Sharing My Faith

After a simultaneously depressing/inspiring Summit Adult Leadership meeting last Sunday night, I purposed to be more intentional in sharing my faith this week. The depressing part of the meeting was that I have not shared my faith with more people and the inspiring part was there is still time!

I thought today would be a perfect opportunity as I had a hair appt.  I was seeing someone fairly new so could take the opportunity to find out where she stood spiritually. The minute I started talking about my faith, she opened up and shared that she had recently joined a church and proceeded to ask me about my faith. We got on the subject of marriage as she is seriously dating someone and was very interested to talk to someone who had been married forever and forever! Really! Am I that old?Apparently the answer is yes! I was able to talk about marriage in the context of my faith with this young woman and plan to drop off the book, Love and Respect, a book on marriage.

Later in the week at the information desk where I work, I struck up a conversation with someone who I had recently seen at the showing of "Faultless", the film put on by the Married and Families/Adoption ministry here at our church. He asked me if we had attended the meeting because we were considering adopting. I told him that we had already adopted 3 children and that we went to support the ministry of adoption. He proceeded to ask me to pray for him and his wife as they contemplate adoption. He then proceeded to share that he himself had aged out of the foster care system as a child and that he would love to prevent one child from experiencing what he had experienced.

While I earnestly had prayed for an opportunity to share my faith with those I came into contact with, it looked nothing like I thought it would look like. I was not able to lead anyone to making a decision for Christ, yet anyway. I am hopeful that the conversations I had will lead to more and deeper conversations about Jesus Christ. I know that both of those conversations were ordained for me to have.

It brought home the powerful reminder that you can't judge a book by its cover. My new salon friend looked like another hip chick in her stylish clothes and hairstyle yet she is a young woman trying to find her way to a fulfilling marriage. The man who spoke to me about adoption looked like just another man  killing time in the lobby yet when given the opportunity, shared his heart with me.

Was I scared? yes Was my heart beating fast? yes. Would it have been easier to make small talk? yes. Am I glad I shared? oh yes!

Happy New Year!

This is probably the last possible chance I have to address the new year that has been upon us 2 1/2 weeks already. I do like the newness of a new year. I admit, the kids starting back to school after a long break does have something to do with it though I did like the break from homework! My youngest especially loves the beginning of the new year and begins to count down to her birthday in March. She is excited to be in the season of her birthday. Granted it doesn't take much to excite an 8, almost 9 year old, but still.

The start of the new year reminds me that time is definitely marching on. When I was 8, I couldn't imagine what the year 2013 would look like and yet here it is. How will I use the weeks, days, and hours of 2013? It  seems like I have lots of time before 2013 comes to an end. But who knows? Even though I try to eat healthy food, take Juice Plus and exercise regularly, I am not guaranteed that I will live to see even one more day. All I really have is today! How will I spend this precious time.

I hope to spend more family time in God's word. We started reading through Proverbs at dinner with our younger kids. Already in Chapter three we have had to explain what an adulteress is which was interesting, but better that they learn what God says about the subject now at age 8! God's word is living and sharper than any two edged sword. I need His powerful sword this year! I'm excited to see how God will teach us all.

I hope to love people more this year. I hope to show people, even disagreeble people, the love that God graciously shows me everyday.

"It's impossible to meaningfully encounter God's love apart from deep, genuine connection and vulnerability with others." Chip Ingram

I love that quote and think it's true. Sometimes this is hard to do. We are so busy and scared to be vulnerable, but it's worth it. We are all a part of the body of Christ. He created us to care for each other. Unfortunately,we are promised that in this world we will have trouble. We will experience sadness, difficulty, sickness and death, but we don't have to experience it alone.

The recent tragedy that one of our own families experienced  has affected our entire class deeply. We are all struggling to understand something that cannot be understood. We want to take their pain away, but we cannot. We don't know what to say. We don't know what to do. Yet, I have seen our class lovingly care and pray for our friends. This is love.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. 1 John 4:7