The_White_Tornado_-_Phil
THE WHITE TORNADO
I was born in 1952 in Des Moines, Iowa. I was saved one night, at the ageof five, following a televised Billy Graham crusade. Mom was gone for thenight. She was camping out with several of the teenage girls from the smallchurch we attended. I was home alone with dad. Though he worked a full timesecular job, he preached most weekends in small farming community churches incentral Iowa.
Since I was afraid that night to sleep alone upstairs in my own room, dadallowed me to bunk with him. “Dad,” I said after the lights were out, “whatdid that preacher on the TV mean tonight about Jesus on the cross?” I had, ofcourse, heard Bible stories in Sunday school and had some idea of what itmeant when Jesus died on the cross. What had gotten my attention that night,however, was what Mr. Graham said might have happened when Jesus hung on thecross. He suggested that circling buzzards might have landed on the arms ofthe cross and picked the torn flesh from our Lord’s bruised and laceratedbody.
My father explained to me in simple terms what the preacher had beensaying. He then wanted to know if I would like to ask Jesus into my heart. Ifelt strange. Somehow I wanted to know Jesus, this one who died on the crossfor me, even more. “Yes,” I said in a little voice, “I want to ask Jesus intomy heart.”
Climbing from bed, we knelt and prayed; Dad helping me form the words. I’m sure some doubt the Scriptural comprehension and spiritual sincerity of afive year old. I understood, however, and was saved instantly and knew it.
Since I had never heard glowing testimonials of what it was like to besaved, I couldn’t have made up what happened while I prayed. Back during thelate 1950’s there were White Tornado TV commercials. It was some kind of ahousehold cleaner as I recall. When I prayed and confessed I was a sinner andwanted Jesus as the Lord of my life, I felt, almost heard, a strong wind blowthrough me. Later, when Mom came home and I told her what had happened, Iexplained I felt like a white tornado had blown through my body and I feltclean inside and out. I still remember that feeling today as though it justoccurred. I am a living testimony that children can indeed be cleansed by thepower of the blood of Jesus Christ as they confess Him as Lord and believe intheir hearts he died on the cross and rose the third day from the grave.
Phil Scovell