After my run in with Elvis pretty much everyone else at the friday night meeting sorta left me alone. This was good because it gave the Holy Spirit free run to begin to work on me. By this time I came alone aot to the meetings sans my girlfriend. I lived in town she lived out in North Pole so it was easier for me considering I lived just down the street. Finally Sonja and I parted company..hey no problem...still it did hurt some...she had lost a friend who had died in a car wreck..She couldn't reconcile God's love and human tragity....I could see where she was coming from this a fundemental struggle with many people "Why does God allow suffering in the world"
So I continue to attend Granny's friday night meetings. On a snowy winter's night in October I come to the meeting. This night the group was small and quiet. To back up at home things had gone from bad to worse. My Dad and I were at each others throats. Mom continued her downward spiral and was losing her mental state almost daily. Dad continued to drink to excess. It was really hard on my two younger sisters.Home for us would NEVER be a normal "Leave it to Beaver " home.....home for me then was only a place to crash,take a shower,and raid the fridge. I was flunking at school and getting high eveytime I could.....Frankly I needed God.
It was on this friday I came to the meeting with no real anticipation of anything special. Although the night before I had had a rather strange dream. In my dream I was standing in a field with a large crowd of faceless people.
In my dream I stood at the edge of this deep dark bottomless pit. I kept bending over but I couldn't see the bottom. One of the leaders Mark was standing and preaching to a crowd of faceless souls when he turns and looks me strait in the eye and says"Unless you recieve Christ as Saviour Your fate is that bottomless pit"With that I awoke and needless to say school that day was even more disjointed. So that night I sat there singing along listening to the preaching when it can time to take prayer requests. We started to pray for a woman whose child was struggling with cancer...No "Come to Christ appeal....just this....I close my eyes bow my head...and the whole world drops away...I'm alone unaware of Granny,her living room,the leaders...I couldn't hears any voices...felt no worldly feelings.....I was utterly alone with God...as if Jesus and I stood side by side...There was one voice and one request...and or challenge.....NOW IS YOUR TIME....WHAT WILL YOU CHOSE?...honestly it was a no-brainer.......I SAID YES YES YES I WILL.....from deep in my soul...slowly....a burp,then a bubble....a gurgle....like an underground well that had finally been untapped....springing up from below,,,,came,,,,JOYJOY OVERWHELMING JOY UNSPEAKABLE ... I open my eyes and ....I love everyone and everything....I AM OVERWHELMED AND SPEACHLESS.....I don't know what to do.....I want to jump up and down,shout run and tumble....I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time....I JUST WANTED TO HUG SOMEONE....so I hugged Granny. I just sat there and trembled....that night as I left I knew the kid the came thru that door earlier and the kid walking away were two different people.....my name was now written in THE LAMBS BOOK OF LIFE.
I went to bed that night and slept in a deep and wonderful soulful peace. The next day I rolled off my bed with none of the usual crankiness on irritation. My bedroom at that time had two beds my own bathroom and a window. I used climb out that window on a regular basis to party with my friends. That summer a run away named Josephine would routinely crawl in my window to crash and use my shower along with doing the "you know what" with me....this morning I stood in front of that window and look at the bush outside and it looks "different"..different yet the same.....weird...I go upstairs where mom is drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes...I realize....I Love my mom....I reach over and give her a hug..."I love you Mom"..(something I hadn't said to her in far to long)...She looks at me a bit surprised and says "Thank you honey I love you too" my two little sisters are sitting at the table eating kaptain krunch....with a look like they weren't sure what was going on....I look at the two of them...they had been such a pain in my butt and someone I didn't want to bother with...now I see them as precious...precious...I walk over and hug and kiss them both....they look at each other with perplexed expressions....like "what happened to big brother?....then they break out in a big toothy grin.....and hug me back..
I go outside and walk around the hood just looking at stuff........everything and I mean everything from the sights,sounds,and even the smells were different and new....I would learn that scripture later that would describe in detail what had happened to me....IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST HE IS A NEW CREATION....OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AND ALL THINGS.......ALL .....THINGS......BECOME........NEW......I had been born again....and I was a mere 15 years old.....the adventure begins....
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