Week 1, Location 2: Precinct Line Rd & W Harwood Rd, Hurst, TX

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth...But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."  - Hebrews 11:13, 16

Time:  3:45  - 5:15 pm

Main Happenings:

1) A few honks of approval in the traffic (not as much this time)
2) A couple others said out their windows, "Good job, keep it up!", or something similar, and gave thumbs up.
3) Others just gave thumbs up and waved inside their cars.
4) A girl came up to me on the sidewalk and wanted to know what the sign said.
5) And finally, a young man probably not more than 20 years old, was laughing at me with his buddy.

Sign Held:

Day 3...still doing great.  I was at the same place as yesterday, but not at the same time.  I stayed here for about 2 1/2 hours, from 3:45 - 5:15 pm or so.  About the same happenings as the previous 2 days.

A girl came up to me on the sidewalk and wanted to know what the sign said.  She was some place else but noticed me on the sidewalk.  I was trying to figure out where she came from, like one of the nearby stores like the Cash Store or something.

Girl:  Hi...I was just trying to read what your sign said.  My friend and I were sitting there wondering what you were holding up.

Me:  Yep...I'm out here proclaiming the Truth.

Girl:  Yep...very cool.

Me:  Where did you come from?  (I was trying to ask "Where were you sitting at?", like maybe at the Cash Store or a coffee shop or something, but that came out instead)

Girl:  Oh I'm from Cross Roads.

Then she left.  I didn't see anything nearby that had a title of Cross Roads.  There is a Cross Roads, TX - an hour drive north.  There is also Cross Roads Dr in Grapvevine - a 20 minute drive.  Oh well.  One of those "came and went" situations.  

And then finally my grand finale of the day: a couple of young men was stopped at the stoplight.  The one in the passenger side looks at me with my sign and starts laughing, mockingly (I can tell a difference).  Then he gets the other buddy driving to look at my sign...they both start laughing.

Oh well...the message on the sign is foolishness to those who are perishing, as it's written:

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.'  Where is the wise? Where is the scribe?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." - 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

I am not ashamed of my sign.

Week 1, Location 2: Precinct Line Rd & W Harwood Rd, Hurst, TX

"For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."  - 2 Timothy 1:12 

Main Happenings:

1) almost immediately a man rolled down his window and handed me a bottle of water.
2) honks of approval in the traffic (you can tell they were approvals)
3) A few others said out their windows, "Good job, keep it up!", or something similar, and gave thumbs up.
3) Others just gave thumbs up and waved inside their cars.
4) And finally, a Hurst police officer stopped in the Cash Store parking lot, beckoned me to come over, and told me I shouldn't be in the street on the platform, but on the sidewalk instead. I complied.


Day 2 of gospel street sign holding is finished.  My wife didn't come since she works until 6:30 pm, when it's dark.  So during the week, during my days off of my own job, I can go out there by myself and hold the sign. And then on Saturdays my wife and I can head out.

I found the perfect intersection: Precinct Line Rd & W Harwood Rd.  I parked at the Walmart parking lot and off I went.  Here is the picture: I was standing in the upper right corner.

 And at first I even found a mini platform to stand on that faced the street.  Some sort of raised cement structure that's part of the intersection design, something like that.  So I was on there holding my sign high for the first hour or so.  Then a Hurst police officer came by and told me not to stand in the street like that, it was dangerous, but to stand on the sidewalk instead.  So I complied, and I finished on the sidewalk.

I was out there for about 2 hours.  This time I listened to the book of Romans on my phone. I put the audio file onto my phone.  But I don't think I will use headphones next time because it may make me seem disengaged to my "audience."  If someone actually wanted to talk to me, they may not want to because they may think, "He's stuck in his headphones and won't want to talk."  I brought headphones to give me strength by listening to God's Word as I stand out there.  The Word of God is what fuels and drives this...so I listened to Romans.  It sure did help though.

Week 1, Location 1: 645 Grapevine Hwy, Hurst, TX

The blue X is where my wife was standing.  The red X is me.

A little later on I made my way down to the nearest intersection at Norwood Dr.

"I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."  - Psalm 18:1-2

Time:  3:45 - 4:45 pm

Main Happenings:

1) some honks of approval in the traffic (you can tell they were approvals)
2) a man rolled down his window and said, "Good job brother!" and gave a thumbs up
3) a man looked at my wife's sign and just shook his head with disgust


Wow...  day 1 of holding our gospel signs.  Grapevine Hwy...this was the exact place where my wife saw the man in a business suit, standing in the rain, holding a sign that read, "Need job, please."  So to begin this journey I wanted to go to that same place...but hold our gospel signs instead.

To start we both stood along the road closest to Tom Thumb.  My wife held the Romans 6:23 sign:

And I held the other two, alternating at times:













As the bulk of the traffic came our way, we faced that side of the traffic.  As the bulk of the traffic came on the other side of the highway, we faced that side of the traffic. Later I crossed the highway to be on the opposite side to hold my sign.  My wife said she saw many people slowing down to read the signs. We got a few honks from people.  I was also waving at all the cars - I mean after all, we're not raving mad, hell-fire and brimstone lunatics  - we're just normal folks holding gospel signs.

About a half hour into it I decided to walk down to the intersection of Grapevine Hwy and Norwood Dr., a block or so down at the stoplight. That's where the people could read the sign the most, waiting at the stoplight!  And there I was holding my sign and waving at everybody. Again, I got a few more honks of approval and a few thumbs up.  But 99% of the people just drove right on past and didn't really notice as far as I could tell.  One man did roll down his window in the middle while waiting at the stoplight and said something like, "Good job brother!!"  And I said, "My wife is just down the highway on the right!"

It was time to go.  We decided to only be out there for about an hour.  As I caught up to my wife, she said that one man, while pulling out of the Tom Thumb onto the highway, read her sign, looked at my wife and just shook his head in disgust, with the unspoken action of, "I can't believe you're out here...how sad."  But my wife didn't care.  She said she wanted Christ to be magnified and for her to become less important.

Introduction, Purpose, Background

Introduction
This will be a simple blog.  My wife and I are holding Gospel signs on the street at various locations around Fort Worth and Arlington.  And we would like to keep a journal of happenings or even praise reports.

Purpose of Blog
We are starting this blog as an encouragement to other brothers and sisters in the Lord.  If my wife and I have the desire to hold Gospel street signs to exalt the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, there has got to be a thousand other people like us also, but perhaps thinking, "I must be alone in this. I don't see anyone doing that anywhere."  As I researched on Google about other Gospel sign holding on the streets, I came across other sites, like the following, which encouraged me.

Temple Baptist Church in Statesville, NC
Christ the King Full Gospel Worship Center, St. Brooksville, FL. And here is the news article on them:

Background of the Sign Holding
I got the idea of holding Gospel signs from the homeless actually. The homeless guys that hold up their cardboard signs in various places around Fort Worth and Arlington in the middle of the road on the grass berms. There they stand, with sign in hand, "Hungry. Need a job. Help." My wife even saw a guy in a complete business suit holding a sign in the middle of the road that read: "Need job. Please," while driving home from work.  As I kept passing by these guys, a thought suddenly came to mind, "You know...what if I stood out there with a sign also... only it would be to exalt the name of Christ Jesus our Lord. It could say something like, 'For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto to every one that believeth... Romans 1:16'. You know, I bet 1,000 cars would pass by in a matter of a few hours".  I kept pondering and thinking on these things.  Then one day I came across a message from Paul Washer, given at Building 28 church in Florida, and he said:

"When I drove here tonight there was a guy out there standing on the street corner with a sign that said 'Jesus Is Lord'. Did he happen to wander in here tonight? Is he here? Man, I wanted to get out of my car so bad. Praise God. Standing out there in the street, 'Jesus Is Lord, Repent or Perish'. What could make a man do that? Either he's insane.. or... he knows something. Enough to risk."

Well, if one of my favorite preachers, Paul Washer, was endorsing this idea, it must not be too bad. I fully believe that God will use others in your life to bring encouragement, and that's what Paul Washer did at that moment, brought encouragement to this idea.  You can listen to his complete message, and it's 14 minutes into it.

What Does the Bible Have to Say?
The Word of God fuels this whole idea. It's the engine that make it run.  There are many methods, ways, and techniques to share the Gospel, witness, and give testimony. The Bible makes it clear: it declares all the way through it that we are not to keep silent. Here are some great verses to fuel us and get us going out there!

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."  Pretty straight forward. We are not to be ashamed of the gospel. So, if anyone asks you straight out what you believe, etc, then we aren't to be ashamed. And we can tell others too and not be ashamed.  I am not ashamed to be standing on the street corner in front of hundreds of people to exalt the name of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Philippians 1:14 "And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."  Paul is talking about other brothers in the Lord who are now much more bolder to speak the word (gospel) because they see what Paul is going through. Now, granted, back then it could be a death sentence, or prison if you speak the gospel.  Praise God we live in a free nation where we can actually speak the word without fear!

2 Corinthians 5:10-11 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.  Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in our consciences." We know God. We know exactly who He is. As it is written, "By no means clearing the guilty." (Exodus 34:7) Jesus Christ will judge the entire earth in righteousness and everybody must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. So therefore, knowing this coming judgment, we go out to persuade men to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved!

Pslam 96:2-3, Pslam 96:10 "Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people." And, "Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously."  This is straight forward. Proclaim it among the people everywhere!

Isaiah 12:4-6 "And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."