I learn to speak sort of !

Saying for the Day:If we trust God the words will come.

We reach into the artifact box today and find a gold plated wrist watch .
On the back is inscribed " Presented by the Detroit Free Press for Excellence in Debate".

At this point (freshman in high school) on my journey to become a Pastor I have rediscovered the joy of walking with Jesus and I am learning to walk.

I feel a call to the ministry but am sure it is impossible.

My freshman English teacher suggests , after listening to me in class, that I not take up anything that requires public speaking.

I know that preaching is an important part of ministry and so this reinforces the idea that I can't really have a call.

Enter Howard Brown, French teacher and debate coach.
For some reason Howard sent me an invitation to go out for debate.

Why, I do not know. Why of all those he could have asked did he choose to ask me ?

I took him up on his invitation.

He turned out to be a great coach.
He taught me not just how to speak but how to think while I was speaking.
How to become free of my notes.
How to look like what I was saying was not being read.

After three years with Howard I had become a fair to good public speaker.

Howard left at the end of my Junior year to become a Priest.

In my senior year the debate team was coached by the teacher who told me I would never be a speaker.

That was the year I won my Detroit Free Press watch.

God had removed the road block.

Next week getting by my father who wanted me to be an engineer.