Papa Dan's Pastoral Days

NEW HORIZONS Cotton picker Dan - South Carolina From the fall of 1949 to the spring of 1954 my horizons expanded greatly.  Living on the Prairie Bible Institute campus with fellow students from many provinces, states and countries was a new experience, plus the traveling to and from Alberta.  During those years traveling was done one or more times by train, bus or car.  The ride by train my first year was fun.   Traveling from Detroit in the fall of 1950, with three of us crammed into the seat of a Model A Ford coupe was a unique ride. That first night, in Upper Michigan, the driver and owner of the car stretched out on the only seat in the Model A.  My other friend and I slept, though briefly, on a tarp in a ditch by the side of the road.  On that trip on number two highway, Michigan to Montana, not once did we ever exceed the speed limit.  Our top speed was 35 mph and 45 mph when we were going downhill.  Though the countryside and ...

ADVICE - GOOD, NOT SO GOOD With my interest and fully believing that God was leading me to serve as a missionary in the West Indies, I spoke with Rev. Elmer Thompson, one of the missionary speakers at the eight day (Sunday to Sunday) Missionary Conference which coincided with my graduation from Prairie Bible Institute .  I should say here that my parents, brother David and the Arnold Gingrich family of four drove out from Chatham, in one car, for my graduation and attended the missionary conference. No seat belts back then.  I road home with them, bringing the total to eight. Anyhow, in conversation with Rev. Thompson, co-founder of the West Indies Mission (now Worldteam ), I shared with him that I was interested in serving in the West Indies with WIM.  He said that he was encouraging prospective missionaries to pursue further education and earn a degree.  Prairie Bible Institute only gave a diploma and at that time did not grant any educational degrees....

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION In my fi f th post, May 11, 2017, I said "I struggled throughout my teen years with the assurance of salvation."  I don't know whether any of you reading this have struggled with the same.  It can and was spiritually painful. In previous posts I have said that I was raised in The Salvation Army.   I never ever heard a message on eternal security in The Salvation Army, but rather the opposite was taught that through wilful sin one could lose their salvation.  Being exposed to that teaching I lacked the assurance.  Was I saved or not?  Had I sinned and lost my salvation?  Also seeing that I responded to the invitation on a night when I thought we were going home and Dad headed to the altar instead of going home, was I truly saved?  I knelt down beside Dad and Mr. Jones shared the gospel with me and I prayed to receive Christ.  Did God know that I was sincere?  Oh, the struggles that I experienced, lacking the a...

LIFE AT PRAIRIE BIBLE INSTITUTE   Desk in dormitory room which Dan shared with a room mate In my freshman year I experienced a number of firsts.  Living in a dormitory or residence was new.  All I had ever known was living at home with my parents.  Within that first week the floor supervisor, who was a senior student and one that was to be the monitor or supervisor of our floor, told me to go to my room and be quiet.  It was between 6:30am and 7:00 and we were supposed to have a quiet time, a devotional time.  I was out in the hall talking with another student.  I had read my Bible and had some prayer while at home, but every day and at 6:30 in the morning?  Well, learning to have a quiet time with the Lord was the beginning of a life long journey.  I have often wished that I had done better through the years, but I have at least done what I could in spending time with the Lord each day. Another first was partaking of communi...