As I was blowing leaves off the driveway Thanksgiving Day morning, a white car pulled up and rolled the window down.
He had on sunglasses and a hat so I didn’t recognize him in the car at first but as he began to ask me if I had seen some dogs
running around, he recognized me. He began to curse profusely with excitement saying “Nugent, bleep, bleep, bleep is that you Nugent?”
I then recognized him as Jason Lucas, a longtime friend from high school that I had not seen in close to 30 years. He began to reminiscence of the past and asking me where I had been all these years and if I still hung around any of our old friends. I instantly began sharing with him how I had fallen to addiction, been through a divorce and in 2008, after being arrested, I gave my life to Jesus and became a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
I was now a Man of God and out of obedience to Him, I was sharing the Gospel and encouraging others in their struggles to come to know Him as I do. He instantly became covered with conviction and very quickly shortened the conversation to go look for his dogs. I told him it was good to see him and he left rather quickly.
I continued to blow the leaves in my yard and after about 15 minutes, he drove back up in my driveway. He apologized for the cursing & began sharing with me how he had also been struggling with addiction and that something strongly compelled him to turn around and come back to talk to me. I knew that was the working of the Holy Spirit and that this was no accident that Jason, who lives in Houston, was visiting his mother who happened to live a few houses down from me (I did not know that until he told me later), loses his dogs at the exact time I am out blowing leaves and happens to stop and give me an opportunity to share what the Lord has done in my life and it happens to be
the same thing he had been struggling with. We embraced each other and I told him that God loves Him and he too can be free from that bondage of addiction. We exchanged numbers and he asked me to check in on his mother from time to time and I plan to do just that.
I love when we get to experience those movements that can only be described as orchestrated works of the Holy Spirit!
Thank You Lord! And join me in praying for Jason!
Thanks,
Kevin Nugent