Saturday, February 21, 2009

Way Of The Master Profiles - Lawman

TONY "THE LAWMAN" MIANO

Lawman is probably best known to regular listeners of Wretched Radio (formerly Way of the Master Radio) for his exploits as a phone fisher finding strangers to witness to over the phone during the program. Lawman worked for 20 years as a deputy in the LA County Sheriff's Department with the latter part of that career as a chaplain to the law enforcement community. This picture of Tony the Lawman was taken just after he downed a "Red Bull" in record time and may not accurately reflect the seriousness with which he approaches the task of evangelism.

My family and I spent two months in LA last year and a lot of that time was taken up by me covering Tony's back. Lawman trusted me in a lot of tight situations and knew I could handle the firearm he gave me to carry. Admittedly it wasn't a real one but it certainly played a big role in our bonding process. With 20 years of law enforcement experience he is someone I always felt safe with in the "hood" and never felt the need to wear neutral gang colors. Lawman is what we Aussies call a "unit" and not someone any sane criminal would want to mess with.

Lawman became involved with Way of the Master through his relationship with EZ. "Back in the day" when EZ was a gangster of epic proportions and tried to "roll Lawman up" only to become the "rollee" himself. They met regularly over the following years during visiting hours. EZ eventually offered Lawman a job soon after he completed his parole. Ok ok so this story is a complete fabrication. I just wanted to give the readers a window into the verbal jousting and role playing fantasies that can occur between EZ and Lawman during the course of any regular working day.

The truth is that Tony "Lawman" Miano is part of the Way of the Master team because he lives and breathes the Great Commission. You can read about Lawman's evangelism adventures on his blog "The Lawman Chronicles" which I have to admit is one of my favorite blogs and appears on my list of "xcellent blogs" in the right hand margin. He is a modern day George Whitefield with thunder in his voice as he stands upon his soap box and proclaims the Gospel. Lawman is not ashamed of the Gospel and willing to raise his voice to preach in almost any situation or location. But don't be fooled by this tough guy portrayal. Tony is a broken and humble vessel who pants for God's glory, weeps for the lost, and rejoices over one sinner who repents.

Lawman's experiences in evangelism have opened his eyes to the many parallels between his life on the beat and his life on the soapbox. The spiritual armor described in Ephesians chapter six formed the basis for his book"Take Up The Shield" which compares the uniform of a police officer with the armor of God. It is a great book and reveals that Tony Miano is no lightweight when it comes to grasping biblical theology and putting it "on the road". With the enormous mass of experiences, adventures, and discoveries within the bounds of Scripture I think it is only a matter of time before a sequel hits the shelf.

Lawman heads up the evangelism training conducted by Way of the Master through their "Ambassadors Academies" and they do a bang up job. I attended the October academy last year and it was one of the truly great experiences of my life. If you want to develop your witnessing, open air preaching, or need an environment to help break the ice with fear then these training camps are unique and powerful. I had a friend from Denmark attend the Academy with me who is shy by nature but is now a completely changed man with regards to fervency, zeal, and boldness. It was during this Academy that Tony "the Lawman" Miano delivered his landmark sermon "Don't Quit". Hear this sermon and be encouraged and challenged to take this glorious Gospel beyond the four walls of a church building.

I count myself extremely blessed to know Tony and hope it isn't too long before I get to wear my badge (and water pistol) as his deputy again as we hit the streets together.

Other Way Of The Master Profiles Can Be Read By Clicking On The Links Below:
Brainiac
Duane The Producer
EZ
Hip Hop
Kirk Cameron
Lawman
Mark Spence
Ray Comfort
Scotty
Todd Friel
Trish The Phone Fisher

1 comment:

Brazen Hussey's said...

Thank you for the intro to Law Man: his testimonials from the street are such an impactful encouragement to me and my family of 6 kids, the three older of which are on fire to share the Gospel in every way they can (tracts, one on one, online, snail mail...!).

Thank you for the background check on this fine officer in the Lord's army--I'm new to the Wretched Radio club, new to Way of the Master, though I've read Ray's "Hell's Best Kept Secret" years ago and kept it secret all this time...(for shame)

For some crazy reason, this is the year for change for us. God's stripped us of all worldly joys and passions, and this stands as the biggest thrill and excitement: the Great Commission to make disciples and call all who will listen to trust in Christ and repent of their sins.

Gratefully your brother-in-arms,
James Hussey
http://brazenhusseys.blogspot.com/