A Case of Mistaken Identity
I had one of the strangest experiences in my life a few years ago, after I landed at the airport on the Island of Antigua. I had cleared immigration and had walked up to the conveyor belt along with others, awaiting my luggage. It was not long after that I observed a young man staring at me with a curious, puzzling, investigative look. Suddenly, he began to stroll in my direction. I became very watchful and deeply suspicious. To my utter dismay, the serious-looking youth expressed one word that took me by surprise and caused me to take a quick step backward. “Daddy!” he exclaimed with great confidence. When I did not respond, he looked puzzled and asked: “Are you not my daddy?”. I thought he was some con man who wanted to pull a fast one on me to get some quick cash. It turned out that he was a genuine young gentleman who had no ulterior motive but said I resembled his father. He later mentioned that he had not seen his father for years and thought his father had turned up on the Island to attend the funeral of a relative of theirs. We had a good laugh. What a case of mistaken identity?
When God called me to prepare myself for the Sacred Ministry, I thought it was not just hilarious, but a case of “mistaken identity”. The news struck me during an early 5:00 am prayer meeting at my home church in Half Moon Forte in St. Lucy, where my mother and some other senior women prayed weekly. As a young 16-year-old Christian, they challenged me by the positive way they prayed. I felt these women touched heaven with their petitions.
I knew God was up to something. As I spent quality and quantity time with Him daily, something was happening in my spirit that I could not explain nor express. Prayer with fasting was a spiritual exercise in which I engaged myself regularly. Often I would go into a forested area all by myself and would be there for hours talking with God. The closer I got to God, the more He began to reveal to me the spiritual decline that was facing the church of which I was a member. I believed those women also sensed a profound spiritual lethargy that was taking over the church like a dark cloud and were praying: " O God revive your church."
I remembered one early Wednesday morning after I prayed publicly, one woman said: I believe God is calling you to the ministry. Those were the last words I wanted to hear. I had an aversion for the ministry. I did not think I was ministry material, nor was it a part of my plans. God and I had a spiritual fight for months, from that time until one night on my bed I said “Yes” to Him. Peace came to my spirit. At the tender age of twenty-one, in September, 45 years ago, I entered Bible College to begin what would have turned out to be four unforgettable years.
Upon reflection four and a half decades ago, I have no regrets in having obeyed my God with whom I continue to enjoy a beautiful and intimate relationship. My greatest joy over those years has been to please God and to serve my fellow man genuinely. I made mistakes and experienced some significant challenges along my journey, but never once lost sight of the sacred calling and the responsibility and accountability associated with such an honor conferred on me by a Holy God. God has given me a wonderful wife, two fine biological children, and several adoptive children over these many years. The positive impact of my life and ministry has had on the lives of multiplied thousands of people, is well known. I shall continue to serve my God with gladness.
When God called me to prepare myself for the Sacred Ministry, I thought it was not just hilarious, but a case of “mistaken identity”. The news struck me during an early 5:00 am prayer meeting at my home church in Half Moon Forte in St. Lucy, where my mother and some other senior women prayed weekly. As a young 16-year-old Christian, they challenged me by the positive way they prayed. I felt these women touched heaven with their petitions.
I knew God was up to something. As I spent quality and quantity time with Him daily, something was happening in my spirit that I could not explain nor express. Prayer with fasting was a spiritual exercise in which I engaged myself regularly. Often I would go into a forested area all by myself and would be there for hours talking with God. The closer I got to God, the more He began to reveal to me the spiritual decline that was facing the church of which I was a member. I believed those women also sensed a profound spiritual lethargy that was taking over the church like a dark cloud and were praying: " O God revive your church."
I remembered one early Wednesday morning after I prayed publicly, one woman said: I believe God is calling you to the ministry. Those were the last words I wanted to hear. I had an aversion for the ministry. I did not think I was ministry material, nor was it a part of my plans. God and I had a spiritual fight for months, from that time until one night on my bed I said “Yes” to Him. Peace came to my spirit. At the tender age of twenty-one, in September, 45 years ago, I entered Bible College to begin what would have turned out to be four unforgettable years.
Upon reflection four and a half decades ago, I have no regrets in having obeyed my God with whom I continue to enjoy a beautiful and intimate relationship. My greatest joy over those years has been to please God and to serve my fellow man genuinely. I made mistakes and experienced some significant challenges along my journey, but never once lost sight of the sacred calling and the responsibility and accountability associated with such an honor conferred on me by a Holy God. God has given me a wonderful wife, two fine biological children, and several adoptive children over these many years. The positive impact of my life and ministry has had on the lives of multiplied thousands of people, is well known. I shall continue to serve my God with gladness.