Testimony/God Stories

This is in response to your card asking me for a “miracle” story. Upon thinking about how to respond, I realized that my wife and I have been delivered from death or serious bodily injury so often that they have become expected and unextraordinary. This is not to say the Lord is not the source of these rescues but they have become part of the fabric of the sanctified life. I have come to see those who are amazed by miracles as perhaps lacking in faith, as if they do not expect the Lord to protect His sheep.

Sorry, but the incidents that take more than two sentences to relate are not the flashy kind. On two occasions the Lord delivered my family from financial difficulties in a way that bears the unmistakable shadow of His hand. The first was when I entered seminary, June of 1997 when the Lord gave my wife employment at the public library, a position virtually identical to the one she relinquished so I could drag the family half way across the Pacific Ocean and most of the way across the North American continent. The position should have been filled half a year before but the first candidate who was given the position inexplicably declined and forced Allen County to start the whole process again, and my wife squeaked in as a last minute applicant in the second round and was given the position. The one that probably interest you more occurred here in Bay County. We lived in a rented house in Parker because the house we owned while I was attending seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, had not sold. We had it listed for sale during the whole year I served a vicarage in Michigan and received not a single offer. Neither did we get a single offer during the first year I served as a pastor in Panama City. The rental agent informed us we would have to vacate the rental in Parker because the owner intended to re-occupy the house upon her return from Texas. Here we were stuck with a home that would not sell and were being ejected from the rental residence while still learning how to shepherd a church. Five days later the realty agent in Fort Wayne called to say we received two bids for our house. Immediately upon ending that phone call I turned my face upward and said to the Lord, “You’re showing off.” This is not the typical Lutheran way of expressing thanks to Him; but that’s what I did. (This was immediately followed by a more conventional prayer of thanks; in fact, it began in Latin.)

Yes, God has shown up on many occasions in my life! I have a family member who is an addict and through the past several years, I have spent a lot of time crying, praying, crying and praying some more. When a loved one struggles with addiction, there is no bigger of a helpless feeling. On one particular occasion, I was at my wits end, helpless and hopeless. I reached out to God, I remember it very well. I stood in my room and as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I threw my hands up and asked God to just do HIS will in this situation. I was exhausted and so very sad. Within 5 minutes, I received a phone call that my vehicle needed to be picked up and my family member had been arrested. This was a huge sign that God had this, and I needed to increase my Faith. I laid down, took a nap, woke up, stood up and CLEARLY heard God’s voice asking me; “Why don’t you trust me?” I froze in my tracks! I knew what I was hearing, and I resolved to give up the worry, stress and anxiety. I know God loves my son, more than I do ~ Life Changing for me!

I have discovered that when we step into something new we can experience a wide variety of challenges and also some amazing joys. When I first entered into the ministry I started as an Associate Pastor/Youth Director in Dothan, Alabama. I was not really prepared to experience all that God had to show and teach me in my first years of ministry.

I remember when I was making regular hospital visits to a young man that had brain cancer. My heart was very heavy for him because he was married and had two precious children. Day by day he continued to grow weaker and he slowly moved into a coma. I would always, in leaving the hospital room. have prayer for my friend and his family. On one particular day just before he passed away, the family was growing tired and weary and there just was not a lot left to talk about. I turned again to offer a prayer of comfort and surrendered my friend into the hands of Christ. As I said “Amen,” my friend that had been in a coma for about a week turned his head to me and with eyes open shared, “So be it preacher, so be it!” His wife and I were speechless! He then closed his eyes and within the next 24 hours passed away. To a young pastor and to his faithful wife, the presence of Christ became totally real to us in those moments. What a profound assurance came to both of us that this was in deed, a miracle! God had opened the eyes of my friend and confirmed his faith before us. I believe it was God using him to so simply say, “I got this and it is going to be ok!”

I began teaching Sunday School at our church when I first got out of college. Thirty years later I felt the call to reach out beyond our church. I began going on mission trips and knew that God was preparing me for something. The Holy Spirit was equipping me to minister in my own community!

A set of God-led circumstances led me to assist in the Most Excellent Way Ministry at my church, First Baptist of Panama City. Each week I am blessed to facilitate Bible studies at the Bay County Jail, the Northwest Florida Reception Center (prison) and the local detox facility in Springfield. The scripture helps these men seek forgiveness and healing. We try to help them apply God’s Word to their daily lives. The life changing power of the Gospel can impact these men inside and outside of the walls. The power of Scripture can change their lives and the lives of their families. I receive such a blessing from these opportunities…but it is all about serving Jesus.

I have been in awe of the Lord all my life and have many God stories. The one I’ll share here is when I felt the Lord leading me to start my own lawn and landscape business.

I had a good job with good pay and good benefits, so I was much in prayer about the change. But still feeling the Lord direct me to turn in a two weeks notice at the company. This was about fifteen years ago and I didn’t even own a cell phone. So first thing was to get a cell phone. I was still working my 2 weeks notice. One day as I got off work early I went to a local lawn equipment business to look at getting started. When my new cell phone rang. It was a nice man who asked for Eddie Pitts and needed me to come take care of his lawn. When I got to his house he showed me a flyer that he received at the hospital where he worked for a lady. The flyer wasn’t mine. It had a name on it the lady wrote Eddie Bitts and the phone number was one number different from mine. I was really needing conformation from the Lord that I was going in the right direction. I had not told anyone that I was going into lawn care so, needless to say, getting this call with one number off, from someone who was looking for lawn care from a guy who’s name was Eddie Bitts not Pitts , but one letter off, was some pretty good confirmation from the Lord that I was going in the right direction.