Harold Howard, My Life

LET GOD PLAN YOUR LIFE! After having authored GOD’S MEETING HOUSE for about 5 years and get so many emails from friends that read it, I have decided to add a webpage showing, more or less, a synopsis of my life which you will find is such a great testimony of what God can do in your life, you will find it well worth reading.

I lived in Delphos, a small city in nw Ohio until I finished my Junior year of high school. I then moved to Wapakoneta, Ohio (Neil Armstrong’s home town. You will remember he was the fitst man to set foot on the moon.) I graduated from high school there and lived there until I was nearly 60 years of age. Now to go back a little, I want to show you how God came to have first place in my life. When I was about 21 I first attended a church when I was invited by a friend. I went regulary and eventually went forward and had an experience with Jesus. I lived the Cristian life well for about four years, but eventually I began missing services and eventually dropped out of church altogether. For twenty-five years after that I was never inside a church.

I did not know then that I would have such a change in my life because of my little daughter, Penny who was about ten years old (you know her now as Penny Donley, a pastor’s wife.). She started to Sun. School in an A/G church in our home town. I would drive her to church and then pick her up afterwards. Soon, I came under conviction myself and I started attending the church. In The second service we attended, God got hold of my heart and the Holy Spirit led me up that aisle to the altar.  So, if it hadn’t been for Penny, who knows when, or if, I would ever have come to Jesus and salvation.  I was 50 years of age and I really had a wonderful experience with the Lord and I WAS HOOKED!

 I continued serving God faithfully and after a few years I knew the Lord was calling me to the ministry. However, I began to wonder if I really heard him right because I couldn’t see how any church would want a pastor of my age. However, evry once in awhile he would bring in front of me a scripure that would verify what I felt in my heart. One of them–Second Timothy 4:5–”But, watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” When I was about 57 years of age,after a great deal of prayer I felt God urging me to resign my position at the Ohio Highway Department where I had been working  for 18 yrs.  I had an excellent position with the Highway Dept.  I had charge of the communications network  for the seven counties of Division One with two way radios in all the snowplows and othersupervisory vehicles

I did resign my position and waited for GOD’S next move. It wasn’t long in coming. I was approached by a radio communications company in Dallas/ Fort Worth Texas. They offered me a fine job in Midland. I accepted and the company paid all our moving expenses. After about three months, they needed a technician in Hobbs, New Mexico and after looking over the location, I accepted and again they moved us to Hobbs. I began realizing that it was all in God’s plan for my life. Preaching Services began to open up all over western Texas and Eastern New Mexico every few weeks for over a year. Finally, the communications position in Hobbs came to an end. Again, feeling God through prayer leading us, we moved to San Bernardino, California and within a week had another communications service position.

We started attending different churches until God led us to First assembly of God in Rialto. I was asked to become associate pastor by Pastor Don Shoff and served there for about six years. Then, God told me to move back east–I had no idea why–but I obeyed. Then God continued opening doors of ministry. In part, I served for about six months as interim pastor at the Assembly of God church in Ironton, Ohio until they finally got a young  pastor to take over. In one summer I served to fill the pulpit for ten different churches in southern Ohio. I preached ocassionally at the assembly of God church at Portsmouth, Ohio for Pastor David Smith. I also ministered to his church every Wednesday evening for over three months.

And lo and behold, I felt God wanted me to move to Florida, God never tells you why, just obey and go. In a very short while I accepted a position of associate pastor for Dr. Bruce Clark in Mt. Dora, Florida. I served there for over six years until eventually I was forced to resign due to ill health of my wife, Flora. In a short while, I got the idea–I know God put it there–To start GOD’S MEETING HOUSE on the internet. God’s Meeting House is a complete worship service including a new service every week along with music plus the lyrics to sing the songs with. I have now had God’s Meeting House on for about five years or so.

In January of 2009, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The doctors said I had 12 to 24 months to live. I took eighteen BCG treatments. However, it was an aggressive cancer and a type that could not be healed (EXCEPT FOR GOD’S GRACE.) THE DOCTORS AND NURSES ALL TOLD ME i WOULD HAVE PAIN, AND POSSIBLY GET SICK WITH EACH TREATMENT AND SURGERY, BUT I NEVER HAD THE FIRST PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THE CANCER. AT THE END OF THE LAST TREATMENT, I DID BECOME ILL FOR ABOUY A HALF DAY. O, WHAT A WONDERFUL SAVIOR!

Because of bleeding I have had to have either eight or nine blood transfusions (Refills. LOL). Also, a tumor was found inside my left kidney and there was no alternative but to remove the kidney which was very risky because of my age. My right kidney is only about 30%, however the kidney function, as of now is ok. The last surgery was on August third and everything seems to be working right with only ocassional mimimum bleeding for the past month. Hallelujah! Jesus has not seen fit to heal this cancer, but on the other hand, he has surely watched over me and been with me through the whole thing. No pain or sickness and most of the time I feel good. My legs are a little weak–I use a walker or a cane–but i am sure that will be corrected with good regimen of exercise.

Now I have told you all this to let you know that God is great and I don’t know what I would have done without Him. If you do not know my Savior, why not confess to Him that you know you are a sinner and ask his forgiveness for your sins and accept him as your Savior and Lord. I did on that June day in 1967 and my life has never been the same since then. If you accept him into your heart, you will still have troubles but, with Him beside you, you will be able to overcome anything that comes your way! He doesn’t care what age you are. Believe me. I KNOW! Even with this disease I am having no problem publishing GODS MEETING HOUSE and I’ll continue as long as he continues to give me the health I need.  Praise God!  Hallelujah!

See:  www.godsmeetinghouse.cyberfacts.net