When I was 19 years old I was called to a deeper faith. I had been raised in a Freewill Baptist Church whom my cousin served as Pastor. Sometime in my early teens the small Church decided to replace my cousin with another Pastor. This caused some offence with some in the congregation, including my parents and the little Church spilt. Some settled in other congregations and some, like my parents, just remained alone and stayed churchless.

I was a typical teen of the late 1960's and early 1970's, interested in sports, music, girls and fun. I no longer thought about Christianity, Church or the Bible. I tried not to think about those things because I didn’t want them to interfere with my chosen path of indulgence.

I was privileged to play keyboards in a popular rock band during my high school years, and I had serious ambitions to become a recording artist. In 1973 my band recorded six original songs which I had composed as a demo set to send to major record labels. After one rejection from Capricorn Studios we received strong interest from Casino Records out of Memphis, Tennessee. Gilbert Fouts, who owned controlling interest in the company came to Arkansas to visit me a number of times and eventually had his Producer Carl Friend call me with an offer.

While I was considering this offer that could set me on a trajectory which would take me even farther away from God, a strange, yet amazing thing happened. I suddenly felt compelled to begin reading the Bible beginning with the book of Matthew. Each day I spent hours reading and asking God what it all meant.

I liked to think of myself as a good person who wasn’t against God or Christianity. I just wanted to live my life without interference. I always thought that I would "hook up" with God on down the line later in life. At first I really didn’t "want" to read the Bible or to seek God. I was hoping to find a loophole where He and I could be "cool" with me pursuing a career in rock music and coming to Him later. But it just didn’t work out that way.

I hoped to find a shallow place where I could appease the Lord, but He is "deep" and was calling me to deep. After awhile the red letters of the Bible began to take hold of me. I began to hunger and thirst for the Word of God, for the truth. I began to understand that I had never been around Christians who actually hungered for God’s truth. I went to various "Christians" that I knew but I couldn’t find any who had the same interest and drive that I was experiencing. I had so many questions that I needed answers to.

It was at this time that I began talking with my Uncle, Doyle Johnson. I had long knew that he was "fanatical" concerning his religious faith. For years I had listened to my parents talk about how he was deceived and "brainwashed." Because of all that I had heard I had steered clear of him. But after I began discussing the Bible with him I found that he could show me in God’s Word everything that he believed. I could see much of it myself, and I knew that it was the truth-but some of it was far outside the mainstream of Christianity.

This is when I began to take my new understanding and paradigm view of the Bible to members of my family beginning with my mother. My mother was well versed in the Bible, though her paradigm view came from the typical mainstream. Our initial meetings did not go well, partly because she was emotionally conflicted since Doyle was her little brother whom she help raise after their father died. So, I went to other family members who were known to have a strong understanding of the Bible, one of which was my great Uncle. I came to love this man and truly respected him greatly. But I found that even as a new Christian who had not even read the Bible through yet, was more than a challenge for him.

So, my Uncle Doyle became my trusted mentor. It’s been often said, that one can acquire wisdom from their mistakes or from a trusted mentor. I could trust that if he stated any belief, that he could point to Scripture and Verse to show me why it was true. He helped to anchor me in this faith, though he suffered persecution for it.

As time went on, this dear man and I didn’t always see the meaning of the Scriptures the same way. We had our differences, but we weren’t afraid to lay out our arguments. Nor were we so stubborn that we could not stand corrected when shown that we were wrong. In his old age I would go pick him up to take him for a coffee break at the Old South Restaurant. And there we would do as we always did, discuss and argue the Scriptures. Sometimes we were joined by other family members. All I have now is the memories of those times and I cherish them. It was during those meetings that iron sharpened iron.

Though most of us actually fail to meditate upon it, there can be great power and influence in one life. Consider the power of one life. A life committed to the will of God. Consider the solitary life of the beloved Apostle Paul and of the example he left behind. Of how that man’s work changed much of the world. -and is still at work through his letters. Paul understood the cost. He was willing to lay down his will to live out the will of God. He declared to the Galatians that the life that he lived was no longer his but Christ’s, saying, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal. 2:20)

Perhaps no man has ever suffered the hardships of the Apostle Paul. Shortly after he was called into the Lord’s service he was persecuted by the Jews and not trusted by the Church. On the road to Damascus Jesus told Paul that he must suffer much for the cause of the Gospel. Paul was beaten more times than he could remember. He experienced hunger and exposure. He was stoned and left for dead. He was often betrayed by those whom he called "brother." And finally, this beloved Apostle was imprisoned in Rome and suffered martyrdom. And even in this he considered his death to be a libation offering to the Lord. But now his future is sealed in Christ for all eternity where he will receive a crown and glory and honor.

In the early 1800's a young Russian came to England to preach the Gospel. Though he did not know the English language he took it upon himself to learn it as quickly as he could. He was obviously very anointed of the Spirit and blessed by God. Great miracles took place where he preached. People witnessed such awesome manifestations of the power of God that they pressed upon him to know his secret.

But this man felt it was so sacred between him and the Lord that he should not say much. He understood that God’s Presence can be easily quenched. Finally, he said, "First God called me. And I found His Presence to be so precious that I said to God at every call I would obey Him. And I yielded, and yielded, until I realized that I was simply clothed with another power altogether. God had taken me-my tongue, my thoughts, everything. I was no longer myself. It was Christ working in and through me."

This young man had discovered what Paul had nearly two millennia earlier. That to fully yield to God is to be taken by God and used as the instrument of His divine will. How many among us dear brethren truly hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God? Have we listened quietly to hear His still voice calling us to yield to His will-to have the faith to step into the unknown?

I have discovered that when we venture into God’s River of Living Water we can commit to an ankle deep, knee deep or even waist knee service and stop there. But in that place we have reserved for ourselves the power of control over our lives. But when we truly seek the Lord in trust we may find ourselves in the place where our feet no longer touch the earth as we are carried by the mighty current of God’s will. That is the place where faith abides and where hope anchors our soul. Yes, deep calls to deep but many are too comfortable living in the shallows.

Our father Abraham came to this place in his life. He had faithfully obeyed God’s call to leave the city of his birth. To take his wife, servants, flocks and herds into the desert where there were unknown dangers. God led this faithful man into the depths of His will and yet Abraham obeyed. For his faithfulness, God had promised to give him a son in his old age.

Abraham and his wife Sarai had long ago lost hope of ever having children. After 25 years God fulfilled His promise and Isaac was born. But now the Lord was to ask Abraham to give to Him what was most precious-his only son, Isaac. "Take your son Isaac to a mountain three days journey from here and sacrifice him to Me" said the Lord. Yet Abraham never doubted. He was convinced that if he just faithfully obeyed the Lord that God would be faithful to him-even if it meant raising him from the dead. "Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me." (Psalm 42:7)

Throughout history great revivals have occurred. It’s usually God’s response to months or even years of persistent prayers offered in tears from people who refused to be satisfied in practicing a lifeless religion and who hungered for the personal Presence of God. They wanted more than merely singing hymns and listening to carefully organized sermons. There has always been a very few who weren’t happy until they witnessed a move of God. God is waiting for that few to hunger.