O.K. I'm back.
It was 1967. I had been working for O.R. about a month, and although I had met Mr. Roberts, I had never spent a lot of time with him.
We were to go to my first crusade, in West Palm Beach, Fl.
We had one of those planes that you entered through the tail. It had two engines and held about 20 people, best I recall.
Anyway, we left Tulsa right at sunset and it was really beautiful. I had never flown before and was very apprehensive, but I relaxed somewhat once we were in the air and I got caught up in seeing the city and state from the air.
Well about an hour later we ran into a really bad thunderstorm. Lightening was flashing and thunder crashing. I noticed we kept climbing in altitude.
NOW I was really scared. I was sitting in a 2-seat row next to a window. I must have been pale white and clutching the seat with all my might.
Mr. Roberts came strolling down the aisle and looked at me. Then he sat down beside me and said, "What's the matter, son, are you scared?" I told him yes I was and that it was my first flight. The plane kept bouncing around as we talked.
He said, "Exactly what are you afraid of?"
I thought about it for a few seconds and told him I was afraid the plane would crash and I would die. He said, "Well, do you plan to go to Heaven when you die?" What could I say but yes.
He replied with a smile, "Then crashing would be about the best thing that could happen to us wouldn't it?"
Then he said "Come with me". He led me up to the cockpit where the pilot and co-pilot were sitting back telling jokes and eating from a big box of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Mr. Roberts asked them if it was o.k. if I rode up there with them. I spent the rest of the trip up there, and it remains one of the best memories of my life. They quickly climbed above and around the storm and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way to Florida.
About 25,000 people showed up at the crusade. Mr. Roberts had them in the palm of his hand--what a speaker. I believe if he had told them to line up on the roof and jump off, most would have.
When it came to the "healing" stage. I saw and photographed a few before-and-after things (one thing in particular that I remember was a large growth, a goiter I suppose, that disappeared) that I couldn't explain. Were they miracles? Was it mind over matter? Was it God? I do know it wasn't fake, and it sort of scared me.
That was my only crusade as I got a really great offer from Murphy Oil Corp. to move to Arkansas a short time later.
I'll never forget my time with Oral Roberts though. He is a sincere man and truly believes what he says. The down side was that there were maybe a thousand people that came for healing who did not appear to receive any. I asked Mr. Roberts personally about that and he said something to the effect of--"We can't understand everything God does, and that He certainly has his own plan and timetable. I don't heal anybody, I just try to let Him use me as He will."
You know I haven't thought about this in a long time and I didn't mean to make this a book. All I know is that somebody up there has taken good care of me my entire life.
DonM