My spiritual journey (Part 6)

In 1980 I was a new Christian who happened to be a radio dj. At that time I began to believe that those two entities could not peacefully co-exist unless.......I could work for a CHRISTIAN radio station! I began in earnest to explore the possibilities, but there were not many opportunities in the area. I eventually discovered a Christian radio station about 25 miles away that aired excellent Bible teaching programs and very conservative music which, at the time, was sort of what I was looking for. I thought I could handle the commute with no real problem.
When I received an offer from this particular broadcasting company, I never dreamed the position they would offer me would be FIVE hours away in another state at a different radio station in their network! Major decision time had arrived. After much thought, debate and prayer, I decided to pull up roots and take my young family to live in the Richmond, Virginia area. Not counting college, this was the first time in my then 27 years I had not lived in my hometown. This was a time of high adventure as I met many different and interesting people and made many new friends. My theology was beginning to take shape and be challenged all at the same time as well (more on that in a later installment). Before closing this section I would like to pay tribute to one of those new friends and interesting people that came into my life during that pivotal year of 1980. He was a fellow announcer at that Virginia radio station (WYFJ) whose name was Randy Adams. He was a very unique individual from Pennsylvania and probably one of the first "yankees"* I ever considered to be a friend of mine. I was sad to hear of his passing on March 8, 2008. He was 53 years old. I will always remember fondly those two years we worked together and talked about "shouting preachers" and the Good and Plenty restaurant back in his home state. We shared a common love of American history and a dislike for ignorance and stupidity.


* Being a guy from North Carolina, anyone who lived above the Mason-Dixon line was considered a "yankee".

My spiritual journey (Part 5)

What it had come down to was I knew I was a sinner and I needed to be saved and Jesus Christ (who is God, by the way) is the One who does just that. He died for me, rose again from the dead and I believe it. I made it official between God and me on Super Bowl Sunday in January of 1979. I understand now God was pursuing me. It wasn't a matter of me slowly "figuring it out" and then by a conclusion arrived at by logical thought processes, deciding to believe. God makes what was dead, alive. I was dead in trespasses and sin and a dead man does not have spiritual thought processes...logical or otherwise. He made me a new creation.
I was baptized in a local baptist church where my sister-in-law was a member...my wife and I joined and got involved. Before I knew it, I was singing in the choir and working with the teens in what the Southern Baptists called at that time "Training Union". A lot of churches make the mistake of grabbing "fresh meat" and throwing them immediately into some kind of service or work. That's not smart at all. I had no real clue as to what I was doing. Some of those kids looked up to me as some kind of celebrity because I was a local radio dj and that did not really help in my being viewed as a spiritual teacher or leader. I was a brand new Christian and ready to do anything the church leaders asked. However, new believers need to be trained and mentored themselves before they are put in positions of leadership. A lot of bad things could happen in situations like that. Let's just say I was very fortunate in the short time I was in that position. It was short lived however as I felt that God was calling me into some form of Christian radio work.
Before I close this chapter let me say this: becoming a Christian does not make you perfect and it does not mean your life becomes perfect. Christ took what I deserved on the cross so that I am justified...God sees His Son's perfect work...not sinful me. In this life we will always have trials and tribulations. As Christians we have God and His Word to help us through the difficult times. And I still sin....oh do I ever. Temptation to sin is probably worse now than ever because now I'm on God's side. I did not become some kind of "Christian robot". I am still a human being with human desires and emotions as long as I'm still on this earth in this body. When I was on the other side, they already had me, so why be tempted? You just did what came natural. I am very grateful for and encouraged by the scripture in 1 John which says "if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness".

Speaking of time traveling

I saw the movie "Deja Vu" starring Denzel Washington for the first time the other day and I loved it! You really did not know what would happen in the very end until you got there. That's how it should be with any good story.

My spiritual journey (Part 4)

We move ahead in time, circa 1978....I'm working at a local radio station in my hometown, am married and my first child is on the way. I'm in my mid-twenties, about to become a father and I have a lot of questions about life and the future. In those days the station would air back-to-back religious programs on Sunday and during my shift on Saturday a certain Wesleyan pastor would drop off his tape for the week. He wasn't much older than me and he would usually hang out for a while and we would shoot the breeze. He answered many of my questions about God and the bible and once again I was drawn to this concept called Christianity. He did not try to ram his beliefs down my throat but demonstrated a genuine interest and concern about me as a person. Later that year when my wife was about to give birth to our son, she experienced some complications and was in the hospital for about a week during the pregnancy. I returned home from my visit to the hospital one night and clicked on the tv to find a Billy Graham crusade. I remember sitting there watching and saying to myself "for the first time in my life this guy is making sense!" The scales were beginning to be removed from my spiritual eyes. The year progressed and my son was born in the summer of '78. No matter who you are or what you believe, when you become a parent for the first time, it does something to you. When you look down at that little life you are holding in your arms, a profound change takes place and you are never the same. Another piece of the puzzle of life had been dropped in place and something big was about to happen.....talk about change!

A brief political comment

If Barak Obama becomes president of the United States, the following quote will apply:

"And this is how liberty dies...to the sound of thunderous applause"-Padme Amidala from Star Wars III Revenge of the Sith

The "American Idol" mindset will be the downfall of this country. Enjoy the ride on the bandwagon....it will be a short one.

My spiritual journey (Part 3)

It's 1976, the bicentennial year and I find myself in radio broadcasting school at a community college in central North Carolina. School is great, my social life is ok and I'm rolling right along. One day I remember going into the student commons area and there were stacks and stacks of these pocket New Testaments lying on a counter. You must understand these were times when it was still not politically incorrect to have bibles in a public education building. I believe they were placed by the Gideons (you know, the bibles in the motel rooms) and actually, looking back, I am surprised they were allowed to do it. I guess that "backward" small southern college just did not see the harm in it or maybe the long arm of the ACLU had not reached that far yet. Well, I took one and actually read it some. Also during that year I became friends with our assistant instructor who was an alumni of the broadcasting school. He worked third shift at a powerful FM station several miles away and invited me down one weekend. It was a Christian station that played southern gospel music, which did not turn me off at first because I was just excited to be in a "real" radio station of any kind. I listened to some of the music and liked what I heard. I say all of that to say this....the bible reading and the gospel music started me thinking about God and my spiritual condition. I believe I may have even made a "profession of faith" during that time, but I don't think it "stuck" or was real, because I returned to my partying ways eventually and pushed thoughts of God and Jesus out of mind for another two years. But, looking back, it is evident the hounds of heaven were hot on my trail.

My spiritual journey (Part 2)

It was a night that changed everything for me. You might remember it, if you're old enough. A Sunday night in February 1964 on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Show....those four lads from Liverpool. I had always liked music up until that time, but all of a sudden, music became one of the most important things in my life. From that point on I was a serious fan and collector of music. It would be another thirty years before I was seriously involved in making music. I remember growing through the awkward teen years watching images of the Vietnam war on the TV as Walter Cronkite told me what was happening in the world. Violence, protests, assassinations.....I took all of this in, but it did not seem to faze me as I grew toward a secular humanist mind-set and did not think much about God at all. Through the end of high school I might attend Sunday school occasionally and MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship) so I could go on the annual beach trip. The things I saw and experienced on those beach trips....it was anything BUT spiritual....in the Christian sense. By the early 1970's all I was concerned about was satisfying the senses and having a "good time". Out of the big three....sex, drugs and rock and roll....I was getting a lot of two out of three. Sex was the odd man out, because I was very shy and just was not a "smooth talker" with the ladies. I had the occasional girlfriend, but nothing to speak of. By the mid 70's, after bouncing between various colleges, jobs, and parties I was, for the first time, exposed to the gospel of Christ while in radio broadcasting school.
And that is where I will pick up next time.

My spiritual journey (Part 1)

I was one of those kids who had the wonderful privilege of "sort of" living the life of "Leave it to Beaver" during the 1950's and early 60's. When I say "sort of" I mean we weren't quite at the financial level of the fictional Cleaver family. It was suburban life in a small southern town, and growing up in those days was great. We really lived a "Mayberry" kind of life...simple and fun. We attended the big Methodist church in town where my mom was a member and had attended all her life. As memory serves, our family (Dad, Mom, Sis, and myself) attended Sunday School on a fairly regular basis but seldom the 11:00am worship service. I remember learning about Jesus in Sunday School and all the famous Bible stories, especially from the Old Testament. Again, those were great times.

Sometime around 1963 when America lost her innocence, I attended a confirmation class for several weeks at the methodist church (I was around age 10). I remember the class involved reading some boring book that to this day I have no clue what it was about. When this class or course was over, I remember being in front of the church, kneeling and the minister sprinkling water on my head. I learned later that I had been baptised and "confirmed" into the methodist church....at least I think that's what it was called. The only thought I had at the time was my head got wet. If there was any real spiritual significance to any of that....I missed it.

Next time....Part 2....the teen years, Vietnam and rock 'n' roll.