spiritual conversation

this past weekend i had a bunch of great spiritual conversations ranging from folks who were struggling with alcohol abuse to folks who were dealing with the aftershocks of suicide. one of the things i treasure most about my interactions with people--especially under the umbrella of church--is that i get the sense that people feel free to ask questions about what God says in scripture to their hard questions. because my professional title involves 'pastor,' there could be a preconceived notion that 'all pastors are preachy' and will dictate their answers with religious language (if not condemning language). though this response would be understandable--since many people have been hurt by past experiences with religious institutions--i'm so grateful that the conversations i've been involved with here at the crossing, are truly covered in grace. the new testament scriptures come to mind, which say, "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. but do this with gentleness and respect..." 1 peter 3:15

spiritual conversation can be incredible healing when it is had with love, grace and truth...that said, beware of extreme-ists who use 'religion' as a pulpit for their own agendas like book sales, television ratings, or simply airing of their own opinions for controversy sake (as happens far too often...)


question for you: how are you doing at being prepared to answer people who ask you about 'the hope' in your life? obviously, your hope may not be Jesus, but you definitely put your hope in something, right? so, would you be able to explain what you hope for to someone else? would you be able to do that with 'gentleness and respect,' or would you feel the need to get defensive?