Monday, May 5, 2008

Sugar Coated Witness, A Surprise, and Lake

**Update** My sister now has a blog. Not this sister, but my other sister. The new blogging sister is the mother of my neice and also my OLDER sister (much older - like 6 years older ;-). Daughter of my father. Just wanted to let you know who you are clicking on. My mother's blog will be making its debut very soon...........

Before I get into what I want to say, let ne suggest that after you read this post, you guys may want to check out my dad's blog - his last few entries have been about Jehovah's Witnesses - what they believe and how to witness to them.

Do you have any friends who 'tell it like it is'? I consider myself a "call 'em like I see 'em " kind of girl. I don't usually do a lot of sugar coating when I talk to people. I don't think I am overly harsh, but I try to be truthful when dealing with people. In other words, I have never been accused of being mousy or timid. I prefer to let people know my beliefs and they can agree or disagree. I know this might cause some of you to shudder, but I am more politically correct with my blog than I am in person. (Hope that doesn't make you scared of me). I feel that there are people reading this blog who might not know Jesus and to be so rigid may turn them off. I suppose you could say I am a little reserved so that I don't offend people who may not be saved.


I was thinking about this the other day. Don't we all do this to some extent? Think about it. When someone dies, we don't say "Yeah, John died and went to hell yesterday". No, we say "Poor John passed away last night in his sleep". Or do you ever hear Christians witness to people by saying, "I know you don't know this, but you are on your way to eternal hell where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth". No, we say that people are "lost". When we hear of other churches who operate under less than Biblical standards, do we say "You people need to get out your Bible and study it because what you are doing is against the Word of God"? No, we simply say "We don't believe in placing gay women in the pulpit". We have all kinds of little phrases that are the watered down version of the truth. I am not suggesting that we scare people to death, but maybe a little dose of the truth in plain terms wouldn't be such a terrible thing either.


I wonder if God would be pleased with our little catch phrases and the way we tiptoe around the truth? If you will remember when Jesus spoke with the woman at the well, He didn't sugar coat her sin. He immediately exposed her sin and told her to go and sin no more. That woman came to the well a sinner and left a preacher! She went into town, immediately started telling people about Jesus, and I guarantee you that she didn't say "I saw this ordinary guy at the well today and He said I might be lost so I agreed to follow Him - we'll see where He leads and if He is worthy - then you guys may want to follow Him too". No, she ran as fast as she could and told the people that their long awaited Messiah had just told her all the nasty things she had ever done and He saved her from an eternal burning hell.

What is my point in all this? Well, I am just thinking that maybe we shouldn't be so soft spoken when it comes to our witness. Maybe we should not worry so much about sensibilities and things that might seem distasteful to those who are bound for hell. We definitely shouldn't sugar coat the truth for people who are already believers regardless of whether they are still baby milk-drinking Christians. I don't think there is time for us to worry about etiquette or political correctness......Jesus is coming soon and we want to have our candles trimmed and the flames burning high......and let's just be honest, some of us haven't even lit the match yet.

Now for The Surprise
Okay, this is BIG. This is so fun. This is a wonderful thing: My blogging friend Alana, has been blogging for a whole year now and she has a wonderful surprise on her blog for anyone who wants to participate. I am definitely participating. So, ladies, (guys I dont think you will be interested and if you are, please seek counseling) go over to A Kiss, A Hug and A Squeeze to help Alana celebrate her Boggiversary. If you have never done one of these, this might be the most fun you have all week!!! (have you ever seen so many links to the same site in one paragraph?)

Last night was out children's musical at church. The kids did a great job and thankfully, my good friend Luann brought her digital camera. My husband took a video of Lake's part, but I forgot to bring my actual camera. You can always count on Luann for taking pictures (sometimes that is good and sometimes that is bad - especially when she catches you in a pose that might not be flattering - like while you are singing "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" into a karaoke mic at a Sunday School party - who said Baptists are 'stuffy'?).

14 comments:

Sadie said...

I do think I sugar coat things, but thanks for the wake up call. I will pay more attention to what I say and be frank about the Lord! Great advice! I enjoyed this post!

Fran said...

No mo sugar coating! :) Be tasteful, be honest, be real, be mindful, be gracious....be an example of what it is like to have Christ in your heart and in everything you say, think, or do.

God is so big...He can handle it all right?! :)

Now..heading over to Alana's!
Thanks~
Fran

AnnaElizabeth said...

Remind me not to miss your blog, or it'll take me 2 hours to catch up on what's going on.
And don't water things down! Honesty is always the best way to show people who you are, but most importantly who Jesus is! He didn't water down his message, He challenged people (just like the woman at the well) by telling them the whole truth. As followers of Christ, we should do the same thing!
A lot of people may love political correctness, but I surely don't.

ocean mommy said...

LOVE THIS!!!

I bet your kids did great last night! He sure is a cute young man!

Heading over to Alana's!!!

steph.

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

My honesty has been a source of strength, but it has also been a source of pain at times. Therefore, when dealing with people, I pray for an abundance of God's love to cover my words. To operate from agapao, that always look to a "best interest" kind of approach, rather than a self-interest kind of approach.

And giving Jesus to a dying world is always a "best interest" kind of motivation. Let me do it with love Lord and temper my words with kindness.

peace~elaine

Mommyluann said...

Good word my friend...

I try to be selective in the photos I choose to "make public"...

I know a few who say what they think which is sometimes different that saying what is truth. And truth can be said in love, not anger. But you are right...we sugar coat alot....we are alot like politicians, yeah?

Greg P. said...

The best approach is not to sugar coat, but, to tactfully smack 'em 'tween the eyes! You gotta use tact. You can create a sense of urgency and still be tactful. People need to be led and they look to you as their guide.

Amanda said...

Thanks for the honesty in your post today. I am like Elaine that my honesty can sometimes backfire if it is not tempered with God's love, but we do need to be more truthful especially on a corporate level when talking about churches and doctrines. I think individually, though, you have to be careful. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from the sermon on the mount, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matt 5:6. I take this as my personal promise from God that one day all the injustice and sugar coated PC that is going on today will be set straight. I can't wait because I burn with righteous anger (a lot like Peter...both the good and the bad side of him) because of all the injustice in our world.
Thanks for the encouraging words on my post today. Today was definitely a better more "in control" day. And you know a girl like me gets all out of whack when I lose control...another "issue" God is working on.

Alana said...

I always appreciate your honesty and frankness.

I also really like what Fran had to say. If we are applying all of those adjectives to our witness then God can do big things through us. Actually He can do big things in spite of us, too, but it works better all around when we are in alignment with Him.

Thanks, my friend for linking up to me today!

alliekat said...

Speaking from personal experience, you are definitely NOT a sugar coater. I probably need to do a little less sugar coating and you could sometimes do a little more just for a happy medium! I finally finished a blog so check it out and leave comments. I expect to be on your heart blogs soon! Your sister, Lisa

Anonymous said...

For your CULT files---

SUMMARIES OF OVER 1100 JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES MEDICAL LAWSUITS & OTHER COURT CASES


The following website summarizes over 600 U.S. court cases and lawsuits affecting children of Jehovah's Witness Parents, including 375 cases where the JW Parents refused to consent to life-saving blood transfusions for their dying children:

DIVORCE, BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS, AND OTHER LEGAL ISSUES AFFECTING CHILDREN OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com


The following website summarizes over 500 Jehovah's Witnesses Employment related lawsuits, etc, including DOZENS of court cases in which JW Employees refused blood transfusions, and/or other cases involving Worker's Comp, medical, health, and disability issues:

EMPLOYMENT ISSUES UNIQUE TO JEHOVAH'S WITNESS EMPLOYEES

http://jwemployees.bravehost.com

Eddie said...

I agree, sugar coating is not the way Jesus communicated what He wanted to say. He was direct and much to the point and most of the time people responded positively to His message. I guess the secret to not sugar coating is to make sure our motive for the communication is sincere and for the betterment of those we speak to. God's love was always demonstrated in whatever communication He had. 1 Jn.4:20-21
Thanks for referring people to my blog and now how do I put Lisa's blog on my side list? I'm not going to sugar coat this one, I'm dumber than a coalbucket.

Anonymous said...

I too, am a Call it as You see it, but sometimes, the way I see it, maybe wrong..(Did I say that)? Anyways...I have tried lately (the past couple years) to THINK before I say something...Alot things can be said Nicer, and still get the point across without being so Harsh...One of the things, Im trying to better myself!

AnnaElizabeth said...

That person who left a comment about the Jehovah's Witness website is probably a JW themselves, since that site is about their beliefs and why they don't believe in the Trinity or blood transfusions.