It is Do-able

As part of my quest for inspiration, I've been attending a new church over the past year that has beautiful music, thoughtful, provocative sermons, a non-political call to action about volunteerism and a friendly atmosphere. Oh, and I must mention (how could I forget) the childcare and children's worship, which give me about 45 minutes of peace from my children every Sunday.

After a year of church-going with the Protestants, I'm still not comfortable with evangelical, conversion-oriented religion despite being in the business of persuasion. Perhaps it's my Catholic heritage, or just my unease with organized religion and pure faith-based thinking, but it makes me cringe, which is why I was pleasantly surprised to hear This American Life's show this week "Bait and Switch." One of the interviewees was a preacher who Ira Glass said is all bait and no switch. This preacher promotes what he calls do-able evangelicalism, which entails observing others, praying for them quietly and listening to them (not a hard-line conversion approach to faith, which he says is the equivalent of the crash diet--people can only keep it up for a few days and then go back to their old habits). A good friend of mine uses the term role-modeling to describe her approach to her faith and religion, which I also like.

As for the do-able approach, it's not about the number of converts, or even about the end result, but rather it's about just getting to the start line and exploring what might happen next. What often does happen next is a level of openness, frankness and trust is established that can then pave the way for more thoughtful discussions around whatever the topic at hand may be, which might be what car to buy or what church you attend. And while there might not be a conversion taking place ever, at least there is a discussion. It struck me that the principles for do-able evangelicalism could and should apply to so many other areas in my life--relationships, friendships, my PR and social media work, even my parenting.

How often does someone ask "How are you?" and then actually wait and listen for the response. How often does one sit back and observe and truly listen to their kids? How often do you ask your partner about their day’s challenge(s), where they need your support most? Well, as far as I can tell, all of these things are do-able, and I should do them more often.