Holy Conversation…

Wow, I can honestly say that I have been honored this semester because of this project.  First, this project gave me an opportunity to talk to one of my best friends on a weekly basis.  Through talking with Randy I have had the pleasure to develop the relationship that has been there since we were first graders.  It has been such a pleasure to develop that relationship through getting to know him and knowing his heart.  I cannot say that I would have taken the initiative to know him like this if it were not because of the Holy Conversation project.  Secondly, I got to know Randy for the person he is, not a Buddhist, but as Randy the guy that follows the philosophies of Buddha.  I was amazed at how far Randy has come along in his personal faith.  I am honored to have him as a friend and as a dedicated scholar who challenges me in my faith.

I realize that Randy was not converted through this project, and that was not my intention.  My intention was to have a relational conversation with a good friend in order to be challenged in my faith and in hopes that I too could challenge him in his.  My experience throughout this project was amazing and very rewarding because I feel that for the first time in my graduate studies I was actually forced and challenged to be relational.  I intentionally chose to have a conversation partner that was not of the Christian faith because I wanted to know and be challenged by others that are not like me.  I wanted to be exposed to what I will be exposed to when I am in the real world and I do not have the shelter of ACU and my Christian friends.  I wanted to know what the things were that I lacked in my faith when it came time to defend it.  This project was not to pin point the weaknesses of Buddhism or Randy’s faith, but to expose myself to someone that does not see the world through my eyes.  In a sense I wanted to make myself vulnerable to a friend in hopes that we would both be on the same level.  This project was not about supremacy of religion, but about sharing what I know to be true about with a friend in hopes that she too would share what is true to him.

Peace states that “holy conversation is just that, conversation.  It happens between people who know and respect each other”.  And I truly believe that we have achieved this in our time of conversation.  This project has taught me that I am not to have a pre-conceived goal in mind when I am trying to have a conversation with a person because that takes away from the authenticity of the moment.  I think that having goals when trying to talk to someone, especially about your beliefs, one has the pressure to talk about all the topics in the agenda versus having a genuine time that both parties can enjoy and benefit from.  I do not have any goals in mind for the future when I talk to people about Christ, but I have learned that it is a much more amazing journey when we allow ourselves to learn from others and hear them out.  I think there is a lot to learn from those that are not Christians because they see the world from a different point of view.  “Conversation is more often about life and experience than about concepts and ideas, though there are some key ideas that need to be talked about since they shape and guide experience”. 

A good thought to keep in mind is what Peace says, “To be a good conversation partner it’s important to remember the rules of conversation.  be kind and generous.  Enjoy dialogue.  Expect different views.  Be clear in what you say.  Be honest.  Know that conversation takes place over time.  Try to be compelling in what you sat about Jesus but not manipulative.  Tell stories – lots of stories: stories about him, stories about yourself and stories about God.  To be a good conversation partner you have to take seriously the worldview and the experience of your friends.  Your aim is not to demean, deny or disregard their experience or perspective.  Likewise you need to take seriously your own experience and knowledge, and not mute or alter it.  Remember it isn’t you who converts people.  It is the Holy Spirit.  Your role is to be clear, forthright, honest and knowledgeable”.

I have enjoyed my time of conversation and there are many things I learned that I am going to carry with me for the rest of my life.  I have been truly blessed with friends like Randy that I can call up and we can have an awesome conversation about noting and at other times challenge each other in our faith and personal lives.  To close this project I think Peace summarizes it better than I can by stating that “holy conversation is as much an attitude to conversation as anything.  It’s the willingness in our daily conversation to be open about our faith and honest about our experience of God”. 

I am grateful and blessed because of holy conversations with such a friend as Randy.  It has been a great time my friend!

~ by Alex on April 30, 2008.