Interestingly, we're back to do another session. And how do you become more  interesting, we've, we talked about acquiring knowledge, interesting knowledge  that you can turn into metaphors or read more books, internet search, your son  

was watches documentaries and all of that. The second way is to know  interesting people or go out and meet interesting people. So we've through the  years met some really awesome people. I mean, whether it's like Rich Devos  who was very interesting, even in our church plants, I remember some of the  most interesting people you met, when you were in Vancouver, and I visit you  and they're called Colette, I believe. That was, Colette started coming to our  church before she was a Christian. Right? And she ended up bringing like 10 to  15 families to our trainings where she right. She just had that gift of meeting  people and talking to and a boldness. Yeah, I mean, the apostle Paul, I mean,  biblically speaking, he is like a crazy, amazing meeter of people suddenly to  start with a subtle one not an obvious one, when he's on the trip to Rome, and  they're boat shipwrecks. It's fascinating. I love to read the nuances between the  centurion, who wants to kill everybody or wants to kill the prisoners, Paul, and  they're talking and the centurian is enamored with the apostle Paul. Like, this is  one interesting guy entire and you're see underneath in the text. Suddenly  interesting. He was enough that Centurion, according to Luke, wants to do  everything. And then when Paul comes up with a suggestion, this is what we  must do. And no one will be lost. The centurion listens, because he already is  listening to Paul's stories. Paul appeared before gover and they wanted  audiences with Paul. Paul was a convincing speaker he told great stories. Even  in his last trial, you know, he almost convinced me to be a Christian. I'm not  becoming a Christian in no way No, no matter what and almost he becomes a  Christian, right? I mean, he was connected to religious people, he was raised to  be a Pharisee. So he was high up in that world. He knew people there. He knew that, you know, the apostles. He had people sort of training under him, right? He knew Philemon, who had the slave Onesimus, you know, we get the book  Philemon. You know, he became friends with people that were tentmakers like  himself, and then they became leaders in the church. I think Jesus is interesting. He's the son of God. But He is interesting as he's walking along, and he saw a  student in a tree. Okay. Oh, that's Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus come down? Okay,  why? I'm gonna meet you. I'm gonna go to your house today. And then it says  about Jesus, Jesus says, the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.  But the whole story is interesting. And in those days, I want to go to the house of a tax collector, right and see what the deal is. Right, Jesus met with Matthew  and all of his friends a big party with all these collectors. Nicodemus, religious  leader comes so meeting interesting people. It's more than and you can read  about interesting people. That's one way to do it. You can meet interesting  people that have long died, right? through books, biographies. The interesting  book, I love the book here I stand about Martin Luther. Yeah. I just ordered a 

book last yesterday because I read it and I couldn't find any more. But This is  John Calvin, by Thea B. Van Halsema. And I had read Calvin's Institute's two  volumes, heavy argument, argumentative doctrine, every subject in on the Bible  and in doctrine, but this little tiny book, introduced me to the man who struggled  who had who got kicked out of his own church and then later they called him  back who had different family members die, struggling relationship to his wife. In his children, and in the people he was trying to lead, it was all of a sudden, you  know, I met the real John Calvin, it felt like and then I appreciated all the other  things that he had written. So getting to you can get to know people historically.  But there's something to getting to know people personally, you know, both of us got to know Rich DeVos and spent time. We saw interesting habits. And we  wanted to copy from the right, that we like how he meets people, even people  that we would say, well, we're just not going to notice that person. He stop and  notice people. Notice their pictures of their grandkids, he had a habit that if  someone was coming over, he would know ahead of time, what their names  were, when they walked in, and he would greet you by name. He doesn't have  to do any of that. You know, he's doing his own thing. He's got enough money,  and he's gonna influence. So who does he have to impress? But that's, it was  an authentic way of honoring every single person that was in his presence. Well, when you get to know somebody like that and you see it, I can read that we  should do that. Yeah. But when you get to know someone like that, it becomes  incredibly, number one, interesting. But then that interesting way of operating  rubs off on you, you know, one of the things I love to do and easy to, like, we  actually have like our interesting mentor group. These are people that are just  interesting that we want to learn from, and they don't mind, if you ask them  questions, on why they're interesting, they actually feel complimented, right. So  you know, we'll say, so Rich, why did you do that? So hang around interesting  people, but then asking them, what are some of their secrets? Now, we don't  ask them because we want to manipulate others. We asked him because it  enhances our life and our ministry in itself. Interesting. People are just  interesting so you gravitate towards these people. But you know, there's a little  bit of work on getting out there and meeting interesting people, right? I mean,  you could just stay in your little world or it takes some courage, because a lot of  times we we see interesting people out there, and we think they are so  interesting, why would they want to bother with me? Right? So how do you tell  see when someone is interesting that you should invest your time and be  courageous and get to meet them? Well, you know, I, first of all, just, you know,  be observant, who are, if you had to make a list of the top 10 most interesting  people close to your life, right now might be someone that you know, well, but it  might be somebody like, maybe you're in a big church, and it might be your  pastor or the worship leader, something like that, and you don't really. So who  are you attracted to? Or what, what makes them interesting to you. But then this

is where it takes a little courage to go out there and and actually communicate  that. Right. Right. So to actually are the interesting to you, I always ask my wife,  who's interesting to her. I ask her and she said that person is sort of interesting  at first, really, and then but but I've learned over the years. For her hunches are  good. And a lot of times, she will, like at the surface I won't really see that but  she made me see that. But then if she pointed direction, I get to know someone.  And I find that actually almost everyone has an aspect that they're really  interesting. For whatever reason, you know, they hold the back. Yeah. So there's two ways in some ways, you can find interesting people that you know, on the  surface you look and go with, it seems really interesting. Or the other way is to  try to find the interesting thing in every person that you meet. Very interesting.  All right. So we'll continue on.



Last modified: Monday, October 16, 2023, 7:46 AM