Scrambled Eggs and Corn Flakes?
I don't consider myself an excellent writer or that much of a speaker. When I speak to someone, I am very nervous that I will ramble on or not give the other party a chance to speak. I am a person who prefers to stay quiet and let others approach me if they are interested. Rarely, if ever, will I make the first move in a situation. It is true that I warm up quickly once I get to know you, but it's that initial encounter that leaves me nervous.
It's one of the reasons I became an accountant. We plug along happy doing our work with minimal contact with others. Truth be told, at my current job, I can go several days in a row and have no interaction my boss. I joke that I can just skip a day of work and no one would notice (I haven't tested that theory yet). This is not to say I have a terrible job. They trust me with minimal supervision to get the job done. I have yet to prove them wrong and I do well in this kind of situation.
With that as my personality, I have always wondered about how I would be an effective witness for God. I'm good with numbers, but how does that fit in the kingdom of God and being a witness. I'm not a powerful or gifted speaker, I am not super knowledgeable with the Bible, and I am not gifted musically. Where was my place? What role can I have?
I'm sure lots of you wonder how you can possibly fit in? You look at yourselves and ask the same questions. How can God use me? How can I witness when I'm no good at it? I still have those questions sometimes.
The funny thing is how God makes ways in spite of our "weaknesses". I grew up in a Lutheran Church from the age of 8 through my college days. When I returned from college (even after being involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship), I did not feel I had the proper skill-set to be heavily involved with my church. God, however, felt I could be placed in situations outside my comfort zone. Places where I could not rely on my "strengths" and "skills". I was going to have to rely on a heavy dose of God's strength, mercy, and grace.
During my time at the Lutheran Church, I became an usher, the treasurer of the church, a member of the Board of Trustees, youth group helper, and bible study leader. These were all tasks one cannot hide in a corner on. Trust me, getting up in front of a congregation to discuss financial matters is probably the last place you want to be. Most of the discussion is paying bills, motivating giving, and usually giving dire warnings about our finances. How would I survive this situation without any skills?
The first thing I try to do before any uncomfortable situation is to pray and listen. It is so important to listen to God in these times. Ask what God wants to impart to you. Ask that his words flow from your lips. Ask that your words and actions would glorify God and not yourself. I can't relate how often I would feel an inner peace afterwards. It doesn't mean I still don't get nervous or forget to ask for help or even remember that I survived the last time I did it - that's my human nature. But it is important to take a deep breath and pray.
Another thing is to be honest. If you do not have all the answers, admit to it. People can determine right away whether you have credibility or not. Speak from the heart and be honest regarding the situation. It doesn't mean we are always right or that we don't have mistaken assumptions. But, if you are honest in your thoughts and feelings, people will be more willing to discuss and talk. Be honest.
You won't always have the "perfect" words or sayings. I get hung up (esp. when praying for others) about saying the right thing. When I lead bible study, especially in the presence of a pastor or church leader, I pay attention to their reactions to what I say. Even after years of leading bible studies, I become nervous as I am still unsure of my knowledge at times. It goes back to relying on myself instead of trusting God. In bible studies, I make it a point to make it be a discussion instead of teaching. I find it to be a blessing to learn and teach at the same time.
So, why am I doing these blogs for others to read? Simple answer, God told me to do so. I was praying and God told me that I should be writing my thoughts in a journal. More specifically, there was a sense to come up with 100 titles and themes before I started writing. I am currently at 240. Maybe, I will write about each one, maybe I won't. After much more praying, I went ahead with it. In my blogs, I will try and write about what God has done and is doing in my life. I will also talk about my relationships with family and friends. Maybe it will be something deep spiritually, politics, the current state of my sports teams, or my favorite songs. My goal here is to hopefully bless others with my witness. Maybe those reading might find a kernel of truth in my writings that speaks to them. I know I have been blessed by doing this and humbled as well. Over the past several weeks, I have noticed page views from France, Russia, Germany, Siberia, Turkey, and the Netherlands. It is incredibly humbling to think people across the world have happened on this blog. (Maybe with the title, maybe they thought it was a cooking blog, but I digress).
There is no ulterior motive other than to share what God has done in my life. I don't have any goal in my life to become a major writer, a preacher, or a teacher. If God chooses to place me in those roles, I will follow. Trust me, if I ever get up to do a sermon or talk in front of a congregation, you too will see what amazing things God can do with a lump of clay.
My hope is to let people know we are all in this together. You are not the only person to experience loneliness, heartbreak, being wronged, great joy and love, and how sin impacts your life. Maybe you'll learn from my experiences as I am learning from going back through them myself. Hopefully, we will see a few cool things happen.
If this is how I am to witness, then I will witness with a joyful heart and maybe some witty thoughts. Thank you for reading my thoughts. I hope they make you think, make you laugh, and maybe think some more.
Scrambled Eggs and Corn Flakes? Why the name? For me, it's breakfast foods I can make. Breakfast, they say is the most important meal of the day. In a much, much, much bigger way God is the most important thing we will ever experience. And, these foods are kind of light and simple to make. My thought is to write in a way that's not too deep to follow or understand. Plus, its something I am sure people around the world have experienced and I want to discuss things that we have in common and how we are all related to one another by our experiences. Finally, because God made the title pop up in my head.
Thank you for reading.
I don't consider myself an excellent writer or that much of a speaker. When I speak to someone, I am very nervous that I will ramble on or not give the other party a chance to speak. I am a person who prefers to stay quiet and let others approach me if they are interested. Rarely, if ever, will I make the first move in a situation. It is true that I warm up quickly once I get to know you, but it's that initial encounter that leaves me nervous.
It's one of the reasons I became an accountant. We plug along happy doing our work with minimal contact with others. Truth be told, at my current job, I can go several days in a row and have no interaction my boss. I joke that I can just skip a day of work and no one would notice (I haven't tested that theory yet). This is not to say I have a terrible job. They trust me with minimal supervision to get the job done. I have yet to prove them wrong and I do well in this kind of situation.
With that as my personality, I have always wondered about how I would be an effective witness for God. I'm good with numbers, but how does that fit in the kingdom of God and being a witness. I'm not a powerful or gifted speaker, I am not super knowledgeable with the Bible, and I am not gifted musically. Where was my place? What role can I have?
I'm sure lots of you wonder how you can possibly fit in? You look at yourselves and ask the same questions. How can God use me? How can I witness when I'm no good at it? I still have those questions sometimes.
The funny thing is how God makes ways in spite of our "weaknesses". I grew up in a Lutheran Church from the age of 8 through my college days. When I returned from college (even after being involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship), I did not feel I had the proper skill-set to be heavily involved with my church. God, however, felt I could be placed in situations outside my comfort zone. Places where I could not rely on my "strengths" and "skills". I was going to have to rely on a heavy dose of God's strength, mercy, and grace.
During my time at the Lutheran Church, I became an usher, the treasurer of the church, a member of the Board of Trustees, youth group helper, and bible study leader. These were all tasks one cannot hide in a corner on. Trust me, getting up in front of a congregation to discuss financial matters is probably the last place you want to be. Most of the discussion is paying bills, motivating giving, and usually giving dire warnings about our finances. How would I survive this situation without any skills?
The first thing I try to do before any uncomfortable situation is to pray and listen. It is so important to listen to God in these times. Ask what God wants to impart to you. Ask that his words flow from your lips. Ask that your words and actions would glorify God and not yourself. I can't relate how often I would feel an inner peace afterwards. It doesn't mean I still don't get nervous or forget to ask for help or even remember that I survived the last time I did it - that's my human nature. But it is important to take a deep breath and pray.
Another thing is to be honest. If you do not have all the answers, admit to it. People can determine right away whether you have credibility or not. Speak from the heart and be honest regarding the situation. It doesn't mean we are always right or that we don't have mistaken assumptions. But, if you are honest in your thoughts and feelings, people will be more willing to discuss and talk. Be honest.
You won't always have the "perfect" words or sayings. I get hung up (esp. when praying for others) about saying the right thing. When I lead bible study, especially in the presence of a pastor or church leader, I pay attention to their reactions to what I say. Even after years of leading bible studies, I become nervous as I am still unsure of my knowledge at times. It goes back to relying on myself instead of trusting God. In bible studies, I make it a point to make it be a discussion instead of teaching. I find it to be a blessing to learn and teach at the same time.
So, why am I doing these blogs for others to read? Simple answer, God told me to do so. I was praying and God told me that I should be writing my thoughts in a journal. More specifically, there was a sense to come up with 100 titles and themes before I started writing. I am currently at 240. Maybe, I will write about each one, maybe I won't. After much more praying, I went ahead with it. In my blogs, I will try and write about what God has done and is doing in my life. I will also talk about my relationships with family and friends. Maybe it will be something deep spiritually, politics, the current state of my sports teams, or my favorite songs. My goal here is to hopefully bless others with my witness. Maybe those reading might find a kernel of truth in my writings that speaks to them. I know I have been blessed by doing this and humbled as well. Over the past several weeks, I have noticed page views from France, Russia, Germany, Siberia, Turkey, and the Netherlands. It is incredibly humbling to think people across the world have happened on this blog. (Maybe with the title, maybe they thought it was a cooking blog, but I digress).
There is no ulterior motive other than to share what God has done in my life. I don't have any goal in my life to become a major writer, a preacher, or a teacher. If God chooses to place me in those roles, I will follow. Trust me, if I ever get up to do a sermon or talk in front of a congregation, you too will see what amazing things God can do with a lump of clay.
My hope is to let people know we are all in this together. You are not the only person to experience loneliness, heartbreak, being wronged, great joy and love, and how sin impacts your life. Maybe you'll learn from my experiences as I am learning from going back through them myself. Hopefully, we will see a few cool things happen.
If this is how I am to witness, then I will witness with a joyful heart and maybe some witty thoughts. Thank you for reading my thoughts. I hope they make you think, make you laugh, and maybe think some more.
Scrambled Eggs and Corn Flakes? Why the name? For me, it's breakfast foods I can make. Breakfast, they say is the most important meal of the day. In a much, much, much bigger way God is the most important thing we will ever experience. And, these foods are kind of light and simple to make. My thought is to write in a way that's not too deep to follow or understand. Plus, its something I am sure people around the world have experienced and I want to discuss things that we have in common and how we are all related to one another by our experiences. Finally, because God made the title pop up in my head.
Thank you for reading.
Would you ever eat the two together as one dish? Or would that be heresy? Thanks, your loving fans from Bristol.
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