Adversity: Catalyst to a Call  September 27    "Saul got up from
the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So
they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was
blind, and did not eat or drink anything" (Acts 9:8-9).  It's
hard to find anyone in Christian history who became a great
leader without earning an advanced degree in adversity.  To look
at John Wesley (1703- 1791), you wouldn't have thought of him as
a great Christian leader. He was just over five feet tall and
skeletally thin. In his early years, he suffered greatly from
feelings of guilt, inadequacy, and a morbid fear of death.
Though he didn't understand the Christian gospel, he devoted
himself to doing good works for the poor in an effort to earn
his way to heaven. While in his early thirties, he sailed to
America to do missionary work among the American Indians.  While
crossing the Atlantic, Wesley's ship passed through a violent
storm that broke the main mast off its base and nearly sank the
ship. As the waves cra