By Calvin Bailey
I grew up in North Little Rock, Arkansas. My parents were not Christian and made getting to know Jesus quite challenging. The best part about growing up in my house was that I had two sisters, one four years younger and the other three years younger. My mom enjoyed watching me play football and run track, so when I was in the eighth grade, my mom told me I no longer had to do any work around the house––my sisters would do it and I should focus on school and sports. God gave me lots of ability to do well in sports. I made honor roll and got scholarship offers to just about every college in the nation. It was a fun time.
While in high school, I was also blessed to have dated a young woman who was a New Testament Christian. We both ran track for our track team. I also had a fellow football teammate and friend whose family was also members of the church of Christ. As a young boy, religion was introduced to me in all sorts of ways. My mom’s family had a family church that we attended for a while called Mount Sinai Christian Church. I would go when my mom did not want to go. This created friction with my mom and me, maybe my being there without her did not shine a good light on her with her family. My mom later joined a holiness church, which truly confused me. She had to give up all of her pants and other things she enjoyed, which quickly helped her decide they wanted too much to follow Jesus at that church. We would visit from time to time, for what almost seemed like a show. There would be the same people falling out and running around with what was “the Holy Ghost fever.” As for my desire to know more about God and what religion was all about, my woman friend and teammates helped a lot.
With the association with my girlfriend and teammate being members of the church, I had a clear road to checking in to what the church of Christ was all about. At seventeen years old I also simple logic that if I had started my own business or built a park, I would probably name it after myself. My end reasoning being the church should be name after Christ because Jesus started it; it should be named after him.
As providence would have it, the church my teammate attended was a block down the street from where I live. I could look out of my front door and see people walking in the building. I told my teammate I would come and visit. After being taught more perfectly the Gospel, I was baptized about a month later. I remember the Brother Gentry. His brother is an elder at the congregation I presently attend.
One thing that never happened at that congregation that I truly needed was being taught how to live the Christian life. When I went off to college to play football and run track, it was quite an adjustment and I did well my first year in sports. I did not do well on my journey to know Jesus. The second year I decided to join the Marine Corps. My mom and stepdad split up, so I thought that would be a good way to help my mom out financially and see the world at the same time. It was good in many ways towards maturing as a young man, but bad as maturing from a sinner to a Christian who glorifies God. I would from time to time visit congregations that were available in the different areas of the world that I was stationed.The bases I was on in San Diego, California, Washington DC, Japan, Hong Kong, and others did not have a lot of churches of Christ. I never was taught during the constant moving the military life offered.
Once I finished my three years of active duty, I started my three years of active reserve time in North Little Rock, AR. I went back to the congregation I was baptized in and was blessed to get to know the minister Brother Robinson. He helped me to understand living the Christian life from the Bible. He would have Bible studies with me and let me ask questions, he then would use the Bible to give me the answers I so desperately needed. Through our studies, I realized so much about how I needed to change my way of life.
I still had a desire to go finish college and get my degree. Therefore, as I would study with Brother Robinson at 15th Street Church, I realized I had quite a few friends I wanted to know the Bible. My woman friend at the time, along with many of my family members, became Christians through those studies.
I decided to go to Oklahoma to play football after my military career. While at OU, I met my wife Melanie and we started our family. We faced many challenges as we grew in our relationship with God and each other. Just as Brother Robinson had been an inspiration in my growth as a Christian, Willie Franklin truly helps me to see and learn from his walk how to glorify Jesus.
Ron Fletcher introduced Willie Franklin to my wife and me, and it was wonderful. Willie allowed us to asked questions and he would use the Bible to show us the answers. We started having Bible studies in our home and many souls were added to the kingdom. I am truly thankful to God for leading godly men into my life, as I have continued to be a student of the Word.
