Just Talking

Well, it's been a long time.  We've been on a crazy, emotional ride. But enough of that for now. Today I'd rather talk to you about something that I've been thinking about for a little while now, and just not found made the time to share yet.  Evangelism.

That dreaded 'E' word that seems to strike fear into the hearts of so many - quite sadly, I might add! So what new thoughts can I possibly have to add to this subject? Some new tool or method for making it easier or less daunting?  Not at all.  Quite the opposite actually.

Now, please don't misunderstand me.  I'm not saying that different evangelistic tools don't have their place, because they certainly do!  Two Ways to Live, for example, is brilliant, especially for new Christians (and some long term!) to learn and make sure that they have really understood the gospel - and certainly to share with other people too!  What I am saying, however, is that I think we can tend to over formalise the idea of "Evangelism".  We can take it out of the realms of being prepared to share the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15), and elevate it to something akin to a magical unicorn hunt, where we feel as though only those who have been trained in this very specific art have the skills or the courage to capture the elusive unicorn.  

We can get so worked up about it, and so formulaic in the way that we try to talk to people about Jesus, that we just plain make it weird.  I mean, most people are happy to talk about the things that they are interested in, but I think both with over course-ising it (ooooh, now there's a terrible word that will never take off!), and often with us just expecting people to react badly to the news that we're Christian, that we can come across incredibly unnaturally.  Now I am more than happy to acknowledge that not everybody has the spiritual gift of evangelism (1 Corinthians 12), but just because I may not be blessed with a specific gift of helping, for example, that doesn't mean that I can't help pack the chairs away after our weekly church family gathering.  And more so for evangelism, because of verses like 1 Peter 3:15, where we are all called to "always be prepared 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."  And I'm relatively confident that for the vast majority of us, who have been through an AFES group, or go to a decent church, we ought to be incredibly well equipped to give a very clear answer to anyone who asks us about our faith in Jesus!

So how can we do this?  I think we need to just be normal, and talk to people about God, as we would also talk to them about other things/people that we love.  To paraphrase the advice of my friend Ben Pfahlert, it's best to try to let people know that we're Christian as early in the relationship as possible - even just mentioning that we went to church on the weekend if someone asks how your weekend was.  Getting it out there early makes it less awkward later on (I remember the amusing reaction of a work mate that I'd been having coffee with for quite a few weeks when I mentioned I was a Christian - she immediately tried to do a mental catalogue of all the things she'd ever said to me, in case I might have been offended!), and also sets you in their minds as someone they can possibly go to if they have questions about God etc (I got a sterling opportunity with the same work mate, some months later, to give a full explanation of exactly why I am a Christian).  

If we can work on not seeing evangelism as an added extra to the other things that we do, or to church life, but can talk to people about God normally and naturally, as the opportunity arises, I think we will make much greater inroads into sharing the gospel with our friends.  There's even an Ed Stetzer statistic that 61% of non-Christian people in their 20's would say yes if a friend offered to study the Bible with them!  Conversations may not always go super well, and we may not always see people turning to God, but it's got to be worth the effort.  And if we Jesus has given his very life for us, I think we can weather some potentially awkward conversations.  What do we really have to lose, when our friends potentially have everything to gain?  Let's just start talking!!!

Photo by Moyan Brenn on Flickr.

Location, Location, Location: Part Two

Our possible home buying saga continues.  Hopefully we will find out this Monday if we can get a loan or not.  Our new mortgage broker seems confident.  Oh, it almost seems like too much.  Part of me hopes that they say no, so that we can finally just settle in here and not be looking around anymore.  You would think that I could just wait and see if we get the loan or not, but it turns out that I am both an obsessive and a  compulsive researcher - it's true, I looked it up.  It's quite tiring, being driven by that feeling of needing to know what our potential options are, in case we do get the loan.  And the speed with which the property market is rising is quite frightening.  It really feels like we could get priced out of the market before we even have a chance to get into it, or we could buy a lemon with massive issues, or someone else might get it first, or we could hate the area, or we could...

I am so thankful that I know that God is looking after us, no matter which way it goes.  He's already given us better landlords that we could have imagined, let alone asked for!  More and more I am realising that if I didn't have hope in God to rest upon, and to know that I can bring all my anxieties to him because he wants me to (he doesn't just deign to listen to them!), I would be one very stressed out little black duck.  Thank you God for listening and taking up my burdens!  More about my epiphany regarding what to do with complaining next (it's not really very ground-breaking, but it was to me at the time!).

Location, location, location

We've been looking at houses for sale lately.  (Theoretically, at least) we would like to buy one.  Have you ever bought a house?  What a storm of conflicting priorities!  How many bedrooms?  How many living areas? What suburb? Brick or weatherboard? New or existing?  Close to schools?  Which schools? And it's not just a matter of choosing which of these things, but weighing how important each of them are as well!  Not to mention, what is actually available for what we can afford?  And all of this before we've even confirmed that a bank will lend to us (hopefully we'll find that out tomorrow - eeek!)!

*Sigh!* We've found a house that we do quite like, and apart from putting in a bathtub and a dishwasher, it seems pretty much ready to just move straight in to.  I find I am so torn though - do we need another bedroom and a second living area to make doing ministry at home easier, or am I just being swayed by what the world (or what some denominational guidelines) says I ought to have for a family our size?  I'm pretty sure that the early church didn't have at least 4 bedrooms, a study, 2 living areas and a walk-in pantry!  Oh ho, it's an interesting, and over-researching ride!  I am a little bit on tenterhooks to hear what our mortgage broker says, hopefully tomorrow, and then who knows what will happen by the end of the week!

If you've bought a house, how have you gone about weighing up all of these different considerations?

Photo by I see Modern Britain on Flickr

The Big Push South

It’s been some time.  An awful lot has happened since my last post.  Let me fill you in.  College is done.  What sounds on the face of it, like it should be a great cause for celebration, is filled with some very mixed feelings.  John finished up in mid-November, and on the 6th of December, a truck came and loaded up all our worldly possessions and drove off.   Destination: Melbourne.

So on the 7th of March, it will have been 3 months, and I still quite keenly feel the loss of our college and Sydney church communities.  Even though we’ve moved closer to our biological families, it really does feel like we’ve left family behind.  I’m definitely struggling with discontentment at the moment, and I think perhaps this will be a pattern for me, moving into different places/situations, until I feel more established in the community and figure out more fully, what my role is. 

The same thing happened when we moved to college.  Poor John bore the brunt of my feelings of resentment that he got to go off and have a fabulous time studying theology with his new friends, while I had to stay home and “do the housework, and look after the baby”.  By the time we had Davey in second year, I was more than glad that I didn’t have to go out and work or study, but got to stay home and raise our lovely babies.  Oh how fickle my feelings are!!

Now, this is definitely not to say that our time in Melbourne hasn’t been without blessings!  John has taken over as the lead pastor of City Unichurch (name currently in negotiations), and we’ve largely felt extremely well welcomed and been so excited to see the amazing ways that our new church family serve the Lord and each other, as well as having a few visitors too!  We’ve had heaps of family support, are enjoying the extra space of a 3 bedroom house with a big yard and a supply of apricots, figs, lemons, walnuts and gorgeous roses.  Hannah is loving Kindergarten and Kinderballet.  All of the kids are pretty excited about our new playgroup too (which meant a serious meltdown when we had to leave, because they loved it so much!).

We all miss our college and Sydney church family and poor little Davey still cries about it sometimes.  It’s a little bit hard to cheer him up sometimes, when I’m feeling pretty sad about it myself.  I think I have a really big cry overdue (I’m such a girl!).  But last week was quite a good week, going away to Apollo Bay and having a chance to regroup and enjoy each other before John’s RMIT FOCUS work started in earnest this week.

I’m praying that the God who has already given me more than I could ever hope or imagine will help me to remember this truth, and move past these feelings of discontentment.  I’m praying that I can soon understand my role in this new stage of life, and support my family well, as we continue to change and grow.   I’m praying for new friends in our local community and that God can use us powerfully to build his kingdom here in Melbourne.

Image by alexbuitlr on flickr.