May 2006

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Evangelicals are supposed to be the Christians most enthusiastic about sharing their faith. But most of us are as hesitant as a shy mainliner.

Twinkle: Sharing Your Faith a Little Light at a Time by Elisa Morgan Revell 224 pp.; $12.99

In the tradition of Rebecca Manley Pippert (Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World), Elisa Morgan wants to demystify this business: "We make the whole share-your-faith thing much more difficult than God makes it." And she puts a worn metaphor to good use: "Even a tiny speck of light changes the very nature of darkness."

Morgan addresses frankly and empathetically the reasons we hesitate (i.e., she admits up front she's been a mediocre evangelist at best), from "I might fail" to "I don't want to offend." Then she focuses on simple ways we can bring a "tiny speck of light" into our worlds: "Be real," "accept the doubt in others," and "leave room for wonder," among others. Nothing revolutionary here—but her stories are both honest and engaging.

Morgan does something surprisingly well for a president and CEO (MOPS International, a ministry to mothers of preschoolers): She writes in winsome prose. The title, unfortunately, suggests a sentimentality that is not characteristic of the book, which is a simple encouragement to share the hope within.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Twinkle is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

More information is available from Baker Books.

Elisa Morgan's radio show, MomSense, is available from the MOPS website.

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