Around the World in 88 Years -E Book - Arthur Burt

Henry, broken and contrite, went home where he entered a littleroom under his stairs. There, he wept for a week before the Lord,emerging with the anointing of God on him. He was a changedman. Although he was not an eloquent preacher, Henry’s ministrywas effective. He was not without problems though.When a man is drowning, his rescuer’s first job is to get the manout of the sea and his next job is to get the sea out of the man.Artificial respiration is designed to do, from the outside, what thelungs should be doing from the inside. There is a spiritual counterpartto that. When you see people in sin and bondage, yourfirst business is to get the man out of the bondage, and the nextstep is to get the bondage out of the man. This was Henry’sministry.Like a lump of ice dropped into boiling water,something inside of me began to melt.Henry was a go-getter. He was also a non-conformist and neverdid what I thought he ought to do. With his piano accordionaround his neck, Henry was unpredictable in the meetings as hetook over the work of the Holy Spirit. Like the rescuer administersartificial respiration, Henry would exhort people who, halfdrownedin tradition, unbelief or pride, failed to respond to theprompting of the Spirit.Many a time in the meetings he would call out, “That sister overthere — no, don’t look behind you — it’s you with the green hat.Come on. If you don’t come, I will fetch you.” And he would doit! The poor woman would come trembling to the front, andthere would be eager, loving hands to lift her onto the platform.“Oh, I do like your hat. It matches your coat,” he would smile.“Come on, folks. Give her a clap.”I used to complain silently, “What is all this — a crowd of peopleclapping because a woman’s hat matches her coat? What have Igot myself into?” I considered Henry’s meeting shallow, empty,irreverent, and unspiritual, especially whenever all the peoplewould link arms as if at a party. They would march up and down,and up and down, singing and chanting choruses. I used to criticizeeverything in Henry’s meetings, and my attitude producedan iceberg of pride deep inside my being.108