Jim Miller Rd & I-30W frontage road

"Thank you," as he looks down at the two bucks...then, at the Bible, "And I am...gonna read this."

On our way home from Mesquite to get a ledger for this very organization, we came across someone in need. Once again, I was in the middle lane at a red light. Car in front of me, two on the left...then three, then four...

I asked April if we had any Bibles in the glove compartment. She nodded and handed me one, and I rolled down the window. I couldn't get him to see me...and the light turned green. Ahhh! It's happening again, I thought as I rounded onto Jim Miller and away from the corner.

Just then, I got the message: "If I'm not willing to go out of my way, this thing will never be big." The "thing" being a couple bucks & a Bible, "my way" being what the blinders I have shackled myself with will allow me to see. Straight ahead. No detours. But, I was not about to let history repeat...

...so I turned around. We drove back to that corner, the other direction. And we caught a red light, this time in the far left lane...which with "the other direction" part, was right next to the man. April got out and stepped over to him. Those are his words you read at the top of this post. He was very thankful. From where I was I couldn't hear his voice, but I could read his face loud and clear. Jesus is with him now. On that corner. Knocking at the door of his heart, mind and soul.

Sadly, we didn't see anyone else giving anything...perhaps they, too, were stuck in the middle lane...

PS: Crazy how "Jesus is with him now" is completely different than "He's with Jesus now." Just thought of that.

a few things...

We here at a couple bucks & a Bible have been toying with a few notions as to what our legal status should become:

        stay as a DBA (Doing Business As)....

                  ...become a non-incorporated Non-Profit...
      
         ...become an incorporated Non-Profit...

...and we are still in the marinating stages of that decision. No matter what, we are a "Charitable Organization." What comes in for the homeless, goes to the homeless. Your money turns into either NIV shirt-pocket New Testament Bibles, or into one dollar bills to place inside them.

We have been looking into the costs of incorporating, becoming a State-recognized Non-Profit, and it doesn't seem unreasonable, but possibly, for now, unreachable. We want the money given to us by those of you to be used directly, not indirectly. Even if that's the nature of the "business," we don't necessarily like it. When it is all said and done, a non-profit organization - or charitable organization - is a business. With business needs and business bills.

So, as I said...the ideas for our next business move are marinating. But what is always being served on the hot plate is our mission, and that's handing out the Word to the wordless. Those who need to hear Jesus loves them despite it all! No matter who they are, if they turn to him in their hour of need, He will provide.

We're wanting Faith to spread. Overcome doubt. And the thing that continues to amaze us is that the ones we find with the most faith are the ones with the least everything else. Some of them just need a reminder that their Faith isn't for nothing. That others care for them as well. Some of them just need reassurance through the Good Book that Jesus is still there for them. That they only need to seek His hand.

Those are who we help.      

Operation: ThanksBibling

Watching the army of  YMCA Turkey Trotters.


So "Operation: ThanksBibling" is officially in the record books. And we learned a lot about people's behavior, cold weather ministry and downtown in general. It's good to learn things. Keeps the brain from turning into Jell-O. (Or so we hear...)

Picture it. Downtown Dallas. Windy. A bit of a drizzle. About 45 degrees. Brrr! This is "nobody weather" because nobody likes to be in it. Well, aside from the hundreds of YMCA Turkey Trotters. We saw alot of shorts. Shorts. In that Jack Frost-nipping-at-your-nose freeze out weather. We rocked layers. We like layers.

We learned that the downtown homeless apparently do not like: 1. Going out unnecessarily into blizzards; and, 2. Large crowds of people overtaking city blocks by storm.

But, hey, the YMCA Turkey Trot is supergreat. Go them! We are down for any cause that lifts up those in need. We just now know to pick days to venture out into the world when craziness is not already ensuing...so we can stir up the craziness ourselves!

Speaking of which, we are implementing another part of our master plan that has yet to be, well, implemented. Passing out our stuff during the normal days of our lives. You just thought of that soap opera, didn't you?

This whole outreach idea began when I saw someone on the corner at a light, going from car to car, getting nothing. So we are gonna fix that. From this moment on, we will have bucks and Bibles on hand - 24/7 - just in case. This is in addition to our ventures into the streets that will happen randomly. Because not all the homeless, have downtown addresses.

Even though the weather was low and the human population was high, any time even one person is given the Word when they need it, we deem it a successful venture. Sowing the seeds. Going to market and trying to add to the flock.

There was this one cool moment...well, April thinks it's cool. Here ya go. I was wearing the backpack o' Bibles and asked for April to hand me some because I was empty handed. For some reason I said, "Give me three...so I can just hand them out boom, boom, boom." (This was accompanied by hand motions. Picture that for a visual effect.) Anyhoo...

Then she told me maybe I should pray to ask God to guide us where we need to go, but I told her He already is, because we are walking around downtown without a destination in mind. Simply being led by Him.

I saw some back stairs of the Downtown Library across the street and we crossed. We went up the stairs and walked around to the front where we saw...three homeless men. Not two, not four...three.

              I approached the first man. "A couple bucks and a Bible?"

  He tugged on a leather cross hanging from his neck, "Already have one."

                          I repeated, "No...I mean, here, a couple bucks and a Bible."

He smiled and took it, thanking us and wishing us "Happy Thanksgiving to you both." He meant he had Jesus already. I didn't get it. April clued me in.

Annnd...then we moved on to the other two men, both of which were very happy to be given the Bibles - and I'm sure the $2 didn't upset them either. And as we walked away, we could see the three men gathering together, looking at their new Bibles, talking amongst themselves. We like to think they are forever changed in Christ.

Those three men made our trip, and our day.

Hey! Check out April during "Operation: ThanksBibling":



Open Bible. Stamp. Repeat...

Open Bible. Stamp. Repeat.

                              Open Bible. Stamp. Repeat.
   
   Open Bible. Stamp. Repeat.

                                                  Open Bible. Stamp. Repeat.

                                                                    Open Bible. Stamp. Repeat.

                    Open Bible. Stamp. Repeat.

And so on and so forth....

(Next up: Paperclipping dollar bills!)

Here we go again!

Our next outing - dubbed "Operation: ThanksBibling" - is going down Thanksgiving morning in the streets of downtown. We're gearing up to stamp Bibles, clip dollars and cram backpacks...eager to continue to spread the Word on the street.

Our first mission...let's call it "Operation: Test the Waters," was a superhuge success. We cannot wait to post new pictures and tell new stories of the people we meet on our journeys.

We can't stress enough the...literal warmth and joy we feel when interacting and spreading the name of Jesus on the streets. It's an amazing feeling...the presence of God in the room. Makes you smile. Go Jesus!

²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Matthew 18:20

Thursday, November 25, Gobble Gobble Day....we're coming, downtown Dallas. Get your Bible hands ready!

prep work

our swag (aka. hander-outer gear)

Here's the "behind the scenes" of the "prep work" for our outreach missions.

It's so elaborate - sooo elaborate! - that by only combining the powers of pictures and WORDS will there be enough to fully illustrate the ginormous amount of time, effort and random stuff that goes into it.

Notice our swag: a couple bucks (two one-sies) and a Bible (your standard, run-of-the-mill NIV shirt-pocket New Testament Bible, including Psalms and Proverbs. In stylish black.)



Here's the 6-step process:



Step 1: Get your dollars and Bibles ready.



Step 2: Paperclip dollars inside the front Bible cover.



Step 3: Stack Bibles and bills on dashboard erratically.



Step 4: Stuff Bibles with money in backpack like stolen loot.



Step 5: Find a Word-weary soul in need.

Step 6 (not shown here) is have a blast spreading the Word on the streets. Meeting supercool people you would have never known had you not just handed them a couple bucks and a Bible, telling them they matter. It's pretty amazing how much you learn about yourself when you learn about someone else.

Stephen McGee's Artwork

All of the artwork above is the sole property of Stephen McGee.  

The rest of Saturday's happenings...

Our first outing was predominately full of interesting, Jesus-praising, Bible-loving people. Some perhaps a little mischievous. Some literally changing hats a few times in order to get another shot at the two bucks, but sadly not so much another Bible. And then even some denying the Bible from us altogether. But, hey, at least they were all honest.

The WWJD Lady

At around 11 or so, the word about the Word had spread throughout the festival it seemed. Dozens of people began to approach me (Brennan) asking, "Are you the guy with the Bibles?" I of course said yes, and began to hand them out, each time saying, "A couple bucks and a Bible."
                            
            "A couple bucks and a Bible."
                                                                            "A couple bucks and a Bible."

Each time. Kinda like our new "hello." Works like a charm. Anyhoo...around this time, I started to get the "two-timers" coming by asking for a Bible. Now I was born on a Saturday, but it wasn't last Saturday, so I know a hoodwink when I see one. (Actually,  I think I was born on a Wednesday. Almost at a Whataburger. True Story.)

One guy, no lie, came up to me one time with a hat, the second time with a different hat...and the third time hatless. I was like, "Dude, didn't I already give you a Bible?"

"It's for my girlfriend."

Oh really? How many you got? I caught him and he knew it. Busted! But, the best was this one woman who shamelessly came back up to me not even two minutes after I had just given her a couple bucks and a Bible.

I was like, "I know I just gave you one."

                     "No.....okay. You right." And then she smiled and turned to walk away.

         I called out..."What would Jesus do?"

She turned back, playfully clutching her heart and said, "Oh please, don't do that to me. I honestly just wanted the money."

I told her I respected her honesty, but I needed to spread the wealth. And besides, she got the Bible, and that's what really mattered. She nodded and said, "You're right."

The Hari Krishna

This was short and bittersweet. We offered a woman a couple bucks and a Bible, but she refused. Saying she couldn't take the Bible, but the $2? Not. A. Problem. We asked her why. "Because I'm Hari Krishna."

We reluctantly took the Bible back, but told her to keep the two bucks anyway. On the way back to our car, we thought it would have been funny to say, "Well, you've tried that out, it's not working for ya, so why not give Jesus a shot?" Maybe we'll save that for the next person.

Moses and His Newspaper

Nope. Not that Moses. Or...was...he? No. He wasn't. He was, however, supercool and hung out to talk with us for a bit, telling us about the newspaper he works for called StreetZine, a publication put out for and by the Dallas-area homeless. We thought that was pretty sweet. Getting the homeless perspective from the homeless. No need to guess what they're thinking, how they're feeling, how your action, or inaction, effects them. It's all right there. That's pretty powerful.

Moses, a StreetZine vendor, gave me a copy of his paper, which usually sells for a donation, because of what he saw us doing. Giving back. Caring. We told him that we would sponsor him in return, getting him 60 papers that will help him earn some needed cash.

People helping people.

Jimmy & Stephen

from L to R: don't know, April, Jimmy and Stephen

We met Jimmy and Stephen at the Help the Homeless Walk-a-thon & 5K in downtown Dallas this morning while handing out bucks and Bibles.

We approached them as they were standing near one of the booths scattered about in front of City Hall and extended our services. Their response, the way they received not only us, but the idea behind what we were doing...well, that's why we do it.

These men were strong believers in the Lord. Full of faith and of life and love, and full of stories. We couldn't of asked for better people to help me transition from missionary wannabe into the real deal. April, of course she's already a blessed soul on the path, I am just now seeing how bright and beautiful that path is. But, enough of us. Back to our new friends...

So Jimmy and Stephen begin to tell us their stories. We begin to chat about the Lord and our cause and their lives, and before long, we find out that Jimmy and Stephen have never met each other until today. They have never had a single conversation with one another until today. They have never known the other existed until the four of us came together to speak about Jesus. Coincidence? I think not.

Funny enough, they both stay at the Bridge downtown, a homeless outreach organization aimed at giving them a helping hand at helping themselves. Great, great mission. Anyhoo...they go to the same place, hang out in the same place, essentially sleep at the same place, and have never met. It's a true testament to God's Divine powers that these men, I'm happy to report, have said they'd be friends from now on. And that's good, because Jimmy wants to learn how to work the Internet at the library, and it just so happens that Stephen knows how. Connect. The. Dots.

Jimmy Shaw

Jimmy's a speaker. Natural born. No doubt about it. As he spoke, I could picture the throngs of people around us being called to make their way over and listen to him talk. You see, he used to preach to the people on the street. He's quick to tell us that he wasn't ordained or anything, but he spoke of the Word of God nonetheless. And I'm quick to say in response, I think as long as your preaching the Word, you probably don't need a title to make yourself sound legit anyway.

He spoke of his one true love, Pauletta, and how she, in the end, was able to show him that she loved him "more than I loved her." That must've been immeasurable, because Jimmy's eyes sparkled and shone while he spoke of her.

He told about her kindness. About how she, in her broken down, gas-guzzling car, she'd drive ten miles out to get her Aunt a hamburger, then twenty miles out to deliver it. When Jimmy saw that her Aunt had a nice, new car in the driveway he asked Pauletta why she did all this in her old car, when there was a perfectly good car just sitting there. She calmly told him that it was because her Aunt had just taken medication, and she didn't want her behind the wheel.

Pauletta, Jimmy remembers, was always selfless that way. Always thinking of others. She was his angel. And she picked him! Despite his flaws, despite his past. And he will be eternally grateful for that.

At a point, time and circumstances had separated them. 30 years or so went by. Jimmy always longed for Pauletta, the only woman he ever loved. One day, through a series of events, they were reconnected. Jimmy was ecstatic.

When he went to see Pauletta, she was soon surrounded by a bunch of young children. Her grandkids. A light clicked on. You see, Pauletta became pregnant just before she and Jimmy were separated all the years ago. Jimmy, after reuniting with Pauletta, was also introduced to his grandchildren.

Jimmy also spoke about when he was younger. He didn't really know his father so he often found comfort in hanging out around a local man who "looked like a black Jesus." One day, this man was sitting on the corner, drinking a forty [ounce] and he told Jimmy, "If people start to shoot at you, you run in a zig-zag pattern."

Jimmy was confused. Why would anyone shoot at him? Sure enough, the very next day, Jimmy says he came upon some policemen who did just that. They began to fire their guns at him, and ran a zig-zag pattern just as "Black Jesus" told him to. He says had it not been for that advice, he'd be dead.

Amongst the many nuggets of wisdom Jimmy gave to me, one of my favorites is this: "Jesus pours into you, to impart through you."  I gotta leave you with that...

Stephen McGee

Stephen's an artist. A wonderful artist. We have pictures of his sketches to prove it. As a matter of fact, we'll add a post strictly dedicated to his artwork on this blog.

Stephen's also a man of God. He told us he prays everyday, asking God what His plans for him are that day. He is led wholly and fully by the Lord's hand. As a matter of fact, this morning he asked God for guidance...30 minutes later he saw people walking by out the window and God told him to follow.

They led him to the festival. Which led him to us. Which led him to Jimmy.

The Lord works in mysterious ways!

"PaPa"

"PaPa"

Our first day began before we even technically got downtown. Meet "PaPa." We saw him hanging out under the bridge with his yellow blanket and April said, "We have to stop." So...errrrt! We stopped.

Truth be told, I was a little nervous approaching him. He was to be the very first ever recipient of a couple bucks and a Bible. This, to me, was kinda epic.

So April and I strolled up and greeted him. He, truth be told, was a little nervous as well. You see, he appeared to be working on something, and very hard at it.

He told us he is creating a game. And judging by the way he covered it up when talking to us, I didn't press the issue. I simply handed over the bucks and Bible, telling him of our purpose. He took it hesitantly, but with a smile. He told us, "This is good. What you're doing." I thanked him for that and asked if I could take his picture, letting him know that I would not get his game in the photo. Eek. Then the stare down occurred.

I never broke eye contact with him, trying to ensure him through my eyes that we were sincere in our cause, and meant him no harm. And that we weren't after his secret game. After a moment, he gave us the pose you see in the picture. He quickly went back to this game creation and I told him I "wanted to see that thing in Target soon." Was kinda random to say. I know.

Hittin' the Streets - November 14

Hey there. Okay, the stamp came in and we have been stampin' Bibles like crazy. We are officially making our first outing and hitting the streets of downtown Dallas - watch out! - this Saturday, November 14th. We are super excited about this and are praying it's a huge success!

We will be taking to the streets, spreading the Word just as we have been called to do. We hope the Bibles are well-received and that the people accept them with open arms, and open hearts. We already know the $2 will be a hit...everyone from prince to pauper loves them some cash.

The Bibles are the key. The Message is the door. Jesus is the homeowner. And his house is pretty awesome. Like a mansion. SuperMansion.

"Faith of a Mustard Seed" Handmade M&W's Necklace

Keep faith alive with this handmade unisex necklace. The cork-capped glass bulb holds a single mustard seed. The necklace is high-grade rubber with a surgical tubing clasp, ensuring that you will maintain your mustard seed of faith at all times.

****$10.00****

(All proceeds minus tax and shipping go to a couple bucks and a Bible. You get a cool necklace, the cause gets funds. That's win-win, believers!)

Matthew 17:20 "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

justa update

As you know, the Bibles are in and we are super excited to hit the streets and spread the Word. We are still waiting on the stamp for inside the Bibles to arrive - we had some minor technical/resolution issues that have since been worked out. Joyous.

Also, we are having some shirts made for April and I, and perhaps a few others, to help build that strong team image as we hit the masses. Strength in numbers, success in Jesus!

We got the Bibles!

The Bibles are in, the Bibles are in! Did you hear, the Bibles are in?

We got out first batch of Bibles, so we'll be beginning Phase 1 soon. We'll be uploading pics, stories and words of (hopefully) Wisdom real soon.

Spread the Word, because we are!

GOD BLESS!

PayPal update goodness

It's official! All donations from this blog now funnel un-obstacle'd right into a designated "a couple bucks and a Bible" PayPal account.

Just wanted to share that bit of "keep on keepin' on" with those of you out there. Things are happening. A forest starts with just one seed...unless you count the the Garden of Eden. Yea, all those trees and shrubs just were when commanded. But a new forest. Like, say, a miniature one someone may be working on in their own backyard or land or whatever...those! They start with just one seed. Well, wait...what if they planted already adult trees to get a jump on things...?

No matter. Mustard seed. Faith of. We got this.