November 1971
I don't know who first told me that Rock and Roll was from the devil, but within the first week I quit listening to it which meant I didn't listen to anything. A lot of the early rock and roll came from down South and it was the Southerners who were also very much against the music that was considered to be from the devil himself.
I heard many preachers wail against it. I was told that when Moses came down from the mountain with the 10 commandments he heard noise in the camp and that noise was rock and roll music (3000 years before it came into being). I was informed that the Rock and Roll beat was straight out of the jungles of Africa. I heard stories of Christian Africans who heard it shuttering at the beat they heard because in the darkest of Africa, non-believing Africans use the same beat to conjure up evil spirits.
I was told Rock and Roll was evil, so I turned off the radio, threw out the few tapes I brought with me (I only remember Paul McCarney's RAM) and prepared to get rid of my 81 albums in Milwaukee, WI next time home.
In hindsight, I don't regret stepping away from Rock for a while, as my whole life was entrenched in Rock and Roll and drugs. Rock and drugs were too connected for me. I needed a time out to evaluate.
Other things that I learned that were bad for Christians were smoking, drinking any alcohol, gambling, dancing (it was considered erotic and led to sex), smoking, and going to movies (theaters may have a G rated movie today but will have an X rated one tomorrow, so the G rated one supports the X rated one). Playing with cards was considered bad to some people, but not others. Those who did consider playing cards evil said that the faces on the face cards were demonic.
Some of these taboos were remnants of the early reactions to Rock and Roll, other taboos came from the influence of the 19th Century holiness movement. I was under the spell of both influences.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Family Finds Out
November 1971
I am the second oldest of three brothers and three sisters. Until I left home my younger brothers and sisters looked up to me for two things in particular:
1. Music - I and my friends usually a step ahead of the rest of our grade for what was good. I listened to a lot of bands before they were big, such as Chicago, Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Mountain, Steve Miller Band, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zepplin, Alice Cooper, and others. Other bands were never big, but were interesting - Bloodwyn Pig, It's a Beautiful Day, D.O.A and the like. My younger brothers and sisters liked what I got.
Marc (my older brother) was into Folk music which didn't spark much interest in me or the others, but he did introduce me to Cat Stevens and Simon and Garfunkel's last album.
2. I was also the model of what not to do with the rest of the kids. They looked at me and decided to take more careful routes to doing things. They still got in trouble, but learned some valuable lessons in how to avoid some of the nastier stuff.
All in all though, we were and still are a close family.
The first night I called home after my conversion, was just after a Wednesday night Bible Study at the house next door to South Side Assemblies of God. I called from there because there was only one phone on the ship. I called collect.
I had planned on keeping my experience with God a secret until I got home on leave (vacation), but my plan didn't work out so well. The first thing my dad said as he answered the phone, "Where are you?" To which I answered, "I'm at church." My dad was audibly bewildered. "What are you doing at a church?" Although I don't remember the rest of our conversation, I do remember my sister Cindy (one year younger than me) getting on the phone, "Ted, what are you doing at a church? Do you know where I'm going right now?" "No," I responded. "I'm going with a friend to a Bible Study."
When I left church in 7th grade it was because Cindy wanted to skip Mass with me...we did and neither one of us went much more. Out of all my syblings I was closest to Cindy. During our High School we grew very close: I dated some of her friends, she dated some of mine; we went to parties together and we shared our struggles, dating advice and triumphs with each other.
The night I called from Jacksonville was her first night of regularly participating in a Bible Study.
I am the second oldest of three brothers and three sisters. Until I left home my younger brothers and sisters looked up to me for two things in particular:
1. Music - I and my friends usually a step ahead of the rest of our grade for what was good. I listened to a lot of bands before they were big, such as Chicago, Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Mountain, Steve Miller Band, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zepplin, Alice Cooper, and others. Other bands were never big, but were interesting - Bloodwyn Pig, It's a Beautiful Day, D.O.A and the like. My younger brothers and sisters liked what I got.
Marc (my older brother) was into Folk music which didn't spark much interest in me or the others, but he did introduce me to Cat Stevens and Simon and Garfunkel's last album.
2. I was also the model of what not to do with the rest of the kids. They looked at me and decided to take more careful routes to doing things. They still got in trouble, but learned some valuable lessons in how to avoid some of the nastier stuff.
All in all though, we were and still are a close family.
The first night I called home after my conversion, was just after a Wednesday night Bible Study at the house next door to South Side Assemblies of God. I called from there because there was only one phone on the ship. I called collect.
I had planned on keeping my experience with God a secret until I got home on leave (vacation), but my plan didn't work out so well. The first thing my dad said as he answered the phone, "Where are you?" To which I answered, "I'm at church." My dad was audibly bewildered. "What are you doing at a church?" Although I don't remember the rest of our conversation, I do remember my sister Cindy (one year younger than me) getting on the phone, "Ted, what are you doing at a church? Do you know where I'm going right now?" "No," I responded. "I'm going with a friend to a Bible Study."
When I left church in 7th grade it was because Cindy wanted to skip Mass with me...we did and neither one of us went much more. Out of all my syblings I was closest to Cindy. During our High School we grew very close: I dated some of her friends, she dated some of mine; we went to parties together and we shared our struggles, dating advice and triumphs with each other.
The night I called from Jacksonville was her first night of regularly participating in a Bible Study.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hitching a Ride with the Southern Baptist
November 1971
I had been to 2 church services, an Assemblies of God (AG) service and a Southern Baptist one. As I touched upon before, the Southern Baptist didn't like the AG type because the AG church encouraged praying in tongues. Actually there's a little more to it than that. First Baptist Church was Fundamentalist and the AG was Pentecostal. Many doctines and teachings are very similar - they both baptize adults only (no children) and they both believe that people must be "born again" which is refered to as "being saved," "having a relationship with Chirst," "giving your life to Christ," etc. But for the Pentecostal believes there is a second experience that a born again believer needs to receive. Although it is not necessary for salvation (having a relationship with God) every believer should seek the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
As the Pentecostals teach it, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience of power and holiness. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the extra boost one needs to live a power filled Christian life. Furthermore the AG teaches that the only way you can know if you have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is if you pray in tongues. If you do not pray in tongues, you are not Baptised with the Spirit and you need to seek it in order to live a better Christian life.
On the other hand most Fundamentalists (Baptist or not) believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same as conversion /being born again. There is no second experience.
With the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Pentecostals (AG is one form of Pentecostal) believe that God gives gifts not only of tongues but of healing, miracle working, prophecies, words of knowledge and other cool stuff the early church did. The Fundamentalist believes that these gifts were for the early church only and not for today, so manifestations of gifts and tongues do not come from God but, as the First Baptist Church claimed, from below.
On the third week of going to church I hitchhiked into town to the AG church from my ship (about 30 miles away). A delightful couple stopped to pick me up. "We know where you're going!" they excitedly announced as if I were a little kid. "You're going to church." They had been to the Baptist church when I was baptised the week before. I knew what they were thinking so I clarified that I was going to the AG church. Panic overtook their faces and for the rest of the ride they tried to convince me to go to their church. When they realized I was not moved they threw their biggest weapon at me, "We have a lot of nice looking girls!" I kept the laughter inside and politely refused their last atttempt.
I knew their church was much bigger than the AG, and I knew that meant more young ladies my age, but that didn't matter to me. I really just wanted to keep on the straight and narrow. Besides the AG church had some nice looking girls too.
I had been to 2 church services, an Assemblies of God (AG) service and a Southern Baptist one. As I touched upon before, the Southern Baptist didn't like the AG type because the AG church encouraged praying in tongues. Actually there's a little more to it than that. First Baptist Church was Fundamentalist and the AG was Pentecostal. Many doctines and teachings are very similar - they both baptize adults only (no children) and they both believe that people must be "born again" which is refered to as "being saved," "having a relationship with Chirst," "giving your life to Christ," etc. But for the Pentecostal believes there is a second experience that a born again believer needs to receive. Although it is not necessary for salvation (having a relationship with God) every believer should seek the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
As the Pentecostals teach it, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience of power and holiness. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the extra boost one needs to live a power filled Christian life. Furthermore the AG teaches that the only way you can know if you have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is if you pray in tongues. If you do not pray in tongues, you are not Baptised with the Spirit and you need to seek it in order to live a better Christian life.
On the other hand most Fundamentalists (Baptist or not) believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same as conversion /being born again. There is no second experience.
With the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Pentecostals (AG is one form of Pentecostal) believe that God gives gifts not only of tongues but of healing, miracle working, prophecies, words of knowledge and other cool stuff the early church did. The Fundamentalist believes that these gifts were for the early church only and not for today, so manifestations of gifts and tongues do not come from God but, as the First Baptist Church claimed, from below.
On the third week of going to church I hitchhiked into town to the AG church from my ship (about 30 miles away). A delightful couple stopped to pick me up. "We know where you're going!" they excitedly announced as if I were a little kid. "You're going to church." They had been to the Baptist church when I was baptised the week before. I knew what they were thinking so I clarified that I was going to the AG church. Panic overtook their faces and for the rest of the ride they tried to convince me to go to their church. When they realized I was not moved they threw their biggest weapon at me, "We have a lot of nice looking girls!" I kept the laughter inside and politely refused their last atttempt.
I knew their church was much bigger than the AG, and I knew that meant more young ladies my age, but that didn't matter to me. I really just wanted to keep on the straight and narrow. Besides the AG church had some nice looking girls too.
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Assemblies of God
Pentecostalism was born out of the Methodist Holiness Movement of the 19th Century. At the turn of the 20th Century a Black preacher in Azusa, CA started a prayer meeting that grew and grew and grew. He taught that Christians should seek the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
Continuing night and day for years, the revival drew Blacks and Whites into common fellowship until eventually the different groups broke away and started several denominations for different purposes. The dominant White group became the Assemblies of God (the AG). The larger part of the Blacks chose to settle into the Church of God in Christ (thus turning the denomination into a Pentecostal one).
The AG grew more and more attracting poor people, so it faced rejection by wealthier and more proper churches. Throughout its history, the AG has had its share of Faith Healers and Foot Stompin' preachers.
Pentecostalism began climbing the econoomic classes naturally and gained acceptance by other Christians in part because Billy Graham reached out a friendly hand to them in the late 1950s.
Continuing night and day for years, the revival drew Blacks and Whites into common fellowship until eventually the different groups broke away and started several denominations for different purposes. The dominant White group became the Assemblies of God (the AG). The larger part of the Blacks chose to settle into the Church of God in Christ (thus turning the denomination into a Pentecostal one).
The AG grew more and more attracting poor people, so it faced rejection by wealthier and more proper churches. Throughout its history, the AG has had its share of Faith Healers and Foot Stompin' preachers.
Pentecostalism began climbing the econoomic classes naturally and gained acceptance by other Christians in part because Billy Graham reached out a friendly hand to them in the late 1950s.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
South Side Assembly of God
November 1971
South Side AG was obviously Pentecostal. Church services lasted about 2 hours with music for the first hour, and an hour long message afterward.
The Service:
The Pastor's son P.D. Zink led the worship with a 30 to 40 voice choir. The choir sang Southern Gospel music (Oak Ridge Boys, Dottie Rambo, Nancy Harmon and the Victory Voices, Andre Crouch and others). The choir rocked.
I grew up in a church where people quietly sang or didn't sing at all. Everybody sang at South Side AG. The choir belted out the songs and the congregation clapped and sang along. Worship was filled with loud Southern Gospel music.
Prayer seemed almost chaotic. When P.D. prayed, everybody prayed along, out loud. Some would pray in tongues and others would pray in regular English. The church was always noisy.
Occasionally as the prayer time began to quiet down one person (usually on lady) would pray out loud in tongues. That meant that God was going to give us a message / an interpretation of the tongues. Seconds later somebody else would give a message in English that was suppose to be a message straight from God. Typically the message had to do with how close the return of Christ was and how prepared we should be.
The Message:
Dale Zink gave the message, he was the pastor. In the 1970s we titled each other Brother or Sister - so I was Brother Ted. Pastor Zink was Brother Zink. Brother Zink preached a lot about the end times. We lived minutes away from the return of Jesus. I believed that Jesus was so close that within the year the Church would be raptured away to meet Him in the air. Although Brother Zink talked about the end times every sermon I remember, occasionally the choir was so good, and P.D. did such a good job with the choir that the church service got wrapped up in prayer. Brother Zink would step up in front of the congregation with tears in his eyes and tell us that he wouldn't preach because God was already doing such a great work, and that the congregation should continue in prayer seeking after God. He opened up the altar (the front of the church) for prayer.
Throughout the congregation people wept, people got right with God, people went forward to the front of the church for prayer and for starting their lives of faith in Christ.
The 17 months I stayed in Jacksonville the church doubled in size becoming well over 500 attenders.
Today Bishop Paul Zink is the pastor of New Life Church in Jacksonville.
South Side AG was obviously Pentecostal. Church services lasted about 2 hours with music for the first hour, and an hour long message afterward.
The Service:
The Pastor's son P.D. Zink led the worship with a 30 to 40 voice choir. The choir sang Southern Gospel music (Oak Ridge Boys, Dottie Rambo, Nancy Harmon and the Victory Voices, Andre Crouch and others). The choir rocked.
I grew up in a church where people quietly sang or didn't sing at all. Everybody sang at South Side AG. The choir belted out the songs and the congregation clapped and sang along. Worship was filled with loud Southern Gospel music.
Prayer seemed almost chaotic. When P.D. prayed, everybody prayed along, out loud. Some would pray in tongues and others would pray in regular English. The church was always noisy.
Occasionally as the prayer time began to quiet down one person (usually on lady) would pray out loud in tongues. That meant that God was going to give us a message / an interpretation of the tongues. Seconds later somebody else would give a message in English that was suppose to be a message straight from God. Typically the message had to do with how close the return of Christ was and how prepared we should be.
The Message:
Dale Zink gave the message, he was the pastor. In the 1970s we titled each other Brother or Sister - so I was Brother Ted. Pastor Zink was Brother Zink. Brother Zink preached a lot about the end times. We lived minutes away from the return of Jesus. I believed that Jesus was so close that within the year the Church would be raptured away to meet Him in the air. Although Brother Zink talked about the end times every sermon I remember, occasionally the choir was so good, and P.D. did such a good job with the choir that the church service got wrapped up in prayer. Brother Zink would step up in front of the congregation with tears in his eyes and tell us that he wouldn't preach because God was already doing such a great work, and that the congregation should continue in prayer seeking after God. He opened up the altar (the front of the church) for prayer.
Throughout the congregation people wept, people got right with God, people went forward to the front of the church for prayer and for starting their lives of faith in Christ.
The 17 months I stayed in Jacksonville the church doubled in size becoming well over 500 attenders.
Today Bishop Paul Zink is the pastor of New Life Church in Jacksonville.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Witnessing with Ray
December 1971
I met Ray at Wednesday Bible Study. He was a rather large fun loving guy who lived and breathed Jesus. I met him talking after my second week Bible Study. He discovered that I was hitchhiking everywhere so he offered me a ride on the back of an Indian motorcycle he was borrowing from some Christian Navy guy. I told him the Coast Guard station was next to the Navy station so we drove 30 miles in pouring rain on freeways before we realized that we were going to the wrong Navy station and had to turn back the complete opposite way.
I was a guy, Ray was a guy, the motorcycle had no back bars, so rather than be safe with my life and holding on to Ray (Ray liked to drive really fast), I grasped on to the back of the seat for dear life in the middle of a torrential downpour for 75 plus miles. It took about an hour and a half before I got to the ship. I was cold and wet, but I lived.
Ray borrowed the motorcycle from a Navy man as I mentioned, so that he could work on it, tuning it up and helping it to work better, but within 2 weeks, Ray had driven it to the ground. It was ruined. The Navy guy was not too happy with Ray when he found out.
Ray and I became immediate best friends doing just about everything together including witnessing. Now for those of you who do not know what witnessing is, I was told that Christians should tell others about Jesus so that they too can have opportunity to become Christian.
Ray and I had been out doing stuff one day when we decided to stop at a Jack-in-the-Box fast food restaurant. Ray and I ordered hamburgers, fries and shakes and then sat down at a bench to wait for our order. Ray began a conversation with a young man holding a beer in his hand. As Ray talked about Christ, the man with the beer was interested in everything Ray said.
I, however, was thinking that Ray should get to the point and tell this guy that his beer was evil. So when our order came up and Ray got up to get it, I told the man with the beer, "The Bible says that you shouldn't drink beer." His whole face changed. Instant conviction of God did not come over him as I thought it would. Instead, he turned to me with a scowl, "Where does it say that?"
I fumbled in my bible (the King James one I carried with me everywhere I went) and prayed and hoped that God would direct me miraculously to the verse that says, "You shall not drink beer. You shall not sip beer, for if you do the Lord will smite you with hot irons." Actually I was hoping to get anything simple like, "Thou shalt not drink beer." I fumbled and searched and was embarrassed. I couldn't find it because it wasn't there. There is no place in the bible that even mentions beer and the only place it speaks against drinking is when the bible warns about drinking too much wine. But I was new to this whole thing and thought I'd help the bible along by filling in with what I thought was needed.
Ray came back with the food and by quoting a few verses of scripture and keeping things simple the man with the beer once again focused on everything Ray said, asking good questions and then praying to receive Christ.
I learned 2 big lessons that day. First, God doesn't need extra help. The bible is enough. Stay with the bible and God will do the rest. Second, Ray told me afterward, "If you want a dog to drop his bone, don't try to take it out of his mouth, give him steak."
I met Ray at Wednesday Bible Study. He was a rather large fun loving guy who lived and breathed Jesus. I met him talking after my second week Bible Study. He discovered that I was hitchhiking everywhere so he offered me a ride on the back of an Indian motorcycle he was borrowing from some Christian Navy guy. I told him the Coast Guard station was next to the Navy station so we drove 30 miles in pouring rain on freeways before we realized that we were going to the wrong Navy station and had to turn back the complete opposite way.
I was a guy, Ray was a guy, the motorcycle had no back bars, so rather than be safe with my life and holding on to Ray (Ray liked to drive really fast), I grasped on to the back of the seat for dear life in the middle of a torrential downpour for 75 plus miles. It took about an hour and a half before I got to the ship. I was cold and wet, but I lived.
Ray borrowed the motorcycle from a Navy man as I mentioned, so that he could work on it, tuning it up and helping it to work better, but within 2 weeks, Ray had driven it to the ground. It was ruined. The Navy guy was not too happy with Ray when he found out.
Ray and I became immediate best friends doing just about everything together including witnessing. Now for those of you who do not know what witnessing is, I was told that Christians should tell others about Jesus so that they too can have opportunity to become Christian.
Ray and I had been out doing stuff one day when we decided to stop at a Jack-in-the-Box fast food restaurant. Ray and I ordered hamburgers, fries and shakes and then sat down at a bench to wait for our order. Ray began a conversation with a young man holding a beer in his hand. As Ray talked about Christ, the man with the beer was interested in everything Ray said.
I, however, was thinking that Ray should get to the point and tell this guy that his beer was evil. So when our order came up and Ray got up to get it, I told the man with the beer, "The Bible says that you shouldn't drink beer." His whole face changed. Instant conviction of God did not come over him as I thought it would. Instead, he turned to me with a scowl, "Where does it say that?"
I fumbled in my bible (the King James one I carried with me everywhere I went) and prayed and hoped that God would direct me miraculously to the verse that says, "You shall not drink beer. You shall not sip beer, for if you do the Lord will smite you with hot irons." Actually I was hoping to get anything simple like, "Thou shalt not drink beer." I fumbled and searched and was embarrassed. I couldn't find it because it wasn't there. There is no place in the bible that even mentions beer and the only place it speaks against drinking is when the bible warns about drinking too much wine. But I was new to this whole thing and thought I'd help the bible along by filling in with what I thought was needed.
Ray came back with the food and by quoting a few verses of scripture and keeping things simple the man with the beer once again focused on everything Ray said, asking good questions and then praying to receive Christ.
I learned 2 big lessons that day. First, God doesn't need extra help. The bible is enough. Stay with the bible and God will do the rest. Second, Ray told me afterward, "If you want a dog to drop his bone, don't try to take it out of his mouth, give him steak."
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Healing
December 1971
As Christmas was approaching, I began dating a young lady from church (we only dated a couple of weeks). While we were dating we went with a church group to sing Christmas carols at a local Convelescent Home.
While we were singing a carol to a few older ladies, I had a feeling inside of me... like what it must be like from one of the old lady's view, listening to the singing but unable to hear very well. I felt deep sorrow for my imagined person and inwardly prayed for hearing healing. We finished the song and a lady in the group with tears in her eyes told us, "While you were singing God healed my hearing. I am so happy, now my son will take me back home."
I didn't tell anybody what I experienced, but I somehow knew that the lady would not go home even if she could hear. She was old.
2018 UPDATE
I also remember that while we sang, the burden I felt was for someone to be able to hear long enough for us to sing. I didn't know it then, but temporary healing was and is common in Christian circles, but poorly understood and wrongly explained.
As Christmas was approaching, I began dating a young lady from church (we only dated a couple of weeks). While we were dating we went with a church group to sing Christmas carols at a local Convelescent Home.
While we were singing a carol to a few older ladies, I had a feeling inside of me... like what it must be like from one of the old lady's view, listening to the singing but unable to hear very well. I felt deep sorrow for my imagined person and inwardly prayed for hearing healing. We finished the song and a lady in the group with tears in her eyes told us, "While you were singing God healed my hearing. I am so happy, now my son will take me back home."
I didn't tell anybody what I experienced, but I somehow knew that the lady would not go home even if she could hear. She was old.
2018 UPDATE
I also remember that while we sang, the burden I felt was for someone to be able to hear long enough for us to sing. I didn't know it then, but temporary healing was and is common in Christian circles, but poorly understood and wrongly explained.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)