common ground evangelism

Have you ever spent some time with a lost friend and just lived out your christian walk in front of them? ...without pressue to cram the bible down there throat. A while back the Lord really burdened my heart with a concept of "a common ground evangelism." If you know me you realize my love for surfing and flying and just praising the Lord for the ability to surf and or fly. I truly believe that the Lord put surfing in my life to spend time with Him, to paddle out past the worries and troubles of the day, to lift up the name of Jesus as i wait for each wave, to be thankful for the waves He's providing and lastly to share my love for Him and my passion for surfing with others simultaneously. There's a special thing that happens when you pursue a hobby or an activity and get your mind set on Christ. Its almost like a shared experience with your creator, it always invokes thankfullness in my heart and sometimes brings a tear to the eye. Oh, and the singing... Yes, there is singing. (its like my own psalm to the Lord, i usually just make up all the words myself and just let Him have it... AND HE LISTENS!)

And then there are days when the waves are flat and i'll take a short drive to the airport, hop in the cessna and take to the sky. A prayer time just you and the Lord at 3,000 feet is amazing. I love praying and singing songs into my headset and hearing myself back through the speakers just letting the Lord know my heart. I remeber one day i took off from Cecil Field and as i was climbing out at about 1,100 feet per minute i hit some moderate turbulence and was just gripping the yoke singing, "Our God is an awesome God, He reigns forever above with wisdom, power and love Our God is an awesome God." It just comforted me to know that i wasnt alone through that bumpy climb to cruising altitude.

Now what are your passions?

Who shares these passions with you?

Take them with you!

In my case it would be to the ocean, to the sky... Do you see the perfect opportunity you have to share an experience of common ground and yet live out your praise and thankfullness infront of them. We almost always pray in the water or on the way to the beach. And its on the checklist in the plane to pray for the safety of the flight. Lets start living this Christian life in front of those who are desperately seeking an upright relationship with God. He's saved us by grace through faith, now let's spend some time with someone who's struggling with the concept of being a christian and have a great time with them in the meanwhile.

I'll leave you with this concept that blew my mind when i first got saved...

"Christians have fun too!"