In 2003, (the troubled years) my faith was shaken. Rumors of the church rejecting the unity I was converted into (Jesus prayed for unity in John 17) and opting for autonomy was one of the catalysts for my departure. I let a bitter root grow and flourish in my heart and soul.

Titus 3:3-7 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit

My name is Byron Douglas Pemberton. I was baptized a disciple of Christ on June 4, 1994. Before that, my life was a mess. I grew up hating my dad and brothers, dealt drugs, committed adultery, was supportive/responsible for 3 abortions, etc. We all have a past.

In 2003, (the troubled years) my faith was shaken. Rumors of the church rejecting the unity I was converted into (Jesus prayed for unity in John 17) and opting for autonomy was one of the catalysts for my departure. I completely stopped going to church, reading my Bible, praying, and I cut off all my deep relationships. I let a bitter root grow and flourish in my heart and soul. I stopped talking to my mom, the woman who birthed me; Damon Frazier, the best friend I ever had; and Marvin Lucas, my region leader for 3 full years. I became a monster. I gave over to my anger and frustration and was yelling all the time. I spent a good deal of time on the internet looking at porn. Needless to say, my marriage got worse and worse. In early January of 2004 my wife separated from me. I was dumbstruck. My wife and family leaving to live in Arizona and me living alone in Dallas was not part of my plan.

Rebeccah, my wife, told me five things I needed to do in order for us to reconcile. One of those was for me to seek professional help. I thought, "Me? She's the one…." But then I thought, "O.K. I'll go and if nothing is found there then fine and if something is found there then I can get the help I need." I went to a Psychiatrist and was diagnosed with ADHD and Bi-Polar Disorder. I started taking Lamictal and going for Psychotherapy regularly. After six months of separation my wife and I reconciled (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)!

Every three or four months I returned to visit our church and fellowship while checking out other churches. In the past I said, "If I ever find a church closer to the Bible than our church then I will become a part of that church". I really wanted to find a church other than ours. I visited several churches, one of which was multi-racial. However, when I asked my co-worker to introduce me to some of his friends he said, "I don't really know anyone." Surprisingly, he had been a member for a fairly long time so naturally when church was over there was the usual mass exodus. I visited other churches that were very close doctrinally but they were all white and aging.

In late 2007 I started paying closer attention to what was going on in the ICOC. I checked out the Disciples Today and ICOC Hot News websites to see what was going on. I read the "Unity Proposal" and my hope was growing. I started coming to church regularly, reading my Bible, praying, and having family devotionals. I called up my mom and asked for forgiveness. I also renewed my friendships with Damon and Marvin. I was restored earlier this year, 2008. In May, my wife was restored on the same day I baptized my 17 year old son Nick. We are all so thankful to God for his grace and his challenges for us to follow Jesus.

Power of Prayer
Romans 15:30 "I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me"

Around March or April of this year, as I was reading Romans 15:30, I thought "Wow, if Paul - as great as he was NEEDED others to pray for him, how much more do I!" I started sending out e-mails requesting prayers for myself and my family. I reminded my Family Group how much we need others to pray for us. I started sending e-mails to disciples in my Region, then to other Regions in the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Church. Then, I thought of my close friends not in the DFW church like Nickey Robin in Austin; Damon Frazier in OKC; Deanna and Marcus in Michigan; John and Dietra in Los Angeles; and the Milners in Wichita Kansas. I included all of them when I e-mailed Prayer Requests.

During this time period I read the "Brothers Letter to Kip McKean" and the "Brothers Statement to Kip" and Kip's response. I was really bothered about what was going on. After wrestling with God over my feelings toward Kip I came to the conclusion that if he wants to be the "Star" then let it be so. God would deal with that situation, I needed to focus on me and my relationship with God.

Since that time this Prayer Request “Thingy" has mushroomed into a 'global endeavor'. Almost 1000 disciples worldwide receive e-mails directly from me or forwarded to them. The Atlanta Church, for example, receives them forwarded by our dear brother and Godsend, Irving Martinez. Recently I created a site to help organize all the prayer requests. The e-mails I receive (not just Prayer Requests) have been amazing to me.

I began praying for Disciples Today to have a section on their website to replace my website, for legitimacy, and so our ICOC churches everywhere would have links for International Prayer Requests. Barry Lamb in Birmingham (U.K. - not Alabama) has done just this. A few weeks later Roger Lamb sent me an e-mail saying, "I have been praying for God to put it on the heart of someone who would be devoted to a prayer list like this. Disciples Today is releasing a Facebook-type site www.dtspace.net for disciples, family and friends...You could set up an International Prayer Group. And you could get others to moderate it with you."

It is amazing how God answers prayers, Roger’s and mine. My prayers now are for an unshakable Unity in our churches. I hope to see disciples everywhere have 'disciples everywhere' pray for them. I believe the persistence of these prayers will move God to action because surely He gets tired of hearing the same prayers over and over. Pray to have a godly balance in my life with the prayer endeavor, spending time with my family, and enough help to make this a success.

I am so grateful for Mike Taliaferro and Roger Lamb, as well as all the volunteers, for all the effort they put into this site - for the benefit and unity of people just like you and me.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

P.S. For the sake of Unity, I would like to encourage every Evangelist and Elder to read Gordon Ferguson's "A Balance of Power – or a Team?”

Byron Pemberton <bdpemberton@hotmail.com

Dallas Ft Worth Church

International Churches of Christ