MY STORY...HIS-STORY...YOUR STORY!

Tuesday Ocober 28, 2008 HIGH NOON!!!!!

...It has been awhile since I've attempted to write anything and alot of things have transpired since my last post...


...So much of what I write is so subjective to my emotions and how I'm feeling at any given moment but even though there are so many things on my brains plate I'll try and focus on My never ending story...TESTIMONY!


...So much of my story so far has focused on those things that took place in the dark...Behind closed doors, so I would like to change gears and Talk about how God's love and His presence was ever so much more at work in my life than what appears on the surface of my circumstances and life experiences...!


It's easy to conclude, that as a child, I went through things that no child should have to deal with or be subjected to....But what is not so readily apparent is how God was at work in the midst of it all.

...REMEMBER..."WHERE THE DEVILS A MESSIN...GOD IS A BLESSIN!"

...IT IS EQUALLY TRUE IN THE REVERSE..."WHERE GOD IS A BLESSIN...THE DEVIL IS A MESSIN!"

...I really want to share some stories about how God was pursuing me and actively seeking me out to be a part of His plan for Kingdom Building in the future...That Plan is still being realized and revealed day by day but in looking back, I want to testify how it was that God's plan was playing out in my life and I was not aware of it and I certainly would not have acknowledged it...

Have I sparked your curiosity??? I hope so...Cuz if you are truly interested you will follow this story and then find out how "MY STORY IS HIS STORY AND YOUR STORY"...

...And you will be amazed to see how they all intersect and interact, because I will not change any of the names to protect the innocent or guilty!

...WHY???? Because this story is HIS-STORY and in order for it to truly be history...it has to be accurate. Are you brave enough and adventorous to follow??? And You can even add your perspective through the comments.

My ultimate goal is to actually write a book...and this blog and the material developed through it will be the ingredients that make up the recipe that determines the quality of the dish that I eventually serve up for your enjoyment and consumption. ...


SO COME ALONG AND BE ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN WHAT I HOPE THAT GOD USES TO FURTHER THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND MAYBE EVN BECOME A BOOK THAT WILL BE ON SOMEONES BEST SELLER LIST!!!!

AMBITIOUS, IDEALISTIC, DREAMING BIG, AND BELIEVING BY FAITH THAT WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!!

...Shortly after Beth & I were married, April 16, 1977, we were living in a little house @ 1301 Washington Ave. Kalamazoo...This little house was the 1st house we had ever actually bought as our own.   The selling price was $8000.00 bought on a land contract with a $400.00 Down Pymt.
    Mom & Dad Edmonds loaned us the down Payment even though Dad wasn't very excited about making us the loan I think it was Mom Edmonds that won out on that particular argument.
    The sad thing is...I don't remember ever paying them back for that One...

That Little house was actually a converted Garage with a small fenced in yard... that idyllic little house with the white picket fence that so many aspired to own as part of that fabled "Great American Dream"  that so many folks were pursuing.

...We were very excited to actually own our own house instead of all the apartments that we had rented up to that point.   Our 1st Born, Aimee Beth was born while we lived in our 1st very own home of our own.
...There are a lot of memories associated with our time here, many good, and many not so good...

...One of my favorite memories and probably one of the very most significant life changing events came about on that faithful day when 2 very excited young men came down that long driveway and knocked on our door and asked if we would mind if they came in for a few moments to share some tremendous news with us???

I want to especially point out to you the use of the word "Tremendous!"
....I truly believe that the word "TREMENDOUS" , was Gary Knight's favorite word and he used it often on that Particular visit... Gary's visitation partner was a young man Named, Ephraim Maya.   Now Gary did most of the talking or witnessing as it is called or refered to in the common language of the Evangelical Christian Believer...Some call it Christianeeze playfully.

    The truth of the matter is this...Many of the Baptist churches back in the day had an evangelistic program in their churches designed to win lost souls for the cause of Christ.  This is oftentimes referred to as witnessing...
....The program in the Church is referred to as "visitation!"

  Now, at the time I had no idea what they were up to, or what it was called, but they had a very unique Pastor at the time, you might even say that he was a local legend, known for his evangelistic zeal and well known within our community, because Pastor Billy Mann was a hell fire and brimstone preacher from the New Hope Baptist church, and He had probably visited more homes and families in the Kalamazoo area personally than all the Jehovah's witnesses combined. 
...And that's saying something, but itr seems to me that Billy Mann had lit a fire for witnessing in a few of the young men in his congregation and Gary Knight & Ephraim Maya were 2 very excited and motivated disciples of Billy Mann & The Lord Jesus!

    One of the Ironic things about Gary being the one leading the way on that visit was the fact that I knew him from back in the day when I was a Kid growing up on the East Side on Phelps Ave.

...I looked up to him as a kid because He was a Black Belt in Karate.  Gary dated a very sexy and very pretty older neighbor girl that lived across the street from us...Suzanna Moser.  Suzanne Had 3 brothers also that I looked up to and admired, Earl Moser, another very cool long blond haired hippy type guy who was into martial arts as well, and he was a Head and a good guy to score good weed from.  Her other Brother Chris Moser was also a very cool White guy with a big Afro and carried himself more like the black dudes I knew and grew up with,  the way he talked, the way he walked, the way he carried himself.  He was a real Ladies Man and also another Local Dope Dealer and he carried a gun, a real cool old school snub nosed 38, and it seemed like he was always in the middle of some kind of hassle or beef with somebody.  The truth of the matter was that he was a small time hustler and a thief, and their was usually somebody out to do him harm if they caught up with him, because he had probably beat them out of some money or some drugs somewhere along the way,  Now Scott Moser was a different story, cuz I didn't know him very well because he never came around much in those days.  I think he was a soldier, fighting in Vietnam as he was the oldest of the 4 but he becomes significant later on in life as he was my next door neighbor on Washington Ave...The little house that Beth and I lived in after we got married.

  There are still 2 more characters in this story as suzannes Mother, Darlene Moser, & her Boyfriend David Knight, Gary Knight's older brother were very close friends of my mother and stepfather.  I also remember that Darlene and David had a very large Black German Shepherd whose name was Satan.   Satan was a very smart and beautiful Dog and despite his nefarious name, he was a very gentle dog that loved to play fetch with sticks.

...You may ask, Why would I go into so much detail in telling you about the Moser and Knight family???

...Only because, hindsight is 20 x 20, and their story is one of great tragedy and very much intertwined with my own story and very much evidence of how much God loves us and is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance and to the knowledge of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  This family is also very much tje evidence of how God was always involved in trying to get each and everyone of us to realize how much He loved us and wanted us to be reconciled to himself.  All of us!...
...As of this writing, Many of these characters are no longer on the planet...Many of them have passed on to eternity, and those that have died, did so tragically and violently.  Some went Home to be with God, most did not I'm afraid...But only God Himself knows which ones did and which ones didn't...That is not for us to judge...

...In Memorium and out of respect for their memory so they will never be forgotten, I will try and share with you their Story in as much as it is intertwined with mine, and perhaps over time maybe others that loved them will come to read what I write and then add their perspectives as well...After all, God is still desirous that we all come to know Him and that we are all reconciled to him to spend eternity in heaven With Him.
   So in the memory of Gary Knight, David Knight, Earl Moser, And Chris Moser and for those that have been left behind it is my prayer and desire that they will find some comfort and understanding as to how much God loves them and desires for them to know Him as He Knows them.  I especially am thinking of Gary's daughter Rebeccah and his widow suszanne.  I see Suzanne from time to time on the street and I met his now grown Daughter Rebecah Once at Chris Moser's Funeral and wonder how I might return the Favor for Gary Knight was Probably one of the most significant people in my life that led me to finding Jesus for my very own personal Lord & Saviour. 

AND SOON AND VERY SOON I WILL SHARE WITH YOU THE REST OF THAT STORY OF HOW THAT VISIT BY GARY KNIGHT AND EPHRAIM MAYA HAD SUCH A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON MY LIFE FOR CHRIST AND HOW GARY'S MINISTRY AND HIS STORY STILL LIVES ON TODAY THROUGH ME!
....UNTIL THEN???

BE BLESSED IN THE BELOVED

BROTHER MICHAEL

SHALOM

MICHAEL