About a week ago I received a letter about what happened
when a sister who loves the Lord put tracts into beer 12-packs.
I don't want to give it away yet.
But what happened after that was too good not to share.
Hi, I'm David Daniels from Chick Publications.
"I was at the main grocery store I go to this morning
and a guy walked up and handed me a stack of Chick tracts.
I was so excited--I thought he was witnessing to me.
So I went to show him my tracts in my purse.
He told me I didn't understand.
He was the store manager and he was returning tracts
that I put in beer 12-packs.
He said I was seen doing it and he was asking me to stop.
I thought it would be a good witness to be respectful to him.
So I said out of respect for him I wouldn't do it anymore.
Then I walked out of the store thinking 'Who do I serve,
God or man?'
I don't think I handled this right.
I'm devastated!
What I should have told him is, these Love Story tracts
are for the little girls watching their dads get plowed
and fight with their moms; that The Beast and No Fear
are for the people who don't get the end is near,
that they are seduced by Satan, and that the booze won't fill
the void in their heart, but the message of the tract will.
I failed.
What on earth do I do now?"
Oh, my.
I prayed to God for help, then sent her this response:
"...Of course, you can do as you want,
but one possibility is to say to that very manager,
May I talk to you for a moment?
And tell him what you see and how you have no ill designs
on anybody, but you want to see families whole
and not torn apart.
Then say those beautiful words you said:
"Those Love Story tracts are for the little girls
watching their dads get plowed and fight with their moms;
that The Beast and No Fear are for the people
who don't get the end is near, that they are seduced by Satan,
and that the booze won't fill the void in their heart,
but the message of the tract will."
And if you want, ask him, ‘I'm sure you've seen
the broken families, too.
What would you do, to offer them hope?'
Treat the manager as a human being and not an obstacle.
And let him see you are also a human being who cares.
If you have been a good customer, it will be interesting
to see his response.
But pray, and ask the church or fellow Christians who will pray,
to pray, before going to talk to him.
This is still ultimately a spiritual battle.
Second, realize that he has pressures as a store manager.
His job could be on the line.
Third, if he has the tracts, then those tracts
didn't get to those people.
Someone he hired goes through the beer cans or bottles
and has to be paid to fish them out.
So perhaps there is another solution.
In grocery stores, I try to hand one directly
to the people I talk to.
They can receive them or not, but at least I will have offered.
A couple don't want to receive them.
But they have made their choice.
The rest like them.
So the end result is I give them to those who want them.
And I try not to make myself odious in the process.
Oh, and ask that manager, with a smile on your face,
"Have you gotten to read them?
If not, you can keep ones you haven't read."
Those are my thoughts.
God bless you."
You never know what's going to happen,
or even if you'll ever hear back.
But this lady was special.
She's gone to Nigeria and given special stuffed animals
that say Bible verses and things, to children who've been abused
and trafficked.
I've talked to her.
When God opens a door, this lady steps right through it!
I added: "One more idea.
If you get a sympathetic ear, you could get permission
to put a ‘Free, Take One' rack.
Then refill it as it gets low."
(By the way, we had a customer from Indiana
who serviced 50 of these ‘Free, Take One' tract racks,
that he put in 50 stores.
In a 5-year period, he put half a million tracts
in a 3-county area.)
Back to the story.
I got a letter back the next day.
Here's what she wrote:
"Dear David: The strangest thing happened today --
I went back to that store and the manager
who gave the tracts back to me suddenly appeared (I NEVER see him in the store)!
He invited me into his check out line and to be sure it was him,
I asked him if he was the one who spoke to me yesterday.
He confirmed he was.
I told him I never see him in the store
and he said he is almost always upstairs in his office.
I asked him if he read any of the tracts,
and he said he did.
I got to tell him why put A Love Story in those 12 packs
and he said he knew and understood.
He seemed ashamed of removing the tracts
and the truth they bring.
My transaction was over and with a guy on my heels in line
I knew my time with the manager -- Jesse -- was over.
I know the Lord's at work.
This was a divine appointment!
Praise the Lord!!"
God helped her turn an obstacle into an opportunity.
This Christian sister reminds me of what the Lord brought home
to my heart just a week ago.
"Lord, I'm only one person!"
"So is everybody else."
What can you do for the Lord?
Are you ready for God to turn your obstacles into opportunities?
Let's give these unsaved people a chance.
No one else will.
But you plus God equals a majority.
See what happens, and let me know.
God bless you and have a wonderful day.