For all the doubters out there, here I am blogging.
First off, I want to begin today’s post by saying everybody’s responses so far have been so thoughtful. I’ve been very impressed.
One comment that especially caught my eye from yesterday’s post was that of James (this is another James, not the James):
Could there be any better common ground than a shared point of interest that brings people together for conversation? This is the exciting part… that God gave each of us special interests and a way to reach other “special” people!
The reason this post grabbed me was because James touched on the point of using his special interests and unique lifestyle to reach outside the walls of the church. Nancy and I have been thinking about this for some time and have tried an experiment using the uniqueness of our lifestyle in developing a sustainable farmstead to reach the “Mother Earth” and “Country Living” culture that is so prevalent in the greater American culture.
I had the idea of chronicling our experience building a farmstead and using benign devotional blogs that I hope will minister to this unique group of people. (Yes, I’m blogging in more than one place these days.) Here is my Timber Butte Homestead blog.
Here are questions for you to respond to today:
1) What group can you reach with the uniqueness of your life if you were to follow this example? And what ways can you reach them?
2) If you’ve been using your uniqueness to reach others, share a story about what God has done through your life.
Many of your comments have expressed the heart of what this PFJ series is all about. I loved Camille’s comment on yesterday’s post–and I wanted to share this with you in case you haven’t read it:
I think one of the first things we have got to own as Christians is that as long as we are perceived in a certain light, it is reality.
What I mean is that we can debate how we’re seen and whom is responsible for misconceptions … we can share anecdotes and our own experiences. But that won’t get us anywhere until we just admit that as long as SOMEONE thinks poorly of Christians (and therefore Christianity, Jesus, and God), we have work to do.
A few years ago I had an acquaintance who made an obnoxious comment to me about Jesus. I mentioned it to my husband, and instead of being equally offended, he said, “Wow, she must have been really hurt sometime.” I think that has to be our approach – we have to understand that many many people have been hurt by well meaning Christians.
For me, it changes the tone of my approach.
And for what it’s worth, this is ultimately not about Bill Maher, his tone, or beliefs – he is one of our most valuable resources because he says what people think! Thank God we’re listening.
For today’s discussion, share your thoughts on some of these questions:
1. Have you considered ways you can use your personal experiences to share with others who have been offended and hurt by the church?
2. How can we change the perception people hold of Christians?
3. In what ways can you find common ground with unbelievers in your life to talk about issues of faith?
After the service on Sunday, one man shared with me an alarming thing he discovered about himself as he watched the exchange between Gov. Huckabee and Bill Maher. He told me, “My problem is I’m not so sure I want a guy like Bill Maher saved.” It was a powerful moment of self-realization for this man to understand the reality of where he is in relation to God’s heart for this world.
No matter where we are in our journey as Christians, it’s always good to take note of the state of our hearts. We need to ask ourselves two important questions, “Are we broken for this world?” and “How broken are we?” Those are good starting places for us as we delve into this series.
For today’s discussion, share your thoughts on any or all of these three questions:
1) Do you have a heart to see the Bill Mahers of this world come to know Christ?
2) Are the Bill Mahers of this world beyond finding Christ?
3) How would you reach someone like Bill Maher?
And if you’re interested in seeing the full exchange between Bill Maher and Gov. Huckabee, here it is:
Boise Vineyard pastor Tri Robinson talks about this new site and how you can interact. To send in your questions for Tri, text them to 208.631.2245 or email them to vcfqa@vtext.com
