{"id":306306,"date":"2020-08-01T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2020-08-01T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/sharing-christ\/"},"modified":"2020-08-01T07:00:05","modified_gmt":"2020-08-01T11:00:05","slug":"sharing-christ","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/sharing-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christians are commanded to make disciples. Do you know how to share your faith with your neighbor or co-worker? Holly Melton gives practial steps for sharing your faith with others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/d2c17sq0nj1f7e.cloudfront.net\/flw2020-08-01.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:28:00","filesize":"25.64M","filesize_raw":"26883046","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2906,2821],"tags":[],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[9637],"series":[10388],"class_list":["post-306306","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","category-becoming-a-christian","category-reaching-out","cwp_profile-holly-melton","series-familylife-this-week"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/10\/FLTW-Podcast-Cover-2-1400x1400-1-300x300-1.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/306306\/sharing-christ","player_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/306306\/sharing-christ","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-this-week","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"9RnnWe1V2A\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/sharing-christ\/\">Sharing Christ<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/sharing-christ\/embed\/#?secret=9RnnWe1V2A\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Sharing Christ&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"9RnnWe1V2A\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Christians are commanded to make disciples. Do you know how to share your faith with your neighbor or co-worker? Holly Melton gives practial steps for sharing your faith with others.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/flw\/flw2020-08-01.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Holly Melton was a young missionary, who was anxious to share her faith with someone who was lost. But as that old saying says, \u201cBe careful what you pray for; you just might get it.\u201d Here\u2019s Holly.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> When I was in college, I was on my first summer mission trip in New Jersey. We were out there, just worshiping on the boardwalk one evening; and a woman started to approach me. I don\u2019t know why she chose me out of all the people that were out there, but she walked right up to me. Kind of in an eerie kind of way, she said, \u201cI\u2019m a vampire; are you afraid of me?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> We\u2019re going to learn about sharing our faith with others, even when they\u2019re a vampire, on this edition of <em>FamilyLife This Week.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWelcome to <em>FamilyLife This Week. <\/em>I\u2019m Michelle Hill. You know, it was Jesus who said these words to His disciples as He was heading off to heaven\u2014He said, \u201cGo and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.\u201d That\u2019s basically our job description, folks! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDo you see that as <em>your<\/em> job description? I mean, usually what I hear from Christians is, \u201cOhhh! Evangelism?\u201d Well, it\u2019s not my gift either; but if you\u2019re like me, it can be scary. I mean, it\u2019s taking that bold step; it\u2019s being courageous in a conversation. It is a little scary, because I\u2019m scared of rejection; I\u2019m scared they won\u2019t like me; I\u2019m scared they won\u2019t accept the King of kings that I have come to love so dearly; I\u2019m scared they\u2019ll reject my entire worldview.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tA couple of years ago, I was in the audience when Holly Melton was asked to stand up and speak about some of the experiences she had in sharing her faith. It made me go, \u201cWhoa! This is exciting! I can do what she\u2019s been doing.\u201d Of course, when she stopped by the <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup>studios, I said, \u201cHolly, I need to talk to you about sharing faith!\u201d I need to talk to you about sharing faith, because I need to be encouraged. I\u2019m sure, like me, you need to be encouraged too. Here\u2019s my conversation with Holly Melton.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> So, Holly, you made a career out of telling people about Jesus. You are a person who always looks for those openings to start a conversation about Jesus. Why is that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Well, one, I care about the souls of people. There really is an eternity, and so I want them to know about that. But I think, too, it\u2019s because, when I was younger, I saw lives transformed by the gospel in such dramatic ways. I thought, \u201cHow else can I spend my life besides sharing Jesus with others?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> So talk about some of those dramatic ways that you saw.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Yes, when I was in college, I was on my first summer mission trip in New Jersey. We were out there, just worshiping on the boardwalk one evening; and a woman started to approach me. I don\u2019t know why she chose me out of all the people that were out there, but she walked right up to me. Kind of in an eerie kind of way, she said, \u201cI\u2019m a vampire; are you afraid of me?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI just thought, \u201cOkay, I have never met somebody that actually thinks that they\u2019re a vampire.\u201d [Laughter] And this was so long ago! This was before <em>Vampire Diaries<\/em>; this was before the <em>Twilight <\/em>series\u2014like, \u201cWho thinks they\u2019re a vampire?\u201d But I said, \u201cSure, I\u2019ll talk with a vampire.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe go over to sit down to talk, and she says nothing; it\u2019s completely awkward. I\u2019m thinking, \u201c<em>You <\/em>initiated with me!\u201d And this was when I started to pray and said: \u201cGod, show me. This woman approached me for some reason. Help me to engage in this conversation.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo the first idea that I felt like the Lord put on my heart was to ask her about herself. Her name was Christy. I asked her, \u201cChristy, what makes you a vampire?\u201d I wanted to learn and understand. She proceeded to tell me\u2014she showed me her arms that were all scarred up. She said, \u201cI\u2019ve tried to kill myself three times, and I haven\u2019t been able to die.\u201d She said, \u201cI actually sacrifice animals, and I drink their blood; because I believe that is what\u2019s going to purify me from sin.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI just thought, \u201cOkay, this is the wildest conversation ever! God, I have not been trained or equipped to be able to have a spiritual conversation with someone who has such dramatic views.\u201d But, boy, was I wrong to think that. Again, I asked the Holy Spirit\u2014I asked God, \u201cShow me! How do I relate <em>You<\/em> to a vampire?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe next question that came to my mind was, \u201cWhat brings you purpose or significance in life?\u201d And this is a question we can <em>all <\/em>ask people around us: our neighbors, our coworkers, anyone. I even met a woman on an airplane yesterday; and I asked her, \u201cWhat do you think your purpose is for the next half of your life?\u201d She was about the same age as me. It\u2019s a way we can engage with someone and have them <em>think<\/em> about their life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, Christy\u2014she answered back and said, \u201cI\u2019ve brought 30 women into being vampires with me. None of them have family or friends, and now they have community.\u201d It was the one thin thread I could find that we had in common\u2014was we cared about women being in community.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> We cared about caring for women. But, again, even with that common ground, I still didn\u2019t know how that would relate to Jesus and the gospel. <em>Again<\/em>, I\u2019m asking in my mind, kind of a breath prayer, \u201cShow me; what do I say or ask next?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was at that moment that I felt like God was encouraging me to do something that was kind of opposite of my training at that time. I was raised in a generation, where it\u2019s apologetics: you defend your faith; you defend what is true in the Bible. But I felt like the idea that was put in my mind was, \u201cAffirm her partial truths.\u201d If there\u2019s one thing we know about anybody, who\u2019s in any religion, there\u2019s something <em>true<\/em> about it that\u2019s been skewed. Satan just takes partial truth and he skews it, so we want to affirm the partial truth to gain some common ground and trust.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s exactly what I did with Christy. I said to her, \u201cChristy, you know, in a sense, you are right. We are all immortal; there is life after death. And you\u2019re right\u2014that blood is necessary and sacrifice is essential; and you\u2019re right\u2014that we were all made for community. But I don\u2019t think you know the whole story. Do I have <em>your<\/em> permission to share with you the <em>whole<\/em> story?\u201d She said, \u201cYes.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that was important too. Instead of me just going into sharing about Jesus, I made sure she wanted to hear it. I wanted to respect her and where she was. At the end of that time, I thought, \u201cOh, for sure! She\u2019s going to say, \u2018Yes, I want Jesus!\u2019\u201d because I had never had a conversation like that. Instead, she said, \u201cNo, I\u2019m not ready to have Jesus in my life; but would you take me home? Would you drive me home? The buses have stopped working.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was now like two in the morning. I don\u2019t know about you, but I don\u2019t want to take a vampire home at two in the morning! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> No!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> I asked my friends if they would come with me and drive. I had a guy driving; I\u2019m in the front, and she\u2019s in the back. As we were driving, literally, on a deserted highway, at two in the morning, she started knocking on the window; I mean, it\u2019s this constant eerie knock. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI again asked a question; I said, \u201cChristy, why are you knocking on the window?\u201d She said, \u201cSomething is knocking at my heart, but I don\u2019t know what it is.\u201d Right away, Revelation 3:20 comes to my mind, that says, \u201cBehold! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door of their life, I will come in. I will dine with him\u201d\/\u201cI will fellowship with him.\u201d I said, \u201cChristy, I believe that\u2019s Jesus! He <em>really<\/em> is just being a gentleman, but knocking at the door of your heart to come in. It\u2019s your decision though, if you want Him in.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen she says, \u201cI am hungry and thirsty for something, and I don\u2019t know what it is.\u201d I said, \u201cChristy, I really believe that that\u2019s Jesus.\u201d I said, \u201cYou know, there\u2019s a song we used to sing. The verse goes: \u2018I want to thirst no more. I want to hunger no more. I want to know that Jesus is my Lord.\u2019\u201d I said, \u201cI believe that\u2019s Jesus!\u201d She goes, \u201cWill you sing it for me?\u201d [Laughter] I am like, \u201cWho can sing at, now, about 2:30 in the morning?!\u201d I\u2019m an alto; so again, another awkward moment! \u201cPush through your vanity.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI turn around; I sing to her this praise song. Immediately, she gets it. She says, \u201cPull over on side of the road right now. In case I die before we get home, I want Jesus in my life.\u201d Well, I honestly was skeptical; I thought, \u201cI still don\u2019t know, \u2018Is she really with it?\u2019\u201d I said, \u201cChristy, if this is real, I want to meet with you tomorrow at noon,\u201d\u2014because I know vampires don\u2019t like to be out in broad daylight.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> I said, \u201cWe will talk about what it means to be a follower of Jesus.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHonestly, I didn\u2019t think she would show up; but the next day, I see her walking toward me on the sidewalk. She was still wearing kind of her Gothic-looking outfit, but her eyes were sparkling! She had a skip to her step. As she was walking toward me, she started yelling my name. This is what she said\u2014she said, \u201cHolly! Holly! I want to learn how to share my faith like you shared with me.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI thought, \u201cWow! Christians don\u2019t even want to learn how to share their faith normally!\u201d\u2014you know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Wow!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> And here\u2019s someone that\u2019s a ten-hour believer, wanting to learn how to share her faith?! I said, \u201cAlright, Christy. Let\u2019s go back on the boardwalk, where I met you last night; and let\u2019s go talk to someone, and let\u2019s see how God does this.\u201d Instead of sitting down at a coffee shop, doing some little training or reading a book, I was like, \u201cLet\u2019s go <em>do<\/em> it!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe go out, not knowing what was going to happen, and we meet a 15-year-old boy named Mark. He\u2019s a blonde surfer dude. Mark\u2019s listening to us, and he asks a great question. He says, \u201cHow do you know you\u2019re different when you become a Christian?\u201d Now, I was saved as a young child; my testimony is not so extravagant. I didn\u2019t know, theologically, how to answer his question at that moment. Christy interrupts me, and she says, \u201cWell, Mark, yesterday I was a vampire; and today I\u2019m a born-again Christian. Boy, do I feel the difference!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Wow!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> She goes, \u201cMark, did you know that we are eternal?\u2014that blood is necessary; sacrifice is essential; and we are made for community. Can I tell you why?\u201d He said, \u201cSure.\u201d And she proceeded to share the same gory presentation of the gospel I shared with her the night before. I thought, \u201cWell, God contextualized that for a vampire, not for a surfer!\u201d But what do you know?\u2014she leads Mark to the Lord right there in broad daylight. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat\u2019s amazing is she\u2019s ten hours [old] in her faith! I think so many of us have excuses: \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know the Bible well enough.\u201d \u201cOh, I haven\u2019t been a Christian long enough.\u201d \u201cOh, I haven\u2019t been walking with Jesus\u2026\u201d Well, it didn\u2019t matter to her!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> She went out and understood that souls matter\/that eternity matters, and she shared with <em>him<\/em>.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> What an incredible story of God\u2019s redemption plan for us! Did you get goosebumps going up your spine like I did? Just an incredible story of what God does.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHey, we need to take a break; but when we come back, Holly and I are going to continue talking about these amazing stories. She\u2019s going to share how she really learned how to effectively share Christ with others, just through her everyday life. Stay tuned; we\u2019ll be back in two minutes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Radio Station Spot Break]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle: <\/strong>Welcome back to <em>FamilyLife This Week<\/em>. I'm Michelle Hill. I am talking with Holly Melton today. We are in the middle of a story, of where she shared Christ with a woman who claimed to be a vampire. Of course, we heard that that woman gave her life to Jesus; <em>so <\/em>exciting! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut you know, as Christians, once someone gives their life to Christ, we tend to gravitate toward <em>them<\/em> and what they are feeling at that moment. I wanted to find out from Holly what it felt like to be used, in that moment, of God [working] in that young lady\u2019s life. Here\u2019s more of my conversation with Holly.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> What does that do to <em>you<\/em>, as the child of God, who obeyed Him and you pressed through awkward moments? You pressed through; I\u2019m sure other people would have been like, \u201cThis is too weird; I\u2019m walking away.\u201d You pressed through that. So what does that do to <em>you<\/em>, to say, \u201cGod, I\u2019m a vessel of Yours\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Yes! I mean, it\u2019s humbling. It\u2019s an <em>honor<\/em>; it is <em>beautiful<\/em>. It\u2019s like the gospel becomes so much more real to you. It\u2019s like you believe it! But then, honestly, even when you\u2019re sharing it, you\u2019re like: \u201cDoes this even make sense?\u201d \u201cDoes this work?\u201d \u201cIs this going to change her?\u201d You like kind of have doubts as you\u2019re sharing, and then you see this transformation; and you\u2019re like, \u201cOh, the <em>power of the gospel!!<\/em>\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd then you\u2019re like, \u201cI can take another step of faith,\u201d and \u201cI can take another step.\u201d And then you start seeing the ball rolling, and you start hearing God\u2019s voice better. You don\u2019t question; there\u2019s less fear, and there\u2019s more faith. And then everyone around you just starts to experience the gospel. That\u2019s what happens when you take one little step of faith at a time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you had told me that morning, \u201cYou\u2019re going to meet a vampire and have to take her home at two in the morning,\u201d I would have laughed at you. I would have said, \u201cNo way\u201d; you know? But it\u2019s one little step of faith at a time: saying, \u201cYes,\u201d to talk to someone who\u2019s different from you; asking them questions; being a learner; being willing to ask the Holy Spirit, \u201cHow do I do this? Show me\u201d; and believing He will give us the words to say.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> How did that change your approach to other people?\u2014like that first time, how did that change your approach to evangelism? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Yes. I no longer feel like I have to come and report to people what the gospel says. My job is not to get them to a point of decision immediately. It is first to become a safe person. I think our first step is: \u201cI am a person; you are a person. I want to get to know you. I want you to feel valued; I want you to feel safe; I want you to feel cared for.\u201d You can even do that with a stranger very quickly; it does not have to be over months and years. You can do that in one conversation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, it\u2019s exploring: \u201cWhat do they believe?\u201d \u201cWhat are their spiritual aspects of life?\u201d \u201cWhat are they curious about?\u201d You\u2019re respecting that they are on their own spiritual journey. Everyone\u2019s on a journey! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> We\u2019ve got to figure out where that is. And then, I think, it\u2019s figuring out and increasing their curiosity about Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> You know, I\u2019m just thinking of the mom, who\u2019s listening, who\u2019s thinking through her playdates\u2014or maybe it\u2019s the dad, who\u2019s thinking through his co-workers\u2014and sitting there, going, \u201cI don\u2019t know that I could have that courage to open up a conversation. I\u2019m concerned for the relationship that I have with this non-Christian in my life. I want to keep that relationship, so I don\u2019t want to rock the boat.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> What kind of encouragement would you give them?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Yes; what I do is\u2014I call \u201cseeds\u201d that I bring out to see how the person responds, first of all. I say something to plant a seed to see if they even respond to the fact that I\u2019m saying anything about\/ I\u2019m engaging as a believer\u2014something like, \u201cI attend church.\u201d Some of them will be like, \u201cOh, that\u2019s cool!\u201d They might reply back that they attend a church. If they don\u2019t, that starts out where I see they might not be someone who is a follower of Jesus.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd then it\u2019s more just kind of getting to know the person and asking them questions. I have had friends, and I\u2019ve done playdates, and say, \u201cHey, I\u2019ve really gotten to know you over the last few months. I\u2019ve gotten to learn your job and some of your family story, but one thing I haven\u2019t learned is your spiritual journey. For me, that\u2019s been something significant in my life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> \u201cMaybe a spiritual journey, to you, isn\u2019t significant; but you\u2019re really becoming my friend, and I would just love to hear: \u2018Do you have any spiritual journey?\u201d \u201cWere you from any religious background?\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI make it low-key. My kids are playing around me; and I just kind of acknowledge: \u201cHey, we\u2019re becoming friends. This is kind of important in my life. I would love to hear if you have kind of any spiritual background.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat might be the only thing I ask in that whole time with them; I don\u2019t try to get into the gospel.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Because it\u2019s a relationship\u2014it\u2019s not like Christy, who I met right away\u2014so I think it\u2019s building trust\/building rapport, and not being afraid to say: \u201cYes, I go to church,\u201d\u2014or for me\u2014\u201cI work for a Christian organization.\u201d I just kind of put those seeds out there just to see how people respond first.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> And then over time, I start to ask them their own spiritual journey, as a beginning.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> How does it become second nature for you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Well, it started with the discipline of praying every morning, surrendering my day to the Lord. I think to have this kind of life, you live a surrendered life. Every morning\u2014and I\u2019m a structured planned-out type of person\u2014but every day, I go through my day and I say, \u201cHoly Spirit, I give it to You. Use me; show me where God is at work, so I can see it. Help me to see every person as someone that needs encouragement or \u2018Do I need to talk to them?\u2019\u201d I\u2019m asking Him to open my eyes to the spiritual needs of others around me, and I\u2019m surrendering the agenda of my day; it\u2019s not just, \u201cHere are the tasks I have to get through.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHonestly, I tell people: \u201cIf you take any of those spiritual gifts tests, I don\u2019t have the gift of evangelism. It <em>never <\/em>comes up!\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> That\u2019s funny!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> It\u2019s ironic, so it kind of helps. Some people say, \u201cOh, you just probably have that gift!\u201d I say, \u201cNo, I live a surrendered life; and I ask God to show me the needs of others. I\u2019m intentional in that, and then He shows me how to do it.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> It\u2019s not one of my gifts.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> It\u2019s being mindful\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014to pray at the beginning of the day and be mindful to look throughout your day. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI had a conversation with Ron Hutchcraft, who is an evangelist, and has a radio program, <em>A Word with You. <\/em>He was talking about the \u201cthree open prayer\u201d; that was, \u201cPrepare my heart for today; prepare someone else\u2019s heart for today; and give me the words to share.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Beautiful.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> And that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019re talking about when you pray in the morning, \u201cGod, help me; show me; equip me.\u201d That\u2019s just beautiful how God does work in our lives that way, and He brings people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> I think the other thing is\u2014we have to say, \u201cI am not going to be afraid to step into a situation, because my audience is one; my audience is Jesus. I do not need to be afraid.\u201d If the Holy Spirit is putting it on your heart to ask a question, do it!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, one situation I had with a neighbor\u2014she was not doing well; she was pregnant, and she was on bedrest\u2014and I knew the Holy Spirit wanted me to pray for her. I went, and I visited her, and we talked. I didn\u2019t [pray]; I chose not to. She was married to a Muslim man. She was not Christian, but he was Muslim. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI went back upstairs, because she lived below me. My roommate, at the time, said, \u201cHolly, you need to go back. The Holy Spirit clearly told you to pray for her, and you didn\u2019t.\u201d I went back the next day. What do you know? That day, her husband\u2019s home. Now, I\u2019m like, \u201cReally? Now, I\u2019m going to try to pray over her while her Muslim husband is home?\u201d And I did! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, in my book, <em>Follow My Lead, <\/em>I write a story about how I try to engage spiritually with this couple that lives below me. Before I could publish it, I had to have my non-believing neighbor read the chapter of my book to proof it; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Ahhh!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Otherwise, you could get sued. She read that I was afraid to pray for her, and she rebuked me\u2014she said, \u201cWhy would you be afraid to pray for me?\u201d She goes, \u201cIf you feel like you\u2019re supposed to pray for me, would you please pray for me?\u201d A non-believer is telling me this!\u2014you know? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur job is not to convert somebody; those neighbors never came to Christ. But you know what they did say? That Muslim husband sat me down, and he said, \u201cWould you be the godmother of my son?\u2014because I know no one else who could teach him about God.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Wow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> A Muslim man said he wants me to be the godmother of his son, because He trusts I trust God as a Christian. And he\u2019s a Muslim, so I gained respect. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy job is not to convert them, right? But I have to push through my fear. When I disobey, I need to go back; you know? So that was a very humbling experience.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes, that would be a humbling experience.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI know, in your book, you were also talking about a young lady, with whom you used one of King David\u2019s poems with, as you said. Can you tell us about that story?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> Yes, I have used King David\u2019s poem\u2014Psalm 139\u2014multiple times. It is a <em>great<\/em> poem to use with people who are from different religions. I have used it with people who are Jewish, with people who are Muslim, with people who have no faith; because it\u2019s a beautiful story of how God knows us, and loves us, and cares for us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne example of how I used it was with a young woman, who had been just brutally sexually abused by her father and her father\u2019s friends. There was a lot of shame, and she just felt like her body was not worth anything. She even had written her own poem about just what it felt like to be a woman, being used by men. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen I met her, she had a terrible eating disorder; she was very bulimic and just real body image issues. I was able to encourage her to go into a Christian rehab center, even though she was Muslim. As she went there, she had the poem on her wall; because she said that the most comforting thing is to know that there is a God who made her and loves her. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne thing about Islam is\u2014they have 99 views of who God is\u2014and the one that they <em>don\u2019t <\/em>have is: \u201cGod is love.\u201d God is not love in Islam. For her to believe that there is a Creator God who loves her seemed so profound. Well, it ended up that she got healthier; she got out of that rehabcenter but had not yet made a profession of faith. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was decades later\u2014maybe 15 years later after I met her\u2014she initiated with me on Facebook<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>. I had lost contact with her, so I had not heard anything. I was going to reply to her the very next day; but the very next day, I got an email saying that she had passed away. The same day she had tried to initiate with me, she had passed away. It was her boyfriend who announced that she had passed away. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tUnfortunately, she had been given a wrong medication; so it was a misdiagnosis that led to her passing. He was not a believer; and as I started to talk with him, he said, \u201cShe became a Christian.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Ohh!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know the story; I don\u2019t know where.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right, right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Holly:<\/strong> I know I was a beginning of it, but I wasn\u2019t the end of it. He said, \u201cHer father will not bury her or give her a funeral, because she became a Christian. I\u2019m trying to raise money for her funeral.\u201d I was able\u2014I mean, never met this man\u2014I talked to him on the phone. He is sobbing about the loss of his girlfriend; and he says, \u201cYou knew her. Tell me what you know about her.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut it was <em>15 years ago<\/em>. I shared the <em>same<\/em> Psalm with him on the phone. I shared about how Jesus loves him, and how Jesus loved her. He said, \u201cI really want to consider more about this; but right now, I\u2019m just grieving. I can\u2019t.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, 15 years later, I got to use this Psalm with the boyfriend and found out she did become a believer. We won\u2019t know, sometimes, until heaven; you know? And so, a lot of times, what I try to encourage people with is: \u201cWe are to be faithful and to take the steps of faith. He is faithful to have them have faith in Him.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Such great encouragement from Holly Melton today. I hope you were as encouraged as I was. Holly is an evangelist, and she serves on staff with Cru<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>. She has written the book, <em>Follow My Lead, <\/em>which has most of the stories that she talked about today. We\u2019ll have more information on that book at our website, FamilyLifeThisWeek.com; that\u2019s FamilyLifeThisWeek.com.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHey, we have hit August; and it\u2019s time for transitioning for parents. Now, I know, because of all that\u2019s going on, the transitions look a little different. Going off to college just doesn\u2019t look the same that it did last year. Going back to school, whether it be elementary or grade school or high school\u2014your kids\u2014it\u2019s looking different. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut there\u2019s still a transition, because your kids are aging. They\u2019re getting a little more independent than they were last year. We\u2019re going to talk about how parents work through those transitions as you get ready for September and going back to school. We\u2019re going to talk about that next week on <em>FamilyLife This Week. <\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHey, thanks for listening! I want to thank the president of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, David Robbins, along with our station partners around the country. A big \u201cThank you!\u201d to our engineer today, Keith Lynch. Thanks to our producers, Marques Holt and Bruce Goff. Justin Adams is our mastering engineer, and Megan Martin is our production coordinator.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur program is a production of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, and our mission is to effectively develop godly families who change the world one home at a time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI'm Michelle Hill, inviting you to join us again next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife This Week.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"about:blank\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2020 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"about:blank\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/306306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306306"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=306306"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=306306"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=306306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}