C

(100^th post)

DRAW NEAR TO MY SOUL AND REDEEM IT

PSALM 69:18

DESTINY KNIGHT-STORM

(INTERVIEW WITH CRYSTAL MOORE: PART 1)

“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” Seven asked me with a look on his face that was like the cat who ate the canary.

I never cared for that term, so why did I just use it? Any who, I had just entered Seven’s  studio with the intention of interviewing Dorothy and Lyle Hubbard about the unique beginnings of their relationship. But Seven’s bad news was that they had canceled. Whether this was an out right cancelation, or simply a postponement, Seven did not know.

“What’s the good news?” I asked.

“I saw a bumper sticker that made me laugh,” Seven said with a chuckle. “It said, I don’t skinny dip, I chunky dunk.”

“Maybe you should have one of those stickers,” I said as I gave his stomach a slap.

“Hey,” he said with a scowl. “Zella’s a great cook, what can I say?”

I giggled, and then inquired with a frown. “So, is that the good news?”

“No, this is,” he replied as he handed me his phone and showed me some e-mails.

“Crystal Moore,” I said after I read for a minute. “So she’s knows Kip Maxwell? The troubled rock star?”

“That’s what she said,” Seven replied with a shrug and energy in his gaze.

“How do you know she’s not a crack pot?”

“I actually talked to her for almost half an hour before you got here. My gut tells me she’s the real deal.”

“Why has she contacted you?”

“I’m a world renowned podcaster.”

“You are?”

He put his hands on his hips and gave me a stern look. “She’s also listened to your previous interviews and thought you might be interested in their story.”

“What’s their story?” I asked. “I kind of assumed Kip was dead, drunk, or drugged out. But to be honest, I’ve never thought much about him.”

“So, you do you know about Kip Maxwell?”

“Of course I do. His band Mad Mamba was huge for about ten years. Then they broke up and he pretty much disappeared. That’s why I assumed he was probably dead by now. He was one of those guys that seemed self-destructive and destined to join the twenty-seven club.”

“What’s the twenty-seven club?” Seven frowned.

“You seriously don’t know what the twenty-seven club is?”

“Enlighten me.”

“You know, rock stars that died at the age of twenty-seven. Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin.”

“Forgive me, I have usually focused on meaningless stuff like politics and such.”

“You’re forgiven,” I giggled. “So tell me what this is about.”

“Well, in a nutshell, supposedly Kip Maxwell is clean and converted, and finishing up an album of spiritual music.”

“You don’t say.”

“I do say,” Seven continued. “And apparently this gal, Crystal Moore, played some kind of role in his conversion.”

“I have to admit that this sounds pretty interesting.”

“She lives only three hours away in Wisconsin. She said she can come tomorrow.”

“Let’s do it.”

 Crystal Moore wasn’t what I was expecting. Of course I didn’t know what I was expecting. Maybe a large chested, big haired blonde in high heels. Yet I was only assuming she was the significant other of Kip Maxwell. Maybe she was his sister or cousin, or something else.

She had shoulder length brown hair with red accents and large amber colored eyes. She was quite striking in a non-conventional way. She wore a light blue flannel shirt, faded jeans, and worn brown cowboy boots. She had a cool easy manner, and I took a quick liking to her.

“Thanks for driving down here to do this,” I told her.

“The pleasure’s mine,” she said with a smile. A slightly crooked eye tooth in an otherwise straight line of teeth actually enhanced her natural beauty. “I read that e-book about you, ‘Knight Storm.’ When I heard you doing those segments on ‘The Seven Sallie Showdown,’ I thought you would be the perfect person to introduce the world to the new Kip Maxwell.”

“Well, I’m honored that you feel that way,” I told her. “To be honest, I don’t really know much about Kip other than he was a wild rock star with quite a bit of drama in his life and band. I refrained from researching him on the internet for fear I would get bad information. Plus I wanted to learn firsthand from you yourself. I felt it would make me a better interviewer.”

“See, I knew you were the right choice,” Crystal grinned. “Kip will be hear tomorrow, he’s flying in from the west coast.”

“Oh,” I replied, a little surprised that the man himself was going to be directly involved. “Do you need a place to stay tonight? You’re welcome at my home.”

“Thank you, but I have an aunt that lives about a half hour from here.”

We spent several more minutes getting to know each other before I shifted directions. “So how long have you known Kip?”

“Well, we met about a year ago,” she said. “My cousin had started dating his cousin several years ago, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I’m not a person that gets star struck, just the opposite. Besides, I prefer country music, and I don’t even know who most country artists are. But Kip was so famous in the 2010’s, even I knew who he was.

“A few years ago his band broke up. He has kept a low profile ever since, and for the most part he became yesterdays news. But he’s still like this iconic figure. So about a year ago, my cousin calls me and tells me she’s getting married. She asks me to be one of her bridesmaids and I told her, of course, I would be honored. That’s when she tells me the groomsman I would be paired with was to be Kip Maxwell.

“I know that ninety plus percent of the women my age would be tickled to be in that position, but not me. The little I thought I knew about Kip, I found repulsive. I saw him as a macho, hedonistic, drug addled, womanizing creep. I was wrong on almost accounts.

“I was lamenting to some of my girlfriends about my dilemma of being paired with an arrogant rock star. It turned out one girl buddy was quite a Mad Mamba fan. She had me watch some biography of Kip Maxwell on YouTube and that started me down a strange path. I was riveted by his story.

“He had grown up in a religious household with four siblings of which he was the black sheep. His father was controlling and abusive. The girl who would one day become his wife was sexually abused by her step-father. She was killed in a traffic accident at the age of twenty-six.

“The last two albums he did with Mad Mamba had a lot of songs about love, loss and suicidal tendencies. Ironically, all of his pain made Kip and his band more famous than ever. Then something was brought up in this bio that made me, I don’t know, not fall in love, but become incredibly infatuated with him. He was just a really intriguing person. To this day, I still don’t understand what I was feeling. It went contrary to everything I was about.

She laughed, shook her head, and pinched the bridge of her nose. I gave her a minute to compose herself. Then I asked. “What was it that was brought up in this bio that moved you so much?”

“First, there’s something you should know about me,” she said. “I too grew up in a religious family. But there was no disfunction. My parents were awesome, and so were my brother and sister. Then a vile, selfish, privileged rich punk ruined our family for a few minutes of carnal, sinful pleasure.”

Crystal stared at me with a deep hurt in her eyes that still seemed fresh, even though I perceived her pain was anything but recent.

“My sister went to senior prom with this popular, good looking guy,” Crystal explained. “She was so happy, and I was so happy for her. I was fifteen at the time. Long story short, the creep raped her. He was rich and connected, and even though my dad fought tooth and nail to have him punished, we were punished instead. I don’t want to get into the details, but we ended up leaving, not only the town, but the state.

“My sister changed. She was such a sweet, perky, beautiful, and wholesome girl. She was my hero, a role model, a protector. After the ordeal, she withdrew and struggled with severe depression. A year to the day of the rape, she drank a whole fifth of vodka and then overdosed on her medication. My parents called it an accident, but I knew it wasn’t.”

Crystal became quiet and bowed her head. I gave her a minute before I gently tried, “Did she…”

Crystal kept her eyes closed and I saw tears leak from beneath her lashes. Without looking at me, she nodded. Then very quietly she said. “Yes, she died. I learned at a very young age that grief can make you physically ill.”

Once again I gave her time, and prayed for wisdom and guidance during the lull. “Do you want to tell me what impacted you so much during the bio of Kip?”

“Sure,” she said brightening a little. “So, I became somewhat of a guy hater. Actually, a major man hater. I can count on one hand how many dates I’ve been on. I was just social enough to not raise too many eyebrows. But I kept my head down and pursued something I loved more than people, and that was animals. I’m actually a Veterinary surgeon.”

“Oh wow!” I exclaimed. “Very good.”

“Thank you,” she replied meekly. “ So about the bio. When this wild looking rock star, who actually spoke quietly and intelligently about why he declined to participate in his band’s invitation to go to the Playboy mansion, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I thought for the first time in my life, this is a guy I want to get to know. And in a few weeks, he and I would be paired as bridesmaid and groomsman in a wedding.” Then she shrugged, smiled, and said. “And we indeed got to know each other in a strange, awkward, but wonderful way.”

(DESTINY’S BIBLE STUDY NOTES AND QUOTES)

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH: AN ERA of SPIRITUAL DARKNESS

“The mystery of iniquity does already work.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7. Even at that early date, the Apostle Paul saw it creeping into the church.

Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism.

But as persecutions ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers, and in place of the requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions.

The nominal conversion of Constantine in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing among the masses, and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed.

This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of “the man of sin” foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God.

Satan once endeavored to form a compromise with Christ when he came to the Son of God in the wilderness. But at every assault, Christ presented the shield of truth, saying, “It is written.”

But for hundreds of years, the Roman church prohibited the circulation of the Bible.

Prophecy declared that the church of the dark ages would “think to change times and laws.” Daniel 7:25

Rome presumed to expunge the from the law of God the second commandment, forbidding image worship, and to divide the tenth commandment, in order to preserve the number.

Satan, working through unconsecrated leaders of the church, also tampered with the fourth commandment, and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God blessed and sanctified (Genesis 2:2, 3), and in its stead to exalt the festival observed by the heathen as “the venerable day of the sun.”

This change was not at first attempted openly. In the first centuries before Constantine, the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians.

With great subtlety Satan worked through his agents to bring about this change. That the attention of the people might be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection of Christ.

It was Constantine’s policy to unite the conflicting interests of heathenism and Christianity.

Through half converted pagans, ambitious prelates, and world loving churchmen Satan accomplished his purpose. Many who professed conversion still clung to the tenets of their pagan philosophy.

The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. The palaces of popes and prelates were scenes of the vilest debauchery.

Such were the results of banishing the word of God