Scuba Pete
Le plongeur avec attitude...
As I begin this, I need to point out a flaw in my personality: I am a man of extremes. I embrace vocations, avocations and hobbies with intensity: I do them all the way. I was not content to be a mere grease monkey, I was master certified in both Automotive as well as diesel. Rather than being content to learn how to climb, I became an instructor. I am also an instructor trainer (I teach other instructors) for First Aid, Scuba DIving and even fishing. Although I abhor violence, I am in the middle of being certified as a firearms instructor for the NRA. I almost always exceed the minimum of training whenever I set my mind to learn something.
So it was with Christianity.
I was converted from UU to Christianity in the Fall of '75. Crossroads church of Christ was known to many churches of Christ for it's zeal to convert the world to Christ. In fact, many considered us a cult even then, including my mother. The UF paper (The Independent Florida Alligator) once pointed out that there were three things that happened to ALL students. 1) Spend more than an hour in a line to get a class, 2) Be hit by a bicycle, and 3) Be invited to a Soul Talk. Our small groups aimed at converting as many as possible were called Soul Talks, and we studied the Scriptures in such a way as to convict students to Christianity.
There was a definite hierarchy in the church and part of it was scriptural. We had two wonderful elders, Brothers Bartley and White. Brother White was the Registrar for UofF. Chuck Lucas was the minister, Sam Laing the Campus minister, Sherwin McIntosh was the music minister and we had a few others as well along the way. Below the ministers were the Brothers who were training for the ministry, and this was normally the campus ministry. Kip and Randy McKean, Rick Bauer, Barry Mahfood as well as many other dear friends were a part of this. For the most part, these men comprised the bulk of the Soul Talk Leaders and their girlfriends led the girl's Soul Talks.
We also had "Prayer Partners". These relationships were highly encouraged, though not required. OK, they were HIGHLY encouraged. A younger Christian was encouraged by their older mentor. Sins were confessed and goals were set and there was a air of holding each other accountable. George Grima and Walter Evans were my "older" prayer partners and I will always consider them GREAT friends. It is my belief that these relationships honored God and were not extreme. Gentleness and patience seemed to be the common denominator.
To be blunt, I loved this challenging environment and I was quite productive. As a student I was responsible for more than a dozen being brought to Christ. Fortunately, my pride was also evident and so I never became a Soul Talk Leader.
(Stay tuned for part two)
So it was with Christianity.
I was converted from UU to Christianity in the Fall of '75. Crossroads church of Christ was known to many churches of Christ for it's zeal to convert the world to Christ. In fact, many considered us a cult even then, including my mother. The UF paper (The Independent Florida Alligator) once pointed out that there were three things that happened to ALL students. 1) Spend more than an hour in a line to get a class, 2) Be hit by a bicycle, and 3) Be invited to a Soul Talk. Our small groups aimed at converting as many as possible were called Soul Talks, and we studied the Scriptures in such a way as to convict students to Christianity.
There was a definite hierarchy in the church and part of it was scriptural. We had two wonderful elders, Brothers Bartley and White. Brother White was the Registrar for UofF. Chuck Lucas was the minister, Sam Laing the Campus minister, Sherwin McIntosh was the music minister and we had a few others as well along the way. Below the ministers were the Brothers who were training for the ministry, and this was normally the campus ministry. Kip and Randy McKean, Rick Bauer, Barry Mahfood as well as many other dear friends were a part of this. For the most part, these men comprised the bulk of the Soul Talk Leaders and their girlfriends led the girl's Soul Talks.
We also had "Prayer Partners". These relationships were highly encouraged, though not required. OK, they were HIGHLY encouraged. A younger Christian was encouraged by their older mentor. Sins were confessed and goals were set and there was a air of holding each other accountable. George Grima and Walter Evans were my "older" prayer partners and I will always consider them GREAT friends. It is my belief that these relationships honored God and were not extreme. Gentleness and patience seemed to be the common denominator.
To be blunt, I loved this challenging environment and I was quite productive. As a student I was responsible for more than a dozen being brought to Christ. Fortunately, my pride was also evident and so I never became a Soul Talk Leader.
(Stay tuned for part two)