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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbe7OruLk8I
The summer of my sixteenth year was a very memorable time in my life. It was 1968. What a time for a teenager to see the turning of a generation. Music changed drastically, people lived differently, standards had lowered and some had reached new heights. The generation gap was a real thing. I had thought that this was definitely where I wanted to be at, my time that is. We were very cool. No one ever was as cool as we were. That's always been the attitude of young people around the world only this generation defied the system like no other generation had ever before. I wore my hair long, straight and parted down the middle. No make up. We were into being "natural." Everyday during the week I went to school and every weekends were spent at the park. There were "love ins" at the park where hundreds of long haired hippies hung out. We would sit on the green grass in small groups and listen to whatever band was playing on the bandstand. There was always good strong acid rock and roll. Sometimes someone would write a poem and recite or string love beads or make flower garlands and pass them around. It seemed like such a peaceful and loving time. Here in Phoenix, Arizona maybe but on the other side of the world Vietnam was raging on. No support for the troops from us. How sad!! We were so easily influenced by the radicals. Anti-establishment was a big word used frequently.
Then one day everything changed for me. My brother who had been in California at a music festival came home with another new message. He said he'd been at this concert, stoned, when he'd noticed a man with long white hair and a beard walking around talking about Jesus Christ. Then that was when my brother decided he wanted Jesus Christ in his life. Paul, who was on ten years probation for marijuana possession, got the ok from his probation officer to go to this concert. What started to be a bad decision from this P.O. to let him go ended up to be the best decision he ever made on behalf of Jesus Christ, Himself. For out of this was I not only converted to Christianity but our sister, Rose did as well. Who knows how many others came to know Jesus as personal Lord and Savior through this time in all our lives. We became known as "Jesus freaks". Rose and I met all of Paul's cool Jesus freak friends. They decided to open up a house that they named the House of Miracles. As time went on the first house closed then another one opened. Then the Brothers opened up a coffee shop not far from this house. They served coffee, popcorn and music. In the first two years that I became a Christian, I had no real sound teaching. No one ever told me how important it was to soak in God's Word. Oh, I heard plenty of Bible studies but none ever had conviction planted into my soul. There was an outward change in me but no real desire to want God to change me. I thought I was fine the way I was. I look back now and realize that all it was, for me anyway, was a social gathering. Now, when I dig deep into my spirit, I see that even then the Lord saw my heart and knew exactly where I would be at years later. After those two years I walked away from Christ and lived my life in riotous living. All that I had left from those two years was just a gut feeling that I made the biggest mistake of my life.
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