Faith Venture

Jesus began his public ministry proclaiming, “Repent and believe in the Good News.” Trevor Hudson writes in his new book, Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard, that when Jesus said this it was an invitation not a threat.

I ask of us, everyone who says they are either Christian or Jesus-Follower, how do we sound as we talk to people, post on social media, or write publicly?

What tone lies within our voice?

What does our body posture say? Is it congruent with what we say? Or, is it telling a different story?

I’ve read yet another study revealing further decline in the numbers of people in America who admit to being a Christian. Has the public messaging of some Christians turned off one or more generations?

What can each of us do about it wherever we live?

And, I agree with Hudson that both St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard can be great mentors to us. I have writings from each in my library. And, yes, I’ve read them. Reading is the easy part. Living out their words takes courage and discipline.

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness–Seneca.

Many people follow Vitaliy Katsenelsen for his insights into value investing. He calls himself a “student of life.” He reflects this in his latest book Soul in the Game: The Art of a Meaningful Life. Katsenelsen was born in Soviet Russia and is a Jew. He emigrated to the US, has a masters degree in finance and runs a financial investing firm. This wealth of experience infuses the book.

He describes meeting with an economist/writer on a trip. “The second thing I learned from John: Be kind to everyone, all the time.” They walked into a bar to continue their conversation. John greeted every person in his path. He devoted his full attention on the server he chatted with as they sat.

How do you treat your servers or baristas? How do you treat everyone in your path?

Sometimes I think our politicians are still junior high kids. What if they all began to treat people with kindness?

What if, today, I treated everyone I meet with kindness?

Be kind.

I’ve missed a couple of days here. The 2022 edition of the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS, formerly the International Machine Tool show) is running this week in downtown Chicago at McCormick Place. I have moved to the greater Chicago area commuting from home rather than from a hotel far enough away to escape $500/night rates in downtown.

I last wrote about anger. I decided to leave home at 6:00 am to avoid the heaviest of rush hour traffic. The plan didn’t work. There was an accident ahead. Google Maps kept routing me off I-90 onto surface streets to go around tight spots on the freeway. Still, the trip took 40 minutes or more longer. I arrived at the parking lot later than my plan allowed. I lost writing time at the McDonalds on the lower level of the North Hall. Breakfast with Ronald was possible and catching up on soccer referee news. But not everything I had planned.

There was a time the traffic slowdown would have frustrated me. Coming from rural west Ohio where a slowdown on I-75 meant going at the speed limit, 5 mph was slow. And then the loss of writing time. All the plans gone.

I’ve learned over the 20 years of driving through Chicago. The two podcasts I listened to were entertaining and informative. I adjusted to doing what I could and not worrying. After all, the experience of meeting old friends and making new ones was ahead of me. And learning what was new in the industry.

Frustration leads to anger leads to disrupted relationships and opportunities.

Chilling out reframes the situation leading to learning and building relationships.

It was a great two days. Now it’s nice to be in my office chair looking out at the grass and trees behind the house and thinking. Oh, yes, and typing on my new MacBook Air M2 in midnight.