Thirty three years ago this April, I was the general manager of a popular Atlanta restaurant, Clarence Foster’s. I was living life “in the fast lane”. Long hours and late nights were the rule. I had two beautiful daughters, ages eight and three. Peggy was doing a wonderful job of managing the home front. We were not getting rich but were doing O.K. Our marriage was rocky. I was pretty much the center of my universe. Duties as a husband and father were more of an obligation than a joy. Any encroachment into my free time away from work was viewed with disdain. Sundays were for sleeping in and then parties with the restaurant employees.
On one particular Sunday evening, Peggy and I got into a heated discussion about religion. I asked questions about the fate of those people who had never heard about Jesus or those who were good people who lived good lives but did not believe in Jesus. Peggy had been participating in a Bible study with some women in our apartment complex. I viewed her participation as a good activity like the garden club or Junior League. Peggy responded to my questions with an invitation to a covered dish dinner the next Tuesday evening that one of her friends was hosting from the Bible study. Her husband was going to speak to the group. Well, I knew this guy was “religious” and would probably talk about God, but the lure of food was stronger than my disdain for him and his religion. I could put up with anything for an hour or two if a good meal was involved.
After supper, many of my drinking buddies from the apartment complex whose wives had also cajoled them into coming reluctantly moved to the living room. This “bill” for the dinner had come due. For the next hour, our host’s husband, Dan Hayes, a staff member of Campus Crusade, told the story of how a “party animal” from New Orleans who was in college in Chicago had found out about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. His story was filled with humor. I felt like I could relate to Dan’s story. He seemed to be a pretty normal guy after all.
I had never heard about having a personal relationship with Christ. I had never heard about man’s separation from God because of sin. I could relate to wanting to run my own life on my own terms apart from God’s plan for my life. I had been in and out of church all my life. My mother and father took me to church as a child, but my dad quit going to church when I was a pre-teen, dropping us off at church. My church going was limited to youth group at the Episcopal Church through my teen years. Peggy and I were married in the Episcopal Church and I enjoyed the services at Christmas and Easter.
When Dan quoted the verse from John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by me,” it was a huge “Aha” moment for me. You see, the whole issue of the argument that I had with Peggy about what happened to other people when they died was a “smokescreen” to deflect the focus away from me and relationship to God. The verse that Dan quoted that evening was the answer for me. Dan also quoted Revelations 3:20, which says, “See, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and have fellowship with him.” At that moment, around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29th, 1975, I surrendered my heart and my life to Jesus Christ.
Lest you think that my life became a bed of roses after that….four days later, in the middle of the day, I was fired from my job as general manager. An ownership fight that had been brewing for months culminated in two of the three partners taking control of the restaurant and the partner who was my friend was overruled regarding the direction the restaurant was taking. As a result, I was dismissed. It must be noted that as I walked in the door and Peggy asked me what I was doing home so soon. I was able to tell her that I had lost my job but that I had a sense of peace that God was in control and that He would take care of us. And to this day, He has.
Have you made that decision to surrender your heart and your life to Christ, to the God who created you? Do you know without a shadow of a doubt that you will be in the presence of God forever when you die? If you are not sure, you can be. Let’s talk. Call me at 678-986-4814 anytime.
MINISTRY NEWS:
The two groups are going well. Individual ministry is effective and I have been doing pre-marital counseling with a couple for their wedding in June.
MINISTRY NEEDS:
We need additional support to continue to minister effectively.
Christ - The ReeseSource - The Newsletter of Net Work Ministries, Inc.