“Arise
… Shine … be radiant
with the Glory of the Lord; for your light is come, and the Glory of the Lord
is risen upon you.
For behold
darkness shall cover the earth and dense darkness all peoples; but the Lord
shall arise upon you, and His Glory shall be seen on you.”
I do not know how to
describe the fragrance of heaven that came from the oil or the perfumed odor of
the atmosphere of Glory that filled the large room. It was not a heavy perfume and
completely unlike anything I had ever smelled before or since. In some ways, it reminded me of the
fresh smell of clean clothes that have been hung out on a clothesline in a
summer breeze. The smell was pure
and clean and refreshing and soothing and calming and like a gentle wind as it
wafted across your spirit and called you to Life and Love and Liberty.
If I recall correctly,
Silvania ministered in about 10 meetings in February 1999, and I was blessed to
be in all of them. I was greatly
humbled to think the Lord had called me there to partake and participate in
such Glory. The weeks of struggle over whether to drive to Florida and up the East Coast were so easily
understood in the midst of the Glorious meetings I was attending. It would be later that I would marvel at
the words of my journal recorded before I’d left home.
I repeat in part from the
earlier quotes:
The year 1999
will be the year of Glory manifested upon His people; the year for a revealing
to his Saints and the revealing of His saints. Those hidden and tucked away will arise
from their grave clothes and say, I am changed, from death to life… with Glory on my skin and in my hair and
His shine from within, to go forth to do the works He has called me to
do…
Surely those words were
being fulfilled before my very eyes and in my very own life. I can truly say I was never the same
after that. For once you have seen
and touched the Glory of the Lord’s Presence in a tangible way, you are
forever 'ruined' for the ordinary and mundane. The standard had been set and the bar
raised for an expression and experience of Glory that could only cause me to
“Arise and Go Forth”. The joy of those days was only dampened by my
wondering how I’d explain such things to the folks back home. And with
the longing to show and tell of such wondrous things, I purchased a video of
one of Silvania’s meetings, and asked the Lord to allow me to carry an impartation
back to my home state in South Dakota.
Glory in a Flag
That brings me back to that
first morning when I stood waving a banner at the side of the room and the
strange idea came to obtain a state flag and have it sent to me at the
campground. The Lord brought to
mind a wonderful couple, Dan and Kathy Wunrow, who at the time were living in Pierre, SD,
the state capital. We had met
through very unusual circumstances in a hotel lobby in Fargo, ND planning to
attend a conference with Ruth Heflin in April 1997. That encounter is included
in my book, “My Story, How I met Ruth Heflin and How She Changed My
Life”. Dan was serving as the
Chairman of the State Right to Life organization in Pierre. I called them as I felt they would
want to know what was happening at the campground and also to ask about the
possibility of acquiring a flag.
They were very excited to hear about what was happening, even though
they hardly had a frame of reference for such unusual manifestations. How do you explain such things anyway?
When I told Dan I felt the
Lord wanted me to obtain a state flag and have it mailed to me at the
campground, he was quick to comply.
He said he could not only get me a state flag, but he had one in his
possession that had actually flown in the state capitol building at Pierre. Dan had an interest in flags anyway as
he had heard Ruth Heflin teach about the value of obtaining the flags of
nations that you desired to visit.
He and Kathy had several flags and were praying about being sent to the nations. The Lord did answer their prayers and
within a few years, they formed their own ministry called “HIS Ambassadors
to the Nations” and have now gone to many countries. It started with their obtaining flags
and using them in prayer and intercession to pray over the nations before they
tried to go. In “My
Story”, I shared that my son, Joshua, age 11 at the time, had really
wanted to go to Israel. I bought an Israeli flag for him, and he
would sleep with it at night and pray that he would get to go to Israel. The Lord answered in a marvelous and
miraculous way when we spent six weeks in Israel in April 1998. By Divine
appointment, he spent his 12th birthday standing and praying on the Temple Mount
and at the Wailing Wall. Through another Sovereign encounter, ten days after
his birthday, Joshua received a Bar
Mitzvah blessing from a Messianic Rabbi while we were guests at Ruth Heflin’s house in Jerusalem. While living in
the small farmhouse and during prayer
in November of 1997, the Lord had
dropped it in my heart that I would have Joshua on the Temple Mount
for his 12th birthday on April 1. It was to be like Jesus who was seen and
heard in the temple at age 12. Ah,
but that’s another story.
Dan, Kathy, Josh and I all had
a deep respect for flags and what they stood for, so Dan immediately recognized my need and
desire to have a state flag sent to me as soon as possible. The flag he sent had actually flown in the state capitol
and was nearly discarded when the state motto was changed and new flags had
been designed to accommodate the new motto. One day, while on one of his lobbying
efforts on behalf of Right to Life, Dan had walked through the capitol halls
and noticed two flags in a disposal area.
He immediately asked if he might have them and was given both
flags. It was especially
significant that they had been flown in the building and more significance
would 'unfurl' later. What a wonderful picture is portrayed here. A flag ready to be discarded was rescued
by someone who saw its value and then became the medium to eventually carry a
glory impartation back into the state capitol building itself. How like the Lord to rescue those
people considered to be outdated and ready to be discarded by others and
proceed to make us vessels of honor and glory. Oh, my friends, how the Lord
treasures each of us.
After receiving the flag, I
took it into the next meeting that Silvania would be ministering again. As I recall, she was there for two
weekends with a few meetings in other places in between. She had flown in from Brazil with her
husband, Luis, who was such a model of a loving and devoted husband who loved
his wife in the midst of a terrible twelve-year illness, reproach, and seeming
hopelessness. I so often thought of
him as a prophetic picture of Jesus who is the husband of a very sick bride and
loves her to Life. When you saw
them together and heard the story of their heartache and then her healing on
May 9, 1995, you were immediately aware of the deep love they had for one
another. It was a love that could only be forged in the hardship of heartache
and trial. The validity and
credibility of their testimony as ordinary people was indisputable when you
knew where they had come from. It
was a true fulfillment of my journal entry;
…. The year
1999... the revealing of His saints, those hidden and tucked away will arise
from their grave clothes and say “ I am changed from death to
life…”
By the second weekend of the
meetings, word had spread and the crowds were getting even bigger with some
overflow into other buildings.
People had brought many things with them to have her touch them, and the
leadership began to discourage it as it was slowing down the prayer lines and
causing delays. I am always careful
and mindful of authority, but a Greater Authority had spoken to me earlier
about taking the state flag with me into the prayer line anticipating she would
anoint it. My heart’s desire
was to see signs and wonders and miracles released and imparted to my home
state, and I truly yearned to be able to carry the impartation back to those I
loved. The evening came when I
brought that precious flag with me into the meeting. Earlier in the meeting, I had used it to
dance with as a banner along the sides of the room during the Praise and
Worship time. Then I quietly folded
it in my lap and waited. When it
was time for being anointed in the prayer lines, I slipped it over my left arm,
held it close to me, and quietly and worshipfully waited in line. Then came the
glorious moment when she came by and touched me with the fine gold dust and
sweet smelling oil that shimmered and glimmered as it ran over her hands. Despite the long lines, it seemed she
looked deep into the eyes and soul of each person she was about to pray for,
speaking in Portuguese a blessing.
For many of us, it seemed as if looking into her eyes was like looking
into the eyes of Jesus, so much love spilled out all over you. Her gaze was never a threat, but a kind
invitation to receive His touch and blessing upon your quaking heart and
soul. As I had nervously, but
reverently, waited my turn, she looked and smiled at me. I lifted my right hand to point to the
flag draped over my left arm. She
acknowledged my desire, and without either of us being able to understand the
other’s language, she nodded and suddenly tipped her head. Then she took
hold of my right hand and covered it with her own, guiding my hand through her
hair. As my fingers combed through
her short blond hair, tiny fine gold flakes fell all over the state flag as it
draped my arm. Then she laid her
well oiled anointed hands over my own right hand placed on the flag as we
agreed together in Spirit for what I knew was an impartation of Glory to take
back home.
When I
returned to my seat, I was undone.
I knelt by that simple folding chair and wept with sheer joy and
amazement that the Lord had so graciously acknowledged and rewarded my obedience
to obtain a state flag and have it anointed. In that Glorious Presence, I quietly and
reverently folded up the glittering flag and placed it in the clear bag next to
me. I knew it was meant to go home
intact. There would be a time for
an 'unfurling' and unfolding of His Manifested Glory and His intentions for South Dakota. That time would come several weeks later
in April 1999 when I spoke at a Women’s Aglow meeting in Pierre and shared the video and story. That night, for the first time in South Dakota according
to my knowledge, the gold dust appeared on several ladies and a woman who was
slain in the Spirit as I prayed for her received a beautiful gold filling in
her teeth. A glorious pandemonium hit us all, and we were filled with joy,
laughter, excitement, and elation at what the Lord was bringing to us. The flag
went with me to many meetings over the next several months, as I shared about
the ensign and what was being released.
Eventually, a time came to carry what was once considered a discard back
into the state capitol rotunda in Pierre,
SD. A special grace was set up across the state
when the current governor signed a proclamation declaring a day of prayer for
revival shortly before the elections in November 2000. Openly in the rotunda of the state
capitol building, South Dakota Aglow under the anointed leadership of state
prayer chairman, Dawn Estelle Campbell, brought in worshippers and instruments
and spent an entire day in worship and intercession. Were the event not
videotaped, it would be hard to explain what was allowed to take place as dancers
and banners moved freely in and around the
rotunda, and intercessors fell prostrated on the marbled floor. Ah, but that’s another
story. By the way, I still have that precious South Dakota state flag in my possession, a
glorious reminder of an ordinary thing in the Hands of an extraordinary God.
Never the Same
Taking you back to the
meetings in Ashland,
I want to share several journal
entries and allow you, by faith, to receive the same impartation that touched
my heart and life. One of the things I loved most about Ruth Heflin was her
desire to carry His Glory to common ordinary people. She was always concerned for the common
people and said that the ministry was meant for all. She knew many of high and noble birth
and spoke worldwide with kings, leaders, and dignitaries, but she never forget
the 'little people'. What was
available to one was available to all.
How different is that approach to the elitist snobbery that elevates one
above another. It is my hope that one of the benchmarks of my personal ministry
and the mantle that has graced my shoulders would be that I have been willing
to go to the little places and search out common ordinary people. With that, I declare that you too can
receive and believe that the Lord loves you no less than others and that you
can experience His Love and Glory in your life. Indeed, I’m convinced He loves to
use the foolish weak things to confound the wise guys.
One of my favorite passages
is in I Corinthians 1: 25-28. (Amplified)
This is
because the foolish thing that has its source in God is wiser than men, and the
weak thing that springs from God is stronger than men.
For simply
consider your own call brethren; not many of you were considered to be wise,
according to human estimates and standards; not many influential and powerful;
not many of high and noble birth.
No, for God
deliberately chose what in the work is foolish to put the wise to shame, and
what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.
And God also
selected - deliberately chose -
what in the world is lowborn and insignificant, and branded and treated with
contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to
nothing the things that are.
The following is a journal
entry that I wrote as I sat in a meeting in Ashland during those precious days. Breathe deeply in the words and receive
the impartation that is still available to those humble and hungry enough to
receive.
February 12, 1999
“This is a new baptism, a baptism of Glory. There have been other baptisms in water,
fire, and into the Holy Spirit. More recently the baptisms of joy and laughter,
but this is new… a baptism of Glory.
As I sit here in this service, 10:45 p.m. EST, on February 12, 1999, I
watch 400 people line up for a touch from Silvania, see the gold and silver,
the oil; the hunger and longing like my own for a spiritual reality. A touch of
His Glory, tangible to see and feel, to smell the wonderful fragrance of His
Presence - that truly the year 1999 - a year of His Glory being seen upon His
people.
He sweat great
drops of blood that we might sweat gold and silver. For often, it seems the beads of
perspiration come because of the praise and worship and dancing before
Him. The sweat drops turn to flecks
of gold and silver.
Also,
I’ve been thinking of these Divine Sprinkles as His Heavenly Garnishing. Like we sprinkle candy on the top of
cookies and cupcakes, so He sprinkles His Glory upon us, generous helpings of
His Heavenly Garnishments.
O Lord, as I
look at the faces of your people, I see such longing and hunger for your touch.
Tiny specks of
gold and silver are appearing on my hands as I worship. They appear so small
and minute and only in the light are they manifested like stars coming out on a
dark night.
I love you, I
love you, I love you more today,
Because you
cared for me in such a special way,
That’s
why I praise you as I lift you up,
Magnify your
Holy Name as my heart is filled with praise.
Silvania is
surely a picture of grace and humility as she has stood for nearly three hours
and anointed people and smiled and loved each one. From walking death to life, from rags to
riches, new in the Lord just three years ago to lines of people waiting for her
touch. Like the church, walking
dead people with putrid sores all over.
Death within has to bow to
Resurrection Life. Supernatural oil appears and now gold, platinum and silver,
a prophetic picture of what the church has been and is becoming. His Glory is seen upon us. As I look at the stage, Miriam, the
interpreter has a dark skirt that glitters in the light and Ruth’s royal
blue dress is covered too. She shakes it out to give to those with Bibles.
Silvania, a
prophetic picture of the church, the bride -
Rags to
riches,
Poverty to
wealth,
Sickness to
health,
Death to life,
Unknown to
well-known,
Despised,
rejected to Sought Out One
Isaiah
62:3-4
Nobody to
somebody
Weeping to joy
Mourning to
dancing
Nothing in her
hands to the oil of healing
Behold the
handmaiden of the Lord
Signs and
Wonders
O Lord, let it
be that I too might be a sign and a wonder of Your Glory manifested. The matter
of my worth is not the issue, am I trust-worth-y with so great a gift?
Can you trust
me? Lord, Thou knowest.
…
I’m awed that this Baptism of His Glory is falling like rain from
above. How do you explain this to
the folks back home?
Lord, let me
go forth and be a faithful and true witness of your Glorious Golden Grace. Let me tell forth the wonders and may
they be truly manifested in the midst of your people on the prairies of the Midwest.
The crowd is
about 400. They wait patiently in line for just a touch of His oil and gold
mixed together. The fragrance is
truly heavenly. How does He
smell? Wonderful. Gold flecks are
appearing on many people. We walk
around as if we were sprinkled with Heavenly gold glitter. The hunger and longings of people are
etched upon their faces as they wait so patiently in line. The awe and wonder of this glorious sign
and wonder is upon their countenance.
How hungry are the people for spiritual reality. Yes, we walk by faith, but as John, we
long to touch, and feel, and taste, and see with our own eyes His Person and
His Glory.
Joshua and I stayed for over
two weeks to attend the meetings in Virginia. He would come with me to the evening
services and was deeply touched and impacted through the wonderful manifestations
as well. At age 12, he was eager to
be with his camp friends and spent most of the daytime hours with them playing
basketball, football, and scouting out the campground. In the evenings, he was sometimes asked
to play his violin with the worship team as they set up a special microphone
for him and made room for him in the musician’s corner. I didn’t
require him to be in every meeting as it was difficult for mature people to sit
through meetings twice a day. I
have several wonderful pictures of us as we went through the prayer lines
together, and the joy of the Lord is reflected in his brilliant smile and mine.
While at the campground, I
continued to give offerings, trusting the Lord to provide for us. Every time, my funds would get low,
someone would bless me with money.
I remember a fairly new friend of mine, Brenda, from North Dakota who happened to be at the
meetings. She had gone through a
very difficult transition when her husband was killed in a farm-related
accident, and she was suddenly widowed.
We had met in Jerusalem
in April 98 and because of our Dakota backgrounds and love for the Glory of the
Lord, we had become instant friends. Brenda blessed me with a $100 offering
while at the camp just in time for the next leg of the journey. As I mentioned earlier, when agonizing
over the reasonability of such a trip, I had asked the Lord for $1,000, and He
had assured me it would come IN the journey, as it was needed. From the time we left in January 1999 to
our return the first weekend of March, slightly over six weeks later, over
$1000 had come in to bless us IN the journey. To God be the Glory!
Before leaving the camp, I
kept thinking about Silvania and her fragrant healing oil. When Silvania left, I knew that the camp
had been given several bottles of her oil to use and to send to those in need,
even to other countries. Finally,
one day I worked up all my courage and approached one of the camp leaders, Sis
Jane Lowder. I told her I was
planning to go and pray for someone who was in the hospital and asked if there
would be a possibility of receiving a small amount of the supernatural oil to
take with me. By faith, I had my
own little vial with me, hoping they would give me just a little of it. Several others had been given portions
of the oil for anointing purposes.
Testimonies were coming back that as people used it for prayer, it
didn’t seem to run out and would keep replenishing itself. So it was to my absolute delight, that
Sis Jane Lowder pulled out her small bottle of oil and began to pour it into my
own little vessel. I had hoped for
just a little, but she filled it to over half full. To me it was the treasure of heaven, and
I felt richer than I ever had in my life.
Having some gold flakes still in my Bible in Isaiah 60, I gathered some
of them into the bottle. Just
opening the lid and smelling that heavenly fragrance would bring healing to the
mind and spirit. It would be mine to share with many others when I returned
back to South Dakota
and anointed people with something they had never smelled before. To my own
surprise, the oil never ran out for many months. I must have prayed for over 1,000 people
before it eventually subsided.
Leaving Ashland,
Josh and I began our journey back to South
Dakota. I
wondered how, and if, and what I had just experienced on that trip and in the
meetings with Silvania would ever fit back in with a typical normal life. My
feet had grown bigger than the shoes I was wearing, and I knew my old walk
would be cramped and painful. I
needn’t have worried, the Lord had other shoes for me.
A Love Story
On our return trip, we decided to stop
once again and see my daughter, Anne, in Springfield,
Missouri. I had been calling her and trying to
describe what was happening at the campground. But I spent most of our
conversations listening to her descriptions of a handsome new student she had
just met in World History class that January. My daughter was in her junior year,
having transferred from a Christian college in Bartlesville,
Oklahoma to Central Bible
College. She was an excellent basketball player
in high school and had played for the college in Bartlesville. At the time there was no varsity team at
CBC, but she had felt the Lord telling her to transfer. Anne is my only daughter, and she grew
up with three brothers. My son,
Steven, who is five years older than she is, Scott, who is 2 years younger than she,
and Joshua, who is 10 years younger.
She was an excellent student and athlete and was very tender toward the
Lord and His plan for her life. She
knew several high school and college girls who had serious problems with
boyfriends and had decided she wanted to wait for her ‘one and
only‘. Boys really
didn’t impress her too much as she saw through a lot of their macho
bluster and disliked their immaturity.
She beat most of them in basketball hoops and had decided she
didn’t want to marry anyone that she could beat in basketball. I would
have never thought of that as a qualification for marriage, but it mattered to
her.
So it was, I was intrigued
that someone had caught her attention.
She wanted me to meet him when I came through on my trip home, and I was
eager to do so. We arrived at the
dormitory very late as I had miscalculated the distance between where we had
spent the night and Springfield. I figured out later I had missed a
corner of Kentucky
that had been sawed off the map I was looking at and been inserted into the
next page of the atlas. Despite the lateness of the hour, Anne was eager to
tell me how she and Dan had been spending some time together as friends during
school hours. Both were somewhat
timid and not ready to think of themselves as dating. Dan had already planned
on remaining a bachelor, and Anne was still gauging her strange attraction to
this new student. He was five years
older than she, and he had come in
as freshman, having served some time in the military. One thing that had already impressed her
was that he had beaten her in a game of Horse in basketball. She was not one who liked getting beat,
but she didn’t seem to mind that he had genuinely done it. She began to think out loud to me that
she wondered if he was the one. She
had been praying for a man of strong moral character and had herself been
meditating on Proverbs 31 concerning a virtuous woman. I listened to her in amusement as I
heard her dilemma of feeling attracted to him, but not knowing at all if he
felt the same way.
I remember that we went out
to eat in a restaurant in Springfield
called Lamberts that had a very unique feature. The servers would go around with a
basket full of soft rolls. If you wanted one, they would toss it to you, and
you’d have to catch it. That meant for some interesting moments as rolls
went flying by your head and sometimes didn’t make it to the intended
receiver. It really was funny to watch those ball sized soft rolls being tossed
all over the restaurant. And they
tasted good too, if you caught them that is…
During our meal, I shared
briefly about what had been happening at the camp. I told them I had a video of
Silvania with me and Anne knew of a classroom that was available for students
to study or watch videos. As we
settled in and watched the amazing video, we felt the Presence of the Lord in
the room. I quietly asked if they minded if I prayed for them. Facing Dan and Anne, I took the hand of
each one and began to pray concerning the Lord’s favor and blessing upon
their school studies and individual lives.
As I finished, I felt the incredible urge to want to join their hands
together. I resisted the urging and
reminded myself they were not yet considering themselves to be dating. I knew
they had not held hands before. Still the feeling was very strong within my
spirit. It would prove to be valuable to me sooner than I expected.
Before I left, Anne quietly
expressed her feelings she thought Dan was the man of her dreams. Spring break was quickly approaching,
and they were planning to drive to Pensacola, Florida to the Brownsville
Revival where I had just come only six weeks or so earlier. There were several students
planning to arrive at the same time and share accommodations. Dan and Anne were
planning to ride together and Anne was hoping maybe there would be a time
during the drive to “test the waters” and find out if he felt the
same way about her. They were both
enrolled in a class about Israel
and Hebrew customs, and both had fasted concerning going on a student tour to Israel that
spring for extra credit. Unknown to
her at the time, the Lord had been dealing with Dan’s bachelorhood pledge
during his fast, and he was feeling very attracted to her as well.
Within a few days after
leaving Springfield, I was back in the little
farmhouse near Freeman, SD.
The next evening after arriving home, I had settled into my favorite
chair and dozed off. I was still feeling the effects of fatigue and travel. My
phone rang and startled me to attention.
I fumbled around and answered only to hear someone ask my name and tell
me his, Dan. I blanked out for the
moment… Dan who? “You
know, the Dan that knows your daughter.” Suddenly I realized who I was speaking to. "Oh yes, of course". Then he said to me, “May I ask you
a question?” Still groggy, I
truly didn’t comprehend this strange phone call, but I said,
“Sure.” Then came a
most surprising question in just the few days of time that had lapsed since I
had left them in Springfield. “May I marry your
daughter?” At first, I was
stunned and surprised. And then, I started laughing. I couldn’t give the answer at all,
as all I could do was laugh. Then I heard laughter on the other end as he and
Anne began to laugh with me. It just struck me as downright funny and
incredulous. Finally, amidst all
the giggles, I gave a choked up voice to another “Sure”, as they unfolded
their joyful news. They had finally
broke through the ice on the way to Pensacola
and found they were both falling in love and wanted to get married. What could I say? I was reminded of that gentle nudging
that I had felt to pull their hands together as I prayed for them only few days
earlier. They said they were
planning to get married that summer.
However, within a short week, my daughter called and said they wanted to
get married as soon as school was out and were looking at the date May 1. We were barely into March leaving hardly
any time to plan a wedding. She
assured me they wanted a simple garden wedding and that if they married, they
could have the whole summer to honeymoon and not have to be separated by
distance and jobs. My goodness,
were things happening fast.
So, the very next time I saw
Dan and Anne together was in Springfield,
Missouri on their wedding day,
May 1, 1999. I drove down from South Dakota, taking
along my mother and Joshua, to the wedding, which Anne had planned with the
help of a couple of her friends. It
was held on a beautiful spring day in a park they both loved, and geese flew overhead to honk their
congratulations. Joshua, now age
13, played his violin for them, and each had one attendant. She had found a simple white dress she
liked and looked radiantly beautiful slim and trim in her dress. Dan stood tall and handsome beside
her. In spite of the accelerated
courtship, I knew in my heart that all was well. In normal circumstances, a
mother would be deeply concerned if her daughter married someone so quickly
that she hardly knew. Actually it
was a shock to several people who knew her, as she was so methodical and
practical in her ways. Oh, but God… I kept remembering that awkward time
in the college classroom when having watched the video, we prayed together, and
I felt the nearly irresistible urge to pull their hands together. Now their hearts were united and their
happiness spilled out over us all.
Dan and Anne have now been
married 10 years and are truly well matched. That fall, she was offered the position of
coaching the brand new women’s varsity basketball team and did it very
well. She finished her Bachelors
degree and helped Dan finish his. Their first son, Luke, was born on Election
Day, Nov 7, 2000. Hannah came next
in June 2002. Dan was accepted into
a Master’s program in Talbot Seminary, part of Biola University in La
Mirada, California.
Because Anne could go at a significant spousal discount, she too enrolled for
her Masters and as they worked and sacrificed together both graduated in May
2006. Oh, and they had two more
babies in California,
Ethan born in February 2004 and Joseph in July 2005. That gave them four little ones under
the age of 5 years when they graduated.
It was a struggle at the end, but I was so proud of them when I attended
their joint graduation party in La
Mirada in May 2006. They surely know how to do things
together! Just recently, their 5th child, Titus Wayne was born on
Jan 2, 2009 and they are currently residing in Anderson, Indiana.
Days of Glory
After my return from the
campground, many invitations came to share about what I had just seen and
heard. Suddenly I was thrust into a
whirlwind schedule of meetings as hungry hearts called out. I have already briefly mentioned the
Women’s Aglow meeting in Pierre,
SD in April 1999 when I shared
the video and 'unfurled' the state
flag. To our astonishment and
delight, the Holy Spirit moved in power and might as we experienced
manifestations of the gold dust and a lady named Dorie receive a gold filling.
She had come to the meeting with her pastor’s wife, Vickie, from Highmore, South
Dakota, where I had spoken the night before. As she lay laughing on the floor being
touched by the Power of the Holy Spirit, Vickie saw a flash of gold in Dorie's
open mouth and watched a tooth change to gold before her very eyes. We were all so excited to see such a
thing and between gales of laughter, Dorie insisted that she did not have it
when she arrived. When she returned
home and showed Roger, her pastor, he too experienced a change in his
teeth. Excitement began to ripple
through their church, and soon, many others were hearing about it. Later, Roger
wrote an email to verify the miracle and to express his thanks that 'golden
glory' had come to South Dakota. I found his letter recently in my files.
I have been
asked to be a bit more specific about the report of gold in South Dakota. The flakes first appeared at a
meeting in Highmore with Carla Reed. The following night, some of the women of
our church wanted more and attended an Aglow meeting in Pierre with the same Carla Reed. It was there
that Dorie received her golden crown and when I saw it this morning it was
golden and larger than before… it covers one tooth and is tying into
another one. I have now noticed
that in my own mouth that God has either polished silver or placed the most
beautiful white gold in two places that used to be dull dark fillings…
God is so good… It is time for this world to see how powerful and
wonderful the Lord is. I pray that
people realize that God is promising all things to them that believe. Most of
all we must desire to be closer to Him.
Dorie says she just feels like her mouth is holy… we are believing
God to continue this in our church... it was through the Rivermail, that I
first heard about gold, and when I read it, I said we want it here God…
Oh, how the Lord provides…
On an additional note, I remember that I had left Rapid City the same morning
I was traveling to Highmore for the Sunday night meeting. I kept thinking about my daughter, Anne,
who was preparing to get married. I
was grieved in my spirit that she as a college student had so little money to
use toward her wedding and that I didn’t have much to give her either. It
bothered me as a mother to know my one and only daughter was about to get
married and the till was empty. As I drove the 200 mile distance, I began to
ask the Lord for at least $500 to be able to send to her towards her wedding
only a couple weeks away. To my utter delight and astonishment on the very same
day of my prayer, the little church in Highmore, a town of about 750 blessed me
with a love offering of exactly $500.
Their generosity to me was rewarded after I left as they continued to
receive a fresh outpouring of signs and wonders among them. When we honor one another, the Lord
honors us.
I’ve noticed how often
those who appear to have the least give the most. It was a huge blessing and comfort to me
after having come from a group in Rapid
City that had done just the opposite. I had been asked to speak at a Women’s
Meeting in Rapid City.
Because news and excitement were spreading, a large group of about 75 or more
attended the meeting in the basement of a local church. That was probably three times the size
of their normal meetings. I was more than nervous. I had never spoken to 75 people all in
the same room. I remember going
into the ladies bathroom and looking into the mirror with a growing panic, “My God, what am I going to
do? Allow me to be your vessel
today. I’m not perfect, but
I’m here and I’m all you’ve got to work with
today.” I led worship and
Joshua played his violin along side me.
Then I showed the video and offered to pray over the people. Nearly all of them lined up at the front
as I began to lay my hands upon them anointing them with some of
Silvania’s oil that had been given to me from the campground
leadership. Despite having a
limited amount in the natural, the oil never seemed to run out as I poured it
on my hands and touched the foreheads of those waiting in line. The overwhelming aroma of His Presence
and Glory caused nearly all of them to drop to floor quickly, either slain in
the Spirit or bowing in grateful praise and adoration. We had a glorious time, and I rejoiced
in those first few weeks of my return home to see such manifestation and
impartation actually happen in my meetings. Many of them came to me afterwards
saying they had never seen or experienced anything like it, thanking me for
coming and sharing with them and assuring me they would never be the same
again.
After nearly a four-hour
meeting, Josh and I loaded up my keyboard, his violin, and a few products I was
selling and prepared to leave the building. Their treasurer handed me a small sealed
thank you card with their honorarium inside. I had driven 300 miles to the meeting
besides ministering that afternoon.
The amount of the check was $50.
I was shocked and grieved.
Were it not for the utter joy of seeing so many women blessed, I would
have been more hurt and upset than I was.
Evidently that was their standard “honorarium”. I recalled their leadership had taken an
offering for their local chapter before I spoke. I knew from the size of the crowd and
the excitement in the room that people must have given very generously. Yet, it all went into their treasury, as
they had no heart or policy to allow them to bless someone beyond their pre-imposed
limits. I determined I didn’t want to have hard feelings over it, and so
it was after that experience, that I cried out to the Lord for $500 to give my
daughter. And now you will see how
the Lord graciously answered me with the $500 check from the small church in
Highmore.
In somewhat of a defense for
the Rapid City group,
they called me the next week telling me how grateful they were for the
incredible ministry unlike they had ever seen, and that at their board meeting,
they had decided to send an additional bonus check for $25. Amazing,
isn’t it? For me personally,
it went down in my history book as one of the most anointed and glorious
meetings I’d ever ministered in and for receiving the worst offering for
it. Unfortunately for that particular Aglow and others like it, they developed
a reputation, as they would do same thing to other speakers who were as disappointed
as I was. This always makes for a delicate dilemma. If you say something, you look like a
money-grabbing preacher. If you don’t, poor policy and poor ways affect
the next person and the cycle continues.
Having spoken at many women's
meetings across the country in the last ten years, I can tell you not very many
were ever generous beyond a nominally preset honorarium. Pierre Aglow, led by
President Patty Lihs, was one of the few generous chapters who prospered and
saw growth in their local meetings and manifestations of the Holy Spirit in
their midst. In some cases local leader’s hands were tied because of
national policy. Eventually some women attending the meetings wised up when
they realized the offering they thought they were giving towards the speaker
was not being given, and they gave less and less in the offerings. On a few occasions, someone who
distrusted the policy would come up and slip me a personal offering so they
could be sure I’d get it.
This could be a sore point with officers, but policy muzzled the ox, so
to speak, and stopped the ladies from trusting the leaders with their
offerings. In recent years many
needed changes have been made in area Aglow chapters. They are meeting the needs of their communities,
honoring their leaders and speakers, and gaining world wide influence as Aglow
International.
Now, how’d I get on
that subject anyway? To remind us
all that generosity is rewarded and stinginess is not. That when we honor the
Lord and His Presence in and upon us, we will be honored as we honor one
another. And that’s another
story.
In my eager beaver
excitement and joy of ministering, I experienced numerous times I was blessed
appropriately and times I was completely taken advantage of. Since I had been trained to think
ministry should be freely given, it left me at the mercies of those who held
the purse strings, sometimes very tightly.
In those early months of returning to South Dakota,
I spoke at every functional Aglow in the state and several in Minnesota
and Wisconsin. I learned early to set up a product
table and sell books, scarves and jewelry to help me maintain a cash flow and
cover my expenses. I was far too naïve in those days, but too much in love
with Jesus and ministering to His people to know I could be exploited by less
than honorable people and poor policy.
South
Dakota Stories
Several other meetings stand
out to me during the spring and summer of 1999. Some of the other places Josh
and I went to in South Dakota besides Rapid City were: Hot Springs, Yankton,
Vermillion, Menno, Burke, Herrick, Mission, Sturgis, Pierre, Highmore, Lemmon,
Huron, Aberdeen, Florence, Sisseton, Watertown, Elkton, Brookings, Colman, and
Sioux Falls. I could tell you
a story about each place. In Pierre, Aberdeen, Huron, Florence, Sisseton, and Watertown, men and women testified to
receiving gold fillings in their teeth and many experienced the gold dust
manifestation. One funny thing I remember happened in Sisseton. I was speaking at a sizeable Assembly of
God church that had a full house for the evening. After sharing briefly and showing the
video of Silvania at the camp, I offered to pray for people. Nearly all of them lined up at the front
and when there was no more room, many along the aisles of the church. I was praying for a large man or woman
on my far right in the corner of the church. The anointing on me was heavy and
coupled with the heavenly oil and some gold dust in it, people were falling
quickly when barely touched with it.
I had reached up to anoint a rather large person (that is all I
remember), when suddenly the person did not fall backward as most did, but
started to fall forward directly on top of me. I tried to dodge the falling giant, but
found myself sent sprawling several feet across the rough carpet (I think it
was red). The force of it caused some
painful rug burns on my partially exposed right arm as I sought to steady and
catch myself. Being slightly wounded, thankfully, someone helped me to my feet
as I continued to pray and walk up and down the aisles anointing the waiting
people. Thereafter, I kept a watchful eye on which way they’d fall. Catchers helped lay out the bodies of
many who held their worshipping hands heavenward up and down each aisle and
across the front and back of the church. What a sight to behold it was! For the next several days, I nursed an
angry looking red burn mark up my forearm.
I had to laugh. How would
you ever describe such a thing to someone or imagine it might happen?
In Florence, South Dakota
I spoke to another Aglow group meeting at a local community center. They were far more sensitive to the
needs of a traveling minister than my previous experience. That night I shared a short video clip
from Toronto
where gold teeth had manifested in a large meeting, and then I encouraged the ladies to look into each other’s
mouths. Some wanted to go to the
bathroom and look into the mirror for themselves. So, we had a brief restroom break as I
was preparing to share the second video with Silvania’s testimony. I kept waiting and waiting for some of
the ladies to come back from the bathroom.
I know there can be a line, but an inordinate amount of time had
passed. Eventually, I sent someone
to see what was holding up the rest of the meeting. Soon several ladies came
stumbling back into the room, laughing and carrying on as they had got drunk in
the Spirit in the bathroom and couldn’t get themselves together enough to
find their way back down the hall.
Not only that, some thought they saw gold fillings in their mouths when
they looked in the mirror. So, as several ladies tumbled into the room, they
brought a great joy and faith for the miraculous with them. What a night that was!
In the spring of 1999, I
stopped in Burke, South Dakota to visit two wonderfully
dedicated intercessors, Linda and Belinda. They had faithfully prayed week
after week for their community and for a couple named Steve and Ceylon (Lonnie)
McDowell. Steve and Lonnie operated a local service station with an attached
bar, when the Lord suddenly and dramatically interrupted their lives. As only
the Lord can do, He led them unto Himself and things began to change. I met them in April and in their
eagerness as new believers, they wanted to share their newfound joy and faith
with their small community. So they decided they wanted to have a three-day tent
revival that summer, and they wanted me to lead worship and be their
speaker. I hadn't ever had any
experience with tent revivals, except to hear the stories of large and powerful
healing tent revivals from campground stories and other evangelists. Being new to ministry and somewhat
confident in the anointing upon my life, I decided it would be a good
opportunity to conquer my fears and get introduced to tent meetings. Ignorance can be bliss.
Steve and Lonnie lived in a
small modest two-story white frame farmhouse on an old homestead acreage just
outside the city limits of Herrick, a quaint little town of 100 people. In a
rural community, everyone knows everyone and everyone else’s business
too. Their new conversion had
caused quite a stir among the locals, but their joy and excitement had overcome
the fear and concerns of many of the conservatively religious. With great
enthusiasm, Steve began to put up posters in the nearby towns advertising the
upcoming June tent revival. When you’re that excited about Jesus, you
just assume everyone else will be excited also, and that they will want the
same glorious experience that you’ve just had.
By the time I arrived in
late June, Steve had borrowed a moderately sized old green army tent to seat
about 25-30 people. Excitedly, he
had labored to set up the canvas tent on his front yard and filled it with
three or four rows of folding chairs, leaving room at the front for the
speaker. Some Native Americans had
also been invited to the meetings as Christians began to network in the area
and get a vision for revival for rural south central South Dakota and the nearby
reservations. How we hungered for
more of the Glory as we fellowshipped and networked together for revival along
Highway 18, which we called the Revival
Highway. By 1999, I had driven all across South Dakota, east to
west on Hwy 18 declaring revival, including driving through the Indian
reservations of Rosebud and Pine Ridge.
The first night of the tent
meeting near Herrick went very well for people who didn’t know what they
were doing. I remember that we had
set up my electronic Roland keyboard by running an extension cord into the
house. Probably around 25-30 people
attended our first night as I stood, trying to muster up my confidence as a
speaker in my first tent meeting. Then I prayed over the people, and we retired
late that night happy and satisfied with our efforts.
I was staying with Steve and
Lonnie in their very simple farmhouse, sleeping in a double bed in an upstairs
open room at the top of the narrow stairs. Josh was sleeping in an unfinished
room nearby on a cot. He was always
such a trooper, fitting in wherever there was room and space for him. Were it
not for his good-natured ability to adapt and enjoy his surroundings, it would
have been a problem.
During the night, I heard
loud thunder rumbling as lightening flashed, and soon I heard the pounding
sound of rain on the wooden roof over my head where exposed ceiling beams held
it in place. When there is nothing
between you and pounding rain but some wood, it can sound really, really loud.
It would get worse. Before long
came the crashing assaulting sound of hail as it pummeled the rooftop over my
head. Frightened, I got up to look out the small window at the top of the
stairs where it looked out over the roof of the little porch leading into their
house. My heart sank as I saw my
white van parked in the driveway, exposed to such ferocious pounding, and knew
there was no place to pull it in for safety. The huge white hailstones were bouncing
off the wooden slatted porch roof outside my bedroom window like Ping-Pong
balls going in every direction.
Then I remembered our tent and the chairs. Fortunately, at the last minute, I had
felt compelled to bring my piano keyboard inside that night, so it was not in
danger. There was nothing I could
do but ride out the storm and survey the damage to my van the next morning. As
the storm subsided, I tried to settle back into bed, wondering what had
happened to our tent. To my surprise,
the hailstorm circled back the
second time and pounded the roof, my van, and everything else that was exposed
to its fury. Again, I tried to
settle in, only to be startled and awakened the third time, by the same
circling hailstorm spewing out its
last effort to clobber the community. When we arose the next morning to view
the damages, the water sodden tent was down completely, draping and covering
the chairs which had been turned over in every direction by the windy and
frenzied hail storm.
Steve went into town to hear
the storm reports on damaged crops, buildings, and vehicles. Since he had been so vocal about
inviting area people to the tent meeting, some of them related it to the
revival. “Please, don’t
do anymore of those tent meetings,” some of them pleaded. They must have
thought we'd brought the judgment of God down on them. After surveying the damages, we
didn’t set up the tent again for the remaining tent revival, but moved
the meetings inside the house, where we all felt much safer. In their home, I safely shared the video of Silvania at
the campground as we huddled together in the cramped quarters of their living
room. So my one and only tent meeting lasted one night, but what a night it
was!
My trusty old white van was
covered completely with huge indented pockmarks bearing the brunt of the
storm’s fury. Thankfully, my windshield had not broken, but I carried the
scarred dings of the storm from that day forward. Since I carried comprehension insurance, I was awarded a
generous check. I chose not to use it towards repairing the old van, since it
seemed impractical for its age. More than once, the dented up van would draw
the attention of a passer-by with comments that it must have been a whale of a
hailstorm to do that much damage. And that always led me into the story of my
very first and only tent revival.
We finished out the
three-day tent meetings with a grin and chagrin, and before I left, I stood in
their small narrow kitchen and prophesied to them that many people would be
coming to their simple home and finding the Lord. Within months, it began to
happen as they began to hold regular Thursday night Bible Study and Prayer
Meetings that are still being held these ten years later. Eventually, Steve and
Lonnie were ordained into the ministry by a faithful couple in Yankton, SD
named Butch and Barb Hladky, pastors of Abundant Life Fellowship. All of them
networked together to bring in speakers and hold regional meetings praying for
revival. The Herrick group, that
began so simply and purely out of love for the Lord by having a tent meeting,
have since hosted many traveling ministries that I have sent their way.
Eventually, even Dr Jane Lowder, the current director of Calvary
Pentecostal Campground came to Herrick. Nearly every traveling minister I knew
told me how much they loved the Herrick group and considered it to be a
favorite place to go. Some of them
had traveled around the world
holding large meetings, but the simplicity of a home group and the devotion of
Steve and Lonnie McDowell spoke volumes about the Heart of the Lord to give freely and
fully to whosoever will open their hearts and homes. Ordinary people loved each other and
their Extraordinary God.
After they left their
service station, liquor business, and a fairly rough lifestyle, Steve worked as
a janitor for the local school. Later he was hired as a deputy sheriff for the
local county. He counseled and won many men and women to the Lord as he
transported them in his patrol car to jails and treatment centers, since, he recounted
with a grin, he had a 'captive audience'.
Later, Steve became the sheriff of his county and now, he is highly
respected in his community. After
his own early rough days, he wryly commented about his new position, “I
went from the back seat to the front seat”. Lonnie continues to work as a
nurse’s aid in a nursing home. She has shared her vibrant faith and
testimony with many people and truly has the heart and call of an
evangelist. And to think, because
of the faithful prayers of two intercessors, named Linda and Belinda, these
last ten years have produced so much fruit. Be encouraged, dear friends and
intercessors. The Lord can and will raise up the unlikely ones to evangelize
and affect an entire community, region, and state.
In Elkton, I had met and
connected with a wonderful family group of super achievers known as the
Creviers. They were a family of ten children raised in a
Catholic home in the far southeast corner of South Dakota. Many of them had recently received
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and they began to group together and relocate
to Elkton, a small town of about 800 close to the Minnesota border. Many miraculous things
were happening in their midst as they hosted family gatherings and invited
others to grow and learn with them. A few of them had small acreages that were
conducive to meetings, and eventually they joined together to buy a tent and
host regional meetings. In 1999, I was asked to share at their home group, and
we were deeply bonded in the Spirit for many years along with the Uilk family
near Pipestone, whose lives were greatly touched as well. All of us had a great love for Israel and
enjoyed many glorious meetings together.
I’m convinced the Holy Spirit is just looking for those hungry
enough to lay aside what they thought they ‘knew’ to embrace the
fresh NEW.
Two of the ten siblings are
known internationally as gifted basketball handlers. Bruce Crevier held the Guinness Book of
Records for several years for spinning 21 basketballs at once. Yep, you just got to see it to believe
it. His sister, Tanya Crevier is
considered the best female basketball handler in the world. You can google
their names on the web and find page after page of their accomplishments. However, what is most impressive to me is
their deep love for the Lord, and how He has used these two gifted
Spirit-filled ball handlers to touch the sports world for Christ. Bruce and his
wife, Diane, have an amazing family of beautifully gifted children whom they
have trained well and taught basketball and unicycle skills. They often perform
as a family. I was pretty amazed when they had 10 children, and very excited
when recently, Diane, still slim and trim as a teenager, gave birth to
beautiful twin girls. Now they have
12. And that’s what I call teamwork!
Teresa Crevier is probably
the most gifted keyboard player I have ever known. The heavenly sounds of her worship have
traveled around the world. Marc and
Leslie Crevier had moved from the Minneapolis
area to be near their brothers and sisters. Marc is one of the most gifted Bible
teachers I have ever heard. His wife, Leslie, was a very gifted hairdresser and
kept many of us coifed and cut. She
was my very favorite hairdresser, and one of the few, I would ever let touch my
hair. Hair to a traveling minister
can be quite the issue. Especially
if you ever trust yourself to someone who doesn’t know what they’re
doing, and your hair is a mess. It
can completely undo your confidence when you stand in front of a crowd with a
bad hairdo. Marc and Leslie became very dear friends to me, and in 2001, my
son, Joshua, spent several months with them while I traveled to the West
Coast. At age 15, he had become
road weary, and they graciously opened their hearts and home to him. It was a
great loss to us all, when Leslie passed away the summer of 2008 after fighting
a brave battle against a cancerous tumor. She exuberated the love of
Jesus. I always said that while she
worked on your hair, she worked on your heart. She was also very gifted in playing
her flute and sewing flags and banners. Coupled with the extraordinary talents
of the other Crevier family members, their worship gatherings were colorful
displays of talent and dance.
Another family member, Karen
(Crevier) Nelson is an exceptional artist. She and her husband, Steve, had a
family business making children’s furniture with whimsical designs that
came from Karen’s gifted hands. Steve and Karen established the Enoch
Farm outside of Elkton, where their beautiful home and acreage became a hub of
excitement during tent meetings. Several of the Crevier family members are part
of the End Time Handmaidens and Servants ministry, founded by Dr. Gwen Shaw. Better known as Sis Gwen, she was a
personal friend to Ruth Heflin and spoke at her funeral. They had met in China when both
of them were young missionaries and shared a great love for the Chinese people.
Burt Crevier is a jet pilot
and instructor who has since moved to Annapolis, Maryland, where he teaches at
the Naval Academy. Several years ago, Bert began
to have many visitations of the Lord, and they have been recorded in his
booklet called, “The Day I Stepped Into Eternity”. Some of his revelations were invaluable
to me when the Lord began teaching me about George Washington and the mantle
upon his shoulders for leadership.
Ah, but that’s another story… and a good one.
I shared in length with you
about the Crevier family to show you once again what the Lord can do with
ordinary people who are excited about excellence.
Minnesota Stories
Invitations to minister
spilled over into Minnesota. Having already spoken at Fairmont in December, I
was invited back to share what had happened at the campground. Soon, other
meetings developed in Pipestone, Milaca, Lakeland,
St James, New Ulm, Worthington,
St Paul, Lakefield,
and Windom. I’ll share several very interesting stories about a few of
those places.
In Pipestone, I spoke at a
Women’s Aglow meeting that was glorious. After the meeting a lovely lady named
Marilyn came up to me. She was from
the Assembly of God church in Worthington
and ventured to ask me if I would possibly consider coming that evening to the
regularly scheduled prayer and
intercession meeting held at their church. It was about 60 miles away. I had
learned from my mentor, Ruth Heflin, to be open to the spontaneous moving and
guidance of the Holy Spirit and so, I said ‘yes’ to her. By the time I arrived that night she had
called around, and the church was filling with curious people. I shared about the campground and then
showed the video of Silvania. Once again, I offered to pray for
people and they lined up at the front of the church. At one place in the prayer line, I was
standing directly in front of the podium and the communion table. I lifted my
hand to anoint the weeping woman standing in front of me. All of a sudden, I
realized she too was about to fall forward on top of me. Quickly, with both
hands behind me, I braced myself against the communion table as her forehead
hit my right hand, and she crumpled to the floor in front of me in a pool of
tears. I felt a sharp stabbing pain
as I suddenly realized my right hand was positioned exactly over the far corner
of the communion table behind me.
Had she not hit my hand, she could have gashed her forehead severely. I
shuddered for a moment, grateful for the Lord’s protection in our moments
of weakness and vulnerability.
As I kept praying for
people, it began to dawn on me that the line seemed to be replacing itself and
growing. I’d pray for someone
thinking, “Hmm, I don’t remember seeing this person in the
crowd”. Eventually after
praying for all those who stood waiting, I found out that a Mexican group met
in their church following the regular Saturday night prayer and intercession
group. In other words, while I was
praying for the first group, a whole second group of people had been quietly
entering the building and finding a place in the line. No wonder it seemed to be growing and
didn’t come to an end. I had
to chuckle about it on the way home back to Pipestone where I was staying, but
boy, was I tired!
Out of the Pipestone Aglow,
I met many wonderful friends, and I still hold meetings in the area. One family was powerfully touched by the
Lord and had such a radical transformation, it astonished the whole
community. They were hard-working
dairy farmers and nominal church-going Missouri
Synod Lutherans until unusual circumstances took Elroy, his wife, Elaine, and
their oldest daughter, Becky, to Toronto
one summer. Becky had begun to
watch Benny Hinn on TV and learned he would be in Toronto.
Elroy and Elaine decided to merge Becky’s desire to see him with a
vacation to Toronto.
Through an amazing Divine appointment they walked unsuspecting into a major
move of God happening at the Toronto
Airport Christian
Fellowship and their lives were radically, instantly, miraculously
changed. Eventually all eight of
their children had similar spiritual experiences, and nothing was ever the same
for the Uilk family. However,
not everyone was happy with such radical changes in the family. Eventually a
partnership with Elroy’s brother dissolved a family corporation and took
him and his family off the dairy farm where Elroy had lived all his life. Ten years later, they operate The
Lord’s House, an outstanding prayer and ministry house east of Pipestone. Many people have encountered the Lord in
their beautifully decorated home and they have hosted many guest speakers and
visitors. Their hospitality and
ministry have touched the entire region and surely is once again a testimony to
the Lord’s love of common people.
Having traveled all over America,
it is still one of my favorite places to go, and I nestle easily into the
warmth of friendships established 10 years ago.
In April, in St James, I
teamed up with a wonderful prophetic couple named John and Judy Kolb who were
based out of Red Wing, MN. They
have since moved to Post Falls, ID, close to where I live in Liberty Lake, WA.
We were ministering in a small Assembly of God church in St James that was
hungry for more of the Glory of God. On the last evening of the conference, I
shared the video about Silvania with the people and then invited them to come
up and pray over them. Once again I saw men and women slain in the Spirit as
they worshipped in a Glorious Presence of the Lord that filled the sanctuary. What I remember most about that night
was that I turned to my devoted sidekick and ministry partner, Joshua, age 13
and asked him to anoint the children and others who wanted prayer. It thrilled my heart to see him flow in
the Holy Spirit that night like he’d observed his mother doing.
The Not So Glorious
The meeting went so well the
pastor asked me if I would come back that August and fill the pulpit for him
while he and his family went to the National Assembly of God Convocation in Florida. I felt honored to be asked and told him
I felt it would work out fine.
However, it would turn out to be two of the most difficult weeks I have
ever experienced. Pastor Jerry had told me I could stay in the guestroom of the
parsonage and use it as a base if I wanted to conduct any more meetings in the
region. All I needed to do was conduct the Sunday morning and evening services
and also the Wednesday night meeting. When I arrived, he and his wife had
already left for Florida
along with another couple whose wife was the worship leader. I had driven in from some meetings
in Wisconsin
that day feeling fine. However that
night, I became violently ill in the parsonage. The next day, I improved enough to visit
with a couple, DuWayne and Angie, who served as elders in the congregation.
After speaking the first Sunday at the church, I became aware that there seemed
to be an undercurrent of something going on that didn’t feel right. It didn’t seem like the same place
I had been to in April. I did the
best I knew and filled my week with some other appointments and meetings,
including my obligation on Wednesday night. As I met with the people, a growing
uneasiness seemed to ripple through the congregation. By the second Sunday, I
suspected something had to be very wrong. It was like people were trying to
tell me something without telling me something, if you know what I mean. After the Sunday morning service, I went
out to eat with DuWayne and Angie at a local favorite Chinese restaurant. This
time a few hints were dropped about a budding relationship they had observed
developing between the worship leader and the pastor. The concern from DuWayne
and Angie was that their son, Todd, was married to the worship leader, Jeannie,
and there was apparent cause for worry.
All of a sudden some things made sense… that is the thing they
were trying to tell me without telling me, if you know what I mean. The worship leader and her husband had
arrived back from Florida
the day before, and she had led the worship that morning. Jeannie and I had stuck up a friendship
when I was there earlier in April.
She wanted to come over to the parsonage that afternoon just to catch up
and visit. Little did I realize what a Divine setup it would prove to be.
When Jeannie arrived at the
parsonage, we sat across the kitchen table visiting when suddenly her face
began to cloud up, and her eyes filled with tears. I asked her what was wrong. The Lord was putting words in my mouth
as I spoke softly to her. Her reply
was, “I’m having an affair with my best friend’s
husband”. With that I asked
her gently, “And who is your best friend?” She hesitated as the tears began to roll
down her cheeks, “Denise”, she responded. With that I knew I had just uncovered
the terrible truth and cause for the ripples of unrest that had surfaced during
my time in St James. As she wept
and the story spilled out, I asked her if it had become physical and she
nodded, yes. Realizing she, Todd,
Pastor Jerry and Denise had just spent nearly 10 days together in Florida at a church
conference, I saw that the pressure of their time together and the guilt had
caused her to come to me to confess what was happening. I prayed with her and counseled her on
several matters. One was that she
needed to willingly resign as the worship leader the next night at their
regular Monday night practice. Two
was that she would need to confess the affair to DuWayne and Angie, her
in-laws, as DuWayne served on the church board. She agreed that she would. Time was of an essence that it be
handled right as the pastor and his wife were coming home on Tuesday. I had
originally planned to leave the very next morning on Monday, but knew I must
delay it at least a day. I could
not delay my leaving on Tuesday as I was scheduled as the speaker at a monthly
Aglow meeting in Rice Lake,
Wisconsin. And I surely needed to be out of the
house when they got home! What was
I supposed to do with it? How could
I leave knowing such a thing? How I
needed the Wisdom and Counsel of the Holy Spirit, and He was faithful to give
it. My last Sunday night service was most difficult. I looked out at the faces of precious
people who I knew were about to be devastated by bad news. And I couldn’t say a thing. That
night Jeannie sat demurely at the back of the church as I led worship. They
didn’t know it, but I was singing the comfort of the Lord to them. I
surely didn’t sleep well that night in the parsonage, and suddenly I
understood why I had become so violently ill the first night I arrived. Adultery
was about to be exposed. Later, I
would be extremely grateful that I didn’t know the full story until the
very last day or so. It forced me
to act decisively, and it would have been an unbearable burden for two weeks. I
believe the Lord allowed it to be hidden from me until the time was right.
On Monday, I drove to Worthington to take
Joshua there to meet his dad for a visitation. I confided in my new friend, Marilyn,
that I was under a heavy burden and that I desperately needed to know what to
do in a very difficult situation. The entire day was spent in prayer and
intercession as I labored under the weight of what had been confessed to me and
considered the options.
That evening, I stopped by
the church as they began their regular weekly worship practice. At this point, Jeannie began to take on
defiant look as she led worship practice as if nothing was wrong. She ignored
me as I stood at the back of the church watching her. Suddenly, I felt compelled to walk to the
front of the church and position myself sitting on the front row while gazing
at her steadily. After
several awkward minutes, she informed the worship team she needed to talk to
them. She came down and told them she needed to resign as the worship
leader. Tearful, they began to ask
why and she told them she was planning to go back to school and wouldn’t
have the time. It was partly true.
She had been thinking about it as her husband, Todd, had suffered a brain tumor
and had been unable to work. They had four little boys and were living on acreage
half a mile away from her in-laws, DuWayne and Angie. The affair with her and the pastor had
developed out of counseling sessions when Todd had the tumor and needed surgery,
and she was coping with it all. The
worship team hugged her, telling her they understood, and yet, they really
didn’t know what was about to happen. And, I couldn’t tell them.
After the others had left, I
reminded Jeannie that she had promised to confess to Du Wayne and Angie. She became angry with me lashing out,
“I thought what I told you was in confidence”. I assured her it still was, and that it
was she who had promised to confess and tell them. I also told her I wanted to be able to
support her when she told them and that I absolutely had to leave the next
morning.
With that she stormed out
the door and sped off in her vehicle.
I followed her out the ten miles or so on those lonely country roads,
praying she would drive into DuWayne and Angie’s farmyard and not stop at
her own, only half a mile away. Talk about being in an uncomfortable spot! She
did drive there and we got out and went into the house. I think I had called ahead to inform
them we were coming and they graciously met us at the door. We walked in and sat around the table in
an awkward silence, until Jeannie finally confessed to what had been happening
and exactly what they had been suspecting for a several weeks. Even when we know something could be wrong, it is hard to believe it when it actually
happens. I was so proud of DuWayne
and Angie who gently assured Jeannie that they still loved her and forgave her
even if action would have to be taken. When Jeannie left the house to go
home, I stayed to visit and counsel with them that they call their district superintendent
right away. They must have had a very
agonizing night before they made that phone call early the next morning. Pastor Jerry and his wife, Denise, were
coming home that very day without a clue that Jeannie had just confessed. He was planning to be at their regular
monthly board meeting that same night and was greatly surprised when district
officials walked in to confront the situation and ask for his resignation. Their acting so quickly would eventually
prove to be invaluable. During the
course of the next year, Jeannie would turn on them all with a fury and file
three separate lawsuits against the pastor, district, and the local
church. I was eventually required
to give a deposition of my involvement.
At one point the new pastor of the beleaguered church confided in me
that had I not handled it as well as I did, the lawsuits would have gotten more
ugly indeed. As if I knew how to
handle such matters.
As I left that Tuesday
morning with storm clouds brewing over that little group of people I loved, I
prayed and grieved for them. After the tragic news was told to them, I purposed
to return about a week later and explain my last minute involvement and the
voluntary confession. I never saw
Jeannie after that. She was furious
with me and left a trail of broken hearts and friendships. Pastor Jerry confessed to the affair and
in defiance, he and Jeannie ran off together for awhile. Eventually, he came under the conviction
of the Holy Spirit and wanted to be reunited to his wife and come under the
discipline and counsel of the district. When I returned to the parsonage a week
later, I wept with a broken hearted wife, betrayed by her husband and her best
friend. Denise later had a great
grace upon her life as she forgave her husband, and they and their two children
moved closer to the Minneapolis
area to get a fresh start. For the
people of St James, the nightmare didn’t end for a long time. Eventually a lawsuit and court trial was
held in that same little town where they had once tried to keep the affair a
secret. Eventually, it ended up on the front page of the local newspaper, which
is why I have ventured to use the real first names of those involved since it
is a matter of public record.
Accusing and suing Jerry for taking advantage of her vulnerability in a
counseling session, Jeannie was awarded a moderate settlement. The judge was not convinced she
hadn’t been a willing party to the affair. The quick handling by the
district cleared them and their beleaguered local church of monetary damages. Jeannie returned to her forgiving husband,
Todd, went back to school, and found employment in a nearby town. For DuWayne and Angie, the years
afterwards were very difficult as they and the local church faced the
speculations and gossip of the community, and many suffered a great loss of
confidence and faith. No, it
surely didn’t seem like the same place I had been to only a few months
before.
Ten years later, I am still
blessed by the friendship of DuWayne and Angie and have been a speaker at
several meetings in their home and stayed in their bright red guestroom. Our lives were welded together in
a bond of friendship forged through a heartache and hardship that can bend or
break the best of us. For me, my
naivete was being challenged as I entered the strange precarious world of a
traveling ministry. Somewhere the
Glory had met the gory, and surely it shall be so, if we think we can lead
worship and preach at the front of a church while having a secret affair. It is the Lord’s Mercy to clean
house and clean up our personal house so that personal agendas and carnality do
not defile the innocent and seeking.
Most of the meetings that
summer of 1999 were wonderful. One
other odd meeting occurred that summer in the town of Windom, about 50 miles from St James. I had been invited to come by a home
church pastor who planned to rent a side room in the county arena. Unknown to me, he had taken my
ministry/business card and used it as an advertisement in the area wide
shopper. He gave me directions to
the arena, and I pulled up to a whale sized building wondering what in the
world was going on. I located the
room that he was renting for the evening.
The arena had just been used for the county fair and was more like a
huge fenced livestock yard for showing animals. Dust and the smell of manure
permeated the atmosphere, and I was more than glad we weren’t meeting out
there! The side room was a holding
room for auctioneers and staff behind the main showroom arena. Josh brought in my keyboard, as I
prepared to show the video. I had
never met any of the people before, and I felt I needed to prepare them for what they
would be seeing. I noticed one
couple and another man sitting about 2 rows back ruffling through their Bibles
whenever I’d say something.
It made me uneasy to watch them.
About the time I was ready to show the video, they suddenly got up and
walked out of the room in a huff. I had been carefully and gently trying to
prepare everyone, and I had never had anyone walk out of one of my meetings. At first I was going to just let them
go, but suddenly I decided to follow them out to the parking lot. They were
hurrying to get to their car, so I simply called out, “Thanks for coming.
God bless you.” With that the
man turned on me and yelled something about me being a charlatan and that
anybody could put gold dust in their hair.
I watched as they hurriedly entered their car and drove away. What an odd thing to have happen, and it
surely dampened the spirit as I reentered the building. I showed Silvania's video to those who
stayed, and the I prayed for the hungry and hurting who still had a heart to
see and hear. Later, I surmised that my ministry card in the local shopper had
stirred the ire of a local pastor and his wife and elder. They had come with
the intention of 'exposing' me, but the Lord had allowed me to respond
graciously. None of the other people attending knew who they were.
As I drove back to the home
I was staying in that night, I was perplexed and feeling creepy about the whole
thing. A subtle erosion was taking
place in my confidence, but the Lord was about to reward me the very next night
with a delightful experience I’ve shared with many people since.
Glory and Grace in Iowa
I had received an invitation
from a group in Spirit Lake, Iowa
who were affiliated with Morning Star Ministries under Rick Joyner in Charlotte, NC. I had met them several days before at a
meeting in Lakefield, Minnesota, and they later confessed to me
they weren’t too sure about the whole gold dust thing either. The meeting was held in the carpet showroom
of Pastor Rick and his wife, Sharon, who owned and operated a flooring business
on Main Street. They were excited about seeing the video
and about 25-30 people had gathered in the spacious room. In addition to showing the video with
Silvania at the campground, I had obtained a 10-minute clip from a live TV
program that had been taped at the Toronto
Airport Fellowship in Toronto in March. A large number of people had received
gold fillings in one meeting and several were sharing their testimonies and
opening their mouths widely to display their new gold teeth to the camera. It
was a delightful video with laughter and the incredulous looks and stares of
people who can hardly believe what had just happened. John Arnott is
interviewing several of them, and I had noticed that when I showed the clip,
the atmosphere in the room became pregnant with hopeful expectation and faith
was present. I was trying to learn
the ways of the Spirit, and how to flow into the anointing of faith when it
came into the room, as that was when the manifestations would happen.
Surprise!
During the worship and when
I first got up to speak and introduce the video, I noticed a couple in the back
of the room who seemed to feel greatly out of place. They looked stiff as if
they didn’t know what to do and were trying to hide out on the back
row. I smiled to myself
remembering what that felt like. I
learned later that Carol had just begun to work for Rick’s flooring
business as a receptionist. He had
invited her to the meeting that night to hear the guest speaker and she had
wanted to come. Her husband, Brian,
had planned to drop her and their two daughters off at the door and head home.
They had gone out to eat and he was not interested in coming until the very
last minute. All of a sudden he wanted to come in and find out what was going
on. They were both involved with
the Episcopalian church and had never been in a meeting like the one that was
about to happen.
I showed the video clip from
Toronto of
people receiving gold fillings.
Then I asked those who would want to receive a miracle like that to put
their hands on their jaws and open their mouths as if ready to receive. Then I would pray over them as a group
thanking the Lord for miracles, signs, and wonders. Shortly thereafter, a strange commotion
was going on in the back of the room.
It seemed the lady, Carol, had just had an entire bridge turn gold. Her daughter, in child-like faith, had
asked to look into her mother’s mouth and then she began to cry as she excitedly
told her mother her teeth were gold.
Carol didn’t believe it, but then, her husband saw them too About that time, she made a dash for the
bathroom mirror to check it out for herself and screamed when she saw them
shining in her mouth. Suddenly, a
holy glorious pandemonium broke out, as we were all so excited for them. Brian, her husband, ran to the front of
the room and nearly tackled me in his joy and enthusiasm. They couldn’t
believe it! Earlier Rick and his
daughter, Abigail, had been leading a beautiful worship song called, “Our
God is an Awesome God”. They
began to lead us in worship as we broke out singing that song in a glorious spontaneous
praise as we jumped and danced joyfully around the room.
Once we barely quieted down
again, I proceeded to show the video of Silvania and again a beautiful Glory
began to fill the room as the video played. When it finished, I offered to pray and
anoint people with the oil and gold dust from my little bottle, and Brian and
Carol ran to the front to be the first.
They weren’t acting like the same timid couple I noted earlier
that evening. First, I prayed for
Brian and he fell backwards to the floor as the Holy Spirit gripped his heart
and soul. Then I prayed for Carol, who
fell right next to him. At that point and time, they began to look at each
other lying flat on their backs on the floor and holy laughter bubbled up out
of both of them. The absurdity and delight of what was happening was
uncontainable and their joy touched us all. They were never the same after that, and
I rejoiced greatly as the miracle had occurred the night after the bizarre
incident in Windom where I had been called a charlatan.
Later Brian would write out
their testimony, which I found recently in my files. I’m going to share
it with you even though it is lengthy. Often people would ask me, “Why
would God give someone gold teeth?”
I believe this testimony
will show you the dramatic changes that can happen in someone’s life as
the result of gold teeth. Enjoy the
view of one so freshly touched of the Lord and invite Him to refresh you as
well.
My wife and I
had been going to a certain church for quite awhile. I was on the Bishops committee and
involved pretty much in the church. My wife was the head Sunday School teacher also.
Well, I don’t want to degrade any church or point fingers so I
won’t say which church it was.
The important thing was God was going to move in our lives in a big way!
Now my wife wanted to go to another church and she had been going a couple of
times and she asked God to show her a sign that the new church was where she
was supposed to be! Well, one night
she said she was going and there was going to be a speaker there. I
wasn’t affected by that. I felt no need to go with her, but we were
already out eating and she said she wanted to go. Being the person I was I said,
I’ll drop you and the kids off there then come back later and pick you
up. Well, that’s not the way it worked. As we got closer to the place
something urged me to go check it out!
The next thing I know is I got to meet you Carla and your son, Joshua.
You showed us a film of a woman who produced gold dust out of her hair. Now I
was very skeptic as usual and Carla showed a video of a man praying over
thousands of people and some would come up with GOLD TEETH. Wow. I thought what a show, my skeptical side
again!
Carla asked
people watching the video to open their mouths and also receive it. Of course,
I was skeptical again. Then after that we sat down and Carla was showing the
another video. That’s about the time my daughter, Bethanie asked my wife,
Carol, to open her mouth. Bethanie wanted to see her teeth. And sure enough the
next thing I hear Bethanie say is “Dad, Mom’s teeth are
gold!” Of course, I had to examine them because Beth could sometimes
exaggerate. Well, I said, “Let me see” and sure enough the bridge
in her mouth had turned to gold! I
said, “Honey, your teeth are gold!” Pretty soon Bethanie was crying
and her voice kept getting louder saying “My mom’s teeth are
gold!” Well, everyone wanted to take a look and sure enough they were
amazed. Carol had to go to the bathroom and look and I remember her screaming
“They are!” Well, not
only did she get a gold bridge in her mouth as a sign she’d been asking
for, but Carla layed hands on me and I was so filled with the Holy Spirit, I was drunk in the Holy Spirit! It was the best feeling I’ve ever
had! Needless to say we laid down
our commitments at the other church and left there. We now feel the power of God at the new
church and love it. At the other church we were not moved like at this one.
As a result of
receiving the Holy Spirit, I’ve been delivered from sin and its
bondage. The Spirit moved me to
take 4 days off work, so I did. I
didn’t know why. The first
day the Spirit said to me “Get a burn barrel” so I didn’t
question it…. After everyone left the house the second day, the Holy
Spirit moved me again and said, “You know what’s next.” And so I began to find all that was
unpleasing to God.
All my
Playboys went into the barrel, some of my drawings went in there, videos went
in. The Holy Spirit guided me to every room in the house.
I thought I
was done but as I passed the garage, the Holy Spirit moved me in there
too. There were some posters to get
rid of! Then I started the fire
(which was hard to start because anyone knows if you lay magazines down flat
they hardly burn). So the process was slow, but on the third day the ashes were
still smoldering. So I kept
stirring them up and they would catch fire again even after being rained on.
Finally on the fourth day, everything was burned up.
I was cleaning
house and God was cleaning temple. Since then, many neat things have happened
like both my wife and I had a vision together at the same time. God also showed me He has already heard
a certain prayer for my handicapped child, and in the dream He gave me, my
child was reintroducing herself to her teachers and telling them she was healed
by the Holy Spirit. Even her
appearance had changed. It was softer and almost glowing…..
Thank you
Carla and Joshua. You are my family in Christ and I will always cherish the
time we have to share our personal relationships with the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. May God bless you and
anoint your faith and ministry.
Your friends,
Brian and
Carol Woods and family
Spirit Lake, IA
Having read their testimony,
I think we can see how one incident of receiving gold teeth can truly change
hearts and lives. What I love most about this story is the way the Lord seemed
to ambush a simple unsuspecting couple.
At the very last minute, he said he felt something urge him to check it
out. I believe this is meant to be
an encouragement for those who wonder how the Lord will ever deliver or speak
to a loved one.
I can’t help but grin
with the angels to think that Brian and Carol arose from their beds that
morning looking into an ordinary day as ordinary people without a clue the Lord
was about to interrupt and disrupt all that ordinariness with an extraordinary
miracle. That is what it’s
all about.
Miracles in Wisconsin
In Lakeland, Minnesota,
I was invited to a home meeting. Many had come excited about what the Lord was
doing and anxious to view the video.
In my early days, I was learning to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as I
was so new to the things of the Spirit. I didn’t know what else to do. And, of course, it is the very best
thing to do anyway. After showing the video, I encouraged those present to look
into one another’s mouths or to find a mirror. Soon, screams of joy filled the living
area, as a lady named Grace, from Hudson,
Wisconsin, discovered she had a
huge gold crown she’d not had before. Grace had attended some meetings in
Toronto and was aware of the manifestation, but nothing had happened to her
prior to that night. Of course, we
were all ecstatic and excited with her.
What made this story so special is what happened when she got home.
Still all excited, she
showed her husband, Dick, her shining new gold tooth. He believed her, but found it hard to do
so. Dick wryly commented that he
was the one that really needed dental work. To his utter surprise, he woke up with a
gold tooth the next morning. What made it especially fun was that it was the
very same molar that had turned to gold in Grace’s mouth. In other words,
they had a matched pair!
Here is Grace’s
testimony, found recently in my files:
On April
19,1999, while attending a prayer and praise gathering at Sharon’s home where Carla Reed was
ministering, I received a gold crown from the Lord. The next night at Bev’s house,
again Carla was ministering. I prayed for my husband to received restored
teeth. I prayed, “Do it again, Lord” and He did! Dick received a gold crown in the exact
location as I did, the lower right side, #30 molar.
My dentist,
who does not have a belief system in God at all, did verify my tooth was gold,
looked different, didn’t look “cast”, had restored amalgam
and was unusual.
I asked to see
Dick’s x-rays and dental record and as he had just had dental work done
two weeks earlier, his records were current. I verified over and over that according
to his x-rays and chart, did he have crown of any type in that location of his
mouth? The dentist said several
times that he didn’t have anything, or any dental work in that
location. No crown of any material. At that point, I said, “Well, he
does now!”
Both of our
crowns are in the same location and also have a very small hole in the center
of the tooth, about the size of the end of a toothpick. I don’t have any idea of the
significance of our receiving, but feel it is somehow related to the call on
our lives…... I believe the gold crowns signify in part that we are
warriors in the Lord’s battle and to assure us that He is with us and
will protect us.
Note: I have a wonderful picture of Dick and
Grace with their hands in their open mouths showing off their beautiful matched
set of gold crowns. How fun is
that?
Many doors of ministry
opened up to me in Wisconsin,
and I’ve returned to many of the same places over the last ten
years. In Cushing, I met with a
large home group what was sponsored by End Times Handmaidens. That evening, I
showed both videos once again, following a pattern that seemed to flow into a
realm of faith that brought several manifestations. While I didn’t know if anything
had happened that night, the next morning several phone calls came from excited
people who had received gold fillings overnight. Some of their testimonies and pictures
are still in my file called, “Glory Stories”. Invitations came to minister in Spooner,
Rice Lake,
Wausau, and Chippewa Falls.
In Wausau, I had another interesting experience
with a Woman’s Aglow meeting. Ruth Heflin had spoken at a conference in
Wausau about two years earlier and touched many lives with her stories of the
Glory and teaching people how to enter into a realm of worship that brought in
the manifestations of miracles, signs, and wonders. So it was that the meeting that night
was filled with a room full of excited ladies who had driven great distances
all of them ready to hear and see what was happening. As I remember, the
evening began around 6:30 with a catered meal served at the tables where the
ladies were seated. Josh and I had come in earlier to set up my keyboard and a
product table where I sold books, scarves, and jewelry. I had learned not to depend too heavily
on honorariums at Aglow meetings, no matter what the size of the crowd was.
Much time was spent in
clatter and chatter with the dishes and the eating. I sat at the front table gazing out over
the ladies wondering how and if we’d be able to overcome our focus on
food and focus on the Lord of Glory.
Eventually, the local president made announcements and several other
officers got up and gave their little talks on their current office and focus
for the local ministry. An offering
for Aglow was then received as the ladies sat waiting and waiting to hear the
speaker and enter into Praise and Worship.
I’ve sat in many a meeting where the anointing and anticipation
was killed and stilled by the needless drone of information. Somewhere during
the meal, the president turned to me and said she forgot to tell me they were
required to be completely out of the building by 9:00 p.m. I was very surprised
and wondered how we’d ever get into the Glory on such a schedule. If I recall, they had some of their own
praise and worship first. Then I was to pick it up at some point and time and
carry it to a deeper level. When I
finally was given the platform, it was nearly 8:00, and I had less than an hour
to minister, pack up all the products and my keyboard and be out of the
building. I was growing impatient
with it all and deeply grieved that the ladies had been sitting and waiting for
the Real Deal, and they were being shorted through rambling talk and
clumsiness.
I breathed deeply and asked
the Lord to do a quick work in that place.
Then, I asked the ladies to stand and began to play softly as the Holy
Spirit graciously and faithfully began to fill the room and minister to the
waiting and hungry hearts. I sang
and spoke out prophetically what the Lord was showing me, and He instantly
lifted off the oppressive atmosphere of clatter and chatter and began to touch
each one as only He can do. It was
all too soon, when I had to defer back to the leaders as we had to close down
the meeting and Josh and I had to pack up everything we had labored earlier to
bring in. In those days, Joshua was
an incredible blessing and help to me.
In fact, the ministry card read, Selah
Ministries, Carla Reed and Son, Joshua. He knew exactly what to do and packed up
the keyboard and carried it to our van.
I quickly made my way to the product table and sold a few items as
ladies were gathering their things and being hurried out the door. Then we finished packing up and
scrambled breathlessly out the building by slightly after 9:00 p.m.
When I got to my van, I was
more than a little ticked off about the whole thing. I had driven quite a distance myself in
addition to the ladies who drove great distances. I felt the evening had become a mumble
jumble of, you guessed it, clatter and chatter. I was not as upset over my not having
more time to speak as I was over the poor management of precious time that had robbed
the women present. It becomes
obvious that our policies and procedures must be flexible enough to allow for
the best meal of all, His Presence.
Often in those jumbled up meetings, the leader would turn to me and want
me to 'do something' to pull the meeting out of the pit. When most of the
anointing had been sucked out of the room through endless announcements, it was
only the Grace and Mercy of the Lord that He loved us enough to touch us
anyway. We were content with a
thimble full of Glory when He had wanted to let our cup overflow. We just didn’t have time for it.
I’m reminded of Ruth
Heflin’s admonishments to us at the campground to “Make room for
the Glory”. In other words,
don’t be in such a rush that you stifle or stop the anointing of Glory
because you are in such a big hurry to get on with the program. Many of us have sat in churches following
the bulletin so we know what to do next. Even in Pentecostal churches without a
bulletin, we have set a pattern of praise, worship, offering, prayer, and a message
trying to cram it all into a limited amount of time. Maybe you’re like me, wondering,
“What in the world are we doing, anyway?”
Somebody always knows
somebody. Often, I have been asked
how I manage to travel like I do, and how do I meet all those people and get
all those connections. It’s
hard to explain the miraculous workings of the Holy Spirit to connect us to the
right people in the right places at the right time for the right reasons. Some who know me teasingly call me the
“Queen of Connections”.
It has been one of my giftings to network with many ministries, pastors,
worshippers, and intercessors across the country. It has brought me great joy and great
sorrow. I’ve been burned by
more than one 'bad connection' when I’ve set up meetings for someone else
or went to a meeting where the intentions and circumstances were less than
honorable. On occasion, I’ve been caught in the middle of feuding parties
and wished I hadn’t recommended someone to someone else. It has been a juggling act at best to
continue to deal with the 'multiple' personalities of ministries, egos, and
agendas. In my early days, I was
eager to meet people and interconnect across the country. These days I’m
far more careful as I’ve greatly regretted some of the connections that have
backfired on me. Personal friends
have used my generosity and connections to promote their ministries and demote
my own. Because I have a tender,
generous heart and spirit, I was prone to being taken advantage of by those who
knew how to manipulate my sympathies in order to gain access to my network. I
am much wiser now, of course, but not without a deep sense of sadness at the
tactics of carnal Christians. Most of
the friendships I have made over the last ten years are safe and secure, but some
have fallen prey to pettiness, jealousies, fears, and faultfinding with me. To
justify the actions of so-called discernment and judgments, they would drop me and their support. I have always been a deeply loyal
person, therefore, it is very painful to have friendships falter and fail.
Wisconsin became a
state of mixture for many of these elements, and I suffered several casualties
there, more so than in any other state. I developed many special
friendships, but a spirit seems to prevail over the state that can divide and
conquer the best of friends. One of
the places where loyalty has been honored is Chippewa Falls. A wonderful couple named Jim and Diane
invited me to their church the summer of 1999 to share about the gold dust and
show the video. At the time
they were attending a church that had experienced a major outpouring of the
Glory of God over 20 years earlier.
Eventually, some of the leaders got heavily involved in deliverance
ministry and flippancy toward the demonic.
It became their downfall coupled with their association with a large
church in Seattle
that got into error concerning soul dancing with other people’s spouses.
The unthinkable began to happen, and many marriages were ripped apart by
adultery in Seattle and Chippewa Falls.
The tainted history of the church has been hard to overcome for those who remained
in the area. Jim and Diane have
weathered many of the storms and are hungry to see again what they experienced
in those early days when people came from far and wide to attend the church. Diane was part of the Eau Claire Women’s Aglow where I spoke
many times over the years. They
were among those few generous chapters that strove for excellence in their
meetings and honorariums, and I have always enjoyed my times with them. For a few years, it seemed I would be
invited to their monthly May meeting, which always put me there over
Mother’s Day. Jim and Diane and many of the faithful ones in Chippewa Falls are seeing a return of the
Glorious Days they once knew. I’m deeply thankful for those of us who
continue to stick together through thick and thin and put the value of friendship
above and over opinions and agendas.
Change
In July 1999, I felt the
Lord leading me to move out of that little farmhouse near Freeman, SD.
I had spent several weeks traveling
and was anticipating another major trip to Israel in September. Joshua and I
had plans to stay for about three months, although when we did go, we shortened
it to six weeks for several reasons, including that our lives were put in
danger. Ah, but that’s another
story.
To facilitate the move and
allow me freedom to travel, I decided to put my things in a local storage unit.
My newlywed daughter, Anne and her husband, Dan, had driven up from Springfield, Missouri
in July. We rented a U Haul truck for them, and I gave them some furniture to
use, as I didn’t see any reason to let it sit in storage if they needed
it. I had wheedled down my
household furnishings from my move in 1997, so I needed only a smaller storage
unit. The most valuable thing I
owned was a Wurlitzer console piano I purchased in 1970 when my oldest son,
Steven, was born. I had played and
worshipped many times on that old piano, and it had been moved all over the
country in my earlier married years when I was raising my family. Initially, I thought my things would be
in storage for a few months. To my
surprise and chagrin, it would turn into over three years of storage. As I was launched into ministry and
travel, it seemed like I got on a merry-go-round and didn’t know where to
get off. Eventually, Joshua and I moved to Moses
Lake, Washington in 2002 after three full years of
a ministry circuit that took us from one side of the country to the other. At
that time everything came out of storage to be given away and to expedite our
move 1500 miles away. I gave my old
beloved piano, which had wintered three years in a storage unit to my oldest
son, Steven, and the Lord allowed me to replace it with a beautiful grand piano
in April 2007. That too, is
another story.
Lest I get ahead of myself,
let me return to the summer of 1999.
Sometimes the Lord
doesn’t tell you the whole story. A great lady I know says this,
“He’ll let you believe what you need to believe to get you where
you need to be.” So, it was
that I moved out of the farmhouse during what seemed to be the hottest week of
July 1999. After all the details
were taken care of, Joshua and I drove to Elkton, to stay briefly with the
Crevier family. Josh had become a close friend to many of Bruce’s sons
and the Nelson Family. He loved to
visit them when he could, and they provided wonderful Christian companionship
for my growing son. He stayed for a few days with them while I drove to Fargo, North Dakota to
attend another Arise Deborah Conference that was being sponsored by the Brownsville Revival women's leadership team of Pensacola, Florida.
It was being held in the large sanctuary of Fargo Assembly of God. Fargo had experienced a severe flood in April
1997, which I wrote about in my booklet, “My Story”. The booklet also provides the backdrop of my first encounter
with Ruth Heflin, my subsequent ordination, and my association with her
ministry. Ruth wrote about her Fargo
experience in her book, "Revival Glory," and how she sang to the
flood waters to keep them at bay.
It was amazing to me that I
had been so profoundly blessed to attend the Arise Deborah Conference in Pensacola only seven
months earlier and now I was going to another one closer to home. Who would have thought such a
thing? Not only that, but despite
my stumbling and fumbling around to go to Florida
in January, the Lord had taken me safely across the country to partake of the
Glorious meetings in Ashland,
Virginia. That in turn had caused
a launching into ministry that opened doors across the Midwest, where I shared many experiences, and we rejoiced
to see the manifestations of signs and wonders released to the region of the
heartland of America.
Anticipating that I would
meet up with many newly acquired friends coming to the conference in Fargo, I drove from
Elkton with great excitement. Sure
enough, I saw ladies everywhere that I knew or who remembered me from the many
meetings where I had ministered earlier that spring and summer. Some of them shared their testimonies
with great excitement about what they had experienced at the meetings or
continued to see happen even after I had left their area. Some had received gold fillings and
opened their mouths wide to show off their treasures. I felt deeply loved and
honored by those who sought me out and it was comforting in the wake of having
just moved out of my little farmhouse in the heat and in a hurry. A huge shift
was about to take place for me, and I felt the ground beneath my feet shake as
I tried to steady myself for what might be ahead of me. There were nearly 2000
women in attendance, and I was about to be greatly surprised at what the Lord
will do to prove His love and provision.
Miraculous Provision
While at the campground in Ashland in February 1999,
I had noticed some beautiful scarves in the bookstore that had writing on them
in Hebrew. There were various colors
and designs. One had the Star of David and Shalom printed in gold on the sheer
colorful fabric, another had a Davidic Harp and the Hebrew words,
“I’m My Beloved and He is Mine”, another featured doves and
still another, the words, “I love Jesus”. Several designs had caught my eye, and I
had purchased a couple of them to wear in the meeting. Some of the ladies used them as a banner
in worship and many draped the beautiful scarves around their necks or over
their shoulders. I inquired in the
bookstore about how to obtain them as I realized they would be an item ladies
would like and besides that, they were much lighter than carrying and selling
books. I learned that a delightful
lady, named Jo Anne Ferderer designed them and that she lived in St Paul, Minnesota.
I called her after my return to Freeman and ordered several dozen to sell at my
product table when I held meetings. True to my thinking, they were a great hit,
and I sold numbers of them to help support the ministry. They were new to many ladies and easy to
sell. Sometimes I would have the ladies line up in two rows facing each other
and give one row each a scarf. They
would share it with the person standing across from them to form a colorful
tunnel to walk or dance through while we worshipped. In those days, I sang several wonderful
Jewish melodies and coupled with the catchy rhythm, it was fun to watch a dull
meeting come alive in laughter and dance. It seemed to break the ice and allow
a freedom of worship that many enjoyed but didn’t know how to incorporate
or implement in their local meetings.
After I arrived in Fargo, a group of ladies I had met in Hot Springs, South Dakota
met me excitedly and asked if I had any scarves with me. I knew I had about
five dozen as I had just ordered more.
They wanted to stop by my hotel room and buy some more as they had
really enjoyed dancing with them and loved to wear the colorful and elegant
looking scarves. Soon, other ladies
began to notice the beautiful scarves that the Hot Springs ladies were wearing and asked
them where they had bought them.
They assumed it might have been at the conference, but no one was
allowed to set up a product table unless they were part of the Brownsville ministry team. So the ladies from Hot Springs started to point me out in the
crowd, and suddenly, I was being approached by many other ladies wanting to
stop by my room or my van to buy a scarf or two. About the second day, I
realized I was going to be in trouble very quickly and sell out of the scarves. Some friends of mine from Pierre, SD
had wanted to help me sell them, too.
They began wearing more than one around their necks as they attended the
conference, and if anyone commented, they’d announce they were for sale
and pull them right off their neck as they exchanged them for money. These precious ladies knew that Joshua
and I were planning to go to Israel
in September and wanted to help sell the scarves to fund our trip. With them
going so quickly, I wondered if I could possibly call Jo Anne and have her send
more to me overnight. Then I
realized she said she would be gone for a few days. I was trying to remember where she was
going, when it suddenly dawned on me she was planning to come to the very same
conference I was attending in Fargo.
That night I scanned the massive crowd of ladies wondering if she was there and
how I’d ever find her. So, I
asked the Lord to help me. Things
were getting out of hand really fast and more and more ladies were approaching
me. I was beginning to see lots of
my colorful scarves sprinkled throughout the crowd of ladies adorning the necks
of bobbing heads or raised up in worship as a banner.
The next morning, I lingered
at the back of the huge auditorium to once again scan the expanse of ladies who
were already in the spirit of worship.
Usually, I tried to sit with my friends as close to the front as we
could get, but that morning I decided to quietly slip into one of the back pews
that I had noticed had several spaces open in the middle. As I slid in prepared to move closer to
the center, I looked to my far left and to my utter astonishment, Jo Anne was
sitting there. In a brief moment, I
slid in next to her as if the whole thing had been planned and I do think it
was. What are the odds of my 'just so happening' to sit next to her in a crowd
of 2000 women? She greeted me with
a warm smile, and I whispered, “I am so glad to see you here. Did you
bring any extra scarves?” She
grinned and said, “I brought a whole trunk load full, but we’re not
allowed to sell them here.”
So in a few minutes, I explained that many ladies were wanting them and
approaching me, so I was trying to sell them at the hotel, my van, or in the
parking lot after the service.
I obtained several dozen more from her that day to sell to the women who
found me or one of my friends wearing the desired scarves. We could hardly keep
up with it, and I knew I was about to get ambushed even more as word got around
that I was the one who had them.
Desiring to be sensitive to
the house rules, I wasn't sure what to do. Then I realized the conference would
be ending the next day, and an idea came to me. As a growing stream of ladies
were approaching me who just had to have one of those scarves, I told them I
would have them all available to sell from my van after the last session, and
they should meet me in the parking lot.
As the session came to a close, several ladies trailed me to the
vestibule watching for me as I exited the door. Quickly, I left to find my van and
parked it in an empty space close to the front of the church. Jo Anne joined in the fun, pulled up
next to me, and parked her car and opened the trunk. As the ladies came streaming out of the
church to get in their cars and go home, we were positioned conveniently where
they could see us and get the scarves they’d been observing showing up on
ladies’ necks all over the auditorium the past three days.
The July heat wave that had
made my moving out of the farmhouse miserable just a few days before was still
causing sweltering weather conditions, but it didn’t stop dozens of
ladies from buying a scarf or two. At the time I was selling them for $15 each
or 2 for $25 and many were pairing up to get the coveted scarves. For over two hours, Jo Anne, myself, and
a few friends stood on the hot parking lot pavement, sweat pouring off of us,
selling scarves out of the back of my van and Jo Anne’s car. Jo Anne kept telling the ladies we were
selling them so Josh and I could go to Israel. We sold dozens of them, and
the money was coming at us from everywhere, cash and checks included. By 3:00 p.m. or so, we were hot,
thirsty, and exhausted. Neither Jo
Anne or I could believe what had just happened. A ‘scarf anointing’ had hit
that crowd of ladies and they were ‘scarfed up’ by the dozens. They all just had to have one or more.
We left there and went to a
cool restaurant nearby to get something to eat and begin to sort out the
jumbled stash of cash and checks. Thankfully, at that time of day, our section
of the restaurant was empty as we laid out neatly stacked piles of bills to
count. We felt rich! To our amazement, we had sold over
$5,000 worth of scarves and had only a couple dozen left. Jo Anne laughingly declared it was her
first time ever to go home with an empty trunk! What scarves were left, I took with me
for upcoming meetings. We settled
up the bill, Jo Anne taking the cash and me taking a stack of checks over an
inch thick. Instead of splitting
the profits of the scarves evenly, Jo Anne insisted she just wanted her usual
share of the wholesale profit and that she wanted to see me blessed for my trip
to Israel.
That is a rare and beautiful spirit of someone who isn’t concerned at
getting what could have been ‘my fair share’. She wisely saw it as the Lord’s
anointing to fund our trip to Israel
and in one day, our airfare for $1800 was completely paid for plus the extra to
use when we arrived in Israel. Jo Anne continues to sell her
scarves today adding many more lovely designs and you will see them worn all
over the country and displayed in gift stores.
Israel
A sneak peak into our trip
to Israel in September 1999
reveals that I took nearly 1,000 scarves with me to sell at the Feast of
Tabernacles in Jerusalem.
The scarves not only paid for our airfare to Israel, but also kept us adequately
provided for while we stayed in the land for six weeks. I never had to worry
about funds and that is an incredible blessing and praise to a Miraculous
God! I sold several dozen to some
Israeli gift stores and left the rest of them in Israel where they were sold
eventually to tourists and gift shops.
Jo Anne’s generosity to me opened a great door of opportunity for
her to have her scarves grace the necks of many lovely ladies in Israel and
taken home by the international guests from around the world.
One particularly beautiful
white scarf with gold lettering and the Davidic harp, read, “I’m My
Beloved’s and He is Mine”.
On the last night of the Feast of Tabernacles sponsored by the
International Christian Embassy, communion was served to nearly 5,000 international
guests who had gathered in Jerusalem.
I had sold dozens of the white scarves through a local vendor at the Feast.
Delighted, I looked out over a sea of ladies reverently pulling up their white
scarves over their heads and shoulders as a covering when they took
communion. It was a beautiful
tribute to Jo Anne who trusted me with a huge supply of the scarves, and who
had sown so generously into my trip. For me personally, I was humbled to think
Joshua and I had brought those beautiful white scarves with us. We had a part in the sanctity of that
glorious and holy evening never to be forgotten.
It also just so happened
that the Feast of Tabernacle Celebration the year of 1999 occurred the week of
my September 28th Jubilee 50th birthday. I celebrated
walking around the conference complex with an awe of my wonderful Heavenly
Father, dazed and amazed that He would so order my steps that I would spend
such a momentous birthday in Israel. My friend, Ellen, who I had just spent
time with in North Carolina, was also present
in Israel
for her 50th Jubilee birthday. She had registered for another Feast of
Tabernacles Celebration in Jerusalem.
We did find each other while in the city and marveled at how the Lord had
caused us to meet the year before in 1998 in Ashland,
Virginia, and now, we were celebrating our 50th
birthday together in Jerusalem. Ellen continues to go to Israel nearly
once or twice a year and has developed a deep love for the nation and the
people. She will be a life long friend for whom I’m very grateful.
More happened on that trip
to Israel
than can be recorded in this writing and will have to wait for another
time. Many things changed and
shifted and prepared me for the next season of ministry that would take Joshua
and I on the road for over three years without having a home of our own again
until September 2002, when we moved to Moses
Lake, Washington. We were being primed for what
has become known across America
as 'the water story' and of which I am currently writing a book. Ah, yes, that’s
truly another story.
As I have shared my
experiences with you, I remind you to go back with me to where I started in
January, 1999. I was sitting in a
little country farmhouse ten miles
from Freeman, South Dakota. It was winter, and I was miserable. All I had to look
forward to was more winter, cold, and snow. Every rational argument raced through my
mind over the impossibility of leaving my comfortable little house to drive to Florida for a ladies
conference. It was not until I
reached the moment of utter desperate surrender, that I cried out,
“I’m going to die here if I stay… I might as well die on the road”.
Only then, did I have the courage to go forth. These ten years later, I praise and
thank the Lord for His faithful persistent leading. The dying I needed to do
was to my own logic and fear.
Queen Esther beautifully
spoke these somber words of resolve when approaching the King of Persia without
being summoned. She knew she faced the possibility of her own death; “If I perish, I perish”. Little
did she know she would intercede and spare the entire Jewish nation and that her
brave words and story would be recorded in the Bible for an entire world to
read hundreds of years later. Like
Esther, we have “come to the Kingdom for such a time as this”. As we face our worst fears we will
activate the Power and Presence of the Lord and He will bring about changes and
opportunities that will astonish us all.
As I reflect back on those
dark days ten years ago, I see that my life and ministry were hanging
delicately in the balances during the weak and fragile moments of January
1999. Were it not for the Gracious
Hand of the Lord who tipped the scales in my favor, I would not be able to
share with you the amazing stories I have written.
May you be blessed by what
you have read and succeed in everything you put your hand and heart to do.
Selah.
Again, a special
acknowledgement and thanks is given to the many people, named and unnamed who
graced my life and became the characters of these stories told with great joy,
candor, and gratitude these … ten years later.
If this book has touched
your life, I would enjoy hearing from you. The contact information is listed
below.
To the Glory of His Grace,
Carla Reed
For comments, information,
or to schedule a meeting, you may contact me at:
Carla Reed, Minister
21200 E Country Vista Dr #L-104
Liberty Lake, WA 99019
509-599-0433
selahministries@hotmail.com
www.carlareed.com