PAYING THE PRICE

PART SIX

Galatians 3:9 "So then, those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith."

Vacation time at last.....and off we went to visit relatives and friends in the sunny state of Florida. We were invited to a friends house for dinner.....as we arrived the phone rang....it was another friend whose house we were staying at for the duration of our Florida visit....

"A Bible College called and said they wanted to interview you, Rev.________at the college wants you to call him if you are still interested in a position."

So the conversation went between my husband and friend. Needless to say....my husband called and arrangements were made for us to fly out to the city that the college was in a day or two. We were never 'followers' of this evangelist's ministry....we had gone to one of his crusades when he visited Florida, but other than that....

Within the week we were on our way back to Texas to pack a house up and move. Upon our arrival we met up with a former professors wife turned real estate agent. We hunted for just the right house....we prayed and prayed....it seemed nothing was 'just right' except a house that was over our budget limit. God has a way of getting you where He wants you and by faith we 'go' - even if it's buying a house that is over the budget limit. It was a beautiful house...a block from the president of the colleges home. I was hired at an Assemblies of God academy and the plan was that the next year I too would be working at the college as student- teacher advisor.

In September.....the evangelist wanted to meet the new staff members; being as the faculty was growing we met in the second story cafeteria at the college. Friends of ours were also professors at the college and we sat with them at a table at the back of the cafeteria.... planning to leave as soon as we comfortably could. I had an uncomfortable feeling about the whole idea of even being there at the college...but I knew God had a reason ...I'd never - ever followed a 'man' for his money or notority and this evangelist was no exception. When he and I shook hands I knew something was wrong with him, but I did not know what....I knew he was troubled and not happy, I could feel it.

December came....I was sitting alone in the kitchen of our house, I looked up at the clock and God spoke to me and said, "You won't be here long." My heart dropped, it had been a while since our lives could finally settle down and have a 'routine' like 'normal' people.

The day this evangelist's double life was exposed and reported on all the local news stations, I was teaching at the school - during break time I had a conversation with the pastor of the church and during that conversation I told him that there was something definitely wrong at the college. That very day...between 3:00-4:00 my husband called me and said he would be late that he had been called to go to the chapel and there were news reporters at the college but, he was told not to talk to anyone.

That very Sunday - the evangelist made his famous 'speech' about being sorry to everyone for everything.....leaving God for last...believe it or not a lot of people stood up and clapped for him! When his speech was over....I hesitated to stand but did and as soon as I stood up God spoke to me and said, "Sit down, he doesn't mean it."

Students started to 'walk out' of the church....over to the dorms....pack up and leave; the ones that stayed tried to get the college name off the degree's that would be conferred on the first graduating class of the college. Accreditation was just around the corner....everything was ruined. I wondered later why in the world God brought us here when this was going to happen....another 'lesson' in 'what looks like Christianity and the 'Church' is not' and God is bringing it down...one by one.

We put the house up 'For sale'....a house that had been on the market over a year before we bought it...sold in four days....God had us on a street that was well traveled at rush hour with people cutting through from one main street to another. When I asked God if it was His will we sell He said, "It will be the first person to come see the house." Being as we had advertised in the local newspaper we had many phone calls - one person wanted to come out to look at the house after work ...we made an appointment, but they called 15 minutes before they were to be there....I hung up the phone and a lady that had driven by many times, saw the sign in the yard came out that very evening and decided to buy the house the next day.

I was teaching fifth at a private school, a Christian Academy....

One girl in my class had an 'attitude' - she thought she was better than anyone else...I gave a short sermon on how no one is better than anyone else....but I noticed she stayed defiant. One day this same girl had a band aid on her finger; I asked her what was wrong with it and she responded she had cut her finger ,....on a ceiling fan in her bedroom. I asked her how she could cut her finger on a ceiling fan, was she jumping on the bed or something. She stated that, "No, I was levitating." I proceeded to ask her how she was levitating....I really didn't believe her at this point. She explained that she had a book from the local library and it had a lot of weird things to do..it in. She told me she had a pajama party and they had been reading the book then following the directions on 'How to Levitate' ; two girls got on either side of her while she lie on the bed...each one put their index finger under her waist and she held her hands up while saying 'something'...and she went up...and up...thus cutting her finger on the blade of the fan. A boy in the class...interjects, "The the directions in the book really work, I did _____and I saw an evil spirit in the mirror."

Needless to say, I said nothing more.... I knew they were telling me the truth...naive Christian's kids - brought up in church all their lives telling on themselves - just pouring the information out....

I told the pastor and the principal of the school - they called the parents and found the book at the girls house....she had this book for over a year!

So much for discernment of pastor, Christian parents....etc...

No one ever gets suspcious about anything that isn't quite right....no one seems to care - all are out to = 'eat, drink and be merry'. Instead of 'watching and praying' they are living as if tomorrow is just another day to do their own thing and that God can take care of the 'real spiritual' happenings. No wonder there is no power in the church... Just by the attitude this girl had I knew she wasn't a born again Christian that everyone else thought she was....

One more time...God had a reason for me to 'go'.

The month of June came and we were 'out of there'.

Back in Florida...where to go, what to do...pray and pray......one day God spoke to me after asking Him where I would find a job or where to go and He said, "You'll know January." I wasn't concerned at all after this.

January came.....and the thought came to me to 'call Texas' where I had worked previously...I talked to a principal I had never met and she hired me over the phone....sixth grade again....and another calling of God to 'go'.

MKL