“I can say I have met the most amazing people on this planet when I have pushed the walls aside and just gotten to know people for who they are.” So writes one of our Catch members recently. He works in the Human Resources Department of a major university and describes himself as a “Generalist.”
“I take on a variety of different HR problems like employee relations issues, international employment, discrimination, harassment, bullying, etc. All of these areas can show improvement when people are open to one another and willing to learn about another.”
“All of those situations and countless others in my job can immensely benefit from a willingness to learn about others and put them before ourselves.” I would suggest this would be a great attitude for us all to have especially in the world around everyone we know and meet, but especially people who are not Christians.
I come out of a certain “Christian” bent on the world which says everyone is different from me unless proven otherwise. I’m not sure where this bias comes from but it is fed by a fear and insecurity that is entirely unnecessary when you are following the Lord who is in all and through all and being directed by the Holy Spirit.
“Finding that the person from the other side of the world with a different religion, different culture, different values, different ‘nearly everything’ is still in fact, just like me…” is a reality that should be as prevalent among Christians as anybody. Come on, people, let’s start thinking like we are all in God’s HR Department.
Instead of maximizing our differences, I suggest we look today for what we have in common with people. It’s what we have in common that will allow us to establish relationships with people, and relationships are the means by which the Gospel of Welcome goes forth. It’s all about knowing and loving people.
We’ve created a ton of gospel “tools” over the years to help with the spread of the good news of Jesus, but in the end these are no more than tools. There is simply no substitute for a relationship.
Follow Jesus. Learn to do what He did. He touched people. He was hardly ever alone. His nickname was “friend of sinners.” The degree to which other people are more important than ourselves is the degree to which God can use us in the world.
Live in anticipation of the amazing people you will meet today.
John Fischer The Catch 
~ I work at a Crime Laboratory and know of several commonalities amongst people – regardless of their race, religion, background, etc.
Whether they’re deceased or arrested for suspicion of being under the influence of something, everybody’s blood is still red and the urine is still wet and smelly.
And, the main difference between a corpse and an arrestee is the warmth of that individual…
As the Friends (Quakers) say, “looking for that of Christ in others, and speaking to that”.
i like this: “Live in anticipation of the amazing people you will meet today.”
Amen to the Quakers and other comments today.
I find myself thinking, “how can I give more time to others to develop relationships”. That’s an advantage of puking the message on others and walking away.
What I have decided is it’s not hard to listen and when you do a relationship develops with very little effort.
I got involved with some guys that like to grab a snack at McDonalds sporadically so at any given evening someone that feels the need textes and whoever shows up shows up. Some identify as Christian and some don’t but it’s a great way to be involved with each other without investing much effort. We call it the McMens group.
No, we don’t talk about Christ much but when we do it feel very natural.