Looks like I have a lot to post about today. About a year ago, I realized that pretty much all of the people around me believed pretty much the same thing – about religion, politics, theology, etc. And it was boring. When I lived in California, I frequently met people who thought and believed very differently from me and I loved it. There’s something stimulating about discussing big issues with people from different perspectives. It forces you to think through issues, figure out what you really believe and come away with (hopefully) a clearer way of expressing your view.
So I set about meeting new people. I joined a contemporary fiction book discussion group at the local public library. We meet once a month and the books we read range from intense reads to barely-able-to-wade-through reads. I often disagree with statements that others make and thus we tend to have some good dialogue.
I also joined a co-ed volleyball league. Each session is 10 weeks long and we play pretty much every Tuesday, like tonight for instance. I love volleyball and this was a great way to meet new people. However, the nature of this league is that there is very little personal dialogue. We come, we play, we leave. A few people know that I am a Christ-follower but I don’t “evangelize” people. I don’t hand out tracks. I haven’t invited anyone to church. I rarely even get asked where I work.
Tonight as we played our last couple games, my mind turned to prayer. My attitude was getting poor and I needed to remind myself that I was playing for an audience of One. And I also got to praying about my involvement in this league. I met my goal of meeting people who think/act/believe differently from me, so what now? Do I try to get to know some of them better? If so, how? It’s an odd situation and it seems hard to know what to do. I know that the way in which I play (not swearing, not bad mouthing others, etc) is a testimony to the God I believe in. But is that all there is in this situation?
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