John Thompson from Springfield

From the window of his prison cell John Thomson watched the eight-to-fivers carrying their lunch boxes to and from work each day.

"Why can't I be like that? Why can't I have a normal life on the outside?"

Hopelessness answered. "Because you're no good. This is all you'll ever have. You've spent most of your life locked up, and you'll probably die behind bars. too."

At the age of 33 John Thomson had spent 17 and a half years locked up in one prison or another. Alcoholic father, broken home-John's was the typical background of delinquent boys. First arrested at the age of seven for shoplifting, John couldn't stay out of trouble for more than a few months. Burglaries, armed robberies-from reform schools he graduated to federal prisons.

Nothing seemed to matter to John, even when his rebelliousness sent him for weeks at a time to the "hole"- solitary confinement where prisoners were often stripped, left without so much as a blanket, subsisting on near-starvation rations. John deliberately hardened himself and nurtured his anger, bitterness, and rage. He never thought much about
God, and he certainly didn't expect anything from him. The truth is I never thought about God at all.

Then the unexpected happened: Some of those "outside" folks came inside. John was serving a 12 year sentence for armed robbery and had been sent for tests to the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. God had recently led a small group of Christians to start a prison ministry there.

It wasn't exactly religious fervor that led John to attend his first chapel service. The unusual presence of women visitors and the chance to escape Sunday boredom sparked his interest. But what John didn't bargain for was the message he heard: "God loves you and wants you to love others."

Everything in John punched back. "Love others? In this place? Love my enemies?" What happened, during a church service was that I stood up and denounced the bible instructors teaching on free will, I felt I was a product of my environment.

John decided never to go back to church again, and settled it - that is, until Mom Carter, (Nita Colbaugh's mother) an elderly volunteer, approached him. Undaunted by his anger, she said, "Jesus loves you, and even though you don't understand it he has a plan and purpose for your life."

John remembers the deep embarrassment he felt when this little old lady met his hostility with the loving response. He tried to shrug it off, but he simply didn't know how to deal with this woman's concern for him. At the time John could never have dreamed how true her words would prove to be.

The next day John met Mary Lipscomb in the learning center of the prison. Mary, one of the Christian volunteers at the service the day before, was also a full-time school teacher at the prison.

"It was good to see you in church yesterday, John."

"I go every Sunday, but its not doing me any good," he responded coolly, sure that this "prim and proper" young lady could never understand. He turned brusquely away.

As the day went on, John couldn't get away from the vexing memories of the service, Mom Carter and Mary. That night he found himself plagued with worry over having offended the school teacher - and even more bothered by the fact that he even cared. It was so totally unlike him to care about anything or anyone. John could only find peace when he decided to go and apologize to Mary.

Again God worked in a powerful yet very subtle way through Mary. She confronted John with the gospel.

Now John was really angry - angry because this "girl" used the opportunity again to get the best of him, angry because she didn't even realize how costly her "good news" was to to him. How could she be so naive as to tell him he could have hope?

Still the thought persisted and nagged at him, "Why not try this?" I really wasn't trying anything, the key here was that Mary said "God could change my life." If what she was saying was true then she meant God could change my life, not me. If I was expected to have anything to do with my change - follow the ten commandments, turn over a new leaf than this wasn't going to work. It had to be totally God's changing. At that point I did not know about the scripture where God takes out the cold stoney heart. Old reform school tactics, progressive penal reforms - nothing else had worked.

Three days later, following two sleepless nights, much thought, and a few more intense conversations with Mary about Christianity. John came to a decision. The decision came about based on the truthfulness of what Mary had said, if she was right, then I owed it to myself to give God the chance. The Holy Spirit had en-kindled a small spark of hope in him, and he prayed to accept Jesus if what Mary said was true. That was on June 19, 1972. No cannons went off, John recalls now, but in a short time he did get a sense that God was real in his life.

Over the next six years John grew as a Christian while serving time in three institutions. Although things were never easy, John found Jesus true to his promises, changing him in ways he never thought possible. Church activities and Bible studies became a regular part of his life. He also became involved in constructive activities in the prison, like editing the prison newspaper.

John's friendship with Mary Lipscomb continued while she worked in the medical center. In 1974 she moved to Reba Place Fellowship, a Mennonite church community in Evanston, Illinois. John kept in touch through letters and occasional visits.

Once labelled completely incorrigible, John now saw his life taking a dramatic turnabout. In March 1978 he was granted a parole and sent to a halfway house in Chicago.

The halfway house provided minimal support for John in his new life. He found his real support when he began relating to the brothers and sisters at Reba Place Fellowship. Each morning at five a. m. he would board the public transportation and travel across-town to take part in devotions. Then he would set out on his job hunt.

The environment of love and acceptance in a Christian community were important for John as he began to experience the struggles of being a Christian on the "outside" - learning to trust, to be patient, to develop self-control. As a prisoner he never needed to worry about having a job, food or shelter. Now he had to learn to pray and trust God for these provisions. He found the support of fellow Christians crucial. What is not evident here is that Reba Place Fellowship was a communal church where everyone lived in common, most notably sharing in a common treasury similar to the disciples in Acts 2. They also live in households. The household that I lived in consisted of an elder, his wife and a couple of single women. In a months time after arriving the household added 3 more single women. Not where you normally place a man fresh out of prison. But this was God's doing.

Paul writes, "if any man is in Christ he is a new creature, the old things have passed away; behold new things have come." (2 Cor. 5:17). John Thomson's life shows how true that scripture passage is. By believing in Jesus Christ he has been transformed from a career criminal to a fruitful husband, father, employee, and member of a Christian fellowship. Blessed be the works of our Lord Jesus Christ!

During the time John and Mary's relationship progressed from friendship to romance. Again there were the rough times as they went through counseling at the fellowship. Yet God honored and blessed their perseverance and faithfulness. On April 12, 1980, they were married in a joyous wedding service.

Ryp from Charlevoix

Ryp’s parents were unchurched and unsaved. His mom was addicted to prescription drugs and his dad was an alcoholic, many times coming home from a drinking binge in a blind rage.

For an unknown reason, Ryp’s mom felt he and his sister should go to Sunday School. So she sent them to the Baptist church down the road. Ryp was 4 at the time, his sister was 6. Ryp vividly remembers to this day when his teacher explained to him and his classmates the plan of salvation. And even though it made an impression on him, he didn’t act on it. He felt both conviction and his need for Jesus, but resisted.

At age 6, Ryp had stopped going to Sunday School but remembers his Sunday School teacher coming over to their home to invite him back. But he said no, again turning his back on God. Other experiences were put in his path - God knocking on his door, but he resisted.

Then, at age 11, Ryp was playing with his favorite ball, throwing it over the house from one side to the other. He threw it over and went to the other side but couldn’t find it. So he decided to test God by praying to Him that he would find it. He never found it. This became a pivotal time in his life to support his reason for turning his back on God for good.

When Ryp entered Jr. High, he got with the wrong crowd and the drugs that followed, always running from God. Even when he dated a Christian girl, he wasn’t swayed. Even when a friend was injured in a car accident and turned his life over to God, he wasn’t swayed – but it made an impression on him.

Ryp then met another girl whom he had known from childhood and they married. She was also not a Christian. They were the adventuring sort, so decided to go to Arizona from Petoskey, Michigan. On the way, they went through Memphis, Tennessee. Ryp remembers sitting in a hotel room watching an HBO program named the Late Great Planet Earth. Thinking it was a science fiction program, he got interested. But at the end of the program, he realized it was directing him to his need for Christ. He immediately went to the Gideon bible in his room to read the Book of Revelation. Then he began to be more open to the Gospel.

Ryp and wife continued to Arizona. The marriage began to suffer in the new environment. It was about this time Ryp began to cry out to God even though he wasn’t sure what that would do. He said “God, I think I want to serve you, please put my marriage back together”

On a whim, Ryp decided to return to Michigan by bus without his wife. About two weeks later, she returned as well.

Soon, Ryp got a job working with a group of guys as an apprentice electrician. As it turned out, all of his workmates were true believing Christians. He noticed there was no foul language. One was a Charismatic (Pentecostal), very much on fire for God. His wife Vicky got a job as well. And one of her co-workers was a Born Again Christian.

There in Petosky, there was an Assembly of God church having a revival. Paul Wilde was the evangelist. On a Friday night, Ryp decided to go out with the guys, the cable TV guys he was used to getting drunk with. He remembers they were in a heated garage, playing a ping pong tournament, 3 teams all working hard at winning.

Around 2:00am, as they were winding down, Ryp remembers the Lord saying to him: “Are you having fun? Enjoy it. This is the last time.”

Then, on Saturday, Vicky said they needed to go to that A/G church where the revival was being held. Ryp agreed. So on a Sunday morning, they went into the church sanctuary and the place was filled to capacity. But the usher found them a place – right up front on row 2 next to the pastor’s wife.

The evangelist’s message was straight to him. All arguments against God were refuted. Then, fear began to grip him from the content and tone of the message. He soon began to realize the only choice was submission. First Vicky went forward, then he followed. The person who invited them went forward as well and went over the entire plan of salvation with them.

Ryp wasn’t prepared for the change that happened to him – instant joy, power and the glory of God’s presence with him. That was at Ryp’s age 23 on April 5, 1981.

Then Ryp felt a call of God on his life to the ministry. He first became a youth minister and now pastors First Assembly of God in Charlevoix, Mi.

Learnings from this interview

Ryp was impacted by the message of the Gospel at the age of 4. One should never discount the power of the Gospel to change lives, starting at very early ages. When I remarked about that, he stated that in his church, crying babies are not a problem for him at all. He views it as them praising the Lord -- and he possibility that the Lord is ministering to them even as infants.

Ruth and Dennis from Campbellford, Ontario, Canada

On July 20, we attended Glad Tidings Pentecostal Church. There we met Ruth and Dennis. As we walked in adult Sunday School class was nearly finished but just in time to hear Ruth give her testimony. Here it is:

Dennis had a good job in 1980 and he and his wife decided to get into an opportunity to buy a rental complex, fix it up, and rent it out for higher than current rents. At the time, there were imposed rent controls by the government. So after all the expense of refurbishing the place, they could not recover their investment through higher rents. Over a relatively short period of time, their outgo exceeded their income to the point that bankruptcy became the only option.

During this same time, Dennis became acquainted with a fellow worker (Albert) whom Dennis described as a "Bible thumper." He was always talking about things of the Lord and trying to get Dennis to read things like The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey.

When Dennis made Albert aware of their financial situation, he said to Dennis, "That is a pretty big load you are carrying all by yourself. I don't know if I could make it if I didn't have the Lord to help me through things like that" At that, Albert agreed that he would pray for the situation. He also asked Dennis to let him know when things changed for the better. This attitude of love and concern and prayer softened Dennis' heart and made him more interested in talking to Albert. Then Albert gave him a Bible. Dennis brought it home and shared it with his wife, Ruth. Within about 2 weeks, they both accepted Christ as Saviour, neither of whom had any real church background. (He was Catholic in name only)

Ruth is currently the Adult Bible teacher in the church we attended and Dennis is also apparently active. I didn't get to find out about thier two children.

Learnings:

• This is one of those situations where a persistent voice for Christ became the one Dennis and Ruth turned to when the crisis hit. Albert the Bible Thumper was there when they needed him
• So far, I'm not finding any adults who come to Christ without something upsetting their situation.
• Adults are very resistant to changing anything in their lives, especially religion, if things are OK as is.
• In this case, it was the man who was the catalyst for change on the spiritual front. It seems most of the adult-onset Christians are started by the wives.

Interviewing a Fellow Boater

Her name is Tata. Marlene and I met her and her husband as we were cruising up the Erie Canal. So as we arrived in Oswego, it was Saturday and we were looking for a church for the next day. When Tata learned of this in our conversation, she became interested in going with us. I sensed there was more than a casual interest in going to church. After the service, Tata said she made a personal commitment to Christ at the age of 25, based primarily on her nephew who, at that time, began going to Vacation Bible School. As a result of that experience, her nephew became the influence in that family circle to lead many to the Lord, including Tata.

Today, Tata is active in her church now, 63 and very energetic still. Her nephew is a physician and spends time across the world volunteering his time and money to help with medical needs in underprivileged areas of the world. Tata just sold her very successful business in plant maintenance and rental. One of her clients was the Christian Broadcasting Network. She knows Pat Robertson personally.

Jack from Annapolis

Jack's dad was a Delaware county attorney and politician who was an upstanding man in the community. His dad instilled a good sense of right and wrong in him. When Jack turned 18, he went into the military at his father's suggestion. For four years Jack lived the nominal life of an enlisted man.

After his military tour of duty, Jack went to college. It was both his military life and college that provided the environment for some rather loose living, including the typical drinking binges and immoral living.

It was during this time that Jack got notice from his girlfriend that she was pregnant. When he learned of this possibility, he became very remorseful at the thought of getting her pregnant. He was, for the first time, repentant for his actions and was "praying" for a way out of the situation.

As it turned out, the baby was aborted naturally. So in effect, Jack was off the hook of responsibility for his actions. But that experience changed him forever. He began to seek to more about God. He found a Bible and began to read it. It was during this same time he became acquainted with a couple in the same apartment complex he was living in who were active in an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ. Through their counsel and help, he became convinced there was a God. Jack also became acquainted with another guy who was in Campus Crusade and who invited him to a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting. Then around the same time Jack was watching a Billy Graham television special. On one night, Billy said something that "put all the pieces together" for him. It was so profound, he dropped to the floor at that moment and turned over his life to Christ, asking forgiveness for all his sins and, of course, receiving it.

From that moment on, Jack became a voracious reader of the Bible, getting all he could from studying it and attending a church where there were good sermons and teaching. Today, almost 30 years later, he is still serving the Lord as are his children.

Learnings:

• Jack's experience was more progressive. His remorse over getting his girlfriend pregnant was the pivotal point in his quest to clean up his life.
• But as we know, it is not what we do to clean up our own lives, it's what Christ has already done on the Cross. Jack came to this realization later on.
• Like Chuck Colson (author of the book Born Again), Jack put all the pieces together when he heard Billy Graham's message of repentance and forgiveness.

Tim From Savannagh

Tim grew up in LA in a non-churched home. His mom and dad were both hooked on drugs and alcohol while he was growing up.

On one Easter, his mom decided to go to church and take Tim and his sister as well. From that one occasion, his mother never attended again but it provided an opportunity for Tim and his sister to attend Sunday School through the bus ministry. Tim wasn’t interested but his sister was, so he went along, and hearing the gospel at this evangelical church.

When Tim reached high school, he turned away from all things Godly. Not having any positive family support, he got into drugs and alcohol.

Tim loved playing football. So at age 18, he got on a community college team. His coach got him a job as a bouncer at a local bar, furthering the spiral down in his life.

Then he quit football at age 20 and went into some state of depression. When he was sitting at a bar, Tim would be drinking and then be able to quote scripture that he learned as a child.

In this state, Tim decided to visit his youth pastor he came to know at the church he attended as a child. His purpose was really to offend him and mock him and hopefully the pastor would chastise him. But the pastor’s only response was one of love, and specifically he said “God has a better plan for you.”

After this encounter, Tim went home, somewhat jarred by the experience he intended for bad. He became convicted of his ways. But he also had 5 reasons why he felt his return to God would not work. Later on that day, he received calls from some of the friends he had while at church. In those conversations, all the reasons he had were melted away. It was at that moment of realization that Tim fell on his knees and asked Christ to become his Savior.

One month later, Tim enrolled in Azusa Pacific University getting his degree in Biblical Studies. He met his wife there and they married 2 years later in 1990. Today he is the associate pastor in a large Assemblies of God church in Savannah, Ga.

Tim’s sister is still serving the Lord with her husband in California. They have 5 kids who are part of the second generation.

Learnings:

Score one for the bus ministry. Had there not been the initiative of someone in that church to invite Tim and his sister to come to church through the bus ministry, probably Tim would not have come to the Lord.
Tim said that he was instantly delivered from drug and alcohol addiction. His thought for this was that God knew he was too weak to overcome this on his own, recounting the scripture that God will not put us into situations that are too hard for us to bear.

Jeff from Springfield

I interviewed Jeff after learning about him from a friend we know in Charleston, SC. This does not fit the mold of first generation Christians per se but shows how decisions made (in this case, at the age of 6) can rekindle that Spirit which is in you much later on in life, in this case, Jeff’s 40’s.

Jeff’s mom was the daughter of a Baptist preacher. She made sure he was in various church programs at his early age. He remembers, at age 6, being in a Vacation Bible School and when asked to accept the Lord, he did. Parenthetically, I remember praying with two young boys when they were in our home while living in Hawaii. I knew their parents were not living for the Lord but hoped my counsel to them would “take” and I would find out later on (now 30 years) that they are serving the Lord and active in their churches. So far, that hasn’t happened. I’m still hoping though

Back to Jeff. Jeff later went to a Presbyterian church and was baptized there. Still later, he went to college and lost his faith. The professors there challenged what little faith he had. He got married and went to law school beginning his career in trial law. After 20 years in a bad marriage, he and his wife divorced.

A couple of Christian people came into his life at this juncture. Jeff was also looking into some way to get his faith back, visiting Disciples of Christ churches and TM.

Then, one Christmas Eve, Jeff went to a Baptist church for their special for the season. That visit became the first of several progressive steps in returning to the faith of his childhood.

Jeff stopped practicing law 8 years ago. Then he began taking an interest in evangelism for children. That interest is thriving for him through a national program for child evangelism.

From my own personal discussions with Jeff’s friend in Charleston, Jeff has been great counsel to her in her crisis.


Learnings:

No matter how seemingly insignificant, what one does as a child impacts their future, both for good and bad
The Holy Spirit has a way of wooing one back to Christ. People as adults feel they have their own wisdom and intelligence to work things out. But if you have once tasted the freedom that comes from knowing Christ, nothing else satisfies the soul.