Intelligent Conversations

Interesting to me is the kind of conversations we can have that lack all intelligence. We talk about the weather almost by force in Minnesota, we talk about shopping, ("Can you believe I got this shirt for $5.00?"), we talk about what we did over the weekend, ("Not much, went out to dinner and caught up on laundry."), we talk about that last pair of jeans we fit into and how we are trying to get back into them, "Blah, blah, blah blah BLAH"!

Someone posted a comment on my blog and I read her profile. It struck me how much we are alike and I don't even know her. She almost quoted what I have said many times, "I love intelligent conversations about God, politics...". You get the idea. Why is it that so much of the time we spend on unintelligent words and ideas? Are our lives so boring and stagnant that we really can't think of anything more exciting than shopping and then washing all those needless clothes we bought?

I must admit that I have quite a few intelligent friends and our conversations often turn towards something with a little more meat in them. I admire my friend Katie, who probably to a fault, researches everything and can answer most of my questions with something intelligent, if not completely accurate. I call her for lots of things and she is pretty faithful to give me something to think about.

I admire my friend Charlie, who not only has stood by me through many ill fated decisions but also has kept most of those things to himself afterward. One of the things I appreciate about him the most is his candor and honesty. He tells it like it is, according to God and his own experiences and then tops it off with his reasons. He doesn't shove anything down anyones throat without a few solid reasons to back it up. I really like that in a person.

I admire my friend and former boss, Steven. That guy is tapped into almost every tree of life with something insightful to offer in the way of an opinion, fact, article, pod cast, cd, you name it, he knows a good source! I recently was given a book that I believe was questionable in it's theology and motives. The first person I thought about asking was Steven and my instinct was right, he knew the author and knew something about him. Steven gives me his "take" on things but has never insisted I agree, rather he encourages me to do my own thinking, praying and research! (Which my friend Katie is probably at home already doing!) Admittedly, I am a slow learner, so I guess I pick people who are natural butt kickers! It keeps me moving in the right direction!

So a special thanks goes out to "Jessica", the gal from California who posted a comment on my blog. I owe this blog to your profile!