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I'd like to tell a story
I would tell a story . It may be irrelevant here in the Chapel except to me who lived it . Without really thinking about the circumstances it helped me form many opinions I hold today by default .
The death of Charles Mansion started me thinking . I understand to a great extent how he was able to gather the members of his cult through personal experience . I had some experience because I live with one in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona in 1970 . I had thought to tell this story before now but it sounds pretty far fetched and hard to believe .
It's a situation many that know me would not think I could get into but consider the times and my age back then coupled with the fact I just ain't too bright . It's a story of child predation , drugs and Satan . A view of insanity , false teaching and the lost from an 18 year olds eyes . DANG ! Back then I was good at getting into 'situations' .
After reading that if you consider it unfit for the Chapel just say so and I will kill this thread .
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I'm always up for one of your stories.
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I've got my coffee and smokes, fire away!
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Sin and it's consequences are real and it does us no good to hide from it. I see the consequences of sin in my office every day. Many Christians live such isolated (Church) lives that they no longer recognize sin or run from it when they do. We are not immune!
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Can any of us say we have never sinned? I ask for Mercy for my stupidity daily... I say 'carry on'
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Charlie, we are all waiting on your story. We were all heading down the road to Hell until the Holy Ghost called us to repentance.
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"Along came Jones.....slow walking Jones.... " Sorry guys ..... but that song popped into my head...
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Ha, hah! Actually, that's where I got it. What happened next? But it may be premature to ask, "And then?" because we're still waiting........
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I was giving 24 hours to hear descent castalot but I laughed when I saw your post . I love you brother ! But don't expect much , mainly more report of my personal failure . I looked up ..Along came Jones ...Dang ! I hadn't thought of that song in years .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFyr49TwuiI
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Well it's been bout 24 hours , I'll tell best and as truthful as I can of something in my life that happened three years short of a half century ago . I'm hoping you don't expect much from me . I'm not too smart , my composition skill is zero .. My intention is not to tell a story of the stupidity of my youth but to possible give something to ponder on . If my failings can provoke thought , if my admission of failure can bring about understanding then purpose is served . I ain't very smart , I type with one finger and these days I think slow .
I honestly believe GOD tested me when I look back in hindsight . This story might just be different or 'interesting' to you but it shaped me in many ways . It brought understanding like getting hit it the head with a claw hammer when it happened . GOD will never temp us but he will test us . CHECK YOUR SCRIPTURE .
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I graduated high school in May of 1970 . You might need to take into account the times then . Hippies , granny glasses , long hair , make love not war , race riots , Martin Luther King , civil rights marches . The Viet Nam war , sit in's , save the whales , the Black Panthers , the Symbonese liberation army , Patty Hurst , war protesters , Hate and Ashbury St . Shooting at Kent State , Charles Manson , the cold war still in progress . The draft was on and if you graduated high school with no plans of college you odds seemed good you would be drafted .
Well heck I never was too 'trendy' , didn't have long hair , no granny glasses , no Nicki Nauru shirts and white shoes . Was a 'cowboy' type so didn't fit in with the hippie crowd ...I was not cool . Being the age I was and figuring I'd get drafted or be tied down for the rest of my life working I wanted to 'do something' ....surly you remember some of the self serving , adolescent thinking when you were at that age . So I decided to take a trip out west on my 250 Suzuki ...that wasn't in too good a condition (kind of setting the stage for down the road) .
Sold some bridles and small horse 'stuff' and pawned my Frank Kriel bareback rig and came up with about 60 bucks . And now the hard part ...I had to tell my folks . I knew they were not going to see how it was a good idea to take off to the west coast with a wore out motorcycle and bout $60.00 , they always had trouble letting common sense get in the way of things .
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We at on the edge of our seats...please go on...
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My dad was 52 years old when I was born , he was seventy years old when I finished high school . He was raised Pentecostal , born in a dugout west of Stage Stand Oklahoma . He had both legs run over and crushed by a truck and trailer when he was 15 years old , he walked with a limp the rest of his life . He was a Mason as his father and grandfather , he was a quiet man ..he listened more than he spoke . He didn't cuss and I never knew of him taking a drink .
I was saved when I was 7 years old , I gave my profession and was baptized . My dad was always going to the church to mow grass , work on the plumbing or whatever . He was involved in all activities . We attended a small neighborhood Southern Baptist church within walking distance , the pastor was Brother Earl .
I was 9 years old , we went to church one Sunday and during the invitation dad got up and walked down the aisle to accept the offer of salvation , he was baptized at the evening service the same day . I was in shock ! I thought dad belonged to the church . Mom told me much later he still had kept his membership in a Pentecostal church but thought as a family we should all belong to the same church . I got to see my dad be baptized , I still remember it .
My mom was a compulsive force to be reckoned with . She was constantly working , her solution to any problem was to work harder . I got a big dose of her genes I'm afraid . She liked people , loved to play games , she was always singing , she taught at times in the ladies Sunday school class , worked in the nursery , sang in the choir , was quick to help neighbors....she had to be moving . LOL , in her later years she started playing Bingo and was constantly worried that she was sinning (gambling) , she was always asking me if she ought to quit Bingo . I just laughed and told her she was not going to hell for playing Bingo .
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I waited till evening and told my folks I was going to take a trip ...west . They asked me where and I just said ...west . Being normal , rational folks 'west' was kind of ....well who the heck knows . I gave no detail because frankly I had none ? I sat down at the kitchen table and called up all the patience a teenager is capable of to deal with the reality of their questions .
Dad spoke slow , dad measured his words , dad stared at me , mom spoke her mind . But after probably 45 min mom stood up , threw up her hands and told dad ...YOU TALK TO HIM ! THIS MAKES NO SENSE ! And she went outside .
Dad got up , told me he would be back . He went to their bedroom and I head him rustling around in the closet . Dad was a packrat , saved everything . He brought back a huge fold out map of the United States , I think it had 47-48 states on it . Unfolded on the kitchen table and said ..Where do you want to go ?
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My dad told stories , Mexico , Dumas Texas did road work , Nebraska on harvest , running pump houses for Magnolia oil in Kansas he jumped freight trains in the depression with his brothers to find work . Before dad settled down he covered a lot of ground .
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Matthew 5:1-12New King James Version (NKJV)
The Beatitudes
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
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“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
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Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
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Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
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Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
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Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
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Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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If I had to make a call for my dad it would be ;
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
He had the patience of Job . Perseverance which I will never achieve , understanding beyond my reasoning and compassion through experience that few would venture to learn by trial .
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
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“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
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Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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I got up at 5 o clock next morning , dad was drinking coffee . I was excited , we talked . Mom got up , I strapped my sleeping bag and 'stuff' on the cargo rack on the Suzuki . Mom hugged me , crying she left . Dad shook my hand hard and told me to be careful . And I pulled out west .
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Started out , didn't push the old Suzuki ..it had some failings . Took me a day to get to West Texas (I lived in North Central Texas) , I got off the highway and slept off an oilfield lease road in the mesquites . Found the Palo Doro Canyon , I was impressed ...Beautiful country . Looked around for a day . Slept in the Johnson Grass off the road ...Got up and started for Carlsbad New Mexico . I was enjoying it .
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Made it to Carlsbad New Mexico , slept on the parking lot at the entrance to Carlsbad Cavern , Took a walk through it the next morning . I was impressed , I think the Park Service charged $1.50 . Started mid evening to Cloud Croft intending to go straight west as I could to the West Coast . Interstate highways did not go all the way , I was navigating by an old Texaco road map .
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Got to Cloudcroft NM, discovered my Kickstarter was had vibrated off , had to put in second gear and push start . Stopped in Cloud croft to drink a cup of coffee , guy that ran the café asked ...you on that cycle , bad storm coming you better get off the mountain . It was black outside ..I left .
One inch hail hit . I holed up in an old plywood school bus shed by the road , was leaking bad ...barley shelter .
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Two days out things started to go south .
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Stayed in that shed bout 2 hours , all my adolescent self could deal with . Strapped My bed roll back on the bike and went down hill . still hailing but not so bad . Pain of hail being better than pain of boredom . Aww the impatience of youth .
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Dropped to a lower elevation and the hail stopped . Bruised but not I kept on .
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Had no goal ...just west . Looking back ...GOD was in control ..not me .
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GOD guided me to an experience I would wish I had not had , but understanding comes hard . He will direct .
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In trial and not knowing I pushed on .
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Kept going west . Had to tighten the drive chain a couple of times , chain was stretched and didn't have much adjustment left , rear drive sprocket was bout wore out . Figured when I got to phoenix I'd find a master link , borrow a punch somewhere and shorten the chain .
Got to Arizona , went through Globe , pulled off the road to look at the tailing pile of the Globe Copper Mine . It was literally a mountain . Went though the San Carlos Apache Reservation , stopped halfway through the reservation and got a tank of gas at the Texaco station .
I didn't know it at the time but soon I'd be back to this reservation involved in a 'revival' of sorts with some folks that believed the Indians knew when the second coming was going to happen .
Kept going west toward Phoenix .
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It was summer and pretty dang hot , kept heading to Phoenix . Went through the Superstitions and got to Apache Junction . Not much there , stopped at the A.J . Bayless grocery store , got a can of pork and beans . Ate em outside in the shade at the end of the store . Went back in and got a drink of water , started west to Phoenix .
Got almost to Mesa AZ and my chain came off , no more adjustment left . Pushed it about a mile and a half . It was near dark , got to a filling station and the guy working said I could sleep out back and leave the bike the next day to hitch hike to Phoenix for a chain link . Slept in the weeds out back , got up first light and thumbed it into Phoenix . Had to find a motorcycle shop and did a lot of walking . Was late evening time I got back to the filling station and the bike . Same guy let me use the tools and I shortened the chain , pulled the sprocket and cleaned it up with a file , two teeth bent so gently tapped en back .
Chain and sprocket were shot , did a lot of thinking . I was never going to make it to the Pacific ...I decided to try and make it back home . They had a candy machine at the station so got two peanut butter logs , a drink out of the hose and bedded down
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Left out at daybreak , The attendant that helped me was off shift , told the one that was there to thank him for me . Started back east for Texas . Got bout 3 miles and the chain and sprocket thrashed . Chain broke and 3 teeth off the sprocket , started pushing the 250 Scrambler to Apache Junction . I was 7 days on the road and had bout two dollars in change left . Options were limited , bike got heavier by the mile . I come to a telephone both on side of the road , swallowed my pride and decided to call home . Barley had enough money to make a call...I hoped . It was hard to make that call .
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Dialed long distance , LOL ,,, younger members might have to check that out ! Got the operator and said I needed to place a call to Wichita Falls Texas , you heard the clicks , her talking to other operators to plug in their switchboards and then she said ... it will be $1.60 for three min . Put the correct amount of change in now . I dropped a Dollar sixty in the coin slot and she said ...Hold on .
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I waited ..heard the phone start to ring , dad said hello . He said ..where are you ? I replied ..I'm just east of Phoenix Arizona . He said...DANG ! I didn't figure that motorcycle would get that far ! How's the weather there ?
Dang it I had three min to talk and couldn't call back . I just told him...I'm on the side of the road , the bikes broke and I'm broke . I could use some help . There was a pause and he said ...sounds like you need to find some work . He hung up the phone .
I was over 800 miles from home broke and pushing a worthless motorcycle to no where .
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Boaz, you got me hanging on the edge of my seat, keep it coming!
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Now it might seem a hard thing for him to deny me help and I'm sure it was but he had tried to talk me out of doing this till I could prepare for it . He was going to let me own this one ...I was going to have to figure it out .
At this point the bike was a millstone around my neck , it was a burden . But I clung to it hoping I could somehow get it going again . I just kept pushing it down the road .
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replied to so i can find this thread.
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When I said I was pushing a worthless motorcycle to no where it was in hindsight of now . I would never ride this bike again , it was nothing but a burden . I took a lot of breaks ..it got dang hot . Stopped at a little store and got a fried pie for a dime , all I had to eat that day . Had about enough to get a can of Prince Albert , Velvet or box of Top rollin tobacco ..yea I started smoking the year before .
I was bout to get to Apache Junction , it would be dark quick . There was no benefit to continue pushing the bike in the dark , needed to find a place to bed down out of the way . Stopped at a small filling station , asked if I could get a drink out of the hose . The man said sure , I was walking back to the bike and he said ...What part of Texas you from ? LOL , he couldn't see the tag on my bike so my drawl had nailed me , it happened a lot back then .
Told him North Central Texas , He said he had worked in Texas and a conversation started . At the end he said ....Your gonna be pushing that bike in the dark . You can sleep in that old pick up (old 61/62 Chevy short narrow ) , it's under a light so you can see and the doors lock. Sometime folks coming through I let em sleep in it , you will be safer I stay open all night .
I considered , I thanked him , put my bedroll and stuff in the old truck passenger floorboard . It beat the heck out of sleeping on the ground .Parked the bike by the truck , sun was near down and I was wore out pushing the bike , I bedded down .
Woke up probably one in the morning , a light in my eyes and someone tapping on the driver window telling me to get out of the truck in a commanding voice ! I figured I was being high jacked , eased out and it was a cop . He was shining a flashlight in my eyes and started asking me who I was and why was I here . I said nothing .
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cool story Boaz I would like to hear more so far it a good story D Crockett