Guess what?!? Now I'm  one of those "crazy" tongue-talking charismatics like Jade, and I couldn't be more thrilled!

As I mentioned in my blog article titled "The Search For A New Church Home," when Jade and I got married we had some real theological differences to work through. One of those pertained to speaking in tongues. She did it, and I did not. Not only that, I thought she was weird because she did.

At the time I had some bad doctrine to overcome due to how I was raised. I was taught that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit described in the New Testament — specifically speaking in tongues — were not legitimate, or "for today." That judgment was made by my parents primarily because their personal experiences didn't line up with the things taking place in the book of Acts. I was taught very little about  the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit so I was completely ignorant on the subject. Because I was raised in the Nazarene denomination of the church, I was never exposed to the Holy Spirit in public operation. Additionally, many of those I knew during childhood who were  Spirit-filled were very pushy about it. Some of them inferred that those who didn't speak in tongues were like second-class Christians. It came across as prideful and self-righteous, and it further turned me off to the idea.

These experiences, combined with a lack of Biblical teaching and the fear of the unknown caused me to be very resistant to even talking about the subject. When Jade and I first got together she tried to impress upon me the value and importance of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit and I wanted nothing to do with it. I told her, "If you want to do it that's fine, but I'm not interested, and please refrain from doing it around me." She was very understanding and graciously dropped the subject.

Shortly after that conversation the Lord  started dealing with me about it, something I was not  prepared for. The Holy Spirit spoke to me one day and He asked me, "Do you believe what you believe about speaking in tongues based on what my word says, or based on how you were raised?" I had to acknowledge that my beliefs about the subject were based on a faulty foundation, so I began to study it out. I used my Thompson Chain Reference New King James Bible to look up every reference to the phenomenon between Genesis and Revelation.

As I studied the subject of speaking in tongues I asked the Holy Spirit to give me revelation and understanding from His word. I studied each occurrence of the phenomenon in context, and over the course of about two weeks I came to realize that speaking in tongues was  legitimate. I discovered that it is the evidence of a person having been baptized, or filled, with the Holy Spirit.

At this point my attitude was pretty much, "OK... So speaking in tongues is real, and there's nothing wrong with it, but I'm not interested." I still resisted the idea because it was so foreign and strange to me.

One of the things I've discovered during my Christian walk is that God is gracious and kind enough to deal with us where we are. He also loves us enough to not let us stay there. :)

After a while the Lord spoke to me again and said, "If such a wonderful gift as the baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to you why don't you want it?" I didn't really have a good answer for Him. Over the course of the next few months God really began to deal with me about my attitude, and I eventually came to a place where I desired it.

I had someone pray and lay hands on me to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit but it didn't happen the first time. I think I was still struggling with some doubt and fear which prevented me from receiving it initially. When it didn't work I was frustrated and continued to pursue it with even more diligence.

Then, in October 2007 (the 19th to be exact), at "Man Camp" — the annual men's retreat put on by our church — I "got it." Once I finally got to a place where I passionately desired it and put aside my doubt, fear and insecurity I was able to receive. What an incredible experience it was. The spirit of God flooded my soul and that heavenly language poured out of my mouth. It was awesome!

In the nearly two years since then I have acquired a much richer appreciation for what took place on that evening in October. Receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit unlocked the giftings God had placed inside me. It has also allowed me to operate with greater power and victory as I pursue the Lord's will for my life in regards to ministry.

I've included more information on the subject of speaking in tongues below for those who are interested.