How did I get here?

 
God uses people to help us  in our life development. Some of these people are in our family, some are friends, some are co-workers and some are mentors. I want to write about some of the people who have had a major influence in my life.  I know that the list is incomplete; I have had so many people that have encouraged me, loved me, inspired me and challenged me. But the people listed belong are on a special list of people that made a real difference in my life. I will try to write a post at least weekly about one of these people

• Mildred Hensgen -- my mother -- She introduced me to Christ and was my chief encourager
• Harold Hensgen -- my father --He taught me about personal responsibility an instilled a work ethic in me 
• Pearl McClure -- my grandmother -- She was my back-up mother, yet, later in life, she allowed me to take care of her
• Helen Clark -- My aunt (sister to my mother) -- When I was 4, I wanted to marry her, so she was my first love. Outside of my parents, she was the one that helped me feel secure and loved.
• Mr. Groeling -- 8th grade home room teacher -- I was a mess because my family had just fallen apart. I was indeed a problem, but he never gave up on me. He gave me hope that things could be different
• Bill Davenport -- Youth Director (a couple of others almost qualify -- but he is the one.) -- He brought me out of my shyness and into the group. He helped me to accept myself no matter how socially awkward I was.
• Rev. Earnest Hasselblad -- My first pastor -- He is still my ideal pastor. He accepted me as I was.
• CPO Harry McGee -- He was my leading chief -- He taught me how to be a Naval Officer and, more importantly, how to be a man.
• Capt. Bogley -- He was the Commodore and I was on his staff --He not only challenged me to do my best, he also taught me how to write
• Linda Hensgen -- My wife -- She challenged me to change my priorities and follow the Lord. She revolutionized my life. She is still my best friend, lover, partner -- and she still challenges me to be better.
• Ken Pagaard -- He was my pastor -- He was also my mentor and friend and he helped me grow in the Lord and the fullness of the Holy Spirit
• Clay Ford -- My friend in the 70s and still my friend --When I was new to the Spirit, he challenged me to give it all to follow Jesus.
• Lowell Fairley -- Executive Minister of the ABCPSW --When things were at their worst in the church, he supported me and helped me to know that I would be alright
• Dr. Cliff Anderson -- Dean of Bethel Seminary West -- In that dark period, he also encouraged me and really made it possible for me to graduate from Seminary
• Dr. Howard Ervin -- Dean of Graduate Studies at Oral Roberts University and part of the leadership of the American Baptist Charismatic Fellowship,-- He was always my room mate and his wisdom was invaluable to me as I developed in the Ministry
• Dr. John Piippo -- Pastor in Monroe MI and part of the leadership of Holy Spirit Ministries --I appreciate his friendship, but it is his writings that have helped me to focus my ministry in a more godly way
• Ian O'Meara -- Not sure how to label him -- He is just one of those people that shows me how to live for the Lord and yet accomplish all of his responsibilities with great success.

I really must apologize to the many friends and colleagues in my life. There are still so many of you that I depend on. The fact that you aren't on this list is not an indication that you are not important to me. You all are my partners as we continue on this journey called life. 

Jesus Brings Life in the Midst of Death

It was May 31, 2015. I was preaching on the Rich Man and Lazarus found in Luke 16. Our congregation was fairly normal for that Sunday; we had about 18 people in attendance. We had two irregular attenders that day; Merlene (an elderly lady who lived in the neighborhood -- attended several times in the year) and her friend Tony (an elderly gentleman who lived in La Jolla and joined Merlene when he was in the area). I was preaching quite earnestly and was just about to begin singing "Poor Man Lazarus" when I noticed that Tony was asleep. Now I don't normally get upset when people sleep during my sermons; it isn't unusual. But this was unusual.

I noticed that Tony was actually almost laying down in the Pew and Merlene was visibly upset. My assistant George Saunders ran to the pew just behind Tony and began to raise Tony's head. George was obviously praying. Dorothy Brock who was seated a row behind Tony was on her feet and calling 911. It finally occurred to me that it would be a good time to stop preaching. I wasn't sure what I should do, but I rushed up to Tony's pew and stood right in front of him. I began to pray. I didn't know how to pray, so I just prayed in tongues. I touched his forehead and it was ice cold and so were his hands. I placed my hand on his chest and he wasn't breathing. In addition he had voided himself.

The entire congregation was extremely quiet. Once in a while I could hear someone praying. I also heard people crying. Then I heard myself saying something that I still am not sure that I said. The words just came out on their own. I spoke loudly, "Spirit of Tony, return to his body right now." Tony let out a gasp similar to someone who had been under water and just came up for a breath. Then he began to sink down again. I repeated, "Spirit of Tony, return to his body right now." Another gasp! Tony's eyes opened and he sat up and appeared alright except that he was confused.

By this time the Paramedics had arrived and took over. Dorothy followed the ambulance to the hospital. After some time, the doctors said that there was nothing wrong with Tony. They figured that he had fallen asleep in church and everybody over reacted. Dorothy told them that it was more than that. They then transferred him to a hospital closer to his home in La Jolla. The doctors there could not find anything wrong either.

I have seen Tony a few times since then. He has little memory of the event and seems to be alright. He doesn't come anymore because he no longer drives; one of life's problems as we age.

Robbie Dawkins had a similar event that was widely publicized. I saw that video and it was very similar to what happened at Bay View Baptist Church of Chula Vista on May 31, 2015. The biggest differences were that his event happened in the midst of a video -- and he had a Doctor present. We had neither. Was Tony really dead? Those of us who were there believe that he certainly was. If not, he certainly was close to death. God raised him up. We prayed. God listened. God answered in power. A miracle occurred.

Glory to God.

Where is the Church?

I was just watching the news a little while ago. One of the items was a report on a speech that Donald Trump made yesterday at Liberty University. The reporter stated that this was an effort by Mr. Trump to court the Evangelical vote. The very label of Evangelical Vote dismays me. What this really means is that those who are identified as Evangelicals must be Republican. In like manner, churches that are more "Liberal" -- mainline denominations -- must be Democrats. Of course the African American Churches are somewhat identified with the Democratic Party. The Latino churches are up for grabs. This whole concept of the church being divided up according to political views really troubles me. Where is the Lord in all of this? Where is the leading of the Holy Spirit?

My confession: If I had to identify my religious beliefs (I don't like to do this, because I just see myself as a follower of Jesus), I am an American Baptist, aligned with Transformation Ministries, a Charismatic member of Holy Spirit Renewal Ministries who is also intrigued with the Spirituality of the Roman Catholic Church. Politically, I am usually relatively conservative -- but quite liberal on some issues. Since I began to vote in 1960, I have voted in every presidential election and my votes are almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Finally, neither the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party  really fit in with my religious beliefs. Yes, I will choose a candidate from one of the political parties  before the election -- it will probably be a Republican -- but I am unhappy with both parties.

As a "Conservative Christian" -- the title doesn't really equate with Conservative Politically -- I am unhappy with the assumption that I am a Conservative Republican. From my point of view, starting with movement of the Moral Majority under Jerry Falwell, the Evangelical Church Community has been viewed, even within the church, as Republican. I am appalled that the Church would be equated with an arm in any political party. The Church represents Jesus Christ. The church speaks for Jesus Christ in all issues -- and may speak out for Republicans -- or Democrats, or against Republicans -- or Democrats. The church is not to be a part of any political  party.

Well, what about Christians themselves? Certainly any of us could, and should, be voters. We may belong to a party and we may even be very active in the party. Even running for office is a real option for the Christian, as for anyone else in our country. As Christians, we should always be led by our convictions as Christians. But the church should not be an arm of any political party.

But what about issues? Here is where the church must speak out. We must take a stand against immorality and injustice. We must also stand for the poor and oppressed. It is here that we find ourselves supporting the Republican side on some issues, but we will find ourselves supporting the Democratic side on others. At other times we are opposed to all of the political proposals.

The Church should have a real voice -- but it stands outside -- speaking into the process. I have stayed away from what I feel are the issues. I will probably discuss some of these in the future -- Abortion, Same Sex Marriage, Immigration, Racial Equality, Poverty as well as others. We must speak out, but we must also be careful, as the church, to not allow ourselves to be identified with a political party which we support on a certain  issue, but might be opposed to that party on another issue.

Down in the Valley -- Valley so Low

Pastors Track Green Lake 2015

When I was a teenager I always looked forward to Summer Camp. Most of my high school years, camp was held at Thousand Pines at Lake Gregory, in the San Bernardino Mountains. My reasons for looking forward to camp were not very spiritual. I was looking for a good time, girls, fun, girls and so on. Yet, even though my intention wasn't spiritual, God would speak to me. I would have a mountain-top experience. I actually received my first call to be a pastor there. I remember having a prayer time out at Inspiration Point. It was a real experience -- of course when I got back to reality I quickly rejected that idea until the 1970s. The counselors tried to warn us about what happens to our mountain-top experiences when we return to the Valley. Life crowds in and the memory of that wonderful experience at camp begins to fade away. 

I had a wonderful mountain-top experience (even though there was no mountain) at the Holy Spirit Conference in Green Lake,  Wisconsin early in July. What a fabulous conference. Those of you on facebook have undoubtedly seen scores of pictures and testimonies about the conference, so I am not going to repeat that. My purpose of writing this is to help us deal with our return to the Valley. 

I was so happy to get back home to my wife. I missed her. But I hadn't worried about our financial problems for over a week -- now I was back and had to deal with these. I didn't worry about the church for over a week -- now I was back and problems had to be dealt with (the church is doing well -- but people always have problems, myself included.) I didn't read a newspaper and tried not to look at the newscasts on the TV in the dining room -- now I was back and reading about Supreme Court decisions, treaties with Iran, terrible persecution in other countries, as well as murder, mayhem and, of course, politics. All of this is enough to lead one into depression -- or, at least, lose the glow from the wonderful conference at Green Lake.

How do I keep from losing the glow? The first thing I must do is look at God. He is still on the throne. He may not agree with the decisions that are made by our government, other governments or individual citizens of any country, but he is not shaken. He has seen it all before for at least the last several millenia and he is still on the throne. He will remain as Lord no matter what happens to the United States or any other country for that matter. This should give us some stability, for it is God who gives us our protection.

Secondly, I must spend time with God. It is from him that I will learn how I should react in times like these. This is true for our personal problems, relational problems, problems at work -- or national concerns. God will help us to deal with real life issues. Spending time with him is what gave us that wonderful experience at the conference, so let's keep it up -- the glow won't fade.

Finally, pray for each of these situations. We are told in the Bible to cast all of our cares on him -- for he cares for us. There are so many things in life that are sometimes too much to handle. God is not overwhelmed. He will guide us. He will give us peace and take our stress. As we are at peace, God will direct us. Now we are ready to take appropriate action. 

Indeed, we can bring the mountain-top down into our valley. 

A Healing with Power; What an Experience

Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me

I shook him, no response. His hands were like ice. I pressed my hand on his chest, he wasn't breathing. I began to pray. George had his hand on Tony's head, Dorothy was already talking to the 911 operator, Marlene (his friend for many years) was crying while the rest of the congregation was in prayer -- although some of them were also crying. What happened? 

Let me start from the beginning. Tony and Marlene recently began to attend the church. They have only been here 4 or 5 times, although many years ago, Marlene had been a member. The worship service began at 10 o'clock with singing. After our worship of song and praise, George leads us in a time of intercessory prayer. As he was praying, I was almost overcome with a sense that something wasn't right. Was there some sort of spirit of lethargy or oppression? 

After the prayer and offering, I read the scripture and then did something out of the ordinary for me; I prayed a prayer commanding the spirit of oppression to leave. Then I began to preach. I was about half way through the sermon when I noticed that Tony was asleep. Now I have put many people to sleep over the years, so I wasn't concerned, but then I noticed Marlene frantically motioning to Dorothy who was seated behind her. Dorthy got up and went to them. Then I saw George get up and go over to Tony. Something must be radically wrong! I stopped preaching and went over to Tony.

I began to talk to him -- no response. I gently shook him -- no response. I am no medical expert, but I can recognize sleep and have dealt with people who have passed out -- this was different. Then I touched his hands. They weren't just cold, they were icy to the touch (It was a very warm day.) Then is when I pressed my hand against his chest. As mentioned, I felt no breathing -- if he was breathing at all, it was imperceptible through touch. I didn't think to check for a pulse, I just began to pray. I prayed a lot in the spirit and then spoke healing to him and commanded his spirit to return and energize him. After a moment, it was as if he had just surfaced after being under water -- a large gulp for air -- then he seemed to submerge again. This happened three times and then he seemed to stabilize and his eyes opened. He was still very disoriented and confused, but he was conscious and breathing.

By this time, the paramedics had arrived and they took over. Dorothy continued to minister to Marlene and followed them to the hospital. At the hospital, basic tests were run, but nothing was found amiss. They were going to send him home, but Dorothy insisted that something major must have gone on. They said they would run more tests, so they kept him overnight. He is home now and his daughter doesn't know why he collapsed when he did, but she is very grateful that it happened when and where it did.

Was this a major healing. All of us who were witness would absolutely say YES! Can we prove it? Of course not, but, when you saw it happen, it was real. Ever since, the song that we sang at worship has been going through my head:

You are my strength,

Strength like no other,

Strength line no other,

It reaches me

You are my hope,

Hope like no other,

Hope like no other,

It reaches me.

God was with us in a special way on Sunday. We accept his healing. We accept his love and we accept his power working in and through us.

What a precious day.

Unbroken! -- I missed it!

I had tickets for a pre-screening of the film Unbroken on Tuesday, but missed it. I am sorry that I missed it because I have been looking forward to seeing the film. This story has been in the back of my mind since I was a teenager. I actually met Louis Zamperini; well, I got to shake his hand. He spoke at one of our youth meetings and told much of his story. I have always been interested in the history of WWII, so the story stuck with me. Then, earlier this year I read Laura Hildebrand's book, Unbroken. Wow, what a story of courage as well as faith, compassion and forgiveness.

If you are unfamiliar with the story, some of the high points are these:

• He was a juvenile delinquent
• He became a runner and was a champion at USC
• He was in the Berlin Olympics of 1936
• He was a navigator aboard a B24 bomber in the Pacific
• After a crash, he was adrift in a two man life raft for 47 days
• He was saved by the Japanese who immediately imprisoned him
• He was brutalized in the prison camp
• After the war, he suffered badly from PTSD
• He accepted Christ at the Billy Graham LA crusade of 1949
• He was healed of his PTSD
• Began to serve the Lord
• Returned to Japan and forgave his captors

As a believer, I see God's hand all the way through his life. The fact that he made it through the horrible experiences is a testament to his character and courage -- but I believe that we see the grace of God also.

When he accepted Christ, he was immediately transformed; the nightmares that he had suffered (the PTSD) ceased that night and have never returned. A God blessed life.

The movie which will be released on Christmas day is directed by Angelina Jolie. There are already many complaints that, since she is not a believer, the Christianity is downplayed. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't seen the movie. I did see an interview of Angelina Jolie and Laura Hildebrand by Tom Brokaw. Louis Zamperini also participated. There was also a clip of Billy Graham preaching in 1949 with Franklin Graham describing Zamperini's conversion. I was blessed at the impact this man made on each of the participants in this program. If only these were impacted, it would be enough. I hope the movie is a great success, it is a story that needs to be told. I hope also that the message of God's grace; the message of the power of God's transformation of life; and the message of the healing power of Jesus Christ, comes through. If not, then it is up to us who know about such things to share with others seeing the movie, but don't know the rest of the story. 

Happy Veterans Day

Wow! Here it is a day when America stops to honor me. A holiday in my honor. Well, I do exaggerate, I guess the day is not only for me but for a few million others who carry the title of Veteran. The picture is of Margaret Everett who symbolizes to me the changing face of the modern veteran. I don't know Margaret well, but when I first met her, I didn't see her as military. She was a pretty, petite wife and mother. Yet, here she is. I am proud to know Margaret. I certainly know many other veterans -- of the modern era, Jake, Ian, Jesse (and others), from my era, Jimmie Hubbard, Art Alari, Wes Guthrie, Rob Mahan, ElRoy Peterson -- my uncle Paul who fought in Korea and my uncles, John and George, who were in WWII.

What is this day all about? When I was a child, the day was called Armistice Day. It was to celebrate the end of WWI which ended on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11:00 am in 1918. This was the Great War to end all wars. Yet, it didn't end the Wars. There was WWII, followed by Korea followed by Vietnam, followed by the Gulf War followed by Afghanistan followed by Iraq -- with many little skirmishes in between. Hovering over much of the above was the Cold War. There are a lot of veterans.

I read an article over the weekend that indicated that we demean the meaning of hero -- as well as the status of the Veterans -- to label all veterans as heroes. I agree. Most of us aren't heroes. We are just people who did a job. Certainly there are many who are/were heroes -- but not most of us. None of the guys that I know consider themselves heroes, even though I know some who are. Yet, for most veterans, some sacrifice was involved. The sacrifices were not equal. Some sacrificed their lives. Others lost limbs; their health was ruined; their families couldn't wait for their return; financial problems -- on and on. I certainly consider any sacrifice that I made as minimal, yet there was sacrifice. When Linda and I celebrated our fifth anniversary, I had been gone three of those years; two in Vietnam and one at sea primarily around Vietnam. Even though I got to meet my little baby daughter briefly before she was two, I didn't really get to know her until after her second birthday. Since, I ended up as a Lieutenant Commander, my finances were pretty well taken care of, but in my first year as a commissioned officer in the US Navy, I made less than my final summer working on the assembly line at the Ford Motor Company. I seem to be in pretty good health, but the VA recently acknowledged that my hearing loss was a result of military service. I also received my first partial disability check whereby the VA attributed my heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure, at least partly, to my exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

No, all veterans are not heroes. Some are/were. Some are really good people, some not so good. There are veterans who have been President of the United States, others Senators and Congressmen. Some have been a CEO of a large corporation. Most just make an honest living. There are College Professors, school teachers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, carpenters -- on and on. There are also drug addicts, mental patients, completely disabled people, homeless people, prisoners. In short, whoever might read this -- there is a veteran just like you.

I am proud of my service. I am honored to be honored. Thank you America.