Chasing God Until He Caught Me: Epilogue - Faith & Love, The Rest of the Story
The Compelling Story of God's Relentless Pursuit To Rescue One Lost Soul
Note:
On Monday, June 16, I will publish the “Grand finalé” of Chasing God Until He Caught Me to mark the 44th anniversary of the ‘Day that my life changed’ - a special dramatized audio version, produced by the Unshackled Radio Drama Ministry of Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago.
Several years ago, I submitted my story to Unshackled, which has been dramatizing the salvation stories of thousands of men and women whose lives have been transformed by Christ since 1950.
They produced and first aired my story in February, 2015 in a two-part format. Since then, it has been rebroadcast multiple times in several languages around the world. The sounds effects and acting are very well done.
If you have been following along in these chapters, then you will recognize many of the scenes portrayed.
I think you will enjoy it.
A couple of things happened soon after I asked Susan to marry me that would test our faith and our relationship.
First, I applied to the College of Charleston to begin the Fall Semester.
This was one of the colleges that had not accepted me right after high school because of my grades. I was hoping that they would reconsider since I was now eligible for the G.I. Bill.
In anticipation, I began the process of transferring my VA benefits authorization and financial aid from Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon to the College of Charleston.
As August approached, I had not heard anything about acceptance or financial aid.
Naively, I thought that maybe I should go back out to Oregon and finish school and be a witness to all my old friends out there.
I told Susan this was what I believed God wanted me to do, as He hadn't “opened the door” at the college. I said that it would be a test of our love for one another.
She didn't say much and I'm sure she thought, “Oh, here we go again”, and that I was becoming disinterested in her. I could see the hurt in her eyes.
I found out later, that up until the time we met, she had been very discouraged about ever finding the “right person”.
There had been several others before me, who felt that, because she was a pastor’s daughter, they would be held to a higher standard if they dated her.
I couldn’t understand that, but I was sure glad.
Her mom had even tried to encourage her by telling her that, “God could bring someone, even from the West Coast, if He wanted to”.
I showed up from Oregon a few weeks later.
In the South, there is a saying when someone starts going down the wrong path - “You’re fixin’ to mess up”. And so I was, but I soon learned that God works in His own time.
I can only look back and say that He was testing me to see whether I would give up even this girl I had fallen deeply in love with to follow Him if that is what he wanted.
After all, he had asked Abraham to give up his only son as a test of his faith, right?
The next day, there were two pieces of mail for me. One was an acceptance letter from the College of Charleston. The other one was from the VA stating that they had approved my benefits to start at the College of Charleston for the Fall semester.
I was overwhelmed and yet, I still didn’t “get it” yet. Which brings me to the second thing that I can only attribute to God’s divine intervention.
I had already written a letter to Ronna, the girl I had just left out in Oregon, explaining that I believed I should come back out to Eugene and finish school, but I hadn't mailed it yet.
What happened next, I can only say that it must have been an Angel appearing as a man to give me a startling message. I had heard of things like this happening before, but I really didn’t know what to think.
I drove to the Post Office, which had a one-way entrance and exit, to mail the letter to Ronna. As I slowed to turn right into the entrance, a car happened to be coming out that way - the wrong way.
The driver stared right at me. Reaching out the window with his arm up, he pointed over the top of his car to the ONE-WAY sign.
He just kept pointing at it and looking at me. After what seemed like forever, he turned out onto the street and drove off. For all I know, he may have just disappeared after he had accomplished his mission.
When I pulled into the parking place and got out of the car to go drop the letter off, it was like a huge neon light went off in my head - I stopped dead in my tracks. ONE-WAY. God's Way. And I was about to go the wrong way.
I was “fixin’ to mess up”.
“OK, God, I get the message now”, I said out loud.
I got back in my car, and drove straight over to Susan's house.
She must have seen me coming because, by the time I was walking up to the door, she was already outside.
“What are you doing over here at this time of day, Cork?”
Her voice was like music in my ears.
I showed her the acceptance letter and the VA authorization letter and then told her what had happened at the Post Office.
We both knew that God had done a big work in my heart and life as well as our relationship.
On Christmas Eve, 1981 we became officially engaged.
In the Summer of 1982, I felt like I was ready for and submitted to believers’ baptism.
Then on August 7, 1982, the girl of my dreams became my wife.
Over the 43 years since that day, school and work have taken us to Indiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, and back to South Carolina.
Susan and I have been involved in support ministries such as music, children and youth ministries, teaching Sunday School, and occasional pulpit supply in various local churches wherever we have lived.
We have taught our five children that no matter what they do vocationally, their main job is to serve God with the time, talent, and treasure He has entrusted to them.
To date, we have been blessed with twelve grandchildren.
As I have looked back over my life while writing this short account of God’s grace, I am amazed and humbled by His providential guidance.
As the saying goes, “Who would have thought”.
I want to finish by saying that no matter how far we have traveled down the Highway of life, it’s never too late to respond to God’s offer of the gift of salvation and eternal life.
And we are never too old to serve others by finding and fulfilling our calling in life.
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. - Galatians 6:10
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. - Jeremiah 33:3
What a promise.
Blessings,
Cork
June 2025
Thank you for reading the The Talking Pen, a creative writing site for fiction & non-fiction stories, poetry, art, and personal musings that illustrate the struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of life.
While you’re here, check out my original ‘Stack: Life UnCorked, where the focus is on successfully navigating the issues of life from a Christian point of view.
