Dallas and the Spitfire

Ted Kluck

Description

A Suburban Dad and an Ex Con Show What Discipleship Looks LikeTed is an educated thirty-something father of two who's been going to church his whole life. Dallas is a twenty-one-year-old former cocaine addict with a prison record who has recently become a Christian. When they agree to meet regularly for "discipleship," they know that chatting once a week in a coffee shop just won't cut it. Instead, they decide to get to know each other while restoring an old Triumph Spitfire. Filled with surprises and humor, Dallas and the Spitfire tells a gripping story of two lives changed, and along the way gives readers a new model for men's ministry.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441270146
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

© 2012 by Ted Kluck and Dallas Jahncke
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-7014-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified kjv are from the King James Version of the Bible.
All names, dates, and events in this account are factual. However, the names of certain locations have been changed in order to protect their privacy.
The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.
Cover design by Lookout Design, Inc.
Authors are represented by Wolgemuth & Associates
This book is different from anything I’ve read on discipleship. Instead of systematically surveying biblical principles and offering practical advice (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), this memoir follows Ted and Dallas as they form an unlikely friendship, fix up a car, and fight the fight of faith together. At the risk of embarrassing these nitty-gritty guys, this is ultimately a story about love learning to love God when life is hard, and to love each other as brothers. I could hardly put the book down and am very happy to recommend it.
Justin Taylor , blogger, “Between Two Worlds,” managing editor, The ESV Study Bible
It’s not every day that you read a really good Christian book about sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But this is not your ordinary Christian book. Ted is a terrific writer, and Dallas has a tremendous story to share. Every page manages to be realistic and hopeful at the same time. This is a relentlessly honest book with a redemptive edge.
Kevin DeYoung , author, Just Do Something and coauthor, Why I’m Not Emergent
Discipleship is first and foremost about relationship. Jesus called the twelve to come and be with Him. As they followed Him, they learned from Him and eventually came to be like Him. In this wonderful book, Ted provides a picture of what modern-day discipleship looks like. It’s more than just passing on some information that normally takes place in the classroom. It is life on life in the midst of daily life. If you are serious about making disciples who make disciples who make disciples, I recommend this book highly.
Steve Sonderman , associate pastor Men’s Ministry Elmbrook Church, founder, No Regrets Men’s Ministry
With characteristic wit, humor, and insight, Ted Kluck tells a profoundly moving story of faith and discipleship. It may be a book about an unusual friendship and a pretty cool car, but Dallas and the Spitfire is ultimately a poignant and welcome reminder of the power of the gospel to change hearts and lives.
Tim Ellsworth , author, God in the Whirlwind and coauthor, Pujols: More Than the Game
This firsthand account of the lives of two very ordinary people invokes realistic insight into the struggles and joys that result from a commitment to the spiritual growth of others. It brings to life the stark reality that time commitment, accountability, and sincerely caring for others inevitability brings heartache and joy and can result in spiritual maturity for everyone.
Bryce D. Bartruff , PhD, Senior Director/COO, InFaith
Ted tells a timeless story of friendship, forgiveness, and redemption with the kind of honesty, humor, and heartbreak we’ve come to expect from him, which we need to hear now more than ever.
Ronnie Martin , author, speaker, co-host of “The Reformatory”
This terrific book reminds me of Coleman’s classic, The Master Plan of Evangelism especially his emphasis on “Association” or spending time with someone. Genuine discipleship is never too busy for relationship. As somewhat of an old “fundie” myself, I found these men to be totally honest and refreshing. We live in a busy and noisy culture that avoids vulnerable knowing. However, it’s never too late to become an “idiot,” have fun, and be real. As one who mentors professionally, I was frequently encouraged to make time for becoming and developing personally unsafe relationships.
Dr. Ron Soderquist , mentor with Campus Crusade for Christ
Dallas and the Spitfir e is not your Father’s Oldsmobile. It is unlike any other book on discipleship that I have ever read. It is the true story of an ordinary Christian discipling an ordinary new Christian in the ways of an extraordinary Savior. There are no soft edges or filters on this portrait. It is Good Will Hunting meets John Owen. Sin is on display, but so also is the killing of it. The result is a window into the ways of a gracious God who has come to seek, save, and sanctify sinners. This book is at once heart-breaking and hilarious. I could hardly put it down.
Denny Burk , associate professor of Biblical Studies, Boyce College,author, Articular Infinitives in the Greek of the New Testament
In Dallas and the Spitfire , the authors collaborate to give us a dual perspective, real-world view of discipleship. It’s based on consistent presence, deep relationship, committed perseverance, and speaking the truth in love. It’s incarnational the way Jesus did it.
Craig Glass , founder/president Peregrine Ministries
The legendary truth that mentoring one actually impacts two stands at the heart of this car-fixing, shoulder-to-shoulder romp through real life. Kluck delivers a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud look at the messy aspects of discipleship. But beware the humor as the hard realties of our broken world dart in and knock you sideways. The author’s own dreams and disillusionment provide a perfect backdrop for advising a younger traveler through the stages of becoming more like Jesus. This book delivers taking you to that hallowed place where divine transfer occurs.
Don Pearson , author, YOUthwork and Iparent
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Endorsements
Introduction: The Kid Ain’t Right
1. Loaded Like a Freight Train
2. Nobody Dreams of Thirty-Four
3. Not Afraid
4. Patiently Waiting for a Book to Explode On
5. I Don’t Like People; I Like Dallas
6. Black Tims and Black Hoodies
7. These Boyish Good Looks
8. The Unbearable Lightness of Being an Idiot
9. Trying to Kill Sin, Because Right Now It’s Killing Me
10. Give Light to My Eyes or I Will Sleep in Death
Epilogue: Discipleship and Playlists
Acknowledgments
Additional Resources
Notes
Back Cover
Introduction
The Kid Ain’t Right
T here’s a coffee shop in our city called Biggby’s. It’s the kind of place that always has a fashionable college girl with a pseudo-rebellious nose ring and one or two tattoos working behind the counter. It’s the kind of place that always has one or two skinny guys with hip glasses typing on Macs, desperately hoping somebody will ask them what they’re working on. [1] It’s the kind of place that has Michael Bublé music piped in the background, and where the pseudo-rebellious girl is contractually obligated to make pleasant chitchat with you in a way that makes it seem that even though you know (and she knows) that she’s obligated to make the chitchat, she sort of enjoys it. All that to say, it’s every coffee shop in every suburban strip mall in every city in America. It’s where I’ll meet Dallas Jahncke for the first time.
Our church a smallish [2] Reformed church in East Lansing, Michigan is big on people meeting with other people. This is called discipleship, which is a term that has always made me a little uncomfortable, even though I know it’s biblical and therefore shouldn’t make me uncomfortable. I just don’t really feel qualified to disciple anyone. I have lots of friends I feel qualified to have friends and have relationships with people but when it comes to the practice of giving spiritual advice, I feel a little lacking. Granted, on paper, I’m different enough from Dallas to be able to give him advice; I’ve been happily married for thirteen years and have a couple of kids, a house in the suburbs, and semi-gainful employment. [3] But I have bouts of depression, long stretches of spiritual apathy, and a seriously nasty sarcastic streak. And I’ve had a ridiculously bad year so far. Two thousand ten has seen the dissolution of an international adoption that we’d been working hard on and paying through the nose for, and the falling-through of two business (read: book) deals that seemed like slam dunks. Everything I’ve touched in 2010 has turned into a huge pile of garbage. Hence my trepidation at “discipling” young Dallas. As much for him as for myself.
Another thing that makes me feel weird about the evangelical “people meeting with people” culture is the idea that when you meet with someone, you can’t make a life decision of any kind without running it by them first. The Discipler becomes a de facto Life Coach. And while this “people meeting with people” phenomenon has been mostly good for our church, there are still a lot of college guys walking around who don’t have the backbone to have a cup of coffee with a girl without running it by six elders and reading four books by dead puritans first. I think this is ridiculous.
All of this is running through my head as I prepare to meet with Dallas. I’ve heard some things about