A timely book......"God Space"

I'm reading a book right now called God Space...it's been very encouraging and convicting at the same time.....well, those two usually go hand in hand so whatever. The book is about having real conversations with real people, uninhibited by awkwardness - about spiritual things....about truth.
People that know me know that I love the Lord.....I am pretty vocal about my faith; Until the last few years though, I didn't really care if I weirded people out by what I said, and I was completely unaware of them many times when I jumped on my soapbox to tell them what they NEED to know. My intentions were always right, but sadly, I didn't consider who I was talking to and how to help them feel comfortable talking to me about such things. In my ignorance, I was not quick to listen and slow to speak.....I was quick to speak and to my shame, I alienated many people that I love very much. I have felt deep down that the door is closed with many of them.....and I have a feeling they are grateful that I don't bring up spiritual things, (and they certainly won't be bringing them up with me)
In recent years, I've spent some time with some believers who make ME feel uncomfortable as a believer when they share the gospel with random people. Sure, the people I speak of have the right motive of lovingly telling the truth as often as they can - but again, they don't consider the PERSON that they are talking to.....I know this because you can actually see the person flush and feel awkward and put off by how the conversation is going down. They are caught off guard by an awkward transition, asked very little if ANY questions about their thoughts/ideas/life experiences and then are TOLD what is true in a very bold masterly way.
My skin kinda crawls thinking about it now. I don't want to be that kind of Christian. I want to be real, yes. I want to tell the truth in love....but how is it love if you show no interest in the person you're talking to before you start a rant?

There is a chapter that I will get to this week that talks about rebuilding bridges that you've burned down....agh, i can't wait.

If you have been struggling with how to do evangelism in natural ways - avoiding awkwardness and really want to communicate to the person you're talking to that you love them.......check this book out.....it's been pretty great...then again, I'm on chapter 2 still.......will have more reviews as it goes on.....and, Lord willing.......some experiences to share about putting it into practice.

Love from above,
jenb