Chapter 8
“What do you mean you’re going to the University of Southern California? What about Harvard?” Gregory asked of his son, not quite believing what he was hearing.
“Harvard? You mean the college that’s full of stupid politicians’ kids who are not the most intelligent people themselves? I’d rather skip the whole Ivy League tradition and go to school with real kids, Dad. USC seems like a cool place to go and I don’t want to be bored for the next four years. You can understand that, right?” Jason replied.
“No, but you kids these days seem to do all sorts of off-beat stuff. While I’m not particularly happy with your decision, I’ll support it. One thing I ask though, just don’t get involved with those dirty hippies and stoned-out losers, all right?”
“You mean you don’t want me to blow all your money on LSD or any of that stuff, and then have to send me off to get detoxed. Right?”
Gregory gave Jason a stony look, not amused at all that his son wasn’t treating this conversation with any sincerity. Gregory didn’t want Jason to get involved with the lower class scum that blew their brains out by taking drugs, because not only would it ruin Jason’s future reputation, it would also ruin Gregory’s reputation, and he couldn’t allow that.
“Son, since you’re not going to a school I want you to go to, you could at least do this little thing for me. Can you do that?”
“Sure,” was the response.
“When will you leave?”
“They want new students to report to the dorms by the end of July, so I’ll be leaving here about a week before,”
“Are you going to ask for a private room?”
Jason sighed, knowing his father didn’t like anyone who made less than one hundred thousand dollars a year. “Nope. Like I said, I want to get to know the more interesting people our country has to offer. I can hob-knob with our idiot politicians and their idiot families later on,”
“I guess you have a point. Now, let’s start getting your stuff together for this four year adventure.”
Two months later, Jason was enrolled at the University of Southern California and ended up sharing a dorm room with a guy, nicknamed Bubba, from Texas who was on the Trojan football team. Jason made sure to find out where all the local hangouts were, who all the important people on campus were, and even which professors would be the easiest to take or to influence as far as bribery went. Jason was sure that he would enjoy his time at USC and be an important player on campus in no time.
Jason walked into his first afternoon class for the first time on the Thursday of the first day, Freshman English, which was only two days a week. As he looked around for a place to sit - which was pretty easy since he was fifteen minutes early and there was hardly anyone there yet - he saw a girl with red hair sitting by herself near the top of the auditorium-like class. So Jason walked up the steps, sat down next to her, and introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Jason,”
Jason could see the girl practically put up a wall between the two of them, but he was attracted to her, so he asked, “What’s yours?”
She looked up at him from whatever she was reading, and Jason saw that she had some very pretty green eyes that he thought he could get lost in.
She looked at him for a minute or so, thinking that this Jason guy was attractive, but she really didn’t want to get involved with a guy who was probably only looking to score with her. She knew a few girls back home that had gotten married at sixteen primarily because they got pregnant. She didn’t want to happen to her, and she was determined to wait until she was married.
When she replied, it was in an accent Jason thought might be Southern, “Why are you bothering me? There are other places to sit, you know,”
“Oh, I know, but you caught my eye and I wanted to sit next to you. No harm in that, is there?”
“No, I suppose not,”
“So, what’s your name?” persisted Jason.
“Amy,”
“Hi Amy. Where are you from?”
“Virginia,”
“Cool. I’m from New York. So, what are you reading?”
“I’m reading the Bible, which is something I always do after lunch,”
“The Bible? Really? Isn’t that for squares and people who aren’t intelligent enough to understand science?”
Amy looked back at him with a cold look, and Jason could instantly tell that she wasn’t one to be messed with. “If you’re going to insult me and my beliefs, kindly leave me alone and go sit somewhere else,”
“Sorry, that’s what I’ve always been taught. You seem like a very intelligent young woman, so what is it about this superstition that attracts you?”
“I should get up and move. You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?”
“No. Well, aren’t you going to answer me?”
“What I have to say would take far too long, since we would have to leave our class to talk about it, and I would rather not miss the first English class of the semester. If you’re really interested in knowing what I believe, talk to me after class, I don’t have a class again until tomorrow,”
“I have a few more classes after this, but what about later today, when it’s time to eat supper? Can you go out to dinner with me so we can discuss it?”
“Jason, I do not eat out with young men I don’t know, at least not by myself, especially with young men who aren’t Christians. Perhaps you’d like to go to church with me on Sunday to really find out about my beliefs?”
Jason was attracted to this girl and when he was attracted to a woman, he generally got his way, even if it took him a while to convince them to go out with him. This Amy was interesting to him. He had never met a Christian before, and wondered what kind of person believed such nonsense. Jason decided to humor her for a while, so he said, “Sure, I’ll go to church with you. Where do you want to meet?”
“My girlfriends and I will be eating breakfast first at the campus cafeteria before church at 8:30, so come by there, and we’ll take you to church,”
No pressure there, thought Jason, as he thought that he would have to be on his best behavior since a gaggle of girls would be harder to impress. “I’ll do that. Do I need to wear anything special?”
“Yes, your best suit, if you have one,”
“I have one.”
“Good. I’ll expect you then.”
Jason wanted to say something else, but the instructor for the class finally came in, the students quieted down, and the instructor began the class day. After class, Amy quickly disappeared, not giving Jason a chance to say anything, so he went to his next class, American History. Jason ended up being distracted by thoughts about Amy and her beliefs, so he didn’t really pay attention for the next couple of classes to anything his instructors said. When he went back to the dorm, Bubba had returned from football practice, so Jason asked, “Do you know anything Christians?”
“You betcha I do. I come from Texas after all,”
“Why do they believe it?”
Bubba shrugged his shoulders, “Got me. My family weren’t too particular about goin’ to church. We did all the holidays and everything, but not full time or nothin’. They’re ok people, just don’t get them started about Jesus, otherwise, you’d have your ear talked off. Jehovah’s Witnesses are the worst. They come knockin’ on your door on Sunday’s, ruinin’ lunch, ruinin’ watchin’ of football, and ruinin’ just about everything. Best to avoid them at all costs. Oh, and Mormons too. Maybe even Baptists. Shucks, maybe you should just avoid all of ‘em,”
“Oh, ok. So you don’t really know anything, do you Bubba?” asked Jason, as he rolled his eyes.
“Can’t rightly say that I do. My focus is football, I plan on getting into the NFL, ya know, hopefully with the Dallas Cowboys,”
What an idiot, thought Jason, but this is what I wanted when I traveled three thousand miles from home. Oh well, I’ll deal with it. Then out loud, “Thanks for the advice, Bubba, I appreciate it.”
“Ah, it was n
othin’.” came the reply.
On Sunday, Jason got ready for church for the first time ever. He went to the cafeteria and found Amy and her four friends eating breakfast, looking like they were enjoying each other’s company. Jason walked up to them and said, “Hi everyone, I’m ready to go with you to church,”
The girls began giggling, and then Amy said, “I’m glad you decided to come with us. I thought you might chicken out,”
“I’m curious about what you believe, why would you think I’d chicken out?”
“Because a lot of guys do when they find out I want them to go to church with me. Separates the wheat from the chaff, so to speak,”
“If you say so,” Jason replied, not knowing what she meant.
“Girls, are we ready to go?” Amy asked of her friends, who all indicated they were. “Ok, Jason, follow us.”
Jason walked behind the girls, unsure of whether or not he should even be doing this. His father, while not talking much about religion in general, did not like religious people, and Jason was worried what his father might think if he knew what he was about to do. But, Jason was curious about what attracted people like Amy and her friends to a religion, so he thought that this might be a good education.
The walk was about fifteen minutes, when they approached a medium-sized church. Apparently it was Baptist. Jason thought all Christian-oriented churches were the same, because he assumed they might’ve been going to a Catholic church, so he asked, “How come you’re not going to a Catholic church?”
“I’m not Catholic, I’m Baptist,”
“What’s the difference?”
“Jason, why do you always ask questions that would take all day to explain? There’s a huge difference between the two churches, but that history is nearly two thousand years, so it would take a while to explain,”
“I thought the Catholics were the only ones before that guy started the Reformation or whatever you want to call it,”
“Nope, there were many other Christian sects before Martin Luther separated from the Catholics. The particular one I belong to was part of the Anabaptists a long time ago, which existed alongside the Catholics. Why do you think the Inquisition in Spain happened? It wasn’t just about Jews,”
“Really? All of that sounds very interesting. I guess I have a lot to learn.” then Jason fell silent as they entered the church, went into the auditorium, and sat down in one of the pews.
From what Jason could tell, there were about two hundred people attending; a mixture of college students, families, and older people. Everyone seemed friendly enough, since a few of them came over to shake his hand and introduced themselves to him. Jason was used to dealing with stand-offish people, even ones in his own social circle back home, so this kind of unnerved him. People all around him were talking to each other, laughing, and seemed to be having fun. From what little he had heard about Christians, he thought they were like Puritans; dour, always serious, and never had any fun. Jason decided he heard wrong.
Then, piano music began playing, everyone sat down, and a man came up to a podium. He told everyone to take a song book and turn to a certain page so they could sing. Jason was standing next to Amy, who shared the song book with him, and she began to sing, while Jason stared at the words on the page. It made no sense to him, but he noticed that Amy had a beautiful singing voice, and seemed like she enjoyed singing the song.
After three songs and announcements made by what Jason thought was one of the leaders of the church, an older gentleman came up to the podium to speak. He opened a book and began to talk, and Jason noticed people around him opening a book to read from wherever he was having them read from.
Maybe it’s a Bible, Jason thought, I wonder how I can get one? Most of what Jason heard the man say was above him, since he had never heard a Christian message before, but what Jason managed to gather was that sin was bad, and if one didn’t come to know Jesus as their Savior, then they would go to Hell. Jason was bothered by this, but he really didn’t know enough to think that he was going to Hell; it all seemed really out there to him.
After about forty minutes, the speaker stopped talking and they gave some sort of invitation to come up front to confess sins. Jason saw that some people went to front, kneeled down at a raised part of the floor in front of the podium, and looked like they were in some kind of contemplative activity. Around him, people had their heads bowed and eyes closed, he wasn’t sure why, but he would definitely ask Amy a bunch of questions later, if she gave him a chance. Five minutes later, the speaker thanked everyone for coming, and everyone started walking out of the church.
As they were walking back to campus, Amy asked Jason, “How did you like our church?”
“It was interesting. That speaker was really good, but I didn’t really understand what he was talking about,”
“That speaker was our preacher, Pastor Victor Anderson. What he was talking about was that Jesus died on the Cross to save us from our sins and that if someone was to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, he or she would go to Heaven when they died. One Bible verse says that the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Another verse says that God gave his only begotten son, which is Jesus, because He loved us and didn’t want to see us perish in the fires of Hell. Do you understand?”
“I’m not sure. Do you do this every Sunday?”
“Sunday morning, Sunday night, and even Wednesday night, when I don’t have a class,”
“Really? That’s a lot of times to go to church. Can I come with you next Sunday?”
“Sure, but remember that until you accept Jesus into your heart, I won’t go out with you, so please don’t even ask. Ok?”
“If you insist, I’ll refrain from asking. Thank you for allowing me to go to church with you, it was eye-opening, even though I still don’t understand everything,”
“I was glad to do it. I want everyone I come into contact with to know the Good News. If you ever have any questions about Jesus and being a Christian, you can ask me or contact the church so you could talk to the preacher, ok?”
“Ok. Well, this is probably where we depart, see you Tuesday for class. Bye.”
“Bye.” replied Amy.
Jason left the girls at the cafeteria building and he went back to his room. He contemplated what he should do about this stirring inside of him that seemed to want him to confess his sins, but he had no idea how to, and he was trying to dismiss it by telling himself it was a bunch of silly nonsense, but it just wouldn’t go away. By Tuesday, he was anxious to see Amy to ask her how he should ask this Jesus into his heart. He knew it was important but he wasn’t sure how he should ask her.
As he sat down next to her asked, “Can I talk to you after class?”
Her defenses went up, which he guessed was automatic, and she said, “Honestly, that depends. What do you want to talk to me about?”
“I’d like to ask you about how I can ask Jesus into my heart. I’ve been thinking about it since Sunday and I feel like it might be a decision I have to make right now or it’ll be forever lost to me. Do you know what I mean?”
Jason noticed her defensiveness fall apart and she seemed way more open than before, as she said, “Oh my goodness, I know exactly what you mean. Praise God! I can talk to you about it after class, but don’t you have other classes to go to?”
“Yeah, but this is way more important,”
“Great! We can go to the library where we can talk about you asking Jesus into your heart. I’m glad you decided to come with me on Sunday, aren’t you?”
“I think so. So, how does one accepting Jesus into their hearts work?”
“Well, I’ll show you a couple of Bible verses, let you read the Romans Road to Salvation, and I’ll help you to pray what you need to pray. Then, if God feels you’re sincere in wanting to accept Jesus into your heart, you’ll be saved. After that, we’ll have to talk to my preacher, where he’ll have devotionals for you and stuff that you can do to build up yoursel
f as a Christian. It really isn’t all that complicated once you get right down to it,”
“I look forward to it. Thanks.” then the class started and the two began to pay attention to their instructor.
An hour and a half later, they walked into the library and found a quiet spot in the back. Amy took her Bible out of her backpack and laid it on the desk. Jason could see that the book was well worn and she had bookmarks in all sorts of places. She also pulled out a small booklet and said, “This is the Romans Road, read this and it’ll help explain what sin is about and how you can confess your sins. When you’re done, I can tell you the prayer that you can pray to accept Jesus into your heart,”
Jason began to read the pamphlet Amy gave him. As he read it, he became more and more convicted that he should ask Jesus into his heart. He realized he was a sinner and that if he didn’t ask Jesus right now, when the door was open to him, then it might be closed to him forever.
When Jason finished reading, he said, “Ok, I’m ready, how do I pray the prayer that will allow Jesus into my heart?”
“Repeat after me as you bow your head: Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to you that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins. I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins. With all of my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. At this very moment, I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Lord and Savior. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for me and giving me eternal life. Amen.”
Jason repeated after her and instantly felt different. He knew Jesus had come into his heart because he was sincere about asking Him into his heart. “Thank you for helping me, Amy. What do I do next?”
“Well, you should probably buy a Bible, preferably the King James, so that you can begin studying it. I’ll help you with some devotionals to get you started. On Sunday, you’ll go up front and tell Pastor Anderson about your decision. Then, he’ll schedule a time for you to get baptized. I’m so thrilled that you accepted Jesus into your heart!” They talked a little more before Jason had to leave to attend class.
Amy helped Jason pick out a Bible and some study material so he could grow as a Christian, but she advised him to ask Pastor Anderson what he needed to study so he could grow.
On Sunday, Jason went to the front during invitation and told the Pastor about his decision. After the services were over and all the handshaking from members of the congregation was complete, Jason and Anderson scheduled a time for the baptism, which was the next Sunday.
Jason was nervous when the day came, especially when he found out he would be fully immersed, but Amy and the Pastor assured him that this was done all the time and he shouldn’t worry about it.
Shortly before the end of the service, Jason went to the baptismal room to put on the baptismal robe. Pastor Anderson came back to the room after the main service, and asked, “Are you ready?”
“Very much so, Pastor,”
“I’m glad to hear it. I’ll go out first and then when I say your name, you’ll come down the stairs and get into the water with me. I’ll ask you if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. When you say yes, I’ll say a few words, and then dunk you. Ok?”
“Ok,”
“Ok, let’s get started.” Pastor Anderson walked down the steps into the baptismal waters and said Jason’s name. When Jason reached the Pastor, Anderson asked, “Jason, have you trusted Jesus as your Savior?”
“I have,”
“Do you want to follow and live for Him?”
“Yes,”
“Then, in obedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and upon your profession of faith, I baptize you my brother, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
Anderson took Jason’s hands, guided him backwards as Jason was lowered under the water, and then he helped Jason rise back up to his feet. Jason felt refreshed, but really wet, and Anderson let him go back to the room while Anderson finished the service.
Ten minutes later, Jason left the baptismal room, and found Amy waiting for him. She was smiling as she said, “You have permission to take me out, if you’d like.”
“Really? Um, want to go to the ice cream shop?”
“That sounds like fun. Let’s go.”
******