Motivation

Motivation and the lack thereof have been occupying my thoughts of late. I saw this one this morning: You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good. ~ Jerry West

The enemy within

God, harden me against myself,
    The coward with pathetic voice

    Who craves for ease and rest and joy.

Myself, arch-traitor to myself,

    My hollowest friend,

    My deadliest foe,

    My clog, whatever road I go. 

          Amy Carmichael, "God Harden Me"

Artful Dodgers

It often occurs to me that the American church gets paralyzed by its verbosity. We so often talk rather than act, because we've elevated discussion to the value of action. 

Fear not those who argue, but those who dodge.  ~ Wolfram Von Eschenbach

Today matters

You have not lived today successfully unless you've done something for someone who can never repay you.  John Bunyan

Winded?

 Most people never run far enough on their first wind

to find out they've got a second.             William James

Keys to sharing Christ

Neil Cole challenges me again and again. In his book Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens he asserts that contemporary evangelism has focused on "the conversation" over the gospel or correct answers to defend our beliefs. In Jesus' pattern though, the keys to sharing the gospel are:

• Time and availability. Relationships that are significant take time. One of the reasons our evangelism is often minimally effective is because we are more interested in rationally conveying a message than we are at truly getting to know people and letting them know us.
• A transformed life. The new life we have in Christ is contagious. This is what the world is dying to have and rarely gets to see.
• Hospitality. Our changed life and kingdom values will best be seen in our everyday life. Practicing hospitality is a powerful way to bridge into deeper relationships where others can see our life in Christ.
• Spiritual intuition. This requires listening carefully, to others and to the Holy Spirit. Rather than relying on a canned presentation of the Gospel that is used every time, listen to others and to the promptings of God's Spirit and you will see more fruit in evangelism. Everybody is unique, and the Spirit knows what the core longings of each person's soul are.
• Generosity. There are few character traits that stand out in this world more than a generous heart. People are drawn to someone who gives freely and cheerfully.