A True Story: Bobby and the Bible

With six daughters, I knew that at some point, young men would start making their way to our house.

In case you're wondering, I welcomed all the guys to my home. 

A few never got a second invitation. (That's called "Fathering.")

Most did.

Bobby was one of my favorites. We knew and loved his parents too. Sweet people who love and follow Jesus.

When Bobby started to take a shine to one of my daughters, I welcomed him to our home and lunch. It was over lunch when I asked him, "How's your walk with Jesus, Bobby?"

He smiled a winsome smile and said with a certain amount of confidence, "My walk with Jesus is great."

I said, "That's great. What are you reading in the Bible these days?"

Bobby, still smiling said, "I don't read the Bible."

I smiled and kindly said, "Bobby, your walk with God stinks. You can't a have a great walk with God if you're not reading and studying Scripture to know and love God. I'll tell you what, whenever you want to come over to my house to see my daughter, let's you and me plan on getting into the Bible together for at least a few minutes. Cool?" 

"Okay, Mr. Allison," he said, still smiling.

But I wondered if that would be the end of Bobby's desire to eat another lunch with me and my family.  I doubted we'd see him again in our home.

The next day, I was busy working on a sermon and the doorbell rang. You'd think with eight people in the house someone would answer the door. Nope. The door bell just kept ringing. Frustrated, I walked to the door—and before I opened the door I looked out the side window. There was Bobby at the door. Hmmm. Well, I did say he was welcome to come over again. I just didn't think it would be the next day.

I opened the door and said, "Come on in Bobby" and I turned around and  I yelled up the stairs to my daughter, "Bobby's here!" That's when I felt a little tap on my shoulder. I turned around and Bobby looked straight into my eyes and said, "I'm not here for her." Then he showed me his Bible in hand, and he said, "I'm here to read and study the Bible with you."

That's the day Bobby won my heart. 

However, he never really did win my daughter's heart. 

He still has mine—in a manly, biblical way.

Are you a Bobby? (Meaning, someone who thinks they can have a great relation with God without cracking open a Bible?) If so...

Subscribe HERE and let the fun begin!

Let's connect...
    Instagram        Facebook         Twitter    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Two fun opportunities for encouragement & equipping in 2024!

Image
Opportunity #1 The Peoria Area Leadership Community  i nvites  you  to invest  a morning together... *  Encouraging  each other in the spirit of Romans 1:12 *  Exploring   the teaching genius of Jesus *  Equipping  pastors, volunteer teachers, and small group leaders Save the Date... (every 2nd Thursday, Jan-April 2024) * Thursday, January 11, 2024 * 8:30 AM to 12 Noon * All invited. Men and women. Volunteers and paid ministry leaders. Where? White Rose Fellowship Church 505 S.Main St Bellevue, IL 61604 Tuition * $15 for training materials. * If you, your church/ministry, or anyone you bring can’t afford the tuition, no problem. Join us! Just let me know ahead of time. *  RSVP This is how we do training! Opportunity #2 The Rantoul Area Disciplemaking Leadership Commuinty  i nvites  you  to invest  a morning together... *  Encouraging  each other in the spirit of Romans 1:12 *  Exploring   the teaching genius of Jesus *  Equipping  pastors, volunteer teachers, and small group leaders S
Read more

So many people trying to find friendship and community...

Image
If video above doesn't appear, go here . So many people trying to find friendship and community. Here's a thought. Instead of trying to "find" community, what if instead you sought to "build" community right where you live , work , play , and church ? But how does one "build" community? As a general rule, I try to take all of my questions to Jesus and the Bible.  So, how did Jesus "build" community?   This is where I invite you to do your own study on how Jesus used meals to connect with people. At a minimum, you could quickly search " Jesus eating. " What can we say with certainty about Jesus and eating in the Bible? It seems that Jesus enjoyed eating meals with all sorts of people—and the meal wasn't about the food—it was how Jesus connected with people. Can you think of a better way to connect with people? Perhaps this is why Paul lists "hospitality" as a requirement for all leaders in the church (1 Timothy 3:
Read more

You are invited to a community of encouragement and equipping...

Image
"Always valuable spending time with you and the others in our disciplemaking learning community."   —Pastor Tracey Pfeiffer Encounter Church, East Peoria, IL Rantoul, IL The Rantoul Area Disciplemaking Leadership Community  i nvites  you  to invest  a morning together... *  Encouraging  each other in the spirit of Romans 1:12 *  Exploring   the teaching genius of Jesus *  Equipping  pastors, volunteer teachers, and small group leaders Save the Date...  (every 4th Thursday, Jan-April 2024) * Thursday, March 28th, 2024 * 8:30 AM to 12 Noon * All invited. Men and women. Volunteers and paid ministry leaders. Where? Jesus Is the Way Ministries 602 Liberty Ave Rantoul, IL 61866 Tuition * $15 for  The Teaching Genius of Jesus  book * If you, your church/ministry, or anyone you bring can’t afford the tuition, no problem. Join us! Just let me know ahead of time. *  RSVP For more info on the content of the book, go here . Video Above: This is  how  we do training! The Peoria Area Disci
Read more