By April Terry (personal blog http://faithwarming.blogspot.com)

Grandpa was in the dining room surfing the net, my nephew and son were upstairs in video game land, and my husband and I were sitting in our recliners watching TV Sunday evening when the power went out.  Suddenly, although it was still light, a silence filled our household and we were forced to find an activity that wasn’t powered by electricity.  Even the recliners on our new couch were powered by electricity and so we had to help each other out of them because we couldn’t bring them back down.  Now, because of a hiccup in the “force,” we had to sit around and talk to each other or find some other way to amuse ourselves.   Every once in a while it takes something like a power failure to realize what a different world we live in.  We don’t really have to survive the elements or live off the land.  We don’t have to struggle for survival or wonder if it will be too cold tonight.   We are the fortunate, the blessed, the elect.

In Christianity, our sense of being the “elect” is often one of the things that people are deeply offended by.  It makes others feel as though they are on the outside looking in or as if we, the elect, feel that there is something missing in them.  The ironic thing about that is, that we are only “elect” because of God and not by anything that any of us do, yet we turn our critical eyes on everyone else.  I am reminded of when the disciples argued about who would be the greatest.  Jesus’ response would be that the greatest would be a servant.  We Christians don’t always intentionally point fingers.  We use phrases like “the lost” or “outsiders” to describe those who aren’t in our faith and we use terminology that is all our own.  Anyone who has ever been an outsider of any kind knows that this kind of starting point is more of an ending point. 

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by April Terry (personal blog http://faithwarming.blogspot.com)

I like to watch spy shows.  I especially love the ones where there is a puzzle that must be figured out in order for the world to be set right.  At some level, everyone’s story is like a puzzle that, when deconstructed, often signals their reasons for being where they are and who they are.  Listening to someone tell their story is often the open portal to a new adventure in relationship, both exciting and intriguing.  For that reason, I guess I am a little like a spy, but in a good way.  I can’t wait to get to the inner you.

Not everyone is like that, I realize.  Most folks don’t delve into relationships with the comfort and ease that I might, but I think that anyone could be better at building and nurturing relationships if they approached them like a spy would.  For instance, spies have to be good listeners.  They have to listen carefully and take notice of the details that someone might share about themselves whether consciously or unconsciously.  These details are the clues to the character of a person, whether they are lying or telling the truth, happy, sad, confident, or nervous. 

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