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of my life had "rubbed off." I began to learn, FAST! And I
learned DIRECTLY FROM THE BIBLE! What I learned shocked -- STUNNED
me. For God's own Word CUT like a two-edged sword! It awakened me
to what I was -- it hit me as a violent traumatic experience --
made me loathe and abhor myself!
I was through fighting God. I was disgusted with myself --
with my whole past life -- with the world around me. My whole
sense of values changed. I couldn't STAND the idea of becoming a
nightclub performer.
I hated to go to my father and confess this and ask if I
could be baptized. He hadn't known of my hostility -- and now I
had to tell him. I think I expected stern rebuke for my past
opposition, but he showed only love, concern, and desire to help.
When he was certain that my repentance was real, he baptized me.
I didn't know WHERE I could be used -- I never REMOTELY
IMAGINED I would ever become a minister, or ever appear on the air.
But now I wanted to become a part of God's Work!
And that is how it REALLY happened. Looking back -- I
know I was being PUT into Christ's Work. I didn't CHOOSE it. I
didn't just "go along" with my father's "organization." I was
CALLED into it -- was PUT into it.
It's been 12 years, now, since I was first introduced to
listeners of The WORLD TOMORROW. Actually, I was asked to appear
as a guest when my father did our first 26 telecasts back in 1955
-- so I appeared on television before doing any of the radio
broadcasting.
My older brother, Richard David ("Dick" to us, at home),
had been doing a little of the radio broadcasting earlier. My
father felt he might be able to help assume some of the load of
broadcasting. He had an excellent radio voice -- better, I felt,
than mine.
However, Dick was needed in England to pioneer in opening
an office there. Later, my parents found need and opportunity for
a trip to the Mideast, reporting on turbulent conditions there to
our PLAIN TRUTH readers. There were no WORLD TOMORROW programs
done ahead.
I had been asked to produce some of the programs a little
earlier, just after having been on television for a few brief
moments, and then doing one almost complete program on the subject
of juvenile delinquency and child rearing. So now, circumstances
seemed to place me more and more before the microphone.
And the work was continuing to really GROW, FAST. As I
said, I was, finally, beginning to do much of the broadcasting. My
father had found that, as two, and then three college campuses were
opened up; as The PLAIN TRUTH circulation climbed to over one-half,
then past three-quarters, and finally over ONE MILLION; as offices
began to be opened overseas -- finally girdling the globe -- and as
more and more administrative and executive responsibilities fell on