OK, this has been a shift in perspective for me. You may have already gotten this idea. If not, consider it. My pastor is awesome. He does an amazing job of connecting The Bible to today’s real world. This has been super helpful to me during my journey. One of my frustrations has been trying to thank him and give him compliments. He refuses to take them. He gives all the credit to God without even blinking an eye.
Now, I understand that he has dedicated his life to God, but does he not have any part in it? I thought so, but maybe not. Maybe everything I get from him is really directly from God through him.
If that is the case, maybe the stories we tell and every presentation we give as a belief are not really ours. I don’t know about you, but I ask God to speak through me before I speak. There are times when I say things, and I’m not sure where it comes from. Maybe I do. It’s not me.
Many people comment that I am a different person on stage than I am off stage. I tend to be quiet off stage. I’m more reflective, but when I’m on stage, I realize I have a privilege. I believe my passion comes from my request and the Holy Spirit. So, when I get compliments, I think I need to be more like my pastor. I’m working on it. I had one huge Aha! moment when I was reading a passage in The Bible about King Herod. Check it out:
Acts 12:21-23 New International Version (NIV)
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Yikes! God, take the credit please! Maybe you and I should be more careful when we get compliments after presentations. I don’t know about you, but death by worms does not seem like a good way to go.
Your thoughts?
Thank you, God, for Grace, Truth, Love, and Laughter,
Darren
(Reminder, this is just a journal of my mistakes, experiences, and thoughts along my journey to having a closer relationship to God. I do not claim to be an authority on the subject. If you want to know The Way, read The Bible.)
P.S. Thank you, especially, for grace.
Want to see more God Blog posts? https://darrenlacroix.com/category/godblog/
I’ve developed what I call, “Evangelize the Marketplace”. It goes like this: when I am served at a restaurant, or when the butcher put fresh steaks in the store, and when I think the moment will not embarrass anyone, I say, “When Jesus comes at the end of time and asks “When did you see me hungry?, I’m going to look for you! I’ll say, “There, Jesus, there he is!” One reaction was the person put down what he was doing and said, “Pray for me. I’m going to have a terrible day.” Another person said, “My father is Jewish and my mother is Christian. My mother tells me that when I wait on tables, that I am serving Jesus.” Doing this and laughing with the people is part of my personality. I can get away with it! Another “Evangelize The Marketplace” moment comes at Christmas. I’ll ask someone why the Christmas colors are red and green. In fact, I gave a speech to my Toastmaster’s club for our annual “Valley After Five” dinner which we hold every December. The title of the speech is “Gleaning The Mystery From The Myth”. I tell my members to bring their best to the lectern. We are not robots. We have minds and spirits.. Don’t deny those things. After all, we are Toastmasters in the United States of America!
This is my prayer before I speak:
“Lord, help me forget myself, tune into the message You want me to give, and connect my audience to You.”