Out of the Darkness into the Light Part 3

Part 3

Out of the Darkness into the Light

Dr. Alan N. Keiran

Call to Ministry

After our marriage and a move to Amherst, MA for me to complete my senior year of college, we joined First Baptist Church there. Rev. Dr. Jagger was our spiritual mentor and father in the faith for almost a year. In my first semester of my senior year I was sitting in our living reading the Bible and I heard in my mind the words. “You are going to be a Navy Chaplain.”  I knew it was God and said, “But God I don’t like (Navy) officers. But Okay if that’s what you want.” In February of my senior year I was interviewed by my denomination’s endorsing Rev. Jack Barker, and approved for military service.

Seminary

I matriculated at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in the fall of 1976 an economics graduate among many Bible School Graduates. There I was challenged and stretched as a student, part time youth worker, husband, father and Navy Chaplain Candidate. It was the best and worst of times considering that I rarely rested enough and didn’t feel ready to be a pastor.

Naval Chaplain School, Newport, RI

After my second year of seminary Sally and I packed our yellow Volkswagon beetle and headed for NTC Newport. During that time I was initiated into a culture of very bright, patriotic and God loving men and women who love our nation and its history in peace and war. Eight weeks of early morning exercise and 3 mile runs were almost daily duties prior to our eight hours of weekday instruction on ministry to Sailors, Marines and Coast Guard men and women. I absolutely loved that sometimes grueling exercise and always friendly conversations with peers.  After graduation we drove back to Seminary for my final years of theological training.

Out of Darkness into the Light Part 2

                                                          Part 2             

                                        Out of Darkness into the Light

By Dr. Alan N. Keiran

President and Co-Founder of

Dunamis International Ministries

The Vietnam Military Draft

In the fall of 1971 I was running out of money for college tuition even thought I had a great part-time job in a supermarket. In October of that year I was selected for compulsory service with #24 of 365…So, as a former Sea Scout and grandson of a United States Naval Academy graduate, I volunteered to enlist as a Naval Reserve Cryptologist. I headed or Great Lakes Navy Boot Camp in early January 1972 for eight weeks of general Navy training, followed by four months of cytological training. 

I was them assigned to a small Navy group stationed on a U.S. Air Force base in San Vito Italy. Again I attended to church occasionally and spent a lot of time alone. God was wooing me. One day I went to the base bookstore to get my monthly dirt-bike magazine and came out with a KJV Bible. Amazing how God gets a hold our hearts. I’d like to tell you that I read the Bible cover to cover during those long days, but I made to the end of Genesis….

I’d like to say that my days in Italy always italic, but being one the most junior sailors at that time was stressful and lonely. I went to church occasionally and hung out with a friend who loved to travel and ski so that was my main focus when not on watch in our spaces. In December 1973 I was picked to revert back to the Reserves. I reenrolled in college in January 1974 and met my wife, Sally, two days later in a history class.

Out of Darkness into the Light Part 1

Out of Darkness into the Light

By Dr. Alan N. Keiran

President and Co-Founder of

Dunamis International Ministries

 Part 1

Growing Up

I remember life in the Keiran family home as noisy, busy, and loving. As a child I participated in an historic Christian denomination as a church attender but never really felt that I fit in. I was “christened” in the church as a new born baby and later prepared for First Communion…As a child I heard God’s voice in my heart at seven years of age and had many conversations with him even though I didn’t understand how Jesus and the cross fit into the story of my live. As a teen I drifted away from weekly church attendance because I didn’t feel it was relevant even though I really believed that God was with me. My “church” was the ocean a few blocks from home. There I had many personal conversations with God as I walked along the shore.

Discovering the Darkness

This may stretch your faith, but I assure you that this is a true story. I commuted to and from College in Boston on a bus. It was a long ride every day. I was nineteen, more interested in girls than grades. I met a lady (who I’ll call Sandy”) when she sat beside me one evening going home. We went out to dinner a few times and hung out off and on. She was 2 years older than me and very mysterious in a provocative way. One night she invited me to play cards at her home. We were playing gin rummy when someone came to front door. A short long-haired blond man in jeans talked to “Sandy”, then left. I asked her about it but she said it was nothing.

We continued to play cards for about a half-hour when she abruptly picked and shuffled the deck. She picked up the first card and asked me guess what it was. “It’s red”…And it was red. No big deal, right? 50/50 odds. Then next card I “knew” in some way it was red, the next was a heart, after that a three more times the seventh card saw was the Jack of Clubs.  Spooky!!! I literally saw the cards in my mind when she drew them from the deck. Then, she said, “He’s here with us now.” I felt something looking at me turned my head to the left and literally “saw and felt” a black eight foot high evil presence coming towards me. I was terrified and jumped over a couch and out the door at breakneck speed. I jumped in my dad’s car and headed home shaking all the way. When I arrive at home my mom was sitting in the kitchen praying for me because she felt that I was in trouble. My parents never again talked to me about that night, but I discovered that there was a real presence of evil lurking about in our world. Six months later I heard that “Sandy” was involved in witchcraft. No kidding!! I thanks God for a praying mother. She’s still praying daily for our family.