I was teaching English to the head professor of the anatomy and physiology department at a large university in the Middle East. One day, wiggling my fingers on the table in front of her, I pondered aloud, “Our hands are a magnificent creation aren’t they?” She smiled and said, “Yes, our human systems are the evidence of God.” A calm moment of agreement settled in, and then I asked her, “Have you read the story of Creation in the Bible?” A new energy flashed through her eyes as she leaned forward eagerly and said, “I have always heard of that book. What does it say?” Read more
Before you finish the story, though, you're invited to reaffirm God's Word in your own life. When Scripture is your "joy and heart's delight" (Jer 15:16), you will have endless opportunity to share it sensitively and creatively with others.
Sometimes we envision a long process of "seed-planting"--with lots of casual mingling and doing good--before we consider a friend to be "ready" to hear God's Word. But. What if God's words are the seeds we plant?
In a well-known parable (Matt 13), the sower was spreading handfuls of tiny seeds rather freely, almost randomly. They didn't all land on the best ground for a guaranteed harvest, but the sower sowed them anyway. By Jesus own interpretation, it's worth considering what those seeds represent. Read more
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GOD'S WORD IS MY WITNESS
What kind of person would you be if your thoughts were shaped by God's thoughts? What if your exchanges with others were sprinkled with the best parts of God's exchanges with you? Would your conversations change? Would your discussions go different places?
This issue of CALLED introduces the first "HIS WORD, MY WITNESS" reflections--quick-read pieces on how scripture can be used sensitively and powerfully in everyday conversation. While the Bible is usually considered the logical book-in-hand for sermons and serious Bible studies, each piece builds on what it means to share God's Word--not from a book in your hand but from your heart.
HAVE THEY HEARD? Most of those around you have never met God in His Word, but they've met you. What if your words borrowed from His Word? Read more
LET'S TALK BIBLE This isn't about droning long passages of scripture or moralizing on a text. It's about God's Word in conversation. Read more
NO BIBLE IN SIGHT In a culture familiar with the recitation of holy text, few would be surprised by a witty Proverb, or a soaring passage of the Psalms. Read more
SCRIPTURE ON YOUR MIND Memorized Scripture makes God's Word easily accessible for passing conversation. No texts, no references required. Read more
To follow future postings to the HIS WORD, MY WITNESS series, visit the RESOURCE page each month on the MENA Total Employment website at http://www.temena.net.
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JUST AN INVITATION
Huda's Testimony
I really wasn’t in the mood of visiting. I just wanted to be alone. With lots of time before my flight, I searched out a corner seat among the empty rows of an unused boarding gate. I needed time to call family, eat a snack, and relax.
I quickly realized I was sitting right next to a departure screen. As travelers came and went, I buried myself in my mobile. I hardly noticed two young men searching the board for their flight information. But my ear caught their Arabic. My flight was headed to an Arabic-speaking country. I held my mobile closer.
But they saw me. “Are you headed to _____ also?” they asked. Yes, I answered, not sure how they could tell, since none of us were at the right gate. They dropped their luggage on the bench across from me and stretched out as comfortably as if I’d invited them for tea. Read more
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I want to give you
a Word from God.
Not to prove
a point.
Or to show
what I know.
I want
to listen
for things that
matter to you
and
to speak
so you
hear Him
in your heart.
I want to share
the meaningful things
I'm sure
God would say
to you
if He were here.
Wait, though.
I'm sure He is here.
But He's asked me
to speak
for Him
in case
you don't know yet
who He is.
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WHAT
SHALL I SAY?
Scripture in My Routine
You may worry that you don't know your Bible well enough to explain the Trinity, or to answer objections about the divinity of Christ. But if Scripture is on your mind, you can share a no-chapter-no-verse biblical thought in all types of conversations, on all kinds of topics. For starters, imagine how God's Word in you could possibly contribute to a hallway discussion at work--
- ON CONFIDENTIALITY: "I was raised on an ancient proverb--that a gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence--and I want to live by that." (Prov 11:13)
- ON BEING JEALOUS OF THE WEALTHY: "I don't know if they're worth any more than I am. I understand that when they die, they take nothing with them! Their wealth is not going to follow them into the grave." (Ps 49:17)
- ON ACCEPTING CREDIT FOR A JOB WELL DONE: "Thank you. I want to honor God with the best part of everything I produce." (Prov 3:9)
- ON YOUR JOB SATISFACTION: "I've learned to enjoy my work and value my place in life. I consider these are gifts from God." (Eccl. 5:19)
Like the teacher in Jesus' parable who is learning more and more about the kingdom of heaven, we have the privilege of bringing out of the storehouse of Scripture "new treasures as well as old" (Matt 13:52). If they are woven into your thinking and shared throughout your day, even the simplest verse can take on a meaning you never realized it had. When Scripture is part of your every day, surely God will have something meaningful to say to those around you.
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The word of God is the seed.
Every seed has in itself a
germinating principle.
In it the life of the plant
is enfolded.
So there is life in God's word.
--Christ's Object Lesson, page 38
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THE ACCESSIBLE BIBLE
Making Memorization Easier
For those who haven't grown up in a culture that has a strong, oral tradition, memorizing scripture may require a special strategy--flashcards, prompts, and mental tricks to fill the lapses of memory. But when you've built the process into your daily life, the Scriptures will be more accessible to share in your everyday conversation--and more available to the Holy Spirit for the hearts who are waiting to hear.
Choose a passage you're already familiar with and copy it over and over again as you say it out loud.
Enter the verse on your phone and consult it for "slow" times--waiting for an appointment, sitting in traffic, while on hold during a phone call.
Tape the verse to your bathroom mirror and practice while you're shaving or doing your hair in the morning.
Write the first letter of each word on a small card. When you need a hint, look at the list of letters instead of the full verse.
READ the full Christianity Today article on myths about memorizing Scripture and suggestions for creating a system of scripture memorization that works for you.
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A TENTMAKER'S THOUGHTS
When He throws you out, where will you land?
I don’t know where I would be without the Word of God. I don’t think I would be living this far from family. I don’t think my husband would be a tentmaker. I am sure I would have nothing to share with you right now.
All I know is that it is only on the direction of God's Word that we are here--tentmakers in the Middle East. Luke 10:2 changed our lives. Read more
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