As a master of conversational transitions, real-estate broker Chuck Connealy segues from selling building space to saving grace all day long.

When a client began making slurs about a woman's short skirt, Chuck initiated some thoughtful dialogue by quipping, "I've taken an oath to not look at a woman lustfully." On another occasion when courting buyers, he purposely pointed out that a certain property was owned by Mormons, which sparked a discussion about Christ's claims to be God. Recently, as a potential client talked about a friend's healing after a stroke, Chuck opened the can of God's involvement in that healing.

"There's nothing better than seeing someone get it," Chuck beams, his dimples showing. "But you've got to be around them to even have the conversation."

Chuck's initiative may be the exception when many believers in our culture are tempted to stay cocooned within the safety of church programs, Christian relationships and innocuous conversations with unbelievers.

"We struggle with evangelism because we are isolated from the very people God has called us to influence," reports demographer George Barna in Evangelism That Works. "For most Christians, developing meaningful, authentic relationships with non-Christians will be an act of intent, not an act of chance. We probably will have to look for or creatively make opportunities to encounter . . . nonbelievers."

Voted the 1996 Rookie Salesman of the Year in metropolitan Kansas City, Chuck brings the same drive into making both deals and disciples. He also stays involved with other believers, staying spiritually fed. But with a salary to earn and two small children vying for his time at home, it's been a tricky line to walk. "Frankly, I don't have the choice [to stay isolated]," says Chuck. "I go to work every day and constantly interact with non-Christians."

Yet, Chuck and his wife do choose to shelter their kids by closely guarding their media consumption, sending them to a Christian school and refusing play dates with families that don't share their worldviews.

Thus hangs the tightrope every Christian must cross—delicately stepping between the need to huddle with other believers for growth and encouragement while also engaging the world enough to transform it with the power of the gospel. This balancing act requires fancy footwork to avoid perpetual relaxation in the safety net of the Christian subculture on the one side or plunging into spiritual demise on the other.

And sometimes Christians just opt to lob religious bombs from the foxholes. A church on a busy suburban street near my home delights in displaying inflammatory Scripture verses in archaic language on their marquee. Their messages sting like a slap in the face, and as a believer I want to avert my eyes. I wonder, Who exactly are these signs wooing?

Maybe no one, but it's easier. It requires considerably less effort to post a sign than to actually meet and engage with the hearts and journeys of real people who haven't yet met Christ. But some, like Chuck, are making the effort and reaping the blessings.

Clubbing It

The co-workers had already formed the club when they chose The Da Vinci Code as their first book to discuss. Immediately, Stefanie Carlson felt like painting herself out of the picture. "I knew I'd feel angry about some of the junk in the book that people were wanting to make truth," the graphic-design team leader admits. "And as a person in management, I've always felt cautious about how much I can say spiritually."

As the club night approached, she felt physically nauseated from the tension. But as the discussion got going, she sensed the Lord giving her the sensitivity to patiently listen to her co-workers' views. Most surprising of all, Stefanie experienced an unusual boldness to insert her own convictions and biblical facts.

"When people started responding with, 'That's a good question' or 'I hadn't thought of that,' it felt so worthwhile," Stefanie recalls. "And it was beneficial for me to be in touch with what other people were really believing about the world. I left that night feeling energized and excited."

Water Works

Suzie Booker didn't have to teach water aerobics at a local club for eight years for financial reasons—it aided her family's budget only slightly. But as a stay-at-home mom, she longed for interaction with people outside her tight circle of church friends. Suzie willingly took inconvenient shifts, like wee early mornings and dinner hours, to accommodate her husband's work schedule.

And she found people not only ready to sweat but also eager to share their hearts. "Something about being in the water relaxes people, and their mouths just open up," the Indiana native notes. "After class, individuals would approach me and unload some intimate problems, and I would just listen. Then I'd ask, 'What kind of faith is getting you through all this?' If they wanted to continue, I was ready."

And like Chuck and Stefanie, Suzie put herself out there.

Going Public

As a paramedic for 26 years, Paul Nei is well acquainted with issues of life and death, and his conversion to Christianity in his early 40s only expanded his concern for those inside and outside his ambulance.

Even though he's a natural introvert, Paul shares God's love in a public way. For the past three summers he financed and distributed bottled water to thirsty passersby at community events like parades, soccer tournaments and horse shows in the Minneapolis suburbs. The unique rectangular bottle shape attracts attention, and the royal blue wrapper cites Revelation 3:20 and his church's contact information.

Living outside of his comfort zone has infected Paul's kids, who help out at giveaways. While strolling around a vintage-car show, his 6-year-old son exclaimed, "Dad, this would be a great place to hand out water!"

How about you? Are you asking God to empower you with the initiative to serve, listen, ask questions and bring up the subject of Christ to the people within your reach?

"Every time I think of going overseas [as a missionary]," says Tom McComas, an inner-city schoolteacher, "the Lord reminds me that I have people knocking on my door right here."

Tom, who moved into the inner city to make a difference, also fixes bikes and gives them away to kids in his neighborhood. "As Christians, we try to get non-Christians on our turf, and instead we need to meet them at their point of need," says Tom. "Show them that you care when they need help. Then the door is wide open to share the gospel."

Through word of mouth, a group of students from East India attending a local university had learned of Tom's "business." They knocked on his door in search of a good deal, but were stunned when he sold them each a bike and a lock for only $5. The men exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet up for a bike ride soon. A ride—and probably some rich conversation.

For a list of 20 ways to turn a conversation toward spiritual things, visit www.worldwidechallenge.org/20ways/.