The Ark has to be on Mt. Ararat

. . . and the Greatest Treasure of All

Mid October, 1985, I was working in the Oklahoma oil fields. The crew I was with was servicing a drilling rig that was having a problem with their pipe string. (Most likely we were cleaning debris out of the well with the smaller continuous tubing string we operated, if I remember the job right.)

We’d cleaned down the well as far as they wanted us to go and were standing by until morning for a decision from town. There were three of us on location—not counting the guys that operated the rig—an operator, myself and another helper named Randy, who was a part-time youth minister.

Randy and I were passing the evening outside, looking at the stars and talking, when he started in on God.

"You know Jesus wants a relationship with you," Randy said.

I’d heard him talk about God before and it never really bothered me. If you had to be into something, Jesus was probably one of the better choices a guy could make. Besides, every time we talked the conversation always turned to the speed of light, time travel, and how God could know the future. Those were the most interesting conversations. Talks about Jesus were far on down the list.

"I’m not the best person on earth for Jesus to have a relationship with, Randy. I’ve done some pretty bad things."

"If you ask him, he’ll forgive anything you’ve done."

"Why would he want me?" I asked..

"He wants everyone to come to him. He’s the perfect father. He’s only interested in what’s best for you. For your whole life here and then eternity."

Honestly, I’d never seen any evidence of God in my life. No miracles or anything. Although when I looked around, I could see that there had to be an intelligence at work creating all this—that was just common sense. Folks saying it evolved were just scientists who felt they had to have all the answers . . . that’s my opinion.

"So what do I have to do to have this relationship with Jesus?" I asked.

"Do you believe the Bible?" he asked.

When people ask me a direct question I don’t like to sit on the fence. He’d put me on the spot, so I answered him. "Yeah. I believe the Bible."

"Do you believe that when Jesus died on the cross he paid the price for all of your sins?"

I was brought up in a Christian home, although we weren’t really church goers. I’d heard about Jesus washing away sins though.

"I believe that," I answered.

"If you believe in your heart that Jesus died for you, and confess that you’re a sinner with your mouth, he’ll send the Holy Spirit to live inside you. Your name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and you’ll know you’re going to Heaven."

"That’s it? Just pray that . . . out loud?"

"If you truly believe, I’d like to pray with you," Randy said.

"Praying’s something I like to do by myself, Randy."

"That’s fine. You can speak to God however you want."

We talked a little while longer. Eventually we decided to crash for the night. Randy took the bench in the dog house and I stretched out in the pickup.

I laid down on my back and thought about what Randy had said. What harm could it do to pray to God and ask him to forgive me and see what happened?

I began praying out loud, "God, I know I’m a sinner. I confess it. I’ve done things I’m not proud of, and I’d like to change. I believe what the Bible says about Jesus. I believe when he died on the cross he took away my sins. I pray and ask in the name of Jesus that you would send your Holy Spirit to live inside me and make me a new man. Amen."

What happened next was nothing short of incredible. At that instant another spirit entered my body. It wasn’t something I made up, or was imagining. Another spirit literally entered me, that’s the only way I can describe it. I can’t pull it out and show it to you, and it didn’t physically change me, but it’s there—filling me.

The best way to explain it, is as an essence of truth. I instantly knew Jesus was real and that his Holey Spirit was inside me. I knew what the Bible was saying was true. I knew that he’d given his life for me.

That’s when I began to cry. I just laid there and cried. He’s real. Man and God. He gave his life for me.

The next morning I couldn’t wait to tell Randy. He didn’t seem surprised. And I realized he knew the same thing about the Holy Spirit that I did.

"What do I do now?" I asked.

"You’re asked in the Bible to tell at least one other person," he said. "And you should join a church to help you grow."

I did tell people. It was totally incredible. I began reading the Bible and going to church. The new testament kept reinforcing what I knew in my heart, from the Spirit, was true.

The Bible said John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. And it talked about the believers on the Day of Pentecost when people were filled with the Holy Spirit.

It’s a real spirit and it’s there for everyone who believes, confesses, and asks for it.

In Roman’s chapter 10 verse 9 Paul wrote: "For whomsoever confesses with his mouth and believes in his heart shall be saved."

And Jesus said, "I am the Truth and the Way and the Life."

That’s the very essence of the Holy Spirit; the truth that Jesus is real and is the way to salvation.

Since what the Bible said about Jesus is true, how much more is true? Would God only let the part about Jesus be accurate? Of course not, it must all be true!

That means there must be an Ark somewhere on Mt. Ararat. People talk about the miracles in the Bible and say there are natural causes for them. Well, if when I get to Heaven and God tells me it was simply a tide that took the water out of the Red Sea and let the Jews cross, then came back in and drowned the Egyptians, that’s fine. It did happen like as the Bible said, and who can argue that God didn’t guide them to a specific spot at a specific time?

But there are some things that are just plain incredible. Like a worldwide flood. Scientists say if the earth tilted so many degrees on its axis a deluge isn’t that far out of possibility. And they’ve already established that there is a uniform sedimentary layer across the entire planet, and that can only occur after an area has been covered in deep water.

Being a born-again believer didn’t give me any special insight. I’m still the same person and tempted the way everyone is. And I still do things that I shouldn’t. But Jesus forgives me—that doesn’t mean I can keep doing things I know are wrong.

Sometimes my writing gives me trouble. I don’t want to upset God or my friends, but I can’t write fluff—it’s not in me. All I can do is write moral dramas, and try to help what’s right triumph over what’s wrong. After all this talk about God I hope my novels don’t offend you.

I put these pages in here to let anyone who reads this know, Jesus is real and He’s there for you. All you have to do is believe in your heart, confess with your mouth and He will send His Holy Spirit just like he promised.