Home

I so well remember the day that I moved out to Broken Arrow, OK to attend Rhema Bible Training Center.  Not much more than a year before this time, I had rededicated my life to God after having gotten hurt and offended in ministry and subsequently, turning my back to everything.  I was planning to attend community college to catch up on all the boring courses that I'd have to take when I went back to Lee before completing my major courses.  I thought this would be a great plan and thought that following in the footsteps of one my mentors, Dr. David Horton (not the Rhema one, by the way), was the way to go.  Sitting in class one day, I just felt that there had to be MORE.  Something MORE out there for me...cuz what I was doing just wasn't cutting it.  Long story shorter, the Spirit of God led me to attend Rhema. And I knew about attending a year ahead of time...but in THAT time, I became the youth and music pastor at my church.  Stepping down to attend Rhema was hard yet also very exciting because I knew I was following God.  I told the people at my farewell party, "Be back in 18 short months!"

  Here it is, February...I graduate in May.  May 15th will mark that 18 short month time-span.  So what am I gonna do?  Well I had actually decided to attend a 3rd year.  I wanted to do 3rd year Pastors...which is really just a more intense, involved study of the pastoral ministry.  See, I got out to Rhema and realized that EVERYTHING I ever learned in ministry and at Lee up to that point was all...not wrong...but...just...lacking.  See, I thought I knew it all.  Then I got to Rhema and learned that A LOT of what I had learned was MAN'S way of ministry rather than what the Bible says.   I had learned to be self and man led more than I had learned to be Spirit-led.  So, naturally, going a 3rd year was the perfect plan for this guy!

I decided I was going last summer...I came to school this year knowing that next year, I'm gonna be a 3rd year pastor!  Then, suddenly, (you have to watch out for those suddenlys whenever the Holy Spirit is involved, by the way...check out the entire book of Acts to see what I mean) the Holy Spirit checked me about my decision.  Just a feeling in my gut that I needed to do the right thing and talk to my pastor about my intentions.  I talked to him...was in agreement with me if I chose to go a 3rd year.  Ok, awesome...now I'm gonna wait to hear from God for sure about what to do...cuz NOW I wanna both go home and get back to the plow AND attend a 3rd year (which is impossible).

Sitting class on Friday, February 6, in How To of Missions with Rev. Jim Andrews, what the Holy Spirit was speaking to me all this time finally registered.  See, here's what's so special about Rhema...the spoon-feed you the Word of God but they also teach you letter by letter of how to be led by the Spirit of God.  Brother Andrews was talking about, seemingly randomly by the way, being led by the Spirit.  He stated that you know it's the Holy Spirit when you're feeling something or hearing something inside (in your spirit) and it just won't go away.  Like a broken record, it just stays with you and repeats until either you yield to it or totally ignore it and do the opposite of it.  

That's what I needed to hear...because ever since I talked to my pastor, all I could think was, "Go home."  "Go home."  "Go home."  "Go home."  So, family, guess what?

I'M COMIN' HOME!  And when I make such statements, I just get some kinda bubbling feeling in my tummy...almost like a laugh but not quite a laugh.  And I'm pretty sure...that's a GOOD thing.

Love you all!