Sam and Scrappy

Matt’s cousin Sam Paulus has been a mentor of ours for quite some time. We’ve had many in depth discussions with him about our Lord for many years and from time to time I’ve invited him to share his thoughts with you. The following is part 1 of a letter that he wrote to us so that you, the readers, could become acquainted with him.

I was born in Ligonier, IN 27 miles S/E of South Bend. My father died in 1994, his loss was a hard thing for me. His family came from Germany and intermarried Cherokee tribe during their migration. Dad met mom in the service as they were both in the military.

My mother just passed away last November and I will miss her. She was of Mexican decent. Her father came from Mexico, graduated from the University of Mexico and was a Leiutenent in the Mexican Army.

An interesting fact about my family was learned when my mother passed away. My grandfather, who was an orphan, was a Jew and had escaped the Holocaust. We had never known these facts but learned them at my mother’s funeral.

He fled to Mexico and took on a different religion and new background. My mother's sister told us that my grandfather told her these things in secrecy when he had stayed with them one time and she had kept his secret to herself. She told us that there were times that he would try to get his brothers and sisters to come to America from Germany so that they could be together.

I was 48 years old this April and I live with my wife, Patsy, daughter Victoria (20) and son David (17) in Texas not far from Houston.

I came down south when I was 17 years old. I finished School in Port Arthur, Texas and lived with my grandfather and mom's brother during that time. I was in a car accident and hit a semi that pulled out in front of me and it set me back some in school so I came down south and went to night school and high school so I could graduate in the same year as other students my age in 1972.

Sometime later I met my wife and we were married, I was saved when I was young and Patsy is a believer as well. We know that God is preparing us for future work and so we hold our home and other possessions with an open hand because both of us realize that there is more to life with God than holding on to a house and we don’t want anything to keep us from following his will.

So, we both made it known to the Lord that wherever he wanted us we were willing to be and our desire is that he uses us sufficiently. We wanted him to know this house would not anchor us down. I realize that we may never move but God has our heart and we will go if he says go.

I experienced a refreshing of God’s Spirit some years ago and so much has happened to me since that time and I’ve even seen miracles. I remember a time when I was seeing a powerful move of God at a steel company where I was working. Guys were coming up to me asking for prayer and getting back into church. God was calling them to a work in church for his purposes.

I am so amazed and astounded when I think of things that took place there. One of the men was a man named “Scrappy” who had a weakness for alcohol. For some reason he started coming up to me and he began to spend time with me. One night I had a deep burden of prayer for him and I prayed fervently.

I remember looking at the clock when I started praying and it was 1am and a powerful presence of God overtook me while I was in prayer for him. When I got done praying, it felt like I had been praying for 3 or 4 minutes but when I looked at the clock it said 5:30 am. I said out loud, "Lord, where have I been?" I went to bed and fell asleep instantly and the next thing I knew Patsy was waking me and said, "Scrappy is here," it was the same guy I had been praying for, why was he here?

I proceeded to tell her to have him come back later. I wanted to sleep. But she said, "Get up!” and it seemed like lightning hit me and I jumped out of bed in obedient form. In the kitchen over coffee he was just sitting there. Now, I know this guy and in 6 hours of work he can't hold his hands straight out and hold them still and he laughs on account of their shaking so bad, he can’t go without a drink.

The Spirit of God spoke to me and said, "You be careful with him." Now, I didn't know how to really take what the Lord meant by that but after it was all over I understood fully. The Lord put the right words in my mouth. It reminded me of how I depended on God when I was preaching over the radio in my early years. I realized the presence of God was so strong in and on me. It felt like electricity in me. Then I looked at Scrappy and saw the same power moving on him.

The Lord wanted me to see him deal with Scrappy. He wanted me to see that if I said things out of the way it would ruined the whole situation. I saw the Spirit of God compelling him. Later he told me that as he was leaving our house in his truck he said, "Lord, I want to feel your presence that Sam is talking about, just a little bit though."

He told me that God did not deny him and His presence moved upon him and he went home with such a powerful presence all over him and he was trembling and sweating in bed. Come to find out God had burned all that alcohol out of him and healed him. He claimed to have great pain in his sides and at work I would see him in the tool room all doubled up in pain. He had been to the doctors and all. Pain was non-stop in his sides. Scrappy thought maybe it might be liver damage or something due to his drinking and God healed him of that too.

I was astounded, I can't begin to tell you how his testimony has effected many people especially school friends who grew up with him. Two of his friends were our bosses at work and I recall them telling Scrappy one day that it wasn’t the alcohol that was his problem but his nature. But God has established a greater nature for us if we ask for it and respond to him.

All Scrappy did was to yield himself to God. The next day his friends just stood there like they were watching some big car accident; they were in shock over the changes they saw in Scrappy. His mom and dad were very knowledgeable teachers and people of the scriptures and even they were amazed at the changes they had seen in their son.

Scrappy told me later that they were at a local restaurant eating and his mother asked what he had been doing. He told her that he stays home praying and reading his Bible and that he quit his drinking and when he said that his pop, as he calls him, bathed his white shirt with the tea he was drinking!

I thank God for Scrappy and his healing and I want you to know that this can be a reality in your life as well. The bible says that God doesn’t play favorites…we are all his favorites and he treats us all the same. If you want to experience the loving presence of God today just open your heart to him and tell him you’re a sinner and that you want to know him. Ask him to come into your heart and let your life be changed like old Scrappy’s life was.

I promise if you are sincere and your request comes from your heart that God won’t let you down. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with the heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”