From Bootlegger to Disciple
We the Church are fundamentally called to action. It is woven into every story, parable, and letter of Scripture. In fact, Jesus’s final words to His disciples in Matthew 28 consist of three imperatives; He commands his disciples to “go” and “make” and “teach.” Jesus deeply longed for them to become participators, not spectators, of the multiplication of God’s Kingdom and He has that same desire for us. Many of us meet this invitation with insecurities: “Who am I that I could make an impact for God’s Kingdom?” But all throughout the Bible and history we witness God choosing imperfect people with imperfect ministries to change the world for His Glory.
In 1926, during the height of Prohibition, a 20-year-old man by the name of Dawson Trotman found his world flipped on its head. Trotman was a well-known bootlegger in Lomita, California. He was marked by his charisma and drive for success, which gave him an edge over his competitors. While sharing a drink with friends at one of the underground bars he serviced, he was caught by local law enforcement and threatened with jail time. Desperate for any way out of trouble he made a “deal” with God, telling God that if God kept him from going to jail, he would attend church every Sunday. God met Trotman’s attempt at divine manipulation with grace and began to soften the heart of a man that would go on to play a pivotal role in WWII and beyond.
Trotman’s church attendance began as a “contractual” obligation but eventually led to him being poured into by faithful men and women of the church. They saw in him a unique spirit of fervor and boldness and spent years directing him in his knowledge and maturity in the Lord with hopes that he would use his gifting for God’s glory. As he grew, his passion for helping others grow in their love and faithfulness to Christ became a clear spiritual calling. The church was correct in discerning Trotman’s initiative because it wasn’t long before he began meeting with a young sailor, Les Spencer, who was stationed on the U.S.S. West Virginia off the coast of California.
Every free moment that Trotman had was spent reading the Bible and praying with Spencer. As God worked in Spencer, Spencer began to look at his shipmates with new compassion. These men didn’t have a relationship with Christ. They were experts in navigation but remained lost. At the end of one of their meetings Spencer cried out in desperation, “you have to share this with my friends. They need to hear this message!” Trotman was capable of doing the work on his own, but he had come to learn that Jesus calls His people to action. He wanted Spencer to feel the same joy that he had come to find in living out the Great Commission.
Spencer would leave for six-week assignments on the U.S.S. West Virginia, during which Trotman encouraged him to create “floating seminaries.” Spencer led Bible studies with several crew members and shared the gospel with fervor. Every time the ship would redock, Spencer would share of sailors who were new followers of Christ. Within a year, 50 sailors had proclaimed faith in Christ and were actively being discipled. This created an ongoing culture of Christianity on the ship that would carry on for decades.
On December 7th, 1941 the U.S.S. West Virginia became one of the hardest hit ships in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Hundreds of men died trying to save the ship from sinking. God knew that tragedy would strike that morning which is why he spent years preparing the ship for eternal impact. There was nothing special about Trotman when God called him. He was a wild, self-centered, reckless criminal. But God transformed him into an instrument of grace. Because of Trotman’s investment in Spencer and Spencer’s investment in the men on his ship, hundreds of sailors were saved before their lives were tragically taken.
Impact for God’s Kingdom is not reserved for the perfect. When our lives have been touched by the Grace of Christ we are given the tools for righteousness (II Timothy 3:16,17) even if we don’t initially know how to use them. But as we grow and rely on Jesus, he will remain faithful to use us for His Glory in ways that we would never expect. Let’s be a people that long for that and respond to His call knowing that lives spent sharing the Gospel are not lives wasted.
Sources:
1. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/60-years-ago-today-the-founder-of-navigators-drowned-while-saving-a-girls-life-an-interview/
2. https://www.businessinsider.com/uss-west-virginia-survived-pearl-harbor-attack-2016-2
3. Daws: A Man Who Trusted God by Betty Skinner