September 26, 2021
Dear Grandchildren:
I’ve started this month’s letter twice and it hasn’t felt right. So yesterday, I prayed for help. At 3:40 a.m., I got my help from the Holy Spirit.
What? Grandpa, you actually believe that the Creator of the Universe would personally wake you up and give you revelation about writing your monthly newsletter?
Yes I do!!! That’s why I’m a Jesus freak! By the way, that’s what my new hat, the one Moses made for me, says: Jesus Freak.
The year was 1971. We were living in Grayling in a wonderful house, and our fourth child, Paul, was just born. I was manager of the Grayling Glen’s Market, and I didn’t realize yet, but Jesus was about to deliver me from myself. You may want to read this last sentence again. Jesus was going to “save me” from myself.
If you had asked me, I would’ve told you that life was great, and I’ve got this! You see, I had life all figured out. There was family time, work time, golf time, bowling time, party time, and God time. God time was when I actually went to church on Sunday morning. I thought I was pretty generous to give God four to eight hours a month. I didn’t want to admit it, but party time was becoming a bigger part of my life, but I still felt that I’ve got this!
In October 1971, I was asked to be the chairman of a lay person experience. Our church brought in about twelve lay people over the weekend to share their faith in Jesus Christ. At the ladies luncheon on Saturday, your grandma freaked me out by accepting Jesus Christ into her heart and life as Savior and Lord. And she has never been the same. By the way, I had no clue in what she did and tried to tell her to cool it. She started wearing a cross necklace, and I asked her not to wear it in public. I still can’t believe what a jerk I was, but I was freaking out.
Later that month, I was snowmobiling with my good friend Neil Byce. When we stopped at the Frederic bar, he ordered a Coke.
“What is this Coke thing?” I asked.
“I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord,” he said.
“Neil, you’re freaking me out!”
Later that month, someone gave me, It Can Happen to Anybody by Russ Bixler. I read the whole book that night. Russ talked about a Jesus so personal, you could talk to him and have an intimate relationship with him.
Smoking was one of my bad habits. So I got honest with Jesus, and asked Him to help me give it up. After my prayer, I went a week of not even thinking of smoking, then it hit me of what He had done in my life! So in January 1972, I became a Jesus freak and have never looked back.
Jesus Christ literally changed my life. No longer was it God time on Sunday morning only. For the next six years until we moved to Gaylord in 1978, Neil and I met at 5:45 every morning we could at a Grayling restaurant to study the Bible. I exchanged party time for Jesus time, and He saved me from myself.
Think about this grandchildren. Jesus has saved me from tobacco for a healthy body, from alcohol for a sound mind, from party time to more time with my family, and from pornography to loving Grandma with a clear conscience. Yes, Grandchildren, I’m living my dream and its reality.
Jesus actually saved me from myself! I can’t believe where I’d be today if I had tried to live life by my terms. Yes, I’m so glad I became a Jesus freak!
Always remember how much I love you,
Grandpa
Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay