John’s early memories would be based around himself and friendships. An early memory that stands out to John took place coming home from Kindergarten. On the way home John destroyed a wooden airplane he had made. He was angry without reason. This anger would be a part of his life for years to come. The foreshadowing of this anger was found in what one of John’s teacher’s comment in the school ‘s yearbook. “John if you could control your anger, you could control anything. ” Other memories, when he was in the first grade, were dancing with a neighbor girl to the Batman song on a phonograph. John also had a shyness concerning girls as early as the first grade. John’s sister Sue found out John liked a girl and told her. From that point on John would hide at the back of the playground out of embarrassment. You see in the early years John liked girls, but had little confidence being around them even to his late teens. Little did John know women would be an interesting part of his life, in positive and negative ways.
Another area that was important as a child was belonging to the Boy Scouts. John’s father believed and hoped that John could escape some of the sinful areas of his life through scouting and the influence of his leaders. John’s dad would learn later that even scouts could be perverted through alcohol. I watched John go down this path knowing I would later intervene ; John needed to repent of this lifestyle.
Scouts would become the center of some of John’s best friendships. John’s friendships would come to an abrupt end when John’s dad would be laid off from the position Electrical Engineer at a job he had held for over 16 years. The move would be extremely hard on the whole family. A spiritual time in John’s life would come out of the move. John’s Grandmother thought that John and his sister Debbie needed to be baptized before the move. John had a desire for me, but his prayer life was no more than praying the Lord’s Prayers almost a magical way of protection. John was interested in me, but there were many things he did not understand. I watched and knew I would give him wisdom, but there was going to be a humbling price to pay. That price was related to the secret that John and his family would endure.
The move to New Hampshire, because of John’s dad’s new job, was half a Country away. The people even had their own language and the accent of New Englanders. Not only was the accent different, the values of the people were even different. John was fresh from desiring to be baptized out of a limited understanding about saving faith. His sister Debbie seemed to understand more about her faith and what she was doing. John just had unanswered questions.
In Iowa, school was challenging and fun. In John’s new home even the smart students were not interested in learning. John would not make a single friend in all his classes. He even believed that he would have to fight his whole class for being ridiculed for his desire to learn. John found friends in his neighborhood, but they were already into drugs and alcohol as young as the sixth grade. John was even called a saint because of his less sinful lifestyle and his going to church. In truth, John had an interest in God, but without a commitment.
John’s family returned to Cedar Rapids after a year. John’s Dad was called back to his original job in Cedar Rapids. John came back to a world that was two years behind in what the teens were doing concerning drugs and alcohol. John’s hair was even 2-3 inches longer than fellow Iowans. Although John didn’t take drugs, Iowan friends in 8th and 9th grade were experimenting. John’s experimenting, although not illegal drugs, was an attraction to alcohol. John’s first abuse began at a Boy Scout campout. John and two friends set up their tent away from the leaders and younger scouts. John and his friends were mixing Sloe Gin and Seven-up. The bottle went fast and they were drunk to the point of staggering. John’s drinking would become a constant thing until he met me a few years later. He would rediscover alcohol a couple of years after his first encounter. John would have to call in sick from work that time. The desire to drink would overcome even the worst of hangovers. By the age of eighteen John was a constant bar hopper. Due to the philosophy that since soldiers could die for their country, they should be old enough to use or abuse alcohol. John’s father felt he couldn’t intervene because of this law. John’s mother would say that his hangovers served him right. John would later, after he met me, find it strange to wake up on a Saturday without that hangover.
An area that John experienced that most of his peers did not was teachings in the occult and shamanism. John and a friend walked down a path of experimenting in Astral Projection, telekinesis powers, etc. John thought himself as some one that could use white magic for good. John had no idea how dangerous this way was and how the Enemy could use this against him. John’s friend would even suggest that I used white magic in my ministry. John being open to this would be placed in a crucible that would break his mind, his will, and his spirit.
John had two special friends that he got to know through a love for tennis, golf, bowling and just hanging out. They also had an interesting nickname for each other. The oldest friend was the Old Man, John’s was Jack, and the youngest friend was the Kid. Through high school they were almost inseparable. Even to this day they refer to each other by these nicknames.
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