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When I first began in ministry in the early seventies, I was young had just married a woman I met in Bible College, was full of zeal without much common sense. I didn't have any real job training because before Salvation in 1972, I was a hippie, deep into drugs trying to find my way to the garden, like the song says.

So without NO real foundation under us, we launched out into the deep to minister wherever God opened the doors. In 1980, we opened the Turning Point Outreach Coffeehouse in Newport News, we went through three buildings until it was closed in 86. I felt like I found my people on the streets because the church for the most part just didn't seem to care about street people. Even one pastor made the remark, "What good can they be to our church?" which drove a bigger wedge with me and the church. In 1992, everything fell part, I was at a standstill with the ministry with no direction-now had a daughter going on 3, then the bomb dropped, my marriage of 18 years fell apart with a note found on the dining room table. I fell apart and ran as far as I could from God, the ministry and the church.

Scripture says, "God is married to the backslider" and though I done my best to put Him and the past behind me, I couldn't shake God nor His Call on my life. Lights came on one after another, and I realized that I had been "Blindsided" to the balance between ministry and supporting my family. Falling for the first person that came along, WRONG, I ignored all the Warning Signs and got into the wrong relationship for six years. One night after a violent fight where I got hit in the head with a telephone and arrested for assault and battery, my solution to "making things right" though noble and sincere was  another stupid mistake of trying to fix things that cannot be fixed.

Everything came to a screeching halt, I was all by myself again, licking my wounds-AGAIN. Charlotte and I met shortly after that. At that point I didn't know which way to turn anymore. We dated for a few weeks and I broke it off. Coming home from work one night, the Lord spoke, "If you run from me this time, you will never get back!" The Lord had sent me my mate, but there would be some great refining before things would smooth out. May 13th was our 5th Wedding Anniversary. Twice we separated but during the second event, God spoke clearly again, "if she does depart...a husband is not to divorce his wife!" Right then and there I made up my mind to go after her, and do whatever I needed to do to make the marriage work. We are now more in love than ever before, because regardless of what comes, we are in it for the long haul.

I have been in ministry for over three decades. Have never seen a real breakthrough like many ministers, yet, I continue to move forward in the Call. When I ask the Lord about it, He reminded me that I was HIS WITNESS to what He had done in my life in that Gospel Tent at the age of 19. I wonder if I will ever see the Great Harvest that most ministries experience. I'm having back problems, and at 58 wonder what's next? Its been a long hard road, and at times I questioned like Jeremiah done, "WHY?" I guess this writing is a crying out for answers because I do not want to spend my remaining days with illness, being overweight and feeling useless. I covet the prayers of God's Servants! Paul David Powers-THE WITNESS  www.hiswayministries.us