I finally graduated from Bible School....and it only took me 20 years!

I did it! I graduated from Bible School last weekend! I attended Carol Granderson's school, Power & Light Gospel School of Evangelism (First Year Class) since last September and I graduated. It was wonderful because I took the class and graduated with Leon.

I had full intentions of attending Bible School in Joplin, MO at Ozark Christian College, after my high school graduation from Neosho. My mom filled out my application for me, gave me the app fee and handed it all to me to mail in. I got nervous and wondered what in the heck I was doing since my mom couldn't afford to pay for it, I had no job, no car, no scholarships, no grants, no loans (and no body to tell me those things were possible!) so, I never turned them in. Yep, just as I did with Nathan while he was waiting to hear from JBU on his acceptance last spring - my mom would ask me everyday...."You get anything yet?" "You hear from them today?" , etc...I finally had to face the wrath of mother and tell her I never turned in....she wasn't happy, and honestly, neither was I. I'd always wished I had went to Bible School. I now thought that I'd never get to Pastor, teach, minister, be a missionary....all because I didn't go to Bible School.

Isn't it amazing though that God is faithful to what He's promised?! I was 15 years old and standing under the bell at the tabernacle in Wyandotte, OK, overlooking the dorms at church camp and I heard Him tell me that one day I would be a leader and minister of children and bring kids to church camp myself. The day that I decided not to go to Bible school, I felt like I had just ruined everything....and for a long time, I believed it.

I just love that even though sometimes I mess things up due to my spontaneous actions and thoughts, that God still cares, He still has a plan, and He will still bring it to pass....even though I wonder if He sighs and thinks "Good Gosh, she did it again......now it's going to have to happen this way.....if only she would stop and think about things first....it would save us both some time!"

So that's pretty much how things went - I didn't go to school, I began working in the ministry in 1999 part time and full time in 2000 through 2009 and back to part time in 2009 (and still going!) I started Sis. Carol's school once before but because of other issues at the time, I had to drop out and this time around we had to drop for a few classes and were blessed to be able to continue.....we didn't go on and pay for Associate's Degree - but that wasn't why I did it in the first place....I did it to complete a life goal.....to graduate from Bible School. I kinda like that I did it all backwards....it let me realize (and show others) that you don't have to have a degree, a diploma, or a title to share the Word of God with others.....you only have to have the Word & Love of God inside YOU! We're all called to be Ministers of Reconcilation!