I did what any young Christian woman might do...I panicked!
It was the mid 80's and I was a single, glamorous, all American country music entertainer. I was also a practicing United Methodist on the Sundays when I could make it to a church.
It was the middle of my summer tour in sunny southern California when it happened.
It was the last thing I ever expected.
Starting as early as my childhood memories, I followed the exciting footsteps of my parents into the country music world of show business. Singing to country music audiences was the only life I knew. By the age of 16, I didn't think twice about doing anything else except singing and entertaining audiences. Eventually I found myself touring with country music superstar, Charley Pride.
Festivals, fairs, show rooms, concert halls, and arenas were always the destinations. Private planes, buses with road managers and band members, limousines, and a custom wardrobe were part of the picture I was trained for. I loved it! While my lifestyle was created for public performance, the foundation of my childhood was Jesus Christ.
I learned about Jesus in Methodist Sunday school but I experienced Him through the ways and teachings of my mother and grandmothers. Despite the applause and attention of man, the journey as an entertainer in an industry predominantly run by men, could be lonely. Jesus became my constant companion and source of strength.
In the beginning, a country music career was all I wanted, but eventually it felt like something was missing. I could sense there was "something greater to come." I began to pray and ask the Lord to "Use me." Little did I know God's idea of using me would be entirely different than my own!
There was anticipation in the air as show promoters and booking agents across the country suspected I was destined for greater things. I had an idea that if God would answer me, I would soar to the top as the next country music diva of the decade. But instead of a record deal promotion, God did something different.
Hearing God speak was not what I expected. I had survived a near death experience on an operating table as a child, a near crash with a train as a teenager, a mid-air plane collision as an adult, and multiple car wrecks throughout my life. But hearing the live, out loud voice of the Lord astounded me. In all my childhood Sunday school training no one had ever mentioned God speaking today. That was only in the Bible.
Not only did it become a mission to understand what was happening to me, but eventually it became the driving force in my life for others to hear God when He speaks. When He calls to you, everything else dims in comparison.
Since the beginning of time, God has been speaking to His people. It is true. His sheep hear His voice.
I pray you would hear His Voice and understand what is happening when He speaks. Most of all I pray you would respond appropriately. That's why I wrote this manual. Revelation changes your life.
May you enjoy the journey He designed for you even before you were in your mother's womb! And may you come into the fullness of all He has for you through the understanding and activation of prophetic ministry.
"If you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become my spokesmen."
