Hal, when I'm in a conversation with ANYONE new, man or woman, I make the revelation of my faith as organic as possible while still being obvious. You know how women who are spoken for, and they know they're talking to a single man, they are ALWAYS able to organically find a way to mention in the conversation early on that they've a boyfriend (or a husband if she's not displaying a ring)? "Oh, that's a sharp shirt! My boyfriend has the same wardrobe tastes as you!" (This actually amuses me more often than not.) Well, I find this is REALLY easy to do concerning your faith when meeting someone new.
Whenever you meet someone new, and dig into a decent conversation with them...be it at a mutual friend's dinner party, or the person you're trapped next to flying from Dallas to Phoenix, or even the guy sitting next to you at the truck stop as you order up a silly amount of bacon and eggs and biscuits and gravy...the inevitable question ALWAYS comes up once you've traded names...
"So, Shour, what do you do?"
And now you have your opportunity to make your stance on God, Christ, and life VERY clear without being (seemingly) confrontational or (seemingly) angry about it.
"Oh, I do lots of things. I breathe, I sleep, but mostly I'm a musician. I pray a lot, and spend quite a bit of time at church. Very active with my church family, in Bible studies, the praise-and-worship team, potluck lunches, and the like. I hit the gym often, sometimes I hike. But I suspect you're asking about my day job, which is really only a small part of my identity. I'm a middle school teacher, and I get kids to make loud noises. Sometimes if they do it in a coordinated manner, it resembles music. So, that's what I do. All those things, and more. What about you, Hal, what do you do?"
What I've done with this quick blurb is make my faith both obvious and a priority by emphasizing it longer than all of my hobbies or pastimes (which are glazed over), and my job, which is usually what someone really wants to know, is de-emphasized by a bit of self-deprecating humor. My new friend now knows that I have a religious background that is a priority, but if that makes them uncomfortable, they don't feel shut down because they have been given other avenues of conversation. Sometimes you meet a fellow Jesus freak this way. "Oh wow, where do you worship!" That's always nice. Sometimes you get non-believer's curiosity, which can often lead to some very insightful conversation. "Oh, uh, you read the Bible? You know, I've always wondered something..." And sometimes, they ignore the bait altogether. *shrug*
And if the revelation that you're a so-called religious nut is offensive to them to the point that they don't want to talk to you any longer, make sure you bless them (sincerely) as they depart, and say a prayer for them next time you're alone with God. Even Christ instructed his disciples that they would have to just shake the dust from their clothes and think no further on it. He who is ABLE to hear...let him hear. ^_^
