Experience OneWith Whom: My neighbor, Mary Jane, who lives alone in the house to our left. I had chatted with her at a few neighborhood block parties, but never about spiritual matters. She is a special education public school teacher and retiring at the end of this school year. When: March 2, 2002, on the Saturday morning. I was working in my garden. She walked off her porch and down her drive way to pick up her newspaper.
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Experience TwoWith Whom: Steve, who we met at the Mill Valley depot during our classroom "witness to the lost". He was leaving the coffee shop and just approaching his bicycle outside the depot. Rose, Brent, and I went as a team. He seemed to be about 40 years old, a bit "eccentric", maybe a regular at the depot area. When: Monday, April 23, 2002, at about 11AM.
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Reflections on experience:On the Monday morning of witnessing day, rain on the roof woke me up at 4 AM. I thought to myself, "maybe we won't have to go witnessing today"! I experienced relief, and immediately guilt at the fact that I had experienced relief. I prayed in bed. "Make me bold, Lord." The skies were clearing as I went to work in the morning. There was sunshine as the Evangelism class began at 10 AM. Approaching strangers is not easy for me. Meyers-Briggs rates me in the extreme corner as a scientific introvert (INTJ). This may be a reason for my witness-phobia, but it is not an excuse. I was disappointed in myself. I felt that I had let my Lord down. People passed me by and I said nothing. I know what is undeniably in my heart, but it is so hard to speak it to strangers. Why is it that I tremble? I thought that the demons were supposed to tremble. I can identify with the Apostle John. He ran to the sepulcher first, but he only stooped down and looked in. Peter got there second, but boldly ran in. A few weeks later, John was in the fishing boat and was the first to recognize that Jesus was on the shore. He pointed this fact out to Peter and Simon Peter jumped into the water and swam to shore. John just stayed with the boat. Why is Africa so different? The African pastors gather a crowd. I speak boldly of Christ and Him crucified. I feel the anointing of the Holy Spirit and lives are changed. In our Evangelism class we drew concentric circles with us in the middle and going out to the world. The innermost circle is the most difficult for me, the outermost is a joy. Above all, pray that I might be bold. This is my prayer. |