BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

How could he reconcile that? “At first I didn’t,” David admits. “I just remembered some things Brother Hagin taught us. He said, ‘If a person isn’t healed, there’s always a reason.’ That doesn’t sound very profound at first, but it is very profound. As much as I knew things were wonderful for Cherie, I was in a crisis as a minister. If I couldn’t save my wife, how could I minister to other people? I was preaching at my church but nowhere else. I didn’t know when or if I would ever hold another healing meeting.” A Crisis of Faith That summer David’s friend Mark Brazee called and asked him to fly to Tulsa and preach a Sunday night miracle service. A healing service. “I had to wrestle with what had happened to Cherie. When it came right down to it, I didn’t believe her death made the Word of God null and void. The Bible was true before she died, and it’s still true. Healing belongs to us. It’s available for everyone. It wasn’t God’s will that a 60-year-old woman die of metastatic cancer. That’s not God’s highest and best. “The devil had attacked my family and our ministry for one reason. To stop it. I had two choices. I could give up and quit, becoming bitter, or I could go on with God and do more in honor of the memories of my wife and son. I told Mark that I’d do it.” David stood on the platform at World Outreach Church of Tulsa. He looked out over the crowd and knew he would preach, lay hands on the sick and expect miracles. With tears streaming down his face David said, “After everything I’ve been through, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s taking everything within me to stand here and declare that God’s Word is true and do this.” The audience stood up, cheered and clapped. Mark’s inviting David to continue doing what he’d been called to do, set David free. He ministered in great power with signs, wonders and miracles following. David found great peace by standing on Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” ("New King James Version"). That peace and trust caused David to preach the gospel, see the sick healed and lives transformed. Revival at Shalimar Plaza In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in October 2018, David saw a picture of Scarlett Stephenson on Facebook. She stood in front of the rubble that had once been Goodness of God Church in Panama City, Fla. There was nothing left of it. Friends since they’d met at Rhema, David texted Scarlett to see how he could help. He puzzled over the fact that she was going by her maiden name. Scarlett had been raised in a Christian family who owned the Shalimar Plaza, a motel in Panama City. When her mother received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, her parents opened the motel for ministers to stay when they preached in the area. Soon, the entire family had received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and a revival broke out at Shalimar Plaza. One afternoon I was listening to his testimony on tape when I heard the Holy Spirit say, 'You’re to go to that man’s school this year, or miss the will of God for your life.' “I didn’t tell anyone, but at church that night my pastor called me to the front. He said, ‘The Spirit of God wants you to attend Rhema this fall. You’re called into full-time ministry.’ “I packed up and moved to Tulsa where I roomed with Candy Harrison and Patsy Behrman, who is Patsy Cameneti now. David Horton asked me out, and we had one date. Then we each met and married other people. I married a minister, and we pastored a church for 21 years. During that time, we became friends with Kenneth and Gloria. They invited us to go skiing with them, which we did for many years. Eventually, my marriage ended in divorce. “I was devastated, but later married again. That marriage also ended in divorce. As a minister of the gospel, I carried a lot of shame over two failed marriages. Couldn’t I have done better? I made a decision to never marry again. I was happy being a single pastor. So, when David reached out to me and we started talking, I explained that I wasn’t interested in romance or marriage. Just friendship and companionship.” David and Scarlett’s stories were different. David’s family had been devasted by death. Scarlett’s family had been devastated by divorce. Both had been overwhelming attacks of the enemy against their families and ministries. Both were at peace with their circumstances. Yet David had glimpsed something on the horizon which he knew was the hand of God. Restoration. Although they communicated by text and phone calls, David and Scarlett were both so busy that finding time to see one another was difficult. Scarlett was still trying to recover from the hurricane. David was preaching and traveling to all of Brother Copeland’s meetings. 16 : BVOV

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