In my last post, 5 Tips for Effective Evangelization, I shared strategies I’ve learned over the years of my efforts to evangelize other people. One of those tips is to lean on your story. To illustrate the power of that strategy, I’m going to share with you a story.
Signing Up to Serve
The story begins in July of 2022 when I signed up to volunteer at St. Ann’s parish in Coppell, Texas during a Diocesan Conference. I didn’t expect anything more than that I would do a few hours work and then return home.
After my time of service finished, they offered evening Mass. I decided to attend. What happened next changed my life.
Receiving an Anointing of the Holy Spirit
Dr. Mary Healy spoke before Mass and stated that, “Before every new level of ministry, you need a new anointing.”
She and her team, which included a priest, then proceeded to call down the Holy Spirit on the crowd and to anoint us all that we might go out and spread the Good News to all the world. Before that day, I loved my faith, but when it came time to share the Good News, I approached it with hesitation.
I didn’t want to start fights or damage relationships. I’d gotten quite used to going along to get along.On August 1st, I gathered up every ounce of courage I possessed and recorded a video entitled, “Abundance Is Your Birthright,” in which I shared what God taught me about abundance:
If you’re not receiving in abundance, it’s not because God doesn’t provide abundance for you. It’s because there’s something blocking the mechanisms that He designed to bring abundance to you and deliver abundance through you.
Evangelization: Daring to Share
It took a lot of courage for me to do what I did next, but I’m so grateful I did. I started sending that little video to select people on my email list. Among the list of people I selected to send it to, one of those was Joylynn M. Ross, the CEO and founder of Path To Publishing.
She also happened to be a business colleague of mine. I knew from many conversations that she believed in Christ but I also knew she wasn’t Catholic. I didn’t know how she’d receive what I sent to her. Would I anger her? Would she reject me?
With trembling fingers, I typed in this email, copied the link to the YouTube video I created, and hit the send button.
“I know that right now there are so many people worried about their money, about food shortages, and about their future.
That’s why I put together this short, five-minute video sharing a story from my own past. At a moment when I didn’t have the money for rent, I was facing eviction, and I didn’t know where we would go if the money didn’t turn up, I turned to God for help.
He didn’t send me money, but the message He sent me is worth sharing:
“Abundance is your birthright!”
If you don’t have access to all that you need and then some, it’s not because He doesn’t want you to have it. It’s because something is wrong with the system that brings abundance to you.
If you are looking for hope, if you need reassurance, if you’re worried about the future, I invite you to watch the video. If you’re doing well but you know someone who might need this message, please consider sharing it with them.
If you want to tap into the flow of abundance, but you’re experiencing some kind of blockage, I invite you to reach out to me and let me help you find the source of that blockage so we can remove it and you can enjoy the fruits of your inheritance.
Best wishes,
Brandy M. Miller
I didn’t know what, if anything, to expect from that effort.
The Answer to Prayers
That very next morning, Joylynn called me. The night before, she’d been tossing and turning in complete misery and confusion. She felt 100% clear on her calling, assignment, and purpose in life. She felt 100% confident she’d been operating in complete excellence while executing the tasks that needed doing in decent order and with integrity.
She felt something blocking her path to abundance but didn’t know what it was, she just knew it was something inside of her not outside of her. It felt so heavy.
She didn’t just pray that God help her figure it out. She demanded that He provide an answer in her inbox that next morning.
You can listen to her share her story here: https://youtu.be/FFB7KPhjpnI.
My act of obedience, of sharing a story about a moment when I turned to God because I couldn’t answer the challenge I faced and He answered me, became an answer to her prayers.
Psalm 145:10 – A Poignant Reminder
Before writing today’s post, I stopped to ask God what He wanted me to do. What did He want me to write?
The responsorial psalm for today’s Mass readings struck me. “Your friends make known, Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.”
It’s pulled from Psalm 145:10 which says, “All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.”
If I’m the Lord’s friend, how can I not make known the good things that He has done for me? How can I not sing His praises for all the great things that have come to me through Him?
Make a S.I.M.P.L.E. Invitation
As I explained in the blog post, “Planning for Success: A How-To Guide for Leaders,” the simpler we keep things for people, the more likely they are to get done. S.I.M.P.L.E. means “Show Implementation with Measurable, Practical, Literal Examples.”
In John 1:46, Philip made a S.I.M.P.L.E. invitation to Nathaniel that led him to Christ. He simply said, “Come and see.” And then he walked with Nathaniel, showing him the way to where he could find Christ.
That’s all we need to do. Just share our story and invite people to come and see. Christ will do the rest.
Bungling Things By Adding Unnecessary Complications
The invitation I made to Joylynn worked because it was S.I.M.P.L.E. As we worked together, the two of us became so excited by the results we were getting that we set up a website. We conceived a vision for a program that would help others tap into the flow of abundance.
In December of 2022, I hosted a webinar called “Abundance Now” that got 7 people – all protestant or “spiritual but not religious” listening in and gave me the chance to talk about my Catholic faith. Every single one of the people who joined that webinar stayed on for the full time – including one who registered a complaint that there was too much Jesus talk!
The funny thing is that she told me, during our discussion after the webinar, that the Holy Spirit told her to stay til the end despite the fact she didn’t want to hear about Jesus.
Nothing else went right with that program and – at the time – I didn’t understand why so I abandoned the project. I now know that the mistake I made with the program wasn’t the program itself. It was my mindset. I was trying to pour the old wine of money into the new wineskin God made for me with abundance, and doomed the project to failure as a result.
When your product is love – the secret to true abundance – adding money to the mix only complicates things and blocks the very flow of abundance you’re trying to break open. Love can never be a transaction. It must always be a free, voluntary, sacrificial gift.
Getting Back on Board with the Lord
Once I surrendered to Christ and put together the plan that led me to offer Turning Problems into Prophets, it became clear to me where Breaking Open Abundance fits into the picture and the purpose for which God led me to create it.
I’ll be revitalizing that program soon and will let you know when it’s ready and available for you. In the meanwhile, just know this:
Your stories about what God’s done for you in your life deserve to be told and shared. People need to hear that He has not forgotten them. Friends don’t withhold the Good News from friends. You never know whose prayers you might be answering by finding the courage to share.
Learn How to Share Your Story
Get strategic tips for evangelization and how to share your story in my free course, Turning Problems into Prophets.
