My friend, Jean, loves puns. She sent me this one: "Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall." Jean thinks this pun is funny and she thinks my response is funnier; I groan. When the pun is very bad, I flinch, groan, "boo," and hiss in an inside-out-expression of appreciation that I give to my friend's puns. For both of us, my response is the part of the exchange that magnifies our enjoyment of the moment.

The response is everything. When a Christian shares her faith, she always wonders what response she will get. Most of the time, the type of response is buried in the way the Christian shares. But let's back up a little before we talk about responses.

Before Jesus left the earth, He said, "You shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8).

Being a witness is part of your job while you are on the earth.

If you've watched a TV court drama, you know a witness can only tell what she knows or sees. That is true for you as well. You can best share with others your own experience of God's work in your life. Salvation comes the same way for everyone - by the gift of Jesus' blood shed for our sins - but your story is unique. No one can tell your story the way you can.

You may have noticed something else a witness does on a TV court drama. Before she appears in court, a witness practices. The attorneys ask questions and listen to the words the witness uses to give her answer. An attorney may ask the witness to give an answer in a certain way so that the response of the jury is more positive. That's a good lesson for us, too.

Remember that I said the type of response you get is related to the way you share? Well, think about the response to this scenario:

YOU: "You just told Ms. Seymour a lie. Lying is a sin. God says liars will go to hell, so you're going to hell if you don't stop lying."

YOUR FRIEND: "What do you mean I'm going to hell? I'm just as good as you are. Mind your own business!"

True, you were a witness in the scenario, but you "witnessed" sin in your friend's life and she felt attacked by you. Your friend is no closer to understanding her need for God's forgiveness and she may now be your former friend!

Look at the response to this approach:

YOU: "What do you know about Jesus?"

YOUR FRIEND: "I know you think he's pretty special, but I don't know why."

This approach gives you an open door to tell your friend about sin in your life and forgiveness of those sins. You might even get a chance to ask your friend if she wants to accept Jesus' gift.

So, think, pray, plan, practice, and share your story. God has some wonderful responses out there waiting for you.

Lynnda Ell has been an active Christian for over 50 years She has three adult daughters and five grandchildren. She has had careers in accounting, direct sales, electrical engineering and writing. She lives and worships in New Orleans, LA. Check out Lynnda's blog.