 
### Can I Have A Second Chance

by

L. C. Walker

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

L. C. Walker on Smashwords

Smashwords ISBN:

Can I Have A Second Chance

Copyright © 2010 by L. C. Walker

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This is a work of fiction. All characters, dates, events, and places in this book are fictional unless otherwise stated. Any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental and should not be used to characterize any person living or dead.

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DEDICATION

To my wife, Patty. I am a good example

of a person that God gave a second

chance. I was lost and on my way to

Hell until my wife and her family pointed me

in the right direction: The direction of

life and a second chance at Heaven and a

new life in Christ.

FOREWORD

Many, many times in a person's life they will hear how a person was close to death and they were healed. People will use terms like, "They found religion or they found Jesus and now they are Jesus freaks." Some will say, "Their religious trip won't last long and they will go back to their old ways in a very short time, just wait and see." However, many, many people that make that conversion and become Christians really do believe and they are born again and they are going to heaven at the rapture or at death

This book will show you what happens when a person has many chances to accept Christ and what happens when that person dies and goes into eternity without the Savior. It will also tell you what happens when that person finally comes to an understanding, that to reject Christ is a very bad mistake. Can a person have a second chance to redeem themselves or are they lost forever? That question and many others will be answered in this book. Follow along as Professor Wilson tells the story of Gene Pittman.

All characters and dates are fictitious and any comparisons to people living or dead are just a coincidence.

PROLOGUE

If you have followed Professor Wilson through The Past or the Coming Future, The Tribulation and The Great Tribulation and Beyond, you know that he continued to answer questions that were asked when he was telling about the events before and during the tribulation. One question which was asked was, "Once a person dies, does he or she have a second chance for salvation or not?" In this book, CAN I HAVE A SECOND CHANCE?, Professor Wilson tells us how the question is answered when Gene Pittman asks the Lord for a second chance.

All eyes were wet from tears as friends and family members viewed the body of Gene Pittman for the last time. Gene was a good man and a man that loved his family and would do anything for his friends. Three days before, no one suspected that a massive heart attack would take Gene and leave everyone devastated with grief. The one that grieved the most was Gene himself. When he took that last breath of air and passed from this world into the unknown, he had always believed that you ceased to exist. However, he found out very quickly that you do not cease to exist, but you go to one of two places, either HEAVEN or HELL. The very moment that he passed from earth into the holding compartment in Hades, he knew he had made a very, very terrible mistake. He was now awaiting the end of time, when he would be released from the compartment of torment to stand at the Great White Throne Judgment and receive his final sentence: The sentence of death; eternal death.

Part 1

A Life Without Christ

CHAPTER 1

Oh, I can't believe it's true! This place does not exist, but I am here. Please, Lord, let this place just be a bad dream. Please let me wake up and I will be in my own bed and I will be thinking about this dream and how real it seemed. Oh, please let this be a dream. I don't believe there is a hell or life after death. Even if I don't believe it, I am here. I must believe, because I am in a place of pain, so it must be eternal punishment. Please, Lord, I pray that you will let me out of this place. I can't stand the screaming and moaning and I will go crazy if the crying doesn't stop. It is so dark and the fire is so hot, but the fire is not burning me up! Why can't I just cease to exist? Why won't this fire just consume me? OH! OH! PLEASE! PLEASE, give me a second chance! I know I would accept, if I had a second chance.

I remember what I said to one of my Christian friends when he told me about this place. I told him it was all just religious stuff that people want to use for a crutch so they can be good. I never thought for a minute that there really was a place like this. I believe now, but I still wish it was a dream. I know it is not a dream, and I know that I cannot escape from this terrible place. It is so hot and the feeling of pain all through my body makes me think of how nice it was before I suffered that heart attack.

I know I should not have made fun of that Christian friend of mine, but the stories he would tell about going to heaven seemed so far-fetched. They were almost impossible to believe.

The story he told about the compartment of torment was so unbelievable; I rejected his idea of heaven and hell. Even when he gave me scripture to prove his point, I still thought he had a couple of screws loose.

When I first arrived here, I thought back to the story of the rich man and Lazarus that my friend had told me about. He said the story was in Luke 16:19-31. (I wonder how I can remember that so clearly!) He opened his Bible and asked if I would like to read it for myself? I told him I really wasn't interested, but that did not stop him. He started to read: "There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom; the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed. So that they who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from there. Then he said, I pray thee, therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'Nay, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.' And he said unto him, 'If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.' (How am I able to remember all of these details? Is someone putting it into my mind?)

When he was finished, he told me what the story meant. He said that the rich man had everything he ever wanted. He had food, money, a place to live, and he had prestige. He never wanted for anything because he had it all. On the other hand, Lazarus who had nothing, only wanted the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. My friend then asked me a question. "What is the difference between these two men?"

I answered and said that the rich man had everything while the beggar wished that he had everything. My Christian friend said that was a good answer but it was wrong. "You see even though Lazarus was a beggar and had nothing, he had something that was more valuable than anything the rich man had."

I stopped him and said that the rich man had everything, what in the world did Lazarus have that the rich man did not have? Also, if the rich man did not have what Lazarus possessed, he could have paid a large sum of money to Lazarus and Lazarus would have sold it.

"What Lazarus had, he could not sell," he told me.

"You tell me what Lazarus had that the rich man could not buy?" I demanded.

"Lazarus had eternal life through Jesus Christ. It does not make any difference if a person has all the money in the world, they cannot buy salvation. Lazarus knew about the coming Messiah and about the two places where a person would go once he or she died. Lazarus accepted the free gift of salvation and when he died, he when into the compartment known as paradise or Abraham's bosom. The rich man also knew of the Messiah and of the two places that a person would go once he died. But the rich man was more interested in the things of the world. As a result, he rejected eternal life and he chose to be separated from the Lord for eternity. When the rich man died, he went into the compartment known as torment. The compartment of torment is still active today. Each person that dies will go to that compartment or they will go directly to heaven. The reason we do not go to paradise or Abraham's bosom is because Jesus took that area, the believer's waiting place, with him when he was resurrected. Now there is only one compartment in Hades, that being the compartment of torment.

"You must accept Christ to have eternal life," my friend continued. "If you do not accept, you will go to that compartment of torment and you will be tormented until the end of time. When the end of time comes, everyone that is in the compartment of torment will stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment and will be judged. One of God's angels will open the Book of Life to see if your name is written in it, and if your name is not written in the Book of Life, you will be cast into the lake of fire, which is called Hell."

"I don't believe that for a moment," I told him. "You want me to believe that a loving God would cast me into Hell because I did not accept Jesus Christ as my Savior? I've done nothing to deserve that!"

"No, you have it all wrong. God does not cast you into Hell. You cast yourself into Hell. By rejecting, you have chosen the second death. God gives each and every person a choice of either life or death. If God could choose for you, He would choose life instead of death, but God cannot choose for you. It is left up to you and it is left up to each person where they will spend eternity. I accepted and chose life and if you continue to reject, you may never have another chance to accept. If you never accept, one day you will regret that decision."

When he was finished with the story, I told him I would accept, but not at this time. There was plenty of time for me to accept, so I decided I would just put it off for a little while. That little while went from days to weeks and from months to years. I also explained to my friend that I had a lot of living to do and I did not want to be tied down to a lot of rules and laws from the Bible. I wanted to have parties and girls, lots and lots of girls. I just wished I would have accepted before I ran out of time. I can remember very clearly the day my heart gave out, and before I decided to accept.

I was up early in the morning with a cup of coffee. Next I would fix myself three eggs, 3 slices of bacon, one pancake, hash browns and two pieces of toast. I was always told to have a really good breakfast in order to set the mood for the rest of the day. After breakfast, I dressed, kissed my wife good-bye, and off to work I went.

Once I was in my pickup truck, I turned the radio on to my favorite program. I had driven about three miles when I had this pain in my chest. I knew exactly what it was. It was heart burn. I had been having heart burn for the last six months and every time the heart burn started, I would take a swallow of Mallox. Within a minute or two, the heart burn would go away. When the heart burn started this morning, I opened the Mallox and took a bigger drink than I ever had taken before because the heart burn hurt more this day than any other day. The rest of my trip to the office only took ten more minutes.

At the office, the normal things I always did seemed to be in the farthest parts of my mind. The only thing I had on my mind was the idea of retiring. I was sixty years old and had spent thirty one years of my life doing the same thing. If I retired now, I thought, I would have enough money in savings and in the retirement plan to live on for the rest of my life. The decision had to be made. Retire now or wait for another two years. As I sat there thinking about retiring or continuing to work, the pain hit me once again. This time the pain was almost unbearable. I hollered at Sam who was only twenty feet from me.

"What's the problem Gene?"

"I left my Mallox in my truck and my chest is really hurting." Sam came running over to me as quickly as he could and told me to relax and take it easy.

He said he was going to call for an ambulance. He thought I was having a heart attack. "Sam, it's just heart burn. I'm in great health." With the word health still ringing in my mouth, the massive heart attack hit. I grabbed my chest because the pain was so severe and then I saw the floor coming up to me very, very slowly. I heard a thud and then I also felt a pain on my forehead. I had hit the floor hard, very hard.

Sam was hollering and screaming, "Someone call an ambulance! Gene has had a heart attack!" The rest of the people in the office came over to see if there was anything they could do, but it was useless. I had taken my last breath.

I remember leaving my body and ascending just a little way above where my body was laying. I could still hear and see Sam giving orders and saying he could not feel a pulse. It seemed as if I was floating in mid air and the feeling of being free from my body was overwhelming, but then something took a hold of me and when I turned, I saw an angel with his hand around my arm.

"I am sorry, but you must go with me," he said in the most authoritative voice I had ever heard. For some reason I felt I was not in a very good situation. I felt as if I was in a lot of trouble. You know when you get caught doing something wrong. However, this feeling was a feeling of guilt and that I was about to be punished for something I had done. I had no idea I was going to be punished for something that I did not do. You see the thing that I did not do was to accept Christ as my personal Savior.

I took one look at the angel and I started to panic. I hollered as loud as I could for Sam. He acted as if he did not even hear a word I said. I hollered even louder and then I started to scream. "Sam, Sam please help me! Please, someone help me." But Sam and the others never even looked in my direction; he just kept giving orders. I shouted out again, "Sam, you idiot, I am up here! Help me!" The angel who had a hold of me said we must leave for a short trip and that he was very sorry that I had rejected for all of these years.

He then took me on that trip that I would never forget. I asked where we were going and he stated that he was sorry, but that he was taking me to the compartment of torment. I started to ask about the compartment of torment and then I remembered the story of the rich man and Lazarus. I knew where I was going, but deep down I thought I was having a dream. A voice told me I was not dreaming.

"THE COMPARTMENT OF TORMENT IS VERY REAL AND YOU HAD MANY CHANCES TO ACCEPT CHRIST, BUT EACH TIME YOU PUT IT OFF UNTIL YOU REACHED THE POINT WHERE YOU WOULD NEVER ACCEPT. WHEN THAT TIME CAME, YOUR LIFE WAS REQUIRED," I heard in my mind.

The trip seemed to last for only a few seconds, but I know it lasted longer than that because we traveled a very great distance. Off in the distance, I saw something that was very bright and I saw steam coming up. The closer we came to the bright light, the more I thought I could hear a strange sound. The sound continued to get louder and louder. I began trying to pull back. He continued to propel me, against my will.

When we finally were close enough to the bright light, I realized what the bright light was and what the sound was. The bright light was the fire coming up from the compartment of torment and the sound was the sound of people, billions and billions of people. The people in the compartment of torment were crying and begging to the Lord to let them out of the pit. The people were not only crying, but they were gnashing their teeth and biting their tongues from the pain. Most of them were also begging for just a drop of water for their tongues.

I thought about the rich man begging for a drop of water for his tongue, also. I wondered to myself if the story was true after all or if it was just a story. That same voice sounded in my mind once again.

"THE STORY OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS IS TRUE."

The closer we came to the pit, the more anxiety I began to feel. I again tried to pull back to no avail. This angel was about to drop me into the pit. I had never been so scared in all of my life. I was sweating and breathing so heavily, I thought I was going to have another heart attack or I was on the verge of bursting my lungs. I wish I could have been that lucky and ceased to exist.

When we finally reached the pit, I looked inside and saw the flames, but I could not see any of the people that were screaming. I know those sounds of screaming and crying will be with me for eternity. I just wish I had accepted before it was eternally too late. The blood curdling screams made me realize that I was about to do the same thing. Looking into the pit, I was holding on to the angel as tightly as I could and I was praying that he would not let me go. But let me go he must, for he had another trip to make to bring another person to this place of torment.

Once he released me, I watched as the flames grew closer and closer. Then, I could feel the heat from the flames getting warmer and warmer. The closer I came to the flame, the warmer and warmer I was getting until the flames were completely around me. The heat was so hot, I thought I could now hear and feel everyone screaming, but the screaming was coming from me. I never thought I could scream that loud, but the longer I was in this pit of hell, the louder I screamed. It was hard to believe the fire was so hot. It was hotter than anything any person could possibly imagine in a million years. I reached up and put my hands to my ears to stop the sounds caused by the terrible screams of the billions of people that had arrived before me. However, no matter how hard I tried to stop the sounds of this place, they continued to ring in my ears.

I started to think about this place called the Compartment of Torment. If this terrible place is the holding compartment before a person is cast into Hell, then Hell must be even worse than this place. Now, I am really starting to panic. Hell, I remember Sam telling me, is worse than this place and this place is the worse place I have ever seen or I have ever been. I have to find a way out of this place. I just have to.

Thinking back to what I had experienced in past years, I started thinking about how it would be with my family. Back on Earth, my family and friends would be starting to call my home and ask about the funeral and all of the details. My wife would say she was going to leave everything up to our oldest son, Gene, Jr. Gene, Jr. is just like his father, she would say. He did not believe there was life after death. He believes exactly what I have told him, "When you die, you cease to exist. "

Gene Jr. will decide the best thing to do is to show his father honor and have the funeral at the local church. It is really the only place that is big enough to hold all the people. Gene Jr. is probably talking to the new preacher and saying, "Dad would want a small, short funeral, and he does not want anything said about Heaven or Hell."

The preacher will tell Gene, Jr. that it may be better if he asks one of the other churches, further down the road, about having the funeral services in their church instead of this one. The pastor will state that in all the funerals he preaches, he tells about Heaven and Hell. He will, also, let everyone know that anyone can come and talk to him about accepting Christ as their personal Savior, even after the services. Gene, Jr. will decide he will let the preacher have his way, and allow him to tell about Christ dying on the cross for the sins of the world. It will not matter to him what anyone else thinks or does.

The next two days, the house will be full of family and friends. People in the community are probably bringing over food and all kinds of drinks for the crowds that are expected. Many that come in are saying they were sorry and that I am in a better place.

"If they could come and see this place, they would change their minds very quickly." Just maybe, I thought, the preacher will preach a really strong message and all of my relatives will accept. I hate to think that my wife, my sons, my daughters and all the rest of my relatives and friends will come to this place of torment, because they never accepted.

Today is Gene's funeral. At the church, the pews are packed. His body is lying in the coffin at the front of the church so everyone can see him. The preacher is beginning the service by saying that the Bible says we will all die, if the rapture of the church does not occur first. "We brought nothing into the world and we will take nothing out of this world. There is one of two places a person will go after death, either Heaven or Hell. I never met Gene, so I don't know if he ever accepted Jesus as his personal Savior or not. I don't want to dwell on the place where Gene is now, because it would only be speculation. What I want to concentrate on is the realization that each and every one of you will die one of these days.

"Do you know where you are going to spend eternity? If you do not know, then I would like to tell you. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no man cometh to the Father but by Me. In another passage in the Bible, Jesus said, 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' Those of you here today must ask yourselves that question. Are you saved? Have you accepted Christ? Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are going to Heaven?

"There are many, many people that believe that being good is all that is required to get into Heaven. However, the Bible says you must accept His free gift. There are also people that believe that their good works will get them in to heaven. And, there are people that believe that being a member of a church or being baptized will get them in to heaven. As I stated before, you must accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. Those other things are good to have, but if you think that those things will get you into Heaven, you are sadly mistaken. Accept what Christ did on the cross for you and become a Christian today, before it is too late."

Looking at all of the people in the church, the preacher asked a number of simple questions. "Are you saved? Do you know where you are going to spend eternity? Do you want to accept? Do you believe you are a sinner? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross to take your sins away?"

Thinking of those questions that I heard at a funeral once, I wished I was not dead. I wish I was at someone else's funeral, because I would stand up and shout out as loud as I can that I want to accept.

The preacher is asking question after question and the funeral is close to ending. Everyone is crying. Some of the people are getting saved, but the majority seems to think the pastor is long winded. Gene is thinking of that part of funerals and wishing he could sit up in his casket and tell the mourners about this place. Begging and pleading is something he had never done before, but he would do anything if he could convince them to accept and stop rejecting.

Now they are at the grave site, the pastor is saying a few words and then there are hugs by everyone. Next, they are placing his earthly body in the grave and, as everyone walks off to their cars, their thoughts go back to the things of life on earth once again, without any thought about their eternal souls.

The next day, things are the way they were before he died. There is one less person in the world, but the world will never notice that one person, GENE, is gone.

Thinking about all the times I had an opportunity to accept and all the times I rejected, makes me wish for a second chance. I'm thinking about cold ice cream and a cold drink of water. The more I think, the more I know I have to find a way to get out of this place. People have been coming here from the very beginning of the world and no one has ever escaped as of yet, that I know of, but I have to change that! I have to get out of here! A thought is coming into my mind, "Why don't you just start praying to the Lord for a second chance. If he is a loving God, he will give me a second chance." Now I'm beginning my prayer even though I've not done this very often. I am not stopping until He answers my prayer.

I don't know how long I have been praying. It could have been days or years because, you see, there is no way to tell time down here. There is only eternity, whatever that means. I know, you say eternity is forever. However, if my prayer is answered, I will not be here forever. I feel like I have already been here forever!

With every prayer, I expect an answer, but there is no answer. WAIT. I hear a voice! The voice is God speaking to me, I'm sure of it!

"CHILD I HAVE HEARD YOUR PRAYER AND YOU KNOW THAT NO ONE EVER GETS A SECOND CHANCE. YOU CHOSE ETERNAL DEATH RATHER THAN ETERNAL LIFE. YOU CHOSE TO REJECT RATHER THAN TO ACCEPT."

"Lord, if I had a second chance, I know I would accept YOU as my personal Savior. Please, give me a second chance!" I begged.

"WHAT I WILL DO IS TO LET YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE ALL OVER AGAIN AND I WILL SHOW YOU EACH AND EVERY BAD DECISION YOU MADE. I WILL THEN LET YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR A THIRD TIME, BUT THIS TIME, YOU WILL MAKE ALL THE RIGHT DECISIONS."

"When will I be able to start living my life all over again?"

"YOU WILL START TO LIVE YOUR LIFE ALL OVER AGAIN IN WHAT WILL SEEM LIKE SECONDS."

"Oh, thank you Lord, thank you."

"JUST REMEMBER WHAT I SAID. NO ONE EVER GETS A SECOND CHANCE."

"I won't forget, I promise I will not forget."

"LISTEN CLOSELY WHILE PROFESSOR WILSON TELLS ABOUT YOUR LIFE."

CHAPTER 2

Gene Pittman was born on March 27, 1945 at 7:02 A.M. to Darrell and Thelma Pittman. He was third of the six children that would make Darrell and Thelma's life complete, or so they thought. Darrell had never gone to church or had any reason to go. He always thought that church was all a show. When his first child was born and old enough to understand and ask questions, he began telling him that when you die you cease to exist. Every child born into the Pittman family was taught the same thing, "Heaven and Hell do not exist."

You might think that Darrell came up with that idea by himself, but that is not the case. You see, Darrell's father and mother were taught from their parents that there were no real places which people called Heaven and Hell. When you die you ceased to exist. With the idea of no Heaven and Hell being taught to Gene and his brothers and sisters, is it any wonder that he would teach the same thing to his children?

The very existence of God is something that every good father should teach his family. Even if a father does not believe there is a God, he should give his children the opportunity to know about God and the idea of a Heaven and Hell. If the children don't want to have anything to do with God after they are grown, that is up to them. Their eternal destiny will be on their shoulders instead of their parents.

If Darrell was going to be a good father, he should have told his family about God. However, He said he did not believe in God. Since he did not believe in God, he did not teach them about a loving God that had died on the cross for their sins. Some people have said that a "complete" family should have some knowledge of God and it would be nice if the family went to church on Sundays. But just having knowledge of God is not enough. It will always leave emptiness inside a person. The only way to fill that emptiness is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Savior.

Darrell had heard all the stories from the Bible from some of his friends, but he took them as fairy tales. He told Thelma that he would never believe that one person could die on the cross for ALL the sins of the world. Thelma knew there was a void in their life and she was always trying to get Darrell to go to church, but he always said he would rather die than to step a foot inside a church full of hypocrites. Well, that is the way it was for Darrell and all of his children. They all rejected.

The first day that Gene started to walk was another, very historic day for the Pittman family. Harold and Steven were the oldest in the family, so of course they were actually the first children to walk. On the very day that one of the kids began to walk, Thelma would put it in her diary. The first day for little Gene was amazing. He took to walking very quickly. As a matter of fact, he took to walking like a duck takes to water. Even though Gene was the third oldest, most of the time he did everything earlier than any of the children. If you were wondering if he was the first to die of natural causes of the children born to Darrell and Thelma, the answer is yes. You see all the other children died in ways that were not natural. Later I will tell you about all of the children born to Darrell and Thelma.

Seattle, Washington, is a very large city. Growing up in Seattle a kid could always find a church to go to if he wanted. Within ten blocks of the Pittman home, there were three churches; two Baptist and one Independent. Each church preached the Gospel and they were also having many people come forward and accepting Christ.

The family that lived next door to Darrell and Thelma were the Fishers. Each and every Sunday, they would get up early and go to Sunday School and to church. They even went to church on Sunday nights and on Wednesday nights. Many times they would ask Darrell if his family would like to go, but the answer was the same every time. "NO!"

The Fishers moved into their home two months after Darrell and Thelma had moved in. They were very good friends, even though Darrell did not think that church was necessary. Most of the time, they would go camping or fishing together and sometimes they would take their vacations together.

Bobby and Bonnie Fisher wanted a large family and it just so happen that every time Thelma would tell Bonnie that she was going to have a baby, Bonnie would report the same thing within weeks. Both families had six children and all of their ages were within seven weeks of each other. It seemed like the kids always had someone to play with.

The kids did everything together, except go to church. All of the Pittman kids thought that going to church was a waste of time. They said they would rather sleep until nine or ten on Sunday mornings.

While I, Professor Wilson, continued telling the story of Gene's family, the Lord asked Gene if he remembered all of those things. Gene turned around and said, "Yes, Lord, I remember everything as if it happened yesterday. I just wish I had accepted when I was a little boy."

"HUMANS LIKE TO KEEP STATISTICS ON EVERYTHING, GENE. HERE IS ONE STATISTIC THAT I WILL TELL YOU ABOUT. EIGHTY FIVE PERCENT OF ALL PEOPLE THAT HAVE ACCEPTED ME, ACCEPTED ME BEFORE THEY WERE EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD. ONCE A PERSON GOES PAST EIGHTEEN, IT BECOMES HARDER AND HARDER FOR THEM TO ACCEPT ME. AS YOU WILL SEE, MOST PEOPLE REJECT ME AFTER THAT AGE."

"Lord, why didn't I accept?"

"YOU HAD HUNDREDS OF CHANCES TO ACCEPT, BUT YOU HARDENED YOUR HEART TOWARD THE THINGS OF THE TRUTH. NOW, I WILL START TO SHOW YOU 'YOUR' MISTAKES IN YOUR LIFE."

As I, Professor Wilson, continue with the life of Gene, we see the first time Gene had a chance to make the right decision.

A knock came at the front door. It was Mike. "Is Gene home?"

"Sure. Come in, Mike." Gene came running from his bedroom when he heard Mike's voice. Gene and Mike were the same age and they loved to discover all sorts of different things to get into. They put their arms around each other and out the back door they went.

"What do you want to do, Mike?"

"I don't know, do you have any ideas, Gene?"

"Nope, I'd just like to find a shade tree and sleep like Rip Van Winkle."

"Well, let's go over to old man Bishop's house and see if we can find any hidden treasure," suggested Mike.

"That sounds like a great idea, but you know what will happen if he catches us."

"Have we ever been caught before? I don't think we are going to get caught this time either."

On the way to old man Bishop's house, Gene and Mike started to talk about the house and about old man Bishop. "Old man Bishop's house is so old it's probably older than he is," Mike offered.

"I don't like it. It's always dark and gloomy. People say that he 'lost all will to live' when his family was killed in a fire at his in-law's house."

"Maybe that's why everyone says the house is haunted."

"When we get there, we can't make a sound. Who knows, maybe old man Bishop has caught other kids and has killed them or kept them as prisoners."

Mike looked at Gene and said, "That's enough, I don't want to hear anymore." Talk like that always did get Mike scared.

One half block and Gene and Mike would be at old man Bishop's house. The house looked like something out of a horror film. The house was always dark, with creaking boards and shutters. On Halloween, everyone talked about old man Bishop's house, but no one ever went over there, because it was so spooky. As the two boys reached old man Bishop's property, they both took in one deep breath and then let it out very, very slowly. Now came the time they both feared. One quick glance at the old haunted house, and at each other, and they both decided it was time to be men instead of boys.

Gene and Mike squeezed through the fence and, within forty feet, they were at the house. They had always gone in through a secret passage they had found one day while they were looking for treasure. "Be quiet," Mike told Gene, "don't make any sounds. Old man Bishop is probably sleeping."

They had been through all of the rooms on the lower floor, but never on the second floor or the third floor. This day was going to be special. If they were going to find any treasure, they both knew they had better go to the second floor.

One step at a time is what Gene told Mike. "Put your foot down very easy and, if it squeaks, move your foot to the right or to the left of the step. If we make any noise at all and we get caught, I know old man Bishop will shoot us."

Looking at the second floor, Mike took the first step, then the second, and the third. Before long, they both were at the top of the steps. One quick glance down both hallways and their next move was to the room on the right. Mike reached for the door knob and turned it to see if it would make any noise. The door seemed as if it had just been oiled. Mike looked at Gene and Gene seemed to have that same look of bewilderment on his face as Mike had on his, as they walked through the doorway.

"I'm going to close the door," Mike said. "Now put some of those rags next to the door."

"What are you going to do Mike?"

"I'm going to turn the lights on. If old man Bishop comes down the hall and he sees the light shinning under the door, we are dead meat."

Gene started putting the rags under the door as fast as he could. "Hold your breath, Gene; I am going to turn on the light. One, two, three." The light came on to the astonishment of both boys. With the light on, the treasure hunt could start.

"This must have been some kind of reading room or something like that," Mike replied. "Look at these magazines! They are old."

"What do they say Mike?"

"How do I know? I can't read all these big words. You know we're only in the fourth grade. I sure do like the pictures, though. Maybe this is our treasure?"

"No, I want money or something that is worth something, I don't want a bunch of old magazines," Gene replied. They both continued to look on all the shelves and in the book cases. But the only treasure in this room was books; lots and lots of books.

Walking over to look in one last place, Mike kicked at a pile of magazines and one magazine flipped open. Mike looked down to see a picture of a man with a Bible in his hand. He then looked at the front cover and he read the name of the man who was on the front cover, "Billy Sunday. Look, Gene, it's Billy Sunday!"

"Who?"

"Billy Sunday, who is probably one of the greatest preachers that ever lived, so my dad says."

"Hey, don't give me that religious stuff today. I told you I would go to Sunday School and church with you tomorrow, so don't get going today with all of that accepting Jesus Christ stuff. I'll listen to it tomorrow."

"Gene, I am not trying to be religious or anything like that. This really is a magazine about Billy Sunday." Something told Gene to go over and sit down with Mike and look at the magazine. Mike turned another page and then it happened. The door bolted open and there stood old man Bishop. The thoughts of both boys started to swirl and the things that they had seen on TV almost became reality to them.

Gene had a quick thought about the horror movie called "The Thing." He remembered when The Thing came through the door with a large wooden beam in his hand. He remembered how big The Thing was and how scared the scientist were when they were so close to death. As Gene looked up at old man Bishop, he thought that old man Bishop must be at least eight feet tall or taller. To a small child, sitting on the floor, old man Bishop would look to be taller than what he really was. Gene was also thinking that he and Mike would be breathing their last, now that old man Bishop had caught them in his house.

Mike was conjuring up all sorts of fantasies in his mind, too. He thought about the movie, "The Day the Earth Stood Still." He thought about the giant robot that could destroy the world and he wonder about the height of the robot. As Mike looked at old man Bishop standing in the middle of the door, he started to wonder just how he was going to die. Would he be shot or would old man Bishop use a knife or hammer on both of them? The thoughts continued until old man Bishop made two steps inside the room.

As he came inside the room, they could get a better view of old man Bishop, with the light hitting his face. Old man Bishop had long, dirty hair, like it had not been washed or cut for years. It reminded both boys of an old rotten rug that had been thrown out and the weather had finally started to take its toll. His clothes were so old they were almost rags. The shirt was a light color such as tan or a dirty yellow. After looking at the shirt for a short while, they both realized it was really white. The smell of old man Bishop made both boys wonder if he was on the verge of death. They both decided in their own minds that his smell would make a maggot gag.

"What are you boys doing in here? Give me an answer right now. Don't hesitate. I want an answer." Both boys were totally scared to death. They were speechless. "I said give me an answer or I will." He paused slightly to let the boys conger up all sorts of possibilities in their own minds.

Mike and Gene looked at each other and they both were thinking what had been said earlier about old man Bishop probably killing other kids he had caught. With both boys tongues tied, Mike looked down at the magazine and stuttered the words, "Billy Sunday."

The words "Billy Sunday" seemed to melt old man Bishop on the spot. He looked at the boys and then he looked at the magazine and a change came over him in seconds.

"Billy Sunday was a very good friend of mine."

"He was?"

"Yes, he was."

"I heard that Billy Sunday was one of the greatest preachers in the whole world," Mike said.

Old man Bishop replied, "Billy Sunday was one of the best. I was almost as good as he was, once."

"You mean you were a preacher?"

"Yes, I was, but when my family was killed in a fire, I lost all my will to live." Old man Bishop looked at both boys and asked if they both liked reading about Billy Sunday?

Gene spoke up and said, "We love reading about Billy Sunday. He then lied, "You see we both are very religious."

"Maybe you boys would like to come back sometime and we can talk about church and great preachers and anything else you two would like to talk about."

Mike looked at old man Bishop and asked a simple question. "Would you come to church with us tomorrow?"

"You mean you want me to come to church with you two tomorrow?"

"Yes, we do," replied Mike, "and maybe if you like our church, you would like to come every Sunday."

"Oh, I would love to go to church with you. Would you both like for me to read to you about Billy Sunday?"

"If you don't mind reading to us."

"I don't mind reading to both of you at all."

As old man Bishop sat down on the floor and started to read about Billy Sunday Mike and Gene looked at each other and they both knew what each other was thinking. They both were thinking that since he was so dirty and 'groady' looking, the smell they were now smelling was more terrible than anything they had smelled before. The smell was his breathe. They both knew that he probably had not brushed his teeth in at least five to ten years. Before old man Bishop could go any further reading, Mike told him that they had to go; their parents would be concerned about them.

On the way home, Gene looked at Mike and said, "That was a real good story I gave that old man."

Mike glanced at Gene and said, "I know you're going to say it was just a little white lie that you gave old man Bishop."

"Well, I thought it was a real good story and it was just a little white lie. I couldn't think of anything else to say. It kept him from hurting us!"

"Gene, you can never tell, once you come to church with me tomorrow, you just may become very religious." "Don't count on that, Mike. It would take a miracle for me to become religious."

"I believe in miracles. Just look what happen to old man Bishop."

At home, Mike told his dad what had happen and that he and Gene had sneaked into old man Bishop's house and found a magazine about Billy Sunday. He also told his dad about getting caught by old man Bishop and that old man Bishop was going to church with them the next morning.

Mike's dad, Bobby, looked at Mike and said, "What did you say?"

"I said that old man Bishop is going to church with us tomorrow morning."

"Old man Bishop has not been out of his house for years and you want me to believe he is going to go to church with us tomorrow morning?"

"Dad, I hope you aren't mad at me for inviting him?"

Bobby thought for a moment and said, "No, I am not mad at you. You did exactly what you were supposed to do, although sneaking into his house was wrong."

"Also, Dad, you won't believe this, but old man Bishop said he used to be a preacher and that him and Billy Sunday were very good friends."

"Old man Bishop was a preacher at one time?"

"That's what he said."

Sunday morning could not come quickly enough for Mike. His best friend Gene was coming to church and so was old man Bishop, if he was in front of his house when they came by to pick him up. Mike thought to himself that this Sunday morning was not going to be like any Sunday morning that anyone could ever remember. Old man Bishop would be in church, but more important was that Gene just might get saved.

Bobby looked at his watch and told Bonnie to round up the kids, it was time to go. With the kids and the wife in the car, Bobby drove to the Bishop's house. Standing out front was old man Bishop, all dressed up and looking like he was going to a funeral. Mr. Bishop opened the door to the car and eased in and thanked Bobby for the ride. All the way to church, no one said a thing. It was as if everyone was waiting for Mr. Bishop to say something first.

At the church, Mike took Gene into the room that he was in which was the room for boys in the fourth through the sixth grades. The teacher was going to tell the story of King Agrippa.

Dan Davis was twenty four years old and just out of Bible College. He had been teaching the boys' Sunday School class for four months. The other teacher was okay, but Mike liked Dan because he made the stories in the Bible come alive. He knew that when he told the story of King Agrippa, that maybe Gene would see the truth and a miracle would occur and Gene would accept.

"Mike, you brought a visitor to our class?"

"Yes, this is Gene Pittman. He is my best friend and he also lives right next door to me."

"That is really great that you brought your best friend to Sunday School. Now let's turn in your Bibles to Acts 25:13. Remember, Acts is the fifth book in the New Testament. "

Dan told the story of Paul appearing before King Agrippa and how he had met Christ on the Road to Damascus. He explained to the boys how religious King Agrippa was and how he knew about the things that Paul was telling him. Dan looked at the boys and said, "Even though King Agrippa had the knowledge of religion and he knew what the prophets told, he was not saved. Just look at what he says to Paul in Acts 26:28 - 'Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persaudest me to be a Christian.'" Looking at each boy and making eye contact, Dan said that verse is the saddest of all the verses in the Bible. "King Agrippa was so close to eternal life, but he rejected and now he is wishing that he had accepted. What about you? Are you saved?"

Each boy examined his heart and those that were not saved said they wanted to know for certain they were going to heaven. "The only way you can know for certain is to accept Christ into your heart right now." Three of the eight boys in the Sunday School class accepted when Dan lead them in a prayer of salvation. Now, Gene was the only boy in the class that was not saved.

The bell rang and as each boy walked out of the room, Dan asked if Gene would mind waiting for a minute. "I noticed that you were moving around and you seemed to be very uncomfortable. Gene, are you saved?"

"I don't believe you have to accept Christ. My dad says that when we die, we just cease to exist. If I went home and said I had accepted Christ as my Savior, my dad would laugh me to death."

"Gene, one of these days you are going to die and even if you do believe that you cease to exist, you won't believe it the very second you die."

"I know you're going to say that if I don't accept I will go to Hell. My dad said that people say that to him all the time and he just tells them that he will be with all his friends and buddies down there, drinking beer."

"Gene, before we go to the church service, would you like to accept Christ as your personal Savior and know when you die that you are going to Heaven?"

"No. I don't want to accept now or any other time. I don't believe a word you have said."

With a tear coming down his face, Dan looked at Gene and said, "I wish there was something I could do or say to convince you about Christ."

"You are wasting your breath, I just don't believe."

"GENE, THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WHEN YOU HAD A CHANCE TO ACCEPT, BUT YOU REJECTED. DO YOU REMEMBER HOW OLD YOU WERE AT THAT TIME?"

"Yes, Lord, I was 9 years old."

"YOU ARE RIGHT, GENE. YOU WERE NINE YEARS OLD WHEN YOU FIRST REJECTED. YOU SAW THE TEAR COMING DOWN THE FACE OF DAN? THAT TEAR WAS THERE BECAUSE HE KNEW WHERE YOU WERE GOING TO SPEND ETERNITY, AND HE WAS VERY SAD ABOUT YOUR DECISION. YOUR SECOND REJECTION WILL OCCUR WITHIN THE NEXT TWO HOURS WHEN MIKE TALKS TO YOU ABOUT ACCEPTING."

On the way home from church, Mr. Bishop said he was very happy that he went to church with the Fishers. "I can't remember the last time I have been to church or even out of the house. I think it is time that I changed my life."

Mike spoke up and said, "That is exactly what happens when Christ comes to live within a person; his life changes."

Gene looked at Mike and thought to himself, "Here we go again with all of that religious stuff."

After lunch, Mike and Gene were outside playing, just like they always did, when Mike told Gene that he felt sorry for King Agrippa.

"Why would you feel sorry for King Agrippa? He was a king and he had everything a person could want."

"The one thing he did not have was eternal life."

"That eternal life is for the birds. I don't believe there is a heaven or a hell. I keep telling you I believe once you die you cease to exist. Don't you hear a word I am saying?"

"I hear what you're saying, but you are totally wrong."

"Remember what King Agrippa said to Paul?"

"No, I don't remember, but I know you are going to tell me."

King Agrippa said, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Gene, King Agrippa rejected when he was so very close to salvation. Don't you want to accept and be a Christian?"

Gene looked at Mike and said," Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian?" He chuckled and then Gene started to laugh.

"Yes, Gene, if I could I would. I want you to be with me in Heaven. Christ loved you so much He was willing to die for you. Why won't you accept?"

"Mike, I have to be going. I'll see you tomorrow."

"IN LESS THAN TWO HOURS, YOU REJECTED SALVATION TWICE. ALL THROUGH YOUR LIFE YOU REJECTED TIME AND TIME AGAIN."

"Lord, I can't believe I rejected all my life. Why didn't I accept? Why didn't I check to see if the things Mike was telling me was the truth or not. I can't believe I kept my eyes closed to the Gospel and I can't believe I did not want to have anything to do with Christ."

"ALL THROUGH HISTORY MAN HAS REJECTED, EVEN WHEN THEIR EYES WERE OPENED TO THE GOSPEL. EVERY MAN HAS A CONSCIENCE THAT TELLS HIM RIGHT FROM WRONG. HE ALSO HAS A VOID WITHIN HIS HEART WHICH CAN ONLY BE FILLED BY ME, AND EACH PERSON KNOWS HE MUST MAKE THAT DECISION TO OPEN THE DOOR TO HIS HEART OR TO LEAVE IT SHUT. THOSE THAT SHUT THE DOOR WILL DO SO FOR ETERNITY."

CHAPTER 3

The days seemed to creep by for Mike and Gene. They had to find something to do to kill the time, so they both would go up and visit old man Bishop at least once a week. Sometimes he would give them small things that were not worth a lot, but for two young boys, anything that was new to them was a treasure.

One day while visiting old man Bishop, he asked if the boys were excited about Vacation Bible School?

"I can't wait for Vacation Bible School to arrive. I have been planning on it since last summer," was Mike's reply. "Last year they said they already had everything planned out for this year and the theme this year is going to be SCUBA Diving.

When Mike said SCUBA diving, Gene acted as if someone had poked him with a knife. He jumped up and said, "Did you say SCUBA diving?"

"That's exactly what I said, Gene."

"Well, just how does this Vacation Bible School work?"

"From what I've heard people say, the theme will be about SCUBA diving. They are going to show a movie about SCUBA diving and tell what you have to do to learn how to dive. Everything is going to be centered around the Gospel, of course."

"Oh, that's just great," answered Gene. "More preaching and more of what it takes to get saved. I just wish people would stop trying to get me saved. I hate for people telling me about Jesus dying on the cross for my sins and that I am going to Hell."

Mr. Bishop looked at Gene and said, "You mean, you are not saved?"

"Well, Mr. Bishop I am kinda saved."

"Gene, there is no 'kinda' saved, either you are or you are not. That first day that I went to church with you and the Fishers, I thought for sure you were saved. You had the look of being content and you knew all the words and phrases of a Christian. You also had that walk of confidence that a Christian has, when he or she knows they are saved. Now you are talking are a heathen. Gene, since you are talking like a heathen, then I will treat you like a heathen." Gene had no idea what that meant.

Right then, old man Bishop started telling Gene about the Gospel and what it takes for a person to get saved. Since you do not know if you are saved or not, maybe it is best if we take care of that question right now. Gene, would you like to ask Christ into your heart?"

"NO! Now tell me more about Vacation Bible School."

"At the end of the week, there is going to be a SCUBA diving instructor at the church and he is going to be giving away free passes for one hour of training at his dive shop."

"You get one hour of free diving at his dive shop?" Gene asked.

"That's right. All you have to do is to call and tell them that you are interested in diving and the instructor will set a time for your family to go down and see if you like to dive."

"Wow, that's for me! When does Vacation Bible School start?"

Mr. Bishop said that VBS would start in three weeks.

"Mike, I don't care what I'm doing or what I have planned, you need to remind me about VBS."

"You know, Gene, I tried to get you to go last year and you made every excuse under the sun for not going. You promise you will go this year?"

"I promise I will go this year. Also, I know that everyone is going to try and get me saved, but I can't miss the SCUBA stuff!"

"GENE, MR. BISHOP WAS CONCERNED SO MUCH ABOUT YOUR SOUL; HE WAS WILLING TO LEAD YOU IN A PRAYER OF SALVATION. YOU MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT YOU DID NOT WANT TO BE SAVED. FROM THAT DAY UNTIL THE DAY THAT MR. BISHOP DIED, HE PRAYED TWO, AND SOMETIMES THREE TIMES A DAY FOR YOUR SALVATION. ALSO, MIKE AND HIS FAMILY WERE PRAYING EVERY DAY FOR YOU. ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS TO OPEN YOUR HEART JUST A LITTLE AND I WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU THE DESIRE TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN. BUT YOU NEVER WOULD OPEN YOUR HEART. NOW YOU WILL SEE HOW MANY TIMES DURING VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL YOU HAD A CHANCE TO ACCEPT. BUT THEN, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID, DON'T YOU?"

"Yes, Lord, I continued to reject."

During the next two weeks, Mr. Bishop had many opportunities to talk to Gene. Each time the subject would come up about Christ or anything religious, Gene made it very clear he was not interested.

Sunday night was very warm and beautiful; just the kind of night two little boys always dream about. Mike and Gene were outside, sitting on the driveway, when Mike decided he would go in and get a blanket. He spread the blanket out and he and Mike laid down so they could look at all of the stars. "Gene, tomorrow VBS starts. Are you still planning on going with me or will you forget like you did last year?"

"I said I was planning on going and I am going to do exactly what I said."

"Okay, it starts at nine and it is over at twelve. We will have the best three hours of our lives."

"How many stars do you think there are in the sky, Mike?"

"I don't know, but I know that one of these days I will know the exact number, if I want to know. But I think I will have more important things to do in heaven other than wondering how many stars are in the universe."

"Oh, I forgot, you have to bring God and Heaven into everything we talk about."

"I can't help it, Gene. I am a Christian and I am supposed to tell people about Christ. But more important is the fact that one day, we will take our last breath on earth. The preacher said, once we take our last breath, we will then be breathing air in Heaven or in Hell. I know that I am going to breathing heavenly air, but, Gene, what about you?"

"Mike, why don't we just look at the stars and stop all the talking? It is so peaceful and silent, I just want to remember this moment."

"Gene! Gene! It's time to come in and take a bath and then it's time for bed," Gene's mom called.

"Okay, Mom, I'll be there in one minute."

"Don't forget we have to be at the church at nine."

"I'll be up and ready to go," was Gene's reply.

The morning sun came up and was shining brightly when Gene heard his alarm go off. "Oh, I don't want to get up, I want to sleep all day long." As he lay there, he started to think about the theme in Vacation Bible School. He jumped up and went straight into the kitchen and asked his mom if she could fix him something that would stay with him until lunch?

"I take it you are still planning on going to VBS?"

"I told Mike I was planning on going and I am going to keep my word."

"Gene, listen to the things that the teachers teach you and what the preacher says. If they ask if you would like to accept Christ, don't be quick with your answer. Think about what Christ did on the cross for you."

"You've never said anything like this to me before, Mom. Are you alright?"

"Gene, when I was a little girl, I went to church all the time with my mom and dad. We loved going. However, I knew there was something wrong. I always had a void in my heart. One day the preacher told everyone that if a person was not saved, there is a void and the only way to fill that void is to accept. I knew I had to accept and many, many times I wanted to go forward, but my parents told me not to embarrass them in front of the church. You see, my dad was one of the deacons and because he was a deacon, they thought that his kids were all saved. One Sunday morning, I asked if I could go forward and accept and my dad said that everyone thought that I was already saved. He said if I went forward, it would make him look bad. I never went forward. (Thelma stopped the story there without telling him that in her heart, standing in the pew, she accepted Christ as her personal Savior. She did not tell anyone about accepting. She just kept it in her heart).

"Gene, if you have that same void, open your heart to the Lord and He will give you the light that you will need to accept. This will be the easiest time for you, with all the other kids."

"Mom, I believe what dad told me. He said there is no Heaven or Hell and he said that there is no way one man could take all the sins of the world and place them on himself. If one person could take my sin, why would he?"

"Gene, Christ has taken your sin and my sin and every person's sin that has ever lived on earth to the cross. That's how much He loves us. He was willing to die for us.

"Also, don't believe everything your dad says, because he can be wrong sometimes.

"I'll fix you some eggs and bacon and I also have your favorite, chocolate milk," said his mother with a sad look on her face.

After breakfast, Gene brushed his teeth and made sure his clothes were just right. As he walked out the front door, he hollered and said he would be home a little after twelve.

The short drive to the church only took ten minutes, but during that ten minutes, Gene did nothing but talk. The subject was on scuba diving. He said everything his little imagination could come up with and most of the ideas were really fantasies about what he assumed was real SCUBA diving.

Once at the church, Mike and Gene took off running and playing and talking with their friends. At five minutes before nine, Pastor Mark Foster walked outside and began to blow his whistle. "It's time to come in and get settled. Let's go!" All the children from pre-school up through the sixth grade came into the church and had a seat.

Mark walked to the front of the church and asked for everyone to get quiet while he talked. "We are so excited about this year's Vacation Bible School and the theme we have picked. Some of you already know that the theme is SCUBA diving. But what you may not know is that I have my master diving certificate. This means that during this week, I will tell you all about diving and then those of you that would like to have a free hour of diving can go to the dive shop. At the dive shop, you will have professionals to help you and I will also be there.

"Our custom in this church is to present the Gospel during VBS week, using a theme we have picked. We also have a custom, during VBS week, where we pick one of our missionaries to support. Each day we would like for everyone to bring their pennies and put them in our two old kettles. This kettle is marked boys," as he pointed to the one on the left, "and this kettle is marked girls," and he pointed to the one on the right. "So, does everyone know what the challenge is?"

All the children screamed out, "Boys against the girls!" One little girl stood up and said that the girls had won three years in a row.

Gene glanced over at Mike and giggled and in a low voice he said, "You let girls beat you three years in a row?"

"There were always twice as many girls," Mike defended. "This year we are just about even."

"Since I am on the team, we are not going to lose. I have been saving pennies for a rainy day and I think that rainy day has just arrived. Plus, I am not going to let a girl beat me at anything," commented Gene.

"We are going to divide into groups, and at eleven thirty, we will come back into the auditorium so I can give you a short message about SCUBA diving and the Gospel.

"At this time, Mrs. Adams will come forward and break you up into your groups." The children were sent, by age, to their respective rooms with their teachers and their helpers. Gene and Mike went to their regular Sunday School room where their age group met.

Their teacher for the week was going to be Mike's favorite, Dan. Dan stood at the door as each boy walked past and asked for their name. When it was Gene's turn to walk past Dan, Gene turned and said, "I don't want to accept today, okay?" Dan did not say a word, but down deep he felt that pain that he had felt when he tried to lead Gene in a prayer of salvation that Sunday morning a few weeks back.

After getting settled in their seats, Dan showed them a chart where they would keep track of the days they were present, how many Bible verses they learned, and how many visitors they had brought. He told them there would be contests in each of these areas, but they would talk about that later.

Next, they opened their booklets where the daily lessons were and discussed the information. There were puzzles to do that pertained to the lesson and their memory verses.

After what seemed like only a few minutes, they were rushing down the hall to the craft room, where they were creating all sorts of underwater items. This was one of the best parts of VBS. They even got to take the things home at the end of the week.

Again, they were moving. This time they were headed outside for a snack and some games. Gene really liked this part, because no one mentioned being saved, and there wasn't any of that religious stuff, that he hated so much. Of course they prayed, but he never paid attention when that was going on. He just kept his mind on what would happen next.

The game they played was called SCUBA Relay. Each age group was divided into two teams, A and B. In Mike's room, there were twelve boys, so they had two teams of six. Team A then divided up into pairs. Three pairs of the boys made up each team. When the relays started, each pair of boys had to hold onto a piece of rope. If you let go, you were given a five second penalty. Each pair had to run to the other end and pass the rope to the next pair of runners. At the end of the race, Pastor Mark would add up any penalty seconds and add that to the total time and the lowest time was the winner. The winning team received something special. After the relay race, it was time to go inside for the other fun thing in VBS, the singing.

"Now what are we going to do?" Gene asked.

"This is the best part of VBS. It's the singing time," Mike explained.

"You mean we are going to sing all of those slow moving songs that we sang in church the last time I came with you?"

"No, no. These are fun songs and most of them are fast. Just listen to the words and you will find that some are very funny. Wait and see."

On the way inside for the singing part of the day, Gene noticed that everyone was getting back together, in their groups, in the main auditorium. Gene feared that they were going to have to sit still until Mark had finished with his message. All the while, he kept wondering, "When are they going to sing like Mike said?"

Mark walked to the front and looked at his watch. It was exactly eleven thirty. "At this time, before we sing,

I am going to tell you about some of the things that have to do with SCUBA diving. Does anyone know why we had a SCUBA relay with partners?" No one said a word. "The reason we had a SCUBA relay is because in SCUBA diving, you always dive with a partner. The quickest way to get yourself in trouble is to dive alone. By having a partner, you have to rely on him for security and he also has to rely on you for security."

Mark had a tank, a regulator, and a BC (buoyancy compensator) lying on the floor next to him. He picked up the tank and regulator and pointed to a thing that SCUBA divers call an octopus. "If by accident, you or your partner were to run out of air from one of the tanks, you could share the air in your partner's tank with this extra mouthpiece, that is called an octopus. Without a partner, you would die.

In SCUBA diving, you always have to rely on someone else. The same is true with the Gospel. Now most of you may not know what the Gospel is, so I am going to tell you what the Gospel really is and where to find it. It is found in I Corinthians 15:3, 4 - 'For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.' The Gospel is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose from the grave the third day. The only thing that He wants you to do is to accept Him as your savior. Remember about you having to rely on your partner in SCUBA diving? The same holds true with the Gospel. You have to rely on the only person that has the power to save you, that being Jesus Christ. Just think: What would happen if something happened to your partner? You would have no one. But, with Christ, He is always there, if you need help. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Do you want someone with you all the time? Do you want someone that will never leave you? Do you want someone that will listen to your problems? Do you want someone that you can lean on when times are bad? If you said yes to any of those questions, then what you need to do is to ask Christ into your heart. When we finish singing, I will give a one minute invitation and if you want to accept Christ as your Savior, we will have plenty of time for that.

"The first song is "I Am a Promise." In SCUBA diving, many people don't have the confidence that they can dive or even rely on their equipment. In the song, it says, "I am a promise, I am a possibility, I am a promise, with a capital P. I am a great big bundle of potentiality." Each and every one of you has the potential to be whatever you want to be. But when you have Christ in your heart, HE guides and directs you in the direction that He would like for you to go. Jan will now come and lead in the singing?"

Jan Patterson stood up from the front row and said, "It's time to sing!" All the children started to clap and to cheer. On the screen behind her, the words to each song were displayed. The first song, as the pastor said, was one of the children's favorites, "I Am A Promise."

When the songs were over, Gene was quite surprised that the songs went along with the lessons. They weren't so bad after all. In fact, they were quite lively and had all sorts of motions with them. "Maybe this would not be so bad after all," Gene thought.

After all the songs were over, Mark stood up and said, "Christ wants to live in each of your hearts. What we learned today about SCUBA diving should open your minds to the idea that you cannot depend on yourself, but you must rely on someone else. Let that person be Jesus. If you want Jesus to come into your heart, come forward and we will show you in the Bible that you can have eternal life."

Out of the 146 children in VBS, 26 came forward and accepted Christ as their personal Savior. Gene was one of those that did not move. He had already made up his mind that he was not going forward for any reason.

Once everyone was back in their seats, Mark reminded all the children to bring their pennies for the missionaries the next day. "Also, why don't you bring a friend or two and see how the Lord works with them?"

On the way out, Mike looked at Gene and asked if he liked the first day?

"I loved it! The songs were great and the story about the SCUBA relay and always having a partner was interesting. You know what I liked the best?"

"What?"

"No one asked me to accept Christ as my savior."

"You mean Dan did not say a word about becoming a Christian?"

"I didn't give him a chance. When we walked into the room, I told him I did not want to accept, so don't ask."

"Gene, did you really say that to Dan?"

"I told you I did."

"I guess that is why Dan had that sad look in his eyes this morning. I didn't know what it was, but now I know. He knows that if you never accept you will go to Hell when you die."

"Ha! I'm having one of the greatest days of my life, so let's don't start on Heaven and Hell."

At the front door, Mark thanked each child for coming and told them that he hoped they would be back the next day.

Mike and Gene were some of the last to leave the church. At the door, Mike thanked the pastor for everything and promised he would be back with Gene the next day.

"So your name is Gene?"

"That's my name and I promise I will be back. I loved all the things about SCUBA diving."

"Oh, you love SCUBA diving? So are you going to take the free one hour lesson?"

"If I can talk my folks into taking me, that would be a miracle in itself."

"You can come with me, if they won't take you, but they will have to sign a release statement for you," the pastor told him.

"I guess that is settled. I am going to get a free, one hour of SCUBA diving."

Mark stated that it is exciting to see kids interested in SCUBA diving and the things of the Lord. "How long have you been saved Gene?"

The statement caught Gene completely off guard. Mark had just eased into the question about salvation.

"Well, I, I."

Mike looked at Mark and said, "Gene wants to put off accepting until he feels the time is right."

"Gene, when do you think the time will be right?"

"Oh, I don't know. I want to have a feeling or something like that. Then I will accept."

"If you are depending on a feeling to let you know that the time is right for accepting, you had better accept right now, because we know the Lord does not work with feelings to lead a person to Himself. Would you like for me to show you what the Bible says about accepting and what the Bible says about those people that reject?"

"No, I already know what it says. Mike tells me all the time. Maybe I will accept tomorrow."

That night, Gene's mother asked if he had a chance to accept.

"I had about four or five chances, but I just didn't feel like it was the right time for me."

"Gene, please don't put it off. One of these days you will regret that you never accepted. You are so young and your heart has not had all the bad influences from the secular world, yet."

"I will accept, Mom. I promise."

The following day at VBS was similar to the day before, with the exception of the message that Mark brought. Mark said that each and every person that becomes a Christian must place their faith in Jesus Christ. He said that faith is something that we cannot not see, feel, or touch, but it is there even if we say that we don't believe. "All day long, we experience faith whether we realize it or not. Children, what are you sitting on?"

The children hollered out, "A pew."

"That is right, a pew. Before you sat down, did you stop to think whether that pew would hold your weight or not? Of course, you did not think about that, you just sat down. That is faith, because you did not think about it. What about the times that you turn on a light? You have faith that there is going to be light so you can see what you are doing. In SCUBA diving, you use faith, also. You have faith that someone put enough air in your tank so you can dive down and stay for twenty minutes and you can come back up. You also have faith that you can depend on your diving partner, if you get into trouble.

"Faith is with us no matter where we go or what we do. Ephesians 2:8, 9 - 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God-Not of works, lest any man should boast.' In this verse we see that we must have faith in order to be saved. Also, salvation is a gift; something that God wants us to have. You must ask yourself if you want a gift? Can you buy it? Can you steal it? Can you trade for it? Can you take it from someone else? The answer to all of those questions is no. It is free. You only have to receive it. Those of you that want to receive that free gift, come forward."

The Holy Spirit was working very hard to get as many children saved as He could. The first day there were 146 children in VBS. But the second day, there were 177 that showed up for VBS. Never, in all the years of VBS, had there been that many children attending. When Mark asked for those that wanted to receive the free gift of salvation, there were 23 new children that came forward; But not Gene.

Starting on the second day until the end of the week, all the children brought their pennies for the kettles. Old man Bishop was the kettle keeper and the counter of the money. At the end of each day, he would give the total for boys and girls. On the last day, Gene brought all the pennies he had been saving up. The total was $22.12 in pennies. When Mr. Bishop made his final count, the boys had won by 37 cents.

Gene looked at Mike and said, "If it wasn't for my $22.12 this morning, the boys would have lost four years in a row. You had better be glad I came this week."

Mike nodded and said he was very happy, but that he was praying that his prayer would be answered.

"What prayer is that?"

"I was praying that you would open your heart to Jesus."

"Well, Mike, don't stop praying. Maybe one of these days your prayers will be answered," and he chuckled under his breath.

"GENE YOU WENT TO VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL ALL WEEK LONG. YOU HEARD THE GOSPEL AND WHAT YOU HAD TO DO TO GET SAVED. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES YOU REJECTED?"

"No, Lord, I lost all count after the first day."

"YOU HAD 22 CHANCES TO ACCEPT AND 22 TIMES YOU REJECTED. YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND OR KNOW THE WAY THAT I WORK, BECAUSE YOUR MIND IS FINITE WHICH MEANS YOUR MIND IS LIMITED. IF YOU COULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD MY WORKING, YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT THE THEME THAT YEAR WAS THE THEME I PLACED IN THE MIND OF MARK IN ORDER TO GET YOU SAVED. BUT, I KNEW YOU WOULD NOT ACCEPT, SO I USED THAT THEME TO GET A MULTITUDE OF OTHERS SAVED. YOU SEE, I PLACED THINGS IN YOUR PATH ALL YOUR LIFE TO OPEN YOUR HEART TO ME, BUT EACH AND EVERY TIME YOU REFUSED. I USED THOSE TIMES TO GET OTHERS SAVED. AT THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT, YOU CANNOT SAY THAT YOU NEVER HAD A CHANCE. YOU HAD HUNDREDS OF CHANCES."

CHAPTER 4

With vacation Bible School over, the summer seemed to fly by for Mike and Gene. The day came when Mike was reminded by his mother that school started the next day. "I hate school sometimes. I just wish I could be a little kid all my life."

"If you were a kid all your life, you would not be able to have a family and lead your children to the Lord like we did you and your brothers and sisters. Also, think of all the people that you have told about the Lord and how many people have come to a saving knowledge of the Lord because of you. If we had not had children, those people that you have witnessed to may have never heard about Christ."

"Mom, I don't think I have ever led anyone to the Lord. I tell as many people as I can, but I have never prayed with a person to get them saved."

"Many times a person will plant a seed and never see the crop. It may be that you are planting seeds for the Lord and later, He will let you reap a crop of unbelievers once you get a little older."

"But, Mom, I want to see people get saved right now. I don't want to wait. I want to reap the crop right now."

"You mean you would like to see some of the people that you witness to get saved right now?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I talk and talk until I'm blue in the face and still some of the people I witness to will not accept."

"Mike, I think you are talking about Gene?"

"Why won't he accept? I've told him time and time again about Heaven and Hell, but he says he doesn't believe."

"One thing you must understand is that you can talk to some people about Christ until you are blue in the face and they continue to reject. Then, all of a sudden a stranger will witness to them and they accept right away. Each person has a special time when they will accept. We don't know that time, so that is why we never stop witnessing. It could be the next time you talk to Gene that he will accept.

"Also, you have to remember that you may talk to someone all your life and they will never accept. They just don't want to be a Christian and go to Heaven. Once they die, they will be begging for a second chance, but it will be too late. No one ever gets a second chance.

"Mike, I know that you like Gene a lot and you want him in Heaven with us, but the way Gene talks, he does not want to have anything to do with Jesus. Why don't you get your Bible and see what Matthew has to say in chapter 10, verses 32 and 33. Remember one other thing. The Lord's time is different than your time. You want Gene saved now, but if he does get saved, it will be God's timing not yours."

Mike walked back into his room and picked up his Bible and started to read Matthew 10:32, 33 - 'Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father, who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father, who is in heaven.'

After reading the verse, Mike walked back into the kitchen and said, "Gene has to confess that Jesus Christ is his Lord or he will go to hell. He doesn't have any choice. He must accept."

"I think you are on the verge of understanding what the Bible is teaching. You used one word that you must understand completely."

"What word is that, Mom?"

"The word is "choice." It is the person's choice if they confess or reject. You cannot force anyone to choose Christ. It must come from their heart. If you forget everything I have ever told you, never, never forget that it is the person that you are witnessing to that must make the choice to become a Christian; not you for him."

"I think I am going to change the way I witness to Gene. Instead of always bringing up heaven and hell and telling him he has to accept, I think I will just wait until I have a real good chance to tell him about Christ."

"That sounds like a good idea, don't forget."

"I won't, Mom, and thanks for all of your help."

Mike went down and called Gene. He told him he wanted to go to the creek and shoot at frogs with his BB gun. Gene said he would be ready to go in less than three minutes. All the way to the creek and home, Mike did not say anything about Christ or accepting. As far as the frogs, it was a very, very bad day for them.

"I wish this day would never end," Gene expressed his thoughts out loud to Mike.

"Can you believe tomorrow we have to go back to school?"

"No, I can't believe it. We had better make Tuesday last as long as we can. What else do you want to do today?" Gene asked Mike.

"Why don't we get our bikes and just go riding?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Let's go."

Up one street and down another went Mike and Gene. At the end of Second Street, they had to cross over Grand, in order to use the sidewalk. They both took off at the same time and then they heard the squeal of the tires and the horn blasting. Mike slammed on his bike brakes, but the next sound Mike heard was a boom. He saw Gene sliding on the concrete and then hit his head on the curb. Mike jumped off his bike and ran over to where Gene was lying. Gene had a trickle of blood coming from his ear and he had a huge knot on the top of his head. Mike thought for sure Gene was dead. He just lay there not moving.

One of the neighbors saw the accident and called the police immediately. Within seconds, sirens could be heard coming down the street. The first person on the scene was a motorcycle patrolman. He looked at Gene and asked on his radio how long it would be before the ambulance would arrive? The dispatchers said the ambulance would be there in about two minutes. "This little boy does not look very good. He has some type of head injuries." Mike kept looking down the street for the ambulance and hoping and praying that it would get there as soon as possible. His inner thoughts gave him the idea that maybe his best friend was going to die.

"What is your friend's name, son?"

"His name is Gene Pittman."

"Do you know what his father or mother's name is?

"Yes, his dad's name is Darrell and his mother's name is Thelma."

"And do you know where he lives?"

"He lives next door to me."

"Son, where do you live?"

"Right around the corner about five blocks."

"Do you know your address?"

"No sir, but I can show you where I live."

The sound that Mike was waiting on was growing louder as it raced down the street toward them. It was the sound of the ambulance's siren.

"Now, Gene has a chance. Please, Lord, let him live, please," Mike prayed.

If Mike knew how the Lord worked he probably would not have prayed for the ambulance to get there. If a child does not reach the age of accountability and he or she dies, they go immediately into the presence of God in heaven. But, if they do reach the age of accountability and they die, they go to the compartment of torment.

King David knew that a child goes into the presence of God if they die before they reach that age. In Second Samuel 12:21-23 the Bible says, "Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? Thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

David knew that the child would go into the compartment of paradise and wait with all the others for Christ to take that compartment to heaven at His resurrection. When King David died he went to the same place that his son went when he died, that being paradise.

The police officer called the dispatcher with the parent's names and told him to get back to him if they could not contact them soon. He told them he had a small child with him that would take him to the home, whether the dispatcher located them or not.

After Gene was placed in the ambulance and rushed off toward the nearest hospital, the patrolman asked the driver of the car to give him a quick story of what had happened. The driver said he had just turned the corner when both boys started across the street without looking in both directions. He stated he was only going about ten miles per hour. "If I would have been going the speed limit, that little boy would be dead, no doubt about it."

By the time the man finished, a patrol car had arrived to finish up with the investigation and to get names and the car license number. The motorcycle cop told Mike to take off and he would catch up with him shortly.

All the way home, Mike was crying and praying that Gene was going to be alright. At the house, he ran inside and told his mother what had happened, as the policeman was coming to a stop in front of the Pittman's house. She took off her apron and ran next door to see if Thelma had been informed.

When she answered the side door, Thelma knew something was wrong because Mike was crying. The panic started to set in and then came the question. "Has something happen to Gene?"

About that time, the policeman was coming around the side of the house. As she saw him from the corner of her eye, Bonnie answered, "Yes, Thelma. Gene has been hit by a car. He is on his way to the hospital."

Thelma looked from the policeman and back at Mike and asked what had happened. "We were crossing Grand, when a car came out of nowhere and hit Gene. I was able to put my brakes on or I would have been hit, too."

"Was Gene talking or saying anything? Were his eyes open?" Thelma asked as she began frantically looking for her purse.

Mike looked at Thelma and with tears, bigger than ever, rolling down his cheeks, he said that once Gene hit the curb with his head, he did not move or open his eyes. "He hit the curb really hard. He must have slid at least fifty feet on the concrete before he got to the curb!"

Thelma's heart sank to the lowest part of her body. She was thinking the worst when she called Darrell at his work and gave him the bad news. "I will be home as fast as I can and pick you up." The policeman told her he would send a car for her to go to the hospital. Bonnie broke in and told Thelma that she would take her to the hospital and to tell Darrell to meet them there. They decided that would be the quickest way.

Bonnie, Thelma, and Mike were there before Darrell arrived. Thelma went straight to the Emergency Room and asked about Gene. "Are you related to the young boy?"

"Yes, I am his mother."

The nurse called another nurse on the phone and within seconds the Intensive Care nurse arrived.

"How is my son?"

"He is very lucky. He has no broken bones, but he does have a concussion and a very big knot on his head. We think it would be best if we keep him overnight just to make sure there isn't something else. Is his father on the way?"

"His dad will be here anytime."

"We will need both of you to sign the admission papers and a release form, so we can work on him if something serious would occur tonight."

"We can sign the forms, but I will be here all night," Thelma replied.

That night, Mike was on his knees before he went to bed, praying for Gene and asking the Lord to get him saved. A knock came at Mike's door. It was his dad.

"Can I come in Mike?"

"Sure, Dad."

"I hope I did not interrupt your prayers. I thought maybe you would like to talk?"

"You didn't interrupt my prayers. I was finished. You know I was praying for Gene."

"I thought that might be what you were doing."

"Dad, what would have happen to Gene if he would have died today?"

"I think he would be in heaven with the Lord. The Bible says that little children will be with the Lord if they do not understand what salvation means."

"But, Dad, Gene does know what salvation means. Does that mean, since he knows, that if he were to die, he would go to hell?"

"First, you think that Gene knows what salvation means, but maybe he doesn't really understand. Second, I don't know Gene's heart. It could be that the Lord takes little children in accidents because he looks forward into the future and sees that they will never accept, so He takes them before they can be held accountable."

"But, Dad, if that is true, then why doesn't God take everyone that He knows is going to reject Him before they reach the age of accountability?"

"Son, if God did that, then there would be no one in hell and no one would have choices to make. That would prevent a person from ever rejecting or having the opportunity to accept. That is not the way God works. Each person has to make a choice. Remember? That is what your mother said to you just the other day. For some reason, which is beyond my thoughts, God takes certain ones before they are accountable. That is about the best answer I can give you, Mike. I hope that helps just a little?"

"Sometimes, I think I know exactly the way God works and then other times I can't figure God out at all."

"Mike, don't feel bad. There isn't a man that has ever lived that has figured God out, and there never will be. Now, let me tuck you in for the night."

That night, Mike had a dream about the accident all over again. He could hear the squealing tires and the loud thump, when the car hit Gene. He could also see Gene scooting across the concrete, aiming right at the curb with his head, and he could not do anything to stop it. Then he heard that loud bump, when Gene's head hit the curb. It sounded just like a shotgun going off. As Gene hit the curb in the dream, the noise was so loud that Mike woke up with sweat rolling down his forehead and his heart beating ninety miles an hour. "Oh, it was a dream. Thank God for that." It had not happened all over again. However, it was a sound that would stay with Mike for the rest of his life.

The next morning, Mike was up and wanting to go to the hospital and see how Gene was doing. His mother reminded him that this was the first day of school and he must go. Thelma called just before Mike left for school and asked if he would tell Gene's teacher about the accident and let her know that he would be back on Monday for sure.

On the way to school, his other friends asked question after question about the accident and if Gene would be okay or not.

"The nurse said he had a concussion and that, usually, that meant he would be fine in a day or two."

Once at school, Mike made a bee line straight toward Gene's teacher to inform her about him. He said that Gene would be back in school on Monday.

Miss Dawson asked, "When will Gene be out of the hospital?"

"The nurse said he was going to stay all night so they could watch him and he should be able to leave today."

"You tell Gene, if you see or talk to him, that we will be thinking about him and we will be praying for him, also."

The moment the last bell rang, Mike was out the class-room door and running as fast as he could to get home, so he could see if Gene had been released. As the front door came open, Mike threw all of his books on the couch and hollered for his mother.

"Did they release Gene?"

"Yes, they did and he has been asking for you for the last hour."

"Mom, I'm going next door to see Gene." In less than ten seconds, Mike was knocking at the front door to Gene's house.

Thelma came to the door and told Mike that Gene had been asking for him.

"Can I come in and see him?"

"He is in his bed with a very big goose egg on his head. Go on back to his room." Thelma said with a smile. She was thinking how great a friend Mike was for Gene. She was also hoping that Mike could reach him for the Lord, in a way she still did not feel comfortable doing. Thelma was always afraid her husband would find out that she was a Christian and then make fun of her.

"How do you feel Gene?"

"My head is killing me. When Dad gets drunk, he says his head is killing him or he says his head feels like it's about to come off. I now know what he means when he says those things."

"Do you remember what happen?"

"Mike, all I remember is seeing so many stars. I thought I was in outer space. Mom said a car hit me. I never even seen the car."

"I didn't see the car either, but I sure heard it's tires squealing. I heard the driver say if he had been going faster, you may not have made it. You were really lucky."

"Did you tell my teacher that I would be out of school until Monday?"

"I told her and she said she would be thinking about you and to tell you that she would be praying for you, also."

"Oh boy that is all I need, even my teacher is praying for me."

The weekend seemed to fly by for both Mike and Gene. Monday was just another day for Mike, but for Gene, it was his first day of school. If you think that Gene was the topic in school that week, you are exactly right. All the teachers and the students wanted to know what it felt like to get hit by a car and to be in the hospital with a concussion.

He told them he really didn't remember a thing, but he hopes that nothing like that will ever happen to him again.

After that week, things started to taper off until almost everyone forgot about the accident. Gene was once again just another student in school.

"GENE, WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE HIT BY THAT CAR?"

"Lord, if You would have asked me that question before our last conversation, I could not have given You an answer. But from our last conversation, I think You are going to say that You were trying to soften my heart."

"THAT IS A VERY GOOD ANSWER. YOU ARE STARTING TO SEE SOME OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT I PLACED IN YOUR PATH IN ORDER FOR YOU TO ACCEPT."

"I wish I had opened my eyes and my heart to the things that I can see so clearly now."

"YES, GENE, THAT IS THE WAY IT IS WITH MAN. HE DOES NOT THINK UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE AND THEN HE SEES THINGS WITH HINDSIGHT, BUT BY THEN, IT IS OFTEN TOO LATE."

Each year, during Mike and Gene's grade school days, they were very close friends. Every summer, until they were out of grade school, they went to Vacation Bible School together.

Their first year in Junior High School was a real eye opener for both of the boys. They were the little seventh graders and an easy target for the older boys. Mike and Gene were starting to learn what it meant when people spoke of peer pressure.

Most of the older boys had already learned the curse words that were going around. Every time one of the boys in school would get mad or come close to getting in a fight, the curse words flowed like water out of their mouths. For Mike, he flat refused to use those kinds of words and he told anyone that asked that he would not let trash like that come from his mouth. On the other hand, Gene was starting to follow the crowd. Not very often, but every now and then, Gene would let one or two words slip out around Mike.

When they started the eighth grade, Mike still had decided he was going to be like Christ and not talk like the other boys. But the summer had changed Gene totally. Not only was he using every bad word in the book, but one "so-called" friend of his asked him to try a cigarette. Gene didn't like them at first, but because of the peer pressure, he was smoking more and more every day. After three months, Gene was hooked. Gene was spending more and more of his time with boys that were not like Mike at all. You have to remember, in 1959, one of the worst things a young boy could do was smoke cigarettes. Also, Gene was listening more and more to Rock and Roll.

In the ninth grade, things were going along pretty well for Mike and Gene. Mike accepted the fact that some of his friends were going to smoke and some were not. As for him, he didn't like the smell of cigarette smoke and the price a person had to pay for a pack was unbelievable. The boys again started doing things together just like they had when they were in grade school. However, things changed very, very quickly.

Gene's oldest brother, Harold, had a friend of his that was twenty one. He talked him into buying him a case of beer. Harold put the beer in the icebox in the garage. He knew that his dad and mom would never look in that icebox because it was just there until they could get it sold.

One day, Gene was in the garage looking for a screw driver, when he just happened to open the icebox door. Gene's first thought was, "Wow, look at all this beer." Harold had only drunk six cans when Gene found the beer. With no one looking, he opened one can and drank it down. "That wasn't bad at all," was his thought. The second can was even better than the first. The third, fourth, and the fifth were just as good as the first, also. He knew Harold was probably going to miss all that beer, but he wasn't interested in what Harold thought at this point.

He found the screw driver and off to the house he marched. Well, he started to march toward the house when the beer hit. He just barely made it back to the garage before he fell, luckily, on the couch. "What is happening to me? Everything is going around in a circle. I don't feel very good. I think I am going to be sick."

With his head over the stool in the garage, Gene threw up for almost an hour. He started thinking again about what his dad had said about his hang-over. This time, Gene knew exactly what his dad meant by the phrase "sick as a dog."

CHAPTER 5

The summer before Mike and Gene started high school was a summer Gene will never forget. He was drinking almost every day and he found one other thing that he had never noticed before, girls. Gene was a very good looking kid. In junior high, he never could figure out why all the girls wanted to sit by him in class. He knew he was smart and made straight A's, but they were always bothering him no matter where he went. Some of the girls said they would do anything, if he would just take them out. The answer was always the same, "I'm not about to waste my money on a bunch of girls."

Everything changed the summer before high school. One night, he went to a beer party with one of his less desirable friends. After three beers, he was feeling pretty good and then he saw her. It seemed as if a bright light in his mind went on. For the first time in his life, he realized why God had put women on this earth. He walked straight over to her and said he was Gene Pittman. She smiled, but did not seem that interested in him at that time. "My name is Paula Albright and my brother is Jerry. That's him over there." Gene made a quick glance and recognized her brother as being the meanest kid in school. Even the football players didn't mess around with him. Jerry had already let everyone know that his little sister would be starting high school in the fall and if you wanted to stay healthy, you had better not touch her.

Gene had heard all about the most beautiful girl at Davenport Junior High and about her older brother at high school. Now, he was face to face with the truth. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. None of the girls at Mason Jr. High (his past school) could compare to Paula. With the music playing loudly and everyone dancing, Gene thought it just might break the ice if he asked Paula to dance. To Gene's astonishment, Paula accepted. The song was a very fast moving song by The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis.

But the next song was what all boys like to hear, a slow one. With Paula in his arms and both just barely moving, disaster almost struck. Paula's brother Jerry danced by with his girl friend. Jerry put his hand on Gene's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Touch my sister and you are dead. Give her any beer to drink and I will cut your throat out. Offer her a cigarette and I will wash your mouth out with Drain-O. I think you know what I am saying. Right, BOY?"

Gene was in a fantasy world when he replied, "Oh, yeah, anything you say."

Jerry put his hand around Gene's neck and gave it a big squeeze and said with gritted teeth, "I will give you a knuckle sandwich, if you don't understand what I mean." Gene looked at Jerry and said, "You don't have to worry, big boy, I know exactly what you mean." Jerry resumed dancing with his girl friend, but he was bewildered with Gene's sassy attitude. No one had ever acted or talked like that around him before.

Before the dance was over, Gene had Paula's phone number and her address. During the next month, Gene would call Paula and they would talk and tell each other things that they were hoping would happen once school started.

When Gene told Mike about Paula, Mike turned three shades of green. "You and Paula Albright are going steady?"

"That's right. She is my girl. She belongs to me."

"You don't own her and if you act like that you won't even have her as a girl friend for long."

"Oh, Mike, you don't understand girls. They all think that I am gorgeous. Just yesterday, Anne told me again that she would do anything, if I would take her out."

"Anne said that to you?"

"Mike, I am telling you, all the girls love me. I will tell you something else; I am going to take Anne up on her statement. I am going to ask her out and I am going to let her know what I want to do."

"What are you going to tell her that you want to do?"

"Well, Mike, I think I have to be a man about town and a man about town must have a reputation. I think the best way to get a reputation is to find a girl that will do anything for you, and then tell her you want to go all the way with her."

"You want to go all the way with Anne?

"That's right. If I can get her in the mood, I know she will do it with me."

"Gene, the Bible says that you should not have a sexual relationship with anyone until you are married. You better think what you are doing. You could get Anne or some other girl pregnant."

"Mike, you know you have not changed a bit from our days in grade school. It is always 'the Bible says this and the Bible says that.' By the time you get to be an old man, you will have missed out on all the fun a person can have with all of those taboos the Bible gives you. Why don't you loosen up and let your feelings run rampant once in a while?"

"If you call smoking cigarettes, drinking beer and whiskey, throwing up, and having sex with any and every girl around fun, then I don't want your type of fun. I would rather be guided by the Word of God and do what it says and miss out on those things that bring sin in a person's life. Also, one of these days, you will find that if you let your feelings guide you, you will eventually go down a road of destruction. That is not for me. I would prefer to live seventy years on earth and let the Bible guide me and then have eternal life, other than seventy years of sin and go to Hell forever and forever.

"The Bible says that is exactly what is going to happen, if you continue in sin and do the wrong things."

"Mike, I don't believe that is in the Bible at all. As a matter of fact, I think you just said that to make me feel guilty. I will tell you what I will do. If you show me where the Bible says that, I will accept and become a Christian."

"I don't know if I can find it or not, but I know it is in the Bible. I just might need some time to find it."

"I'm not going any place, I will just stand right here until you find it or you confess that you and the Bible are wrong. Why don't you go and get your Bible and show me what it says?"

Mike walked into the house and picked up his Bible, turned, and started to walk out the door, but then it happen. A small voice told him to pray about the verse and when you open the Bible, it will be there. Mike started to pray that the Lord would guide him to the exact verse that he was supposed to use on Gene.

When Mike walked back to where Gene was standing, he opened his Bible and looked down at the verse. The verse was James 4:14 - 'Whereas ye know not what shall be on the next day. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.' Mike read the verse to Gene and then he noticed verse 17 - 'Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.'

After Mike read the verse, he closed his Bible, and then he looked at Gene and told him that he knew what was right and what was wrong. He also knew what was good and bad. "You cannot say you don't know what sin is."

About that time, a verse came into Mike's memory. The verse was Revelation 20:15 - 'And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.' After quoting it to Gene, Mike said, "You see, Gene, your life is but a vapor, if you continue to sin, and if you die without accepting, you will go to that lake of fire known as Hell. I gave you what you wanted and now you must keep your promise. You said you would accept."

"Mike, you did a real good job in finding all of those verses. However, you hit the nail right on the head. You said he that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. You see, I am a sinner and I guess you can say I am also a liar. I am not going to accept. As a matter of fact, I am NEVER going to accept."

"Gene, please don't say that, I don't want you to go to Hell."

"Well, I will talk to you later. I have a telephone call to make. KH6-3224. Is Anne there?"

"This is Anne."

"Anne, this is Gene. Were you busy?"

"Gene, I am never busy, if you are calling. As a matter of fact, I was having a fantasy about you. You remember I said I would do anything, if you asked me out?"

"That's the reason I'm calling. I want you to go out with me and we will see if you are all talk or if you really want to see some action."

"I am not lying to you. I will do anything that you ask. Please, just give me a chance to prove how much I really like you."

"You know I don't have my license yet, so where could we go so we won't be disturbed for about twenty minutes."

"There is one place I go all the time with my boyfriends. It's right here at my house. My little brother has a tree house that my dad made for him two years ago. It has everything a couple could want, even a bed. That's if you were wanting to go to bed with me?"

"Anne, I think you are reading my mind."

"Gene, I can read your mind and the mind of all boys. They all want the same thing."

"What night do you want to me to come over?"

"Let's make it Friday. My dad and mom bowl on that night and for three hours, there won't be anyone around to bother us."

Friday night came quicker than Gene had anticipated. For a boy that had never done what he was hoping was going to happen, he was acting just like a Casanova. Two knocks on Anne's door and the door swung open very slowly. Inside was a very good looking, fifteen year old that had a reputation for getting whatever she wanted, and this night was not going to be any different. She wanted Gene.

Anne took Gene's hand and walked toward the back door. "See that tree right there? Go on up and wait for me. I have to make two telephone calls."

Out the door Gene shot like a bullet. Up the tree and he was all ready for what he thought was going to be something close to heaven. He had been there for about five minutes when he heard Anne coming up the ladder.

Anne sat down beside Gene and said she had wanted to kiss him since they were little kids. With one big kiss, Gene's toes started to curl. Within ten minutes, everything that he had hoped would happen, did happen.

"Gene, I love you so much. When we graduate, I want to be your wife. You love me, don't you?"

"Oh, oh, yes, you know I love you, Anne, and if you want to get married when we graduate that will be fine. What we need to do is to figure out when we can do this again. Let's say in one or two days?"

"Gene, all you have to do is to tell me and I am yours, always."

"Okay. Sunday night, I will be over about eight."

"Gene, tell me again that you love me."

"Anne, I love you."

In Gene's mind, he had already made plans to go to bed with as many girls as he could while he was in high school. He also wanted the reputation with the girls that, if you go out with him, you had better be ready to give in or you won't get another date. If it took telling a girl that he loved her in order to go to bed, he decided he would say anything that girl wanted to hear. Anything.

Mike was out mowing the lawn when Gene came running over to him as fast as he could.

"Guess what I did last night?"

"I give up. What?"

"I went over to Anne's, and you will never guess what we did for ten lovely minutes."

"Gene, I don't want to hear it."

"Mike, I thought you would be really happy that I believe in heaven now."

"You mean you went over to Anne's and she led you to the Lord?" Mike asked with astonishment in his voice.

"Well, not quite. We went up in her brother's tree house where he has a bed and for the next ten minutes, I was in heaven. Mike, I will never again say I don't believe in heaven, because every time I am with a girl doing what I want to do, heaven exists."

"Gene, one of these days you are going to regret talking like that and you are going to regret that you went to bed with Anne. The Bible says that your sin will find you out. The things that you are doing with Anne and any other girl will come back to haunt you when you start to have a family. Mark my words, the very same thing will happen to your daughters when they become teenagers."

"Mike, we may be best friends, but we are as different as night and day. You always have to lean on Christ or you cannot make it through the day. I don't have to lean on anyone. I don't need a crutch. Before you even brush your teeth, you have to see if it is in the Bible. Well, I am not like that. I believe, if it feels good, do it."

"Gene, I'm sorry that you feel that way towards me. Christ is not my crutch. He is my personal savior. He is with me every place I go. He is the one that is guiding and directing me in everything that I do. Without him, I would be just like you. What you need to do is to take a real long look at yourself in the mirror. One of these days, you won't like what you see. Also, I don't lean on Christ. But if I am walking and I stumble, and start to fall, He is there to catch me. He isn't like you at all. He never leaves me and he never stops being my friend like you have done to me many times in the past. Also, without Him, I would have a void in my life that I could not fill even with cigarettes, beer, whiskey, sex, or anything else that you will try in the future. What you need to do is to try Christ and see how He can change your life. But I forgot, you will try everything, but Christ."

"Mike, I don't think we are going to be best friends after this. My life seems to be going down a different road than yours. I want everything now. I don't want to wait and I don't want to change my life. After last night, I want all the girls I can get and I want all the beer I can drink. You want only the things of the Bible. That is all old fashion. We are living in a new age and a new time. If you don't get into the swing, you are going to be called an Uncle Tom or maybe something worse. As far as trying Christ, I don't want to feel guilty every time I do something the Bible says is wrong. I want to feel good all the time; just like I did last night."

The first day of high school for Mike and Gene finally came. In the parking lot, Gene and Paula talked for ten minutes. Paula said she really did miss talking to Gene during her three weeks at her grandparent's house in Idaho. As they were walking toward the main building, Anne waved and blew Gene a kiss.

"What is that all about?" asked Paula.

"Oh, you know girls. Sometimes they are infatuated with a guy's good looks."

"I know. I can't take my eyes off of you, Gene."

Gene took a hold of Paula's hand, looked in all directions, and led her to the side of the building. At the side of the building, he put his arms around her and kissed her with such intensity that Paula was gasping for air when he was finished.

"Oh, Gene, I think my heart either fluttered or it skipped a beat!"

"Paula, I love you so much I want to be with you all the time. I just don't know how to express my love for you."

"One of these days, when we are alone, I bet you'll figure out a way to express your love for me."

Gene had thought many times about trying to go to bed with Paula, but each time he considered it a good idea, his conscience started to bother him, and he also was reminded about Paula's brother, Jerry.

"GENE, MANY, MANY TIMES YOU THOUGHT ABOUT PAULA AND THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO WITH HER. BUT YOU SEE, IN HER SECOND YEAR OF COLLEGE, SHE WOULD ACCEPT AND OPEN HER HEART TO THE THINGS THAT WERE HOLY. ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU CONTINUED TO LIVE THE LIFE OF A HEATHEN. I CONSIDER TAKING YOU, BUT I WANTED TO GIVE YOU EVERY CHANCE POSSIBLE. THE DESTRUCTION YOU DID TO YOUNG AND INNOCENT GIRLS AND THE RUMORS THAT YOU SPREAD, LEFT SOME OF THEM DEVASTATED. TWO OF THOSE YOUNG WOMEN NEVER TRUSTED A MAN AGAIN FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

ALSO, YOU REMEMBER BILLY TEASON? WHEN YOU TAUGHT HIM HOW TO DRINK, HE WENT FROM BEER TO WHISKEY. IN HIS TWENTY FOURTH YEAR OF LIFE, HE DRANK TOO MUCH AT A PARTY ONE NIGHT AND DIED. IF YOU HAD NOT TOLD HIM HOW GOOD BEER WAS, HE WOULD HAVE LIVED TO SEE HIS GRANDCHILDREN.

YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO WAS BOTHERING YOUR CONSCIENCE AND WHO WAS ALWAYS REMINDING YOU ABOUT PAULA'S BROTHER DON'T YOU?"

"Yes, Lord. The more I talk with You and the more I see how You work things out, I can see how You were protecting some people and how you were very long suffering with others. I am so sorry for everything I did in my life. I just wish I could go back and change all the things that I did that were bad. I also wish I could go back and tell everyone who I hurt, that I am sorry."

"YOU KNOW YOU CAN NOT DO THAT. EACH PERSON HAD TWO PATHS THEY COULD TRAVEL DOWN. THE PATH THAT SOME PEOPLE TOOK CROSSED YOUR PATH AND THEY PAID VERY DEARLY FOR THEIR MISTAKE. ALSO, YOU HAD A PATH TO TRAVEL ALL YOUR LIFE, BUT YOUR PATH ALWAYS HURT PEOPLE AND DID THEM HARM. IF I HAD NOT PUT A RESTRAINING FORCE ON YOU, YOU WOULD HAVE ENTERED INTO THE CRIMINAL WORLD AND YOU WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE LIVES OF MANY PEOPLE."

"Lord, why was I even born, if I was going to live like I did and then go to Hell? It would have been better if I was not even created."

"IF YOU WOULD HAVE READ THE BIBLE, YOU WOULD HAVE LEARNED THAT I CREATED MAN FOR THE FELLOWSHIP. I DO NOT FORCE THAT FELLOWSHIP ON ANYONE, BUT I DO GIVE EVERYONE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH ME FOREVER. REMEMBER WHEN YOU TOLD MIKE THAT YOU WOULD ACCEPT AND THEN YOU LIED AND SAID YOU WOULD NEVER ACCEPT?"

"Yes, Lord, I remember that very clearly. I also remember how bad I felt about that remark and I also remember how bad I made Mike feel. There were many, many times I wish I had never said that."

"GENE, YOU DID SAY THAT YOU WOULD NEVER ACCEPT AND YOU MEANT EVERY WORD YOU SAID. I KNEW FROM THE BEGINNING THAT YOU WOULD NEVER ACCEPT, BUT I GAVE YOU EVERY CHANCE IN THE WORLD TO CHANGE YOUR MIND. HOWEVER, YOU NEVER, NEVER, NEVER WOULD CHANGE YOUR MIND."

During that first year in high school, Gene's reputation grew like a wild fire. He was the nicest looking boy in school, and even the junior and senior girls wanted to go out with him. Mike, on the other hand, was considered only cute by most of the girls. Also, all the girls knew that Mike was a Christian and that there was no idea at all in his mind of trying to go to bed with them. They all knew that if he asked you out, you would get back home the same way you left.

Mike and Gene did talk and do some things together, but it was never the same as it was during grade school. Gene continued to do things that were considered bad by the standards of that day. Mike was the boy next door. He would help anyone that needed it and he would go completely out of his way to do something good for people.

Gene and Paula dated all that first year, even though the rumors flowed like a flood about all the girls he had gone to bed with. Paula just did not want to believe that Gene would cheat on her. But cheat he did. He cheated on every girl he ever dated and it did not stop there. (He later cheated on his wife after only two years of marriage. She forgave him every time, even though her heart was broken. )

In Gene's junior year, he was the most popular boy in school. His unending "love" for girls, all girls, kept him busy most of the time. If he wasn't in the back seat of his car, he was parked with a blanket on the ground. Paula finally had enough of the "talk of the town" and she said it was all over between them. Gene said he was only dating her for one reason and one reason only. He said he had wasted a whole year on her and did not get anything to show for his trouble.

All through that junior year, Gene was drinking more and more. One friend asked if he had seen a doctor about his drinking problem.

"I am not an alcoholic, if that is what you are getting at!" was his reply. "I just like to drink. There is nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Gene still believed what his father had taught him about a person ceasing to exist once they died. Gene was also following in his father's footsteps in becoming an alcoholic. The one thing that Gene could not see was that he was becoming just like his father in everything that he did, and in everything that he believed.

This was the first day of the boys' senior year. Mike's mom, Bonnie, told him that the check for his lunch money was on the table.

"Thanks, Mom, but the first day of school we usually go out to eat."

"Here's some cash for you and a little extra. You might meet some nice girl. Who knows the way the Lord works. He just might bring a nice Christian girl into your life this senior year."

At school, Mike ran into Gene in the hall. "Gene, we only have one year of school left. Remember when we were kids and we were hoping that we could always stay kids and never grow up?"

"Yep, I remember that very well. But all of that was just kids' talk. We are now men and almost ready to be on our own. I'm sure glad we didn't stay kids!"

"Scary, isn't it, to think twelve years of school will be over in May?"

"I'll tell you one thing, Mike. When we graduate, I'm going to have the biggest beer party you will ever see. Oh, I'm sorry, Mike, I forgot. The Bible says I am not supposed to do that," said Gene sarcastically.

Mike just turned around and walked off shaking his head.

The boy's senior year went by so quickly, they both were surprised when May arrived. Gene started to reminisce about that special day of March 4, when he had met a new girl that started school at the beginning of the new semester. Sandy Teason was her name and she was almost as beautiful as Paula Albright.

They started dating steadily right after their first date on March 6. Every time Gene went over to pick her up, he always talked to her brother, Billy. Billy was a sophomore and looked up to Gene because he was a senior.

One day after school, Billy asked if he could get a ride home with Gene. Gene said, "Sure, but first I have to stop by my house and get a cold one."

Billy looked puzzled with what Gene had said. "What do you mean a cold one?"

"You know, Billy, a cold beer. I think better with a cold beer under my belt. When we get to my house, do you want a cold one also?"

"No, thanks. I don't drink."

"Oh, you mean you are too young?"

"No, I mean I don't drink. I've seen what beer and hard liquor can do to people."

"Okay, Billy. If anyone asks, I will just say you're chicken."

"You say whatever you want, but I am not going to touch that stuff."

All the way to Gene's house, Gene was putting Billy down and calling him all kinds of names.

At the house they both headed for the garage. Gene opened the icebox door and grabbed one bottle and opened it and took one big swig. "Oh, that really does taste good. Billy, I'm sorry for saying the things that I did on the way over. I just realized why you don't want a beer and why you say you don't want to touch that stuff."

"Well, Gene, why did I say all of that?

"It's because you have never drank beer before. Right?"

Billy didn't say a word, he just stared at Gene.

"I knew it. I can see it in your eyes. You have never had a beer in your life. You know what else I see in your eyes? I see the desire for a beer. You want to open one so bad you can taste it. The smell alone has you in its spell."

At that time, Gene walked over and put the bottle of beer under Billy's nose so he could smell the beer. Gene then walked to the icebox, took another bottle out, and opened it. "Billy, I won't say a word to anyone. Go ahead. Take it and drink it down. Billy, just one little swallow. Come on, be a man," pleaded Gene.

"If I take one swallow, will that shut you up?"

"That's all it will take is one swallow. Trust me, Billy."

Gene was right. One swallow was all it took. Billy finished the first beer off within two minutes. The second, third, and fourth did not take much longer either. When he left to take Billy home, Billy was almost too drunk to walk. Of course, Gene could now hold it a little better, but he was not walking straight either.

The next day at school, Billy acted as if nothing had happened. Gene looked as if he had been drinking for a week. He looked terrible. After school, Billy asked if Gene was going straight home.

"I'm going straight home and to bed. I don't usually drink that much on a school day."

"Well, Gene, I thought that you might give me another ride home and we could stop at your house and have a cold one. I'll also give you four dollars so you can get more beer and put it in your icebox, in case of a rainy day."

"I don't really want to drink today," was Gene's answer.

"Oh, you mean you can't handle drinking. Or is it that you are the chicken?" Billy asked sarcastically.

"Don't put words in my mouth, Billy!" Gene yelled.

"I am not putting words in your mouth. But I just wonder what everyone is going to say when they find out that you can't handle drinking?"

Gene drove as fast as he could to his house. At the house, they headed straight for the garage. Gene took one bottle for himself and he handed one to Billy. Billy had the first and second bottles down before Gene finished his first. "Yesterday, you drank eight bottles. How many are you planning on drinking today?"

"Oh, about ten."

Billy did drink ten bottles and from that day on, he was drinking on a daily basis.

When Mike and Gene graduated, they both received scholarships from different schools. Gene, who had made straight A's all through his high school years, was given a four year, fully paid scholarship to UCLA. Mike received a scholarship to Multnoma, School of the Bible, in Oregon. Their high school days were over and their paths would lead both in totally different directions.

CHAPTER 6

The lazy, hazy days of summer were upon Mike and Gene for the last time before they would head off to college. Mike was figuring everything out from what to take to college, to what he should be majoring in. His dream, since the day that he was saved, was to go to Bible College. Now, his dream was only three months away. Gene on the other hand was thinking more about girls and beer parties than the idea of getting a good education.

One day, while both boys were mowing their lawns, they stopped to talk and tell each other about the things that they had planned. "Well, Mike, I heard that you were going to a Bible College some place up in Oregon. Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true. The name of the college is Multnoma School of the Bible. I have decided that I want to be a preacher and get as many people saved as I can before the rapture of the Church."

"That doesn't surprise me a bit. If there was anyone that I figured would go to a Bible College, it would be you. Mike, I'm not putting you down though. Being with you all through your life and listening to the things that you have said, I knew you would not like going to a state college."

"I thought about WU and WSU, but the Lord was leading me to a Bible College, so I could be prepared when it came time for me to share the Gospel. Also, you may think it is stupid or something, but I have placed a Bible verse in my heart. I want that verse to direct me for the rest of my life. The verse is Proverbs 3:6 - "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." I know I could go down any path that I wish, but I want Him to direct my paths and direct me in the right direction. When we were little kids, I tried so very hard to talk you into accepting the Lord, but you just would not listen. It's not too late for you right now. If you want to accept Him, you know you can talk to me anytime."

"I know you're concerned about my soul and where I will spend eternity. The thing is, I just don't believe. I can't help it. I cannot come to believe that one person can make that much difference in a person's life. In your life, Christ does make a difference, but in mine, He means nothing to me."

"Gene, if you accept, He will make a difference in your life. He will do the same thing for you that He is doing for me. He is guiding and directing everything that I do. Each morning, I don't get up and say, "Well, I'm going to do what I want to do today." What I do when I get up is to pray to the Lord to guide and direct everything that I would say, do, and think. And the funny thing is, before I do something, the Lord puts different thoughts in my mind and He gives me the power to rationalize things out before I do them. He can do the same for you, if you will just give Him the chance."

"Mike, I would like to, but I can't. Do you want to hear what my plans are?"

"Sure. I heard you were going to UCLA."

"That's right. The school of party after party, and girls, more girls than a guy can shake a stick at. I can't wait to get there and start partying. I know you wouldn't like all that partying, but I will study a lot on the week-days. I have decided to be like my dad, when it comes to drinking.

"On the week-days he may have one little drink each night. But he does not get drunk. He saves that for the week-end. I am going to do the same thing. Study hard and heavy on the week-days and on the week-ends, be drunk as a skunk. I think I can handle that for four years, don't you?"

"Gene, I have to finish with the mowing. You don't know this, but every day since we were little boys I have been praying for you to become a Christian. Now, I am going to be praying harder than ever and when I get to college, I am going to ask all of my friends and professors to pray for you. The type of life that you are telling me you are going to live is a life of destruction. If you don't change, you will pay for it eternally."

Both boys finished with their mowing and Gene was off to another party, while Mike went inside and was going over other details of his coming school year.

The following work week went the same for both boys and their summer jobs. Gene was a life guard at the local swimming pool. If you are thinking that he had his eye on all the girls, you are exactly right. The only difference this year was that all the girls knew of his reputation and they stayed clear of him from the first day the pool opened until it closed.

Mike, as you may have already figured out, worked at the Christian Book Store. The owner, Garrett Downs, was almost seventy years old. He opened his store after he retired. He said he needed something to keep him busy and the books that Christians write would be a good thing to get into.

Mike had worked for Mr. Downs for the last two summers, so Mr. Downs trusted Mike with everything. Mr. Downs also promised Mike a job every summer as long as he was alive. Mike looked at Mr. Downs and said, "You may live another ten or twenty years, it is all up to the Lord."

"I know son, but sometimes I am just so tired I wish the Lord would take me to Heaven immediately."

"Don't feel bad thinking like that, Mr. Downs, I think that we all wish that from time to time."

"Are you going over to see Mr. Bishop today, Mike?"

"As soon as I get off work, I am heading straight to the hospital to see how he is doing. I remember the first time I met old man Bishop. That's what Gene Pittman and I used to call him."

"You are friends with that Gene Pittman kid?"

"Yes, sir. We live right next door to each other."

"How did you come out so good and he came out so bad?" Even Mr. Downs had heard of Gene and how he treated teenage girls.

"It all depends on if you accept Christ or not. I did and he did not."

"Well, finish telling me about Mr. Bishop."

"Gene and I used to sneak into his house and go all through his rooms. It was really scary for little boys. One night we decided to go up to the second floor and find some treasure. This one room we went into was full of magazines. One magazine was about Billy Sunday.

"We both were sitting there looking at the magazine when the door burst open and there stood Mr. Bishop! We both thought he was going to kill us. His hair was so long you wouldn't believe it and I don't think he'd had a bath for two or three years. He stunk. We broke the ice with him when we showed him the magazine about Billy Sunday. The next day, he went to church with us and he had not missed one Sunday until he had his heart attack."

"So, you are the two boys he told me about. If it wasn't for you two, Mr. Bishop may have never come out of that old house. Tell you what, Mike, why don't you leave one hour early and go to the hospital and see Mr. Bishop. I will pay you for that hour, okay?"

"That sounds great, Mr. Downs."

Mike walked through the swinging doors of the hospital and headed straight to room 104, where Mr. Bishop was. Before he could reach the room, Mr. Bishop's doctor saw Mike and asked if he could have a small talk with him.

"Mr. Bishop only has a few days to live. He has no family and he said that you were his only beneficiary."

"I am his what? You mean he is leaving me with everything he owns?"

"That is exactly right. I have been his doctor ever since he changed his life around and started going out of that old house of his. He said if it wasn't for you, he would still be living like that now. Mr. Bishop is worth a lot of money, Mike, and he wants you to have it all."

"Doc, thanks for telling me all of that, but I really would like to go and see Mr. Bishop now."

"Go ahead. He has been asking for you."

When the doctor made that statement, it seemed as if the Lord was speaking to Mike. To Mike's remembrance came the words when Gene had been hit by the car. He remembered that Gene's mother had said the same thing, "Gene has been asking for you."

Right then, Mike knew what his calling from God was going to be. Not only would he get his degree and become a preacher, but his main ministry would be to those that were on their death beds. He knew that when people are on the verge of dying, they are scared. Even Christians are scared sometimes. He thought, "When I get a church and become a pastor, I want to be next to that person that is on the portals of eternity. It may be that an unsaved person might accept within seconds of departing this world."

The door was about half opened, when Mike walked into the room where Mr. Bishop lay.

"Mike, it is so good to see you."

"Hi. How do you feel, Mr. Bishop?"

"I have felt better. You are here a little early today aren't you?"

"Mr. Downs told me to leave early so I could come and be with you longer today. My mom and dad said they would be by around seven."

"I am glad Mr. Downs let you come early. I have something I want you to do for me. I want you to go and get Gene and bring him here. I want to talk to him today."

"Mr. Bishop, I don't have any idea where Gene would be."

"Go to his girl friend's house. He is there."

"How do you know that?"

"Just go and hurry. I don't have much time left."

Mike drove as fast as he could without getting a ticket. Once at Sandy's house, Mike knocked at the door. Sandy opened the door and Mike asked if Gene was there.

Sandy hollered, "Gene, Mike wants to see you."

Gene came to the door and the first words out of his mouth were, "What's wrong?"

"Mr. Bishop is dying and he is asking for you. He wants to see you now."

"Sandy, I have to leave. I will call you later."

The boys hurried to the hospital with many thoughts on their minds. They were both remembering their times with Mr. Bishop. Arriving at the hospital, both boys walked in the room and over to Mr. Bishop.

Mr. Bishop handed Mike a five dollar bill and told him to go and get something to eat, while he talked with Gene. Mike left knowing exactly what Mr. Bishop had in mind. As he left, he prayed that Gene would accept this time.

"Gene, you have had many chances to accept, but each and every time you refused. I will be dead and in Heaven in less than three days, but before I go, I have a message for you from the Lord."

"Mr. Bishop, you know I don't believe in all that heaven stuff and in accepting. I think you are wasting your breath."

"Yes, I probably am wasting my breath. However, I am supposed to give you this message. The Lord has given you chance after chance and you continue to reject. When you die, you will not believe where you are, because you don't believe Hell is real. When you get there, you will believe, even though you don't want to accept the fact that you are there. When you get there, you will plead and beg to get out and you will ask for a second chance. The Lord is saying that your second chance is right now. If you take that second chance right now, you can accept Him as your savior and when you die you will go to Heaven. What is your decision, Heaven or Hell?"

"Mr. Bishop, I promise I will listen and see if accepting is for me. I promise I will decide on Heaven or Hell, one of these days."

"GENE WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT I AM GOING TO SAY?"

"Lord, I believe you are going to say You gave me my last chance to accept and I blew it."

"NO, THAT IS NOT WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY. EVEN THOUGH YOU REFUSED, I CONTINUED TO GIVE YOU CHANCE AFTER CHANCE BECAUSE I AM LONG SUFFERING, BUT YOU NEVER ACCEPTED. THE REASON I GAVE MR. BISHOP THAT MESSAGE FOR YOU IS BECAUSE WITHIN THE NEXT TWENTY FOUR HOURS, THAT WOULD BE THE CLOSEST YOU WOULD EVER COME TO ACCEPTING. I HAD SOFTENED YOUR HEART UP WHEN YOU WERE TALKING TO MIKE THAT DAY YOU TWO WERE MOWING THE LAWN. ALSO, WHEN YOU LEFT THE HOSPITAL, YOU ASKED MIKE A QUESTION AND WHEN HE ANSWERED THAT QUESTION, YOU WONDERED IF HE WAS RIGHT OR WRONG."

Mike walked back into the room and handed Mr. Bishop the change from the five. "Thanks, I was starving." Just then, the nurse came in with a needle and some medicine for Mr. Bishop.

"It's time for your shot and then you have to eat. Boys, I hate to say it, but you will have to leave for now."

"But, can't we stay just a little while longer?"

"Oh, I guess it would be okay, but who is going to be first?"

"First, for what?"

"The shot. Since you want to stay, you must receive a shot, just as a precaution."

"Mr. Bishop, we will see you tomorrow."

"Gene, think about what I said. It's your soul I am concerned about."

As the boys left the hospital, Gene asked, "What are your plans, Mike?"

"I think I'll go home and pray for Mr. Bishop."

"You know, I have never done that before, but would you mind if I prayed with you this time?"

"No, I don't mind. Let's go home." Mike was very hopeful as they left together.

Once at home, Mike and Gene went into Mike's bedroom and Mike began to pray for Mr. Bishop. When Mike was finished, Gene had a few words to say, and then he said amen. Mike knew that Gene did not know how to pray, but anything might help. While they were sitting there, Gene asked Mike a question. "The other day when we were mowing and we stopped and talked, you used a word I had never heard before."

"What word was that, Gene?"

"The word was rapture. What does that mean?"

"It means that, one of these days, Jesus is going to come down and get every person that has accepted Him and take them to Heaven. In other words, there is one generation of believers that will never experience death. We will simply disappear."

"Are you telling me, if the rapture were to occur right now, that you would vanish into thin air?"

"I wouldn't put it quite like that, but I think you have the idea."

"Wait a minute. I have heard a number of stories from the Bible, but this one takes the cake. Okay, what happens after all the Christians are gone?"

"After all the Christians are gone, there will be a man that will come on the scene and he will require everyone in the world to take his number or his mark, 666, on their right hand or on their forehead. Wait I am getting a little ahead of myself. First, this man that will be called the Antichrist will sign a seven year peace treaty with Israel and an Arab block of nations. At the mid-point of the seven year period, the Antichrist will break the treaty and go into the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and claim to be God. It is at that time that the Antichrist will require everyone to take his number, 666."

"You want me to believe that there is someone that has the technology to number everyone in the world? Look around Mike, this is 1963 and we can't even count the people in the United States correctly during the census. I thought you told me the Bible was reliable and I could depend on it. I know now that I cannot depend on the Bible, because the things that you are telling me are totally impossible. Those things could never happen. I've got to be going. You and Mr. Bishop, oh, man."

Two days later, Mr. Bishop died. Bobby, Mike's dad, took care of all of the funeral arrangements and the burial plot. When the estate was finalized with the lawyers, the total for Mike came to $123,000. In 1963, that was a lot of money. Mike took what was needed to pay for the funeral and then he put some in his dad's checking account. The rest was put into savings to help pay for his two older brothers' college expenses at Washington University.

Mike saw Gene only two other times the rest of the summer. Each time they met, Gene was not interested in any type of conversation. It seemed as if he had totally decided that the Bible and Christianity were all a myth that someone had planned out to deceive people into a false hope and a false sense of security.

Fall season meant college and football for Gene. He loved watching college football and he also loved watching the cheerleaders. At UCLA, Gene was just another face among thousands. He had his little group that he mingled with most of the time and he had one group that wanted to party and drink. Almost every week-end he was totally drunk, but during the week, he studied twice as hard as the other students. He wanted his degree more than anything in the world. Living a life where you are punching a time card, like his dad, and working in a factory was not his idea of the ideal lifestyle. Also, during that first year in college, he was starting to look at girls just a little bit differently. Instead of trying to get as many in the sack as he could, he was thinking a lot more of marriage. But a total commitment with one person was out of the question at this time. The degree was the most important thing.

At Multnoma School of the Bible, Mike was working just as hard for his degree. His love was the Bible and the things of God. His oldest brother, Ken, loved the Lord just as much as Mike did, but Ken's grades were not as good as Mike's. Ken wanted to go to a Bible college, also, but when the University of Washington offered him a football scholarship, he couldn't turn it down. The same was true for Keith, Mike's other older brother. Washington was very impressed with Ken and when they found out he had a younger brother, they offered him a scholarship, also.

When Mike received the money from Mr. Bishop, he let both brothers know that he was going to use the money to help them through college, and pay for anything that the scholarships did not cover.

When the first year of college was over for both Mike and Gene, Mike came back home and worked at his old job, at the Christian Book Store. Gene had decided to stay in Los Angeles and work at the University. The money he made was more than twice as much as he could get doing anything else at home.

The next two years went by so quickly, it was unbelievable that Mike's two oldest brothers had graduated and he would be a senior the next year. Not only was that unbelievable, but two of his three younger sisters had decided to go to Multnoma, also. Jennifer, who was the baby of the family, was a senior in high school. Her plans were not set in concrete yet, but she was leaning toward Multnoma, also.

Gene stayed in Los Angeles with his job each summer. He would come home and visit when something special was happening. One such time was when Harold enlisted in the Marines and after basic training, he was told he was being shipped out to Vietnam. Gene was there that last day to see Harold off and he told him to do a lot of ducking. Next, Steven was to go to Vietnam. Gene always thought that one day he would receive the bad news that one of his older brothers had been killed. However, that time never did arrive.

One year to go and both Mike and Gene would be graduating from college. Mike had all of his plans in order. Gene, however, had only one thing on his mind that last year in college and it wasn't drinking or girls. It was something new, marijuana. Gene was so burned out on drinking, that the sound of the word beer turned his stomach. His friends had told him of this new thing that was spreading like wild fire.

They told him, "It's not as cheap as beer, but you don't get 'lamp post kissing drunk' like you do with beer. Also, the feeling takes all your problems away to a far off land."

Gene decided that was for him. He called and asked one of his friends about bringing him some of this new thing called marijuana. After trying it, he knew beer was totally out and this new drug was in. The rest of the year, Gene was spaced out most of the time and most of the time he didn't even know where he was. His grades suffered to the extent that he barely passed his classes. One of his friends told him it was a miracle that he graduated. Gene turned and told him, "I don't believe in miracles. That is religion and I don't want anything to do with religion."

After graduating from college, both Mike and Gene moved back to the Seattle area. Mike found a small church that needed a pastor and Gene started working for one of the largest companies in the city.

From time to time, Mike and Gene would meet and talk, but the closeness that they had shared as young boys would never come back again. Gene was on a path of destruction and Mike was on a path of glorifying the Lord. Their eternal rewards would be totally different.

CHAPTER 7

Marriage was the farthest thing from Mike's mind. He had just graduated from Bible College and he was the new pastor in a church with sixty members. Sixty members is not that many when it means that they have to pay for a pastor full time. But the church deacons felt that they were going to be growing and with the growth they were expecting, they would need a full time pastor.

When Mary Jane Culpepper walked through the front door of the church in the third week of his ministry, Mike thought that he would melt before he could deliver the sermon. She was beautiful and with those long eyelashes and deep tan, he could not take his eyes off her, even when he gave his sermon. As was his custom, he would gaze at the people on the right then he would gaze at the people on the left. Each time he looked to the right, she was staring straight at him. She was either falling in love with him, or she was intently interested in his sermon. Since he was a college graduate and he did study really hard for each and every sermon, she must be totally engulfed in what he was saying, he surmised.

If Mike had known what was going on in the mind of Mary Jane, he would have passed out right there at the pulpit. When Mary Jane first walked in the door to the church and saw Mike, there was that feeling and that premonition that some girls have when they meet "Mr. Right." That was the feeling Mary Jane had. When she took her seat and watched Mike talk to the song leader and the head deacon, she was thinking of all the different ways she could catch his attention.

She acted as if she was reading the church bulletin, but she was really looking over the top of the bulletin and watching every move that Mike made. The thoughts that were rolling around in her head about a June wedding and the idea of three or four children made her drift into a fantasy world that most women go into when they know that they have found the man of their dreams.

Mary Jane was interested in the sermon. She had been a Christian almost all her life. Her folks went to the church about five miles down the road. Mary Jane had told her folks that their home church was full of almost all couples and older singles. She needed a change and she needed a church where there were some younger people. Her mom asked where she was going to church Sunday and she said that she had heard that there was a new pastor at First Haven Community Church and she wanted to go and see if he was any good or not.

Mike's sermon was on the subject of salvation by works. His key verse was found in Ephesians 2:8 & 9 - 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God--Not of works, lest any man should boast.' Mike gave the message in a three point outline, just like he had learned in Bible College. To the amazement of Mary Jane, she thought it was one of the best messages she had ever heard. As she thought about the message, she started thinking about the idea of Mike becoming one of the greatest preachers in the country. She wanted him to excel beyond both of their wildest dreams. But, then she came back down to earth and had to realize that perhaps that was not the best for Mike.

With the services over, Mike stood at the door greeting everyone as they left. One of the last to leave was Mary Jane. When she walked out of the door, they both reached out to shake hands. As their hands touched, their eyes met, also. That first touch sent tingles all the way down to Mike's toes. He couldn't believe how soft her hand was and how beautiful her eyes were. He tried to think of something to say, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was his name. He also said he hoped she would be back that night or maybe on Wednesday.

Mary Jane had the same feelings that Mike had just experienced. The only difference was that, when a woman knows that the man she just met is going to be her future husband, she starts to plan all kinds of strategies to catch him. Mary Jane knew that she was beautiful, but she did not flaunt her beauty. On the other hand, she would do things that would get men interested very quickly. When she reached out to shake hands with Mike, she blinked her eyes three quick times, and for Mike, that just about did him in. With those green eyes, and with that red hair, was almost too much for Mike to take. She always knew that one day the Lord would lead a Christian man into her life. It was just a matter of when and where they would meet. She never once thought that it would be a pastor.

Gene was living within two miles of Mike's church. He had heard that Mike was the pastor there. He also had determined that one day he would go to church there and visit with Mike.

In the office where Gene worked, there were a number of very beautiful young and single women. They did not know a thing of his past reputation. If they had, they probably would not have gone out with him. Each girl he went out with, he attempted to take to bed. Some were very willing to go to bed with someone that was as handsome as he was. But there were a couple of girls that had more on their minds than going to bed with Gene. These girls were both looking for "Mr. Right" and they both knew that Gene was "Mr. Wrong."

Four months after Gene had begun to work there, a new young woman started to work in the office. Her name was Roxann Rhodes. For Gene, it was love at first sight. Roxann was not one to be taken in by good looks. She had won many beauty contests and she was also the Homecoming Queen at the college she graduated from. Each time Gene would talk to her, he was always complimenting her on what she was wearing or on how good she looked. Sometimes, he made her sick on his overbearing approach.

One day, Gene finally got the nerve to ask her out. The answer was, "No, never!"

After that rude reply for a date, he sat down to analyze what he had done wrong with this beautiful hunk of woman. He decided the best way to get her to want to go out with him was to act as if she did not exist. If he was in a crowd with other workers and she brought up a point or wanted to put in her opinion, he would totally ignore her. Also, if she said anything to him, he would act as if he did not hear her. The tactic started to work, although very slowly. He also acted as if she did not exist when they were at office parties or other get-togethers.

After two months of the cold shoulder, Roxann finally broke the ice and started a conversation, nose to nose with Gene. He tried to side step her or to say that he was needed someplace else, but she was not going to be given the snub again. After a lengthy talk, they decided the best thing to do was to get to know each better. Within two months, they were dating and the talk soon started to center around getting married.

Roxann was the type of woman that made men stop and look when she would walk by. Most men would take a double glance at her and then they would stand and stare at her. She was like Mary Jane. Although, she knew she was very good looking, she did not make a big issue about it. She knew that one day her future husband would come into her life; when and where she did not know. If she had known that Gene was going to be her future husband and if she had known what type of husband he was going to be, she would have told him good-bye from the start.

Gene finally asked Roxann to marry him and without a hesitation in her voice, she accepted. She said she always wanted to be a June bride and she set the date for June 12. The plans were all made and Gene gave her a little surprise of his own. They were going to Las Vegas for their honeymoon. At Vegas, he could do a little gambling and they could attend all the shows. Roxann was the happiest woman in the state of Washington that day.

Mike was sure he wanted to know more about Mary Jane and about her life. When he found out that she was single and a very devout Christian, his interest grew even more. He asked around and found out that she liked the church very much and that she wanted to get more involved with the church. However, down deep, Mary Jane had one thing on her mind and that was marriage.

After four weeks, Mike decided it was time to see if there was just a little interest in him. After church one night, the young adult group planned to go to the local miniature golf course and play a round or two. Mike asked if Mary Jane would be interested in going with him as a "sort of date"

She wanted to know exactly what he was asking, so she asked, "You mean a date?"

Mike stammered around and said, "Yes, a date."

At the miniature golf course, Mary Jane acted as if she had never held a golf club before nor even knew how to swing it. Mike demonstrated how to hold the club and how to swing it. Mary Jane, on purpose, made mistake after mistake until Mike had seen enough. He told her to put the club in her hand and he would show her exactly what he was talking about. He then stood behind her and put his arms around her and took a hold of the club. With both of their hands on the club, Mike thought he was holding heaven in his arms. He looked over her shoulder and that is when it hit. Mike took one breath of the perfume and he about died. Mary Jane was wearing his favorite perfume, Estee Lauder's White Linen. That one smell took him back to the third grade when he first discovered that girls smelled completely different than boys. Not only did they smell different, but he liked the smell.

Mike thought about his third grade teacher, Mrs. Hayre. She always wore Estee Lauder. The day that he remembered was the day that he did not make a very good grade on his English paper. She asked him to come to her desk so she could explain why his grade was so low. Standing beside Mrs. Hayre, he bent down and that is when he took a big whiff of the perfume. He could not imagine what that smell was, but he knew one thing, it was the best he had ever smelled.

Mike then came back to reality at the miniature golf course. He showed Mary Jane how to swing the club with his hands on top of hers. He thought to himself how smooth and soft her hands felt in his and how nice her completion was. Just looking at her that night made him want to put his arms around her and press his lips against hers and give her the most passionate kiss he had ever given any girl. All the way through the rest of the course, Mike had only one thing on his mind, that being Mary Jane Culpepper.

After that first date, they could be seen everywhere together. Mike let Mary Jane know from the beginning that he had fallen in love with her the moment he had laid eyes on her and he was praying that she felt the same way. To his astonishment, she told him the first day that she went to church there, and when she saw Mike, she knew that he was going to be her husband. Mike asked Mary Jane to marry him and she accepted even faster than Roxann had said yes to Gene. Mary Jane also wanted to get married in June.

June was not that far off, but when two people are in love and they want to get married, it seems as if time just crawls by. But June did arrive and on the 5th, Mike and Mary Jane became man and wife. Their honeymoon wasn't anything fancy, like going to Hawaii or to Acapulco. They decided to go to Idaho for five days. The scenery of the mountains, the brisk cool mornings, and the way the sun would set in the evenings were irresistible for a couple that had only love on their minds.

One week later, Gene and Roxann were married and off to Vegas they went. Once at the hotel, they made all their plans on where they were going to gamble and which entertainers they wanted to see. Even though Gene had one of the most beautiful women in Vegas, he still liked looking at the other beauties. His eyes were roaming each and every crowd for the next woman that he considered to be out of this world.

During his honeymoon, Gene did not try to put the move on any other woman. He was married and he was very much in love with Roxann. But all honeymoons must come to an end, or at least that is what Gene always thought. If he had been a Christian, he would have known that the honeymoon lasts year after year, and the love that two Christians have continues to grow until the Lord takes one of them home to be with Him.

The next year went like a fairy tale for Mike and Mary Jane. Their love was growing day after day and also the church was growing. They made plans for their coming family and they wanted to start that family as soon as possible.

The honeymoon for Gene and Roxann was over and their next year was totally different than that of Mike and Mary Jane. They loved each other, but that feeling of two people that would be willing to die for one another just wasn't there. They had decided they wanted to start a family very quickly, also. Gene said he wanted five children and he would like to have them within eight years and then stop having kids and watch each one grow up to be an adult.

On September 3, the doctor's office called and said the tests were back and Roxann was pregnant and she could expect the baby about the middle of March. Roxann couldn't wait for Gene to get home, so she called and told him that she would be by for lunch. That is when she told him he was going to be a daddy. Gene almost choked on his hamburger. After the near accident, he was so excited he wanted to get a book with names in it and find a name for their coming baby.

That same month, Mike and Mary Jane found out that they were going to have a baby in the month of March, also. They started picking names, but they wanted to know what the meaning of each name was. They knew if they picked a name that had a good meaning, the Lord would bless that child. Mike remembered what the Lord said in Proverbs 22:1 - 'A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.'

Each month came and went, until March. With each family looking forward to a new arrival, March just crept by until Roxann told Gene she thought they had better go to the hospital.

That same day, Mary Jane called Mike at the church and said it was time. Mary Jane wasn't due for another two weeks, but you know how children are. When they decide it is time to come into the world, you can't stop them.

At the hospital, Mike and Gene ran into each other. Gene thought for sure that someone was dying since Mike was there. When Mike told Gene that his wife was having a baby, he could hardly believe that he and Mike were going to have a baby in the same month and maybe even on the same day. Both women were in labor for three hours and both husbands were told that they were new fathers. To their amazement, both babies were boys.

Gene went in to see Roxann and their new son. One of the nurses asked if they had come up with a name? Gene smiled and said that they both had decided that their new son would be named after his dad. "His name is Gene Alexander Pittman, Jr."

The nurse said, "Those are nice names and they do have a ring to them."

Mike and Mary Jane had already picked out names. If it was a girl, she would be Rachel Elisabeth. Rachel is the name of Jacob's second wife in the book of Genesis and Elisabeth was the mother of John the Baptist. If the baby was a boy, his name would be Joseph Daniel, after the prophet Joseph, the son of Jacob, and the prophet Daniel. The first time Mike saw Joseph, he was really proud that he was the father of a really big boy.

After a couple of days at the hospital, it was time to go home and start being a parent. For Gene and Roxann, they had already started making plans for their next child. They decided they wanted to have another baby within one year. Well, they did not get their wish, but Roxann did get pregnant and had the second son within fifteen months.

The first time Mike and Gene got together after they started their families, other than at the birth of their first sons, was when the boys were one year old. As you remember, they were both born on the same day. Roxann and Mary Jane had everything planned out for the boys. There was one very large birthday cake, and there were so many gifts that they covered the corner of the family room.

Mike stood just looking at the two boys playing on the carpet. He thought back to the great days that he and Gene had when they were little boys. He thought about all the things they had gotten into and the adventures they had and the times they slept out at night. The more he thought about all of those things, the more his heart was feeling sad for the things that Gene's father had taught him. One small tear trickled down his check from the thought of his friend going to Hell forever. Before anyone could see the tear, he wiped it away. He remembered old man Bishop. That day when he scared them to death and the day that Mr. Bishop died were uppermost on Mike's mind. He remembered how Mr. Bishop talked with Gene and begged him to accept.

The more he thought about all the good times that he and Gene had, the more he wondered if their sons would be as close. He was hoping they would be even closer. It may be that, if they became really close, Gene, Jr. would accept, and just maybe, he would be the one that would lead all of the other family members to Christ.

Mike remembered the conversation just before they went off to college when Gene told Mike that he did not think that they would be close like they were when they were children. Possibly, all those years of memories came to Gene and now, perhaps, he would want that closeness once again.

It was amazing to Mike, even now, that Gene promised he would be in church the following Sunday. Maybe the Lord was going to perform a miracle or maybe Gene was having second thoughts about his future home, Heaven or Hell. Mike knew, besides having a son, Gene was wanting at least three or four more children. It may be that he wanted his children to have a personal relationship with the creator of the universe, even if he did not choose that for himself. Mike could only pray.

But as you will see, Gene's children followed their parents and went down a road of destruction. Mike's children, on the other hand, were raised in a God fearing home where the Lord was worshiped.

"GENE, EVERYTHING THAT YOU BELIEVED, YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR FATHER. AT THIS POINT, YOU WERE TEACHING THOSE VERY SAME THINGS TO YOUR CHILDREN. THEY WERE GOING DOWN THAT SAME PATH OF DESTRUCTION JUST AS YOU DID. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR CHILDREN. YOU SHOULD HAVE RAISED THEM IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF ME. I PUT ONE VERSE IN MIKE'S MIND THAT WOULD STAY WITH HIM AND HIS CHILDREN, SO THAT HIS GRANDCHILDREN WOULD ALSO BE RAISED IN A GOD-FEARING HOME. THAT VERSE IS FOUND IN PROVERBS 22:6 - 'TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO AND, WHEN HE IS OLD, HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT.' YOU ARE THE ONE THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR CHILDREN GOING TO HELL. NO ONE ELSE CAN BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. I WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU A VERSE TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAMILY, ALSO."

"Lord, there is nothing I can say. I am guilty. I wish there was some way that my children could be reached before they come to this place of torment."

"MIKE SPOKE TO YOU FOR YEARS ABOUT ACCEPTING AND YOU REFUSED. MIKE'S CHILDREN WILL BE AS CLOSE TO YOUR CHILDREN AS YOU AND MIKE WERE. HIS CHILDREN WILL TELL YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT HEAVEN AND HELL AND THEY WILL BE JUST LIKE YOU. THEY WILL REFUSE, ALSO. BUT THERE WILL BE ONE THAT WILL BECOME SO DESTITUTE, THAT HE WILL REALIZE THAT HE HAS TO RELY ON SOMEONE ELSE OTHER THAN HIMSELF. HE WILL DROP TO HIS KNEES AND WILL ASK FOR ME TO COME INTO HIS LIFE. UPON THAT REQUEST, I WILL ENTER HIS HEART AND I WILL CALL HIM MY SON AND HE WILL CALL ME HIS FATHER. ABBA FATHER."

To the amazement of Mike and Mary Jane, they also had their second son the very same month that Gene and Roxann had their child. Some might say it was a coincidence, but it was very, very far from coincidence. God had planned out the children that both families were going to have. He wanted Gene to see the difference between a family that does not want to have anything to do with Him and a family that is God-center.

If Gene saw the difference, maybe he would open his heart and get saved and lead his entire family to the Lord.

Each time either Roxann or Mary Jane became pregnant, the other one would become pregnant, also. After their fifth child, both couples decided that was enough. Mike and Gene went to see a doctor about having a vasectomy.

Gene seemed to be a good husband and he would do anything for any of his friends. The only thing that neither his family nor his friends knew about was his desire for women. After his third child, Gene started to have one affair after another. Now that he was going to have a vasectomy, he did not have to worry about one of his girl friend's claiming that he was the father of her baby. Now Gene could return to doing as he pleased, as he always had before, but now with complete ease of mind knowing he would not get caught with an illegitimate child. That could no longer happen.

After the vasectomy, Gene's affairs became hot and heavy. Not only was he having affairs with many of the women in his office, but he was also looking for, and finding, very young women that wanted older men. Most of these younger women were in their early twenties. Each time a love-making session was over, he always had a bad feeling inside. He always wanted to say it was indigestion or something like that, but it was the Lord that was making his conscience feel bad for his sin. Even if a person does not believe in God and they believe they can do anything they want, they still have a conscience and when they commit sin, their conscience will react to the things that are wrong.

Gene was no different than any other man. Every time he committed sin, Gene felt bad. Once by mistake, or so Gene said it was a mistake, he told Mike about the feeling he had when he did something that the Bible said was a sin. Mike did not come out and say what it was. He wanted Gene to ask for advice, or to ask if Mike could give an answer for the bad feeling. After explaining everything, he asked Mike what he thought could be the problem.

It was at that time that Mike explained to Gene about the three inner beings of a man. He told him of the soul, spirit, and conscience. After Mike explained each in great detail, Gene thanked Mike and left. On his trip home, he said to himself, "I sure made a mistake asking Mike for help. I should have known that he was going to put religion into his answer."

Each and every time he had an affair, the words of Mike kept ringing in his ear about his conscience. The Lord was bothering Gene's conscience so badly that it would take forever for him to get to sleep. The sleep he did have was not the same kind of sleep he had other nights. The kind of sleep he had after an affair was the kind of sleep that left you tired. It was a restless type of sleep. On the nights when he did not have an affair, he slept like a baby. Gene surmised that Mike told him all of that stuff about the soul, spirit, and conscience just to make him have a bad night of sleep. He decided he was going to forget everything that Mike had said. Gene did try to forget, but the Lord was not going to forget and He was not going to let it be that easy. He was going to remind Gene every chance He got.

CHAPTER 8

I don't want you to think the Pittman children were not told about the Gospel when they were young. They were told many, many times about Christ dying on the cross for them and that they must accept, if they want to have eternal life in Heaven.

The children did get to go to church and VBS anytime they wanted to go. Gene never told the children they were not allowed to go to church. That was definitely a point in his favor. However, since children learn by what they see, those limited sights of Christian life were not enough to make a difference in his children's lives. The children learned to say and do the right things in front of some people and whatever they pleased the rest of the time.

For instance, when they went to VBS, they sang the songs and listened to the stories politely. They said they enjoyed the time with their friends. It was something to do and they did learn a lot. Even if they didn't believe most of the stories they heard, they were interesting to listen to. Each day an invitation was given and each day, Gene's children rejected.

Sometimes the children would ask Mike's kids about some of the stories and if they were true. Of course, they would say, "Yes."

Sometimes they would even ask their dad. He would always discourage them from believing what they had heard at church. He would always tell them they were fine and, "You don't need that religious stuff anymore than I did."

They always enjoyed being with Mike's kids and at their house, because they knew they would not get into serious trouble and they were fun. They didn't yell at each other, nor did the parents. That was a pleasant difference from their home. It always seemed so peaceful at the Fisher's house. That is not to say Mike's kids never disagreed or argued. They did, but it was different. There was love in their house and this love was totally different. It was the type of love that makes you want to love the person in return. Also, the love that Mike showed Mary Jane and the children was the kind of love that the Pittman children had never seen before. It was the kind of love that they never saw in their own house.

One day while all of the children were in the family room eating, Gene Jr. asked Mike about the love that he always showed for his family and for him and his brothers and sisters. After they were through eating, Mike stood up in the middle of the room and explained to all the children the type of love he was attempting to show.

He said, "First , I want everyone to know that God the Father shows His love to us through Jesus Christ and the only way a child can see the love of God is through their earthly father. If the earthly father does not show a genuine love to his family and friends, then how can unbelievers believe in a heavenly father that loves them?"

As Mike continued to explain the type of love he had for his family and friends, he explained the three different types of love the Bible speaks about.

"First you have the Greek word, "Agape." This is the word that means it is a self sacrificing type of love. We can see that type of love when we look to the cross. Christ was willing to offer Himself as a sacrifice for us because He loves us that much. It is an unconditional type of love. That is the type of love I am trying to show to each and every one of you in this room. If you can see that kind of love in me, then you have an idea of the love that God has for all of us.

"The second kind of love is called, "Phileo" in the Greek. This kind of love is the affection that you would have for friends or family. It is also called, "Brotherly Love." The word phileo is where we get our English word Philadelphia which means the city of Brotherly Love.

"The third kind of love is the kind that gets people into trouble. The word in the Greek is "Eros." This word has a meaning of desire towards someone that you find attractive. This word has nothing to do with a sacrificing love or a brotherly love."

When Gene's children asked Mike about the love that he showed them and his own children, they did not realize they were going to get the answer they received. Remember, Gene Jr. and Joe Dan (the shortened form of Joseph Daniel, which was his nick name) were the oldest of all the children. Gene Jr. and Joe Dan were both twelve and the youngest children were six. Even though the youngest probably did not understand what Mike was saying, the oldest of the children did understand about the love that Mike was talking about and showing.

Mike and Gene only lived two miles from each other, so when their kids started school, they all went to the same grade school. Once in school, their kids became as close as Mike and Gene were at that age. Gene Jr. and Joe Dan did everything together.

Joe Dan was like his father in that he witnessed to Gene Jr. Joe Dan told him all about Heaven and Hell. And, just like his father, Gene Jr. would tell Joe Dan that when you die, you cease to exist.

One day, a friend of theirs was in a car accident. Both boys were very upset and asked to go to the hospital. As they saw the boy lying in the bed, bandaged, they both were a little frightened about the reality of him dying. The parents of the boy were there and very concerned, also. The older brother, who had been driving, had died at the scene. Now, they could only wait to see if their only remaining child would live.

Mike had taken the boys to the hospital and had an opportunity to share with the parents and to pray for their son's healing. Before Mike left, the parents gave their lives to Christ. This meant they were also leaving their only child in HIS hands. Gene Jr. listened to all that was said and had an opportunity to believe then, but chose not to.

When the boy got well and the parents gave all the glory to God, Gene Jr. would just comment that, "It was not a miracle, he just had good doctors."

Don Clarence was the second oldest of Gene's boys. He was always in trouble in school and away from school. Jonathan Jeremiah was Mike's second son. He and Don were just as close as Gene Jr. and Joe Dan. They played together all the time, and they also ate lunch together.

When Don wanted John to do the same bad things that he was doing, John drew the line. He always said that it was sin and he would not sin against God. Don spoke just like his dad. He said, "There is no God and there is nothing called sin. Sin is only in the mind of a person that is insecure." The boys grew further apart as time went on. It seemed they had less and less in common and John did not want to be a bad witness.

The next three children that Gene and Roxann had were two girls and a boy. The first was Daphne, the second was Regina and the boy was Butch. Both girls were very beautiful when they were babies. As they grew, their beauty increased, which even surprised their parents. Some people said the girls were more beautiful than movie stars. With their beauty, it did not take long for the boys to notice that both sisters were knockouts.

Real problems did not occur when the girls first started to school, but by the second grade, the boys, especially the older boys, were already casting their eyes upon them. When the girls started the sixth grade, boys were calling every night. Also, Mother Nature started to work on the girls and by the time they were in the eighth grade, they were developed better than most teens and most women.

As the children grew older and could do things on their own, they started straying further from Mike's kids. Their "groups" were not the same anymore. They then began to look for "exciting" things to get away with or do and spent less and less time at each other's homes, as well as their own home.

When Daphne was in the ninth grade, the problems started to get very serious. The high school boys were calling and taking her out every weekend. Sometimes, if she had her home work finished, she was allowed to go out on the weekdays. She would always rush to complete things whether it was right or not. She wanted to be the most popular girl in the school and to do that, she must be seen with the "cool" guys.

One night, the telephone rang. Gene and Daphne picked the phone up at the same time. When he heard Daphne say hello, he was going to put the receiver down, but something told him not to.

"Oh, hi, Jerry! It is so good to hear from you. I miss you so much!"

"Daphne, we were just at school together a while ago."

"I know, but Jerry, I just love being with you. You are so cool and I would do anything to be with you all the time."

"Anything, Daphne? How about we take a drive down to the park or if your parents are going to be gone, maybe we could just stay at your house, and."

After he listened to the boy on the line talking, and he heard Daphne tell him that she would do anything, if he would take her out. Anything. Gene's stomach dropped to the floor. The very same thing she was telling the boys was the same thing that girls had said to him when he was in high school. He thought back about what they were saying and the things that he would always get from the girls who said that to him. The Lord put a thought into his mind, "Just as you were taking advantage of young naive girls in high school, now it is time for you to see what it is like when the boys do the same thing to your daughters."

The first boy that took her from being a girl to a woman was a senior. He had taken her out four other times and, each and every time, he said he was in love with her. On the fifth date, they had parked and started to "make out" for just a little while. As you can guess, the making out went further and further. When the date was over, she was not a virgin. After three more dates, she'd had her fill of this boy that was so childish. She wanted to date real men.

The kind of guys she was looking for were those that could show a girl a real good time, at least two or three times a night. In other words, she wanted sex, but sex was not satisfying the void in her life. She could never put her finger on that void, so she thought the more sex she had, sooner or later, the void would leave.

She recalled the speech Mike had given about all the different types of love. The love that only wants sex was the kind of love that she was having. She told herself that was the kind of love that she wanted right now. "I don't want the other two types of love. I want sex and I want to be popular in school. The only way I can be popular is to let the boys have what they want," she thought.

Many times after she had sex with a guy, she would think of the things Mike had said about sin. When she thought about sin and the things she was doing, the void started to come back. She never could figure out what the void in her life was. All she knew was that she had a desire for something other than sin and sex. All through her life, until the time she died, the void that she felt was always there. If she would have asked Mike or one of Mike's children, they would have explained to her what that void was and how to take care of the problem. But, she never asked and her sin and the desire for sex finally resulted in a really big problem.

Three months later, Daphne told her mother that she was pregnant and she was going to get an abortion. The parents were glad she had made that decision; they had no idea what they would do if the word got out that she was going to have a baby. Daphne had told her best friend and asked that she not let her parents know. "If your parents know that I'm pregnant, they will hate me or, what might be worse, they won't let you associate with me again." Her friend had tried to convince her to have the baby and then put it up for adoption because it was murder to have an abortion. However, Daphne did not even mention that to her parents, because she knew what they would say, if they knew that she had shared the information with her friend.

To double the heartache, Regina saw how popular her sister was with the boys, so she started doing the same thing. If they couldn't get what they wanted from one sister, they would get it from of the other sister. Before they had graduated from high school, they had been to bed with every football player and basketball player that wanted to do that sort of thing. They would also go to bed with any other boy that wanted to have a good time.

Both girls had two abortions before they were out of high school, with the approval of their parents. Gene and Roxann agreed with the secular thinking of a fetus. They believed it was just a blob or just tissue that had to be removed. It was never a living, breathing human.

Whenever Mike's girls had the opportunity, they told Daphne and Regina that upon conception, a baby is a human being with a soul and that the Bible says so in Jeremiah 1:5 - 'Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.' However, the girls were looking for the easy way out, or so they thought. They did not realize the damage they were doing to their bodies or their souls.

Most boys thought that because Mike's girls, Rachel Elisabeth and Sarah Elaine, were very close friends with Daphne and Regina, they would also do anything for a date. The first boys to try were in for a very big surprise. Rachel and Sarah both informed the boys that they were going to be virgins until the day that they were married. "If you want to take us out for only one thing, then don't even ask." The word got around quickly.

Rachel and Sarah were popular in a different crowd and in a different way. The boys knew these girls were honest with them and they could have a good time without getting serious. Everyone enjoyed being with the girls and respected them greatly.

Yes, all four girls were very close friends, and yes, Rachel and Sarah had told Daphne and Regina about the Lord dying on the cross for the sins of the world many, many times. But just like their father, they were not interested in anything that had to do with Jesus Christ. They thought they would miss out on all the fun they could have.

Rachel and Sarah often invited Daphne and Regina to Youth For Christ meetings and church activities, but the girls were always too busy with their boyfriends. As you can see, the girls were growing apart, also. Rachel and Sarah always had time for Gene's girls, but his girls didn't always have time for them.

Butch Lee was the baby in the Pittman family. When he started school, his name proved what type of personality he would have for the rest of his life. Most people, when they would hear the name Butch, assumed him to be a real tough guy. Butch Lee was not going to let his name's reputation down. He was the toughest kid in school from grade school until he graduated from high school.

On the other hand, James Matthew was the complete opposite of Butch. James was never looking for a fight and he would always go completely out of his way to help anyone with a problem. He had many chances to tell Butch about the love of Christ for him. The story was the same for Butch as it was with all the other Pittman children. He did not believe. One good thing about Butch was that he never let any of the boys pick on James. He let every boy in school know that if they wanted to keep all their teeth, they had better leave James alone. Even though Butch did not agree with James, he respected him and thought he was by far the best kid around. Butch saw the difference in James, but just could not seem to understand what made him like he was.

Butch was the meanest boy in school and the one that everyone said would end up in prison or would probably be killed by the police. One of those prophesies did come true. Butch would end up just like his uncle, Steven Lynn, Gene's brother.

In his junior year, he found out that it was easy for him to get money by selling protection to some of the younger boys. After high school, he wasn't satisfied with just pocket money. He was more interested in the big take. He went from selling protection to holding up banks.

After his fifth bank robbery, he was arrested and sentenced to forty years in prison. Year after year, in all the Pittman family up to Butch, there had not been one person saved in that family, with the exception of Thelma, and she married into the family.

Once a person is in prison and they find there is no way out, they will either enhance the type of person they are, or they change. With Butch, he did not like the person he had become and he knew he had to change. Although James would come to the prison and talk to him, Butch felt that James could not really understand what he felt or what he was going through.

He tried one thing after another until he met another inmate that was doing a life term. He noticed that there was something different about this man. Knowing that he was doing a life term should have made him more rebellious and bitter, but his life was exactly the opposite. He had a peace about him. Butch thought he had seen this type of peace somewhere before.

When Butch asked, the inmate told him about Jesus Christ and how he was led to the Lord by another inmate. Within thirty days, Butch accepted Christ as his personal Savior. Now he understood what James had been trying to explain to him all these years. What rejoicing took place when James' family found out about Butch's conversion!

Out of the entire Pittman clan, Butch was the only one that accepted and ended up in heaven.

Upon graduation from high school, all of the Fisher children went to college and received their degrees. They became model citizens and they also were devout Christians. Yes, they had problems in their lives, but they went to God for the answers. They all raised their children with the knowledge of God, and they were the ones that led their children into the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

"NOW YOU KNOW WHICH OF YOUR CHILDREN WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN. THE ONE CHILD THAT EVERYONE THOUGHT WAS WORTHLESS AND WOULD BE USELESS TO SOCIETY BECAME A MODEL PRISONER. WHILE IN PRISON, HE STUDIED THE BIBLE AND LED MANY OTHER PRISONERS INTO THE SAVING KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST. MANY OF THE MEN HE LED TO ME WERE RELEASED AND THEY LED THOUSANDS TO ME AND TO ETERNAL LIFE.

BUTCH WAS RELEASED EARLY FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR AND STARTED A SMALL CHURCH THAT GREW AND GREW UNTIL IT WAS THE LARGEST CHURCH IN SEATTLE. BECAUSE THERE WAS ONLY ONE PITTMAN SAVED IN THE ENTIRE FAMILY, I WAS GOING TO LET THAT PITTMAN, BUTCH, BECOME A SOUL WINNER OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES. NOW YOU SEE WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED IF MORE OF YOUR ANCESTORS WOULD HAVE BECOME CHRISTIANS AND THEY WOULD HAVE TOLD THEIR CHILDREN ABOUT ME."

CHAPTER 9

Everyone will experience a mid-life crisis once, if they live to be sixty. Some people know how to handle it, and some people don't. Those that know how to handle it, admit to themselves that they are getting older and there is a change occurring in their body. For women, they usually go to the doctor and he prescribes estrogen pills to replenish her hormones. For a man, there isn't anything that can be prescribed. Most men know that, sooner or later, they will reach that period called "mid-life crisis." Some men know what to expect and they are comfortable with that knowledge, while other men have no idea what to expect, and they are the ones that are unpredictable.

The men that are unpredictable may do or try anything that they think will keep their youth. Many times, that man will dye his hair the same color it was when he was young. He may even sell his four door sedan and buy a sports car so the younger women will notice him. Some men go to the extremes. They will divorce their wives, whom they married when they both were young, and then they will go out and get an apartment with a swimming pool. In the apartment complex, the young adults will have get-togethers and pool parties. He will use the same language of the younger generation and he will spend a lot of money to impress the young women. It may even be that he will ask one of the young women, less than half his age, to marry him. That is the way it was with Gene, although he did not go to the extreme and get a divorce, he just did everything else.

All parents laugh and joke about the time when the last of their kids leave the nest, but down deep, the parents are sad to see them go. Parents will say something like, "We are now free to do whatever we want" or they say "I can't believe we are finally alone." The day that Gene realized that his last child was going to be out on his own, was a startling realization.

Having the first child, and then another, and another, until you have five screaming and crying babies that fill the house with noise, is just the beginning. Then they pass from the baby stage and on through to all the other stages of growing up to adulthood, with different problems in each stage. The parents are constantly busy, taking them, going with them, correcting them, or advising them. Then, all of a sudden, there is nothing. This makes a person think of himself as growing old and of being alone. When a couple starts a family, without first getting to know each other well, there seems to be nothing to talk about when the children leave.

When Butch was in the twelfth grade, Gene started thinking about his age and he started thinking about how lonely it would be in the house. At night, he would make different excuses for working late, but it wasn't that he was doing any kind of special work; it was something he was doing for himself. One of the divorced women in the office had always found Gene very attractive. She, in no short words, let Gene know what would happen if he ever stayed late at night and "worked" overtime.

Gene had already gone to the hair salon and had the gray taken out with a dye that was a lot darker brown than his hair when he was in high school. He also bought new clothes that were the craze for the younger generation.

Gene even told Roxann that it was time to buy a new car. He explained to her that, "The cars are so fast on the roads nowadays. I need something with a little pick up and go, just in case there is an emergency and I need to get somewhere fast." Roxann didn't buy the story, but she did believe they needed a faster car. The car that Gene settled on was a hot, red, Ford Mustang. It could go from zero to sixty faster than you could say, "Ticky Ticky Tan Bow, No So Rambo, Harry Barry Goose Bumps, Tishma Tashma."

Gene, also, was spending a lot of money trying to show off. He did become very popular with the younger crowd. However, Gene just really didn't fit in, but if you wanted to play like you are young and you want to spend money, the younger crowd won't stop you in the least. That's the way it was with Gene and many of the very beautiful young women that he met. During the one year that Gene had an apartment, he would take as many of the young women as possible upstairs for a little fun or what he thought was fun.

Since Gene did not believe in God and that a person cannot commit sin, he had no problem having all kinds of affairs with all kinds of women. If Roxann would have found out, he would be dead in less than a minute. Roxann never did find out about the apartment or the girls that he had an affair with. However, God knew everything and, as you know, God was keeping a book on the sins of Gene.

Sometimes a person's sin will affect his or her children. With Gene, it affected all of his children. When Gene Jr. graduated from high school, he found a job and started working hard for each dollar he made. On the week-ends, he would drink just like his father and grandfather and, before long, even though he did not admit it, he was an alcoholic. After dating one girl for a year, they were married. Their marriage did last, but there was so much turmoil, it affected their children, also.

Don, as I had said before, was in trouble all the time. After high school, he was arrested so many times the police knew him on a first name basis. And just like the other men in his family, he loved to drink. He drank so much most of the time, whenever he went somewhere, he would forget where he parked his car. He never once thought about the other people in cars when he was drunk. He wanted to get home as fast as possible. The police had warned him many times about drinking and driving, but nothing seemed to work. One night, on his way home, he hit a tree and was almost killed. That accident did stop him from driving while he was drinking, but it did not stop his drinking while at his home. It didn't cause him to think about God or where he might spend eternity, if he had died.

Daphne and Regina became so pathetic that many of their friends and family members did not want to be anywhere around them. With the looks and build that Daphne had, she could have had any man for her husband. She wasn't interested in just one man, however, but as many men as she could get. She decided the best career for her was one of the oldest careers in the world. That career was the business of a hooker. Why not get paid for the things that you love to do was her way of thinking.

Regina wanted to try what her boy friend called a joint. He said it would give her the biggest high she had ever had. He also told her that when she wanted more, he was the person to see. She tried the joint and found out it did get her high, but after two months, she wanted something a little harder. This one drug did not give her the high she desired. Regina went from one drug to another until she was totally hooked. Her friends saw the change. She also started stealing from them and her parents to keep her drug habit going. All of her friends and family members knew that when Regina came over to visit, you made sure that everything was under lock and key.

One day at work, Gene received a call from his mother. Gene knew that one day this call would come and he dreaded the message that his mother would give him. When Gene answered the phone, his mother attempted to be as calm as possible. She told him, "Darrell has had a heart attack and we are on the way to the hospital."

At the hospital, Gene and the other family members were arriving to see just how serious the heart attack was. After what seemed to be hours, the doctor came out and gave the family the bad news.

The heart attack has damaged his heart beyond repair.

"Dr. Theopolis, how much time does he have?" asked Gene.

"He could go in one hour or he could hold on for two or three days. The only thing I can tell you for sure is that you need to have everything ready, because he has a very, very short time to live."

"Would it be possible for us to get him into a private room so someone can be with him at all times.

"I thought that's what you might want, so I have already informed the head nurse to take him out of the ICU unit tomorrow morning and put him in a private room. Gene, could I talk with you and Thelma for just a minute?"

"Sure, I'll go and get Mom. I'll be right back."

"Thelma, Gene, what I am going to say, I don't know how else to say it, so I'll just put it in plain English. It is our practice at this hospital, that when there is a patient that will not recover from his or her accident or illness, we will attempt to bring them back three times. If we are not successful, then you will not have to make any decision. But on the other hand, if we are able to bring a patient back up three times, once they go "Code Blue" again, then there has to be a decision made. The decision that you will have to make is whether to bring him back a fourth time. On the fourth time, we attempt to bring a patient back for the first two minutes. If there is no response after two minutes, we pronounce the patient dead. But if the family wants us to continue to try to revive the patient, they must sign a paper informing us how long they would like us to continue. If the patient is not revived after the stated time, we then pronounce that person dead. You tell us what you would like for us to do."

Thelma looked at Gene with tears coming down her face and said, "I think it is best if we go along with the standard hospital policy." Gene agreed.

"I will have the papers here within ten minutes for both of you to sign."

"With Dad being in the ICU, we know he can't have very many visitors, but what about tomorrow, when he is in a private room?"

"Once he leaves the ICU unit and he is in a private room, he can have as many visitors as he wants. We know it is only a matter of time and most of his family members will want to say good-bye and, probably, so do his friends."

Thelma told Gene she had to make one quick call and she would be right back. The telephone rang at Mike's house. He answered and Thelma explained everything to Mike and asked if he would let his dad and mom know, also. Mike said he would tell them both and he also said he would be at the hospital first thing the next day.

The night was very long for both Gene and Thelma. Gene knew that his dad would cease to exist in a matter of days, or that is what he was hoping would happen. Looking at Darrell made Gene think about the things of Heaven and Hell. What if Mike was right and there was a Heaven and Hell. If he is right about that, then just maybe he is right about accepting Christ. The more he thought, the more he decided that it was just a time like this that all Christians think about. They are all afraid to die, but if they think that there is life after death, and they are going to Heaven, it is easier to die.

The next morning, Darrell was taken to his private room. When he finally woke up, he asked what had happened. Thelma and Gene told him he had suffered a heart attack.

"Well, give me either the good news or the bad news. Am I going to die or am I going to live? Thelma, look me in the eye."

Thelma looked at Darrell and she started to say something when he said, "Thelma, I can read you like a newspaper. How much time do I have left?"

Thelma started to stammer and then Gene broke in.

"Dad, you could go in one hour or you could last a couple of days. The doctors just don't know. They say your heart is beyond repair and it is just a matter of time before it will give out."

"So, when my heart goes out, that is it. There is nothing they can do, right?"

"Yes, Dad, that's it. But, remember what you have taught me and the other kids. Once you die, you cease to exist."

"I know what I have taught you and all of the other children. But I could be wrong. I have a funny feeling about things and there is a fear within me that I cannot understand. Last night, I woke up for a few minutes and I was sweating and there was something that seemed to be binding me. I can't explain it. I just feel apprehension within me."

"Dad, Mike came up first thing this morning to see how you were doing. Do you mind if he comes and sees how you are?"

"I don't mind, but tell him not to be giving me any of that religious stuff that he believes in."

Mike came in as soon as he was given the okay. "How do you feel Darrell?"

"Well, Mike, I feel as good as a person could feel that is about to die and cease to exist. Oh, but you believe I will go to either Heaven or Hell, right?"

"Mr. Pittman, I came down to see you, not to preach or tell you about Heaven or Hell. You have already made up your mind, so there is no reason for me to try and convince you about accepting. Is there anything I can do to help you now?"

"Thanks, Mike, but I think I will just lay here until I take my last breath. But there is one thing you can do for me, when I am gone."

"I will do anything. All you have to do is ask."

"I want you to preach my funeral. I know you won't be telling people a bunch of lies like some preacher that doesn't even know me. Will you do that Mike?"

"Sure, Mr. Pittman, I will do exactly what you asked."

Now that Darrell was in his own private room, more of the relatives came to make their last visit as did some of his friends. Everyone knew that Darrell could go at any time and, if they wanted to see him one last time, they should come now.

Mike's dad and mom stopped by to see how Darrell was doing. The first thing out of Darrell's mouth when Bobby and Bonnie came into the room was that he was not going to accept. Bobby informed Darrell that they just wanted to visit and see how he was feeling.

"Well, for a man that is about to die, I could feel better. You know, Bobby, it is really funny when you think about it. We have all heard the saying, 'He's on his death bed.' Here I am in the hospital and that saying is going to be very true within hours or days."

"I know we're all going to miss you." Bobby was thinking more of missing him in Heaven. He and the entire family had been praying for years for all of the Pittman family, but it seemed as if their prayers were falling on deaf ears.

Darrell had lasted almost two days, which was longer than the doctors really thought that he would last. At three in the afternoon, he started to go down-hill very fast. The first thing that happened was that he had a mild heart attack. The second thing that happened was that he went into a coma that lasted for thirty minutes.

When he awoke from the coma, he said that he was in a place so terrible he was scared to death. He said he could hear people crying and moaning and begging to get out of that place. They were also begging for just a drop of water for their tongues, because they were so thirsty. After telling the story of his dream, he asked Thelma for a glass of ice cold water. After the glass of water, he begged for another glass of water.

Gene was going to ask if he felt alright or if there was any pain, but then Gene started thinking about the story that Mike had told him when they were little boys. He told Gene about the rich man and Lazarus and how after they both died, they went to Hades. In Hades, there were two compartments. One called Paradise and the other called Torment. In the compartment of Torment the rich man asked for just a drop of water because he was so thirsty. As Gene thought about that story, he decided that his dad had heard the story, also, and was just dreaming about the story.

Darrell finished off the second glass of water and stated that he was burning up. He said the fire or the heat started at his feet and was slowly moving up his body. He said the heat was almost to the top of his head. With one kick he kicked the cover and the sheet off of himself. After kicking the cover and the sheet off, he took off his night shirt. Thelma noticed that there were beads of sweat all over his chest. Then she noticed the sweat was starting to bead off his forehead, also.

"Oh, I am burning up! I need another glass of water! Get a wash rag and put cold water all over it and wipe my chest and my forehead! Hurry!"

Thelma started to cry and then she said, "Please, Darrell, accept Jesus as your savior before it is too late."

"What did you say, woman?"

"Darrell, the heat that you are feeling is the heat from Hell, just before a person goes to that awful place."

"Thelma, you must be crazy, you know there is nothing after death. I am hot because of my two heart attacks! My blood is not circulating correctly. That is all it is!"

"Please, Darrell, please. If the blood isn't circulating, you would be cold! What do you have to lose, if you accept Jesus? But, you have everything to gain including eternal life, if the Bible is right and..."

Darrell interrupted her, "I don't want to hear anymore! If you keep talking like a religious fanatic, I don't want you around me. That is final."

"Mom, let's go and get some more cold water for dad. We'll be right back, Dad." They left the room. Gene then said, "Mom, I think that dad will be gone within the next few hours, so why don't we make his last hours bearable. Let's don't say anything else about accepting, or Heaven, or eternal life. Let him pass on in peace."

"Gene, there is something I want to tell you. I accepted Christ in the pew one night, when I wanted to go forward. My dad, who was a deacon, said that everyone thought that I was saved and, if I went forward, I would embarrass him and mom. I have not said anything to you or the other children because your father did not want you or the other kids influenced by religion. When you and your brothers and sisters were little, I would read the Bible to you and I would sing songs to all of you, also. I knew that when you got a little older, you would decide for yourselves if you wanted to become Christians. I tried not to influence you one way or the other, but I can see now that I was wrong, totally wrong. My husband and all of my children are lost and are going to go to Hell and I said nothing! I cannot believe I have been so stupid!" She then began to cry.

"Mom, promise me you will not say another word."

"No, I can't promise you that. I am going to Heaven and all of my family is going to Hell, because I said nothing. Gene, my heart is breaking for you and your brothers and sisters and now, I am witnessing the man that I have loved, dying and suffering because I kept quiet. I must try to convince your father that there is a God."

"Mom, please promise me you won't say anything else."

"I can't promise that because I am going to say one more thing to him. If he rejects, he rejects because of his hard heart, but if he accepts, he will have eternal life."

"Is that water cold?" Darrell asked, as they came into the room.

"Yes, it is very cold and we filled it full of ice cubes," Gene said.

As Thelma walked over to Darrell, he followed each step she took with his eyes. She reached down and put his hand in hers and said, "I will say this one last time. If you want the heat to go away, you must accept. But if you refuse, the heat will get hotter and hotter until it is unbearable. You will start to scream and you will beg for help, but the only person that can help is Jesus Christ. Darrell, accept and you will be in Heaven in a very short time."

"I am not going to accept and that is final! You spell the word F- I- N- A- L, final! All I want to do now is just rest. I'll be with my buddies in hell, if there is such a place," he growled. Everyone in the room and outside the door could hear him yelling.

Family members were sitting on the couch and in all the chairs as night came. Darrell was feeling more uncomfortable as each hour passed.

At seven in the morning, he began to scream at the top of his lungs. "The heat, the heat, its unquenchable! I am so hot! Someone, please help me!" He continued to scream and holler for the next two hours. His screams could be heard in every room on the floor and his crying and complaining about the heat continued.

At twelve minutes after nine, his eyes opened wide and a different kind of fear appeared on his face. The nurses had already put him in restraints, so he would not hurt himself or anyone else. The fear on his face was the fear that a man has when he knows his time is over and he is about to depart this world.

Gene asked if he wanted anything and, once again, Darrell asked for a glass of ice cold water. While he was drinking the water, he looked straight up and said, "It is the angel of death coming to get me. It is so hot, I have to escape."

Thelma shouted out again, "Accept, accept before it is too late!"

But it was too late for Darrell. With his last breath he said, "I am in terrible pain, please someone help me. Oh, this place called HELL is terrible."

His heart then stopped beating. He was pronounced dead. Gene looked at his mother and she didn't have to say a word. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

At the funeral, Thelma told Mike that she would be at church the following Sunday and she was not going to miss another Sunday until she died. The funeral went exactly as Gene and Thelma had planned. Mike spoke about Darrell and the things that he liked and how he had provided for his family. He didn't say anything about Heaven or Hell, because Thelma had requested him not to. She said that when she died, Mike could give the whole plan of salvation. She also said that she wanted Mike to give an invitation at her funeral, just in case someone wanted to accept at that very moment.

The following Sunday, Thelma kept her word and went to church. From that day until she passed away, she never missed a Sunday morning service or a Sunday night service. She also helped out with VBS and was a substitute Sunday School teacher. Having Darrell out of the house, Thelma opened her house to any missionary who needed a place to stay, who came to the church to preach. Thelma went from a silent Christian to one that was faithful and true to the Word of God.

Three years after Darrell passed away, Thelma went into the hospital with a fever. The cold which brought on the fever turned into pneumonia. Mike was at the hospital before anyone else arrived. She reminded him that she wanted the Gospel presented so no one could say they had never heard the message of salvation.

The death of Thelma was totally different than that of Darrell. During the two days that Thelma was battling for her life, she also was witnessing for Christ. Those last two minutes of her life, she told Gene and all of her other relatives that they had to accept or they would pay with their souls for refusing the free gift of life. With her last breath, she looked up and instead of seeing the death angel like Darrell had seen, she saw the angels that come to take those who have accepted Christ to Heaven. She said, "There are so many angels coming and going with saved people; it is almost unbelievable!"

When a person dies, they will see one of two kinds of angels. If they are lost and on their way to the compartment of Torment, all they will see is death angels coming after their victims. On the other hand, if the person is saved, the only angels they will see are the angels that are coming after the saved to take them home.

"GENE, I GAVE YOU TWO MORE CHANCES TO ACCEPT AND YOU REJECTED BOTH. I MADE SURE THAT YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHERE YOUR DAD WAS GOING, WHEN HE SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO HELL. I ALSO MADE SURE THAT YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHERE YOUR MOTHER WAS GOING WHEN SHE SAID THAT THE ANGELS WERE COMING TO TAKE HER TO HEAVEN. THE THOUGHT THAT YOU HAD ABOUT YOUR FATHER SAYING HE WAS GOING TO HELL WAS PUT THERE BY ME. YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT HE SAID FOR A LONG TIME, BUT THEN YOU DECIDED THAT YOUR DAD WAS JUST SAYING THAT BECAUSE OF THE HEAT OF HIS ILLNESS. GENE, HELL IS SO VERY TERRIBLE, I DO NOT LIKE TO SEE ANYONE GO THERE. I CANNOT FORCE YOU OR ANYONE ELSE TO ACCEPT AND YOU HAVE HAD SO MANY CHANCES. NOW, YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND WHY I AM LONG SUFFERING."

"Yes, Lord I know that You are long suffering and that You hate to see anyone go to Hell. When my dad died, I saw that picture of Hell through my dad. I wanted to believe, but I could not MAKE myself to do it."

"I KNOW, GENE, YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE THAT WILL NOT BELIEVE UNTIL THEY SEE IT OR EXPERIENCE IT FOR THEMSELVES. YOU HAVE NO FAITH. YOU WERE STUBBORN AND WOULD NOT SHOW ANYONE YOU WERE CHANGING YOUR MIND. AT THAT TIME, IT IS TOTALLY TOO LATE. I KNEW THAT YOU WOULD MAKE EVERY EXCUSE IN THE WORLD FOR NOT ACCEPTING, BUT MAKING EXCUSES DOES NOT KEEP YOU FROM GOING TO HELL. YOU WILL GO THERE BECAUSE YOU HATE WHAT I REPRESENT, THAT BEING HOLINESS. YOU WERE TOO PROUD TO THINK YOU COULD BE WRONG."

CHAPTER 10

The last five years for Gene were five years he would never forget. Not only did he go through the mid-life crisis, but he also saw his dad and mother die. When he saw his dad die, it should have opened his eyes to the fact that, even though Darrell did not believe in hell, the last words out of his mouth indicated that there was such a place where he was going to spend eternity. When Thelma died, her death was totally different than that of Darrell. As you saw, when an unsaved person dies, most of the time, they are in agony. Not all unsaved people cry and scream and feel the heat from Hell on their bodies, but the very moment they depart their bodies, they do experience those things that Darrell felt. The reason that the Lord let Darrell feel the things of Hell before he got there was to let Gene know just how terrible that place was going to be. For Christians, they don't have to worry about that terrible place called hell, for they know where they are going to spend eternity and they don't have to worry about death.

Most believers in Christ die totally different deaths than those of the unsaved. When we witnessed the death of Thelma, we saw a Christian that was still telling as many people as possible about Christ just before her death and she also saw the angels coming down to get her.

Darrell saw the death angel coming to take him to the compartment of torment. He also knew that no matter how tight he held onto the angel, he was going to be released to drop into that place and be tormented for eternity. When Thelma died, she saw the angels that have one special trip to perform, that being the trip to take the saved into Heaven. If you remember, she said that there were so many angels coming and going that it was almost unbelievable. If Gene would have opened his eyes to the things that the Lord had put around him, he would have known that there was only one of two places a person goes when they die; EITHER HEAVEN OR HELL. He chose to keep his eyes closed to the idea and fact of heaven and hell.

Like I said, with the mid-life crisis over, Gene decided the best thing to do was to get rid of any and all women, except his wife Roxann. During those last five years, Gene had more women than he knew what to do with, but they must go just like the apartment he was renting. Two years earlier, he decided the apartment cost was too high, so he did not renew his lease. With the apartment gone and now the women gone, it was time to face the fact that he was getting old and there was nothing he could do to change that. Why he ever wanted more women was beyond him. He never could figure out why he did what he did. Roxann was always there, no matter what happened or what might occur. She never left his side and she did know about some of the other women, but down deep, she didn't want to face the reality that he cared about and wanted other women, other than her.

Two years after his mid-life crisis, the pain in his chest started. For most people, it would be an early warning that something inside a person was not working right. But for Gene, he thought it was indigestion or pleurisy. However, it was not indigestion or pleurisy; it was the first sign of a heart attack. If Gene would have acknowledged the sign, he would not have died from a heart attack. The Lord could have taken him some other way. However, one thing a person must understand is that there is a time appointed for every person on earth to die. No one can change that time. The very second that you will take your last breath has been set by God. When your number of breaths is up, there is nothing you or anyone else can do to change the outcome. You will die.

Gene had a number of friends that had died from heart attacks. He knew the symptoms and he knew what the outcome could be, if heart disease isn't caught in the early stages. But for Gene, the idea of him ever dying was the farthest thing in his mind. He was young, he was only fifty five and full of energy. However, sin destroys the body and with all the sin in Gene's life, with strange women full of lust, his days would be cut short.

The first year that he was having chest pains, he always thought it was something else. The pain really didn't hurt that much, it just made him feel uncomfortable. One day, when he had the chest pain, one friend told him about Mallox. He said that if you take one swallow of Mallox when the pain starts, it will go away, if it is indigestion. Two days after his friend gave him that medical advice, his chest began to hurt. Out came the bottle of Mallox and down went one large swallow. Within seconds the pain had gone away. It was a miracle. The pain was totally gone. His friend was right. It was just indigestion.

During that first year, the pain became more frequent and the Mallox was always at his side. It did not make any difference where he went or what he did; the Mallox was becoming a crutch and a friend. The next year, the pain was getting just a little worse, but it was not to the point where he would have to go to the hospital or see a doctor.

Even at the office, his fellow employees knew that something was wrong. For them, it started out with just a slight inclination that Gene was uncomfortable. When the pain started, he would take a drink of the Mallox and then he would take a five minute break. Gene was not the type of person that ever complained about anything. He went with the flow. Also, he never went on a break unless he was talking with one of the other men about one of the many women he had an affair with. But when the pain started, the five minute breaks did also. In the break room, there was a couch where he would go and lie down for five minutes. On a number of occasions, different men in the office made the comment that Gene should go and see a doctor about his discomfort. Gene just stated that the food he had eaten made him feel miserable.

The longer Gene stayed away from the doctor, the worse his condition was getting. Two more years went by and his breathing was getting to be a problem any time the chest pains would come on. One day, at the yearly family reunion, the pain started once again. His cousin Darren was with him and asked what his doctor had told him. "I have not been to the doctor because he would say it was only indigestion."

"That does not resemble indigestion to me."

"What do you think it might be?"

"Sounds like heart problems to me: Major heart problems. How old are you Gene?"

"I am fifty eight years old and I feel fit as a bull."

"And when was the last time you had a physical?"

"I had one about six years ago. That should be good for about ten years."

"Well, if it was me, I would have a doctor give me a complete physical, immediately. Promise me you will call a doctor and have him check you out."

"Okay, I promise."

"Once you pass forty, you should have a physical every year, just to make sure that something hasn't crept upon you by surprise."

"Darren, as much as I drink, there is no way I could have anything except good health. If I would get anything, the alcohol would eat it up."

"Well, Gene, you do have a point there. I have never seen anyone drink as much as you do unless it would be one of your boys."

"Yep, we Pittman's really know how to drink."

Gene made many promises that he never kept. He did not keep that promise nor did he keep the promise to Mr. Bishop. If he would have kept both promises, he would have entered heaven, instead of going to the compartment of torment. However, many people put off salvation until it is too late. They always have a reason for not accepting when the opportunity is at hand. Those that take the step and accept Christ, know when they die that they made the right decision. On the other hand, those that reject, know that they made the wrong decision, when they take that last breath of air on earth and they take that first breath of air in hell.

During that last year of Gene's life, the Lord was doing things that Gene was not aware of. The Lord put Mike right in the path of Gene one day. When Gene ran into Mike, he acted as if they had just seen each other the day before. As their conversation started, Gene wanted to know how things were going.

"Gene, things are going just fine. The church is growing and we are seeing many people getting saved. There are a number of people that continue putting off salvation, but I pray that they will not put it off until it is too late. What have you been up to?"

"Roxann and I have really started to enjoy being together, without any of the kids."

"Why don't you and Roxann drop by some Sunday morning for church services? You might like the church."

"You know Mike, you will never change."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you have not seen me for almost two years and all you can think about is getting me to church."

"I am not trying to get you to come to church. I would like to get you saved. I can't figure you out, Gene, don't you fear God at all?"

"It isn't a matter of fearing God. It is a matter of believing in God. You know I don't believe in all of that religious stuff that you lean on."

"Gene, one of these days, you will believe, but it will be too late at that time. When you take your last breath on earth and pass into eternity, you will be praying for a second chance. I will miss you in heaven. You have been just like a brother."

"I'll tell you what I will do, Mike. We will be at church next Sunday and if I feel convicted, I will go forward and accept. How is that for a deal?"

"The only deal I would like to make with you is a deal about real salvation. Just having a feeling about being convicted does not save a person. What saves a person is to know that you are a sinner and you know there is nothing you can do to save yourself and you have to depend on someone else. That someone else is Jesus Christ. If you place your faith and trust in Him and let Him come in and live within your heart, you can be saved. But if you don't want Him to be part of your life, then He will not let you be part of His life in eternity."

"Mike I have to go. I will see you Sunday."

"GENE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO SAY?"

"Yes, Lord, you are going to say that I missed another golden opportunity to accept You as my personal Savior."

"THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY TO YOU. YOU WERE SO CLOSE TO ACCEPTING AND, AS YOU WILL SEE, WHEN YOU HEARD THE SERMON THAT MIKE PREACHES ON THAT NEXT SUNDAY, YOU KNEW THAT HE WAS RIGHT. YOU ALMOST STEPPED OUT AND WENT FORWARD, BUT YOUR PRIDE KEPT YOU FROM TAKING THAT FIRST STEP. AFTER THAT SUNDAY, THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE LAST CHANCE FOR YOU TO ACCEPT AND THEN LATER, YOU WILL TAKE YOUR LAST BREATH ON EARTH."

"Roxann, I'm home."

"You're a little late. Have you been out drinking again?"

"Why do you always say that? Is that what you think I do every time I get home just a little late?"

"Okay, give me a real good excuse for being an hour late, and you didn't even call!"

"You will never guess who I ran into."

"Well, I am sure it is going to be a really good excuse this time, so, I will say that you are going to say that you ran into Mike. "

"That is exactly what I was going to say. I ran into Mike at the gas station and you will never for the life of you guess what I promised him?"

"Oh, knowing you, you will probably say that you promised him that you would go to church this Sunday."

"How did you guess that? Did someone call?"

"Yes, honey, Mike called and said that you were going to be late and he also said that you promised to go to church this Sunday."

"Well, Roxann, we are not getting any younger and I thought that a little religion wouldn't hurt either one of us. I, also, have been thinking about all those years that Mike and I talked about Heaven and Hell. I would hate to think that I was wrong about Hell after all the things that I have said about not believing. I have never figured out how one person could die on the cross for the sins of the world. Also, I could never understand how Christ could be born to a virgin."

"Gene, have you ever thought about just accepting the things that Mike tells you instead of trying to figure everything out?"

"I know, but I just think that I should have everything figured out first, before I commit my life to something."

"Gene, I think that the Bible says that even a small child comes to Christ without trying to figure everything out. So, Gene, why don't you be like a small child and stop trying to figure everything out? Why don't you just accept? What can you lose?"

"I never heard of that verse and I really do need to understand something before I can accept."

"So, are we going to church Sunday or not?"

"I told Mike we were going and that is exactly what I am going to do."

The rest of the week flew by for Gene and Roxann. Gene had almost forgotten about church until Roxann reminded him Saturday night.

The next morning, Mike almost died when Gene and Roxann walked through the front door at the church.

"I told you we would be here."

"Thank you, Gene. I am so glad that you and Roxann could make it. I promise I will let everyone out before noon." Mike looked at his watch and said, "I have to go up front, we are getting close to starting."

Once he got to the front, the head deacon gave the announcements and all of the other things before the service started. Also, the choir director led the singing and after the third song, it was time for Mike to give the message.

Mike started his message out by saying that every person in the world has faith. The Christian has faith and he places his faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ while others place their faith in other things. "You may be asking, what other things? Some place their faith in money, while others place their faith in stocks or bonds." Mike continued with his sermon until near the end when he told the crowd that even the unsaved show their faith every time they turn on the light. "They may not know about electricity or understand it, but when they turn on a light every-day, they are showing they have faith that the light will turn on."

While Gene sat in the pew and thought about the things that Mike was talking about, he started to realize that there was a lot more to Mike's simple sermon than what he knew. He began to think about other things he did by faith. He knew about electricity but he did not understand it. He also knew that he showed his faith when he turned the key to start the engine of the car, even though he did not understand everything there was to know about car engines.

The last thing he stated in the message was that everyone there, that day, had faith. Mike said, "The very second that you sat down, you had faith that the pew would hold your weight. That is faith. If you have faith in the things that you don't know or totally understand, why not have faith in the things that you do know. You know from what the Bible says that Christ died for our sins on a cross. If you believe that, accept Christ, and He will come into your heart and live." With the message over, Mike gave an invitation to anyone that wanted to know how to get saved.

In Gene's mind, one side was saying to go up and get saved, while the other side was saying not to make himself look stupid. "You are almost sixty years old and you would look silly going forward," he told himself. As the battle continued in the brain of Gene, the last chance came and went as Gene said to himself, "If I go forward, I'd be embarrassed to death." He never left the pew and he never went forward. If anyone was looking, they would have seen the whites on his knuckles, because he was holding onto the pew as tight as he could. Gene would have but one more chance to accept before he was taken in death and he would let it pass, also.

The day before Gene died of his heart attack, he was listening to his favorite radio station, when he reached over to turn on his CB. When he reached, he hit the dial on the radio and it changed to a religious program. Gene was getting ready to change the station when the preacher said that the rich man was going to pay for his rejection in Hell. When the preacher said something about the rich man, Gene knew exactly which Bible story he was talking about. So, instead of changing the station, he wanted to know what the preacher was going to say.

The preacher told all about the story of Lazarus and the rich man. At the end of the story, he said, "Some of you do not believe in a heaven or a hell. You believe that you cease to exist or that you just vanish into thin air. You are very mistaken about those false ideas. The minute you die, you will believe in Hell and in Heaven, but it will be too late. The preacher decided to give a joke over the radio. He said, "What is the difference between a dead atheist and a saved Christian? There is no difference they both believe."

"Without a doubt, when you reach that place, once you die, you will ask for a second chance. You might ask, 'How do you know this?' The answer is very simple. Once you arrive in the compartment of torment, you will have only one thing on your mind. The only thing you will be thinking about is how do I get out of here? Every person thinks the very same thing. You don't have to worry about getting out of there. I am going to lead you in a prayer so you won't have to go there.

"If you do not know where you are going when you die, then it is a pretty good bet that you are not saved. If you want to get saved, repeat this prayer after me. Lord I know I am a sinner and I know I deserve Hell, but because you died on the cross for me, I know that you love me. I want You to be my personal Savior. I pray that You will come into my heart and live forever and when I die, I will be with You in Heaven. Amen."

As the preacher prayed that prayer, Gene thought about following along and saying the exact words, but he reasoned that he did not have to say all of those words in order to get saved. God is a loving God and He knows that I am a fairly good person and I am not as bad as a lot of other people. "I am religious," was his thinking. He remembered what he had said to old man Bishop when he and Mike were caught when they were little kids. I know the religious words that Christians use and I know all of the stories and how they think. "I am religious," thought Gene. However, Gene had just passed up his last chance to accept. He would have but one day left on earth.

Gene is like many people that think they can say things that will impress God and they think by knowing all of the stories and the words that Christians use will make them into a believer in God, also. Just knowing the words or the stories does not mean that you know God. Knowing God in a personal relationship is different than knowing about God. The one created being that knows and believes more than any human is the Devil. The Devil believes in God and he knows that God is the Creator. The difference is that a human can accept Christ as his or her personal Savior and the Devil chose to be separated from God and then, try to become God.

The next morning Gene was up early with a cup of coffee. Next, it would be three eggs, bacon, one pancake, hash browns and two pieces of toast. After breakfast, he was in his truck and on his way to the office. At the office, he did the normal things until the pain in his chest started.

"Sam, go get my Mallox out of the truck."

Sam told Gene to relax and take it easy. He was going to call for an ambulance. Before the ambulance could arrive, Gene was gone.

"YOU HAD ONE CHANCE LEFT TO ACCEPT AND YOU REJECTED IT. YOUR LIFE WAS USELESS AND LOOK AT THE LIVES OF YOUR CHILDREN. IF I WERE TO LET YOU SEE ONE THOUSAND OF YOUR DESCENDANTS, YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE RESULTS. SO I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT A BAD INFLUENCE YOU HAD ON YOUR DESCENDANTS. 974 LOST AND ON THEIR WAY TO HELL. OUT OF THOSE 974, THERE WERE 37 MURDERERS, 46 RAPISTS, 93 WERE THIEVES, 189 WERE CONVICTED OF DIFFERENT CRIMES AND SPENT TIME IN PRISON. THAT IS A TOTAL OF 365 MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY. THOSE THAT WERE LEFT WERE ALCOHOLICS, DRUG ADDICTS, WIFE BEATERS, CHILD MOLESTERS AND OTHER THINGS THAT I WILL NOT MENTION. THE WOMEN IN YOUR LINE OF DESCENDANTS WERE JUST AS BAD AS THE MEN. THERE WERE 88 PROSTITUTES, 12 MURDERERS, 19 BIGAMIST, AND 59 THAT MURDERED THEIR UNBORN CHILDREN WITH AN ABORTION. I COULD GO ON AND ON, BUT I THINK YOU CAN SEE THE RESULT OF ONE MAN THAT DID NOT ACCEPT ME.

I SAID I WOULD LET YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE ONCE AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME YOU WOULD MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE IN YOUR LIFE. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN A LIFE WITHOUT ME AND THE LIFE THAT IS CENTERED AROUND ME. WATCH AND SEE WHAT YOUR LIFE COULD HAVE BEEN, IF YOU WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED ME AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR."

Part 2

A Life with Christ

CHAPTER 11

A knock came at the front door. It was Mike. "Is Gene home?"

"Sure. Come in, Mike." Gene came running from his bedroom when he heard Mike's voice. Gene and Mike were the same age and they loved to discover all sorts of different things to get into. They put their arms around each other and out the back door they went.

"What do you want to do, Mike?"

"I don't know, do you have any good ideas, Gene?"

"Nope, I'd just like to find a shade tree and sleep like Rip Van Winkle."

"Well, let's go over to old man Bishop's house and see if we can find any hidden treasure," suggested Mike.

"That sounds like a great idea, but you know what will happen if he catches us!" Gene exclaimed.

"Have we ever been caught before? I don't think we are going to get caught this time either."

On the way to old man Bishop's house, Gene and Mike started to talk about the house and about old man Bishop. "Old man Bishop's house is so old, it's probably older than he is," Mike offered.

"I don't like it. It's always dark and gloomy. People say that he doesn't even care if he dies 'because his family was killed in a fire at his in-law's house."

"Maybe that's why everyone says the house is haunted."

"When we get there, we can't make a sound. Who knows, maybe old man Bishop has caught other kids and has killed them or ate them!" Gene suggested.

Mike looked at Gene and said, "That's enough, I don't want to hear anymore." Talk like that always did get Mike scared.

Once they made it through the fence, they went straight to the house. They made their way in the house, through the secret passage they had found one day, up the stairs and into the first room they had found previously. Mike told Gene to put some rags next to the door so he could turn on the light. "I'm ready," Gene said. At that time, Mike turned on the light.

"This must have been some kind of reading room or something like that," Mike replied. "Look at these magazines! They are old."

As the boys looked for hidden treasure, the only treasure to be found were in the books. One pile after another was in the room. Walking over to look in one pile, Mike bumped into another pile and knocked it over. One magazine flopped open and Mike looked down to see a man with a Bible in his hand. He picked the magazine up and on the front cover was a picture of Billy Sunday.

"Look, Gene, a picture of Billy Sunday."

"Who?"

"Billy Sunday. He was probably one of the greatest preachers that ever lived, so my dad says."

"I've never heard of him," was Gene's reply.

With both boys sitting side by side, the door bolted open and there stood old man Bishop. He had long hair like it had not been cut for years. His clothes were so old, they were almost rags, and his smell would make a maggot gag. People in the community say no one has seen him for years and there was even a rumor that he had died in the house.

"What are you boys doing in here? Give me an answer right now. Don't hesitate. I want an answer." Both boys were totally scared to death. They were speechless. "I said, give me an answer or I will." He paused slightly to let the boys conger all sorts of possibilities in their own minds.

Mike and Gene looked at each other. They both were thinking about what had been said earlier that old man Bishop probably had killed other kids he had caught. With both boys' tongues tied, Mike looked down at the magazine and stuttered the words, "Billy Sunday." The word Billy Sunday seemed to melt old man Bishop, right where he stood.

"Billy Sunday was a very good friend of mine."

"He was?"

"Yes, he was."

"I heard that Billy Sunday was one of the greatest preachers in the whole world," Mike offered.

Old man Bishop replied, "Billy Sunday was one of the best. I was almost as good as he was, once."

"You mean you were a preacher?"

"Yes, I was, but when my family was killed in that fire, I lost all my will to live," he stated, with a far-away look in his eyes. Old man Bishop looked at both boys and asked if they would like to read about Billy Sunday.

"No, we don't want to read about Billy Sunday," was Mike's reply, "but if you want to read to us, we'll sit and listen."

Old man Bishop smiled and all three sat down so they would be more comfortable. As old man Bishop read, Mike and Gene both seemed to be spell bound by the things they heard about Billy Sunday. After reading eight pages, old man Bishop turned to another section of the book that told about the different meetings that Billy would go to, and it told all about the people that were saved through his preaching. As he continued to read, Gene interrupted so he could ask a question.

"I have a question, Mr. Bishop."

"Well, don't just sit there, boy, ask me the question."

"You used a word I've never heard before. Can you tell me what it means?"

"Sure. Oh, I'm sorry, we were so busy talking, I forgot to ask you boys what your names are?"

Gene spoke up and said, "This is Mike, and I'm Gene.

"My name is Mr. Bishop, but you both already knew that, I am sure."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Bishop, everyone in town knows who you are."

"Now, Gene, what is the word that you have never heard before?"

"You said a person was born again. What does that mean?"

"Gene, do you know what being saved means?"

"No, I don't."

Mike spoke up. "I know what it means. I am saved and born again."

"Gene, let me explain what the word born again means and what saved means. When a person was born, he was born a sinner because of what our first father, Adam, did back in the Garden of Eden. Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin and for my sin. Even though Jesus did not have any sin of His own, He was willing to take your sin and place it on Himself. Since He took your sin with Him on the cross, all that He asks is that you accept him as your personal Savior. The only thing that you have to do is to pray a little prayer, and he will come into your heart to live. You know all about Christmas, don't you, Gene?"

"Yes, I do. I think."

"At Christmas, you receive a lot of gifts, don't you?"

"Oh, yes. Last year I got just what I wanted; an electric train."

"What did you have to do for that electric train, Gene?"

"I didn't have to do anything for that train. My dad said it was a gift, so it was free."

"That is exactly what Christ offers you. He is wanting to give you a gift, a free gift. That gift is salvation. With that little prayer, you can receive that gift and when you receive that gift, you are born again. Once you are born again, that means you are saved. It is really simple if you think about it. Everything will cost something, except salvation; it is always free."

"You mean, I all I have to do is to pray that little prayer and I will be born again?"

"That's all you have to do. It's that easy. Gene, would you like for me to pray that little prayer and you repeat the words after me so you can get saved?"

"Yes, Mr. Bishop, I want to be born again."

"Just follow me and when you have finished, Christ will come into your life and be with you forever. Repeat after me: Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I want you to come into my heart and live forever. I want to be born again. Please accept me into your family and I promise I will follow You for the rest of my life. Amen."

Gene repeated all the words that Mr. Bishop said and in a matter of seconds, Gene was a born again person. Jesus did come into the heart of Gene and He, the Holy Spirit, started to guide and direct him in anything and everything that he would do for the rest of his life.

Mike asked Mr. Bishop a simple question, "Why have you been cooped up here for all of these years, when you could have been out there preaching and seeing people get saved?"

For the first time in years, old man Bishop was face to face with the realty that he had done nothing for the Body of Christ for all of those years. The truth was as plain as the nose on his face. Continuing like this, old man Bishop was useless to the Body of Christ.

"Young man, you have asked a question that I will never forget. I have wasted all these years doing nothing and feeling sorry for myself. This is the last day I will let that happen. Tomorrow, I am going to church and from now on, I promise I will start again to tell people about Christ. I also promise I will return to preaching the Word of God. I don't know if I will become a preacher or an evangelist, but the demon world is going to know all about me before I die."

"Mr. Bishop, would you like to go to church with us tomorrow morning, if we come by and pick you up?"

"Your parents won't mind letting me ride will they?"

"No, my parents won't mind. I give you my word."

"Gene, are you going to go to church with them, also?"

"I don't know."

"When you accepted Christ, you said that you wanted Christ to direct you and guide you. If you meant what you said, then He wants you to go to church, so you can learn about Him and also about His Book, the Bible."

"Mike, can I go to church with you tomorrow, if Mom and Dad say I can?"

Sure! You can go, too."

"GENE, WHEN YOU BECAME A CHRISTIAN, THAT WAS THE RIGHT MOVE AND IT STARTED TO CHANGE PEOPLE'S LIVES. THE FIRST LIFE IT CHANGED WAS MR. BISHOP'S. FOR YEARS, HE HAD FELT SORRY FOR HIMSELF AND HE WOULD NOT EVEN GO OUTSIDE AND ASSOCIATE WITH OTHERS. WHEN HE LED YOU IN A PRAYER OF SALVATION, HE KNEW THAT HE HAD BEEN SINNING FOR ALL OF THOSE YEARS. HE DECIDED HE WOULD CHANGE, AND CHANGE HE DID. YOU WILL SEE EXACTLY HOW HE CHANGED AND HOW MANY SOULS HE LED TO ME. HIS LIFE CHANGED BECAUSE OF YOU. BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU WILL SEE A MULTITUDE OF OTHERS THAT WILL ACCEPT AND BE CHANGED."

When the boys walked into the house, Mike's mom asked if they were hungry.

"We could eat a bear," Mike stated. "Mom, you'll never guess what happened, but I'm not going to tell you 'til Dad gets home!"

"I'll fix you boys a sandwich and there are some chips over there, someplace."

After the boys ate, it was back outside for more fun and games. All day long, Gene was so excited about being a Christian; he couldn't stop thinking about it. "I'll be glad when my dad gets home," Gene said, "He will not believe what I am going to tell him."

For the rest of the day, the boys did what other boys do in the summer, they just had fun. They ran into three of their pals from school and Gene told them he was saved and if he dies he knows that he is going to go to heaven. The other boys seemed bewildered with everything Gene had said and they thought that he had a few marbles loose.

Once back at the house, Mike took his shower and was excited about his dad getting home from work. At 5:30, Bobby pulled into the drive and in less than a minute, he was in the house washing his hands and getting ready to eat supper. While they were eating, Mike told his dad all about the day and how everything seemed to work out. At the end of his story, he told dad and his mom about Gene accepting Christ as his personal Savior.

"That is great, Mike! We've been praying for him for a long time. That just goes to show that the Lord does answer a person's prayers."

"I know, Dad. I have been praying so hard I think I was turning blue in the face. Every time I thought about being in heaven without Gene, I prayed even harder."

"Now, Mike, tell me what you said and how you led Gene to the Lord?"

"It wasn't me, Dad. It was old man Bishop."

"Old man Bishop! I think you are mistaken son. No one has seen old man Bishop for years."

"I know, but we were in one of his rooms looking at magazines, when he opened the door so fast it scared us both to death. He wanted to know what we were doing in his house. We were so scared; the only thing I could think to say was that we were looking at the picture of the man on the magazine, Billy Sunday. When I said Billy Sunday, it seemed to settle him down. He said that Billy Sunday was one of his friends and that even he used to be a preacher."

"Mr. Bishop used to be a preacher?" asked Bonnie.

"That's what he said. He then started to read about Billy Sunday and all of the people that Billy Sunday had led to the Lord and he said that thousands of people were born again. Gene asked what it meant to be born again. At that time, old man Bishop explained what it meant and what being saved meant, also. He asked Gene if he would like to accept and Gene said, "YES!!!" Old man Bishop led Gene in a prayer and Gene asked Christ to come into his heart!"

"That is wonderful, but what were you two doing in old man Bishop's house?" Bobby asked.

"We were looking for a secret treasure."

"Did you find a secret treasure?"

"No, but in a way I guess we did. All of those magazines are worth a lot of money. Also, old man Bishop said there was a lot of information in those magazines. When old man Bishop started to read those magazines, it seemed as if they came alive. Oh, I almost forgot. Gene and old man Bishop would like a ride to church with us tomorrow, if it's okay with you?"

"You know we don't have a lot of room in the car, but I think we can squeeze everyone in, if all of you kids can sit on each other's laps."

When Darrell walked through the front door, Gene was so excited about accepting Christ; he could hardly wait to tell his dad. "Dad, you will never guess what I did today!"

"I give up, what did you do today?"

"I was over at old man Bishop's and he led me to Christ."

"Are you sure it was old man Bishop? No one has seen him in years."

"Yes, it was old man Bishop. He is, also, going to church with me and the Fishers tomorrow."

"So, you are going to go to church with the Fishers?"

"Yep, old man Bishop said that when you accept, you must let the Lord guide and direct you, and that He wants us in church, so we can learn about Him and His Word, the Bible. Is it okay with you?"

"You know I don't believe in all of that religious stuff and I also believe that when you die, you cease to exist. But if you want to go to church, I won't stop you."

While Gene was telling his dad about becoming a Christian, Thelma could not believe what she was hearing. The only person in the family that was saved was Thelma, and now Gene said that he had just accepted. Thelma wondered how she could suggest that the whole family go to church without making Darrell mad. After Gene finished with his story, Darrell told Gene he ought to ask his mom if she would like to go to church with him. Gene looked at his mother and, in a shy type of voice, he asked if she would go to church with him the next day.

"Sure, I'll go, Gene, and I think we need to ask the rest of the kids if they would like to go, also."

The rest of the kids looked at each other and they all nodded with an affirmative gesture. The whole family was going to church, with the exception of Darrell. It may take a miracle to get him through the door of any church.

"Mom, will you drive tomorrow?"

"No, she will not drive tomorrow was Darrell's reply. I will drive and I will go to church just so we can say the whole family went together. Gene, why don't you go and tell Mike that we will drive and ask him what time it starts."

Gene was out the front door like a bullet. All the way over to Mike's house, he could not believe that his whole family was going to church. Once at the door, Gene knocked twice. Mike came to the door and Gene told him everything that had just happened and he needed to know when the services started. Mike said that Sunday School would start at 9:45 and the church service would start at 11:00. "Please, Gene, don't miss either one. You would be in my Sunday School class."

"I'll see what my dad and mom say. I can't promise anything. You know that."

Back home, Gene didn't say anything about the church services. He just said that they had to be there at 9:45 sharp. "If we get there late, we will miss some real good stuff," he informed them.

After supper, Gene and Mike were back outside running and playing soldiers just like they did every night. But this night was a special night for both boys. This was the first night that Gene was a Christian and this would be the first night in years that Mike would not pray for his best friend's salvation.

After playing hard, they sat down to rest. When they started talking, it was about heaven and hell. "Gene, what you need to do is to mark this day on your calendar and remember this day for the rest of your life."

Gene had no idea why he should write this day down on his calendar and always remember it. "Why should I remember this day?" asked Gene.

"Every year, you have a birthday to celebrate the day you were born, right?"

"That's right, but I still don't know why I have to write this day down."

"Did you forget the question you asked old man Bishop?"

"No, I haven't forgotten. I asked him what born again meant." At that time a light came on in Gene's mind. "I have a birthday to celebrate! Me being born into this world and, if I write down today's date, it will be the day that I was born again."

Mike looked at Gene and smiled. "Now you know why I said to mark this day so you will never forget it."

"When I get home, I'm going to put a great big circle around today's date so no one in my family will ever forget the day that I accepted Christ. Let me ask you a question, Mike. Old man Bishop said that I should pray to God as often as I can, so should I pray before I go to bed every night? Do you pray before you go to bed every night?"

"Yes, every night I pray to Jesus and sometimes I pray three or four times during the day."

"Do you shut your eyes all those times?"

"Sometimes, I keep them open and sometimes, I will shut them. It all depends."

"Mike, what do I pray about?"

"I guess you can pray about anything you want to pray about. What I pray about is for the Lord to keep me safe and, if he does take me in death, to make it painless. Also, I pray for my dad and mom and all of my brothers and sisters and other relatives. During school, I pray for good grades and for all of the teachers and for all of the kids to get saved. But the most important thing about praying is that it is just you and the Lord. I can talk and tell the Lord everything that is on my mind. I think it's really something to have someone that will listen to my problems, even though they are just from a kid. I know when I get older, they will be grown up problems, but for now, it is just kid problems. Something else that I pray about is for my friends to get saved."

"Have you been praying for me, Mike?"

"Gene, I have been praying for you and your family for so long, I don't even remember when I first started. And now the Lord has answered my prayer about you getting saved and who knows, maybe the rest of your family will get saved, also."

"Mike, tonight I will start to pray about different things that I want to happen. I think I will try and spend fifteen minutes at night just talking to the Lord. I know that sooner or later God will answer my prayers. Would you do something for me Mike?"

"You know I'll do anything for you, Gene. All you have to do is ask."

"You said you prayed every night for me and my family. Will you keep praying for them? Maybe, if both of us are praying for their salvation, they will get saved."

"I will keep praying, Gene, and I know that God is going to answer all of our prayers."

With the stars up and the night lights turned on, it meant that it was about time for them to go inside and get ready for bed. Once Gene and Mike finished with their showers, they were ready to hit the sack. However, they both knew there was one important thing they had to do and that was to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ about all of the things that were on their minds.

Praying to Jesus was something new for Gene, but his prayers started to come just like he had been a prayer warrior for years. He told the Lord everything that was on his mind and he also just talked without asking for anything. He considered it a time just for them to be alone. When he had finished, he closed his eyes, and for the first time in his short life, he had a feeling of contentment and a peace that goes beyond any understanding.

CHAPTER 12

Gene and Mike were up early and both were so excited that they wanted time to fly by so they could go to church. Thelma heard Gene walking around and she also decided to get up and see what he was doing.

"Why are you up so early, Gene?"

"I just couldn't sleep, Mom. I want to get to church so bad and hear everything they have to say, I was restless."

"Well, sit down and let's talk. When I was a little girl, I went to church all the time and I accepted Christ and I became a Christian."

"You are saved? Why didn't you tell me before now?"

"When your dad and I decided to get married, we talked and we both thought it might be better if I did not try to influence you or any of the other kids with what I believed."

"But mom, if you love us, you should have told us about heaven and hell. If I had never heard that from old man Bishop or from Mike, I may have grown up and never accepted and when I died, I would be going to hell forever."

"I know, and I am so glad you accepted. I am almost as excited as you are. From now on, I will not keep silent. We will go to church every Sunday morning and every Sunday night. If you or any of the other kids want to go to church on Wednesday, we will go then, also. How does that sound to you?"

"It sounds great to me, Mom! I think I'm going to really like being a Christian. I know that Jesus is going to do something special with me and I know He is going to do something special with Mike, also. You know, Mom, I love you. Could you also fix pancakes and bacon this morning for breakfast?"

"Sure, and, Gene, I love you, too."

In less than an hour, the rest of the family was up and getting dressed for church and even Darrell seemed excited about something, for the first time in ages. The same thing was happening at Mike's house. He was up moving around just about the same time that Gene was up. After hearing Mike moving around, Bobby put his clothes on and went to see what made Mike get up so early.

"Mike, are you sick?"

"No, Dad, I'm just wanting time to speed up so we can go to church. Today will be the first day that Gene will be with me in Sunday School as a saved person. I can hardly believe it's true!"

"Mike, let me tell you a story about a little girl that reminds me of Gene. The only difference is, she was raised in a Christian home all her life. Her folks went to church twice on Sunday and they also went on Wednesday nights. When she was sixteen years old, she heard a sermon about salvation and she knew she wasn't saved. During the invitation, she wanted to go forward, but because her dad was the chairman of the Deacons Board, he told her not to go forward and embarrass him in front of the entire church. He said she could get saved later. Year after year went by until, one day, she was involved in a real bad car wreck. At the hospital, the doctors told her dad and mom that she was not going to make it and her time was short.

"Once at her bedside, her dad and mom did everything they could to make her feel better, but she was only moments from eternity. She started to complain about the heat on her feet. She said the heat was going up her legs and she was getting hotter and hotter as each second passed by. It was at that time that her dad realized what was happening. That little girl that had never accepted was now a young lady that was lost. Her dad told her to accept before it was too late. But all she did was beg for ice cold water. The dad even started to cry because he knew he was wrong when he told her to wait and she could get saved at a later date. The Bible says, now is the day of salvation; now is the day to accept. That young girl never accepted and when she died, she went to the compartment of torment to await her judgment. That father had to live with that for the rest of his life. The reason I told you that story is because a person never knows when they are going to breathe their last. If they put accepting off until some other day, that day may never come. If Gene would have put that day off, he could have ended up just like that young girl."

"Dad, I promise each and every time I have a chance to tell someone about Jesus dying on the cross for them, I will tell them."

"That's good, Mike, but sometimes that will be very hard. However, if you let the Holy Spirit guide you, you will be able to tell anyone about Christ"

As each minute went by more and more of the Fisher kids were getting up out of bed and getting dressed for church. Bonnie fixed eggs and bacon and after breakfast it would only be forty minutes before they would leave for church.

Mike and Gene both watched the clock, and when it was 9:35, they shouted out, "It's time to leave!" Each family walked out the door and loaded into the cars and out the driveway they went. Mike said that old man Bishop would be waiting in front of his house and he was there right on time. The rest of the way to church, old man Bishop talked to Bobby and Bonnie like they were old friends.

Once they pulled into the church parking lot, Gene and the rest of the Pittman family were waiting. Mike jumped out of the car, and he ran over to Gene and started talking immediately. The rest of the kids paired off and headed inside so they could go to their respective Sunday School classes. Bobby told Darrell and Thelma that they could go with him and Bonnie and Mr. Bishop had one of two choices. He could go with them or there was a Sunday School class for men over fifty. Mr. Bishop decided he would go with his new friends and some other day he would see what the class for men over fifty would be like.

Inside the Adult Sunday School class, they took a seat and were having small talk when the associate pastor said it was time to start. Bobby introduced Darrell and Thelma to the class and he also introduced Mr. Bishop. When he introduced Mr. Bishop, everyone in the class, including the associate pastor, Scotty Blackman, could not believe it was "old man Bishop" from the haunted house. Like I said before, everyone knew of old man Bishop, but this was the first time in ages anyone had seen him.

Scotty told the class that this was the beginning of a new study. He said the new study would be on the theme of Christ, how we know that we are sinners, and how we can use science to prove the truth. "This class will take eight weeks and by the time we are finished, you should be able to tell anyone that would ask, why you are saved."

"The first place we want to start is in the Garden of Eden. The first two people on earth were not born, they were created. This is the most important thing that you must remember. THEY WERE NOT BORN, THEY WERE CREATED. Genesis 2:7, 18, 21, 22, 23, 3:20 - 'And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.'

"Since Adam and Eve were created, they had no sin. Sin was not even a word that they knew. But sin was about to enter into their lives. The Lord said they could eat of every tree in the Garden of Eden with the exception of the tree of knowledge. Genesis 2:16, 17 - 'And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.'

"As each one in the class knows, Adam and Eve did eat of the tree of knowledge and they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. The Lord told them that Eve would have great pain when she gave birth and that Adam would sweat, because He was going to curse the ground. As each and every child comes into the world, he or she comes through the pain of their mother. And we all know that the ground is cursed. All you have to do is to look at all the weeds in everyone's yard.

"Each child that comes into the world is born into sin. They all have a sin nature that was given to them by their father. Since it is the father that passes the sin nature down to their children, it is the father that a doctor will take blood from to prove who the natural father is. Before or after birth, the doctor does not take the blood from the mother, because everyone knows who the mother is. The father is the one that may be in doubt. Anyway you look at it, it is always the father that passes the sin nature down to his children. Now, some people may say that women are not sinful. We know that is a lie. All women have a father, and like I said, it's the father that passes the sin nature down. Also, let me say, in a court of law, the blood test will either convict a man of his guilt, or it will prove him innocent."

As the class sat and listened to the things that Scotty was saying, Darrell had a keen interest in every word. He was weighing these things against the things that he knew and everything that Scotty was saying was the truth.

"Now, let me jump ahead to the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Way back in the Old Testament the prophets predicted the birth of Christ and they gave many details of his first coming and also of his death. I will give you just a few so you can see that the things I am saying are true. Isaiah 7:14 - 'Therefore the LORD himself shall give you a sign; Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.' Zechariah 9:9 - 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion shout O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.' Zechariah 11:12, 13 - 'And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter---a lordly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.' Luke 1:26 - 35 'And in the sixth month the angel, Gabriel, was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espouse to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou who art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered in her mind what manner of greeting this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered, and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.' Matthew 1:18 - 25 'Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way: When, as his mother, Mary, was espoused to Joseph, Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which, being interpreted, is God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife, And knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son; and he called his name JESUS.'

"These are just a few of the verses that I could give you to show the birth and the things that would occur before Jesus' death. The reason I wanted you to see the verses about the birth of Christ is because I said that sin comes through the father. Since sin comes through the father, who is the father of Jesus Christ?"

Before anyone could say a thing, Darrell said, "The father of Jesus is the Holy Spirit."

"Correct. That is right. Now what type of sin does Jesus have?"

Darrell answered again. "If Jesus does not have an earthly father, He does not have any sin at all."

Again, Scotty said, "That is correct. Since Jesus does not have sin, then He is sinless. Is there anyone else born in the world from Adam, who was born from a virgin?"

The whole class said, "NO!"

"Now that we know that Jesus has no sin, we must go to the most important question that must be asked. Do we all have sin?"

Again the class said, "YES!"

"In order for us to get to heaven, we must deal with our sin question. The Bible gives only one way to deal with sin and that is to let someone else take our sin. That person must be willing to take our sin. They, also, must be capable of taking our sin and they must be qualified to take our sin. When Jesus died on the cross, he was willing to take all of the sins of the world, past, present, and future and have them placed on Himself. Because he was born to a virgin and because He did not have the sinful blood passed down to him by an earthly father, He was capable of taking all of the sins of the world to the cross. The only person that was capable of taking all of our sins was a person that was sinless. When we look at the genealogy, both in Matthew and in Luke, we see that He comes from King David and even farther back than that. The Bible gives all of the predictions of his birth and of his death. By fulfilling all of those predictions, He is qualified to be the Savior of the world and to take your sins and pay the ransom that was required.

"By looking at all of the verses we covered this morning and knowing that the Bible is true and we can depend on it, the last question I am going to ask before the bell rings is this: Since Jesus can take our sin and place it on Himself, He is either who the Bible says He is, or He is a fake and we cannot believe a word in the Bible. If He is the Son of God and He is able to cleanse us from our sin, what must we do with Christ?"

Thelma said in a shaky voice, "We must accept Him as our Lord and Savior." The room was totally silent; no one else said a word. Those words of Thelma were starting to work on the three in the class that were not saved, and one was Darrell.

At that time, the bell rang and Scotty closed the class in a word of prayer. After the prayer, Scotty asked everyone to remain in their seats and search their hearts. "If you want to accept Christ at this very moment, I will say a short prayer and you can repeat the words to yourself and you will be saved." As Scotty said the small prayer, three more souls were added to the Lamb's Book of Life. After the prayer, Scotty stated, "If anyone in the class accepted Christ, you need to go forward when the invitation is given during the morning service. If you go forward, you will be telling the world that you have become a Christian."

In the hall, Darrell thanked Bobby and Bonnie for inviting them to church. Darrell made the comment that Scotty was really good at presenting all the facts about the life of Christ. He even said that he was planning on coming back next week, only if Thelma would like to go, too. Thelma's face started to glow like the moon. For the first time in her marriage, she was starting to feel like a Christian mother and wife.

Darrell and Bobby stopped by to wash their hands before they went into the church service. Darrell wanted to know where they usually sat in the auditorium.

"Oh, we sit about half way. Sometimes, we have so many people going forward to get saved, I have to help."

"Bobby, don't say a word to Thelma, but when the pastor asks for those to come forward and accept Christ, I am going forward, because I accepted when Scotty prayed that prayer a while ago. Everything I heard this morning proved to me that I needed someone to take my sin and place it on them."

"That is fantastic! We have been praying for you and the rest of the family for years."

"From now on, we are going to be in church. I want to learn as much as possible about the Bible and about the life of Christ."

After everyone was seated, the pastor started his sermon about Christ dying on the cross. However, before he reached that part, he covered the trial and the beating that Christ went through. He stated that the soldiers beat Him and they pulled His beard out and at last, they put a crown of thorns on His head. The pastor said that the thorns were probably about three inches long and once they forced them into His head, the thorns may have went into the scalp about an inch. Each and every detail was very graphic, including Christ carrying His own cross until the weight was too much and He stumbled and fell. But the one thing that made some of the people in the auditorium start crying was when the pastor told about the scourging of Jesus. The pastor stated that the whip may have been one type that was used commonly back in those days. "There were three pieces of leather attached to a rod. At the end of the three pieces of leather would be sharp pieces of bone or sharp pieces of metal. When the person would strike the back of the victim, they would jerk the rod, which caused the bone or metal to dig into the skin of the victim. Once in the skin, the person that was doing the whipping would pull the rod back very hard and quick and chunks of the person's flesh would come out." He stated that some people died before they could be crucified. "If that does not tell you how much He loved each and every-one of you, then nothing does." He then told about the crucifixion and how a person's joints come out of the sockets from hanging on a cross(Psalms 22:14 - 'I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted within me).'

The sermon was the best sermon Darrell had ever heard. Well, it was the first sermon he had ever heard, but he loved it. The pastor told everyone that Christ loved them so much that He was willing to go to the cross for them and all that He asked in return is that a person would accept Him as their personal Savior.

Darrell said to himself, "I know I made the right decision earlier."

The pastor then asked if there was anyone that wanted to receive Christ into their hearts to please come forward. He also stated that there may be some people that had accepted Christ in their Sunday School Class, and, "If you accepted in your Sunday School Class, we want you to come forward, also."

The first person out of the pew was Darrell. He went forward and told the pastor that he was a sinner and that he had accepted Christ earlier in Sunday School. The pastor asked Jim, the local evangelist, to take Darrell into the other room and show him in the Bible that by accepting, he has eternal life through Jesus Christ. He also led Darrell in a prayer to rejoice about him accepting. One person after another came forward to accept and there were others that knew they needed to come back to that life they had once lived, before they stumbled. They rededicated their lives to Christ.

When Darrell walked out of the pew and went down front, the rest of the Pittman children couldn't believe what they were seeing. However, Gene had prayed very hard the night before for his dad and for the rest of the family. He knew that his prayers would be answered; it was just a matter of when. He reasoned, "Just look at me, yesterday morning, I was unsaved and before the day was over I had accepted. The very same thing can happen to the rest of my family. In one day they could all get saved."

"GENE, LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE YOU BECAME A CHRISTIAN. MR. BISHOP WILL LEAD THOUSANDS TO ME AND BECAUSE OF YOUR PRAYERS LAST NIGHT, I SOFTENED THE HEART OF YOUR FATHER, DARRELL. BECAUSE OF YOU, YOUR MOTHER WILL NEVER MISS CHURCH UNTIL THE DAY THAT HER MINISTRY ON EARTH IS OVER. YOU HAVE MADE ALL OF THE RIGHT DECISIONS, AND BECAUSE YOU ACCEPTED, EVERYONE THAT YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH WILL BE CHANGED. THEY WILL SEE YOU FOR WHAT YOU TRULY SHOULD HAVE BEEN; THAT BEING, A CHRISTIAN THAT WANTED TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE SAVED AS POSSIBLE. WITHIN THE NEXT 30 DAYS, THE REST OF YOUR FAMILY WILL GET SAVED AND THEY WILL BE MODEL CHRISTIANS. YOUR FAMILY WILL LEAD SO MANY PEOPLE TO ME, YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE NUMBER IF I TOLD YOU."

"Lord, I want to thank You for answering my prayers and for me becoming a Christian. I can't believe how my life has changed from the way I used to be. It is just amazing how a person changes once they accept."

"YES, GENE, PEOPLE DO CHANGE WHEN THEY ACCEPT. YOU WILL HEAR PREACHER AFTER PREACHER SAY, ONCE YOU ACCEPT YOU MAKE A 180 DEGREE TURN FROM THE DIRECTION THAT YOU WERE GOING. THE REASON YOU MAKE THAT TURN IS BECAUSE I AM THE ONE THAT IS GUIDING AND DIRECTING YOUR EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH SOME BELIEVERS IS, THEY WANT TO DO EVERYTHING THEIR OWN WAY INSTEAD OF LETTING ME LEAD THEM, THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT. JUST REMEMBER, YOU ARE NOT A ROBOT. YOU MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS, BUT IF YOU GO TO THE WORD AND LET THE WORD GUIDE AND DIRECT YOU, YOU WILL KNOW WHAT DECISIONS TO MAKE. GO TO JOHN 14:26 - 'BUT THE COMFORTER, WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, HE SHALL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS, AND BRING ALL THINGS TO YOUR REMEMBRANCE, WHATEVER I HAVE SAID UNTO YOU. JUST REMEMBER, ALWAYS GO TO THE WORD."

"I will, I promise I will always go to the Word for my direction. I also promise I will not keep quiet. I will tell everyone I come in contact with about Your Son dying on the cross for the sins of the world. One other thing, Lord, if I start to sin or if something comes into my life that should not be there, please, give me a swift kick in the-------------------well, You know, back side.

CHAPTER 13

The Sunday service was over and it would be a Sunday morning that the Pittman family would never forget. First, it was the first Sunday that Gene went to church with Mike and was a saved person. Second, his dad accepted Christ as his personal savior. Third, Thelma said that she would never miss another Sunday service again.

All the way home, Gene thought about all of the things that had occurred and, every two or three minutes, he was thanking the Lord for answering his prayers. However, the Lord was not through with the Pittman family that quick. Gene and the rest of the family was about to see what happens when a man commits his life to the things of the Lord.

The rest of the way home, the kids joked back and forth, and then Darrell hit the whole family with a statement that made Thelma's heart skip a beat. "I have decided to have a Bible reading every night for thirty minutes."

"You are going to do what?" was Thelma's reply.

"When I accepted Christ this morning, I really did mean what I said. I am going to change, and I, well, I mean we, are going to do what God wants us to do and that is to read the Bible daily."

Gene didn't say a word. He just sat and listened to every word his dad said. Again, he thanked the Lord for everything that He had done in such a short time. He also said a little prayer for the rest of the family. However, this prayer is one of those prayers that a person prays and he knows the prayer is going to be answered.

After lunch, Gene and Mike met in the backyard and started to talk about Sunday School and also about Darrell getting saved.

"Gene, what did you think about your dad getting saved today?"

"I knew he was going to get saved today. There wasn't a doubt in my mind."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I started praying for him and the rest of my family last night, I knew my dad was going to get saved, just as I know that the rest of my brothers and sisters are going to get saved. It isn't a matter of will they get saved, it is a matter of when they get saved. I believe that they will all get saved within six months."

"Well, I have been praying for years, so with both of us praying, maybe the Lord will get them all saved in two or three months. Gene, let's go get our bikes and just go riding."

"Sounds like fun to me."

They both jumped on their bikes and down the street they went. After riding for about an hour, they stopped at the service station to get a bottle of pop. Gene put his dime in the machine and he decided he wanted a bottle of strawberry pop. Mike decided a cold Coke was exactly what he needed. With a bottle of pop in one hand and the other hand on the handle bar of the bike, they pushed their bikes around the corner of the service station and sat down to drink their pop. At that time, the service station attendant walked around the corner and started small talk with both boys.

"What's your name son?"

"My name is Mike and this is my best friend, Gene."

"Well, Mike and Gene, I'm Brad."

"It's nice meeting you, Brad."

"Thanks, I like meeting you boys, also. What are your big plans for today?"

"We decided we would like to go riding."

"When I was a kid I liked to do the same thing. We also liked to go to the creek and go swimming. Tell you what I will do. Come back by tomorrow and I will pay for the pop. How does that sound to both of you?"

"Sounds great!"

All the time that Mike was talking to Brad, one thought after another was going through Gene's mind. But, the one thing that kept rolling around was the thought that Brad may not be saved. Gene knew he had to say something, but how was he going to do it. He just couldn't shout out, are you saved? However, that little voice in his mind asked the question, why can't you just ask if he is saved or not?

Brad said he had to get back to work and he would see the boys the next day. As Brad turned to walk off, Gene shouted out, "Are you saved?"

Brad turned and said, "What?"

Gene said it again, "Are you saved?"

Brad looked puzzled by the thing that Gene had asked. "Gene, no one has ever asked me that question before. I've heard about Jesus on the radio some, but I guess I can say that I am not saved."

Gene spoke up and said, "The Bible says, 'today is the day of salvation,' you must accept."

"That's what the Bible says?" Brad asked.

Gene replied, "That is exactly what the Bible says. I accepted Christ yesterday, and I believe you should accept today, before it is too late."

"Gene, what did you do to accept?"

"Old man Bishop led me in a little prayer that takes about a minute. I repeated each word he said and I meant every word that I repeated, and after that, Christ came into my life and I was saved. It was as easy as that. If you believe what we pray then you are saved. Would you like for me to repeat that prayer and you can say the same thing that I did and get saved? "

"You know, Gene, I would like to pray that little prayer."

In less than a minute, Gene had led his first person to the Lord. As Mike watched and listen, he could not believe what was happening. He had been a Christian for years and no one had accepted after he talked with them. He thought he was doing something wrong.

Mike and Gene sat and talked about Brad getting saved. Mike just couldn't believe it was that easy and to the astonishment of Gene, he couldn't believe it either. Both boys decided they wanted to see if it would work on anyone else they may meet that day. It did not take long. It happened in a matter of seconds.

Mike looked down the street and he saw Dewey, Norman and Larry (those were the three boys they met earlier) riding their bikes.

"Hey, Dewey, come over here."

The boys rode over to where Gene and Mike were sitting down.

"What are you two doing?"

"Having a nice cold bottle of pop," was Gene's reply.

"Mike, you and Gene want to go riding with us?"

"No, we need to get home and mow three different lawns for some extra money."

Gene took another big swallow and then his mind started to work. "Dewey, you need to get saved."

"I what?!"

"I said you need to get saved."

"Oh, okay, whatever you say, Gene. Mike come here for a minute." Mike walked over to Dewey, and Dewey asked, "What's wrong with Gene? Did his dad drop him on his head or something this morning?"

"No, he is still excited about getting saved yesterday."

"Gene got saved yesterday?"

"Yes, and this morning his dad, also, asked Jesus to come into his heart."

"So, in two days, Gene and his dad accepted?"

"Yep. Can you believe that? They both got saved."

After the boys left, Gene and Mike finished off their pop and then Gene asked a question. "What did Dan mean this morning when he said that many religious people are going to go to hell?"

"What he meant, Gene, was that they knew all about religion and they had the walk and they had the talk and they had the looks of a person that was very religious. The only thing they did not have was Christ in their hearts. Those are the people that will think that they are saved, but Jesus will say, 'Depart from me, I never knew you.'"

"So, there are some people out there that would make you think that they are saved, but they are not?"

"That's right, it happens every day."

"With what we learned today about King Agrippa being or knowing about religion, it makes me wonder if Dan was thinking of the King when he made those comments."

"I think we could put King Agrippa in that group. But I really think that he was referring to people, not only in the church, but people everywhere. They want you to think that they are very religious and they want you to think that they are saved, but they are not. Some people want to be famous or important, so they use religion to reach their goal."

The following Sunday, Mark started telling about Vacation Bible School and that the theme was going to be Scuba Driving. Gene and Mike were both excited as two little boys could be. They talked back and forth about being under water and seeing all the different and beautiful things that God had created. It was at that time that Gene started to think of different people he could ask to come to VBS. His first thought was of Dewey, Norman and Larry. "They need to get saved, the same way I got saved," was his thinking.

Once church was over and both families had finished lunch, Gene and Mike decided to just walk and talk. They started talking about VBS and how the girls had beaten the boys for the last few years. "All of that will end this year," was Gene's remark to Mike.

"Why do you say that, Gene?"

"Because I will start praying about it tonight and I know the Lord will answer my prayer. There is no doubt in my mind about it."

"Well, I prayed pretty hard each year the girls won and the Lord didn't answer my prayers."

"But, Mike, I don't think you understand about praying."

"Gene, how long have you been praying?"

"Oh, just a little over a week. I know what you are thinking. With me only being a Christian for a little over a week, what do I know about praying?"

"I wasn't going to say that, but you might as well answer the question."

"I think praying is all about believing. If you really do believe that Jesus is going to answer your prayer, you are expecting to see a result. So when I pray, I expect to have my prayers answered. Not only that, but when I was talking to pastor Mark, he said I had to have the faith of a muster seed. This year I know that the boys are going to win, because of my prayers and because I expect the Lord to answer them."

"Don't be praying about a million dollars, I don't think the Lord will answer a prayer like that."

"No, I would never pray about something like that. I always pray about Bible things. You know, like, let this person get saved, or let me tell someone about getting saved. I would never pray about money things. I don't think the Lord would answer them even if I prayed really hard."

As the boys continued to talk, Gene let Mike know that he was planning on asking Dewey, Norman and Larry to come to VBS with him. He thought that if he started to pray for those boys, the Lord would answer another prayer and all three of his friends would get saved. "Mike, would you pray with me every day until VBS, so we can see a miracle from the Lord?"

"Sure, I will pray every night before I go to bed, and if it is the Lord's will, all three will get saved."

That night, Gene and Mike prayed for thirty minutes about VBS and about getting Dewey, Norman and Larry saved. They also prayed about all the other kids that would be at church and would hear about Jesus dying on the cross for them. You could say that Gene and Mike were turning into real prayer warriors. Each and every night, they prayed, including the Sunday before VBS.

The next morning, Gene and Mike were so excited about VBS, they could hardly wait until they were at church. They had talked to their three friends and they promised they would go to VBS all week long. They also had invited some of their other friends, but they were already saved. They were more interested in Dewey, Norman and Larry. The Bible says that in James 5:16 - 'Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.' Their effectual, fervent prayers were going to be answered. For their faith was that of a muster seed and they knew that the Lord would answer their prayers. Also, the Lord wanted these small boys to always trust in Him for everything. If He showed them that they could trust in Him even as a child, their faith would grow into a giant oak tree that would never falter. And once they became adults and had a family of their own, they could teach their children about the same faith that they had when they were small children.

Thelma and Bonnie were both going to help with VBS this year. With all the kids loaded into both cars, they were off to church. All the way to church, Mike and Gene couldn't believe that Dewey, Norman and Larry would be there all week. They talked about scuba diving and how they would have a free one hour trail period to see if they really did like diving.

"My dad has a friend that goes scuba diving all the time. He said it is so peaceful under the water. He also said that the things that we can't see from above the water are so beautiful that he wishes he could stay down forever. Also, the fish are huge and sometimes, he said he has found rings and watches and other things that are valuable," stated Dewey.

"Once we get to church, you three will be with me and Mike. Our teacher is Dan and he really is a good teacher. If you listen hard, you can almost see the stories of the Bible come to life right before your eyes."

At church, all five boys jumped out of the car and started to run and play just like all the other kids that were waiting for the whistle to blow. There were so many kids for VBS that it even surprised Pastor Mark. Mark then took the whistle out of his pocket and started to blow. All the kids formed a single line and into the church they marched.

All the children took their seats and then came the singing and after the singing, Mark gave a little speech and told what was going to happen the rest of the week. Then came the news that all the boys wanted to hear.

"Next Saturday, if your parents come with you, there will be a one hour trial dive to see if you would like to learn how to scuba dive."

All the boys shouted out, "Grrrrreat!"

With all the classes full, the teachers began to teach the lessons that were supposed to be covered for the week.

On Thursday, Dan taught about the way that people learn about scuba diving. He said, "Once a person learns how to scuba dive, he will tell others about the joy and how much you learn about something that you never knew before. You, also, will want all of your friends and relatives to know about scuba diving, so you will tell them how you learned and what they need to know in order to become a diver." He said that scuba diving is something that everyone could do, but they can only learn by committing themselves.

Dan looked at all of the boys and asked if there were any boys in the class that wanted to know about scuba diving? All of the boys held their hands up in the air. "None of you know anything about scuba diving, but you can learn very quickly. All you have to do is to say, 'yes, I want to know about scuba diving.' Once you say that, I can then teach you what the book has to say about diving." The boys said they did want to know what the book said about scuba diving.

"I want you to think about what I just said and what you said." He paused for a few seconds. "The Gospel of Jesus Christ is just like scuba diving. You know nothing about diving, but you want to know all there is to know about diving. You want me to teach you and to show you what you must know. The Gospel is the same. You know nothing about Jesus, but if you want eternal life, you must have someone to teach you what the Book, the Bible, has to say. By learning all about the Bible, you will see that Christ died for your sins and that He only wants you to accept His free gift. I stated that all that you had to do was to say yes to scuba diving, and all of you said, 'yes.' That was very easy. It is, also, that easy, if you want to accept Jesus as your Savior. All you have to do is say, 'yes'."

Dan continued to teach and show different things in the Bible until the bell rang. He stated that he was going to pray a small prayer and if anyone in his class said that prayer, they would be saved. "When Pastor Mark asks for you to come forward today, if you accepted this day, or if you want to accept, you need to go up front." Dan then prayed a small prayer and three small boys accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts.

The bell rang a second time, which meant for everyone to meet in the auditorium. Mark gave his talk, focused around scuba diving, and after the sermon, he asked all the kids that had accepted Christ as their personal Savior to come forward, or if there was anyone wanting to accept, they should come forward, also. Dewey, Norman and Larry left the pew and walked forward along with a number of other children. They all had accepted Christ and, now, they all were born again believers.

All the way home, the boys couldn't stop talking about being saved. They talked about what heaven was going to be like and how they were going to tell all of their friends about Christ and they also said they were going to pray for souls every night. They decided that when school started, they would witness to anyone that wanted to listen.

"GENE, BECAUSE YOU PRAYED WITH FAITH FOR DEWEY, NORMAN AND LARRY, I PERFORMED THAT MIRACLE THAT YOU WANTED. I HAD THEM READY THE FIRST DAY OF VBS. WHEN DAN TAUGHT ABOUT SCUBA DIVING, I OPENED THEIR HEARTS TO THE GOSPEL. I TOLD YOU THAT EVERY PERSON THAT YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH WILL BE CHANGED. THE CHANGE THAT COMES WITH SALVATION IS A CHANGE THAT WILL LAST FOR ETERNITY. DEWEY WAS CHANGED AND HE KNOWS THAT IF HE WERE TO DIE, HE WOULD BE IN HEAVEN WITHOUT A DOUBT. THE REASON I TOLD YOU THAT IS BECAUSE DEWEY WILL HAVE OTHER THINGS TO DO WHEN HE GETS TO HEAVEN. REMEMBER, WHEN THAT CAR HIT YOU BEFORE THE SUMMER WAS OVER? WELL, THAT CAR WILL NOT HIT YOU IN THIS LIFE, IT WILL HIT DEWEY. BECAUSE OF HIS DEATH, NORMAN AND LARRY WILL BECOME PREACHERS AND WILL LEAD THOUSANDS OF SOULS TO ME."

"Lord, I never thought that my prayer would be responsible for the life of Dewey."

"YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT A PERSON'S LIFE ON EARTH, BUT I AM TALKING ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE. THE LIFE THAT DEWEY NOW HAS, BECAUSE YOU PRAYED FOR HIM, IS ETERNAL. ALSO, YOU MUST THINK ABOUT THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT WILL ACCEPT BECAUSE NORMAN AND LARRY COMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO ME. IF DEWEY HAD NOT DIED, NORMAN AND LARRY WOULD NOT HAVE BECOME GREAT SOUL WINNERS. AT THE BEMA SEAT, THEY WILL BE REWARDED FOR THEIR GREAT ZEAL FOR THE GOSPEL."

When VBS came down to the last day, the count was taken and the boys had beaten the girls in the offering for the missionaries. However, all the way home, the talk was not on the boys beating the girls, but the boys were still talking about getting saved. Once out of the car, the boys were still talking about all of the things that happened that week. They were really looking forward to school, so they could tell everyone about scuba diving and all about Christ.

The summer seemed to fly by for all of the boys and they were looking forward to the first day of school. School would start on Wednesday, so they decided to make Tuesday one of the best days they would ever remember. They decided to first go frog hunting and then they would just get on their bikes and go riding until they were so tired they couldn't pedal anymore.

The frogs had another very bad day. Gene, Mike, Dewey, Norman, and Larry had the best Daisy BB guns money could buy, or at least that is what they thought. The first place they went was to the creek. All the boys made expert shots on the frogs. Next, the small pond that was two hundred feet from the creek also had a lot of frogs that needed to be shot. After the frogs were slaughtered, the boys jumped on their bikes for the longest ride of the summer.

For three hours, the boys rode and rode and rode. They decided to go across Grand and then stop at the small family store of the Brown's for a bottle of pop. Norman hollered out, "Last one there is a dirty rat." All the boys started pedaling as fast as they could, but Dewey was by far the best bike rider around. Over the curb and across the street he went.

Then all of a sudden, the only sound the boys could hear was the screeching of tires, the horn blowing, and then there was this loud thump. The boys watched as Dewey was propelled through the air and onto the hard concrete. They ran over to Dewey and looked down at him. His eyes were wide open and they were not blinking. Blood was all over his head and on his chest. One of the neighbors ran inside and called the police. Within minutes, the police and the ambulance arrived, but for Dewey, it was too late. He had just received his promotion, just like all other Christians receive, once their time is over. His short ministry on earth was over. There were new and better things for him to do in heaven.

Dewey's parents asked Mark if they could use the church for the funeral services and Mark agreed. They wanted to know if it would be okay if the announcement would state that the pale bearers would be his best friends. Dewey's mother, Jill, said that he had told her that he was saved and that he knew for certain that if he died, he would be in heaven with Jesus. He also had told her that it was Mike and Gene that asked him to go to Vacation Bible School.

At the funeral, most of the kids from school were there and, even though the boys were too small to help with the casket, their names were on the pale bearer's list. Norman and Larry promised Jill that they would never forget Dewey and they also promised that when they became grown adults, they would go to Bible College and learn all they could about the Bible and about Jesus and they would tell everyone they met about Christ dying on the cross for their sins.

Let me interrupt right now, because I forgot to tell one important thing. Remember the service station attendant by the name of Brad? The next day, after the death of Dewey, Bobby and Mike stopped to get gas. Brad recognized Mike and asked why he and his friend never came by for that free bottle of pop? Mike explained that they were busy the next day and he forgot all about the free pop. He told Brad about Dewey being killed and that the funeral was Friday. Mike also explained how Dewey had accepted Christ during Vacation Bible School with a very simple prayer.

Brad told Bobby that he had accepted Christ, also, with a very simple prayer. He stated it was Gene that came out and asked if he was saved or not. "I told Gene I was not saved, but I would say that prayer. Gene led me in that prayer of salvation. I have decided since I am a Christian, I must know more about Christ, and I am saving all my extra money so I can go to Bible College."

Now, let's get back to where I left off. School started right on time on Wednesday and Thursday, but the school was closed for the funeral services at the church, on Friday. All day Wednesday, the only thing the children were talking about was Dewey being killed when he was hit by a car. The children had different stories that they had heard, but when they asked Mike or Gene, they found out that it was an accident. The man that hit Dewey was so sad and he thought it was his fault. But Gene and Mike told the police officer that Dewey never even looked before he started across the street. They both said they saw the car and they thought for sure Dewey saw it coming. They said about the time the car reached them, Dewey took off across the street and then they heard the loud thump. They saw Dewey flying through the air and then he hit the ground.

When school started back on Monday, Gene and Mike thought about Dewey all the time. They both wondered what he was doing in heaven and if he was grown or was he the same age. They also wondered what it was like to be right there with God. After a few months they thought about other things, but they never forgot Dewey.

CHAPTER 14

The rest of grade school and the rest of Jr. High school went by very quickly for both Gene and Mike. The prayers that Gene had prayed about for the rest of his family to get saved were answered, also. Gene's brothers and sisters were all saved within the next thirty days and they all became great prayer warriors for Christ.

Mr. Bishop went back to Bible College for two refresher courses and then he became one of the greatest preacher-evangelists in the country. Every place he went, thousands of people were being saved. Sometimes, during the summer, he would even take one or two of the Pittman boys or one or two of the Fisher boys, when he was at a church that was close to home. The boys thought it was the greatest thing in the world to be with old man. Oops! It's not old man Bishop any more, it's Mr. Bishop. Also, sometimes, Mr. Bishop would take Norman or Larry with him, when their parents would let them go.

Norman and Larry studied very hard after Dewey was killed and all the rest of the way through grade school, they made straight A's. When Jr. High rolled around, they continued with their hard studies and they had the highest scores of all the students during those years. They both were determined to excel in any and all subjects they were enrolled in. They had made a promise and they were going to keep that promise. They were already looking for a Bible College to go to and they had narrowed the field down to the Bible Institute Of Los Angeles, BIOLA for short, and Calvary Bible College in Kansas City. BIOLA had a reputation, all over the country, for graduating men that would become great preachers of the Gospel. Calvary, also, had a reputation. Their reputation was for being one of the most conservative Bible Colleges in the country and one that took average Bible students and made them into great prayer warriors, teachers, and great preachers.

Their High School years were just beginning and the way they studied and the way they presented the Gospel made them veterans when it came to leading someone to the Lord.

All through High School, the other students would call them names behind their backs. No one ever called them names to their faces. Norman played football and baseball and loved most sports. In football, he was the biggest lineman the school had and he was the second biggest lineman in the state of Oregon. Norman weighed 299 and stood six foot six. Now you know why no one ever called him names to his face.

Larry wasn't near as tall or as big as Norman. Larry, by no means, was little, either. He was six foot three and weighed 253.

Both boys could go to any college in the country they wanted and play football, but during their senior year, they both decided that BIOLA was the place for them. Their decision was based on a number of factors. However, they wanted to be close to home and Kansas City was half-way across the country. If there was an emergency, it would be quicker to get home from Los Angeles than it would be from Kansas City.

At BIOLA, both Larry and Norman became like Paul and Barnabas. If they did not have to study after school or on the week-ends, they were in the city, leading people to the Lord. The gates of Hell were losing many of their prime customers during those four years that they were in Los Angeles. They, also, had written many books during those four years. Their books became best sellers and 20 percent of the profits were given back to the school to help students that did not have enough money to pay all of their college expenses.

Five of their books went from the Christian Book Stores into the secular book stores. They were so popular, they became house hold names. The first was DOWN ON MY KNEES. It was a book about the way they prayed, after Dewey was killed. They explained the death of Dewey and why they were on their knees praying all the time. When the book first came out, people would not buy the book. However, once people did start buying the book and they saw that praying really did work, the book caught on like wild fire. Even people that were not saved were buying the book and accepting the Lord. The pattern they set was being followed all over the country.

The second book, THE MAN IN THE MOON, would be their best-selling book of all times. The book was the story of the lives of the first men to train as astronauts. As Larry and Norman wrote the book, they guided the reader through the idea that God was the one integral piece of the whole universe. Without God directing the paths of the scientist, a trip to outer space would have been impossible. Their ideas and the classic way that they wrote the book would guide other Christian authors and writers into a different way of presenting the Gospel to a dying world.

When they graduated from BIOLA, they were the most popular young men in school. They were always praying for others and they were always presenting the Gospel to as many unsaved people as would listen.

During their four years at BIOLA, they had led more than 10,000 people to the Lord. Church after church sent them letters about becoming the pastor of their church, but the Lord had other plans for these two great men. The Lord wanted them to attend Seminary. The two greatest Seminaries in the country were Talbot and Dallas Theological Seminary. Because of the great teachers at Dallas, they both decided to finish their schooling there.

During their first year at Dallas Theological Seminary, they knew that the Lord had something very special planned for them. The Lord was going to make them into the greatest preachers the world would see during the twentieth century. Watching Mr. Bishop deliver the Gospel and the methods they learned at Dallas, could only mean one thing, millions of unsaved people would be saved and have eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Now, let me get back to Gene and Mike. Just as fast as the Jr. High years and the High School years went by for Larry and Norman, the time flew by for Gene and Mike, also. They had one decision to make and it would be the biggest decision of their lives. That decision would be about which Bible College to attend. They could go to BIOLA with Larry and Norman, or they could attend a number of other schools that they were interested in. However, they both were thinking more about Multnoma Bible College. Everything they had heard made them feel more comfortable about Multnoma and then, when they went to visit the campus with their parents, that visit was the one thing that made up their minds. The campus was not at all what they had thought about a college campus. Everyone was friendly and the professors seemed more interested in the person and what type of education they would receive. Now, that is not to say that BIOLA and Calvary were not like that, because they were just like Multnoma. They all wanted the best for their Christian students. But Mike and Gene were being led to Multnoma by the Lord.

It is very interesting. Almost all colleges are interested in getting as many students to attend their schools as possible. They hardly ever think about their feelings or if they will succeed or not. They know that a certain percentage of the students will not make it at the college and they will just drop out. Who cares what happens to those students and who cares if they come back or not. That is not the way it is with Christian colleges. Christian colleges care about their students. They will go completely out of their way to help with any matter that may come up or any situation. The true Christian college wants the Christian student to achieve their goals and they want them to graduate and to be a positive character factor in the community.

The atmosphere at most Christian Colleges was that of a family, not of an institution. Also, if you needed financial help or if you needed help from a tutor, that was there for the asking. Even though you are supposed to study in college and not be looking at the girls, both Gene and Mike noticed that most of the girls were really good looking. They both had the same idea; just maybe the Lord was going to provide a wife from this college for them.

Gene was the nicest, best-looking guy on campus, but he did not let his good looks go to his head. He knew that he could go out with any girl on campus, however, he wasn't interested in seeing how many girls he could date. The one thing that he was interested in was finding that one girl, who the Lord had chosen, just for him. He knew she was out there some place and it may just be she was here at Multnoma. If she was here, then he must be open to the leading of the Lord in meeting her and finally asking her to be his wife.

The first girl that Gene set his eyes upon was one of the most popular girls in school and her looks would even make the college professors stop and look. After a couple of dates, he knew she was not the girl for him. She was very forward and she let Gene know in no uncertain terms that she wanted to marry a man that was going to be the most popular and the most important preacher in the country, if not the world. Her qualifications of a husband were far from what Gene had in mind for his future. All he wanted to do was to find a real good Christian woman that cared and loved him and he wanted to find a small church that wanted the Gospel preached.

Gene dated one girl after another and none of them were what he was looking for. One night in his room, while praying about the right girl, he asked the Lord why all the girls he had dated were not the one for him. In a soft voice that could not be heard by anyone else, Gene was told why "miss right" had not appeared. The Lord told Gene that he had to be patient and not get in a big hurry.

"The right girl is there, but you must proceed at My pace, not yours. All the girls you have dated had certain qualities that you liked and they all had something that you did not like. Some of the girls you dated, you dated because they were good looking and you thought that was what you needed. Some of the girls were popular and that is what you thought that you needed. What you need is for Me to guide and direct you in the direction of the girl that is perfect for you. She is out there and she is here at Multnoma. Just be patient and let Me work. Always remember, you must first like the girl that you are going to marry, and then I will allow love. However, if you do not like the person you are going to marry, your marriage will not last. That is the main reason most people get a divorce. They are going on looks or popularity other than a person they can be best friends with."

In the spring of Gene's junior year, he was having trouble with one of his courses and he had asked if the school had someone that could tutor him? The school had the right person for Gene. Her name was Sandy. She was what some people would call a nice girl. She was not nice looking to the boys at school and, as a matter of fact, Sandy had not had a date either in high school or in her two and one half years at Multnoma.

Gene was very disturbed by the fact that he was going to have to have help from a tutor. His grade point average was almost 4.0 and for him to need help was unheard of. Almost all of the time, people would come to Gene for help. The one thing that Gene did not understand was that it was the Lord that had put a mental block in his mind. Sandy was going to be Gene's wife and Gene had to see her for what she really was, rather than what Gene wanted her to be.

When I said that people called Sandy a nice girl, what I meant was that most people would say that she was homely or that she was just plain ugly. That is the way the Lord wanted it. He wanted Sandy to realize that she had to depend on Him for a husband. He, also, wanted her to know that she wasn't for every man. She was there for one man and one man only. Sandy had long black hair that was very straight. She always rolled it up into a bun that made her look like a nun. Her glasses were the most pathetic glasses a person could wear. It reminded most of the students of the glasses that old Professor Smith wore. His glasses were black and so thick that you could use them as a magnifying glass to start a fire.

Even though Sandy was at a Christian College, the students talked about her glasses, the clothes she wore, her shoes, and the way she would fix her hair. One thing I forgot to tell you is that she never, never used make-up to look better. She always thought, "If people don't like me the way that I am, that is tough."

The day when the school told Gene that his tutor was going to be Sandy Blankenship, it almost made his stomach turn. He thought back to the class he had with her the first semester of school. The class had to break up into teams of four, go over the material and then they had to give a speech. Gene and Mike were on the same team with Sandy and Mary Beth.

Mary Beth was one of those girls that you could sit and look at all day and wished that time would just stop. She made most of the boy's eyes water. That is exactly what happened to Gene and Mike. When their first get together was over, all they could talk about was Mary Beth. They both forgot what the other girl's name was and they really were not interested in what it was anyway. She was a plain, old, nice girl. Let me just say, that the other students that talked about the clothes, shoes, and glasses that Sandy wore, never said anything to Sandy. They knew that it would hurt her feelings and that was the last thing they wanted to do. The other students, of course, did not know it was the Lord that had planned all things out for Gene and Sandy.

Monday, at one o'clock, Gene met Sandy at the Education Building and his first tutoring class started. In the back of his mind, he was hoping and praying that he would catch on to everything quickly, so that he would not have to spend a lot of time with Sandy. If he knew that he would spend the rest of his life with Sandy, he probably would not have believed it. The one hour of tutoring seemed to fly by for both Gene and Sandy. Listening to what she was saying and looking at her when she explained something, sent an unusual feeling up his back. That feeling he had, he had never had before and to his amazement, once the tutoring was over and he was heading back to his room, the feeling would not leave. The next day, he had the same feeling and all the other days that week, the feeling would not leave. Each time he was with Sandy, the feeling would intensify and make him want to be with her even more.

After two weeks of tutoring and looking into the green eyes of Sandy, Gene was noticing something about Sandy that no one had ever noticed before. The thing that he noticed was the beauty she had hidden from the world. He imagined her black hair combed straight and long, instead of it being rolled up into a bun. He could see her with a little make-up on and how she would be transformed from a homely, nice girl to a beautiful young woman, who every boy on campus would be staring at. Those big black glasses would be replaced by contact lens or with petite glasses that made her into a feminine goddess. If she had a new pair of shoes, that had two inch heels and the strap that went around her ankle, that would make her look so sophisticated, people would think that she was a model. Also, with some newer, modern clothes, she would be a knock-out in anyone's book. It was just one thing after another that was coming into Gene's mind.

It was really the Lord that was putting all of those thoughts into Gene's mind. Gene was taking a girl that no one had ever noticed before and in his mind, he was making her into the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. The way the Lord was working in Sandy's life, the change was even going to surprise her.

Sandy had already noticed Gene. That first semester when they were on the same team, Sandy had fallen madly in love with Gene. For the next two and one half years, she would look at Gene and wish and pray that he would come into her life and that they would be married. She knew all the talk and things that were said behind her back in high school and she kind of figured the same talk was going on in college. But, for her to get someone like Gene to notice her, it would take a miracle from God. She didn't have that many friends, but she did do a lot of things with groups of kids at college.

However, to have a real relationship with someone, that never happened. She was still a virgin as was Gene. Sandy always said that her virginity was very, very special and she only wanted to give it to her husband.

Gene felt the same way. He had many, many opportunities to go to bed with as many girls as he wanted to, in high school. For him to give his body to someone for thirty minutes of excitement and lust was not what he was going to do. At Multnoma, he did not have to worry about any of the girls trying to go to bed with him. They were all Christians and they all knew that they should remain a virgin until they were married.

During the third week of tutoring, Gene decided he would try something that he never thought he would ever do. He asked Sandy if she would like to go out the next Friday night for a date. He said they could have dinner at one of the good restaurants in town. To Sandy's amazement, she said, "Yes, I would love to go out." It really was amazing, if you remember, I said that Sandy had never been out on a date before.

After the first date, Gene and Sandy were seen every place together. Every boy at college was wondering what Gene could possibly see in Sandy. She was the one girl at college that none of the boys wanted to be seen with. But for Gene, not only did he want to be seen with Sandy, but he was falling in love with her. He wanted to be with her all the time and when he was not with her, he felt empty. Let me say, also, that during those first two weeks of tutoring, Gene found that he liked Sandy more than anyone he had ever met, except for Mike.

Gene enjoyed being with Sandy and he liked having her look at him. The looks that she gave Gene always made him feel like he was special, very special. There were the times when they both would turn a page together and he would touch her hand. The softness of her skin and the tingle he would get almost made Gene go crazy. The desire he was feeling was something he could not explain. The times when she would touch his hand and she would give his hand a little squeeze, it would send chills down his back and make him sweat like it was July.

On May 2nd, Gene talked Mike's girlfriend, Mary Beth, and some of her friends to give Sandy a gift for her birthday: a new hair style, a manicure, a pedicure, and a complete facial, with a slight bit of make-up. The rest of his gift was taking her shopping for a new pair of shoes, two new dresses, one pair of jeans, and two new blouses. It did set Gene back a little, but he had been working on the week-ends for a little extra money and when you love someone, you want the best for them.

The new clothes were bought on Saturday and the "make over" would be done right after class on Monday. At the dorm, the girls were having a ball. As they worked with Sandy, they all began to see what Gene saw in her, inner beauty. They knew, with a few little changes, she would be very attractive on the outside, too. As each and every detail was finished, the girls could not believe their eyes. It was as if God was making a new person out of the clay of the earth. It might be said it would be the same when a person accepts Christ. They are completely changed. They could not wait to reveal her to Gene.

With the facial and light make over, Gene watched with intense eyes as his nice, plain Sandy walked into the room, a woman everyone was going to look at. Gene looked at Sandy and knew that the girl, who no one wanted to be with, had been transformed. A metamorphose had occurred. God took that same caterpillar and turned it into one of the most beautiful butterflies that had ever been seen.

That night, Gene and Sandy sat and talked about what had just happened and how she wanted to please the man that loved her, as she was before. However, with her new look, she would be able to please him even more by being more desirable and by showing him that she cared for him more than anyone else in the world. Sandy thanked Gene for seeing something that she had never seen before.

That night, Sandy thanked the Lord for what had happened to her. She realized He wanted her to be very plain, so the desire from other boys would not be there. He told her that the person she was now, is the person that will be from this day until forever. She now felt better about herself and more confident that she would be more usable by God, with this confidence. "You will always remember how it used to be and how is it now. You will remember that it was Gene that saw your true inner beauty and the possibility of your outer beauty and he helped you reveal it to the world."

Before the semester was over, Sandy would accept Gene's proposal of marriage. One other thing that came to Gene was the idea of how a person that is a sinner is able to be changed, once they accept Christ. Looking at Sandy, he saw the change on the outside. When a person accepts Christ, the change is on the inside. He could see the drastic change to Sandy and he knew that the change on the inside of a person that is a sinner is even more drastic than anything he could imagine.

CHAPTER 15

Before I tell you any more about Gene and Mike, I think it is best if I tell you about Gene's brothers and sisters, during his actual life. First, I have not said a thing about Gene's brothers or sisters, because I wanted you to see how pathetic Gene's life was. By looking at his life, you can assume that the rest of his family would be the same way.

The rest of his family was as far from Christ as the moon is from the sun. Harold William was the oldest of the boys. After high school he became a drunk and later in his years, he died in his own vomit. Before he died, however, he was married to six different women and had seven children, which he did not support. He was in and out of homeless shelters and he was always wanting hand outs. His life on earth was worthless and he gave nothing to society.

Steven Lynn was the second oldest in the family. He was almost an exact pattern of Harold. Instead of becoming a drunk, he set his eyes on high tech robberies. After three years of having his way with stealing, he was finally caught. He was sent to prison for thirty years. While in prison, he was stabbed to death in a fight over a carton of cigarettes.

As you know, Gene was born next and then came Peggy Sue. Peggy Sue was just like the rest of her family. She married right after high school and within two years, she was having one affair after another. Her husband, Jim, never knew if he was the father of the five children born to Peggy Sue or not. He always had doubts and those doubts would lead to her murder. Year after year of one affair after another was all that Jim could take. One night, he walked into the bedroom and shot Peggy Sue in the head.

Barbara Ann did not change the pattern of the Pittman family. She started doing drugs and she would eventfully become a street hooker. Some of her customers were very mean. One night a customer took her where she had never been before. He sent her to eternity. He cut her throat.

The last was Anna Marie. One might think that she was not as bad as her brothers and sisters. However, she was just as bad, if not worse. She was on drugs and she was also an alcoholic. When she ran out of money for drugs and alcohol, she would prostitute herself for money, so she could buy what she needed. She would also steal or lie to get what she wanted. She was always first and anyone and everyone else came second. Her life was worthless. When she died of old age, not one person came to her funeral. I might say, also, that Gene's brothers and sisters all died unnatural deaths, except Anna Marie.

Now that I have told you about the actual life of Gene's brothers and sisters, it is now time for me to show you what would have happened to their lives, if they would have accepted Christ.

If you remember, I said that Gene was saved first and then the rest of his family received Christ as their Savior. The first of his brothers and sisters to accept Christ after Gene was his oldest brother, Harold William. Harold would sit and listen while Darrell would read the Bible and the stories were so interesting, that they almost came to life for Harold. After hearing the story of Christ being crucified on the cross for the sins of the world, Harold knew that he had to make a decision for himself. That night, he dropped to his knees and asked Christ to come into his heart. The next morning he told his mom and his dad that he had accepted. Not only were they happy, but Gene could not believe his prayers were being answered faster than he had hoped for. He said in his mind, "First was dad, now Harold accepted." Gene was curious which one would be next.

During school, Steven (the second oldest in the family) asked Harold what it felt like to be saved? Harold smiled and whispered, "I really didn't feel any different, but it is not a thing of feeling. It is a thing of knowing that, if you die, you would be in heaven, and it is knowing that Christ is with you at all times." Before the day was over, Steven Lynn accepted Christ as his personal Savior, also. The way the Pittman's were getting saved, it would be just a matter of time before Gene's three sisters, Peggy Sue, Barbara Ann and Anna Marie, were saved, too.

That night at the supper table, Steven told the entire family that he had accepted Christ right after his fourth hour class. Thelma didn't say a word; she just sat there and was praising the Lord and rejoicing that all of her sons had accepted. She said a silent prayer that her three daughters would accept within the week. Thelma's prayer was not answered that quickly, but within two weeks Peggy Sue accepted and before the thirty days were over Barbara Ann and Anna Marie had accepted. Gene's prayer was also answered. Gene had prayed that once his dad was saved that the rest of his family would accept within the next six months. He told Mike if they prayed each and every night, just maybe, his family would get saved within two or three months. However, if you remember the Lord spoke to Gene in a special way and said that within thirty days they would all be saved.

With all of the Pittman's saved, things changed in this home beyond anyone's wildest dreams. First, every Sunday, all of the Pittman's went to Sunday School and morning church. Second, they all wanted to go to church on Sunday nights and on Wednesday nights, also. Third, the way they looked at life, the future was unbelievable. They were all looking for the rapture of the Church and that very moment they would receive their new bodies. Fourth, they began to witness to anyone and everyone that would listen to the simple message of salvation. Fifth, their talk changed so much that their old friends were asking what had happen to all of the Pittman's; they acted as if they were a completely different person. Sixth, and most important was that everything they did, and everything they thought was focused around Jesus Christ. You might say the Pittman family became truly devout Christians.

Well, that is the way it was with the Pittman family. They all changed and it was because one small boy opened his heart to the Lord. One might say that one person would change the lives of thousands of his relatives. You will see a little further into the story how many relatives Gene impacted, because he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.

All through school, the Pittman's had an impact on the other students and on teachers, also. Everyone in high school knew that the Pittman boys would probably go to Bible College. They had told everyone that the most important thing in the world was to see people get saved and the only way to get people saved was to tell them about Christ. But, how can you tell as many people as the Pittman boys wanted to tell, unless you learn as much about Christ as possible. The only way to do that was to go to Bible College. Right after high school, Harold was the first of the Pittman children to go to Bible College.

Harold went to BIOLA and he graduated with honors. He decided it was very important to get his Master's. For the next two years, he studied very hard and he did receive his Master's. Even though he wanted to get into the ministry, he felt that the Lord was leading him into the Army. He joined the Army and, after his officer's basic training and advance training, he was sent to Vietnam.

In Vietnam, he was the platoon leader of Charlie company and he was, also, a Second Lieutenant. Unlike some officers, he did not party and drink, but he was always telling his men about Christ dying on the cross for their sins and, if they wanted to have eternal life, they must accept. One soldier after another was accepting Christ. On some occasions, the young men would accept just before they would go on a mission. On many of the missions, those that had accepted never came back. They were killed in action. Just like in the Army, there are promotions in the Christian life, and when a Christian dies, he is promoted. He is promoted to Heaven. Those Christian soldiers were given the greatest promotion a person could ever imagine, a promotion into glory.

Harold had decided, after his first tour of duty (which lasted a year), he would stay for one more year. His heart was burning with the desire for the young men that were coming to Vietnam to learn about Christ. However, most of the young men that were coming to Vietnam did not want to hear about death or about a Great White Throne Judgment. They were only interested in putting in their one year and getting out of the country alive. There were those that really thought that their destiny would be to die in Vietnam. Those were the ones that Harold wanted to reach. Before every mission, he would ask if there was anyone that wanted to accept, and after every mission, he let his company know that it was the Lord that was with them and led them back safe and sound. I almost forgot to tell you. Harold became a company commander and he was promoted to captain.

On one mission, Harold's company suffered almost fifty percent casualties. The day started like most any other day. There were reports of a major move by the NVA and the Viet Cong. Every day, rumors had been flowing for months about large numbers of troops moving into the larger cities in Vietnam. However, these reports were not false; they were true. Harold received his orders at nine thirty. The orders stated that his company would be air lifted into an area where a large movement of troops was expected.

As soon as Harold read the orders, he had a bad feeling about this mission. He went from one platoon to another and gave the orders to the men. At that time, he asked if there was anyone that would like to talk to him about eternal life.

There were two men in one platoon that had been asking Harold about eternal life and if all the religious stuff he had been talking about was true? Harold explained what a person must do to become a Christian and, if they were to die in combat, he assured them they would be ushered right into Heaven, immediately. One of the young soldiers was named Pat. He believed everything that Harold had said, and on that fateful day, he had dropped to his knees and accepted Christ as his personal Savior.

Chuck Wilson was the other soldier. All through his short life, he had heard of Christ and about eternal life in Heaven or Hell. He had heard, but he did not believe. Harold explained the whole picture to Chuck and that he needed to have someone with him that would protect him and guide him in times of trouble. On that day, Chuck refused to accept and he stated that if fate meant for him to die in Vietnam, then there was no power on earth or in Heaven that could change that.

The choppers landed and all of the soldiers were loaded inside and, within ten minutes of flying, they were at the place where they were supposed to land. Harold looked out at the LZ (which means Landing Zone) and at the surrounding country side. It seemed peaceful enough and, if they were lucky, this would be just another mission, with not much happening. The landing and the unloading went off without any hitches. There was no enemy fire and things seemed to be content.

Things were content for ten minutes. The first thing that happen is that one of the soldiers found a trip wire on the path. After disconnecting the trip wire, the company had to walk along an open rice paddy. Once all the soldiers were in the open, the firing started. It seemed as if the firing was coming from all directions and then the mortar fire started coming in.

Harold had prayed a lot during his time at Bible College and during the times he would witness to people. But his praying was more intense at this moment than any other time in his life. Some people may think that he was praying for himself and that he was afraid of dying, but that was not the case. The ambush they had walked into was the most fire his company had ever received from the enemy during his entire stay in Vietnam. His praying was not for himself, but for his men. Harold knew that there were going to be a lot of deaths from this attack and he also knew that most of the men in his company had never accepted Christ. He had witnessed to most, if not all of his men, but they were like Chuck, they just did not want to have anything to do with Christ.

Off to the right, Harold could hear one soldier after another screaming from gunshot wounds or from shrapnel. He knew there were many that did not scream or cry out, they just died. Harold called in for the fast movers (those were the jets that would come in very fast and low, if a company was in trouble) to help with their situation.

Even though Harold had assumed that the fire was coming from all directions, that was not the case. The fire was coming from the jungle line to their left. The only thing that was going to save the company was to move about one hundred yards forward to the edge of the rice paddy, where there was some cover. Harold gave the orders to move, as fast as possible, forward to the tree line. As the men moved forward, the firing was becoming even more intense than before. The enemy knew that if the Americans reached the tree line, the fighting could become hand to hand.

As Harold's company moved forward, they pulled any wounded soldiers with them. Those that were dead, they would pick up after the fighting was over. It seemed as if it took all day to move from the rice paddy to the edge of the tree line, however, it only took twenty minutes. During those twenty minutes, another seven soldiers were killed and ten more were wounded.

Once they were protected by the tree line, the fast movers dropped their napalm on the area where the firing was coming from.

All firing stopped and Harold started to take a count of the dead and the wounded. Out of four platoons of fifty men each, there were thirty-two dead and twenty-one wounded. Harold told his men to be on alert for any more firing. For the next twenty minutes, there was silence. Harold had already called for choppers to pick up the wounded and the dead. That was exactly what the enemy had counted on. The VC wanted the choppers to fly in and start taking the wounded and the dead out, and then they could open up on the choppers.

Four choppers were at the LZ when the mortars and the machine gun firing started again. Three of the choppers were hit immediately and one went down. The other three took to the air and took what wounded they had to the nearest hospital. The one thing that Harold did not know was that the VC and NVA were attacking with over a thousand men.

Harold called for more air support and for more troops to be air lifted into the fight. The enemy was moving in for the kill and Harold could sense that something was wrong. To the right, he could see Chuck firing at the VC and he could see his men falling from direct hits. Harold left his position and went to help Chuck, but Chuck was only minutes from eternity. Once Harold was beside Chuck, they both could see that they had to make a run for the machine gun position. With bullets whizzing by, Harold asked Chuck if he would like to accept Christ as his personal Savior?

Chuck looked at Harold and said, "You don't think we are going to get out of this alive, do you?"

"I believe I will get out alive, but I don't know if you will Chuck."

"In other words, you think that I should accept Christ so I can go to Heaven, if I'm killed?"

"I think it's better to be safe than sorry. If you accept and you are killed, you will go directly into Heaven."

"But, if I don't accept, I will go straight to Hell, right?"

"That's right, Chuck. You will go straight to Hell. You have a golden opportunity right now, what do you have to lose?"

"Let's just say, if I don't get killed. I will have to live a totally different life than what I am living now. I like the type of life I'm living. So don't try and get me saved."

The conversation only lasted about a minute, but it would be a conversation that would stay with Chuck for all eternity. You see, one minute after the conversation, Chuck was killed. The very moment he departed this life, he arrived in the compartment of torment, to await the Great White Throne Judgment.

During the battle, Harold was wounded three times. One of the wounds was very serious and he was air lifted to a hospital and was operated on for two hours. The battle had lasted for over three hours and if it hadn't been for the choppers bringing in more than a thousand troops, all of Harold's men would have been killed.

Harold had a mission in Vietnam. It wasn't hunting down the enemy, or killing the enemy. It was telling many young soldiers about a loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Many, many young men did accept during the time that Harold was in Vietnam. He wanted more to get saved. The ones that did get saved, also, became soul winners. Because of Harold's witnessing and because of the kindness that he showed, many of those men that would never have accepted, did accept, when they thought their time was over.

Those men would tell others and the numbers continued to rise. When the rapture occurred and Harold saw all of the people that went to Heaven because he shared Christ, he was amazed. Down deep in his heart, he knew that if he shared Christ with as many people as he could, the Word would not come back void. He knew that Christ would reap a large harvest of unbelievers that would never have believed, if he had not been there.

Harold thought about Vietnam later in his life and some men would have regretted that they had to go and fight, but not Harold. He considered the time in Vietnam as a mission field. Missionaries have been going into one country after another to tell people about Christ. Vietnam was no different. There were people there that had never heard of Christ and what He did for them on a cross, two thousand years ago. Harold's mission was to tell anyone that would listen, and tell he did.

The people that believed in Christ, during those years that Harold spent in Vietnam, were not just Americans, but a large number of Vietnamese believed that Christ was the Savior of the world, also. Many of the Vietnamese that believed knew that, if their families ever found out that they were Christians, they would be expelled from their families. To some, that did not make any difference. They would tell their family members that Christ was the Savior of the world. If they did not believe, they would regret that decision for eternity. In many cases, when the family heard that one of their relatives had accepted Christ, it was a death warrant. Many of the nationals paid with their lives for becoming Christians.

The number of believers in Christ among the Vietnamese began to grow and grow. All over Vietnam, the nationals were telling others about Christ. The Christian movement was growing and then the impossible happened.

America pulled out of Vietnam and the Communists took over. When the Communists took over, the Christians began to be persecuted. Thousands upon thousands were promoted to glory. However, because of just a few Americans telling about Christ, multitudes were given eternal life through Christ. Also, all of those that were killed by the Communist for their faith in Christ received the Crown of Life, at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

After Harold's wounds were healed and he was released from the Army with a medical discharge, he went straight into the ministry. First, he became a traveling evangelist for two years. In one small town, he met the girl of his dreams. Her name was Lori and she knew that Harold was going to be her husband. They were married six months after they met. Harold started a new church in town and, after two years, it was the largest church within forty miles. His ministry grew as did his family. Lori and Harold had two boys and two girls. Harold also worked on his Ph.D., and, after six years, he received the degree from Multnoma.

Harold led thousands to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, as did his sons. Each son went to Bible College and became a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His daughters also married young men that were going into the ministry. You could say that Harold's family was determined to spread the Gospel throughout the world.

If we were to look at 100 ancestors of Harold, we would see that 96 were saved and would be promoted to Heaven, if they were to die. However, most of his ancestors would be going up at the rapture when the trumpet sounded.

Just look at the way things would have turned out. From ancestors going to Hell compared to those going to Heaven. If Gene would have accepted, his whole family would have come to a saving knowledge of Christ. They would have had a different eternal state than the one that they were going to go to after their death.

Some people will say that one person does not make that much difference or they will say one person does not make any difference at all. But, we can see how one person did make a lot of difference. The same could be true in anyone's family. One person who believed what the Bible said and accepted could change the entire lives of those in his or her family. We will soon see what I am speaking about as we follow the story of Gene's family.

CHAPTER 16

Now that I have told you about the life of Harold, I will tell you about the life of Gene's other older brother, Steven. I think you will see that his life was just as exciting as Harold's. Also, you will see how the world could have been changed, if Steven would have accepted Christ as his Savior.

Steven Lynn decided to go to Bible College right after high school, just like his older brother, Harold. Each year at school, all the mission boards would send representatives to tell about their mission field. In his second year, he took a long look at the mission field. He started to think back about a movie he had seen with Charlton Heston as the star. The movie was Khartoum.

The movie went along with the true life story of General Gordon. During his stay in the Sudan, he stopped the slave trade and crushed any rebellion or uprising. He was killed on January 26, 1885, by a Sudanese rebel by the name of Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi. After his death, the British public acclaimed him, "Gordon of Khartoum."

Intrigued by the movie and the life of General Gordon, Steven decided he wanted to go to the Sudan and spread the gospel. His main thrust was to finish college, raise his support, and then go where the slave trade was still very active. The Sudan would be his life's goal.

If you were to think about his real life, without Christ, you will remember he was sentenced to be a prisoner, held captive within four walls. Yet, with Christ, he chose to be a prisoner. This prison was one that was not placed there by Christ, but was one that Steven placed around himself. He surmised that a prison had certain rules and those rules were not to be broken. A prison, also, has certain jobs one must perform on a daily basis. His thinking was to act as if all the rules of a prison would apply to him. In prison, you go from one day to another until your time is up. Once your time is up, you are released. Each and every prisoner looks forward to that specific date that he will be released.

There is rejoicing and excitement at the very moment that the prisoner is set free. Steven was thinking the same way when it came to spreading the gospel. The very moment that a person accepts Christ, there will be rejoicing and excitement, not only in Heaven, but also on earth. Steven did everything he was supposed to do to prepare himself for the mission field. Not only did he prepare himself scholastically, but he prepared himself mentally and physically.

The last 2 ½ years of Bible College, Steven decided to work out every day and he took on a part time job. The job was not necessary for him to get through Bible College. However, because support was hard to get, he decided a part time job would give him some extra money which he could save and, just in case of a crisis or an emergency, he would have a small nest egg to fall back on. Steven had no idea just how important that nest egg would be until years later.

The part time job Steven had was that of a mechanic. He started working on small engines and later on, he was taught how to work on bigger and bigger engines, until one day, in his senior year, he had an opportunity to learn how to work on airplane engines. The idea of working on airplane engines was beyond his wildest dreams. You might say, it is beyond any person's wildest dreams, but the Lord places things in our paths that will help us years later down the road. That is the way it was for Steven. The Lord knew that Steven was going to need all the help he could get, and the money that he would make working on airplane engines would be that nest egg, once he was in the Sudan.

During the last year of Bible College, things took an unexpected change. The mission board requested that Steven remain in college for two more years and work on his Master's Degree. Steven was dumfounded by the decision. He wanted to get to the Sudan and spread the gospel as soon as possible. However, the Lord had other plans for Steven. The Lord wanted him to earn as much money as he could before going to the mission field. Even though Steven was anxious about getting to the mission field and spreading the gospel, he had to be patience and let the Lord work everything out.

He had read all about the Sudan and what was happening with the slave trade. The cruelty that people suffered at the hands of a fellow human could never be imagined or believed until he was in the country and he could witness it for himself.

The mission board saw something in Steven that he would never, and could never, see in himself. What the mission board saw was leadership. Mission boards interview many, many candidates for the field each year. Once in a great while, they met a candidate that stands above and beyond all others. There is something that makes that person stand out and there is something that goes beyond a human understanding of leadership and morality. Steven had all the qualities of being another Hudson Taylor, one of the great missionaries to China, or the great India missionary, William Carey.

Sometimes a mission board sees that person becoming more than he could even think of being. Sometimes, that person becomes the President of the entire mission board. This is what the mission board saw in Steven. They also knew that his heart was for the Sudan, but after the Sudan, then what? With the dynamic personality and the leadership qualities that Steven had portrayed, he was a natural for high leadership in the mission board.

Now, I will get back to the part time job of working on airplane engines. Steven knew that one of the highest paid jobs around was airplane engine repair. He thought that the Lord had put the job there so he could learn how to repair the engines. However, he never considered that the Lord put that job there so he could earn thousands of dollars for a savings account that would save lives.

The slave trade was running rampant and the extra money that Steven made would make it possible for him to buy certain men, women, and children that he knew would either be killed, molested, tortured or have other cruel things happen that one could not even imagine. During his twenty four years in the Sudan, he would be able to free thousands of people by giving favors, by buying them, by trading things, or by negotiating for their freedom. Before the end of his ministry, he would become known as the modern day General Gordon. His zeal would become the catalyst all over the world for a renewal to the mission vision of the great missionaries of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The Lord was working on Steven in one other way that would help with money and with freeing slaves.

Once Steven learned how to work on and repair airplane engines, the Lord opened another field. The field of jet engine repair was booming. All over the world, jet engine repair mechanics were being paid more than the President of the United States. So the Lord opened that field for Steven, also. Once he learned how to repair and work on jet engines, he had to use his time wisely. Going to Bible College with an eighteen hour load and learning how to work on airplane engines and then jet engines was extremely time consuming and it was very hard on the body. But, Steven left everything in the hands of the Lord. He said the Lord would give him the time that was needed for all of the challenges.

Now, let me get back to the Bible College days of Steven. Some Bible students do not prepare themselves for an adventure into the mission field. They think of it as a job instead of a calling. Steven considered it a calling of God. He knew it was not going to be easy. As a matter of fact, he knew it was going to be very difficult and it was very possible that he would even lose his life. But, what was one life compared to what Christ did for us on the cross, two thousand years ago. His thinking was to take the gospel to the Sudan, just as General Gordon did, and to try and stop the slave trade.

The prison that Steven had imagined was one that would be focused around Jesus Christ. He would do all the things necessary to prepare himself for the Sudan and, as I said before, the Lord places things in our path that will help us in the future.

The path that Steven was walking was the exact path the Lord had prepared for a young man that wanted only to serve his God and his Savior, Jesus Christ. During the last semester of college, just before he received his Bachelor's Degree in Bible, he met a sophomore girl by the name of Jackie Ann Connors. Jackie was from a family that was currently on the mission field. The first day they met was in the lunch room. The only chair that was empty was right next to Jackie. Steven asked if the seat was taken and Jackie, like the lady she was, answered, "No."

The next day, there were a lot of open seats in the lunch room, but for reasons not known to Steven, he went and sat right across from Jackie. They both made small talk during lunch and once they were finished, they finally made direct eye contact. For the first time in the short life of Steven, he had a feeling that he had never experienced before. The palms of his hands were sweating and he could feel beads of sweat on his neck and on his back. The feeling of love affects all people differently. With Jackie, she felt a sense of security and a feeling of desire that she had never felt before. Oh, yes, they both had many dates during their high school days and they had dated during their time at Bible College. But, the Lord did not want them to have that feeling until it was His timing. The timing for Steven and Jackie was just starting and it would continue until the summer that Jackie would graduate from Bible College.

Each day, they would meet and talk about things they wanted to do and things that they considered important. The day that Steven informed Jackie that he was going to the mission field in the Sudan, Jackie about died. She explained that missionaries were not welcomed in the Sudan and that his life would be in jeopardy each and every day that he was there. She knew this, because her parents were missionaries in the Chad. The Chad was a small country next to the Sudan. Time after time, the rebels would invade the Chad and would kill and steal. Steven wanted Jackie to understand his mission. His mission was to go to the Sudan and free as many people as he could from an eternal life of hell and, also, to free them from the perils of corrupt men. His goal was to spread the Gospel.

Day after day, they talked about the mission field and, one day, the topic finally arrived at marriage. They both knew it was the Lord that made their paths to cross and, since it was the Lord that made all things happen, they knew they were going to be married. Jackie knew that life in the Sudan was going to be very difficult. She, also, knew that if they were to have children, their children would be in harm's way most of the time. But, she knew that with Steven and the Lord, she had the majority. Nothing could happen to her or her family, unless the Lord permitted it to happen. If He permitted it to happen, then there was a reason, and she would have to rely on the Lord to reveal the reason to her and her family.

Steven and Jackie saw each other a lot during the day, but after school, Steven had to work his part time job. Each and every penny he made was put into savings for the mission field. Jackie, also, was putting money back from the part time job she took after school. She decided she would not say anything about the extra money. She would let it be a surprise one of these days, when things seemed so dark and gloomy and nothing seemed to be working out.

Jet engine repair did pay a lot of money and after two years of working on them and working on his Master's, it was finally time to receive his degree. Remember, that same year, Jackie would be receiving her degree. This was the biggest year in Steven and Jackie's life. They both received their degrees and, on June 17, they were married. After a week honeymoon, Steven contacted the mission board and was given his instructions. He and Jackie were supposed to go to the mission school and learn the language of the Sudan. Jackie could speak the language pretty well, but Steven found out it was not going to be a cake walk, learning their native tongue.

After nine months of training, which included speaking, writing, and singing in the Sudan language, Steven was ready for the mission field, but was the mission field ready for Steven?

The first thing that had to happen was for the government to give Steven and Jackie permission to enter the country as missionaries. If you remember, Jackie said that with Steven and the Lord she had a majority. Well, that is not really true. Just having the Lord gives you the majority. The Lord was going to work everything out so Steven and Jackie could enter the country without any problems. First, the Minister of Interior had rejected all applicants from missionaries for a visa into the country. Second, the increased violence in the country toward foreigners was on the rise. Third, anyone teaching or preaching Christianity would be tried for treason and would be executed.

Now that you know the obstacles that were placed in the path of Steven and Jackie by the government of Sudan, you will see how the Lord worked all things out for His good. First, in a dream one night, the Minister of Interior was told not to hinder the paper work of Steven and Jackie, but to grant them entrance into the country. Also, the dream showed him his death, within one week, if he did not grant them permission to enter the country. Second, because Jackie was a Chad national, she would be considered a national in the Sudan. This was a little agreement the countries had before the civil war. The Minister of Interior said that if there was any violence toward them, the responsible ones would be tried and either put into prison or would be executed. Third, the Lord made it possible for people that were against the Gospel being preached to have their ears closed. In some way, He made it possible for the government to turn the cheek, when it came to the Gospel. One might say, it was one miracle after another in the life of the greatest missionary ever in the history of Africa.

The first day in the Sudan would be a day that would be remembered by all the people there and would be written in books of great Christians. Steven and Jackie had just left the airport and were on their way to their new home, when the taxi cab driver started a conversation. Steven informed the driver they were Christian missionaries and they were excited about being in the Sudan. The driver stated that they would not be there long, once the people knew what they were there for. He made it very clear they would be killed or expelled out of the country in one week. Steven never gave a thought about the statement from the driver, but he did ask if it was true about the market place where one might buy a person to be a slave. The driver told him not to go there because he would be killed for sure. Steven told him that was where they wanted to go, after they left their suit cases at their new home.

Once Steven had paid the driver for the fare to their new home and to the market place, it was time to see if the stories were true about the slave trade. Steven and Jackie walked and looked at all the things the market place had to offer, but there was no slave trading going on that they could see.

After another five minutes of looking, they could hear something off in the distance. It was a loud speaker shouting out something they could not make out. Following the sound, they finally found what they were looking for. The trading of slaves was in the wide open space toward the south of the market place.

Standing and watching as the speaker gave the height, weight, age, and health of the person that was being sold, made the blood boil in Steven. The small girl was only ten years old. Her mother was very poor and she had four other children to feed and she needed the money. The speaker started out at one thousand dollars, but soon he had to drop the price to five hundred. After five more minutes, the price would go down to one hundred dollars. There were no takers for this small girl. Rumors in the crowd were that she was too small to do anything. One middle aged man shouted out and said she was good for nothing. Another said it might be better if someone bought her and put her out of her misery. At that time another man said, "I will give you two dollars for her. "

Another said, "Three!"

Then someone shouted, "Four."

Then the price was up to twenty dollars. After another minute of bidding, the speaker stopped and walked toward the little girl. He reached down and pulled up her dress and stated, with a grin on his face, "She is very tender and young, if you know what I mean."

Steven had heard enough. He pushed through the crowd and jumped up on the platform. With a look of fire in his eyes, he gave the speaker one big push and down he went. Speaking in the language of Sudanese, he stated that it was wrong and immoral to sell people into slavery. "Children are a gift from God to loving parents. If you do not believe what I have just said, read it for yourselves in the Bible." Steven gave the scripture and he also quoted from memory more from the Word of God.

Instead of there being a riot, the people in the market place seemed to be humbled by what Steven was saying. The mother of the small child even asked to be forgiven for her sin. With the crowd listening intently, Steven then preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Grown men and women who had never heard the Gospel before were crying and asking Christ to come into their hearts. Steven stated that the Bible said that once you accept, you should be baptized. He told them that those who had accepted could be baptized in the fountains.

In the middle of the market place, there was a large fountain that had three feet of water always flowing in it. The crowd followed Steven and Jackie to the fountain and, one by one, each and every person that had accepted Jesus was baptized. While at the fountain, more and more men, women and children came to accept and to be baptized.

When Steven first started to preach about the Gospel, the people were astonished at his voice. The voice they heard was that of one with great authority and forcefulness. Also, the loud and demanding voice of Steven made them think that a prophet of God was in their presence. Steven could not have known that God had made the people hear a much different voice than the actual voice of Steven. What the people heard was more of a thunder in Steven's voice. His voice was so demanding and loud that people were certain that he was sent from God.

In fact, after that first message, people were accepting Christ daily for the next twenty four years. (When the rapture occurred and Steven was in Heaven, he found out that God had made the people in the Sudan believe that he was sent by God and they believed that they had great sin in their lives and they had to accept. Accept they did.)

After the last person was baptized, Steven grabbed a golden opportunity, when a verse came to his memory. The Lord put the verse in his memory in order to convince the crowd that Steven was a preacher, sent by God. The verse was Acts 2:41 - 'Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.'

After Steven quoted the verse, he asked if the people would sit still and let someone count the total number of people that had accepted and that were baptized. Thirty minutes later, the man that did the counting shouted out that there were three thousand people, exactly three thousand. All eyes were now focused on Steven. Before Steven could say anything, one of the oldest men in the crowd stood up and shouted so everyone could hear.

"The Bible is the true Word of God. It said three thousand people would accept and be baptized. We have witnessed a miracle from God."

"This verse is referring to the time when the church was just starting almost two thousand years ago," Steven told the people.

The older man shouted again, "It does not make any difference, the Bible said three thousand and we will believe the Bible. Not only is the Bible the Word of God, but you are a prophet of God."

"I am a missionary sent from God to you so you can hear the Gospel. I am not a prophet."

"You may call yourself anything that you want, but we know that you are a prophet. We also know from the ancients that a prophet would come and lead us out of our misery and sins. You are that prophet. We have seen the light and now we will follow what you teach us."

The very thing that the Lord wanted to happen did happen. The people believed that Steven was the first true prophet of God in thousands of years. From that day on, the people of the Sudan started to believe and accept.

Even though the people believed that Steven was a prophet of God, they did not stop the slave trade.

There were certain men in the Sudan that tried to stop the Word from being preached by Steven. They would tell lies about him, the things that he was teaching, and the things that he believed. The Lord, on the other hand, was not going to let anyone or anything stop the spread of the Gospel.

By the time the ministry of Steven was over, the Sudan would be considered the United States of Africa. The slave trade would stop, as would all other corrupt things that a deceptive nation like the Sudan was doing. Sudan changed their government structure and adopted freedom and the pursuit of happiness for all. With Christianity growing and engulfing the entire country, the leaders decided it was best if they sent missionaries to all the other countries in Africa. The spread of the Gospel was like a burning desire in the hearts of people that had never heard the Word before.

One year after Steven and Jackie arrived in the Sudan, Jackie became pregnant. Not only were Steven and Jackie both excited, but the people of the Sudan were more excited than the parents were. The thinking was that the prophet of God was going to have a son and the son would become a prophet. In other words, God would bless the Sudanese, not only through the father, but now bless the country through the son, also.

The day finally arrived for the birth of the baby that the Sudan was waiting on. At 2:43 in the afternoon, a son was born. In a dream, Steven was told to name his son Joel. In the dream, Steven was told to start quoting verses as soon as he was born and to teach him the Word, as soon as he was able to understand. The Lord told Steven that Joel would be the only true prophet on earth before the great and terrible day of the Lord.

For almost two thousand years, there had not been a true prophet from God on earth. Man did not need a prophet. The Bible was the Word, the complete Word. The Bible guided man through all sorts of problems and man could depend on the Word. However, with the nations of the world becoming more and more ungodly and racing toward the tribulation, God was going to give them one last chance. He let Steven come to the Sudan and the entire country became a lighthouse in a dark world. God would also let one last true prophet come forward and warn the world of the coming tribulation.

Steven and Jackie's son, Joel, was that prophet. All through his life, he was quoting verses wherever he went and he would tell people that they were sinners and they needed a savior. When Joel was ten years old, the slave trade finally stopped. At the age of twelve, Joel started to preach the coming judgment of the world from God. He was telling not only the Sudan about a man by the name of the Antichrist, but he was telling the whole world.

Four years later, a letter addressed to Steven arrived. The letter asked if his son, Joel, would come and preach at the soccer stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. They thought that they might get twenty thousand to come and hear one of the youngest preachers in the world. Being sixteen and preaching the Word to a dying world was the exact thing that Joel wanted to do. Steven wrote back and accepted the invitation. One telephone call after another and everything was set up.

The day finally arrived for Joel to speak. The promoter thought that they could get twenty thousand to come and hear the Word, but the stadium was completely filled. One hundred thousand came to hear, and they had to turn forty three thousand away. The announcer came forward and introduced the person that would lead the two gospel songs.

After the songs, Joel was introduced. The announcer stated, "It is now time to hear one of the youngest preachers in the world. Here is the JUDGMENT PREACHER, Joel Pittman."

Joel started out by saying that the tribulation was still future, but how far into the future, no one knew. "The rapture could occur before the day is over or the rapture could be ten, twenty, or even thirty years down the road. No one knows the day, the hour, or the second the Lord will come for His own. One must be ready to be taken. In order to be ready, you must accept Christ as your personal Savior. If you do not, you will go into the tribulation." For almost two hours, Joel preached the coming judgment of God. Thousands did accept, but there were thousands that walked away from salvation. Those never would accept, and when the rapture did occur, they went into the tribulation.

Joel did not go to Bible College, nor, for that matter, did he ever attend any school of higher learning. He received everything from God. God did bless his ministry with millions coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Joel's ministry blossomed into a full world revival.

When the rapture did occur, there was not one single person on earth that had not heard of The Judgment Preacher. The Judgment Preacher, Joel Pittman, was known world-wide for his dynamic preaching and how simple he made the Gospel. The first prophet, in two thousand years, appeared for just a short time to deliver the MESSAGE, and then he and the church were gone.

As I said, Joel continued to preach judgment until the day that the rapture occurred. Millions of people came to a saving knowledge of Christ through Steven's son.

But, Steven had two other sons, Matthew, and Peter. Peter was called the son of Thunder by those that were saved under his ministry. Matthew was totally different than Joel and Peter. He presented the Gospel to people, just by being around them and talking to them. He did not have thousands hear him or even hundreds. He liked to go one on one and let the person ask questions and go to the Bible to see for themselves if what he said was true. Also, Steven's two daughters married preachers and their lives were directed by the Lord.

People will say that one life means nothing compared to millions of lives. However, one life does mean a lot. When one person accepts Christ as his or her Savior, the change that occurs has a ripple affect not only in their life, but in the lives of people not even born yet. Because Gene accepted, his brother Steven and his sons and daughters became Christians. Through them, millions of lives were changed. The entire world heard about the coming judgment of God on a lost world. One person did matter. One person affected the lives of not only millions, but he affected a whole country and the whole world. One person counted. Never think that one person does not count.

Just think how the world would have been, if Gene would have accepted. He had every chance in the world. All he had to do was to accept. He did not accept and everything that I have told you about his brother, Steven, and his family did not happen. Nor did Steven's son, Joel, become the Judgment Preacher or the first prophet in two thousand years. If you look at the Sudan, it still has the slave trade and it is still a heathen nation. The people in the Sudan are destined for Hell, unless someone tells them of the love of Christ.

Steven's only son was named Benny, and when he was twenty two years old, he was killed trying to rob a bank.

As I stated earlier, Steven was caught stealing and was sentenced to prison for thirty years. While in prison, he was far from a model prisoner. He was one of the worst prisoners there. He was always cheating or stealing from the other prisoners. He was killed over a carton of cigarettes.

Steven became just like his father, Darrell. He was lost and he was going to an eternal place that he did not believe existed. That place does exist. All it takes is for ONE PERSON to witness to one person and to tell them of the love of Christ. If the person listens and believes, the person will not go to that place called Hell.

CHAPTER 17

Now that you've seen how Steven could have affected, not only a nation, but the world, it is now time to see how Gene's oldest sister Peggy Sue would have affected things.

If you remember, she became a Christian within thirty days of Gene's acceptance. Gene had been praying that his whole family would accept and when he started to pray about that, he knew that God was going to answer his prayer. God was not going to let his prayers fall on deaf ears. Not only did his whole family get saved, but his father, Darrell, accepted also, as you already know. One might say that was a miracle.

When Peggy Sue accepted, she said that she was going to live a life for Christ and she wanted to be directed by the Holy Spirit in everything that she would do. She wanted people to see her and know that Christ lived within her heart. Not only did people see a difference in Peggy Sue, but they also knew that she would marry a Christian man and that man would be something very special.

In Junior High School, she was the most popular girl in school. Her popularity was not because she would go out with any guy that would ask, or that she would do the things that the other girls were doing. She was popular because she went out of her way to help anyone that needed help with school, or if a person just wanted to talk and blow off a lot of steam, she was there. When I said that she would help with school, what I mean is, if a person was having problems with a class or a subject, she would show them how to work a problem or how to dissect a sentence. If it was a personal problem, she would sit and listen to the problem and then give her ideas on how to solve that problem. Sometimes the problem would be what a girl should do to keep her boy friend. The answer to that question was always the same. Never, never give in and don't give a boy what he wants sexually.

The boys in school respected Peggy Sue for her stand and her morals. Down deep, most of the boys wished that all the girls could be like Peggy Sue. However, not all girls had Christ living within them and guiding them. Those girls that did were just like Peggy Sue. They would go out and have fun, but they always made sure that the guy knew where they stood when it came to sex.

Peggy Sue was a devout Christian and she knew that people were always watching to see if she would stumble and fall. Yes, she did stumble and fall, but Christ was always there to pick her up and to encourage her to keep going. Her fall was not one that a person could see, it was a fall that she knew about and that she prayed about. You see, even though she was a devout Christian, she still had the same wants and desires of any young teenage girl in Junior High. Just because a person is a Christian does not mean that they live in a fenced in world without any joy. They see the same world, just like the unsaved person does. The difference is that the Christian relies and depends on Christ for their direction, while the unsaved will depend on themselves or on others for their direction.

During those days in Junior High, Peggy Sue was constantly in prayer for someone. She was also praying that the Lord would direct her to the man that she would marry. She always thought that her future husband would be from her Junior High or her High School. She never even thought that he might be from her Bible College. Oh, I guess I am getting a little ahead of myself.

Junior High went very quickly for Peggy Sue and the summer just before she went to High School, she knew that the Lord was preparing her for Bible College. The subjects she would consider taking in High School would be what she would need in Bible College in order to get the degree she was wanting. Her desire was to receive a degree in Bible and to get a minor in counseling. Very, very few women received a degree in Bible unless they were going to the mission field.

Peggy Sue decided that the biggest mission field was right in her own back yard. She knew that there were millions upon millions of unsaved people throughout the world and that would be the job of missionaries to reach them. She wanted to reach those in her own community. Also, she knew that the man she decided to marry would also have that same desire.

Her first year in High School was one that would test her morals and, also, that would set the stage for the rest of her life. As everyone knows, when school starts, it is also time for football. Peggy Sue was very good looking and she knew that all the boys would die to have a date with her. She had her choice of the best looking and most popular boys in school. One boy after another would ask her out and it finally came to the point she had to say yes, to someone. But, who was going to be the lucky boy. Down deep, she knew that she did not want to go out with a boy that had a bad reputation. She just wanted a "down to earth" type of guy.

The day finally came. Instead of listening to that voice down deep, she wanted to go out with Nat. Nat was so good looking and the few times that he was close enough to touch her on the arm, or on the hand, she thought for sure she was going to die or have a heart attack. She had listened to her friends talk about Nat and how they also melted when he would look at them. Now, it was time to accept the invitation for a date. During the short walk from first hour to second hour, she saw Nat standing and talking with some of his friends in the hall. Instead of telling him privately that she accepted, she decided it would be best to make a big deal about their date.

Peggy Sue walked up to Nat and his friends and stated that she would love to go to the dance with Nat. The suddenness caught Nat completely off guard. He looked at Peggy Sue and smiled that smile that had melted all the other girls he had taken out, and then told her he would talk with her after school.

After school, they did meet, but Nat said he felt more comfortable in his car. They walked to the parking lot and sat and talked about the dance and what time he would be by to pick her up. He also told her what he wanted her to wear. Peggy Sue asked him why it had to be a low cut top and a short mini skirt. The answer was so ridiculous, Peggy Sue never thought it could be a lie. When she told her friends, they all chuckled, but they never said a word about why Nat would want her to wear clothes he had told her to wear.

On Friday, Nat reminded Peggy Sue they would be out late, but she never thought midnight was late. Peggy Sue may have thought midnight was not late, but Nat had other ideas on where they would go and what they were going to do. After the football game, they went to the dance. At the dance, Nat made it a point that his buddies would ask Peggy Sue to dance. That way, Nat could dance with one or two of his other girl friends.

With one dance left, Nat asked his friend Shawn if the party was still on. With a big smile on his face, Shawn said it was. Ten couples had been invited to a party at Shawn's house.

The party started with a few records and pop and pizza. But then, out came the beer and the whiskey. After two big drinks of whiskey and one beer, Nat was ready to take on the whole world.

Nat asked one of his friends for a piece of gum so he could kill the smell and the taste of the alcohol. The gum did the trick. Nat took Peggy Sue by the hand and off to one of the bedrooms they went. Peggy Sue thought they were going to make out for a while, then they would go back to dancing. That is not what Nat had on his mind. What he wanted was something that Peggy Sue had never given to anyone before.

Peggy Sue did enjoy kissing Nat and as they kissed the desire started to grow stronger and stronger. The desire was almost to the point of giving in, when a little voice said STOP! Peggy Sue jumped up and said, "What did you say?"

Nat looked at her bewildered and remarked, "I did not say a word. I was too busy thinking about you and what I have on my mind. Come back over here and stop that fidgeting."

"Stop that what?"

"Stop that fidgeting. You know what I want and I want it right now, so come back over here and let's do it."

"Is that the only reason you took me out tonight?"

"What other reason would I ask you out for? Just to have a good time? This is what I call a good time!"

"Well, you can get up from there and take me home. I don't know why I ever went out with you anyway."

"You know exactly why you went out with me. That game that you and those friends of yours play is really stupid. You want everyone to think that you are Christians and you are all miss goody, goody. Let me tell you, you are not fooling me or any of my buddies. You came out to see what it would be like and you knew you'd like it. Now, when it comes down to it, you don't want to do it. Well, I will take you home, but don't expect any dates from any of the guys in school. They are all going to know what happened this night!"

Nat was true to his word. The following week, the whole school knew that Peggy Sue had turned Nat down. Nat thought for sure that was the end of the dating life for Peggy Sue, but it was the only the beginning. All the guys in school knew what type a girl Peggy Sue was and they all knew that you would have a good time if you asked her out. Nat was the only person that did not see the light. He thought that she would be shunned, but the reverse only occurred.

The rest of her High School years went by so smoothly she could not believe she would be out of school in May. I might say, also, that all through the rest of her High School years, she could have had two or three dates every week if she had wanted them. She did not want that many dates. Once every two weeks, she would go out with one of the boys that she could trust.

May came and went as did the summer months, and before long, it was time for Peggy Sue to head off for Bible College. As I told you before, Peggy Sue wanted a degree in Bible so she could reach those in her local area for Christ. During her first year, she met many nice looking young boys, but there was never that one that made her eyes water. She thought that maybe the Lord had forgotten about her, but that was not the case. The Lord remembered her and He also knew that she had to be patience and let Him work.

Every now and then, someone will come into your life for just a moment and then they are gone. That is the way it was for George Kelley. Peggy Sue and George met just briefly at a Bible Study one night. They were introduced and made small talk and then that was it. Peggy Sue never gave it another thought, nor did George. George considered Peggy Sue very nice looking and he even had a small thought about what it would be like to have her as a wife. But then, he knew she would not go for a guy like him. He knew what his call from the Lord was, and he knew that someone like Peggy Sue would never consider marrying a man that wanted to be an evangelist.

George thought that Peggy Sue would want to be a teacher in a Christian School or maybe she would like to be a house wife. Both would be great jobs, if that is what a person wanted to do. For Peggy Sue, those were not the things that she was looking for. She wanted to reach people with the Gospel.

That one meeting between George and Peggy Sue was only the first meeting that they would have. Within one year, they would meet and fall madly in love, and during their last year at Bible School, they would become man and wife.

Peggy Sue met her future husband for the second time at Mr. Bishop's funeral. I will tell you more about the funeral a little later. When their eyes met, there was no bomb going off or loud horns blowing or anything like that. It was just direct eye contact.

At the grave site, the Lord was about to start His plan for George's life. Standing with Gene and the rest of her family was Peggy Sue. As she was standing there, she was looking at all the people that had gathered to place Mr. Bishop in the ground. Thoughts of death and eternal life kept Peggy Sue thinking about all of the lost souls that would be placed in the ground this next year. She thought about the punishment of Hell and the idea of eternity. The thought lingered when she wondered what Mr. Bishop was doing in heaven. Was he eating the fruit of the Tree of Life or was he taking his grand tour of Heaven?

George was wondering, also, what Mr. Bishop was doing in Heaven when they began to lower the casket into the ground. Another thought, and then it happen. George looked across at Mike and Gene, and then he saw Peggy Sue. He thought that he had met her before, but he could not remember if that was true or not. Then it hit him. She was at Bible College with him.

He knew he had seen her before and now he was wondering more about her than he had ever thought about a girl before. He was straining his memory to try and remember just exactly where he met her at school. He then remembered it was at a Bible Study. He also remembered about his thinking of her as a wife. As he stood there looking (I mean he was not just looking, he almost stared a hole through her), Peggy Sue glanced at him and smiled. George thought for sure there was someone beside him or behind him who she was smiling at. But, that was not the case. Peggy Sue recognized George from the Bible Study. The smile was just a casual smile that she gives people that she knows, but nothing serious. Well, the serious was about to start.

The Lord put both George and Peggy Sue at the funeral so they would see each other and that little thing called attraction would begin. The attraction would end up in marriage. The Lord had planned all things out. George would become the greatest tent evangelists the world would ever see.

Peggy Sue would fulfill her calling, also. She wanted to reach the unsaved with the Gospel and reach them she did. During the tent meetings, she would lead many a woman to Christ with the simple message that Christ died just for them. She made the plan so simple, some people said that she led more people to Christ than her husband. To Peggy Sue, it did not make any difference if she led more people to the Lord or if George did. The only thing that counted was that they were on the road to glory and they knew it.

If you remember the life of Peggy Sue without Christ, now you can see what type of a life she would have had if she would have accepted. Peggy Sue would have seen the rapture of the Church and would have taken that special trip that all Christians took when the trumpet sounded. She would have stood at the Bema Seat or The Judgment Seat of Christ. She would have been given crowns for the things she had done for the Body of Christ (The Church) and she would have heard Christ say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

But, because of the hardness of her heart, she took that other trip that all people dread once they die without Christ. As you know, that trip is the trip to the compartment of torment, to await the Great White Throne Judgment and an eternity in Hell.

The children that Peggy Sue and George would have had, would have become great evangelists, also, and would have led thousands upon thousands in a very simple prayer of salvation. They would have tent meetings just like the old tent meetings in the past. But, not all things happen the way it could have been.

George would have read the sermons from Mr. Bishop and would have taken some of his ideas and used them in his sermons. He would have taught his children how to lead people to Christ. That is why his children would have led thousands upon thousands to the Lord.

As we looked at Peggy Sue's life before Christ, we can see a pathetic person on the road to destruction. After she was saved, we saw a completely different person. That is what happens when a person becomes a Christian. They change. What a shame that she made a bad choice.

CHAPTER 18

The lives of Mike and Gene were going exactly the way they had planned. But, sometimes the Lord puts something in your path that brings a person back to reality. Two weeks after Mike and Gene finished with their college and they were thinking of the different offers from prospective churches, they received the bad news. Mr. Bishop was rushed to the hospital and within two hours, he was promoted to glory.

The worldly things that Mr. Bishop had, he gave to Mike and Gene, which included the old spooky mansion. The mansion was one of the largest built in Washington at the turn of the century. Mike and Gene decided the best thing to do was to give it to the state. They had a petition signed that made the mansion an historical site. Within one year after the death of Mr. Bishop, thousands of people were visiting the mansion every year.

One of the agreements they made with the state of Washington was that one dollar from every visitor would go to a special fund which no one knew who owned. At the end of the year, that special fund was taken and all the money that had been set aside was given to the law firm of Jaspher & Jaspher. The lawyer would then make a check out to the person, company, or corporation that Mike and Gene had designated to receive the fund. Ultimately, the fund would be given to the Bible College. The reason it was set up that way is because Mike thought for sure, if the State knew where he wanted the money to go, they would refuse to make the old mansion an historical site.

The church had the memorial service for Mr. Bishop and there were a number of preachers that came forward and told about the different things that had happened in his long life. There were many stories from the time while he was considered one of the greatest preachers that every lived. Next came the story of the fire and the misery of losing his family. The good things that he had done and the things that he accomplished seemed to be worthless without his family.

The pastor said, "Year after year, living in the mansion and not seeing or talking to anyone made Mr. Bishop desire death. However, he knew he could not commit suicide, so he wallowed in his misery." As the pastor continued with the story, people started to see, for the first time, the terrible life he lived and the grief he suffered.

After the story of the fire and how he met Mike and Gene, then came the story of the rest of his life. More stories were told and as each story became more and more exciting, people saw Mr. Bishop for who he really was, that being a great soul winner for Christ. Even as he was dying, he was still witnessing for the Lord.

Mr. Bishop knew that he was not in very good health, so he had written a letter and left it on his desk. The letter explained how he was given a second chance in delivering the Gospel to a lost world. He told how he caught Mike and Gene in his library and how scared they were and how Mike convicted him of not telling people about Christ. He stated that there are a lot of people like that in the Christian community. They get saved and then for some reason, they just stop telling others about Christ.

They make up all kinds of reasons for not sharing the Gospel, such as their wife and children were lost in a fire and when you lose your family, a person loses the will to live.

One excuse after another is explained away until the person starts to believe the excuses. He said that when a person accepts Christ as his or her personal Savior, they must continue to tell others about Christ dying on the cross for their sins. If a person stops telling, it may be that a large number of people will go to Hell because of what you did not do. When a person loses a member of their family, that does not mean that it is the end of the world, it just means that you must continue without them. You should not give up. That is one of the tricks of the Devil. If he can convince a Christian to stop telling about Christ, he feels as if he has won the battle.

The funeral was one of the largest that anyone could remember. The last to speak about Mr. Bishop was Mike. He told how Mr. Bishop would sit and talk about all of the things that he would do with Billy Sunday and other great preachers of that time. He, also, told of the great tent revivals that were held and how hundreds of thousands of people each year accepted. Mike made it very clear and plain what was expected of the old time preachers.

He also made it very clear what was expected of the new breed of preachers that were coming from Bible colleges. He stated that the Gospel must be explained so that a small child can understand and accept. The memorial service lasted two hours, but it seemed to fly by.

At the grave site, there were a few words for the great preacher and then his casket was placed in the ground. Each person that walked by would drop a handful of dirt on the casket. The last two to walk by was Mike and Gene. Mike and Gene knew that Mr. Bishop was in Heaven and, if he could come back, he would not want to. They both were rejoicing that Mr. Bishop was walking the streets of gold in Heaven and worshiping God Almighty. After the funeral, things were back to the way they were before. Mike and Gene would continue to look for a church that needed an old time preacher to preach the simple message of the Gospel.

Oh, there was one thing I almost forgot to tell you about the funeral. When the funeral notice was placed in the newspaper, one person that saw the notice was James Kelley. James had known Mr. Bishop all his life and when he saw the notice, he asked if his son David would like to go. David said he would like to go and he thought that maybe his son would like to go, also. David's son, George (Peggy Sue's future husband), was excited about the funeral because he had read and studied about the old time preachers that had tent revivals and how thousands of people were saved through the messages they presented.

George was curious about the calling that he had. Sometimes, he would wonder if he would be a preacher, or an evangelist, or did the Lord want him in the mission field? There were so many questions for a young man in Bible College. The one thing that he did know was that Mr. Bishop was one of the greatest preachers ever and now he was gone. He wondered to himself about the void that was left by Mr. Bishop.

Mr. Bishop had been considered a GIANT in the Christian community and now, with him being dead and other great GIANTS in the Christian community dying off, who would take the place of these GIANTS?

James accepted the Lord when he was nine years old. He remembered the times when he and Abe Bishop were young and did a lot of things together. (Since James was Mr. Bishop's age, to him, Mr. Bishop was Abe. Abe was short for Abraham. You see, Mr. Bishop's name was Abraham Joshua Bishop. Most of the time, he was called Abe, but sometimes in his life, he wanted to be called Josh.) They would go swimming at the creek or they would hitch a ride with someone and go the two miles down the road to the river. At the river, they would go fishing or swimming. It all depended on how they felt.

After both were married, James moved down the road about twenty miles. When his son, David, was born, he explained what it meant to be saved and at a young age, David also accepted. James had no idea that his grandson, George, would be what he had always admired in Abe Bishop. Abe Bishop was a man that would present the Gospel to thousands upon thousands of people. You see, when George was born, David wanted him to know about the Lord. As soon as he could understand that he was a sinner, George accepted Christ. That was when he was six years old.

David did believe in Christian Schools, but he felt it was best if George went to public schools. The one thing that David did do was to read all the stories of the Bible to his son, and he also told him that the Lord was going to use him in ways that were beyond his wildest dreams.

When George heard about the death of Mr. Bishop, he pulled out some of his old magazines and read about the great Bible preachers of the past. On page twenty two was the story of Mr. Bishop. He was standing with Billy Sunday and Hyman Waul. The article told about Mr. Bishop and the things he had done and how many people they thought he had lead to the Lord. The article was one of the most fascinating articles he had ever read. When he finished, he prayed that the Lord would show him what his call would be in the ministry. He had no idea that the Lord was going to show him, at the funeral, what he would do for the Body of Christ.

After that little prayer, George thought about some of the stories his grandpa would tell him about himself and Abe. One story that George would never forget was the story about a flimflam man that came into town one year and tried to steal money from the church.

Each year, the town had a cook out. At the cook out, women would bring pies and cakes to be sold to the highest bidder. There were other things to eat such as watermelons, honeydew melons, and there was plenty of smoked beef and ham.

The flimflam man came into the town and told the preacher he had a way that the church could make a lot of money. He had some cards and on each card, there were one hundred numbers. Behind three of the numbers, there would be a marker for a five dollar bill. There would, also, be a marker for a ten and twenty dollar bill. The flimflam man said that if they would buy one card, they could sell each number for a dollar. The final result would be that the church would make sixty five dollars.

Abe, or Mr. Bishop, had seen the same thing before and knew how it worked. Once the card was sold to the church, a young man would buy five numbers. The first number would be a loser, but the second, fourth and fifth numbers would win. The church would lose thirty five dollars.

As the flimflam man talked to the preacher and Mr. Bishop, Mr. Bishop told the preacher it was a pretty good deal and they should buy one card. The deal was made with one exception. Mr. Bishop talked the flimflam man into taking the money and paying out the winners. The church would pay him ten dollars for taking care of all the money. The flimflam man thought about it and decided he could make one hundred dollars rather than the thirty five he had planned on making.

The flimflam man knew what all the winning numbers were and his young accomplice would pick the ten and twenty dollar winners before anyone else could. Also, after the money was taken up, he and his young apprentice would leave town with all the money.

Mr. Bishop wanted to inspect the card and see if it was just like the one he had seen before. It was exactly the same. At the booth, the flimflam man was taking dollars from anyone that wanted to try their luck. His young helper was seventh in line. Mr. Bishop had already told James (George's grandpa) what number would win. When James gave his dollar, he said he wanted number 12. Behind 12 was the marker for ten dollars. The flimflam man had to pull ten dollars out of his own money and pay for the marker. Behind James was another friend of Mr. Bishop's. He said he wanted the number 77. You guessed it! It was the marker for twenty dollars. To the chagrin of the flimflam man, he had to pay twenty more dollars.

Standing right in front of the flimflam man's young helper was Mr. Bishop. Mr. Bishop took the number 52. If you are thinking it was the number for the five dollar marker, you are exactly right. Mr. Bishop received his five dollars and that was the first and last time the flimflam man was flimflammed. Oh, all the money did go back to the church and the money was used wisely. Although Mr. Bishop knew gambling was wrong, he felt he needed to teach this man that he should not try to cheat God or anyone else. He used it as another way to witness for the Lord.

Getting back to the story of the funeral, George was listening to everything that was said about Mr. Bishop. One thing they said was about the great tent revivals of the twenty's and thirty's that Mr. Bishop was involved in.

All of a sudden, it seemed as if a light came on in George's head. George knew he wanted that same kind of success. He wanted to be an evangelists that had nothing but tent revivals. He started thinking about the size of the tent and how many chairs he would need. It seemed as if there was one thing after another coming into his mind. Well, it was. The Lord was putting one thought after another in his mind and before the funeral was over, he had everything planned. However, the Lord had His own plan for George.

As you already know, George and Peggy Sue's eyes met at the funeral and they would be married during their last year in school. Also, the Lord worked things out for Mike and Gene. They had been looking for a church and the Lord used the funeral services as a stepping stone for the churches that would call them.

At the funeral, there were men from two local churches who were looking for senior pastors. When they heard that both Mike and Gene were looking for churches, they knew it was the Lord leading them to the funeral so these two young men would be called as senior pastors to take their churches.

Now, let's see what happened to Mike and Gene and see how the Lord led both of them in finding a church. We'll also see how He was going to let them present the Gospel.

Gene wanted to find a church so badly he could feel it in his bones. If he could just find a church, he and Sandy could set a date for their wedding. Often, just when you think that nothing is going to happen, it happens. Gene went to the mail box and inside was a letter from the First Baptist Church of Fellowship, which was just ten miles down the road. The letter stated that they wanted him to come and candidate for the position of senior pastor. Gene was so excited he called Sandy and told her the good news. Sandy didn't seem too excited, but then she told him she was as excited as he was, she was just teasing him. She explained that she knew that the Lord was going to provide a church when His timing was right. She stated that she knew they had to be patient and wait on the Lord's timing. His timing was always perfect. "When the Lord's timing is right, He will accomplish His will."

The excitement was tingling through Gene like a little kid in a candy factory. The second thing that he did was to call Mike and give him the good news. Mike was just as excited as Gene, because he had also received a letter from one of the local churches about coming to candidate for the pastoral position. They both could not believe their luck, but as you know, they both knew it was not luck. The Lord wanted them to be very close so their children, once they were born, would be just as close of friends as they were when they were young.

The following Sunday, Mike was scheduled to preach at the First Haven Community Church. He decided he would give a message on the requirements of Heaven. It was far from the best message he had, but he knew that every preacher that candidates always gives the best he has at first and that was not what Mike wanted to do. He knew that if he gave his best, the church would not be expecting anything better. However, if he gave something less than the best, the church would always be anticipating something better. That is what Mike wanted to do. He wanted to give a better sermon week after week.

He also wanted to guide and direct the church so the people would mature at a steady pace. Mike had seen many churches rush ahead and within four or five years, the people were burned out and ready to find another pastor. That is not what Mike wanted to happen.

Gene would preach in two weeks and his message would be out of Jude. He would show what "religious" men look like and how they resemble the real McCoy. They have the talk and the walk and they even act as if they know a lot about the Bible. These men are called apostates. They have everything, except salvation. Sometimes, these men even think they are saved, but down deep, they know they are spreading lies and false teachings or they really don't believe what they are saying. Many did it just for the money.

Both Mike and Gene were questioned about the things they believed and what they saw in the future for the church. Mike wanted the church to grow through evangelism, but not so fast that it would outgrow its space. Gene on the other hand wanted a church that was witnessing for Christ. He felt that growth would come, if the members were witnessing and telling others about Christ.

Both boards made up their minds and Mike and Gene were both asked to be the senior pastor of each church. As soon as Gene had the good news, Sandy set the date for their marriage. Remember, as I told you earlier, Mike had already married Mary Jane Culpepper.

With Mike and Gene living so close, it meant that when their children started to come into the world, they would be just like their parents. They would grow up together and they would go all through school together and maybe they would even go to college together.

Mike and Gene had their hearts set on presenting the Gospel to anyone and everyone that wanted to hear the simple message. Many people were going forward each Sunday morning and accepting. The numbers were small to begin with, but week after week, the numbers kept getting bigger and bigger until both Mike and Gene thought that a real revival was in their area. They were not mistaken about the thought of revival. There was one of the biggest revivals going on in the Northwest that anyone could remember.

The revival was not only being seen in the churches, but the Lord was working through George Kelley, too. During the last two years of Bible School, he had bought a tent and chairs. On the week-ends, he was going from one community to another, preaching that Christ died on the cross to save the world. People were getting saved and the fire was catching on all over the Northwest. Mike and Gene, both, would prosper from the preaching of a man on fire for the Lord.

The fire that George was building lasted for years in his ministry. The old time tent revivals started out very slowly, but with George's success, more and more preachers were turning to the tent revivals just like the old times. There were great preachers presenting the Gospel at tent revivals all over the country. However, all of the tent revivals died off, except for George's. You see, television was taking over. People were losing interest in sitting in hot tents when they could sit at home in an air conditioned home with their drinks and food on each side of their chair.

CHAPTER 19

I am almost finished telling you about the family of Gene and how they could have changed the lives of millions of people. So, now, I must complete the story. The only ones left are Barbara Ann and Anna Marie.

You already know what happen to them when they were not saved and now it's time to see how they both would have reached a multitude for Christ.

Barbara Ann followed Peggy Sue to Bible College and just like Peggy Sue, Barbara Ann wanted whatever the Lord planned for her. She knew that she was going to find her husband at Bible College and she also knew that he was going to have the same desire for saving souls as she had. She had gone out with many of the boys at school, but there just was not that chemistry that she thought had to be there when you fall in love.

One girl friend after another would date one of the boys and all of a sudden, they would let everyone know they were planning on getting married. Barbara Ann was wondering if there was something wrong with her because she was not finding Mr. Right after all the dates that she was having. Even her sister, Anna Marie, had made that statement about having all the dates, but no Mr. Right.

Could there be something wrong in the way that she was looking for a husband or was it that she wanted a husband so badly that she was not willing to wait on the Lord? Barbara Ann decided the best thing to do was to let the Lord guide and she would stop trying to force the issue.

The next day, she let things happen as they would. The first thing she did was to stop being so aggressive with the boys and let them start chasing her. She found out that her dating life went down-hill pretty fast. Instead of having three or four dates a week, she was lucky to get one date for the week. With the aggressive maneuvering over, the boys did not feel intimidated and did not feel that they had to take her out in order to be friends with her.

The second thing that happened was that she decided that she wanted the boys to ask her out because they wanted to be with her, instead of her wanting to be with certain boys. Her thinking was that if they asked her out, they really wanted to be with her and they also liked her. Many times in the past, her date wanted to be with her because she was so beautiful. You might say some guys like to impress people with a good looking girl friend. The third thing she had to realize was that beauty was more than a person's outward looks. One must look beyond the face and look at the person down deep.

By making these three changes, Barbara Ann knew that she would find the man that the Lord had chosen for her very soon. Well, very soon did not arrive. The first year and the second year at Bible College were over and still, she had not found the man that she would spend the rest of her life with. She was also wondering if her future husband would even be in Bible College. Maybe she would meet him someplace else, or it may even be that she would meet him in another state or country.

During her first and second year at school, she would go with nine other kids from the college to different towns close to the college and walk along the streets and hand out tracks about Christ. They would have one of the boys preach on the corner. Many times, people would stop and listen, but there never seemed to be anyone getting saved.

At the start of the third year of Bible College, Barbara Ann and Anna Marie (this was her first year) went with the usual group to hand out tracks. After passing out tracks, they went around a corner and they saw a large crowd standing in the middle of the block. When they reached the group, they found a young man preaching about the End Times. At the end of his message, he told the crowd that one day each and every person standing there would die and go to one of two places, either Heaven or Hell. "If you go to Hell, you go there because you refused to accept Christ as your Savior. But, if you accept now, you will have eternal life and you know that, if you die, you will be going to heaven." He then asked if anyone wanted to accept before it was too late. Out of the twenty one people in the crowd, five came forward and accepted.

Barbara Ann and the group she was with could not believe that five people came forward and accepted. For the last two years, they gave away tracks and one of the boys preached about Christ. But no one ever came forward and accepted.

They always thought that it was the Devil that was keeping people from coming forward. They never thought for one moment that the message was very terrible. They also never realized that forcing people to take a track, got them nowhere.

After the young man had finished with the last person that came forward, Barbara Ann and the others asked him a number of questions. The first question was a very obvious one. They wanted to know what his name was. He stated that his name was Clint Blume. The second question was also an obvious question. They wanted to know how long he had been preaching on the streets. He said he had been street preaching for the last five years. He stated that he started the first year he was at BIOLA and, each and every year, he and others would walk the streets of Los Angeles and tell others about Christ. He told them that the streets of LA were full of people wanting to know which direction to go.

Anna Marie wanted to know how many people he had led to the Lord and if he ever knew if the people he led to the Lord ever started going to church. Clint did not know how many people he had led to the Lord, but he knew it was a large number. He let the other kids know that he was not interested in numbers; he was only interested in the one soul that wanted Christ. He also did not know if they started going to church.

You see the main mistake that most people make is to try and get multitudes saved instead of focusing on just one person. "I had prayed to the Lord to let me reach one person for Christ and maybe others would see and want the same thing that he has. So when I go out on the streets and preach, I only want one person to accept. It just so happens that, if one person makes others think about their soul, then another person will come forward and ask me to show them in the Bible how to get saved. Some days, I have had twenty or thirty people come forward and ask how to get saved.

After listening to the things that Clint was saying, Barbara Ann decided she wanted that type of ministry for herself. She asked Clint for his telephone number and she also asked if he would mind if she went with him the next time he decided to preach on the streets. Clint could not say no. This was the first time anyone wanted to go with him street preaching and try to get souls saved since he had left Los Angeles.

The first time Barbara Ann called, Clint let her know that he was going out to the streets on Thursday and Friday nights, and he would be preaching all day Saturday. If she really wanted to go, he would meet her at the corner of Cherry and Spring at six on Thursday. Barbara Ann said she would be there right on time and, to the amazement of Clint, she was there. He explained how he was going to start and then how he would present the Gospel. All he wanted her to do was to hand out his special tracks, only if someone wanted one. She was not to force anyone to take one.

He said, "Never, never just walk up to a person and hand them a track. All they will do is throw it away. They already think that you are a fanatic for giving out tracks, so we must change their thinking about us. We want them to ask for a track. You know, curiosity killed the cat. The people must be curious about the information that is in the track. If they are curious, they will not throw the track on the ground or in a trash can. They will read it completely through and then they will ask questions."

After Clint explained about the tracks, it was time to walk the streets. The first person they met was a man about twenty nine years old. On the front and back of Clint's T-shirt were the words, "Ask me what I think." The man stopped Clint and asked the question, "What do you think?" Clint always had a different answer for each person that would ask that question. Clint looked down to see a wedding band on the man's finger. "I think that if I were you, I would stop at the flower shop before I went home and I would buy my wife some flowers. I would also write on the card how much you love her. You should prove your love for her and tell her that you would like to take her to church on Sunday morning."

"Why would I tell her about going to church on Sunday morning?"

"The way I see it, you may not care a thing about your soul and where you will go once you pass from this life, but you care so much for your wife, you want to know for certain that she will be in Heaven when her time comes. That is why you will take her to church on Sunday, and that is what you will tell her when she asks you why you want to go to church."

The man looked at Clint and stated that he had never considered where he or his wife would spend eternity. He just assumed that they would be going to Heaven, because they were good people. That was the statement that opened the door for Clint to show him what the Bible taught and what happens if a person rejects Christ. Within five minutes, the man had accepted and he promised that he would buy the flowers and go to church on Sunday.

The goal for Clint was reaching one person for Christ and that goal had been fulfilled with the first person Clint met on the streets. The second, third, and fourth went the same way. They would ask about his shirt and Clint would give them an answer that would open the discussion. After thirty minutes, Clint had led six people to the Lord. Barbara Ann could not believe what she was seeing. For two long years, she did not see one person saved and now, in less than thirty minutes, six people had been saved. Barbara Ann was curious about the time that Clint would start preaching on the streets. So she just simply asked, "Clint, what time do you usually start preaching to the crowds?"

He stated, "It's best to start about seven. At seven, we still have about an hour or an hour and a half left of sunlight. I will preach for twenty minutes and then I will see if there is anyone that would like to accept. If no one comes forward, I will preach another ten or fifteen minutes. If no one comes forward after the second time, we will move on to the next corner. It may be that we will not see one person accept. That's the way it is sometimes. Now, let's cross the street and find what looks like a good corner."

The last person that accepted before Clint started to preach on the streets was a little lady about seventy years old. Clint and Barbara Ann were standing at the corner waiting for the light to change when this little old lady walked up and stood right next to Clint at the light.

Once the light changed, they both took a step and the little lady stumbled and almost fell. If Clint had not grabbed her by the arm, she may have fallen and broken a bone or maybe something worse. Clint walked her across the street and on the other side, she thanked Clint for helping her. At that time, she noticed his shirt, so she asked the question.

"What do you think?"

Clint was hoping she would ask him that question, because he already had an answer for her. As they were walking across the street, he could smell the smoke of cigarettes on her clothes.

The answer Clint gave the little lady really did surprise her. He said, "If you do not quit smoking, you will die before your time."

She looked at Clint and, with a tear coming down her cheek, she said that the doctors had given her less than six months to live. That was the opening he needed. In less than three minutes, he led her to the Lord. That night, during his street preaching, there were four more souls added to the heavenly roles.

For the next three months, each and every time Clint went out to the streets, Barbara Ann was there with him. She did not realize that the Lord had placed Clint right in her path. She wanted someone that was as on fire for the Lord as she was and that person was Clint. His one desire was for souls, and the one desire for Barbara Ann was for souls, also.

Each time they would meet, the love for both grew deeper and deeper. Clint never said anything to Barbara Ann about the love he felt for her because he thought for sure the feeling was not mutual. Barbara Ann thought the same thing. She thought that his first and only love was for Christ. She was correct for half of that. His first love was Christ, but Christ was not his only love. Somehow, he had to show her that he cared about her and that he was very much in love with her and that he wanted her to be his wife.

One day, when they were sitting and talking, Clint came up with an idea that would show Barbara Ann how much he loved her. He started out by saying that Christ showed how much He loved the world by dying on the cross for the sins of every person; past, present and future. "There is no way anyone can show that much love for a person. But, if it was possible that a person could show that much love for another person, how could they do it?"

Barbara Ann said she didn't know the answer. Clint told her he thought that one way a person could show that much love for another person was for them to become man and wife. "If a man loves a woman that much, then he is ready to give her anything and everything that he has, which would include his life. If he gave his all for the woman he loves, do you think that woman would be willing to become his wife?"

"I think that all depends on if the woman he asks truly loves him."

"Barbara Ann, I would be willing to give my life for you." With that statement, he stood and watched her reaction and waited to see what kind of answer he might get back. "I don't want anything to hurt our relationship as it is now, but I can't hold back my feelings any longer. Will you be my wife?

"Oh, Clint, I thought you would never ask!!!!"

Clint and Barbara Ann were married the following June and within two years, they had their first child. They named him John. They had three more children and all the children accepted Christ by the time they were eight years old. John followed his father in street preaching and became one of the greatest street preachers the world had ever seen. During his ministry, he led over five thousand people to the Lord.

But, that was not all. The other children of Clint and Barbara Ann would be just as bold as John, when it came to delivering the Gospel. They would open their mouths and out flowed the messages of Christ to a dying world. The depths of Hell lost many a soul when they heard the Gospel being preached by the children of Clint and Barbara Ann.

Anna Marie was also looking for a husband. She was on fire for the Lord and she wanted the man that she was going to marry to be just like her when it came to lost souls. If I have not said it before, I will now. All of the girls in the Pittman family were very beautiful. They could have any man they wanted. However, with their good looks, they only wanted the most handsome man in the world, they just wanted a man that was totally in love with them and the Lord.

During Anna Marie's last year in Bible College, she met a boy that had one goal in life. His goal was to preach the Gospel to one of the most notorious countries in the world, that being New Guinea. Willie had read all about New Guinea and how the head hunters had killed many people that had tried to reach them with civilization. The past history of New Guinea was not glamorous. It consisted mostly of stories of head hunters and the way they would kill their enemies and shrink their heads. But, Willie knew that they must also hear about Christ and what He had done for them on the cross. He was determined to preach like Jim Elliott and if it meant he would lose his life, then so be it.

He knew that if he did go to that country, it just wasn't his life he could lose, but his head. He also knew that if he was martyred for Christ, he would receive the Crown of Life at the Bema Seat. What was one life compared to the lives of millions? One person does matter. One person can change everything. It may be that Christ would allow him to be the one that would reach the whole country with the Gospel.

Anna Marie and Willie could be seen everywhere together, once they started dating. They had their classes scheduled so they could be together even during the day. One thing that all the students knew was that Anna Marie and Willie would be man and wife before they would graduate.

Both Anna Marie and Willie decided to major in Bible so they could know the Bible inside and out. If they knew the Bible inside and out, they reasoned that everything else would go more smoothly. Things did go very smoothly for them at school. They both studied very hard and they also decided that their prayer life had to take first place in everything they did. When each would awake in the morning, they would read their Bibles and then they would pray. Many times, Willie would pray with his room-mate for thirty minutes and then go to class. Or, sometimes, he would meet Anna Marie and they would pray together.

When the school year was over, they both had made the Dean's Honor Roll and they had decided to get married in June of the following year. They wanted to have as much time as possible together, before they finished school. Next, they would be off to mission school for training in the language of people of New Guinea.

After what seemed like an eternity, mission school was over, and the next big test was getting support from churches. Visiting churches for support lasted for eighteen months, but they did get what was needed. The next thing was to make arrangements for their trip to New Guinea and then came leaving for the mission field. Everything wetn so smoothly that Willie was thinking that the mission field in New Guinea would be a piece of cake. Anna Marie had to bring him back to reality when she reminded him of the story of Jim Elliott.

Willie started to think about Jim Elliott and the things that he had read. He decided he was going to do some of the exact things that he had read about. Just maybe the Lord would let the people come to a saving knowledge of Christ without getting Anna Marie or himself killed.

Once they arrived in New Guinea, they found a place to live and then came the most important part of their ministry. They had to make contact with the Nimo Tribe. They had asked around and one of the other missionaries would fly Willie to a location where there were reports of a Nimo village. Willie had gathered all kinds of things to give to the people of the tribe and he was hoping and praying that he would receive some gifts in return.

The Nimo tribal people were located in the foothills of the Central Mountain Range. These people were headhunters and cannibals. If the plane were to crash or if it were to go down, they would never be heard from again. Headhunting, cannibalism and nose piercing were all part of their cultural and part of their religion. Their religion was called Animism. They believe they must appease the spirits of their ancestors. The enemies of the Nimo tribe could expect sorcery, poison and magic from the elders of the tribe.

With everything ready, Willie and the pilot were ready to take off. It would take about two hours to get where they thought they would find the village. After flying for about two hours, they came to a large clearing in the jungle and down below them was a very large village. They circled the village for a couple of minutes before they lowered the rope with a bucket of gifts. The circle the plane was flying made the bucket go around in a small circle close to the ground. The elders were the first ones to the bucket. They reached inside and took the gifts and replaced them with gifts of their own.

After thirty minutes of flying around in circles, it was time to fly home. Willie looked at all of the things the Nimo people gave him and he was wondering what they were. One thing that he did not have to ask anyone about was a small head of a grown man that had been shrunk. The missionary pilot explained that it was a great honor for him to receive a shrunken head.

Day after day and week after week, Willie would fly to the village and give gifts. But, one day the decision had to be made about making contact with the Nimo tribe. It was decided that they would land on a dry flat plain, one mile from the village and then walk to the village and see if they would be welcomed.

The day before he and the other three missionaries would fly to the Nimo village, they would have time with their families. Willie knew he did not want to say good-bye to Anna Marie. That would be like saying that he was going to be killed. He also did not want it to look like he did not have faith in the Lord to protect him and the other men. During the whole day, he and Anna Marie did the normal things they would do around the house. That night, he fell asleep holding Anna Marie next to him.

The next day would either be a disaster or a triumph. Once they were in the plane, there was not much chatter, but a lot of praying. They all knew they were depending on the Lord for protection. However, Jim Elliott was also depending on the Lord for protection. It could be they would be killed and the entire country of New Guinea would be saved by a large influx of missionaries.

The plane ride was almost over. They could see the village below and, within minutes, they would be landing and taking that long walk to the village. The plane came in low and then the wheels hit the ground and it came to a peaceful stop. Out of the plane and off toward the west it was for the four missionaries. Before they reached the village, a large group of headhunters met them. One look and they all thought they had made a mistake. Most of the men had bones through their noses and their hair was rolled up with a bone through it, also. They all had spears and bone knifes. Once they reached the four missionaries, they encircled them and escorted them to the village.

At the village, the chief made small talk with two of the missionaries that had been learning their language. They told the chief they wanted to send two of their missionaries to the village to live with them until the rains came. The chief was excited about having visitors and welcomed them with open arms.

Willie and Anna Marie had been learning their language and were able to speak it pretty well. However, one word said wrong could cost them their lives. Everything was finalized and within two weeks, Willie and Anna Marie would be flown in and left for four months.

Time seemed to fly by for both Willie and Anna Marie. They were ready to go and once they were at the village, the people were very friendly and wanted to help in any and in all ways. The first thing was to have a hut built, so they would be out of the elements at night and whatever Mother Nature might throw at them. The second thing was to set times when they could talk with the elders about Christ.

Things were going along really well until there arose a problem in the village. It seems as if one of the other tribes in the area was missing one of their young men and they accused the men of the Nimo tribe of killing and eating him. The confrontation occurred the next day.

The next day arrived with a lot of tension in the village. Everyone knew there could be a lot of killing and Willie knew that their lives were in extreme danger. The chief promised that they would all be killed in order to protect his guests.

When the other tribe arrived, Willie was the one that took matters into his own hands. He had purchased four pigs from one of the elders and offered it to the other tribe. He spoke in their language and said that these men are not responsible for the loss of the young man. "But they do grieve for him and whatever may have happened to him. They want to show their grief by giving the four pigs as a memorial."

The other tribe had never had anything like that happen before. They considered it an honor and the hard feelings were squelched by Willie. After that, Willie and Anna Marie were welcomed in both villages. Soon, other villages started to hear about this missionary couple who were telling about the God of the sky and how they could have life forever.

Willie and Anna Marie were the first missionaries that were considered as family to all the tribes in New Guinea. Because of them, the entire country was opened to the Gospel. Willie became the Jim Elliott of New Guinea.

Now you can see how things would have occurred, if the Pittman children would have accepted. But, as you know, they did not accept and the story of Willie and Anna Marie did not happen either. Willie was able to go to New Guinea and preach to some of the tribes, but he was not able to reach the entire country with the Gospel.

CHAPTER 20

Death does not wait for anyone. When your time is up, that is it. You do not get an extra day, an extra hour, and extra minute or an extra second. There is an exact second when you will be visited by Mr. Death. You could be in a hospital or at your home or you could be at work. If you are a Christian, you will continue with your witnessing or whatever ministry you have been given to do, until that second arrives. But, when the Lord says your ministry is over, it is over. As you know from what the Bible teaches, there is one of two places a person will go when they die. They will either go to Heaven or they will go to Hell. The deciding factor will be determined on what a person did with Christ. If you accepted Him as your personal Savior, you would go to Heaven. However, if you rejected, you would go to Hell.

When the death angel visited Gene, he was as surprised as each person is when they take that last breath of earthly air. The day that Gene accepted Jesus as his personal Savior, his life turned completely around. He started going to church on Sunday and attending both services. Gene said he was not going to go back on what he had said. He was truly committed to the things that he believed and because he believed what the Bible said, he knew he had to change. As you know, the change took place immediately.

The day that the Death Angel visited Gene was one of those days when nothing seems to go right. Gene had been at the church since nine and he was putting together his Sunday morning sermon on the topic of the false prophets of the Old Testament. The first thing that went wrong was the copier jammed and the paper was stuck, so that he had to call for a repair man to come out and fix it. The repair man said it would be about two before he could make it to the church. The second thing that went wrong was the coffee maker had a short circuit. That meant there would be no coffee for the rest of the day. The third thing that went wrong was the secretary called in sick. After that, the associate pastor called and said that he would not be there until one. He said that his hot water tank went out and the repair man would be out to fix it at twelve. It was just one thing after another that went wrong that morning. The best thing to do was to go home and take it easy for the rest of the day. And that was exactly what the Devil wanted him to do. He knew he had to finish his sermon and then the rest of the week would be open for calls and visits to his members.

However, Gene was not one to be superstitious about bad days. Everyone has a bad day or two. That is when you rely on your prayers to get you through the rest of the day. Gene stopped everything and sat down and prayed for sixty minutes. One of the last prayers he prayed was that, if this was his last day on earth, the Lord would let his death be swift and painless. This day, the Lord was going to answer that prayer. His death was going to be very swift and, as far as being painless, he would feel the pain only when the blood clot reached his lungs and his heart.

His death did not happen just over night, it started a week before. Gene was always helping people with moving and building and other things that needed to be done around the house or around the church. On the last Sunday, the Weber family asked if they could get help from people in the church with their move into their new two-story home. There were over fifty people that said they would help and with that many people, the Weber's could be moved in less than a day.

On the day of the move, Gene was carrying a table up the steps of the Weber's house, when he felt a pain in his leg and he fell down the steps. The fall only put a few bumps on him and, as far as being seriously injured, he was not. Well, I should say he did not think he was seriously injured. However, one of the bumps he suffered on his leg would turn into a blood clot that would travel up his body and would finally reach his lungs. Another smaller clot would reach his heart at the same time. With two clots reaching vital organs, his time would be over in seconds.

While Gene sat and prayed about the day, the Lord started to bring things back to his memory. The first thing he thought about was the day that he asked Christ into his heart. He remembered the peace he had from that day until now. He still had that peace and he was wondering why he was thinking about the past, while he was praying to the Lord. He also remembered about Dewey and how young he was when the Lord took him to Heaven. For all of these years, Dewey was in Heaven having the grandest time a person could have. He thought to himself how great that day would be when the Lord called him home and he was able to walk on the streets of pure gold and see all the marvels of Heaven. He thought about reuniting with his mother and his dad and all the other relatives that had gone on before him.

The more he prayed, the more he thought about the things that had happened in his life. Mr. Bishop came into his memory and how he was so scared the first time he encountered him. He also remembered Mr. Bishop giving half of what he had to him and to Mike. It was just one thing after another that was coming back to him and he was thanking the Lord for all of the great times he had since he accepted.

One of the greatest moments he remembered was the family reunion that had occurred at the beginning of summer. All of the children and all of the grand children were together for the first time in five years. As he looked over all of his family, he could not believe that they were all saved and they were all going to be in Heaven with him and Sandy, one of these days. Just the thought of his entire family being in Heaven made him think about those that failed to accept and how tormented they were going to be for eternity. If he could just reach three or four more thousand before the Lord called him home, it would be so great. He didn't want one person to go to Hell and to be lost for eternity. But the Lord does not make that decision. That decision is up to each and every person. All the Lord can do is to provide those things that a person can see or that a person can hear to convince them that they need the Savior.

After the prayer, Gene continued to work on his sermon and then a small pain started on the back of his leg. The pain would go up his leg for about four or five inches and then the pain would stop. He wondered about that pain, but it was not the kind of pain that made a person think that anything was wrong. It was just an annoying pain. The pain went up a little further each hour. Gene started thinking about the pain and then he knew exactly what it was. With all the bad things that were happening, he knew it was going to be one of those days. But, when the coffee pot would not work, he stumped his foot really hard against a door. That is when the first pain started. He stubbed it so hard, it probably caused a bone bruise is what he thought.

He thought back to the summer after Dewey was killed when he and the rest of the boys on the block were playing a game called Kick the Can. The idea was for one person to be IT and the rest of the kids would hide. One can was in the middle of the yard, right in front of HOME BASE. If the kids could kick the can before the person that was IT could touch home, you were home free. But if that person could touch home before you kicked the can, then you would be the new IT.

That summer, a new boy moved into the neighborhood. His name was Johnny, but everyone called him Johnny the Joker. He was always coming up with new games and he was always making everyone laugh at his jokes and other things that he would do. That night, when they played Kick the Can, they all had fun.

The next night, Johnny said he had a better idea for the game. When the next night arrived, he said he forgot about the better idea and they would just play Kick the Can again. He said he would be IT and everyone went out and hid. He started to count and when he reached twenty five, he said, "Here I come, ready or not." He walked away from the yard and walked toward the side of the house. That is when Gene knew he could take off and kick the can. He ran as fast as he could, and when he kicked the can, he could hear bones in his foot start to crack.

Gene figured Johnny had mixed concrete up that morning and placed it in the can. By the time night came, the concrete was as hard as a rock. If you think that he broke his foot, you were right. He was in a cast for weeks. The pain in his foot was really bad at first, but later the pain went away. This day, he had stumped his foot on the floor and it was the same kind of pain that hit him when he kicked the can. So he didn't think much of the pain that morning.

The pain continued from time to time, until it reached his chest. The clots both reached their destinations, his heart and his lungs, about the same time. Gene had just looked at his watch and he noticed it was four minutes after three. Before it was five minutes after three, Gene had taken his last breath on earth. When the clots reached the heart and the lungs, he grabbed his chest and down he went. There was no talking or saying any words to the associate pastor. The associate pastor called for an ambulance. Before the ambulance arrived, there were no signs of life in Gene.

The ambulance attendants started working on Gene as soon as they arrived, but the look they gave the associate pastor was that look that said there was no hope. All the way to the hospital and steadily in the Emergency Room, people were working on Gene. Five minutes after he arrived, the doctor in charge looked at his watch and gave the time of death to the nurse. That was final. Gene was dead.

The associate pastor had called Sandy and told her what had happened and that he was going to call a couple of the women in the church so the prayer chain could start immediately. Those two ladies started to pray and make their calls to let the whole church know about the pastor.

At the hospital, Sandy was wondering if Gene was going to be okay or if the bad news would be coming from one of the doctors. The associate pastor assured her that, if it is the Lord's will for Gene to continue with his ministry, then he would recover. Sandy looked at the associate pastor and said, "If the Lord says his ministry is over, then he will be promoted to glory this very day."

"That is correct," was the associate pastor's reply. "Just think, walking in Heaven and seeing all of the marvels the Lord has prepared for us. Sometimes I pray for my promotion, so I can leave this evil world."

After ten minutes, the doctor walked out and asked the nurse if Pastor Pittman's wife or any of the family members had arrived. The nurse informed the doctor that the lady in blue was the wife of Pastor Pittman. The doctor walked over to Sandy and told her they did everything they could do, but there was no hope. He gave her the exact time that the hospital registered his death. With tears coming down her face, she and all the others from the church who had arrived could not believe what the doctor had said.

However, everyone must accept the reality of death. If the rapture does not occur first, everyone will be visited by the Death Angel.

Gene had anticipated his death. He knew, because of his age, death could come at any moment. Inside his top drawer at the church were the instructions for his funeral. He informed his family that he wanted Terry, the associate pastor, to perform the services. He wanted Terry to tell about him getting saved and how, for all those years, he worked for the Lord in getting people saved. After five or six minutes of telling about his life, the first song would be sung. That song was "Amazing Grace." He wanted the people to know it was the amazing grace of Jesus Christ that saved him, a sinner. The second song would be "Victory in Jesus." He was to say, "Because of what Christ did on the cross, we know, through Jesus, we have victory over death and victory over the Devil and his evil forces." The third song was to be "A Child of The King." Terry was then to say, "No matter what happens in the life of a Christian, he always knows that he is a child of God. Even when good times and bad times come, his Father is God, and God always watches out for His own." The last song was to be "I'll Fly Away." Terry told everyone that one of these days the rapture of the Church was going to occur. If you were Born Again, you would never experience death, but you would be caught up with all the other believers when the trumpet sounded. He said in other words, "I'll Fly Away."

At the grave site, there were words about Heaven and about how each person must continue with their lives. Terry explained that with the death of one person that was a believer, there would be many others that would take his place. "The Gospel must continue until Jesus calls us all home. All the glory goes to the Lord, when He calls a believer home. We will be sad that Gene is not with us, but if we were able to ask him if he would like to come back, we all know that he would say, NO!"

The very moment the clots reached Gene's heart and lungs, he took one deep breath and that was it. There was just a little pain, but nothing to really get scared about. That very moment, the angel who comes after believers is given the name of the next person who will be promoted to glory and the angel is on the scene. The same was true for Gene. The Lord has the Book of Life with every believer's name written in it. The angels, who make the trips to earth to take the believer to Heaven, know the exact time of that person's death. All they have to do is to look and see when the believer's promotion time will be.

When Gene arrived in Heaven, he could not believe what he was seeing. There was no book or picture that could even compare to the beauties of Heaven. As he walked around Heaven, he was totally speechless with what he was seeing. The first place he went was to the Gathering Place. There, he met all of his relatives that had accepted before him and he also met those people that he had led to the Lord. They all thanked him for sharing the Gospel with them and they all said they were so happy to have him in Heaven with them. Gene toured Heaven for what seemed to be an eternity, but he was there for only a short time. After what seemed to be a very long time, Gene dropped to his knees and thanked the Lord for saving him and for letting him see Heaven.

All of a sudden, there was a flash, and Gene was transported back to the compartment of torment. Gene blinked his eyes two or three times, and then he started to ask the Lord, "Why am I back in the compartment of torment, Lord?"

"GENE, IF YOU REMEMBER, I TOLD YOU NO ONE EVER GETS A SECOND CHANCE. YOU LIVED YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ME AND NOW YOU MUST SPEND ETERNITY IN HELL. YOU WILL BE IN THE COMPARTMENT OF TORMENT UNTIL THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT. AFTER THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT, YOU WILL BE CAST INTO THE BOTTOMLESS PIT THAT IS CALLED HELL."

"But, Lord, I accepted You as my personal Savior and I even became a preacher. I told multitudes about You dying on the cross for them and I also witnessed every chance I got. My whole family accepted You and I lived my life the way the Bible says I must live it. I did everything that I was supposed to do and I even did more than what I was supposed to do. And, now, You are saying that I will spend eternity in Hell? Lord, it is not fair and You are not being fair with me! What did I do to deserve Hell?!

"IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF WHAT YOU DID TO DESERVE HELL; IT IS A QUESTION OF WHAT YOU DID NOT DO. YOU DID NOT ACCEPT ME AS YOUR SAVIOR. YOU KNOW IN YOUR REAL LIFE, YOU DID NOT WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ME OR THE THINGS THAT WERE HOLY. THE ONE THING THAT ALL HUMANS MUST DO IS TO ACCEPT ME AS THEIR PERSONAL SAVIOR. THAT IS ALL I ASK. I CANNOT FORCE YOU OR ANYONE ELSE TO ACCEPT ME, BUT, IF YOU DO ACCEPT ME, I HAVE PREPARED A PLACE FOR YOU AND ALL OTHER BELIEVERS FOR ETERNITY. AS YOU KNOW, THAT PLACE IS CALLED HEAVEN. YOU, ALSO, KNOW THERE IS A PLACE THAT HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS WHERE ALL UNBELIEVERS WILL SPEND ETERNITY. THAT PLACE IS CALLED HELL. YOU REJECTED ME ALL OF YOUR LIFE AND NOW YOU MUST PAY THE PENALTY.

"Lord, I accepted, I accepted, I accepted. I do not deserve Hell! I accepted. Please, please, let me stay in Heaven! I will do anything! Just let me stay in Heaven!

"GENE, REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU

WHEN YOU FIRST PRAYED TO ME

ABOUT A SECOND CHANCE?

I SAID THAT NO ONE

EVER GETS A

SECOND CHANCE."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

Almost all married couples are happy to hear the good news that they are on the verge of becoming parents. The doctor gives them the expected date of the arrival and they count the days down with great expectation. The expectant mother has a bag packed and it is sitting by the door during that last week of her pregnancy. The anticipation of bringing a new life into the world is overwhelming for both husband and wife.

The day and the hour finally arrive and off to the hospital they go. The husband drives quickly, but not over the speed limit, and as usual, he asks how his wife is feeling and if she can wait until they get there. The wife assures her husband that everything is fine and not to be worried. She also gives him that special smile that says, "Things are going to be fine."

At the hospital, her contractions are getting closer and closer and, before long, a new life comes into the world. That new life is a gift from God. The new parents are so happy and there is not a word to say that can express how they feel. That new born baby is just fine and in good health. Both new parents can't wait to leave the hospital and get home and start being a family.

BUT WHAT IF the baby is not in good health and he or she is not fine? Did the doctors do something wrong or was there a problem during the delivery? What if everything went just fine and the baby was born with some type of infirmity and he or she is handicapped with some type of disability?

In the next novel, The Cage, you will meet a boy who is born with Cerebral Palsy and how he is taken care of by a loving family and his progression from a baby, to a teenager, and finally to an adult.

You will also read about that terrible day when he must be placed in a State Hospital. You will read how he is able to communicate with people for the first time in his life.

Can a person with Cerebral Palsy accept Christ and become a Christian? Read and see what happens and if he is able to reach anyone with the Gospel.

If you have a family member or you have a friend that has a relative that people cannot communicate with, you should read this book. Jump on board, for we are about to leave on a new adventure and we don't want to leave anyone behind.

About the author:

L.C. Walker thought about writing in 1970, but other things kept him from doing so. In 1979, he had the desire to write again, but Bible College kept him from that dream. In 1997, he wanted to share what the Bible had to say about the end times, so he began his first novel. He completed The Past or the Coming Future in 1998. He has now completed 6 more books. Watch for all of them in the coming months.

Other books by the author at Smashwords

The Past or The Coming Future

The Tribulation

The Great Tribulation And Beyond

The Book of Daniel - The Future

Writing: Step By Step

