A bat and a ball in exchange for some mental energy. I accepted the challenge. Little did I realize that this was the beginning of a vital new chapter in my life.

The bat and ball were offered by a family friend if I would memorize two verses from the Bible. I had no idea then how these verses would impact my whole life.

Gull Lake Tabernacle, 1950s
Courtesy of Gull Lake Bible and Missionary Conference

A few weeks later, our family drove to the Gull Lake Bible and Missionary Conference for a week of Bible training, recreation, and fellowship with other believers. At my young age, I was directed to the children’s meetings. I don’t recall what was said, except for one exciting question. It was exciting because I could not answer very many questions at my school, but I had a ready answer for this one!

“Can anyone quote a verse from the Bible?” I could quote two! So I raised my hand, stood up, and quoted them.

I can still picture the delight, amazement, and praise of the teacher as I finished them (this affirmation in a classroom was a new experience). Meanwhile, my father was having his life transformed by these same two verses in the large conference tabernacle.

Dr. L. E. Maxwell was preaching a message on total dedication of your life to God, based on Romans 12:1–2. At the close of the message on that Tuesday evening, Dr. Maxwell asked all those who would dedicate themselves to God to stand. It seemed to my father that everyone stood—except him!

He was held in his seat by concerns of what such a decision might do to his professional career. For more than 20 years, he had dedicated himself to succeeding in an engineering company. He was the general manager and was in line to become the president. He had a premonition that this decision would lead him out of the business world and into full-time Christian work.

For the next two evenings, Dr. Maxwell spoke on the same subject. On Thursday evening, he again asked for those who would dedicate their lives fully to the Lord to stand. One man stood up.

It was my father.

The following Sunday morning on the front steps of our little church, a man came up to my father and said, “The Pacific Garden Mission is looking for a man to serve on their board of directors. You might want to call their director, Harry Saulnier.” He did, and soon became the chairman of the board. During his time on the board, the radio program “Unshackled!” was started. It continues to be heard around the world today as the longest running radio drama in history.

Going to the mission was a significant development in his life, because I can still vividly recall the tense encounter that took place in our recreation room several years earlier. My mother had become a believer and was trying to expose my father to some teaching that would bring him to salvation as well.

She came down the stairs to where my father was working remodelling our basement into a panelled recreation room (which later became a neighborhood center for children’s ministry, a high school Bible club, an adult Bible class, and the beginnings of the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts).

My mother cautiously asked, “Would you like to go with a group from the church to a meeting at the Pacific Garden Mission?” I saw my father bristle with anger. He put the hammer that was in his hand on a ledge, turned to my mother, and very firmly said, “If I wanted to spend time around drunkards, I would go down to skid row and live there! Besides, I know what you are trying to do. You are trying to convert me to your beliefs. I don’t need that. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I have gone to church all my life. I am fine!”

There was heavy silence. But then he added a final “blow.” “Just remember, if our marriage breaks up, it will be your fault!!” My mother quietly retreated up the stairs.

A few weeks later, my parents were listening to a Sunday night radio program from nearby Western Springs Village Church. The program was called “Songs in the Night.” A young student from Wheaton College was giving a message—his name was Billy Graham.

At the conclusion of the message, my father said, “If that is what it takes to become a Christian, I will do it.”

He knelt down on our kitchen floor and called upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save him from his sin and his pride and make him a new person in Christ. God heard his prayer and answered it!

Meanwhile, my personal encounter with Romans 12:1–2 was yet to come.

It took place at a youth meeting in our church. The guest speaker was Richard Neal, the director of Camp Forest Springs in Wisconsin. He captured my attention with his object lessons. Then he explained the importance of dedicating our bodies to the Lord according to Romans 12:1–2.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

He asked all those who would do this to stand. To my young mind, such a decision meant dedicating my whole life to God as a missionary. So I decided that I would be a missionary pilot for God in some faraway jungle setting. However, there was a condition to this commitment.

In order to fly a plane, my eyesight had to be 20-20. At that time, it was 20-80. So I made an agreement with the Lord. “If you give me 20-20 vision, I will be a missionary for you.” I realize now that we should not make such bargains with God; however, He did honor “Gideon’s fleece.” And he met my condition as well. In a few weeks my eyesight was 20-20, and to this day I do not wear glasses.

God reminded me of this agreement years later when I was struggling with an important decision.

I had been invited to go to Bolivia, South America, to work with young people in a missionary school. I wanted to work with the young people, but I did not want all the vaccination shots I would have to get.

So, I was inclined to turn it down, until God brought to my mind the scene at that youth meeting when I promised to be a missionary.

It was as if God was saying, “Right now I am not asking you to be a full-time missionary, but I want you to go to Bolivia to serve me there.”

What happened during that trip was a remarkable evidence of God’s power, and it paved the way for the Seminar in Basic Youth Conflicts.