Real Life Christianity

I was on the F train barreling towards lower Manhattan when she got on.

It was Saturday night and the preceding afternoon hours had been spent driving to and then back from Westchester County with a friend.  Now, I was on my way to meet a half dozen waiting cousins for dinner in the city, near NYU. 

“The end of the world is coming!,” she proclaimed.  “And when it does, you will be raptured up!  You are just standing here now, but you won’t be!  The end of the world is coming!”

I had to pull a white earbud free from my iPod to hear her, but once I had, curiosity prevented its replacement for a good ten minutes.  

Every Christian is given the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20, but how we interpret the best way to carry that edict out can be fascinating.  Obviously, this woman was not the first proselytizer I have ever heard on a subway train.  I’m sure the same could be said for others on the train.  Yet, would I choose her method of evangelism for myself?  No.  Truth be told, I was sort of pleased that my focused, distant stare and rapid walking had caused me to be mistaken for a New Yorker more than once during this trip. (Unlike in every other city I’ve traveled in, I’m usually pretty intimidated by the NYC public transit system and avoid it!)

My evangelism usually happens over happy hours with classmates, extended sojourns in coffee houses with friends of friends, and emails later exchanged with strangers who shared a flight.  I’m a nurturer of the seeds, not necessarily a planter.  And, friendship evangelism has always been the most effective and fulfilling to me.  What about you?  How do you share the love of God?

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I like being unbelievably busy and feel unfulfilled when I’m not. I hate confrontation. I’m sensitive to criticism. I’m a fan of ice breakers, getting to know you games, and trust exercises in groups. Ask the youth Sabbath School class that I taught last year. No matter what they tell you, I promise you they loved it.

I know you’re reading because of your witty banter and feedback after church. Now, I want you to prove it. Leave me (and the rest of the family) a comment telling us at least one thing you think we don’t know about you. I’ll go first.

I have a competitive personality, but hate excluding others. I drink black tea every morning and am obsessed with cooking. I once aspired to be a pastry chef. I dress better on bad days than on good days. I have a problem with overcompensation. I pray for strangers I pass on the street. I don’t like goodbyes. I enjoy seeing sunlight or flowers (either potted or fresh) daily. I talk a lot in public, but need to be alone at the end of the day. I’ve never been able to determine whether I’m an introvert or extrovert. I believe that every meeting with every person I’ve ever had in my life was God-ordained and I try to remember that. Prayers feel more effective for me when they are offered out loud. I keep granola bars and crackers in my glove compartment, so I can give food to panhandlers in lieu of money. I was raised by a single mother. I think hands free head seats are quite possibly the greatest invention ever.

Your turn. Don’t be shy.

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It didn’t occur to me–until today–that someone else might have added me to his email list. I mean, there is a lot of Adventist spam that rolls through my Inbox on any given day and it’s not like I hate his emails. In fact, they’re sort of thought provoking and witty. They make for quality study break material and occasionally fill the place of a more substantive devotion in the mornings.

As I was eating lunch over email today, though, I noticed his brief request for feedback and an open invitation to add friends or family to the list. Suddenly, I felt compelled to hit the “Reply” button.

Obviously, his emails are great and he deserves to know so, but that wasn’t my primary motivation in emailing. There are several individuals in my life who don’t know Christ. One text messaged me from India yesterday. Another I haven’t seen since 2005. I love both of them, though, and because of that, they would likely be surprised at how many times their name has ascended from my lips. They are purposely included in life update emails noting God’s favor in my life and prayers are routinely offered when I drive by their homes (I almost didn’t admit that because it makes me sound like a stalker, but what the heck, we’re all family here…).

I’m not sure whether or not the seeds that have been sprinkled into their lives have germinated yet, but should they–by miraculous chance–have reached a point in which they are searching and even praying to know more about Jesus, they will now be receiving a daily email devotional from a person they’ve never heard of, courtesy of a source they will never discover. Unless, of course, they read this blog. And then, well, I’m blaming you.

 

Feeling evangelistic too? Join the MT church family in our monthly community outreach–tomorrow, immediately after church.

Have loved ones who’d like to receive a daily devotional email? Email Rob Stewart at olenministry@hotmail.com for the one I receive. (I assure you that the devotions are SDA sound, but you may have to explain to loved ones who E.G. White is.)

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Sliding into the bed where she was napping, I whispered,

“I know what I’m going to talk about.”

I had been visiting my mother in South Florida for only a day when the pastor of the church I grew up pulled me aside after church and asked me to preach the following week. Since then, I had been agonizing over what to say.

In addition to praying for the congregation-specific message, as I usually do, there were other considerations to be made. Not only would I be speaking on the first Sabbath of the year, but it would be to an audience of people whom I knew personally—including my mother. It was only now that I had decided on some semblance of direction.

“Well, just don’t get up there and tell them that you’ve had several non-Adventist boyfriends,” my mother interrupted, before I could proceed.

I was speechless and confused. As I struggled for recovery, I stumbled out,

“Umm…why would I do that?”

“Last year, in Fort Lauderdale, you said you had dated several non-Adventist men,” she answered dramatically.

Again, I was speechless. The program she was referencing was an open question and answer session that was part of a weekend love, sex, and relationship seminar I hosted at a Fort Lauderdale church for Insight. I suppose that in the course of two hours of talking, I might have prefaced a sentence about the ills of dating non-Adventists by using a personal testimony. I mentally counted how many non-Adventists I had actually dated. Three. I had no memory of what I could have said and no idea that my mother had filed that statement away.

“Mom, my job is a relationship advisor,” I tactfully reminded her. “And if I’m feeling impressed to say something potentially embarrassing that will make someone else comfortable enough to share their story or ask me a question, I have to say it.”

And just like that, I proceeded to feign self-confidence and indifference. Then, for the rest of the week, I agonized even more, now burdening myself with constant second guessing and consideration of the possible shame I would be invoking on the family.

The Christian experience is hardly a perfect one, though. There are triumphs and also failures. Encouragements and disappointments. Opportunities and losses. Even for upstanding Adventist young women who make their living dispensing well-received Christian relationship advice, yes, they sometimes end up having serious relationships with non-Adventists. Several, apparently.

Here, it is unlikely that we will witness vignettes of perfection. Those rarely happen. Rather, the aim of this blog is to represent the Christian experience—our Christian experience—with all its magnificent hues. It will partially serve as a record of self-reflection, but will also highlight the activities of Miracle Temple and the lives of its members. I hope that by sharing our experiences, we will be encouraged and supported—learning from our mistakes and being empowered by our testimonies. I encourage you to email me if you have a story to share or an event to promote. Comments can be left by clicking the link below.

With showers of blessings,
Shayna, MT 2008 Communication Director

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