Touched by Grace
by
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Pastor Truman Smith is one of the most dedicated and committed ministers I have ever known. When you read his story I think you will understand why:
On my fourteenth birthday in December, l95l, I went to a revival meeting in Chattanooga, TN. I was given an invitation to submit my life to the Lord. I was yawning and as a result had tears. A couple behind me mistook my tears as a sign that I had a conviction so they said, "If you go forward we will go with you."
Before, I did not go to church much but always knew there was a God. I was not familiar with scripture – just a little in Bible school, which was connected to our grade school. I did not know Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.
I stepped out and went forward. People gathered around me and started telling me what to do; I needed to ask for forgiveness. I did some pretty rough things, which were eating me up with guilt. You know, I came from a pretty rough neighborhood; it was called, "Hell’s Half Acre." I asked God to tell me what I have done and all these things kept going through my mind.
They said I needed the Holy Ghost baptism. The more I prayed, the better I felt. I stayed at that altar for about three hours. Being from a "holy roller" background, they said I needed to get ‘comfortably.’ I needed to be down on my back. The longer I prayed, the better I felt. The burden of sin was being lifted, and being in the presence of the Lord, I could have stayed there forever!
I could visualize a speck of light and it kept coming closer and when I quit praying, the light would recede. Around midnight, I saw a white figure with arms outstretched. Finally, the Lord said to me, "Come on brother." I put a final plunge on praying to God and He embraced me. I came up speaking in another language. (Never did anything like that happen before.) It was an overwhelming experience – beyond my control. Then this experience left me and I came back to my body.
I was a changed person and never felt the same again. I felt that it was my Damascus Road and my Pentecostal experience. I realize that I am an heir and a joint heir. He no longer calls us servants but calls us brothers.
I got baptized with water the next day and was united with the church. After that time, I went to church because I wanted to – not because I was forced to go.
I was always amazed at the grace of God and how He always provided for me through my many years of ministry even when I didn’t know where the money was coming from.
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About the Book
Touched by Grace is an account of ordinary people who have experienced a spiritual awakening by an extraordinary God. Coming from all walks of life, you will read about unique people from multi-cultural backgrounds; some were not particularly religious or spiritually inclined.
Jane Till shares uplifting personal stories told to her by patients who were touched by God' s grace in extraordinary or sometimes miraculous ways. The patients relate how those experiences had transformed their lives.
In these pages the author also brings the readers inspiring stories of how the revelation of God came to ordinary people in human experiences, such as in dreams, symbols, and serendipities.
In the midst of a stormy time in her life, through faith Jane found the initiative and courage to follow God's path. Read and be encouraged as God's plan unfolds for you and believe that you will be touched by grace.
About the Author
Jane Till has been a Chaplain at St. Joseph Hospital, Fort Wayne, Indiana, for sixteen years. Areas of specialty include pastoral counseling and grief intervention with death and dying. She received an M.S. in Counseling from the University of St. Francis, Fort, Wayne, Indiana and a Master of Theological Studies at St. Meinrad Seminary. She completed a doctorate in ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation, Donaldson, Indiana.
She spent three years as a Papal Volunteer for Latin America where she was a Religious Education Coordinator in Caracas, Venezuela. These experiences lead her to initiate a Spanish-Speaking Department in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana.
She has developed and conducted a retreat, the topic of which is Presence of God: a Retreat for Spiritual Growth.