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From “Alfred’s Week of Foley”:
Alfred and the rookie loved Classic Coca Cola in the can. They purchased one each and proceeded to the edge of the shopping center to enjoy their soft drinks and snacks. They were not on official break, so they stayed in the car to listen to the radio for any calls that may be dispatched. When the vehicle stopped, they rolled the windows down, opened the brown bags of snacks, and began to eat. The first thing out of the sack was a package of beef jerky. This was one of Alfred’s favorite snacks.
As Alfred and the rookie chewed on the jerky, they opened their canned cokes simultaneously. The canned cokes exploded in their faces and all over their uniforms and the car seat. There was even coke on the windshield and dash. That coke sprayed everywhere. That must have been a sight. They jumped out of the car, opened the trunk, took a water jug out and two clean rags, and began to clean the coke off their faces. They tried desperately to clean themselves and the inside of that car. That was all that could be said. It was a sticky mess to clean up. I’ll bet that the convenience store attendant is still laughing about shaking up those canned cokes for his fellow public servants. I believe he would love to have seen that coke spraying incident go down. They just finished the clean up when a prowler call came over the radio. They were only three blocks away, so off they went, still covered in sticky, classic coca-cola. The dispatcher still had the caller on the phone when they arrived, but she refused to come to the door until they caught the man peeking into her windows and trying to break into her house.
From “A Faithful Encounter”:
I spread my feet apart and place myself in a defensive position, ready for the angry man’s response. The big man stared at me for a minute or two, then blinked. I knew I had him at that point…………….We talked for a few minutes, and he said he needed advice. I invited him to my small apartment, and for reasons known only the Lord knew at this point, he accepted.
We talked for over an hour, and he finally broke down and said his girlfriend left him because of his drinking and flirting with other women. He told me he had been in jail in California for assault and how he ran with a gang out there who robbed people and committed various crimes of violence and immoral conduct. He seemed to be troubled by all of that. I could tell when he was at the bar that he was afflicted with painful thoughts about something, but I just couldn't quite put my finger on it. Well, it wasn't for me to know at that time or ever for that matter. Only the Lord could reach him at that point, so I just patiently listened and drew from my violent days of military service how he felt about all of that.
By the Lord’s hand and with HIS words, I led that man to Christ right there on my couch. I watched the tears fall from that big man’s face as we kneeled on the floor.
From “Kline’s Car”:
Kline had the fastest car in our town. People from all around the suburbs would come to challenge the speed of his Chevelle. He was always victorious, and as far as I knew, he never lost a race unless it was when he first started racing. He was a safe driver and was always watching out for other people when he raced. He would never race on a city street. He always went out of the city to race someone. There was a remote place on the highway that was level and straight for about four miles.
Kline would not race his car against anyone for money, at least that anyone knew. There was one night when he was feeling confident about his car and his driving skills. Kline bet his vehicle against the other guy's car that he could win. It wasn’t even close. Kline beat him by two car lengths.
Some of the high school students were there that night, watching and hoping Kline would be victorious. Kline said, "here is no need to be concerned. I've got this guy in my pocket already. Watch his demeanor. He is already scared before the race starts. The time to be scared is after the race is over. That's when you know if you won or lost." Kline ended up with another car to his collection to sell. The guy came by the next morning to deliver his car with the title already signed. No one could believe the guy would have held up his end of the bet, but there it was. Kline's dad was not too happy about him betting on races that way. Kline said his dad said he should bet a lunch or something like that. They became mechanics friends, and Kline eventually sold the guy's car back to him for half of what it was worth. Kline did some work on it before he sold it back. They figured Kline didn't want to take advantage of him. He had a kind heart but a willingness to succeed, especially at racing.