That's what she said when she called. "We can't afford to lose you!"

As clearly as I can remember, her call came in at about 10:30 a.m. that first Friday morning in August 1975. That's a very long time ago. And you could ask "Why was what she said so important? Why do you remember it to this day?" It was important because when I understood what she was really saying, I was challenged to the core of my being. Let me explain.

In my first book, Betrayed!, I pointed out that I accepted Jesus as my Messiah at about 7:15 a.m. on July 3rd, 1975. And by August 1975 the word had spread. I didn't take out any ads in the Washington Post. I didn't go on radio or TV with the announcement. But somehow the word had gotten around that "Stan Telchin has been born again. He now calls himself a Messianic Jew, but he's really a 'Christian.'"

Surely you've heard it said: "It's not what you know that counts. It is who you know!" Sometimes it isn't even who you know that counts. It is a matter of who knows you.

The lady who called, let's call her Shirley, wasn't a close friend of mine. Rather, we were colleagues. She was a Chartered Life Underwriter. So was I. She was a member of the Million Dollar Round Table. So was I. We would always greet each other with a warm "Hi" whenever we met and our relationship was very cordial. But we were more than colleagues. Shirley was also Jewish and for a number of years we had worked together on various boards of Jewish organizations in and around Washington. Rather than the professional basis of our friendship, it was the Jewishness we shared that prompted her to make the call that Friday morning.

And I've got to tell you, I was taken aback. I said something like, "What are you talking about Shirley? What do you mean by 'We can't afford to lose you?' What are you saying?"

To which she replied, "You know what I mean! Let me ask you directly ... is what I hear true?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. What have you heard", I asked.

"Come on Stan. Don't try to be cute with me! Is it true that you have become a Christian?"

How was I supposed to answer this queston? Was I supposed to get involved with semantics? Was I supposed to say "No that isn't true! I haven't become a 'Christian'! I've become a Messianic Jew!

Those thoughts raced through my head as I felt the iciness of her voice. I'm not sure of what I actually said, but I think it was

"Now wait a minute, Shirley. If you are asking if it is true that I now believe that Jesus is our Messiah, then the answer is yes. But you haven't lost me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm the same guy I've always been. I'm still Jewish!" I stopped to catch my breath. There was a long pause. And then Shirley again said:

"Oh Stan, this is terrible. We really can't afford to lose you. Won't you reconsider what you have done?"

Another long pause. And then I said, "Shirley, I've done a lot of studying and a lot of soul searching and I truly believe that Jesus is our Messiah. If that doesn't sit well with you, I'm sorry."

At that, and without a goodbye, Shirley hung up.