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Old Kingdom/Revival/Apostolic Articles 2002 - 2007
OpenHeaven.com Forum : Old Kingdom/Revival/Apostolic Articles 2002 - 2007
Subject Topic: Barbara’s Story - I Was A Great Baptist - Barbara McGatlin - January 15, 2002 Post Reply Post New Topic
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Posted: 10/15/2009 at 7:31pm | IP Logged Quote Moderator

Barbara's Story - I Was A Great Baptist
January 15, 2002

Revival has changed my life and I will never be the same again. I am so thankful for the exciting touch and powerful ministry I received at the Smithton Outpouring. God was on the move at the Smithton Community Church in a tiny town in the middle of Missouri farm country where many thousands came from around the world to experience revival. I thank God for the series of events that brought me nearly a thousand miles from my lifetime home in the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina to be changed by the powerful presence of God.

I have looked forward with excitement to some changes in my life. Changes like growing up --- getting to be 16, 18, and 21, and our first home. Some changes were harder, such as becoming an adult and a parent with adult responsibilities. Many changes were very gradual but others were sometimes very sudden.

My story really began over twelve years ago with a very abrupt and devastating change. In 1989 I was the mother of a twelve year old daughter, my sweet Jessica, and the wife of a Baptist Pastor, my kind, strong, and gentle Tom. All of this changed July 19, 1989. We were on our way to church when we met an out of control tractor trailer. In a span of a few short seconds everything I knew as safe and familiar changed. I became a widow and a single mom.

Though I had received Jesus as savior around the age of thirteen, my walk of completely depending on God really began at this time. Through the months in the hospital in traction, and through the many medical procedures, and the years of therapy that followed, God was faithful and sustained us. During this time I was reminded that God had made a covenant with me. He promised that He would never leave me. Jessica's recovery was faster and I was thankful that I could depend upon God to care for her and to send people to see after her.

Jessica and I were blessed with physical healing, financial needs were met, and we were surrounded with friends and family. Through our time of grief, God graced us in such a way that our grief did not consume us. His grace continued with us through the years as Jessica became busy with high school preparing for college and I was busy with almost every area of church and learning to make all the decisions and do all the things that Tom had done for us. I began to feel God's call on my life to do something but I didn't know what. I began taking some Seminary classes and while taking one of the classes "Formation Of Ministry" I discovered my place in ministry of pastoring and children's ministry.

Another difficult change occurred when Jessica went away to college and I realized for the first time how alone I really was. The house was quiet all the time and I found myself grieving not only for Jessica but for the loss of my husband. Jessica and I were not able to attend his funeral and now I was discovering that subconsciously I had never had complete closure. I had simply adjusted and went on with my life.

I was very involved with church, Hospice work, community service, and Seminary. I became employed by a local church as Minister Of Education and was ordained as a Southern Baptist Minister. I felt that I had it all. I was certain that I would never remarry. I had never even been interested in anyone. Why would I need a husband now. I had a good job and enough money to meet my needs. I had many friends to keep me company. I could come and go and do as I pleased. I was not ready for what was about to happen!

In mid January of 1998 I was surfing through Christian sites on the internet looking for some ideas and materials for children's ministry in my church. I was reading some of the comments on one of the Christian message boards where many ideas and views are expressed and discussed.

I want you to know that I had never responded to any of the discussions other than to ask a question about specific ministry ideas. On this day a particular message caught my eye. It asked a question about successful single living. A question about which I felt I had some quality experience. I was compelled to answer. Never thinking it would do anything but help someone know how God had really been very special to me bringing me through the loss of a mate and giving me such a fulfilling purposeful life.

Big surprise! --- The next time I checked for emails on the computer in my church office there was an email sent directly to me from the person who had asked the question. A reply message on the message board would not have surprised me, but receiving a personal email from a stranger sent directly to me, greatly surprised and startled me. Who is this person really? Is this one of those dangerous setups you hear about? I replied to the email with questions. Who are you? And why are you sending me an email?

It was not long until emails were a part of our day. Through many emails I was learning more about the man and growing attached. I felt God very close to me during this time. I knew there had to be a reason for such a strong sense of His presence. I thought maybe God was protecting me from the man on the other end of the computer. But what I really felt was a nudging to keep on going forward. As email after email crossed our computers I knew this was somebody I could never be without.

Another big change came on February 12, 1998. I received an email that really upset me. I honestly can't remember exactly what it said. It was something about how very consecrated his life really was and how God ministered through him in a charismatic type way. I remember thinking this would be our last communication and my heart was broken. When I?m troubled I like to get in my car and drive and pray. As I drove I voiced my concerns about this man to God. Was he somebody who could be trusted? Was he who he said he was? Or was he just a smooth talker who knew what buttons to push? --- Or was this man somebody who was to become very special to me?

As I continued to drive and pray it became very real to me that I had formed a bond with a man I had never met. I began to realize that if I never heard from him again I would survive, but it just seemed that I would be better if he were a part of my everyday life, even if only be email. As I prayed I asked God if I should proceed or just let it go. Two passages of Scripture came to my mind. Isaiah 49: 16-17, which always reminds me that God knows exactly who I am and where I am. The second passage was Isaiah 43: 1-5. I know this passage is about God being the saviour of Israel. But it also tells me that I must rely on Him. He will guide and protect me, but I had to put my trust in Him.

As I began to accept that God was putting Ron and I together, and came into agreement with what God was doing, a warmth started at my feet and moved up my entire body. This had happened to me only once before, but has happened many times since. The warmth did not stop until I was completely warm from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. At this point I realized that we had been divinely brought together. God had placed a strong love in my heart for this man whom I had never met. My heart leapt and everything seemed confirmed in my heart as I heard his voice the first time.

Phone calls grew longer and more often as we began to get to know each other. The phone calls continued as he made the long drive from Texas to North Carolina. The phone conversations and constant emails had led to our first face to face meeting. After only a few days together the Lord sent him to Pensacola Florida to the revival at Brownsville Church. I feared I would never see him again. He returned as he promised and soon moved to North Carolina so we could get to know each other and our relationship could develope.

We were married in August and headed to the Smithton Outpouring to spend our honeymoon at their first pastor's conference. I was not prepared for what was to happen there. I couldn't believe we were going to be in church meetings all day from morning until late night for our entire time in Smithton. I hated every second that I was there. I wanted to come home. I wanted what was familiar to me.

I told Ron that as soon as I got back home I was getting our marriage annulled. He agreed but suggested that since we had come so far, that we should stay and attend all the meetings, and at the end of our stay if I still wanted to end our marriage and go back to my former life, he would go back to Texas. I agreed so off we went to the all day meetings of the Pastor's Conference.

After the first morning meetings I felt that I did not belong here and would never fit in with all the strange ways of these people. They were just not my kind of people. I was a great Baptist and wanted to stay that way. I was raised in the Baptist Church. I knew all the songs in the Baptist Hymnal. I was the queen of church programs. If there was a need I could design a program for it. I knew all about God and I had what I believed was a close relationship with Him. I didn't understand why any of that should change. One thing for sure, I knew I would never do that speaking in tongues thing. After all God could understand English even if it had a southern accent.

At lunch we met a couple from Texas who knew one of Ron's sons. The were friendly and tried to encourage and comfort me. But I really just wanted this to be over so I could get back home to something familiar.

The powerful praise and worship began to get to me. It was as if the praise and worship opened heaven and God's blessing poured down upon me. Friday night during praise and worship God began to speak to me, telling me to let go of my past church history and begin anew. I resisted for as long as I could. Finally the weight of God's presence was so great that I had to sit down. I began the process of submission to God. I knew that Ron was praying for me and I felt a very gentle touch on my right shoulder. I thought it was Ron but it didn't quite feel like his hand.

As I wept and ask God to take me and change me the most wonderful sweet peace came over me. I knew that whatever was happening to me was right and needed. It was during this time that I really began to feel and understand God?s love. And for the very first time I really felt loved. Later Ron said that during the praise and worship while he was praying he felt the most gentle hand upon his shoulder and looked back to see who it was and no one was there. It was then that I found out it had not been Ron's hand I had felt.

In a later session during the conference I received prayer from the prayer team. I had observed for several sessions and quite frankly was a bit frightened by what I saw. These people were praying as I had never seen anyone pray before. They were very loud and physical though they were not touching the ones they were praying for. There faces showed how hard they were working. Even the men who were catching the people who were falling were praying with energy.

There was a lot of physical and frightening reaction to the prayer. Some fell, some went flying backward, some wept, some shook or trembled, and others cried out. I could see that the same people kept coming back each day after receiving prayer so I knew this was not altogether a bad thing.

At the ministry time, here I go to join the masses seeking prayer. I did not know quite what I expected but I thought I would probably end up on the floor with people stepping on me while I received some great revelation from God. Well it did not happen to me like that and to this writing it has not. What did happen is that I begin to give up me and as I did I could feel God holding me closer and closer.

In about a month Ron and I made the nearly one thousand mile trip back to Smithton. The meetings were just as powerful as they had been during the pastor's conference. On Saturday night I went forward for prayer again. The person praying for me began commanding hurt and disappointment to come out of me. I could literally feel something being pulled out of me. It did not hurt as we think of pain but there was pressure. I could feel things coming from deep within. When this was finished she prayed, "God fill these empty spaces with your love". Again I could feel a warmth being poured into me as God changed me within.

On our trip back home I told Ron that I did not think I would ever do the tongues thing but that I kept hearing these strange words inside of me. He said that was the Spirit and that I should just speak the words that I heard out loud. I told him that I had tried but it did not work for me. He told me to not worry about it and at the right time it would happen. Well it wasn?t long until the flow was just bubbling up through me during praise and worship at a small church in Virginia.

We have been back to the Smithton Outpouring four times and each time God is faithful to strengthen me to defeat the enemy attacks that come against me before we get to the meetings. We are praying about moving to the Smithton area to be a part of what God is doing there on a regular basis. I have come to love the people at Smithton Community Church so very much. They are like family to me. And to me, when Steve or Kathy Gray preach it is like God is talking directly to my heart. But it is not just them. The entire group ministers with great energy and dynamic power.

I am so very far from where I believe that I should be in order to be useful to God. But God has not given up on me and I don?t believe He will. One of the many wonderful things I have learned is that there is no straddling the fence in revival. --- You either get in or get out. God wonderfully touched me in revival at Smithton. And I know that I will never be the same again.

Barbara McGatlin

Location: Mt. Ariy, NC, NY, United States


Edited by Moderator on 10/16/2009 at 9:16am
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Mary Chretien
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Posted: 10/16/2009 at 6:35am | IP Logged Quote Mary Chretien

Barbara,

Thank you so much for sharing with us... I am so blessed to see how the Lord works in our life to bring us to more revelation of his love for us... Thank you Lord for never giving up on us and showing us how much you love us.



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