Home to Walnut Ridge Read Online Free PDF

thinking of opening a little shop, then try my hand at buying
and refinishing furniture. I’ve been going to yard sales and estate
sales, picking up pieces here and there, then working on them in my
spare time. Believe it or not, I’ve had some interest in them from
friends of mine, parents of my school kids, a few others. So,
Dad . . . I was thinking about remodeling the
big smokehouse for my shop. It’s right on the road and big enough
for a workshop in back and a showroom up front. What do you
think?”
    “ I think it’s a great
idea!” Buddy wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Oh!” he said,
snapping his fingers. “And I know just who to help us turn that old
shack into a cozy little place for your business‌—‌my
Elders!”
    “ Who are these elders you
keep talking about?” Tracey asked. “Do you mean the deacons from
church?”
    “ Good heavens, no!” Buddy
laughed. “ My Elders. That’s what I call the guys I work with. Haven’t I
told you about them?”
    “ No one ever tells me
anything, apparently,” Tracey said.
    Buddy sat down on the hearth. “My
biker buddies. But they’re more than that. We do things for people.
Help ‘em out when they need help. Odd jobs, big jobs, you name
it.”
    Tracey dropped into the wingback chair
beside the fireplace. “What, like a business?”
    “ Not at all. It’s a
ministry. After Rob brought me back from that first road trip, I
knew I needed to find a new ministry for my life. I’d met all these
guys who like to ride, but a lot of them, like me, had way too much
time on their hands. Some are retired, some are all but homeless.
Some have problems they’re dealing with‌—‌some have done time, some
are battling addictions and what not. Some of them . . .
well, like me, some of them just needed a reason to get up in the
morning.
    “ And one morning, I was
out there on the back porch having my coffee and reading my Bible,
and it came to me‌—‌almost like God just spoke it into my mind. I
knew these guys all had talents of one kind or another. And right
there, as if the whole idea just rolled out before me like a great
big panoramic vision, I could see us putting our heads and hands
together to help those in need.”
    He scratched the beard
under his chin. “It’s a strange phenomenon. I never felt more alive
than when I was over in Thailand on that mission trip. And it
wasn’t just when we told folks about Jesus. It
was more about being Jesus to those people who had no idea who He was. We built
homes for them. We dug wells so they could have fresh water. We had
a medical team that taught them about health and
hygiene.
    “ See, it would’ve been a
wasted trip if we just dropped in on those folks, told them about a
Man who lived thousands of years ago and died on a cross so they
could live, then took off again. Sure, that’s the message we wanted
to tell them. But we did it by getting to know them, by investing
with our time and resources in them. We didn’t just tell them, we
demonstrated the love of Christ through our actions.”
    Tracey could hear the passion in his
voice as he talked and see it in his blue eyes that danced on a
face warmed with compassion. She’d always thought his ready smile
and kind, gentle eyes comprised the most compassionate face on
earth. But it had been a long, long time since she’d seen him so
engaged and excited. “So you and these guys‌—‌your Elders‌—‌you
just look for things to do? Do you advertise online or in the
paper?”
    “ We haven’t had to. As
soon as we finish one job, another one comes along. Sometimes lots
of ‘em. It’s the craziest thing. Course, I know where all these
jobs come from.” He nodded toward the ceiling. “‘I know from whence
my help comes,’ so to speak.”
    Alex took a seat on the arm of the
sofa. “Dad, I’d love the help, and I know the guys would do a great
job, but you said it yourself‌—‌what you all do is ministry. I’m
not exactly an