Darrell Dunn's Testimony-Continued
A Second Chance

It was one year later before I heard the word saved used the way the lady had in that memorable service. Our family had moved from the west side of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, (which was also the poorest side) to the east side of town into Midwest City. We had lived near the smelly stockyards in what was known as Packing Town. Though it still could not be considered middle-class, we were moving to a better house and location. But, for a very poor family it was definitely much better then where we had lived. Best of all, Midwest City didn't stink and smell like a barnyard most of the time!

I remember mother and daddy had a serious argument after we moved to Midwest City. She decided things were going to be different for my two brothers, two sisters and I. This was to be our opportunity to start a new life. She wanted the whole family to start going to church together on a regular basis as well. Of course, that didn't set to well with my daddy who was an unsaved preachers kid. The morning after they were married, a Sunday morning, he had announced to her, "Now that I'm my own boss, I don't have to go to church anymore. What's more..I will never go again!" So, this was an unacceptable request as far as my daddy was concerned.

The argument concluded with, "You and the kids can go, But I'm not going!" "Very Well," mother replied, "We will go without you.. but you will take us!" "No I won't!" Daddy exclaimed. "If you and the kids want to go bad enough.. you can take a walk!" So we walked. It was one half mile to church and one half mile back home. But, at least we had started and were faithful to every service, because momma had said we would be.

A few weeks after we started attending the Sooner Baptist Church, my teacher in Sunday School announced first that our Church was going to have a Revival meeting. He was very excited and so were most of the other boys in my class. I remember wondering, "What's a Revival meeting?" It wasn't long before I discovered what it was. It was "Sunday" every day of the week! That meant that I was going to have to walk to church Sunday, (Twice!), and every night, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and twice again on the last Sunday!

Whether to spite my daddy or she truly believed now in the importance of being faithful to a Bible believing, Christ honoring, strong preaching, soul winning, sin hating, fundamental church, I don't know. One thing was certain. Mother was determined that we would not miss a single church service, including Revival meetings, even if it meant walking to every service, which it did! As far as I was concerned, even before I even started, the only part of me that would need "Reviving" would be my feet!

(To be honest, I didn't pay any attention in Sunday School or in church. I don't remember anything that was taught or preached after we started attending Sooner Baptist before I heard that the word saved a second time, which were still a few weeks ahead. What was my problem? I was unsaved (Lost!), uninterested, extremely shy, and totally ignorant of Bible truth. On top of that, I was the introvert of all introverts! People and questions terrified me! Today I am a preacher, having held Revival Meetings throughout America and many countries of the world! Amazing? Impossible? Not if you believe the Bible and understand that when God saves a person's soul, He changes that person forever. Through Christ, He gives you a new heart, a new life, and new desires. That's what I Corinthians 5:17, 18a teaches us. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. (18) And all things are of God..."God does the changing! You don't try to change yourself. That's what he did for me..and for my daddy, as you will see later.)

As it turned out, although my mother never told us kids anything about it as we were growing up, she had apparently been saved as a sixteen-year-old girl. She was devastated to learn she had married an unsaved preachers kid the day after the wedding ceremony. By then it was too late to do anything about it. Instead, she decided to try and make the best of it. She did read a few Bible stories to us once in a while when we were young from a Bible Story Book, but not the Bible..which is the Word Of God. But it did not make much of an impression or even register any importance to me. Maybe because it was not read from the Bible in our sight, or it was so seldom done or talked about. Looking back today, I would not call what we had a Christian home in any sense of that idea up to this time in my life. However, in all fairness to my mother, who is now with the Lord in Heaven, it was the rededication of her heart and life to the Lord and strong determination that we kids were going to start going to church whether my daddy liked it or not, that really did resulted in a new life for us all, even for my daddy.

Soon after we started attending Sooner Baptist Church, mother requested prayer again and again for my daddy's salvation, though we kids were not aware of it at the time, prior to the special week of Revival meetings a godly, older man in the church named Bill Buckalew, took it upon himself to meet and invite my daddy to attend the Revival services. Finally, probably to get Mr. Buckalew to leave him alone, my daddy promised that he would attend at least one of the services when it came time. (Keep in mind that this was the day when a man's word was his bond or guarantee that he would do what was promised. It was considered as good as gold back then! A handshake and/or a man's word were considered a legal contract to be honored and kept. Everyone accepted that idea and expected it to be true. My daddy instilled that in all his kids. He often said, and reminded us, "Keep your word!" If you can't keep your promise.. don't give it! If you give it..then keep it! Even if you have to walk across town to do it. Keep your word!" Sad to say, that day is past. Today a man's word means nothing at all most of the time. As the Bible says, "Brethren, these things ought not to be." But praise the Lord, in spite of his reason for giving it, my daddy had given Bill Buckalew his word!" The Revival meeting began and lasted from Sunday through the next Sunday. We walked to and from every service through Saturday night. Daddy got home from work every afternoon around 4:30 P.M. Each evening after supper we all said our goodbyes to daddy as we started our walk to church. He gave no hint that he intended to go at all. Not even to one service as he had promised. However, Mother said nothing to him about it. She just kept praying!

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