epression gripped Williams' heart like fog in the rainy season. He wandered aimlessly around the little cabin in which he had found to live cheaply now that he lived alone and was on a very limited income. He'd sold his plane and his pickup, and now lived on the beach south of Santa Barbara, CA. He was fast on his way to becoming a beach bum. He hair was grown out long and shaggy, his beard the same.

He cared nothing for the surf, cared nothing for drink, companionship nor even food. He was getting thinner by the day. His soul ached for sustenance, for satisfaction, for wholesomeness, for change, for peace, for comfort . . . just what did his soul ache for?

He thought he'd tried everything in his life but drugs, and, if they couldn't provide any more than cigarettes or booze, then he didn't care to try them. He saw the ravages on the body that drugs effected, but didn't think they did too much for the soul. As he studied some of those who stayed stoned out of their heads on drugs and booze, he knew he wanted no part of either.

A couple of days after he'd talked to Lane, he'd purchased himself a nice Bible, and had read through the Old Testament coming to Isaiah. It was rather boring, so it was no surprise that he had read the Bible no more than he had. He let people talk to him who would make light conversation about the Word, but, seeing him as nothing but a bum, most would have little to do with him.

But one day while feeling really low, he came across a scripture which touched his heart.

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Isaiah 53:1-8 (KJV)

Who was treated like that? He studied and studied but he found no one in the Old Testament which fit that description, neither was there an incident which fit that description. The question stayed on his mind for the remainder of the Old Testament, and it never left his mind.

After he finished the Old Testament, he was not too interested in finishing the New Testament if it was going to be as drawn out as the Old Testament. He would start the New Testament tomorrow.

One early morning he started his ritual of walking on the beach. He'd had a rough night with little sleep. For a while now, the flashbacks had not bothered him much, and, neither had the weight of the Death Sentence. But last night was different. The Death Sentence had haunted him all night, and so he decided to seek out a little church through which to seek some help.

He knew of a couple, but had never attended. He figured he'd visit them all and see if he could possibly find something. The great big church on the corner less than a couple of miles away should be quite accessible. His only mode of transportation now was his trusty dusty bicycle. He was quite low on funds, and was going to have to seek out some means of income.

He had pedaled up to the huge church, and read the name. It was a Catholic church. He locked his bike up to a tree, climbed the stairs to the huge place and went in. He sat there while the priests went through all their rituals, and soon, a couple took a baby forward. It was sprinkled with a little wand had the words 'Father, Son and Holy Ghost' called over it.

"So, that's it." William thought. "Maybe I need to be sprinkled!" He did note that he felt all alone in that place although it was crowded with people. He would check out a couple more churches since he was in town. So, he pedaled away to a couple of other churches he'd seen around, and wrote the name, contact and services times down in a little notebook he carried in his pocket.

One was a Church of the Nazerene, one a Church of Christ, one was a Baptist, one was a Four Square Church. He had no idea as to what any of the names meant, nor what they believed. He would visit each and see if he couldn't find something that would help in one or more of the churches.

That weekend he visited one of the churches. A couple of people treated him warmly, and asked him back, another was real friendly, and inquired as to his relationship with God. He responded he'd 'gone forward,' but that was all.

When asked if he had been baptized, he simply said no. "I did see where someone had their baby sprinkled. Is that the same thing? Am I supposed to be sprinkled?"

The preacher of the little church came up just in time to hear the last scrap of conversation, just smiled and said "no, you were in a Catholic church. They are the only ones I know of who sprinkle. We believe you have to baptized by total immersion."

He held out his hand in friendship and said "Hello, my name is John Smartly. I pastor this little church. It is a new work, and we're very proud of it. We hope you'll come and be a part of us and his work."

William immediately liked him, and responded carefully. "I don't know what I'm doing yet. I'm extremely knew to anything like this. I've only begun to read the Bible, and have to admit, I don't understand very much of it at all.

"Yes, very much so if it means I must do it to be saved. I really want to be saved. How much does it cost?" William asked innocently.

The preacher just smiled and said "there is no charge. It is freely given. You can be baptized after service Wednesday night. Bring you a set of clothes into which to change afterward."

"Baptism washes all your sins away" replied the preacher. "All your sins are cast into a sea of forgetfulness never to be remembered against you again."

"What kind of sins? Lying, stealing, coveting your neighbors wife . . . those kinds of sins?" William was dubious as to whether the things he'd done would be washed away.

"Any sin, all sin, nothing is too great for God to cleanse and make you clean, white as snow!"

"OK," William said. I'll see you at seven o'clock on Wednesday. He had in mind that he would start the New Testament as soon as he got home today.

William began to read when he got home. He'd started a couple of times, but had been unable to get into it, so he had laid his Bible down, and walked out on the beach. He loved to look out over the ocean and wonder in amazement at the beauty, the vastness, and the wonder of it all. He tried to get a mental picture of God, how old he was, how he could have possibly created the earth.

William went back to his little abode and began to read. He read all the way through Matthew, at the end of Matthew, he found the scripture that read:

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (1)

Matt 28:16-20 (KJV)

"That is what the preacher told me this morning," William thought to himself. So it is in the Bible to be baptized, Jesus Himself was baptized. Then, here is Jesus Himself also giving the formula. Finally, I'm gonna get rid of this Death Sentence.

Williams life for the past year had been one huge disappointment after another. Surprise, intrigue, murder, falsehoods, friends turning out to be enemies, enemies turning out to be fiends . . . and emptiness. William wanted a different life than all that. But truth, which should be easily found, would elude William.

(1). Red text denotes the words spoken by Jesus Christ, as in the Red Letter Edition Bibles. ~ ~ ~