Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Hear / Here (01/26/23)
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TITLE: The Goodwill Drop-Off | Previous Challenge Entry
By Linda Lawrence
01/31/23 -
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My husband was showing me significant places around Los Angeles that had been his stomping ground before I knew him. We’d driven past CBS Television City where he worked as a production supervisor. Next we parked in front of the Hollywood Goodwill store. Here Carl pointed to where there had been a drop-off donation shed where God met him.
I didn't know Carl well when we married—but knew he was a fervent new Christian, headed for Asia as a missionary with the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC). So hearing, for the first time, the details of Carl’s conversion was a heart-stirring experience. I held my breath, in awe that he was telling me the story that he’d long hesitated to share. I’m always eager to tell any of my God stories because it helps me remember and renew my awe of God. But not Carl. He feared losing some of the story’s wonder with each telling. The experience was so sacred and personal to him; he kept the story to himself. Until now. Why was a Goodwill parking lot a sacred space for Carl? The details of how the story unfolded explained so much. I could never have kept the story to myself!
* * * * * * *
After graduating from high school in Montana, Carl moved to Hollywood to attend Radio School. He worked for multiple radio stations until he was drafted. On an aircraft carrier, Carl’s assignment was chaplain’s assistant, although he wasn’t a believer. Before Carl’s discharge, a Baptist kid asked Carl to recommend him for the job, which he did. As Carl left the ship, that young sailor said, “You did me a favor, now I’ll do you one.” He handed Carl a Bible which Carl stuffed in his duffle bag and forgot about—for five years.
Once discharged, he was ready to acquire the “good life.” A prestigious job in the growing TV industry, a swanky apartment for image, a tailored wardrobe for identity, a Thunderbird for thrills, investment property for security, and a beautiful fiance. He’d acquired everything he aimed for but . . . felt empty.
He took time off work and drove his Thunderbird to Montana, to fish with his dad. The first night home, his dad wanted to listen to a boxing match on the radio but his mom wanted to listen to a Christian program. His folks compromised with listening to the opening music of his mom’s program and then switched to the end of the fight.
Just before the switch, Carl heard an announcement that caught his attention. “If you have a gift in radio broadcasting, God can use you. Contact us at . . . “ Carl jotted down the address.
Back in Hollywood and the rat race, Carl mailed his resume, surprised at himself. Christianity . . . God . . . had not been on his radar.
But still empty, spiritually starving now, he dug out the Bible and discovered notes in the margin from the sailor, leading him from one page to another to underlined verses showing God’s desire for Carl. On his knees, Carl read and believed. The Holy Spirit filled him with desire to abandon himself in return.
Full of eagerness to serve this compelling God of the Bible, he started discarding his “old” life. He gave his car away, sold his investment property, and moved in with his brother. He was ready for a new identity, made in the image of His God, new thrills and new security. His fiance had no desire to be yoked to this “new creation in Christ Jesus.”
God was obviously in control of every step. Mission organizations do not hire brand-new Christians, even if they are immersing themselves in Bible correspondence courses and Scripture memorization—yet Carl was invited for an interview. As he approached the president of FEBC, Dr. Bowman heard God whisper, “This is your man. Hire him!”
* * * * * * *
Carl’s story had reached its climax. “ There at Goodwill . . . as I dropped into the donation box what I’d once thought was a classy wardrobe . . . my outward appearance that God doesn’t care about . . . letting go of my image . . . I heard God say, ‘Okay Carl, now I can use you.’”
Within a month he was managing a radio station for FEBC, broadcasting the gospel overseas by short-wave radio. Now it was Carl’s opportunity to help others hear Jesus’ invitation to become “new creatures"—being transformed into His image.
Memoir
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Well crafted and communicated. It flowed smoothly, started and ended well.