09/07/2024
How God used Glenn Campbell to Woo me to Himself!
"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." – 1 John 4:16
It was July of 1994. I was readying myself for a long drive to Visalia, Ca. to race modified midget race cars over the holiday. I stopped in what was like a dollar store before they became famous. I found in the "cheap cassettes for sale" table one of Glenn Campbell entitled Unconditional love! Now I wasn't much of a love song singer. I didn't even sing in front of my own mother her entire life! But this one caught me because I liked Glenn and he sang about my home city and state, Phoenix, AZ. "By the time I get to Phoenix!"
I brought this cassette for the 9 hour drive from Cottonwood, AZ to Visalia, Ca. Riding with my family, including my Mother & step father, I asked if we could try this new cassette. My Mom loved to sing in the car and she liked this cassette so much that we played it through several times! I began to listen to the words of each song. DID I MENTION THAT I WAS NOT A CHRISTIAN YET AND I DIDN'T KNOW REAL LOVE AT ALL?
Even then, I know the songs were written to mean a love between a man and a woman but I sensed that Glenn was really singing, at least equally, to and about God! His return to His intimate relationship with Jesus!
Fast forward another year and going to the very same race and race track on July 4th weekend. This time, this trip, I don't remember any special songs but certainly Forrest Gump was popular and the imitations by everyone were epic!
I returned home from this trip to a home and family that would fall apart. Any semblance love had left the Branaman home. Those that I wanted to love me, no longer loved me or wanted to be around me and rightfully so. I was an ager filled, bad mood, joy robber that people just couldn't take anymore. I did love the best way I knew how, but it wasn't good. I wanted to be loved, but somehow I pushed it away.
NOW, I wanted someone to love me and in stepped Jesus.... again. But this time I turned around. Go back to the top of this post and study that verse. The God of love was relentless and in a gentleman, kind way always kept knocking on my heart to come in and this time I turned around. I reached up and took Jesus hand. I opened my heart, I opened my mouth and asked, accepted Him in to be reconciled to the God of love through the Son of God that "So loved me that He gave His live" that I could be the "Whosoever" in John 3:16 and believed "IN HIM!"
I entered into a love relationship, real relationship with the God that created me. And just like the verse in 1st John 4:16, God lived IN me and I IN Him, thus I was living in a house of love and I became a house of love where God the Holy Spirit now dwelt! WOW
So get this. One of the love songs on that 1991 Glenn Campbell cassette about unconditional love is called, livin' in a house of love." I sing this to Jesus when I hear it. See if it doesn't make you think of Him too?
Last thing. Glenn Campbell went on to make another cassette called "The Boy In Me" that was a Christian song collection. In my new salvation, I sang new songs and someone gave me this one. I would start my mornings getting ready in the bathroom, in the shower, playing these songs and worshipping to the words God put on Glenn's heart and mind about His restored relationship with Him. Now they were my words of worship to King Jesus too.
What memories of how LOVE, GOD'S PERFECT & UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND WHEN IT ENTERED MY LIFE & HEART AND FLIPPED MY WORLD.... RIGHT SIDE UP!
I'm praying you have a real authentic love relationship with Jesus Christ too. Let me know if you need to talk about it.
P.S. I'll post a few of those songs from the album in the comments section.
Love ya,
Pastor Jeff
Co Founder Jett Life Ministries
Helping people win at life. John 10:10
jettlife.org
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Thank you kindly
