The Two-Percent Life Experience
O Father God,” I prayed, “why won’t Corky listen to me? Will you please speak to his heart just like you’re speaking to mine?”
For two long years the Lord had been pressing on my spirit: “You’re not where I want you to be. I want more of you.”
Each time I had tried to tell my husband, Corky, of this insistent, restless spirit prompting me, he simply did not take me seriously. I felt very frustrated when he dismissed what God was telling me. He continued to go about business as usual, in the same life pattern we’d established while raising our family. Every time I told him of God’s calling, he said, “Honey, we’ll do more for God after we retire.”
So during those years when God constantly leaned on me, my refuge was to lean right back on Him. After a while, I secretly referred to His call as my “God prod.” My daily prayer to our Father was that He would change my husband’s focus from the business of making money to the business of honoring God. If He would do this, once again we would be of one accord.
Over the course of more than twenty-five years of marriage, Corky and I had been partners in all facets of life. We were a team in work, in play, and in parenting our four children. During the early years of our marriage, we started a new business: a sales firm with income based on commissions only. Our finances were so tight that Corky taught me how to hunt and fish. All of us loved our family time—camping out while we filled our game tags and sometimes caught our limit of fish for our winter meat supply. We relied on the trout, venison, elk, and bear stored in our freezer. The kids loved eating the food we caught as much as they loved camping out.
As our kids grew, God also grew our business.
Before we married, I knew Corky believed in God and lived a life of godly ethics, but I had wrongly assumed that he knew Jesus as his Savior. After I learned that Corky had never actually experienced a specific conversion, I told him just how much Jesus loved him. After seven years of marriage, Jesus awakened Corky’s spirit. He opened his eyes to just how much he needed a Savior. This was one of the Lord’s answers to my prayers, along with the prayers of an entire congregation.
So there we were in our fifties, with all our kids independent and building their own lives. Our business territory in the wholesale gift trade included five states of the Pacific Northwest. Corky was delighted that now, for the first time, I could travel with him in our motor home, which was custom-built as a showroom. Our business didn’t feel like work because so many of our customers became our friends. They often shared with us both their blessings and their prayer concerns. Our days spent on the road together were such fun. The travel, good food, and fellowship with many Christians all gave us a very satisfying way of life.
But still the Lord continued to whisper, “You’re not where I want you to be. I want more of you.”
Summer business seasons were always exciting. We showed the new fall and Christmas merchandise at the gift shows the retailers attended. The travel schedule from the Salt Lake City show immediately to the Seattle show was always tight. In order to meet the deadlines, we had to drive straight through from Salt Lake to Seattle. We were both exhausted after five days of twelve-hour shifts, standing on our feet. Seattle was our last show on the summer circuit, so after that we could head for home in Oregon. We could hardly wait to sleep in our own bed again.
Corky was at the wheel and had been unusually quiet, but I didn’t think too much of it. We were both so tired. As we drove on Interstate 84, about fifty miles east of Portland, Corky suddenly asked, “What would you think if I tried to get into seminary?”
At first I found it hard to believe he was actually speaking these words. Then my quiet response was “Praise God; it’s what I’ve been praying for!”
Then nothing more—no words, not a sigh, not a sound, nothing—came from his mouth. I watched silently as his body sank down into his seat. He kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead. I felt as though an eternity had passed as I waited for what words might come next. But our silence went on for another ten miles. I dared not say anything, fearing he would recant his words.
Later he told me the thoughts that had been racing through his mind: Oh, Lord, where did those words come from? I didn’t really say that, did I? I couldn’t have said that! That was not even a thought in my head. Oh, Lord, what can I do now? I can’t disappoint you, God, and I don’t want to disappoint Jan. And she said, “Praise God; it’s what I’ve been praying for!” Lord, why, oh why, Lord, did I ever say that?
After the ten miles had passed, I saw a rest area sign and said, “How about stopping there? We need to talk.”
In the parking area, we discussed what had just happened and wondered what we were supposed to do. We determined that it had not been Corky’s choice to say what he did, but that God was speaking directly through his mouth. Since we’d drive right past the Multnomah Bible College and Seminary campus, we decided to stop and check the enrollment requirements.
When we entered the admissions office, a very kind young man was on duty. After we explained our experience to him, and he knew Corky was a few credits short of his bachelor’s degree, he filed Corky’s enrollment application to the seminary graduate level program under a Life Experience category. After the paper work was completed, our kind Multnomah representative delivered a caution: “Let me warn you,” he said, “only two percent of the applicants who apply under the Life Experience Program are accepted.”
Somehow, we were not even fazed by the possibility of being denied admission, for it was God who had spoken. Our responsibility was to obey Him and let God take care of those two-percent odds.
We drove on to Seattle, conducted our business for the week, and headed back home to Oregon. When we arrived home, we sorted our mail piece by piece.
Aha! Here it is—an envelope from Multnomah Seminary.
Corky handed it to me. “Here, honey! You open it.”
Lo and behold, he had been accepted into their graduate program.
When God moves—look out! Just three days later, Corky found himself sitting in class, dazed, and still wondering what on earth had happened!
But God did not stop there. He worked out all the major and minor details. First, He opened a two-percent-size door. Then, He provided for our every emotional and physical need. He answered every prayer all through this journey. We gave up our business, and God provided a good position for me. He gave Corky various jobs in nighttime security so he could study in between his duties.
Without our advertising it, God even sent us a buyer for our motor home showroom, so we no longer had the responsibility of the big payments. He also sent us friends to help fund the seminary tuition.
I so admire this man God gave me. He stayed the course in spite of the huge challenges of such a drastic life change. He had to relearn how to study. Thirty years had passed since his college days. During our three years in seminary, God clearly orchestrated all the events of our lives. We felt His love and His care so deeply that we said we were simply holding on to His shirttails. He was doing the rest.
Our God is a God of action! After Corky completed his seminary studies, we felt the call to serve as pastors to a few small rural church bodies. Today, twenty years after God spoke, we continue to serve Him as volunteer chaplains to retired military groups. All our praise belongs to Him, for it is by His grace that we have His peace.