The Stuttering Minister
On the twenty-third day of September in
1940 Reverend August Luelf (the stuttering preacher from Kansas) was pouring
his heart out or God one evening when he was alone in his room. Here is a portion of his written prayer: ”Now Lord, help me to write, for I cannot
speak as others do. I do want to testify
for Thee! I cannot speak well, but I am
not discouraged—I will write my testimony.
As the tears flow down my cheeks, Lord, I pray that it will bless the
readers. Help them each one to see where
they stand in thy sight.”
I Speak for Myself, by August
Luelf, p. 3, (no publisher, no date)
As a small child I had the privilege to
hear this mighty servant of God preach.
He was not mighty because of his eloquent speech because he stuttered
constantly as he delivered his sermons.
As a matter of fact he would struggle until his speech patterns would
completely shut down. However he was
mighty in spiritual power because of the presence of the Almighty God that
surrounded him.
When I remember Reverend Leulf, I am reminded
of the Scripture in Zachariah 4:6 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying,
This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel,
saying , Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit saith the LORD of
hosts.” This man of God who had a
debilitating speech impediment carried a weight of glory of the Holy Spirit
about his person that made him a very effective ministering servant. It certainly was not his speaking talent but
rather the Spirit that made his ministry efficacious.
Another thing that I will never forget
is the fact that while he was preaching, in the midst of his tremendous
stuttering, he would begin to sing. When
he sang he did not stutter and the presence of the Holy Spirit often filled the
sanctuary as he would sing a hymn or a gospel song.
Perhaps today you are struggling over
some aspect of your music ministry. If
there is something that hinders you from ministering the way you would like to
minister, remember that it isn’t might, power, talent, or eloquence that
matters most in your ministry. It is the
power and anointing the Holy Spirit gives you that will make your musicing
efficacious.
I needed to hear this today for so many reasons. Thanks, Dad.
ReplyDeleteRev. August Leulf is my sister-in-law's great uncle. Never got to hear him, but have heard great things about him! Always enjoy reading your posts, Bro. Wolf! God bless.
ReplyDeleteI always loved hearing him preach when I was a child. His ministry amazed me and the fact that he could sing without stuttering was so fascinating to me.
ReplyDeleteI loved to hear him preach, and always enjoyed when he would stop by in that big old Cadillac of his and spend a few days and fix anything that needed to be repaired.
ReplyDeleteI have very fond memories of hearing August Leulff preach and sing. Unfortunately, I also have memories of being drafted against my will into the GBS orchestra and becoming utterly disillusioned with the whole bible school experience, watching a “man of god” throw books and scream like one deranged when people hit wrong notes or otherwise failed to meet his expectations. All for the best, though. I ceased wasting my time in the wrong place and found fertile ground elsewhere for my mind.
ReplyDelete