CHAPTER 4 TRIED AND TESTED

    I believe that every person who is called to serve the Lord will have that call tested and tried. Often the Lord allows these trials to seal that call. Like Abraham in Genesis 22, He can prove our faith in Him to Himself, others and ourselves. Abraham’s faith was strengthened through the struggle and obedience of offering up his son, Isaac.
 
    There are other times when the devil will throw his trials at us seeking to murder God’s purpose for us. The Word of God tells in John 10:10 that He seeks to kill, steal and destroy.  If he cannot physically cut our life short he will seek to murder and destroy our God given call and purpose.
 
    I was enjoying the ministry of Royal Rangers at our church.  Royal Rangers is a ministry to boys that is much like Boy Scouts except it is very purposeful in developing the boy’s spiritual life while teaching outdoor and camping skills.  After making sure that each boy had personally accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the ministry also taught each boy how to share their faith and lead others to Christ.  While teaching they boys I was also learning scriptures and values of leading others to Jesus.  I love the outdoors and this was a great way for me to serve Jesus by serving in this wonderful ministry.
 
    It was during this time that I met my wife, Debra.  She was also involved in children’s ministry.   She was the four year old Sunday School teacher. Our church was large so although I noticed her at a Christmas party for the children’s workers, I did not get to know her until later. We met at a Realtor’s early morning prayer time. It was all over from that point. After a short engagement we were married.  
 
    Debra asked me to help her teach the four year olds on Sunday mornings.  I agreed to help her but only as a helper.  I was the one who handed out the snacks and made sure the rowdy boys would behave.  I was still involved with the Royal Rangers but I also took a back seat as far as teaching.  I did not have confidence to stand up in front of the children and teach or lead.  I was comfortable in an assistant role.  
 
    One day Debra approached me and said that she believed that a man should be teaching the children.  I resisted but her persistence paid off and I agreed to try teaching the little ones.  She passed her Sunday School teaching manual to me and I nervously prepared.  Sunday was here and it was time to embark in this new role.  My wife led the children in songs. Now, it was my time to teach. I was so nervous that I felt like throwing up and I had to go the bathroom every five minutes.  It was time for the lesson.  The teaching manual trembled in my hands. I fearfully stuttered and stammered through the lesson.  It was so terrible but the children were naïve to it all.  They seemed to enjoy a man teaching, especially the boys.  They seemed to be more behaved during the teaching. I appreciate all the women Sunday School teachers over the years but something is special about a man teaching children the Word of God.  Maybe it is because the lack of so many fathers in the homes due to rise of divorce, even in Christian homes.
 
    The children’s pastor who invited me into the ministry moved on.  I remember something he said very vividly before he left.  He was going on to pastor a church in another town in Virginia.  I approached him and commented to him, “So, you are moving up in the ministry to pastor adults?” With all sincerity he corrected me, “No I am actually stepping down.  Pastoring children is the greatest call but I have to be obedient and move on.”  I have since realized that he was absolutely right.  According to statistics by the Barna Group, a child's spiritual identity is largely set by age 13.  Eighty-five% of those who make profession of faith do so within the age range of 4 to 14.  About 30% of the world's population is age 14 or younger. My heart was dramatically impacted every time I saw a little child pray to receive Jesus into their hearts.
 
     A new Children’s Pastor, Tim White, was hired. We immediately built a relationship.  He was an excellent trainer and administrator.  He helped organize the children’s ministry and was excellent at empowering leaders.  Debra and I started teaching the fourth grade and soon became the Children’s Sunday School Superintendents.
 
     I had really admired Pastor Tim White. The Lord was speaking to my heart about answering the call for full time ministry.  I wanted to be like Pastor Tim White.  I was feeling the desire to be a children’s pastor. I wanted to be like him and pastor children in a large church.  I started telling people that I was called but I was not doing anything to pursue that call.
 
     We are a blended family.  My wife had been a single mom for eight years with our two oldest daughters, Elizabeth and Christin.  When we married Elizabeth, was nine years old and Christin was fifteen years old.  After seventeen months we were blessed with our third daughter, Abigail. She was and is still treasured by all of us as she became the glue that joined all of us as a family.
 
     When Abigail was just over a year old, I was watching Gloria Copeland preach on the television.  I was in our living room alone.  As Gloria was preaching away she pointed her finger at the camera and proclaimed, “There is someone out there who is telling everyone that you are called to full time ministry but you have not answered the call!  You need to get down on your knees and tell the Lord you are answering that call!”  I knew immediately that this was me!  I got down beside the couch and told the Lord, “Jesus, I am answering the call you have for me, but I have a family. I have bills.  If you can take care of all this and make provision I will pursue that call.”  I knew when I said this that I would need to go to a Bible School.  
 
    As I was getting up off my knees I could hear my wife coming down the stairs.  She met me in the living room.  She had a very serious look on her face as she informed me that she had just finished praying upstairs and that the Lord told her that I needed to answer His call on my life!  With tears in my eyes I told her what had just happened with me, Gloria and the Lord.  
 
    The testing was about to begin. I had answered the call on Friday and now it was Sunday evening.  The children were doing a special presentation in our evening service. I had to arrive early to help prepare them.  Debra’s sister was staying with us and she was driving a sleek and powerful Jaguar car. Debra drove it to church in the morning and she attracted many comments.  I drove our car early to church and I neglected to transfer the baby’s car seat into the Jaguar for her to bring Abigail.  Church started at seven. It was just a few minutes before and Debra, my children and her sister had not arrived yet.  This was unusual especially because Debra was excited to see the children perform in the adult service that evening.  I stood at the glass doors of the church as it began to pour down rain.  A friend who saw Debra drivng the Jaguar in the morning came out of the rain and asked if Debra was driving the same car that evening.  We lived only a half mile from the church. He said that there was an accident by our apartments and the car involved looked like the Jaguar!  I began to say to myself, “It’s not her! It’s not her!  It’s not her!” The Holy Spirit interrupted me and said “It is her!”  I ran into the rain and jumped into my car to drive home.  As I got close I saw two ambulances with lights flashing blocking the other side of the road.  As I passed them I saw a car had crashed into a telephone pole and shocked out of my mind realized it was the Jaguar!
 
    I jumped out of the car and ran towards the first ambulance.  The police and fireman were screaming at me saying that I could not leave my car on the road.  They grabbed me but with adrenaline flooding my body I threw them off and pulled open the door of the ambulance.  My baby girl was strapped down on a board!  My sister-in-law was also in the ambulance with a bloody cloth held to her face.  My oldest daughters, Elizabeth and Christin, were also there but they apparently were not hurt. I cried out, “How bad is Abigail hurt and where is mom?”  They informed me that they did not know if Abigail was hurt.  They thought she was okay but she had been strapped down for precaution.  I ran to the other ambulance. Once again police and fireman tried to subdue me to no avail.  I threw open the ambulance door and there was Debra with a bloody and fearful face.  I informed her that they thought Abigail wasn't hurt badly and then asked which ambulance she wanted me to ride in?
 
    She said she felt like the spirit of death was trying to overcome her and would I please come with her and pray.  The EMT’s invited me in and off we went.  I held her hand and desperately prayed as the EMT’s worked on her.  I bound the spirit of death and began speaking life to my wife.  It was at that moment I heard the voice of the devil, “So, you answered the call of God?  I am going to take your wife and your daughter!  How are you going to serve your God now?”  Immediately I thought of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abnego that we just taught in our Sunday School class.  With every bit of faith I could gather up I declared to that thief, “You can take my wife and you can take my daughter but I am still going to serve the Lord my God with everything that is within me!”
 
    I was full of faith and full of fear at the same time.  The evil voice left and peace filled the ambulance.  The ambulance radio came on at that precise moment and informed the hospital that they were coming in with one woman with leg and head injuries, another with facial injuries and a baby that had no apparent injuries but was restrained for precaution.  It was like an angel sent that message to Debra and me.  She said that the spirit of death had left.  
 
    We arrived at the hospital. Abigail was in one room and Debra in the other.  Elizabeth and I were with Abigail.  We sang, “Jesus Loves Me” to Abigail.  She fought through the fear and tears and barely moved her tiny lips to sing with us.  The doctor arrived and started to examine her.  She was strapped down from head to toe.  He felt her head and although she was crying she did not wince in any pain as he checked her head and neck area.  He unstrapped her head and neck.  He did the same as he worked down to her feet. Removing all the straps he picked her up and told her to walk to me.  She ran to me as the doctor said the most comforting words I ever heard, "Nothing is wrong with your daughter.You can take her home!"
 
    We all joined Debra in her room. Debra was not as blessed. She had a broken knee, cuts and minor head injuries.  She asked for Abigail and I lifted her into the hospital bed with her. Because I neglected to transfer the Abigail’s car seat, Debra held Abigail in the passenger seat when the car hit the pole.  My sister-in-law was driving.  It was apparent that Debra, with Abigail in her arms, went into the front window of the car.  Miraculously Abigail was not harmed.
 
    This incident sealed the call of God in my life.  He later worked out the issues of family, bills and provision.  Bible School was in my near future and a life serving Him and reaching hearts of children with love of God around the world.