This week I’m reading Eric Michael’s Bryant’s book, Not Like Me and thoroughly enjoying how authentic and Kingdom-minded Eric is in his approach to life and ministry. I’ve gotten to know Eric a bit over the last few years and it’s always good when the person I’ve met matches the person portrayed in the book.

Eric’s got lots of great stories and ideas, but I was especially struck by one of his subheadings in a chapter: proximity equals opportunity. Eric’s heart for people to experience the real Jesus shines through in this passage:

With the world moving into our neighborhoods, we cannot assume that inviting people to church will change their lives. Too often our churches remain less than impressive, and those we invite initially need a reason to decide to go. Getting involved in someone’s life allows us to share our lives honestly with them in a way that gives hope when they feel hopeless. When a friend sees us going through trials while relying on God and our friendships, they are more likely to seek us out when they are struggling. Proximity allows us opportunity for significant conversations.

Eric’s right—it’s not about convincing or arguing that Jesus is the way. It’s simply experiencing that for ourselves.

Myself too.