What P.C. Nelson Saw in the F.F. Bosworth Revival Meetings

How the Experience Moved Him to Begin His Own Healing Ministry

By Roscoe Barnes III

Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind Christ the Healer

Copyright (c) 2018

#FFBosworth

#BosworthMatters

P.C. Nelson (1868-1942)
Photo courtesy of Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center

“Few theologians or educators made a greater impact on the Assemblies of God than Peter Christopher (“P.C.”) Nelson,” wrote historian Darrin J.Rodgers in the Foreword to Nelson’s Bible Doctrines (2009). Nelson, he noted, “emerged as one of the most articulate Pentecostal theologians of his era.”

But before Nelson gained fame as a scholar, author, and founder of Southwestern Bible School (now Southwestern Assemblies of God University), he was a healing evangelist whose ministry was inspired by the miracles of healing he witnessed in the revival meetings of F.F. Bosworth. The brief time he shared with Bosworth left an indelible impression on him as a preacher of the gospel. The experience, which included the laying on of hands, dramatic answers to prayer, miraculous healings, and multitudes finding Christ as Savior, helped to transform Nelson’s theology on divine healing. At the same time, the experience prompted him to leave his pastorate and become an evangelist who preached what he called the “full gospel” of Christ that included salvation for soul and body.

Man of many languages

Nelson, an immigrant from Denmark, was born in 1868. He was a linguist and a preacher with strong Baptist roots. He earned degrees from Denison University and Rochester Theological Seminary. He reportedly had a reading knowledge of 25 languages. According to his book publisher, “He taught Latin, Greek and modern languages at several universities and could hold religious services in several languages.”

That linguistic ability alone generated praise and respect from the people who knew him. "Nelson’s academic prowess was legendary," according to Rodgers, who is director of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center in Springfield, Mo. He suggested Nelson's "linguistic achievements, in particular, merit further attention.”

Although much has been written and discussed about his contributions as an educator and theologian, little has been noted about his experiences with Bosworth. A glimpse of his time with Bosworth is suggested by Eunice M. Perkins in Joybringer Bosworth: His Life Story (1921). She wrote: “Other ministers and consecrated laymen have gone out from the Bosworth meetings to conduct similar services, and God is working in mighty power thru them. Evangelist P.C. Nelson, formerly of Detroit, is being used marvelously in this great service, in Kansas, Minnesota, and other places."

Noticeable pattern in healing ministries

It seems that Nelson’s experience was similar to the experiences of several revivalists who participated in the post-World War II healing revival. In his book, Only Believe: An Eyewitness Account of the Great Healing Revivals of the 20^th Century (1999), Don Stewart mentioned a number of preachers who attended revival meetings of famous evangelists and became so moved by the experience, they felt led to begin their own healing ministries. He reported, for example, the testimony of T. L. Osborn who attended a meeting held by William Branham in 1947. Osborn witnessed the healing of a deaf girl when Branham commanded the spirit of deafness to leave the girl. Stewart wrote: “Osborn, sitting in the audience felt flooded with the power of God while an inner voice whispered, ‘This is what you should be doing.’ Stewart noted “Osborn began holding crusades that very year.”

Stewart reported O.L. Jaggers began his healing ministry after he attended a Branham meeting in Arkansas. When A.A. Allen attended a 1949 revival meeting held by Oral Roberts in Dallas, Texas, he felt inspired to launch his own healing ministry. According to Stewart, that experience “was the turning point for Allen.” He explained: “The miracles of healing seemed very genuine, and he found himself in an experience similar to that of T.L. Osborn in the Bill Branham crusade. Allen felt God speaking to him to launch his own healing ministry.”

In Nelson’s case, his sense of calling into the healing ministry occurred after his miraculous healing and the baptism in the Holy Spirit in 1920. He had suffered a serious injury when he was hit by an automobile on October 16, 1920 in Detroit. He reportedly endured “a week of intense suffering,” which nearly cost him his life. But on October 23, 1920, the Lord healed him in answer to prayer. His next goal was to receive the Spirit baptism.

Note: Most of the excerpts that follow were taken from a typewritten version of Nelson’s Autobiography (1924). The work is available at Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (https://ifphc.org).

“After my healing with intensified interest, I began to seek the Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” Nelson wrote in his unpublished autobiography. In a booklet about his Spirit baptism, he noted that Nov. 16, 1920 was “one of the greatest days of my life, for at two o’clock that morning, the Lord Jesus baptized me in the Holy Spirit, and filled me so full of His glory that I could not tell it all in English.” He received the baptism after a time of prayer and tarrying. When it happened, he spoke in an unknown tongue. Soon after his Pentecostal experience, he heard reports and testimonies about divine healing occurring in the revival meetings of Bosworth. He recalled:

Immediately after receiving my baptism in the Spirit, I heard of the mighty works of God in connection with the revival campaign conducted by Evangelist F.F. Bosworth in Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Labor Tribune of that city printed most astonishing reports of the miraculous healings in that meeting, and I decided to go to Pittsburgh and make a close personal investigation of these reports and testimonies. To my delight, I found the meeting in full swing from morning to after midnight, and talked with many who had been healed by the Lord in a most marvelous way.  I was asked to preach in the afternoon, and to assist in the healing services that afternoon and night.

What he saw in the Bosworth meetings

Nelson had served for many years as a Baptist preacher and sincerely believed that the age of miracles had passed. He had read the Bible in its original languages and did not believe that miracles of healing were occurring in the 20^th century as they did in Bible days. But his views underwent a change in the Bosworth revival meetings. For it was during his time in the meetings that he saw the power of God as he had never seen it before. Below is an overview of what he witnessed.

First, he “saw the multitudes come to hear the word of God, and to receive for soul and body from the Lord. The blind, the deaf, the paralytics, and the rheumatic and people who were afflicted with all kinds of internal maladies, were there in large numbers.”

Nelson watched as massive crowds of people from diverse backgrounds came to be healed. They came with many types of sickness and disease. To Nelson, it was like watching the “early days of Christianity, when Jesus walked the shores of Galilee.”

Second, he saw “the real meaning of the Gospel and its power to minister to man in all of his needs."

Third, he saw the reason Christ "began His healing ministry along with the preaching of the gospel, and commanded the Twelve, and then the Seventy, and the whole multitude of believers to heal the sick as well as preach the life-giving message.”

Up to that time, Nelson said, he had been preaching an incomplete gospel. That was something he had done for 31 years. But thanks to the moving of the Spirit in the Bosworth revival, he decided to go forward preaching a gospel that included healing for soul and body.

Fourth, he “saw … why the multitudes came to Jesus and clung to him,” bringing to him the sick in droves from many different areas near Jerusalem. 

Fifth, he saw that Christ wanted to connect with all people on all levels who had all kinds of problems, ailments, and afflictions through the actual hands of his followers. Nelson found that the Lord wished to do that “while he himself is sitting at the right hand of Power commanding the blessings down to us humble followers on earth to distribute to the multitudes.”

Sixth, he saw why many people had turned their backs on their churches and why their congregations began to shrink under the leadership of educated preachers who had fancy equipment and “great financial resources.”

Seventh, he “saw that there was power in the gospel of Jesus Christ when preached in its original fullness in the power of the Holy Spirit to draw back the multitudes which [had] deserted the worship of the churches to receive deliverance in soul and body by the mighty Savior….”

Finally, he saw his own futile attempts in evangelism. He had been “trying to win men and women to Christ by offering them a gospel in which there was no relief for their sufferings and afflictions, and little comfort for their sorrows.” Nelson discovered that his previous method of “chasing after people to come to the services” was less effective than presenting them with “a gospel so rich and full that they could not be kept away.”

Launch of his own healing ministry

The things that Nelson saw had a profound impact on his life and ministry. That brief time that he spent with Bosworth became a turning point in his life as it set him on a course for something different – and better – than what he had previously seen in his ministry. It was time, he reasoned, for the status quo to change. Despite being well educated and having a reading knowledge of 25 languages, he saw the need for a gospel of power that includes salvation for the soul and divine healing for the body.

After holding revival meetings in a Baptist church in January 1921, Nelson returned to Detroit where Bosworth was holding another salvation-healing meeting. As he had done in Pittsburgh, Nelson assisted by praying for the sick and by leading people to Christ for salvation. “It was here that the Lord began to give me outstanding cases of healing in number,” Nelson recalled. “It was a great training school for work I was soon to undertake single handed.”

It was soon after the Bosworth meetings that Nelson sensed the Lord calling him to leave his church. “Feeling called of God to leave my pastorate to go out into the evangelistic field and close our work in Detroit, I immediately began a campaign on these new lines in Wichita, Kansas,” Nelson wrote. “We began in a small way, and soon the meeting grew to such proportions that the largest churches in the city would not hold the crowds, even on week days, and people came from ten different states to be healed by the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Nelson went on to see many dramatic healings in his ministry. In addition to cripples, he saw the blind and deaf healed. In some cases, people discarded their crutches and wheelchairs. Reports of the healings, which apparently happened on a regular basis, helped to boost the attendance at his meetings.

Closing thoughts

Nelson's ministry of healing extended far beyond his church and Bible school. Through his writings, he reached a wide audience of readers. He also had an impact on the healing revivalists of the 1940s and 1950s. A prolific writer, Nelson authored a popular book titled, Does Christ Heal Today? Messages of Faith, Hope and Cheer For the Afflicted. It was promoted by healing evangelist Jack Coe and The Voice of Healing Magazine.

In his Introduction to Nelson's book, Coe wrote about the quality of the book’s message and his relationship with the author:

"This book contains the most scriptural, yet simplified method to receive healing from God of any book I have ever read. It was my happy privilege to be closely associated with this great man of God while I was a student in his school." 

Nelson and his writings also received praise from Kenneth E. Hagin, who said he sat under the teachings of the Pentecostal theologian.

Nelson's story shows that education, while important, is not a substitute for power. Although gifted and trained as a linguist, he needed help from above to fulfill the call of God on his life. While he excelled in his knowledge of known languages, it was only after he had spoken in an unknown language did he find the power he needed to become an effective preacher of the Gospel. Through his work with Bosworth, he discovered how he could be used by "Christ the Healer" in the ministry of healing and deliverance to the masses.

References:

Coe, Jack. Introduction to Does Christ Heal Today? Messages of Faith, Hope and Cheer For the Afflicted

Hagin, Kenneth E. The Woman Question. Tulsa, OK: Faith Library Publications, 1983.

McGee, Gary B. “Nelson, Peter Christopher.” In Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, edited by Stanley M. Burgess and Gary B. McGee. Regency Reference Library, Waxahachie, TX: Regency Reference Library, 1988.

Nelson, P.C. Autobiographies (1889, 1924). Available at Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (https://ifphc.org).

 ------. Bible Doctrines (Revised Edition). Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 2009.

------. Testimony of P.C. Nelson To His Healing and His Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Enid, OK: The Southwestern Press. Available at ifphc.org.

Rodgers, Darrin J. Foreword to Bible Doctrines by P.C. Nelson. Springfield. MO: Gospel Publishing House, 2009.

Stewart, Don. Only Believe: An Eyewitness Account of the Great Healing Revivals of the 20^th Century. Shippensburg, PA: Revival Press, 1999.

Perkins, Eunice M. Joybringer Bosworth: His Life Story. Dayton, OH: John Scruby, 1921.

White, Edward Speer. Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, Volume 1. Indianapolis, IN: B.F. Bowen & Company Inc., 1915.

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For more information:
Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on F.F. Bosworth history, simply follow this blog or @Roscoebarnes3 on Twitter. #ChristTheHealer

Delayed Answers to Prayer

Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

By Roscoe Barnes III

Copyright (c) 2011

#Prayer

Image by Charles Harr

Answers to prayer can sometimes be a mystery, especially when the answers are a long time coming. Sometimes the answers are not what we expect. Such was the case with the Apostle Paul. In his letter to the Romans, he expresses his desire and prayer to visit them.

“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles” (Romans 1:9-13).

Paul’s experience in receiving the answer to his prayer provides some important lessons for the church. They are lessons that shed light on the mystery of delayed answers to prayer.

1. The answer came with a delay.

The letter to the Romans was written around 57 A.D. At that time, Paul noted his longing to visit Rome. In addition to having prayed to visit the city, he also had often planned to visit in order to be a blessing to the church. His prayer was answered but not overnight. His prayer would not be answered in a month or within a year. In fact, he would not visit Rome until a few years later. Scholars agree that Paul arrived in Rome around 60 A.D.

Sometimes we are discouraged when our prayers are not answered immediately. There are times, however, when God chooses to answer our prayers in His own time. As the saying goes, He answers by saying, “Yes,” “No,” or “Not now.” In Paul’s case, the answer to his prayer was, “Yes, but not now.” The answer, his visit to Rome, would come later.

Prayer involves faith, and “faith is often called upon to wait patiently before God and is prepared for God’s seeming delays in answering prayer,” writes E.M. Bounds. “Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honored. It takes God at His Word and lets Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling His purposes and in carrying on His work.”[1]

2. The answer came with trials.

Several years after praying to visit Rome, Paul began his journey. The trip, however, would be fraught with danger. In the process of receiving the answer to his prayer, Paul endured tragedy, opposition, and persecution. While in Jerusalem, people tried to kill him. He was rescued and put in chains (Acts 21). While sailing to Rome, Paul endured a shipwreck (Acts 27). He arrived in Rome in chains and spent two years under house arrest. Some of the people who listened to his preaching believed on Christ, but others did not believe (Acts 27:24-25).

The things we pray for may come with surprises. They may come with persecution, hard times, or unforeseen trials.

3. The answer came with ministry opportunities.

In spite of the trials that Paul endured, the journey to Rome afforded him opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. In Jerusalem, he preached in the face of life-threatening persecution, and while in chains. His shipwreck on the island of Malta allowed him to experience divine protection from a snake bite, and witness a miracle of healing that prompted many to believe on Christ.

While bound in chains, Paul could say, “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). This may serve to remind us that God can use even our trials for our good and for His purpose (Romans 8:28). Therefore when we pray and our prayers are not answered immediately, we do not have to fret, as the delay may indeed be an opportunity for us to bless others.

4. The answer came with messages for Christian growth.

When Paul finally arrived in Rome, he heard from God and was inspired to write the four letters that we call “The Prison Epistles’: Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. These epistles were written around 60 A.D. and 61 A.D. Paul desired to impart “some spiritual gift” unto the church in Rome (Romans 1:11). He wished to comfort them in the faith while also being encouraged by them (Romans 1:12). He also wanted to “have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles” (Romans 1:13). From the record in Acts, and the existence of the prison epistles, we can see that Paul’s prayer was answered, but in a much larger way than he expected.

While confined in Rome, God used Paul to bless the local church. Through his writings, he blessed other churches; and by God’s grace, he continues to bless churches throughout the world through his letters. In short, Paul received far more fruit among the Gentiles than he could have possibly imagined. It’s no wonder that he could write, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

There is one other blessing related to Paul’s delay in visiting Rome: He wrote the letter to the Romans, the theological masterpiece that has blessed the church for nearly 2,000 years. It is the one book in the Bible that answers in detail the most important questions about salvation. According to C. Norman Barlett: “The epistle to the Romans stands pre-eminent among the writings of the Apostle Paul. It is without question the most important production of his pen … No other writing of his has so powerfully influenced the thinking of the Church.”[2]

If Paul had gone to Rome when he wanted to in the beginning, he might have never written the book of Romans. Had his prayer been answered sooner, he would have been in Rome, and therefore had no reason to write his letter. Fortunately, God had a higher purpose in mind. He allowed the delay in Paul’s visit, and inspired him to write. Today, we are blessed with this powerful letter because God answered Paul’s prayer in His own time.

Conclusion

As we ponder these experiences in the life of Paul, we can see that the answer to his prayer was not instant, or easy. The answer came when he did not expect it, and in a way that he did not expect. Even more, it came with blessings that surpassed his greatest expectations. God answered his prayer, but in His own way, and in His own time, and for His own purpose. Indeed, there is a blessing in waiting on God to answer our prayers.

References:

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[1] E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer (New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1997), 110.

[2] C. Norman Barlett, Right in Romans: Studies in the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1953), 13.

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ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is a writer, chaplain, historian, and former newspaper reporter. He is the author of more than a dozen books and Gospel tracts. For more information about his work and history, see his Personal Profile here or visit his website: http://www.roscoebarnes.net. Connect with him on Twitter (@roscoebarnes3) or by email: roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com.

Prayer at 2nd Quarter Community Relations Meeting

Event held Wednesday, June 27, 2018, at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF).

By Chaplain Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.

Copyright (c) 2018

Chaplain Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., praying at prison meeting.

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Our Heavenly Father, Lord God Most High:

We thank you for our friends, our guests, our leaders, and our colleagues.

Today we ask for your presence. We ask that you would visit us and bless us with words of comfort and encouragement. Help us to excel in our communication and let us prosper in our sharing. May each of us find light, kindness and edification in our fellowship with one another.

Lord, we ask that you would be gracious and merciful in your provisions. Help us to do our part as individuals and as a community to make the world a better place to live.

As we humble ourselves in your presence, we acknowledge our strengths and our weaknesses. We know that without you, we are helpless. But with you on our side, all things are possible.

So Lord, as we begin our meeting today, we ask you to guide us in our efforts and inspire us in our aspirations. Help us to be the people we were meant to be.

Lord, we also ask, as we call on your holy name, that you would bless the meal that’s prepared. We give you thanks, even as we ask you to smile upon those who made all of this possible.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen.

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ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is a writer, chaplain, historian, and former newspaper reporter. He is the author of more than a dozen books and Gospel tracts. For more information about his work and history, see his Personal Profile here or visit his website: http://www.roscoebarnes.net. Connect with him on Twitter (@roscoebarnes3) or by email: roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com.

A Prayer: Memorial Service for Mrs. Jessie Mae “Momma” Groom

Service held Thursday, March 16, 2017, at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility

By Chaplain Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.

Copyright (c) 2018

Jessie Mae Groom

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Jessie Mae Strong Groom, a resident of Woodville, MS died on Sunday, March 12. Visitation was held at Faith Tabernacle of Jesus Christ on Saturday, March 18, 2017, from 10 a.m. until services at noon. Arrangements were entrusted to Mercy Funeral Home LLC., (225) 683-5468.

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Our Heavenly Father, Lord God Most High:

We are gathered here today to remember Ms. Jessie Mae Groom, our colleague, our friend, and our sister in Christ. We acknowledge that for most of us, today is a sad day. Losing a loved-one is never easy. But it is a part of life.

As we grieve over the loss of our dear sister, we want to thank you for the time you have given us to know her. We remember her sweet spirit and her engaging personality. We appreciate her smile, the twinkle in her eyes, and her contagious sense of humor.

Lord, as you know, she was a blessing to each of us and to this facility in many ways. We thank you for her work and for all the good that she contributed to her job, as well as to her family and her community.

But more importantly, we thank you for her life as a believer in Christ. We are happy to know that she loved her Lord and Savior. No, she wasn’t perfect, but she trusted in the One Who is perfect. Lord Jesus, she spoke of you often and she sang of your glory. She recited your Word in her attempts to be strong and she prayed in her efforts to be a blessing to others. Lord, she loved you. This we believe.

And because of her faith in you, we can take comfort in knowing that everything is going to be all right. Because of her faith in you, we look forward to seeing her again. Because of her faith in you and what you did at the cross, we have the hope of one day having a heavenly family reunion. Because of her faith in you.

As we honor her memory today, we ask that you would help us to know the Lord that she served. Watch over us. Watch over this facility. Remember both our staff and the offenders we serve. Give strength where there is weakness. Give healing where there are wounds. We pray for deliverance and for a demonstration of your mighty power. Break the spiritual and emotional shackles of the enemy and bring light into this dark place.

We ask in Jesus' name, Amen.

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ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is a writer, chaplain, historian, and former newspaper reporter. He is the author of more than a dozen books and Gospel tracts. For more information about his work and history, see his Personal Profile here or visit his website: http://www.roscoebarnes.net. Connect with him on Twitter (@roscoebarnes3) or by email: roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com.

A Prayer: Invocation for 1st Quarter Community Relations Meeting held Wednesday, March 15, 2018, at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility

By Chaplain Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.

Copyright (c) 2018

 

Wilkinson County Park, Woodville, Miss. (April 2016)

 Lord God Most High, Our Heavenly Father:

We greet you today with hearts of gratitude and minds filled with wonder. As we enjoy your creation and this beautiful weather, including the air we breathe, we stand in awe of your grace and your power. For you alone are God and there is no one like you.

Because you are our Father – our Supreme Being -- we come to you with humility, and we ask for your blessings. We ask you to anoint us – and today’s program – with your goodness and your divine light. Give us guidance, oh Lord. Help us to see and to grow. Give us the wisdom and strength we need to communicate with clarity and to carry out the mission before us.

As always, we thank you for our visitors. And we praise you for our leadership and our staff. We ask that you would use this gathering to engage each and every one of us on some level. And as we ask for your assistance, we also request your blessings for the meal that’s provided. May it be nourishment for our minds and bodies.

We ask for these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is a writer, chaplain, historian, and former newspaper reporter. He is the author of more than a dozen books and Gospel tracts. For more information about his work and history, see his Personal Profile here or visit his website: http://www.roscoebarnes.net. Connect with him on Twitter (@roscoebarnes3) or by email: roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com.

A Prayer for Clarity and Enthusiasm in Drug Prevention

Invocation for Red Ribbon Week Drug Awareness program held Friday, October 27, 2017, at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF).

By Chaplain Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.
Copyright (c) 2017

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Good morning.

I want to begin with a verse of Scripture.

In Habakkuk 2:2, we have these words:

“And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” (English Standard Version)

This text obviously refers to the revelation of God and his message to his people. But the ideas presented are also relevant and applicable to what we’re doing here today.

The prophet was instructed to write the vision and make it plain so that the messenger would catch fire, so to speak, and spread it to others. In other words, you’ve been given an important mission. You have an important message. Now take it to the next level. Be clear and be persistent. That is our prayer.

Heavenly Father, Lord God Most High:

We are on a mission to make a difference. We have been given the honorable task of bringing awareness to the problem of drugs. It is a problem in homes, in prisons, in communities, and in schools. We ask that you would help us in our efforts to share an important message that shines a light on the dangers of drugs, but also on the solution.

We ask, Oh Lord, that you would help us to be crystal clear in delivering our message. Help us to take what we learn today and share it with those who need it the most. Help us to take this message about drugs to the next level. Let us catch on fire with an enthusiasm that is both contagious and unstoppable. Help us to make a difference.

Let it be. 

In your name, we pray.

Amen.

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ROSCOE BARNES III is a writer, chaplain, historian, and former newspaper reporter. He is the author of more than a dozen books and Gospel tracts. For more information about his work and history, see his Personal Profile here or visit his website: http://www.roscoebarnes.net. Connect with him on Twitter (@roscoebarnes3) or by email: roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com.