Finding Out on My Own, Richard VanDerNoord

My father was a man who loved the Lord above all else. If there was ever a living example of seeking the kingdom first, it would have to be my dad. Now, the reason I am telling you this is that even as a young boy, I could sense that my father's priorities were not the things of this world. Don't get me wrong. Dad was very responsible when it came to providing for us, but his life, heart, and vision was focused on pursuing Christ. This pursuing eventually led him to a group of other God-seekers meeting together as the church in Los Angeles. I was too young to understand what Dad had found, but whatever it was, filled him with joy. His searching had come to an end and in 1971, we moved to meet with the church in L.A. on Elden Street. I was seven.

As a young person growing up in a Christ-centered family, I was taught that I had a human spirit and I learned to experience, contact, and enjoy the Lord Jesus, yet as a teenager, the pleasures and glitter of the world attracted me away from God. Over time, my heart grew hard and by the time I graduated from high school, I had lost all hunger for Him. College for me was a great excuse to “escape” the presence of God or anything even God-like. Despite this inward rebellion however, outwardly I was still a good person. I never experimented with drugs or smoking and very rarely got into trouble.

It's funny how we try to hide from the Ruler of the Universe. I remember laughing at Jonah's futile attempt to run away from God; but I was no better. By the Lord's mercy, I met my soul-mate in the middle of my freshman year. After several years of dating, I knew that she was the one that God had predestinated for me. The prospects of marriage and possibly having children literally scared me sober. I knew that I had to return to the Lord. It was a big relief to stop running from God. To be honest, I was actually quite disappointed with the world. I wasn't missing much after all. I was like a fugitive who had been running from the law for years. After a while, running becomes tiresome and boring. You start hoping to get caught just so you can have some peace and rest.

Well, I can remember telling my wife-to-be that if we were to ever get married, she should expect me to be much different. I told her that as crazy as it may seem now, given my manner of living, that deep down I loved God and that I would never really be happy unless I was following after Him and living unto Him. I also told her that based on my own experiences, the ministry of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee registered in my inner being as being real and in one accord with God's heart.

Yesterday we celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. By God's rich mercy, we are growing more hungry for the reality of Christ in our living with every passing year. And as our appetite increases, the riches of Christ that we enjoy in the local churches has never ceased to supply. I praise God for Christ and the Church, and I pray that all of God's children would enter into the practical experience of the Body of Christ.