Conversation stoppers


A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That’s why there are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet. –Truman Capote


Does this ever happen to you?

You’re engaged in a Bible study, seriously trying to understand a challenging concept. Maybe it’s the story about the boy with epilepsy, whom only Jesus can heal, even though the other disciples have tried and tried. The father has stepped out in faith to admit: Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!

And as we begin to admit our own fallibility and uncertainties, someone in the group will pipe up: Well, he just needs to believe.

Or Well, the Bible says all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed. Everyone falls silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Yes, it’s in Scripture. But is it helpful? We allow our vulnerability to show, we confess that we aren’t always sure we have doubt-free belief in God (which, in my opinion, is A-Okay). Comments like this tend to silence the group; thoughts like I guess I’m the only doubter after all float through our minds. And the discussion, which had been going so well, abruptly falls to silence.

Sometimes, the Bible isn’t the final word. At least not until we have finished really wrestling with what it says. And what it means. And what the totality of Scripture says. And means. God speaks to us each in a different voice. Try not to interrupt while God is still speaking to others.
Monday How are you at really listening? Today, set yourself aside and listen deeply to a friend who needs to talk. Psalm 33:18
Tuesday Is there a passage in the Bible that is confusing or difficult for you? Reach out to a friend and discuss it together. (No right answers.) Jeremiah 5:1-2
Wednesday Fall is coming! Spend time outdoors today. Enjoy the weather with all five senses. Write about the day. 2 Samuel 22:1-4
Thursday Cocoa or cider? Apples or doughnuts? Indulge yourself in fall food today. Celebrate the variety in God’s creation. Deuteronomy 34:1-4
Friday Enjoy just sitting still today. Relax.Psalm 37:7
Saturday As you pray for yourself today, offer God your deepest fear or toughest question. Listen for God’s loving response. Give thanks. Job 40:1-2
Sunday Sunday worship means new friends and old! Greet one another in Christian love and praise. Even in the dying of fall, there is beauty and promise. James 4:1-3

I’ve become more comfortable, as time goes on, with saying goodbye because . . . I’ve been having so many conversations abou t the cyclical nature of life.It just keeps going. –Brie Larson

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stepping back. . . .

Image
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and with a calm spirit.  Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,  even if your whole world seems upset.  –St. Francis de Sales This week, I invite you to simply sit in a quiet space with words of hope and promise, and to remember, as Julian of Norwich knew, that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well . It has been a long, difficult season. Advent and the coming of the Christ is just around the corner. Peace and comfort to your spirit. Monday   “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Matthew 11:28-30 Tuesday  “Is this not the kind of fast I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6-9 Wednesday  “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
Read more

It's that time again. . . .

When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised changed, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness? Gratitude? Openness?  Whatever it is,  it’s welcome. –Kristin Armstrong No matter what part of the world you call home, this time of year brings big changes. While my friends Down Under are watching sings of new growth emerge from the earth as temperatures rise, here in Ohio, the leaves are turning from green to gold and orange, red and brown. The winds have taken on a chill; clouds hang heavy, like soggy cotton, reminding us that soon and very soon, we are going to see the snow . Always different, yet somehow, the same. We depend on God’s eternal ways, and trust that again this year, winter will follow autumn, just like it should. So why is it, as we anticipate and appreciate changes like these, when it comes to so many things in life we pull up short, wrinkle our noses and say No! No change! I like things just the way they are! It’s t
Read more

Starting again

“This, then, is how you should pray:" --Matthew 6:9a I have been really sensing lately that there is another blog inside me, one focused on prayer.  Oh, I know-- those elephants are all about prayer. Heck, they  are  prayer. And I will continue there, as well. But what I've been feeling is that people-- maybe you--  have always been told, "You should pray," or "Pray about that." But maybe you feel your prayers aren't "good enough," or that it's just too hard, too embarrassing, too [fill in the blank] to pray. Maybe it feels like no one really talks about how  to pray-- except, of course, for Jesus, in Matthew 6 and a couple parallel passages where we are given what's come to be known as The Lord's Prayer. And it is a great prayer. And there are other great prayers, and other ways to pray that do not involve rote. So "my plan" here is to share, hopefully on a weekly or semi-regular basis, a lot of
Read more