December 29,1997
Dear Br. Williams:
I couldn’t wait any longer, I just had to write.
I hear that you have completed training in long haul trucking.
This is wonderful news. I heartily commend you on your choice,
initiative, and follow through. This seems to be something you
would enjoy doing. As I remember, weren’t you a cad driver
in Boston during your wayward youth? Be sure to honk the air horn
if your in this neck of the woods but if you wait to long this
neck of the woods may be nearer Morristown. We are tired of living
with wood smoke and strangers and thought we might remove ourselves
to a house without smoke and a church without strangers.
As you know, we have not been well received in the Mountain City
church and the preaching is not what it ought to be, filled, as
it is with self-righteousness and meritorious good works rather
then the pure gospel of righteousness by faith. It is an unwelcome
discomfort to petition our brothers and sisters for a ride to
church only to hear falsehood preached from the pulpit.
Our move back to Morristown, where we know the minister and are
satisfied that he is preaching truth, or at least as much of it
as he knows, is prompted as much by a desire to hear spiritual
truth as it is by a desire to avoid smoke that incessantly invades
the apartment from the wood stove in the basement. As I write
this letter, my eyes are watering and my stomach is feeling queasy
from the smoke even though I have the back door open to vent the
apartment.
I hope you can find enjoyment and success in your new job as well
as some badly needed prosperity. You are long over due for financial
success. You will also have many opportunities to witness for
the Lord to both men and women who otherwise might not hear of
His love.
An additional witness you might not have thought of involves how
you handle yourself and your rig while on the road. I don’t
know what you may be hauling or how far you may roam from home
but how you drive speaks for or against the Lord. If you are courteous
of other drivers, as I am sure you will be, giving them the right
of way, obey the speed limit, and otherwise deport yourself as
a gentleman, it will be noted and appreciated. The Lord can use
this unspoken witness to impress others that there goes a Christian
truck driver. You may even dispel some of the negative stereotypes
motorists have of this honorable profession.
I pray the Lord will bless you while on the Lord with quick wits
to avoid traffic accidents and an able mind to appreciate the
finer things of life. May you proper in your new job, bringing
Christ to all with whom you associate.
Travel in peace and hurry home safely. May the Lord bless you.
Your brother in Christ.
Allen