Reminiscing

I must have too much time to think lately, or maybe certain milestones in your life make you take stock of all that you have and where you have been. I thought I might share some memories.
I didn't really enjoy my early teenage years. Home was good, a place where I felt safe and loved, but school and social settings were different. I tended to be the class clown and was never really very close to any of my friends. The other areas of my life included pony club and the wider circle of my family's friends and relations. My closest friends were Julie, and my two cousins Danny and Leigh. And of course my animals. My dog Ding and my horses were really my constant companions. I would tell them my secrets and entrust them with my dreams.
Whenever I was in a social setting I just never felt comfortable, always the pretender and never belonged.
Soon after turning 16 our town was turned upside down by a group called the God's Squad motorcycle gang. This was way back in 1974 when the World was still very traditional and Christianity was part of the established way of life. John Smith and his bikers spoke at our school and for the first time I felt that this was more than just information about God, but something that related to me personally. I went along to the rally they held in the town's big grain shed and from the moment I entered I felt like I belonged. No one was extra friendly, no one was pushy, I just felt comfortable being with these people and I wanted what they had.
There were around 30 of us who made that life changing decision, many from non church backgrounds, and we spent the next few years trying to work out how to live as followers of Jesus in our town.
The local Churches struggled a bit to handle this little group of disciples who thought they could change the World. We had a few good mentors though and relied heavily on each other and some follow up from God's Squad. We jumped right in to ministry with a coffee shop/drop in on a Friday night and a Christian Fellowship at our school. We ran our own Bible studies and prayer times, and visited each other's churches to help with worship. Some of the group went on to full time ministry, others continued to live out their faith in workplaces around the country, and a few struggled to hold on to God through the tough times.
I sometimes relive the pain I felt in my early teenage years and wish it could have been different. I would have loved a best friend who really got me and let me rave on about what was going on inside - at least one who had two legs instead of four! But then I think that maybe that would have shielded me from my deepest need to have connected with God who "gets me" better than anyone can.
Andre Crouch's music was also a huge influence on my life in those early years. I think most of my theology came from John Smith's teaching and Andre's songs.
Also interesting to note that the first time I met Ross he was using one of Andre's songs to illustrate a Bible study he was leading.