Posts Tagged ‘Rev. Bill Campbell’

Bloody Footprints!
by Vicki Campbell

Footprints are evidence that we’ve been in a certain place. When Bill was a young boy, the circus animals broke loose in his home town of Peru, Indiana. Later that night, they heard loud noises outside of their house in the country. When they got up the next morning and looked outside, there were elephant footprints all over their yard. There was no denying that an elephant had visited them the night before.

Many of you have seen little children trying to step in their daddy’s footprints that he may have left in the sand or the snow. Maybe you’ve even done it yourself. Sometimes, they’ll even put his much-too-big shoes on to make it seem more real. They have a desire to be like him and to do what he has done. Somehow, it makes them feel closer to him to stand where he stood. I know you’ve heard the phrase, “He’s walking in his father’s footsteps.” In other words, he’s like his father, or he’s doing what his father did.

At times, people will want to make a more permanent statement of their existence by stepping into wet concrete. Recently, I watched an old I Love Lucy rerun where Lucy stole John Wayne’s cemented footprints. They were valuable to her because, even though he wasn’t with her, they were something that belonged to him and it made her feel close to him.

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What Are You Singing?
by Vicki Campbell 

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.   (Matthew 15:8)

When I was growing up, church and church activities were my favorite places to be. I especially liked the music and knew most of the songs by heart that they sang out of the dark green All-American Church Hymnal. In fact, I still have an old copy sitting on my bookshelf.

I especially liked the Sunday nights when we sang favorites. This was a time when you raised your hand if you had a favorite song you wanted sung, and if they called on you, the congregation would sing your song. When they picked me, the song I chose most often was Just a Closer Walk with Thee. Some people chose the same song every time, so it got to be a game with me, hoping and praying that so-and-so wouldn’t get picked because I didn’t like the song I knew they were going to choose.

Besides the Favorites nights, once or twice a year, we would have a Singspiration where we would all get together for two or three hours and have special music as well as singing the congregational songs. What memories!

Recently, God reminded me of a time when I must have been in my early teens. As I was standing there in the pew next to my friends singing out of the hymnal, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He asked me if I even knew what I was singing. The truth was, I didn’t. I k Read the rest of this entry »

Hindrances To Divine Healing
by Author & Evangelist Bill Campbell

When I was born again back in the early 80s, I began to question the Lord about the church.  Not a particular church, but the overall church of our Lord.  I began to see people who were sick, broken down and financially in ruin.  I could not understand why the people in the church looked no different that the people who were not born-again.  I saw individuals who had developed cancer just like the cancer of those who did not serve Him.  I saw that most of the church was financially in dept and living from day to day just barely making ends meet.  I saw that most of the church had no peace.  And again, I saw many struggling with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and many other infirmities that should not be in the church.  I cried out many times asking God why these things are prevalent in the body of Christ. 

Could it be that we are much like the people in Jesus home town.  When Jesus left the place where He was brought up, his heart was filled with discouragement.  All those in His home town who were crippled died with their infirmity.  All those who were blind died with their blindness.  How horrible Jesus must have felt when He discovered that all he could do there was heal a few colds & flues, maybe a few fevers.  Unbelief was so strong that even Jesus could not heal their diseases.

 3     Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. 4     But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5     And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them (Mark 6:3-5).

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How Bad Do You Want It?

This wasn’t the first time we had counseled and prayed with Natalie (name has been changed for privacy) about her problem. It was the third, or maybe even the fourth time, and it didn’t appear that we’d made any progress. Something had to change, and quickly!

We met Natalie at a home prayer meeting many years ago. She was a lovely Christian woman who loved the Lord and even taught Children’s Sunday School. One night she seemed especially disturbed and asked if she could talk to us privately after the meeting, but we weren’t prepared for what she revealed.

Natalie confided that she had been having an affair, and it was with a married man. She wanted out, but didn’t seem to be able to break it off. We were shocked because it seemed totally out of character for her. Yet, we knew how deceiving the devil can be when he catches us in a vulnerable position. We counseled and prayed with her, and it appeared that a great burden had been lifted as hope and relief rose up in her.

When we saw Natalie again a couple of weeks later, discouragement and shame were written all over her face. She told us that she had broken it off with him, but that he wouldn’t leave her alone. He continually called and even did such things as leaving notes on her car windshield and flowers on her doorstep. Feeling so lonely and desiring to have someone love her, she would inevitable give in. Again, we counseled with her and prayed with her. She left believing that she had the victory over her sin.

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