My Story #73 -- "Sparks Of Fire"

 

My Story #73

SPARKS OF FIRE

When our quartet was young, we traveled quite a lot. Sometimes we would travel a great distance to get to our destination. As a result, we stopped to eat here or there.

Once, after stopping to eat at a restaurant, we were all getting into the car to continue on our trip, and, as usual, Bro. Jones was in a hurry. All the boys sat down in the car and closed their respective doors, but it took me a little longer to get into the car and close the door. As a result, Bro. Jones thought everyone was in the car, and he began to drive the car. Well, my leg was still hanging out of the car. I called out for him to stop the car, and he did (thankfully). Now, when Bro. Jones tells the story, he says that, as he took off, sparks were shooting out because of my brace's scraping along the pavement.

That, of course, is not true; but that's Bob Jones! I just let him continue to tell it "wrong," because it seems to be a little more interesting. You would not believe what I had to put up with just to be with those boys. 

 

My Story #72 -- Praying Simple

My Story #72

PRAYING  SIMPLE

I was attending Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in the 1960's. They had a Sunday morning attendance over 900 people; so, it surprised me that they did not have anything for the young people during the week.

The Southern Baptist Convention had a program called Young Ambassadors for boys, which usually met on Sunday night or on a week night. I decided to meet with some of the young boys on Thursday nights in order to teach them the Bible and to try to be a witness to them. There were about 12-14 boys in that group.

Once an invited boy came, and he was Roman Catholic. He kept talking about Mary and how she helps us when we pray, so I began to speak to the boys about prayer. After a while the boy made a profession of faith in the Lord.

Then one night I asked him to pray for us. He immediately bowed his head and began to talk. But he did not talk in prayer the way in which we were all accustomed. He just began to talk to God as though God were right there in the room. I am not sure of all that he said, but I do remember that, when he was finished praying, he just said, "That is all." His prayer was finished.

At first, I wanted to teach the boy more about how to pray, but then, after thinking about it for a while, my thoughts were prompted to a gracious surrender to his personal way of talking to God and the end of his prayer.

Perhaps we should all learn to pray as this boy did. He did not teach me much theology, but I think he had an impression on the way I pray. God is our friend; let's talk to him as a friend! What say?

 

 

Wearing The Pants

 

My Story #71

WEARING THE PANTS

I went to Lexington, Kentucky, to go to business college when I was only 17 years. There were no computers (at least not in homes and in phones), so my mother wrote me letters--phone calls were long-distance and cost a price to use.

One time my mother wrote me a letter, and in that letter she said, "I'm glad you are a boy, not a girl." That seemed very strange to me for a mother to say that to her son, so I read on. She explained, "If you had been a girl, you would wear a dress and would not be able to hide your long-leg braces as you can with wearing the pants. Also, I could not be a preacher (which she did not mention).

Back in that day (1960's) most all girls wore dresses, not pants or slacks. That's why she said what she did. Then, I began to be thankful, also, that I was a boy and not a girl. I still am happy to be a boy; that's what God made me. So, I guess you could say that "I wear the pants": you can finish that statement if you like.

 

My Story #70 - Called To Preach

 

My Story #70

CALLED TO PREACH

I was saved at the age of 13, and from that time (and even before that) I had a keen interest in the Bible; I really enjoyed hearing and listening to sermons. I wanted to know what the preachers were saying, why they were saying it, and how it was to affect my life. The interest in the Bible grew more intense as I grew older; then at age 17 I graduated from high school.

Through several events, I moved to Lexington, Kentucky, to attend business college. I began to attend Ashland Avenue Baptist Church purposely, because all the years of my growing up, our family had been listening to their pastor, Bro. Clarence Walker, every week on the radio.

Bro. Walker talked about a preachers' school, and I was quickly interested in the school. I loved hearing Bro. Walker, Carl Sadler, and Ed Overbey (assistant pastors) as they taught the word of God. I took my Bible and notebook to church every service, and I took many notes, wanting to know and understand the Bible.

I turned 18 years old in September, and by that time I had acquired a serious interest in the Bible and in preaching. One evening, as I sat on my bed in my rented room, I began to have a rich feeling about preaching. In fact, the feeling was so strong that I actually got up from my bed, pulled a night stand away from the wall, stood behind it and began to "preach" to my invisible audience.

That weekend at my small country church back home, where I was still a member, I walked before the church and announced that the Lord had called me to preach. That was a scary and yet a wonderful experience. My pastor said at that time, "Well, if you are called to preach, then you will preach here next Sunday night." I nearly jumped out of my skin! But I prepared and prayed, and the next Sunday night I preached on something (I do not remember). That was my first sermon, and I made it through without dying.

Many of you know the rest of the story, how I began classes at Lexington Baptist College and soon began to travel with the Lexington Baptist College Trio. I had many opportunities to preach as we traveled, and God has blessed in these nearly 60 years of preaching.

I will always thank God for the privilege and high responsibility to preach his perfect word, and I pray that I have been a blessing to many people throughout these years. To God be the glory!