Cameratismo

This year marks 50 years of serving my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am reminded that I should be looking back at the milestones of my spiritual journey, so I can remember how much God has loved me throughout my life.
As I reflect upon some of the milestones of my life toward eternity, may you find encouragement at the milestone that you are currently making. I want to take you with me down “memory lane” of my walk with my Lord. (I will try not to fill in the daily milestones; as that would be 50 times 365 days!)
At the young age of eleven, God’s Spirit spoke to my heart. I was somewhat like Samuel; not really understanding God’s call (1 Sam. 3). My parents never talked to me about God, although they were good moral people. My extended family of grandparents, aunt and uncles were examples of Christians, whom I admired. I wanted the love that they showed to me.
I remember Papa Walker rejoicing in the Lord continually. He constantly had a fast moving Pentecostal melody of praise on his lips, to our Lord, going up for all the family to hear. A memory I will never forget was his excitement on Sunday morning of being so happy about going to church to worship with God’s people.
I remember Sunday School as a child. My Aunt Joy, who was my Sunday School teacher, taught me that God’s Word was of utmost importance. I learned how to use a Bible concordance, which helped me to find answers to questions that teenagers ask. Than as God sent me a boyfriend, Leonard, one of the first gifts he gave me was a Thompson Chain Bible. Looking back, I know this was God’s grace pointing me to the importance of His Word!
After marriage and the birth of our first child, God gave us the desire to move south from Chicago, Illinois. It was in Tennessee that milestones with my Lord continued. With the birth of our daughter Grace (our second child), I desired a house of our own. God granted me that request, but it came with a big lesson, as God began to teach me how very unimportant material houses can be.
My husband yielded to God’s call on his heart for pasturing. He pastured small country churches and then moved on to his first full time pastorate. It was there again that God said, “Come closer”. As we drew nearer to our Lord, we learned many principles of God’s Word that we not practiced by the organization of which we were a part.
Our second daughter, Renae was born during this time. This was another learning lesson along the way, as we knew God would have to perform a miracle to put Leonard back in the pastorate, without his former associates. God performed the miracle and sent us to Pinckneyville, Illinois, where he served as pastor for ten years. At the end of this period, we again witnessed that God would be with us wherever we went. It was time to go to the place on earth that seemed most like home to us.
Today we look back at the milestones along the way; thanking God for every one of them. He has kept his promise of always being with us, our Counselor and Guide, as well as Savior and Redeemer.

—From Mrs. Carolyn Glover, 3-24-2008