Born Into the Gospel

Feature Image: Ken and his father by the rosebush, 1950 — 658 Monroe Avenue, Elizabeth, NJ.

Intro

Before I ever knew the world, I knew the Gospel. Before I ever heard the noise of the neighborhood, I heard the prayers in our home. This week’s Tender Branch story on LinkedIn told part of that beginning. Here is the fuller story — one that shaped my life from the very first breath.

Born Into the Gospel

Dad lived the Gospel and raised me up in the Bible.

He was born on this day — December 27, 1901 — and I came along 45 years later. Here we are by the rosebush at 658 Monroe Avenue, Elizabeth, NJ, 1950.

My Dad was my best friend, and he brought me up “in the fear of the Lord,” as he would say. But I didn’t realize what he had given me until I was 29 — when he “went to be with the Lord.”The Gospel teaches me that I will meet him there.

A father–son relationship is forever, and I miss him daily.

Born Into Something Bigger

The Barrymores were born into the theatre.

I was born into the Gospel.

It was all around me — like living under a blinking neon sign that said JESUS SAVES

.I went to Sunday school before I could walk. I learned to read from the Bible, verse by verse.

It all felt ordinary to me — as ordinary as Queen Elizabeth, Mickey Mantle, the Lone Ranger, and the yellow bricks on Monroe Avenue.

But the Gospel was shaping me long before I noticed.

In the Church and in the Home

Elizabeth, New Jersey was a city of 100,000 people — and maybe 100 Pentecostals. We were mocked as “holy rollers,” followed by boys pretending to speak in tongues.

We didn’t curse, play ball on Sundays, go to the movies, dance, bowl, or play cards. These rules became my standards, and I thought they were the Gospel.

I learned to pray. I learned to read the Bible. And I gave my heart to Jesus when I was very young.

One night, during an asthma attack, Jesus came into my room. I didn’t see Him, and He didn’t speak, but He was there — and from that moment I knew I belonged to Him.

But knowing you belong to Him is not the same as surrendering.

The Prodigal Years

I drifted. I lived for the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Then the sorrows came:

• my young wife left me,

• my best friend died,

• and my father went to heaven.

  
  

Later, my lovely 16-year-old niece would follow him.

Dad’s death brought me back to church — but the old environment no longer fit. So, I went elsewhere, where I felt loved and entered the worship.

In the Garden

My real quiet time came after church, in Hazelwood Cemetery. I would stop at the florist, then take:

• daisies for Kelly,

• carnations for Dad and Jeff.

  
  

I lingered by the graves in silence, resting in “soaking prayer.”

There — in that meadow of loss — the Gospel became real. There, Jesus’ promise felt personal:“Come unto me, and I will give you rest.”

That was 40 years ago.I am still resting.

Generational Mercy

Since those days of sorrow, the Lord Jesus has been with me every step:

• He gave me a beautiful wife.

• Two wonderful children.

• A ministry my father planted in me.

• And the joy of bringing my son and daughter up in the same Gospel.

  
  

They were born into it, too — and more faithful than I was. And I trust the Lord will bring us all into what He has prepared, “in earth as it is in heaven.”

The Foundation of it All

What made all this possible?

The Lord Jesus Christ, who chose us before the foundation of the world,and who gave us faith — in Him, in His Word, and in His promises.

Were You Born Into the Gospel?

Maybe you were born into it. Maybe you found Jesus later in life. But the question today is the same:

Where do you stand with the Gospel now? Is it real to you? Is it in you? Has it changed you?

I would love to hear your story. Write back. Tell me your questions. Tell me what Jesus has done for you.

God bless you this week.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for planting the Gospel in our hearts, whether early or late. Make it living, real, and transforming. Draw us to Yourself, and let us pass this faith on — faithfully — to those who follow us. Amen.

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I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,

Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;

I would tell you how He changed my life completely,

He did something that no other friend could do.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,

There's no other friend so kind as He;

No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,

O how much He cared for me.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me,

All my heart was full of misery and woe;

Jesus placed His strong and loving arms about me,

And He led me in the way I ought to go.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,

There's no other friend so kind as He;

No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,

O how much He cared for me.

Ev'ry day He comes to me with new assurance,

More and more I understand His words of love;

But I'll never know just why He came to save me,

Till some day I see His blessed face above.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,

There's no other friend so kind as He;

No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,

O how much He cared for me.

• Author/Writer: Charles F. Weigle (1932)

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---Weigle was an evangelist and gospel songwriter who faced severe trials when his wife left him, unable to cope with the demands of his ministry. In the years that followed, Weigle went through a period of depression and discouragement. Yet in the midst of his heartache, he experienced the tender comfort of Christ’s presence and wrote this hymn as a sincere reflection of that experience. The words flow from a place of brokenness healed by divine love.