Behind the Scenes of Way of the Master Radio (10-30-07)

There were a lot of fish in the pond, at the Santa Clarita Superior Courthouse; but not all of them were biting. I received a lot of "no thank you" responses from people I asked to be on the show. But each person who said no received a million dollars for allowing me to take a moment of their time. :-)

The Lord also gave me the opportunity to put the gospel into the hands of a couple of "off-the-streeters." For those unfamiliar with the term "off-the-streeter," allow me to explain. An "off-the-streeter" is a person who has been hired by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as a recruit. While these young men and women await their academy assignment to begin, they work in administrative positions (shuffling papers, running errands, menial tasks, etc)--aka. "off-the-street" positions.

That was probably more information than you either wanted or needed, but anyways.....

As Amanda and I walked through the civic center complex looking for candidates for today's show, we saw two young men, seated at a table, selling small stuffed animals to raise funds for the local sheriff's department youth athletic league. Yes, I bought one. :-)

I had seen the young men around the station, but we had never been formally introduced. I let them know I was their chaplain (Yes, recruits are people in need of love and support, too.) After some small talk, Amanda and I walked back to our car. I pulled a couple copies of my book out the trunk, signed them, and returned to the "off-the streeters." I handed them the books and said, "Here's a gift for you. Chapter One is proof that if I can make it through the academy, you guys shouldn't have any problem."

Our guest for the first hour of the show was Joshua (pictured above). Joshua is 20-years-old. His reason for being at the courthouse was to take care of a speeding ticket. Joshua considered himself to be a good person. And he was rather matter-of-fact in his assertion that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell.

I put Joshua on the phone with Ray and Todd. Once the conversation was over, I asked Joshua my standard opening question. "So, how did it go."

With some nervous laughter, Joshua said, "Very interesting. I wasn't expecting to go through that today."

I won't spoil the rest of the conversation for you. Click here to listen to my conversation with Joshua. He makes some very interesting observations about his generation, while coming to the realization that his generation's perspectives regarding life, truth, and eternity does not get them off the hook when it comes to facing God on Judgment Day.

I found my conversation with Joshua to be an encouraging affirmation that this generation can be reached with the Law and the Gospel--sharing the truth the way Jesus did.

Our guest for the second hour of the show was Tim (pictured to the left with his friend, Jessica). Unlike Joshua, Tim did not appear to be humbled by the Law. Tim was mired in his post-modern mindset--so much so that we never did get to the gospel. My conversation with Tim was brief (he had to get to court), but I think you will find it informative.

As a deputy sheriff, I spent most of my adult life watching and reading people. Sometimes I was watchful to make sure the person with whom I was speaking didn't try to kill me. Other times, particularly during interrogations, I was watchful because the look on a person's face or their body language often gave me insight into the veracity or fallacy of what the person was telling me.

Check out this picture of Jessica. Take a good look at the expression on her face. I've given this photo the title, "I'm Not Buyin' It." This was the look Jessica gave Tim as he tried to justify some of his points of view regarding his character and beliefs.

Although Jessica wasn't buying what Tim was saying, she had her own set of beliefs that were every bit as "out there" as Tim's--maybe even more so. While Tim was on the phone with Ray and Todd, I asked Jessica if she believed everyone will go to heaven. She said, "yes." When I asked her if Hitler was in heaven, she hesitantly said, "Maybe. I think so." She suggested that even though Hitler was responsible for the slaughter of millions of people and took his own life to avoid being captured and held accountable for what he did, he might have been sorry. And if he was sorry, he might have gone to heaven. Yikes!

Unfortunately, Tim's court appearance cut our time short. But I left them each with a half-dozen tracts, a copy of How To Live Forever Without Being Religious, and a copy of the Hollywood and God DVD.

Joshua, Tim, and Jessica--please pray for them. Pray that the Lord will bring all three of them to genuine repentance and faith.

It was another good day of fishing. :-)