It was a black and white TV back in those days. We lived too far out in Real Texas to get any color channels and I’m not sure there were any color channels even available back then.
We would get home from church and Oral Roberts would be on TV. It was a black and white TV and the screen was probably 12″ to 15″. Pretty good for 
those days. I was fascinated sitting there watching the screen while Oral Roberts was shouting excitedly on the broadcast and he slapped one lady in the head and exclaimed she was healed! She fell over and some men caught her before she hit the floor of the stage.
Dang, I thought. This man is a miracle worker. This lady, who could not walk two steps a minute ago, got up and walked across the stage where the TV church services were held. She danced a little jig and hopped on one foot. It was all pretty impressive.
I saw then that Oral Roberts had a direct line to the healing powers of God and he displayed that connection and those powers on a black and white TV so many years ago. It also kinda scared me a little. What if he knew what I was thinking? Could he call down a plague or something on me?
It was an impressive performance to a young west Texas boy back then. I sat there wide eyed and open mouthed watching a black and white TV just taking it all in and thinking…..this man has the actual direct line to Gawd!
That’s just the way we pronounced it, not a blasphemous slur of any kind.
He credited his oratorical skills to his faith, saying, “I become anointed with God’s word, and the spirit of the Lord builds up in me like a coiled spring. By the time I’m ready to go on, my mind is razor-sharp. I know exactly what I’m going to say and I’m feeling like a lion.”
Oral Roberts passed onto his reward recently. For all I knew he had been dead for a long time already. He was 91. About the same age as my dad, had my dad lived a few more years.
He was impressive back then to a small town Real Texas boy watching a black and white TV.
But, I wonder if he went to Heaven?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
If he repented of his sins & asked Jesus to come into his life ( & he really meant it , ) Then YES !! Of course he is in Heaven , I believe he loved the Lord with all his heart . He may or may not have done the right thing in his way of Ministry but God is the judge of his life not us , All of us have to stand in front of the judgement seat of Christ one day & give a answer for our lives , but if we repent & ask Jesus into our lives & we are serious about it , God say he remembers our sins no more , I do believe this man was sincere & loved the Lord & I trully believe HE IS IN HEAVEN,, & one day when I leave this earth because of my walk with Jesus & asking Jesus into my life & living for him ,, I will see Jesus My Savior ( first of all ) & many others & I do believe I will see Oral Roberts there ,
I too, watched the miracles of Mr Roberts when I was a young man in high school. I remember, at one time he was selling small vials of his Miracle Holy Water dipped from his blessed fountain. Some news agency investigated and asked if the vials were really filled from the fountain. He replied “absolutely, each and every one”. They then asked where the water in the fountain came from and he replied “from the water faucet, of course”.,
AAhhhhh, we were easily entertained by the Mysterious Box.
When we first got our TV set, it only came on at 5:00 pm and you could watch “I love Lucy” and “December Bride” starring Spring Byington, broght to us by Maxwell House Coffee, “Good to the last drop”. On Friday at 7:00pm we got to watch “rasslin”, My friends father, Raymond Clark, would actually get so caught up in the match, that you could not sit next to him for fear of getting hurt. He would always wind up on the floor, as he would throw himself off the sofa, not just once, but several times per match.
Who among you have taken a short nap in your easy chair and wake up staring at the “Test Pattern”?
Aaahhh, yes those are the great memories of a great time!
Dale
gosh David, being a Real Texas human being, I thought the same as you did. how could slapping someone up side the head make them feel better?
my dad came from Arkansas to work in the oilfield. he wound up working for El Paso Natural Gas. and we lived in the pasture in a camp in Midkiff Texas. when I reported to him I felt bad, the black draught came out, or some other god forsaken remedy. it was declared by this country doctor what I needed was a “cleaning out”. and I took this “medicine” by the gallon.
seriously it did not matter if I had the mumps, polio, rickets, or what ever fatal disease that was ravaging my poor little body, the remedy was always the same.
it was not long that I learned that while watching bro. roberts that I could lay my hands on the t.v. that I could be healed.
and I do not know if that exercise or the thought of having to take some black draught,…..I got to feeling better.