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Wool Shed Kitchen - Copyright 2021 Maxwell Jefferies
Max's Blog
from the
shed floor
from the
shed floor
25th March 2025
My Life Story - episode 11 - Meeting the Creator, making new friends and new employment.
My Life Story - episode 11 - Meeting the Creator, making new friends and new employment.
History, heritage, biography.
Some images expand on click.
Some images expand on click.
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Stay tuned for Episode 12 - Max's 21st, outings and friends.
All the pre-wedding stuff.
Have an awesome day! Cheers, Max.
Stay tuned for Episode 12 - Max's 21st, outings and friends.
All the pre-wedding stuff.
Have an awesome day! Cheers, Max.
Blog Posts
Previous Index Next
Previous Index Next
Wool Shed Kitchen - Copyright 2021 Maxwell Jefferies
Max's Blog
from the shed floor
from the shed floor
Life was good for an older teenager, I had my new HD Premier car and a beautiful girl to share it with, that is, when I could see her without her dad knowing. She was 16 and I was 18. I knew she was a church goer every Sunday, but it never came up in our conversations, so it was no big deal... until it became a big deal.
Some faithful people would come way out of their way to pick up Ann for church on a Sunday morning and bring her home. Occassionally, she was given a lift to attend the youth group on a Friday night.
Ann attended the Bedford Gospel Chapel in Coode Street, Bedford, in the Morley/Bayswater area. The original chapel had a Sunday school extension built on the left side, a big youth hall on the back with some small classrooms on the back of that, and on the far left was the garage for the small bus used to pick up kids for youth group and outings (this garage was converted into an office later on).
Things were going pretty well for me at that stage, I had a regular job, a nice car, racing my stock car at Forrestfield Speedway on a Sunday, and crazy in love with a girl who was my best friend.
Then I got the "Dear John..." letter breaking up our relationship. I was stunned! She was saying that we had no future as she was a Christian and I was not and it wouldn't work out. She goes to church on a Sunday and I go to the car races. She wanted to follow the Bible in her life, so that was it. I confess it brought a young man to tears. So how did this change come about now after years of friendship and love? And what was all this Bible stuff about that she thought so important?
Then I got the "Dear John..." letter breaking up our relationship. I was stunned! She was saying that we had no future as she was a Christian and I was not and it wouldn't work out. She goes to church on a Sunday and I go to the car races. She wanted to follow the Bible in her life, so that was it. I confess it brought a young man to tears. So how did this change come about now after years of friendship and love? And what was all this Bible stuff about that she thought so important?
I met with Ann after work and she kept talking about the Bible and her life ahead would not be compatible with my secular lifestyle, so our love relationship needed to end. She said she had just attended a church camp at Jarrahdale (pictured) and as a believing follower of Jesus, she was challenged to obey scripture were it says, "do not be equally yoked with a non believer", as it does not work.
So we were done, and I went home very confused. That evening, in trying to figure out what was going on, I remembered that my mother had a Bible somewhere, and I asked her if I could borrow it. She was very suprised at the request and asked why I wanted it. I said just to read it, and she said, "Well, it won't do you any harm!" And it didn't.
So we were done, and I went home very confused. That evening, in trying to figure out what was going on, I remembered that my mother had a Bible somewhere, and I asked her if I could borrow it. She was very suprised at the request and asked why I wanted it. I said just to read it, and she said, "Well, it won't do you any harm!" And it didn't.
Before continuing,
you need to understand where my head was in the big questions of life: Where did we come from? Are we alone in the universe? Was there a Creator God or was evolution true?
I dare say most teenagers give very little thought to these questions or none. But it had crossed my mind on occasion as basicly I grew up pulling things apart to see how they were made, and exploring nature outdoors. I liked drawing things and was very good at tech drawing, wood work and metal work at high school. I had a very logical mind and appreciated design in things and nature, which sometimes led me to think that a designer created the things in nature and humans.
So when I got to high school and was told how humans evolved from monkeys, that came from amoeba, that came out of the soup in the dirt, my first though was, "This is rubbish!" I can see awesome design in nature everywhere, but I had no idea how it all happened or why, and there was no Google to ask back then!
So let me continue my story....
you need to understand where my head was in the big questions of life: Where did we come from? Are we alone in the universe? Was there a Creator God or was evolution true?
I dare say most teenagers give very little thought to these questions or none. But it had crossed my mind on occasion as basicly I grew up pulling things apart to see how they were made, and exploring nature outdoors. I liked drawing things and was very good at tech drawing, wood work and metal work at high school. I had a very logical mind and appreciated design in things and nature, which sometimes led me to think that a designer created the things in nature and humans.
So when I got to high school and was told how humans evolved from monkeys, that came from amoeba, that came out of the soup in the dirt, my first though was, "This is rubbish!" I can see awesome design in nature everywhere, but I had no idea how it all happened or why, and there was no Google to ask back then!
So let me continue my story....
Just picure this, here I am with the Bible, the old King James Version, with the 'thees' and 'thous', and the 'whenst comest thou' etc., and one of my last spelling tests at high school I got 3% correct! It was going to be tough.
Having no idea what the Bible was about, I started reading at the front, as you do for any book, and it was just what I needed. The first few verses read:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning-the first day."
So I managed to get through 3 or 4 chapters that night and accepted that the LORD God created all things and told us about it. So there you go, it made perfect, logical sense. The human eye could not develope over time, it was created at one time with the rest of the body, or it does not make sense.
Having no idea what the Bible was about, I started reading at the front, as you do for any book, and it was just what I needed. The first few verses read:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning-the first day."
So I managed to get through 3 or 4 chapters that night and accepted that the LORD God created all things and told us about it. So there you go, it made perfect, logical sense. The human eye could not develope over time, it was created at one time with the rest of the body, or it does not make sense.
So I met with Ann after work the next day and told her that I had started reading the Bible, and had started at Genesis chapter 1. She was a bit taken back, and told me I should be reading the Gospel of John. So that evening I read the first few chapters which started as:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Never been to church by my own free will and no one had told me anything about God, yet I had accepted the Lord God as creator, and now knew Jesus was my Saviour. I had a problem in that I wanted to go to church but knew everyone would think that I was going along to keep the girl! But I didn't care, I just wanted to find out more about who this Jesus was.
I was pleased to find a very strong young people's group there, and a leadership enthusiastic about making young disciples of Christ. Plus they had an awsome Friday night youth club, youth camps at times through the year, a combined churches youth get-together in Perth a few times per year, and a regular Sunday afternoon Bible study of around 30 teens. It was a great time to be a follower of Jesus.
For me, I couldn't put the Bible down, and in the first year I had read the whole Bible through once, and the New Testament again. I just wanted to know who this Jesus was, and how he deals with mankind. As an older teen, reading the old King James Bible taught me excellent english spelling and sentence construction. A great side benefit.
I was pleased to find a very strong young people's group there, and a leadership enthusiastic about making young disciples of Christ. Plus they had an awsome Friday night youth club, youth camps at times through the year, a combined churches youth get-together in Perth a few times per year, and a regular Sunday afternoon Bible study of around 30 teens. It was a great time to be a follower of Jesus.
For me, I couldn't put the Bible down, and in the first year I had read the whole Bible through once, and the New Testament again. I just wanted to know who this Jesus was, and how he deals with mankind. As an older teen, reading the old King James Bible taught me excellent english spelling and sentence construction. A great side benefit.
My life changed in so many ways since starting to read the Bible. For someone who only ever had one mate in my school years and mid-teens, I was now part of a close core group of over 30 young people. We learnt what serving Jesus was on Sunday afternoon and put it into practice through the week. Our Friday Youth Night had around 200 kids on a normal games night, and up to 350 on an outings night. The core group would run the whole night and supply supper, with our youth pastor supervising.
As one of the older core group members, I drove the small bus to pick up kids that had no transport and take them back home. After the youth night finished, some would head out to get hamburgers and spend another few hours messing around town or at the beach.
Ann was not a part of this youth core group at church as her dad would not allow her out very much, so I only saw her occassionly.
As one of the older core group members, I drove the small bus to pick up kids that had no transport and take them back home. After the youth night finished, some would head out to get hamburgers and spend another few hours messing around town or at the beach.
Ann was not a part of this youth core group at church as her dad would not allow her out very much, so I only saw her occassionly.
EBR - Every Boys Rally was similar to Rally Endeaver or Boys Scouts.
These skinny legs belonged to me as Captain Jefferies, pictured at a combined Rally camp a CYC Lake Cooloongup Campsite at Baldivis.
These skinny legs belonged to me as Captain Jefferies, pictured at a combined Rally camp a CYC Lake Cooloongup Campsite at Baldivis.
Rally boys on a weekend camp near Mandurah.
The Bedford Every Boys Rally had a week long camp down South, setting up a camp for a few days at Sues Bridge, then heading over to Albany, camping at a local church members home, one that looked like a castle. Leaders were John Wearne, our Commander, assisted by Peter Brown, and myself (the tall bearded guy).
Every Boy's Rally (EBR) is an organization that aims to provide support and community for boys and young men, focusing on personal development, leadership skills, and positive relationships. While the specifics of the organization can vary by location and programming, the overarching goal is often to foster a supportive environment where boys can learn and grow together, tackling challenges such as peer pressure, self-esteem, and social responsibility. It is sponsored by the Christian Brethren / Community Churches of Australia church denomination.
Martin, Ann, Ted jnr. Kerry and Lynette, with parents Ted and Elaine, at their Rivervale home.
Ann was working at the West Perth branch of the Bank of New South Wales, and had drifted away from the church and christian things. She started dating a young guy from her work at the bank. (Another work mate, Alan, did a photo shoot and the two images below are his shots).
Susan and Pamela Lane were Ann's close friends and attended our church, so they became my friends as well, with me picking them up for youth events and camps. When Ann was no longer on the scene, I had more of an interest in Sue as a special friend.
I bought a ski boat that had a red Holden engine in it, driven by a prop. I bought a single-stage Hamilton jet unit and converted it into a jet boat - it was awesome, and could fly over 2 inches of water and turn at full speed in its own boat length. It could be put into reverse at any speed and come to a dead stop within a boat length or two.
I spray painted my white HD Holden Premier a metalic maroon colour at my school mate Peter's dad's garage in Ashfield, and then put wide steel rims on. The car is pictured on the front lawn of my then girlfriend's, Valerie, front lawn. That friendship was short lived.
Ann had stopped coming to church and had broken off the relationship, and was going out with a guy from her bank branch for awhile. I had two camp girlfriends, but never saw them again.
Ann had stopped coming to church and had broken off the relationship, and was going out with a guy from her bank branch for awhile. I had two camp girlfriends, but never saw them again.
But young love shall prevail, and we were soon engaged to be married. That changed her dad's tune. I even got inside her house on occassions. It was about a six month engagement, and Ann now became a regular part of the core youth group at church.
Pictured is my car at the end of a Christmas youth camp at CYC Lake Cooloongup canpsite. Our church had a big part in the maintenance and operation of the camp, as we had two builders in our congregation who did a lot of work down there for free. They also were on the governing board and helped run many of the camps during the year.
Most of these camps were open to all the Christian Brethern Assemblies in Western Australia, so you were able to meet and make friends with lots of teens across the Perth region. I joined the camp team as a cabin leader, as did many of our core group at Bedford Chapel.
We did some pretty crazy things at camp and youth nights back then before all the "safety" regulations came into effect. It was awesome!
Most of these camps were open to all the Christian Brethern Assemblies in Western Australia, so you were able to meet and make friends with lots of teens across the Perth region. I joined the camp team as a cabin leader, as did many of our core group at Bedford Chapel.
We did some pretty crazy things at camp and youth nights back then before all the "safety" regulations came into effect. It was awesome!
I joined the EBR as a leader, working with young boys and had some awesome camps during that time. A week camp travelling down south, but the best camp was on the north end of Garden Island for a week. I borrowed my dad's boat for the week and we set up tents in the bush overlooking the water, and one day the senior leader borrowed a sailing yacht and I was amazed at how powerful the wind is. Awesome!
Around this time I was working for a guy from our church installing ducted airconditioning in homes and offices. This white Kombi was supplied from work, but I later bought a brand new blue Kombi. At times we would use a huge crane to lift the a/c unit into the roof, but other times as pictured, we had a hoist and moved it by hand. I usually worked on my own, but teamed up with the two other installers when we needed more muscle.
While Ann was off wandering, I was not going to let her go that easy, and kept writing her letters about what the youth group was up to, how things were going with me, and reminding her of her commitment to her Saviour, Jesus. She eventually returned to church, and her being older, did not need her dad's permission any longer. And of course, I would pick her up from her home. Her dad was not happy, and one day I almost punched his face for being so nasty.
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