Javier is a student of mine who is a very successful 30 something year old in the engineering world. He has a patient intelligence about him and uses little to no body language when he talks. He sits completely in a neutral stance, one leg crossed over the other, and pulls the book of Luke over to him rather than lean over the table to read. In other words, i have trouble reading him. Being intelligent, he is looking more for the deeper issues of the bible rather than the surface level norms. Yesterday, i was talking with him about this and that and he bluntly asks me, "why are you so spiritual? Is it something that was passed on to you or self promoted?" This question took me off guard and was followed up by more inquiries into the reason why I am so different from other people he has met. During this time, he broke his neutral stance with a quick cross of the legs and even a slight lean of his torso in towards the table. I had captured his attention and used by telling him my story and asking him about his. I was able to tell him that although my parents are christian, my faith is my own and proceeded to tell him why. I then invited him to the continuation bible study that is happening for our readers once we leave. The first one is this sunday right before we leave so Linda and I are able to attend. I told him that it is a place for God, but also, it is a place for answers and for deeper though on how to live a quality life. A lot of my readers confuse God with restrain when I tell them that it is quite the opposite. It is freedom for the traditional lifestyle. For me the most effective way is to show them the themes of God in my own words and when they become curious about how i acquired these ideals I show them where in the bible they are located. Simple and easy, but more importantly it makes the reader comfortable and eases him into the concept of God.
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