Verna Linzey Succeeds against All Odds
CARLSBAD, Calif., Dec. 19, 2011 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Assemblies of God Minister Rev. Dr. Verna Linzey, who resides in Escondido, California, is a stroke survivor at 92. Yesterday she officiated at her first wedding. She married her termite inspector Jeff Bybee to his fiancé Vena Goodrich at Carlsbad Beach, California.
When Jeff inspected Verna's home for termites, receiving negative results, he was overwhelmed by Verna's spirituality, charismatic personality, and world-renowned reputation. He consulted his fiancé about asking Verna to marry them. Then he asked Verna's son, Chaplain James Linzey, if he thought she would consider officiating. He consulted her. After they both counseled the couple she agreed to do so.
They knew nothing about her stroke last year and that she never officiated at a wedding. Yet they sensed something special about her. She is a trained minister and watched most of her ten children get married, was married to a US Navy Chaplain, is the mother of three military chaplains, the grandmother of one military chaplain, and the great, great, great grand-daughter of a chaplain in George Washington's Army. She had a step-father and mother who were ministers, and had five siblings who were ministers. The churches represented among them were Methodist, Assemblies of God, Pentecostal Church of God, Independent, and Southern Baptist. So deciding upon the wedding vows could be surprising. She chose Anglican, being a very traditional lady of God who makes use of the eloquent English language!
After surviving a stroke in October 2010, television evangelist Verna Linzey spoke at the World Believer's Convention in Phoenix where she was awarded Evangelist of the Year 2010 Award, spoke at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, for the 2011 Leadership Summit where she was awarded Leader of the Year Award and received a standing ovation, embarked upon her second solo artist CD, finished editing her television programs, was filmed in a movie entitled Iniquity, completed the Women's Leadership Bible as General Editor, and was continually listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World.
Bill Owens stated at the Heritage Foundation, "Dr. Linzey's academic presentation was received with tremendous applause and brought the audience of academics, politicians and executives to a standing ovation." Rev. Linzey spends time in God's word and gardening, where she communes with God and receives spiritual strength to continue succeeding and change lives by the power of the Holy Spirit.
