Finding the Sweet Spot

Golfers often talk about that sweet "ping" when they hit the ball just right.  Other sports have other names for it, but generally speaking, any sportsman / woman can tell you exactly how the ball's going to fly without even looking at the shot.  A sweet spot is that area of the club that gives you that ideal hit, the great shot - the ping!

 

The memory of such a "ping" life-moment is often what keeps us going - whether you're thinking back to a  great holiday, successful business deal, or any noteworthy event in your life.  Like out-of-luck gamblers we will often spend lots of time and effort trying to re-capture that  feeling.  The fact is unfortunately that it's rarely the case that a ping moment comes your way by some coincidence or purely lucky state of affairs.  Mostly, it requires good planning and consideration of a variety of factors - not all of which are in your control.

No game is only won on the field.  Selecting the righ club in the store, putting it through its paces in excercise and training, and finally choosing the right club for any given shot when you're actually playing in the tournament are all neccessary elements in finding the sweet spot when it counts most.

 

The Ping of Christian Apologetics

 

Just like the game of golf, presenting and defending our faith also requires preparation, training, and careful selection of the appropriate approach to share your Christian convictions with others.

I often find myself yearning for an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Of course witnessing is not exactly the same as sport, where its all about your talent, practice and effort! 

Witnessing to others is like playing sports where the objective of the game is to let the other person win! 

The fact that Christian witnessing is all about the other person (or should be), and not about yourself and the game does however not mean that there is no obligation on you to prepare less thoroughly. I rather think  the opposite is true.  The very value of the "prize" to be won makes it all the more worth preparing, practicing and carefully planning your approach and tactics.  (I use the term "prize" here very carefully, since I don't consider others a prize to win - I rather consider the Gospel of Christ a prize to be shared, something which others can also win if they choose to.)
 

I regularly wonder about the best way to approach others and let them think carefully about their faith. 
 

Together with this issue of the right "pitch" (if I may stick to sporting metaphors), there is also the question of how to approach someone in any given situation in order to be a faithful witness.  Some of us are so enamoured with our knowledge about the Bible, Christianity and even the Good news, that we forget all too easily about the fact that we're talking to real people, people who are loved by God, and should be loved by us as well! If you are also wondering about these things, here are some suggestions that I've picked up from the experts, and others that I have acquired myself by hacking out of the rough where I've landed myself on too many occasions!
 

Some Suggestions 

Don't chose your club before you survey the hole. 

You might be a great putter, but startin with a putter when you are on a par 5 won't get you any birdies.  Each of us have our favourite approaches to starting and advancing discussions, and we usually go about them in ways that we feel comfortable with, but there is a definite risk with such an approach.  You could be discussing non-issues, totally irrelevant pet-topics, or convincing someone of something they are not even denying!

 

My first suggestion therefore is simple: Don't decide beforehand what you're going to say, rather proceed with questions.  Asking the right questions in any conversation has a multitude of benefits, such as:

• Ensuring that you're not addressing your concept of someones issues, but rather the real issue itself (guarding against straw-man fallacies)
• Demonstrating that you are really interested in the person you are talking with .  (Of course this requires that you actually listen to the answers you receive, and don't assume you know the answers, or start planning the next clever thing to say while the other person is talking!  STOP TALKING AND REALLY LISTEN!!!)
• Keeping yourself out of the hot-seat.  If you are not sure of your information on any given topic, rather ask questions and go get the answers than try to sound clever with half-baked responses.
• As long as you are asking questions, you're not making statements which needs to be backed up with knowledge and facts.  This allows you to keep a conversation flowing while arranging for a better place and time to make your case once you have prepared yourself.
 

Remember whom you're playing with (Contextualise...)

That's right - saying the right thing at the wrong time will not help at all.  Here's a few tips:

• Don't try to have a six-hour conversation in five minutes. If you know there's not going to be enough time to make your point, rather make sure your actions speak of love and grace so that the one you're dealing with will actually give someone else the opportunity to do so.
• Don't try to win every argument!  Firstly you're probably not always right, and secondly nobody likes a wiseguy.  Rather step away from unimportant issues, and focus on the really important stuff.
• Make sure you know your own limitations. Don't pretend to be an expert at something you're not.  Rather explain your opinions, and make sure that you refer to your sources instead of trying to make as if every good idea is your own.

 

Leave the Weirdness at home!

That's right.  Remember that the objective of any discussion about your faith is to be a good ambassador for Christ, not to impress someone with clever Christian sayings or church language that will leave the average non-christian thinking you're from Mars!

 

The Good news about Jesus is rather simple.  He's Good, we're not, so we have a problem.  He's solved it, so let's make sure we get on His side!  Sure, there's a lot more to say, but you have to take care that the language you use is not so "Christianese" that you completely miss the opportunity to share the simple, good news of what Jesus already achieved for us.

Bombarding non-christians with massively complicated theories about the end-times, numerology or the value of speaking in tounges before they have come to meet Jesus and see Him in you will more likely cause them to see you as a conspiracy theorist than a person they will want to learn from.

 

Last thought

Your personal witness should underline your message. Share what God is doing in your life, but don't be boastful or condescending.  Nothing is as stirring and beautiful as a personal account of a life changed and lived for Christ.