It’s Not Good For Man To Dwell Alone

You probably recognize the phrase. When God created man, He said that it was good. Then, He followed by saying, “It’s not good for man to dwell alone,” and He created woman.

In essence, God said the same thing to me some eleven years ago. I was living alone in the bottom of a duplex in Shakopee, Minnesota. One day, as I was looking into my closet, trying to pick out a shirt, God said, “George, you need a woman.”

Well, I didn’t want a woman. I was afraid, because my first marriage had failed after thirty-some years.

However, I could see that I wasn’t doing well alone. Seemed to be retreating further and further into my cave.

. . . And then came Lorraine!

I was connected to Lorraine through a friend. I was preaching at her church and for three Sundays in a row, she came up after the service and said, “You remind me of Lorraine. You have the same God stories.” So, I said, “Well, why don’t you get her phone number and I’ll call her.”

The number came in the mail sooner than I expected. I was headed to a hotel for a 24-hour prayer retreat. When I got there, I called Lorraine. She answered and we talked, for an hour and 47 minutes . . . that’s what she told me.

I felt immediately at ease with her, like I had known her a long time, but I hadn’t.

We talked on the phone for about a month. Every time I called, it turned into about a two hour conversation. She had been praying most of her adult life for a husband and she had put a long list of qualifications before the Lord. Apparently I fit the bill.

She knew I was the one. I think I knew too, but I was afraid to pop the question. Then she called me one day and asked what my intentions were. I’m a terrible liar, so I asked her to marry me, and she said, “Yes.”

There were some extraordinary workings of God to bring us together, which I don’t have space to get into here. It seemed we fit so perfectly together and we both had the same vision for ministry. She had learned to live by faith where finances are concerned, and I had been living that way for several years. Still, today, we trust God for everything we need.

We got married a few months later, and I moved to her apartment in Grand Forks. We are together nearly all the time, running the ministry. Once, she did errands in Bemidji and I stayed home in Waskish. By the end of the day I was missing her. I asked her once, “Don’t you ever get sick of me? Don’t you need some space alone?” Her answer was a simple “No.”

When I married Lorraine, I was wounded, hurting . . . really beat up. So many people had let me down and some even turned on me. I had been doing large Reach For More events across the Midwest. Though we reached well over 40,000 people, with salvations in the thousands, my ministry had gone into a deep hole financially. Three times I was promised bonuses after an event . . . three times I never saw a penny of it.

As a result, I lost nearly everything . . . my house, my family farmland, my wife left me, and I was homeless for about 7 months. People wanted to judge me right and left. Surely because things had gone so bad for me, I must have done something awful. I reminded them that the Apostle Paul once said he was homeless, hungry, dressed in rags . . . and not as a result of something he had done wrong.

So, beat up as I was, I moved in with Lorraine, in her apartment that was so extremely homey and comfortable. Lorraine was, and is, so good to me. Slowly, I healed up and was able to do ministry again. I have told her many times that she saved my life.

She is so very supportive of what I do. It was her idea to stop stalling and get my radio ministry on the air. We did, and the result is that we are on 18 or 19 stations around the US, reaching between 2 and 3 million each week-day.

Loraine has two degrees, one in art and the other in trumpet performance. She began designing the newsletters and doing the photography. A friend who is in advertising told me how much better the newsletters are. Another friend said that I was a genius in marketing. I said,

“That’s Lorraine. Lorraine does that.”

Lorraine is amazing on the trumpet. I have never heard another trumpet player that produces a better sound, (or tone), than Lorraine does, professional or otherwise.

What the Lord has called us to do in ministry is not for the faint of heart. Even though our walk has brought her many tears, she still presses forward. She is faithful to God and to me as well.

Most of all, I treasure how much Lorraine loves me. It is so evident . . . and I love her.

I tell her everyday that I love her, sometimes more than once. I tell her that she is amazing, that she is my life . . . and it’s all true.

Thank you, Baby, for being you and Happy Birthday June 7th.

What’s Happening

So many good things are happening. We have had numerous visitors to the church, who had never before been in the building. We have really good services. Lorraine’s children’s time is a big hit. “Deo,” the puppet is a big hit. The grown-ups seem to enjoy the children’s time as much as the children. One lady came for the first time and after the service said that she came to see Deo. She came the following Sunday as well.

It has been a very challenging time, and I’m not keeping up with everything.

To give you an idea . . . Last week we had a rummage sale on Saturday. It rained, so everything was moved into the basement of the church, every table full of stuff. But the turnout was quite dismal. We did it to help with our income, which is presently short. So Lorraine spent all day Friday preparing for the sale, then the sale Saturday. Then we had the tearing down, boxing up, and cleaning the basement to be presentable for Sunday.

We did the Sunday service, then on Monday the Memorial Day service in Kelliher, Minnesota – I did the opening prayer and benediction, and we performed “How Great Thou Art.” We were exhausted, and then I was cramming to write spots for the recording on Thursday. But alas, the AC quit in the car and we were forced to cancel the recording session.

Ah, but the challenges continued. We’ve had sewer problems and it needs to be pumped. On Thursday the first knuckle of the first finger of my right hand began hurting in a big way. Friday morning I couldn’t hold a pen. On Sunday I couldn’t play my guitar . . . so no special music the congregation so looks forward to. It’s called “trigger finger” and is caused by stress.

Two nights in a row Lorraine was bit by a spider and developed an unsightly rash on her neck, which began to move up her neck. She went to urgent care. Allergic reaction to the spider bites.

We had the AC checked on the car. They think it may be the compressor, but have not given us the final diagnosis as they are backed up two and a half weeks, at least. The main dashboard computer has been messed up for seven years. We have been managing to get heat and AC, but now it’s a big question mark . . . if we have the compressor fixed will that remedy the problem, or will we also have to fix the dashboard computer? The total could be in excess of $3000.

Why is the air conditioning so important? It’s a six-hour drive to Minneapolis. If, by the time I get to the studio I am hot, stressed, and overly tired, then I lose my ability to properly enunciate and the recording is compromised.

Two to three million people hear the broadcast every day. We want to uphold a high degree of quality in everything we do. The Lord’s work should be done with excellence . . . always!

The added stress of being short on finances is one I sincerely wish we could avoid. Please, consider what you might give this month. You are our lifeline. We depend upon your generous contributions.

In His Service

George and Lorraine Halama

Photograph taken by Sternberg Photography