HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Jesus, I'll never forget what you've done for me.

Thanks to Principal Marshall and the Tipton County School Board for allowing us to utilize the Chorus Room for worship services. God be praised!

We would arrive about 10:15 a.m. Sunday mornings, unload the sound system, tubs of bibles along with praise and worship items. While my wife and daughters were getting things ready, I would go into the boys bathroom to meditate. I would have to wipe it down every Sunday to make it suitable for meditation. I would grab a chair from the chorus room to sit and pray prior to worship service.

We set up the chorus room and worshipped like it was a full house each sunday for a year. The presence of God was so strong, yet sweet and peaceful simultaneously. My God, my God, my God!

One day, there was a miscommunication between the custodial engineer which caused the chorus room to be locked upon our arrival. This didn't hinder us. We held worship service that day in the hall outside the chorus room. This was one of the most annointed and powerful worship services the four of us at Temple of Praise Community Church held. During prayer, I laid my hands on the hallway walls and literal witnessed dark shadows (demonic spirits) flee. My God, my God, my God!

On another day, a family was driving past the high school and decided to come in and worship the Lord with us. And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved...Amen! Her testimony, "As I was driving by the high school, I saw a dove hovering over it. So we came in!

In April 2004, I prayed, "Lord, bless us to walk in and occupy. Don't let us build a thing. I'm not against building if that's your desire. Lord, who is taking care of the people. Bless us to walk in and occupy like Israel walked in to occupy the land. Don't let us build a thing. This way, we can say, look what the Lord has done and not what we did."

God showed me a vision of a man handing me keys three times. That next Sunday, I shared the vision with the people and told everyone that we have to worship like this is our last Sunday here. Six months later, a preacher (Elder Carl Payne)called me on a Sunday morning prior to worship and said, "I hear you are looking for a church. I got one for you if you want it." Prior to worship that morning, the Lord had showed me the church He (the Lord) had for us. On that same evening, the keys to 8323 Richardson-Landing Road, in Drummonds, Tennessee us presented to us.

Temple of Praise Community Church with four families rejoiced as we walked into the edifice the Lord provided. God Be Praised!