(Colonel, Retired, John Wright’s story as related to Men of
Victory, 1/27/01)
For seven days I was unaware of anything
except excruciating pain that tormented my body . . . on maximum doses
of drugs to ease my pain. When I came to, I began to pray, all the
while shaking violently from head to toe. At that moment the pastor
of my daughter’s church stepped over to my bed and touched me. Instantly,
I felt calm, I stopped praying and opened my eyes. “Pastor Murdock,
I have to be baptized!” I blurted. He said they would be baptizing
in about one month. I said it would be fine. Then it
dawned on me — I HAD JUST GIVEN MY LIFE TO JESUS!
I had always been “religious.” I
attended church and simply sought a peaceful coexistence with the Lord.
If he didn’t bother me, I wouldn’t bother Him. But now, for the first time,
I literally knew what it meant to accept Jesus.
I fell in love with flying at age six.
I lied about my age to get into the Texas National Guard. And at
age 20, I enlisted in the United States Air Force. I could hardly
wait to get into war. I was absolutely taken with the ideal of “duty,
honor, and country.” I have flown just about every jet in the Air
Force inventory. I flew 100 missions in Korea, narrowly escaping
death on one mission. And, I flew 140 missions into Laos and North
Vietnam in the F105 Thunder Chief. We lost about 63 per cent of our
pilots flying these missions.
FLYING WAS MY GOD! I even made up
a heaven for fighter pilots. FIGHTER PILOTS’ HEAVEN was a place about 1500
feet below the real Heaven. I would meet all my pilot buddies there
and we would sing, tell jokes, laugh, lie and do all the things fighter
pilots did together.
Now, that fantasy had disappeared.
I was now brought to reality, the true meaning of worshipping a risen Lord,
thanks to the witness of my daughter, her pastor, and a lot of pain.
I was so eager to be baptized and learn more about God, I devoured the
entire Bible in those 30 days waiting to be baptized.
Finally, the time to baptized came.
I brought my flight suit with me. God told me to put the flying suit,
my old god, on and remove it just prior being baptized in the name of my
new God, the one true God. As a couple prayed with me before the
baptism, I was healed of my pain which I continued to have the whole time.
Finally, it was my turn to be make public
profession and be baptized. I was praying to God. For some
reason I felt a need to be baptized in thunder. I wasn’t even sure
what that meant or why. I just kept praying and asking God.
Then suddenly, there was a sudden single loud clap of thunder that shook
the whole place. The pastors were spinning in the water and praising
God. The whole place was going wild with praise. Now, I knew
it was time to be baptized. God had answered my prayer. Today,
my oath of office is Philippians 1:21.
KEY BIBLE VERSE:
Phil 1:21
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. NIV
