A rather pompous man considered himself a good Christian because he faithfully attended church on Sundays.  One week he was asked to address a children’s Sunday school class, and he began by asking, “Do you know why people say that I am a Christian?”  Following a long, awkward silence, a small voice ventured, “Maybe they don’t know you.”

"Dear Lord, I want to thank You for being close to me this day.  So far, I haven't lost my temper or been impatient, judgmental, envious, or gumpy to anyone.  But, I will be getting out of bed in a minute, and I think I will really need Your help then.  Amen."

A man contemplating the enormous magnificence of God asked, "God, how long is a million years to you?"  God answered, "Why, it's insignificant, my son.  A million years to me is like a minute to you."  Then the man asked, "God, how much is a million dollars to you?"  God replied, "A million dollars to me is nothing;  it's like a penny to you."  The man thought for a short time and asked, "God, since it's just a penny to you, will you give me a million dollars?"  

"Of course, my son," God responded.  "In a minute".

There once was a rich man who was dying.  While on his deathbed, he tried to negotiate with God to have God allow him to bring his earthly treasures with him to heaven.  “God, please, I have worked so hard to accumulate all of these riches.  Can’t I bring them along?”.  “This is very unusual", said God, “but since you have been such a faithful steward, I will allow you to bring one suitcase”.  The man immediately had a servant fill a large suitcase with gold bricks.  Shortly thereafter, he died.  When he arrived at the pearly gates, he was stopped by St. Peter.  “I’m sorry sir, but you know the rules—you can’t take it with you.  You may enter, but the suitcase has to stay outside”.  In a moment of desperation the man responded, “But God told me I could bring one suitcase”.  “Well, if God says it’s O.K. – but I still need to examine the contents before you enter”.  St. Peter took the suitcase from the man, opened it, and, looking very puzzled, said to the man, “You brought pavement?”

Nice question Nancy,

The biggest lesson I have learned is to not try and "jam" everything into a single conversation... it is somewhat tempting because all of these thoughts/scriptures are rolling through our mind... an abundance of scriptures is excellent for fellow believers but too many can be overwhelming for "non-church goers" aka non-Christians.

If people are coming to you to talk about events/situations they must trust and respect you!  No matter their reaction they are listening to what you’re saying.  Even in the worst case scenario... i.e. "they totally reject what is being said" they are rejecting the Lord... and NOT you!!!  As humans we have a tendency to take things personally...this is the human side in ALL of us.  Realizing that people are rejecting the Lord/Christianity has been a major key in my witnessing... in those cases I just pray about the planted seed.

Tony

Thank you Symphony...  :)it feels good knowing someone has taken a moment to read my posting...

Here's a link with a bunch of pictures of people in public with signs or t shirts.....   http://www.streetpreaching.com/pics/pictures2.htm

Nice website recommendation Onestar!!!
I checked it out and there was something about those images... people sacrificing their time, money, and energy to share the gospel...  Made me think about a local group I heard singing when I took a summer walk last year.  I could hear the singing from a distance, but could see no one.  Eventually, I could make out the words of the songs.  Thought there was possibly a gospel concert going on and I decided to swing by after running my errands... Upon a closer inspection I discovered that they were no longer singing but now sharing their testimonies while others were handing out pamphlets... I sat down on a bench that was probably 200 ft. away from where they were... yes, I was eves dropping...  Setting on the bench I began to think about what these people were doing... It was a Saturday--so many, if not all of them, were taking their time--our most prized commodity--and using it--not for recreation--not to earn additional money--but instead to share their faith with others...   In a caring way they shared their personal stories and handed out the pamphlets accompanied by a friendly smile.  They appeared to be friendly and approachable, people I would trust.  In no way, were they confrontive, or abrasive, nor did they “force” anyone into a conversation/debate.  As I headed back home I took just a moment to speak with one of the young men, who was about my age, and told him that, "God appreciates what you’re doing here, that you’re taking your time off to work for the benefit of others... may God abundantly bless your ministry".

Hmmmm I think you may be onto something Rev.  Just when we think we are walking comfortably in God’s hand He has a way of pulling us a bit closer.  Asking us to do something… or allowing us to go through difficult times, which compels us to look upward… Keep up the good work… and all yes.. how is the “nester” doing?  

Overall I think T-shirts are a wonderful idea... what is as equally important is the behavior/actions of the individuals wearing the shirts... I believe that it is entirely possible to do more harm than good if a person is labeled as being "Christian" but do not conduct themselves in a manner pleasing toward God.  Do people really run to wal-mart and make purchases because they see an off duty employee wearing a wal-mart vest??? Possibly...   My friends in the business industry frequently tell me that "word of mouth advertisement is the best advertisement".  Producing T-shirts or other products can be a costly endeavor and in the end our time may be better spent showing others Christ through the way in which we live our life, and even doing a little "word of mouth" advertisement...

Thank you everyone for your warm welcome... and to Tony350... I am a brother in Christ although it is doubtful that we are twins... lol... after all my vehicle doesn't have a "350" engine... lol  

I look forward to having many thought provoking... faith building conversations... with everyone....

Tony

Hmmmm... if I had a million dollars... the Gov. would first take its slice of the pie... so with the remaining 700,000 I would take out the Lord's $ FIRST... then invest the remaining amount in the best investments possible... keeping diversity in mind... so I could continue to be a good steward... increasing my income... and thus increasing my ability to give unto the Lord...

This is my first day at this web site.  I will admit it is rather refreshing to see such a Christ centered site.   I look forward to many discussions….  Speaking of discussions, I have posted a forum topic today, under the movie section, entitled, “Passion for Passion”… check it out and let me know what you think and what your experience was like…and so on.  I look forward to reading everyone’s comments/input…  

Tony