We both graduated from school and returned to the Birmingham area and started a charismatic word of faith church in our living room. We had four people at our first service and took up a $300 offering. Over the years, we moved our church to several locations before building our first building on 18 acres of land in Clay, Alabama. Our church had around 300 active members although less than a hundred would attend on any given Sunday. Over all we estimate that we had at least 2,000 members come and go over that ten year period if not more. Charismatic churches we found have extremely high turn over. It was my observation that we would often attract people that had been church members at just about every other charismatic church in town.
I never really liked pastoring because of the politics and constant drama that went on. I loved to teach, visit with people in the hospital, and do the actual work of the ministry, but I hated all the other stuff that goes with it. I stayed frustrated, depressed and I was always discouraged.
As a word of faith Christian, I did all the things that the word of faith teaches. I confessed the Word. I talked in line with the Word. I called things that be not as though they were. I had written out “My Vision” and confessed it out loud almost everyday, all fourteen pages of it. I prayed in tongues for hours. I read books and listened to hundreds, if not to thousands of Cd’s by the prominent word of faith teachers. I went to seminars, revivals, classes and to all sorts of healing meetings, increase meetings, Holy Ghost meetings, Holy laughter meetings and even to numerous early morning prayer meetings.
It was a tradition at our church to meet at four in the morning to pray for two hours. For many years I prayed, believed and confessed miracles, signs and wonders for our ministry. But not much happened along those lines. In fact, I buried a lot of people over those years, including my daughter that died of a brain tumor at the age of fourteen. I was constantly perplexed that the message of faith and healing that I was preaching did not seem to work in the lives of the congregation. It seemed like we had all of the same experiences, trials and tribulations as the other church folks around town. I was for sure that there should be a clear distinction between the people of the Word and the denominational people. We had revelation knowledge of the Word. We had a leg up on the Body of Christ.
We had the Holy Ghost, prayed in tongues and most of all we had the word of faith message that was full of God’s victory, prosperity and healing power. But there was really no difference between us and them. By them, I am referring to the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Assembly of God churches that we as word of faith people thought were missing out. I mocked their teachings and beliefs for years. I learned it from my word of faith teachers and peers. I continued the tradition.
About a year and a half ago and good friend from Tulsa sent me a CD teaching on pride. I hated it. It really bothered me a lot and got me to thinking and praying which is sometimes a dangerous thing to do! I had ministry business to attend to in Indianapolis and in Michigan, so I must have listened to that Cd a dozen times. It convicted me of self. It convicted me of pride. It opened my eyes to some of my motives. More than anything, it revealed to me that I had an enormous ego that could never, ever be content.
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