Ice Cream Cone-ing & Faith!

What have you done different? When people see you at the grocery store, do they see anything different? When you are at the mall do they notice anything different about you? When you are walking your kids into the daycare center do the parents since there is something very unique about you? What about when you walk into a church building, do you fit in with the neighbors on the pew? Do your volunteers know that you run on a different clock? When you are walking to your locker do the people stare?

OK. So maybe you have answered "NO" to every single one of the questions mentioned, which would make sense. I have noticed people in public not because of who they are but what they were trying to be. I remember some of my friends in NC trying to be a part of the Seattle grunge scene in high school (yep, I'm dating myself!). As a youth pastor I have seen teens trying to fit into every social hot spot ranging from a wanna be thug to Jersey Shore. College kids aren't different. It was hip to watch "Friends" in the dorm then head out to a coffee shop and discuss the professors idiocies (is that even a word?!). Adults aren't exempt either...we want to be the CEO, boss, or the coolest soccer mom on the planet. We want to have the biggest church. We want to have the fast cars and pretend to be movie stars. We want to stand out as the top, to be different from others.

I want us to focus on being different, in a different way. What if we shined our light so bright that people take notice? What if our actions spoke louder than any words could? In ministry I strive to teach the kids, adults, and teens to share their faith with words and without words. At work I strive to convey the love of God through the phones and meetings. The other week I had a lady call me "pastor" when I was talking to her about her house account that was 40 some months past due. I never told her that I was pastor, and I didn't mention Jesus in my conversation but she still called me pastor and asked if I worked in the church?!

Granted I just used myself as an example but I am far from where i want to be. I want to shine my light so much that when I walk in the room they see joy because of my salvation. I want people to see hope in my voice. I want people see confidence in my eyes. I want them to hear peace in my conversation. When I give testimonies about my faith I want them to see the prodigal son. Basically I want people to see Jesus through my words, actions, and expressions. I want to be the like a moon that is illuminated because of the Son shining behind it (classic salvation verbiage BTW!). I want to turn my world upside down. If you turned your world upside down, if you neighbors turned their worlds upside...our communities would be different!

The video below is simply hilarious. It's about "cone-ing". Something so simple that it's profound! This guy holds an ice cream cone upside down and it literally freaks people out. This video gives me hope. If an ice cream cone can cause a reaction, can you imagine what the world would do if we simply shined our light? Today, I encourage...no I implore you to be a part of "cone-ing" in your own world. I challenge you to be the example! Make people see the difference today.