The Faith in Action Weekend made a great impact. You'll have to read Pastor Angie's blog to get the details but among other things we approached 1,000 hours of service, packed 903 kits for the Festival of Sharing and many other things. I had the opportunity to give away smoke alarms to residents in the northeast part of Kansas City. The people were amazing and it was a joy to interact with appreciative people. This is yet another example of lives being touched by the people of God through PWUMC.
It's been a good week. I participated in a meeting in Austin, Texas, this week. I shared my airplane story this morning. On the connecting flight from Dallas to Austin I found myself sitting across the aisle from Rick Barnes, the head basketball coach at University of Texas. I texted my son and daughter telling them that I was across the aisle from Rick Barnes. Then I added "I don't think I'll talk to him." (They encouraged me to go ahead.) Anyway at the end of the 50-minute flight we were on the ground and he looked at me, I looked at him and ended up in a conversation. In three minutes we talked about the book he was reading, other books and authors, the church he attends and part of his philosophy of discipline. I learned his son is considering the ministry and ended up with a neat interaction. Furthermore when we got off the plane he came back and had me write down a book title and another author I mentioned.
As I shared this morning, this all created an ethical dilemma for me. You see, I am not a University of Texas fan (sorry to all our UT folks in the church not to mention Bishop Schnase). I have never been a Rick Barnes fan. But now I have met him and he is a great guy. This is my problem. It was easy to cheer against an opponent until I met him and now he is no longer an opponent. I like him.
It makes me wonder what would happen if I got acquainted with some other folks too. It is lots easier to keep people at a distance and go ahead and have favorites. But it seems better to go ahead and talk to someone - it has life-changing potential.
So whether it is a nationally known basketball coach - an African mother of four living in a house with no smoke alarms - a Hispanic man whose five-year-old daughter has to communicate for him in this strange land - a new family in the church working hard to make the grounds around the church look God-honoring - or who knows what.
Go ahead and talk to them. It may change your life.
It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too.
Blessings.
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