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The Robber's Return

Jimmy found himself where he never intended to be—in church

by Teresa Robotham

On a fall Sunday in 1995, nurse Kim Bracken completed two early morning home visits before heading downtown to First Baptist Church of Ft. Lauderdale.

As she pulled into the city parking garage it was about 9:30 a.m. Bible study was already underway; the worship service wouldn't begin for another hour.

Kim noticed how empty the garage was as she stepped out of her car. Reaching in the back seat for her viola, she hummed a hymn she'd heard on the radio.

Before Kim could shut the car door, she suddenly heard a voice. "Don't move!" threatened an unwelcome stranger. Kim tried to get a glimpse of the man, but she changed her mind when she felt the jab of a gun against her temple.

Was this a joke or the beginning of a life-and-death ordeal? "Give me all your money," the man demanded, "and your jewelry, too."

"Sure," Kim answered. "Take anything you want." Then she added, "And if you're hungry, there's some fresh grapefruit in the back seat."

What a foolish thing to say! Kim thought, her fear increasing as the man ripped away all her belongings.

Then she heard a click. Was that the safety on the gun? I can't believe this is happening to me. Kim did not know whether she would live or die. A Bible promise came to mind. "To live is Christ and to die is gain." If this man pulls the trigger, Kim thought, I'll be immediately in heaven. The idea stirred courage she didn't know she had.

Seizing the opportunity
Kim, in her mid-30s, had always had a heart for evangelism. If I have to die, at least he will hear the name of Jesus, she decided. After all, I'm not going to die for nothing. Quickly turning around, Kim's movement startled her assailant. He stood frozen with wide eyes. She noticed unusual tattoos on his face and arms. Her next words were filled with compassion. "It's okay. I forgive you because Jesus loves you."

The man jumped back, with a flustered and confused look on his face. He may have been armed but he was no longer dangerous. God had intervened.

The man quickly ran away, disappearing behind a tall building down the street. Frozen, Kim felt like she was trapped in a nightmare. Run. Just run! she thought, but her legs would not move.

Before she had a chance to regain her composure, Kim saw the man in the distance. "Oh, no," she whispered, "he's coming back." The closer he got, the more apprehensive she became. Now just a few feet away, with head down and eyes averted, the man handed everything back to Kim—including his gun! She clumsily accepted it, putting the gun in her car.

Not a chance encounter
The Holy Spirit gave her the strength to introduce herself. "My name is Kim. What's yours?" Once more, he became fearful, and looked as if he were going to flee.

Kim grabbed him by the arm.

"My name is Jimmy." He glanced up with tears in his eyes.

"Hi, Jimmy," Kim said, "I believe God brought us together for a reason. I'm on my way to church and I would consider it a privilege if you would be my guest."

Jimmy glanced at his blue jeans and t-shirt, then said, "I can't go to church looking like this."

"I don't care what you're wearing, and I'm sure the Lord doesn't mind," Kim assured him. "But if it means that much to you, I can drive you home to change."

"No!" Jimmy retorted. Who was this woman and where did she get the courage?, he must have thought. "I'll run home and meet you back here in ten minutes," he promised.

Kim questioned his sincerity but agreed. "Okay, I'll be waiting right here." As he left, Kim took a deep breath and felt like collapsing.

People started arriving for the 10:30 service. As a teenage girl passed by, Kim thought it might be a good idea to notify security. She called out, "Hi, Shawn. Could you do me a favor and mention to the guard that there is a suspicious-looking character in the area?" She was purposely vague so as not to alarm the young girl or risk any unnecessary confrontations between Jimmy and security. The teenager hurried off with the message.

A few minutes later, a car pulled into a nearby parking spot and out stepped David Lowe, Sr., one of the church ushers. "Good morning! How are you today?"

"I'm fine," Kim answered guardedly. David started walking up the street, but when he neared the church and noticed Kim still in the parking garage, he decided to go back and investigate. "You're not fine, are you?" he asked.

"No, I'm not," Kim confessed. She told him the whole story and asked him to stand by in case something went wrong. David slipped out of sight behind a concrete pillar.

A welcomed visitor
When Jimmy reappeared, Kim almost didn't recognize him. Wearing a crisp white shirt, tie, a pair of dark knit pants, and polished black shoes, he approached her.

"You're back," she nervously announced. "Jimmy, I hope you don't mind, but I shared what happened with a friend." David stepped out from behind the pillar. Once again, fear flashed on Jimmy's face, but he didn't bolt. He nodded uneasily, as he and Kim walked with David a few blocks to church.

Once inside, David tried his best to make the new visitor feel welcome. Jimmy relaxed when he realized nobody was going to arrest him.

After a quick tour of the building, David suggested that they sit in the balcony where he ushered.

As thousands of worshipers filled the large sanctuary, the minister of music stepped up to the podium. The pipe organ vibrated the pew where Kim and Jimmy were sitting. To Kim's surprise, Jimmy knew all the words to the hymn. As the music played, Jimmy began to sob. "Why are you crying?" Kim whispered.

"It's the only hymn I know—and I know every word of every verse," Jimmy muttered. It was a song Jimmy learned as a child in vacation Bible school.

It was time for the sermon. As the pastor turned to the large multimedia screen behind him, words appeared on the screen. The pastor read, "Robbery. Today we are going to talk about robbing God."

Tears streamed down Jimmy's face. Clearly, this message was no accident. God had Jimmy's undivided attention.

Forgiven for everything
After the service, Kim found out that Jimmy had been raised in a Christian home but did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Kim led Jimmy in a prayer to ask Jesus to forgive his sins and take charge of his life.

Kim and Jimmy joined another church friend, Bob Henderson, for lunch. Quickly briefed on what had happened that morning, Bob asked, "Jimmy, what were you thinking when Kim reacted the way she did?"

"I have never been so afraid in all my life," he said. Jimmy's voice quavered, "When Kim mentioned Jesus, I remembered a Bible verse that said God's word was a double-edged sword and at that very minute the sword went right through my heart. I felt so ashamed."

At the restaurant, the three were surprised to see the pastor. Kim and Bob tactfully introduced Jimmy as a "first time visitor to church" and found an empty table.

During lunch, both Bob and Kim could sense that Jimmy was still burdened with shame.

"Jimmy, you don't have to be ashamed anymore," Kim encouraged him. "God has forgiven and forgotten all your sins." Then she added, "And so have we."

In the following weeks, Bob, who was involved in the church's outreach ministry, helped Jimmy with food and other necessities. Besides meeting Jimmy's physical needs, Bob also extended his friendship by giving him rides to church. When Kim would see Jimmy at church, she'd always make a point to greet him.

On November 12, 1995, Jimmy made a public commitment to Jesus Christ. He joined the church and was later baptized. "Jimmy was really sincere and genuine—repentant for what he did," said Bob Henderson.

Soon after, Jimmy returned to Chicago to reconcile with his mother and three small children. Though the Christians Jimmy met in Florida have lost contact with him over the last couple of years, people have not forgotten the dramatic testimony of his changed life.

A Christian Reader original article.

Unexpected Gift
Christmas 1996. I woke early but didn't get out of bed. I listened to the silence, soon to be broken by four excited children. I smiled as I turned to curl up in my husband's arms. But reality hit me—there would be no loving embrace. Ross had died two years before from cancer.

A wave of fresh grief came over me and I started to cry. I gave my tears and loneliness to the Lord. Now awake, I went to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee, then slipped back under the covers to read and pray some more.

At 7:30, I got the kids up. After breakfast, we worked together to get Christmas dinner prepared and in the oven. True to our family tradition, we read the Christmas story from Luke and opened our gifts after we finished eating.

In the afternoon, I remembered I had one more gift to open. On Christmas Eve, just before the post office closed for the holiday, I received a call. "Mrs. Gowing, there's a parcel for you here. Would you like to come pick it up?"

It was a gift from my close friend Carol in Ontario. Our family had lived there before moving to Prince Edward Island.

I guessed from the size that it was a book—a copy of Elisabeth Elliot's A Quiet Heart. Inside the front cover, Carol had written a Christmas greeting, then added in pencil "Deuteronomy 33:12."

I turned to the verse. "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."

To rest between the Lord's shoulders sure sounded like a hug to me! With the help of a dear friend 1,200 miles away, God gave me the one thing I missed most that Christmas morning. —Linda Gowing

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
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