GON Kids – October 2016

I’ll never forget meeting Brandon Key. He was one of four youth campers at a 30-30 Ministries’ DEER CAMP with Dr. Don Spillers in Perry. When the 13-year-old from Morgan County showed up, it wasn’t long before the two of us connected on something we both had a passion for—rabbit hunting with beagles. I remember listening to Brandon talk about working rabbit hounds with his grandfather on many a frosty morning.

Brandon came to the camp with his mom, Stacey, who wasn’t much of a hunter but wanted the very best for her son and agreed to take him all way to south Georgia to go deer hunting. Brandon pulled the trigger on a fat doe that weekend, and the two had groceries for the ride back north.

I’ll never forget the call I got on Sept. 20, 2015. Brandon had been thrown from an ATV and lost his life. At first, it just didn’t seem real. Six weeks earlier I was eating at a Mexican restaurant in Madison with my wife, and Brandon walked up to my table. 

“Hey Mr. Brad,” he said.

At 15, I hardly recognized him. He was growing into a fine young man and shared with me a few stories about how he’d been catching some catfish on Lake Sinclair. We chit-chatted about hunting and fishing for a few more minutes, and he left. It was the last time I saw Brandon alive.

I went to Brandon’s visitation and was encouraged at the outpouring of love from the community. Many wore camouflage in support of Brandon’s passion for the outdoors. At Brandon’s funeral the next day a dozen or so made decisions to surrender to Jesus in salvation. I couldn’t help but wonder… where was Brandon spending his eternity? Brandon had not made a public profession of faith in Jesus at that DEER CAMP in 2013. We did share the Gospel and a few testimonies during our group devotion times, but I hadn’t taken the initiative to sit down with him one-on-one and just ask him about his salvation.

Sometimes it’s those intimate conversations that will lead someone to receiving the free gift Jesus offers to all of us. Maybe it’s just the act of showing that you care enough about a person that it opens their eyes and hearts to the love of Jesus. The sad thing is that I didn’t have that conversation at the Mexican restaurant either, and the moment he walked out the door, I knew I should have. On the night of Sept. 20, I found myself at a moment in time when my chance to talk with him about salvation had passed.

Eat up with conviction, I tracked down the preacher who handled Brandon’s funeral, and it turns out he knew Brandon fairly well. He told me a story that put my heart at ease. In October 2013, two months before I met Brandon, he was at a local church event and indicated that he was ready to trust Jesus as his Savior and Lord. Directly afterward, Brandon met with a counselor to verify that his decision was not an emotional one, but one based on facts about what the Bible teaches about sin, Jesus and salvation. Brandon’s decision was genuine.

I can remember the feeling of relief that came over me when I hung up the phone with that preacher. Brandon’s eternity was secure, and he was in the presence of Jesus. 

We come in contact with people every day. As Christians, there will be times when God will nudge you to share His story… and to share yours. Let me encourage you to never miss another opportunity to share with someone how Jesus saved your soul and how He can save theirs, too. 

The Bible teaches us that life is a mist, here today and gone tomorrow. How should we live out our remaining days on earth? As Christians, our desire should be to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength… and to love our neighbors. There is no better way to show love to those around you than by sharing the story of Jesus.

See you soon, Brandon…