Small Talk
Small talk can lead to big things.
Ken and I really wanted a cup of coffee last night after prayer. Unfortunately, Starbucks closes at ten (why?????) so we headed to about the only place open that late in South Greensboro - an all-night coffee & diner-type food restaurant.
We decided on coffee and a snack. The minuscule portion of loaded cheese fries led to a conversation with our waitress - I knew it wasn’t her fault they overcharge, and it wasn’t the manager’s fault, either - the corporate office controls the portions. I just wish I’d realized that my five bucks wouldn’t get us enough food for one of us to snack on, let alone both!
Our waitress was sympathetic, and we let her know we weren’t angry or upset - just wanting to communicate the perceived problem up the food chain. If the manager tells the district manager and they tell Corporate, and that happens at other restaurant, maybe they’ll change it. Anyways - the conversation changed to a “weather’s been nice, where are you from” sort of thing - just casual small talk. Turns out she’s recently moved here from a state Ken and I visited for an ExWitch speaking engagement a few years back. Ken said something like, “Yes, we passed through your hometown on the way to (another town) to speak at a church.”
Casual. He wasn’t TRYING to open a door to have a spiritual discussion. Really, he was just putting context to our trip.
Except I got the funny feeling that I sometimes get when we’re about to have a serious conversation with someone.
Immediately after Ken said, “church”, she blurted out,
“I’m not going to church any more. Pastors just want to preach that the devil’s causing all our problems, and that’s not true.”
We agreed with her that all too often, the devil gets credit where it’s our own fault. Sure - satan may encourage me to sin… but if I engage in it, he didn’t make me do it. If I’m standing on bridge and some dude walks up and starts verbally suggesting that I jump - who’s fault is it if I swing over the edge and end up in the river? The suggester certainly has a bit of culpability, but the truth is - I’m the one who took the dive. Not him.
So we talked with her for a few minutes to make sure she understood sin, Jesus, need for forgiveness… she’s got it. But she sighed and said, “I just can’t find a church that’s [tag]biblical[tag].”
Because of where she lives, we suggested our church ( Living Word Church ) and Dan Colvin’s Center City Church… ours is maybe 10-15 minutes away, and although right now Dan’s would seem like quite a hike for her, after the move it won’t be bad at all. She seemed happy that we knew of places that preach the truth. I pray that she’ll visit one or the other, or that the Lord will lead her to another of the area’s truly great churches.
We started to get concerned that she might get in trouble or even fired (she was being watched, plus our conversation was making the customers at the other table RATHER fidgety) so we decided the information was enough, for now. We’ll try to go back sometime in the next couple of weeks to check in with her.
Casual small talk can bring on big things.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:43 am
Glad you went for coffee there..