Weekly Sharing Your Faith Suggestion

November 25:
Many of the faith stories that we share are about our past. This time share something about the future. What do you hope for in the future of your faith journey and how are you working towards that?

November 18:
As we give thanks for the blessings in our lives, also give thanks for your faith. Share why you are thankful for where your faith journey has taken you.

November 11:
Does it ever seem that there is more information these days about how to raise children but more behavior problems with children? Maybe we've spent too much time telling them what not to do that we haven't told them why. Use experiences from your life or that you've witnessed to explain to your children - or others' children - the role of faith in making the right decisions.

November 4:
Have you ever found yourself saying "Yes" to something while at the same time wondering if you might be crazy? What could God possibly be doing in your life with this? Later you can see just what God's plan in your life was. Tell about a time when you said "Yes."

October 28:
Reformation, a single event we celebrate this time of year and also something that is continually occurring, isn't only something that happens in the church. We are also reformed constantly in our own faith. Talk about what time when you went through a faith reformation.

October 21:
Talk to a visitor to your congregation. Ask them about their faith journey and share a little bit about your experience with your church.

October 14:
Living at this time in history in the United States, we are surrounded by people with different faith experiences. Share your faith with someone of a different background - a different faith, denomination, country of origin, or even generation - and have that person share with you. Also share a specific ritual or practice in your faith life that is important and practice the other person's. This could be a way of praying, a devotion routine, or participation in a worship service.

October 7:
Combine sharing your faith with learning about other members of the congregation by including a written faith story in each bulletin or newsletter or put them on the congregation's website. Include a photo if possible.

September 30:
Most Sunday schools have now started up again for the year. Tell about your experience in Sunday school and what it meant to you. If you didn't go to Sunday school, then how did you learn about your faith?

September 23:
Tell about a joyful milestone in your life - a wedding, birth, major win or accomplishment, or other celebration - and how that impacted your faith.

September 16:
The cooler temperatures and changing colors remind us that fall - and harvest season - are here. You can find God at work in many farming stories. Share a story from your own experience, or ask a farmer in your congregation to share a story with you.

September 9:
Many people turn to the psalms in times of trouble or joy. These were first composed almost like journal entries by people to God. Write your own psalm and share it. What are you going through right now - good or bad - and what do you want to say to God about it? The psalms of the Bible are written as poetry, but you can write yours any way you wish.

September 2:
We recently heard about some letters from Mother Teresa in which she expressed doubts about the existence of God and lamented the absence of a personal sense of Jesus' love in her life. In your experience, to what extent is doubt a part of religious faith? When have you had doubts? How did you work through those doubts?

August 26:
Many of the messages we hear come from advertising. Get a group together - a Sunday school class, adult forum, small group, or your family - and make ads for God. What message is God sending the world through you? This can be "print ads" (posters to be hung at home, church, or anywhere else) or "radio or TV ads" (skits to work into worship or show off to the group).

August 19:
We all have little practices and rituals that we go through as part of our faith life. Share what those are for you, how you came about doing them, and the importance they have for your faith.

August 12:
Use an outside resource to ask questions of each other. One that congregations and individuals have found helpful “FaithTalk” and “FaithTalk With Children” from the Youth and Family Institute in Minneapolis. The cards these resources provide foster conversations with others about faith questions. Check out the catalog (PDF) for these resources. 

August 5:
Try a new spiritual exercise and then tell people how that changed you faith. For example, during this season of nice weather and reruns, spend an hour in the evening sitting somewhere cool outside and reading your Bible instead of watching Friends for the 600th time. What does this deliberate time show you?

July 29:
Tell about a time that a crisis in your life impacted your faith.

July 22:
Get a head start on this week's readings. Pick a reading - such as the Gospel - for the week and tell how it relates to your life.

July 15:
Tell about a time that God surprised you. Maybe it was a prayer answered in an unexpected way or a call from God so strong you couldn't ignore it.

July 8:
Afraid of sharing your faith story? Use that as the basis of your story! Tell people why you are nervous and what makes you want to share. You won't be the only one with those fears.

July 1:
In living as free people, how has God called you to work for justice in the world?

June 24:
Many of us are spending more time outdoors during the summer months. How have you experienced God in creation?

June 17:
As we celebrate our earthly fathers, think about what it means to you to call God "father." Share what that name has meant to you in your life.

June 10:
Draw a "map" of your faith journey, highlighting the
highs and lows. Share the drawing and the story of those highs and lows.

June 3:
In this season of graduations and new beginnings, share about a time your life headed in a direction that made it difficult to keep your faith strong. If you're entering into a new stage now, share a fear about it and how you'll stay committed to your faith.

May 27:
Try sharing as a family group, where all members tell about an activity or practice they have for celebrating God’s presence in their daily lives. Each person can tell about family devotion time, prayers at night or even vacation practices that remind them of God’s presence in their lives.

May 20:
They say that hindsight is 20/20. It's easier to see how God has been working in the past. Think harder and share how God is working in your life NOW.

May 13:
This Mothers Day, share how your mother (or some other influential woman) has impacted your faith story.

May 6:
With many congregations beginning to use the new Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal, now is the perfect time to discover some new hymns. Even if you don't have the new hymnal, find another hymn you particularly like or another unknown hymn. Tell someone how the author's words resonate with you.

April 29:
Turn your story into a bedtime story. If you have children, tell them about experiences in your faith. Do this anytime, but bedtime is a good place to start!

April 22:
Martin Luther, in his Small Catechism, reminds us that in our remembrance of our baptism our old self dies daily and we are born anew. Share how that was real to you today, in any way, big or small.

April 15:
Try using an object and relating it to a time in your life when God touched you, like talking about a "key" for your house or car and relating it to a time when your faith was a "key" moment in your life. You can try this with other objects as well.

April 8:
Tell the story of what Easter means to you.

April 1:
Start a blog or journal. Ask people to share a thought or significant point from the previous week/month/etc. in a small group setting.

March 25:
Choose an image or piece of art to share and tell how it relates to your faith.

March 18:
Try sharing your story in picture form or a combination of pictures and written dialog on a "story board." This could be photos of a time where you shared your faith with captions under the photos, or could take the form of sections of your story with some pictures or illustrations demonstrating what occurred. This could be posted on a bulletin board or a tri-fold display board.

March 11:
Use your words. Parents say this all the time to children learning to talk, but it also applies to telling our stories. Use your words, not someone else's. Everyday language is much easier and less intimidating that fancy, flowery language.

March 4:
Lent can be a perfect time to invite a friend, neighbor or coworker to worship because many congregations' Wednesday night services are very convenient, sometimes even including supper. Invite someone and tell that person a story about why your congregation has been important to you.

February 25:
If you got baptized later in life, why? If this doesn't apply to you, then why did you baptize your children or what does your baptism mean for you?

February 18:
What do you think of when you think of God? Tell someone what God means to you and use a specific story from your life to illustrate your point.

February 11:
Use simple stories in everyday conversations. Having a discussion about politics? Tell a story about how a story from the Bible resonates with an experience you had and influenced your political position.

February 4:
Share about a time that you used your unique gifts in your congregation and encourage others to do the same with their gifts.

January 28:
Use an informal dialog style, where the pastor and parishioner are seated in front of the altar and asks some the person questions about some aspects of their lives and how their Christian faith has been a part of their lives. It is a more comfortable way for some people to share their faith than a monologue style of witnessing.

January 21:
Tell someone about the impact they have had on your faith. Share what they did and how it changed you and then thank them. This benefits both you and the other person!

January 14:
Not everyone has a gift with words. You can also share your faith through your actions. Participate in a service project in your congregation or community. Remind yourself and others why you are doing it - as a service to God's people.

January 7:
Get the kids involved in sharing their faith too. Ask your children at home, in Sunday school, in a children's sermon, or even in conversation to complete a sentence such as, "When I pray to God, I pray about..."

December 24:
This Christmas remind people of why you celebrate. If you have children, read them the birth story and actually talk to them about it. Give Jesus as much credit as you do Santa. If you don't have children, simply wish people a joyous Christmas and remind them of the reason for the season.