08/03/2024
I wrote this five years ago on my 66 birthday. Five years later I am 71 but I thought I would share this again as I now have 4 grandchildren since that time.
You who know me, know that I am sentimental. This song comes to mind, “Can’t Find My Way Home,” by Blind Faith from 1969.
https://youtu.be/8L82II1lNjo?si=U9VRrl53L2YjUTLf
(Here is a newer, great version with Stevie Winwood & Eric Clapton. Two original members of Blind Faith.)
From 17 to 19 years old, I spent many days, lost and wasted on drugs and alcohol, many times, listening to this song knowing this is exactly where I was at, I was regularly wasted, lost and couldn’t find my way home, literally and figuratively.
Today at 71, I am extremely blessed and so thankful where I am at today. During those younger years of drug and alcohol abuse and living a self-destructive lifestyle, I am lucky to be alive and so thankful that God loved and sustained me when I wasn’t looking for it and didn’t deserve it. This was the song that I related to greatly to the lyrics as I was often “And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home.” I almost destroyed my life and sadly, some of my friends did not survive. I am so thankful that, “I found my way home,” at age 19. Jesus set me free from drugs, alcohol and a destructive lifestyle.
He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings.
Psalm 40:2
This picture below was taken as a freshman at Spring Arbor University, 7 months after coming out of the darkness, self destruction and the drug culture. Early in my freshman year I would spend time by myself just in prayer and reading the Bible as I was doing in this picture drawing strength from God. A fellow student, Ron Kopicko, took this picture for the 1973-74 yearbook. (Ron later became the chaplain at Spring Arbor.) I turned to Christ at age 19 as a broken and almost destroyed young man, who began to piece his life together, with Gods’ help. About this time, God brought a wonderful woman into my life, Beth Snider Meadows, who 48 years later, I am still married to today. We have a wonderful family and 2 great sons and daughter in-law‘s. and 4 wonderful grandchildren! I am so blessed as I now know, God always had a wonderful plan and purpose for my life. but sometimes shutter I missed all that he has for me and I know he has the same everyone of you, if you will give your life to him and seek him and ask for him to review the plan and purpose he asked for your existence! We only get one shot at life, make it count! God always planned for me to have a healing ministry that has impacted many even around the country and other nations. I’ve authored 2 books on inner healing prayer. Who knew! I am presently writing a training manual to teach others how to bring emotional, spiritual healing, mind renewal and demonic deliverance to the broken, oppressed and traumatized.
Yearly, I make a trip back to where I grew up in Ohio. I take inventory of my life and from where God has brought me. I am always very thankful for God‘s blessings and for His goodness in my life and that “I have found my way home!, and that God truly has a powerful, specific plan and purpose for our lives. At 71 I still feel compelled, to accomplish and to complete the tasks God has for me to accomplish. I encourage you that if you have not done so, to ask Jesus into your heart as your personal savior. But that’s just the beginning. There’s so much more God wants to download into your life and plans that he has to unleash in your life! It says in (Psalms 139:15,16), all the days of your life are written in a book. God wants to reveal and release the specific plans and purposes for your life. There is so much more that through us.
Nothing will ever fulfill or complete you other than His plan for you,what He has written in the book. Press into Him and ask Him to reveal His purpose and release Heavens destiny for your life. There is nothing greater than to see your life purpose unveiled and to see God‘s power operate in and through you, to do things that you could not do on your own.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3
