When author Ted Kluck was assigned by his church to “disciple” a young man named Dallas who had spent most of his life so far on the wrong side of the law, they decided to work together on a car restoration project as a more helpful way of spending time together than organising chats in coffee shops. The story of the first year of their friendship is told in their book Dallas and the Spitfire: An Old Car, an Ex-Con, and an Unlikely Friendship.
Dallas, who is a big guy and covered in tattoos, had a history of alcoholism, violence, drug abuse and drug-related crime, until he ended up in hospital and then at the Lansing City Rescue Mission. In the hospital two different people tried to tell him about Jesus, but he was not interested. After initially going through the motions of attending classes at the Mission, Dallas realised how much he needed the hope, forgiveness and love of Jesus, and he turned his life over to Jesus.
After hunting for a suitable car to work on, Ted eventually found a blue 1974 Triumph Spitfire. Dallas and Ted worked on it together while sharing life and working through issues. Dallas found a place in a fundamentalist Bible school, and, as an outsider from a completely different cultural background, had plenty of difficulties conforming to the school’s expectations. Nonetheless, Dallas and his faith mostly prevailed and the car was eventually finished and ready to ride.
The book tells a great redemptive story, but it also sets an example for an active style of discipling that may be more effective, particularly for men, than the typical purely conversational style. Doing something together is often a better way to build effective friendships than just getting together and trying to be friends. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.