A Strange Encounter of the Supernatural Kind
From the Archives: 2008
By Don Holder
The devil takes particular pleasure in going after pastor’s kids. Raised in a pastor’s home in Asheville NC, I went from my high school graduation in 1972 into a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. For the next seven years I wasted my life. However, a faithful God answered the prayers of my parents and in 1979 I had a “head-on” encounter with Jesus. He totally delivered me from that dark pit and I have not touched alcohol or drugs for the past 29 years.
I married my wife, Karen, and together we started to live the ordinary Christian life in Boone, NC. I was in the construction business building houses and custom cabinets. We were active in church, serving the Lord through mission work and disaster relief. As I began to go deeper in my relationship with the Lord, He began to go deeper with me. He began stirring up feelings of discontent but I couldn’t figure out what He wanted from me. I talked to my pastor and this was his counsel, “If this is a call to ministry God will make it plain to you and prepare a place for you.”
At this point, I received a call from my mother. My dad had a heart attack and was in stable condition in the hospital. She asked me to come to Asheville. The next morning I got in my pick-up truck and headed for Asheville. As I drove, I prayed “God, today I need to know what it is You want from me. I’m a simple man and I need a simple answer.”
Riding on U.S. Hwy 70 near Old Fort and Marion, up ahead of me I saw a hitchhiker. In his hand he held a little white sign that read “JESUS SAVES” in red letters. My immediate thought was “What kind of fanatic was that!” God’s immediate response was, “In as much as you failed to do it to one of the least of these, you failed to do it unto me.” (Matt. 25: 34-46).
I pulled off the road, turned around and came back. As he approached the truck he looked back at me and said, “I knew you couldn’t drive by. Brother, when you passed me God told me this is the man you need to give the message to. Where are you heading?”
I told him I was going to Asheville and offered him a lift. As we rode he told me, “God sent me to see a man in Asheville and give him a message. God says today He is calling you to preach His word.”
For the next hour this man shared things about my life and family he could not possibly know apart from revelation from God. As we approached Black Mountain, he asked me to pull over so we could pray. He placed his hand on my knee and I felt God’s anointing to preach flow through my body.
When we reached Asheville he said “This is a pretty big town. Do you suppose we could find a thrift store somewhere? A ways back I stopped at a place to use the bathroom and when I came out, someone had stolen my suitcase. I had my clothes and my Bible in it.”
We found a Salvation Army Thrift Store and I let him out. He got out of the truck and said, “God may use me to start a revival here in Asheville. Pray for me.” He started across the parking lot, and then turned back toward the pick-up. “Wait a minute, I forgot my sign! The peace of the Lord be with you.”
I never saw him again. God made clear what He wanted from me. My father had four by-pass surgeries and was 84 his last birthday. He still rejoices that God answered his prayers and saw fit to call his son into His service.
I went to school, got a theological degree, and was called to pastor at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Banner Elk NC in 1991. For nine years the Lord placed a burden in my heart for my congregation and the community of Banner Elk and I served Him there. But the burden began to shift. I found myself being drawn to “street people”. When I walked the streets, these wandering souls pierced my heart. They were like sheep without a shepherd. I shared with my wife, Karen and asked her to pray.
Our church had a relationship with the Hebron Colony in Boone. Quarterly, our men would ask their guys to join us for food and fellowship. Their Director, Tom Knowles, and his family would join us occasionally for worship and our church supported his outreach financially. During this seeking time, I decided to visit Tom just to see how things were going. At some point in our conversation, he commented that the Lord was redirecting their Assistant Director into another ministry. Laughingly, he asked me “Why don’t you come and take his place?” “That may not be as far out of bounds as you think,” I replied. We began to pray right then and there and twenty-four hours later, God gave us freedom to pursue this path.
I gave my church one month’s notice in February of 2000 and came on board as the Assistant Director of Hebron Colony on April 1. In July 2006 I became Executive Director. I give God glory and praise each day for allowing me to shepherd His lost sheep and lead them into His pastures. The battle is intense, but the outcome is glorious.
