sunrise dreamstimefree_106541FOR YOU ARE CLOSE BESIDE ME Tears of joy sprang from my eyes then just as they are now. For years I had been faithful in the small things HE required of me and now HE was rewarding me by being faithful in return and being close to me. While resting and refreshing the healing process was moving along and HE was right beside me each painful step. Each addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problem HE was there. Each pool therapy session day after day HE was right there, close beside me. That’s when HE brought Mitch into my life to guide me through medical decisions.

Back to the 23rd Psalm. It had been months and years of reading while marking it down on the calendar. Then another one.

YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF PROTECT AND COMFORT ME As a result of this accident we lost everything we accumulated over 26 years of marriage. Carol often reminds me as we walked away from our dream house that she looked back and said, “nothing is going to own us ever again”. That was the day HE officially became our shelter and comfort. It’s also when he brought Denny and JoAnna into my life to work with and pray for this ministry.

The months kept rolling by and still the 23rd Psalm comforted me.

YOU PREPARE A FEAST FOR ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES HE was in control. When all my talents and abilities were swept away in an instant and my earthly treasures were removed it was time to make a choice. I had to make that kind of choice — either curse God for what had happened — or to turn toward HIM. My choice was never in doubt. HE was the only way to go! HE rewarded me by bringing faithful supporters who joined me to financially help with the ministry.

My time with the 23rd psalm was not over yet. There were more verses to go. When my earthly patience was growing thin this arrived:

YOU WELCOME ME AS A GUEST ANOINTING MY HEAD WITH OIL Through all this HE was anointing my head with oil for HIS purposes. HE had the plan He just needed me available. There were no talents to offer — they were all gone — no money to give — it was all gone — and HE still chose me. Then Doug called and asked to have lunch. He said he was to anoint me with oil. Not a drop but a major portion of oil. It flowed off my head in puddles on my clothes.

My lessons from the 23rd Psalm were far from over. Day and night for another couple of months and:

MY CUP OVERFLOWS WITH BLESSINGS With my worldly desires for things way behind me and a desire to walk, talk and communicate properly first and foremost in my daily efforts, my attitudes all changed. Every day was a gift from God and every thing and everyone was a gift from HIM. New people, new adventures and a new life emerged as HE provided daily for our needs. Each day HE provides and to HIM alone are all the praise, glory and honor. That’s when HE brought David into my life to give me help and guidance in ministry financial matters.

No stopping now. The end was close but there was more. Sure enough several months later this arrived:

SURELY YOUR GOODNESS AND UNFAILING LOVE WILL PURSUE ME ALL MY LIFE Love was the key but before love could grow forgiveness was necessary. I had to forgive the driver that hit me, the hospital staff that improperly injected me, the insurance company that took 25 years of premiums and wouldn’t pay and most of all to forgive myself. What a revelation! So with all that behind me it was time to pursue a new love for Carol, family and friends. That’s when HE provided a group of strong Christian men to form the ccm Golf Committee. David, Art, Bob and Chuck came forward to provide for the annual fund raiser.

There were not many verses left but I couldn’t wait to see how it ended. Each morning and night reading the 23rd Psalm and pretty much on schedule several months later there it was:

AND I WILL LIVE IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD If this was a test, I was sure I had passed it. It was a long time from the beginning of this adventure but there will be a great deal more to follow. You’ve probably heard it said one can’t be an effective minister until he has gone through the fire. Well — I went to the fire — I jumped in the fire — and I came out of the fire. HE was there with me each step of the way and we now dwell together. That’s when the Lord brought Shadrack from South Africa back into my life and impressed on me to bring teams to South Africa and build churches for the needy.

That should be the end of the story. But reading the 23rd Psalm was part of me — cherishing every word as it told the story of my life. But as God would have it about two months later there was another one!

FOREVER Those tears of joy returned as he confirmed that I would be with HIM in eternity!  And there is no better way to say it than — to God be all the praise, glory and honor. That weekly Bible study of 33 has become CyberDailyDevotion™ with hundreds of thousands of readers daily in over 100 countries around the globe.

No matter how poor my body is He is faithful to get me where He wants me to go to accomplish HIS will. To God be all the glory and the honor. Amen!

GOD DOESN’T CALL THE EQUIPPED — GOD EQUIPS THE CALLED

Now having come full circle I finally understand what it means — when I was fully equipped there was too much of me in the way. It wasn’t until I was emptied of me that HIS equipping could begin.

So this is my testimony of how God is rebuilding my life — putting everything in place — and how Christian*Cyber*Ministries had its beginnings.

Prayer: Father, thank You for calling and equipping me to do this. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Fast forward to February 2007

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” KJV

book dreamstimefree_191998Fourteen months ago (January 2006), while in South Africa, our friends Leon and Lorna gave Carol a book to read. The name of it is “Is Jesus Enough?” Carol read it and could not put it down. She gave it to Glen (The puppet guy) and he read page one and could not put it down until he was finished. (I didn’t read it because with short term memory loss it’s hopeless to read books.)

Carol said to me, “Bill, you need to meet the author of this book.” Immediately after finishing the book Glen picked up my cell phone while in South Africa and called the author. Glen introduced himself and left a message for Maryanne his secretary. Glen mentioned how much he and Carol enjoyed reading the book and said we would like to meet the author next year when we return in January 2007.

Over the next twelve months Glen kept in touch with Marianne via email. In September 2006 Glen set up a date to meet the author on Thursday, January 18, 2007.

We drove on a picturesque country highway for our meeting. The sky was a beautiful African blue and absolutely cloudless. We arrived and yikes! — a three mile dirt road to finish the trip. For those who really know me — the worst thing for my neck is the vibration of a wash board dirt road. We drove the last three miles very — very slowly! It was 1:00 PM when we entered the parking lot. We arrived for our appointment and the author was in prayer preparing for the up coming weekend speaking engagements. Pain from the dirt road experience was catching up with me and I took some pain medication. We waited for about an hour and the author graciously met with us. Glen and I spent about an hour with the author and discussed many ministry issues for both of us and then our discussion turned to why. Why had Glen and Pastor Bill made an appointment the year before and traveled eight time zones and 12,000 miles to keep this appointment?

In the book Glen and Carol read — there was a chapter about an orphanage of about 30 children that the author oversees. The orphanage started in the mid 1990’s. Since its inception the orphanage has five documented cases of children healed of HIV/AIDS.

When the author specifically asked me why I had come so far — my first reaction was to hide behind my wife — Carol told me to come! — but as I spoke my words changed as the Holy Spirit took over — “I was in a car accident in 1994 and living in serious pain with short term memory loss ever since. I want to be healed and I want to pass this healing on to others”.

It didn’t take the author long to bring out a small bottle of anointing oil. He anointed me with oil and prayed for my healing and for the compassion of Jesus. The same compassion Jesus exhibited when he wept for Lazarus before calling him out of the grave. John 11:25 “Jesus Wept”. Jesus knew Lazarus would live again but he wept out of compassion for the people. The release was immediate — I believe Jesus healed my body and mind out of his deep compassion — right then — right there. At exactly this moment it began to rain. It poured as hard as I’ve ever seen it rain — for two hours! The author confirmed, “The rain is a sign of your healing and ministry.”

We toured the orphanage and ate pizza — then we started driving out of the parking lot. I was driving. I stopped and looked at three miles of dirt road staring at me — this would be my first test. I rapidly accelerated out of the parking lot — a few minutes later Glen yelled, “Slow pills-gif-oriiginal-dreamstimefree_203008down!”

Glen and I met with the author. January 18, 2007. At 2:00 PM was my last pain pill. My car accident was in 1994 and I’ve been on Percocet, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone or Vicoden for severe pain ever since. I’ve had no withdrawal from the pain killers. Praise the Lord!

rain leaf dreamstimefree_135955About the rain! The author had written a book which is his testimony called FAITH LIKE POTATOES. The book has now become a film and the author gave me a copy of the movie. While in South Africa Glen and I were way to busy ministering to HIV/AIDS Orphans and assisting with the church roof in Mdantsane to take time to watch the movie. So I brought it home with me to America.

When Carol heard the news that I was healed by phone and email all she could do was give God the glory! Now I was back in America and Carol wanted to know all about my experience. We talked for hours about it — giving God glory — as I explained NO PAIN — NO PAIN KILLERS. Then we settled in to watch the film FAITH LIKE POTATOES.

My experience of Co-Producing the film MY LAWYER in India has prepared me to watch a film with a critical eye. But this film was different from the very beginning. The first bold words I read on the screen said “Based on a True Story.” No empty Hollywood hype like — “some of this really happened”. Just, “BASED ON A TRUE STORY.”

One scene in the movie — it is a beautiful African blue sky day with bright sunshine. The author and his workers are preparing a field for planting and determine to burn off the stubble. The fire gets out of hand and all surrounding neighbors are called to help. Eventually the fire is totally out of control and is preparing to consume the entire farm including his house and buildings.

Everything man could do was exhausted — all the farmers could do was watch the destruction. The author turned to the Lord and prayed for rain. The answer was immediate — It rained — It poured — dousing the fire — just as it did when I was healed and the author said, “There’s the sign.”

The more I know about the author the more I’ve come to realize that when he prays — and God answers — it rains.

The author confirmed, “The rain is a sign.” I asked to be healed and that has happened. I also asked to pass that healing on to others and that too has begun. Stay tuned to see what God will do with this new season in my life!

Who is the author? Angus Buchan of Greytown, South Africa. His life story is in a Major Motion Picture soon to be released in the USA. It’s called “Faith Like Potatoes” and chronicles his life before and after receiving Christ.

Please excuse me now as I take a break — I’m in the middle of reading my first book in twelve years. And I remember it! TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!

Prayer: Father, thank you for healing me and allowing this new season in my life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Copyright © 2007 – Pastor Bill – Christian*Cyber*Ministries – All Rights Reserved

To join Cyber Daily Devotions™, click here.

If you need prayer, click here.  All requests are confidential.

To give, click here.