Seeking God

My Life through the Years

Part 21

In our last installment, we discussed how a difficult area was worked with and hopefully “solved” and this enabled me to continue with the effort to grow and learn and do God’s will.

Again it would seem to be the part of wisdom to add here a few more additions regarding our “life through the years” of “seeking God.” This may seem to be misplaced but it needs to be done somewhere.  In about 1984 or 1989, I was living in the large place where I worked, and at this place the president allowed me to stay overnight. It was not ideal but it worked. I recall one night that it dropped to minus one degree and I had to clean up broken pipes. The president and warehouse manager also helped. My four and a half years there were eventful and I’m thankful for God’s graciousness. I continued my daily running and soon the entire time was over. I had endured the 4 ½ years in this unusual circumstance!

Events during this time: In 1988 I was able to go to the hospital for a 3-day respite. It worked well. I had a problem with one leg but it was corrected. Also, I should say that from maybe 1981 on, we did a lot of writing. Of course, I had no computer but did have a typewriter, plus even when I was without a personal computer for those  4/1/2 years, I was able to “rent” a computer and produced a great amount of books. This was before the time of computers, as I mentioned, but by God’s grace, I was able to produce books by means of making copies at the copy center. All of this then had to be collated and stapled and then sent out to interested people!

Further, the gracious couple at the storage place (“Public Storage”) allowed me to use their “house” (a mobile home) some 40-50 miles away, for some occasions. One time I stayed for a couple of days and chose to be rebaptized out in the country in the woods near Granbury, Texas. This was such a blessed occasion. God was good and had again provided for my needs.

In about 1989, God gave a small house (a kitchen, a bedroom, and a living room) where I was able to place certain file cabinets, books, and so forth. This went on year by year until the owner (Paul Dixon) died from cancer (prostate cancer?) and I had to find other quarters. This I did, with God’s help, in Haltom City where I lived for maybe three years. At this place, I was able to place a large library in the bedroom, living room, dining room, and computer room. Plus God enabled me to use the garage for file cabinets and books and so forth. This is not at all what I wanted, but it was something and I took it from God’s gracious out-stretched hand.

Further information might be added. By about 1990, I was still using a typewriter that I had rented at the school library. Although not perfect, this is something that could be used. Even today, some of those books (perhaps 30 to 120 pages each) are now accessible. Then some of the friends there gave me a used computer! I used this for a number of years and learned more about computers and word processing along with it.

From the 1980s on, I was able to do a lot of street work. I would distribute literature at the convention center in Fort Worth (or even at Arlington, Texas, and a time or two in Plano and Dallas). By this means, we were able to distribute thousands of tracts. I’ve often wondered what ever happened to the people who received this literature. I recall that the head of the home school convention (that met regularly in Arlington, Texas) pleaded with me not to distribute in their area. I had already done some research with the city attorney and knew that it was illegal to prohibit distribution, thus I kindly explained this to her. I continued there for some years. When she left as the supervisor, she treated me with great respect and kindness.

I am not sure where to insert this point of fact, but I’ll go to 1994. In the early 1980s (perhaps 1981 or 1982), I was studying each day at the large public library in downtown Fort Worth. Each day I would go to this institution and read and finally go off to work only a few blocks away. One of the subjects that I researched and then write on had to do with sports. I could see that this pastime had nothing to do with Christianity and it violated Biblical principles in many ways. Now let’s go to 1994, some 10 or 12 years later. I had written a book during my studies at the library and, with much difficulty, I was able to publish it (with collation, stapling, etc.). But in 1994 a Mennonite publisher (Rod and Staff Publishing Company) there seemed to have an interest in printing the book.

The editor of this company required me to change all of the Biblical passages from the New American Standard Bible to the King James Bible. (We do have several articles on Bible translations which the interested reader should consult.) Further, the only way that the company would publish this volume involved agreeing to their standards. The editor (Paul M. Landis) flew from Kentucky to Texas for a meeting. I remember how he and two local Mennonites (70 miles away, south of Dallas) had a meeting with me.

They knew that I had strong convictions that would not bend to sectarian bias, so they wanted me to change some portions. I believed that Baptism is immersion in water but they insisted on pouring water. Further, I didn’t believe in sectarianism or denominationalism, thus they knew that I would object to their official name. Because of this, they said that they would publish the book if I would acquiesce to their views and they would not put my name anywhere in the book. This I agreed to—for which they seemed pleased—and the case was settled. Since that time, the book has been bought by many people around the world. This was in 1994, as I earlier stated.

About this time, I was able again to change my diet for the better. And although people may have thought that I had taken a strange course of eating, still I was convinced that it was for my good and others. From what I’ve read, only a few percentage of people are so restrictive (about 3 percent?) but it was good and it seemed to be what God would want and the way that He had made our bodies.

Back in about 1989, I was able to begin teaching a few people. At first, the owner didn’t like the fact that I was not feminist thus she pushed me out. I even taught in my car for a while. A couple of the people continued and then Dixon’s house became available (cf. Acts 17:34). At his house, various people joined the little group for study and discussion. This went on for some years. Eventually God provided several people (mostly home-school families) and, in a somewhat disorganized way, we were able to continue studying.

Let’s continue this the next time…