I would think the expression that people use when saying they were ‘raised in church’ may have various connotations to different folks. I would say that all three of our daughters would agree with that assessment that they were ‘raised in church’; but speaking for myself personally, I would say that was not the case.

Now don’t get me wrong...I was raised in a good home by two loving parents who lovingly provided for my brothers and I...everything that countless millions around the world could only dream of having; and yes...we attended church weekly. Prayers were offered nightly before we ate dinner, when younger...there were ‘bed time prayers’ we recited, and there were various activities and rituals that we took part in over the years that were ‘church related’. And while there was a general belief or awareness that a ‘God’ existed, I can’t say there was any ongoing consciousness of Him being a part of my daily life. We just lived our lives the best we knew to do and naturally assumed that when we died...we just go to heaven; end of story.

One thing that was clearly absent from my childhood and into my teen years was any semblance of Bible reading. In our particular denomination, it just was not a ‘thing’. We did hear various readings from the Bible in the church services, followed up by a homily, or sermon from the minister...so yes, I was aware of various stories found in the gospels along with the basics which included the ‘Christmas story’ and the ‘Easter story’. But when it came to possessing any form of Bible knowledge, I was pretty ignorant.

Fast-forward to my first year of college in Arizona where going to church weekly was no longer a priority as I pursued other interest and ‘pleasures’. Then, after my first year of school was finished, I chose to take a year off and continue living out there to establish residency before I figured out what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I know I learned a lot more about ‘life in general’ over the next 12 months than I ever did at ASU. Welcome to punching a clock 6-days a week, working the 4-12P shift in a factory with Tuesdays being my only day off for that first year. Yes, the money was good for a 19 year old with few skills or education, but I learned quickly that there was more to life than making a good paycheck.

The purchase of a nice motorcycle was my only ‘extravagant’ expenditure that first year and I did enjoy getting out on the open road which I did every chance I had. In fact, I was so enamored with doing short road trips and going off to camp in the mountains on occasion, that when talk surfaced of a possible layoff (or strike)...I began mapping out a cross country ride that would take me up the west coast before crossing over into the Rocky Mountains. I actually had this ‘vision’ of sitting on the edge of some snowcapped mountain and reading various self-help books, philosophy books, and yes...I even had it on my mind to bring a Bible along. You might say I was trying to ‘find myself’ as I wanted to figure out what life was all about. So it seemed like a good idea to bring a Bible along ...because, well...you know- it’s the Bible! I should also mention here that my only other real ‘guilty pleasure’ I indulged in was I smoked a good amount of ‘cannabis’ or ‘weed’ during that first year.

There was a gentleman at work who happened to be one of my foremen and had taken an interest in me, having been an ex-military man himself and who enjoyed riding motorcycles. (I had told him that I was an ‘Army Brat’ and been raised traveling around the world.). So during breaks and such, we’d just have some good conversations. There was one particular evening that I told him about my planned trip up the coast and was hoping we’d know soon when that window of opportunity was going to open. I even felt a liberty to share with him my planned ‘book list’ that I was going to take, and when I mentioned the Bible to him, there was a little spark in his eye and all he did was casually offer this piece of advice:

“When you open the Bible to read it, be sure to pray beforehand and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the truth from God’s word because the Bible was written by the Spirit as He moved upon men to write all that was in it.” And that certainly piqued my curiosity, for he seemed to know something about this ‘book’ that I was clueless on.

Call me naïve or whatever, but I had no built-in or preconceived resistance to hearing...what the Bible had to say, and so I started reading and then asking questions. And with every question I asked, I was given a scripture in response. What I remember most was when I ‘heard the word of God’...there was something that just resonated within me as if I could sense something bearing witness within my own soul. I’m sure there were things that I may have ‘blinked on’ or wanted more clarification on, but my heart was open to hearing God’s word which Jesus likened to being a ‘seed’...that can actually land on ‘good ground’, i.e. a fertile heart. You might want to read the parable of the sower found in Mark 4, sometime.

Believe it or not, I was 20 years old in 1980 and heard for the first time that a person must be ‘born again’ if they had any hope, desire, or interest in seeing and entering the kingdom of God; and this came right out of John 3:1-7. How I had missed out on this important piece of truth blew my mind, but now hearing it sparked even more interest and ...questions. Jesus came to offer a chance for any and all to experience a ‘spiritual rebirth’ or ‘reboot’, and I was ripe for the picking. For me personally, believing Jesus existed and that there was a God ‘out there’ was not a mental obstacle for me to work through and overcome, so perhaps that made it easier for me than it might be for others...or even you. But my mindset at the time had me convinced that if I was being asked to surrender my life to God/Jesus, then if I could not trust Him...who then could I ever trust.

After weeks of serious soul searching (counting the cost) and reading through my newly acquired Bible (mostly reading through the New Testament)...I was ready to take that first step of ‘asking God to come into my life and to reveal to me His plans and purposes. And honestly...I really had no idea what I was embarking on, but I know I was as sincere and genuine as one could be when I prayed that initial prayer and ‘gave my life to Him. It was in March of 1980. I remember sitting in that pickup truck of my supervisor who prayed alongside me, and it was short and simple. It was also void of any external ‘signs’ or feelings or emotions...just a simple heart-felt petition before God from a lost 20 year old kid who was needing some guidance and ‘light’ in this dark world that would enable me to ‘find my way’. Then, off to work we went and I punched in at 4:00pm as usual.

I’d like to tell you how the next 8 hours were pure bliss of holiness, peace, and joy, but on the contrary, my mind was being bombarded with skepticism, doubts, ridicule and second guessing. I was nearly convinced I was on the threshold of entering or joining a ‘cult’. But before that night was over, I had one of the most surreal and frightening experiences that I have ever had in all the 65 years I’ve been alive, which led to one of the most important lessons any believer or ‘seeker’ could ever learn. And if you join me tomorrow, I’ll continue on and share with you here what that first impressionable lesson was.