Day 30: Practice Practice Practice

One of my most favorite ways to witness is through passing out tracts. I have no problem the majority of the time engaging people with a tract and putting it in their hands. Friends have joked about me callings me the "tract-master" due to the fact that I know where to get tracts and always have some and love passing them out.

Well recently, I have been running low on tracts. Normally I have a good stash ready for any event or opportunity, but certain things have kept me from ordering as much as I do. I took my lack of tract to God in prayer and left with seeing my predicament as a way God was telling me to be bolder, engage people in conversation rather than just give them a tract and off I go.

Today was that day. I would be bold. I would engage people in conversation. As I made my way around downtown, I handed out tracts here and there, telling people what it was but not really engaging them in conversations.

One by one, I had opportunity to talk to people, even the mayor of Montgomery. I saw him walking and as he neared the crosswalk, I handed him a million dollar bill tract. He looked at it and asked what it was, and I explained to him that it was a gospel tract and off he went.

Another guy I met was a young man. He did not stick around to talk much, much after briefly emphasizing that we all die; every last one of us. He said by the was he lives his life; he would go to hell and just scampered on down the road as if that was just the way life was.

There were a few more people I spoke with but during all of my quick encounters, I found it hard to engage people in conversation. I had gotten so use to just passing out tracts and moving on, I was out of practice with one on one conversations.

I love tracts and don't ever see myself abandoning them. They are a great tool to witness with and can go places I can't. But, as we practice sharing our faith, I believe we should pray to be more bold in other avenues of witnessing.

Such as of course, engaging people in one two one conversations, maybe open air preaching or Prayer Station evangelism. There are many way to be a witness and I encourage you to look for opportunities to do just that, be a witness of the hope that is in you.

I have enjoyed these days writing this journal. It has been an interesting thirty days for me and I have thankful that I can look back on them and read about the opportunities given to me to practice sharing my faith in my own town and beyond. I hope you have been encouraged by this journal and are lighting the darkness in your own city.

Light the darkness~

David

EvangelizeYourCity.org

Day 29: Witnessing at the Courthouse

The other day I came across some pictures and testimonies of some guys in California witnessing and preaching at their local courthouse and was reminded of a great opportunity to witness on the first Monday of each month at the local parole board. When I first began to open air preach; this was one of the first places I went to practice sharing my faith by preaching.

I woke up early and walked out the door prepared, as so I thought. I had forgotten my keys. I went back into the house and looked everywhere but they were no where to be found. My wife assisted me in locating them but by the time we found them, I knew I had missed the window to witness before they opened the doors to let people in.

I still made my way downtown and by the courthouse to see about six people standing outside waiting for the doors to open. I figured it was to small a crowd to preach so I just passed out some tracts and tried to engage some people in conversation.

As I was talking to a guy about the tract and the message, they opened the doors and he excused himself.

Afterward, I walked around and spoke with a few more people that would listen and passed out some more tracts. There wasn't as many people as in a big city, but still it was people in need of a savior.

Let me encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to share the gospel at your local courthouse or DMV. Go one day and do recon you might say. Log the time of day in the morning when they unlock the door to let people in. Then go back one day early enough to engage them in conversation or to reach the gospel.

Here are a few links and resources I found that may offer some encouragement.

Facebook page for Courthouse DMV outreach
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163168873693810&ref=mf#!/group.php?gid=113144578745766&ref=mf

A great tract made just for this type of witnessing, any tract will do though.
http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=122&category_id=8&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=199&lang=en

"At the Courts" preaching."
http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&layout=category&task=category&id=34&Itemid=308&lang=en

One more day left! I honestly hope these journal post have encouraged you somehow to be a witness in your own city, sharing the gospel with all you know.

Lighting the darkness~
David

Day 28: Family time at the park

In previous post, I have in written about witnessing adventures that involved my kids. I find it a great joy to have them tag along when witnessing and I strongly encourage it. Sharing your faith does not need to be a hobby you may have away from your family,but a lifestyle that your family and you can practice doing together.

On this particular day, the weather was beautiful. It was nice and cool with a great breeze. A perfect day to take the youngsters to the park.

While at the park playing with my kids, I planted a million dollar bill tract on part of the kid's castle at the park and waited.

Before long, I noticed a group of young kids gawking over it. Each of them gazing at the big money one of them had found. Before we left the park, I gave one to a lady playing with her child and one of the kids that had seen the million I planted, spotted it as if it was the best thing since sliced bread.

He immediately ran up to her and asked her about the tract. I then pulled out my stash and handed him and the rest of the kids at the park one, explaining to them what it was.

As we made our way to the van, my three year old took some and handed them out to some parents sitting along some benches as their kids played.

I love being a dad. I find it a great joy to call my kids mine and to take them along and teach them how to share the greatest message there is with all we can.

I look forward to Day 28 of this journal and hope that you are encouraged by this journal as I have been with the opportunities given to share such good news.

Lighting the darkness~

David

www.EvangelizeYourCity.org