Guest Blogger ... Dena Dyer

Be sure to check out Dena's wonderful blog, Mother Inferior and sign up for her FaithLifts!


I Hated Witnessing!

"The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down" (Psalm 135:13-14).

In 1983, I fell madly in love with Jesus after spending several days in Missouri at a Christian youth camp. My friend Krista was on fire, too, and we were concerned about Eric, one of the boys who had come with us. Eric wasn't born again, and he kept avoiding the nightly worship services. We knew God wanted him to accept Christ, and we decided we were the ones to help him do it.

So Krista and I roped him into going for a walk and practically pushed him down on a park bench. Then we went into the "spiel" we had practiced during that week's witnessing training.

"I've heard this before," he growled as we began, "and I don't want your Jesus!"

Krista put her hand on his arm. "But we care about you, Eric. Just listen to what we have to say!"

"No way!" he exclaimed. Then he got up and (literally) ran off.

I sat there, stunned. As a shy teenager, I was crushed. What did we do wrong? I knew we wanted the best for Eric, and I thought my heart was right with God. Did we push too hard?

It was years before I would verbally witness again. I decided I would let my light shine through my actions, and allow people to ask me questions if they wanted the joy and peace I had. The only problem was that no one ever asked.

As I was looking up the "Eric" story in my journals, I ran across the camp's motto: "Successful witnessing is sharing Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God." That resonated with me, since I still don't know what became of Eric.

Over several years of being a non-witness, I realized that I wasn't being obedient to Christ's mandate to share the gospel with the world. I began to look for opportunities to talk about Jesus in a natural way with neighbors, friends, and acquaintances. At times, I saw positive results. Sometimes, I fell on my face. Always, I felt God's presence and His approval -- like a father who is proud of his daughter for "just trying."

Recently, I shared Christ with a friend of mine who is involved in a cult. I prayed for an opportunity to talk to him for several months. When he approached me about coming to a special event at their church, I set up a time to talk with him later, at length.

Then I called every Christian friend I knew and asked them to pray like crazy. I also called a friend who had studied the cult, in order to review their theology. When our appointment came, I was uncharacteristically bold -- through the power of the Holy Spirit -- in explaining the differences in our faith, and telling why I felt uncomfortable with his request. God brought several Scriptures and questions to mind that I hadn't planned on bringing up. Through it all, I felt calm, even joyful.

And now, I'm leaving the results to God.

Lord, thank you for helping me to share Your love and grace with others, and for picking me up when I fall short in this area.

by Dena J. Dyer ©. Used by permission.

Dena Dyer is a busy wife, mom, and entertainer and she is constantly losing things—but she’s holding onto her sanity (barely). Her favorite forms of therapy? Cuddling with her two sons, date nights with her hubby, reading, and blogging.

Dena is thankful for her creative life, which is varied and full. In between driving carpools, helping her boys with homework, and shuttling kids to soccer practice, she writes, speaks to women’s groups, and performs part-time at a Christian-owned professional music theater, Rockbox Theater.
Her husband, Carey, works alongside her as a principal cast member at Rockbox Theater. The couple met in a post-college singing group and dated “on the road” before marrying in 1995. “Carey’s my best friend and my biggest fan, and I’m so thankful God has given us each other. I couldn’t pursue my dreams without him,” Dena says. “He even cooks!” (Sorry, ladies—he’s taken.)

Her publishing credits include the books Grace for the Race: Meditations for Busy Moms and Mothers of the Bible (both with Barbour), compilations such as Chicken Soup for the Sister’s Soul Woman’s World and HomeLife, and tips for Working Mother, Family Circle and Parenting.

posted by Margaret McSweeney @ 4:05 AM