Scripture
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
~Proverbs 11:30, NKJV
Quote
Soul winning should be the main pursuit of every true believer.
~Charles H. Spurgeon
I guess we could call this a parable based on actual events right here in Morgan County. I could give names but I don’t have permission so I will let one of the characters remain nameless. There was a young man who grew up in the Flint area in the 1950’s. He came from a very poor family and dropped out of school in the 8th grade. His life had no direction and very little promise. He spent his time working on old cars and just trying to survive. The first time I saw him was in the late 60’s and he was missing most of his teeth. His family never attended church but a local pastor took an interest in his life. He was very reluctant to talk to the preacher and really wanted to be left alone but the preacher was persistent: he kept coming back to the boys house. One day the young man was working on an old car. He had no idea that anyone was around but the next thing he knew, the preacher was under the car to talk to him. When the preacher spoke, it frightened him, he jumped just enough to burn his hand on a hot manifold pipe. Then he cursed. It was his natural response. The preacher was not offended by his language; he laid under the car on the dirt and talked to the young man about Jesus. It didn’t happen that same day but in time the preacher lead this uneducated, unkempt, and unpolished 17 teen year old to Jesus. Then he put him to work on buses which he used to pick up kids on Sunday. He mentored the boy, treated him like a son. We are talking about a kid who was rough around the edges; no education, no moral upbringing and completely ignorant of the bible. A couple of years later, the young man surrendered to the ministry. What could God do with a poor, unskilled, uneducated kid? Trust me, most folks did not see a diamond, they saw a gritty lump of cold but this preacher saw the young man’s potential and he talked him into getting his High School GED and then going to college. He got his college degree and then a seminary degree and then a doctorate. Yes, he also got his teeth fixed and became one of the most popular speakers in this area. He is retired now but he has served several churches as pastor, plus he was on staff at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for several years as their REGISTRAR. He finished his career as a DOM in a county just South of us.
I have no idea how many sermons he has preached or how many people he has influenced to Christ. I do know this: it all happened because one Baptist preacher loves lost souls and was willing to crawl in the dirt to share Jesus with a kid that no one thought would amount to a hill of beans. I will not tell you who the kid was without his permission but I will tell you that the preacher was Adam’s granddad, Alvin Tucker.
I attended Bro. Tuckers Celebration of Life Service yesterday and I was moved. It was a very good service. The kid in the story along with his wife sang “There Is A River.” I knew he could preach but I had no idea he could sing. Bro. Alvin’s oldest son Earnest brought the message and it was excellent. I know Bro. Tucker name and memory was honored and Jesus was exalted.
The good news is I had a safe trip, the bad news is that my knee swelled and it is not any better. I can still go and God willing I will preach Sunday but I will not be climbing ladders anytime soon.
GOLDEN GIRLS this morning.
Ty is in a basketball tournament in Moulton and Chloe Bug is in a T-ball tournament at Danville. Chloe Bug is a speedster; she can run the bases in less than an hour. The kid is a riot. Aunt T and Lexi are on the coaching staff. The team has more coaches than players but they need them.