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A Life of Obedience
Glimpses of a Surrendered Life
By Glenn A. McHatton AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2015 Rev. Glenn A. McHatton
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4969-6607-0
CHAPTER 1
The Ring of Death!
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10, NIV)
RING! RING! RING! When my brother Charles and I heard that familiar sound coming from my mother's bedroom, in the middle of the night, we knew what it meant. Our mother was bleeding to death! When we heard that bell, we would immediately spring out of bed, rush to the icebox, fill her ice bag, and put it over her lungs to clot the blood, and stop the hemorrhaging. Then we would call the doctor and tell him to come right away. It was a matter of life or death!
Shortly after my birth, in Ashland, Kansas, my mother contracted tuberculosis. The doctor recommended placing my mother in a tuberculosis sanitarium in Phoenix, Arizona. Heeding the doctor's warning, we moved immediately to Arizona, where my mother entered the recommended sanitarium. Until my dad could find a job and a place for us to live, he had no choice but to place my brother and me in an orphanage, for a short time.
After seven major operations, my mother was left with half a lung, making it very difficult for her to breathe. Finally, the sanitarium attendees told my dad that they could do nothing more for her. We took her home to die. Many nights I heard the doctor say, in his professional opinion, he did not think that she would live through the night.
God knew that we needed our mother. Even though she was bedfast during most of my childhood years, Praise God, she lived long enough to see her boys raised in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Both of us became ministers of the gospel. We preached and prayed for the sick, for many years. I really believe that caring for my mother, during my boyhood years, has been the underlying reason for my continual compassion for the healing ministry. I am so grateful that God healed my mother so that she was able to see her two sons grow up, and be called into the ministry. When I think of her miraculous healing, I begin to sing the marvelous song, "The Healer," written by Lois Irwin. Here are a few lines from the song.
"THE HEALER
He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
Surely He bore our sorrows,
And by His stripes we are healed.
CHAPTER 2
Why Radio?
"this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world" (Matthew 24:14, KJV)
Due to my mother's illness, my brother and I were left with the responsibilities of cooking the meals, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and cleaning the house. My dad worked the night shift, so he slept most of the day. While other boys our age were outside playing baseball, and enjoying other outdoor activities, my brother and I were inside doing all the household chores.
My mother's tongue was full of sores, and her spine had bedsores which we attended to regularly. She had to have seven major operations that left her with only half a lung. Even though she lived with this terrible physical condition, I never heard my mother complain about her "lot" in life. Since she was bedfast, she listened to Christian programs, over the radio, which greatly encouraged her. Every day at 3:00 P.M., she listened to a broadcast called the "Heart to Heart Hour," by Reverend Leland Entrekin, the radio pastor.
I firmly believe that my strong interest in radio ministry was birthed from watching my mother be so uplifted through Christian broadcasting. For many years, I communicated the gospel by means of radio, which has been greatly used of God to bless thousands of people around the world. To God Be The Glory!
In 1890, Charles H. Gabriel wrote the song entitled, "Send the Light." These words explain why I have spent so much of my life broadcasting the "good news" that "Jesus Saves!" I want to do all that I can to "Send the Light!"
"SEND THE LIGHT"
There's a call comes ringing
O'er the restless wave,
"Send the light! Send the light!"
There are souls to rescue,
There are souls to save,
Send the light! Send the light!
Chorus
Send the light,
The blessed gospel light;
Let it shine from shore to shore!
Send the light, the blessed Gospel light;
Let it shine forevermore!
CHAPTER 3
The Stairway to Heaven
"And I saw heaven opened" (Revelation 19:11, KJV)
I will never forget it as long as I live! I was leading the congregational singing, during the midweek prayer meeting, at my church, The Good Shepherd Chapel, in Indianapolis, Indiana. As we sang the words of the first stanza of "Saved by Grace,"
"Someday the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall sing;
Heaven opened up to me! I saw the beautiful city, and a golden stairway that led from the earth to Heaven! I noticed the angels, on the stairway, carrying a bodily form up the stairs to the pearly white gate. Then the vision slowly faded away. I did not say anything to my congregation. I just kept on singing:
"But O, the joy when I shall wake
Within the palace of the King!"
The reason I did not tell my congregation about the vision, was because it was so real! I knew someone was going to meet Jesus, and I did not want them to be alarmed, thinking that it might be one of them, or one of their loved ones. After having our regular Bible study, I dismissed them with a word of prayer. I left the church still wondering who the vision referred to, and when was it going to happen.
When I arrived home and opened the door, I heard my telephone ringing. It was my brother calling from Phoenix, Arizona, to inform me that our mother had been ushered into Heaven that evening. At the exact time that I was singing, "Saved by Grace," with my congregation, God had given me a vision of what was happening almost two thousand miles away. God had sent down His angels to be my mother's pallbearers; to carry her up the golden stairway to her prepared mansion. God used this vision to bring real comfort to me, and to those I shared the vision with, during her funeral.
Since that night, this old song, "Saved by Grace," written in 1891 by Fanny Crosby, who was blind, has been such a blessing to me.
"Saved By Grace"
Someday the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall sing;
But O, the joy when I shall wake
Within the palace of the King!
Someday my earthly house will fall.
I cannot tell how soon 'twill be;
But this I know-my All in All
Has now a place in heav'n for me.
Someday, when fades the golden sun
Beneath the rosy tinted west,
My blessed Lord will say, "Well done!"
And I shall enter into rest.
Someday; till then I'll watch and wait,
My lamp all trimmed and burning bright,
That when my Savior opens the gate,
My soul to Him may take its flight.
Chorus
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story-Saved by grace;
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story-Saved by grace.
CHAPTER 4
A Tribute to My Mother
"Her children arise up, and call her blessed" (Proverbs 31:28, KJV)
Although it has been a number of years since my mother passed away, I still have precious memories of her, and her Christian convictions. I can remember as a boy, when I returned home from church, my mother asking me, "Well, Glenn, what did the pastor preach about today?" That is when I would move the hassock to the foot of the bed, climb up on it, and preach the morning message to her. These mini-sermons that I gave to her probably stimulated my desire, even before I became a Christian, to preach the gospel someday. My mother would always encourage and praise me after I finished these sermons. She would tell me, "That was a good sermon, Glenn. You did well!"
Those who have been in the ministry for a very long time have learned to plan their pastoral visitation, so that the last visit is uplifting, rather than depressing. When our pastor visited with my mother, who was FREQUENTLY or ALWAYS in pain from her bedsores, he would remark, "I came to encourage you, but I am leaving here more encouraged myself than when I came."
Her favorite song was "Leave It There." It was written and composed, in 1916, by Charles Albert Tindley. When you read these words, you will understand why it was her favorite. As a tribute to her, I want to share these verses of the song with you.
"LEAVE IT THERE"
If the world from you withhold of its silver and
its gold,
And you have to get along with meager fare,
Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the
little bird—
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
If your body suffers pain and your health you
can't regain,
And your soul is almost sinking in despair,
Jesus knows the pain you feel,
He can save and He can heal—
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
When your youthful days are gone and old age
is stealing on,
And your body bends beneath the weight of care;
He will never leave you then, He'll go with you
to the end—
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
Chorus
Leave it there, leave it there,
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there;
If you trust and never doubt,
He will surely bring you out—
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
CHAPTER 5
My First Spiritual Experience
"arise, and be baptized" (Acts 22:16, KJV)
I have already shared with you that my brother and I were responsible for the household chores. The one exception to this daily duty was Sunday mornings. Both of my parents wanted my brother and me to attend church on Sunday morning. This meant that my dad, who did not have to work over the weekend, would do all the household chores. He even gave each of us a dime to put in the offering plate.
The only church in our community, which was about half a mile walk from home, was a Christian Church. This denomination believed that water baptism was essential for salvation, and that the Christians should partake of Communion every Sunday. My brother was sick one Sunday and could not go with me. That morning, when the invitation was given, I went forward to become a Christian. Since this denomination taught that water baptism was essential for salvation, the preacher asked to baptize me that night. After arriving home I told my parents that it was necessary for me to attend the evening service so I could be baptized that very night. I prayed all day long that I would not die before I was baptized. That would mean I would be lost, go to hell, and burn forever!
Finally evening came. I put on my white shirt and tie, and walked alone to the little church for my baptism. As I was being baptized, I remember the small congregation singing, "What can wash away my sin? "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." I cannot honestly say that I received a big blessing from this experience, because I was much too afraid that I would die before I got under the water. When I came up out of the water, all I can remember saying was, "Whew, I made it!" After the baptism, one deacon made sure that this seven-year-old boy was served Communion each week, right along with the other Christians. My being baptized did help to remove my immediate fear, but it did not bring me the satisfaction I was seeking. Years later, while pastoring my church in Anderson, Indiana, I planned a baptismal service at Kilbuck Park for those that had recently been saved through my ministry. I asked a retired minister from my church to assist me. After baptizing everyone who desired to be baptized, I turned to Brother Duncan and asked, "Brother Duncan, will you baptize me? I was never satisfied with my first baptism as a young boy."
He replied, "Yes, Pastor, I will be glad to do so." When he baptized me, the power of God hit me three times like a bolt of lightning! It was the first time I had ever felt the power of God! The people standing on the bridge had stopped to observe the baptismal service. I did not care who was watching. I let out a shout and started running in the water, while praising God! I knew I would never have to be baptized again, because nothing could top that one in the creek at Kilbuck Park, that day.
Years later, as a professor at Fort Wayne Bible College, I was invited to go to the Holy Land with many other teachers. Another minister and I were baptizing in the Jordan River. After we baptized those that desired to be baptized, this minister turned to me and asked, "Reverend McHatton, will you baptize me? I have always wanted to be baptized in the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized." I replied, "I will be glad to do so." After I baptized him, he turned to me and asked, "Now, do you want me to baptize you?"
I replied, "No, this may be the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized, but nothing could top my baptismal experience in the creek at Kilbuck Park in Anderson, Indiana. Being baptized here would be like reading a second conclusion in a book. I am more than satisfied with my baptism, and I have no need to be baptized in water again!"
During my first baptism, at the age of seven, the small crowd sang, "Nothing but the Blood." This song has always meant so much to me. It was written by Robert Lowry in l876. Notice these wonderful words.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from A Life of Obedience by Glenn A. McHatton. Copyright © 2015 Rev. Glenn A. McHatton. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
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