I grew up attending the Baptist Church (American). My mother and I went but my father did not. At the age of 13 we had lessons to prepare us for baptism. I thought it was a good idea. Didn't every one get baptized at that age. Any way who was going to stand out by saying I don't want to be baptized when every one else is being baptized.

I continued going to church most of my life. In my 40's if you had ask me if I was a Christian, I would has said yes. I would have gone on to tell you how I had been chairman of almost every department in the Church. I had been chairman of the Deacons and was now an Elder.

I did not know Christ. I knew who He was. I prayed to Him. I even tried to follow what He taught. But I did not have a personal relationship with Him. He was not apart of my heart. And I had not submitted my will to God's will. It was:"here is the good thing I am going to do God". "God will you help me accomplish this", with no thought to His will.

In my early 50's I had my dark walk. I was stripped of every support system I had, my Church, my friends, my job and my wife, in a period of about 3 months.

I was hard headed and stubborn. This is what it took to get my attention. But God was determined to save me. It was very painful. He began to rebuild me step by step. He had placed me in a church that preached the Gifts and filling of the Spirit. He also placed me with a group of men that slowly and painfully helped me find my way.

I was in a group where the Pastor was training us in the prayer ministry. A part of that training was several trips to a Vineyard church for additional training. During one of the sessions the Pastor called me forward and said! "God wants me to tell you, YOU ARE A PROPHET.

This was a changing point in my life. It began my search to find out what being a prophet meant and how to hear God. Five years later I came to know that God had been speaking to me all along but I had been ignoring Him. I made Him a promise that if I thought I heard him I would error acting rather than not acting.

A few years later I got mad at God. I had been praying very intently for several years about 3 very vital conditions and they were slowly all getting worse. I got mad and said what good does it do to pray if things only get worse? After several months God spoke to me, through another, and said: It is one thing to submit to My will when it is just different from yours. The real test is will you submit to My will when it totally and diametrically goes against what you desire most? I was totally convicted. I often fall short but now I am committed to submit to His will when I know it.

I recently learned that God will speak to me through dreams. This is as exciting as when I first learned He would speak to me.

And now He is sending me out on a Camp Ground Ministry and a Teaching Ministry (Encourging and showing the use of the "Gifts of the Spirit")

God is not through with me. I have so much more to learn and so much of the sinful man in me, yet to be cleansed, so I can draw closer to Him. I am sure that there will be many more chapters of change and growth.