Fencelines

I’ve been told recently, you and Jenny just meet people so easily….we just don’t know where to start, what to say, how to act…..
Well, truth be known….I still get nervous meeting new people, but it does get easier with practice. I don’t want to be too goofy, too serious….just natural….whatever that means. I don’t wanna say the wrong thing, give the wrong impression or get all “spiritual” too early….when they ask what I do. I just want them to get to know me and me them.
This weeks action is to imagine Jesus taking you somewhere….and it might be to a neighbor’s home, who you have lived next door to for years…and now it might be awkward to just start talking to him or her. Well yeah….if you just bust right out with….”hey you are part of this project, and ummmmm…Jesus said…ummmm……”
They might be older…or younger, or different ethnicity, or religion….but you have some commonalities….if you pay attention. Pets, cars, flowers, children/grandchildren, your homes, time of day you water, music, possibly talk about a third neighbor you don’t know…ask what they know about him/her, these are all great things to start talking about. Just have a conversation….and string it together with another conversation, then another. No rush…no agenda, God’s got this.
Great example for this for me personally….is the Sheltons. We had girls on the same basketball team….and boy the same age. Perfect! We weren’t out to “get them to come to church” or “tell them about Jesus”. We just wanted to become friends.
Crazy things about friends is though…..when you are friends, the things that are important to you, become important to them…and visa versa. Seriously, I would have never been to Camp Ben McCollough and pitched washers, watched Texas A&M basketball or football, or met Shane Phillips or Richard Taylor or all the 10 plus guys we play poker with, had it not been for the Sheltons. And they, in turn, became curious about our church, our friends, our Serve Austin Sunday and Restore Communinty.
I think I know the problem for most people….and I’ve heard this…people don’t really want anymore friends. People don’t feel they can emotionally invest in another relationship. I don’t know how to get anyone over this….but to tell you….too bad. God didn’t give us that option.