Have you shared your faith lately?

Yesterday I was working a shift in a logistics warehouse, unloading hundreds of boxes of Chinese candy from a 53' trailer when all of a sudden the guy next to me asks, "If you had two buttons, one saying earth and one saying humanity, and you had to choose to save just one, what would you push." He quickly added "and none of this religious hope stuff"(he knows I am a pastor). I paused and was thinking as he continued to talk and share thoughts etc. Part of me was going to just let it go but another part of me was thinking about the verse that says "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope you have."(1 Peter 3:15) It was a bit weird because he specifically asked me not to share about hope but none the less I still felt like this is one of those opportunities I should not just let go. As I was listening to him however, I came to recognize that what he thought I would mean by hope was some sort of warm and fuzzy notion about humanities goodness or something. I listened as he expressed disillusionment with humanity, all the mistakes that are made and just what evil humans are capable of. It is here that I actually got to explain what I thought, what my faith teaches me, and Christianity recognizes and addresses many of his observations. I shared about sin and the human condition, about God having a plan and that Jesus came and died not just to turn a blind eye to evil but to bear the consequences for sin. Grace comes in the fact that he bore the punishment for us and that those who put their faith in Him are covered by his self sacrificial actions. I also shared that hope was based not on a warm and fuzzy feeling but that there is a time in the future when Jesus will return, that there will be a judgment day and evil will be dealt with once and for all and that there will be a new earth in which all the effects of sin will no longer exist (and I may have done so in an even more coherent manner than the summary I just gave!)
Anyway, the whole thing has reminded me to always be prepared. We never know how or when an opportunity may arise. So how about you, are you prepared? Here are some things you may want to think about so that you are prepared if an opportunity arises:

1) How you came to faith - your testimony. Sharing your own story may be a great way to start in a non-threatening way.
2) A story about what God has done in your life lately.
3) Gospel particulars - do you know and can you articulate the gospel message? Try studying 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 to get you started.

Those are just a few suggestions to get you started as you seek to always be prepared. I would love it if you would share any other suggestions you have.