Some random encounters stay with you because they happen at exactly the right moment.
More than 25 years ago, I was editing a small magazine for a nonprofit ministry called ACTS 29. One assignment took me to a revival service being led by a ministry called Blood & Fire, a group that worked with men trying to rebuild their lives. The service was being held in an unlikely place—a funeral home in a rough Atlanta neighborhood near what is now MLK Drive and Joseph Lowery Boulevard.
Before the service, we walked the streets inviting people to come. I was the only white guy around, carrying a camera, which quickly became a problem. One of the men quietly pointed out that in that neighborhood, someone like me with a camera might easily be mistaken for a cop—and trust in police was thin. I put the camera away and followed their lead.
The service itself was remarkable—music, testimony, hope, and people genuinely listening.
Then afterward, my Ford Explorer refused to start.
The Blood & Fire men tried to help, but eventually they had to leave. That’s when a small man on a bicycle came riding up.
“Don’t talk to him,” someone warned.
But he asked what was wrong, looked under the hood, had me turn the key, pinched something, and suddenly the engine came alive. Then he took out a pocketknife, carved a piece of foam rubber into a makeshift hose, fitted it into place, and told me I’d make it home.
I offered him the only cash I had—$20. He resisted, then accepted.
As we talked, he mentioned that he had grown up in the same town as former Georgia football great Herschel Walker.
“Funny when you think about us playing football together,” he said. “Where he is now, and where I am.”
I told him, “I didn’t need Herschel Walker today. I needed you.”
He smiled, got back on his bicycle, and rode away.
To this day, I still wonder if he was one of those moments where God sends exactly who you need, exactly when you need them.
That night I felt completely out of place—but also deeply reminded that we are never outside God’s care.
Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
