My Spiritual Journey — Part 4: The Reset
After the great start, the fall, and the rescue came the reset - with a little help from my friends.
The following is an adaptation of my story Growing Up Baptist — Part 4: The Renewal, published 5/16/2024 in Mustard Seed Sentinel on Medium.
In case you haven't been keeping up, or your memory needs refreshing, I want to begin by repeating some of what I said in the introduction to Part 1: Born Again…Then Again?
The first thing I list in my profile bio is not-your-average Jesus follower.
What do I mean by that, and more importantly, how did I become one?
Contrary to what some think, it didn't happen when I prayed a prayer — although, as I shared in Part 1, I did that.
It also didn’t happen when I was baptized in water or even when God dramatically doused me with His Holy Spirit when I was 12. (Also in Part 1.)
It happened over several years and includes:
walking away from God and "all things church" in frustration as a teenager (Part 2: From Passion to the Pit)
returning to Him in my early 20s after living in misery for five years (Part 3: The Rescue)
and what I will talk about in this part: experiencing a move of God in a singles class of a large Baptist church that sealed the deal and changed me forever.
In short, God, Who had begun a good work in my life during my youth (Philippians 1:6), reached down and rescued me from the horrible pit I had fallen into. (Psalm 40:1–2)
Yet, while being rescued was essential, it wasn't all I needed.
I needed to rebuild my faith, which meant I needed a spiritual reset!
And that's where the Singles One class of the Euless First Baptist Church came in.
Companionship was key
What is the one thing most people associate with a church? The Sunday morning worship service. Right?
It doesn’t matter what denomination or even country. The worship hour (or three if you’re Pentecostal) is the primary event of the week. Everything else is secondary, and in many cases, treated much like elective college courses — they count toward your degree but are not required.
Well, here’s a newsflash to every pastor and Church leader who thinks this way:
On that first Sunday when I visited FBC Euless, had there only been a worship service and not a Sunday school class, I would have likely left and never returned.
Why? Because it wasn’t a soul-stirring sermon or an inspirational song service I needed that morning.
I needed to connect with others walking with Jesus inside, and most importantly, outside the building. I needed spiritual companionship!
And that is exactly what I found — not in the sanctuary, in the Sunday school classroom.
Starting that morning and continuing for the next two-plus years, it took place
While interacting with 20-30 people in Sunday school each week.
While engaging in lively discussions over lunch at local restaurants where a few of us gathered each Sunday morning after services.
While excitedly sharing what the Lord was doing in our lives as we drank coffee into the wee hours of the morning at Denny’s Restaurant.
While praying and reading the Bible together in one another’s homes.
While sharing life as often and in every way we could, forming lifelong friendships.
They [the new believers] spent their time learning from the apostles, and they were like family to each other. They also broke bread and prayed together. (Acts 2:42, CEV)
I don’t think we realized it, but the New Testament was being played out among us in real time.
And as good as it was, it was about to get even better.
We prayed like THIS...
Sometime in early 1980, Jim Armstrong became the Singles One Sunday school teacher. The best way I can describe him is that he was a jovial, middle-aged man full of life. I had never met anyone who talked about Jesus like he did.
That summer, my best friend, Jeanna, two other friends, and I began meeting on Saturday nights to sing, read the Bible, and pray. As others heard what we were doing, they joined in, and we started growing in number, slowly, at first.
A little later, Jim and his wife, Nancy, started coming too. And that's when things took off. Soon, we were struggling to find homes where we could meet because of the crowd that now poured in every week.
But why? Because Jim and Nancy had joined us, or because Jim began to bring short Bible teachings?
Nope. As much as we enjoyed them being there, what made the difference was how we began praying together.
It's called praying conversationally, and Jim learned about it from a book by Evelyn Christenson called What Happens When Women Pray.
(Note: I don’t remember this as the title or about it being for women only. But, hey, even if it was, Jim wasn’t put off and encouraged all of us — guys and girls alike — to run with it. And we did!)
Briefly, we followed five rules1:
One subject at a time — allows everyone to participate in praying over the request. As each one prays, everyone else adds their amens and "Yes, Lord's," further encouraging the person praying along with the one being prayed for, if present.
Short prayers of one or two sentences — encourage even the most timid to audibly voice their prayers while limiting the long-winded among the group. This is possibly the most important rule and the one thing that allows everything else to work.
Simple prayers — help those who struggle with knowing what to say. This is where experienced pray-ers are again asked to take it down a notch and refrain from lifting lofty theological phrases that often intimidate newbies in the group.
Specific requests — doesn’t mean we didn’t allow people to throw out catch-all prayers like, “Lord, please help Judy.” If that’s all a person knew to say, of course, it was allowed. But what was encouraged were prayers like, “Father, will you please help Judy forgive her ex-boyfriend and show her how to release him to you?” Imagine the joy that filled us all when Judy returned the next week, sharing how her heart had changed toward her ex. This sort of thing happened countless times.
Silent periods between prayers — allow the Lord to stir hearts and bring things to mind to add to the ongoing prayer conversation. Also, times of stillness were special and allowed us to linger in His presence. The love that filled the room during these times was often tangible, and there weren’t many dry eyes.
All of us — sometimes as many as 45 — joined in. What a beautiful thing it was to experience everyone participating in a type of prayer rhythm orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.
No one led, not even Jim. We were all equal participants, sharing whatever the Lord spoke through each of us as He willed.
From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16, NIV)
And lives were changed!
As wonderful as it was to pray for and with each other, and then excitedly report how the Lord answered those prayers, the true spiritual fruit became evident in changed lives.
Some were saved and baptized, others re-committed themselves to the Lord. Singles met their future mates and married. And many, myself included, experienced a call from God into full-time ministry or something specific as their life work.
From the core group of 12 I was a part of came pastors, worship leaders, missionaries, church planters, teachers, business leaders, and more.
Tim and Jeanne Mahonney are great examples. They met while in the group, married in 1985, pastored a tiny church in Arizona for a few years, and then spent twenty years in Africa as missionaries.
I spoke with her recently and asked how significant the Saturday night prayer gatherings were for her. Her response was no surprise:
"It transformed my life and my faith and how I express my faith."
"Go to Lynchburg. I have a music ministry for you there!"
It was the first time I heard the Lord speak to me so clearly that I could quote Him. Not in an audible voice; rather, it was an impression, but one that left no question in my mind as to the Source.
Six weeks earlier, in the summer of 1981, three of us from the group — Russ and his newlywed bride, Susie, and I — began praying together, asking the Lord to show us what to do next. Russ knew he was called to be a pastor, and I sensed a call into music ministry of some kind. But we were clueless beyond that.
So we did the one thing we knew how to do: we prayed.
Three weeks into our prayer vigil, Susie’s parents offered to take her and Russ on vacation to Virginia so Russ could check out Liberty Baptist College (now Liberty University).
Soon after, they all went, and on July 1st, Susie called saying she and Russ had found a two-bedroom apartment and did I want to move to Lynchburg with them, where, like Russ, I could attend Liberty.
So I prayed, and that's when the Lord spoke to me.
One month later, on August 2nd, Russ, Susie, and I packed everything we owned into a Ryder moving truck and headed to Virginia. When we arrived two days later, all I had were my clothes, a bed, a piano, a stereo, $900 in my pocket, and a clear Word from the Lord.
But that's all I needed because I had signed on the dotted line. My life was not my own. I was His and He was mine. So wherever He called me or whatever He asked of me, the answer was a resounding yes!
And that, my friend, is how I became a Jesus follower.
The journey continues...
It’s been over 43 years since I left FBC Euless, but what I experienced there has never left me. And it never will because it was life-giving and confirmed what I knew deep in my heart as a teenager: there’s more to being a Christian than just showing up on Sunday mornings and ticking the box that you’ve been to church.
It's not about religious practices, rule-keeping, or performance. It's about walking with Jesus daily and connecting with others in the family of God who get it.
You would think that every church, every pastor, and every Christian understood and walked in this. Sadly, this is not even close to being the case, which is one reason people are leaving churches in droves — and many are not returning.
If you are one of them, my heart goes out to you. Truly. If all you have experienced is fear-based religion and little, if any, of the joy and freedom that Christ came to give us, then please don’t give up on Him. He’s not your problem. Ever. He’s the solution and the answer to every dilemma and question life throws your way.
Let me tell you a secret you can hang your hat on: He’s for you, not against you. And He loves you more than you will ever get your head around.
As I close this portion of the series, I want to leave you with what I believe is possibly the most life-altering invitation by Jesus ever recorded in the Scriptures:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, MSG)
I’ve taken Him up on His offer, and I pray you do, too.
Thanks so much for reading Part 4 of my spiritual journey. Is this the end?
Not even close!
This was merely the beginning — the foundation the Lord continues to build upon, even until now. As long as I’m breathing, He’s doing stuff in my life, which means I have a never-ending supply of stories to share with you.
I also have other topics I want to write about, including healthy living, personal finances, and last but not least: how David and I met. It truly is an amazing story.
So stay tuned. There’s so much more to come. 😊❤️
Questions? Comments? Simply click the link below or hit reply if you’re reading this via email. I’d love to hear what you think.
Connect with Sharon on Medium by clicking here!
Footnotes:
Good practical advice.