A Funny Thing Happened On My Way To The Cross! ~ Well, in hindsight,
several funny things happened between the time I married Dory in 1977
and the time I became a Christian believer in 1987. A couple of years
before I met Dory, my favorite hangout was a night club in Garden Grove,
California, called the Playgirl Club. The club had good, almost Las
Vegas quality, entertainment, dancing, pool tables, and a happy,
carefree, fun crowd - almost like family for most of us knew one
another.
One Saturday evening, as I was waiting for the entertainment to begin, John, the doorman, sat a young lady at my table, a common practice when it was crowded. As we waited for the show to start, we chatted and she told me she belonged to a social group. Nice. Then the show began and afterwards I asked if I could call her. Then she told me, my social group is the Adult Single group at the Garden Grove Community Church. Okay, but I will admit that I did wonder why she was at the Playgirl Club on Saturday night - and in a church group on Sunday morning. But not being a Christian myself, I did not fret over it.
The next morning I had nothing planned, so I decided to check out her group. I found the group friendly and active - and even though my new friend told me I did not have to attend the service in the sanctuary, I thought, "Why not?" I found Robert Schuller to be a dynamic speaker, so I enjoyed his message. I attended that church for maybe a year, enjoying the Single Group and the messages.
But by that time I had become disillusioned with Robert Schuller, for he isolated himself from the congregation. In most churches I had known, the pastor would actively interact with the congregation, but not Robert Schuller. But I did like the associate Pastor, Dr. Harold Leetsma, for he did not seclude himself from the people. I attended the Garden Grove Community church for maybe a year before dropping out.
Skip a few years, 1977, I met a beautiful Real Estate agent named Dory coming from a Red Carpet Realty weekly sales meeting. It was Wednesday evening and I was at the Saddleback Hotel in Santa Ana with that little old "gang of mine" - Marge, Lupe, and Dick - just hanging out in the lounge waiting for the dancing to start when Lupe looked toward the door of the lounge and told me, "Bill, there is Rita." Rita was a Filipina I was dating, but not one I would take home to mom. I looked over and told her, "No, that's not Rita - but I sure want to meet that one."
I wandered out into the hotel lobby and managed to meet this beautiful Filipina. Turns out her name was Dory and she and her girl friend, Phil, had just come from the weekly Wednesday Red Carpet Real Estate sales meeting. We chatted for a while and I ask if I can call her, she gave me her business card. Two weeks later we had our first date - and the rest is history, 45 years and counting!
With my luck, Dory was a Christian believer and active in the Garden Grove Community Church. I guess it was fate! We dated for a few months and on September 2, 1977, that beautiful real estate agent became my wife. That began 10 years of Dory's praying for me to be saved. Being a stubborn type and enjoying my secular lifestyle, she never told me, only kept praying for me.
At first I attended the Garden Grove Community Church with her, but was not enthused, still noticing that Robert Schuller, in his sermons would tell us how, in this city he met folks and chatted with them - and in that city he met folks and chatted with them. So I began to ask, "If he chats with folks in other cities - why doesn't he chat with folks in his own church?" Wow, you would have thought I had blasphemed God, Schuller's loyal followers were ready to hang me. So much for that church.
Somewhere along the way, Dory, who had been active in Schuller's church as a greeter, gave me a bronzed medallion from the church. I wore it, not because it was from a church or from Robert Schuller - but because my lovely wife had given it to me. In casual dress or in 3-piece business suit, I wore her medallion on the outside of my clothing.
One day, circa 1979, I was making a sales call at Robertshaw Controls in Anaheim. When I entered the lobby, the security guard was at the desk and a young lady was talking with him. I went to the guard and told him who I was to meet - and then the young lady whom I gather had been witnessing to the guard, turned to me and seeing my medallion joyfully said, "You're a born-again Christian?" And I curtly replied, "No, I am not a born-again Christian, I am just a Christian!"
Now why did I tell her I was "just a Christian" when I most surely was not, not yet. I suppose because I was born and grew up in the Shoals of Alabama, the Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt. So growing up there, I must be a Christian. DUH! I really had no idea what a Christian was - but it sure was not me. But I set her straight, didn't I? Wow, speak of dense, that was me at that time.
In the early 1980s I was Regional Sales Manager for Genisco Computer Graphics and after spending a day in the San Jose area, was on a flight back to Orange County. I sat beside a very nice lady who turned out to be Lois Leetsma, the wife of Pastor Harold Leetsma, the man I liked at the Garden Grove Community Church. We had a very pleasant time talking and when she saw my medallion, she, too, said, "You are a Christian?" And I told her, "No, I wear the medallion because my wife gave it to me."
We arrived at Orange County airport and at the time we had to deplane and walk across the tarmac to the terminal. As we started to leave the plane, the flight attendant smiled and said, "You are a Christian." I just smiled and walked down to the tarmac. As we were walking to the terminal, Mrs. Leetsma smiled and told me, "As long as you wear that medallion, you are a witness!"
One last Bill Medallion Tale: In the mid-1980s I was on a business trip to the East Coast and stopped on my way home to see my mom in Sheffield, Alabama, before flying on to California. It was a beautiful day so I decided to walk to visit my Aunt Ola and my cousin, Christine, in Tuscumbia. It was a nice 3-4 mile walk which I enjoyed very much. Walking in a town instead of driving, is rather like driving on state highways instead of freeways - it lets us see and appreciate the local community - to see the sights. My first time to drive across America was in 1959 when there were no freeways, so I drove beautiful Route 66. That is the way I felt that day walking to visit Aunt Ola in Tuscumbia.
When I got to their home, and after spending time with them - I decided to walk down and look around Spring Park, which had played a major role in my preteen life. As I started to leave, my cousin Christine told me, "Be careful. Someone might try to mug you." I laughed and told her, "Who would mug a guy from California who is wearing a necklace and carrying a purse?" At that time I smoked a pipe and had a little leather bag in which I kept my pipes and smoking material - and I was wearing my Dory Medallion.
As you can see in my composite photo, at our 1980 Hawaiian Second Wedding and honeymoon, I am wearing my medallion outside my suit. At that time I still was not a believer, but we had a church wedding in Hawaii because I knew it would make Dory happy - and I enjoyed it also.
Fast forward to 1987, Dory and I went to a Saturday evening gathering at the home of Lolita Mueller. That is when I met Pastor Sam Lacanienta and really enjoyed talking with him. Even though this was not a Bible study nor a church meeting - I still felt the love of God when talking with him and his wife, Ida. The next day Dory and I went to the church he pastored, the Filipino-American Church of Irvine - and it seemed that the love of God flowed down from God, through Pastor Sam, and into the whole congregation. I literally could feel the love surrounding me that Sunday.
The following Friday Dory asked, "Do you want to go to Bible study?" And I had no idea what a Bible study was, for no church I had ever attended even mentioned Bible study - and I had been in and out of many churches, from many denominations. No one ever mentioned Bible study, nor did anyone ever invite me to a Bible study. So this was a new experience for me.
We went to Bible study at the home of Ed and Ligaya Nibut - and I felt surrounded by love the same as I had the previous Sunday. We continued to attend worship service and Home Bible Studies for six months before I asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart and my life. Finally Dory's 10 years of praying for me to be saved was answered.
About a year later, on a warm Friday I had walked to a food court for lunch and on the way back to work, had an experience with an earth worm (I will save that for another blog). That night at Bible study, I shared about my earth worm - and Pastor Sam said, "Why don't you put that in writing?" And that began my Christian writing ministry, about 34 years ago. I always blame Pastor Sam when anyone complains about my writing.
But I will finish with this: Pastor Sam & Ida Lacanienta are my Spiritual Parents. It was through their love and guidance that I found my way to the Cross - and I will be eternally grateful to them.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
One Saturday evening, as I was waiting for the entertainment to begin, John, the doorman, sat a young lady at my table, a common practice when it was crowded. As we waited for the show to start, we chatted and she told me she belonged to a social group. Nice. Then the show began and afterwards I asked if I could call her. Then she told me, my social group is the Adult Single group at the Garden Grove Community Church. Okay, but I will admit that I did wonder why she was at the Playgirl Club on Saturday night - and in a church group on Sunday morning. But not being a Christian myself, I did not fret over it.
The next morning I had nothing planned, so I decided to check out her group. I found the group friendly and active - and even though my new friend told me I did not have to attend the service in the sanctuary, I thought, "Why not?" I found Robert Schuller to be a dynamic speaker, so I enjoyed his message. I attended that church for maybe a year, enjoying the Single Group and the messages.
But by that time I had become disillusioned with Robert Schuller, for he isolated himself from the congregation. In most churches I had known, the pastor would actively interact with the congregation, but not Robert Schuller. But I did like the associate Pastor, Dr. Harold Leetsma, for he did not seclude himself from the people. I attended the Garden Grove Community church for maybe a year before dropping out.
Skip a few years, 1977, I met a beautiful Real Estate agent named Dory coming from a Red Carpet Realty weekly sales meeting. It was Wednesday evening and I was at the Saddleback Hotel in Santa Ana with that little old "gang of mine" - Marge, Lupe, and Dick - just hanging out in the lounge waiting for the dancing to start when Lupe looked toward the door of the lounge and told me, "Bill, there is Rita." Rita was a Filipina I was dating, but not one I would take home to mom. I looked over and told her, "No, that's not Rita - but I sure want to meet that one."
I wandered out into the hotel lobby and managed to meet this beautiful Filipina. Turns out her name was Dory and she and her girl friend, Phil, had just come from the weekly Wednesday Red Carpet Real Estate sales meeting. We chatted for a while and I ask if I can call her, she gave me her business card. Two weeks later we had our first date - and the rest is history, 45 years and counting!
With my luck, Dory was a Christian believer and active in the Garden Grove Community Church. I guess it was fate! We dated for a few months and on September 2, 1977, that beautiful real estate agent became my wife. That began 10 years of Dory's praying for me to be saved. Being a stubborn type and enjoying my secular lifestyle, she never told me, only kept praying for me.
At first I attended the Garden Grove Community Church with her, but was not enthused, still noticing that Robert Schuller, in his sermons would tell us how, in this city he met folks and chatted with them - and in that city he met folks and chatted with them. So I began to ask, "If he chats with folks in other cities - why doesn't he chat with folks in his own church?" Wow, you would have thought I had blasphemed God, Schuller's loyal followers were ready to hang me. So much for that church.
Somewhere along the way, Dory, who had been active in Schuller's church as a greeter, gave me a bronzed medallion from the church. I wore it, not because it was from a church or from Robert Schuller - but because my lovely wife had given it to me. In casual dress or in 3-piece business suit, I wore her medallion on the outside of my clothing.
One day, circa 1979, I was making a sales call at Robertshaw Controls in Anaheim. When I entered the lobby, the security guard was at the desk and a young lady was talking with him. I went to the guard and told him who I was to meet - and then the young lady whom I gather had been witnessing to the guard, turned to me and seeing my medallion joyfully said, "You're a born-again Christian?" And I curtly replied, "No, I am not a born-again Christian, I am just a Christian!"
Now why did I tell her I was "just a Christian" when I most surely was not, not yet. I suppose because I was born and grew up in the Shoals of Alabama, the Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt. So growing up there, I must be a Christian. DUH! I really had no idea what a Christian was - but it sure was not me. But I set her straight, didn't I? Wow, speak of dense, that was me at that time.
In the early 1980s I was Regional Sales Manager for Genisco Computer Graphics and after spending a day in the San Jose area, was on a flight back to Orange County. I sat beside a very nice lady who turned out to be Lois Leetsma, the wife of Pastor Harold Leetsma, the man I liked at the Garden Grove Community Church. We had a very pleasant time talking and when she saw my medallion, she, too, said, "You are a Christian?" And I told her, "No, I wear the medallion because my wife gave it to me."
We arrived at Orange County airport and at the time we had to deplane and walk across the tarmac to the terminal. As we started to leave the plane, the flight attendant smiled and said, "You are a Christian." I just smiled and walked down to the tarmac. As we were walking to the terminal, Mrs. Leetsma smiled and told me, "As long as you wear that medallion, you are a witness!"
One last Bill Medallion Tale: In the mid-1980s I was on a business trip to the East Coast and stopped on my way home to see my mom in Sheffield, Alabama, before flying on to California. It was a beautiful day so I decided to walk to visit my Aunt Ola and my cousin, Christine, in Tuscumbia. It was a nice 3-4 mile walk which I enjoyed very much. Walking in a town instead of driving, is rather like driving on state highways instead of freeways - it lets us see and appreciate the local community - to see the sights. My first time to drive across America was in 1959 when there were no freeways, so I drove beautiful Route 66. That is the way I felt that day walking to visit Aunt Ola in Tuscumbia.
When I got to their home, and after spending time with them - I decided to walk down and look around Spring Park, which had played a major role in my preteen life. As I started to leave, my cousin Christine told me, "Be careful. Someone might try to mug you." I laughed and told her, "Who would mug a guy from California who is wearing a necklace and carrying a purse?" At that time I smoked a pipe and had a little leather bag in which I kept my pipes and smoking material - and I was wearing my Dory Medallion.
As you can see in my composite photo, at our 1980 Hawaiian Second Wedding and honeymoon, I am wearing my medallion outside my suit. At that time I still was not a believer, but we had a church wedding in Hawaii because I knew it would make Dory happy - and I enjoyed it also.
Fast forward to 1987, Dory and I went to a Saturday evening gathering at the home of Lolita Mueller. That is when I met Pastor Sam Lacanienta and really enjoyed talking with him. Even though this was not a Bible study nor a church meeting - I still felt the love of God when talking with him and his wife, Ida. The next day Dory and I went to the church he pastored, the Filipino-American Church of Irvine - and it seemed that the love of God flowed down from God, through Pastor Sam, and into the whole congregation. I literally could feel the love surrounding me that Sunday.
The following Friday Dory asked, "Do you want to go to Bible study?" And I had no idea what a Bible study was, for no church I had ever attended even mentioned Bible study - and I had been in and out of many churches, from many denominations. No one ever mentioned Bible study, nor did anyone ever invite me to a Bible study. So this was a new experience for me.
We went to Bible study at the home of Ed and Ligaya Nibut - and I felt surrounded by love the same as I had the previous Sunday. We continued to attend worship service and Home Bible Studies for six months before I asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart and my life. Finally Dory's 10 years of praying for me to be saved was answered.
About a year later, on a warm Friday I had walked to a food court for lunch and on the way back to work, had an experience with an earth worm (I will save that for another blog). That night at Bible study, I shared about my earth worm - and Pastor Sam said, "Why don't you put that in writing?" And that began my Christian writing ministry, about 34 years ago. I always blame Pastor Sam when anyone complains about my writing.
But I will finish with this: Pastor Sam & Ida Lacanienta are my Spiritual Parents. It was through their love and guidance that I found my way to the Cross - and I will be eternally grateful to them.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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