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Read the
inspirational story of Pimpin' Pete.
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Pimpin' Pete
Boy you should have seen her. Wow she
was beautiful! She had on one of those short skirts and this
little white shirt; she jumped in my truck and… Hold on
there pal, I don’t believe I want to hear anymore of the
story.
It was about a half an hour later, the
man that most call Little Mack was filling his truck and
checking his tires. They didn’t call him Little Mack because
his name was Mack. In fact his name was Bill. He was little,
at only five foot four inches and about 140 pounds. The Mack
came in, well, because he looked like he had been hit by a
Mack truck. He moved like it too. You wouldn’t know he was
only 38 years old, to watch him, it looked like every step
he took hurt him. When you saw Little Mack you knew he had
lived a rough life.
Then there was Big
Pete! Boy he was big, 245 pounds and just a hair below 6
foot seven inches. He was a sight. Pete was a handsome man,
square jaw, big shoulders and huge arms. He reminded most of
a pro-football player. Everyone knew Pete; in fact most
people looked forward to his visits. It was about once a
week he would stop by the old truck stop and every time it
seemed there would be one person who didn’t know who Pete
was! This time that one would be Little Mack and that’s
where we start!!!
Picture this:
Little Mack walking around the front of his rig, then as he
rounds the driver’s side, there is Big Pete looking down at
him. One foot three inches may not seem like much, but when
you are looking down at another man, it’s like a grown man
looking down at his two year old son standing in front of
him looking up. Well you might as well be looking up at the
face of the man in the moon.
“Say there friend,
your right rear driver’s back inside looks a little worn,”
Pete said with his big booming voice. “Thanks,” was all Mack
could whisper out. At least it sounded like a whisper after
hearing Pete’s voice. “Name’s Pete, people round here call
me Pastor Pete”. He extended his big hand out for Mack to
shake. The two shook hands and Pete started to talk. “Sorry
about walking away in the middle of your story. You see I am
a Christian and I don’t really like to listen to things like
that”. Mack said, “A Christian, I should have known. Are you
a Pastor too?” “No, really I was saved about a year ago,”
Pete had a huge smile as he started his story.
People just call me Pastor Pete
because they know who I used to be. Now, well they say I am
a pastor compared to what I was. You see, ten years ago when
I first stated coming through here I was not Pastor Pete;
they called me Pimpin’ Pete. I won’t get into why, but you
can ask around. The two ladies that own this place now will
tell you they were two of my…my… well ‘friends’. Shortly
after I was saved, they were saved as well. Right after that
we bought this place. Pete sat down on a crate to help Mack
with his tire and continued to talk.
Six months ago this place was about to
shut down. There were so many fights, drugs and fast women
that it turned into one of the worst truck stops in the
state. Believe me I know; it was my favorite place to come.
With the drugs and women I had, I was making five times as
much here as I could anywhere else. But that all changed one
day!
“I bet that you sure could get the
ladies. What happened to you man”? Mack asked as he sits
down on the old tire to listen to Pete. “Well”, Pete cleared
his throat and stared again. “I ran into this beautiful old
lady the called ‘Granny’. She stopped by one day to put up a
poster about a revival. I seen it and laughed, revival, in
these parts, she must be crazy.” Pete continued, “This was
my area, drugs, women, drinking, and fighting. That was what
this area was about! Anyway, the night of this thing came
and I was in town. In fact the cops were looking for me
because I just beat some local up for not paying one of my
girls all her money. So, I thought I would hide in the crowd
of church people till they went by. They were all around
this little stage. I wasn’t trying to hear what was going
on, and then I looked up and seen her.
She was a short, tiny little woman.
She had a pretty round face, short curly dark hair, boy,
eyes full of passion!!! I remember when I looked at her she
was preaching 90 mph, sweating up a storm and swinging a
handkerchief around her head like a mad woman. Then what she
said hit me like a Freightliner hauling a load of bricks.
She said this man “Jesus died for my sins and that he loved
me...and if I would come to him, he would take care of me
and forgive me of my sins.”
“Hold on there big
guy”, Mack spoke up, “I’ve heard this crap before, this God
stuff, but it’s just a joke.” “Something used to scare
people into doing what the church wants and giving them
money.” What can God ever do for you?” said Mack.
Pete got a huge smile on his face,
looked at Mack and said, “He love me, died for me, and saved
me just like Granny said.” “But you don’t have all those
women, drugs and stuff anymore”. “So what’s so great about
this Jesus?” Mack asked sharply.
“Well friend”,
Pete said as he pulled out a picture and handed it to Mack.
“He gave me a beautiful wife, soon a little baby, a home, a
real job and all the love I could ever want.” “Now I don’t
have to look over my shoulder everyday or worry about
someone taking my women.” “I don’t need the drugs, I enjoy
my life and I am happy without them.” “I sleep in peace
every night.” “I know Jesus is always there to protect me,
love me and be my friend.”
Pete continued,
“Whenever I feel down all I have to do is call out to him,
he is right there. I may not have all the things I once had,
but I do have peace and real joy. I have no fear of the cops
or other people. God says in Proverbs 16:7 - “When a man's
ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at
peace with him.” “Now I know that I have a home in heaven,
my sins are forgiven and I can’t be happier.”
“He did all that in just a year?” Mack
asked. “Yeah, don’t get me wrong it wasn’t easy, but knowing
God was right there made it seem easy looking back on it
now. There were ups and downs, but God was always there.”
Pete said, “I found comfort in his word (the Bible and
talking to him in prayer made life’s troubles easier to
handle. Pete went on, “He blessed me with this story and
this truck stop, so that I can help others to see that there
is a better life out there.” “To see there is more out there
than just this, when we are gone, we will have to answer for
all we have done here on earth.” “Our only hope is to accept
Jesus as our personal Saviour, repent, and start to seek
God!!!” “Once we do that with our whole heart; things start
to come together.”
“Pastor Pete, you
don’t understand…I am a bad person,” Mack said as he looked
away in shame. Pete responded, “We are all bad Mack, the
Bible says we have all sinned, none are righteous.” (Romans
3: 9-18) “Mack said, “But I am an old fool, God don’t want
and He can’t use me.”
“God says in I
Corinthians 1: 26-30 that God has chosen the foolish things
of the world to shame the wise. Mack, God don’t want great,
smart or strong people. He wants to make people great, smart
and strong, that way when he uses them, then they know it
was God and not them that did it.” Pete was speaking in a
soft voice and looking right into Mack’s eyes.
“I just don’t think I have enough
faith to be a Christian”, Mack said. Pete responded, “Mack,
Romans 10:17 says ‘Faith comes by hearing and hearing the
word of God’. You are gaining faith right now”. Pete
continued, “You don’t know what is in them boxes on your
trailer do you?” “Sure I do; I am hauling newspapers,” Mack
said. “How do you know that”? Pete asked with a smile.
“Because the shipping dock told me and my paperwork says
so.” Mack stated. Pete said, “So you haven’t seen these
newspapers?” “Well, no, but that’s what I have in there,”
said Mack.
Pete responded, “Mack, you are telling
me that you believe a guy that’s paid a few dollars an hour
and a sheet of paper printed a week ago that only two people
have a copy of, over the God that created the heavens and
the earth and the Bible, which by the way is the best
selling book of all times. More copies are put out every
year than any other book ever.” Pete looked at Mack again
with that big smile and gave him some time to think about
everything he said.
“Mack can I ask
you a question?” Pete said as he moved closer to him. “Sure,
what is it?’ Mack responded. “Do you believe in Jesus
Christ?” Pete asked. “Yes I do Pastor Pete.” Mack spoke
softly. Pete went on, “Do you believe He died for your sins
on the cross, that on the third day he rose again, and he is
now in heaven and waiting to come and take his people and
judge the world?” Pete said. Mack responded, “Yeah I have
been to church before.” Mack exclaimed... Pete asked, “Have
you asked Jesus into your life, have you accepted him as
your Saviour?” “How do I do that Pastor Pete?” Mack was
looking right back at Pete now!
Well Mack, the
Bible says if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
Christ, believe in your heart that God has raised Him from
the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10: 9-10) “You said you
and you confessed Jesus,” Pete went on, “Mack why don’t we
pray together.”
Mack asked, “What
are we praying for?” Pastor Pete responded, “For you to get
back with God. You know He never left you!!! He is always
there for us. We get into our own plans and forget Him, but
he is always there…It’s like if you leave here and head for
Kansas, but after you leave you make a wrong turn. You just
keep driving until one day you are lost, then you get right
and start on the right road!!! It’s like that Kansas was
always there; it never moved and it was always waiting on
you.”
“Wow Pete, I never looked at it that
way,” Mack said as he stood with excitement!!! “Mack, that’s
why you are here today, God, wants you to see the way.” Pete
said as he stood up shoving his hand in his pocket and
pulled out a little Bible. Then he said, “I must get back to
work friend, let’s pray.”
Mack gave his life
back to God that day. Things have been going well for him;
he is even getting his health back. Every day is a battle,
but with the Lord fighting for him, he can’t lose. Pete left
him that day with not only a new life, but a little Bible,
as Mack read that Bible two passages were highlighted in it.
Romans 13:11-14 and Titus 2:11-15. If this story has spoken
to you pleas find a Bible and read these two passages, pray,
and get back to God. He is there, He has always been
there!!! If you don’t know him, he is there and wants you.
Remember what Pastor Pete told little Mack! Romans 10: 9-11,
confess your sins to God; repent and start your new life
with God…
Written by Aaron Johnston
January 22, 2010
Copyright 2010 - You may NOT use this story without express
written permission from the author. All rights reserved
Fighting Sin in
2010
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