KCM Australia

B V O V : 1 3 Leaving Houston, she'd gone to Austin where her daughter attended the university. She and a local minister led her daughter in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. ey all switched to full gospel churches. Reflecting on that, Bob realizes, "It is so important to be planted in a good, New Testament church. Our family was so blessed during my formative years to have had a fiery pastor/evangelist who was in constant pursuit of souls and revival, and who brought in strong ministers like A.A. Allen." When Bob was 14, Oral Roberts came to town and held a tent meeting. Bob stood by a group of youth and announced, "One day I'll preach the gospel of Jesus Christ." at's the moment he acknowledged the call of God was on his life. e older he'd gotten, however, the more the lure of the world beckoned. Bob believed he'd have to give up too much to follow God. He had to admit, though, it was hard to run from God with a praying mother. Her prayers were like a magnet, drawing him back where he didn't want to go. Just two weeks earlier, Bob had tried to sneak in late one night. His mother had fallen asleep on the stairway with her Bible open, waiting for him. Trying to step past her, Bob stumbled and she awoke. "Son, you'll go to hell over my dead body. You're not going to hell! e call of God is on your life." Bob knew his heart wasn't right with God. How could it be when he refused to accept His call? The needle on the yellow Mercury's speedometer hovered at 97 mph. It was 1952, and 17-year- old Bob Nichols floored the gas pedal with all his might. He wanted to hit 100... or more. The Mercury was new, but it didn't have the power to go as fast as Bob wanted. e headlights cast a white path across the darkness. e two-lane road seemed to stretch into eternity as Bob made his way home to Fort Worth from East Texas. It was the summer before his senior year in high school. He needed to get back in time to start his summer job. Bob's eyes felt gritty as he blinked to stay awake. His need for speed may have been more than a teenager testing his limits. e truth was he needed speed to run from the call of God on his life. Long before he was born, the trajectory of Bob's life and the lives of his family had changed. In 1930, his Baptist grandmother had gone to Houston on a business trip. While there, she'd seen an ad in the newspaper announcing a meeting by Evangelist Raymond T. Richey. Richey was the Oral Roberts of his time, with healings common in his big tent revival meetings. e newspaper announced: "Salvation, Healing and Holy Ghost!" e church Bob's grandmother attended didn't teach those three things. But she needed healing and went to the meeting to get it. Many times over the years she talked with Bob about that time. "Sonny, I was born again, healed and filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues."

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