Beginning Days

Sometime back I shared about how I grew up. This is not a sad story, but we moved often, about every two years; and, not to go into too much detail, but there was a period of time when we were on food stamps and for a brief time, we lived in our car. As I have said before, I thank God how I grew up. 

I was determined though, that when I got older, I would not live that way. I didn’t have a plan, that was just my heart. 

I do remember thinking that I could build houses for people so people could have a house. In 1994, I heard the gospel defined out of I Corinthians 15:3-4; How that Christ died for my sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. And that the gospel was the power of God unto salvation; salvation being everything you have need of, which includes a house. 

I began to do the things I had been taught. One of those things was read the Psalms. I got to where I could read the Psalms through, out loud, in one setting. I began reading the New Testament as well. By 1997 God provided me a house in Stigler, Oklahoma. It was just over 1300 Sq.Ft. It had three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, kitchen, dining, living room, and a one car garage. It sat on a large corner lot with multiple trees. It was a new home, a self-help house, in which I contributed to some of the work. I wasn’t going to have to live the way I grew up. 

As I continued believing the gospel, and listening to what I was being taught and what I was reading, I came to a point early on where my heart was broken to think, that after coming from nothing, to going to something, I may have to go to nothing again. I read where the disciples forsook all and followed Jesus.  Was I going to have to give up this house, and later my job, and trust God? God was gracious, and we lived in that home until August 2008, when I resigned my position from Stigler Public Schools, from teaching, and from coaching; to do, what I believed was God.  

We actually began our move to Broken Arrow not knowing where we would live. We went "Looking for a City" when we moved to Allen too!  A testimony for a later date.

God provided us a nice rent house. Although we started out sleeping on a mattress on the floor, God, one day, provided us bedroom furniture, and then later, some living room furniture. But this was where, I began to learn to walk by faith, trusting God, for all I needed. 

This is not to say I've arrived by any means but I thank God for this gospel. We now live in Allen, Texas working in the ministry at Water of Life in Plano, Texas.

God Bless, 

Anthony

Misty and I in front 

of our home in Stigler