Kathryn Kuhlman (May 9, 1907 - February 20, 1976)

The woman kneeling on the floor shook and wept as agony swept through her soul. She had stopped asking Him what happened to the intimacy they used to enjoy - she knew well what had happened. It was Mister. She had never known this dryness of spirit before him. She struggled with the decision before her - she knew what she ought to do, but it sat heavy on her heart. The heart she had given to Mister. She had tried to walk this road once before on the night she married Mister, but the scorn she had faced from the congregation pulled her back into his arms. Minutes passed...hours, before she rose to her feet resolute. She knew what she had to do. In order to recapture the perfect Love that would never die, she had to surrender this one - finite, human and flawed.

Kathryn Kuhlman was one of the few ministers who pioneered the 'Charismatic Renewal', teaching that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still available to the Body of Christ today. Born in 1907, she got saved at 14 and a hunger and passion for preaching was born in her. At 17, she and her elder sister Myrtle convinced their parents that Kathryn should travel with Myrtle and her husband as part of their evangelical ministry. Her parents agreed and young Kathryn left with her sister and brother-in-law. After a while, her brother-in-law decided to travel on and her sister followed her husband shortly after.

Left on her own, Kathryn was allowed to preach in a converted pool-hall and later founded Denver Revival tabernacle in 1935. That same year, her life was to change. She met Burroughs Waltrip, a strikingly handsome evangelist from Texas. She was immediately attracted to him, even though he was married with two small children. Waltrip divorced his wife, moved away from his family and he and Kathryn began to see each other romantically. After they decided to get married, Kathryn discussed the relationship with a friend of hers and said that she could not discern the will of God in the matter. She decided to go ahead and marry Burroughs whom she referred to as 'Mister'.

Even then, she knew she had made a mistake. The night of the wedding, she left her new husband and went to see a friend of hers. Distraught, she decided to get an annulment. However, things did not work out as she had hoped. When they heard about the circumstances of her marriage, the Denver Tabernacle congregation rejected her. The ministry she had worked so hard for was no more. It was devastating.

After 6 years, Kathryn made the difficult decision to leave her husband. She gradually rebuilt her ministry and her latter days of ministry were more blessed than she could have imagined. Kathryn died in 1976 after open-heart surgery.

"The world called me a fool for having given my entire life to One whom I've never seen. I know exactly what I'm going to say when I look upon that wonderful face of Jesus...'I tried'. My redemption will have been perfected when I stand and see Him who made it all possible." Kathryn Kuhlman

O. Odunze

Reference: www.godsgenerals.com/person_k_kuhlman.htm Read more about Kathryn Kuhlman at this website.
*The section in italics, while based on fact, was embellished in the author's imagination.