Saturday, December 18, 2010

One of the Perks of being a Pastor's Wife




Okay, so the smooching was there before he formally became a pastor...I just thought it was an eye-catching picture.

The past couple of days Dave and I were down in Chicago for some meetings and last minute Christmas shopping and as I engaged the various sales clerks in the stores I found it remarkably easy to talk about Jesus.

Not because of Christmas, but because of being a pastor's wife.

The conversations would go like this:

Clerk: Are you from Chicago?

Me: No, we're visiting from Michigan.

Clerk: How are you enjoying Chicago?

Me: Oh, we love it. We were both from the Chicago area originally. My husband did some real estate deals here in the city, and knows it well.

Clerk: Really? So how long are you around for? The weekend?

Me: Not quite a weekend, since my husband is a pastor - we need to get back home for church.

Clerk: Oh, a pastor? I thought he was a business man.

Me: Yes, he was, but when God calls you into full time ministry, He makes it very clear.

Clerk: (Quizzacle face)

That face was my cue to talk about Jesus. Oh, so easy! Every conversation ended with a "Merry Christmas," not a "Happy Holidays." Most people were smiling and pleasant, which made it easy as well.

Friends, we are called to be seed throwers. We just studied in our ladies study the parable of the seed and the sower. I don't know if any of the seed thrown this weekend fell on good soil or not, but I don't have to worry about the soil's condition. I just need to be responsible to throw the seed.

So, what's your lead? I'm going to use this new found conversation starter, but I am curious what you use to open the door to toss some seed on the ground. If you have one, comment on it. If you don't, find one.

Because the Word of God can be planted during any time of the year, but with the added fertilizer of Christmastime, we all really have a great window of opportunity.

2 comments:

  1. I'm finding that when someone says to me, "Happy Holidays" and I respond with "Merry Christmas", I often get a smile. Like they just weren't sure what to say so they say Happy Holiday but, when I say, "Merry Christmas" they will often say it back to me.
    And a smile goes a long way, it can make a difference.

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  2. I like to try to steer the conversation to spiritual things with a question..."Do you have any spiritual beliefs?" "Who is Jesus Christ to you?" "Have you heard the good news of Jesus Christ?"

    (I could probably raise that girl's ankle in photoshop for you, if you like...cool pic)

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