operation: evang-e-droppings (report)

The first official evang-e-dropping and overall trash clean-up was a huge success. I was quite surprised and caught off guard in a number of ways.

First of all, it was just my 2-year-old son and myself. So I guess my attendance standards are fairly low for a successful ministry operation.

Second, it’s not like the masses were lining up on the shores of Lake Ft. Phantom to get baptized and be saved due to this deal. I mean - a toddler and I were picking up trash, mostly cigarette butts and a few bottles. That’s it. If the heavens opened wide, I guess I missed it.

We did however find about two dozen evang-e-droppings. Some were fresh and new, telling me the tract giving crew had been there the night before.

And normally I wouldn’t be writing about this event here as it seems to come against my mandate written in Matt 6:1-4. But I still wish to leave an open invitation to any locals who want to participate, thus the horn tooting report. This will be done for about an hour on the weekends. Email me if interested. Otherwise, it will be a father and son event, which is OK by me.

But something weird happened within me. I can’t explain it well. I’ve always believed in “being the message” as opposed to just talking about it. And I think to some degree my life has been this. But only to a degree. I have a long way to go.

However, watching the joy and excitement my son had for picking up trash was priceless. That alone was worth the whole experience, regardless if the bar owners/patrons ever feel the love of jesus from this. More than once Agent Offspring said, “I like picking up trash” as he scrambled over to get something, as if this were a giant easter egg hunt.

I would like to make a mild disclaimer, one that might surprise most: I am almost reluctant to completely criticize another’s outreach tactics. In other words, I am not totally against those who pass out tracts, but I would never join them. I prefer the quiet and unassuming, culturally embedded relational model.

Truthfully, as drive-by and as un-relational as passing tracts out can be, I always wonder about the handful of people in the world who come to know Jesus through one of these means. I know churches lift these new converts up on a pedestal and say, “these efforts WORK”.

And a guy who heads a local tract-passing ministry and I have a brief history together. I know him to be a lover of jesus. Who am I to judge him and say he’s wrong? If anyone can help me wrap my brain around this conundrum, please comment.

Meanwhile, I found one particular tract that fueled my disdain for them. It is 100% guilt trip inflicting and in my theological opinion, incorrect. The front had this Halloween-ish demon head on it with the words, “thanks for living your life for me!”. The back is shown here. Click on it if you care to read.