That Tears It

After 11 years of running from God's call on my life, I found my self in Las Vegas Nevada. But, let me back up a bit to give you the full story. I had been working for La-Z-Boy in Neosho, Mo. where money was fast becoming my God. Sandra (my wife) and I were at each others throat, when all I really wanted to do was fall off the face of the earth. Since I would never commit suicide, I decided to leave my wife and two children to go to Yellowstone and canoe all the wayback to Jefferson City, Mo. If I made, great. If I didn't make it, so what.

So I bought an airline ticket west to the cheapest place I could. Very befittingly it was Las Vegas. My plan was to hitch-hike from there to Yellowstone.On the way I would find work to make and save enough to purchase a canoe and white water raft from the head waters of the MIssouri River, in Yellowstone.

I was not only running from my responsibility as a father and husband but from God and His calling to Preach. I stayed in LasVegas for one night before filling my canteen to begin my trek through the dessert for the very first time in my life. By late afternoon I was out of water and still walking along side the highway, my thumb in the air. A man (Bubba) stopped to pick me up. Driving an old Chevy pickup with a camper shell, he said he was a street minister from LasVegas. His first words were "I'm not afraid of you. God told me to stop and pick you up." For the next five hours he proceeded to witness to me, telling me all the same things I had heard from my Sunday School teachers while growing up.

That night on Lake Mead in Nevada I rededicated my life to Jesus. The following night Bubba asked if I would go to a Crusade meeting with him. I agreed, we went, it was different from anything I had ever experienced in my life. It was an Assembly of God congregation. I had grown up Baptist.

After it was over Bubba told me he had to go pray through. I had no clue what that meant, but I agreed to go along. We made our way to Mount Charleston where we spent the long cold night in the camper shell. The next morning we each let out in different directions to "pray through". He loaned me a family Bible; one those huge Bibles people place on their coffee table with the huge photo album. Determined to find aplace to get alone with God in a spot where nobody had ever been; I set my sights on a peak and off I went.

The climb was rugged and dangerous. When I got there I found tin cans and other trash scattered about. After all that someone had already been there. Half the day had been spent getting there. It was my first encounter with the mountains.

I sat down with the Bible and simply asked God what He wanted me to study. In a voice as plain as me talking to you, God thundered into my heart "OBEDIENCE".

Next time I will tell you of my climb to the top of Mt. Charleston.