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When Jay LeRette preaching the Word of God, he transformed from a mild Midwesterner—a country gospel lover, riding a horse he had trained to roll and grin, and himself She also had a smug laugh—a glowing human being. Sixty-four, 5′ 5″, and dressed as a cowboy, his build grew larger; his voice grew hoarse. A man in the second row with a great beard, like ZZ Top amen. “The demon mopped the floor with me,” LeRette continued, mimicking the sweeping motion. “But God—but God!—” he shouted, slamming the pulpit and jumping up, “—have mercy on you and me.”
It was a weekday evening in December 2021, with Christmas coming up, and I was sitting in the trailer of an 18-wheeler that had been moved into LeRette’s chapel. It is permanently parked at the Petro Visitor Center, a truck stop near Interstate 39 in northern Illinois. Surrounding it were acres of commercial trucks that stopped overnight and carried all sorts of goods: cows, weeds, pro wrestling rings, grain, gasoline. One side of LeRette’s trailer reads “Transport for Christ”; Next to it, a neon cross glittered in the dark. John 3:16 adorns the reverse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Beside the scriptures were two divine hands cradling a truck.
There are tornado warnings throughout Illinois. Strong winds tore through the parking lot, causing the trailer to swerve and groan; We are out of reach of any sirens. However, every minute, the door opens and a new truck driver walks in. Each person sits in one of about 20 chairs arranged in a row toward the center of the chapel, which is rather minimalist: Bible verses framed along wood-paneled walls, a pulpit. in the front, an office and bed in the back.
The drivers – all men tonight – had come straight from the road, and their bodies showed sluggish entropy due to bad food and decades of sitting. All but one were over 50 years old. Some know each other: As LeRette began the ceremony by humming hymns and strumming her guitar, a stray walked in and several men called out, “Rip!” Rip rushes in and high-fives or hugs them.
LeRette handed out copies of the King James Bible and asked us to turn to Luke 10:25. Chuck seems to be back in Exodus, and when LeRette repeats “The Gospel of Luke,” Chuck replies, “Oh, I thought you said Mötley Crüe.” Suddenly, the boys and girls were indescribably funny like this.
LeRette asked John, a small, elderly man in a hoodie, to read the verse. “A certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” He tried to sound “eternal”, but the The man nodded in agreement, support and patience.
LeRette then explained: A skeptic was trying to trick Jesus into contradicting Jewish law, in order to utter a heresy. “Now how many people know he wouldn’t do it? Jesus To be the living word of the Lord, amen? There is no trap our savior. Chuck called out, “They’ve been trying to trap him for three years,” and LeRette replies, “Come on, that’s right!” The promptness with which he gestured to these weary men on the street to make calls and respond was extraordinary. He stamped his feet and clapped his hands, stepped aside and kicked until his lungs faltered. “Jesus brought ours load, amen?
