John Edward Cooper’s Notes
Pamela’s sixth letter
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1965, the year that changed my life My Mum makes a decision for Christ Perhaps Wednesday 16th June 1965 1. Judging by the postmark, “1.00PM 15 JNE 1965”, I would have received on Wednesday 16th June 1965 the letter Pam wrote on Monday “14/6/65” (as she put it).
Between Tuesday or Wednesday of the previous week (when I wrote a letter), and say, Saturday or Sunday, I had evidently written two further letters to her. But the news that Chris and I had “got filled again” with the Holy Spirit was communicated to her by telephone. 2. I can remember one or two wild prayer sessions in the front room at my house in Thornton, held, when my parents had gone out, by Chris and me, or including Peter Gooding. I say “wild” because they involved much intensity and fervour and noise and emotion. As for the session under consideration, I cannot comment on the genuineness or otherwise of Chris’s supposed re-filling, but I am certain that what I experienced was not the Holy Spirit, but I getting myself into such an intensely fervent state that I experienced a thrill due to a rush of adrenaline. (I have since discovered that I can re-create this feeling at will; and if I look into a mirror while doing it I can see that my pupils dilate when it happens.) At the time, though, we were so convinced of the divine origin of the phenomenon that we decided that we must immediately phone the Williamses, or Hazel and Pam, to let them know. Chris and I rushed out of the house and ran the half-mile or more to the phone box in Carleton. We rang them up, babbling virtually unintelligibly, both because of our excitement and enthusiasm, and because we were out of breath after our run. 3. I have a vague recollection of praying for Peter on one of these occasions. He may or may not have been present at the “waiting meeting” at Lowther Road, Fleetwood[more] — I know that Chris wasn’t — but even if so, he didn’t “get it”. And now, all our laying-on of hands and praying and shouting and wailing and calling on God failed to get him to speak in tongues. I think on another occasion at Lowther Road, though, he did “get it”. 4. On another occasion, my brother Steve and his friend John Hudson came into the house when Chris and I at least (I don’t know who else, if anybody) were taking advantage of my parents’ absence and having one of our glory-sessions. Chris was lying on the floor, oddly (it seems to me now) appearing to be in an almost epileptiform state, babbling in tongues. I don’t think John was terribly impressed with my explanation about it being “the Holy Ghost”, and he certainly didn’t follow my attempt to expound in ever diversifying detail and ever more confusing complexity my understanding of the doctrine of salvation. 5. Pam’s letter continued: How did you get your Mum to tell you her trade secrets?I have no memory of what this meant. By the way, John, I don’t think I will be able to come this Sunday as Dad doesn’t think it’s right to miss Sunday School again so soon. But you and Chris can come down here again with pleasure.Pamela’s seventh letter |
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