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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
This is a very personal story. It is part of my spiritual journey and testimony – yes, only part – but as one significant experience took place almost 70 years ago, I thought it expedient to put it down in back and white.
Let me take you back to one Sunday night when I was 8 years of age. I was in bed but playing at ‘ministers’, announcing Psalms and Hymns and reading the Bible. My mother came through and told me to “Go to sleep.” I asked for “Five minutes more” which was granted.
In that period of five minutes I had a vision of God – a vision of Jesus Christ – when I was called to the Ministry. Yes, these are rather adult words. I knew I was called to be a minister. I told no-one for 9 years.
Let me now jump forward to 15th June 1959 when my examination results at Perth Academy came out, and I had failed. My father was lying dangerously ill.
On 17th June at 3.10am, Perth Police came to our door to inform my mother and me that my father had died. One Friday he was at his work – the next Friday he was in his grave.
When I went back to School on the Monday I discovered that to go into the Ministry you had to do six years at University. We had no money.
I completed Sixth Year at Perth Academy, but still not have sufficient passes to get into University. My problem subject was French. I failed it three times.
I had to get job and was offered two. One with the Gas Board at £320 a year and another with a leading Motor Insurance Company at £230 a year – yes – a year!
Knowing I had to go to night classes and that the Motor Insurance Company was only 300 metres from our home I chose Motor Insurance, and that first morning with the General Accident I was informed that there had been a typing error and the 230 ought to have read 320!
I went to night classes and finally gained entrance to Edinburgh University.
On 1May 1968 I was ordained in Cowdenbeath West Church, but by December I became drier and drier. Christmas and New Year was terrible.
In January 1969 at our local Fraternal Meeting, which was held in Kinross, a colleague who was to become a very close friend, Jim Kincaid, walked into the room and said, “I have just been baptised in the Holy Spirit.”
Well, five or six of us met with him, at the close of the Fraternal. “This is what we need.”
I always knew there was more, but I did not know what it was. (Part Two will be next week.)
It took some six weeks until the next stage happened.
“Loving Heavenly Father, our gracious compassionate God – we give thanks and praise for the ways in which you have been with us over the years. We give thanks for experience of Your mercy and grace – for knowing Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord – for the ways in which You call people and choose people and prepare people for service in the Kingdom of God. We bow in worship in Jesus Name. Amen”
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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