My Story #99 -- New School In Lexington

 

My Story #99

New School In Lexington

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

Once I was settled in Lexington and on a school schedule, I traveled home every weekend by taking a Greyhound bus to either Williamstown or Falmouth. There my parents would pick me up, and I would stay home on the weekend and travel back to Lexington on the bus and get there in the late afternoon but early enough that I could go to church in the evening service at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church. My mother gave me four dollars every week to buy a round-trip ticket home and back to Lexington. Once I remember that one of the boys that I met in Lexington wanted me to go with him to a restaurant to get a Coke. He said he had the money. The only money that I had was the four dollars my mother gave me for a bus ticket. We went to the restaurant, sat down, and ordered a Coke for each one of us. When we were finished drinking, the boy went to the counter and told the waitress that he had no money. I could not spend my money, so I told her I did not have any money, either. I was so angry with that boy that I told him I would never go to a restaurant with him again—and I didn’t.

One Sunday evening, I think it was, I was listening in church when Bro. Walker, our pastor, began to speak about a preachers school. He explained all about it and said that for people who had regular jobs there was a night class that met on Monday night at seven o’clock. That interested me, so I looked into signing up for that class. This was the good news I told you about last time. I signed up for the class and met for the first time my teacher, Bro. James Hamilton. The class was Bible Survey, and that is a class that every Christian should take. This was the starting point for my work for the rest of my life.

Somewhere along the way I heard about Lexington Baptist College. There was an institute for older preachers who were not interested in a Bachelor degree, and there was a college for those who wanted to pursue more education and receive a degree. The school also had a higher degree call ThB, or Bachelor of Theology.

After I finished my course at Fugazzi Business College, I got a job working for First National Bank and Trust Company, the largest bank in Lexington. I spent eight years working there (off and on). I got to know many people through my work there.

Eventually, I enrolled in Lexington Baptist College and in 1968 received my Bachelor degree from the school. Because of my training at Fugazzi, I also began to teach Typing and Shorthand and a couple other classes along the way. That was a great joy to me. Lexington Baptist College (LBC) became precious to me. In 1985 I received the ThB degree. Later I enrolled in Mountain State Baptist College where Bro. Carl Sadler was the president. There I received my Master of Christian Education degree I believe in 1991. Later I enrolled in Andersonville Theological Seminary and received my Doctor of Christian Education degree. Now it is time to stop going to school. I think I have learned by now how to learn on my own. Praise the Lord for these experiences!

My Story #98 -- School In Lexington

 

My Story #98

School In Lexington
Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

Once I was settled in Lexington, Monday came. It was the first day of school at Fugazzi Business College. I slept in a room upstairs at the end of Forest Avenue in Lexington; I ate meals in another house on the same street just a few houses away from where I slept.  Then, I had to walk approximately ½ mile to the school where I was to take a course to train to be an Executive Assistant, which, I understand, is simply an exalted secretary, one who works for the president or vice-president of a company. Thankfully, I was pretty much prepared in high school to enter a course like this. I had great teachers in high school. I attended Pendleton County High School in Falmouth, Kentucky.

School days were pretty much normal from one visit to another. Once in the wintertime, as I arrived home from school one day, the neighbor next to the house where I slept stopped and asked me if I would be offended if she gave me a winter coat that belonged to her son, who was killed in an auto accident. I hardly knew how to answer, but I accepted. The coat was long and heavy, and it was fire-engine red.

The next morning the temperature was -14 degrees. I nearly froze to death. The coat kept me warm except for my feet. When I arrived at school, my feet were numb; and they did not feel normal for nearly four hours. I had a few days like that but not quite as severe as this one. I will remember that day for a long, long time.

I took classes such as these: Shorthand, Typing, Office Machines, Dictation-Transcription, Business English, Accounting, etc. I enjoyed the classes, because I seemed to be skilled in those classes that required skill of the hands. I remember that in one class I took Shorthand dictation at 240 words per minute, which is impressive. I don’t know that I have done that since. Shorthand is hardly used anymore, but I still use it from time to time. I attended Fugazzi for about one year and three months, the longest course that the school offered. Courses were accelerated in order to give the equivalent to an Associate Degree in another college.

While attending, I continued to attend Ashland Avenue Baptist Church where one Sunday I heard some wonderful news, which I will discuss in my next installment.

-->To be continued<--

My Story #97 -- Homesick In Lexington

My Story #97

Homesick In Lexington

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

After being left on the street in Lexington, Kentucky, knowing no one and very lonely, I met friends. Many of these friends were young people from the neighborhood, since I had no car and spent my free time walking around the neighborhood. I was 17 years old, so I connected with the young people very well and very quickly. Once one of the boys asked me my middle name. I told him that I was named after my father, and his name is Willard. After they heard that, they began to call me Willie. That was my name among the youth of Forest Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1962. Occasionally they would call me Willie Babe. I don’t know what that was all about.

I was a churchgoer; so, when Sunday came, I went to the only church I knew anything about as I was growing up at home. We listened as often as we could on the radio to Bro. Clarence Walker, who was the pastor of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Lexington. As a result, that is the church that I attended.

After my first visit to the church, that very week two men came to my house to visit me. They were Edward Overbey and Carl Sadler. I later found out that they were both assistant pastors of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church. I told them I would be back to the church. The very next week they came back to my house, and I was a little confused, because I told them I would be back, and I was back again and again and again. I went to every service and enjoyed the preaching of Bro. Walker, Bro. Overbey, and Bro. Sadler. Then on Wednesday evening I would enjoy the teaching of Bro. Rosco Brong. Those sermons and lessons were like Bible college to me. I cannot understand why people do not want to go to church. The local church is an instrument of teaching and exhortation. Every believe should be faithful his own local church, love it, work through it, and be faithful to it. God will bless all who do.

 

My Story #96 -- Beginning A New Life

 

My Story #96

Beginning A New Life

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

I was 17 years old, and I had just graduated from high school. I had already been approached about attending a business school in Lexington, Kentucky, but my mind was not on going to school but having a little vacation from school. I had gone to my uncle and aunt’s house to spend some time, when my mother called me and told me that, if I were going to go to school in Lexington, I had to be in Lexington the next day. So, I told her I would go (nervously). My parents came to get me, and the next day we traveled to Lexington to get acquainted with my school, my place to stay, and a place to eat meals.

When we got to Lexington, I might as well had been in New York City. Lexington was a giant city to this country boy. I was introduced to the place and people necessary, and then my parents drove off to go home and left me standing on the sidewalk in front of the house where I was to sleep. They said they could not see me for two weeks.

Can you imagine a boy of 17 being left in a big city alone, knowing almost no one, and already getting homesick for the country? Well, that’s what they did to me. I noticed a young boy about 12 years old across the street working on my bicycle. I walked across the street and introduced myself. His name was Jimmy. I asked him if he would let me help him fix his bike, and he said he would appreciate it. I had worked on bikes a few times, so I was a pretty good help. I got to know the family through Jimmy, and we became friends. This started the rest of my life after high school.

-->To be continued<--

 

My Story #95 -- Fun Meetings

 

My Story #95

Fun Meetings

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

Friday afternoon was enjoyable, as I met with some of my grandchildren at my office. My great granddaughter is about 18 month old, but she would have very little to do with me; however, I did enjoy being together with them and seeing the granddaughter get used to space around her and walk around looking at everything.

Saturday mid-afternoon was spent with my son’s family as they had a celebration for my birthday on the 23^rd and for my grandson, who will be leaving soon to go as a soldier to Syria after some more training in Texas.

My Story #94 -- Ghost In Church Building?

 

My Story #94

Ghost In Church Building?

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

One evening late I was working in the recording room at church. I don’t remember what I was trying to accomplish, but I remember that I needed an empty cassette tape to do whatever it was.

I reached into the box of new tapes we had just bought; and, just to be sure, I put the tape into the tape player and turned it on PLAY. In a few seconds I heard the most confusing sound I ever heard. Remember, it is late at night, and I am in the building alone. The sound seemed to be someone speaking in another language, but it was even more confused than that.

I looked around to see if anyone else was in the building, thinking that someone may be playing a joke on me through a microphone. I turned off the tape, and the sound stopped. I turned it on again, and the sound came back. I had heard some weird stories about demons, so I wondered for a few seconds whether it could be a demon.

However, when I got my mind settled, I realized that I had heard the sound before. I heard it while listening to a tape that a man had in his study of demons. It was a tape that was played backward. Then I realized that the tape company had sent me some tapes that were already used. Perhaps they tried to erase them with a bulk erase and did not get all the sound off the tapes.  We did not purchase tapes from them anymore.

Now, I do not believe in ghosts, but I do believe in demons; but this was no demon. It was just a tape loaded backwards in a cassette—someone preaching backward.

That was some experience!

My Story #93 -- My Little Smart Doctor

 

My Little Smart Doctor

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

On Sunday my 11-year-old grandson and I usually go to some restaurant to eat; so Sunday we went to Skyline Chili to eat. We were sitting there talking about everything imaginable, and I mentioned something about a brain tumor.

He said to me, “Well, they are not really too bad if they do not metastasize. Then they can move around and attach themselves to bones and other things in the body. Then they are really difficult to treat.”

I didn’t say it, but I thought it: “You little smart aleck! Just shut your mouth.”