At the Journey Gathering on Sunday night we never got around to our planned interactive guided Bible study. In fact, I don’t think we even read a single verse of scripture. That’s because we were busy talking. Yep, just talking. To be honest, it wasn’t just “shooting the breeze” kind of talking (well, at least not all the time). Most of the time we were on subject, but we didn’t follow the plan.

Here’s what we planned:

• 15-20 min. music (while we meet, greet, and eat)
• 10 min. semi-guided conversation in small groups
• 40-45 min. interactive guided Bible study in large group
• 15-20 min. music (while we share Communion and disperse)

Here’s what we actually did:

• 15-20 min. music (while we meet, greet, and eat) . . . Good start, right?
• 70 min. semi-(un)-guided conversation in small groups . . . oops!
• 10 min. quickly share Communion before everybody leaves . . . oops, again!

Oh, well . . . Hey, I’m glad we didn’t follow the plan. Had we followed the plan we could never have had the significant dialogue that we did. Our conversations were real! They were lively, animated, intense (at times), and honest. Not everybody agreed, nor did they politely try to agree. But nobody was disagreeable, either. That’s pretty significant in itself. And isn’t that enough?

At a time when everyone seems to have an agenda, it’s nice to lay the agenda aside. Nearly all of the words aimed at us have a target. We are bombarded with a relentless assortment of words (and images) specially crafted to elicit a response from us. They are designed to make us want to buy something, do something, or feel good about something. I’m not just talking about advertising either.

Most of the people I interact with have an agenda, too. I can’t tell you how many times a conversation has turned on the phrase, “Let me tell you why I called/dropped by.”  I just did it myself, not half an hour ago. I called a friend, exchanged a few pleasantries about their recent trip to Morocco (like I cared . . . well actually I did). But then I heard myself say those words . . . “Let me tell you why I called.”  Conversation over!

I don’t mean that my friend hung up on me . . . but we quit talking for sake of talking and the agenda took over, so the conversation ended. I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, checked it off my list, but we never got back around to their trip, their family, nor anything else that’s important to them. I ought to call them back and start the conversation all over again with the same words, “Let me tell you why I called.”  Only this time I could add, . . . “I called just to talk.”  Wouldn’t that be something?