2 of the 13

Below are 2 of the 13 paradigm shifts Donald Miller talks about that he encountered when doing Christian ministry in a pagan environment...

1. Nobody will listen to you unless they know you like them: We began to understand that people, subconsciously, merit a religious or philosophical idea not on logical conclusions, but on whether or not the idea creates a “good person”…the definition of a good person being whether or not a person is kind to them, tolerant and understanding, able to listen without arguing and so on.

2. Nobody will listen to God unless they know God loves them: We came to believe there was usually a hidden pain behind hostility, that many people have been hurt by the church, or people or perspectives they believed to represent God. Many times its as simple as an interview they saw on CNN, but an apology and kindness went a long way in helping people understand God was loving.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes a person "good" or "bad" in reference to how people describe others. I think describing someone as "good" or "bad" is obviously completley subjective, and I often question what I really mean when I say it.

I've also been thinking a lot lately about who I'm intentionally investing into that aren't followers of Christ. I truly believe that as followers of Christ it is vital to make sure we're "doing life" (that was for you Jen :) with those who don't know Christ yet. This can obviously look differently for everyone, but this is something I try to continually remind myself the importance of, because of where I work and live, it would be incredibly easy to get comfortable in my faith and settle for mediocre living.

And I really don't want to do that...