A family decided to send a playpen to their friend who had just given birth to her fourth child. She responded by writing this thank-you note to them. "Thank you so much for the pen. It is wonderful. I sit in it every afternoon and read. The children can't get near me."

Wouldn't it be nice if we could shelter ourselves from the relational challenges of life? Someone has written that, for twentieth century Americans, our lawns are our moats. All too often we do seek distance from others. That inclination runs counter to what Jesus expects of us as his witnesses. We cannot be effective witnesses unless we are willing to risk meaningful contact with other people.

In today's passage of scripture we discover a formula for witnessing to the good things God has done in our lives. It is a formula …