Transcript of a published conference session by L. C. Treadway, transcribed from YouTube. An attributed primary source — not Acts 2:38 Life doctrine text.
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Summary
Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.
Two messages blended, a text read, and a title announced
- The host introduces him by his nickname and his Texas home (names as captioned in the texts; the introduction stands outside the span — see packet.md). Treadway says he is caught in a strange situation: the committee asked him for one message, then for another, then asked if he could put the two together — the first ran an hour and twenty-five minutes, the next an hour and fifteen, and he is told to hold this one to fifty-five.
- The Lord got his attention that morning at about 4:30 and woke him, and his mind went to Ecclesiastes: he invites them to the book's third chapter and, after greeting the Mangun family and recalling how brother Mangan's first and last revivals before pastoring were for his grandfather and his father in Louisiana (names as captioned), he reads the chapter's opening aloud — to everything there is a season, through the time of war and the time of peace — and prays.
- Then he says plainly that when he read it he did not find his text: there is not a text in the Bible for his message, because he is preaching on the one thing Solomon's catalogue never covers. The title he announces is taken from a country-western song — you picked a fine time to leave me — and for anyone who finds that too carnal he offers the alternate sober subject on the spot: the most deadly disease of 2002, and it is not AIDS.
Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
The epidemic of quitting
- Solomon, the wisest man outside of Jesus Christ, covers every purpose under heaven in those eight verses — a time to do it and a time not to do it — but he never covers a proper time to quit, and there is none. That disease has taken hold of the world; it is raging, killing and highly contagious.
- He read that of the pastors of the hundred largest Sunday schools in the land, twenty-five are no longer even in the ministry; in his own community fifty-two of every hundred marriages have terminated. Two of the finest families he has ever pastored are talking about quitting Jesus, days before this meeting. He tells of brother Mahaney in his church (name as captioned) — nobody who prayed through in that church thought Charlie would make the grade — and of Charlie standing in the pulpit declaring to the devil: I'm still here, I don't know how to quit.
- In the first chapters of Revelation, he says, Jesus found something wrong with every one of the seven churches, and the bottom line, as he renders it in Southeast-Texan paraphrase, was: hang in here and I'll save you — just don't quit (the seven-churches material is content stated without a reading; priced in packet.md and not indexed). He does not know the words of the song, so he has Rex Johnson come sing the title line for them at his invitation (the sung fragment stands outside the span — see packet.md).
The road to Emmaus
- He takes them to the twenty-fourth chapter of Luke: two men disillusioned, discouraged, complaining — their life didn't turn out like they thought it should; they were living in the past. In the speech he imagines for them they rehearse what following Jesus cost: they killed the oxen and burned the plow, and they understood he had no place to lay his head — the foxes-have-holes wording is inside that imagined speech (priced in packet.md and not indexed).
- They are headed toward Emmaus (as captioned) with a good case of the quits. People quit in this generation the way his parents' generation did not: jobs, marriages, churches. Of all the preachers on the 1974 Manhattan crusade committee, he is one of the lone survivors. He never went to his Texas pastorate (name as captioned) to quit; he went there to stay.
- The stranger edges into the two men's company and asks what they are down about. They tell him their dreams fell apart and their leader was crucified — three days ago, and today is the third day. He makes the congregation say it with him: today is the third day — a day of resurrection, of revival, of miracles — and they turned it into a day to quit. You picked a fine time to leave me. The men should have been running like Elijah past Ahab's chariot; instead they hoofed it seven miles (as captioned) to a place of nothing, every step vibrating with the quits.
Scriptures: Luke 24
Irene: one more time
- He tells of himself at just about fifteen, before he had the Holy Ghost (he tells his own story here; see packet.md), answering the door to his dad's prize saint. She came to tell his parents she was quitting: her husband pulled as hard as he could the wrong way, she had pulled the right way for years and was worn out; she brought her Sunday school book to hand back. His dad asked one favour: take the book back and teach that lesson one more Sunday. She agreed — one more Sunday, but Monday she was done.
- The rest of the story: that Sunday morning her husband Bill (surname as captioned) came asking for a suit, a clean white shirt, his shoes shined — he was going to church with her, and told the girls to get ready. Treadway watched from the back pew, bashful and timid, as the family filled the pew, the oldest girl a high school beauty queen; Irene taught her class, and that night Bill was at the altar and was baptized in the water in Jesus name (the baptism is stated with no citation attached; see packet.md's Acts scan). On that story's crest he quotes the yoke saying — my God said my yoke is easy and my burden is light (wording voiced with God named as its sayer but no place cited; priced in packet.md and not indexed) — and dares them: preach just one more time, get in that choir one more time, go to that prayer room one more time.
The prayer room and the Quick Serve
- Hell has tried to get him to quit many times. He knows how Jesus felt in the garden — "can't you do it just one hour" — and they were asleep before he got out of their presence (the Gethsemane content is retold without a citation; priced in packet.md and not indexed). Not long ago he was in the prayer room alone asking God whether he was doing any good, whether God's hand was still on him.
- He left needing a shave and stopped for gasoline at a Quick Serve he never stops at. The woman at the register (an adult; see the texts) had just been robbed at gunpoint; with policemen and a crowd standing startled, he asked her whether she had received the Holy Ghost, and she wept that she had not but she needed it. The big policeman stopped him: I know who you are — I guard your house every night, trips I'm not required to make — and with tears streaming said he needed God too. He was about to pick a fine time to walk out, he says, and somebody asks why he uses the feminine name from the song: because if you quit, you're a coward.
Elijah under the juniper tree
- He closes on Elijah (name as captioned in the juniper-tree line): the prophet who butchered the false prophets and then was backed into a corner by one woman, sitting under the tree diseased with the quits, saying he was by himself — and God said no: there are seven thousand that have never bowed a knee to Baal (the wording is voiced inside the retelling with no place cited; the verse and the retelling are priced in packet.md and not indexed). It is not a time to quit; it is a time to proclaim. The enemy will try to get you to quit over finances, too.
The bankrupt church and the vacation
- In his second building program he was paying bills on Friday by mail and covering them on Monday, and he made the blunder of calling his wife and telling her they were bankrupt — the church treasurer ground down, the building fund ground down, the roof leaking into thirty pans. A couple of hours later he called again: pack your bags, and the bags for the kids (unnamed; see packet.md) — we're going on an extended vacation. In those two hours he had been with the chief Boss and given the church back: it ain't mine no more; that's God's church and God's ministry, and he was not going to stay and face the music.
- He called home from the Smoky Mountains on Monday. The secretary told him: while you were gone we took in fourteen thousand in one offering — and don't wow yet — sixty-five thousand more; almost as much in the weekend he was gone as in a year. The enemy likes you to think it is your church and your problem; he serves notice that he does not own this thing — the revival is God's, the bank account is his, the success is his. If you've got the quits, get over it; he ends calling them to give Jesus a praise offering.
Scripture index: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Luke 24.
Transcript
praise the Lord everybody praise the lord it's wonderful to be here in this conference it's been good all the way through every man I believe that got up to B has hit a home run knocked it clear out of the park hey God's good to us yes he is he's a marvelous God I'm kindly caught in a strange situation here to preach today I was requested to preach one message by the committee and then I was requested to preach preach another one by the committee yes was and then I was asked if maybe I could put the two together I think the first one I preached an hour and 25 minutes oh Lord and the next one I believe I preached an hour and 15 minutes and I think I'm told today to hold it to 55 minutes I think that's what we're said 55 minutes so how do you do two messages that's over an hour a piece put after bur put it on After Burner okay anyway I felt like the Lord got my attention this morning at about 4:30 I was sound asleep and the Lord nudged me woke me up why don't you sit down I'll read my text in just a minute brother Tenny just a little bit ago brought up my granddaddy wise yes sir what little bit I know about the dead in Christ I wouldn't be surprised if granddaddy wise didn't hear those things he said a while ago maybe he did maybe he didn't I know one thing if he is Eve dropping on this meeting I hope he turns his hear and Aid off at least till I get into my message I was a little startled at the way God influenced my thinking this morning of how to do the best I could about putting these two messages together if you have your Bibles I'd like to invite you to the Book of Ecclesiastes chapter number three yeah I love the mangun thank you all of these mangun I love them I was standing on this platform last night and brother Carol Mangin turned around and at one point in time he said when we came here Anthony was this long and I remember that yeah I certainly do remember it I don't know if it's all together true but it's my understanding that brother Mangan especially in Louisiana preached his first Revival for my granddaddy wise in irus Louisiana right and he preached his last one in irus before he started pastoring he preached his first one for my granddaddy and preached his last one for my father right and he was such a dedicated evangelist even to that small community that before he came here to actually accept the
pastor of this church he finished that Revival and my dad came here and stood in for him I believe two Sundays so I've watched this church grow through the years I was telling somebody the passion and the enthusiasm and the push for Souls that's here it's been here for those 52 years it's been right here I feel that I was highly favored of God and privileged to get to to preach in this church when I was an evangelist exactly right brother brother Manion told me he said you won't hear from me but he said I want you here the first Sunday in every January and I virtually spent the month here in January and we had great Revival I've still got some converts here in this church God's good to us isn't he Ecclesiastes chapter number three and verse number one to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven a time to be born a time to die die a time to plant a time to pluck up that which is planted A Time to Kill and a time to heal a time to break down and a time to build up a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a t time to dance a time to Cast Away stones and a time to gather Stones together a time to Embrace a time to refrain from embracing a time to get a time to lose a time to keep a time to Cast Away a time to Ren and a time to sow a time to keep silence and a time to speak a time to love and a time to hate a time of war and a time of Peace let's pray thank you Lord dear God in your name for bless we love you Lord and we praise you we honor you and we magnify your marvelous Wonderful Name help me Lord to forget everything that I need to forget and to remember everything that I need to remember give us Clarity of communication here today Lord I pray in the name of the Lord amen bless you you may be seated when the Lord got my attention this morning for finalizing the is my mind immediately went to this passage of scripture and when I read it I didn't find my text so I don't have a text I'm from the old school and I've been taught that if you preach you need to be a subject and a text preacher and so I just needed to read a scripture but there's not a text in the Bible for my message is that all right that's all right and I hope granddaddy wise turns his heing a off now because I AR with God about what to call these two Blended messages I'm using the title of a country western song or at least one of the lines in it okay and it dates me puts a date on me I know I look young and I can't help that
if you don't want this on your tape I'll give you another subject but what I'd like to call this to the audience today go ahead is you picked a fine time to leave me Luccia now granddaddy wise don't you listen to that oh my God if that's too carnal for you there's been some carnal things happened here today that's too carnal for you I'll give you a more sober subject I call it the most deadly disease of 2002 and we're not talking about AIDS Solomon is the wisest man okay by certification and by theological understanding of all times outside of Jesus Christ Solomon had it and he alludes to the fact at the top of this chapter 3 that he is going to cover subject matter having to do with every purpose under heaven and he covers a lot of stuff in those eight verses I read to you I heard a man say the other day that the two hardest things you'll ever try to do in your life is to climb a fence that's leaning to you he said the next hardest thing to do is to kiss a woman that's leaning from you how many of you think there might be some truth to that of all the information that Solomon covers in this book of wisdom verses 1 through 8 of chapter 3 every purpose under Heaven he alludes to the fact that it's a time to do it and a time not to do it A Time To Love A Time To Hate a g time to gather and Scatter a time to build and a time to tear down but you know what he does not cover there is never a proper time to quit so I can't even find a text in the Bible there is no time that it's ever proper to give up and quit and that disease has taken a hold of this world yes it it's a raging killing disease and it is highly contagious I was reading just a few days ago and it it grieved me and made me cry when it said in the last decade the pastors of the 100 largest Sunday schools in our land that 25 of that 100 is no longer even in the ministry they have quit they took their shingle down and they quit this generation is diseased with the
quits everybody wants to quit I've been a little grieved right here in this meeting not at the meeting but what I left at home uhhuh my mind was literally blowed about 2 days before I left to come to this meeting two of the finest families I've ever pastored in my life and they're not new people they've been there they're talking about maybe quitting Jesus I'm told that in my community 52% of the marriages have terminated out of every 100 marriages 52 has called it quit we're living in the Quinton generation it is a raging disease and the enemy is using it every way he can absolutely right of all the things I've ever heard over brother mahaney preach in my church how many of you ever heard big boy mahany I love to hear his experience but it seems like almost every time he's in our church he rages with these words publicly and I think most times it's just for me he said there wasn't anybody in the church he prayed through in that ever thought he'd make the grade I'm going to tell you what we're still trying to make something out of Charlie do you know that I wonder what old granddaddy wise would have done at that Texas Youth Camp when he came riding down the center aisle on a motorcycle I but Charlie stood in our pull pit the last time he was there and as loud as he can lift up his voice he said devil I want you to know I'm still here I'm not going anywhere I'm still here I don't know how to quit and I don't know how to give up hallelujah we're on a high hear in this because of the times but there's always that enemy that's waiting for you down at the bottom of the mountain yes did you ever notice in the first chapters of Revelation where Jesus addresses all seven of those churches he found something wrong with every one of them every last and one of them he found things that were unacceptable in that church but you know what the bottom line was and I say it like a Southeast Texan he said buddy if you'll hang in here I'm going to save you just don't quit hang in here don't go anywhere hold out and I'll cover you I'll cover the front the back I'll save you before it's all said and done I don't have much for anybody that quits that's right you know I don't even know the words of that song probably somebody here could help me they're all pointing to you Rex Johnson you come sing it for
if you was to go with me right now to the 24th chapter of Luke you find two men that's disillusioned they're discouraged they're complaining they're grapping their life didn't turn out like they thought it should right right they were living in the past we trusted we believed we was committed we walked away from everything we kill the oxen burn the plow we've given everything we had we understood yeah that you didn't have any place to lay your head we understood that the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have their nest and when we followed you we followed you with all of that in our mind right and it has all fell apart on us and they're headed toward emus with a good case of the quits yeah we're done hey if you ever wanted to walk out on your wife it's a walking out time preachers are walking out too right that's right that's great and if you want to quit it's good time to quit people won't think that much about it hey I was born into a world Jo you and where they thought something about it we don't think so much about it anymore it's common thing to quit get another one truck on I was thinking right here in this meeting today in 1974 I was selected by whoever to come to Manhattan New York and I did a New York City crusade in the Manhattan Center there was quite a crowd of preachers that was a part of that Crusade brought their choirs invested their money we prayed a lots of people through we had great Victory but you know what I was thinking about here in this meeting today of all the preachers that was on that committee I'm one of the lone survivors all the rest of them have quit they were officials in this movement one of them was a missionary that went from church to church praying all kinds of people through operating in the gifts but today he's quit we're living in the days when it's popular it's in the majority where people quit I was born into a world to where you got you a job and and it was a lifetime career here's what some of us pastors are up against the last thing I read said that every wonderful young couple we've got will move 14 times
they quit one job and go to another job hey I never went to Bowmont Texas to quit I went there to stay part of that I learned from this man right here you don't go in there quitting you go in there staying you don't go in there losing you go in there winning you've got to anchor down and stay stay it out it's a startling thing to see how people are quitting now these guys headed to a m there was a stranger that just kind of edged his way in to their company and he said in so many words he said what are you guys down and out about uhuh your countenance tells me that you might be diseased with the quits they said we don't know who you are where you been keeping yourself but he said one of them said hey terrible things happened to us and our whole our dreams fell apart life didn't turn out like we thought it was hey I thought I was in the ministry I thought I was come find out I don't know if I am or not yeah we had somebody that we thought was the Savior yeah hey we had an outfront leader he messed up our minds with this world we was excited about what we were doing oh yeah hey we was going to go all the way with him y you've not heard what happened to him at the place of the skull They Crucified him Jesus plays the game right on with him they don't even know who it is he led them right on into their conversation and here's The Clincher they said they crucified him yeah 3 days ago yeah and today is the third day hey I knew you wouldn't catch it cuz if you caught it you'd go crazy let's all say it together today is the third day what's going on in your mind hey maybe you should say it again today is the third day it was a day to be happy it was a day to shout it was a day of Resurrection it was a day of Revival it was a day to be positive but they turned it in to a day to quit you know all I've got to say about it you pick a fine time to leave me Lucio what kind of fool can we be hearing what we've heard here in this conference how in the world could anybody think about quitting how could you think about walking out right now is the day of Revival right now is the Day of Victory right now is the day of Miracles how could anybody quit today you still hadn't caught him
today you still hadn't caught it he said you look at me I am he that was dead but now I'm alive forever more today is still the third day this is the day of the Resurrection it's a bad day to quit terrible day to quit M my my my hey don't those men should have been jumping up and down that's right high as a kite couldn't even catch up they should have been running yeah like Elijah did when he passed up ahab's Chariot and instead of running they was mly grubbing it they was diseased with the quits walking in the wrong direction sister Mangan the first time that God allowed me to go to the Holy Land I got to a mess 7 miles from where they should have been and they hoofed it yeah they walked itow when I got to a mess and all of the holy land has been covered up by whoever was in charge every everybody that's in charge of the holy land they try to block out who had it last but emus is very authentic it looks just about so I was told like it did even that evening when Jesus was walking with them and I got there in the cool of the evening the day was Far spent and the Shadows were stretched out and big old tears begin to stream down my face I thought my God here's the place that terminated a wonderful industry they had it going their way but they walked s miles to a place of nothing to a place of emptiness to a place that's dreamless to a place with no significance and every step they took they were diseased with the quits it was vibrating through their body I'm quitting I'm quitting I'm quitting now I'll get some of this you wanted me to preach I was a little well I never was really little but I was a young man in Jonesboro Louisiana I was almost out of high school before I even got the Holy Ghost sister Mangin told me time and time again that she would have thought my brother would have preached but not me I was quiet timid bashful but I'll never forget one Saturday there in our house I was in my room and I heard this knocking on the front door I answered the door and when I stood there at the door I was looking into the face of what would probably have been my dad's prize Saint a wonderful incredible awesome lady I don't have the Holy Ghost I'm just about 15 years
old she said I need to see your dad very very definitely need to see him I said I can probably fix that up for you go in there and make yourself comfortable and right away I had my mom and dad in the room and I'll never forget what happened in that room they didn't know I was listening but I was she started this story about how much she loved my dad and respected him and how much she loved my mom and how much she loved the church and that kind of stuff can make you paranoid it can scare the Daylights out of me now when somebody starts telling me how much they love me because I'm wondering what the bud is when they come at you that way about 99 times out of 100 there's a butt involved and I'm not talking about the anatomy but this was a little different brother J Richardson she went through this P process and procedure about her love and devotion and how much she cared and and she said but what I'm here for this this lady had the most beautiful daughters man I was at the age I'd have give nearly anything if one of those girls would have give me just half a chance okay she said my husband pulls as hard as he can the wrong way and she said for years I've pulled as hard as I can the right way and she said I'm wor out and she started crying and she said I've come by today to quit she said I have my Sunday school book I've taught Sunday school all these years she said I get my kids to Sunday school and then my husband hauls them off for about a month and then I get them back one time and he hauls them off to ball games and and race car events and rodeos and I'm not meddling with your rodeos and all but I think you need to go to church first and she said I've quit she got to cry and she told my mom how much she loved her and when she was completely wound down like a toy that you wind up and there was no more sounds I heard my dad he said Irene Sister Irene if you love me like you say you do and if you love this church and you love God like you say you do he said I've got one request to make of you and it's easy it's simple but I'm asking you it's my petition grant me one favor she said well tell me what it is my dad said if you will take this book back and teach that Sunday school lesson one more Sunday I was in the Next Room and I thought man what's the difference in quitting
today man get it off of the books Dr lar said give it up one more time I heard her she said it's violating what I came here to do but she said I meant what I said about you and I respect you and she said if you want me to teach that class one more Sunday I'll do it one more Sunday but Monday I'm done that was then she walked out and live I forgot it but the rest of the story is when she got up Sunday morning to go teach that class one more time bill came walking in there he said honey do I have a suit hey do I have a suit she said where are you going he said I need a clean white shirt she said where are you going he said what about my shoes hey she said I'll shine those shoes where are you going he said I was thinking just last night for all these years you've been going that way and I've been going that way it's time for this stuff to stop she said what do you mean he said I'm going to church with you today hey girls get ready we're going to church with your mother today my God said my God said my yoke is easy and my burden is light I dare you to preach just one more time I dare you to get in that choir just one more time I dare you to go to that prayer room one more time I dare you to live for God just one more day see I didn't know all this stuff sister Mangan you know where I used to sit I was sitting as far back as you could get and I put everybody in front of me I could get in front of me me so those preachers couldn't shoot at me I felt like everybody that got up there was leveled off on me I was sitting right in the back up in the corner bashful and timid yeah poor self-esteem yeah low self-image when I saw that door open and Bill abber cumber walk in there I said oh my God this is what went on in my heart I said I'm not believing this her name as I told you was Irene you picked a fine time to leave me Irene if it hadn't been for my
dad and his wisdom I wish to God I could hide behind this Pulpit or hide behind the cross right now and God could tell you hey what ever you've been doing just do it one more time my heart I thought was going to quit beating I watched Bill walk in their oldest girl was the high school beauty queen I watched her walk in they feel that Pew Irene left them sitting there and went and taught her class I was close enough behind them that I could hear them when she got back he said man why didn't you tell me how good this man teaches what didn't you tell me about this music she said I tried to I heard all this going on when church was over he went to the altar he was back that night and got baptized in the water in Jesus brother Arnold hell's tried to get me to quit many many times sometimes I can't even get my key people to pray with me I know exactly how Jesus felt when he said can't you do it just one hour just one and they was asleep before he could get out of their presence with his physical body I was in that prayer room not long ago and I said God I believe it's just you and me today am I doing any good am I doing any good hey is your hand still on me I just need a little reassuring brother Mitchell I got up and walked out of that prayer room and got in my car it was early I needed to shave God knows I didn't look like a preacher I started home and I looked at my register I needed gasoline I started pulling into a Quick Serve and this is going on in my mind I said man I never stop here what am I stopping here for I walked in there but half disgusted I'd Prayed by myself I walked in there and the little old girl I could tell that she was afraid and there was two or three police officers in there and a and another crowd of people come to find out she had just been robbed with a gun at gunpoint I'm coming from prayer wondering if God's still with me and just where we are in all this process I don't know what made me do it it was like I couldn't help it they were all just standing there kind of startled and I looked that woman in the face that was at the cash register I said have you received the Holy Ghost and you believe
she jumped and she got a funny look on her face and tears started streaming down her face she said no I have not but my God I need it I need it I need the Holy Ghost I looked over that great big go double jointed policeman and I was just about to speak to him and he said no no he said I know who you are I said no you don't he said oh yes I do he saidou the pastor Treadway I said I don't look like a preacher he said you don't have to look like one he said I know you he said I guard your house every night he said I watch that house every night I make trips by there that I'm not required to make just to make sure your place is okay and he said I'm just like the little the lady you spoke to I need God and tears started streaming down his face I need God I need the Holy Ghost I was about to pick a fine time to walk out Lucille somebody said why are you using the feminine name because if you quit you're a coward you're a coward don't you quit God's got his hand on this church God's Got Us destined for Revival and it's not a time to quit hey we can't quit we're in and we've got to ride this thing out God knows God knows where we are and don't you forget hell knows more about you than you think he does he knows your tender spot hey he touched me just before I came here two of those best families I've got about willing to quit over a bunch of bunk absolutely it's always buk but I'm not going to quit hey I've got a Heavenly calling on me I know who I am I know where God put me and I'm not about to quit I'm going to hang in there and see this Pro out Hallelujah Elijah you can keep standing I'm closing Elijah was under that Jun tree he was deceased with the quits it just startles me to see how he butchered up those false prophets and was a scared afraid of Jezebel one little old horish woman backed him in a
corner yes and God said hey man Elijah said I'm by myself God said oh no no no there's 7,000 7,000 that's never bowed a knee to bail it's not a Time to quit it's a time to Proclaim it's not a time to walk out it's a time to heral his name to shout the victory to keep on doing what we're doing can I go just a little longer yeah go a little sit down the enemy will try to get you to quit any way he can he'll try to get you to quit over finances yes I call my wife in my second second building program I was running out of money for about 2 months paying bills on Friday by mail and covering them on Monday and I know it's against the law but you got to do what you got to do you heard what the radio preacher said didn't you he's preaching against adulter and fornication and sensual insexual sins talking about how you'll go to hell over it and he got screaming and ranting and hollering said don't sin don't sin don't sin but he said my God if you do sin right boy you folks are slow you didn't catch it please don't be a homosexual was what he was saying for you slow people go ahead and laugh it's all right the blunder the blunder I made was when I called my wife boy I've learned if I haven't learned anything in the last 33 years at bont I've learned one thing there's some things you don't tell your wife I called her and I told her I said we're bankrupt she said at what stage of bankruptcy I said the only thing left to do is to just publicly announce it she went out of her mind she said you got to be joking I said yeah I said I've run a ground the church treasur is ground the building funds are ground and we can't finish the building and the roof on the first building is leaking I guarantee you in the back of that church we had 30 pans trying to catch the water and she said where do we go from here I said I have no earthly idea I called her a couple hours later she said what's going on now I said pack your bags as fast as you can pack the bags for the kids she said you leaving are you
resigning I said no we're going on an extended vacation she said I believe that you have lost your everl in mind 2 hours ago we're bankrupt the church is the building fund and I guess you are too the way I know you and now we're going on vacation she said how in the name of Jesus Christ can we go on vacation I said don't worry about it I'm a mystery man what she didn't know Mike Williams is in that two hours I had been with the chief boss and you know what I told him I said you know an hour ago I claim this is my church but it ain't mine no more jge why don't you give it up today that's not your church that's God's church and that's not your ministry it's God's Ministry she said you're serious about this vacation aren't you I said hey you don't even know how serious she said everything's worked out I said no she said what you going to do when you get back and I said it's not mine to worry about yeah I said I I was all goofed up I said I thought that this was my church and I said it's not it's his hallu and God's Church appears to me to be bankrupt and I said I'm not going to stay here and face the music I'm going off and have a good time we're headed to the Smoky Mountains I called home we was going all through the weekend I call home on Monday uhhuh at that point in time we was taking in probably $5 $6,000 a week that's all I called home I call home in the secretary a very lowkey introver mossback contous kind of car I said High finances he said wow you ain't going to believe it I said man tell me what happened he said while you've been gone as a matter of fact he said I think you might ought to leave more off of I said hey man don't put me on like that tell me what you're going to say he said while you've been gone he said we took in 14,000 in one offering I said wow he said don't wow yet I said what you mean don't wow yet he said man we took in 65,000 more
dollars we took in almost as much money the weekend I was gone as we took in in a year the enemy likes for you to think that this is your church and it's your problem hey hey I'm serving notice on him I don't own this thing I just worship here hey I'm just a part of it it's his church the Revival is his the bank account is his the success of it his everything about it is here nud your buddy hey buddy if you've got the quits get over it get over my my my my my come on let's give Jesus a big praise offering why don't you shout a little bit why don't you talk in tongues a little bit Hallelujah
Scripture references as spoken: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Luke 24.