My Story
This is my story: The Bible has always fascinated me even as a child. Most of my earliest memories are connected with a small church, the Bethlehem Lutheran, located on Liberty Street, in Everett, MA. This small church that was predominately made up of a Swedish congregation, provided a good foundation for a strong religious up bringing. Unfortunately for me, this church had an aging congregation that was declining quickly and within a few years the church that felt like home to me would be gone. The first few years of Sunday school were taught in a formal manner to a small group of children. Quickly the class dwindled down to a few, then one day I was alone. I was the last child left sitting in the basement waiting for Sunday school. My teachers were sporadic. A member of the congregation, who had agreed to miss the church service for that day would come down to instruct me. Eventually I was left alone, by myself in the church basement doing Jesus puzzles and given workbooks to figure out on my own. It was during this time that I watched my sister, who was older than I, go through the rigorous training and preparation for confirmation under the strict tutelage of an old time Pastor. Soon after, the church folded. Some members chose to merge with the Malden Lutheran Church and others went to the First Lutheran in Cambridge. I was young and chose neither but my appetite for God's word was lit and swelling inside. As I grew into my teens I found myself reading the Bible because I just wanted to know more. Maybe I was drawn to it because I wanted to know what I had missed learning in my earlier youth or maybe because the Bible always felt special. I certainly was inspired by my mother who was devoted to reading and quoting the Bible. She had a way of teaching us lessons and guiding us during our formative years using quotes and stories from the Bible but never preaching. Her grasp of scripture was amazing. My sister, Deborah however became my guiding light towards my path to God. It wasn't with words but by example that I learned to live a Christian life. Each Sunday she would go off to church and her devotion to Christ was clear and evident. She let me borrow her Bible, that she received on her confirmation. I still have it to this day. Something always prompted me to go back and read the Bible more and more. At the time I was interested in all kinds of things, especially the supernatural and the Bible was loaded with that. Angels appearing, God speaking from a burning bush, the sea parting, walking on water, stone walls falling down from the blast of trumpets and people coming back from the dead! It was filled with imagery that defied logic but I believed every word of it. I do not want to mislead you to think I was reading the Bible 24/7. It was however always at my bedside and I would often pick it up to read before bedtime. At times I would read it at length and other times just a few passages. Then one day in 1970 something happened. I was 15 years old. The age when my friends had begun to hang out down the street doing what young teenagers do. I wasn't interested in that. I had other things on my mind when something happened. I still remember this event very clearly. It was that one defining moment. I was reading the book of Matthew, regarding the signs of the end of the age. The disciples had come to Jesus, each privately and asked "What would be the sign of His return and the end of the age?" Jesus went on to give a lengthy description of what those days would be like. While reading this passage from Matthew chapter 24, verse 34, "Verily I say unto you. This generation shall not pass, until all these things be fulfilled." is when that one defining moment happened to me. Now don't go expecting me to say I had a vision or that I heard God speak to me audibly. That did not happen but, something else certainly did. I will say that I was in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I was struck with a knowing that I was being spoken to directly. I was engulfed by the Holy Spirit. An experience that would forever change the way I saw things from that day forward. A profound and dogmatic knowing came over me. I was transformed by or infused with the Holy Spirit. I was left with the knowledge that I was part of that generation that would live to see the return of Christ. My entire body tingled with fleshy goosebumps. I was left with a joy and sense of warmth, peace and assurance that these words were the true words of God and they were meant for me. He wanted me to know that. I found myself smiling with an uncontrollable happiness. From that moment on I would refer to this as the "knowing". That is the only way I can explain this supernatural feeling that came over me. The scriptures became very clear to me. From that day forward I was hooked on prophecy. Over the years I would read the books that pertain to prophecy, on the Second Coming, anything that shed light on scripture. For over four decades I have watched as each news event throughout the world lined up with biblical prophecies as foretold throughout the Old and the New Testaments. In the past ten years prophetic fulfillment has been moving so fast that I watch the news daily to keep up with what is happening in the Middle East, around the world and in America. That experience in 1970 left me with a question that has haunted me and that I have struggled with for over 48 years. What was I supposed to do with this knowing? Feeling uncomfortable approaching others and having an insecurity of biblical knowledge I did little except to watch. I would bring up the subject from time to time with those who were receptive, especially when world events could easily be equated to biblical predictions. However, I always felt guilty that I wasn't doing enough to draw people to Christ. This constant thought never leaves me. With world events speeding up so rapidly and directly lining up with prophecy this thought becomes more and more of an issue for me. During the past few years I have learned more about the generation who has been chosen to live during this special time of the End of the Age of Grace. Through scripture and from biblical scholars I have learned that those of us who have always longed for and watch for His return are called "watchmen". As watchmen, we are charged with the responsibility of sounding the alarm of His imminent return. Watchmen are able to clearly see the signs. It is actually one of the five crowns that are to be given to the believer upon judgement day, The Watchman's Crown. With today's grave concerns about peace in the Middle East and the impending signing of a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians the time has come for me to end my struggle with what i am to do with this "knowing" and to begin my public stewardship as a Watchman for Christ.