FOR THOSE WHO ARE 60 yrs OLD AND ABOVE PLEASE READ THIS.

 

FOR THOSE WHO ARE 60 yrs OLD AND ABOVE PLEASE READ THIS. This is for you. I really like what is said here and am going to try my best to follow it. Thank you to the person who wrote this. May God bless us all as we strive to be a blessing to others at this age, especially to our children. 

🚩Between 60 and death. It's time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don't just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital. 

🚩Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet. 

🚩Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don't feel bad spending your money on yourself. You've taken care of them for many years, and you've taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter, and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money. 

🚩Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well, and get your sleep. It's easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you're feeling well. Stay informed. 

🚩Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together. 

🚩Don't stress over the little things. You've already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don't let the past drag you down and don't let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten. 

🚩Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: "A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection." 

🚩Be proud, both inside and out. Don't stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong. 

🚩Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are. 

🚩ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You'll be surprised at what old friends you'll meet. 

🚩Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideas as you, but they are the future and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday's wisdom still applies today. Never use the phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. 

🚩Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it'll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you feel older and harder to be around. 

🚩Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live by yourself 

🚩Don't abandon your hobbies. If you don't have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a kitchen garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. 🚩Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven't seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a park. Get out there. 

🚩Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. 

🚩Pains and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of life. 

🚩If you've been offended by someone – forgive them. If you've offended someone-apologize. Don't drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn't matter who was right. Someone once said: "Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die." Don't take that poison. Forgive, forget, and move on with your life. 

🚩Laugh. Laugh away your worries Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. My valued friends, enjoy peaceful life at this point in your life ... Don't worry... be happy.

Hollywood Squares Chuckles

Q . Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?  

A. Paul Lynde: Loneliness! (The audience laughed so long and so hard it took up almost 15 minutes of the show!) 

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it? 

A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn’t neglected. 

Q. Do female frogs croak? 

A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough. 

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be? 

A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it. 

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years? 

A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes. 

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman? 

A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake. 

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married? 

A. Rose Marie: No, wait until morning. 

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older? 

A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency. 

Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'? 

A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment. 

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking? 

A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget. 

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather? 

A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily. 

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year? 

A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries. 

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score? 

A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy. 

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet? 

A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom. 

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls? 

A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out. 

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do? 

A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark? 

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to? 

A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark. 

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people? 

A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army. 

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do? 

A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth. 

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they? 

A. Charley Weaver: His feet. 

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed? 

A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh.

Mike Wilshire - My Friend - Church Pastor - 1949 to October 16, 2021

 

 

I was once told that when you remember someone that has died, the most important thing is that hyphen. They were born, and they died, but that hyphen - represents what they did with their life. Mike Wilshire had a wonderful hyphen!

Me at 19, on the left
 with the guitar

I became a Christian when I was 18 years old. I had played guitar for five years in high school bands. I studied music. So I decided I could write some songs, and I wrote at least a dozen or so pretty good songs. 

Spiritual Revolution Day,
March 6th, 1971 

I once went to an event called Spiritual Revolution Day that occurred in March of 1971 and met a lot of like minded Christians. At the time they were called, “Jesus Freaks”. They had a similar experience as I did. They were searching for answers and found them in God’s Word; 

The Bible.

The Jesus Movement

The media called this The Jesus Movement. Looking back, it was the Fourth Great Awakening of The Holy Spirit. In my opinion in this diverse age where everything is tied up in politics, racial divides, and justification of sexual identity we could sure use a Fifth Great Awakening.  I have no doubt it will come.

I was able to travel around to churches, coffee houses, and events and share my songs and thoughts and listen to those of other Christians. One afternoon I went to a local park that had a band shell where outdoor concerts were occasionally held. Two guys were playing music there and that is where I met Mike Wilshire and Blainey Shepherd. 

Mike Wilshire -
Photo by Paul Niehaus 

Here were two young guys, each playing a Martin guitar and singing the most marvelous Christian songs that I have ever heard. Their two part harmonies were unlike nothing I had heard before. So I had to go meet them when they were done. They were so nice. Blaine was relatively shy, but Mike was very outspoken. 

I later saw them at prayer meetings, and some other places where local Christian artists could perform. I pretty much have learned to play guitar by watching and listening to other players, so I was able to learn some of Mike's songs and added them to my repertoire. One song called "Make Me Over" had the most interesting chord changes. It started in D major, the went to D# major, and resolved back to D major in just a few short bars. 

I shared it once in a song writing class and the teacher brought his teacher in just to hear it.

Sally and Mike Wilshire

I eventually got to meet Mike’s wife, Sally Wilshire. Sally grew up in Virginia, and you could sure tell by her lovely Southern draw. It just radiated from them that both Mike and Sally were very special souls. Their love of God and sweet spirits just shown through. And they were both hungry to learn more too. 

I was invited to their home. They were living in an upstairs bedroom at Mike’s mother’s house.  His mother and sisters occupied the lower floor.

The Denems

I learned that Mike had been in a band in high school called The Denems. They had to misspell the band's name since there was another group with a similar name. Mike sang and played bass guitar in this band. 

The band's drummer was a guy named Steve Belew. One summer Steve became very ill and his father bought him a guitar that he could noodle around on while he was bedridden. Steve became VERY GOOD on the guitar. 

Belew then joined a band named Adrian. That band didn’t last long, but Steve liked the name so much that he changed his own name to Adrian Belew. He became so good that he was hired by a few artists and got his break by touring with Frank Zappa and David Bowie. You might have heard of him. But I digress. 

Another friend’s brother eventually replaced Mike Wilshire in the Denems as the bass guitarist after Mike left.

Little Richard - Hendrix on the left

Mike had left high school at age 15 and ran away from home to start playing in bands in NYC that were managed by the mob. He played in bands that toured with little Richard and Jimi Hendrix, before Jimi was “Jimi Hendrix” and not yet famous. Jimi was just little Richard’s guitar player on the road. 

1970 Hippy Commune

Mike Wilshire eventually became the leader of a hippie commune in Virginia Beach in the late 60’s early 70’s where he relentlessly searched for truth in any and all eastern religions and new age Edgar Cayce teachings. 

He met and married Sally during the time at that commune. But nothing he did ever rang true until he encountered the God of the Bible, and that changed his trajectory forever. 

After he and Sally dedicated their lives to God they attended a large congregation in Virginia Beach called Rock Church. 

A friend of mine who has pastored a few churches and was the drummer for the Christian band, Prodigal tells his story about Mike. 

Dave Workman

Pastor Dave Workman recalled that when he was in the 11th grade he rehearsed with Mike Wilshire and Blainey Shepherd. He said they were trying to work out Honky Tonk Woman, and Don’t Let Me down. (I know that Wilshire was fond of Beatles songs. Mike had once told me he taught his son Beatle songs and their chord changes).  However this young trio broke up before it ever got started. 

Dave went on to play drums in the band I have mentioned, "Adrian", and recorded a few songs at The Fifth Floor Studios in downtown Cincinnati. The bass player later left to play in a Pittsburgh band called Borrowed Thyme. The group members moved to Kentucky. 

Dave Workman said he was invited to audition for Borrowed Thyme. Their main guitar player at the time was Sid McGinnis, who went on to be a session guitarist in NYC and play in the Dave Letterman Show band.  The other guitarist was J.P. Pennington who went to Nashville and became a record producer. One of his big hits was with the band Exile. It was called Kiss You All Over. 

Dave was passed over at the audition.

So Workman found himself one day in Kentucky hitch hiking when Mike Wilshire stopped and picked him up and started sharing his faith. Workman said he thought this was sort of cute and totally weird, but it bothered him. He continued to think about Mike's words.

Prodigal (band) 1975 

Dave Workman said he found a job playing drums with a Cincinnati bar band and living in a house with the guys in the band. After a series of events that included getting high and then seeing The Exorcist, Dave turned to The Lord. The band didn’t want a Jesus Freak living with them and split up. 

Workman got a job at a local department store called Swallen's, and it was there he bumped into Mike Wilshire again. Mike asked him what Bible he was reading. Dave, not knowing there was more than one translation or version simply said, “A white one.” Mike suggested he get The Living Bible, which was quite popular at the time. It was conveniently available at Swallen's. 

Since those days Dave Workman has been a Christian drummer and a pastor for at least 50 years now at a few churches and now has his own ministry called Elemental Churches. He is married to a wonderful lady. 

After Mike Wilshire and his wife Sally had a baby they decided to move back to Virginia Beach. This was around 1974. 

Rock Church Virginia Beach

By then Rock Church had started a Bible College. Mike and Sally both attended and graduated. I believe Mike was an associate pastor for awhile at this church.

Cornerstone Church

In 1976 Mike and Sally started their own church called Cornerstone Church in Roanoke, Virginia.

Sally and Mike Wilshire

They were co-pastors at the church for over 30 years. During that time Mike’s health deteriorated. I believe he had contracted a terrible disease called histoplasmosis, which is a severe fungal infection that can have adverse effects on a person’s lungs, and sometimes even result in blindness. It was so bad for Mike that he underwent a double-lung transplant some time in 1995.  It is truly a miracle that he recovered and was able to go back to preaching and pastoring his church. 

Mike Wilshire

Over the years, Mike was a wonderful pastor and truly beloved by his congregation. He loved The Lord and it showed. 

Mike Wilshire passed away this past October 16th at the age of 72. He leaves behind his wife Sally, and son Micah. 

Sally is the pastor emeritus of the congregation, and son Micah went on to a career in music. Micah did some recording and then started a band called Wilshire, and later became a record producer in Nashville. 

I have to say that during my brief time spent, during my youth, with Mike and Sally, I truly learned so much about being a Christian, a guitarist (I started to learn finger style guitar from him), and later on about being a married man. Both Mike and Sally were such an inspiration and I doubt they ever realized the impact they had on this man's life.

Micah Wilshire

Recently his son Micah wrote, “My dad was called home to heaven Saturday night at the age of 72. (Michael Wesley Wilshire). But I didn’t lose him. He was just upgraded. I know God smiled when he entered heaven and told him “well done thou good and faithful servant”. 

"The last 26 years of his 72 were wrapped in physical struggle after his double lung transplant... then later congestive heart failure, loss of one kidney and functioning on 30% of the last one. He was the toughest man I’ve known. 

He was a pastor for 33 years. He positively affected thousands of lives directly and indirectly. He shepherded with humility, grace and with an intellect I’ve only seen once. But before that he was a drugged out hippie musician.

He taught me everything I know about music. How to sing, play drums, guitar and bass, and how to write. And most importantly how to navigate through this world and know the one true God. I’m beyond thankful. I love you dad."

Mike Wilshire's Celebration - His Favorite Song by Don Moen

"When It's All Been Said and Done"

Well done thou good and faithful servant.

An Underground Church In Kabul Afghanistan Has Been Martyred

 

An “Underground Church” in Kabul, Afghanistan is now at home with the Lord. 🙏🏽 

“We received news that the underground church in Kabul Afghanistan has been martyred. 

Our friends have been in contact and met together last night in deep prayer. The last words she spoke were, “We feel your prayers because this supernatural boldness came over us and we were singing in the Spirit even the kids said mom we will not deny Jesus.

 As they were on the phone they heard screaming and gun shots. God is so powerful they went to be with the Creator filled with joy. We will be fasting tomorrow for the churches.” This is from Ismael Montoya,  evangelist, missionary, and CEO of Christian Brigades.

Happy Birthday In Heaven, Dear Julianne!

 

On this September 1st of 2021 I wish my sister, Julianne, a Happy Birthday in Heaven. You were taken away so quickly and unexpectedly. I hope that you have been reunited with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Auntie, and Dad's mother that you never knew.

In Julianne's loving memory, my wife and I had a memorial bench with plaque installed in front of the Day Care Center where Julianne worked for decades and was such a blessing to multiple generations. 

To visit, go to Child Development Play-Care, 23 E Villa Pl, Ft. Thomas, KY. This is located off South Ft. Thomas Ave., behind St. Thomas School, across the parking lot from St. Thomas Church. 

Linny and I would also like to give a huge “Thank You” to Linda Stapleton Slone and her husband Lonnie for all their help in getting the bench and having the plaque installed. We couldn’t have done it without them. GOD bless you!

The Jesus Movement

 

The Jesus Movement

It has been 50 years since we experienced The Jesus Movement, so here are some of my thoughts on that wonderful time from a Cincinnati area guy’s perspective. 

The Jesus Movement was the Fourth Great Awakening of The Holy Spirit and to those that experienced it, it was life changing.  In it's simplest form, it was God, His Son Jesus, and The Holy Spirit moving throughout the world. 

Spiritual Revolution Day
Cincinnati 

D-Day in Cincinnati was March 27th of 1971 when an event called  Spiritual Revolution Day occurred. Now fifty years later I can reflect on this event and the impact it had on my life. 

I was only 18 years old and still in high school. I began wearing a cross, and carrying my Bible with me so I could read it in my free time. At the time I was ridiculed for being A Jesus Freak.  But as a friend of mine wrote in a song, "I just want to be a Jesus Freak for the rest of my life."  Although I am now approaching 70 years of age, I am still a Jesus Freak.

Back then the leaders of the movement that I encountered seemed so old, but truth be told they were probably no more than ten years older than me. I was fortunate to become involved with people that were dedicated to Bible study and building each other up through teaching, prayer, and sharing their faith. I miss those people and those sweet days.

Cincinnati Christian University

I played guitar, sang and wrote some songs that I was able to play for others which people seemed to enjoy. This took me to some places I never expected to go. Many of my friends at the time were going to or had attended Bible Colleges. Due to circumstances I was unable to follow that path, but tried to make up by reading and studying on my own. 

Now for some thoughts on those days that I am writing in these early morning hours.

The Jesus Movement

As stated, the Jesus Movement was Jesus moving across the United States, like a mighty wind, from the West Coast to the East Coast and then across the sea to the rest of the world. During this era we were entrenched in a terrible war. We watched the nightly news and witnessed the carnage. The death toll was much like that of today's pandemic. Young men were forcibly drafted into the military. Many did not want to go and fled to Canada, where they were branded as Draft Dodgers. Others were conscience objectors (to war) and refused to participate. 

During this time a cultural movement for peace and love sprang up, although that movement eventually succumbed, because the free love came with a price, and the peace marches sometimes resulted in violence. I believe that in this time the cries from God’s people were heard which resulted in The Lord God taking pity on us and sending His Holy Spirit to show us His real peace. This was The Jesus Movement. It happened then and it will happen again. Of that I am certain. 

Cincinnati Jesus Paper

And we started with sincere hearts. But as in the parable of the sower, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. The words of Jesus mirror life. I have friends from that blessed time that love The Lord and have blossomed, but I also have friends that have gone on to reject God and His Love. Which brings me to this observation. 

Jesus Movement in
Cincinnati 1971 

Of the people I encountered fifty years ago, one archetype I ran across I call  "The Crusader." Thankfully I only ran into a couple people that fit this category. During those days they rose up as leaders and seemed to sink their whole being into the cause of The Jesus Movement. I followed a few of these men.  And yes, I know there were women that fit this description. I met some later in life when I was wise enough to avoid them.

In my case, as my life moved forward. I married, had children, and this took precedent over the Bible study and prayer groups and those that I had befriended and even lived with in the past. 

Spiritual Revolution Day

However there were times when I missed my friends and returned to visit them or attend an old friend's wedding. It was then I  encountered these men that I had not seen for a few years. In each case I found that they had moved on from The Jesus Movement to other causes that they now embraced, putting in that very same fervor to the new crusade just like they put into the cause as leaders in The Jesus Movement. And of course they were very vocal in these new their new found schemes.  As usual they had to be the center of attention. It was most eye-opening. I now avoid them and pity them.

Cincinnati Jesus Paper

A second observation is that The Jesus Movement was evangelistic and a number of groups involved felt they had the handle on salvation. It was their way or the highway. They could not buy into the concept that God might be bigger than their particular box they put him in. These folks had it all figured out.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, the biggest  problem with the Jesus Movement was people. In most every synagogue on Shabbis, the words to Psalm 133 are sung.  Hine ma Tov u'ma-nayim, Shevet akh-im gam ya-chad, Hine mah Tov umah naʿiym sheveth aḥ-iym gam ya-ḥadh. Translated this is "Behold how good and how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity." Our youthful minded goal at the time was for this to happen. But denominational prejudice and bone-headed leadership got in the way.

Spiritual Revolution Day
Cincinnati

I became involved with a church that most all of my friends at the time attended.  We were young and lead by a young pastor that was steeped in his denomination’s views. One Sunday my wife had spoken up, without his permission, and invited people to come to our home for Bible study and ‘intercessory prayer’. 

The pastor took this as an affront to his theology. He let me know in all certain terms that my wife was being too Catholic, and I had better straighten her out or else. 

Since I refused to "straighten her out", the “or else” occurred shortly after this encounter when her, myself, and my children were shunned by that church and given The Left Boot Of Fellowship. It hurt for many years. 

I am sure that some of the people that went to the church were probably not aware that this ever  happened. So much for brotherhood, and unity when a person's inherent perspective of what Christianity should look like butts heads with the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 22:36-40.

My take-away from this, after years of pain, is if they do not want me or my wife or my family than they do not deserve our friendship and it is their loss. Heck, I am a great guy! 

In hindsight I can now also see it was a blessing because I do not want to be confined to a group that adheres to the belief in a God that is confined only to their own parameters. Through the years I have been blessed in my life to encounter many diverse people, churches, and groups that I believe came from the seed that fell on good soil. 

Spiritual Revolution Day
Cincinnati 

Another observation is that we were young and making it up as we went along. We were Free Range Christians hoping to do the right thing. We felt the need to save the world, and share our new found love and joy.  As Larry Norman put it, "There's an underground church and it's following Jesus and hoping to meet people's needs. But we don't have the time to build nice little churches. We're holding our church in the street." At the time we didn't appreciate the fact that some institutions probably had their starts by experiencing what we were experiencing. We were distrustful of many of those mainstream churches. 

By Merlin Carothers

During this era there was also a big push for Christian books. that were valuable, and there were many fine authors that shared their knowledge.  However this could not replace the wisdom of Scripture. I had a dear friend that confided in me that she read just about every Christian book that came down the pike, but seldom studied The Bible. That was sad. In 2015 the biggest chain of Christian book stores went out of business.

Larry Norman's First LP

The same can be said for the Christian music business.  There were so many great singers and songwriters that came out of that era. The trouble is that when Christian music becomes business, what is emphasized by that industry is BUSINE$$. This is not the reason most all of those folks began singing and sharing their songs. I know of several artists that got thoroughly and bitterly trounced by record companies, who controlled the rights to songs that they had written.

  

TBN and CBN
and their campuses

I also recall a time also when I was told there was going to be a Christian television network that would be on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  At the time, as a young believer I thought Wow that was incredible. There were at least two of these networks, and though they are still on the air, they too have put God in their own little box and are serving up their own brand of Christianity to us. In my opinion they have become pathetic.

Another observation is that as the movement grew we were being peddled the latest new thing. For example some Christians and churches believed you had be be totally immersed to be baptized. Other churches merely sprinkled you with some water. I know of one denomination that had to immerse a new believer three times underwater before they received salvation. 

Baptism in the Ohio River

My first baptism occurred on the night I accepted Jesus at a Methodist church revival. I walked out the door, then came back and asked if I could be baptized. The pastor sprinkled me with some water.. A few months later at Spiritual Revolution Day my girlfriend (now my wife) and I went to the Ohio River and were baptized. Many years later when I thought about joining a church in a new city where I was working they demanded I be baptized again since there were no records.  I decided twice was enough and did not join. 

At this time in my life I find this to be inconsequential. I am sad that there are churches and denomination that dwell on such points. 

Speaking In Tongues

Another event that arose out of that era, although not new, was speaking and praying in tongues. It grew in popularity for a while and became quite controversial for those that opposed the practice due to their interpretation of scripture. It caused derision within Christianity, which is never a good thing. And that is a shame. I am of the opinion that we need to work out our own salvation and follow the path on which God leads us. Why do we dwell on the minutiae? Behold how good and how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity.

Azuza Street Gospel Mission
 Where The
Charismatic Movement Began 

Perhaps it was the emphasis of speaking in tongues that lead many people from The Jesus Movement to The Charismatic Movement. Although actually The Charismatic Movement actually had it's start during the Third Great Awakening and the Azuza Street Revival in 1906. I believe the new Charismatic Movement possibly signaled the end of The Jesus Movement. It is sad that this a division over speaking in tongues quite possibly fractured The Jesus Movement and our First Love. But I believe other factors were involved, including the fact that most of us just matured in our lives and in our faith.

Spiritual Revolution Day
Cincinnati 1971

But that is OK. For those of us who lived and participated in The Jesus Movement we enjoyed the blessing of that time by celebrating our second birth and childhood in The Spirit of The Lord. We then grew up to become adults. We were all quite young at the time. Hopefully the seed fell on good soil and blossomed and we still feel called to be Christians and trust God's Word.  I have always been sad that my children did not get to experience the joys of that time.