Stories at Lake

Linda moved in across the street from Kathleen about 18 years ago and since that time they’ve become close friends.

Kathleen said, “I can remember a time, years ago when I walked over to Linda's as she was sitting outside reading. ‘What are you reading, Linda?’ She said the Bible, and I think that was a defining moment in our growing friendship.”

Linda shared her story with us, “I've been a Christian since I was a young girl. Mom and Dad were not Christians when they married and I was a late-in-life baby. My dad was very sick and in the hospital and remembered some hymns from when he was a choir boy in New York City. He got out of his hospital bed and cried out to God. He became a very enthusiastic Christian and it was very easy for me to trust and believe in what he believed in Jesus and so that I in turn believed in Jesus Christ as my Savior.”

Linda shared about her mom’s passing when she was only 12 years old, “Then my dad remarried and almost immediately was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died when I was 15. So my step-mom and I moved out here to Pasadena about two blocks from LAC. I was in junior high school. My step-mother and I did not have a close relationship. I was dating someone she didn’t like and she gave me an ultimatum. I didn’t agree with her so I moved out and became an emancipated minor at age 16 and really walked away from the Lord. I led my own life and did my own thing for the next 30 years. I kind of made a train wreck of my life. I was married and divorced twice and had two beautiful children - one from each marriage. I wasn’t living a life pleasing to God and I wasn’t satisfied either. So finally I came back to God.”

She met her husband, Bob Augur, who is a Christian. They started going to ALPHA class. “I was blown away about how much I learned. I learned about the things in the Bible that prove with Biblical and historical references that Jesus and the Bible are who they claim to be - things I did not know before. It was a very informational class; in fact I was so excited about the ALPHA class that Bob and I started serving as hosts for a-while. Then I just started inviting a bunch of people to it...more recently I invited my friend Kathleen. I had been inviting her to ALPHA for almost 15 years - twice a year - the Spring and Fall classes. I would give her the flyer and invitation, but over and over she politely declined due to work commitments. But last January she retired and this past Spring she accepted my invitation to come to ALPHA. I was so excited. I had been praying for her to come to know Christ since I’ve known her.”

It was Kathleen’s turn to share her story, “I was born in a family where there was no religion whatsoever. We never went to church or talked about God, never prayed ... nothing.

When I started college I became interested in New Age studies. I meditated every day, chanted mantras, I did full-moon meditations. I thought a lot about Karma and how it affected my life and how I moved forward karmically. I thought about reincarnation and what was I in a past life. This was really my faith.

Gradually I refined it over the years to what I called ‘New Age Christianity,’ which is really symbolic Christianity. I saw Jesus as a prophet like all the other prophets, Mohammad, maybe Buddha – pretty much they were all the same. I and another friend down the street started coming to Lake on Christmas and Easter. It was very nice, I liked the warmth. I liked the energy. I had never found that in the new age studies. It was different here.

I think it was the next day after I retired that Linda came over and invited me to another ALPHA class. I enjoyed the classes, the people, the videos - but there were aspects I just didn’t understand. The fourth lesson was about Faith. I appreciated that Linda came with me and when we were driving home, she could see my struggle. I just didn't get the ‘faith thing’; I don't understand ‘how you come to faith’. But she said it was so simple - she had done it when she was 5 years old. That was great, but I still didn't get it.”

Linda shared, “After the fourth session, we were walking to the car and she seemed restless. She hadn't shared at the table that night and that wasn't like her. She said it was because she didn't have anything to say, which I found odd.”

While in the car together Kathleen shared she understood the meaning of Christianity, but some things she just didn’t understand. This showed Linda that God's ways are something we don't always understand when encountering them from our human perspective.

Once Kathleen was home she felt something was just not right inside her.

She said, “I paced and I paced; I remember walking around the house saying ‘what do I need to have happen?’. I don't know. I went to bed.

The next morning when I woke I just ‘got it’. My whole heart opened up and I got it. ALPHA had given us a picture of Jesus knocking on a door; the door opens inward. In other words, if Jesus is knocking, we have to open our hearts and let Him in. That picture really meant something to me. That morning it was so incredible, just opening my heart and letting Jesus in. It was fabulous. The thing I had really noticed with the ALPHA course videos we saw was the demeanor of the people - they were so joyful, patient, loving, they were understanding, they smiled all the time. I thought this is so hokey. But when I had awakened that morning, I realized this isn't hokey - it is real. ‘God don't take this away from me, this is wonderful.’ As the day went on the joyful feeling continued. I felt such joyfulness.”

It has been a few months since she opened her heart to Jesus, and she still feels this way!

Kathleen continued, “That joyful spirit is my default feeling. In general I feel grateful and joyful. I've opened my heart to the Lord and my faith is growing through Jesus Christ. It's the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced. I just wish I had experienced this when I was 5 years old like Linda, but I'm so grateful He welcomed me now. That's my ALPHA story.”

That morning Linda and Kathleen saw each other from their front porches. It was a memorable moment.

Linda expressed how happy she was when she received the news, “She was so happy and excited with the news she wanted to share with me. We met in the middle of the cul-de-sac and she shared her exciting conversion experience with me. We just hugged and cried in the middle of the street. It was awesome.

We were still in the middle of the ALPHA course. At the end of the course the participants have a day away. That year our small group met at our home. At the end of the day, the leader had us pair up in twos and threes to pray with each other. Now Kathleen was a baby Christian at that time and I don't think she had ever prayed out loud with anybody - especially with long-time church goers. So when we went to a small corner of my house and Kathleen started praying for me, I started crying and getting chills, because first of all she didn't have all the ‘churchy prayer language’ and she just started praying in a conversation from the heart. It was a precious blessing to me. It was evident to me that she knew the Person she was praying to; He was a real person who she knew and loved and wanted to be with.

It's been so cool to me to be so up-close to Kathleen's re-birth in Christ. Watching her grow and blossom in her faith brings me such joy and encouragement. I'm so grateful for this amazing blessing of the Holy Spirit.”

For more about ALPHA visit ALPHA webpage.