Michael Recktenwald:  

My schools include Lisle Elementary, Junior High School and Freshman and Sophmore years of High School. At this point in my life my father made the decision to move to Mountain Home (Where!, What State?). I started in April 1973 and went to a few classes, because I had already enough credits for the 9th and 10th grades so I was able to start working out for football and track to start in the fall of 1973. I was just 15 so I couldn't drive but when I turned 16 I made a trip back to Lisle, to pick up my brother and sister from Grama's, but found myself wandering around looking for the friends I had made thru the years. Since school was still in session I was only able to catch up with a couple of kids. I felt like my life had ended and resented my father for moving us to such a far away place and didn't even bother to ask our input. Well Mountain Home High School (Arkansas) is where I landed. But pretty soon August 1973 rolled around, with the familiar two a day football practices. At least that gave me some normalcy, I knew how to play football and was close to, if not, the fastest on the team. Playing offense and defense full time was what I expected to do, there was no pleading by the coach to do it, just suck it up and kick some butt! Honorably, I was named co-captain of the team with Dale Cowart (he was a tremendous guy, smart but courteous and he liked to hit hard. I liked that. We were also nominated to the all conference team, he as a guard (?) and I as a defenesive end. I found I very difficult to find friends in Mountain Home. By this time in school most everyone was involved in their own little group, not very receptive to outsiders, especially a Yankee! I so missed my friends from Lisle, (Mary H., Barton M., Janelle W., Vicky V.,Ed L., Stev G, and so many others). But that was not to be my history, God, (who I knew about in my head and ocassionally going to the Lutherian Church, but nothing serious), had a completely different path for me to take. My life was going to be turned upside down, I just didn't know it yet! A very attractive girl (1 year behind me) happened to be at the gym, (she played the French horn in the band and they practiced late that Friday night), as she asked me where her spare tire was in case she got a flat tire. The football team was spending the night together that night to watch game video's and then sleep in the gym to get ready for our first scrimmage the next day at noon. Well, I fell for the bait, hook, line and sinker that night and thought about her over the next week before school started. She reminded me of some part of all the girls that I had liked when we lived in Lisle, especially Mary H. The school year started and football was in full swing and there she was, in the band and watching me. She had captured my attention. The last two years of High School went by very fast and brought me to a crisis. What was I going to do? I could be a walk for Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR or I could just work construction that next year and wait for Debbie to go to college, but God had other plans! You see, I've always thought of myself as a good guy. I obeyed my parents, worked hard, studied, gave money to the church whenever we went. I didn't cuss, steal, vandalize or take physical advantage (coitus) of any girl I was with, I was a virgin. I felt like I was an ok guy and going to heaven when I died, BUT I truely believe that God brought Debbie into my life just to ask me one question, the question you ask? "What have you done to allow you into God's Heaven? I thought about that for a few weeks, while still deciding to go ahead to college in August because Debbie had enough credite, except for senior English, (which she did as correspondence over the summer and first few weeks of college) which would allow us to go together! Or stay at home and just work, maybe college next year, but those plans changed also. On August 13th, 1975 Debbie asked me that question again. See she hadn't said a word because I had told her, of course I'll go to heaven. I'm a good person, and on and on, but this night I replied, "I have no reason for God to allow me into Heaven, she explained that God gave His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that we wouldn't have to. He took upon Himself all the sins of the world so that any man that would simply deny himself and confess before God that Jesus took all my sins to the grave and ask Him to forgive me. When He rose on the 3rd day from the grave He had defeated all of satan's evil attempts and holds on us both physically and mentally! THIS WAS THE REASON WE HAD TO MOVE TO MOUNTAIN HOME, AR. God wanted to share the Gospell of His Only Son, Jesus, and how badly I needed Him as the ruler in my life. Jesus now sits on the thrown of my life! This was a new experience, something that I have not been exposed to my entire life. As I look back over my life, just from this point, and realize that I had been deceiving myself many years! I wasn't that sweet little innocent child/kid, I was self centered, sneaky, lying, telling half truths, anything to make myself look good. I needed a Savior ! I also needed forgiveness for all those that I may have hurt or made fun of, please. I also need forgiveness from all those in Lisle Junior and Senior High as well as Mountain Home High School, please. God gave me a peace that I had done the right thing and was ready for the next step in my journey. I struggled with my first year of college, not because of being away from home or even the volumes of homework and assignments, but rather what was God calling me to study so that He could use me to have an impact in others. So second year I started Medical Technology, so that I could run a hospital lab and generate results for the physicians, but after that semesister I didn't feel I was in the right place. Time for a change, perhaps I needed to just go on to medical school and treat patients with love, honesty and integrety! But Debbie and I were talking marriage and the prospects of having a family of our own. If I was in medicine, my life would be consumed with caring for my patients, and my wife and family would suffer because of it. It was in passing one day that my mom mentioned,"son why don't you just go to pharmacy school. It's the best of both worlds, practice medicine and minister to those God sees fit to send your way. After 4 years of undergraduate studies and 3 years of pharmacy school at The University or Arkansas for Mdical Sciences-Pharmacy, I graduated, BSPharm, RPh., and 2 months later our first son, Clint Thomas, was born on the 4th of July, 1982 (48 days after graduation). Debbie, who during the 4 years at ASU-Jonesboro, recieved her BS in Business Sciences's. And working the last 3 years as a legal assistant in downtown Little Rock, AR, she stopped and changed hats to be a full time mother and homemaker. After I prayed, "Dear Lord, I am nothing in your sight. All the good works that make me feel like I have earned a ticket into your Heaven are as garbage. I understand th...Expand for more