Skip

I had an email tonight from an old mate, Skip Joannes, who lived in Australia for about 20 years before moving back to California with his family. I met Skip when I went for a job interview at the YMCA in Perth. What was most memorable about the interview was that he spent half an hour telling me about the job and about an hour telling me about Jesus! It was the first time anyone had ever talked to me about Jesus as a real person, rather than a historical figure or a swear word. I was all ears which surprised me because I'd never been to church or had anything to do with God, but this stuff all just made sense and the more he told me the more I wanted to hear. He shared his faith with me over the next couple of months (I got the job!) and gave me tapes to listen to which I really enjoyed. It didn't take too long before I came to the conclusion that I believed the stuff he told me about God and the Bible and so I took the step of faith and became a Christian. That was in 1985, 21 years ago! I've never regretted the decision. I haven't always got it right and there's plenty of times when I've let God down, but I'm just as convinced as I ever was about my faith in Jesus.
Skip was a great mentor and teacher and we became really close mates. He started a church called Calvary Chapel which we went to for many years before work and distance finally saw us move to a church closer to home.
It was sad when Skip and Terry and the boys went back to the States but I understood their reasons.
Typically it's harder to stay in touch with friends when they live on the other side of the world, although email and the internet make it a little easier than it used to be. Skip occasionally reads my blog so today's post is in his honour.
Mum and Walter recently visited them in California on their world trip and Skip said in his email, "Your Mum has become my Mum"!