Today as I approached the fishing pier, I had a conversation with God, telling Him that I was more than ready to share the good news of the gospel with someone – anyone.

“Father, I am more than willing to share the gospel with anyone you will to hear it. Put this person in my path that I might fulfill my mandate today. Thank you for the great privilege and confidence you’ve placed in me to be on the front lines of this spiritual battle…. Amen.”

With that, I continued my journey to the center of the pier where I had determined to have a light lunch I had picked up earlier. I had always found seating on the two picnic benches in the pavilion at the center of the pier. Today it was packed with people, so I walked to the other side, where behind the concession stand is a narrow walkway you can fish from facing south. It’s a place I had never used, but because it was shaded and hardly ever used by anyone, I went there. Sure enough, except for one young man. So I made my way to the center and began to have lunch.

I finished lunch and turned to the young man who was fishing with an enclosed reel attached to his fishing rod – a Zebco. I asked if he fished in the area often, and he answered that he had never fished except in Michigan with his mother – in fresh water.

“Your reel is going to eventually lock up unless you rinse it off in fresh water after using it in salt water,” I said.

“I never knew that,” he answered.

“Where are you from?” I asked.

“Michigan, a few miles west of Detroit.”

“Ann Arbor?”

“Yes, Ann Arbor. Do you know of it?”

“I’m from Lansing originally.”

And so we had a good base to start a conversation from. He told me he was nineteen years old, that his father and mother were divorced, that he aspired to become an aeronautics engineer, and had applied to Michigan State University. I then told him my sister had worked at Michigan State University for over thirty years.

He introduced himself, and I gave him my name. I began explaining the fishing situation here on the pier since he said his mother was buying a house here in Naples and he would be coming out to the pier as often as he could.

I clued him in on what line and when to use leaders since he said he was going out to buy the right fishing gear. Then I went so far as to give him some extra lures I had with me, explaining how they worked and why.

Finally, I asked about his religious training, and he answered that he didn’t have any.

“My parents never talked about religion. He is Jewish, and she is a non-practicing Christian.”

My heart went out to this decent young man who obviously grew up without a father figure to mentor him.

From there, the words just flowed from my mouth. “Did you know that Jesus was a Jew?”

“No way!”

“Yes, and His Apostles, Matthew, Mark, and John were all Jews as well,” I said.

“As a matter of fact, the Christian faith is a continuation of the Jewish faith. The Old Testament told that one a day a Deliverer would come and die for the sins of mankind.”

“Really !?”

“Yes, it’s all right there in the Bible. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by me.” As a matter of fact, the New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old Testament.”

“I never knew that,” he muttered. Poor soul, I thought. All of what I was saying was new to him. He knew absolutely nothing about the things of God, so I proceeded to tell him the creation story of man. “In the beginning, God said let us make man in our image and in our likeness, naming the attributes given to man. God placed Adam in the garden of Eden and taught him how to tend it. He also had Adam name all the animals and visited with him in the evening in the garden. God then thought that man might like a companion, and He caused Adam to go into a deep sleep. Then, taking a rib from the man, he created a helpmate for him, perfect for him in every way.”

That’s how elementary I had to be with this young man – like he was going to Sunday school class for the very first time in his life.

I quoted other scripture verses to him – especially scripture that had to do with salvation, and told him that I wrote about such things. He was impressed. I also told him about my having received Christ and how it changed my life forever.

I had never before met such a fine, attentive young man. I gave him my card, and when we finally parted ways, I felt that this encounter was the answer to the prayer I had asked for in my conversation with God – and I had found a new friend as well.

The sad thing that occurred to me was that he was only one of millions of young people who didn’t have a clue about the existence of God or the Gospel. This situation is all too prevalent in today’s society due to the breakup of the nuclear family in which children are left to fend for themselves. My hope is that more and more young people know these truths and thus are able to make the decision to follow Christ and be saved.

YBIC

Jim Towers

Write me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit www.dropzonedelta.com or my website www.propheticsignsandwonders.com.

 

I’m not quite sure how to present the called-for stories of answered prayer, yet I thought I should let my readers know that I received several stories of answered prayer as a result of one of my own stories from my yet unpublished manuscript (and I have many.) So, I didn’t quite know what to expect, but among them was this doozy that affirms that God can do the impossible, and I should know since I’ve experienced miracles like this – time and again. Haven’t you?

Hi Jim,

I always read the articles you post to the RR website. I am always encouraged by how you relate how God works in your daily life and how you are always aware of His Providence. The following happened to me some years ago when my son was 3 years old and cell phones were those expensive brick phones, i.e., I didn’t have one. Please feel free to edit because I do ramble.

My brother was in the ICU in Eugene, Oregon, and at the time, we didn’t think he would live (he did). My parents had gone over a couple weeks earlier from our town 3 hours away to help his wife with their kids so she could be at his side. I felt an urgent need to go see him, too, so I packed up my 3-year-old son in his car seat and headed 3 hours away. Before I left, I talked with a nephew on the phone, and he gave me vague directions on how to find their home.

I arrived in Eugene in the usual 3 hours, and it was late afternoon. I drove around trying to follow my hastily written directions and, after a couple of hours, had to admit I was lost. I had NO idea where we were. I found a phone booth at a convenience store in an unsavory sort of neighborhood that left me feeling very uneasy, but it was the only phone I had found in miles of driving. I parked as close as I could to the phone booth and called my brother’s house, and got yet another nephew who had no idea where I was when I gave him the cross streets. His directions were as useless as what I already had. My parents weren’t there but were on an errand.

It was getting dark, and I needed help. My son was fussy, and I was beginning to panic. I got back in my car and started driving with traffic and was praying, praying, praying. Please Lord, keep us safe and direct me to my brother’s house, I asked.

It was about sunset, and I had no idea what to do and was willing myself to be calm and wait for God’s help. As I was sitting in traffic at a red light, I suddenly noticed a familiar vehicle 2 cars ahead of me in the next lane. Could it be? No way! I couldn’t believe it. It was my parents!! I was so thankful and praising God as I followed them into a home improvement store parking lot a few blocks away. They were as surprised to see me as I had been to see their car moments earlier.

They asked why I was way over on this side of town?? I asked them the same thing. My dad was looking for a particular part to repair a cabinet at my brother’s home; they had been to 3 stores already at that point, and all stores were out of stock. This store they were at was the last one they were going to go to, and no surprise, they had the part! I tried to wrap my mind around the timing of the entire episode many times through the years. Only God can work the timing of something so perfectly.

That was years ago, but it showed me there is no such thing as coincidence or random happening. The Lord cares about the little things in our lives as much as the big things. It’s all important to Him. He is so good!

Thanks for reading…

Toni

In these perilous times, it is imperative that we know we can count on God to answer prayer, and when he doesn’t, it could be that he expects us to find a solution for ourselves with the brain he gave us for just such occasions.

How my manuscript came about:

It was only when I lost everything that was dear to my heart that I became what some might call a “street evangelist” while searching for meaning and the direction my life took after I received Christ. Although I was highly successful in the beginning of my profession as an actor and the money was good, I turned down a very lucrative commercial because it promoted smoking – something I don’t approve of. The turning down of this huge national commercial was the turning point for me. My wife left me, taking my two beloved boys with her. Today I don’t blame her, but I lost a sense of direction, and I was confused as to why this had happened.

I was blackballed for a while, which led to hopelessness. I didn’t care if I lived or died. I began traveling without a sense of direction, landing a gig here and there. I worked on a movie in Detroit and a television show- plus a couple of commercials. (There, I was a big fish in a small pond.)

I found myself back in Miami, where I got my start in the film industry, and by now, the film community had forgiven me and welcomed me back with open arms. Once again, I was on a roll, except that I was still conflicted about the other part of my family life, and I missed my boys terribly. In spite of the setbacks, I experienced many wonderful things, like praying for a demon-possessed woman as I held her to my chest while she cried uncontrollably, also starting a Sunday service in a park and consoling the dispossessed. As I threw myself into this endeavor, God saw fit to provide sustenance and work between acting jobs, which became scarcer and scarcer because of my loss of interest. By now, I had begun writing screenplays and directing.

Today, I can tell you things that would make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. The stories I tell in my 240-page manuscript are chock full of otherworldly experiences that have increased and become almost commonplace occurrences today.

There comes a point in our lives when things don’t matter as much anymore, and we know that accolades and money are fleeting. The time comes when we finally realize that pleasing God and promoting other people’s wellbeing are what really matters in life.

YBIC

Jim Towers

Write me with your short story of how your prayers were answered.

at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit me at www.dropzonedelta.com and my website www.propheticsignsandwonders.com.