About two weeks ago I noticed a YouTube video clip from a “Pentecost In Perspective” conference that was hosted annually in Youngstown, Ohio by Bishop Norman L. Wagner.  The video featured the concert choir of Calvary Ministries International where Bishop Wagner was pastor until he went home to be with the Lord.   At the time that I viewed the video in its entirety for the first time I was babysitting my two year old grandson who so enjoys “church music”.  He enjoyed it so much that he repeated it at least eight times before something captured his attention.  Round about the third time I joined him so that we could “get our worship on” together.  

It wasn’t until then that it dawned on me that at that particular conference the three spiritual giants in my life were all together in one place, on the same pulpit, sitting side by side.   When I saw that I was unable to hold back the overwhelming emotions and immense gratitude that flooded by soul!  At first all the tears were very upsetting to my little grandson, but when I began to saturate the house with unrestrained worship he quickly joined in.

I count myself a tremendously blessed individual to have been developed, trained, spiritually guided, and privileged to serve three of the most renowned men in the history of Pentecost.  Namely they are Bishop Morris E. Golder, Bishop Norman L. Wagner, and Bishop Monroe R. Saunders, Jr.  Bishops Golder and Wagner transitioned into glory in 2000 and 2010 respectively.  Fortunately I still have the privilege of maintaining a long and treasured relationship with Bishop Monroe Saunders, Jr. and his beautiful wife, Lady Winsome Saunders.  

Now that the Lord God has so ordered my life to move into the ministry He ordained and created me for, it is my honor to pay the debt I owe them for all they unselfishly deposited into my life.  It was their wisdom and discernment which enabled them to see greatness in me I never knew existed.  I was perfectly content with the ministry of helps and servanthood that I knew I could perform well because it came from my heart and not a place of personal ambition.  Yet they knew what I did not know that serving in the “background” where I was most comfortable was the place of preparation for such a time as this.

As a pastor, mentor, and counselor I meet people on a regular basis who are allowing their environment, personal past, family history, and life’s circumstances to define their present place and dictate their future.  This kind of outlook on life be it spiritual or natural has the potential to entrap an individual in the pit of low self-esteem.  It stagnates growth, creativity, and the fulfillment of maximum potential.  There are many biblical principles with strategies for application I use to aid in delivering individuals from this debilitating prison.  However one of the primary suggestions I make to these individuals is a vow I have made in my life.  

I am determined that I will endeavor to become all God created me to be.  I am diligently and aggressively pursuing His will that I may personify His image to demonstrate His greatness and His glory!  I owe that to every person who poured into my life and believed in me when I was unable to believe in myself.  I will be forever grateful to and for my parents who raised me in a God-fearing Christian home, the spiritual giants I referenced at the top of this blog, my beloved husband, and many others too numerous to mention.  Very seldom under normal circumstances do we find pleasure in paying a debt. 

In fact it is an obligation that can be deemed a burden that we are satisfied to settle and put behind us.  For me these debts are just the opposite, they are a joy to pay and it is my honor to be connected with such legacies of life they all represent.  As I continue to evolve into the express image of the Father, it is my prayer that I represent well those who have been greatly responsible for my foundation and my rich heritage.

“Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.”
Job 8: 7  (KJV)