Truck Stop Newbie

Jeff Wurtham (not sure about spelling) went out with me to the Pilot truck stop Thursday night. It started out by him coming to my house a little late but still in fine time. As I opened the garage door drops of rain started coming down. By the time we hit 170 it was flood type rain. My mind was at ease because I knew Jeff needed to talk. We arrived at the truck stop only to sit and wait for the downpour to stop. About 40 minutes later it did. Jeff I loved our chat. I told Jeff who has the ability to witness to anyone. I gave him the "big skinny" of what to watch out for and how to approach the trucks. Just little tid bits to be more fortunate out there.
I told Jeff I would be stopping at the truck I pointed to because I noticed the trucker looking at us. I told Jeff the plan and he went on. The first guy I talked to lasted 40 minutes. By the time I caught up with Jeff, he was talking with a trucker. The trucker was inside his cab, Jeff looking in. Instead of going over there I took off to other trucks. I found a guy who probably, maybe, possibly wanted to shrink and die once he started to listen to me.
He was established with his family in a Presbyterian church in SC somewhere. I asked him after I chit chatted if he knew the Gospel. He didn't. I told him that I didn't know his heart and to allow me to explain it to him. He said ok. As soon as I asked him about the dreaded 7th commandment his whole complexion changed. He started out as someone sure about himself then turned to slumped shoulders and looking down a bit. The 7th hit him hard, especially telling him that not only is the act of the 7th wrong but the looking and the pattern of induldging in those things of pictures. Not sure though that my judgment is right but it can't be far off.
Again after getting to know the man better than most would and taling to him in far more candid language than most, I begin unpacking the love of the Saviour Jesus Christ. Under His pain and suffering we can approach the throne of God if we repent turn to Him forsake all that we know and do now to follow Him. Leave no drop of sin behind to meddle in your relationship with Him because Christ left no drop of His precious blood for you.
I left the man after about 30 minutes of conversation to meet up with Jeff. Jeff was still talking with the same man. I think Jeff should have watched the travel channel before leaving his house becuase he was being led down these things called rabbit trails. Rabbit trails lead to one place only, exhaustion. Poor Jeff, he talked to a hard one.

Great words from Christ:
10On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

Catching up

Last week a couple of us went to the Paul McCartney concert. It was held at the now famous Cowboy stadium arena. I for one am proud of what Jerry Jones did for us. He raised 1.5 billion dollars to gather people several times throughout the year so that we could gather together for our witnessing events. Incredible! Jerry we appreciate it.

Back at the Paul concert, Jerry was able to pull in about 60 thousand people to hear one man sing catchy songs.

You can see here that Pual is an up and comer. He looks like he should be doing grandpa things unless rock concerts are grandpa things.

I'm sure a lot of Christians take great pride to let others know of their love for Paul. I do not. Here are a few less than intelligent quotes from Sir Paul: “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” “Think globally, act locally” “Something like George passing, it makes you think, `God things are so impermanent: suddenly there's this little friend of mine, he used to get on the bus, and now he's passed away.' There's that whole lifetime of a friendship that physically has ended, not emotionally.” “The issues are the same. We wanted peace on earth, love, and understanding between everyone around the world. We have learned that change comes slowly.” Besides these quotes outside his music, listen to his music to hear the mind of Paul.

Paul at the least is agnostic if not atheistic. Paul is a sinner that will answer one night to perfect all wise God. He will understand that all the work he did to entertain people to persuade people was nothing but a boat load of pigeon poop at most. The creator Jesus Christ who has given the very clothes Paul wears, the guitar he plays, and his mind, Christ gave it to him to praise Him and glorify Him. Paul chooses instead to glorify himself, to bring glory to himself, therefor removing the crown of glory from Christ's brow to put it on himself; blasphemy! Blasphemy while persuading others to do the same. God has given him and millions like him over to themselves in their own destruction.

Read Romans 1:16 to the end.

Now for the short part. While Tom was doing an open air sermon, I started to talk to an Iranian named Ali. Ali was very closed to say the least. Right from the start of our conversation though Ali said he had read the Bible 3 times. I asked what he didn't like about it. That question was the focus of our approx. hour and a half conversation with good part of it with Tom.

Ali hated the fact of why people die in so many ways while God "sits back and says, so what?"

Ali also knew that alah was not the right way to believe. Ali had lot's of questions outside the above one but it just came back to "why".

I went through the Law and the Cross. I contridicted things he said by showing him what Christ said in the scriptures. Ali said he searched for God, I pointed to Romans 3:10 +.

I showed him what Chist's main focus was after the tower of Siloam fell. Luke 13 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Ali showed all kinds of evidence to the flesh of repentance. Ali had tears coming down twice in our chat. We be pleaded with him to read these things again to read 1 John more than once. We told him Christ would not hear his prayers but somehow would hear his cries for mercy for God to save him from his sin.

Pray for Ali to be born again.

THREE HOURS of THE GOSPEL in a TRUCK

As you know by know I make it part of my week to go out to the Pilot truck stop at i35 and 170. (I live in Keller Texas). This is where over 300 tractor trailers park every night of the week. For the past 3 weeks I havn't written anything about my ventures. Let me catch up from the last 3 weeks. Again I put names in here with notes about each for my edification and rememberance. I don't like to forget those I talk to but I must admit I can't record everyone.

Emmit was sitting in a patio chair outside his rig. I approached him with my tract to say here you go Im giving these gospel tracts away. Emmit hesitated (great start) after looking at the tract when I asked him if he went to church anywhere. Not as much as he would like was his answer. After a few more questions leading into the gospel, I asked what he knew about God. He says something like, do you know God has 99 attibutes...

Emmit took off like a missle as though he knew what he was talking about, he didn't. After surrounding my argument with "trying to be righteous is like taking a gun without a scope and hitting an aspirin 1000 yards away". I asked Emmit if he could accomplish that. No he nodded.

Emmit understood after 20 minutes what a sinner he was and that if God were to come today he would be going to hell. He also understood the importance of repentence, trust in Christ alone for his sins to be expiated. Emmit thanked me, so off to another truck I went.

I helped a guy park his rig by hand signals. Drivers can do a good job on their own but parking can be easier if someone spots the driver's trailer end for him to make sure he parks between the trucks without hitting them. After 5 minutes of parking I felt like I "earned the right" (Joke, ha ha) to talk to Tim. I don't earn anything, Christ earned everything by creating everything, things seen and not seen He created all things. Christ gave me the right to talk to whomever I want about the gospel. Tim was a heavy set man, big, large man, oh very big man. I held up my tract for him to take so he took it. I found out he used to attend church but not anymore. In short Tim said he was a "backslider" *&&*(^, sorry that was me choking up a huge one after I spelled backslider.

• What do say now
• Can't let it get away
• He's a friendly fellow
• I can't hurt his feelings can I?
• I need to stay relevant
• ENOUGH

Nevertheless, the gospel has teeth and Tim must not hear only squishy mushy things. He must hear the full counsel of the gospel. I told him there was no such thing as backsliding out of being a Christian. Christ saves to the uttermost. All that the Father has given His Son, He loses none of them. Christ doesn't redeem then unredeem, save then unsave, make just then make unjust. If He did that He would have to collect all His blood He lost on the cross. No way. Backsliding is nothing but false conversion or no conversion.

Tim was nice enough he said not to kick me off his truck. So in the end I left Tim in an uncomfortable state of agitation. He still shook my hand and said thank you. Tim knows the gospel now.

Let me skip over Gary the dog walker and a false baptist convert and Ernesta (cool name) a true false convert. Her conscience bothered her enough that she thought her paperwork was more important all of a sudden. Skip too, John and Misty. Although they claimed to be christians I asked if they were married, "not yet" was the answer to the adultery question. They sleep in the same truck spend all day together, eat together, not a good wholesome situation.

I came to the truck of Charlie and Marissa Ybarra a real married couple that didn't claim christianity. After holding up my tract to Charlie he rolled down his window to take it with a little snarl in his attitude. Praise God for Snarly people. He took the tract, I started asking if he went to church, and did he know what was on the other side after he died. After about 5 minutes of talking he asked if I would like to come in. Sure, I said. Picture this, the cab full of cigarettes, stink, rosary beads on the mirror, a strip club ad on his shirt, he was tatooed from head to whatever, a red light for a calming mood. I found out his wife, Marissa was listening to me while I was outside. So there I sit in the drivers seat, Charlie in the passenger seat, and Marissa in the back bed type of seat. Did I say it stunk? Cigarette smoke. I must say though, they never lit one up while I was in there.

I arrived at the truckstop about 7:30 pm, talked to Gary and Ernesta for about 30 minutes total. So about 8 pm I arrived at the truck of Charlie and Marissa. It was almost 11pm before I saw the clock after getting into my truck to go home. Folks, that's about 3 hours inside the cab of a truck talking to Charlie and Marissa about the gospel. Charlie had questions about his rosary beads, his tatoos, his uncle who lived like satan through the week and like an angel on Sunday. Both Charlie and Marissa were listening to everything I said about the commandments, the cross, repentance, turning from their way to Christ's way, a changed heart from a heart of stone, living for Christ alone. I told them that no priest had the power to forgive sins only Christ alone.

Before leaving, Charlie said he thought he was ready to "recieve Christ". I told him I really appreciated the attitude he had about the things I told him. But getting saved is up to Christ alone. I told him I could not tell him that he was saved or that he was not saved. I told him to get a bible (I usually have an extra one but didn't this time) and read 1 John. In there are the birth marks of a Christian, to read this several times. It's a short book. If Christ is speaking to your heart right now then the words of Christ will make sense. I told Charlie, Christ would open his eyes, ears, mind to understand His words. I said please beg him for mercy so that He would show himself to you and Marissa. He would save you if you plead with Him.

Praise God, Charlie was not even going to open his window to me at first. He cussed at me telling his wife, who the bleep is this? I didn't hear it, he told me as I was leaving he had said it. I'm just an ambassador of Jesus Christ who used to be dung. Now am useful for His kingdom.

1Cr 2:4
and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,