JUNE 1973
From time to time I would stay over at Ray's house for a day or two, just to hang around. On two occasions one of Ray's other friends also came over for the night. His friend was in charge of taking local calls for a national program called Love Lines, so for those two nights he transferred Love Lines to Ray's house.
Love Lines was a national program that featured Rock and Roll music with an anouncer who would preach the gospel and invite people to call in. Everybody calling in from Jacksonville would actually call into Ray's house on the 2 nights Ray's friend hooked up his phones at Ray's house. In other words, people would hear a program originating in New York, but when they called in from Jacksonville, they called into Ray's house.
The three of us took turns answering calls. When it was Ray's turn he got a call from a woman on the verge of divorce. Telling Ray about one problem after another about her relationship, Ray interupted her and asked her point blank, "How are you doing with the Lord?" After some thought she told Ray she wasn't doing too well so Ray focused on that for the rest of the conversation and led her to the Lord that night.
One year later, the second night we had the Love Line phones at Ray's house, when it was Ray's turn to take the phone, he got a call from the same lady he talked to a year previously. She called for the first time since she talked to Ray a year ago just to say she was thankful that since she gave her life to Christ, her life had turned around and her marriage was doing great.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Charleston, SC
July 1973
I moved to Charleston having resigned myself to the fact that I was going to the worst place/ship I could think of. I was no longer depressed about it, but I did feel like had to go and I had to deal with it as best I could. Charleston was a 4 hour drive from Jacksonville which was the center of my universe that included the church I loved, my new girl friend and most of my good friends including Ray.
I spent many weekends driving back and forth between Charleston and Jacksonville finding different adventures not only on the ship but on the drive to and from Jacksonville.
The weekends I did stay in Charleston I went to the largest Pentecostal Church of God in the U.S. It was several hundred people who attended, most of whom were under the age of 12. The Pastor and his wife were from South Africa and very nice people, but the church offered no other fellowship from people my age.
I moved to Charleston having resigned myself to the fact that I was going to the worst place/ship I could think of. I was no longer depressed about it, but I did feel like had to go and I had to deal with it as best I could. Charleston was a 4 hour drive from Jacksonville which was the center of my universe that included the church I loved, my new girl friend and most of my good friends including Ray.
I spent many weekends driving back and forth between Charleston and Jacksonville finding different adventures not only on the ship but on the drive to and from Jacksonville.
The weekends I did stay in Charleston I went to the largest Pentecostal Church of God in the U.S. It was several hundred people who attended, most of whom were under the age of 12. The Pastor and his wife were from South Africa and very nice people, but the church offered no other fellowship from people my age.
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Guy at the Picnic Table Somewhere in GA
August 1973
The Setting:
- Sunday afternoon after church in Jacksonville, after saying goodbye to my girlfriend Dru.
- Somewhere along HWY 95 in Georgia driving to Charleston.
- Stopping at 7-11 to get a Coke to wake me up on a tiring drive.
- Man sitting alone at a picnic table on the side of the parking lot.
- I am walking to the store from my car and see him at the table.
- I am struggling inside.
"Should I talk to him? I don't really think I should; I should ask him if he would like to hear about Jesus. That would be stupid. O.K. I'll talk to him, but I am not going to ask him if he would like to hear about Jesus. Not that, anything else. That is so..."
"Excuse me sir, would you like to hear about Jesus?" I couldn't think of anything else to say and I felt so embarrassed by what was coming out of my mouth.
The man looked up, "Right now there's nothing else I'd rather hear about!" I couldn't believe what I heard; I told him, "Just a minute, I'll be right back," then went to my car, got my Bible, went to the picnic table and sat down with my Bible across from the man who wanted to hear about Jesus.
His brother was a Pentecostal Christian who died 2 weeks ago. He had been drinking non-stop since then. We prayed, he gave his life to Christ and I told him something I never told anybody or dared to tell anybody since. He worked at the liquor store across the street from the 7/11, so I told him he should trust the Lord and get another job. I was simply thinking that with a possible drinking problem, it may not be good for him as a new Christian to work at a liquor store. He agreed and talked to me about a place he could move to.
2 weeks later I stopped at the liquor store to visit him and was told, "He left two weeks ago, we don't know where he went."
The Setting:
- Sunday afternoon after church in Jacksonville, after saying goodbye to my girlfriend Dru.
- Somewhere along HWY 95 in Georgia driving to Charleston.
- Stopping at 7-11 to get a Coke to wake me up on a tiring drive.
- Man sitting alone at a picnic table on the side of the parking lot.
- I am walking to the store from my car and see him at the table.
- I am struggling inside.
"Should I talk to him? I don't really think I should; I should ask him if he would like to hear about Jesus. That would be stupid. O.K. I'll talk to him, but I am not going to ask him if he would like to hear about Jesus. Not that, anything else. That is so..."
"Excuse me sir, would you like to hear about Jesus?" I couldn't think of anything else to say and I felt so embarrassed by what was coming out of my mouth.
The man looked up, "Right now there's nothing else I'd rather hear about!" I couldn't believe what I heard; I told him, "Just a minute, I'll be right back," then went to my car, got my Bible, went to the picnic table and sat down with my Bible across from the man who wanted to hear about Jesus.
His brother was a Pentecostal Christian who died 2 weeks ago. He had been drinking non-stop since then. We prayed, he gave his life to Christ and I told him something I never told anybody or dared to tell anybody since. He worked at the liquor store across the street from the 7/11, so I told him he should trust the Lord and get another job. I was simply thinking that with a possible drinking problem, it may not be good for him as a new Christian to work at a liquor store. He agreed and talked to me about a place he could move to.
2 weeks later I stopped at the liquor store to visit him and was told, "He left two weeks ago, we don't know where he went."
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Between 2 Churches
SOMEWHERE IN TIME
I got a call from one of my brothers. Evidently some people (besides me) had been trying to convince them to try out an Assemblies of God church that was growing strong in Milwaukee and evidently they were thinking about it until they ran into a certain situation.
Their friend, who was a girl their age, was in a hospital bed recovering from something or another. Two groups of Christians came to visit her. The first group, from the AG church, prayed with her for healing and when she got none on the spot they told her she was lacking faith.
After they left, she cried.
The next group, from Elmbrook Church came shortly after. They prayed with her; some prayed that she would be healed but when no healing came they were o.k. with that because for reasons we don't understand God doesn't always heal. They talked with her and comforted her.
When they left, she was comforted.
Based on this my brothers decided not to pursue the Pentecostal (Assemblies of God) experience. Even as a Pentecostal I had to admit they made the right decision... because out of faith, hope and love, love is the most important.
I got a call from one of my brothers. Evidently some people (besides me) had been trying to convince them to try out an Assemblies of God church that was growing strong in Milwaukee and evidently they were thinking about it until they ran into a certain situation.
Their friend, who was a girl their age, was in a hospital bed recovering from something or another. Two groups of Christians came to visit her. The first group, from the AG church, prayed with her for healing and when she got none on the spot they told her she was lacking faith.
After they left, she cried.
The next group, from Elmbrook Church came shortly after. They prayed with her; some prayed that she would be healed but when no healing came they were o.k. with that because for reasons we don't understand God doesn't always heal. They talked with her and comforted her.
When they left, she was comforted.
Based on this my brothers decided not to pursue the Pentecostal (Assemblies of God) experience. Even as a Pentecostal I had to admit they made the right decision... because out of faith, hope and love, love is the most important.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Danny
AUGUST 1973
I met Danny on the U.S. Pawpaw - the ship I never wanted to be on. I talked to him about Christ and he gave his life to Christ.
I was very good at evangelism, but like Brian who led me to Christ, I wasn't the best with helping people in discipleship. There were two reasons I was not good at follow up:
1. Most of the people I led to Christ were hitchhikers, people I met on beaches and parks or in front of bars. I never saw them after I prayed with them.
2. I was never taught how to disciple others. Nobody discipled me when I became a Christian - so I put everybody in God's hands just like I was put in God's hands.
With Danny things were a little different. I lived on the same ship with him for four months so I got to help him grow, besides, he came to me regularly with questions.
The day I led him to Christ I prayed with him to be baptised with the Holy Spirit. I did that with everybody I led to Christ but nothing ever happened when I was with the others. Right after they prayed to receive Christ, I told them that they should pray to be baptised with the H.S. and I would pray with them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I also told them that they might pray in an unknown language and not to be afraid of it, but no one ever did. I didn't worry about it either, because people don't always "feel" some powerful experience when they become Christian or feel like they receive a fuller experience - I never felt anything when I started my life of faith.
The day after I prayed with Danny, he came to me quite concerned because he didn't know what to make of an experience he had during the night. In the middle of the night he woke up with his arms in the air and he was praying in another language. I had never told him about the Pentecostal practice of lifting up hands to worship, but I did tell him about tongues the day before. I let him know that it was o.k. and what happened was good.
I met Danny on the U.S. Pawpaw - the ship I never wanted to be on. I talked to him about Christ and he gave his life to Christ.
I was very good at evangelism, but like Brian who led me to Christ, I wasn't the best with helping people in discipleship. There were two reasons I was not good at follow up:
1. Most of the people I led to Christ were hitchhikers, people I met on beaches and parks or in front of bars. I never saw them after I prayed with them.
2. I was never taught how to disciple others. Nobody discipled me when I became a Christian - so I put everybody in God's hands just like I was put in God's hands.
With Danny things were a little different. I lived on the same ship with him for four months so I got to help him grow, besides, he came to me regularly with questions.
The day I led him to Christ I prayed with him to be baptised with the Holy Spirit. I did that with everybody I led to Christ but nothing ever happened when I was with the others. Right after they prayed to receive Christ, I told them that they should pray to be baptised with the H.S. and I would pray with them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I also told them that they might pray in an unknown language and not to be afraid of it, but no one ever did. I didn't worry about it either, because people don't always "feel" some powerful experience when they become Christian or feel like they receive a fuller experience - I never felt anything when I started my life of faith.
The day after I prayed with Danny, he came to me quite concerned because he didn't know what to make of an experience he had during the night. In the middle of the night he woke up with his arms in the air and he was praying in another language. I had never told him about the Pentecostal practice of lifting up hands to worship, but I did tell him about tongues the day before. I let him know that it was o.k. and what happened was good.
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
I already talked about the Pentecostal (IE: Assembly of God) teaching about the Holy Spirit baptism, but I have not really given you my own version as I have experienced dozens of churches and studied as many, searched the scriptures and examined my own experience with God.
It is difficult to put the Holy Spirit in a box, as many on several sides do.
1. There are those who say the Filling of the Holy Spirit or Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same as being born again, and there are no further fillings.
2. There are those who say that the experience the Apostles had with gifts, tongues and filling of the H.S. was only for their day.
3. There are those who say the Baptism of the H.S. is after conversion and always evidenced by tongues.
4. There are those who say the Baptism of the H.S. is after conversion but may not be evidenced by tongues.
From the Bible I learn that:
1. Paul associates the filling of the H.S. with repentance and baptism (the 3 are never separated in Paul's writings).
2. Even though theologically they are one and the same, experimentally in the early church, the book of Acts separates the experiences of repentance, baptism and the Baptism of the H.S. in different ways. One church receives the H.S. then is baptized, one is baptized and then receives the H.S., Paul asks certain people if they received the H.S. since they believed. The Samaritan church became believers long before Peter came and prayed with them to receive the H.S. To top off the list, John the Baptist was filled with the H.S. from his mother's womb.
Because we like to put God's work in theological boxes, all these are explained in different ways to fit whatever box a group likes. Good Bible scholars are in each camp and are ignored or refuted by other good Bible scholars.
My Conclusion:
God does what he wants - get over it. There are fillings we should seek, not just one experience, but regularly. Spiritual Christians are in all kinds of churches as are some really bad Christians. Not everybody gets the same experiences in the same ways.
It is difficult to put the Holy Spirit in a box, as many on several sides do.
1. There are those who say the Filling of the Holy Spirit or Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same as being born again, and there are no further fillings.
2. There are those who say that the experience the Apostles had with gifts, tongues and filling of the H.S. was only for their day.
3. There are those who say the Baptism of the H.S. is after conversion and always evidenced by tongues.
4. There are those who say the Baptism of the H.S. is after conversion but may not be evidenced by tongues.
From the Bible I learn that:
1. Paul associates the filling of the H.S. with repentance and baptism (the 3 are never separated in Paul's writings).
2. Even though theologically they are one and the same, experimentally in the early church, the book of Acts separates the experiences of repentance, baptism and the Baptism of the H.S. in different ways. One church receives the H.S. then is baptized, one is baptized and then receives the H.S., Paul asks certain people if they received the H.S. since they believed. The Samaritan church became believers long before Peter came and prayed with them to receive the H.S. To top off the list, John the Baptist was filled with the H.S. from his mother's womb.
Because we like to put God's work in theological boxes, all these are explained in different ways to fit whatever box a group likes. Good Bible scholars are in each camp and are ignored or refuted by other good Bible scholars.
My Conclusion:
God does what he wants - get over it. There are fillings we should seek, not just one experience, but regularly. Spiritual Christians are in all kinds of churches as are some really bad Christians. Not everybody gets the same experiences in the same ways.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Catholics
If you have been reading my blogs from the beginning it will come as no surprise to you that I was brought up Roman Catholic attending Catholic schools until I was out of 8th Grade. I hated school, I needed to get out of my house and get on my own, and I wanted nothing to do with church. That sums up my life before November 1971.
Just weeks before I turned 19 I dedicated my life to Christ and was then emmersed into Southern Pentecostal and Charismatic Protestant culture which did not like Catholics which was the results of Centuries of anti Catholicism in the U.S., especially down South.
In 1785 there were fewer than 0.6% Catholics in this country - that's less than 1%. In the 1800s Catholics (half of which were Irish) integrated into the U.S. with a huge cultural backlash from the Protestants, many of who decided that Catholicism was the "Whore of Babylon." Persecution and even murder of Catholics increased at alarming rate as Catholics were blamed for disease, violence, and raising taxes.
Eventually the Catholic Church has found its way into American culture, but were still under a cloud of persecution and suspician. Even today the Catholic Church is considered the "Whore of Babylon" by many Protestants and End Time Fictional books.
When I dedicated my life to Christ I entered into that anti-Catholic world. I read books claiming that the Catholic Church was the church of the Anti-Christ and I was still under the influence of my own personal anti-Catholic Church feelings from my childhood.
As all my brothers and sisters and I became Born-again believers, we argued with my parents who stayed Catholic. I must confess, we made it very hard for them for awhile, but eventually we calmed down and the arguments faded away and love once again rule the house.
Almost 40 years later I can now say I have met good Christians who are still Catholic and I can now see that even though I was anti-Catholic for years, even then my Catholic upbringing was big part of my Christian walk, behind the scenes where I didn't see it. Here are some examples:
1. Catachism - I didn't learn how to have a personal relationship with God, but I learned about who God is. When I surrendered my life to Christ I had a large part of my Christian worldview already in place. It needed a bit of tweeking, but I understood a lot about who God was, heaven, hell, angels, demons, and so on.
2. The Holiness of God - Evangelicalism has an amazing gift in their focus on a relationship with Christ. Unfortunately, this focus on the nearness of God (the imminence of God) all too often deflects us away from the holiness of God - or in other words the fact that God is separate, high above and holy. Holiness means separate.
3. The Fear of God - The fear of God is also all too often neglected when we focus on the friendship of God. Hebrews 12 teaches us that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The writer of Hebrews was talking to Christians!
4. Discipline - Although I quit the church in 7th grade, I learned certain things that are crucial to the Christian walk such as going to church every Sunday. I never questioned it after I stared a new life in Christ, I just knew Christians went to church on Sundays.
5. The Knowledge and Severity of Sin - Every Catholic in my days grew up learning that they were sinners. Sin defined for us, its seriousness was emphasised and we were given ways to deal with it. Protestants do deal with it in different ways (through prayer and repentence rather than through Confession) but few Protestant churches can match what I learned about the seriousness of sin.
These are things that took me years to be able to see. Back in my younger days, I was convinced that the Catholic Church had nothing good in it at all and as I mentioned, several of us in our family discussed our views with my parents. In the end, although they continued in the Catholic Church, I am told that they did some soul searching and grew stronger in their faith.
Just weeks before I turned 19 I dedicated my life to Christ and was then emmersed into Southern Pentecostal and Charismatic Protestant culture which did not like Catholics which was the results of Centuries of anti Catholicism in the U.S., especially down South.
In 1785 there were fewer than 0.6% Catholics in this country - that's less than 1%. In the 1800s Catholics (half of which were Irish) integrated into the U.S. with a huge cultural backlash from the Protestants, many of who decided that Catholicism was the "Whore of Babylon." Persecution and even murder of Catholics increased at alarming rate as Catholics were blamed for disease, violence, and raising taxes.
Eventually the Catholic Church has found its way into American culture, but were still under a cloud of persecution and suspician. Even today the Catholic Church is considered the "Whore of Babylon" by many Protestants and End Time Fictional books.
When I dedicated my life to Christ I entered into that anti-Catholic world. I read books claiming that the Catholic Church was the church of the Anti-Christ and I was still under the influence of my own personal anti-Catholic Church feelings from my childhood.
As all my brothers and sisters and I became Born-again believers, we argued with my parents who stayed Catholic. I must confess, we made it very hard for them for awhile, but eventually we calmed down and the arguments faded away and love once again rule the house.
Almost 40 years later I can now say I have met good Christians who are still Catholic and I can now see that even though I was anti-Catholic for years, even then my Catholic upbringing was big part of my Christian walk, behind the scenes where I didn't see it. Here are some examples:
1. Catachism - I didn't learn how to have a personal relationship with God, but I learned about who God is. When I surrendered my life to Christ I had a large part of my Christian worldview already in place. It needed a bit of tweeking, but I understood a lot about who God was, heaven, hell, angels, demons, and so on.
2. The Holiness of God - Evangelicalism has an amazing gift in their focus on a relationship with Christ. Unfortunately, this focus on the nearness of God (the imminence of God) all too often deflects us away from the holiness of God - or in other words the fact that God is separate, high above and holy. Holiness means separate.
3. The Fear of God - The fear of God is also all too often neglected when we focus on the friendship of God. Hebrews 12 teaches us that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The writer of Hebrews was talking to Christians!
4. Discipline - Although I quit the church in 7th grade, I learned certain things that are crucial to the Christian walk such as going to church every Sunday. I never questioned it after I stared a new life in Christ, I just knew Christians went to church on Sundays.
5. The Knowledge and Severity of Sin - Every Catholic in my days grew up learning that they were sinners. Sin defined for us, its seriousness was emphasised and we were given ways to deal with it. Protestants do deal with it in different ways (through prayer and repentence rather than through Confession) but few Protestant churches can match what I learned about the seriousness of sin.
These are things that took me years to be able to see. Back in my younger days, I was convinced that the Catholic Church had nothing good in it at all and as I mentioned, several of us in our family discussed our views with my parents. In the end, although they continued in the Catholic Church, I am told that they did some soul searching and grew stronger in their faith.
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