Am I and are you a winsome witness?
Well, first of all, what exactly is a “winsome witness.” Can it be defined exactly? Is it something we want to be?

I went online (of course, because I’m writing this in a hurry. I leave for Guatemala tomorrow morning) and found some qualities or actions of a winsome witness.

• A winsome witness is unshockable and unflappable.
• It is accepting and gives people breathing space in which to grow.
• It comes from a positive attitude and expresses itself in positive words.
• It is shared in as attractive a manner as possible.
• It is expressed in a positive life lived with integrity.
• It can be fun and involve laughter.

Author Lee Strobel says, “If you’re living a boring, lukewarm Christian life of drudgery and rule-keeping, you may be doing more damage to your friends than all the scandals involving the televangelists. You’re sending a message that Christianity is ‘a stiff, uptight, inflexible way of life, colorless and unbending,’ and it certainly was never intended to be that.”

I’ll tell you one way this month that you can give a winsome witness about the love of Christ. Our Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly, Spring edition, has just come out. You should have yours in your church by now. Editor, Nancy Graf Peters and her staff have put together a great issue. Take an extra copy and share it with your neighbor, the woman you walk with, or someone at work. You can do that with a smile on your face and an excitement in your mannerism. This is a super witnessing tool from LWML! There will be at least one thing in there of interest to your non-Lutheran or non-Christian friend. It is a non-threatening approach. You can bring it up later in conversation and discuss certain articles.

The Bible passage I found (online, again) that’s referred to when talking about winsome witnessing is Philippians 2:14-16a (NIV). Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.

Winsomely and with a smile, share a Quarterly with someone Jesus loves.

Patti