Reminder: USE TRACTS

Dr. Bob,

I'd second this suggestion, and from personal experience too. Years ago (while in college) I spent a summer working in the Central Credit department of a well-known national retailer. (O.K., Sears.)
Thousands of envelopes would be opened daily by each of the operators of (at that time) OPEX R.E.D. (stands for Rapid Extraction Desk) machines.
There was an occasional tract among the thousands of envelopes each person saw daily.
Many would simply toss them without even a second glance, but I also saw some operators read them or look them over.
Perhaps only God Himself knows the impact any of those single tracts had.

 

Thank you Dr. Bob, for such a wonderful testimony!

I put them in my mailed bills, and I also like to leave tracts at a restaurant table.

Sherrie

 

Those are great ideas!!! But please, please, please if you leave a tract at a restaurant include a nice tip! And do NOT EVER leave a tract in place of a tip.

 

I'll agree here, make sure to leave a good tip with the tract.
We also have the "Little Books" at our Church/. Bro. Grodfrey, the man who writes them, wass the founding Pastor. I like to slip one in the Sweetner/sugar container,,,,,good fit.

 

I used to work in a bank where the OPEX 5.0, 51, and 150 were used. What you have to remember is that the 150 and, to a lesser extent, the others, are calibrated to accept envelopes of a specific thickness and when you incude things in the envelope that aren't meant to be in there, if jams the machine.

Your average operator is judged based on the number of envelopes he processes per hour. When the machine jams because of a tract, the operator's numbers go down. They don't appreciate it.

I know in the bank where I worked, tracts were seen as a nuisance.

 

Oh Mike, now I don't know about the tracts everyone elses uses but the ones I use are pretty thin.
Ya'll know, I almost couldn't believe it, but Friday I gave a tract to someone at school. I had no idea who he was, and even if I ever saw him again, I probably wouldn't recognize him anyways.
He looked at it, and said "Thankyou." and as I walked away, I turned and saw him reading it. Now I don't know if he got saved, if he did, I'll meet him in Heaven, but I just couldn't beleive he actualy said thankyou and read it! I've never had that reaction from anyone in school!
Ya'll still keep putting em out. They may act annoyed, but if they ever do get saved, they will be glad you gave them one.
Spread the gospel, tracks included!
~Miss Abby
Proverbs 31:30

 

Doesn't matter. These machines are calibrated to within .000 of an inch. They can detect too much glue on the back of an envelope.

Will they be glad when they're standing in their boss' office being chewed out because their numbers are down because their machine is always jamming due to tracts? I know this happens because I was the guy who had to chew them out.

 

Dr.Bob that was awesome testimony and at my school a lot of us from the school ministry have been putting tracks in the bath rooms where people can see them. lol we even taped a track to the batth room walls inside the actualy sitting area so they cant be ignored. But tracks do work I put some tracks down and others did and people are talking about them and taking them and reading them. I saw a teen reading them just the other day and it was laid down that day. Tracts do work in Isaiah 55 the Bible says "The Word of God will not return void but it will accomplish what He wants accomplished" so remember when you pass out tracts it is not in vain God will use His word to accomplish something praise God

 

Yes, that's called littering and vandalism.

 

You suggested tracts in bill payments. Good idea! I get a lot of mail from credit card companies and other unwanted mail usually with a prepaid return envelope. I usually send back a Gospel tract. I believe this is the right thing to do, esp. since they use my address without my permission.
Don't forget to give out tracts personally. I was in Cookeville, TN at a festival and even two Muslim women responded and picked up my tract "Must Nice People Repent". They did not object or protest. I am glad they can read the truth about salvation.

 

I must say thaat Ii have never seen a really good
tract in my life. Of those I have seen, they have
been both intellectually and spiritually
embarassing. Some praise the organizations that
print them, rather than turning the readerr toward
our God and Truth. Where are you finding the
good ones?

And don't you put your tract on my car. There is
nothing that makes me more upset with local
businesses than when they put fliers on my
vehicle. Invariably, I look around to see the
ground litered with them, because people Do
Not Like This, often reacting irresponsibly,
littering the ground with them. I always call
the number on the flier and tell the people that
because of their irresponsible business
practices, I would not shop there or use their
services on a bet. I would do the same thing to
a church that leaves a tract on my car.

 

So then, it's not really about sharing the Gospel, but about revenge for them using your address without your permission.

How have they used your address? Since when does someone need your permission to send you mail?

Do you know that they have to pay when you use those envelopes? Isn't that just a little dishonest, using an envelope they have to pay for in a way that it wasn't intended just so you can get "revenge" on them for doing something both legal and reasonable?

 

Mike --

Since you know about it, would it be unethical to
take all of a credit card's stuff they sent me and
put it in that envelope, mailing it all back to them,
because I do think it is both unethical and a
nuisance to receive all those credit card offers in
the mail? I have been tempted to box up some of
rte broken cement from the aley, to sent it with
their envelope to cover the postage, but I
concluded that this would be unethical and did not
do it.

If I ever found a good tract, I might be tempted to
mail it, but not:
* in retaliation
* with a nasty note
* with a late payment
* when paying for a Playboy prescription
* when paying a speeding ticket
* to take care of an old video bill for R-rated movies
* to the lawyer I used for an unethical suit

:-D

 

Thanks for that story Dr Bob, that is really encouraging to those who still see the value in handing out Gospel tracts.

It amazes me that some people can only respond with discouragement.

Young people like Dallasdid should be encouraged to continue sharing the Word rather than being accused of littering. I'm sure the vast majority of Christians are responsible enough to not throw tracts all over the floor and if we see others throwing them away we can lift them again, can't we? or would that be too much like hard work?

There are plenty of good Gospel tracts out there and I've heard many testimonies where people have come under conviction after receiving tracts.

Well done to all those who engage in this work, and shame on those who have nothing better to do than gripe.

 

I don't think that would be unethical but I think you'd be better off calling your postmaster and getting the address to write to get your name off that list.

 

Thank you, Dr. Bob. I intend to check that thread
and to see if I can find relevant and well-written
tracts. Personally, I think that a tract used wisely,
without being a social nuisance, is a good idea.

One concern I immediately have, with regard to
using tracts, is may I put the name of my syna-
gogue on the tracts as a means of contact, or do
they all, as I have seen, come with a preprinted
contact?

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Thank you, Mike, for you advice. I will check into
that address. I did get my name on the no-e-mail
list!

 

Oh dear, Thomas Kincaid, maybe your taste is questionable Dr Bob. Please, please don't reveal this info in the music forum.

 

No problem. You might have to write them twice (this is the government, after all) but it should get rid of the junk mail.

Me too but it isn't supposed to go into effect until October.