Day #1283

July 6, 2017 

This date will now be known as the night of an earthquake. About 12:30 am, an area about 90 miles away experienced an earthquake. The shaking and noise were felt/heard here, and beyond, along with aftershocks. It was rather surreal. I did not feel any shaking, but I did hear the noise. In the middle of the night, I had no idea what it was, until the next morning when, yes, this happened:

On Facebook were lots of "witness" accounts, so when I read this on the “Daily Grace” blog of the Women of the ELCA, I thought it appropriate to share;

I know I am called to be an evangelist, but I wonder what to say. It can feel like I have to have the doctrine down, and say it just so, lest I get it wrong. Then I remember Jesus’ description: “you will be my witnesses.” In order to evangelize, I give witness. Somehow that seems less daunting. I know what it’s like to rave about a recipe, to tell the story of a family adventure or recommend a product or service that has worked well for me [or, I'm thinking, tell about the earthquake]. This is giving witness to what I have seen and known, to my experience, to what I find helpful. Perhaps this is how to evangelize rather than worrying about getting the doctrine down pat. Perhaps my job is to tell the story of God’s love in my life, to give witness to the way my life is better because of God. This message is adapted from “Cloud of Witnesses” written by Catherine Malotky in the May 2011 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.

Why isn’t telling about Jesus as easy as telling about the earthquake, or the movie, or the book, or the new restaurant? I ask myself this question often. Hmmm…

Blessings.