Last Friday, I wore sandals for the first time in London. Walked to the tube station and sat on the train across from an Italian couple who didn’t care who was watching them make out. I arrived at a tall building, signed my name in a registry at the prompting of a man with a foreign dialect and received bruises on both arms when the elevator doors closed and I was still in the middle.

Alone in the silence, I rode up to the first floor and entered the office of Premier Christian Radio for my first live interview.

As I waited to meet Lucinda, the presenter of the program for which I was a guest, I scanned my mobile, eavesdropped on a conversation between an expat and Brit, and looked repeatedly at my watch, wondering about preparation as the time ticked on. Will I have time for that?

In that brief waiting period, I thought about all the helpful comments I received from those with more experience when I asked for advice on Facebook. In the end, the only notes I brought with me was Matthew 11: 25-30 from The Message, printed off at the last minute in a divine nudge during morning prayers.

And the longer I waited, Peace covered me like a blanket. Jesus was sitting next to me on the couch.

Eventually I was taken to a room surrounded by glass and seated across from the host, in front of a large microphone suspended from the ceiling. Lucinda wore earphones, spoke on air making introductions between playlists, flipped through handwritten notes and prepped me about the direction of the interview like girlfriends having a coffee chat.

A young man entered the room, threw a collection of keys on the table, sat down at a microphone between us and began voicing the top news stories. She was holding up fingers, alerting him to the number of seconds between pre-recorded clips. It all seemed so casual and effortless.

When we make things a big deal, they become a big deal to everyone around us. No one is drawn to an anxious presence but confidence that exudes Peace is alluring.

Behind the scenes, during commercials, Lucinda and I shared authentic conversation about weariness of daily life with some hopeful solutions. Her genuine interest in what I was saying about Sabbath and the Sabbath Society made for a comfortable atmosphere that ultimately resonated with listeners.

Confidence in the message God gives you to communicate makes you a person of influence.

People pleasing, polling for opinions and comparison leads to a hurried up, distracted mind that communicates insecure leadership.

Fear and the fear of God are polar opposites. Which one we choose as we approach our firsts, middles and lasts makes all the difference in outcomes, for you and those you influence.

If you know who you are and where you are going, people will surely follow Christ in you. And don’t confuse perfectionism as the pathway to confidence.

Let go of fear when you look back and move forward with bold courage.

Confidence is curious to the watching world, whether you’re making out on a train oblivious to the opinions of people or speaking to an audience about faith. Your life speaks.

What is your life communicating to those who are watching?

I haven’t listened to the whole interview yet (now I understand why actors don’t want to watch their own movies) but if you want to hear my interview on Premier Christian Radio, click here. And see a photo of Lucinda and I here (and follow me on Instagram where I’m sharing daily snippets of life in London).