As the garage door opened, I was shocked to see my children Aubrey and Luke coming out to greet me, their faces contorted with grief, tears streaming down their faces, and sobbing loudly.

What in the world? I thought.

As I opened the door they cried out, "Dad, come quick, we need you, it is awful! They are in my room!"

Quickly I leapt over the fallen bikes and scooters and ran into the kitchen. I saw two more of my children walking from room to room with tears and cries of sorrow. I could not imagine what was happening. Confusion was reigning.

I had just walked into a severe crisis. My wife, Dayna, was almost hyperventilating when I got to her and learned the story.

Aubrey had been making faces into the dresser mirror when she saw her sister's beta fish jump out of his bowl and onto the dresser. She called for help immediately, and Dayna and the other kids came running.

The fish had landed on a ribbon that my daughter Cara had won in a swim meet, and Dayna tried to pick up the ribbon to dump the fish back into the bowl. However, it jumped again, this time onto the floor, which set Dayna and the kids to a new level of screams.

Dayna ran to the kitchen to get some spoons with which to pick up the fish because she was afraid to touch him. But she told the big girls to pick him up and put him back. Unfortunately, the fear of actually having to touch the fish—it was slimy—was stronger than the desire to see the fish back in the water. Imagine how difficult it was to know they could save the fish, but not being able to bring themselves to pick it up. I think that was the major cause of the emotional trauma. Having assumed the worst, I was amazed that all of this grief was over a fish!

Eventually, Dayna arrived with the spoons and proceeded to try to scoop up the fish, but it had flipped up against the dresser, so she had to poke it so it would flop again and give her some space. Every time the fish flipped, she screamed as loud as she could, which set everyone else off again. Finally she was able to put the fish back into the bowl. She saved its life.

Later I thought about how often I hesitate to talk to people about Jesus because I am afraid of their reaction. We have the message that can save people, but we hold back because of fear.

"Is it OK for me as a Christian to drink alcohol once I am legally of age?" For some believers, this question falls within a "gray" area. In other words, it cannot be answered simply with a Bible verse in favor or opposed.

Fortunately, there are biblical principles we can use to develop personal convictions in "gray" areas:

DOES IT MASTER ME? According to 1 Corinthians 6:12, I am not to be controlled by anything. Verse 20 reminds us to honor God with our bodies.

COULD IT CAUSE OTHERS TO STUMBLE? From 1 Corinthians 8:13 we ask: Might a non-believer or immature Christian be confused (or worse) if she sees a follower of Jesus make this choice?

ARE MY ACTIONS "CONSTRUCTIVE" OR "DESTRUCTIVE"? From 1 Corinthians 10:23 we again ask: Could my actions help to build Jesus' reputation? Do they support and strengthen my witness?

Remember, discipleship is not about cloning yourself, but rather equipping people to follow Jesus so that they might be able to teach others to do the same.

Books! Books! Books! I love 'em. I love the touch of a grainy paperback, the smell of the pages, the sight of a perfectly chosen font. If I could only taste the pages!

I possess an insatiable appetite for books, yet I rarely commit. I love browsing the Internet for them, reading book reviews in Sunday papers, and most of all, I love walking into a bookstore—the crowning glory—a Las Vegas­style buffet of all-you-can-eat book opportunities.

Strolling through bookstore aisles recently, The Invisible Man caught my eye. I wanted to read that book again.

While my hands brushed through the pages, my eyes spotted another book that I had always wanted to read. Disinterested in The Invisible Man now, I grabbed the new book and started the same routine. Fingering through the third book, I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks.

It dawned on me that this book lust is not much different from how I deal with life lessons from God. When God disciplines me or slows me down so that He can work in an area in my life, I browse the table of contents, scan the front and back covers, skim the subtitles and I'm done. Next!

I know God commands my full attention when He teaches me a lesson. I have to focus on what He is giving me presently and resist the tempting glare from the abridged version, Cliff Notes and Idiot's Guide to Fixing Your Life. God wants all of me.

When people know they are about to be separated from the ones they love, they often save their most important words for last. These are the words they want us to remember when they are gone—the words that sum up their lives and offer wisdom, comfort and direction to those left behind.

The last recorded words of our Lord's visit to earth are like that. Of all the things He could have said to us before ascending to heaven, He chose to make the statement recorded in Acts 1:8: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

By making these His last words, Jesus underscored the priority He places on sharing the good news with others.

Of all the discipline-privileges of the Spirit-filled life, telling others about our Lord is the most gratifying and fulfilling. Think of it: Jesus Christ has honored us with the privilege of sharing His message with those who do not yet know Him. He has selected us—of all the methods He could have chosen—as His personal representatives.

Yet, sadly, sharing our faith is probably the most disobeyed discipline-privilege of the Christian life. Every one of us can remember those awkward moments with a friend when a small voice inside us seemed to whisper, "Tell him about Jesus." However, we smiled timidly and changed the subject.

Why is it that Christians can talk about practically anything with anyone, but shrink back when the opportunity arises to tell others about Christ? I have found three primary reasons: lack of courage, lack of interest and lack of know-how.

LACK OF COURAGE

I confess: I have personally felt every fear and considered every excuse invented for not witnessing. Talking with others about our Lord does not always come easily for me. It's natural to feel a little nervous, especially in initial attempts to witness for Christ.

But the Holy Spirit has enabled me to go beyond my shyness and fear and enjoy the discipline-privilege of sharing the good news wherever I go. He will do the same for you.

A spiritual battle is raging. Satan wants to rob you of the joy of sharing Christ, and he wants to rob others of the joy of knowing Christ. And no one likes to be "turned down." When someone says "No," we tend to take it personally. We think we have failed.

But have we? Remember that Jesus shared His message with thousands, and many did not accept Him. Was He a failure? Of course not. At the end of His earthly ministry He prayed to His heavenly Father, "I brought glory to You here on earth by doing everything You told me to" (John 17:4, Living Bible). He succeeded because He did what He was supposed to do.

Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. We do not fail if we obey what God has commanded us to do.

LACK OF INTEREST

The Christian with little interest in witnessing reveals that he also has little interest in the welfare of others, for God's Word teaches that those who do not receive Christ face an eternity of spiritual separation from God.

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (LB).

If we love others, we are compelled to want the best for them. Therefore, a lack of interest is a lack of love, which means we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to control our lives.

LACK OF PRACTICAL KNOW-HOW

Christians hear that they should share Christ, but rarely receive the practical training to ease their fears and prepare them.

Marcie knew she needed to share her faith, but was reluctant because she didn't know what to say. Then she attended an evangelism-training conference sponsored by several churches in her city.

She learned how to present Jesus Christ courteously and effectively through a little booklet that Campus Crusade produces called Have You Heard of the Four Spiritual Laws?

People are longing for the one true God. We cannot afford to be selfish with the gospel when so many are living and dying without Him.

Do you love your Lord Jesus Christ? Then obey Him. As you are continually filled with the Holy Spirit, He will fill you with love, compassion and courage.

Adapted from The Secret, by Bill Bright, published by Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, Calif., 1989.

I slouch in my seat. Small stones, tossed up from the tires of passing trucks, pelt my car as I wait my turn at the construction zone. Though annoyed, I try to smile at the sweat-baked man holding me in place with his little stop sign.

It's not his fault I'm late. But still, I manage to mumble something else about how I would have been on time had it not been for this delay. What a hassle. Things will be better once this mess is cleaned up.

Or will it? My brain begins churning.

Once they finish here, won't they just start digging up some other piece of asphalt in another part of town? Then I'll be stuck over there instead of here. And when that work is done, won't this road need work again? It's neverending!

Hmm. Something about this reminds me of my spiritual life.

God is always at work in my heart, too—digging up trouble spots, filling holes, smoothing out ruts. I'm anxious for Him to get done with it, believing that once He finishes work in one area, the rest of the journey with Him will be trouble-free. It never is, of course.

There is always construction going on somewhere. If I accept the fact that God is never done with His refining work in my life, maybe I won't be so astonished when He brings out the jackhammer to make some repairs.

I guess getting stuck in spiritual construction zones is part of traveling with God. If I trust that God loves me and is working on my behalf, I can actually look ahead expectantly, rather than dreading or denying His work in my life. When the road is smooth, I can enjoy the ride. And when it's rough, I need only to look to God during the apparent delays, learning to grow deeper in my relationship with Him.

Now if I could just see some value behind all this road construction.