One of the best moments from this week was my first plane flight home from “Impact 08″ (an annual conference of Stonecroft Ministries in Kansas City). It was a 6:20 flight from KC to Denver. I was exhausted. I was sitting next to a man that was 30 years my senior. He asked why I was in KC, and I told him. This led us on the journey of faith. I shared with him all about my faith walk. The struggles, the joys, finding freedom in Christ. Being a seeker everyday and seeing his goodness in my life. All of it.

Then he shared with me about his Muslim faith. Things I didn’t know about. Things that I had read, but no one had really explained to me. Clearly we had theological differences, but there was a deep respect in the conversation. His view is that sometimes we need to look at commonalities in order to address global issues. He is a part of an interfaith movement that works together for the good of everyone. We shared together about the many cultural, generational, and spiritual differences. I asked him who Jesus was to him. He told me. Then I shared who Jesus is to me. And he listened.

There were no arguments or harsh words. Just two people on the plane talking about faith and love. The Gospel message is a non-negotiable for me, and in that moment, I got to share what it meant in my life. I was surprised as the plane was landing that he asked me to pray. We held hands and I prayed to God openly and thanked him for the opportunity to sit by this man. I am changed because of that plane trip. Not my belief in God, but my desire to connect with people who are different than me. God has challenged my heart to listen more when I am talking to people.

-Trina