Dan Dehaan on www.Youtube.com, Please!

When I was in College in 1977, I attended a Bible Study in Atlanta, Georgia at Griffin Middle School.

It was called the Metro Bible Study. 

Charles “Dad” Ellis had started this Bible Study in his basement, and it had grown to be over a thousand people.

A Christian Band called the Pat Terry Group lead the music http://www.patterryonline.com/ .

When I found out that the Pat Terry Group played there at that Bible Study, I began to attend.

Here is Pat Terry on http://www.youtube.com/.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibvArggcjtQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WZzsz55WHk&feature=related

The teacher, Dan Dehaan, whom I didn’t know beforehand, was in his early thirties.

As I attended the Bible Study, Dan made a friendship with a linebacker on the Atlanta Falcons named Greg Brezina.

Dan was later asked to be the team chaplain for the Atlanta Falcons through his relationship with Greg.

 The starting quarterback at the time was Steve Bartkowski, who was the first overall NFL draft pick in 1975. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bartkowski

During the time that Dan Dehaan was the Champlain of the Atlanta Falcons, Quarterback; Steve Bartkowski had a difficult year, and was benched in favor of Quarterback, June Jones. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Jones .

June who was a Christian told Steve that he was going to start until Steve got right with the Lord.

Shortly thereafter, Steve became a Christian, and eventually retook his starting position.

After Steve came to the Lord, there was a revival on the Atlanta Falcons, and the Falcons began to win.

In 1980, the Falcons made it all the way to the NFC Title Game where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys.

While Dan taught the Metro Bible Study at Griffin Middle School, it eventually outgrew their auditorium.

 At that time, the Bible Study was moved to the First Baptist Church of Smyrna, Georgia.

Then, Dan began to take pilot’s lessons, and planned to teach a second Metro Bible Study in Tupelo, Mississippi.

During the summer of 1982, Dan crashed his airplane right off Highway 72 near Paint Rock just east of Huntsville, Alabama.

When Dan came up missing, Dad Ellis and some of the guys from the Metro Bible Study drove up to North Alabama, and searched until they found Dan’s body.

Dan had made arrangements to take over the summer of 1982 off with John Riley http://www.johnsriley.com/ teaching for him.

After Dan’s death, John Riley taught the Bible Study for several years. 

Under John, It eventually outgrew the First Baptist Church of Smyrna and was then moved to Mt. Paran Church of God.

Later, it was moved again to Mt. Paran’s North campus where it could seat several thousand people.

Before Dan’s death at 33 years of age, Dan wrote a biography for Steve Bartkowski called “Intercepted by Christ”.

Dan was a gifted speaker, and had a passion for the Lord.

While Dan Dehaan taught the Metro Bible Study, Andy Stanley http://www.northpoint.com/ occasionally attended.

I believe that Dan’s teaching had and still has a great influence upon Andy Stanley’s teaching and approach.

If anyone out there still has any of Dan Dehaan’s teaching tapes.

Please put them on Youtube.com.

Dan should not be forgotten, and I’d like to listen in.

Here is Dan Dehaan's replacement, John Riley speaking years later on http://www.godtube.com/.
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=JMJJFCNU (Part 1)
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=D6LW6GNX (Part 2)

W.A. Criswell's Last Words (on www.youtube.com)

Between 1970 and 1971, my family attended First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, which was Pastored by W.A. Criswell. W.A. Criswell's church was really amazing and fun.

At the time, the church's attendance fluctuated between 6,000 and 8,000 people each Sunday morning with about 150 kids in my grade.

The church's youth building had 12 floors. On one floor, there was a skating ring with a restaurant, and on another floor there was a bowling alley, a weight room, and a Gym.

That year the Church sent their High School choir to Japan and the Junior High Choir went to Mexico.

Going to W.A. Criswell's church was like going to church heaven. On one occasion, the church even rented out the Six Flags over Texas amusement park for one night. It was a blast.

W. A. Criswell was very well known around that time frame. As a twelve year old boy, I watched W. A. Criswell, and observed that he was loving and kind. It was as though his face radiated light.

W. A. Criswell would preach exclusively about Jesus each Sunday night. When W A. Criswell spoke, I felt the presence of God. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W.A._Criswell)

At one time, my mother briefly spoke to W. A. Criswell about something. I don’t remember what it was about, but I still do remember what W. A. Criswell said to her. 

He said, “Young lady, every time I see you always tell me who you are all over again because I want to remember you”.

Even with the thousands upon thousands of people that attended First Baptist Church of Dallas. 

W. A. Criswell still wanted to remember her. In 1971, my family moved away from Dallas to another state.

In 1976, I went to college at a school in Texas at a time when my family lived in Roanoke, VA. 

I heard several of W. A. Criswell’s church members at that college saying that W. A. Criswell was old and senile. I always defended him. 

Those comments made me mad. While in college, I worked out in the weight room with a son of a minister who worked for W. A. Criswell. 

At one point, I told him that he didn’t know what a great privilege he had to grow up in W. A. Criswell's church. 

He paused for a second and cried. Then, he said, I had forgotten how blessed I was.

I can still remember what W. A. Criswell said to us when my family first joined First Baptist Church of Dallas. 

W. A. Criswell told my parents that they needed to put a book on my brother’s head because he was getting way too tall. 

In 1978 or 9, the Southern Baptist Convention was held in Atlanta, and I took the opportunity to speak to W. A. Criswell about going to Seminary. W. A. Criswell said, “Come to mine in Dallas!”

 I wish that I had listened to him.

Before W. A. Criswell's death in 2002, I heard W. A. Criswell speak for one last time when he was still in his early 90s.

 It was at Highlands Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama. As I listened as he spoke, W. A. Criswell's mind was still crisp, clear, and his face still shown like a light bulb. 

In the crowd, there were only about 50 people, and I thought about the thousands upon thousands of people that W. A. Criswell had spoken to throughout his life. Even, with only 50 people, W.A. Criswell still radiated love. 

Just as he had to me when I was 12. W. A. Criswell loved people. Young or old. Rich or poor. Many or few. It didn't matter.

Here is W. A. Criswell's last sermon on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Z1nlPoS3U (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vRoMBG4SWg (Part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rstXjUI95xk (Part 3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeEDwmqg5zg (Part 4)

(Hear W. A. Criswell at http://www.wacriswell.org/)