Starting out today, I had kind of a rough morning. I'd vent, but really, what good would that do? On the way to school, however, I sort of prayed that the day would get easier. I prayed that I could get to school and experience the same kind of easy going day that I had yesterday. Bear in mind, these prayers were voiced in frustration between bouts of screaming at the slow moving logging truck in front of me. Oh, I said I wasn't going to vent... my bad.
Anyway, I got to school and discovered that two of my three clients would be in SOL testing for the first half of the day. The other one was absent and not expected to be at school today at all. Suddenly my morning was free of any kind of responsibility whatsoever. Answered prayer, right? And so, as I've done frequently in the past, I put the call out for your questions. This time, I did so via the Facebook. Here's what I've got so far.
If you could only see hues/shades of one color for the rest of your life, what color would you choose? - Vanessa
Blue
If money's no object and credentials don't matter - describe your dream job. - Bethany
This one requires a little more thought. I love my current job, I really do. In fact, I'm currently doing this job for what can be considered the third time in my life. But it's not what I want to do. If I could choose to do anything, I would write. It would be a perfect world where I didn't have to worry about paying the bills and I could just sit and think and take the time to string together words into thoughts and phrases and stories. I miss doing that on a semi-regular basis. And, honestly, I'm not sure what's gotten in the way of that, other than life. I just don't do it like I used to. I think most of the problem is just me. I convince myself that I'm not good enough at this writing thing, so I quit before I even get started. So I guess along with that money being no object and credentials not mattering, I'd need a booster shot of self-confidence to go along with it.
What is your favorite place to visit and why? - Jessica
Your mom's house. Boom. Just kidding. This one's actually a difficult question to answer. I can think of lots of places I like to visit and they all have their reasons. But really, I haven't been to too many places in my life. And I haven't often been a repeat visitor to these places. Or maybe my real answer is that I just don't have a favorite. Anyone who knows me probably knows I'm not one to grow attached to people or places or things too often. In my experience, attachment leads to heartache. I know, "That's horrible, Aaron. You really need to open your heart..." It's on my list of things to do. Beyond my desire to not become attached to people, I still become attached to people, against my better judgment. So any of these places that I like to visit are places that are important only because of the people that are there. Nashville, Richmond, Raleigh, Roanoke... these are all places that I can go and I can almost guarantee I'll have a good time with the people that surround me. We can do anything or we can do nothing and it's still time well spent. And anywhere else in the world that I want to go, as long as I'm there with people I care about, I know it will be awesome.
What is your biggest challenge or difficulty in sharing the gospel with non-believers? Conversely, in what area does your greatest strength lie in sharing the gospel with others? - Vanessa
The biggest challenge here is the same challenge I face with just about every conversation I have with anyone. What to say along with when and how to say it. I do better holding up my end of a conversation than I give myself credit for. I think. Maybe I don't. Along with that, I do a lot of second guessing. And third guessing. "What if they don't like what I have to say? What if they're offended by what I believe?" But then I'm like, "Why should I care if they're offended by what I believe? It's what I believe... I believe it to be truth and I want them to know it too." Then again... "But shouldn't I be trying to show them Jesus? Should that be offensive?" And then... "But Jesus didn't mind offending people, right? He still delivered His message in love. He couldn't control how others took that message." And suddenly I'm diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. It's better if I just don't think about it. The best way for these things to happen is for conversations to just grow and evolve. I'm not a great speaker who can stand in front of people and preach chapter and verse. But I can talk and share my experiences and tell someone what God has done in my life. I can share with someone why I believe what I believe and that it's not always easy, but it's not always hard either.
What does the great commission mean to you? How do you see your role in it? Are you fulfilling that role? If so, how? If not, what are your plans to start? - Kelvin
I don't like this question. Actually, it's not the question. It's my answer to this question that I don't like. Let me answer the first part first, before I get to the part that I don't like. To me, the Great Commission is about as straightforward as it comes. For those of you who don't know, this refers to the last two verses in the book of Matthew (28:19-20) where Jesus says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Like I said, straightforward. Jesus tells his followers exactly what He expects of them. As for my role, I think it shouldn't be any different than the role of the apostles in the first century. Sure, that role may look a little different 2000 years later, but that doesn't change the core of what Jesus asks His followers to do. And now for the hard part. Am I fulfilling that role? In some ways, I'm confident I can say yes. But in so many more ways, I have to say no. I'm one of those people that believes that there is always more I could be doing for the cause of Christ. So why am I not doing those "more" things? Just like with my (much less spiritual) response involving why I'm not writing, life gets in the way. Jobs, friends, family... these things just happen. Are they bad things? No. God places these people and things into our lives in order to bless us. But, all too often, we take these good things that God has blessed us with and make them our focus, rather than Him. Do I believe that Jesus' commission means that everyone needs to drop everything and become a preacher? No. But it does mean to share or show Christ where you are. Where I am.
Those are the only questions I've got so far. If I get more I'll come back in and edit this post so I can add the new answers in.
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