The High Note!

Today Howard preached his first sermon in five or six years! We were so pleased that he was afforded this opportunity! Plans were made for he and two of our granddaughters, Sarah and Bethany, to sing a special song before he preached. They had practiced until they found their efforts were satisfactory, and the girls stood waiting for the guitar on Paw Paw's lap to give the opening strum.

However,  my full-of-not-preaching for several years husband launched into his subject with introductory incidents and testimonies from the past. His granddaughters were patiently shifting from one foot to the other, until at last he joined them in the song.

Soon my spouse was preaching in earnest, bringing forth stories and examples of reaching the "High Note" in seeking God and earnest worship. He mentioned the preacher in the Azusa Street's outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last century. To deflect attention to himself, the long ago preacher would put a box over his head as he preached, preferring that God get all the glory from the message he brought forth.

Other examples of seekers reaching the "High Note" were brought out as the congregation praised in worship, laughed in joy or eagerly listened to the sermon.  Finally, today's speaker gave his testimony of narrowly escaping death when he was held up at gun-point by an intruder at the furniture store he managed in New Orleans. He had already been aware of several robberies in the area where the proprietors or employees were shot and killed.

As my husband was able to reach the telephone when the bandit left, he called the New Orleans Police Department Armed Robbery Division and was put on hold momentarily.  Suddenly he heard a voice that he knew came from God, saying, "I've kept you through two of these things, (which He had) and now I want you to go do what I've told you to do."

As related by my spouse, he knew in his heart he was supposed to be in ministry, but raising a family of six children seemed more important.  Nevertheless, Howard resigned the job, enrolled in ministry school, graduated after two years and started preaching. That was in the eighties, and he became Assistant pastor in two churches, Pastor of a church on the Mississippi coast, and served in other positions over the years.  He has reached the "High Note!"