T
hrough God's grace, a local officer
saved my life.
When I first set foot in the
San Diego Citadel Corps I was a broken
man. I was also a surrendered man, stepping out
on faith into a brand new world. Thankful to God
for saving me from my demons, I sought to be
of service to Him in reaching out to others. Like
Kierkegaard's "knight of infinite resignation," I
had given up the very thing I had hoped to keep,
my right to myself, and consequently gained a
connection with the divine ("He who loses his life
for my sake will find it," Matthew 10:39).
A fire burned inside my heart, an open wound
that would not heal of itself. Entering the chapel
foyer in September 1986, I was a wounded man
needing nurture; a frightened man, seeking
succor.
I noticed first a tall, lame man greeting the
others as they entered. When he spotted me I
glanced about nervously, unsure of whether to
go or stay; he made a beeline for me with all the
purposefulness of an angler flinging a fishing line
into a lake. John Nute, recruiting sergeant, took
his post quite seriously, moving briskly despite a
leg stiff from a stroke which paralyzed one side of
his body.
God used John to plant the bait, to let me know
I was in the right place. There was absolutely
no pretense to the man; I knew instantly I could
trust him.
In the service it was announced that John,
whose responsibilities included a Friday night
solicitation route, required a replacement driver.
My hand shot up, and so began my adventure as
his driver and escort on the weekly rounds of San
Diego's card rooms and bars.
I watched, intrigued the following Friday as he
entered a bar to a rousing cheer, then emerged
twenty minutes later, money bag full. Boisterous
farewells followed him out the door. My curiosity
was whetted; at the next stop I asked if I might
accompany him. Following as unobtrusively as
possible, I watched, enthralled as John passed
from stool to stool, then made the rounds of
the tables, shaking his tambourine. "Help The
Salvation Army?"
This had been John's
route for a decade--
he was a fixture on
the circuit. Ten and
twenty�dollar bills
made their way in
rapid succession from
wallets and purses to
his tambourine.
A woman's hand
shot out, gripping him
by the arm; he turned
to see a long�time acquaintance with tearing
eyes. "Alice!" he exclaimed. "What's wrong?"
A cry in her voice, the woman announced she
had been diagnosed with cancer and solicited
his prayers. Retrieving a worn New Testament
from his pocket, John read aloud, then, taking
her hands in his, he prayed a deep and heartfelt
prayer. Where John sat praying with Alice,
something beautiful was going on--the spiritual
and temporal planes intersected there.
John mingled with the street people--his
unassuming manner opening doors wherever he
went. I watched and marveled, filing away for
future reference every lesson learned. Reeking
from alcohol, an elderly woman with matted hair
received him with a full embrace. Devouring a
watermelon salvaged from a dumpster, a raggedy
man waved John over to sit with him. A prayer
concern was voiced; John's hand gripped the
man's shoulder, watermelon forgotten, as he
lifted his voice in prayer. I loved those chilly San
Diego nights as I shared with John my faltering
Christian walk, the baby steps I was taking.
Here was this broken human being with a deeply
compassionate soul, reaching out to tend my
fragile spirit.
I saw you in him, Lord--there is no doubt in
my mind. Because of his nonjudgmental manner
and crystal clear, rock�solid faith, I knew that
when I looked at John I was seeing you. Dear
Lord, John is with you now along with his
beloved wife Ann. After a lifetime in your service,
they are resting with you today. At a delicate
time, when I could have gone in any direction,
you placed John in my life and he showed me the
heart of God.
Major Glenn Doss is a retired Salvation Army officer. This
article is excerpted from his book, Reflections of a Former
Atheist, published by Frontier Press and available from
SAresourceconnection.org
How I Met
the Army
............
John Robert Stoddard Nute
as a Probationary Lieutenant
"I Saw God
In Him"
by
MAJOR GLENN DOSS
38
The War Cry | FEBRUARY 2014