07/02/2026
Thirsty Prayer — 7-02-2026
Drugs and the High of All Highs
Being someone who was saved at Calvary Chapel in the mid-70s of the last century (yes, I'm old), I was an eyewitness to one of the most extraordinary movements of God that century would ever see. It unfolded beneath a simple circus tent. I have watched, in real time, the many developments of Christianity over the decades, and I say with deep conviction that I have yet to witness a movement of the Holy Spirit that compares to the Jesus Movement.
What existed during that slice of history was nothing less than a parting of the Red Sea. An entire generation of young people stood before an impossible wall of water, and God chose to part the sea and make a way where there was no way.
We were no different than today's generation. Disillusioned by the Vietnam War, experimenting with a new kind of high—not alcohol, but drugs—and embracing what seemed like freedom from the boring existence of the older generation, we became the driving force behind the Woodstock revolution, free love, the peace symbol, and a passionate determination to change the world.
It was rebellion against society and everything the establishment represented. Newspapers such as The Hollywood Free Press carried the message with colorful, psychedelic, "in-your-face" truth.
But as the joint burned down to a roach and the love-ins and protest gatherings lost their fascination, the White Rabbit became a snare. A generation became trapped by addiction, depression, and, for many, even death. The new high became a cruel master.
Searching for the next high and the meaning of existence drove many into dark corners, and the peace sign eventually lost its message.
Then, just as history has recorded over and over again, the supernatural stepped in, and God declared that He was the Way.
Here is the reality that a lost generation discovered in the blink of an eye. Multitudes instantly became the recipients of the supernatural breath of God. They were born again, transformed into new creations, and their changed lives impacted an entire generation.
It began, and in many ways continued, through the simple, humble music of a group called Love Song. Every song they wrote, every lyric they sang, was authentic. They were the real thing—nothing manufactured or artificial. They were humble, sincere, and driven by a love that could only come through Jesus Christ.
Their music ignited a massive fire. The style was different—rock and roll carrying the message of real hope instead of mere entertainment. Yet the true fire was never the melody. The fire was the Word of God, and that trumpet in the night is what made all the difference.
New believers carried their Bibles everywhere and eagerly gave the reason why:
"Jesus is love. He's real, and He changed my life. Let me tell you about Him!"
On Sunday nights the tent would be packed, and Papa Chuck would faithfully lead us through ten chapters of the Bible, moving chapter by chapter and book by book for nearly two hours.
Then there was the worship. It wasn't six words repeated ten times. It was the Word of God set to music. Chuck would direct an entire choir of more than 2,000 young people singing the inspired Word of God together.
Bible studies sprang up everywhere. They were like Pop-Tarts—you could move into an apartment, and overnight a Bible study would pop up.
When my wife Cindy and I were first married, we lived on Liberty Street in Huntington Beach, California. Within a year there were at least four Bible studies meeting in our small apartment complex. The hunger for God's Word flowed everywhere like the floodwaters after a massive storm, spilling into people's lives wherever they went.
We would actually carry most of the furniture outside onto the sidewalk because the living room, dining room, hallway, and even the bedroom doorways would fill with new believers just like us.
Many of us still carry our Bibles today.
We didn't have social media, so we passed out cars bearing "Give Jesus a Chance" bumper stickers. We greeted one another with the One Way finger symbol. We sewed patches onto our clothing that proclaimed not our favorite soft drink but the Good News of Jesus Christ. We traveled the streets of Los Angeles, picked up hitchhikers, and shared the gospel of true freedom. We stormed the beaches armed with Living Water tracts, ready to speak with anyone who had ears to hear.
As I reflect on that remarkable moment in history, one overwhelming truth remains. It was a generation of young people who fell deeply in love with Jesus because of His Word. We carried our Bibles everywhere like a beautiful plague of hope, gladly sharing the message that could change the world because it had first changed us.
This kind of manifestation of the Holy Spirit comes only to those who rediscover the silence of the prayer closet.
It comes to those who are no longer satisfied with the mundane traditions of religion, but long instead for the burning heart that only comes when God draws near and says, "Here is My free gift. Come...let us become friends."
You see, what sustained that supernatural movement of God was never our creativity or our music. It was something far greater.
It was the truth of God's Word wrapped in the innocent love of a people who had returned to their first love.
Revelation 2:4 — ASV-CLAL Locked Edition
"But I have this against you, that you have left your first love."
