I was sitting at the kitchen table, and the gentleman across from me was livid. As a Pastor, I had to take a stand against something he was doing. I admit that I could have done it better in my inexperience - nothing I did deserve him coming across the table at me swinging.
I ducked.
That ended our relationship. I sometimes think back on that day and wonder how that could have ended differently. I wouldn’t have. No matter what I did, he was going to lose his temper.
I suspect that each of you has a similar story. The family gathered around a familiar place, like a kitchen table, and someone losing their cool.
But here is the good thing that came out of all of this. I was honest with him, and he was honest with me. We ended the relationship on statements of truth. For a year, our relationship was a “living room” kind of experience. It was built on a lie—lots of them.
A Pharisee, one of those guys I talked about yesterday, comes to see Jesus.
The conversation starts formally - Nicodemus says, “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Jesus changes the conversation immediately. “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Well, that changed the conversation.
Don’t fear kitchen conversations about faith. Don’t be afraid to speak the truth. Don’t worry about being “canceled”.
Dear Jesus, help me to have great conversations about faith with the people around me. AMEN
Comments