His motto is simple: “Seek and you shall find… a Bible in your backpack. “
Mr. Armstrong is well known around campus for his laid back personality and love of Christ, but it goes much further (underground), as far as to be involved in a scripture smuggling op; but how did he get into the business?
After having a couple of students ask if they could borrow Bibles, the golf coach soon had a stack atop his desk due to increased demand. When walking through the origins of his “business,” he said, “At that point I realized I had two options: shut it down … or lean into the underground distribution business. I chose the path of destiny.”
Although officially known as “spirituality coordinator” here, he says, “Unofficially, I manage a discreet distribution network dedicated to getting copies of Scripture into the hands of students. Some call it smuggling—I call it fulfilling the Great Commission with better packaging. Let’s just say we’ve hidden the Word in our hearts… and occasionally in backpacks.”
Even though legally the “cartel” has to be kept to a decently small size, they have runners. If loyal readers may recall, in the last April Fool’s edition of the Epistle, we uncovered a similar operation of great proportions, coming from the most unassuming on campus. The officer, “dealer,” Lott was discovered moving gum around campus. Even so, he has been found to also be involved in this situation, too! Apparently, during our ever-increasing drills, the product is being moved, as this Bible ring is running laps around our school.
If you’re thinking of catching the op in the act, the best time to look out for it is during exam season. Armstrong said it best: “Exam week is our peak season—people start looking for divine intervention around that time. I could tell them that God gave them the gift of preparation, but that doesn’t sell as well. Kids don’t open a book all year, but all of a sudden think King Solomon is showing up to take their Spanish exam.’’ I sure hope King Solomon shows up to take my Spanish exam. (Sorry Señora.)
Finally, when asked if he enjoys the operation, he said, “Absolutely. How do you think I afford all of that CookOut? There’s something very fulfilling about knowing that somewhere out there a student … has access to Scripture because of our operations. All while I get to enjoy a few extra cheese bites with my tray and a huge pink lemonade Arnold Palmer. Business is good and isn’t slowing down. The Word is spreading fast.”
