Keith Daniel from Cape Town

Last Words about Keith Daniel
On the week of September 26-27 was Texas Revival Series II. First Baptist Church of Justin, Texas featured Keith Daniel from Cape Town, Africa, Mike Gendron from Dallas Texas, Randall Easter from Briar Texas, Mack Thomlinson from Denton Texas.
Becaause of the TRS conference Keith Daniel needed a place to stay. Jon Speed called me to ask if I would put him up during the conference and provide transportation. Ok I’m not exactly the most diplomatic person you would ever meet but, I try to be as gracious as possible. So here is Jon calling me to ask if I would keep one of the worlds most influential evangelists, a person who is obviously chosen by God to speak for Him, who’s uncomproming message has caused thousands to fall under the conviction of sin, Keith Daniel at our house! Uh? Um, well, I had to think and pray about it for at least 2 seconds. Ok maybe I had to ask my wife if she had anything scheduled for that weekend but, Im thinking whatever it is, cancel cancel cancel oh please cancel. Praise God Jon asked me and not some other important celebrity preacher. Ok, enough background.
Friday night, my gracious wife and I left in plenty of time to pick up Keith at DFW airport by 8pm Friday. I had to welcome him dressed in my boots and hat, after all the conference name is Texas Revival isn’t it? We passed through the parking gate where I gave the man a gospel tract, he said he was a coptic christian, what? We get to the terminal and waited for a while. Finally we see people coming through the revolving door. Yep it’s the flight on which we were waiting. After seeing almost everyone pass by we didn’t see Keith. After a long pause we finally see him bolting out of the corridor from the plane. He doesn’t even get close to the revolving doors and veers to the right! Uh oh, my wife looked at me and I at her, At this point we can’t get his attention because he is behind the security glass. He dutifully disappears around a corner.
What to do? I take off going the same way but with no way of contacting him, I don’t think he has a celly. After walking a ways I turn back. My wife has not seen him yet, so we just wait at the glass. Finally after about 6 minutes he reappears. He goes through the doors and we said howdy. He explained that he didn’t know where to go. Ok I’m no rocket heart surgeon but I would think you would just follow the crowd no?
Come to think of it Keith is into evangelism not airports. We get his bags and pack them into the Sierra (my cowboy car) to head off to the sun that had already set.
We get home and settled in and basically chatted for a few minutes then said goodnight.
The next morning, he made some tea with lots of milk in it, (why)? I guess it’s like putting milk in coffee (why)? The world would be boring if it clicked around me. So we chatted awhile until he excused himself to the room to study.
We ate at about 1:00pm. We had a dish that most people look at and judge it before they taste it. Almost anyone that has eaten this dish called poppy seed chicken that my wife makes has always dipped into seconds and thirds. The taste is delightful. Keith had and loved the dish. He had salad and dinner rolls with an amazing amount of butter on the rolls with jelly. I would like to say that maybe just a tiny bit in a way that my wife helped him preach the fire from God he delivered that night by feeding his belly.
His time to speak wouldn’t be until 6:30pm. From the morning to the very last minute to leave he was preparing for the sermon. At the last minute we take off for the church. He politely asked that my wife and I don’t talk to him or each other on the way to the church. He was still needing time to think through the things he had to say that night. I praise God he brings up men that “I can say I fall way short of the mark“. His whole sermon was nothing but scripture memorized in a way to to bring out a message. Did you catch what I said? The whole sermon was nothing but memorized scripture!!! Over 100 memorized verses!
After the meeting was over there were many that wanted to talk to him. He was very kind and gracious to answer questions and pray with people. The first night came and went without fuss. The next day, Sunday would be a decisive blow to a church body who had not know preaching from the likes of Keith.
We had some light dinner and chatted some more and bid goodnight.
Sunday morning came quickly for all of us. My wife went to our church with my son and I took Keith to the main Sunday morning service at Justin Baptist. I think we arrived at about 10:15. Keith likes to stay in the back until they are ready for him. Keith likes the great hymns of the past but, he doesn’t like drums added. The plain sound of a voice is what he likes. The sermon was of the same material but not the same message. More scripture was memorized for the Sunday morning sermon. Keith has a voice that has the sound of authority. When you put the authority of the Word with the thundering voice Keith has, and the amount of preparation he devotes to one sermon, what you get is a congregation that will be divided instantly. JBC was not impressed. JBC loves the watered down gospel of the devil. They proved it by how many came back to hear Keith in the night service. From a full gymnasium/”worship center of 300 plus people to maybe 100 at night. It was even less than the 100 because most of the people that came back didn’t attend that church. I know there are Christians attending there but have you ever heard of the narrow gate?
Keith preached his heart out to just a few of us that night with the same results, many people wanting to talk and pray with him after the sermon. Even though Keith is in his 60’s many young adults follow what he is doing and pray for his ministry. About an hour after the service we left the church and officially closed down the Texas Revival Series II Conference. It was well attended by outsiders, (those that don’t attend JBC), with impressions that will last a lifetime.
We had one last dinner with Keith and we had the Speeds come over to get to know him a little better. The night of fellowship was soothing to me. How grateful I was to be able by the hand of God to have friends over for food and fellowship. I was glad that Jon finally had some time with Keith. Keith had a monumental influence in Jon’s life which of course spread out to his wife and kids.
Keith was to leave Monday morning, Jon was to pick him up. I had to go to my mundane job wishing that one day I could work full time in ministry.
Things for memories sake: Keith said that any desert is called “pudding” in Cape town Saturday morning I went to get my Bible for the counter to read and it was not there. I asked my wife, she had no clue. I reluctantly pulled out a Kjames version to read with my coffee. A little later Keith came out with my Bible and his bath robe. I said, “oh you solved the mystery of my Bible” he says to me in his British accent, “oh sorry for that, I wanted to look at what these Bibles had in them”. It was my MacArthur Bible he was holding. I told him it was ok and that I pulled out my KJames to read. Keith said, “Isn’t that good my brother, my trip here wasn’t wasted if I could say I had a part in getting you back to the King James Bible”
Keith will not commit to Reformed theology or Aminian theology. I say he is more Reformed. He will preach a reformed message but only refers to men in the “Weslyan camp to make a point. His message is reformed but his references are Weslyan. Does that make sense. I was treated to his humorous side when I found out that his next stop was in Springfield Mo. I told him he would like it there because there were a lot of Weslyans in Springfield. “They like drums”. He smiled and said it must be a good city.
Again, I thank my Lord for allowing me a peek into a no compromising life of the evangelist Keith Daniel. I didn’t get any pictures of him and my family but his memory is etched on my mind.