Looking back over my life always produces deep gratitude for the leadership role models who have touched my life since I first came to Christ. There are many, so since I am unsure of which one to write about, I’ll just start with the very first one.
“Remember your leaders who taught you the Word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith” (Hebrews 13:7 NLT).
About a month after I was born again, there was a man and his wife (Leo and Doris) with whom I became closely connected. He was a very unique and gifted Bible teacher and I was hungry to learn more. Right from the beginning, he told me: “This house is your house. The door is always unlocked. Don’t knock! Just come on in! If I showed up while they were eating, they’d have me sit down at the table with them. That’s the way it always was – not just for me, but for many others.
After school hours (my senior year), I would go to Leo’s house as many times a week as I could. I don’t ever remember them telling me he was too busy! He always had a teaching or a testimony to share with me. Water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit were the first things he taught me about. It was the first I had heard about it. I wanted it! Within a few weeks Leo baptized me in a neighbor’s swimming pool, and when I came up out of the water, Leo and another man laid hands on me, and I began speaking in tongues. Afterwards, the group of us went straight to his house. We all sat on the floor and Leo said, “Let’s all sing, “Amazing Grace.” Then after a couple verses, he said, “Let’s sing ‘Amazing Grace’ in our prayer language.” And that went on for another hour!
He always had some visual that he would use for his teachings (no PowerPoints or computers back then!). My favorites were a “felt board” with a large map of Israel’s journey from Egypt to Canaan, and another large felt of Moses’ Tabernacle (ones he drew and painted by himself). He also had a 10-foot wooden pole fastened horizontally in his living room from which he taught about God’s Eternal Purpose (something not heard about very much back in the 70’s!). Seeing the bigger picture in Scripture secured within me a solid foundation and deep respect for God’s Word, the Bible.
There were several youth and young couples that met at Leo’s house frequently. It seemed like there was always someone new there. His teachings were quite casual and we would often interrupt to ask questions. He always encouraged us to take what we were learning and to share it with others. I did just that and would take my lunch and break times to share with others at school.
In January of my senior year, the doctors found cancer in my dad. When I got back from school, my mom and grandparents told me the news, the first thing I did was to drive to Leo’s house. It was late at night, but their door was unlocked as usual. They shared and prayed with me for a long time that night.
During the next four months, Leo spent time with my parents. They both got saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit and Leo baptized them in our bathtub (my dad was too sick to leave the house). Leo was always encouraging us to believe for healing and taught us many healing promises in the Bible. He spent long hours praying with us. During the last hours of my dad’s life, Leo spent the whole night next to Dad’s hospital bed in prayer. Seeing Leo’s passionate faith and prayer life during those times deeply impacted my life.
There always seemed to be someone at Leo and Doris’ house. People in need of counseling, people in need of prayer, and people hungry for the Word. Amazingly, many of the young people that passed through Leo’s house ended up leaving the area to be involved in a full-time ministry somewhere…and I am grateful to say that I was one of them!