paravanes:meditations

Christian witnessing, or sharing a testimony, is not about simply speaking. Witnessing is always about telling what you've seen or experienced . Telling what you've heard is hearsay. Are you a witness or a hearsayer? What does witnessing sound like? "Yes, I read the Bible daily because reading it shows me God's character and God's love and plan for humanity. I need this input to live an authentic and honest Christian life." This testimony requires you to live an authentic and honest Christian life. The listener will pay more attention to what you do than to what you say. Why? Speaking is easier than doing. One of the proofs of Christianity is it allows regular people to display supernatural power (love, courage, forgiveness, fortitude,  kindness, etc.) on a consistent basis. The ability to live this way demonstrates the power of God within us. Match your witness-speaking to your witness-living. Don't tell others "God can make everything ok!...

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.  For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, e  just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith." - Romans 1:16 and 17 Do you and I feel as free as we should to share our faith? Do we anticipate "sharing our faith" means arguing, straining to convince the uninterested of what may seem  (to them) to be irrelevant or unimportant?  Witnessing isn't about debating or convincing; it's about a natural sharing of life experience. If witnessing begins to feel like anything else, it's no longer witnessing. Tell what you know and what you have experienced. Leave the results to God. This is what stress-free witnessing feels like. It can become a way of life.  It should be one of our highest joys. Begin and end your day with the verses f...

 This line, "I am one less stone and I'm one more voice to praise" comes from one of my favorite recordings by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. The line originates in Jesus' comment from in Luke 19:39-41 when the religious leaders of His day told Jesus to make His disciples stop talking and "be quiet." Jesus replied "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Stones don't really have a voice, so is Jesus telling us if His followers refuse to speak for Him that nature will speak in our place? Is He telling us that it's impossible for those who really know Him to remain silent about who He is, what He means to them, and what He has done and continues to do in their lives? "I am one less stone." Because I am one less stone, I am not ashamed to pull out a Bible or religious book and read it during a lunch break at work or in a coffee shop. Because I am one less stone, I am not ashamed to pray openly and audibly when I ...