In the fall of 1985 at Evangel Cathedral in
Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Bishop John Meares sponsored a large, city-wide
conference for singles. Bishop Meares founded
the 4,000-member mega-church, and son Don Meares was the pastor. I was the youth pastor for The Community Church
in Sterling, Virginia, and the founding senior Pastor Arlie Whitlow who was brought
up under the mentorship of Bishop Meares.
The majority of young people I was responsible
for at the time were in their late teen’s to late 20s, many of whom were not
married. As you might imagine, leading a
considerable number of young, unmarried people, I was always seeking God for
answers to the questions I was being asked.
Many questions were similar to ones like, “Does God have a mate for
me? How can I prepare myself to meet my
future mate?...” Answers to these
questions were about to be answered, and in a way I did not expect, but rejoice
over still today.
During this time in 1985, at the same time while
ministering at Pastor Arlie’s church, I was wearing a number of other hats in
the church, as well as working as an outside sales representative for a local
graphics firm. One of my graphic
printing accounts at the time included handling all of the design and printing
of Bishop Meares’ quarterly magazine entitled “Bridgebuilder Magazine.” The Director of Publications for Bishop Meares
and I had become close friends as a result of the work I had been doing
there. Shortly after the single’s
conference had finished, I received a phone call from my friend, who worked
under Bishop Meares, asking me if I could stop by the cathedral that day. He said he had something important that he
would like to give me. I said I would,
without knowing what was in store for me there.
While I was running work errands that day, I
went by my friend's office. As soon as he
saw me coming through the door, I could tell that, whatever he had asked me to
stop by for was very important. He began
by telling me that, during the previous weekend, during the single’s
conference, he heard a message like none he had ever heard before, and it was
taught by the Keynote speaker at that conference, Dr. Myles Munroe. He said, "I have never heard anything
like it in my life! As soon as that evening's
message was finished, I contacted our audio director to ask him to make a tape
recorded copy of that service for me. This
is a tape copy that is the reason I asked you to come by. You have got to hear this!" I thanked him and headed off to continue my
errands.
As I got back in my car to leave, I started
playing the tape in my car, and listened to what started a process taking place
in me that I had never experienced before that time. With each word that Pastor Myles spoke, it
felt as if I had been in a desert for the previous years of my life. Hearing the anointing and speaking authority
God had placed on Pastor Myles was like a cool glass of water in the desert, as
I had never heard anyone with that level of anointing and authority in wisdom
speak before.
The best way I know how to express the impact
Dr. Myles had on my life through that tape that day, is by sharing the statement
my friend made after he heard The Myth of Singleness the following day, “Keith,
this isn’t simply a tape; THIS is a piece of 'solid gold'!” Each time I drove in my car, from that day
forward, I would be listening to the tape over and over again, each time
feeling more and more like a metamorphosis was taking place in my life. With each revelation I heard Pastor Myles
speak, a new level of understanding of God’s Word would come. There were things that I had always craved to
know in my heart that, until that time, I had not been able to experience. If I had to guess, I probably listened to
that tape more than 100 times. With each
time listening through, something else I didn’t hear in the previous times
listening would come. I could compare my
experience to that of a well that I continued to drink from that never ran
dry.
After about 3 weeks of listening over and over,
I called Evangel Cathedral and asked the head of the TV department to please
make me a video copy of that service message, which he kindly obliged. With each time I listened to the message, my
heart caught fire as I began to share with others what God had done in my life
through the message. I literally wore
the tape out that it wouldn’t play any longer.
Once I received the video copy of The Myth of Singleness, I approached
the unmarried guys and girls in the church, one by one, letting them know I was
going to have a special meeting at the church one night, just to show the
video.
After several groups and classes of youth and
singles watched the video in our meetings together, the room where I had been
showing it was getting overly crowded.
So, for the next weekend showing, I moved the group into the main
sanctuary, and opened it up to the entire church. The video service that time was full and,
what began such an incredible transformation in my heart, was beginning to
enact change in the hearts of many who I had been showing it to as well. As time went on, I would share the video with
many congregations, single’s meetings, and youth programs.
A short while later, I would have the
opportunity to personally meet Pastor Myles at a conference where he would be
speaking in Washington DC. It was at
that meeting where we started a friendship that I have cherished down through
the years. In memory of Dr. Myles
Munroe, I would like to share with you one of the most profound quotes he spoke
at the conference where we met in 1985.
Addressing the single guys and girls, he said, “You don’t get married
because you need to. You get married
because you want to. And you won’t get
the want-to until you don’t have the need to.”
You can find this quote, and many others, in
Pastor Munroe’s teaching “The Myth of Singleness.” I would encourage everyone, whether married
or not, but especially those who have yet to be married, listen to Dr. Myles
Munroe as many times as you need to in order to truly understand "The Myth
of Singleness"!
For more of my personal testimony from singleness to meeting my bride, check
out our blog Prepare for the Mate You're Praying For.
God bless the loved ones, members of his ministry families, and all of the friends of my
mentor and friend, Dr. Myles Munroe (April 20, 1954 - November 9, 2014)!
I would like to add something that my beloved wife shared with friends, from her heart, on social media. On November 10th, 2014, the day after the passing of Dr. Munroe, Brenda's facebook post said, "Within just weeks of our dating, Keith introduced me to the teachings of this remarkable friend and mentor of his from 30 years, Dr. Myles Munroe. God bless and comfort the family and ministry team of Pastor Myles and Ruth Ann Munroe. What a blessing to continue listening to just one of his life-changing messages, one we have and share frequently on DVD, 'The Myth of Singleness!'"
This photo represents one of the enjoyable moments we shared, years after we met. When Pastor Myles dropped by our Toward The Mark booth at a Worship Conference in Richmond, Virginia, we were able to catch up on the things God was doing in our lives. Having his endorsement of my ministry products has always been a real blessing and honor, and always will be.
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