On Tuesday evening, I went to a local coffee shop to hear a blog-friend read. I had no idea what to expect. I read her blog every day, Graceful inspires and feeds me with her words but to read outloud is different.
There is a small writer's group that meets once a month to share their musings. They are mostly "experienced" people but the lady who read on Tuesday is young and. as such, brought a freshness to the group.
She stood at the microphone, unsure of how to begin and what to say. So she launched herself in and took us all along for a wonderful ride. As we journied with her, her voice became stronger and more confident. She actually seemed to be enjoying herself.
She spoke of her childhood as a young Catholic girl who had stolen a coveted necklace and the way it ate at her so much that she could not even bring herself to confess it to the priest. She made us empathize and laugh.
She confessed her unwillingness to move to Nebraska from Massachusetts and how she has come to love it here. She made us empathize and laugh.
She talked about how her faith has grown since she moved here where, to her way of thinking, we in Nebraska discuss our faith and our relationship with God with such ease. I'm not sure that is true but apparently in Massachusetts they don't talk about it at all!
She read to us how she had reprimanded her son for something he had done and in his suffering and worry, realized how much she needed Jesus and how she could not face her own problems without Him. She made us empathize and cry.
And all the while, she was an unintentional Evangelist. She spoke from her heart about her faith and her love of God and her doubts and her journey. It was amazing. She made us believe.
I hope I get to hear her again soon.
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That is so awesome, Suz. I wish I had been there. It sounds like she reached out and definitely touched quite a few people. That sounds like so much fun too.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, Susan -- this is beautiful! Thank you so much for your kind words...and for showing me that I am envalgelizing in my own way (I never thought of it that way!). Have a wonderful weekend...let's get together for a cup of coffee soon!
ReplyDeleteHow fun to meet a blog friend!
ReplyDeleteWhen we speak or write from our hearts, how can our faith not leak out?
Oh how I want to be--an unintentional evangelist!
ReplyDeleteGraceful is right, what you wrote was so beautiful!