PART 3: Adventurous & Atrocity

7 minute listen or read

Not too long after I had given my heart to Christ, I felt a gentle tug on my heart; a call to minister to the needs of others. What started out as praying for and listening to others turned into a calling to serve others in a greater capacity!

From talking with various people, I heard of a Bible College in a far away city. So, after praying about it, I packed up and headed off to learn all I could about the Bible and becoming a minister.

Unfortunately, I only lasted seven (7) months in this Bible College. Why, you ask? Simple. My girlfriend was Caucasian, and as a man of color, our dating was a no-no!

Over time, the Bible College staff put so much pressure on the girl and her family that she finally caved in. She met with me and told me it wasn’t God’s Will for us to be together!

Here’s an interesting thing that happened in all of this:

1. A few weeks before my girlfriend told me it was over, I had a dream about her. I dreamt that she was leaving her dormitory and walking toward the church building. And, she was pregnant! Of course, both of us were virgins, and I knew it wasn’t my child. So, something was up.

2. Fast-forward a few weeks and she tells me our relationship is over.

3. Fast-forward several months and an old friend from the Bible College came to visit me at the cockroach infested brothel where I was living. He told me my ex-girlfriend had been spending time with another guy long before we broke up. He felt compelled to share this with me – as well as some other “fascinating” info.

4. Fast-forward a few years and the ex-girlfriend had married this same guy.

5. Fast-forward a couple more years and she was pregnant with their first child.

Strange? Prophetic? Coincidence? I don’t know. I just know that I had that dream shortly before I got kicked to the curb by the woman I loved.

Moving on…

Shortly after my girlfriend had had the talk with me about breaking up, I got called into the vice-president’s office. He told me I was unwelcome at their Bible College and that I need to vacate the premises by 5pm. So, I packed up all of my gear and left with a HUGE hole in my heart and a chip on my shoulder.

A few days later, I was laid off from one of my jobs. A couple of days later, I was laid off from my second job. As a result, I headed back to my hometown to talk with my parents about what had happened. Unfortunately for me, both parents ended up kicking me out and disowning me – with a warning and some really harsh words!

I tried hard to get a job in my ho

metown but the city was in a recession. So, I ended up selling my car and taking a Greyhound bus to a city where I knew I could get a job.

With very little money in my pocket, and not knowing how long it will take me to get a job, I end up living on the streets of Saint Paul for two weeks. Finally, I got a job and found a room for rent – for $50 a month – in what turned out to be a cockroach infested brothel.

For the next few weeks, I wrote nineteen (19) letters to family and friends in my home town to ask for help. All of them went unanswered. Later, I found out my parents had told many people to not help me.

Let me tell you where this adventurous and atrocious chapter ended:

As a result of all I had experienced since my new birth experience, I was now in a really bad place – mentally and emotionally! I was angry, bitter, resentful, and even hostile. Also, I was in the beginning stages of developing an unforgiving spirit/attitude – something I would carry with me for a couple of decades (because I was stubborn. Long story short, I left church and had very little contact with Christians.

What did I learn from all of this? Here are a handful of things I learned:

1. I learned a lot about “Christians.” Here are two things I wish someone would have taught me when I first began: (A) All Christians, myself included, are flawed human beings; (B) All Christians struggle with sin (i.e., violations of God’s laws).

2. I learned a lot about “Church-Culture.” (NOTE: Each denomination has their own culture [i.e., their own way of doing things.]) I also learned that I LIKED certain cultures and DISLIKED others. Now, the cultures I disliked were not necessarily bad or wrong. They just weren’t to my liking – and they didn’t make me want to draw closer to Christ. THIS is also something I really wish someone would have taught me from the beginning – because I wouldn’t have made some of the most common mistakes I see other Christians make (i.e., the Catholic way is the only way, or the Lutheran way is the only way, or the Pentecostal way is the only way, etc..). More on this in another article!

3. I learned a lot about my own strengths and weaknesses. Here was one strength: I got hustle! (NOTE: In all my anger, I got one full-time job. A couple of weeks later, I got a second full-time job. And then after adjusting to the new routine, I got a part time job and was now working 100 hours per week) Here was one weakness: I was naive, unpolished, misinformed, and crude!

4. Eventually, when I made my way back to Christ, I discovered my “gifting” and “calling.” Here’s a hint:

Because of all I had experienced, I discovered my Lord wanted me to work with (and minister to) people who’ve been hurt or harmed by Christians – and were angry, bitter, resentful, hostile, and unforgiving. More on this in a subsequent article!

In the next section, I’ll share with you some of personal experiences the Lord used to draw me back to Him.

If you have questions or comments, email me here.

Roy

• My Journey Part 01: Where I Started

• My Journey Part 02: New Beginnings

• My Journey Part 04: Moving Forward

• My Journey Part 05: Personal Jonah Experience

• My Journey Part 06: Finding My Calling and Ministry

• My Journey Part 07: Where Am I Today…