God's Witness

Today while driving to the gym (yes, I'm still going), I drove past a truck with a white cross hanging in the window. It reminded me of a couple of stories my father-in-law had told me.
One day he was on his way to give a nursing home service. He stopped to get gas. While paying the attendant mentioned, "I've never seen anyone wear three crosses before." He laughed a little as he realized he was wearing a necklace, ring and tie tack all bearing reminders of Jesus' greatest sacrifice and gift to us.
Another time while in flight for vacation a man noticed his cross necklace. He began talking to my dad-in-law about his vocation, belief system and overall God issues. It was a great conversation; but isn't it always when we witness?
I admit it's hard to witness. We may feel the nudge from God but do we follow it? I once confessed to a friend, "I don't want to look like a Jesus freak." She countered, "Yeah, I used to feel that way. If I'm going to be a freak though, I may as well be one for Jesus. Best type of freak to be." Good point.
I pray a lot for the right words to say when the nudge hits me. Most of the time I'm not witnessing to a stranger. I'm reminding my kids or friends or sister of a Jesus thing. Or, I just tell them I'm praying for you. Then, there's this crazy blog thing I do...
I think about my father-in-law. He's a retired pastor now, however he still fills in where and when needed. An added bonus is he also plays a mean organ. So he can take his pastoral/organist show on the road as he's called to do. He's also someone I can contact when I have a question or am gearing up to lead a Bible study and need some clarity. As I pick out my jewelry for the day, I almost always grab one of my cross necklaces. My father-in-law's wordless witness and conversation starters are a huge reminder of what type of Christian I want to be.