They say I still have an accent. Personally, I don性视界传媒檛 hear it.
I性视界传媒檝e lived in Texas for over 20 years. I say, 性视界传媒淵性视界传媒檃ll性视界传媒 just like everybody else. I even sometimes say, 性视界传媒淔ixin性视界传媒 to.性视界传媒 I do, however, still refuse to tell my kids to 性视界传媒減ut up性视界传媒 their toys, because that just doesn性视界传媒檛 make sense.
You 性视界传媒減ut away性视界传媒 toys. You 性视界传媒減ut up性视界传媒 preserves. You 性视界传媒減ut up性视界传媒 with annoying people.
Other than that, though, I feel like I speak the same as everyone else. Yet people keep telling me I have an accent. I still stand out. They still look at me as a Yankee.
No matter how long I live in Texas, I性视界传媒檓 probably always going to sound like an outsider.
As Christians, we have an accent. You can hear it in the way we speak.
A Christian doesn性视界传媒檛 cuss. A Christian doesn性视界传媒檛 lie or gossip. A Christian doesn性视界传媒檛 yell or tear others down.
A Christian speaks the truth in love. A Christian encourages and forgives. A Christian talks openly and humbly about his or her faith in God.
As sinful human beings living in a sinful world, however, we sometimes try to blend in. We don性视界传媒檛 want people to look at us or treat us differently. So, we imitate our world性视界传媒檚 accent. We cuss with the guys in the locker room or at work. We gossip with the girls. We mock and tear down and argue.
My dad, who also happens to be a pastor, always tells the story of a young man from his church who went to work on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska. The young man was worried before he left that the other guys on the boat would treat him differently for being a Christian.
When he returned home after his first six-month tour, my father asked him how it went.
性视界传媒淚t went great, pastor,性视界传媒 the young man told my dad with a smile. 性视界传媒淚n fact, I don性视界传媒檛 think they even realized I was a Christian!性视界传媒
Do your friends, your co-workers, and your neighbors even realize you are a Christian? Can they hear it in the way you speak and see it in the way you live?
In your baptism, God set you apart. He washed you of all your sins in Jesus性视界传媒 blood. You are forgiven. You are his child. You are going to heaven all because Jesus lived and died as your Savior.
But that means you are no longer from here. You are no longer of the world. Heaven is your home.
While we live here, however, the temptation is to hide our true identity and blend in. Don性视界传媒檛 do it. God made you to be different. Being a Christian is more than just going to church on Sunday morning.
Think about that this week when you go to work, when you talk with your bestie on the phone, or when you run into your neighbor at HEB.
Can other people hear your accent?
