BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

“The pastor had given me a key to the church,” Mary recalls. “I used that key to slip inside after hours. I slept on a sofa in the upstairs room where the youth met. I showered in the pastor’s study. No one knew I was there. I snuck home for food and was incredibly happy.” Mary had been living there for about three months when something strange happened. One Friday evening, she let herself into the church to get ready for Bible study. Walking upstairs, she found a man with dark hair sitting on the sofa. “Excuse me?” Mary said. “Who are you?” “Oh, sorry. I came for your meeting. The side door was open, so I just came on in. I hope that was OK.” Everyone arrived, and it was obvious that no one knew the man. After Mary taught, he spoke. “Can I say something?” the man asked. “Mary, the Lord’s hand is upon you. He will take you places you’ve never dreamed. You will do great things for Him. Tomorrow at noon, you’ll get a phone call at your mother’s house. You need to be there to take it. The caller will tell you to do something. The Lord wants you to do what he tells you. This is His will.” She wanted to ask questions, but the man had disappeared. “Mary,” someone asked, “was that man an angel?” Mary was more concerned that he was a stalker. Afraid that he was hiding in the building, and too scared to sleep, Mary stayed up all night. Arriving home the next day just before noon, Mary asked her mother if she could get some things from her room. As she went inside, the phone rang. “Mary, it’s for you!” “Hello?” Mary asked, quaking. She listened as a man explained that he was a student at Oral Roberts University and a friend of Jim, the young man who had invited her to the Assemblies of God church. “I was in Jim’s room and saw your picture,” he said. “Last night, while at Bible study, I saw your face flash through my mind. The Lord told me to call and tell you that He wants you to attend ORU.” Mary hung up, stunned. “What was that all about?” her mother asked. “I’m going to ORU!” One Large Step of Obedience “After Dad was released from the hospital, my parents allowed me to move home,” Mary recalls. “Dad went to the junkyard and bought me a wrecked 1968 Pontiac. It wouldn’t go in reverse, and it guzzled oil and transmission fluid. But in August 1976, with a little money I’d earned and a $76 love offering from my Bible study, I left Jacksonville, Fla., and drove to Tulsa, Okla. “I got a job at ORU, which allowed me free tuition. I loved ORU but didn’t want to get into the dating scene. I told the Lord I wanted my Boaz. I asked Him to tell me a little bit about the man He’d chosen for my husband. “He said he was 6 feet, 3 inches tall with sandy-blond hair. He loved to play the guitar, and he had a nickname with three letters. He also told me my husband would look for me and find me.” After attending a Christian concert, Mary sidled up to the T-shirt table beside a gorgeous man—220 pounds of pure muscle. Since she had been at ORU a while, she thought she knew most of the students. But she didn’t know this man. “Are you a student at ORU?” she asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * You can read Don Colbert's story in the October 2015 digital issue. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * “Yes, I’m pre-med. My name’s Buz Colbert. You may not know me, but I know you,” he said. “I’ve seen you preach on street corners to drug addicts and prostitutes. I told the Lord that I’d never seen a girl who loved Him as much as you do.” “Thanks,” Mary said. Buz, Mary learned, was a big man on campus who dated cheerleaders and beauty pageant queens. She could have cared less. * * * * * article continues on p. 18 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Join us in teaching believers how to use their faith. Partner with KCM KCM.ORG/PARTNERNOW 1-800-600-7395 U.S. only * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BVOV : 17

• Cover