Definition: Declaration by a witness.
Today we spent some time and worked on our testimonies. We're supposed to come up with a three minute speech. I was trying to think of something to write, but I couldn't think of anything.
"My name is Mike. I became a Christian when I was 5. Now I'm 27. Some stuff happened inbetween. The end."
Boring.
I was trying to think of what to say in the context of talking to other Christians. I was trying to think of what to say in the context of talking to non-Christians. I couldn't think of anything. I tried to think of an answer to the question, "Why am I a Christian?" I came up with the response, "Because of what I've read in the Bible," but that doesn't mean anything to people that haven't read it.
Hmmm, I need to think and pray some more.
Testimonies need themes to be clear. What is a theme in your faith? Don't over think this, if you want to whip out a 3-minute something there is simply no way you can explain it all in that time. What you need is a focus point. When I used to talk about my mission trips and how they changed me, my theme was basically about how I became willing and ready to do what God wanted. I started explaining how I didn't want to go overseas, but how I was willing to do it if I was asked, and so when I was asked, there I went.
ReplyDeleteYou can have many versions of your testimony centered on different themes. Maybe one is about giving up control, while another (featuring different stories or periods of time) might be about how you hear the voice of God.
So yeah, don't feel like whatever you say in those 3 minutes has to magically boil down your entire relationship with God. Just establish a nice base theme, and you will build, add, and edit that as time goes on. :)
Stupid parents telling me about Jesus when I was a little kid and raising me right! Now I have such a boring testimony! Also, I'll never be a successful songwriter or poet. If only I was born to crack-heads...
ReplyDeleteThanks Megan.
ReplyDeleteHahaha, Matt.