By Karen Covell, Jim Covell and Victorya Michaels Rogers

Whats your story? Everyone has one. If youve never sat down and written out your spiritual testimony in chronological order, when you do, youll be amazed at how God has been working in your life. No testimony is boring. No matter who you are or where youve been, your story of Christs work in your life is unique and fascinating and will be relevant and potentially life-changing for the listener.

A personal testimony is the most non-threatening way to tell an unbeliever why Jesus is important to you. It allows you to be open about your life while giving God the glory. You can rave about the power of Jesus to transform a life, and even a hostile audience will listen because youre not asking anything of them. Its a powerful story, because its unique to you, and it describes the miracle of salvation.

We know that our faith is based on the divine truth and accuracy of the Bible. We also know that well encounter skeptics who like to argue that the Bible has been changed as its been passed down through time.

Few, however, will question your story, because its as fresh and modern as the morning paper, and youre a living and breathing eye witness to the event. Your story is compelling because its personal and experiential. You can prove its true, because you were there! It cant be refuted.

If youre convinced that following Christ in a personal relationship is the best way to live and the only path ending at an eternal reward, why not help others to this path by talking about your own journey. If youre passionate about your relationship with God, your story will be so infectious itll cause others to want the same thing. And if youre excited and eager to share your story, be prepared to express it clearly and concisely.

Your credible testimony
One Sunday we were talking to our Sunday school class about preparing a three-minute testimony. Afterwards, a police officer friend offered us a fresh perspective: He said that when someone is called to testify as a witness in court, he can only speak about what he personally has seen, heard or experienced. The witness cant speak for what someone else has heard or seen, and he cant testify about what he assumes to be true.  The evidence considered in a court of law must be an account of the witnesss personal experience and how it affected him (see 1 John 1:1-4).

Thats exactly what youre doing when you prepare your testimony. Youre testifying about your personal encounter with God and how it has impacted you. Thats all a jury wants to hear when theyre searching for answers. And thats why you have to be ready to testify clearly and concisely when youre called to the witness stand. Then its up to the jury to decide if what youre saying is trueif your testimony is credible.

Your spiritual autobiography
Writing a personal testimony is simple. Its merely giving shape to a story thats already been writtenyour job is to organize it into a presentable form. The purpose is to let others know what Christ has done in your life.

Try to keep your story approximately three minutes in length. Thats the average time youll be able to hold a listeners attention. Keep in mind that its much more difficult to condense than to expand, so prepare a short version that can help communicate the facts concisely to someone whos waiting for a cab or in line to pay at the register. When you have more timesuch as when youre with someone youve gotten to know much betteryou can explain your story further and include more details.

Tell your story in such a way that others will identify with the entire path of your experiences (past and present), not just your conversion. In other words, tell them what Christ is doing in your life today, not just what happened when you made your commitment.

Its up to you to show the transformation in your life, whether its subtle or dramatic. Without a path there can be no journey, and without a journey there can be no redemption.  Show how your life is a fulfillment of Gods promise that if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5: 17). Remember that were all recovering humans; were still works in progress. Its not over til its over.

Your simple format
Before Christ (B.C.) Your spiritual journey began with the time before you had any knowledge of Jesus Christ. Talk about your life as an unbeliever, even if you grew up in a Christian home and cant claim a seedy past. Sinners are still sinners whether they grew up in a church or in an agnostic family. Tell what your life was like B.C.

Meeting Christ (Year Zero) There came a time when you were introduced to Jesus, and you knew you had to choose whether or not you were going to believe Jesus Christ is who He said He is. Year Zero is the time you met Christ and consciously chose to follow Himthe point of your conversion, whether it was a moment in time or a process. Talk about when you realized your need for Christ and made a personal commitment to Jesus. All have fallen short. Talk about some ways you realized you fell short and how Christ revealed Himself as the only remedy.

After Christ (A.D.) After you accepted Christ into your life, He began transforming you. That part of the story will never be over, but at any given point in time you are experiencing victories or seeing evidence that God is working. Every year after your salvation is a year of the Lord. Talk about what Jesus has done in your life since He changed you.

The bottom line is that you clearly state how Jesus Christ has changed your life and why you have chosen to continue letting Him be Lord. Tell 1) when you accepted Him as your Savior, 2) how Hes changed you, and 3) what the tangible results have been in your life.

Karen and Jim Covell live in Hollywood, California, where Karen is a producer and Jim is a music composer. Victorya Michaels Rogers, a NAMB-appointed Mission Service Corps missionary to Hollywood based on her work there as a talent agent, lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. This article is based on their book, How to Talk About Jesus Without Freaking Out (Multnomah, 2000).