I’m a salesman and a part time chaplain to the trucking
industry. This is a true story.
Three days after 9//11, 2001 I was on my way to Destin Fl.
for the annual convention of the Tennessee Trucking Association where I planned
to launch Hope Haulers, a family of services to and through the trucking
industry Upon arrival I wasn’t surprised to find everyone talking about 9/11.
When I spoke with the association president he asked me if I would deliver the
opening prayer. I said I would.
When I stood up in
front of the convention, and I hadn’t planned this, I said, “looking out at
your faces I see some of you are wondering what is going on in the world and
others of you look worried. I might feel the same way if it wasn’t for my faith
and knowing my destiny. I believe God has us all here for a reason and if any
of you have uncertainty in your life and are anxious see me before you leave
this conference.”
Two hundred and fifty people came up to talk with me over
the next three days.
Shortly after returning to Nashville I went to the chapel at
the truck stop in Antioch to pick up some tools that I left there before going
to Florida and to
talk with Chaplain Doug. A young man came in and started
asking the chaplain questions. The nature of the questions told me I should
retreat to the chaplain’s quarters and pray for Doug while he talks with the
man. I could hear the chaplain making
progress when a lady truck driver comes in and interrupts the conversation. I
came out and suggest that the lady and I go next door to the restaurant. She is
angry with God and unloads on me. We talk for more than an hour and she calms
down. I realize I have to leave and I give her my cell number and head back to
the chapel to pickup my tools.
The chapel is empty and I wonder how Doug made out with the
young man. As I walk out of the chapel with my tools I notice a truck waiting
to pull up to the fuel isle but there is no truck in front of it. The driver is
just staring straight ahead.
I yell, “hey trucker
you can move up.” No response, the driver stares straight ahead.
I walk over and jump up on his rail. “You ok?”
The driver slowly moves his head and says he is waiting for
his wife who is in the restaurant. Then he adds, “I’m a mess.”
I tell him to pull around and park and to meet me in the
chapel. I drop my tools in my truck and I spot
Doug in the restaurant. He tells me he had a good talk with
the young man and has scheduled a follow up tomorrow. Together we go into the
chapel and
pray for the man in the truck.
After a few minutes, he comes into the chapel. “You have
something heavy weighing you down?” He nods. I ask, “are you a Christian?”
“Sorta.”
“Did you ever accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?”
“Sorta.”
“Let’s address sorta. What do you mean by sorta?”
He tells me that he was kicked out of his house when he was
15, moved into the home of a pastor and his wife. He lived in the basement for
a few years and that is when he “sorta” heard about the Lord.
.
“I find a good starting point is getting right with the
Lord, would you like to do that,” I ask?
“OK, how do I do that?”
“Go for it! Just start praying.”
There is a long silence. He starts to sweat.
I say, “Tracey there is a battle going on right now over
you. If it is alright with you I’ll put my hands on you and I’ll pray over your
body. Are you comfortable with this?” He says, “Yeah.”
After two minutes of
prayer he opens up and there is a stream of confession, repentance and
acceptance of Jesus as his Lord and Savior. We all rejoice. He tells us that
the gal waiting in his truck is not his wife but his live in girlfriend.
“I need to get right with that. When she came out of the
restaurant with our food she wanted to leave. I told her I had to go to the
chapel. She said I’ll wait here.” He looks at me and says, “When I saw you go
into the chapel I wondered if you were the chaplain. When I saw you come out I
hoped you would come over. When you spoke I couldn’t move my head it was like
it was frozen.”
Then he says, “I’m an owner operator. I’ve lost my job, I’m
behind in my payments and I’m broke, I had a spot all picked out one and half
hours up the road where I was going to drive off and end it all. Then you
jumped up on my truck.”
Nashville, Tennessee
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