/me sets down soapbox<br>/me climbs up on soapbox, taps microphone:&nbsp; &quot;ahem, testing.... Ohne, Tew, Ohne, Tew, Tree...<br>/me climbs down from soapbox...looks at soapbox and microphone....shifts soapbox to the left<br>
/me walks over to table, reviews will, and signs it<br>/me takes asbestos suit out of trunk<br>/me puts asbestos suit on<br>/me climbs back up on soapbox<br>/me climbs down from soapbox<br>/me takes big breath...looks at soapbox, wondering, wondering<br>
/me climbs back up on soapbox slowly, with trepidation<br><br><br>I don&#39;t pretend to be an evangelizing individual.&nbsp; I don&#39;t say that I can argue with charisma for any method, any company, any OS, or any religion.&nbsp; <br>
<br>But I can tell you that I know what I practice.&nbsp; I know what faith I have.&nbsp; I live my faith (in religion primarily, but in other things also) like a little flower, always growing towards heaven...<br><br>I knew a man once who felt that he was a individual of God.&nbsp; He felt that everyone should know that he was such an individual. He was always demonstrating this to others.&nbsp; He would say, &quot;what a blessed morning this is,&quot; when others were looking at the rain with disgust. (As he said this, most of the people in the room would view him with disgust as well.)&nbsp; Any setback was a time to see why God had given him a gift of adversity...and he made sure that others knew this.&nbsp; &quot;With God&#39;s willing...&quot;<br>
Furthermore, he felt that everyone should have the great knowledge of God as well.&nbsp; He was always sharing God with anyone who would give him time.<br>This man was an evangelist, showing how many people he could bring into the fold.<br>
Of a group of about twenty people that I grew up with, he walked away with eight.&nbsp; The rest he drove from the flock with his unthinking, peevish spouting that everything was a glorious miracle, and that God was always at his back.<br>
<br>He over did it.<br><br>I now know a Priest that shows everyone he is an individual of God.&nbsp; He wears a collar.&nbsp; If anyone asks him what he believes, he says &quot;I am a Catholic.&nbsp; My creed is of Nicene.&quot;&nbsp; If that person wants to drop the conversation, or change it...the priest will allow that.&nbsp; If the person has questions, the priest will carefully and politely answer those questions.&nbsp; By him having a degree in Cannon Law, I feel the man is very knowledgeable.&nbsp; However, I would observe that his best moments come when he uses his time to befriend people in the community.&nbsp; He only brings up Catholicism when they ask about his beliefs or for his advice.&nbsp; If they ask for his advice, he will explain that he looks to Jesus and the Church for his answers, and people respect this of him.&nbsp; I guess this works, as his bishop has moved him twice to save failing parishes.<br>
<br>I try to follow the second example when setting myself in front of people.&nbsp; I do this no matter if the venue is Catholicism, Scouting, Linux, or anything else.&nbsp; I&#39;ve seen very modest success.&nbsp; If I fail, I remember the little flower.<br>
<br>/me turns off microphone<br>/me steps off soapbox<br>/me leaves asbestos suit on<br>