I got up this morning at 7:04 A.M. and walked 9 steps into my bathroom. There I brushed my 31 teeth for 4 minutes while checking my 24 email messages on my Motorola Droid phone.
I tend to not be fully awake until I quench my morning thirst, so I then came downstairs to my kitchen and opened a Coke Zero. I prefer Coke Zero because it feels like I’m doing something moderately healthy with my diet even though I’ve heard horror stories about aspartame.
I did some research on aspartame and I think that I’m going to try to move away from Coke Zero in favor of natural teas and juices in 3 days. I would start earlier but I don’t have my $161 of grocery money until Monday.
Why do I tell you this? To prove the point that specifics are far more engaging than generalities.
Why The Difference?
The last time that I wrote to you, we talked about words and how important it was to make certain that you were using the right ones. This time, I want to take that a step further and help you understand why it’s so vitally important to be specific with your ministry.
It’s so easy to tell people, when asked what the Christian life is like, that it’s “great” or “blessed” or any other blanket terminology that you want to spew. But the fact is, in asking you about the Christian life, that person has just opened a door. You had better be sure about what you’re going to say when you walk through it.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes we ask for specifics, and other times we ask for generalities? When was the last time that someone actually told you how they were doing when you asked “how are you” in passing?
When you are given the chance to reach out, it should be an exciting moment. You should want to tell your story, in as much detail as possible, in order to fully take hold of the opportunity that you’ve been given.
The Truth?
Nothing sounds quite so much like the truth as the truth, and most people seem to know the truth when they hear it. – Roy H. Williams
The beauty of what we’re trying to do in ministry is that we have the most perfect product that you could ever ask to market. I don’t want to take away from what Christianity is by calling it a product, but thinking of ministry as marketing the product of Christianity puts a different spin onto your way of thinking.
In our ministry, and especially through mediums such as blogging, we’re given the chance to engage our audience in the comfort of their own space. They come to us, when they’re ready to open the door. There is no pretense, there is no shame in walking up and asking.
But when they do start looking, what message are you providing? Are you ignoring the truth by presenting only the good or the bad? Are you blanketing the facts that we Christians all know to be so real?
The Christian walk is not easy. It was never promised to be so. Jesus promised us a life of hardship, with ultimate reward. He calls us to be different, thus specific.
Your Message?
How are you? What specifics made up your day, today? What hardships have you faced in your life and how have you dealt with them? What is the single thing, from your Christian walk, that you are most likely to talk about?
The specifics of your life, and how you choose to share them, will become the engaging points to those who hear them.
And yes, I meant to say 31 teeth. 🙂
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