Gospel Driven: No Matter the Outcome

It was 1999, at the end of our first summer of camp. Back then, we only had six weeks of camp, and each week, there were only 50-60 students, but that was a full summer of camp in 1999. The last week of summer, a good friend of mine, Jonge Tate, brought his youth group and family to camp. In the early days, we would raft the Nantahala River on the last full day of camp, and the whole camp would go on one big trip.

Jonge and his crew got back from the river, and his wife, Lynnea, came to me and said, “There is a guy named Riley who works for River Runners [the rafting company we worked with], and I sat next to him on the bus on the way back from the river and shared with him about the Lord. He seems to be searching and open to the Gospel. Will you please go follow up with him?” Now, when Lynnea Tate asks you to do something, you do it, so I said, “Absolutely.”

I went down to River Runners a few days later because he was leaving at the end of the rafting season to work another river out west. I caught him as he was getting off the bus from a trip, and I told him I had to talk to him. I could tell he was in a hurry and wasn’t really engaged, but I gave him a three-minute Gospel presentation. He was respectful and let me talk, but at the end, he just said, “Thanks, I appreciate it,” and moved on. I assumed that I would never see Riley again and that what I said had no impact on him.

Fast forward to 2008—I got an email from Riley.

After he left the Nantahala, he went and worked on the Arkansas River. Then, when 9/11 happened, he enlisted and served with the 10th Mountain Division, ended up with the 3rd Special Forces group, did four or five special forces deployments, and during his time in the military, he came to faith in Christ. In the email, he said, “The conversation you had with me that day at River Runners never left my mind.” By the grace of God, there was a guy he served with who was a believer and discipled him.

This story is a picture of God’s faithfulness, and it reminds me that when you are Gospel-driven in everything you do, you never know what the reach or result will be.

This story is an excerpt from Brody Holloway’s book, No Sanity Required. Click here to learn more and order your copy today!