I don’t know what your church background is or even if you have one…so some of what I write here might make sense or not. Apologies up front for any “language of the kingdom” stuff!
My background is Scottish Baptist. I was raised in a small church where my family have been members for several generations, in fact my great grandfather carved the communion table. I was made very aware of, overseas missions through the work of the Baptist Missionary Society, my responsibility to share my faith with others and the need to spend time alone with God each day praying and reading my Bible, because God speaks to us from His Word.
When I went to Seminary in London I investigated a few other denominations. The closest church to my dorm was Methodist. I liked the preacher more for entertainment value than systematic Bible teaching. His best sermon was about a pig at a circus!
It was while I was a student that I first encountered someone else having a “word from God” for me. One student told me God had shown him that I was to be his wife. I told him that was pure nonsense and to learn how to ask a girl out for dinner for Pete’s sake!
For some time I was part of the house-church movement and learned a lot about worship and the need for accountability to each other. The only thing I found troubling about my experience there was how “chatty” God seemed to be. In almost every meeting there was some kind of “prophetic” word from God. Now, let me make it clear, I do believe that God still speaks today but when one young guy got up in a meeting and said, “Thus saith the Lord, I had such a great time at last night’s meeting, in fact I have not enjoyed myself so much since I parted the Red Sea,” (not even a slight exaggeration) I decided I had overstayed my welcome.
After I moved to America, from 1987-1992 I was Pat Robertson’s co-host on “The 700 Club”. I am aware that Pat can be a bit…controversial, but I have to say he was nothing but kind to me, like a father. My struggle with the whole idea of religious television is, that the very nature of the medium seems to be, at times, a poor venue to communicate spiritual truth. Life does not happen in 7 minute segments and not every story has the ending we would script. Having said that I am deeply grateful for my time there and learned so much.
ALL OF THAT to give a little background to a letter I received in March of 1995 from a woman I have never met outlining twelve things God told her about my life to encourage me. A dear friend, George Otis had asked me to sing at a closed conference for missionaries in lands where they would be imprisoned or executed for sharing their faith in Christ. This woman and her husband were at that conference.
When I started to read her letter I found myself sobbing and on my knees. I had no idea why. Only the first 7 things made sense to me, the rest seemed ridiculous. Barry and I were dating but not married and the tenth point said,
“Do not worry about your son, I will protect and guard him.”
I had no way of knowing that two years later Barry and I would be married and I would be pregnant and advised to abort as there was something seriously wrong with my baby. I would never have considered that option anyway but I had this letter in my bible and would read those words over and over. At 37 weeks pregnant my doctor called to say that she had made a terrible mistake and my amnio results were put in another patients chart and hers in mine. Perhaps I was given the gift of carrying that other woman’s burden for a while.
Point eleven talked about a new ministry to women. That gave me the creeps! I had always been afraid of “women’s ministry.” My understanding of it was shallow and flawed but I thought, I don’t knit, hate gossip, won’t wear pearls and love football. Then I was asked to be part of the Women Of Faith speaking team and found a place to tell the truth and let God be the One to shine.
The last point said that God would take this new love for women globally. In the last few months I’ve been asked to be part of Hillsong’s Color Conference for women in London and Kiev. Just this week a woman wrote to me and asked if I will come and speak to 500 women in Serbia and Croatia. “We can pay you nothing, only come if it’s in your heart.”
It is in my heart.
So why did I write this blog…honestly not quite sure. I guess I want you to know that in the church you will meet a few nut-jobs, many well meaning, some just needing medication. You’ll never find a perfect church but there is peace at the feet of a perfect God. And this…God is still moving, still speaking, still loving if we are willing to live a life bigger than ourselves.