New Hope This Week

By Pastor Ann Roda

When we moved to Atlanta, Georgia, ten years ago, I was immediately struck by the friendly culture of the south. Everyone talked to and smiled at you. Standing at the check-out counter, I would hear that a grandson had taken his first step. At the long DMV lines I would hear what a family did on their vacation to Hilton Head. While waiting for my number to be called at the deli counter I would hear how a daughter overcame cancer. Even in the elevator, the bastion of silence, I would hear how a cute pair of yellow sandals were bought bargain basement cheap.

I came to realize that Southerners had many stories to tell about their lives. And they

were not afraid to tell them, even to strangers. One southern friend of mine explained it like this, “Whether it be at the supermarket or the hair salon, just being there with another human being, means you’ve got something in common with them. And when you’ve got something in common, you’re not strangers anymore.”

Perhaps adopting this kind of mindset would make it easier for us to meet and reach people for Jesus Christ. All we need to do is looking around wherever we are and realize how much in common we have with them. And when you’ve got something in common with someone else, you are no longer strangers!