Randy Wray’s Blog

More thoughts regarding our approach in sharing the gospel.

I’m thinking of the way in which we share news of any kind. Some people are skilled at sharing bad news. They know just the words to say to segue way from the pleasantries to the unpleasantries.

All of us are skilled at sharing good news. We readily share about that great movie we saw, that great concert we attended, that new store, our new car, that fabulous restaurant or killer desert. There is an excitement and eagerness in our sharing for it is sharing from the heart.

There’s always the mechanical sharing of news. The sharing because I have to or sharing because it’s my job. This is the type of sharing that we are compelled to share because we have to rather than the news itself compelling us to share. There is a difference. The Bible puts it this way:

2 Corinthians 2:17 (NASB) For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.

Accepting Jesus Christ should not equate to our experiences with buying a car. You’ve been there. You’ve had both agreeable experiences and disagreeable experiences. The difference is rarely the product but the harbinger of the product. “What will it take to get you into the church today?” is not, in my opinion, the road we should travel. We are not the “closers” we are display cases. Christ within is our motive and our message. Our lives are the canvas God is using to reveal his masterpiece.

Don’t misunderstand. There is an appropriate time and place to ask challenging, commitment questions.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (NCV) God says, “At the right time I heard your prayers. On the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you that the “right time” is now, and the “day of salvation” is now.

When asked within 10 minutes “on the lot” I fear that is not the right time and perhaps one of the reasons why the message is ignored or rejected. Coming to faith in Christ is about me hearing good news so great that I couldn‚Äôt help but accept. It‚Äôs not about me accepting so you will leave me alone.

Sharing good news is easy - we do it all the time. Our eagerness to share the news of Christ quite often predicated by the fountain of which we drink. One author has put it this way:

The most effective ambassadors of the love of Christ over the long haul are those who have given themselves full permission to drink in the lavishness of God’s grace. You show me someone who drinks in spiritual blessings with great liberality, and I’ll show you someone who is spilling over with the desire to tell others how it is available. On the other hand, show me a Christian who is locked into legalism, into a joyless, performance-oriented Christianity, and I’ll show you someone who isn’t very fired up about inviting their best friends into that kind of life.

Maybe that’s the heart of the issue? What kind of life in Christ are we living? Would someone who does not know Christ desire to live that life as well? What picture of Christ is emerging from the canvas of your own life?

8 Comments »

The thing about reality TV is that it brings to the surface who you really are. You hear the participants talk about favorable or unfavorable editing - which may be true. You hear them talk about not understanding the role each person needs to play - which may also be true. Not having been on TV, but having a real life, I would say the cameras not only add ten pounds they reveal your character. Like aging, reality TV exaggerates your character qualities.

The amazing race has a fun concept this year. Families compete for whatever the prizes will be. Perhaps the biggest prize is seeing which family can be loving and caring to each other, good sports and helpful to others under intense pressure and scrutiny.

Last night

(SPOILER WARNING - IF YOU TAPED THE SHOW AND PLAN TO WATCH IT TODAY QUIT READING)

revealed that nice families do finish last. The Black family handled themselves so well, with incredible grace under tremendous pressure and defeat.

The Weaver family might be the sentimental choice having lost their father / husband in an accident. They talk of faith and pray on camera. I’m ok with that. I was wondering exactly what Jesus was going to do when called upon while they were lost and looking at the map. I’m not sure that Jesus is in the GPS business. I’m pretty sure he’s going to let ONSTAR take care of those details.

The team made up of brother-in-laws and father-in-law (the Aiello family) is going to be fun to watch as will be the team of siblings (the Linz family) and the daughters and father team (the Bransen family). This all brings me to the Paolo family - yikes!

The profile of this family declares that constant bickering is a norm for this family. It also said they are willing to put their differences aside for $1 million dollars. It sure did not seem like that last night. I don’t know these people and was embarrassed for them. The boys are ugly (not talking about appearance here), mean and disrespectful. They speak to each other and to their parents in a horrific way. Let’s just that in a different time (if Moses were still around) and these kids popped off to their parents like they did on national TV there would be quite a few rocks heading in their direction.

Beth mentioned how since they didn’t finish in last place on the first leg of the race that everything was accepted. The spoiled rotten, abusive behavior was tolerated because they didn’t end up in last place. If they do lose, and frankly I was hoping it was going to be last night, I hope they show the same grace TO EACH OTHER as did the Black family.

What if our spiritual family became the subject of a reality TV show? What if right out there in from of God and everybody our character, our actions and attitudes are on display for all to see?

On the lighter side, how do you think you and your family would do on such a contest as the amazing race?

8 Comments »

I’m in a bit of time crunch today. I have several appointments - I hate it when ministry interferes with my job. So, I may review this later and make some edits!

Let me explain more about the concept of intentional relationships. We are involved with many people on various different levels. We have friends, neighbors, co-workers and the stranger we meet here and there. There are numerous reasons for interacting with these people and differing ways in which we interact.

In our relationships with our immediate neighbors we seek to be intentional. The purposes of investing in their lives are many. The primary purpose is to live Christ among them. Secondary purposes include being a good neighbor or being a good person. Everything we do with them has as a primary purpose of being Christ among them. The result of which is we are good neighbors and good people.

The same is true, specifically of Beth, and her relationships with the girls on the softball team she coaches. Through this venue Beth has access into the lives of these girls and their families. We’ve been able to socialize with parents of school friends also because of the involvement Beth has in the school and PTA.

I’m not intending to brag, certainly some of you are far ahead of us in relational evangelism. I do want to leave the realm of theory and enter the reality of specifics. We eat with our neighbors, socialize with them, help them with yard projects, house projects, whatever way we can with specific intent. The time will come, for it is something I pray for, that we will engage in deeper conversations of faith. Those conversations will be genuine because of the groundwork of trust paved by relationship.

The most effective evangelists in Bible where those with a personal message. Those who simply shared what Jesus had done in their life attracted the largest audience. They had the greatest impact for the kingdom. That’s the intent of the relational evangelist. Pave the way for the opportunity to share what Jesus has done and is doing in your life. Perhaps our struggle with evangelism is we, ourselves, are not quite sure how to answer that question?

I’m not telling you anything new today - nothing you do not already know. I am reminding you to begin to invest yourself in the lives of those around you. Keep focused in the purpose of your relationships with others - that Christ may be seen.

10 Comments »

As I said, Friday, I want to spend some time dialoguing about influencing others for Christ through intentional relational efforts.

Many people fear the term evangelism. Most fear the term evangelist. I have a friend in the ministry who while flying has two distinct ways in which he answers the question, “what do you do for a living”? If he feels like talking he says “I’m a minister.” If he does not feel like talking he says “I am an evangelist.” That’s a guaranteed way to bring a conversation to a grinding halt. In speaking about evangelism - the process of imparting the gospel message - I want to tell you what I was and what I have become.

I was a facts based evangelist. I worked and worked to hone a specific set of points and scriptures to 5 minutes or less. I was capable of throwing out the information in a quick amount of time and pressing for the individual to make a decision. I even adapted a whole evangelistic outline and taught others how to join the Jesus sales team.

Isn’t that odd that we would seek to pressure someone to make a life-long decision based on 5 minutes or 20 minutes worth of facts? Granted, there may be times when 5 minutes is all you have. Confrontational evangelistic tactics, in my opinion, distort not only the gospel of Christ but impede a genuine response to Christ.

Now I am one who seeks to share Jesus Christ through intentional relational efforts. My efforts are focused on my neighbors, parents of school friends, parents on our children’s sports teams. Being involved in varying levels of their life. My aim is to live among them as one who believes. I don’t believe I need to have all the facts or know all the answers. I just need to allow Christ to be seen through me. I’m not perfect but I try to be genuine.

There is a world of difference between being perfect and being genuine. I’m trying to be salt that falls from the shaker and not the salt lick. I’m trying to be a ray (or should I say Wray) of light that falls into the corner of their room and not a flood light. I’m trying to be the kind of light that attracts not the kind that draws the bugs in and kills them on contact.

A few of us are gathering on Thursday nights for a small group Bible study. Starting this week, we will be working through a series entitled “Going Public With Your Faith” by William Carr Peel and Walt Larimore. In the introduction of this series the authors speak about the kind of followers who are effective in sharing Jesus Christ.

These followers of Jesus in the workplace are passionate about their faith. They love to talk to people about Jesus. But their motive is not to proselytize. Rather it is to discover what God is already doing in someone’s life and to join that effort. It is to show Jesus to those with whom they work, not to sell Jesus or force him on others. It is to help others become new creations, not to coerce people to “change religions.”

Intentional relational efforts that Christ may be seen and shared. More on this tomorrow.

4 Comments »

Today, I just had to tell you about my neighbor. First let me say that we have great neighbors (3 out of 5 of our immediate neighbors are a lot of fun which in my mind is a pretty good ratio). We are involved in significant ways with the people who live next door to us, across the street from us and across the street and over one. We eat together, we help each other with projects and we just shoot the breeze whenever possible. We are really good shots.

I will deviate for just a moment from my point to make Greg jealous. Greg, I was helping the neighbor I want to talk about today move some shelves into his basement and what did I see? Yes, two guitar cases - an acoustic and an electric. Guess the make and model of the electric guitar? You got it, Gibson Les Paul — a moment of silence please.

Now back to the regularly scheduled thought. This same neighbor THE ONE WITH THE LES PAUL has a chocolate lab. He was going for a bike ride yesterday and had the dog riding in one of those carriers you attach to the back of the bike. Beth saw the antics from the kitchen window so naturally I ran out there to lob sarcastic remarks in his direction. The dog (about 6 months old) was living large. I know what he was thinking “Forget that fetch thing haul me around the neighborhood.” Either that or “food, mark territory, squirrel, food, mark territory, squirrel.”

He’s European (is that what you all do over there Brady?) and had a big laugh at himself vocalizing what the rest of the neighbors must have been saying about the “crazy European” at it again. He gardens without a shirt, in shorts and knee length rubber boots.

We’ve enjoyed our relationship with them and have been intentional in our spending time with them that through us they might see the Lord and come to know him. I’m planning to devote some more time next week writing about influencing other for Christ through intentional relational efforts.

Until then, have a good weekend and let’s see some pictures of Greg taking chipper for a ride on the back of his bike.

9 Comments »

I’ve reached the point in my life where I desire to be a “yes” man.

We have a new minister on staff. He is fresh on the job with a thousand ideas for improvements, modifications and spiritual tweaks. He, in his eagerness, shares his ideas with me. I, in my experience, can think of a million reasons why it won’t work. I find myself wanting to say “I tried that and it didn’t work.” Or, “because of such and such this will never get off the ground.”

I hear in my thoughts the voices of all those who told me it couldn’t be done back when I was young and energetic. For the record, I don’t like it. I’m turning up the squelch and squashing those voices.

From now on my answer is “yes let’s give it a try.” From now on my encouragement will be “go for it.” We should explore any avenue which makes us more effective for the kingdom. I will be the voice of encouragement not discouragement - even though I am very discouraged with local ministry at this point.

How could I not be a “yes” man? My boss is a “yes” God!

2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV) For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

17 Comments »

Madison is helping out a travel softball team as a bench catcher. Last night Reese and I waited in the car while Madison was catching. We could only be there for about a ¬? hour because we had a small group bible study to attend. The practice field is at a local high school field which abounds with activity on any given night.

The place is teeming with life and activity. People run around the track. People walk around the track. The Arlington kids football team practices on one side of the track infield. Another softball team practices on the other side. There is a batting cage and a basketball court. Young girls are brainwashed and indoctrinated to become cheerleaders. Parents sit in their folding camping chairs watching their youngsters become the next Peyton Manning or Donnavan McNabb.

The field is adjacent to the High School stadium. Last night’s activity in the stadium was girls field hockey. The PA system blared out the welcome, the introduction of players in the line up and began to play a recording of the national anthem.

It was as if someone had flipped a switch. All activity stopped on the fields in front of us. The kids practicing all stopped and stood silently through the singing. Parents rose from their camping chairs and placed their hands over their hearts. Even the hooligans on the basketball court stopped playing for the moment. It was quite an amazing site. It was so spontaneous, seemingly out of context.

The people on the practice fields had not come to see the field hockey game, could not even see the game from the practice fields. They could only hear the sounds. They heard the singing and stood. It was quite a sight.

5 Comments »

Here is the song that is rumbling through my mind this morning:

Hide me away, O Lord
Hide me away, O Lord
In the day of trouble ‘neath the shadow of your wings
Hide me away, O Lord

Give me your peace, O Lord
Give me your peace, O Lord
In the day of trouble ‘neath the shadow of your wings
Give me your peace, O Lord

Safe in your dwelling place
Safe in your dwelling place
In the day of trouble ‘neath the shadow of your wings
Safe in your dwelling place

2 Comments »

We had an interesting weekend of activities and of course the never ending Sunday prep. The problem with the weekend (for me) is that Sunday is always looming ahead in the distance. My whole weekend is spent with that thought in mind. Sunday’s approaching like a fast moving locomotive . . . Am I ready?

Madison had a softball game and man o man was the umpire lousy. I’m not just being one of those non-objective parents when I say the umpire stunk. It looked like it was his first time to call a game and Madison didn’t get near the calls (while pitching) she thought she should get. I’m fully qualified to make this judgment of the umpires skills (or lack of) based on my tremendous experience and the fact that I was the umpire.

0 for 1

Reese had a soccer game and man o man was the referee lousy! Not only that, he was really out-of-shape. Though it wasn’t his first time to referee a soccer match he certainly had not run like that in a long time. I’m still sore.

0 for 2

We went bowling with some friends Saturday night and thoroughly enjoyed this slice of Americana at it’s best. Someone over on the league side of the alley bowled a perfect game. That side erupted in cheers. Our kids each bowled a perfect game knocking down a total of 48 pins. We (Beth and I) silently erupted in cheers (on the inside) that the score was the same.

1 for 3

6 Comments »

Even with all my education, training and experience I come across moments of doubt, moments of great faith angst. It’s not about losing faith or walking away from God. Though, there are times those insidious suggestions must be strangled and dragged forcibly to the cross of Jesus to surrender.

Like you, I am not immune to the struggles of faith. Becoming a Bible-major may have exempted me from taking calculus and chemistry but it has not exempted from crisis and chaos. It’s about having more questions than answers. It’s about hearing more questions from others than answers you have to give.

You’ve done nothing but accept a job. Your supervisor has as their life’s goal to make your life a living hell.

You’ve done nothing but bring a child into the world. You wonder at the irony that the hospital you are in and out of has a revolving door.

You’ve done nothing but given your heart to someone. You discover down the road that one you loved, one you trusted decided not to keep sacred promises.

You wake up again in an empty house. You work at a place that drains rather than fills. You watch in despair on the sideline of your children’s choices. Your at odds with him. You can’t remember the last time you had a civil conversation with her.

What you need is acceptance, understanding, the knowledge that someone cares about you and your struggle.

I’m tired of cliches and “feel-good” mantras disguised as spirituality. The best words I feel we can offer to those who struggle, to those who hurt are few. “I’m sorry” sounds a lot better to me than “don’t worry God causes all things to work together for good.”

There are times when we don’t need to hear about what God will or will not do. There are times when we need to experience the presence of God. This may come through the words of a friend (or stranger). The presence of God may come through the presence of a friend, someone you trust.

Last night was such an experience for me. A few of us gathered around a coffee table and planned a new small group. We talked and listened and struggled together through the experiences of one. We prayed together and I know, without a doubt, we were in the presence of God.

There are people who insist that ministry is about the clothes you wear, it‚Äôs about the image you project, it‚Äôs about the form you adhere to for a certain amount of prescribed minutes. That‚Äôs church. And it‚Äôs probably why fewer and fewer people go to church. What we experienced was the presence of God. And if church were more about experiencing the presence of God we would be different people. We’d be adequately equipped to face the challenges of this fallen world.

8 Comments »