Lingerdog's World

I have felt for some time now, not really since the beginning, but close, I’ve felt that something big was going to happen, that I was supposed to do something for God, and I’ve been wondering what it is.
I’m going to Atlantafest this summer, and I have a feeling that everything will become clear that week. That all my growth, the learning I’ve been doing, will all come to a head at that moment in time, and whether all is revealed to me or not, I will walk away with a complete understanding of what I am supposed to be doing.
I feel like I get glimpses of it now, little nudges in one direction or another, and I think I can start to see shapes through the haze of uncertainty, and I wonder, is that it, is that what I’m supposed to be doing, and the curtain will be closed back upon the scene and a voice will tell me, not yet, but soon you will be ready.
Part of why I want to go to Atlantafest is the music. I’ve always loved music, all kinds. But these are Christian artist, but that doesn’t pigeon hole them into one specific genre.
There are some rock bands, one that has a sound reminiscent of AFI, a pop sounding female vocalist, hip hop performer. Like I said different genres. I’m making a short list of the ones I want to see, and once I know the performance schedules, well if I have to cut some out, I’ll decide then which ones it’ll be.
Then there are the speakers, Nick Vujicic, you may have seen him on youtube or facebook before, he’s a motivational speaker with no arms or legs. And Matt Pitt, a preacher like you’ve probably never seen before. Google Matt Pitt and the basement and check out his story.
But as excited as I am for those things, I am equally, if not more excited about the Christian living seminars and the prayer path. Check it all out at their website: http://www.atlantafest.com/
I feel like, for me at least, the prayer path will truly be a spiritual awakening moment.
But to get back to my main point of interest, music, well not exactly music, but it leads to my point of interest.
I love music, and here lately I’ve had some songs screaming a message at me.
Some of which are “Keep Quiet” by Barlow Girl, “Million Voices” again by Barlow Girl, and “Lost Get Found” by Nicole Britt
And what I hear from these songs is this, tell someone about Jesus Christ and salvation, and how important it is to not be silent when given this opportunity. And this has really been building as a burden in me, because more and more it seems I see those lost out there moving about, not caring that they are lost.
And at the same time I see other Christians react in this way to those people when they see them, “Look at that guy, he’s going to hell the way he’s living, shacked up with his girlfriend, ain’t never gonna get right,” and in the next breath start talking about what went on at work that week.
You just looked at a person, and judged that they are going to hell, and even though you have salvation in you, the greatest gift ever, a gift that it’s okay to re-gift, you’re going to ignore a person going to hell in your judgment, who just walked by you.
Why would you not share the love of Jesus Christ with that person, and I’m sorry, why would you open with telling them they’re going to hell, because really, you don’t know that, you are assuming it. Maybe I’m wrong but I thought the Bible said to spread the gospel, not to run around telling every lost person they are going to hell.
When you open with that, people shut their mind and ears to anything you have to say afterward because they know you’ve already made up your mind about them. But when you start by asking them simple things like “who is Jesus to you” or even just asking if they’ve ever heard of Jesus Christ, and inviting them to church.
And don’t get hung up on the fact that they might wear baggy pants, or a sideways ball cap, or whatever, that’s your own vanity about what the proper way to dress is distracting you from what your purpose in speaking to this lost soul should be, helping move them down the path that leads to salvation.
We sometimes seem to forget that some of the disciples were just stinky old fishermen when Jesus first encountered them, but when he left boy, whoo! They were fishers of men!

That's not all I want to say about this, but just feels like the right point for me to stop this part of the story.