Urgent Prayer Needed

Well, I find myself asking you guys for prayer once again. Some of you may remember my Facebook post about my dad a while back and some of you may already know the situation. However, for most of you, this will be new. I will provide minimal background as to post the details would probably harm a number of people, including family. Different people heal differently and some things just can’t be discussed in such an open manner. Though I myself have zero problems discussing the most detailed and dirty aspects of my life, in this case, it involves the private and close-to-the-heart issues of other people’s lives. Thus, wisdom demands that I keep silent on those things; though I would much rather share the full gloriousness of what Christ has done in my life.

The minimal background is that my dad has done some of the most despicable things imaginable. He lives in a world of self-deception so dark and twisted that he no longer has a point of reference for reality. As he once advised me, the only way to be a successful liar is to, at least partially, believe the lie yourself. The problem is that when these lines are crossed, “North” no longer exists. For him, it is a coping mechanism to deal with guilt.

Unfortunately for him, he grew up around the church, rejecting and becoming numb to the Gospel. He knows the text of the Bible better than many Christians and has enough intellect left (after much alcohol) to debate fairly well. My point is that he has convinced himself that he is a Christian. Well-meaning, but spineless Christians have catered to him. Others are simply ignorant of the scriptures, which declare that if we claim to have fellowship with Christ, yet walk in darkness, we are liars (1 John 1.6); for what fellowship hath light with darkness?! Anyway, I do not mean to go on about that, but some of you are bound say to yourself, “man, this guy is claiming to know the condition of another man’s heart… how arrogant!” Yet, in that, you judge me and discount many of the New Testament teachings. Thus, I have included this info.

My point is that I have been witnessing to my dad for about five years now, VERY strongly for the last year or so. He called me for (I believe) the first time since eighth grade a while back, in the middle of a crisis (this is major!). Since then, he and I have spoken several times. In our last conversation, he requested that I visit him this summer (I can’t tell you how odd this is). With my schedule, that would mean that I would make the visit the week of July 30. It also means that I would be missing about a week of work, which means losing around $800-$1000, which is not something I can afford; yet what is that compared to the value of a person’s soul?! Thus, my bank account may demand the work, but Forever demands a faithful witness to a truly lost sheep. If not then, perhaps on the first break from school.
I am asking that you guys would please pray for wisdom, discernment, and ultimately a move of the Spirit of Christ. My dad could have one of the most incredible testimonies I’ve ever heard, if only he would come to Christ instead of falsely trusting in fire-insurance.

A Broken Down Truck and Jesus

Hey, it is going to take me a little bit to set this one up and it may seem like pointless rambling, but PLEASE bear through til the end… God is SO good!



Well… as some of you know (and many of you don’t), I am back in SC for the summer working for my old company Palmetto Residential Electric. I love this job and especially this company. God is SO good to have given me such a wonderful, Christian boss. It is also SO good to come back after a year and a half of working elsewhere and be received with (literal) open arms and still held in the same respect (or better) as you left with (at least from those that are still there, the other don’t know me). Simply being able to be “acknowledged as” and “held in esteem as” an electrician is refreshing. I know that I know my stuff, but in KY that doesn’t matter unless you are a part of the “good ole boy” system… but that is a rant for another day :) Anyway, on I ramble… One of the great blessings of coming home (and the purpose for the above rabbit chase) is that my boss ALWAYS makes sure that I have a truck right away. We drive these company trucks home and to the job site, which means that we don’t pay gas or have to worry about nail-holes in our tires.

Now to get to the point of this whole fist section… I have been driving back and forth from Charleston to the Hilton Head, SC / Savannah GA area where my company has a new shop (and thus needs help). So, I’ve been driving “my truck” up and down the highways. The other day I was bragging that though that truck is one of the worst on gas, it is one of the best trucks mechanically… that it had served well for a long time and was still running strong.

Well… as you may have guessed, we broke down. It was Friday and I had a helper with me and we were heading back to Charleston (under time constraints) in order to be able to pick up our paychecks before the weekend. Now, for the record, this truck has been reliable mechanically, but other things (such as the a/c, the gas gauge and so on, quit working some time ago - and also BTW, I don’t know what it is with me and vehicles that don’t have air!). That said, I have to keep track of the mileage in order to know when to fill up. I usually fill up at 350 and the trip meter was as 289. As we passed a gas station (it was the grace of God that this happened at the only gas station within about an hour and a half), the truck started revving down and we coasted to a stop. I thought it was way too early for gas, but walked to the gas station and got a gallon… still wouldn’t start. Anyway, to skip the details I have been told I include way too much, it would have been a three hour wait (at least) to be towed or picked up. Yet, God is faithful and another mechanic was heading our way (also to go back to Charleston). Thus, he picked us up and we were on our way.

Now, you may be wondering why I’m boring you with all of this stuff… Ok, I could tell you about being a witness in the way that I handled everything and so on, and it is true. However, the long ride back provided some interesting conversation. I listened and tried to be interested as they talked of Mexican dancing bars and drinking and so on, and once in a while chimed in where it was appropriate (such as dancing – thanks Bryant). We dropped off the helper and went to the shop, loaded some wire, and so on. Then, he started asking me about myself (since he had started since I left) and about school (yes, we (seminarians) all know this awkward moment as we wait to see how they will react). He then started asking me all kinds of questions from Christian history to sin issues. I was so excited and surprised. Yes, I know I shouldn’t have been surprised, but rarely does the Lord “hand me someone on a silver platter” that way (hah!, take that Herodias!!!). Anyway, we probably sat in that truck for about 2 hours and he was SO close… he was peering into the pool, but just not quite willing to jump in. He was hung up where so many are, thinking that he must first clean up his life and then come to Jesus. He had no problem admitting that he was sinful and that he didn’t follow Jesus, per se (though he didn’t want to seem worse than anyone else). He felt that Jesus was real and that he was probably the answer, but he wasn’t sure if he could “give up” the “guilty pleasures” in life. There was the bottom line. The beautiful thing to this is that he realizes that there is obligation and duty (which is something that we Christians could sometimes learn from), that commitment is required. I commended him on this understanding and then discussed that coming to Christ is a matter of coming “as is” and that Christ through the Holy Spirit would change his desires… that it is no longer “I can’t,” but “I no longer desire.” Another really exciting thing from this conversation is that he can remember specific times (well, at least one OTHER specific time) that he KNEW the Spirit of God was reaching out to him!!! Folks, that was his terminology, not mine… he actually reached out his hand, emulating the way he felt God calling him. Though I didn’t shrink from the truth, I did not end this conversation with a specific challenge, something some may scold me for, as I felt that the Spirit was working on him and, at least for the moment, it was better to leave it there. I just gave him a general challenge and encouraged him to continue to meditate upon these things and to listen to the Spirit. He thanked me for being willing to talk with him and answer questions and not just “get in his face and tell him he was going to hell” (though, again, I did discuss hell and the destiny of all who are not in Christ, just not in a judging manner). I thanked him for the conversation and assured him that he was not bothering me (he was genuinely worried that I would be annoyed by all the questions), and that I LIVED for conversations like this. We parted ways, committing to talk again (but by this time it was late and we were both very tired).

So, what’s my point in this post… am I going to write about every single witnessing encounter? Well, the answer is no, I am not going to write about all of them. My point is two-fold. My first point is that this is the first full gospel presentation (note: not full-gospel :) I have had the privilege of being a part of since being back home. That said, my true first point is to ask you guys to pray for Craig as the Spirit is mightily at work in him right now and for me as I seek to be a wise and willing signpost. My second point is to bring the ministry here to your mind with a real example and ask you to pray for more opportunities and for spiritual fruit.

May the Lord reap in His harvest and may I be a faithful laborer!