Nat Crawford - Executive Coach, Speaker, Leader

"I'll never be able to do that. I just don't have that gift." Have you ever heard someone say this? Have you ever said this? We all have! Often we think of tasks, goals, activities we want to or know we should be doing, but we fall down in self-defeat. It's discouraging at times wanting to be part of something exciting, but something inside tells us we can't. An area that is usually at the top of the list for Christians is outreach and/or evangelism (I'll use the terms interchangeably). But what if there was a way - a formula to do effective outreach that freed you from self-defeat and doubt? There is. Look at 1 Corinthians 3:5-9: After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s...

I just started working my way back through the book of Romans by the apostle Paul. It is a rich letter and appears as if it could have been written today. I'd like to share 3 myths I observed that Christians believe and should change. Myth 1: We are too bold with the gospel. Paul writes in Romans 1:14-16 "I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." He was under obligation to all people to share the gospel. For those he knew best (Jews) and those he was called (Greeks). Today, there is a myth in Christianity that says, "Christians are too bold with the gospel. Just a bunch of Bible thumpers." This is a myth, if not a lie. The problem is not an overabundance of proselytization, but...

We have a love problem, don’t we? Of course, this isn’t new. We’ve always had a love problem. We say we love someone, but then we don’t know how to express it. We say we love someone, but we choose not to express it. Or if we are honest, maybe, we just don’t love that someone. Where is this coming from? As the director of local outreach at a church, one of the questions I often ask myself is “why don’t more people show interest in Christianity?” I read a blog recently from James Emory White who partially answered this question. White said this: ‘A full 79% of unchurched Americans agreed with this statement: "If a friend of mind really values their faith, I don't mind them talking about it." [1] Did you catch it? Don’t miss the key to the point: “If a friend of mine, really values their faith .” I read that as someone who has an authentic faith. A faith that is not perfect, but real and deep. It sounds like something that comes flows out of true love. Today’s...