Filthy City Babylon - Witnessing in Greenwich Village

By Dennis Edwards:

Chapter 7 of  My Story: How God Changed My Life!

After two weeks of intense classes, inspiration and scripture memorization it was time to share my new found faith with others. I was roaring to go in spite of my natural shyness. Friday afternoon rolled in the Prophet Bus, an old converted school bus with red sack cloth as curtains on the windows and red carpeted floor. “Maybe they were communists after all,” I thought again. Nevertheless, I piled into the bus with the other students and got ready for my next adventure, witnessing for Jesus.

We traveled down the 100 miles to the George Washington Bridge. One of the teachers pulled out his guitar and started singing a song called “Filthy City Babylon,” with words taken from chapter 17 and 18 in the book of Revelation. The bridge and the city were decked out with all manner of lights. When the song ended another teacher read verses from those very chapters:

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY; BABYLON THE GREAT MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore did thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and the beast that carries her… And the woman which thou saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”[1]

 Here we were entering that “great city,” New York City, which truly reigned economically over the kings of the earth through her banking system and commerce.

The teacher kept on reading:

“And the angel cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird; For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues; For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities… For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.”[2] 

Surely this was a picture of the American Empire with its financial capital in New York City, which uses its great financial power to suck the natural resources and wealth from the nations of the earth. And yet all the nations wanted to sell their merchandise here in America where they could make good money. They could close their eyes to America´s sins of war and oppression of the poor nations, as long as they were making money and filling their own pockets.

We entered into New York City and over to Greenwich Village. It was great to be able to share my new faith with others. But not many were really interested. Most people were into their own trip and could not be bothered. Nevertheless, there always was someone searching and looking for they knew not what and they were ready to hear my story and meet my Lord. And you?

Footnotes:

[1] Revelation 17:4-7,18

[2] Revelation 18:2-5,23b

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Letter to a dear friend like you!

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your message. We are hoping the best for you. Moving is like dying. It's the ending of one life and the beginning of another, but normally it helps us to grow as we broaden our horizons and move out of our comfort zone to face new challenges and in the end find new strengths. The Bible tells us to "look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." In moments like these as we open our lives to Him, we can rest in His arms knowing that He is in control and He will lead and guide us down the path He wants us to follow.

I had wanted to talk to you more deeply about this point at the meeting I attended with you, but was unable at the time. In my own personal life, it wasn't until I asked Jesus into my heart that I found that everlasting peace that I was looking for. I was a young university graduate facing the prospect of the Vietnam War and desperately seeking for answers to the many questions I had about life. The FBI was looking for me as I had not attended the required pre-military examinations and later induction. It often takes desperate situations that cause us to call out to God for His help. I had been reluctant to do that because I thought God was something to do with the religious system which I wanted nothing to do with. I thought believing in God would be taking a step backwards as I had been freed from the crutches of religiosity through my college education.

But when my mother called me on the phone telling me the FBI was looking to arrest me, I prayed crying out with tears that if there was a God could He please help me. When I got up off my knees, I thought, "that was stupid, there is no God, what's happening to me?" I had seen the falseness of religion and had seen what so-called religious people do. America was the epitome of religious hypocrisy with its wars and selfishness and greed. You see, I was having a hard time differentiating the religious system from God Himself. The Bible says God is love and that God is a spirit. So God is that loving invisible spiritual being who created and made the universe contrary to the Theory of Evolution.

It was a few weeks later that I met two your people who were hitch-hiking that led me in a little prayer. "Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive me for the things that I had done wrong. Give me the gift of eternal life. In Jesus' name I pray." I didn't hear the thunderclap or see stars or hear music of feel ecstasy. But I knew I had found what I was looking for. I also prayed to receive the Holy Spirit. My new friends explained to me that the Holy Spirit was a gift God had given to help lead and guide and strengthen His people. If I wanted to follow God then asking for the Holy Spirit would help me. And so I did. I prayed for an infilling of the Holy Spirit and that God would lead me into all truth.

These young people were travelling to a three month discipleship course, and so I decided to drive them to there destination. Tuition was free but all needed to participate in the running of the school. I was allocated a job in the school's cafeteria as breakfast overseer/ dishes overseer organizing the dish and kitchen clean-up crews for each meal of around 200 students plus staff. I dug into the Bible and eagerly attended all classes. I was especially interested in Bible prophecy and the classes on Daniel chapter 2 and Matthew chapter 24 which talked about the "last days." Hadn't I felt that the world was headed for its "last days?" I fell in love with Jesus and His word and spent all my free-time reading the New Testament, even memorizing important passages, or passages that spoke to me or gave me strength.

After the three month course, I received my certificate for the Ministry of Evangelization and was offered a position in a new youth center. I decided to dedicate my life to God and to helping others. Most importantly I decided to dedicate my life to sharing my God experience with others that they too might come in contact with the One who created all things, Jesus.

That's why I am sharing this e-mail with you, Dear Friend, in hope that you too will say that little prayer, if you haven't already, to let Jesus into your heart and life, that you will ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into all truth, that you will begin to have a personal relationship with Him by starting to read His words many of which are found in the New Testament. The famous social critic and writer Charles Dickens said that the New Testament was the best book that ever will be written. If you haven't read it recently, please pick up a copy and read it. Pay close attention to the words of Jesus. His word is food for your soul. He loves you and wants to be your closest friend and companion. He will never leave you nor forsake you and will help you through every difficult moment that you will experience in this life on into the next. It's just that simple and He’s just that wonderful. If you are interested in more reading material outside the New Testament, let me know. Praying that your new experience will be rewarding and will bring you to the place He wants you to be.

Much love,  Dennis

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The Test and the Reward!

By Dennis Edwards:

Chapter 6 - A Visit from Family & Friends

Upon finally having word from me, my parents came to see me at the "Bible Institute" in Ellenville. The conditions at the Community College were very basic. I remember sleeping on the floor at night in a thinly-walled cabin. But I was learning to be a “revolutionary” for Jesus. Whatever physical sacrifice was hardly important. My parents wanted to be sure I knew what I was doing. They were quite reluctant to let me stay at the community. If I wanted to serve God, why could I not become a Priest or find some other way. But seeing I was twenty-two at the time, and they could not convince me otherwise, they left hoping it was a passing phase. My father later told me something when he was near to the end of his life. He had found Jesus through some woman he had met at the nursing home. He said, “Dennis, you found Jesus when you were young and dedicated your whole life to Him, which I could never understand. I lived almost my whole life without that personal relationship with Jesus. I do not know how I did it, but now that I have found Jesus, I understand your decision and life choices.”

A few days afterward my parent’s visit, a close friend from childhood named Chris came for an afternoon. He was going to bring me home “one way or the other.” That´s what he told me when we went for ride in his car. But seeing the conviction and happiness I had, and that I was staying at the Community College under my free will, he also left, though somewhat disappointed.

Finally, some of my college friends and my brother came from Ohio to convince me I was making a bad decision and bring me to my senses. But again, it was fruitless. My will was sure and I could not be moved. I must apologize here to my brother for the way he found his car. All his music tapes were missing. The tires of his car were flat and no compensation was given, though he did recover some money from my bank account back in Marietta. With close to two hundred young people, many coming off drugs and out of hippy lifestyles, not everyone was as “Christian” as everyone else.

I remember thinking during my first days at the Community College that maybe it was all a communist plot to subvert American young people against the war using the Bible. But the Word of God I was learning in the classes could not be refuted. The Word had become a light unto my path & a lamp upon my feet.[1] I was building my foundation of faith based on God´s Word, & it was refreshing. It was like taking a bath and getting cleansed from all the filth of my life! I was being born again.[2] But, like in the movie The Matrix, it was not easy. I had to let go of old, false mindsets, and accept new ones. As Jesus said, “If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed, & you shall know the truth & the truth shall set you free.”[3] Paul also said, “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.”[4] I was becoming that new man in Christ.

In December, there was a heavy downfall of snow. I was responsible for bringing the food to the director’s office in the evenings. One evening I overheard the directors talking about testing some of the new students to see if they were really there for the right motives. The following morning a group of us were taken on a job to move a broken-down vehicle to a more accessible location at the camp. Besides the snow, it started sleeting, and I remember I did not have adequate winter clothing, as I had never gone back to Marietta to pick up my things, seeing it was so far away. It was freezing cold and I ended up fainting as we tried to push the vehicle, I had not been eating properly, also. The group carried me back to one of the cabins. Someone tried to light a fire in the wood stove to warm us up. However, the chimney was blocked and all the smoke filled the room. Here we were freezing cold, wet, choking from the smoke. But I was happy. My heart was with God and I had found His peace & truth. Love was indeed the answer. “Peace I leave with you,” Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”[5] I was not worried or afraid anymore. God was real and He was going to take care of me somehow.

The time at Ellenville was like being at a boot camp or in the war together. Great bonds of friendship were formed, some of which I have until this day.

Footnotes:

[1] Psalm 119:105

[2] John 3:3

[3] John 8:31

[4] 2Corinthians 5:17

[5] John 14:27

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The FBI was after me! chapter 5- Dennis Molinski

God´s Plan & Way of Escape! Chapter 5
[To read the previous and following chapters follow the link HERE.]

After graduating from Marietta College, I began working as a teacher at Friendship School in Marietta, Ohio. I had a class of 12 slightly physically/mentally handicapped children from ages 7 to 13 plus one autistic boy. I had requested that this job be counted as my alternative service if I had been granted conscientious objector status. But my request was denied. However, even knowing of my problem with the military, the director of the school had hired me as I had worked as a volunteer for two years doing 15 hours a week as teacher assistant. I had even cut down on some of my studies to make volunteering possible. But on Monday, November 13th I had not showed up for work. Neither had I called. This was unusual for me, as I was generally conscientious. What had happened?

Back at Ellenville, I had no access to a land phone and was unable to go into town because of my classes and work responsibilities. There were no mobile phones at that time. I was actually learning so much in the lectures and Bible studies that was satisfying my soul that I was bathing spiritually. Finally, I got a letter off to my parents which they received 11 days after I had gone “missing.”

In the meantime, when my parents learned I had not showed up for work nor had phoned, they put in a missing person´s report with the police in Ohio. Little did I know the heart ache I was causing to my whole family: parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, friends . . . everyone! The college paper published an article saying I had gone missing. Another article came out in the local paper about the young graduate gone missing.

My parents even travelled from New Jersey out to Ohio in search for me. They feared I had had a car accident and may have been injured and in need of help. They travelled the same route I had taken stopping at every roadside ditch in search for a sign of me or my brother´s car which I had been driving. My sister and brother-in-law called every police department and hospital along the route from Marietta to Columbus, Ohio desperately seeking for me. While I was finding Jesus, they were sleep deprived with worry asking God for my safe return. It was a horrible time for them.

I need to acknowledge here the pain my actions caused them. I am sorry I caused them so much pain. It was an intensely emotional time for me. I was in dire straits and was thinking more about myself than anyone else! It was a time of tough decisions. I had decided to stand up to the American Military and say no to war. The FBI was after me! Would I serve time in jail, or be forced to join the military? I felt like drowning man going down for the third time. I needed to save myself first before I could be of any use or help to others.

But God had answered my prayer and as I began to study His word the emotional turmoil I had been encountering began to surcease. I was lost in His love and it was wonderful! But it had not been wonderful for my friends and family. Maybe that is why we will need eternity in Heaven to work out all these heart aches we have caused one another through our lack of love. They do take time to mend and heal. We will be doing a lot of apologizing and forgiving and being forgiven. Jesus says, “I will wipe away all your tears,” so obviously there will be tears in Heaven as we acknowledge our wrong doing and try to make things right! I am sorry family for how I hurt you. Please find a way to forgive me.

Looking back on these circumstances and all that happened, I can see it as God´s plan to save me from the FBI who must have been totally confused by these events. I could not have invented a better plan had I tried. But God manufactured His own for me to enable me to spend time in His word learning of Him and His will for my life. As He says in His word, “God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it!”

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Ellenville Christian Community College

By Dennis Edwards: Chapter 4 -

We rolled into Ellenville, New York after an all night journey through Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ellenville, was a beautiful little town in the Catskill Mountains some 100 miles north of New York City! It was already autumn and the trees were beginning to change their colors. That first morning I remember meeting Don Slovenski from a Catholic-Polish family like my own. He had been President of the Catholic Young People's Association and had represented the Association in Washington, DC Christian Young People´s Convention. He picked up a conversation with me and we were soon immersed in an interesting Bible study of Daniel chapter two and End-time prophecy. He then showed me Matthew 24 about the signs Jesus gave concerning his return to Earth and the end of the world.

 I had tried to read the Bible before, starting at Genesis, but had gotten bogged down soon afterwards in Leviticus or Deuteronomy. But reading with Dan, the Bible made so much sense. In the Bible, I was finding confirmations of the experiences I was going through and the conclusions I had been making as a person. The Bible was confirming my own thought out conclusions and showing me they were right. Jesus was indeed the truth I had been looking for. My search of many years into different religions and world views ended. I had found the answer, the way, the truth and the life, the Word of God, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.

I was in no hurry to go back to Marietta, with the FBI on my trail, so I decided to stay at the Ellenville Community and enter its three month course called Biblical Evangelism & Ministry Training. The course comprised of Bible studies, lectures, scripture memorization and afterwards personal witnessing in Greenwich Village in the City. I was also required to be part of the work crew as there was no tuition, but obligatory work load. I was assigned the job as breakfast cook and also dish-washing overseer. That sounds simple enough. The only problem was there were around 200 people living at the Camp. 

The Camp was actually a group of summer cottages and one main house which was used for meals and united meetings. The breakfast was not too complicated as I had worked as an assistant breakfast cook during my years at Marietta College. However, the dish-washing overseer was a greater challenge as I was still quite shy and found it difficult to correct others and enforce discipline. I was actually one of the older people at the camp and one of the few with a college education. My work crew was mainly rebellious 18-19 years old coming from the hippy scene who did not take kindly to schedules and overseers. 

As a result many times I stayed up late until 2-3 am in the morning finishing up the dishes. The problem was I had to be up at 5:30 am to start breakfast. After a few weeks of this grueling schedule I was suffering from physical exhaustion from lack of sleep. Also, I was still holding unto my old vegetarian eating habits. But here, very little vegetarian proteins were available to eat as most of the food was donated by local businesses or fast food joints and consisted of sandwiches, donuts, pastas, and some local in-season fruits. I remember on various occasions fainting from exhaustion. I finally saw the necessity of eating what was set before me as Paul so wisely admonished.

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The Miracle and Answered Prayer!

By Dennis Edwards:

Chapter 3: The Miracle and Prayer Answered! 

A few days past and I still did not know what I would do about the draft. I knew my time was short and the FBI would soon find me in Marietta, as I was making no efforts to hide. At the end, I had decided to resist the draft and go to prison if need be. This is a stance which every young American youth could take; white, black, educated, uneducated, rich or poor. Therefore, I thought it was the most honest position, as it was open to every man and not just to the middle or upper class white boys who could find a deferment or escape to Canada or Sweden.

Two weeks after my mother´s call, I went for two days to Columbus, Ohio to attend a teacher´s convention. It was on the return to Marietta that I picked up the hitch hiking young couple on their way to Ellenville, New York. He was an American and she was from Mexican decent. They asked me what I believed. We soon got into a conversation with me sharing my philosophy of life developed from my four years at college and my search for the truth. Slowly, they began to talk to me about Jesus. At first, I remember thinking “Oh, no, I´ve got two Jehovah Witnesses.” But they were different. After a time talking, we stopped at a restaurant where I bowed my head and asked Jesus, if he really was the son of God, to come into my heart and life and show me.

Later as he drove further, Chris talked with me about the importance of the Holy Spirit. So, while driving my brother´s Volkswagen bug down the motor way, I prayed to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Only a few more miles up the road was where I needed to drop them off to start on my decent back to Marietta, about 100 miles south of Columbus, if memory holds. Chris talked with me further. He encouraged me that it was no coincidence that I had met them. Now, he questioned, was God calling me to discipleship? I was already used to doing things on the spur of the moment, so I decided to take them to Ellenville and see this community for myself. Could there really be young Christian disciples living for God?

What impressed me the most about Chris and his partner was that they were just as much against the war as I was. This was the first time I had met “Christians” against the war. I had spoken with Christian youth on the college campus. Those dedicated to Christ were usually always very pro American and therefore willing to support the war effort in some way. I even had a very close friend who had been a conscientious objector and had served as an army medic in Vietnam. But as much as he had tried, he could not convince me that CO was the most righteous or moral stand. 

During my search for conscientious objector, I had also gone and spoken to both Catholic Priests and Protestant Ministers. They had always told me it was my Christian duty to obey the government and done the army uniform and perform my duty for God and country. I had already come to the decision from reading Tolstoy and others, including Mark Twain´s famous War Prayer[1]  and the New Testament, that this pro war stance was a compromise and not in accordance with the words of Jesus. I had finally met some Christians who believed as I did about the war and now was going to see what made them tick.

Next Chapter 4: Ellenville Christian Community College

[1] http://www.ntua.gr/lurk/making/warprayer.html

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The Tough College Years

By Dennis Edwards: Chapter 2

Moving to Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio in September of 1967 was the beginning of a new life. I was thrown into a society in which I was a nobody. No one knew I was president of my senior class. No one knew I was on the Central Jersey Group III State Champ football team. No one knew my girlfriend was secretary of the student body and cheerleader. No one knew my best friend was president of the student body. No one knew what or who I was. Identity crisis was in full gear.

It was some time in that first year, that my former girlfriend came and told me she had another boyfriend. I was destroyed. Here I had been trying to keep all the church rules against pre-marital sex and the thing that I loved the most, my girlfriend, "God" took from me and gave to another. I fell into a deep depression. I was mad at "God." I stopped believing in Him and threw away my "religious" faith and threw myself into atheism, evolution and political anarchy. I had been taking a geology course that first year that fed me evolution and billions of years. I swallowed it all in like the dumb sheep I was. I began attacking the faith of Christian girls I would date. I tried to convert others to my new found beliefs proving through science that the Bible was wrong.

But with time my furry subsided and while smoking hash with a close friend a few years later, I had my "God" experience.(I want to make it clear here I am not advocating taking drugs to find God, but God used this experience on my path to Him). A ball of light touched me and I was enveloped in an energy of love, a spiritual orgasm, a spiritual epiphany. My whole being had been transformed in an instance. My first thought was "Is this what Jesus is all about?" But from that moment I knew Love was the power and the force of the universe. On that day, I went home and apologized to my parents for the way I had acted as a rebellious teen, even having fought with my father. All I wanted to do was love others. But now I had to consolidate my experience and find out where this power of love came from.

I started searching through different religious philosophies for truth. Buddhism was one of the first to catch my interest. I studied the eight fold path of Siddhartha. I read Herman Hesse´s books which contained Buddhist philosophy. I became an organic vegetarian. I also dabbled in Judaism as I had a Jewish girlfriend for a time. I read heavily on transcendental meditation and used as my Bibles the books Be Here Now by Ram Dass, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, and Erich Fromm´s The Art of Loving among others. I steered clear of Christian Evangelicals and Christianity and Catholicism which I had assumed to be false because of the hypocritical actions of their followers and my previous experiences in childhood.

However, the question of war and my involvement in it, as I was due to be drafted after my four year deferment during college, led me to start reading heavily on the subject of conscientious objection to war, and draft resistance. I came across Leo Tolstoy's "Letter to a Non-Commissioned Officer," [1] and The Kingdom of God is Within You.[2] As Tolstoy mentions the teaching of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, I started to read and study Jesus´ words found in those chapters specifically Matthew 5-7 in the New Testament.

But by October of 1971 I had been refused conscientious objector status by the military and after refusing to take the various examinations had been ordered to appear for induction into the US military or face the consequences. My mother, God bless her soul, telephoned me at the end of October telling me the FBI had been around to arrest me as I had not appeared for induction. I was working as a low salaried teacher of retarded children in Marietta, Ohio at the time. However, when I put down the phone from speaking to my mom, I dropped to my knees and with tears falling called out with all my heart to "God" if He indeed existed to save me. I was not asking Him to save my soul, but to save me from the problem of having to go into the military and having to kill and be killed in Vietnam. But after having prayed, I rose from my knees and spit on the floor and said, "There´s no God, so why am I praying?"

But I was soon to find out that God does answer prayer when we call upon Him with all our heart even if our mind sometimes gets in the way.

[1] http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/tolstoy/officer.html

[2] http://www.kingdomnow.org/w-inyou01.html 

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The Early Years

By Dennis Edwards:

Chapter 1 - The Early Years!

Recently I have been reading through the documents I presented to my local draft board back in the year or so before receiving my notice for induction into military service in November 1971. I was asked by the board to explain my beliefs and where, from whom and how I arrived at them. I will quote from the documented I presented to the board in this first part of "My Story." Remember, I was 21 when writing this.

"I am the second son of Roman Catholic middle-class parents. My parents are good people. My father is a good-natured man who reads only the comics and the sports page. My mother passes the time away with television soap operas. I have never talked seriously with my parents, but I remember in high school my mother´s words in regard to my sister´s dating...."Do what comes naturally," which I interpret as, "Do what you think is right." It is from my parents that the philosophy of love has been so deeply ingrained in me, though I suspect they are not aware of it."

Comment from my sister: Hmmmm - all very interesting - and this is YOUR story - but my memories of your growing up don't really jive with your memories. When were you a rebellious teenager - or an average student? Daddy just read the comics and sports? You have got to be kidding me! Daddy was much more informed than that . . . you just didn't take the time to discover that. Mommy spent time with soap operas? Mommy was the glue - not only for us, but for her entire family . . . she too, was pretty informed about what was happening in the world - she was extremely liberal, even more so than Daddy. Perhaps they never showed you that side of themselves when you were young, but I discovered it when I was 17 and working for Eugene McCarthy's primary campaign for president. As for Mommy telling me to do what comes naturally, I only told you that in recent years, and it really did not have anything to do with my casual dating. And what kind of falling out did you have with Daddy when you were a teen?

My Response: Carol, I wrote this back in 1969 or ´70 when I was going through my identity crisis. Well, you remember my temper. Dad went to slap me a few times when mom accused me falsely of doing something and I responded physically. I must have been around 15-16. I can remember one time in the car when Mom had accused me of eating some cake she had saved to give to Mrs. Aiello. The other time was in the hall outside the bathroom. I do not remember what that one was about, but I high-tailed out of the house for the rest of the day. After that our communication level was zero! I considered myself an average student because many of the kids in my class were really smart and comparatively speaking I was average. On moral issues, I may have been above average in that I tried to be a good Christian and do unto others as I would have them do unto me. This got me in trouble sometimes as I stood up to the school “hoods” that were going to beat up one of my friends, David Bogenrief. But I did not always hold up to my beliefs especially during the time when I became friends with the Jake the class clown from my older brother´s class.

Carol´s additional comment: You should change chapter 1. You have oversimplified our parents. Do you not remember that we used to get 3 newspapers a day? (Star Ledger in the AM, Courier News in the afternoon and the Newark Evening News later) Do you remember that they always stayed up to watch the late news even though they watched the evening news? It seems so unfair to say your mother passed her time watching soap operas - yes she had them on all the time - but she was so much more than that. ASK MRS. COX. Daddy carried the worries trying to make ends meet with 4 kids - working overtime every day. Then he had to come home to us - running around fighting and all - being smart asses - yuck. They did not know how to deal with kids very well - but they did fine dealing with us as adults. She may not have been the best mother, but Mommy was the best friend to many people.

My Response: She was a good mother and I got a lot closer to her through our communications in the mail after I moved abroad. I remember crying intensely when I heard that she had died. She was a good listener and many of our neighbors and relatives would open up their hearts and pour out their problems to her. She was not a gossip and kept many “secrets” that had been shared with her. I know she loved me even though she found it hard to understand all that I was going through as I got older.

Article to the military continued:

"I attended public school and with childhood resistance the Tuesday afternoon Catechism classes. As a young Catholic, I learned to fear the "Almighty Lord" from nuns who seemed out of the tradition of Jonathan Edwards. In my childhood years, I would (every night before sleep) say prayers for all the people I liked and especially for those I disliked. My fear of God made me overly conscious of my behavior. I constantly watched and scrutinized my behavior to be aware of sins."

"In the sixth grade, I was appointed captain of the safety patrol, though I hated the leadership position because of my shyness and my inability to tell others what they should do. With the advent of Junior High School came puberty and peer group relations. At age fifteen, I had a complete falling out with my father and our relationship remained distant until just recently. In High School, I was very religious and obsessively conscious of the commandments. I tried to imitate the life of Christ. I was an average student, with friends that were "jocks," and friends that were "nerds." The most intriguing reading I did in High School was Thoreau´s Walden Pond. I also enjoyed reading Emerson. One sentence I remember reading in one of his essays still remains with me: "Every Stoic was a Stoic, but where in Christendom is the Christian."

"In my senior year I gained a deep relationship with a girl, my first intimate girl friend. I seldom read a book or the daily newspaper. I graduated High School president of my senior class, with the American Legion School Award for courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service. I had a vague hope of becoming a social worker or "something like that." I toyed with the idea of joining the military "to do my duty." But I was accepted to a college in Ohio and decided to go there instead."

To read the rest of the story go to the following link:

https://fightforyourfaith.blogspot.com/2016/10/where-is-america-in-bible-prophecy.html

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