In the last nine years, the Lord gave us computer classes to meet people’s physical needs.  Most importantly, He did it so that He could meet their eternal needs through the message of God’s power to save them both temporally and eternally. 

In my last letter, I pointed out that the Lord had directed me to cancel computer operations and begin a ministry of public speaking.  I told of the internal struggle that I had over the whole thing because of my fears of not surviving due to loss of support; due to the fact the I could not market the scheme for the sake of those who might support it; due to the fact that I was not sure how the Lord wanted me to carry out his mandate.  I half-heartedly resigned myself to obedience admitting that a ministry pay-cut is no excuse for disobedience.  Still, I complained, “Lord I don’t even have a staff, or the money to pay a staff to do the work that’s needed to pull it off.”  Immediately the Lord rebuked me, “I have a staff.”

I’ve seen the work of the Lord enough over the last years to understand that it is not my duty to complain about the orders, or to worry about the logistics.  It is my duty to obey.  If we obey, even when the task is impractical or seemingly impossible, the Lord will show Himself strong to glorify Himself and to further the gospel of His Son Jesus Christ and His kingdom.

I surrendered to the Lord my new mission of using public speaking to draw a crowd so that I could deliver the message of salvation through submission to Jesus Christ as Lord.  I had no idea how I was going to market it for the sake of support or for securing public speaking opportunities.  Within hours of my surrender, and without announcing my new ministry, I received an invitation to speak in South Carolina.  I had to turn it down because I was traveling to Mississippi that weekend to do Katrina relief ministry (I had already purchased a ticket to Tarshish so-to-speak).  On the way down to Mississippi, circumstances dictated that I ended up stopping for the night at the same highway exit where the group meeting was being held.  I was able to make the engagement.  I was heartily welcomed and I was given a window to speak even though I showed up unannounced.  When I got back from Mississippi, there was a message on my answering machine that was an invitation to speak to a group in Maryland.  That speaking engagement was scheduled for late September.

While I was on our cross-country adventure in June and July, I spent a whole lot of time in prayer.  It was some deep, troubled prayer.  I diligently sought the Lord’s direction for specific tasks and ministry vision.  Much of the Lord’s answer was silence.  There is a whole lot of trusting that He wants me to do continuously.  I began to think of ways that I could carry out my tasking.  I thought about starting some classes during the week-nights, recording them, and then purchasing 15-minute daily radio time on station W-KGM to play the recorded teaching segments.  Radio would enable me to carry out my tasking while marketing my ministry at the same time.  A static 15-minute show was not my favorite method because there would be no audience interaction.  Also, it would cost more than $500 per month.  I could not think of any more effective way to make myself known so that some church or group somewhere might be inspired to give me opportunities to speak.  I tried to contact WKGM and other stations to get information about how to bring my plan to pass.  None of the stations even replied to my queries.

While at the speaking engagement in Maryland in late September, I was asked to consider doing a daily radio teaching/talk show.  Very soon thereafter, a man that I met at an earlier speaking engagement in Hampton, Virginia, told me that the Lord had impressed him to contact me, and to get in on what I was doing, even though he was not sure what I was doing.  It turns out that this man (Bill Todd – formerly with CBN & WXRI) has done radio shows.  It was obvious to me why God impressed him to contact me.  I asked him to help me get on the radio by or before January, 2007.  Bill contacted the man in Maryland who asked me to consider doing the talk show.  Then he contacted the radio station owner/program manager in Florida to find out what was needed to get me on the radio.  Bill told me that the radio station owner was surprised to get the call because nobody had told him anything about me or about an invitation to do a show on his station.  I had to contact the radio station owner, introduce myself, and then explain why one of his friends invited me to consider doing a radio show on his station without talking to him first.  Knowing that the Lord had laid out all the stepping stones of faith to that point, I called the station owner with some trepidation but also with a good sense that God was in charge of what was going on.  I introduced myself and told him the reason that I was calling him.  I told him the story of my being directed by the Lord to start a public speaking ministry.  I told him of all the divine intervention events that led up to my calling him.  I told him about my ministry over the last couple of decades, and the experience I had as a Navy instructor and Bible study teacher.  Sab Cupelli then threw some tough questions at me about some controversies in the news and other civic matters.  After about ten minutes of intense dialogue, Sab exclaimed, “You need to be on the radio!”    

Sab provided us with a nightly two-hour talk show from 7-9 p.m., transmitted in Central Florida and simulcast on the internet (3-6 p.m. for West-Coast listeners).  He has recently purchased a satellite uplink radio dish to broadcast nationally.  There will be no cost to us for the air-time.  It is a commercial station and Sab’s staff raises the funds to pay for the air-time through advertising.

The talk show offer was exciting but I still had an obstacle.  I needed well over $7,000 worth of portable broadcast equipment so that I could host the radio show from my office, or from a classroom, or any other place that I might be speaking.  Again, I went into the faith struggle mode.  What was I supposed to do to drum up the financial support to pay for the equipment?  Was I supposed to send out a mass letter begging for support?  Fortunately, my prayer for wisdom was answered before I could get away with doing anything to save myself.  Yesterday, I talked to a man who sent $2,000 for a different purpose.  I told him about our need and asked if I could direct his gift to that end.  He said that he sent the money trusting that I had the discretion to know what to do with it.  He told me that he had already planned on sending another $2,000 next week, and $2,000 the following week.  After my conversation with him, I talked to a friend of Sab’s who said he will purchase the needed equipment at the wholesale price.  It is superb brand-new equipment that is better than the stuff we had originally considered.  He will also purchase audio mixing equipment, microphones, headsets, recording and other equipment along with a storage case on wheels.  The money being sent over the next two weeks should pay for all of the equipment required for the broadcast as well as the recording equipment and the portable storage unit. 

The mechanism used to draw a crowd has changed.  We will no longer be speaking to a maximum of 24 people over a six week period.  We will be speaking to first hundreds, and then thousands of people, with a different crowd (statistically speaking) every fifteen minutes, two hours per night, five nights a week.  The draw will not be computer classes.  The draw will be discussions about law in our land and our civic duty.  Just as I did in the computer classes, I will set aside a certain time in the radio show to give what I hope to be a unique and inspiring message of salvation through trusting Jesus Christ as Lord.  The gospel message will not be limited by the time set aside.  Acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and His desire that we trust in Him absolutely will be a resounding theme in every show.

The Lord gave me a command to do public speaking.  The Lord is now tasking His staff to bring about what I cannot.  His ways are surely higher than our ways and His thoughts are certainly higher than our thoughts. We are not in charge of the awakening that God wants to bring about in our land.  Yet, we can be sure that God will use whom He will to glorify Himself and to further the gospel and the kingdom of His Son Jesus Christ.

Parallel to his missions/evangelism ministry, David has been working to secure and protect religious liberty in America.  He formed the American Christian Liberty Society as a ministry to those who’s Christian convictions and practices are threatened by government intrusions.  He provides Biblical counseling to its members, performs legal research, and develops strategy for litigators.

This is a picture file in lieu of a email link to thwart spam.  Please use this email address to contact us.

(757) 850-1245
Freedom Ministries
P.O. Box 4038
Hampton, Virginia
23664-0038

September 4, 2006