First of all, Happy New Year! I’m glad we all made it through 2011. I know it was kind of touch and go there for awhile, especially around May 21st ;-)
Second of all, I’d like to say how thankful I am for you, the reader. The positive feedback, well wishes, correspondence etc..that I’ve received since I started the site last summer has been amazing. I’m truly blown away and humbled.
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THANK YOU SO MUCH!
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Thirdly, God has really put it on my heart to reach people like the guy I used to be – far from God with no intention of moving closer. I also want to help others grow in Christ. Now I’m no theologian, I’m just a new-ish Christian that likes to share but I think one of the coolest things about God is that He’ll use somebody like me to reach people.
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Afterall, when Jesus started His ministry, He picked ordinary people to be His disciples. There certainly wasn’t anything special about them, resume-wise, that would lead anybody to believe they’d have the impact they had. In fact, most would say they were highly under-qualified. Now please know that I’m not comparing myself to one of the disciples of Jesus, I’m just saying that you don’t have to go to seminary to play your part for God. The same rings true for you as well.
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Here’s the deal with me though, I am no social butterfly. In fact many times I feel socially inept. God certainly didn’t give me the spiritual gift of gab, but writing – I like it very much. So UnlikelyChristian.com is me doing my small part to try to reach people in a way that I know how.
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Fourth, I really appreciate all the sharing of my posts you’ve been doing via Facebook, Twitter etc… I ask that you please continue to share them via social media when felt led to. You never know which one of your friends, family or tweeps might be secretly reading it. That’s totally something I would’ve done when I was kicking the tires of Christianity. I also ask that if you haven’t already, please consider becoming a follower of Unlikely Christian on Twitter or “Liking” my Facebook page. I know some of you regular readers out there read our posts only through somebody else sharing it.
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And please know that I don’t want to have hundreds of “Likes” on Facebook so I can puff out my chest and do daily affirmations in the mirror every morning to feel good. “Because I’m good enough, smart enough, have 300 “Likes” on Facebook and doggone on it, people like me.” The reason is the same as above – exposure. The fact that you “Like” it may spark curiosity in somebody who’s far from God and that spark of curiousity can quickly grow into a fire. Remember, God uses people like us to reach others.
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Fifthly, (is fifthly even a word? Doesn’t really look right to me but I’m rolling with it) This is not about me. This is all about God. All glory goes to God. He’s the reason I’m an Unlikely Christian. He’s the reason I write, He’s my inspiration and believe it or not, more times than not, He directs my hands as I type. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down to write, firm topic in mind, and I end up writing something completely different. And the really cool thing about that, as if that wasn’t already cool enough, I end up learning and growing during the process.
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And lastly. Are you an Unlikely Christian? Were you once far from God and then BOOM!? Stories are powerful. I’d like to eventually put a whole page of stories on here. I’d love to have yours. Even if you don’t think your story is anything special, God didn’t save you from drugs or keep you from suicide, it doesn’t mean your story isn’t brilliant. Truth is, God didn’t save most people from those things. Your story might closely mirror somebody else’s life who isn’t saved yet. God will use your story to show them how it can all change. So what’s your story? Send it my way - me@unlikelychristian.com
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I’m really excited about 2012! Excited to see where God leads me, how He uses me and I’m excited to share it with you.
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Happy New Year Everybody! May this year be your best year ever!
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Sincerely,
Bill a.k.a. The Unlikely Christian.
