Easy Evangelism Tool

Two doors away from us is a house rented out to others, and over the last couple of weeks, we'd talked a few times to the family who are currently the renters. We invited them over last night for dessert and had a great time. They are returning home to Canada tomorrow.

On my walk this morning, I wondered how a fast encounter with not too much future contact could be used by the Lord. We did get an opportunity to mention we speak at churches and that wasn't rebuffed but neither did it lead to any seemingly profitable trail.

I'm becoming more aware that it's not necessarily being a witness if someone doesn't know what they are being witnessed about. Merely mentioning church can mean a lot of things. So I wondered what could make a difference.

I remember our friend, Jim Harper, who inspired me some time ago and I've mentioned it here before that he sometimes tells the waitress after she takes our order, "We are Christians and we're going to pray over our meal. May we pray for your concerns at that time?"

I've taken that idea and used it as the Lord has led, not just with waitresses but also cashiers, etc. And never once has anyone been offended or resistant. They might not be able to think of something immediately but they are usually pleasantly surprised. I've tried to include something specific about being a Christian, so that it's clear who I'm representing.

So, I thought, "Wonder if shortly before that couple had left our home last night, we gave the same offer to them?" I felt confident it would have been readily accepted and though they might not come back the next day ready to go to their knees in repentance for salvation, it certainly would have been a clearer message of our "witness."

Lord, help me to be aware again of how you might lead me to help others think about you because of this option.

The Bible Isn't A List of Bullet Points

Lately I've had more and more of a sense that the Bible is not a list of bullet points. A bullet point format seems to allow me to focus on one point and not see the total picture. I'm trying to see more and more the connection between verses and paragraphs and chapters. It's so easy to think in a bullet point format because of the verse numbers and the chapter numbers and in most Bibles the description of groupings of verses. Unfortunately, that encourages me to begin to look at individual verses out of context. I can forget to look at the context and see what came before and what is coming after.

It sometimes takes looking at a commentary to see the total picture; to see the significance of why the verse or passage was written and what else it is surrounded by. A bullet point perspective, I think, sometimes gives us the idea we can buy into whichever bullet point we want and discard the others. But that's not true about the Bible. It's a living unity, with a complete unified message. We can't pick and choose which bullet point is most attractive and acceptable. And dare I say: most painless.

Try reading the Bible without a bullet point format mentality. Let me know what you think.

Hey! That's My Roof!

I just read Mark 2:1-4 and something new really hit me. Read it and see if something stands out to you: "When He (Jesus) had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying." (NASB).

I don't think I've ever realized that the house where the roof was taken off was Jesus' own home! (At least that's what is inferred.) That stood out to me. It may be that because of the way the roofs were made--with more temporary things (like branches or mud) than we use, etc-- that it's no big deal to repair it, but I can't help but think that if Jesus had a different attitude, he could have thought (or said!), "Hey, don't do that! Now I'll have to repair it and that will take time away from me preaching God's good news!"

But He didn't. It came across to me about Jesus' total commitment for whatever would minister to people. I'm not so sure I would want my house torn up for the cause but Jesus didn't stop the four friends from fighting for the health of his friend. Am I willing to give up everything, even a roof, to do God's work? It's a challenging question for me.

My Review of "Love That Is Blind" by Ayrian Stone

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Love That Is Blind a novel by Ayrian Stone (VMI Publishing). It's a romance story of intrigue and mystery in which two private investigators are given an assignment by a billionaire to find his unknown granddaughter. The love interest for one of the detectives is a blind young woman; for the other detective, it's an immoral nineteen-year-old. With several possible “granddaughters” who fit the profile, we are kept in the dark (of course) until the end.

For a first time author, Mrs. Stone offers a complex plot with believable characters which has a spiritually strong message. Her plot compelled me to want to return to reading as quickly as possible. I really wanted to know what was going to happen and she came through with some interesting plot complications and twists and turns. I love twists and turns. Mrs. Stone kept me guessing about what would happen next. And the “next” was often true to life experiences that involved sexual innuendo, rape and violence. But it was handled sensitively, which is difficult especially for a first time author. And look for the Gomer/Hosea subplot.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Stone's inexperience did come through at times. For instance, she has a teenager jump into the back seat of a Corvette. A Corvette doesn't have a back seat. She also has every important character become Christians in the end, (except the bad guys), even several who are Jewish. Her main character, Cora, is seemingly so close to Jesus that she forgives the man who raped her within 24 hours. And finally, the two main male characters who are private investigators have no trouble hacking into any computer system to find any information they need, along with breaking into any room with their handy lock pick. (Most hotel rooms these days have card “keys”). I doubt that authentic private investigators use illegal means to do their work. For an inexperienced novelist, it's an easy way to advance the plot. A more difficult way that would have proven her cleverness as a novelist would have been how the detectives find out facts in other creative ways, without breaking the law.

Would I still recommend Love That Is Blind? Yes. It's a fun, compelling read and the Christian message is communicated in an inviting way. According to Ayrian Stone's bio, she is a missionary along with her husband in China. A homeschooling mom, she must truly have a passion for writing to be able to write a 377 page novel and I commend her for it. I trust that her passion will keep her writing and I look forward to her future novels. She has a lot to offer, especially as she matures as a writer.

Can the Pain Really Be Coming to an End?

Oh Lord, is the journey of pain coming to a real end? I feel normal so much of the time now and am only taking two Alleve and a pain patch on the back of my thigh when I know I'm going to be sitting a lot. I'm a little amazed. I'm a lot amazed. I feel like a challenge has fizzled out. The balloon's air is barely spurting out now. The balloon of pain hardly has any more air in it.

But fear still sizzles in the back of my mind. Will I do something to hurt myself? Will I get too careless and move wrong? Will I grow apathetic and not walk? Will I get lazy and not follow through on the back strengthening and flexibility exercises physical therapist Stephanie gave me last Tuesday?

Can it really be over or now quickly coming to an end? I always wondered how it would happen. Just like with Audrey, how would the end come? When it does, it seems so undramatic. It seems to ho-hum.

Process is so like that. It's like a soft breeze, you hardly realize it has actually happened. It's like, “Oh, I'm not as angry as I used to be.” “Oh, I can bend now and it doesn't hurt.” “Oh, that person doesn't irritate me as much because God has given me compassion for her wounded heart.” “Oh, I can twist in the shower and it doesn't hurt.” “Oh, I'm more content than I used to be even though my circumstances haven't changed.”

In process, God is transforming us and His Spirit is gentle and kind, encouraging us to put more and more trust in Him. He pushes and probes, prompts and pulls. And when we realize with amazement that He has worked, we resist putting our hope in our own resources, but instead put our trust in Him.

I'm so very grateful for my progress and yet I pray I don't take it for granted. When Raffi arrives today, I'll still need to be careful. I still have limits. I won't be able to lift him or run after him. But I'll be able to get on the ground with him and play with his toys with him. Oh, so much better than his last visit when I could only lay on the couch and try not to concentrate on the pain.

Progress. I'm so grateful Lord. Let me not forget what you have done. How you have walked with me and strengthened me and ministered to me. Lest I not forget what I've learned in almost ten months of pain. It's easier now to see it as a gift. At the time it's almost impossible. And I don't want to go back but Lord, you redeem everything and I'm so grateful. Shine, Jesus, shine!