CONVICTED

[kuhn-vikt-ed]

verb
-to be impressed with a heavy sense of guilt and shame

Let's use it in a sentence!
As I was praying during church today, I was really convicted about all the "R" rated movies I own.

Secular Synonyms:
Although this word can still apply in a secular sense, it is rarely used as such and even more rarely with the level of guilt that Christians associate with it.

Find it in the Bible:
When appearing in the Bible, to be convicted only refers to the act of being found guilty of and legally responsible for an action/sin. It does not appear in reference to strong personal sense of shame.

Fun Fact:
Studies seem to suggest that there is a direct correlation between the things people are convicted of and the pet issues their pastors speak against.

MK

[em-kay]

noun
-missionary's kid; common Christian abbreviation
-a child raised by missionaries, usually in another country

Let's use it in a sentence!
Tracy grew up as an MK in Ecuador.

Secular Synonyms:
missionary's kid

Find it in the Bible:
This term does not appear in the Bible

Fun Facts:
Sometimes Christians also refer to them as "third culture kids."

PK

[pee  kay]

noun
-pastor's kid; common Christian abbreviation

Let's use it in a sentence!
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Rebecca are all PKs.

Secular synonyms:
pastor's kid

Find it in the Bible;
This term does not appear in the Bible

Fun Facts:
-Ironically, in many churches the PK can often easily be spotted as the most rebellious youth in the congregation.

HUMAN VIDEO

[hyoo-muhn  vid-ee-oh]

noun:
-non-verbal performance set to music that tells a story

-a wordless live drama performance set to Christian music that is performed at churches, outreach events, or on missions trips and tells the story of Jesus or of Jesus intervening in a modern day situation to save someone from his/her sin

-a live drama performance set to music that often occurs immediately before an altar call

Let's use it in a sentence!
The annual fall festival will end with a presentation of the drama team's latest human video.

Secular Synonyms:
skit, drama, performance

Find it in the Bible:
This phrase does not appear in the Bible.

Fun Facts:
-This term originated in the 1980s and seems to be unique to the Assemblies of God denomination

-NPR recently did a story about human videos.

-There are official human video competitions at the Assemblies of God's National Fine Arts Festival. The human video categories include ensemble (large & small), solo, and Spanish. (Other festival categories include vocal and instrumental music, puppetry, graphic design, photography, children's literature, dance, and short sermon.) At the competition, human videos are judged on a number of criteria including Christian message, composition, originality, facial expressions, stage presence, character development, blocking, presentation of storyline, and understandable concept. Here is a video of last year's large ensemble merit winner:

ALTAR CALL

[awl-ter  kawl]

noun:
-the portion of a Christian worship/church/ministry service where the pastor invites attendees up to the front of the church to pray the sinner's prayer and become a Christian

Let's use it in a sentence!
During the last five minutes of the Sunday morning service, my pastor always has an altar call in case anyone there isn't saved.

Secular Synonyms:
none

Find it in the Bible:
This exact phrase does not appear in the Bible

Fun facts:
-Most pastors will ask everyone to bow their head and close their eyes before issuing the altar call. (Even though they are super excited about Jesus, they seem to assume that everyone else will be embarrassed to admit to wanting to follow him.) During that time you will usually hear pastors say "I see that hand, brother....I see that hand." as they notes anyone who responds (or just want to give their congregation the impression people are responding). If no one responds and they are not the type to just pretend that someone did, they will then often launch into a prayer thanking the Lord for a saved house.

-Churches that are extremely intent on ensuring that an altar call is issued at every service will usually have a tally of the "number of souls saved" in their weekly bulletin.

TESTIMONY

[tes-tuh-moh-nee]

noun:
-one's personal story of how they became a Christian
-story of what God is doing in one's life that usually focuses primarily on how they first became a Christian or a miraculous healing

Let's use it in a sentence!
You should really come to youth group tonight. Tammy is going to give her testimony.

Secular synonyms:
personal journey, story

Find it in the Bible:
Acts 22:18; 1 Cor 1:6; 2:1; 2 Thess 1:10; 2 Tim 1:8; 1 Jn 5:11; Rev 11:7; 12:11,17; 17:6; 19:10; 20:4

Fun Facts:
-Although they are not likely to publicly admit it, many Christian prefer testimonies with a lot of high profile sin at the beginning (i.e. drugs, alcoholism, sex, etc). Because of this, many who became Christians at a young age may feel that they don't have a very interesting testimony.
-Many people in other countries complain that most American Christian testimonies given by those on short term missions trips all sound the same and almost always begin with "I grew up in a Christian home."

GOD THING

[god  thing]

noun:
-a seemly minor coincidence that is attributed to a sovereign act of God
-the unexpectedly easy resolution of a personal problem

Let's use it in a sentence!
-When she handed out the math midterm, I realized that I'd forgotten to bring a pencil, but Nancy had brought two for some reason. It's a total God thing.
-It was a complete God thing, because even though Bruce was pulled over for speeding on his way to church, the officer let him off with only a warning.

Secular Synonyms:
Coincidence, Chance, Luck, Fate, Fluke, Happy Accident

Find it in the Bible:
This phrase does not appear in the Bible
Fun Fact:
This is a great phrase to include in your inspirational Christian book's title.