Way back years ago I was Pastor of an old country Church in Alabama.

The Old Fabius Church — built back in the Civil War Days — stood on rock foundations on the side of Sand Mountain.

Nestled among large trees, The Old Fabius Church had an bell tower complete with a rope hanging down through a hole in the entrance; the pulpit was homemade from solid wood and was wide and very heavy; the pews were clearly very old and had been hand formed with an old broad axe — somewhat rough — and you could still see the axe marks.

The Church had no air conditioning other then large windows that could be opened up in the hot summer days.

The town of Fabius had long since moved out of the immediate area and was now located some miles away up on top of the Sand Mountain.

The Church had sit there for many years unused and the grounds were all grown up with trees so the old building was somewhat hidden away. Unpainted for years, it was really quite a sight in its run down condition.

We preacher boys went and cleared the trees, mowed the weeds, and then painted the old building white. It stood stately up on the side of the mountain in the Trees, a very beautiful old Church.

We found old cars that had been parked and not running along the streets of Chattanooga, hauled them away for people and then repaired them to run again, and pressed them into service for the King… picking up people to take to Church. At one time we had four or five old cars going out to pick up people!

I was a weekend pastor and drove down from Chattanooga, Tennessee to hold services in the old Church building.

The people who attended the church were mountain people, commonly known as Hillbillies. They lived way-up in the hollow, and over the ridge, and they lived in old frame houses from past gone days, with an outhouse out back. It was way back in the sticks, and remote. Mountain People — with many needs.

I had a Preacher friend who was like an assistant pastor. His name was Ron Hogsed and he too was a student in the Bible College in Chattanooga.

He was a tall man and heavy, his face was broad and he had an old broken nose which made his nose lay flattened on his face. He was from a small town in the upper Tennessee valley near Marysville, Tennessee. He was truly a mountain boy from up in the hills.

Brother Ron had a very moving testimony. He told me all about it and how he came to be saved, saying, “My mother would not stop praying for me to be saved!” — but he was running moonshine liquor out of Tennessee down into Alabama.

He told her he was not interested — but she kept praying.

One night he was driving fast coming out of Chattanooga carrying a carload of moonshine whiskey near Lookout Mountain where the freeway wound around the Tennessee River below the mountain, when suddenly his car spun out of control.

The road was wet, for it was raining, causing his car to skid and turned over several times. He was thrown out of the car and landed on his back in the middle of the freeway, looking up into the stars, at night and in the rain.

He cried out, “OH LORD, if you will save me now I will serve you and do whatever you want me to do!”

Brother Ron got saved that night on the freeway, and his life changed from a moonshine whiskey runner — to a preacher!

His Mother was shouting in the Church, because her son got saved!

One day we were visiting folks up on Sand Mountain when we came to an old board and bat house made again many years ago. There was a woman living there and her husband who was a drunk, always drinking moonshine.

They had five children and these people were very poor Hillbillies. The man was mean as a snake — and when I say “mean”, I have tried many times to witness to him, but he would cuss and threaten me.

“Shut up!” he would say…. “I don’t want to hear anything about Jesus. I am happy being a sinner!”

As we sit talking to the man, we witnessed for Jesus Christ, telling him he needed Jesus. Suddenly he stopped us from talking and said, looking at Brother Ron, “I know you. I have seen you from somewhere?”

He kept saying, “But, I don’t know where I have seen you before!”

Suddenly he said: “Now I know! You are the one with the bulge in your belt!”

At first I did not know what he was talking about, but Brother Ron knew, saying, “He is talking about the fact I used to carry a gun on my belt under my clothes, and it did bulge out.”

“I have seen you in the joint — and you were the one selling the ‘Shine! You are a wicked man! So, how is it you are now telling me I need to be saved? You are a runner with a Gun! I have heard all about you — Moonshiner!”

“Yes,” said Brother. Ron, “I am the man — but I am not the same man you saw that night with the bulge.

I have been changed, and I am now a Saved Man. I met Jesus Christ and He changed me. Now I no longer sell ‘Shine. I am now a Preacher.”

“Wow!” the drunk said, “Now I know that what you are talking about is real. You surely did come a long way from what you were. If you are not lying, you truly have changed since I knew you!”

He sit with tears in his eyes as The Holy Spirit conviction came over him. But, he would not trust Jesus, and finally just got up and walked out of the room.

But that day, we came closer to leading this moonshiner to The LORD then ever before, because he saw living proof that Jesus can save!

To my surprise, I found out that Brother Ron knew almost every place on Sand Mountain. He knew where to haul the ‘Shine; he knew the people — and was at one time one of them.

Now he was a different man — changed — saved — and no longer selling ‘Shine, that wicked and horrible drink that drives men crazy.

Ron was not a runner anymore, running moonshine for the devil.

But Brother Ron was now a saved Preacher!

Brother Ron had a simple Faith, and was not slow to tell you about it, and to recommend things to me that would help as I served The LORD.

One day we were driving down the road going from Chattanooga to Alabama, and we were to preach down at the Fabius Church we came to the bottom of the Mountain where the road went up some three miles very steep, with many switch back turns.

Suddenly the old car got hot and died, spewing out a lot of steam and water.

It just so happened that the car died right near an old gas station, so we proceeded to get water to put back into the car, hoping we could get it running.

After some time waiting, we were able to take off the radiator cap and to add more water to the car. We tried then to get the car started again, but it would do nothing but pop out the carburetor loudly. It was just not going to start.

After some time we tried to get the car running, and finally we gave up.

It was then that Brother Ron looked at me and said, “We have done everything but pray about this!”

“Yes,” I said, “we have not.”

Ron said, “We must pray now!” and we got down on our knees beside the car and Ron lead out in prayer,

“LORD, we are sorry we have not prayed about this car.

We want you to forgive us for not asking You for help.

So LORD, could you please send an Angel down here to help get this car started, we are trying to go to Church to preach Your Word.

We will not make it unless You will help us. Please send an angel to help. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

We then got into the car and turned the key and the car started and ran like a sewing machine — no popping or smoke. It ran smooth, and we went on up the steep mountain and on to Church.

Ron had a simple faith in God and he was a great blessing to me and the work of God, and I also had Faith and trusted The LORD.

We helped each other as we served The LORD down in Alabama.

This happened just the way I told it. I give all glory to The LORD.

 

~ Desert Prophet Ken Dewey
The light will shine in His glory… In the desert.

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Evangelist/ Prophet/ Pastor Ken Dewey is the founder of “OUT OF THE DESERT MINISTRIES“ in Belen, New Mexico, USA.
He writes on Facebook and OutOfTheDesertMinistries.com Prophetic Words, Sermons and Teachings while leading people into true Church settings and preaching in an End Time Gospel Tent Ministry.
For more information and messages, please visit OutOfTheDesertMinistries.com.

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