Growing up in the Roach home was often like living in a "glass house". We were observed by people inside and outside of the church most
of the time. Incidentally, that is one of the reasons why many PK’s (Preacher’s
Kids) do not continue to serve the Lord. The standard of living is often too
much for some kids to bear and as a result, the "glass house" becomes very disenchanting
for them.
Being raised in a Pastor’s home meant that my life was a very
sheltered life. I was sheltered from much of the world’s way of living. I had
never smoked a cigarette, never tasted beer, and swearing or cursing was
strongly prohibited along with many other things! Every time the doors of the
church were open, I was there. I was involved in the music of the church ever
since I was eleven years old playing my trumpet and the drums. Not at the same
time. :-) I always knew that someday I
would be involved in the Work of the Lord for my entire life.
I remember when I was 16 years old. I had just passed my
driver’s license test and was pretty proud that I only got one question wrong.
I thought I was pretty cool! You know that time of life when you are a much
smarter than you really are? HA! It was also a time in my life when I thought it
would be cool to run with a different crowd. The non-church crowd! I soon learned
that the “road of the world” was not such a delightful road.
I remember each day at noon many High School students would
leave the school and head for the shopping center in Oromocto for lunch. We usually
ended up at the A&W. I loved their whistledog, fries and cold Root Beer.
One particular day I was walking with a group of guys toward
the Center and I wanted so much to be accepted by them but could never really
seem to fit in. They were guys that were not church goers by any means. It
would be difficult for me because they only knew me as the “Preacher's Kid” and
my personal Christian status prevented me from being “just one of the boys”! Apparently
they felt I wasn’t the right kind of material, being a so called, “Bible
Thumper”! Well, I was determined to show them that I could qualify as one of
them! It was this day, just after a nice
rain storm, that I purposely stepped into a mud puddle soaking my pants all the way up to my knees.
Now to many it might not seem like such bad thing, but at
that moment I let out a four letter curse word to the top of my voice! It actually felt kinda good rolling off the end of my tongue! Right
then it was as though time stopped dead! Every one of the guys stopped in their
tracks, went silent and just stared at me! They were obviously shocked to hear
that come out of my mouth! Two things went through my head. First, I thought, this
has let them see that I can be a “tough guy” too and secondly, I felt very embarrassed
and stupid...all at the same time! We continued on our way and none of them
commented or said anything about my abnormal behaviour.
That afternoon, I got on our school bus for the trip home to
Hoyt. One of the guys, a couple years older than I, that was more or less the
leader of that pack, who had witnessed my earlier demonstration, slid onto the
seat beside me. He sat there in silence. Once the bus got out onto the road, he
turned toward me and for the next little while he read the “riot act” to me
about my little episode. It was like a father reprimanding his son. He said
things like, “Who do you think you are? You know better than to think you are
like the rest of us. Don’t you EVER think you’re going to change your ways and
live like us. You’ve got a great life with a great family and you don’t ever
want to give that up! Furthermore, what would your father think?” He lectured
me most of the way home. Remember, this guy wasn’t a church goer! He told me of
things that had happened in his own life that weren’t very pleasant. Things he
had witnessed because of the crowd that he hung with. He even lifted his pant leg and showed me a flat bottle of hard liquor protruding from the top of his boot! He explained how he was hooked on that stuff and how he wished he could be free of it! I was stunned! I was humiliated! I felt
dirty in my heart!!
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| The Church in Hoyt, New Brunswick |
Never again did I desire to run with the “Wild Horses”. That
was not the life for me! Some things just don’t mix! In fact it was that same
year that I attended the Annual Youth Convention in Fredericton and in one of the
last services I remember how God transformed my life! It was in that Convention
that God put His CALL upon me and ever since then, I have never looked back!
To this day I still have NEVER smoked a cigarette nor tasted
beer! Sadly, I can’t say that about the cussin’! I should have had my mouth washed
out with soap!!
After going to St. Paul, Minnesota for Bible College, I
heard the great news that the same guy who had lectured me on the bus, GAVE HIS
HEART TO LORD IN THE CHURCH IN HOYT! SRR
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