The Six Decades of My Life
Who knew?

60 years ago today, October 1, 1947, I was born at Mt.Sinai Hospital in
Cleveland, Ohio to Sam (Shlomo-yes we also have Hebrew names) and Evalyn
(Batsheva). My mother said that she named me Stephen Malcolm because she
wanted me to have an American name. I was a first generation American as my
father had been born in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, Russia and came legally through
Ellis Island. My mother had been born in Montreal, Canada. Eight days later,
I, Shmuel(Samuel), had my Brit Milah (circumcision) performed by a Moel
(religiously ordained cutman) at my parents home. Being the first born son, my
father had symbolically purchased me back (with a silver dollar) from the
Rabbi (first born sons belong to God) in the Pinlah Ben ceremony. Even though
my father never went to public school (only night school to learn English) and
my mother had just graduated from high school, I would be the first member of
my immediate family to go to college. They were so proud even if I did not
want to become a medical doctor.

50 years ago today, October 1, 1957, I was 10 years old and Sputnik had been
launched. I wanted to be the first man on the Moon. My parents had enrolled me
the year before in their Orthodox Synagogue's after school Cheder program.
They had wanted me to learn Hebrew and to be more aware of my Judaism than
they were. I went to  public school than afterschool to this parochial school
everyday from age 9-13. I can still remember those kosher tam tam crackers and
chocolate milk that we got as a daily snack as well as the time the religious
teacher hit me across the mouth for laughing in class(imagine that). And there
was the time I went up in the rings during gym at public school and my tzitzis
(fringes prayer shawl worn under my clothes) had showed. The public school
kids teased me mercilessly. I also remember asking my mother why we had ham in
the refrigerator. She had scolded me,'don't ask'! I had my Bar Mitzvah at
Taylor Road Synagogue three years later.
A few years later my older cousin Aileen married a Gentile man. He became a
"street preacher" and began sending everyone Christian tracts. Aileen and
Jimmy became the pariahs and laughingstocks of the family.

40 years ago today, October 1, 1967, I was entering my junior year in college.
I like most Jews was still beaming from the success of Israel in the Six Day
War in June. While I had entered Case Institute of Technology in 1965 on
scholarship and a National Defense Student Loan to study Astronomy and had
even taken a class from the esteemed Edwin Schrodinger (on his wave
equation), I had just transferred to Western Reserve University to study
exobiology (life on other planets). The two schools later merged before I
graduated. I was searching for the meaning of life. When I did not find it in
the heavens, I switched my major my senior year to Human Paleontology and took
all the necessary credits in my senior year. I graduated in 1969 with a BA in
Physical Anthropology, specifically Human Evolution. My Senior Thesis,
"Anterior Tooth Reductions in Ramapithecus" was later published in 1970 in the
Japanese Journal Primates. I was a member of a Jewish Fraternity, Sigma Alpha
Mu,Sammies.

30 years ago today, October 1, 1977, I was a Professor of Educational History
at the University of Arizona in Tucson. When I had graduated in 1969, I had
been precluded from pursuing graduate work in paleontology because of the
Vietnam War. I did alternate service in the Teacher Corps in the inner city in
Cleveland. I had voted for George McGovern. Later I had returned to Grad
School but this time in history and philosophy. My major Professor was a
Freudian Marxist and I became his research assistant for three years. I
completed my Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and got a job at the Univ.
of AZ. in 1975. I was a member of Jewish faculty and Hillel (Campus Crusade
for Moses) and belonged to Congregation Anshei Israel, a conservative
synagogue in Tucson. I loved Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. I taught a class on
"Alternate Conceptions of Reality" which was totally New Age. I also taught
classes on Christian anti-semitism. I chided a young Jewish student of mine
who had accepted Jesus.
In 1982,I was denied tenure at the University and became the State
Director of the Jewish National Fund and later Director of the Endowment Fund
of the Phoenix Jewish Federation where I helped fight against Jewish
missionaries like Jews For Jesus.

20 years ago today, October 1, 1987, I had just gone through a divorce and my
three sons, Joshua, Avi and Noah had moved with their mother to Charleston,
SC.
I had experienced severe neurological symptoms and had an MRI which revealed
extensive brain lesions. The diagnosis had been Multiple Sclerosis and my
health had begun to falter. My father passed away in August. It was a very
bad year. I had left the Federation and was working for a computer headhunter
while waiting for something better. I found myself living with a New Age
Jewish woman who walked on hot coals for excitement. I had been a finalist
for the positions of State Director of the Anti Defamation League and the
American Jewish Committee, but God had other plans for me.
I had found myself working for a Christian telemarketing firm. They
witnessed to me, including my present wife Paula, but I scoffed and berated
them. How dare they proselytize to me after what so called Christians had
done to my people during the Crusades,the Inquisition and the Holocaust!
The Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit), however, was already at work.  God had a
plan all along.
One year later on October 3, 1988, on the Jewish Holiday of renewal and
rebirth, Shemini Atzeret, Yeshua (Jesus) revealed Himself to me in a series
of visions and dreams, and I was born again. I knew that Yeshua Hamashiach
was my Lord and Savior. It was no easier for this stiff necked Jew of the
Jews to accept this than it had been for Paul but God chose me, I did not
choose Him. For the most part, my friends and family have rejected me but
Jesus told us that we would be hated on account of His name (Matthew
10:22),and be persecuted just as He was (John 15:20). As Paul wrote "I count
all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus
my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but
rubbish in order that I may gain Christ"(Philippians 3:8). Amen!
Paula and I got married on March 30, 1990. What a blessing. What a miracle! I
was a new babe in Christ and had many dirty diapers but Paula helped me
through it. I love that woman!

Ten years ago, October 1, 1997, I began my jubilee year. A time when I was
totally committed to the Lord.  Five years ago, we moved from the hot desert
to the cool mountains. A year ago, I was finally totally disabled and
unable to work because of the thorn that God had put in my flesh (the MS) to
keep me humble (2 Corinthians 12:7). It has not always worked! Sue me! I
have come to realize that His grace is sufficient for me. He is my strength
and my provider. Praise His Holy Name.
I have a beautiful, compassionate, Godly wife, Paula, who is a gift from
the Almighty and has always backed me in all of my endeavors even though she
had to go back to work to provide for us. She has never complained nor
belittled me for not being able to work. What a blessing she has been.
I would not be who am I am today without the unconditional love and support of
that precious,lovely woman. I had a Messianic Fellowship, Chayim Chadashim,
where I spoke of the Jewishness of the gospel and of Israel and endtimes
prophecy. I was on the Board of Reference for Jewish Voice Prophetic Magazine
and was VP of Hosanna Ministries International. I was the Deacon of Adult
Sunday School at Flagstaff Christian Fellowship. I have never denied my
Jewishness and in fact feel more Jewish now than ever before. I have sought to
convey that the Brit Chadasha (New Testament) is a Jewish book written by Jews
for Jews about a Jewish Messiah. Gentiles have been grafted into the this line
of Abraham's seed and are heirs to the promises through the shed blood of
Yeshua.
It was a very good year!
This was not the path that I would have chosen, but it is the path that
God had for me all along, and I will continue to praise Him and thank Him
for trusting me with this work all the days of my life. His amazing grace
saved a poor wretch like me. Bless His Holy Name Forever!

Today, October 1, 2007, is the beginning of my sixth decade. Oy vay, can you
believe it? In the past decade, I have written two novels, "The Great Harpazo
Deception" and "Invasion:Israel". More than 40 of my articles now appear on
over 60 Christian websites and blogs. That is more than I ever wrote as a
Professor. Thanks to all of you who have helped.
Thanks John, Richard, Larry, Zeph, Jetzy, Ali, David, Darrell, Mike, et al.
Thanks to friends Don, Ray, Robert, Chuck, David, Jim, et al. You know who you
are and I am grateful to all of you.
My articles have also appeared on over 70 UFO/Paranormal websites. I have
become friends with Dirk the publisher of UFO Digest who has run 23 of my
Christ centered articles in the last nine months, Don the Publisher of Alien
Seeker News, Chris the Publisher of UFO Research Center, Derrick of UFO Alley,
AJ of Brazilian UFO Magazine and Rob the man behind X-Zone Radio.
I have appeared on over ten different radio programs and my material appears
now on ipods and on satellite and on short wave programs. I correspond  with
people in Canada, Brazil, the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Israel, Italy,
Portugal, and the Czech Republic. I think that God is pleased with what He
entrusted me to do?
I have dedicated my life to spreading the gospel to the far reaches of the
globe and into homes of the lost and perishing. The UFO/Paranormal crowd has
become my mission field and I tell them about Christ and His forgiveness. I am
now a commissioned man of God in Faithful Men Ministries at Lamb of God Bible
Church. I am still active in Hosanna Ministries International that supports
missionaries in Mexico, Africa, Israel, Turkey and America including me.
My health began to falter four months ago and I went from walking "freely" to
walking with a cane to walking with a walker. I feared that the dreaded
wheelchair might be next but but I never took my eyes off of the Lord. He is
my strength and my rock. His grace is sufficient for me.
Now,for the most part, I am walking freely again. Satan has tried to stifle my
witness but "no weapon formed against shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17), because
"He who is in me is greater than he that is in the world"(1John 4:4) and "by
His stripes I am healed"(Isaiah 53:5). Praise God.
I don't think that I feel or act or look like a man of sixty. That is that
humility thing again. Sue me! Guess it is because I was born again in 1988 and
thus I am only 19. Yeah right. Who wants to be 19 again.
At age 60 most people are slowing down and thinking about retirement but not
me. I have been "retired" for 11 years now but am only just getting started in
serving the Lord. I have had 135 letters to the editor published in the
Arizona Daily Sun. Does it look like I am slowing down? Get thee behind me
Satan!
God Bless all of you,
Stephen