Making It Mine

 Whenever I read a book or hear someone preach and it touches me, I try to make it mine. I try to understand it and apply it to my life. I am reading "UN Christian" and it has touched me in a lot of ways. Christians we do have a story to tell and we believe there is a Heaven to gain and a Hell to shun. But as this book points out sometimes we do a terrible job of presenting the gospel to the world around us. I thought of an incident in my life many years ago. I don't remember the man's name anymore. But I think I met him when I first moved to the Renton plant. I didn't know very many people and needed a friend. He came off like he wanted to be my friend and I was looking forward to meeting him outside the job as a friend or to form a friendship. He wanted to sign me up with Amway and that was the whole deal. I didn't want to have anything to do with Amway. He really didn't want to be a friend he was looking for someone to sign up under him in his Amway business. After that, he really didn't want a friend, it was a ruse to make a contact for his business.   Sometimes as this book describes, that is exactly how we come off. We want a convert to Christianity. Can you imagine how people feel if that is how you come off to them. I was really disappointed at that time because I did need a friend. So as I try to make what is touching my heart in this book mine, I wonder how many times I have pretty much done the same thing. We have an important message to give to the image-bearers of God around us. Even when they don't think like us they are still image-bearers of God. A while back I thought about my ex-wives and the stories I tell of my side of those experiences. I thought one day about those ex's that hurt me, they are also image-bearers of God. They are just as important to God as I am. I am thankful to be a Christian and know the God that I know. I wish I could present him as I know him. A loving God that loved me even when I was at my worst. He never gave up on me through my many struggles. He answered prayers for me in the middle of divorce even when he hates divorce. He still loved me. I hope I can learn from this book and bear the image of God in a better fashion. I want to be transparent and not make excuses for being unChristlike. But you know Christianity has survived many centuries of imperfect witnesses for God. Christianity is still relevant and still changes hearts and lives today as people get to know the God of the Bible. I want to make this mine, it is a very thought-provoking book. God bless, LVZ.