Inspirational Stories by Guy Vance Brown

Imagine The Holy Ghost joining you for lunch at a Texas Whataburger?

It happened to me and changed my life!

Pencil sketch of me in front of the Whataburger restaurant with a Holy Ghost halo in the sky above

John 14:26 King James Bible

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Introduction

Has the Holy Ghost ever put thoughts in your head for helping a stranger, or volunteering to teach underprivileged children? Have you ever chosen to follow through with any of the good thoughts that pop in your mind, or do you do what I’ve done most of my life and say, “I wonder where that thought came from”, or “I must be crazy thinking that”, or “That sounds scary”, or “I’m too busy now, but someday soon”. I’ve used all of these excuses in one fashion or another for most of my life. You may have too.

Now get ready for this:

Have you ever had the Holy Ghost get so fed up with you not paying attention that He set up a good old-fashioned gun-slinger type showdown with you at a Texas Whataburger fast food restaurant right at lunchtime? This sounds crazy, but it happened to me! This is my story.

A Day I Won’t Forget!

I don’t remember the exact date, but one weekday morning September two thousand and nineteen, shortly before COVID, I was attending a lecture by a reverend at my friends church. I was learning about The Holy Ghost when I suddenly realized I’d accidentally scheduled a work meeting for the same time. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to learn about zoning requirements for a convenience store addition I was designing in Mesquite, Texas. I apologized to my friend and left.

When the zoning meeting concluded I was hungry for Popeye’s spicy chicken. That’s right not a Whataburger. I wasn’t familiar with the area, so I found a Popeyes in my phone’s Google Maps and headed out. But I kept getting lost again, and again. I looked for over a half hour and was really hungry when I saw an orange and white striped roof of a Texas Whataburger appear in front of me. I’ve always liked their burgers, so I pulled into the parking lot and said to myself “God must want me here,” even though I really didn’t believe God would care where I ate. It was just something that I said.

But inside this Whataburger restaurant, on this day, late in the lunchtime rush, I became aware of “The Holy Ghost” and a special need of a troubled Whataburger employee. Just to clarify, I’m talking about my Whataburger order-taker at the counter and the Holy Ghost or Spirit from the Bible that Jesus sent to his followers. I’m not talking about a ghost floating around a room doing weird scary things like in the movies. As I experienced this, I was talking-to-myself like I always do, silently conversing inside my own mind. One of my voices was questioning what I was seeing with the order-taker while my other voice was answering. But I soon noticed that this particular talking-to-myself conversation was unlike any of my talking-to-myself conversations before.

But before I share my conversation, let’s go back to the seminar and learning about The Holy Ghost from the reverend and what I learned from a retired West Virginia coal miner forty-five years earlier.

The Reverend and The Coal Miner

Early in the reverend’s lecture about the Holy Ghost, I flashed back to the summer of Nineteen-seventy-three driving a back road in West Virginia. I was a Bible salesman doubting the existence of God, or at least the God portrayed in the Bible. I came upon the small well-kept wood frame house of an old, retired coal miner. We sat on his porch for hours, discussing The Father, His Son, and “Daholygo.” (That’s how this West Virginia coal miner pronounced The Holy Ghost) The Holy Ghost played a more profound role in his life than in mine. He got “Daholygo” in church every Sunday and this somehow enabled him to speak in tongues. Speaking in tongues was and still is a foreign concept to me. He was one of many Christians over my lifetime time that have helped remind me of God & Jesus.

This porch visit with the coal miner made me more receptive to the reverend’s talking about The Holy Ghost. I didn’t want to leave this lecture, but I needed to. So, as I drove off for my meeting I focused on the reverend’s Holy Ghost summation, and repeated his words in my mind three or four times,

“Be aware of and be open to being moved to action by The Holy Ghost.”

I wondered if I’d ever find myself aware of the Holy Ghost and an action that He would want me to do. I was sixty-five and hadn’t experienced this yet, so I guessed probably not. I went to my meeting. I got lost finding Popeyes. And I happened upon a Whataburger.

Pencil sketch of my angry looking young Black order-taker lady standing behind the register

Welcome to Whataburger! How may I Help You?

Once inside, I saw a full, busy restaurant. It was located in a minority Black neighborhood. I was the only White person, and I was old, like the old, retired coal miner from years before.

Texas Whataburger employees are always happy, friendly and helpful. It doesn’t matter which city, town, or neighborhood a Whataburger is located. That’s why I was surprised when my young order-taker flashed me a look and snapped, “Wha-da-ya want”? And then she looked away and never looked back. She didn’t care to listen to my order and took her three tries to get it right, a Whataburger number one meal with grilled jalapenos and grilled onions added. This order-taker lady had serious attitude!

I found a table with a window view. But then I realized I wanted to observe my order-taker working, so I switched seats and began watching. I immediately noticed my order-taker’s co-workers were twisting and contorting their bodies to avoid accidentally touching her as they passed by. Their heads and eyes darted away from her to avoid making the slightest eye contact, and she wouldn’t look at them either. And it was also strangely quiet behind the counter without the normal restaurant workers talking like, “Where’s the fries for order twenty-two” or a friendly “Are you and Johny going out tonight”? It seemed as if they were too angry or too afraid to talk. Surely, I was witnessing a quiet feud going on in front of me and I knew my angry rude order-taker was the reason!

Talking to Myself

I began analyzing the situation behind the counter by silently talking-to-myself within my own mind. One voice, I’ll call voice #1, was questioning, and my other voice #2, was answering. Soon after my conversation started, I noticed my answering voice was responding with uncanny insight, brevity, and clarity, the likes of which I’d never experienced coming from me before. I began to believe my answering voice #2 might be The Holy Ghost as described in the pastor’s lecture earlier. The conversation as it happened follows next:

The Conversation

Voice 1 - Why's the manager not stopping this feud? It’s obvious the other employees have a problem with my order-taker. Why is she so angry"?

Voice 2 Response - “Are you sure she’s angry?”

Voice 1 - "Of course she’s angry, just look at her. But let me see. I see her eyes look mostly towards the floor. This could mean she lacks confidence or has low self-esteem.”

“I guess turning her eyes from the others could be a way of hiding emotional pain. Maybe a loved one is sick, has a mental illness, alcoholism, drug addiction, or even worse has died.”

“She could even be homeless without anyone knowing. I remember helping a lady sobbing down the hall from my office. No one in her office knew she had been living homeless in her car for weeks.”

“OK it’s possible I misinterpreted. She could be experiencing emotional pain and suffering.”

Voice 2 Response - “She needs a hug”

Voice 1 - “OK, where did the ”She needs a hug” come from? ! How could I possibly know if she needs a hug? Am I suggesting to myself that I should be the one to hug her?

“After all, I’m a total stranger to her, I’m too old, too fat and I’m White and she’s Black. There’s no way this troubled young lady would want a hug from me!”

“And what would everybody in the restaurant think? They’d think I was a crazy old fool. Or worse, I could be arrested as a sex offender. This ” She needs a hug” is way too scary for me to take a risk!”

Voice 2 Response - “Remember Moses”

Voice 1 - “OK I know Moses took on the most powerful man on earth and was chased by the world’s most powerful army. He wandered in the wilderness while being responsible for hundreds if not thousands of lives. My hug’s scariness factor doesn’t come anywhere close to comparing to Moses.

“And as an old man I find I really don’t care so much about what others think. It’s a benefit of getting old. So OK, maybe if I hugged her, I could handle some humiliation if this hugging thing doesn’t work out. And really now, what are the chances that I’ll be arrested?"

"But I’d really rather not hug her. Surely “There’s plenty of customers and employees in here close to same age and same race who know her and could more appropriately give her the needed hug!” Why should I have to be the one"?

Voice 2 Response - “Look Around”

My observation - I look around as directed. This restaurant is full. Everyone is eating, talking, laughing, phoning, texting, tableting, and working. “Not one single person is paying the slightest attention to my order-taker. She wouldn’t be getting a hug if it were up to them.)

Voice 1 - “OK, I see no one’s aware of this. If she’s needing a hug, I’ll have to be the one to do it.”

Voice 2 Response - “She needs a hug”

Voice 1 - “OK, OK! I got it. She needs a hug! (Now I’m remembering this morning’s lecture “Be aware of and be open to being moved to action by the Holy Ghost”.)

”Is it possible the Holy Ghost is somehow speaking to me through my own thoughts?” Is The Holy Ghost stating an action that I should be moved to do?

“Or is it more likely right here and now I’ve gone totally bonkers and I’m imagining all this? How can I know?”

Voice 2 Response - “Faith”

Voice 1- “I’ve always struggled with this word faith. But let’s say this time right here and now that I take a big leap, and I walk right up to her to give her a big hug. Just what exactly what am I supposed to say to her?”

Voice 2 Response - “Don’t worry. You will know.”

Meal Arrives at My Table - Just then, my burger and fries arrived just like I ordered. I took a deep breath, and my voice 1 asked God for a favor -

Voice 1 - “Can I eat my burger before I hug her? I need a little more time to gather my courage.”

(By now I‘m pretty sure I’m talking to God as “The Holy Ghost” )

Voice 2 Response - “That will be fine.”

Gathering Courage - I tasted every last bite of my yummy burger and my fries. And I slurped my last drop of iced tea from my orange and white striped Whataburger straw. It was now time for me to do the hug. I headed over to the trash, dumped it, and put up my tray. The door was close, so close that I considered running away and no one would know. But if I ran away, I wouldn’t know what could happen and I needed to know. I turned towards the counter, and I looked towards my lady needing a hug. I took three slow deep breaths, and then I said to myself-

Voice 1 - “Let’s do this!”

This is a pencil sketch of my troubled order-taker lady running fast for our hug into my arms

Moved to Action by the Holy Ghost

I walked up to her at the counter and said, “Excuse me.” As I spoke, my order-taker knelt down, and her face dropped below the counter. I’m thinking “What the…? Is she reaching for condiments or is she hiding from me!” A coworker heard me and came to my aid, “May I help you, sir?” I paused, realizing that this was my very last chance to run away. But again, I felt the only way I’d know if I were on a mission for The Holy Ghost, or my mind was playing tricks on me, was for me to follow through with this hug and see what happens. As scary as this was, I chose not to leave.

“I wish to speak with the lady below the counter please.”

I was looking right into the smiling coworker’s face when her jaw dropped to the floor. It seemed as if she was shocked that anyone would want to talk to their problem employee!

After a brief pause, the helpful coworker reached down and tapped my order-taker’s shoulder. The coworker then pointed up towards me and said, “That man wants to talk to you." My order-taker rose from below the counter and faced me. I saw her jaw had dropped in surprise too, just like the co-worker’s. Her eyes were now looking directly into mine and appeared fearful of what I might be about to say.

I knew it was now time for me to say something profound!

“God asked me to give you a hug.”

These were the words that popped from my mouth. They weren’t eloquent, but they were to the point. And then, time froze, and everything went quiet, at least that’s how it seemed to me, and it also seemed as if the lady and I were the only people in the restaurant.

She was looking right at me, and I was looking right at her as she began scrunching up her face as if to cry, but she didn’t. Then she turned and ran towards the end of the counter, and she was dodging and pushing her coworkers out of her way. I remember thinking I’ve never seen anything like this before when she rounded the end of the counter and started running straight for me!

“Oh S%&#!“ I shouted silently to myself, “This hug‘s happening right now!” My arms flew open and her arms opened too. She ran right into me and her head tucked under my chin. Her hair brushed my face and beard as she buried herself into my chest. My arms wrapped around her and held her tightly, and she held me tightly too. I felt I needed to say something important to her soon, but I couldn’t figure out what I should say.

So, I began speaking slowly to give myself time to figure out the words while I was talking. These are my words.

“I don’t know what you are going through right now. But know that God loves you and knows your problems. The pain you are going through will get better with time.”

We continued to hug for another minute or so, until I started feeling awkward and unsure of how long I should continue. I held her for just a bit longer and then I let her go, and she let go of me too. I didn’t know what else to say or what else to do, so I turned and walked quickly to the door. I have no recollection of what the other people in the restaurant were doing or saying. I don’t know if they were staring at us in shock, or even if they noticed us at all. My focus was on my order-taker lady, her hug, and nothing else.

Goose Bumps

I rushed to my car. I wasn’t running but I was walking fast. I noticed my skin was tingling all over with goose bumps. My adrenalin was flowing, and my breathing was really fast too. My hand shakily opened my car door, and I lowered myself into my seat. I sat there frozen for ten minutes with my eyes wide open staring out straight ahead, until I regained my composure. When I knew I could drive safely, I found my way back to the highway and headed home.

I didn’t return to the reverend’s lecture as I’d hoped. I drove straight home and though I had work to do, I kept reliving what had happened at Whataburger over and over and over.

Photo of my thin 14 page book titled 'The Holy Ghost at Whataburger!' with a burger and fries image

Stream of Consciousness

Within days of my experience at Whataburger, I wrote down my thoughts and events of that day as I experienced them, written in a stream of consciousness on my laptop while sitting at home in my office. I included my thoughts from the morning’s Holy Ghost lecture and my trip to the meeting with the zoning official. I included my experience driving around lost trying to find at least one of the two Popeyes restaurants I’d entered into my phone’s Google Maps until I happened upon the Whataburger. I even included my thought I had that “God wants me here.” And finally, I wrote down everything from the moment I walked in the door of the Whataburger till the time I drove off from the parking lot and headed home. I wrote all of it down so I wouldn’t forget anything.

Writer's Block

In the years since, I told The Holy Ghost at Whataburger story many times to family, friends, associates, acquaintances, and even to strangers. I knew my story well but for some reason writing my experience as a short story or a small book was too difficult. Four and a half years passed and all I could write were ten very rough unfinished drafts that didn’t fully capture my experience. I believed I’d never get this story written. But as luck would have it, God sent me inspiration.

There Still is Hope

Just before Thanksgiving two thousand twenty-four I received a small, brown unmarked package in the mail. Inside was a paperback titled, There Still Is Hope, authored by my new friend Pastor Montreal D. Martin of Warren United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. His book talks about the hopelessness and despair he experienced as a fourteen-year-old boy incarcerated as a juvenile, serious offender. The book explains how he and anyone can overcome life’s distractions and obstacles and regain hope by refocusing on God & Jesus.

I was inspired! Maybe there still was hope I could finish my Whataburger story! I reopened my notes and rough drafts and started writing again. This time I didn’t give up. The story’s written from my notes and memory. Some information is adjusted slightly to be clearer to readers without changing the meaning of what was said or what was experienced. Extraneous notes not pertinent to the story were excluded. Months after finishing I continued tweaking words and phrases. My talking-to-myself voice #2, the answering voice which I came to believe was The Holy Ghost, is written exactly as was said with no changes as I remember and per my notes, and same is true for my words to the order-taker lady.

Those of you who’ve had a direct conversation with God in real time within your own mind, please raise your hands! Now I pray to God and Jesus, but this wasn’t like that at all. While sitting and waiting for my whataburger, I came to suspect that one of my own talking-to-myself voices might actually be the Holy Ghost talking to me, and I was struck by how totally unbelievable this was.

How would I know if I TALKed WITH The HOLY GHOST?

Pencil sketch of the burning bush from the Bible

A Burning Bush

I expected that if God ever really talked to me (I doubted He ever would) I’d hear a strong commanding voice coming out of a burning bush or maybe out of thin air. I never imagined Him speaking to me quietly from within my own mind using one of my own familiar talking-to-myself voices. That’s why I wanted to know if I really did have a conversation with The Honest to Goodness Holy Ghost, or if I’d temporarily “gone bonkers!”

I’m not prone to “going bonkers”. I’ve spent my adult life as a responsible licensed professional Architect certified with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. I say this because designing buildings that function, are appealing to look at, fun to live or work in, are coordinated with engineers, landscape architects, and interior designers, and comply with zoning, building, accessibility, and energy codes is difficult enough when you’re mentally stable. I couldn’t do my work if I was having breaks with reality.

Was I disabled, sick, or on drugs?

Nothing I know of could cause me to temporarily break from reality. My mother had a mental illness, schizophrenia, and she constantly saw and heard things that weren’t there. But schizophrenia begins in late teens and early adulthood. I’m way too old to get schizophrenia. My father suffered from alcoholism. I don’t drink. The only drug in my system was my blood pressure medication. My wife and friends say I have a condition called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) of which I’ve not been diagnosed. But I’ve looked up the symptoms and I’m pretty sure they’re right. I take no medication for ADHD, and the symptoms don’t include hearing voices or hallucinating.

I’ve had sleep apnea for years. But I use a CPAP with mask, and I slept well the night before. I know I didn’t fall asleep and dream this while sleep-eating a burger and sleep-hugging the order taker! Theres no medical explanation for me to have had a temporary break with reality. I’ve never heard voices in my head other than my own when I’m talking-to-myself to work things out. I’m mentally stable, even if on occasion my wife, Martha, may disagree!

For Fun

For fun I searched the internet for a definitive, scientific, and medically proven, test to know if I’d been visited by the Holy Ghost. I reasoned, if there was a test, I could take it and determine if I actually conversed with The Holy Ghost. Or, if the test proved otherwise, I’d realize my mind was temporarily missing from action.

Creating My Holy Ghost Test

I didn’t find a Holy Ghost test. So, on my own I developed a totally unscientific, and medically unproven Holy Ghost Test to test my experience that dayand share with everyone. I am a novice when it comes to scripture about The Holy Ghost so my test may be missing biblical validation. But I believe my test makes good points that The Holy Ghost and I were talking together. Those of you more knowledgeable in scripture pertaining to the Holy Ghost, I invite your input.

How My Test Works

When creating my "Holy Ghost Test" I focused on my talking to myself voice #2, the one that I came to believe was the Holy Ghost. In this test I analyze each instance where voice #2 speaks. If I find special knowledge or abilities beyond my own, I then award a point to The Holy Ghost.

But if voice #2 does not have special abilities and seems more like the human me, I award a point to I’m Bonkers. At the end of my test, I total all the points and whoever has the most points, wins.

Then per my test, I’ll know if I was talking to The Holy Ghost, or if I’d gone bonkers! Following is my step-by-step analysis of my Whataburger conversation.

Pencil sketch of my angry order-taker lady's face

1. Testing Starts with The Order-Taker -

Voice #2 knew my order-taker from within her troubled soul, while the other employees and I saw from her exterior as an angry person.

Only a five-word response, “Are you sure she’s angry?” brought me, with a little thought on my part, to a new realization that she could very well be suffering from within.

Comparison – This voice was the Holy Ghost, and not me. I was totally sold on the order-taker being angry. Her internal suffering was unknown to me.