Column: Sharing your faith

Hello friends! I must share that I'm excited for my three-day weekend, as one of those days will include a family reunion. I'm supposed to be meeting one of my uncles for the first time, and I'm pumped! I'll probably be sharing photos on Instagram and sharing them to my Facebook and Twitter pages, so stay tuned...

Anywho, thanks again for reading today's post! If you like it, share it (which was actually done last week--I was thrilled!). I hope something from it speaks to your heart and challenges you to do great things for Jesus!

Original publication date: Friday, November 17, 2014
Random Writer
Sharing your faith 

Right above my column [in the newspaper], there's this little disclaimer posted that says that the opinions on the page don't reflect the stance of this business. As a Reporter employee, each week I get the chance to write this column and even though I brandish it as "random", most people know that the majority of my writings deal with my faith and my Bible-based beliefs.

One of the reasons I decided to make my writings a weekly occurrence was because I came to the realization that I actually had a platform to openly proclaim what I believe. To not take advantage of this would have been foolish, because God placed it on my heart to talk about Him in my writings and not shy away from Christian themes.

Celebrities have platforms, and since their followings are tremendous, their opinions and beliefs are heard loud and clear. They could be completely moral or downright horrid, but they use their position in an effort to let people see things from their perspective.

It has been my hope and prayer that I do the same thing. I write to share how God has worked in my life and the lives of others, and while I've probably been adamant or passionate, my plan is never to come off as someone who "shoves it down your throat." I was able to teach our teenagers one Wednesday night, and I told them that once someone does that, the purpose of sharing the Gospel is void. As Christians we should proclaim our faith in a loving manner, shying away from the tactics of people like those from the Westboro church.

I really don't know who reads my columns, outside of a few folks who will tell me in person or online. But I know there's some sort of audience--some who may be Christ-followers and some who may not. Regardless, my aim is to share a personal God who loves us, can save us, and teach us to follow His ways.

But you don't need a space on a newspaper page to have a platform. It could be a personal blog or your Facebook page. And as much as social media has infiltrated our society and many of our lives, sometimes the daily path we take is the God-given platform we have.

I can point to two instances recently where I was able to witness people who stood unashamedly for God. On one hand, I felt some comfort in knowing that there were fellow believers around me, but at the same time I questioned why I didn't have the same kind of boldness they did.

I served on a jury several weeks ago, and on several occasions, this one lady would talk about how she went to church and her Sunday school class. She invited a fellow juror to attend her church, along with sharing how a relationship with God could make an impact in relationships and on a personal level.

And at the recent Chamber Coffee--which was a ribbon cutting for DMI, I was happy when the festivities began with a word of prayer. These men wanted to start things off on the right foot and under God's leadership. Because as Christ-followers, we have an understanding that He blesses us with opportunities and that He is in control.

No matter where we are or what kind of platform we have, we can tell others about a gracious God and share our faith. In fact, we're commanded to as part of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I'm thankful for this platform to talk about my Savior. Wherever you are, I hope you take advantage of your platform as well.