Harold Ewing Burchett - Bright Light: A Lifetime of Seeing God at Work

I have known Harold Burchett for more than thirty years, as friend and colleague, but I find here dozens and dozens of stories I never heard before. Incredible stories, many hard to believe, but impacting me powerfully. Harold is a master storyteller, so Im delighted to have these insights into his inner-life journey, many told here for the first time. A riveting account! Thank you, Harold, for sharing.

J. Robertson McQuilkin, former president (1968-90) of Columbia International University

Bright Light, a new book by Harold Burchett, is aptly titled. It brings to mind the disciples experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, where they saw the bright glory of God in his beloved Son, Jesus. Harold here shares story after story of times he himself has witnessed God answering specific prayersin his own life, in his public preaching, and in his personal interactions with needy people. Brightness indeed! And Harolds conclusion points the way toward brightness for every disciple of Christ: God still works powerfully in our day in answer to prayer (from the preface).

Richard A. Peters, former pastor and missionary; member of Harolds first church (Nashua, N.H.)

Dr. Harold Burchett is a man who knows God. As a spiritual grandson, I have come to know Harold personally in these last few years and have been changed. He is a man who loves the Lord Jesus and to whom the Lord has given unusual and profound insight. I commend this book (and his other writings) to teach you and give you encouragement and hope (Rom. 15:4).

--Chap Bettis, elder/pastor (1987-2012) of New Covenant Christian Fellowship, Attleboro, Mass.; executive director of
The Apollos Project, http://theapollosproject.com

As I read through this short telling of a very remarkable mans life, I was struck by how many stories Harold Burchett chose not to include.... Harolds remarkable life has been characterized by believing prayer offered up to God and, again and again, by breakthrough answers granted by God. His life has also been marked by deep, penetrating ministry to others through a sort of spiritual soul surgery marked by the wise use of Scripture, gospel grace, and the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit. While many pray for great revivals from on high, Harold has been used of God to usher in life-changing revival to scores of peopleone person at a time. And the spiritual fruit often seems to last to the third and the fourth generation! May this too-short autobiography stir many to turn to God in prayer with fresh hope and expectancy.

Tim Kerr, pastor, Sovereign Grace Church Toronto

2013 by Harold E. Burchett
All rights reserved.

Published 2013 by

Bringing Christ Back Ministries

www.bcbministries.com

ISBN: 978-0-578-12863-4

Printed in the United States of America

The Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him (Ps.34:8). These words, penned by Israels King David 3,000 years ago, may be the best single-sentence commentary on the life of Harold Ewing Burchett, whose memoirs appear here.

At a very young age, Harold received a loving introduction to this Lord from his parents and extended family. He was taught, and he himself sought, to find his refuge only in the Lord God and in his Son, Jesus Christ. Step by step, from early beginnings all the way now to his late eighties, this young sapling continued in a life-alignment with God. Along the way, a sturdy oak took shape and matured, a product both of Harolds chosen life direction and of the same Spirit who coauthored Davids words.

But what kind of goodness does the Lord have to offer? And what sort of blessing might a person expect who takes refuge in God? I think Harold would answer, You might be surprised! As a youngster, Harold had no idea that he would experience blessings as a teenager on a battleship locked in combat in the South Pacific, or in his twenties as an itinerant preacher in the Canadian Maritimes witnessing remarkable revival stirrings, or in the last two decades of his first marriage caring at home for a wife with Alzheimersor that even one night, with loaded rifle, he would be chasing a kidnapper in his neighborhood! In all these settings and many more, as these pages reveal, Harold tasted and saw goodness and blessing that has every mark of a living God who, even in this modern/postmodern era, still stands by his ancient words.

What guidelines would Harold pass on to readers from a lifetime full of remarkable experiences? One is, Stay everlastingly in prayer. Another is, Know that Gods eye is on the little ones, the weak ones, not the strong movers and shakers. My advice, therefore, is to take these stories and lessons, not so much shining a spotlight backward on Harolds life as pointing the way forward for every single one of usespecially if we feel ordinary or unqualifiedhelping us to believe that God is really real, and that hes good!

I have known Harold, as pastor and friend, since 1973. Most recently, we have been members together of the New Covenant Christian Fellowship, in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Here, during a recent search for a full-time elder/pastor, Harold stepped into the pulpit and, week by week, month by month, taught and counseled us about serving the God he knows and has witnessed in action all these years. Two observations: Harold really banks on prayer. And he knows deep down that God is loving and trustworthy. I suspect that these convictions are just the bedrock we need for revival in our day, in our world.

CRAIG A. NOLL, editor
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Numbers of stories I am about to relate have been kept untold for many years because some of the happenings will seem marvelous and even hard to believe; I am a reluctant writer. In recent years, however, I have more and more felt a constraint to share these experiences. After counseling with trusted friends for their advice, I am proceeding. May glory come to God who has shown his mercy to me.

Looking back over more than eighty years of seeing God work, I have recalled times of wonderful spiritual revival, public and privatebut also more than one occasion when my life was threatened. And in the course of seeking to minister to others, God has granted me very precious insights into the Christian life. Through it all, I can see now that God has employed several protective barriers to guard me from possible spiritual failure and disaster:

1. All through my maturing years I was kept from gaining money. Here was a responsibility I did not have!
2. I was kept from public noticea burden I did not bear.
3. In my older years I was given an ongoing lock-in with my wifes Alzheimers Disease. This weakening seclusion promoted spiritual insight and strength. I did not attain it all, but my way was more hedged in and directed toward Gods goal.

My apology for writing so much about my own experiences? Mainly its this: these pages are intended to show what God did to, in, and for one servant of his, not what that servant did. Readers of these pages will, I think, have only two possible conclusions: either I am spinning some tall tales, or else God still works powerfully in our day in answer to prayer.

Here I wish to express my gratitude to Craig Noll for help given along the way. First, he and his wife, Anne, kindly listened to my vision for this book and encouraged me to proceed. Then, once the writing started, Craig gave valuable assistance at every turn in the editorial process. Finally, as a brother in Christ, he and I prayed and worked together through the many challenges that arose in the course of preparing this text for publication.