A history of the Bible Handout:
When I was told Ron had been in an accident, with a Lifeflight, I took my Bible, and a towel, to the hospital. I knew I'd cry a lot = towel. I knew I'd need Jesus so I took the Bible.
Ron lingered in ICU for weeks. I got to be friendly with the other families. We were all in agony waiting. Some people died. Some improved and moved on. People went on and off the ventilators, got infected, improved, as we all waited in agnonies downstairs.
I had a Bible. I had the comfort of knowing God would be with me no matter what.
The other families didn't have that. They just suffered.
I have gotten manic for various things. At one point, I'd gotten manic for Bibles, and bought several paperbacks.
I went home and brought them back. I didn't want to be seen as a fanatic, so I waited until everyone went to lunch. Then I put them out on the tables and went to lunch, myself.
When I came back, every family had dug into the Bibles.
Over the years, I'd buy inexpensive paperbacks and hand them out to the drivers, or other passengers, as led by God.
In early 2010 I got the idea to put the Bible in a bag with some candy and hand them out. I had begun to do that everyday.
As a result, I had about a hundred at home.
I don't believe in visions, but I had an image in my head: myself, on a median, holding up a Free Bibles sign. I'd hand them out to all takers.
The image wouldn't go away.
Well, Jesus says:
Matthew 22:9
New International Version (NIV)
9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
Jesus also said:
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Even if I were delusional, it fit with the Bible. Worst case, I figured, I'd just stand there like an idiot and come home. Maybe people would laugh. Maybe I might even hand out a Bible or two.
I was shocked at the result:
stood there and got glared at, waved off, and ignored for a bit. I reminded myself I ask God for humility. If everyone snatched one eagerly, I would probably be full of vanity. I asked God the whole time, to send the people with open hearts, to me, so I could give them His word. It was pretty humbling.
This still applies:
I stood there on the corner, with my sign, smiling and pointing at "Free Bibles". I carried a small stack in my right hand. If someone was interested, I jogged over to them and handed them however many I was led to give.
However, I soon got my first taker. When the window rolled down, I handed them a Bible or two. One guy wanted them for his whole family, so I gave him a stack. Pretty soon I was having a good time! I would say about 40% of the people were interested. A few tried to give me money, which I waved off.
I also wrote (and this still applies):
One fun thing about my job yesterday, was that it was fairly humiliating. I felt ridiculous waving my sign at times, getting glared at and ignored. Worst of all were the people who saw the sign, didn't read it, and tried to give me money! I was mistaken for a hard-luck homeless person!
I moved around a bit, settling at 249 and Antoine for a bit.
I was also handing things out on a day to day basis:
Keep me useful
In 2012 I broke my pinky day 2 days after a Bible Handout. It still bothers me sometimes.
One Christmas I handed out Bibles to two very drunk men in a convertible. I imagine their shock when they sobered up and found the Bibles.
In 2012, on my birthday, I was riding in a car after a family wedding. At 1 AM in the morning, the car broke down in the swamp in the middle of nowhere.
God sent a man who gave us a jump, and I gave him a Bible.
Do you know the timing God must have used to orchestrate that? Wow!
Lest you think this happened during periods of light and joy - it didn't. Ron had several bad setbacks, I continued to battle my illness, our business was in serious trouble, we nearly lost our home, Ron's drinking was out of control, I nearly left him on more than one occasion for extreme verbal abuse, and God carried me through it all.
About 2 years ago, when Ron realized I wasn't quitting, he began to accompany me on the Handouts. He sits in the wheelchair waving a smaller version of my sign, and provides companionship, security, and transportation.
Jesus did send the disciples out in pairs. Ron's made amazing improvements and truly seeks to please God - which makes his life, and mine, far better.
In closing:
I like how God uses me - I'm planting seeds, but I don't see the crop. If I knew how many people were getting saved, I would have a horribly swollen ego. I would be useless because I'd be full of vanity and pride. "Look what I did!"
Nope, look what God does, if we allow Him to work through us!
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