THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS

When I was a boy of 9 or 10 years, I came upon a set of encyclopedias and in one I found a picture of a man setting under a tree, he was setting on a rug, his raiment was that of the far east. He was of a very solemn countenance, and seemed to be in deep meditation. The writing told me that he was a wise man of some far away religion, a spiritual guide or teacher. He was called a GURU. The tree he was setting under was The Tree of Knowledge. He seemed to be a very important man, and yet of very humble demeanor. I thought of him often in those days. My parents were not church going  people, I had been to church services like three times prior to this. So I kicked the GURU around in my mind, and wondered, but never came to any conclusions as to any effect he had on me or mine, or the world, so I left him in the encyclopedia.

The second world war came on and with it many changes to our lives, including the greatest, the conversion of my parents, they were brought up in Christian homes, but drifted away. First my mother, Narcissus Leah Corley, Crawford, was saved on March 28, 1943. My Father, Earl G Crawford was saved on April 3, 1943. The following July 23:1943 both I and my sister Earline Crawford, Watkins were gloriously saved. The next day being Saturday the family went to town at Chickasha, Okla. In the Kress 5 and 10 cent store, I bought a New Testament for 12 cents, 10 cents for the New Testament and 2 cents excise tax. (the same price as the moving picture show). I didn’t have a chance to read it until the Monday following, I reverenced this book so much until I thought to read it you should be alone , and quite and also give it your full attention, in order to give it the respect and honor that was due it. When we got home from town chores were to do and we were in revival so we must “get ready”. Sunday morning we were back in Sunday School and church, they had literature for Sunday school. Afterward we had company from church for dinner and were busy visiting about the revival and our new found Lord, then back to church services that evening. I did get to tell my aunt Lavern Howell, Crawford about my New Testament and showed it to her, and she said some older saint told her that the forth chapter of Mark was a good place for a new convert to start reading the Bible. I didn’t know how the Bible was laid out as to books, chapters and verses. But Monday morning after getting the cows settled in on the stalk field I sat down with my New Testament, on a terrace above them to “mind” them and to read my New Testament. I did not know what I was about to read, but I knew Jesus Christ, He was right there in my heart, (not at all like the GURU that I had left in the encyclopedia.) I had heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and believed on him as the scriptures had said, and right then and there was a river of living water flowing out of my innermost being. Mark chapter 4, I became so lost in the teaching of Jesus Christ, until my soul cried out:

“Never man spake like this man.” John 7:46.

 I read, I wept, I prayed, I read, I wept, I prayed, I read, I cried, until I came to verse 8, then I cried tears of joy, some one made it! I rejoiced, I praised God, I rejoiced in Jesus Christ, I shouted, I ran up and down the terrace, I leaped, I rejoiced, some one made it, and I can too.  Then and only then did I think of the cows that I was supposed to be ”minding or tending” they were scattered all over, in the corn, in the cotton, in the peanuts, and it was near noon. I gathered them up as quickly as I could and shut them up in the cow lot, and went to the house to tell Mamma all that I had done, and tell her how sorry I was, and ask forgiveness. But, Mamma said, Havis, I saw it all, and I understand and, I’ll fix it with daddy. That was my first encounter with reading the Bible for my self. July 26, 1943. But I Knew I had read a part of the dissertation of Jesus Christ The Son of The living God, And that He was greater than any person or thing on the earth. As a boy of 13 years, I just knew that there was only one that was greater, far greater than Jesus, and that was his Father, our Father, GOD.

At that time I did not know but was later to learn, that God the Father taught Jesus Christ.