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Welcome To

BIBLE STUDY

With Teacher Darrel Bird

Click on a Topic Title to Study with Darrel; Scroll down to get acquainted.

A SPECIAL LETTER

NO INSTRUMENT TRAINING

BEARING GIFTS

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

BRAND NEW FIRE TRUCK

SPEAKING IN TONGUES

FLASK-FIRES, WILD-FIRES

SQUATTERS

HARVEST

TINKLING BRASS

HEART OF A SERVANT

TOM BROOKS STORY

I’VE GOT A DREAM

WALKING IN LIGHT

KING & THE FARMER

WEIGHT NEEDED

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Introduction by Dianne Olsen:

Hello, I would like to introduce my dad. I have been writing for Strombolis for more than a one year, and the last few months, my dad has been sharing stories with me that he has been writing for internet Bible studies. I quickly realized where my gift for writing came from! My dad has a great testimony of salvation I hope you will enjoy his story, and his articles, as much as I have. 

Dianne

Darrel’s Story:

Hello, I am Darrel Bird. I have been married to my wife Donna, for forty-four years. We have four sons and one daughter. I have been a Christian for thirty years; my wife and I were born again at the same time. I am a Ham Radio operator and enjoy participating in daily Bible Study on the Radio and the Internet.

My story really begins about 35 years ago, I had been an alcoholic for some 17 years, I was working at the time for a company that built modular homes in Bakersfield Ca., a man came to work there whose wife pastured a small local Pentecostal church and we became friends, he kept inviting me to church but I would put him off with “Sure James, one day” it was just the standard way of getting rid of the request without offending him. I had never met his wife.

One Friday evening about seven, I was already pretty well looped, they came to my home, and I shoved the beer back into the refrigerator and invited them in. James sat at the table with me as I slobbered out what I thought passed for conversation while his wife went on into the living room with my wife. My wife had planned to leave with the children that night after I passed out and told her as much, Sister Eastwood encouraged her to go into the bedroom and pray with her. Sister Eastwood told her that God would deliver me from alcohol if she would believe. So my wife told her that she was welcome to pray but she didn’t think anything would stop me from drinking.

So as Sister Eastwood prayed, my wife remembered something her Grandmother had told her “God will put on you no more than you can bear” so she prayed that prayer.

The couple then excused themselves and left so I hauled my beer back out to continue to drink. I told my wife that I felt “Weird” and ask her what they had done to me, my answer to that was to get in my car and go to the local liquor store for something stronger so I came back with a ½ pint of 100 proof Vodka. I drank that and passed out on the floor. My wife called the Pastor and said “What do I do now, he has passed out on the floor?” so Sister Eastwood told her to just let me alone, not to touch me or try to put me to bed.

The next morning, Saturday I woke up about 8:00 AM and began pouring the remainder of my Coors beer down the sink. I told my wife I was going to the bar and she thought “Well that’s the end of that” so I proceeded down to the local bar I frequented and walked in the door, I told the owner I would paint the kitchen in his home for my bar tab as he had been after me for some time to paint it, he tossed the keys onto the bar and I painted it and went back and tossed the keys onto the bar, he started to pour me a beer but I held up my hand and said “No, I’ll see you later” I never did see him later.

The next morning, Sunday, I told the wife to get the kids ready, we were going to church, that couples church. I hadn’t seen the inside of a church since I was a kid much. As I sat and listened that Sunday morning I thought “These folks act like they know God on a day to day basis.

That evening was to be the start of a revival there and so we went that Sunday night, it was standing room only, and so I stood back against the wall of the church, well the Spirit of God began to move in that place, folks began speaking in tongues, a man who had demons was sitting close to the front when all of a sudden he fell off his chair and began to slither toward the door on his back like a snake and somebody yelled “Don’t let him get out” and two big old oilfield Holy Ghost filled Christians jumped right astraddle of him and folks began to really pray in tongues.

I’m still standing back against the wall thinking about that time “I’ve got to get out of here!” But before I could bolt for the door a young woman was slain in the Spirit and completely blocked my path and me being brought up to be polite I wouldn’t step over her to get out

Half of me was trying to run and the other half couldn’t move. That gal laid there through the rest of the service. After service when everyone turned into people again I sort of calmed down.

I don’t remember much of the next week but what kept hanging with me was the idea that these people talked as if they knew God on a first name basis and they seemed to care for me and the family so much.

As time went on I read where Moses met God on the mountain, and how god was not a respecter of persons so I thought “Well, if he is not a respecter of persons then I’ll just find me a mountain and see” and so I got in my truck and drove up to the mountains where the mouth of Kern canyon meets the valley floor. I climbed up there to where I thought it was suitably high enough for God and sat down and pulled my shoes off according to the pattern of Moses with the hot afternoon sun on my face and I began to pray “God if you are really up there I need to know it” all of a sudden the Lord did speak to me, he said “I have seen you, go your way” well sir, that scared me silly for I knew that my maker had spoken and I got the heck out of there. How did I know? Well, you just know! No, he didn’t thunder down in a loud voice, but he thundered to the very depths off my soul. About a month later I received the baptism in the precious Holy Ghost.

In those 35 years Jesus has not left me nor forsaken me, just as he promised in his precious word. Yes I speak in tongues and as Paul said, I thank God for it.