Are You Speaking About Your Personal Experience With God or Someone Else’s Experience?
By Les Herron The other day I drove through the Jack in the Box on the corner of Airtex Dr. and I-45 like I do way too often. In perfect English I said ‘Ill have a number 8, small with a Diet Coke’. Repeated back to me through the speaker was a ‘So, you want a?’ and it was completely wrong. As she repeated the order back to me it was wrong for 4-times in a variety of ways. Unbeknownst to myself I responded back in an increasingly loud and strong voice. After the girl repeated my order properly back to me I began to pull forward and my often annoyingly right 16-year old said ‘Wow! You spoke harsh to her.’ Of course, I denied it and replied that I am a loud talker and enunciated my words clearly for her to better understand me. I drove up to the window and the girl apologized; and then apologized again; and then said she was sorry 3-more times. I blurted out ‘You dont have to keep apologizing; you did just fine!’ And I probably sounded harsh. But I was not mad and I was not mean. Trust me because Ive been furious before and demanded to be heard by the manager (hard to believe a mellow, low key lad like myself). Everybody would agree I should get better service than I got at the Box; however, what would have been this girls response had she known I was the pastor of the church just down the street? She probably would not have called me on my attitude but what could have been lost that day? I could not have told her Im sorry or that Im a strong talker or that I was not mad; she would have already made her decision by the tone of my voice. Testimony: giving witness or evidence, proclamation of personal experience,and/or certification of what one has seen, heard, or knows. My testimony is my story of what God did in me, what He is doing now in me, and what He promises to do in the future in me. It is Gods design that I share this personal journey of mine and not the words of a preacher of the last sermon I heard. So, when I blow it and my character does not reflect His then it shows the world my warts and what God wants to work on right now. My testimony is not something silent inside or something shared in the front of a group of church people. My testimony is loud, personal, real, and verifiable through what I say and do. This all leads me to Victoria Osteen being removed from that airplane at the airport in Houston some time ago because she became upset enough to throw a fit. It sounds like Victoria made a mistake, lost her composure, and in doing so exposed what God wants to work in and through her now. As one who gives a testimony of God we must always keep in mind that we are not what we preach but rather how we live. If you are on stage then be sure that the stage and the cameras and the media show a false part of who you are because the media is completely controlled and magnificently contrived. The brilliance of stage lights is nothing compared to the brilliance of the false image that is portrayed to millions across the globe. Give her a break and realize that she is in one gigantic, magnified fish bowl. The church culture in this generation is brutal to the leaders and the brutality is magnified when media is involved. When was the last time you blew it with your attitude? One part of it is really quite funny and encouraging when you close your eyes and imagine fashionably decked out, friendly, wealthy, and successful Victoria throwing a fit of any kind. It is enjoyable to see that the Osteen’s are pretty much just like the rest of us (which they are, by the way!) and must deal with life. Another part of it is bizarre because when did someone getting asked to leave an airplane become the latest breaking news? Another part of this is sad as Christians who already do not like Lakewood rejoice in this negative exposure as if they are then justified in the negative they believe and say about Joel. But hey, enough about Victoria and back to what God is doing in you and me! It really is not a matter of losing my testimony (or yours) but rather realizing that the mistakes are my testimony. Did you hear that? The mistakes are my testimony. Moving through and beyond the mistakes I make is what God is doing in my life. The Jack in the Box experience did not end that day because the next week I began to hand out invitations for a church production to everyone I met and I thought ‘What would have this girl thought had I handed her two tickets to church after I spoke to her the way I did?’ And it made me think that my attitude, the tone of my voice, and the way I carry myself should reflect what He did, is doing, and is going to do in and through me. Are you speaking to others about your personal experience with God? Are you letting your actions and your attitude speak just as loud or louder? Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Les_Herron http://EzineArticles.com/?Are-You-Speaking-About-Your-Personal-Experience-With-God-or-Someone-Elses-Experience?&id=326223 phentermine and no prescription online pharmacies phentermine order phentermine with mastercard cheapest phentermine online
