In the early fall of 1967, I had a friend about 10 years older than me, who took me under his spiritual wing. He invited me to go to Boston for a youth meeting on a Saturday night. It was at that rally, my spiritual eyes were opened when the Gospel was presented ... I was a sinner, needing the Savior, Jesus Christ who gave His life for me to take my penalty for sin and cleanse me. That night I received Christ as my Savior and Lord. When Ray offered to take me to Boston for a Christian Youth Rally, my reasoning was to go to the large city which intrigued this 14 year old. The Lord God had something else in mind. He used the largest city in New England to have me sit in Tremont Temple near the Boston Common and hear John Debrine proclaim the Good News of salvation in Christ I desperately needed to hear. Through Holy Spirit conviction I had a transformation experience. At this point in my life I went faithfully to church on Sundays with my family. It was here we met Ray and his dear mother. I may have heard the Gospel message there but it never penetrated my heart if I did. About a month prior, Ray took me to Worcester, another nearby city to hear the same speaker in an outdoor youth Rally. Hear me, dear ones! It was the same message, by the same speaker and a heart stir by the same Holy Spirit but a different result. No conviction to respond but an interest of the message I was hearing. That was the first time I remember hearing the Gospel message. Ray told our family of John Debrine's morning radio show called Songtime. While getting ready for school in the morning and then while eating breakfast, the message of new life in Christ rang through the kitchen radio. Looking back at it now, I can see how the Holy Spirit was drawing me in toward the Savior, so that when the proclamation of the need for Christ hit my ears that Saturday night in September the Holy Spirit clearly said that's you, Mike and now is the time to respond. That spiritual encounter started a series of encounters while listening to Songtime every morning before school.
Those early encounters with God began a series of events that must be told. You must hear them. So this ends part one. Get the next episode right here real soon.
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