Through Christ in Me

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

December 5, 2024

On our final two days in Taiwan, my friend Jan and I finally got to teach about Christmas in a couple of public schools. Although this program has operated for about 20 years, it still relies on teachers or other staff to be “door-openers” to the schools. For three weeks before Christmas and three weeks before Easter, some schools allow teams to teach students about the cultural significance of those two holidays. It is also an opportunity for students to work on their English skills.

Some weeks, like when Jan and I were there, only one or two schools are on the schedule; other times, a team – or even two teams – will be booked solid for most of their week. That largely depends on the school administrators, which is why teams must adhere to the approved script. Teachers – and sometimes administrators – will attend a presentation, and if a team wanders off-script into evangelistic language, the presentation could be stopped, possibly spelling the end of the outreach into that school for many years to come.

The task

The presentation has four parts: (1) the introduction, instructing students to listen for “the who, what, where, when, why, and how of Christmas”; (2) the biblical history of mankind, his separation from God, and his need to be reconciled; (3) the sending of God’s Son, Jesus, to pay the price of redemption; (4) final thoughts, asking questions of the class (and handing out stickers for correct answers).

“And that is the historical meaning of Christmas.”

While we might prefer to make a “come to Jesus” presentation, sharing the truth of Christmas with hundreds of students at least plants the seed of God’s word, and Isaiah 55:11 says that it will not go out without accomplishing its purpose. During the presentation, the team gives a Bible to each class (or their teacher) and tells them that if they want to know more about the Christmas story, they can read about it in their class Bible. So, as the historical facts of the Bible are presented to the students, we pray that it will cause them to be curious and seek to know the true and living God.

At the end of class time, the team offers the candy cane cards (explained in my blog from May 29, 2025) and any other items they might have available, such as the AFA “Keep Christ in Christmas” silicone bands that we offered. Teams cannot pass these items out because students might feel forced to take them. Instead, they inform the students during the presentation that some small gifts will be available at the end of class for any students who want them.

And that was the gist of the presentation. Simple, huh? Or for some, maybe not so simple …

The trial

I thought I wanted to be a band director – even majored in music education (trumpet) for one semester at community college. But by the end of that first semester, I didn’t even want to play my horn, so I decided I would not be a good band director. I abandoned the music field as a career, much to the disappointment of my mom, who hoped I would convert to a piano or voice major. Instead, I got a 2-year degree in … fashion merchandising. During my internship at a department store, I quickly learned that I wasn’t cut out for retail or sales. (And just in case you wondered, 25 years later, I returned to college and earned a degree in general studies, which consisted of three minors; in my case, those were English, journalism, and linguistics.)

While music education and fashion merchandising were significantly different, one course required for both degrees was oral communication. If I had not known before taking speech that I was not meant to be a schoolteacher, that class would have done it for me. I got nervous every time I had to give a speech, and to this day, I still get nervous every time I speak in front of a group.

Fast-forward to December 5, 2024, at an elementary school in a rural district of Taipei City, Taiwan. The picture included in this article shows me presenting to a class of third-graders. And I was nervous. Looking at my notecards, using the prompts from the screen, talking about Christmas, of all things – one of my favorite parts of God’s plan to save mankind – and I was still nervous!

Here is something I shared in my first Taiwan blog (December 19, 2024):

“As I read the description [of the mission trip], I remember thinking that God might allow me to do something slightly within my comfort zone since this was my first foray out of the country. After all, it would be a sort of scripted ‘performance,’ which is something I am familiar with and not nearly as intimidating to me as impromptu street evangelism. (Spoiler alert: If you can rely on your own strength or ability to finish what you perceive is your assignment, you probably will not rely on God’s strength or His power to accomplish His work … and that applies to all of life!)”

Well, if I had attempted my assignment in my own strength, I would not have completed it! I think we presented to three or four classes of third-graders that day, and to far more high-school students the following day! (I will share more about that in my next blog.) But every single time – looking at my note cards, using the prompts from the screen, talking about Christmas – I was still nervous. It was so severe that before our final presentation of the trip on Friday, Betsy asked me if I was OK to present to the last group. She even offered to do my portion of the presentation for me. (Yes! It was that bad!)

I told her that no, I was not OK … but God had called me there to talk about Christmas, and as much as I wanted to accept her offer, I was going to complete my task.

Because our team in Taiwan and our families at home were interceding for me, I completed the mission God had given me. It was only the power of the Holy Spirit that overcame the enemy – the spirit of timidity (some versions label it “fear”) – that wanted to control my mouth and my mind. It was His love for the people of Taiwan that filled my heart and caused me to love them too. His strength gave me the discipline to be obedient to talk about Jesus’ incarnation rather than hide in a corner and watch as someone else took my place.

Jesus already did that anyway.

As CityAlight says in their song, "Yet Not I, but Through Christ in Me,"

“To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus, all the glory evermore to Him

When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat – Yet not I, but through Christ in me.”

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