My Story - Yeah I'm still a Jesus Freak.

I know it is too easy to make the assumption that everyone understands me and has heard my story. I am learning that can’t make assumptions any more and must tell my story and the real life story of Christmas often. Otherwise Christmas becomes a consumer driven holiday whose purpose is the bottom line for all retail businesses. It is too easy to allow the bling of the holiday season to overwhelm the simple quiet story of what happened over 2000 years ago in a stable somewhere around Bethlehem.

My story doesn’t have much to do with stables or cattle but with growing up in a military family with an incredible mom that was always there for me while my dad flew B-52’s, I’m not talking about the band, but an airplane that flew all over Southeast Asia. I had a fairly normal childhood with having lived in Sacramento from pre-K through most of 4^th grade. My dad seemed to have a more normal type of job that I don’t remember him going away very often. I’m sure if my mom were here she would probably say something rather different.

It was in the early 60’s that the Vietnam War unfolded. It was in the 4^th grade that my dad was called to be part of SAC (Strategic Air Command) and become part of the 91^st Bomber Squadron. We moved from what seemed like a garden paradise in Sacramento to Merced and a different Air Force Base where my dad was trained for real combat for the next 6 years. I became a teen with my dad living either in Guam or Okinawa as he flew six times a week dropping bombs.

I was blessed to have parents that were believers but didn’t necessarily force me to do church or be religious. My dad came out of a broken family where his parents divorced when he was very young. He was the odd man out because both parents had more kids and he was the ‘bastard’ that was forgotten for the most part. I have come to appreciate my dad’s faith but he was very private and slow to say much about his youth.

It was while living in the cold land in Montana that I became focused on probably three things for my stay in the snow land. There wasn’t really much to do with the long winters but scouting and school. I was fortunate to get involved with a Boy Scout Troop that rocked my world. I was part of a small group of scouts that the scoutmaster, a young airman, took under his wings. We all became Eagle Scouts at the age of 13 and 14. We had a large troop of over 100 scouts. The Base commander’s son was part of our group so we got the red carpet treatment for everything.

I hate to admit it but scouting was both good and bad. I learned a lot about life lessons at an early age. I did get 23 merit badges that covered the spectrum but I also learned about sex, girls and other unmentionables. I grew up quickly while in this troop especially with the other 6 guys who also became Eagle Scouts early. It was during this scouting time that I got involved with music. I had a few friends who played guitar and challenged me to put down my accordion and pick up a guitar. I was fortunate to have a dad and mom that were quick to fund my new habitat. I had a fender strat clone and a Silverstone amplifier. I went from doing merit badges to playing in a garage band.

It was during this garage band time in my life that I was exposed to some ‘bad stuff’ that looking back on am surprised I didn’t get into more trouble. Remember that I grew up in the 60’s before iTunes, iPods or iPads. The music we loved was on vinyl not CD’s or in mp3 format. There was only one music store in the little town about 30 miles away from the Air Force Base. My group, which I can’t remember our band’s name, all went to the high school in the town. We started hanging out at the music store. It was a small family business that typically just had the dad, mom or one of their kids overseeing the store.

The weather in Montana required you to wear long coats that had different liners inside. I can remember when Vincent first walked out of the music store with some sheet music and a LP I was shocked. It wasn’t too long before we had a system down for ripping off this unsuspecting family business. We prided ourselves on being able to keep the attention of the owner or worker while another one or two of us stuffed our coats with music.

Just as this new venture seemed to be exciting because it was going after the forbidden fruit that it also came to an abrupt halt. Vincent, the one who started our days of thievery, also was the one to get caught when he decided to steal on his own without our help. Looking back I did feel ashamed of what we did. Yet, that didn’t motivate me to stop until Vincent failed that one day.

The Vietnam War was slowing down so my dad’s squadron was closed and he was stationed back in California just outside of Sacramento. I ended up going to a non-military school in the city where we lived. It wasn’t too long before I made some new friends that also loved music and we formed a rock band. What was awesome about this one is that we actually made money and played rather often. The drummer, Mark, had a dad who was a music teacher so we were able to use his studio at his school to practice on occasion. Most of the guys and gals in the band were actually great teens who didn’t do anything crazy. It wasn’t until Ralph, our lead singer, got involved that I was exposed to drugs and being crazy.

I had a couple different groups of friends in school that I followed from the stoner crowd, to the academic crowd and the rockers. I worked at an Ice Cream Parlor that ultimately became like my second home. The guys that worked there became like brothers to me. We did everything together! One of the guys, another David, was an amazing guitar player. We would jam all of the time and I was impressed with his commitment to be the best in what he did. He was also someone that I had gotten high with during my couple years of high school.

It was surprising to have this friend invite me to a Bible Study at another friend’s house. I had been exposed a little to a group of what looked like hippie types that were obviously now Jesus freaks. They had been asking me over a period of a few months about life, death, God, the Bible and my relationships with Jesus Christ. I had what seemed to be good answers but for some reason that never really satisfied them. They kept talking about having a personal relationship with God that would transform my life from the inside out.

I had been in a relationship with Kathy for the last 2 years of high school and just as I thought the world was going great she walked away from me and my band stopped because a couple of the guys graduated and we didn’t find replacements for them. It was during this low time in my life that David and the Home Fellowship Group happened. So when my guitarist friend invites me to a Bible Study it wasn’t a big stretch for me to attend. It seemed like something cool to do because I had other friends also there.

I had bought a little sports car when I was finishing my junior year in high school. So I told David that I would follow him on his motorcycle to Steve’s house. We both pulled up and the group was inside singing some songs. There was a guy playing guitar and leading singing. He also was a longhaired type that was good at playing and singing. I enjoyed listening to these Crosby, Stills and Nash type of songs.  The evening went back and forth between singing songs and another guy, Steve, talking about what it means to be a Christ follower. I had read the Bible a little but not really in a personal way.

As the evening progressed it became more serious as a few shared about their life stories. I noticed another friend from school, Linda, who was crying. I didn’t know what to think of her. Everyone was praying and she was crying and then prayed. I can remember her prayer as if it was yesterday. She asked God for help because her life was empty and messed up. She felt totally worthless and abandoned by family and most of her friends. I had been bugged by a few of the group to consider whether I was actually a Christian. It wasn’t until Linda prayed and cried out to God for help that the proverbial ‘light bulb’ came on.

God was using Linda and the group to get my attention. My life wasn’t really any different. Everything I considered important in my life had died recently. I didn’t have my girlfriend, the band died and my band equipment had been destroyed in an auto accident. As Linda prayed for Christ to come into her life I did the same thing. It’s not like someone told me I had to do this but I totally sensed God’s presence and knew that it was my time to follow Jesus. That night finished on a spiritual high as I shared what had just happened to me. We went out for pancakes and talked a little about what it meant to put God first.

That night when I got home I couldn’t sleep. The more I thought about what happened it was as if Jesus and his angels came into my room. I know that this was over 40 years ago but it seems like yesterday. I saw this bright light that ultimately affirmed to me that Jesus is God and that my life would be His from now on. This doesn’t meant that I stopped doing crazy stuff but now understood what it meant to follow Jesus, read my Bible and be part of the Fellowship Group. The next morning I went to church with my new friends. I tried to share what had happened the night before but words didn’t do any justice.

I talked to my mom about what had happened and at first I think she thought I had lost it or was just into some fanatical phase in life. I can remember trying to tell my dad what was going on with me but was too direct and quick to judge him for not being a believer or follower of Jesus. Looking back I made some big mistakes about how I approached people, especially my dad.

The summer that followed I spent a lot of time with these older brothers who were really smart and had already been to college. We talked about everything you can imagine and read not only the Bible but modern day philosophers to better understand our culture. I knew that this part of my life would be short lived because I was leaving for college soon and wouldn’t be as close to these great friends.

I was fortunate to start college with meeting more amazing people at Cal Poly that were also Christians and very outgoing with their faith. I was surrounded with more believers that used their minds, mouths and hands in expressing their faith commitment. I had quickly learned that Christianity needed to be lived out not just talked about.

Yes, I admit to being a more of a Jesus freak even after sharing this 40-year-old story. Yeah, that Saturday night in February 1971 rocked my life. I apologize for not sharing this story more often with family and friends. Jesus is just as real to me today then he was that night in my room. My hair is shorter, totally grey and I do have a beard like Douglas and Stephen.