Twenty-five years ago, or so, I was a pastor but I fell. I had a moral failure. I got together with another woman and stepped down from the church. I pretty much lost everything. My son took it pretty hard. He called me on the phone and said, “I just want you to know that I feel like you are just a piece of crap. Thank you for the legacy that you left us.” So, that was pretty real.
When I fell, one of the very things I went to was alcohol. But one morning about four o'clock, just like you and I are sitting here talking today, Jesus showed up in my little Ford Ranger pick-up truck. I was so embarrassed that literally, it came out of my mouth, “What are you doing here?” He said, “What are you doing here? I created you for something more than this.” I was just stunned. I pulled over to the side of the road and it took a few minutes to get my composure back.
And I go and find healing for the very first time. I was abused as a child at four years old by neighbors. I never dealt with it. I would dream and I would wake up. These guys would be sitting around in a circle in the woods where this happened. They would be laughing at me. I could see their faces and they would be laughing at me. I don’t know how many times I dreamed that dream. I shared this with a brother.
Jesus did some beautiful healing. I went back but the guys didn’t have a face and they weren’t laughing anymore. The healing had transpired.
I actually served as our Sherif’s chaplain and we have Celebrate Recovery at our church. I’m the ministry leader there.
A few years later my son was married. He had my first grandson. He called me on the phone. My son said, “Dad, it would be our honor, if you’re okay with it, we would love to name our son Rex.”
It’s a beautiful God thing because it didn’t start off that way by any shape.
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