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"The steps of a
(good) man are ordered by the Lord:
and he delighteth in
his
way."
Psalm 37:23
Steps Along the Way—John
John McGhee was the first and only child of Charles and his wife,
Irene. Charlie and Irene farmed the rich soil in Dufferin County, just
north of the small town of Shelburne in Ontario, Canada. John attended
a one-room schoolhouse that had eight grades and one teacher, Mrs.
McClain. In fact, John's father and grandfather had both attended this
very same school.
Much to the surprise of "Johnny," as he was called at that time, his
dad, at the age of 42, sold the farm in 1956, and moved his family to
Toronto. There his dad attended Teachers College and, a year later,
became a schoolteacher. That is how Johnny, the little 9 year old
"country boy" moved to the "big city" of Toronto.
Childhood innocence gave way to the teenage years in the turbulent
1960's, when names such as the Beatles, Vietnam, hippies, and radicals
became household words. At that time, John was not a Christian,
although unknown to him, God was faithfully working in his heart to
bring him to Himself.
It
was during John's first job at the County Registry Office, in downtown
Toronto, that he became aware, really aware, that he was a sinner and in
need of the Savior. Uwe Gustafson began working in his office and over
the next few months befriended him. Uwe and his wife were heading to
India as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Through Uwe's
faithful witness, John realized that he was a sinner before a righteous
God and put his personal trust in the finished work of salvation that
Jesus had accomplished for him on the Cross of Calvary. The day was
April 15, 1967. Life changed forever for John on that eventful day. The
Lord had plans for him that he never would have imagined.
That very same year, John went to Central Baptist Seminary for Bible
training. After seminary, he worked for Bell Canada for three years.
It was during his time at "Ma Bell" that he married Lynn Betteridge in
1970.
Continue...
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