That Darn Vine in my Garden

There is this unbelievably evil vine in our patio garden.
It springs up from beneath a plant's shoots and extends a tendril.
It then literally wraps around an individual plant stalk from bottom to top. So intricately is it woven - like a rope strand - that you can't even see the deadly activity until you stand close - or until that plant stalk discolors and dies.
It is a very tiny, nondescript little vine when it comes out of the ground. It grows thicker as it encircles the plant stalk - think boa constrictor.

It does a lot of damage in a short period of time.  I have to go out every day and look for signs of the new tendrils, hoping to tear them out before they latch on.
Sometimes I miss one and it blends in. Then there is no visible evidence until the plant or its flowers are in distress. At that advanced stage, even if I snip the vine and pull it from the plant, it rips off petals and new growth in the process.
Looking out on my patio right now, there are two identical plants. One was hit harder than the other and it actually looks distressed in comparison. Same amount of water and sunlight. One is stunted and discolored compared to the other, like its been through a battle.

I can relate.

I've got to stay vigilant and watch out for the tendrils of evil in this world.
Sometimes its not clicking on the provocative news photo. Other times it requires that I steer clear of family political debates that build resentment.  Endless TV shows that waste my time and keep me from more purposeful work for God's kingdom. And etc.

There are times when small tendrils grow fast, and then ripping them out leaves me worn out and exasperated.  But I have learned a simple truth - daily discipline is much more productive than periodic assessment and damage control.  More of that, then.

The Good News?  Not only does God forgive me when I ask (see 1John 1:9), but he also provides the joy in keeping watch:

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of Grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever, Amen."  1Peter 5:8-11

What do you believe?

Peace With God

Peace with God

Every day of my life as a Christian should include prayers and actions related to evangelism.

The concept of evangelism needn't  be off-putting, or seen as aggressive.

It's simply the "preaching of the Christian Gospel or the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others with the object of conversion," according to Wikipedia.

Jesus instructed us to:
"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 20:19

Evangelism is non-denominational.

If I sincerely believe in the truth and value of Christian belief, I should "relay the information." Atheists and secular humanists do that all the time, and are often much more aggressive in their evangelism of beliefs.  In short, I believe the message of Jesus' unconditional love is worth telling, just as they want people to believe there is no God.  Every person reading this will eventually find out who was right.

For the past six years, I've blogged here about sharing my faith in everyday circumstances.
But honestly, I've been longing to do more purposeful evangelism.  In fact, I've often prayed,
"Lord, please help me to encounter people with sincere curiosity about spiritual matters."
I love spiritual conversations, regardless of the outcome. I especially enjoy someone who has given serious thought to their spirituality, and is looking for comparative feedback and insight. Some people call them "seekers." I call them "open minded."

The Billy Graham organization has just opened the very door I had prayed for all these years.
Their new website, peacewithgod.net , has a very simple, clear explanation of the Gospel. And for sincere individuals, there is a chat feature to speak anonymously with members of the Billy Graham team and have their questions or concerns answered. I'm participating in training to become part of that online chat team, and I couldn't be more energized by this opportunity to enact Jesus' final instructions.

There is one particular scripture that the Billy Graham team has repeated throughout multiple training sessions I have attended over the years:
"But in your heart, revere Christ as Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." 1Peter 3:15

Evangelism with gentleness and respect. That's what the Bible calls for.

What do you believe?

http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/

Breakthrough in the Checkout Line

For the past two years I would run into the same cashier at our company cafeteria.
I'm terrible with ages, but I'd place her early to mid-twenties. Outgoing, very confident individual.
From my first coffee purchase, I'd answer her standard "how are you doing today?" question with my usual, "better than I deserve," response.

I learned that from Pastor Steve Brown at a spiritual conference back in 1991 (not Dave Ramsey, although people ask me that - perhaps Dave got it from Pastor Steve?).

When she first asked what I deserved, I explained that all our blessings come from God as Grace, and not because of anything we do to "deserve it."   In fact, I'm blessed "in spite of" how I've acted before God. That's what Grace is.  Better than I deserve.

That got a cool reception from her two years ago and thereafter. In fact she would cheerfully talk about anything else. Weather, weekend activities, cooking.  She even felt comfortable enough with our cashier-coffee drinker relationship to roll her eyes and say, "whatever," when I replied. Never a curious word or comment about spiritual matters in two years.

But I kept saying it.  And she heard me say it to the other cashiers. "Better than I deserve."

About a month ago I bought coffee and told her I was moving across town to a different office.
She surprised me by saying that she was moving to another state for the summer to study with a well known chef.
We talked about her big step during the brief exchange of dollars and cents each day. Then "tomorrow" was the last day for both of us before our respective changes of venue.

As I walked up to her cash register, I was the first to ask, "how are you doing today?"
Her sly smile gave way to a blush as she said, "Better than I deserve."

It took a second for that to hit me and she saw the look of surprise on my face. Believe me, it was genuine, no-comeback surprise.

"I only said it  because that's what you always say," she backpedaled, and then quickly changed the subject to travel plans and her new job.

If you added up all the seconds of check-out line conversation during the past two years, it probably totals an hour or three, tops. But she locked in on the most elemental building block of our Christian faith:
We are doing better than we deserve. Not works-oriented...Grace-oriented.

Who knows how God will add to that insight with other people or events in her life?
Who knows how many people are listening to what you say each day as they pretend indifference to the spiritual matters of life.
Maybe it doesn't matter...

What do you believe?