Blue Crab Key Condominiums, Pine, Island FL is known as a fisherman's paradise. I didn't even bring my fishing tackle ... just as fishin rod that I haven't put together yet. I looked at the little half acre of land that Griselle and I was about to purchase for the Mitcham Funeral Home. A bank is on that property ...still no funeral home on the island.
I'm about 15 miles from the place on US 41 when God stopped the Mitcham Funeral Home and directed my life from burying the dead to bringing people to life from the dead through the preaching and teaching of the Good News. It happened like this: I was driving home from Cape Coral to Punta Gorda (25 miles) thinking about a "ship out". It was about 8 pm. A northern "snowbird" had died and I was thinking about all that needed to be done in the morning: burial permit, death certificate, obituary notice, shipping container and flight arragements, etc..., when out of a live broadcasted Wednesday night prayer meeting, Pastor Bill Love in his North Carlolina draw, on WSOR FM said, "I usually don't do this on Wednesday night but I feel led to say something. God is telling somebody out there in radio land to do something. I don't know what that is ... but buddy, you just better do it". At that instant, all I could hear broadcasting from within my mind was "You are going to be a pastor". I laughed out loud and nearly wrecked the car. I had to pull over and for about half an hour God impressed me to forget about the life I had planned and to get ready for a whole new adventure. 6 months later our family moved to Bolivar, MO so that I could begin my training. That was 33 years ago and I have never looked back. It's strange that I ended up here for another, intensely personal, meeting with the God who called me. I did not plan to be here for any other reason than economics. It was the best deal for the dollar along FL's gulf coast. Only as I signed the contract for my stay did I reflect on, "This is where it all began". What's up with all this?
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