I believe everyone should be in relationships where they can receive and give encouragement in their faith, and we all need to find a passionate church that can show people how to trust Jesus for salvation, as well as one that encourages our faith and moves us to love others. That is how I interpret this passage in Hebrews: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. [Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV]
Brenda and I did not grow in faith and maturity overnight, and we still have a ways to go. Some maturity may simply come as time elapses with old age, but there have also been pastors and individuals who poured into our lives to build in us what God would want. I am going to mention a few names and places knowing that some of our friends and family share these memories, and can reminisce.
I realize others may not know them, but I believe that those who pour into the lives of others are deserving of more honor and recognition than I can give here. In hindsight, I realize God was only able to work in us through these individuals because we stayed closely connected to the body of Christ. For us, that connection primarily took place with churches, but also with our small Bible study group, a derivative of which we still meet with.
At First Assembly in Rockford, Illinois, Pastor Moen brought in staff who mentored us and changed our lives and marriage for the better. You see, as a young Christian, I had 69
issues, and I think God had his hands full. Fortunately, we were going to the right church at the right time. In addition to panic attacks, one of the things I struggled with was stubbornness. I was admittedly “stiff-necked.” I knew this was the case, because God seemed to be repeatedly reminding me that this was true, and I came to know that the reason I was stiff-necked was because God was not able to lead me where he wanted due to my childhood dream of becoming a successful inventor. It was something he was going to have to work on through the decades, and change did not come easily.
But in these days there were also other issues. I feared the disapproval of others, was introverted, had trouble saying “no” to requests for time or money, and was prone to daily panic attacks. In fact, there was a verse I seemed to stumble across on almost a daily basis which was Isaiah 41:10: “Do not fear, for I am with you.” It was certainly something I needed to hear. I also wrestled with doubt as I drifted between skepticism and faith. It didn't help that I often read books and magazines written by skeptics who wrote about topics I was interested in, such as world hunger, politics, and science. On a lighter note, I won't talk about the lessons Brenda had to learn. If she wants to express that, she will have to write her own book. :)
I have fond memories of the years we attended First Assembly. Pastor Dale Crall led the College and Career class Brenda and I were attending. He was only a few years older than myself, yet he dealt with my skeptical nature effectively. We absolutely loved his testimonies telling how God had worked in his life. One of my main motivations for writing this book has been memories of the effect Dale's testimonies had on me.
Pastor David Ytterock was my teacher for a Public Speaking class at the Bible school. After a speech I gave in front of the class, he corrected me, challenging me to make my words have more purpose. His comments painfully confirmed what I thought I had been hearing from 70
Godabout speaking useless words, and it is a lesson I have not forgotten as I attempt to write.
About this time, Brenda and I were to be married, and Pastor Dan Wilderman counseled and married us. I still remember some of his advice. Much was practical, such as don’t blurt out every hurtful thing that pops into your head, and pitch in to help each other with chores. There was also spiritual advice. He told us that a husband and wife form a triangle with Jesus. As they draw closer to Jesus, they draw closer to each other. His advice must have worked. As I write this, Brenda and I have now been married for more than 40 years.
In the months after we married, Brenda and I let a few individuals move into our house. One young woman had a problem with creating elaborate lies, and I was gullible enough to believe her some of the time. In fact, I could easily devote a chapter to the drama surrounding this girl, and her antics wound up making headlines in Rockford's newspaper at least twice. Yet I continued to let her stay in our home.
Change was coming. Pastor John Davis taught a counseling class that I took and also led a Sunday morning class we attended. One lesson he emphasized was the need for confronting others in love. His teaching led me to work up the nerve to kick this girl out of our home.
Others continued to live with us, and out of those experiences were born some great friendships. But things would change radically soon. A clean break with Rockford was in the works. God was getting ready to move us to Minnesota.
The seed for the move to Minneapolis was planted months earlier. On a Saturday night I was driving past Sinnissippi Park in Rockford when I noticed a broken sign lying on the road ahead. As I passed over it I saw the lone word "Alive" painted on it. At that exact moment the DJ on the radio said "alive." This grabbed my attention. I quickly 71
realized the voice on the radio was promoting "Youth Alive," a youth ministry starting at our church. I thought it strange, and I wondered if that meant God might be asking me to become involved with Youth Alive, but I recall thinking I would never volunteer. But God had other plans.
The next morning at church, Brenda and I attended Pastor John's class. Immediately afterward, we were approached and asked if we would be willing to help out in the Youth Alive program! To Brenda's surprise, I agreed without hesitation, because God had literally given me a sign. :) Of course, I hadn't mentioned the sign to Brenda and didn't consult with her before answering the question. It was only natural she would protest, but after I explained she got on board and we began to help out with youth meetings, and they would lead us to the next step in our journey.
Minneapolis bound
In the Youth Alive program we were helping Pastor Jerry Greene, who was the youth pastor. Our involvement then led to even more evidence of God's plan for us. This sense that working with high school kids wasn't my strong suit just intensified the feeling for me that we needed to find where we really fit in. I also was working 50 to 55 hours per week, which, coupled with my inability to get a restful night's sleep, left me feeling like I needed a change.
One Wednesday afternoon I was working at my job making springs, when I began to consider the option of moving to another city to attend Bible college. North Central Bible College in Minneapolis came to mind, but I was also aware of other options in more distant cities. This wasn't the first time I had considered this, but now it came to a head.
Of course I don't necessarily think college is for everyone. Nor can I say that it is for no one. God's plan for you is different than for me, so it is something one should pray about. On this day, that is precisely what I attempted to do. On this day, as I sanded flat the ends of a basket of 72
springs, I asked God if he would give me a sign that very same day – before bed – one way or the other.
I couldn't foresee it, but God was about to answer in what would seem to me to be an incredible way. Just a few hours later, at the Wednesday night Youth Alive meeting, Pastor Jerry asked Brenda and myself if we would be willing to chaperone a bus filled with youth on a trip to North Central Bible College!
Immediately I knew this was the sign I was looking for, and I said “Yes!” Of course I didn’t consult with Brenda once again, and again I had to explain that I had asked God for a sign earlier that day.
During our visit to North Central, Brenda and I sat next to a couple, Bob and Faye, who were already students there. Through their encouragement, Brenda's fears were allayed, and I became more certain of what I already thought I knew – that God was calling us there. When I returned to work I gave my employer notice that I would be leaving. As it turned out, I ended up working at Woodward Governor for exactly ten years and two weeks.
Soon, Brenda and I put our house on the market. It would be months before it sold, which seemed distressing at the time. Then we donated most of our things, and packed the remaining ones rather tightly into a Volkswagen bus.
Finally, in early September of 1983 we moved to Minneapolis, feeling a little sad about leaving family and friends, but also excited about the future.
Miracle blanket
Minneapolis was unfamiliar. We felt both anxiety and awe when we arrived. After nearly a week of searching, we found one of the few apartments that would allow a dog –
but we had to lower our standards. There was no working elevator, and it took three days to haul our things up to the third floor. Yet the rent was low and it was only a five minute walk to school allowing Brenda to use the car to find 73
employment at a local McDonalds. So God seemed to be in it. Meanwhile, I focused on getting good grades, and we lived off my former job's retirement fund payout. And then we experienced a small miracle.
We had arrived just in time for a Minnesota cold snap, and it quickly became apparent that the apartment's heat wasn't working. The building manager said the boiler needed repair, and it would be days before it was fixed. That night was so cold it seemed like pure torture. The next day, we decided to purchase an electric blanket.
Normally that would not have been a problem. After my classes, we headed to K-mart. The cheapest blanket cost a few dollars more than what we had on us, and our bank had already closed. In this age before debit cards, Kmart's service desk wouldn't approve our blank starter checks.
Feeling desperate, Brenda and I returned to the blanket aisle.
With nowhere else to turn, we decided to pray. We held hands and I whispered a prayer asking God to keep us warm.
Then we headed for the car. As we neared the exit we crossed paths with a man I recognized from five years earlier and 300 miles south. It was someone we had met when street witnessing in Illinois, and who had then attended Galilee House Coffeehouse. At one point we had given him a ride to check out a Christian drug treatment center in Chicago, which he then opted not to enter.
But now he had obviously been drinking, and he didn’t see me at first. I said, “Hi Don,” and got his attention.
The instant he recognized me, he pulled a ten dollar bill from his pocket and tried to thrust it into my hand, all the while saying loudly and repeatedly, “Take this, I owe you!” We refused at first, but he was loudly persistent, and we finally accepted it. We thanked him profusely, and told him it was a huge answer to prayer, which I doubted he could fully appreciate. We then returned to the back of the store and picked up a twin-size electric blanket, which was enough to keep us warm for a couple nights until the building's boiler was repaired.
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Jesus said that when two or more people agree in prayer, miracles happen. (Matthew 18:19). Yet as I remember this, it amazes me. Who would ever think that such an instant answer to prayer was even possible?
Somehow, God must have planned ahead of time to put a man in our path we already knew in a strange city, and then motivate him to meet a need he didn't even know existed. Is it any wonder that people in the Bible concluded that God was all-powerful? So in spite of our doubts, lack of understanding, and lack of faith – which Christians everywhere have to wrestle with – God was still able to act in amazing ways in response to prayer. •
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