In the last weeks of his life on earth, Rev. C. John “Jack” Miller dictated a short book entitled A Faith Worth Sharing. This book contains nine stories of personal evangelism—a memoir of his personal evangelism efforts. These stories offer encouragement to believers as we seek to bring good news to a lost world. With the hope of encouraging readers like Jack’s stories have encouraged me, I share the following two accounts from my ministry.

An Unexpected Opportunity: Mr. Smith Who Went to Washington

I met “Mr. Smith” in 2011. By all human accounts, he had enjoyed a full life. During World War II, he had worked for Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet. After the war, he practiced law—first with the federal government, and then in private practice. The apex of his legal career was a successful case tried before the United States Supreme Court in 1968. He was ninety-four years old when we first met.

I met Smith through his wife, who had visited our church plant. Mrs. Smith had brought her husband to worship, but by this point his mobility was limited. After a few visits, Mrs. Smith asked me to come and meet with her husband one-on-one. Not knowing either very well, I did not know what to expect when I arrived at their apartment on October 25, 2011. I never guessed what would happen.

After making me a cup of coffee, Mrs. Smith sat me in the living room with her husband and disappeared. At first, the conversation was biographical—the sort of things people share when first getting acquainted. But then Mr. Smith’s words began hinting at his own mortality—that fewer days lay ahead than lay behind. Picking up on this, I tried to offer some comfort: “This is one of the benefits of knowing the Lord.” He did not seem to be comforted, and I sensed a need to press further.

I am not a naturally outgoing person, so these moments when we have to decide whether or not to press beyond our comfort zone have never been easy for me. Sometimes I am too afraid. But on that day I asked, “Are you ready to meet the Lord?”

“Well, apparently not!” exclaimed Mr. Smith with surprising energy. His wife had told him that he was unprepared, and that he needed to talk to me. So here we were. His next question was straightforward: “What can you do for me?”

Though startled by the suddenness of this turn in the conversation, I managed to share the gospel with Mr. Smith that day—using the five membership vows of the OPC as my framework. He listened attentively. When I asked him whether he had ever confessed his sins to Jesus, he said, “You know, I don’t believe that I have.” When I asked him if he wanted to do that now, he said yes—and together we prayed, he repeating after me.

On my next visit, I brought Mr. Smith a Bible and we began to read John’s Gospel. Again we prayed together, he again repeating after me. But on my third visit, he was happy to share with me that he had offered his first “solo” prayer.

December 25, 2011, was a Sunday. Immediately following the conclusion of morning worship, I saw a voicemail on my phone. It was Mrs. Smith. A few weeks prior, her husband had celebrated his ninety-fifth birthday. But that Christmas morning, exactly two months to the day from when he first put his trust in Jesus, he had died—peaceably, but suddenly. The Mr. Smith who had gone to Washington had gone to heaven.

A Long-Awaited Conclusion: My Former Supervisor

I began working for “Clark” in 2006. Clark was one of those rare supervisors who got the best out of his employees professionally without sacrificing his or their humanity. He set ambitious goals for our team, but also recognized the importance of work-life balance. He required excellence and focus, yet his empathy and kindness were authentic. He was not a Christian, but common grace had made him a good human.

When I approached Clark to tell him that I was leaving to pursue full-time seminary, he surprised me. As it turns out, his own maternal great-grandfather had been a Presbyterian minister—a man named Robert Ames Montgomery! So although Clark did not share my faith, he supported me pursuing its development. When I left the company at the end of May 2008, I gave Clark a copy of a book I had just finished, The Reason for God.

Over the following years, Clark and I kept in occasional touch. In 2018, while my family was serving overseas in Asia, I received a distressing letter via email. Clark told me that he was facing an aggressive cancer, and that he was losing the battle.

Reflecting on this news, I decided to be direct in my response: “When somebody who believes as I do hears that a dear friend is possibly dying, it raises for us a heart-wrenching question,” I wrote. “I don’t believe that there is any ambiguity about what will happen to us when we die. We will come face-to-face with Jesus Christ. By his resurrection he has proven himself to be the Son of God, and the New Testament tells us he will be the judge of all people. My concern, Clark, is whether you are ready for this interview.”

After laying out the gospel, I ended with these words: “There is no heaven except the one where Jesus is King. Consequently, there is only one way to get in: to surrender to him . . . I don’t know if you and I will ever see each other again in this world. But I hope that someday we will stand together in heaven—not because either one of us is good enough, but because Jesus is good enough for us both.”

Clark’s response expressed appreciation without commitment. But living on the far side of the world, what more could I do?

The next year, medical realities brought my family back from Asia. In November 2019, just weeks before we moved to Dayton, Ohio, Clark asked if we could talk. When I called him a few days later, it was his turn to be direct. “I’m in trouble.” The cancer was consuming him, with no hope of recovery. “I need help,” he said.

I again laid out the gospel. I encouraged him to read Encounters with Jesus by Tim Keller. But I didn’t want to leave him simply with a book. So I talked to my wife about the possibility of me making a trip to California as soon as possible after our move. She agreed.

I saw Clark for the last time in early December 2019. The first evening we were together, we shared drinks and reminisced about old times. It was a joy, and I did not try to hijack the direction of the conversation. But I was concerned. Would we speak of Christ?

The next afternoon, while his wife was running errands, Clark and I had a very focused conversation. He had been reading the Keller book, and he did not argue with me about the reality of our sin or our need for Jesus. But when pressed about whether he had actually trusted Christ, he told me that he had not—and he wasn’t sure why not. “I can’t make you believe,” I replied. “But when you are ready, you can pray the same words to Jesus that he prayed to his Father on the cross: ‘Into your hands I commit my spirit.’”

I left California the next day, unsure of what would happen with my friend and former supervisor. Clark affirmed the resurrection of Jesus as history, but he had not yet surrendered to him as Savior. In parting, I reasserted this need. “You gave me the words,” he said. But that was all.

Four days later, Clark texted me: “I have grabbed the branch, given my spirit, accepted the gift . . . I thought I had made my peace before, but this is totally different for sure. I thought I was unafraid to face it, but now I know I am not afraid.”

Clark’s life in this world ended twenty-three days later. Between the day we first met and the day he met Jesus, more than fifteen years had elapsed. For all but the last three weeks of his life, he was unprepared to die. Yet when he informed me of his new faith, I said, “We will meet on the other side in a world without goodbyes.”

“Yes, we will,” he replied.

A Faith (Still) Worth Sharing

In the years since ordination, only three times have I had the privilege of leading an adult “across the line” to faith in Jesus. I have had many disappointments. But the stories of Mr. Smith and Clark remind us that Jesus is still saving sinners, even in a secular age—sometimes quite abruptly, sometimes over a long period. Our faith is still worth sharing.

The author is general secretary for the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension. New Horizons, March 2026.