Hi, Pastor John.
This morning Barbara was talking about not losing our testimonies while not having the meetings. This lesson has been on my heart, and it came in the form of a dream in 2008, I believe, and I want to write this testimony about God.
In my dream, I was running in the most lush ravine. On both sides of the ravine were straight hills covered with tall, thick, green grass. As I was running along the bottom of the ravine, I became stuck in thick, gooey mud that had been covered with grass. Both feet were stuck, and I couldn’t pull either foot out of the slushy mud. My feet were buried up to my ankles in the miry muck. When I looked up and down and in front and back of me, I noticed I hadn’t been running along a green hilly ravine, but I was in a drainage ditch in which the high levees were sowed with grass to help with soil erosion. The mud and muck in the bottom of the ditch where I had gotten myself stuck was leftover drainage, covered with grass and weeds.
I couldn’t move, and so I prayed to the Lord for help. About that time I saw you in front of me, with me in the drainage ditch, but you were not stuck as I had become. We were facing each other, and you wrapped your arms tightly around me and pulled me close into your chest. I was very embarrassed! After all, we were two males pressed together. I began to squirm and resist, but I could not brake your grasp and hold on me. With your left arm around me, still holding me tight, you took you right thumb and poked it into my left rib in my chest until your thumb penetrated to my heart. When I felt your thumb in my heart, I immediately became limp and still. I felt such a peace in my body and all resistance ceased.
About this time, while still in your grasp, I felt my body being lifted out of the mud and mess that I had gotten myself into. Still being tightly pressed into your chest, I looked down and saw my feet come out of my shoes (which were still stuck in the mud), and we both were lifted by the Spirit of God to the top of the grass covered levy. You then let me go, and I looked up to you as you were still being lifted higher, and you called down to me, “Don’t worry about your shoes; I’ll get you another pair.” I woke up.
We were talking this morning about the value of having a pastor from God like your Father, and now, you. I can look back over the years, especially since God miraculously healed me in your house in 2001, and see that you have been there in my life with the happy and sad times, up and down times, the trying times, kid times, and so on, and so on; too many examples to list. You have pulled me out of the miry clay with the Spirit of God, dusted me off, and have done nothing but encourage my heart to keep trusting in God and move up in the Lord and have faith in God.
I was telling Judy after I got back home this morning, and testified to her how Jesus used you to salvage me, as well as most of us all here now. Most of the children were born here and have been coming to the gatherings before they could remember anything, but most of the adults were not. We were pulled out of the drainage ditch by you, and lifted up by the Spirit and power of God, and transplanted to this place, where we can now live among each other in peace and fellowship. I told Judy today that I feel so humbled and honored to have such a pastor over me that knows me, loves, me, and cares that I meet God in peace on that great Day.
I do not ever want to forget the order of God that he showed me when I was in my early 20s: 1) God, 2) Jesus, 3) A godly pastor, 4) the husband, 5) the wife, 6) the children. I learned that the first two, and more than likely the first three in that order will not change, but if a family is having issues, then something is wrong with 4, 5, and 6; something is not in its place or order. When I first met you at Brother Delbert’s when I was a teenager, I knew that you had something that I needed, and that we didn’t have it there: standards from Jesus that brings fellowship to His Light, so that we my praise God acceptably.
We may always have differences in the flesh with temporary things, such as you may like blue and I may like yellow, you like fish and I like hamburger. But, with eternal things, to have the same mind for the truth and to be able to grow into perfection in fellowship is a wonderful gift of God. We may go though hardships, cancer, pain in our bodies, a million other things, but growing in the Spirit is worth it all. “Get the gold out of it,” I heard you say more than once.
I want to thank you with all of my heart for the many helps and the prayers that Jesus put on your lips for my family and me, for pulling me out of the ditch, for getting me a new pair of shoes to walk in, for a life that God has given me by using you for me (us). Yes, I’m thankful to have a godly pastor. It doesn’t matter whether I understand all things that you do or say, but I thank God when I do. Even when I don’t understand, to trust your authority that gave you for me is precious. Knowing (in my heart) that you are a pastor and that you are my pastor is a wonderful thing, and truly a gift from Jesus. I pray that I walk worthy not only of my calling, but especially yours.
Thank you, Pastor John for loving me.
Bill M.