Used By God

Dear Ruth, T.A. & all those at The Berean Call, It was with great sadness when I read about the passing of Dave. I have been receiving “The Berean Call” for years, and the only news I ever received about Dave and his condition, was what was published in the monthly newsletter. Praise God that Dave is not only in the presence of our Lord but, that he left us a legacy of works that will survive many generations to come, if the Lord tarries. I want to share a story about Dave I had the privilege to experience sometime back. Dave was sensitive to the Spirit and was used in a mighty way to minister to one of the men in our group. I can't give you the year but, I attended a Men's conference in Sacramento where Dave was one of the guest speakers. He might have been the only speaker, I don't remember. I was part of a group of Men that came up from Calvary Chapel of Livermore, Ca. The Pastor at the time was Paul D. VanNoy now the Pastor of Candle Light Fellowship in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. The conference was a 2-day event which provided dinner before the night service. I believe it was the second night. We had breaked after hearing the afternoon message and were returning for dinner before Dave spoke. Our group was running late in returning and by the time we arrived, there was only one table left. As we sat down, we noticed that Dave came in, looking like he was running late too. There was one placesetting open at our table and Dave took it. It caught us all by surprise. After a brief introduction, we were served our dinner and casually talked. I know I probably had a 1,000 questions for Dave but I kept quiet. Just before Dave was ready to give his teaching, something happen. There was a man in our group who was pretty much a new convert. His name was Bob. He was a man who worked with weights and was a body builder. He was quite buffed. Out of all the men at our table, all from our church, Dave directed his attention to Bob. I wish I had a tape recorder that day because something was said to Bob that affected him greatly. I believe, if memory serves me right, it all had to do with trusting in God and not yourself. I'm sorry I can't tell you what Dave said in it's entirety, I can only remember the impact and effect it had on Bob. It wasn't until the service was over and we returned back to our rooms that Bob approached the Pastor and started to ask him questions on what happened at the table. You see, Bob started to explain that Dave had shared with him things that only he knew. Bob could not understand how Dave, someone he didn't even know, told him things that nobody knew. Pastor Paul started to explain to Bob, that the Lord used Dave in a Spiritual gift [ whether it was the Word of Wisdom or Word of Knowledge] I don't know, but Dave was used, and it affected Bob. I'm sure there are many stories like this about Dave. He was a gifted man. He most definitely will be missed. How many Divine appointments did Dave have? How many course changes was Dave involved with that have brought forth fruit? I thank God, that I had the privilege of seeing him a number of times, and remembering the impact he had on a person I knew. I will miss Dave. Ruth, you had a wonderful husband which you will see again. T. A. you had a great friend and teacher, may you step boldly into his shoes [which I know you're doing now] and continue to fight the good fight. To all at The Berean Call, the days are growing close to our Lords return, may we all be Watchmen and proclaim the Good News. I'll be praying for you all. Sincerely Michael