Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1435479
any money, so college isn't in the cards." ("Oops!" Nazarenes don't play cards.) He side-stepped my concerns and said, "Well, those are two easy things to fix. If you want to go to college, let me know. Here's my card." Little did I know that I just had breakfast with Shelburne Brown, president of Point Loma College." He pointed me in the direction of a GED (General Education Diploma) and arranged for me every grant and student loan available from the college. What are the odds that a college president would sit down next to a seventeen-year-old drummer at a church breakfast and have all the right answers for his future? A year later, I literally transferred all of my life's possessions from the family's RV to the trunk of the Sandberg's car. I spent the summer in Salt Lake City cleaning animal cages at the University of Utah. In September Debbie and I left for PLNC where she went to the girl's dorms, and I went to the men's dorm. We were married the next summer. Debbie and I have been married for 46 years. She is the love of my life! We have two grown sons and three grandchildren. My lovely wife has worked hard as a registered nurse all of these years while I have served the kingdom in a lot of different ways. • During college I was a youth pastor in Chula Vista, CA • Upon graduation I took a youth position in Camarillo, CA • During and after this period I traveled with a Christian rock band called "Alien." (Almost starved to death!) • I had a very difficult youth ministry experience in Azusa that only lasted one year, but it was during that time I was introduced to the people who wanted someone to plant a church in the Temecula Valley. • I was assisted in the planting of three churches in the Temecula area and pastored one of them for 13 years. • During this time (looking for any opportunity to share the Gospel in creative ways) I went to clown college where my alter ego "Luther" was born. Luther operated for three years but was retired when I began… •…Black Sheep: Harley-Davidsons for Christ in 1999 All of these add up to 46 years of ministry – so far. I will retire from BSHDFC in May, but I will never leave the ministry. My story has been made possible by the grace and mercy of God and a wonderful, loving, and faithful wife. I am so grateful for her. Such a life may be peppered with "what ifs." As in, "What if I hadn't given my heart to Jesus at such a young age?" and "What if I had resisted God's invitation to go into the ministry?" and "What if God had not brought this wonderful woman into my life." I also ponder, "What if I had stayed in the local church and not pursued this crazy idea of motorcycle ministry?" My encouragement to my readers is as follows: •Know God can and does speak to little children. •Know God has a specific plan and purpose for your life. •Keep your relationship with God close. (Prayer, worship, church attendance, accountability.) •Beware of critics and naysayers. (Do what God says!) •Know that God will provide and send those who will supplement your strength, wisdom, and energy. •And when you know God is saying, "Go!" do not hesitate. •It's ok to retire. It's never ok to quit. My dad, who may have meant well, told me as I was preparing to leave for Point Loma, "Don't be disappointed if this doesn't work out. You never were college material." But God said, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9) What voices have you been listening to? What challenges are you afraid to confront? I encourage you to listen to what GOD is saying in your life. If He says you can do it – YOU CAN DO IT! "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2Timothy 1:7) "Now unto him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)