I always try to take Colton to school on Friday mornings. This morning as he was getting out of the truck he asked the same question he almost always does: "daddy, can I have a tract to hand out to someone in my class today?"
I honestly don't know how this started. I don't think we've ever even suggested the idea to him. Does he see dad and mom hand out tracts? Yes. Do we take him door to door in our neighborhood? Yes. Does he see dad and mom share the gospel with people when we are out and about? Yes. Do we teach him we are missionaries in the NE Houston area? Yes. But, if we've ever given him tracts and told him to hand them out at school, I honestly don't remember it.
He has been doing it since the beginning of the school year. At first, he (and we) got pushback. In his first month at school he got reprimanded for witnessing on the playground at recess and we got a phone call. Another time he counted the number of kids in his class (19) and got that many tracts from the NEHBC lobby tract rack and handed one to every kid in his class the next today. Apparently, he's not supposed to do that either. But, amazingly, he keeps handing out tracts week after week--all on his own initiative.
I also don't know how he keeps going at it even though he's had pushback from staff and faculty at his school. We keep talking to him about the importance of boldness and courage in a gospel witness--nobody comes to faith in Christ apart from a bold gospel witness. He knows the New Testament stories of Stephen preaching the gospel while being stoned to death, Peter and John brought to trial for sharing the gospel, the various stories in Acts of 1st century Christians being whipped and jailed for our faith. It must be these stories from the bible that give him the conviction to keep going.
Regardless, our Friday morning ritual is always the same right before he hops out the truck. Me: "Colt, bring it in . . . do the three things Linos do: obey, try hard, and have fun." Colton: "I'm on it." Me: "I love you so much I'd die for you." Colt: "I love you so much but I'm NOT dying for you. I need a tract to hand out to someone today." He hops out and while I watch my little missionary enter his mission field, I pray for the student or teacher who gets the tract to come to a saving faith in Christ. Then I smile as I pull away because in the Fall the school gets Campbell too. . .
I honestly don't know how this started. I don't think we've ever even suggested the idea to him. Does he see dad and mom hand out tracts? Yes. Do we take him door to door in our neighborhood? Yes. Does he see dad and mom share the gospel with people when we are out and about? Yes. Do we teach him we are missionaries in the NE Houston area? Yes. But, if we've ever given him tracts and told him to hand them out at school, I honestly don't remember it.
He has been doing it since the beginning of the school year. At first, he (and we) got pushback. In his first month at school he got reprimanded for witnessing on the playground at recess and we got a phone call. Another time he counted the number of kids in his class (19) and got that many tracts from the NEHBC lobby tract rack and handed one to every kid in his class the next today. Apparently, he's not supposed to do that either. But, amazingly, he keeps handing out tracts week after week--all on his own initiative.
I also don't know how he keeps going at it even though he's had pushback from staff and faculty at his school. We keep talking to him about the importance of boldness and courage in a gospel witness--nobody comes to faith in Christ apart from a bold gospel witness. He knows the New Testament stories of Stephen preaching the gospel while being stoned to death, Peter and John brought to trial for sharing the gospel, the various stories in Acts of 1st century Christians being whipped and jailed for our faith. It must be these stories from the bible that give him the conviction to keep going.
Regardless, our Friday morning ritual is always the same right before he hops out the truck. Me: "Colt, bring it in . . . do the three things Linos do: obey, try hard, and have fun." Colton: "I'm on it." Me: "I love you so much I'd die for you." Colt: "I love you so much but I'm NOT dying for you. I need a tract to hand out to someone today." He hops out and while I watch my little missionary enter his mission field, I pray for the student or teacher who gets the tract to come to a saving faith in Christ. Then I smile as I pull away because in the Fall the school gets Campbell too. . .
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