Page 57 - Living Epistles

We didn’t like the big city, nor the public schools there. So we found a little
house we could buy in Carney, a village about 50 miles northeast of
Oklahoma City. It was a small, five room house with three acres of land.
There was no water in the house and no bathroom. We had an “outhouse’ in
the back, and we carried water from a neighbor until we were able to have
a well dug. Mother called it her “five rooms and a path...”

Mother and Daddy had decided that they wanted another baby. But there
was one big problem. Daddy’s job in Oklahoma had been completed, and
they had promoted him to district manager of Southeast Kansas. He was
driving to Kansas every Monday morning, and we didn’t see him until
Saturday. With Mother pregnant, the work and pressure at home was too
much for her. God gave Daddy a choice... his radio and writing ministry, or
his job. Daddy had earned the Bronze award, the Silver Award, and the Gold
award for selling, and there was a good future with the company. But he
resigned. We were now back to living by faith. The bills kept coming in, but
there were no weekly checks to pay them. Daddy was getting a little
exasperated with God, and with our situation.

It was right at this time when the bills were piling up that Daddy got a phone
call from the Division office of the insurance company in Omaha. Al Davis,
the Division Manager, said: “Bill, I’m going to make you a good offer, and I
want you to think about it before you give me an answer. If you will come
back with the company, I’ll give you the job as State Manager of either
Kansas or Nebraska, whichever you want. You can pick any city you want
to live in, and I’ll pay all of your moving expenses. Think about this, because
this is a really good opportunity.” And it was. It was a good company, and
the job was one that men worked for many years to attain, provided that
they were qualified. Daddy replied: “Mr. Davis, I’ll have to pray about it, and
then I’ll let you know.” Mr. Davis was a Catholic. He knew how to be a
success in business, but he didn’t know about praying whether or not to
accept a job offer.

Daddy finally called a family counsel. He explained to all of us how this job
would make it possible for Mother to have a nice home, plenty of money to
spend, and bicycles and other toys for the children. But it would take all his
time, and he would have to stop his ministry of preaching, writing, and
radio. “Well, what do you say?” he asked. Becky pointed a finger toward the
ceiling and said, “What does He say?” Daddy stammered around in
embarrassment that he hadn’t yet talked to God, that he wanted their