Thirty-Five Years In The Making

Some years ago, thirty-five to exact, there was a little eleven year old boy not knowing much about anything, agreed to be baptized because that was the right thing to do. Well, after being baptized by water, went on to join a little church (St Beulah Missionary Baptist Church) which was the church home of his parents. Upon joining that Sunday, stood before the congregation along with all the kids that had been baptized as the preacher went down the line asking, “Why did you join church?” There were answers from the kids such as, “To join the choir.” “To be an usher.” One kid even said, “To worship God.” (Coached of course.)

But my parents were very liberal, so they allowed my brothers and me to say whatever came to our minds. They trusted in their teaching and rearing of us to say at least something descent. One of my brothers said he wanted to join the choir and sing. One said, “Be an usher.” And another said, “I don’t know.” Well when it came to me, being quite different of the lot, the only thing that came to mind was "I want to be a Junior Deacon." This startled and humored the congregation because they had never heard a kid say something like this. This is what God put on my heart to say - well not really, but out of shyness this seem to be the closest answer that I could give and not sound too stupid and yet be cool at the same time.

After everyone had their laugh, Pastor Tisdale looked at me with such a look of joy in his eyes and said, “Amen!” “A Junior Deacon, our first ever Junior Deacon!” “Praise, God!” As he turned toward the Deacon bench, I felt so guilty that I had lied, but he knew, and told the Deacons to take and teach me everything that I wanted to know, and said, “But he probably is going to have my job someday!"

Later after the service he told my mother that he knew that I was going to be a great preacher one day. As we were on our way home my mother told me what the preacher had said, and it was then, I admitted to my mother what I had been called to do. But as all good mothers, she already knew.

I attempted to take on the assignment that God had put in my heart, but peer pressure and the fact that it just wasn’t cool for a near teenager to be studying the ministry (so I thought), I did what most scared little boys would do, I started running from that calling.

Two years later God called on me again saying to my heart, “If you won’t tell or teach of My Word from the pulpit, then sing it.” And so my brothers and some of my cousins formed a little Gospel group called, “The Hatchett Singers”. Some of the older folk called us “The Hatchet Boys”. Even though it was kind of quartet group, some Sundays there would be six or seven of us up there. We went on to minister in song for a few years until we all started to take on other interests, girls, alcohol, drugs, and just flat out trying to be cool and fit in with the world.

From that time until recently, I have been running from that calling. God has never let me go far from Him even when I toiled and struggled to break free of His hold on me. Because of God's hold on me I never got into much trouble, but have done a lot of foolish things. Every time I tried to give up, He stepped in. God blessed me so, that for a long time, every thing I done He made His presence known. He blessed me through one bad relationship after another. One failed marriage was not His will for me.

I've tried several churches and always excelled and stood out in worship. Ain’t that just like God to put you out front when you are trying to hide? I've been called to the fore front of worship service at every church I joined. Been courted by ministers from other churches to become a leader within their respected congregations. Flesh and blood did not reveal my calling to them. I don’t mean to seem boastful, but I know where the Lord has brought me from. I know the anointing that He put on my life, and I know how He consistently spared me.

Most of the guys I grew up with are dead, in the pen, or just lost in the world. But because of God's awesome love and everlasting grip on my life, I'm still here and have gone full circle from running from my calling to running to His will for me. When I think about being crushed by 5,000lb of iron and walking away with only some broken ribs - when I think about bullets passing so close to my head that I could feel the heat - when I think about going head on with a concrete divider at seventy miles an hour and walking away - when I think about being so intoxicated that I could not wake up for three full days not knowing if I would - when I think about how good the Lord has been to me and how He's kept and set me free… I can't help but boast of His goodness and mercy! THIS IS MY TESTIMONY! I AM A LIVING TESTIMONY!!!

I must say though, I've accepted my calling now. It ain’t easy! The enemy has launched
a all-out assault on my life! There are some who seek to hold me back and/or down
from the Ministry. Some of my family are rejecting and opposing me in my walk as a
Spokesman for the Lord. But try as they may, nothing and no one, will deter me from
what God has for me to do! As the old song says, “I ain't gonna let no body turn me
around!” “I will be in that number when the Saints go marching home!”